__________________________________________

 

 

The subway ride was long and uneventful and that was just what I needed after a night like that.

I reached for my phone to see if I was making good time, but of course it was nowhere to be found.

Just great… I would forget my phone at home during the worst weekend ever. It was like the cherry on top.

Ugh, thankfully though there were plenty of clocks in the station on the way out for me to look at and wow, I was actually surprised. If running five minutes late and forgetting my phone at home were the only negatives this morning, I don’t think I was doing as bad as I thought… especially for the night I had.

Whew~!

I picked up my pace a little and headed toward the very familiar café on the corner of the street. Once I finally got there I knocked on the front door and it didn’t take long at all for someone to come let me in.

“Hey Taeng come on in,” one of the managers at the café greeted. I smiled.

“Hey Jungah, sorry I’m late. I-“

“Oh don’t worry about it kiddo,” she interrupted. “Yoona said you might not come at all. Are you feeling better?”

Huh? She did what?

Wait… Am I feeling better?

“I- uh, yeah,” I said questioningly.

“Good,” she said cheerfully. “I’m glad. Go clock in and then you can help Yoona and Kaeun get ready for the morning rush, okay?” I nodded and followed her to the back room. Jungah went into the office and I was instantly attacked by a giant shikshin… some people might also call it being hugged.

“Unnie~,” she cooed loudly.

“Hi Yoong,” I said as I hugged back.

“Are you okay,” she asked as she finally released me.  I nodded.

“Why wouldn’t I be,” I asked suspiciously. She couldn’t possibly know about the whole ‘door to the head’ thing right?

“Tiffany’s manager said you didn’t feel good and left early?” I could hear the confusion in her voice.

Oh thank god.

I thought I told Sunny to tell them I just went home first so they wouldn’t worry like this, but I guess leaving because I was sick was a better excuse… and definitely less suspicious.

I totally owe her one for that.

“I didn’t know if you were coming in today or not since you won’t answer any of our texts or calls,” she trailed off in fake anger. I sighed.

“Mianhae,” I grinned. “My phone died at the venue and when I got home I put it on the charger and fell right asleep… I even forgot it today since I was in a rush.” She smiled.

“It’s okay unnie. Now that you’re here and I know you’re okay it doesn’t matter.” She wrapped her long arm around me again and I felt horrible.

I felt so bad about lying to one of my best friends, but I guess it wasn’t technically a lie, right? I mean my phone did die while I was still at the concert venue and I did put it on the charger when I got home... It’s just I left out a few things here and there in between... It was more like withholding the truth…

Yeah! That’s exactly what it was.

I wasn’t lying but I wasn’t telling her everything that happened either… it’s not like she’d believe me even if I did tell her anyway, right?

Didn’t think so.

Oh well… I’ll just tell them about it later when everything calms down.

“Sooyoung might kill you when she gets here though,” she laughed before releasing me again.

Oh god, I totally forgot about her. I groaned.

“Why? Because of Hyo?”

I did kind of leave her with them without saying a single word about it…

“Nope,” she said while shaking her head. “Just because you left without telling us.” I nodded.

“That’s fair I guess.” She hummed.

“We waited on you for like ever~,” she exaggerated. “And then finally Tiffany’s manager comes and tells us you left like twenty minutes ago,” she laughed. “Yeah… Soo is pissed.”

Great.

It’s totally a fair reason and I’d be pretty pissed too, but ugh… Sooyoung is really scary when she’s mad sometimes. She’s already like six inches taller than me and add that with her loud voice and crazy expressions and it equals a non-pleasant experience for Kim Taeyeon.

Ooh, I was definitely not looking forward to that.

“What time does she come in? Nine?”

I knew two people usually come in at nine to help out at the café on weekends because we’re so busy but I just didn’t know who yet.

“No Soo is off today, Yuri and my cousin come in at nine.” I nodded.

Even better.

Now I didn’t know what time she’d be in. It was going to be a surprise attack from the great Choi Sooyoung… just what I needed to top off the already perfectly ruined weekend.

The phone was nothing compared to her.

“Unnie can you give me a hand,” Kaeun shouted from the supply room, catching both of our gazes.

“Oh, I’ll be right there Kaeun-ah,” Yoona called back. “Duty calls.” She grinned.

“Yeah, yeah,” I smiled. “It’s all you.” She hummed.

“After you clock in can you start getting the dining area ready? We haven’t made it that far yet.”

