Taeyeon woke up to the sight of an empty room and looked around for signs of Tiffany. She groaned in agony as a splitting headache hit her when she moved to get up. Remembering she had brought some painkillers in case of an emergency, she dragged her feet to the desk where she had left her purse. 

To her surprise, a glass of water and two tablets had already been laid out. A small smile broke out on her face and relief washed over her knowing not all was lost. She downed it quickly and hurriedly changed to look for her pink princess. Taeyeon grabbed her phone off the table and saw a message from Seohyun asking her to join the rest of them for breakfast at the lobby lounge.

She could hear Sooyoung’s loud voice as she approached the table. “Good morning girls,” Taeyeon said and received happy replies except from Tiffany who was pretending to be extremely interested in the bacon and eggs in front of her.  “What’s with all the yelling, Soo?” asked Taeyeon as she took a seat next to Tiffany which was oddly empty even though it was closest to the lounge entrance. She noticed the Sunbyung couple was missing from the table.

“Who put me in the room next to the newlyweds?! I barely got a wink of sleep last night. Plus Hyoyeon was so beat up the she was snorin-“

“Hey! I barely got to sleep too. I can’t believe that Hyomin had that kind of energy even after being so drunk yesterday. They must have gone on for what, three hours?”

“YAH! We have innocent maknaes here!” yelled Yuri as she moved to place her hands over Jiyeon’s ears while Seohyun looked confused. “Gaon onh wiff whaft uffnies?” asked Jiyeon who was stuffing with pudding. “Omo..” Seohyun turned a bright shade of pink and covered when she realized what Sooyoung and Hyoyeon were talking about. Jiyeon remained oblivious to the topic and continued whining to Yuri and Sooyoung to explain what was going on. 

While trying to soothe the frustrated dinosaur maknae, Sunny and Hyomin arrived at their table holding hands. Taeyeon raised her eyebrows at the amount of marks on both their necks, proving Sooyoung’s complains to be legitimate. Taking note of the silence and stares they had raised, Hyomin bowed her head meekly as she greeted her friends and sat down. Sunny on the other hand, wished the others cheerily before taking her seat in between Hyomin and Taeyeon. 

“Looks like you’ve had a fun night.” Eunjung snickered and nudged Hyomin with her elbow. Hyomin blushed and remained silent, twirling her hands shyly in her lap. Sunny took notice of her girlfriend’s sudden silence and peered curiously around the table.

“What?” She asked confusedly.

The girls, unable to stifle their sniggering any longer, let out loud roars of laughter which shocked an elderly couple seated near them. Wiping the tears from the corner of her eyes, Qri teased the adorable couple in front of her, “Looks you’ve helped our baby figure out the happiness of adulthood.” It was Sunny’s turn to blush as she finally understood why her girlfriend was trying to burrow herself into the floor. However, she quickly pushed her own embarrassment aside and cleared to throw one arm possessively over Hyomin’s shoulders. 

“Yeah I did, and she’s one hell of a tigress. I’ve got the marks to prove it,” announced Sunny proudly. 

Hyomin squeaked and smacked the short blonde squarely on her chest before turning to bury her face into Sunny’s shoulder. Tiffany who had been trying to maintain her composure around Taeyeon broke into peals of laughter at the bold statement and looked away blushing when her eyes met with Taeyeon’s. She excused herself to the bathroom when she felt those eyes still starting at her and Taeyeon took off after a moment’s pause, knowing that she’d never get another chance. She followed Tiffany into the bathroom and pinned the surprised girl against the counters.

“Hwang Miyoung, please go out with me.” 

Silence trapped them as they held bated breaths until Tiffany dropped her gaze from Taeyeon’s and sighed.

“I-I can’t.”

“Why not?”

“B-because, I promised L-luhan I’d meet him today.” There was a hint of sadness and regret in Tiffany’s voice as she broke Taeyeon’s heart for the second time in less than a day. As if on cue, Tiffany’s phone screen lit up indicating a message from the man that Taeyeon had grown to hate despite barely knowing him. Taeyeon slowly pushed herself off the counter and left feeling numb. 

