Taeyeon closed the door behind her and let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding. “That was an experience,” she muttered to herself, shrugging out of her thick jacket. In the kitchen, she hung it on a chair and set the large box on the table. “Then again, it should be worth it."

 

She couldn’t help but grin at the fruit of her day’s labors. Waking up at dawn to line up, fighting her way through the horde of desperate men and women, losing a sizable chunk of her paycheck - it was all worth it. She finally had it in her possession: the 3 Minute Girlfriend 2.0, Guaranteed Enjoyment!

 

Taeyeon had seen it once on TV. The 3 Minute Girlfriend set, the first edition, had looked so amazing she’d sworn to herself there and then that she’d lay her hands on a set sometime in the future. And now...

 

She took a deep breath and was about to reach out for the lid when she remembered the time. It was seven thirty, should she eat dinner first? Or…or, she though, smirking, she could do better and go out for dinner with a hot girl. Taeyeon rubbed her hands and opened the box.

 

And there it was. The full set, in bright neon cases, each one containing a girlfriend. Taeyeon scanned the names, took a deep breath, and picked one. “Possessive girlfriend,” she read off the case, and frowned. “That seems a little odd for them to include with the set.” She shrugged and rummaged through the box for the manual.

 

“Okay, put the case into the microwave, at 600W, and set it for 3 minutes.” She did so. Once the counter started ticking, she looked at the paper again. “When the time is up, your girlfriend will appear.” Taeyeon set the manual down on the table, realizing that her hands were shaking. She eyed the timer - 02:34 - and poured herself a glass of water. 

 

“It’s okay, Taeyeon, it’s okay. It’ll be great.” 01:56. 01:43. “You’ll love her. I’m sure of it. It’ll be great."

 

When the timer ticked down from 0:01 and let out a beep, Taeyeon jumped at the sound of the doorbell. For a moment she stayed frozen by the microwave. “It’s real,” she breathed. “Oh my god, it’s real."

 

She hurried to open the door. “Oh,” said Taeyeon.

 

“Hey, baby. Ready to go?"

 

Standing outside her door was the most gorgeous woman Taeyeon had ever seen in her life. Long dark hair flowed down her back, and as the woman tilted her head and smiled invitingly, Taeyeon caught a faint scent of perfume. She swallowed, hard, and glanced down at herself.

 

“A-am I under-dressed?"

 

The woman smiled and smoothed down her own mini black dress. “Of course not, babe. We’re just going to the Italian place around the corner, right? Babe? Are you okay?"

 

“I…” Taeyeon blinked. “I’m fine, yeah. Sorry. Just amazed at how you look."

 

The woman’s smile consumed her eyes.  “You,” she said, stepping closer and touching Taeyeon’s cheek gently, “are entirely too sweet for your own good."

 

“Help,” said Taeyeon faintly. “I mean, sorry, I don’t know your name?"

 

“Stop flattering me, Taeyeon! Don’t pretend that you forgot my name."

 

“Uh—”

 

“It’s Tiffany,” said Tiffany, leaning in even closer. “And you’re being really cute today. Ready to go?"

 

“Y-yes?"

 

Taeyeon felt as if she was halfway between life and death. Tiffany had taken her hand in the lift, just casually, and had held it all the way to the restaurant. She’d looked down at Taeyeon in amusement several times, asking Taeyeon why she was so nervous tonight. And Taeyeon had stuttered out some excuse about Tiffany being extra stunning - which was entirely true, too true - and Tiffany had smiled (oh god) even brighter and swung their hands together. 

 

They sat down at a table in the corner, Taeyeon nearly knocking the knife off the tablecloth in her daze, Tiffany smiling indulgently at her. “Oh my god,” whispered Taeyeon to herself as she peeked at Tiffany over the menu. “This is fantastic."

 

“Hmm?” Tiffany raised a perfect eyebrow. “Did you say something?"

 

“N-no, no. I didn’t say anything."

 

“What do you want to order?"

 

“Hello!” Taeyeon looked up to see a cheerful-looking girl standing beside their table, a notebook in hand. “My name is Yoona and I’ll be your server tonight. Would you like to order any drinks?"

 

Taeyeon smiled at Yoona and was about to speak when Tiffany grabbed her hand from across the table. “Just two waters,” said Tiffany coldly, her expression hostile. 

 

“Alright, two waters. And have you decided what you want for eat? If not, could I suggest tonight’s special?'

 

“What’s the spe—”

 

“No thanks. I’ll have the tomato bucati and she will have the carbonara. Thank you,” said Tiffany dismissively. Yoona looked taken aback but quickly recovered, smiling slightly before moving away.

 

“Why did you do that?” Taeyeon asked. “I wanted to see what the special was."

 

“She was standing too close to you."

 

“Huh?"

