All of a sudden, the spotlight was on them, and Taeyeon had to cover her stinging eyes from the sudden brightness. She heard clapping, even some who yelled ‘woohoo! Taengoo!’ from the back – she guessed it was Sooyoung or Yuri – but she didn’t know why they did so. She did, however, do the first thing people do when people was clapping at her, which was to stand up and bow. Instead of dying down, the clapping got louder, and she was even more confused.   “Come on up, Taeyeon-sunbaenim!”   Thankfully, the MC motioned her to go up the stage, so she did, dumbly. With feeble steps she walked there, keeping her head down to hide her eyes and blush. She was then handed a microphone, still didn’t get why she had to be there.   “Good evening, sunbaenim.”   “Hi, good evening,” she said shyly to the brunette before her.   “What song are you going to sing for us tonight?” the MC said, smiling at her.   “A s-song? I wasn’t- I’m not told that I'm singing tonight,” she stuttered, and the people in the ballroom broke out in sniggers at her answer.   The MC smiled, before saying, “We didn’t tell you, but I was just telling our peers how your voice touched us during school events, and we would love it if you would sing a song for us tonight.”   The longer Taeyeon heard the MC’s voice, the more she started to recognize it. In fact, a light bulb lit up when she saw the MC smiled. “Wendy? Is that you?”   The ballroom erupted in laughter this time. Some things never changed, and Kim Taeyeon proved that she was still a dork even in her thirties.   “Yes, sunbaenim, I’m Wendy,” she chuckled shyly, and walked in to whisper, but enough for her voice to get caught by the microphone she was holding, “but we can catch up later, sunbaenim.”   The ballroom again laughed, some even pulled out their phones to get a snap at the banter.   “So,” Wendy took a step back, reverted to be the MC instead of an adoring hoobae, “would you please sing one song for us tonight? I knew we would love to hear your voice once again.”   Taeyeon chuckled when the ballroom clapped, obviously wanting to hear her sing. “Well, Wendy, I haven’t sung in years, would it still be okay if I sing here and embarrass myself if I got the notes wrong?”   The ballroom answered that question by clapping louder, and Taeyeon knew she had no choice but to sing. She whispered to Wendy, and went back to the audience to smile at them. “Most of you in high school knew me as the sunbae  or hoobae who sings. To some, I was an artist who liked to spend her time in the art room to paint.”   She paused, looking for Sunny and locked eyes with her. “But I sung and painted to express my love and care for someone, without that person knowing. When said person left, I put down my brush, and stopped singing in front of an audience.”   Taeyeon saw a streak of pain on Sunny’s face, and a lump grew in . “But,” she swallowed, masking her emotion with a smile, “she is here tonight, so I’m going to present a song for you all, and crossing my fingers so I won't embarrass myself here.”   Chuckling with the audience, Taeyeon prepared herself to sing. She motioned the band to start, and the piano played an intro to a recent pop song she often heard on her way on the airport, or when she was driving to her gallery. The words reminded her of a best friend, a life-long crush, and forgotten moments. It was all or nothing, and no other song would convey her feelings better.   Play: Taeyeon – Gemini   What words should I say? What thoughts are you immersed in like that? You and I remain here Full of anticipation, your whispers Like a dream we’ve drawn together, you and I Will we be able to love?   Come to me baby, come come to me baby Us of the glorious past days   Oh remember, we liked, we cried, and also laughed So we can go back to that time in the beginning (you) We were always together, we became alike I can’t even imagine forgetting you We were one, me and you, you you you, yeah   Our eyes that always looked at the same place It keeps becoming disjointed Even though you’re nearby, I can’t see your heart Like how the moon quickly blooms when the sun sets, I hope you’ll return to me as if nothing happened. The pain now will disappear afar like a dream   Come to me baby, come come to me baby Come to me like a shooting star   Oh remember, we liked, we cried, and also laughed So we can go back to that time in the beginning (you) We were always together, we became alike I can’t even imagine forgetting you Like the beginning, me and you, you you you, yeah   In the sky, like a star with anticipation, kiss me If it’s not each other, this light will disappear   Warmth that remembers even small atmospheres When you disappear, the season is cold, my breathing becomes faint Warm heart, small gestures Before your breathing becomes faint, turn your footsteps (you)   Your star light that passes by me once Two meaningless stars, if it’s not one Forever, me and you, you you you, yeah, oh yeah Baby, ooh yeah Should be me and you   Throughout the whole song, Taeyeon’s eyes kept coming back to Sunny’s, only closing when she was trying to reach a high note. She didn’t even realize the whole ballroom was waving their hands in the air, some even let out their phones to record her performance.   Taeyeon only cared about one thing, and that was to let Sunny knew about her true feelings, even if it was long overdue. In her mind, there was only her and Sunny. What brought her back was the standing ovation her colleagues gave her when she finished the last line. As loud as it might be, it was faint, as she saw Sunny clapping with glassy eyes. She gave a weak smile, even when Wendy – who was in tears as well – enveloped her in a hug. It was a big blur, but she still remembered to bow at her audience and walked down the stage, keeping her head down.   The closer she was to her table, where Sunny was waiting with years-worth of questions, the heavier her heart got. However, the time to face her past had come, and she steeled her nerves to prepare for the worst. She grabbed her clutch, and motioned Sunny to follow her out. The last thing she needed was for her high school peers to witness them unveiling their thoughts or broke down when things get ugly.   So there they were, in Taeyeon’s car, going towards the latter’s apartment in silence. Taeyeon didn’t even bother to turn the radio on, and Sunny didn’t let out a word of protest. The ten-minute drive felt like an eternity, but once Taeyeon parked the car and opened her door, she breathed in the night air deeply, praying with every inch of belief she had in herself for their talk to end well.   “I didn’t leave you, Taengoo.”   Taeyeon was just about to close her apartment door behind her when Sunny turned to face her.   “Well, I did, but it wasn’t on purpose. My family expected me to go to LA sooner than planned because my grandmother’s health was worsening.”   Every emotion buried deep within burst out to the surface before Taeyeon could hold them in. “So you knew! You knew that you were going to LA, and you didn’t spare a second to tell it to my face?”   “I didn’t because I didn’t want to say goodbye!”   “And yet you did. Oh wait,” Taeyeon scoffed, “you said goodbye to my mother!”   “Because I didn’t want to spend my remaining days in Seoul with you like I wasn’t going to see you again, ever!”   Taeyeon was beyond confused. “What? What are you talking about?”   “I know you, Taengoo. If I had said a word about leaving, you would’ve started brooding about it, thinking that we might not see each other ever again. So I waited until the last moment, just so that I could spend the days with you like everything was okay, like I’m not about to leave my best friend!”   Scoffing, Taeyeon fought her tears. “Well you know what, Soonkyu?” she took a step closer, “Your plan . Because you did leave me, and unless you’ve been dead these past years, today is the first time we met since I don’t know when!”   “I tried calling you! But your parents told me that you refused to talk, and the next thing I knew, you were off to college!”   “I didn’t deserve that call! After the years that we’ve spent together, don’t you think I deserved better than a goodbye through a phone call? I was your best friend! You should’ve told me, let me have a decent goodbye, maybe throw a farewell party for you?!”   “I came here to visit you, Taengoo, but even your parents didn’t know where you live, and so did o