Who was she kidding? 

Of course Tiffany would prefer young, energetic Luhan over boring, old Taeyeon. She reached back to the noisy table finding everyone in high spirits and tried to put on her best smile so as to not be a mood killer. She vaguely heard Sunny say something before Tiffany reappeared at the table to bring an awkward silence between the two of them.

 —————

“The breeze feels really good. Can you get this car to go any faster?”

“Sunny, I’m already going as fast as the speed limit allows me to.”

“I want to get there before it closes.”

Taeyeon huffed her response and stepped on the gas pedal a little more. She was secretly glad Sunny had chosen to rent a convertible instead of a regular car as the cool winds brushed past their faces. The other girls decided to treat themselves to a day in the spa, which left Taeyeon, Sunny, Sooyoung, Yoona and Jiyeon stuck with a whole lot of free time on their hands. The three shikshins quickly formulated a plan to explore a nearby food street and Taeyeon was stuck with Sunny who insisted that she wanted to visit a famous jeweller. 

“Remind me again, why do we need to visit that shop in particular?

“Because I want to get something special for Hyomin for her birthday. Tiffany mentioned something about planning a surprise party for her but I want to get her something of my own.” At the mention of Tiffany’s name, Taeyeon tightened her lips remembering that Tiffany was probably having fun on her date with Luhan now. Sunny glanced over at her silent friend, “That kiss hurt huh?” she said reading her best friend’s thoughts. Taeyeon remained close-mouthed which prompted Sunny to continue.

“You know she didn’t mean it right?”

“She seemed to enjoy it.”

“You seemed to enjoy Baekhyun too.”

“I only did it cause I got pissed at how close they were getting.”

“You’re an idiot Taeng. She did it to make you jealous too.”

“How sure are you that it did not mean anything.”

“Because she loves you too much to let you go.”

Taeyeon hushed at those words and felt her friend’s hand squeeze the one she had left to rest on the panel in between them. “S-she’s on a d-date with him now,” Taeyeon tried to steady her shaky voice. “I d-don’t know if.. I’ll ever get another chance.” She fought back tears as her companion silently racked her brains for an idea. 

“I got it! Taeng, gimme your phone.” 

“Mwo?”

Taeyeon felt her body being patted down for her phone and tried to hold the wheel steady as Sunny accidentally prodded her at the ticklish spots. Looking like she had found the cure to cancer, she pulled the device out of Taeyeon’s back pocket. Sunny frowned when the screen lit up and prompted her for a password. Mumbling to herself, she keyed the numbers one-eight-eight-nine and fist pumped when the phone icons appeared.

“You’re so predictable Taeng, using Pany’s birthday as your password.” Sunny laughed hard as she pulled the phone away out of reach from Taeyeon’s flailing free hand. Eventually Taeyeon gave up the fight when she had nearly knocked over a dustbin and baleful eyes could only flicker occasionally to Sunny who was furiously typing away on her phone. “It’s done,” Sunny proclaimed proudly when she was done. 

“What. Did. You. Do. Lee. Soonkyu.”

“You can thank me later once we reach the store.”

“How about I stop the car right her if you don’t return it.”

Sunny shrugged and stowed the phone away in her pocket much to Taeyeon’s dismay. They had remained quiet until Taeyeon pulled up in front of the store’s driveway and Sunny hastened to get out of the car but not before tossing the phone back to her friend. Taeyeon unlocked her phone and checked to see how much damage Sunny had done. She struggled to breathe as she read the text messages the short devil had sent.

To: Pany

  -    Dinner. Restaurant by the beach. Seven o’clock. 

From: Pany

  -    Still out with Luhan. 

To: Pany

  -    I’ll be waiting irregardless.

As a million and one ways ran through her mind to plot her dear friend’s demise, she jumped when her phone vibrated with Tiffany’s reply.

From: Pany

  -    I’ll try, Tae-tae.