“Yes boss,” I saluted sarcastically. I knew she hated that.

Her face immediately turned sour before she shook her head and walked right away from me.

It was way too easy to annoy her sometimes.

I took off my jacket and hung it up before clocking in on the computer in the backroom and then it was time to get to work. I pulled my apron of the hook and started on my way.

The first thing I had to do was take all the chairs off the tables and wipe them down… even though I’m sure someone did before we closed last night.

Whatever, we have to be clean!

After I sprayed down every table and wiped them off I had to make sure all the supplies such as the napkins, straws, and the little packets of sugar were stocked to the max.

I know how mind numbingly boring this all must sound, but I actually enjoyed it. A lot.

Because everything was sort of tedious and well… easy, I didn’t have to think much and it was really nice.

Actually I tried to keep myself busy most of the time just so I wouldn’t have time to think about other things. If I wasn’t here or at school I was at home doing homework, or playing games on my phone, or even just coloring.

Hyoyeon was pretty good at taking my mind off of things too being as crazy as she is. Getting her to sit and do her homework is another job in itself most days… I usually resorted to small threats and-

“Hey is there anything we can help you with,” Kaeun asked with Yoona in tow. I shrugged.

“Not really, I think I have everything pretty much done,” I replied.

As I said, this stuff was pretty easy.

They nodded, but I suddenly remembered something.

“I guess we could go ahead and open the doors though,” I suggested. I knew we had about five minutes left until we opened for real according to the clock on the wall, but - “That ahjussi has been standing out there for the past ten minutes and it’s freezing.” The two in front of me looked to their left and quickly agreed.

“I’ll tell Jungah.”

“And I’ll get a cup of hot coffee ready,” I added. It was seriously cold out. Yoona hummed.

“I guess that leaves me the door then,” she laughed.

What we didn’t know though was that it was no laughing matter.

That ahjussi was only the start to a very busy morning. The next hour or so was so hectic; I literately didn’t even know how this was possible.

Did the Starbucks down the street shut down or something because damn…

Seriously, I almost didn’t even notice Yuri and Nana come in an hour and a half later until I saw the bright blonde hair that I would have had to be blind to miss.

“Oh Nana, can you take these two decafs to table seven?” She smiled.

“Right away Tae.” I nodded.

Great, now I could focus on the other four orders I was still waiting for.

It didn’t take Yuri long to whip up the macchiatos and lattes either thankfully. She was one of the best baristas here and together with Kaeun and Jungah, they made a great team behind the counter.

Yoona and Nana made a pretty good team too… it also didn’t hurt having the two prettiest employees waitressing either. It definitely helped keep the angry ahjussis and teenage boys at bay when we were a little late with their order so that was a big plus, especially on mornings like this.

I guess I was on the ‘behind the counter’ team too seeing as how I was stuck at the register taking the orders and money of the people that wanted their beverages to go.  Not to brag or anything, but I would say I was doing a pretty good job too. The line was moving swiftly… except when someone had an annoyingly confusing order that is, but that wasn’t my fault.

It took a while for us to get all caught up, but after just fifteen minutes of those two being here I could already feel a difference. We actually had empty tables for the first time all morning!

My line was getting shorter too and I think we might be finally nearing the end of the rush.

“Hey Taeng can you go help them clear off tables,” Jungah asked a little bit later. “Kaeun-ah will cover it up here.” I nodded.

“Ne unnie~,” I said back happily. I finished punching in the order that I was taking and let Kaeun do the rest.

Easily spotting Yoona off to the left I erased the distance in-between us and quickly started to help her clear off yet another now empty table.

“It’s dying down,” she said happily as another couple got up from the tables beside us and left.

“Yah, don’t jinx it,” I teased. She laughed.

“It’s past ten Tae, you know that’s when we start to slow down. Unnie even put the new girl on register,” she laughed. “I think we’ll be okay.”

That was a very good point. Kaeun might be able to make drinks quickly, but she was hopeless on the register. Someone thought she was a foreigner once because she was taking so long.

It was hilarious.

Just like she said though, we started to slow down... big time. We’re usually only really busy during the mornings and sometimes around lunch time, but since we have school five days out of the week we almost never get to see it… which I didn’t mind… at all.

Of course since it was a weekend it was going to be pretty steady all day, but it wouldn’t get anywhere near what it was just like… thankfully.

I helped Yoona and Nana clear off a few more tables before getting summoned to take over the register once again while Kaeun took a break.

