“And she was crying like a baby over nothing! You should have seen her wailing and begging us to help her – you would have laughed your out, I promise.”

Taeyeon hums in response, eyes focused on the puppies bouncing around like excited babies in the shelter. She always comes here to volunteer whenever she’s free or simply when Yeri’s busy with schedules. Bringing Yeri here is almost equivalent to making her dive head-first into a pit of snakes. Although Yeri isn’t as terrified of animals as she used to be, she tries not to engulf herself in presence of pets. Nowadays, Taeyeon’s two dogs stay at her parents’ house because of her concert. To say that Yeri’s glad is an understatement; whenever she wanted to do something nice for Taeyeon, perhaps cook a meal or something, the interruption always comes. Needless to say, the apartment is significantly quieter. It might drive Taeyeon crazy from time to time because she’s not used to it but she has to appreciate the privacy that’s more accessible now. Yeri and her can finally enjoy what is considered a two-person bubble now.

“Unnnniieeeee…” Yeri whines incessantly, nudging the older woman who was still bent on the floor. If there’s one thing Yeri will not stand for, it’s losing attention to a few puppies running wild. “You never listen when we’re here! You probably didn’t hear what I said half an hour ago either!”

“Now, that’s ridiculous,” Taeyeon chuckles, ruffling the dog’s fur.   

Jokes aside though, Taeyeon is well over the moon that everyone is in good condition and brighter days are ahead of them. She is also learning the hardships they go through as trainees, then to idols and finally, when they actually want to settle down with their partners. Being in this industry for a good decade and more allowed Taeyeon to open her eyes to the industry; the good, the bad, everything. All the glamour and extra attention was never what Taeyeon wanted, nor what she had aimed for when she entered as a trainee. Her dreams only revolved around her being the best singer she could ever be, maybe even inspire a few people here and there if possible. By the time she had realized this path wasn't meant for her, Taeyeon couldn't back out anymore. She met amazing friends and trainees who became her members, sisters and above all, her second closest to family. 

There's no reason why it wouldn't be the same for their juniors. The group of five have already proven that overcoming problems together is as easy as 1 2 3. The amount of faith that everyone has in the younger group is overwhelming, plus it’s not always easy to be understanding and accepting of each other either.

When Taeyeon feels a palm upon her own, she looks up to see Yeri with a cheeky grin on her face. What happened to Yeri who’s always looking for chances to escape from animals? Or what happened to only playing with Zero and Ginger because they’re the most mellow dogs ever?  Yeri is staring up at her with her own considerable set of puppy eyes, their fingers interlaced as they continue ruffling through the puppy’s fur. This is a moment Taeyeon never thought would come, not that she would rather have things another way. To see Yeri trying her very best to conquer her fears and discomfort, it touches Taeyeon's heart very much. Among the perceptions people have of the members, Yeri might be seen as the most stubborn and the one with barely any manners; the genuine truth is: she’s always honest and speaks her mind extremely freely.

“You’re amazing, Yerim.”

“What?”

This time, Taeyeon is the one resting her chin on her knees as she observes the glowing young woman in front of her. She never fails to be amazed by how mature Yeri becomes – the latter clearly does it unconsciously. Perhaps it is an honour to be a witness to Yeri growing up like this, especially after being her idol when she was young. 

“Stop staring at me like that…”

The bashful expression on Yeri’s face does wonders for the both of them, because Taeyeon only wants to shower more and more love upon her. They’re already head over heels for each other, so it’s unimaginable for them to be over that. Once upon a time, Taeyeon thought finding happiness was impossible for her after that dumb choice which evolved into a scandal. She really wanted to stay away from everything that could possibly lead to a relationship and all of that bull; her mental health, her strength... everything was going downhill really fast then. Her members tried to be with her at all times to keep her mind off the hate and pain that coursed through her mind every single time she was alone. If it wasn’t for her own family and friends around her, Taeyeon wouldn’t have come out of that alive. Up to this day sometimes, Taeyeon can't help but feel she's inferior to Yeri. 