She used her nickname to me, Taeyeon thought excitedly before remembering there was someone she needed to murder and charged into the shop. She ignored the attendant’s greeting and spotted her target leaning over one of the counters, deep in discussion with the shop assistant. Sunny felt two hands grasped themselves around her neck and flailed helplessly at the angry sight of Taeyeon who let go of her when the shop’s security rushed over. 

Sunny waved the guard off and panted as she tried to regain her breath. “She’s my friend and we’re just playing,” she explained to the man who still seem unconvinced and remained standing slightly behind the two girls. Taeyeon shoved her phone into Sunny’s face, “Explain.” Quick eyes scanned through the short messages between her two friends, “Well, seems to me like it worked. Now all you need to do is romance her during the dinner.”

“Romance her? Sunny, I don’t even know if she likes me that way to begin with.”

“May I remind you that you’re being an idiot again?”

Taeyeon puffed her cheeks and sighed loudly, “Fine. How do I romance her, oh wise love guru?” Sunny raised her eyebrows at her new title, “Show her you want her as much as she wants you. Be jealous, be over possessive, mark her as yours.” Hearing those words, Taeyeon’s eyebrows joined Sunny’s. 

“You’re telling me that Hyomin is into this sorta thing.”

“I think so. She seems to get extra mushy when I stake my claim over her.”

“She’s weird. You’re weird.”

“She’s definitely my kinda weird.” Taeyeon faked a gag as she watched the dreaminess on her friend’s face whose thoughts had carried her back to her first date with her beautiful girlfriend. Sunny snapped out of her daydreaming when the shop attendant waved a hand in front of her face. After some time of careful selection, the short blonde nodded for the option of a complimentary gift card and blocked Taeyeon’s sight as the other short girl tried to peek at the message Sunny was leaving for Hyomin. 

“You know, you should get one for Pany too.”

“Jjinja?”

“As long as you don’t copy my selection, why not- Ouch!” Sunny yelped when her best friend knocked on her head. She pretended to be in utter pain, rubbing the sore spot and pouting which received no reaction from her stoic friend. The two girls got down to business as they selected Tiffany’s present with equal care. Sunny checked the time as left store in good spirits and told Taeyeon they needed to hurry back if they wanted to freshen up before their separate dinner dates. 

—————

The hot steam had done her sore body wonders. The evening news was being watched by Eunjung who was relishing in the same state of relaxation as her classmate. “Thanks for letting me use your room to get ready, Jungie.” Her smile was returned with a sweeter one, “No problem Minnie, can I ask if it’s because you don’t want Sunny to see you before the dinner?” Hyomin nodded shyly at her friend, “We’re meeting there separately, bunny said she didn’t want me to see the surprise beforehand.” 

“Mwo? Maybe she’s gonna propose!”

“Yah! We’ve been dating for only three months.” But Eunjung had already seen the small smile her friend was trying to hide. She let her friend flit around the room until her curiosity got the better of her. “Hey Minnie, I’ve been meaning to ask.. Don’t take this the wrong way, but why doesn’t Sunny visit you at our university? You’re always the one who has to go to her and you hush us when we’re about to mention Sunny’s name in that place.” Hyomin stopped her motions and slowly let her hand drop from her face that she had been powdering. She bit her lower lip and gripped the weight of Eunjung’s question. Hyomin knew her friend only meant well when she had asked that question and she deliberated her answer carefully.

“Because Sunny’s uncle is against our type of relationships.”

Eunjung remained baffled until Hyomin spoke again, “Her uncle is Lee Soo Man.” 

“MWO? She’s the niece who-“ she halted her words as the look in Hyomin’s eyes told her this was not a prank. Eunjung stood up to hug her wistful friend, “Don’t worry Minnie, things will work out eventually.” Pulling back from the hug, “Besides, Sunny loves you very much and I doubt there’s anything that can tear the both of you apart.” 