 

Tiffany squeezed Taeyeon’s hand. “It doesn’t matter. I’ll deal with it if she tries anything again. But, tell me,” she leaned forward and smiled warmly, “how was your day?"

 

Something felt a little…off, to Taeyeon. The way Tiffany had glared at Yoona was chilling. Briefly, Taeyeon wondered if this was really a good idea but Tiffany tucked some hair behind her ear and Taeyeon lost her train of thought. “M-my day? It was great. How was yours?"

 

It was officially the best thing that had ever happened to Taeyeon. Tiffany was beautiful, intelligent, and she seemed genuinely interested in Taeyeon. Their conversation flowed like nothing Taeyeon had ever experienced and she was on cloud nine - until Tiffany’s hand clamped around her wrist like a vice.

 

“Here you are, the bucati for you,” said Yoona, setting a steaming plate of pasta in front of Tiffany before turning to smile at Taeyeon, “and the carbonara for you. Will there be anything else?"

 

“She’s mine."

 

Yoona faltered. “I’m…sorry?"

 

“I don’t like the way you’re smiling at my girlfriend,” said Tiffany, almost hissing. “Please step away from the table."

 

“O-oh. Okay. Um,” Yoona swallowed, “sorry, I really wasn’t trying to—”

 

“Goodbye."

 

As Yoona scurried away, Tiffany kept her eyes on the retreating figure until she disappeared from sight. Then she turned to Taeyeon and gave her a blinding smile.

 

“There. Now we can eat in peace,” she said happily.

 

“She wasn’t trying anything, though."

 

Tiffany looked at Taeyeon. “Oh, baby,” she sighed , “you’re so cute. You just couldn’t see how that woman was scheming to steal you away from me. But I’ve taken care of her, so don’t worry anymore."

 

“But—”

 

“Your pasta will get cold, baby."

 

And it didn’t end there. After dinner, they walked to the convenience store to buy ice cream. The moment they walked in, Tiffany s her arm around Taeyeon’s waist and held her firmly in place. It was difficult to walk, and even more difficult to shop, because whenever Tiffany saw someone in an aisle, she dragged Taeyeon away and into the next aisle. Given that the convenience store was unusually crowded, it took them thirty minutes - thirty minutes! - to even get near the ice cream section.

 

Taeyeon didn’t understand how Tiffany still had so much energy; she was bubbly and rambled on and on about which ice cream to get, while Taeyeon just tiredly picked the first thing she saw. “Let’s pay?” Taeyeon suggested helplessly. “Please?"

 

“Of course! My treat. Because you’re too cute tonight,” giggled Tiffany. 

 

They walked up to the counter, still joined at the hip. Taeyeon tried to ignore the cashier’s weird look and set their ice cream bars down. 

 

“That’ll be 1000 won,” said the bored young man. “Want a bag?"

 

“No, thank you.” Taeyeon smiled at him and was about to grab their purchases when she felt a hand on her cheek. “Wha—”

 

That was all she could say before Tiffany grabbed her face in both hands and kissed her. Hard. A very long and deep kiss, right in front of the register. Taeyeon’s eyes were still wide-open from shock when Tiffany finally released her, turning triumphantly to the cashier.

 

“Mine,” she growled, hands still wrapped securely around Taeyeon’s neck. “Don’t even think about it."

 

“Okay,” said the cashier, his voice breaking. He hurriedly dropped the change into Tiffany’s waiting hands, and all Taeyeon saw was his red, shellshocked face before Tiffany whisked her out of the store.

 

She didn’t find her voice until they were halfway down the road. “What,” she whispered hoarsely, “was that?"

 

Taeyeon looked up to see Tiffany frowning at her in confusion, half-eaten ice cream bar in her hand. “What was what?"

 

“What you did there. In front of the cashier."

 

“Oh.” Tiffany blushed. “Sorry, was that a bad kiss?"

 

“What? Oh. No, no, it was a great,” Taeyeon swallowed at the memory, “it was a great kiss. Very good. Wonderful."

 

“Okay, good. You scared me for a moment there, meanie.” Tiffany nudged Taeyeon shyly. 

 

“It was just, surprising, you know? Why did you do that there?"

 

“Because he was looking at you.” Tiffany’s expression darkened; the plastic wrapper crunched under her grip. “I could see it in his eyes."

 

“Yeah, well, I was giving him the ice cream. He was supposed to look at me."

 

“But not like that. Not in that leering, predatory way. You’re mine, Taeyeon. I won’t let someone else take you away from me."

 

“He wasn’t trying to take,” Taeyeon cleared , suddenly a little self-conscious, “me away from you. He was just being polite, Tiffany."

