Passing By - Taengsic [549 words] 

“Taeyeon.”

Taeyeon, for once, actually acknowledges her and stops to turn around. Eyes hold her gaze for the first time in what feels like an eternity and Jessica doesn't recognise the cold eyes of the stranger staring back at her.

“Where are you going?”

“Out.”

“Why?”

“Isn’t it obvious?”

To get away from you.

“Don’t. You shouldn't. We have to resume filming in like 2 minutes.”

“It’s not like you care anyway.”

“What do you mean?”

“Jessica. You’re leaving.”

You promised you wouldn’t, is what Taeyeon means to say. You promised you wouldn't leave me to do this on my own.

“Then tell me to stay.”

Tell me you didn't do exactly what you accused me of.

"Do you want me to answer that as Kim Taeyeon leader of SNSD or Kim Taeyeon your ex?"

"Should there be a difference?"

Taeyeon just stares at her, jaw clenching, lips sealed shut. There’s nothing Taeyeon can say, she has no right to, it was too late.

“You know, by now I'm not even surprised anymore, Taeyeon.”

“ you, Sica…”

The corner of Jessica’s mouth twists upwards at the irony, tainted by a semblance of derision.

“You already have, Taeyeon or did you forget about that too?”

“Jessica, you know I didn’t—we didn’t have a choice.”

“There’s always a choice.” Jessica’s eyes flash with frustration, before going cold and hard, for once looking like the nickname she had never liked—Ice Princess. “Yours just wasn’t me.”

“I’m sorry.”

“You’re forgiven.” Jessica says flatly, throwing Taeyeon’s apology back into her face. Empty words, empty promises; she couldn't do anything with them anyway—they were useless.

Like always, Taeyeon is the one to breaks their eye contact, and chooses to stare at some point over Jessica's shoulder instead.

Silence—just a continuation the pre-existing one between the two of them; one that had lasted for the years now.

“So, this is it then, Taeyeon?”

A sigh.

“…I guess so.”

“Well, okay then.” Jessica’s shoulders deflate, almost a perfect reflection of Taeyeon’s.

“Take care.”

Taeyeon pushes past her and Jessica watches as she situates herself in what was supposed to be Tiffany's seat, leaving Tiffany no choice but to switch seats and occupy the one next to Jessica's.

It almost surprises her, how easy it was to accept the plain and generic words, to accept a farewell that was so impersonal that it was without her name.

Jessica knew everything had been leading up to point, and in a way, she was lucky to have had the few extra years to prepare it. Eyes that should be welling up with tears were dry and she was used to the dull ache in her chest—the countless times Taeyeon had deliberately avoided her or looked away from her had desensitised her to the point that it simply existed as a part of her.

Maybe they hadn't fallen apart, because they were never really together, like the way their gazes had briefly meet and just as quickly dropped that day of their first meeting.

They were and would always be, like many things in this world, transient in existence.

And like two boats sailing in opposing directions in the darkness of the night—they were and always had been just passing by.

AN: semi-inspired by 9/30 feels & title is taken from Lee Hi's song of the same name; originally posted on my twitter