“Now, you better hurry it up if you don’t want to be late.” Eunjung patted her friend’s head and pointed at the small clock hanging on the wall. “Thanks for hearing me out Jungie,” said Hyomin. As Eunjung settled back on her soft bed, Hyomin’s head popped out from the bathroom door. “Can you keep this between us?” she asked worriedly and blew a kiss to the girl when she had nodded almost immediately.

—————

Taeyeon wiped her sweaty palms on her napkin for the hundredth time. A quick glance at her watch told her that there was still five minutes to go before Tiffany showed up. With each passing minute, her stomach felt like she not only had swallowed butterflies, but the whole animal kingdom and they were throwing a party in there. 

Maybe she forgot. Maybe she decided not to see me. Maybe I hurt her too much.

She felt her heart sink lower and lower as the imagined all the possible reasons why Tiffany hadn’t shown up although the time told her it was already half past seven. Taeyeon looked down at the clenched hands in her lap, resigning to her fate and was ready to leave when she heard the chair opposite her grate as it was pulled backwards. “Sorry I’m late.” 

That voice sounded like angels singing to Taeyeon’s ears. She looked up to see Tiffany across her looking nothing short from perfect. “H-how was your d-date with him?” asked Taeyeon and Tiffany shrugged nonchalantly. “Not bad,” came the short response. Before Taeyeon could ask her more questions, the waiter appeared at their table and asked if they would like a bottle of wine to go with their meal. Tiffany looked at Taeyeon who had a blank look on her face and turned to nod to the waiter when she did not receive a reply. The two remained silent after the waiter left, Taeyeon being at a loss for words. She wanted to ask Tiffany a million questions about her date but she knew she had no rights to do so. 

“So.. Are you just going to sit there and ignore me?” 

Taeyeon snapped her head up and shook it briskly. “S-sorry Pany, I didn’t mean to. It’s j-just that, I don’t know what to say,” said Taeyeon sadly. Tiffany sat back and crossed her arms, her gaze fixed on Taeyeon, “Well, why don’t you start with explaining why you abandoned me in that club.” When Taeyeon remained silent, Tiffany made a move to leave when she heard Taeyeon say, “Wait.” Watching her friend sit back down, Taeyeon took a deep breath as she arranged her words.

“Because I got my heart broken.”

“By whom?”

“You.”

“How so?”

Taeyeon looked up to look at Tiffany who still had her arms crossed, waiting for Taeyeon to explain herself. In a shaky voice, “Pany, I don’t know how to say this but when I saw you with Luhan that night, I felt j-jealous. The way you looked at him, the way you laughed at his jokes and when you kiss-“ Taeyeon’s voice broke as the painful memory flashed at the back of her mind. Taking another deep breath to steady herself, “W-when he kissed you, I felt like I wanted to die. The one who should be holding you, making you laugh, kissing you is m-me.” Taeyeon looked straight into Tiffany’s eyes as she spoke her next line.

“Hwang Miyoung, I love you and I want to be the one who makes you happy for as long as I live.”

Neither spoke a word and stared into each other’s eyes, never breaking contact as the waiter arrived with their wine and quickly poured them two glasses before excusing himself when he felt the air around them buzzing with tension. Taeyeon felt the lump in starting to suffocate her as she waited for Tiffany to say something. She thought she would feel relieved when she confessed but she felt fear eating her out. Tiffany’s silence was tearing her apart from the inside and her resolve to keep looking into those beautiful eyes started to chip away.

“Kim Taeyeon, you pabo.” Tiffany’s voice sounded shakier than Taeyeon’s had been as she saw a teardrop fall from the corner of eyes.

“Do you know how long I’ve been waiting to hear that? I’ve been head over heels for you ever since you said hello to me at my first day in your high school. You patiently taught me how to speak Korean when I was being bullied for only being able to speak English. Remember you gave that boy who pulled my hair a beating and got in trouble for it?”

Taeyeon nodded, looking stunned at the confession she was receiving, “I-I remember. I got ten of the cane cause I broke his nose.” Tiffany winced at the memory of waiting anxiously for Taeyeon who walked out of the school gate with her nose held high. She had cried so hard when she saw the angry red lines on her friend’s bleeding palm and Taeyeon had hugged her reassuringly while singing a soft lullaby to soothe her distraught friend.

