warning you right now this is 11 pages. you're in for a long read. enjoy!

"...and I think I did my best, but um, they were wearing these scary mean faces to glare down at us students. I felt my vein popping, my feet and throat sore from all the talking I did to stand on my case."

"Wow, just... that's harsh. I'm glad I got my diploma online."

"But eventually, they had their say. I'm free to go in three weeks! How incredible is that?"

"So incredible you made me proud, haha! See, this is why I wanted you to continue, no matter what. You got a degree for the career you need with your own power."

"Heck yeah I did!" Taeyeon accompanied her yell with a fist pump. "It's all thanks to you, Fany. I dedicated half a page in my Thanks To for you."

"Y-Yah." Tiffany's cheeks pinked so much on Taeyeon's screen. "Don't do that."

"Already did. I thanked my professors for all the they threw at me; I also gave no flying s if they ever want to belittle me again, because now I'm free!!"

Tiffany would have reprimanded her girlfriend if she didn't know she wrote very touching words. Taeyeon had a big vocabulary, it's just that her most casual words were curses and slang phrases she sometimes made herself. She trusts the girl wrote it nicely. As nice as her brusque wording can be.

"Ugh, sometimes, Taeyeon..." Tiffany groaned; she wanted to rub off the mischief in the girl's eyes. "If I haven't put up with you for so long, I'd be worried sick in just about everything you do."

On Taeyeon's side, she cackled like no tomorrow she had to fix her webcam in place. She calmed down after a while, and Tiffany sighed in relief, looking away. She had been chuckling on her own too.

"Now that you mention it," Taeyeon started, looking directly at her webcam, "it's going to be that time now, isn't it?"

When she faced the screen, Tiffany smiled a bit, nodding but not looking at her. "Yeah. I can't wait to see you again. It's been too long."

"All the more reason to wait." Taeyeon agreed. "After all this graduating stuff, I'm booking the earliest flight to go to your side and am going to annoy the heck out of Robert again." Her cheap humor was nothing to Tiffany whose face went out like a light. "Right, Robert. How is the old man?"

Tiffany let out a long sigh. "He's not doing any better. I think he's taken his toll." She bit her lip, hands tight on her arms.

Taeyeon wanted to comfort her so bad, cursing about the distance between them. "Hey, it's not your fault."

"He's doing so much for me and not just as my manager." Tiffany exasperated. "Ever since I came out of the closet, all he does is guard my back and be much more mean to the public. To the antis, anyway, but you get me."

"He chose to be with you. If anything, it's his own fault for doing all the heavy guarding." Taeyeon meant well for her girl. "It's easy to know he's like a second dad to you, Fany. And I'm honestly grateful he's by your side."

Tiffany rolled her eyes, blinking back the tears. "I know. But, Taeyeon... he has a family. He has a wife and three kids to take care of. I really want to let him go but he's not budging."

"Let him go?" Taeyeon frowned. "Hrm. Maybe he hasn't found someone he trusts to protect you. I know I wouldn't give the job just to anyone."

Tiffany's lips tilted to one side. "He said that too."

"See?" Taeyeon held up a hand, laughing. "Great minds think alike, yeah?"

"But I'm just so, so worried." Tiffany bumped her head on her desk, sighing uncontrollably.

Taeyeon winced. "You know, if I could, I'd really want to be there by your side."

Tiffany rested her chin on the desk, glaring at her. "You're an artist of your own. Live that dream, okay?"

"But-"

"No."

"Fany-"

"No."

Taeyeon presented her puppy eyes look.

"Not gonna work this time."

"Ugh."

Tiffany attended to her beeping phone, frowned and gathered her stuff. "I have to go."

"Okay."

She stopped for a moment, just looking at Taeyeon's crestfallen face. How much she wanted to pass over the damn web and take her in her arms. Time wasn't in their hands.

"Okay. See you?"

Taeyeon responded with a blowing kiss. "Always waiting for you right here. Love you."

Tiffany waved back one herself. "To the moon and back. Bye, love."

