Say Yes

Jessica Jung x Kim Taeyeon [Taengsic]

Part I

“Jessica.”

At the sound of her name, the girl turns around, looking away from her reflection. The white wedding dress fitted perfected to Jessica’s figure rustles at the movement.

“Taeyeon.” She greets, a sigh of relief escaping her lips. “You’re here.”

“I said I would be, didn’t I?” The corner of Taeyeon’s lips tugs upwards into a smirk, eyes trailing down the length of Jessica’s body and whispering in awe she says, “You look amazing, Sica.”

Jessica rolls her eyes at Taeyeon’s appraisal, playfully pouting, her bottom lip jutting out. “I better be, Taeng! It is my wedding day after all.”

Jessica turns back to the mirror, hands running down the front of her dress, as though trying smooth out the non-existent creases and imperfections. She can’t help the trembling that has taken a hold of her hands.

Taeyeon seems to notice this too. The other girl closes the distance between them, placing her hands on Jessica’s shoulders, steady and calming—anchoring Jessica to the present—to this moment, just the two of them in the room, the world falling away.

“Hey, look at me.” Taeyeon’s soft voice has the equivalent effect to gentle fingers under Jessica’s chin and Jessica’s head lifts until their eyes meet, her emotions transparently apparent in Jessica’s vulnerable eyes.

“Relax. Stop freaking out.”

When Jessica doesn’t say anything, Taeyeon tilts her head slightly—cutely, Jessica thinks—a line etching itself onto her forehead, as pure, selfless concerns floors her eyes.

“You’re not having second thoughts…are you?”

Jessica jerks back, almost stumbling back if not for Taeyeon’s hands still on her shoulders, steadying her—like she had done countless times in their lives.

“N-no! It’s nothing of that sort…”

At least I don’t think it is.

“I think it’s just the nerves, Taeng. I’ll be fine.”

“Okay, if you say so.”

Taeyeon’s hands drop from her shoulders, like the way the girl had dropped her line of questioning and Jessica feels like she has been back into the reality, back into the world in which she would be happily married in a few short hours.

Jessica smiles at Taeyeon, trying to restore the happy smile the other girl had on her face when she had first entered the room. A revelation hits Taeyeon and she suddenly perks up, digging her hand into her pockets, as though rummaging around for something.  

“Wait—I almost forgot why I even came in here.”

Jessica’s gaze tracks Taeyeon’s almost clumsy efforts to wrestle the box out of her pocket. How the other girl even managed to fit the box into the pocket in the first place was a mystery.

“Ahh, this is embarrassing…” Taeyeon says, eyes flickering back up to her in apology, “Why does this always happen to me?” Taeyeon grimaces, as though she was recalling all of her previous mishaps.

Some of her anxiety slides away as Jessica lets out a chuckle and she silently thanks Taeyeon for her endearing dorkiness. Jessica’s hands reach over to cover Taeyeon’s and Taeyeon’s entire being seems to still at Jessica’s sudden touch, her hands rendered frozen.

“Let me help you, Taeng.”

Taeyeon lets out a shaky breath after a moment of silence, her hands falling away to make way for Jessica’s slender fingers to successfully fish out the box from her pocket.

“Here.”

Jessica holds out the box to Taeyeon and the item hovers, as though hanging suspended in the space between them; in neither’s possession. Taeyeon’s touches Jessica’s forearm and with a gentle push, shifts the box into Jessica’s ownership.

“Open it, it’s for you…I’ve already ruined my suave delivery anyways.”

Jessica retracts her outstretched arm, fully accepting the gift.

Taeyeon can’t take her eyes off Jessica but Jessica can’t find it in herself to meet them, afraid that she might be swept away by what she would find swirling in their depths or be burnt by their searing intensity. She could let herself drown in them tomorrow—or any other day—but not today.

Velvety material slips under her fingers as she carefully cracks the box open, the lid snapping as it falls back onto its hinges to unveil the beautiful jewellery hidden in the plush depths.

“I hope it’s not too much, I mean…”

The necklace is perfect, a minimalistic design with a pale blue stone at its centrepiece. It’s nothing fancy but its simplicity confers is what confers its elegance.

Jessica brushes her fingertips over the stone, something indescribable welling up within her chest, spilling out into tears that stream down the expanse of her cheeks. She doesn’t even think of her makeup, that would inevitably need to be redone now. 

Finally lifting her head, Jessica lets the question slip from her tongue, and for some reason, accepting the necklace feels simultaneously feels like accepting the finality of this situation—the final missing piece to complete the picture.   

“C-can you help me?”

Taeyeon nods and with great care removes the necklace from the box.

“Turn around, Sica.”

Jessica does as she is told and she feels ghosts of warm breath hit the bare skin of her neck, sending tingles running down her spine at Taeyeon’s proximity. Jessica closes her eyes, savouring the moment.

“There.”

Taeyeon’s fingers linger, brushing strands of hair away from the back of her neck.  

“Thank you, Taeng…For everything.” Jessica says, finally letting everything flood into those simple words.

Taeyeon is quiet and for a moment, Jessica wonders if the other girl had even heard what she’d said, but then she feels soft lips lightly brushing the nape of her neck—there and gone again so quickly, as fleeting as a beat of a butterfly’s wings—that Jessica wonder if it had just been a trick of her mind; an illusion that was as real as a reflection upon water.  

“You’re welcome.”

Coldness seems to quickly wrap its arms around her as Taeyeon steps away.

“I’ve got to go now, Jessica.”

Jessica turns around to face Taeyeon, close enough to touch but not close enough to keep—the final preparations were still to be finalised.

“I’m glad you came to see me.”

“Yeah, me too.”

“I guess I’ll see you at the ceremony then?”

“Don’t even think of running off, Jessica soon-to-be-not-Jung.” Taeyeon says in mock sterness, cheekily grinning at her.

Jessica bites her lower lip, watching as Taeyeon's foot lifts off the ground—the beginning of another step away from her.   

“Taeyeon,” Her voice sounds strangely pleading, even to her own ears, and Jessica almost falters, “D-do you still remember what you said last night?”

Taeyeon stiffens, freezing in place. Surprise flickers across her face, as though she was taken aback that Jessica had somehow managed hold onto the memory, having pulled it through the events of the night and haziness of her drunken state.

“Yes.” Taeyeon says thickly, as though the thought caused her some sort of pain, “I remember, Jessica—I just didn’t think you would.”

“Well, I do.”

Silence fills up the space between them.

Eventually, it’s Taeyeon that breaks it, chuckling and the anguish in her eyes disappearing—having tucked itself away somewhere deep inside Taeyeon’s heart; seemingly forgotten.

“You’re saying that too early, Sica. Save it for later.”

“Yah, Kim Taeyeon!”  

“Yes, I’m aware that’s my name. Thank you for the reminder.”

“Argh, you're a pest! Just leave already.”

“Aye aye, on my way out now.” Taeyeon gives her a mock salute. Then much gentler, eye twinkling at her, the girl adds, “I’ll see you later, Sica—when you're finally walking down that aisle.”

/

an: not supposed to be writing this but it wouldn't leave me alone :c unbeta-d (might return to edit/add a few things at a future date)

seems like i'm full of bs these days haha