“You took pain and punishment for me. You sang to me when it should have been the other way round. When I joined the competition to help you relax, I only made things worse. I’ve always felt that I’ve been nothing but a burden to you. That you would never love me the way I love you,” Tiffany said between hiccups and tears were now flowing freely down her face. Taeyeon quickly moved to Tiffany’s side and wrapped her arms around the shaking body, like so many years ago.

You are my starlight nae mameul bichwo..
hamkke isseumyeon onjongil kkumkkuneun gibun..
You are my starlight cham haengbokhaejyeo..
seonmul gata neoran sarang..

Tiffany’s sobs slowed as the gentle voice took it’s effect on her and she slowly turned to face the girl she adored. Sparks flew as their lips met for the first time and Taeyeon felt like she had just walked into heaven on earth. Their eyes fluttered open to meet each other as they slowly pulled away from the soft kiss. Taeyeon felt the small box in her pocket and pulled it out. Propping herself next to Tiffany on one knee, she opened the box to reveal the glittering necklace.

“I love you Hwang Miyoung. Will you be mine?”

A speechless Tiffany could only nod and threw her arms around her girlfriend. The two shared a tight embrace and Taeyeon slowly fastened the heart shaped locket which hung from a fine gold chain around Tiffany’s neck. Looking down to admire the precious gift, Tiffany took Taeyeon’s hand in her own, “I love you too Kim Taeyeon. And yes, I would like that.”

—————

Things did not seem to be going the way she planned as she fidgeted in her seat. She had driven the rented convertible only to have met in an accident with a young man who was being difficult although Sunny had yelled that it was his fault for hitting the back of her car. After getting a manager from the rental company to come over and sort things out with the obnoxious man, she had jumped into the nearest taxi and quickly sent a text to her girlfriend explaining what had happened and she was rushing over as fast as she could. To add make matters worse, the taxi had just driven into bad traffic due to some construction work going on. Sunny felt her phone vibrate, seeing Hyomin’s reply telling her to be careful and that she would wait for her at the restaurant. 

The time was already nine o’clock and they had barely moved in the past half an hour. Throwing the surprised taxi driver a couple of notes, she got out of the taxi and started running. That was a stupid idea, she grumbled to herself angrily when she arrived at the restaurant looking like she had just completed a full marathon. She peered into the restaurant window and her heart felt a sharp sting of pain as she saw a forlorn Hyomin still waiting for her. Her pain turned to fury when she saw one of the waiters approach Hyomin and from the looks of it, was trying to chat the girl up although she clearly looked uncomfortable from his advances. 

The restaurant doors flung open and the two of them turned to see a very pissed off Sunny stomp to the table. “Back off, she’s spoken for.” Sunny growled at the annoyed waiter who muttered the word dykes under his breath and Sunny was about to thump him when Hyomin gently tugged at the hem of her shirt. “Let’s just go baby,” pleaded Hyomin with those big brown eyes. Sunny yielded to those puppy eyes and took Hyomin’s hand in hers as they left the closing restaurant, only stopping to shoot one last dirty look at the loathsome waiter.

They ended up at a small food stall that was still open despite the late hour. Sunny still felt horrible for nearly standing Hyomin up earlier although the girl told her not to worry about it. Hyomin looked exquisite in her short dress making Sunny feel the guilty pangs hit her once again as she looked around and saw they both looked a little overdressed for dining at this sort of place. How can she still smile like an angel? Sunny loved that smile and anything that took it away would have to face her wrath. The infectious smile crept into Sunny’s face as she watched Hyomin beam happily at the bowl of noodles placed in front of her.

“I’m sorry we didn’t have a good time.”