“Can you imagine how it would have been if our group was never your idols and you never applied to be a trainee at the company? Or if you didn’t approach me willingly even after joining your members later?”

“That’s true…”

It’s a situation Yeri doesn’t even want to imagine; if fate brought them together, then she will leave it as that. Plus, their relationship has been an absolute boost to her confidence. Being with the woman that has helped her shape her ambition and life altogether, Yeri has no complains or grievances. Her members might have taken care of her and raised her ever since she was a student but Taeyeon, she’s different. Their relationship might have started out as an idol and just a normal fan but it doesn’t change the fact that they had each other’s back all the time. They are extremely guarded against others but those walls just crash right down when they’re alone. A sense of guilt follows right after because things that couldn’t be told to their members always made its way out for some reason – that reason is a steadfast reason for their relationship right now.  

Shaking it off with a few more from the playful puppy bouncing around her feet, Yeri approaches Taeyeon who changed seats to the make-do café table a few steps away. She truly enjoys playing with animals now, but a strong attachment to puppies and dogs in particular.

“Unnie,” Yeri leans down with a sweet smile. With her eyes looking straight into Taeyeon’s eyes, she fails to register the few trainers standing around with gazes of envy. That’s the lovely thing about her – her attention is given completely to the people she cares about. She leans in and gives Taeyeon a peck on her nose, relishing the shock on Taeyeon’s face as she registers the action. “You’re so cute. I love you so much, I hope you know that.”

Taeyeon’s gaze trails after her lover’s, smiling goofily at what just happened. She was never one to be afraid of public affection, because well, her members are the epitome of clingy and embarrassing all at once too. In their debut years, receiving hate and doubt from the public was expected, Taeyeon never once in her life thought her dating life deserved to be hated on so much. Up to this day, nothing justifies the kind of pain she was put through in that horrible year itself. Too many a time, fate has tested her limits and boundaries. If she says she never contemplated suicide before, that’s a blatant lie that she would have told multiple times over. Taeyeon wouldn’t consider herself a dependent person, she’s the exact opposite of that. Living away from her family for so many years and with her best friend at that, it taught her to never give up and focus on the good things only.

Now she’s finally found the one for her, Taeyeon is not going to give her up for the world. When she had the world in her hands, some despised her, some brought her down and some loved her just that little bit more. It wasn’t enough for Taeyeon to pull through completely.

“Kim Yerim…”  

Yeri stops her giggling when she feels a pair of arms around her waist, her attention effortlessly diverted from one of the trainers to her girlfriend hugging her. She’s usually the more affectionate one with a bolder mindset – the daring one who doesn’t really pay heed to what the cameras might capture. Going out with Taeyeon from time to time means barely any skinship if there are people around, not that Yeri could blame her though because all people wanted to do was force her to insanity one way or another.

“Are you hungry?”

“I’m okay, Unnie.” Yeri mumbles, rubbing the pair of skinny arms holding her. She never thought she'd be saying this out of all her members but she actually wants to sray here a little longer. Spending quality time with Taeyeon doing something she likes isn’t too difficult anymore, not when Yeri has finally learned how to be more selfless and less self-centered. “Let’s stay a while longer, please? I want to spend more time with the puppies so Zero and Ginger will like me more.”

How does a person as genuine as Yeri ever exist?

Or scratch that, how did Taeyeon score someone like that?

Honestly, her life is pretty much the definition of complete now. Although their group might not be promoting on a regular basis anymore and her members are finally comfortable in their own expertise, Taeyeon is at peace too. Her solo career is still blooming and appealing to citizens of all ages – her girls are happy with their lives. Now she’s practically living with the love of her life – one that her parents actually fancy, mind you – along with the support of her colleagues and members.Years of working so hard and trying to be the bigger person in comparison with many, Taeyeon really put in more than a hundred percent of what she can manage. She might have stumbled and let loose a few times, but she wouldn’t do it if given another chance. In fact, her parents taught her better than that for sure, and Taeyeon will never let them down if she can help it.

