0000: happy birthday

by esscapism

This year, as she turns 23 in a few minutes at an apartment she rented downtown with one other housemate she hardly see around, she didn’t think there could be any more surprises Taeyeon could whip out this time. Then again, she would be mildly surprised if the other girl even remembered this particular day seeing how she was always running along to meet this new group of friends she met somewhere out of nowhere. Her heart went crazy when she saw the clock slowly make its countdown to her 23rd birthday. She nearly jumped out of her seat when her phone rang abruptly.

“Hello?”

“Hey uh Tiffany... This is Jessica?”

Right. It was one of those ‘new friends’ her said best friend has been hanging out with. “Yes?”

“Can you come to the hospital right now? Tae-“

Before Jessica could finish her sentence, she hung up and rushed out in the blink of an eye. Oh no, this cannot be happening. No no no.

--

When she was 14, Tiffany made her first friend in Korea who was extraordinarily friendly. Said friend then became her best friend officially at the age of 15 by the accidental slip of tongue when Tiffany was insisting on how pink should be the only colour anyone should ever like while the other girl insisted on blue. 

"I thought best friends were supposed to agree with each other on everything!" Tiffany said. "I mea- I mean, you don't have to be if you don't want to..." 

Tiffany thought she was going to die when her only friend was looking weirdly only to have her reply a second later, “I like that!” Later that year, Tiffany found out her best friend was really friendly initially because she thought Tiffany was mute seeing how she would only nod her head when spoken to. In her best friend’s words, “aigoo. So poor thing this girl cannot speak.” 



When she was 16, Tiffany had her first ‘real’ kiss from her then-boyfriend. She didn’t know why but it took her a week to finally tell Taeyeon only to have the other girl ignore her for the next 2 weeks. They made up when she (excitedly) accepted the apology from Taeyeon. They then made a promise to tell each other everything from then on. However, Taeyeon forgot to mention she had a strange liking for fart related jokes. Or farts, if that didn’t sound so wrong. Tiffany couldn’t forget how she sat there red faced when she accidentally farted while giggling at a stupid joke Taeyeon made and the latter was there rolling over in laughter. It was Tiffany’s turn to ignore her. ... For one day.



When Tiffany turned 18, Taeyeon surprised her at her doorstep at the strike of 12 with a bottle of cheap wine she ‘borrowed’ from home only to have her mother march right into her room 5 minutes later, giving them a lecture on how kids at their age shouldn’t be spoiling their liver at such a young age. Her mother took it and shared it with her father downstairs. Tiffany thought she was going to cry due to this obvious unfair treatment, until she saw Taeyon having an unusually smug face, whipped out another bottle (the pricier hidden stash) in her bag, “I thought your mother might do that.” They got drunk, missed school and got a huge lecture from both sides of parents the next day. But as they told their parents in a little too serious tone, “Carpe diem, ma homies. Carpe diem.” Their parents actually believed that.



When Tiffany turned 20, she got mad minutes into her birthday because she sat there thinking her best friend would wish her a happy birthday at the strike of 12 at her doorstep just like last year. She sat on the couch staring at the clock... 0001.... 0002... She fell asleep somewhere along the way. At 0537, she got a call from Taeyeon asking her to leave the house quickly. “Are you out of your mind?” Tiffany whispered harshly into her phone all the while unlocking her front door. Everything was forgiven that night because what greeted her was a view full of fireflies and Taeyeon prancing around in what she felt strongly was a bumblebee outfit, “Someone said she wanted to see fireflies?” It surely did not bother her when her mother mentioned something about a fly infestation at their doorstep the next day.



When Tiffany turned 21, she had to go to the States for a brief period of time because of studies. She felt miserable having to spend this important day away from the one person she wanted to be with most but she followed her university friends to the club anyway. “Check out the cute dj.” Her friend pointed out. Her eyes almost fell out when she saw Taeyeon up on the dj stage setting the music for the crowd of people. Tiffany was almost close to tears when she realized the other girl did not miss her birthday after all and was about to go over and squeeze Taeyeon tight in her arms when she saw her make her way to the microphone. “The song next is for my best fri