Hyomin looked up and saw the smile disappear from Sunny’s face. “Bunny, what’s wrong?” said Hyomin as she hurriedly took Sunny’s hands in hers. Sunny heaved a sigh, “Tonight was supposed to be perfect but I messed it  up and now I’ve got my queen stuck here instead getting the treatment she deserves.” Hyomin look speechless for a moment before the smile returned to her lips and she reached out to caress the dejected bunny’s cheek. 

“Sunny, as long as you’re with me, I don’t care where we are.” With that, she planted a soft kiss only her girlfriend’s lips. “Now, your queen requests that her bunny smile for her,” giggled Hyomin as she saw a toothy grin break out on Sunny’s face. 

“Ah, I almost forgot!”

Hyomin watched Sunny curiously as her girlfriend dug into her pockets before pulling out a small box. “I know it’s a little early but I couldn’t wait to give this to you. Happy birthday Minnie,’ Sunny stuck her hands out to her surprised girlfriend. Getting no reaction from the still stunned Hyomin, Sunny moved to place the box into the palm she had been holding previously which successfully snapped Hyomin out of her reverie. Opening the box with shaky hands, the brunette gasped when she saw a beautiful circular gold locket nestled in it’s center. As she slowly pick it up from its confines, she saw two small objects in the heart of the locket.

“The flower is for your birth name, Sunyoung. The star is the symbol of what you mean to me, you will always be my shining star that guides me home to you in the darkest nights.”

Sunny saw tears of joy pooling in Hyomin’s eyes and she moved to take the necklace from her hands to wear it around the slender neck. As Sunny was fastening the clasp, Hyomin noticed there was a small note peeking out from the side of the box and she slid it out to read:

I don’t know how you are so familiar to me—or why it feels less like I am getting to know you and more as though I am remembering who you are. How every smile, every whisper brings me closer to the impossible conclusion that I have known you before, I have loved you before—in another time, a different place, some other existence.

“I love you.”

With that, Hyomin threw her arms around the love of her life. “I love you more.” In that tiny roadside stall, they fell deeper in love and there was no denying the two were each other’s soulmates as Sunny made a silent oath to protect the girl in her arms for as long as she lived, no matter what the cost. 

—————

The handsomely decorated room was hiding its magnificence in the shadows as a small glow emitted from a single table lamp served as it’s only source of illumination. A the man peered up from behind his glasses when he heard a soft knock and set the reports he had been reading for the past hour back on the large ebony desk in front of him. The door opened soundlessly and the silhouette of the man’s secretary appeared. 

“She’s here, sir.”

“Good. Send her in.”

The lady nodded and stepped aside to reveal another figure standing behind her. She gestured for the lady to step forward and bowed before closing the door. The man reclined into his posh leather chair as he calmly pressed touched the tips of his fingers to each other, observing the girl in front of him. No words had been spoken between them as he motioned for her to take the seat opposite him before moving back to his previous stature. They studied each other for a moment before he decided to break the silence.

“You returned today?”

“Three days ago. But I just arrived in Seoul today.”

“Mmm. And your sister?”

“She remains there.”

The man slowly slid the spectacles off his face and wiped them. Checking to see if there any remaining bits of dust, he spoke in a voice lower than before.

“You know why you’re here, right?

“Yes.”

“And you are sure you can succeed.”

“Yes. But-“

“But what?”

“You need to keep your end of the bargain.”

“I am a man of my word, if you carry out what I ask of you.”

The girl nodded. The man smiled apathetically and extended his hand, which the girl stood up to shake in, sealing their deal. Bowing, she turned and moved to exit the door when she heard the man speak again.

“Oh, and welcome back Miss Jung.”

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Author’s Note:

Finally! TaeNy is together! 

And for those Sunbyung fans, I just had to include the bit about Hyomin’s necklace. 

I swear to God, I think it’s from Sunny. How else would Taeyeon have gotten something from Loquet for Tiffany’s birthday as well? You get what I mean?!

Ok, I’m going crazy for Sunbyung. Time to leave put that topic to rest.

And guess who’s baaaaack? ;)

Thank you once again to all my readers for voting, subscribing and commenting!