Tiffany's smile disappeared when she knew the call disconnected. She sighed, closed her laptop and hastened out of her room.

Robert was waiting for her beside his car outside on the front lawn. He was busy on the phone, making funny jokes with a smile. Tiffany guessed he was talking to his daughter Emily right now. He ended the call smoothly on noticing her presence.

Tiffany got on the shotgun seat and waited for the engine to start, Robert now on the seat and eyes on the road.

"So we've got a photoshoot and interview for a magazine in ten, a guesting on a radio show after three and lastly a trip to the studio for the new track you've been working on."

"Got it."

There was a moment of silence, and then Tiffany asked, "How's Emily?"

"She's fine. Talks a lot like you do, but I can deal with it because she's my kid."

She nodded. "And Jamie? Patrick?"

"Same little rascals, fine as always."

"...and your wife?"

Robert showed a glimpse of a smile on his normally mean poker face. "Maurice is fine and still my lovely wife." He released a hand off the wheel when they got to a stoplight. "Now that all light chatter's been done, I'm guessing you're still onto my retiring?"

Tiffany nodded immediately, eyes on him.

"I'm not giving up this position until I can find someone better than me. No one's making such a mark on my list, so no. You're still stuck with me. I know I'm old, but I've been long inside this business and I'm sure I can outsmart all these little ers, you hear me?"

Tiffany muttered a defeated damn it as the light went green and Robert's attention was back on the road.

"I know you mean well, but I also do. Trust this big old man one last time, okay Tiffany?"

She hesitantly nodded. "How come you don't let me in the application process? I can help you---"

"I can handle it myself. You stay put and do your princess magic people like and I'll do my job as your big knight. I've got it under control."

Tiffany childishly crossed her arms with a pitchy "Hmph!" She didn't like being chewed off so much, and she doesn't really get why the meanie is so overprotective of her. She's already 24 and she knows she can handle things herself.

And it wasn't her fault for being this way. So much has happened ever since that day she met Taeyeon. Some were good, some bad, some too heavy on her mind for her liking, like Robert's state now and her long distance relationship that's filled with angst in majority.

On the first year, it was okay. She had stages to run wild, food experiences she really enjoyed, and the occasional fan meets across the globe. She did her best in everything she had to do because the waiting in the end was worth all the pain she had to go through. Her fanbase was a heavy mix; old and new Fanytastics disappeared and appeared because of her uality. Many hated her, but just as many loved and supported her. She felt incredibly free, giving off speeches and supporting campaigns. It was incredible, and she never regretted it.

The main reason for her sudden exposure was because of the "Asian Fling in SK" as the paparazzi dubbed it, and they had the guts to seek out who she was and reveal her full nature to the public. Tiffany had never buckled up so fast to her girlfriend's side to clear things up herself. Eventually, everyone knew she was Taeyeon, and that she was just a normal fangirl like any other, but then they spotted the couple necklaces on their necks. The letter was revealed, on Taeyeon's request (as Tiffany wanted to keep it a secret) and suddenly, the whole globe joined their ship and waved white flags shouting "TaeNy is real!"

It was one heck of a moment the couple will never forget.

Tiffany spent that night-turned-weekend in Taeyeon's apartment and she flew back to Europe to continue the tour as if nothing happened.

Tiffany and Taeyeon had short phone calls, and long emails thrown back like snail mail due to their schedule, but the postcards increased on Taeyeon's side, picturesque shots of the tourist spots in the rainy north. She sent back some of her artworks, and Tiffany had them delivered to her house in California to be hanged.

And then the world tour finished. She was back in her home, spending leisure time with her family and friends. Sometimes, she snapped photos of Taeyeon's pieces to her Instagram, shouting to the world how much she missed her in Korean. Taeyeon responded back to her in Skype, spending sessions as long as she wanted. One lasted a whole night, the two talking about anything and everything even though Taeyeon had class the next day ("it's in the afternoon anyway!" she assured). The sweetest moment Tiffany couldn't ever forget was the time Taeyeon uploaded a video in her art blog, dedicating a very sweet song to Tiffany to the whole world on her birthday. She covered the Perfect Two, twisted the words to her liking, and asked her sorority friends to help her with the guitar, the editing, the producing; everything. Tiffany ended up sleeping in Taeyeon's crib the next full week.