“I’m pretty sure they already love you though…”

“Not enough if they’re going to keep clawing at the door when I’m in your room with you alone.”

So that’s the reason why Yeri is so insistent on trying to spend more time with animals recently… she wasn’t too happy about the interruptions during the night. She was pretty thankful that her two dogs didn’t try to scratch Yeri out of her apartment like they originally did with some of her friends. Of course, those so-called friends are mostly out of her life now so perhaps the dogs are excellent at their deduction of people. 

Taeyeon leans in to rest her chin upon Yeri’s shoulder, thankful their heights aren’t too different. She prefers feeling closer to her lover like this compared to feeling protected – what’s the use of being protected like a useless, helpless person when they can’t be as comfortable? Yeri might be younger than her by a whole lot but she’s got a voice that could overpower the haters; a heart that could beat out even the nicest of people. Being with the young one brought Taeyeon nothing positive but anxiety at first, knowing that their is bigger than the usual. She might be confident and fine knowing that she’s growing older but not when it comes to her relationship with Yeri. Who knows what's to happen in the future? What if she dies way before Yeri and leaves her behind? At the time, this was what went through her mind instead of the positive sides of it – Taeyeon wasted too much time worrying about nothing.

“You’re being so silly, Yerm…” Taeyeon mumbles, nuzzling her nose into Yeri’s freshly-dyed hair.  

The smile on Yeri’s face is irreplaceable, not even when their relationship was blessed by all their members. She is peaceful and content with what she has right now and she’s the most beautiful. She caresses the pair of slim arms around her waist, basking in the embrace of her beloved. “I’m not silly, you’re silly. I just love you so much more than anything else so don’t judge my choices.”

Oh… never in this life.

//

“Unnie… what do you think is going to happen in the future?”

“About what, Yerim?”

Yeri has her arms around her lover, legs wrapped around Taeyeon’s waist like a personal bolster. She loves cuddling with Taeyeon under the covers this way, especially since the bed is warm and soft. No matter how often Taeyeon teases her for being clingy and overly-attached, the younger knows that they wouldn’t have it any other way. Perhaps spending all their time lazing in bed isn’t exactly desirable but who cares when they’re on vacation? It’s rare for Taeyeon to not be working on any music whatsoever so Yeri will make the most of this opportunity. It’s difficult enough in this economy to date peacefully; there’s no reason why Yeri should make things more difficult.

“Joohyun-unnie… I’m scared she’s going to die.”

Taeyeon retracts her arm and shifts her body so they’re facing each other; she can’t possibly comfort Yeri without talking to her calmly. Furthermore, the stubbornness Yeri has is by far way more than Taeyeon’s. Saying the wrong things might not be clever, and being insensitive is not an option now – Yeri’s second family are the ones in question. Even if Taeyeon can’t understand first-hand, then the least she can do is to do her part to comfort her girlfriend. Things have been extremely tense back in the hospital, some of them scuttling between work and seeing their leader. They made their rounds to visit Irene when the members were busy, and the smile on Irene’s face seeing their seniors was beaming with excitement. Rather than sympathy, the older women were more focused on brightening the mood of the room. It’s clear that Wendy is under a lot of stress as it is, so there’s no need to make it more melancholy.

Wrapping a hand around Yeri’s waist, Taeyeon makes sure their eyes are level before she starts. She hates seeing the younger’s tears, because Yeri has pride in her – she wouldn’t cry if she could help it. “Don’t think of that. The doctors haven’t ruled out the possibility of the tumour being benign so please stay positive, hmm? Benign tumours can be removed without any problem.” Taeyeon asks, though it sounds more of a beseech from her perspective.

“I just… I…”

“I know, baby. I know, so don’t apologize for your feelings and don’t be scared to tell me. I’m right here for you, just like how I’m supposed to be. You