A few minutes later when I was replacing the register tape before it completely ran out, and while the line was nonexistent, I heard the annoyingly familiar bell that rings every time the door opens.

Ugh, right when I almost had it too!

I’ve been trying to get that stupid little piece of paper through the right slot in the machine for at least a solid minute. Gah why is this so hard to do-I-oh! Assa~!

I got it.

“Welcome to the Orange Caramel Café,” I said cheerfully as I looked up to the newly arriving customer.  “What can I- I…”

Sooyoung grinned.

“Uh-huh, can I talk to you for a minute?”

“I-“

__________________________________________

 

“Look I can explain,” I said as soon as we made it out of ear shot.

The customers could still see us due to the huge opening in the wall in between the backroom and the dining area, but I would just have to hope she didn’t start throwing punches anytime soon.

“Well yeah, you better,” she sassed.

I took a deep breath and sighed.

I should’ve known.

There weren’t that many people in the café right now so we were all relaxed. It was like the calm before one of those huge storms and this storm just so happened to be named Choi Sooyoung.

“I-I- I don’t know where to start,” I said honestly. I tried to rack my brain on how to even begin to explain last night and came up blank.

Do I tell her about the hospital? About Tiffany? About my house?

No I couldn’t.

Damn, she’s really good at being able to tell when I’m lying though…

If I told her the truth however, would she be able to see I’m not lying?

Oh god… I guess there’s only one way to find out.

“I-“

“How about you start by explaining this Kim Taeyeon,” Soo said before shoving her phone in my face… literally.

“OW- what the!”`

It took me a second to get the phone off of my face and out of her hands to even be able to get a good look at it but once I did I couldn’t believe my eyes.

You have got to be ting me.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I read the article twice just to make sure my head wasn’t playing tricks on me and now I kinda wish it were.

Oh god.

This couldn’t be real…

The one thing I was trying to avoid from happening the whole night happened.

It actually happened…

My life was over.

I was done for. I-

“Yah, focus Kim Taeyeon,” Soo snapped... literally. “How in the world did you end up leaving with-,” she paused and lowed her tone. “With her?”

Oh god, this wasn’t happening.

My insides churned. I shook my head and-

“I need details. Serious details Kim Taeyeon. How did you do it? Why were you two together? Where did you go?”

She asked about ten more questions, but I couldn’t hear a single one.

My brain was full on shutting down.

What was I supposed to do about this? Flee the country? Never leave my room?

 “Tae are you even listening,” Soo said loudly, pulling me from my thoughts.

“I-uh… no,” I admitted. She put her hands on my shoulders and moved herself down to my eye level.

“Taeyeon, I’m on your side… whatever that may be, and I want to help… but to help I need to know what happened… for real.” I nodded.

I didn’t really know how she could help the overall situation, but I guess it couldn’t hurt anything. Once people found out that it was me I’d be over anyway… It would be nice to have someone know what really, truthfully happened too instead of the garbage that that wrote.

 “So,” Soo started again. “Tell me exactly what happened. How it happened, what you did, where you went,” she paused to take a breath at the same time her hands moved down my arms and- OMO! “A-and why the heck she’s wearing the sweatshirt I got you in Italy last year?”

“OW Soo, god,” I said in response to the death grip she now had on my forearms.

What the hell was that for?

“Tae,” she asked desperately.

Huh? Seriously?

After she just bruised my arm she expects me to-

“Kim Taeyeon!”

Oh my gosh.

“Fine! We went to the hospital and I don’t know why, she just picked one from m-“

Wait… How the hell did she know… oh no.

I turned to look where her eyes were now fixated at through the open space in the wall behind me and honestly didn’t believe what I was seeing.

“Omo, guys,” Yoona said as she came rushing into the back room.

I was afraid I already knew what she was going to say.

“Tiffany Hwang is here… like here, here. In the café.”

I heard Soo gasp beside me.

 “Tae, why is she here,” she asked anxiously. I shook my head.

__________________________________________

 

DUNDUN DUN~!

I'm was really sleepy while editing this so I'm sure there will be mistakes >_<
Please forgive me<3

I finally got to use a fun fake article though! I've been waiting to throw one of those into this story for a while haha
I hope its not too bad O_O

Let me know which POV you want to see next, or just what you want to see next in general!
I love hearing your suggestions, comments, and feedback.

Thank you all for reading/subscribing/commenting/voting/existing too!
I don't think I could keep going without all your support <3