They spent every single moment together for her Thanksgiving break that same week too.

That's the time Tiffany revealed she didn't like having a long distance relationship. She wanted to wake up and fall asleep with Taeyeon by her side. She wanted to experience cooking breakfast for her girl dishing out a classic french toast and Taeyeon's favorite Kimchi fried omurice. She considered signing out of her career to be an ordinary girl out of the spotlight with no more cameras to flash smiles for except for her girl's. Taeyeon brought some sense into her by saying she had a breaking moment like hers way back: she wanted out of the arts and considered joining in a pilot academy so that she'll be Tiffany's personal jet driver. Needless to say, Tiffany pleaded in tears that she continue the future she wants and not just for her love.

That happened almost half a year ago. Now, in 21 days she'll be able to meet the girl again. She'll be graduating and will start off work like crazy.

As much as Tiffany liked that idea, it weighed her down not knowing her plan. Taeyeon refused to say what her job will be out of all the companies seeking for her. Plus, Robert's sealed lips soured her mood.

If they had secret plans each they didn't want others to know, then she'll join the bandwagon and do some scheming herself.

- - -

Later that night, Tiffany was still in the studio working on her lines. Crumpled papers littered the couch she lay on, and a box of takeout empty sat on the side table. She was incredibly bored, and lazy as , but she wanted to make some progress before she calls it a night.

She thought back to the secret plans. For her side, she wanted to be closer to Taeyeon without straying away from her path. She knows she still wants to be closer to her and that she doesn't want to retire from her career just yet. She won't ever persuade Taeyeon to risk taking a job she doesn't like, so all actions are left to her.

But how can she have all these for sure?

Tiffany focused her eyes back to her paper. She doodled so much and wrote so little. It drove her crazy, thinking harder on what to do.

"Think, Tiffany. Think. Think. Think---"

The whole room blasted off this weird Japanese bubblegum pop track, throwing her off the couch. Tiffany felt for her phone that was connected to the speakers and accepted the call with a grunt.

"Hey babycakes! How are you my little munchkin?"

Tiffany faced her phone and whined, "Leo, I still freaking hate you for setting that weird ringtone on my phone!"

"Oh c'mon sis! You have to admit the chorus is catchy."

"Leo, no."

"Pon pon, way way way! Pon pon way pon way pon pon!"

"Y-Yah! Oppa, stop it!!"

"WAY WAY PON PON PON, WAY PON WAY PON PON WAY WAY."

"For s sake, give me a break. I've been trying to make a song for the past five hours." Emphasis on the five, cranky youngest Hwang growled.

Leo couldn't stop laughing on the other end. "But it's my jam, Steph! Unless you release a catchy Korean song, I'm not changing it."

Tiffany's whole face lighted up. "Wait, what?"

"I mean, I know you made one for your fans, but I'm not into cheesy ballads okay?"

"Leo, that's it!"

It was her brother's turn to be confused. "H-Ha? What did I say?"

Tiffany was already jumping in ecstasy, kissing her phone like crazy. "Thank you so much for everything. You're the best oppa in the world!"

"...I don't know what you're talking about, but I do know I'm the best oppa cause girls are crazy for me."

"Shut up or I'll tell Maria about this."

"Yeesh. Okay. I just need to tell you that Mom and Dad are already booking the tickets to Seoul. Just confirming with you if it's the 10th?"

Tiffany almost agreed but objected altogether. "Wait, um just tell them to change the number of seats to six."

"Six? You're not going?"

"I'll be arriving earlier than expected. I'll pay the ticket myself, don't worry."

"Are you going to surprise Taeyeon again?" Leo sounded mildly worried on the other side.

Tiffany smirked. "Something like