 

Tiffany stopped in the middle of the road, pulling Taeyeon to a halt with their connected hands. With a serious expression, she reached up to Taeyeon’s face and moved her bangs out of the way. “I can’t lose you, Taeyeon-ah. I love you so much. It would break me if someone took you away from me."

 

Taeyeon gulped as she looked into Tiffany’s sad eyes. “Tiffany."

 

“I love you. I want to spend every single moment of my life with you. I won’t let anyone else get between us to break what we have, because it’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me,” said Tiffany gently, moving closer and closer with each word. 

 

“Tiffany, I—”

 

“Get the hell away from her!"

 

Taeyeon stumbled, almost falling to the ground as Tiffany suddenly surged past her. “Tiffany?” She gasped, turning around. “What’s going on?"

 

“Stay! Away! From! Her!"

 

“What the ? I wasn’t even— hey! Stop! Ow!”

 

Taeyeon ran up and grabbed Tiffany’s arm desperately, stopping her from raining further blows on the man. “I’m so sorry. Are you alright?"

 

“Jesus, your girlfriend is ing insane!” The man scrambled to his feet, brushing himself off. “She just attacked me out of nowhere!"

 

“You were looking at her!"

 

“I didn’t even see anyone until you started to hit me!"

 

“Liar!” Tiffany lunged forward and Taeyeon had to use every ounce of her strength to keep her back. “Stay away from her!"

 

“Tiffany, please—”

 

“I’m getting out of here. You,” spat the man, stabbing a finger in Taeyeon’s direction, “better keep this madwoman on a leash or something. She’s ing crazy!"

 

“Get back here! I’m not done with you!"

 

Taeyeon dragged Tiffany away from the curb, trying to get her to stop screaming after the man who had ran across the street. “Tiffany, please calm down! He was just walking down the street!” Taeyeon wrapped her arms around Tiffany until she felt the struggling subside. “Please calm down, Tiffany."

 

“He was looking right at you!"

 

“It’s a very dark street, Tiffany."

 

“I know he was!"

 

Taeyeon sighed weakly. “Okay, okay. He was totally looking at me. But he’s gone now, okay? You taught him a lesson. Well done."

 

“Yeah!"

 

“How about we go home now, okay? I’m feeling a little sick."

 

Tiffany immediately bent down to look anxiously into Taeyeon’s face. “Are you okay, baby? Did he hurt you?"

 

“No, I might’ve just eaten too much.” Taeyeon let Tiffany feel her forehead, then her neck, and finally pulled away when Tiffany began to feel her arms. “Let’s just go home, okay?"

 

Tiffany murmured words of comfort all the way back, patting Taeyeon’s hair gently. It was soothing, somewhat, thought Taeyeon; it would’ve been actually soothing if she was actually sick, or if Tiffany wasn’t actually terrifying the crap out of her. When they arrived at the door to Taeyeon’s building, Tiffany grabbed Taeyeon’s hand. 

 

“I’ll stay over tonight, to take care of you."

 

“I’ll be okay, Tiffany. You should go home."

 

“No, you’re sick, I should—”

 

“Do you love me, Tiffany?” Taeyeon winced, but kept going. “Baby?"

 

“Yes! I love you so much."

 

“Okay. Then could you do me a favor?"

 

“Anything! I promise!"

 

“Could you go home?” Taeyeon held up a finger to stop Tiffany from speaking. “I know you want to take care of me, and I really appreciate that, but right now I just want to sleep and it would make me feel a lot better if I knew you were safely at home. Could you do that for me?"

 

“But…” Tiffany hung her head.

 

“Please?"

 

“Okay. If it makes you feel better.” She brightened up. “I’ll call you when I get back, okay?"

 

“Ah, well, I’m going to sleep right after I go up, so maybe tomorrow? Maybe we can talk tomorrow?"

 

“Okay!” Tiffany beamed before leaning forward to kiss Taeyeon soundly. “I love you,” she whispered as she pulled away. “Goodnight, baby."

 

“G-goodnight,” said Taeyeon, eyes unfocused from the kiss. She watched, a little unsteadily, as Tiffany walked away - not without turning back at least ten times, blowing kisses at Taeyeon - and finally disappeared around the corner.

 

Taeyeon stood there for a moment before finally going back up to her apartment. She opened the door, went straight to the bathroom to wash up, and only really woke up again when she found herself standing in front of the kitchen table in her pajamas. She looked down at the opened box, at the rest of the 3 Minute Girlfriend 2.0 set, and let out the longest breath she had ever breathed.

 

“They can’t all be as bad as that, right?” She said to herself. “I mean, anything has to be better than…that."

 

That night, she went to bed really, really early. She’d never felt this tired before, but she found herself replaying the kisses from Tiffany over and over again. After the hundredth time, Taeyeon shook her head and pulled the covers up to her chin.

 

“Tomorrow. I’ll try again tomorrow."