Saturday was supposed to be a good day. It was the start of the weekend, the time when most people got off work and spent their day leisurely. Not that Taeyeon could relate— not when her work came at random bouts of overload and a lack thereof. Thus was the life of a freelance photographer, but a very successful one at that (this was not her ego speaking).

Unfortunately for Kim Taeyeon, the day had barely begun and she’d already burned her tongue twice from the same cup of coffee. You’d think she’d know she was bad with hot beverages from all the times she scalded herself but no, Taeyeon needed her caffeine if she wanted to survive another twenty four hours. Especially that she started today exceptionally early, like six in the morning early.

The singed girl was about to attempt another sip of her steaming drink when her phone buzzed insistently. Taeyeon rolled her eyes. That only meant one thing. She thought as she calmly unlocked her phone and accepted the call.

“Yah Taengoo! My plane landed fifteen minutes ago and I still don’t see any sign of my supposed best friend who promised to pick me up!” Taeyeon distanced her phone from her ear with a frown. The girl on the other line could rival Tiffany’s voice whenever she raised it like this.

“Good morning to you too Sooyeon.” It wasn’t much of a good morning at all and Jessica noticed that much. She combed through her short blonde hair trying to get her body to wake up as much as her brain.

“Awwhh I’m happy enough to know you’re actually awake but you’re still late.” Jessica’s voice finally returned to its normal level— that strict General voice.

Seriously though, she should stop spending so much time with Tiffany. Her loudness was probably rubbing off. Americans. She shakes her head.

“I’m on my way princess, calm your pretty down.” Taeyeon decided to leave the offending coffee and picked up her car keys. It wasn’t a good idea to keep royalty waiting after all.

“Tick tock Taengoo.” She sing-songs on the other end before hanging up with a soft take care thrown at the end. Taeyeon couldn’t hold in another eye roll.

“Royals, I swear to god.” She muttered but drove as fast and safely as she could anyway.

Jessica Jung was officially back.

It wasn’t much of a surprise that Taeyeon arrived at the airport within record time. Not finding any traffic at the ungodly hour (it was for her) it wasn’t too difficult to navigate. Her only problem now was that she couldn’t spot the princess at all.

Already sending an obligatory ‘I’m here’ text message but to no avail. Did Jessica fall asleep or something? It was honestly very likely knowing her best friend. The blonde was about to attempt another call when she received a soft tap on her shoulder.

“Taeyeon-unnie?”

That voice was familiar, she thought. One she hasn’t heard in person for years— only through distorted calls and video chats but even those weren’t too recent. A pang of regret abruptly shot through her but she still willed her body to turn around.

A girl much taller than her stood with a tentative smile, somewhat unsure. But Taeyeon was sure enough of who was standing before her. A sudden rush of memories came running back. Piggy-back rides, candy-filled mouths, story time under glow-in-the-dark stars, much simpler times.

Taeyeon’s jaw uncontrollably dropped. “S-Soojung?”

“The one and only,” the taller girl says with a shrug and smiled with a bit more certainty this time.

Finally realizing Taeyeon was gaping, she willed shut before replying, “you’re back as well.”

It was just a sentence but it somehow weighed more than how it sounded. Taeyeon didn’t understand why.

Krystal nodded then chuckled before suddenly wrapping the shorter girl into an embrace. Despite catching her off-guard, Taeyeon immediately relaxed and hugged her back. There was something natural about it that simply brought her guard down. One problem, it wasn’t hard to notice how her head only barely reached the other girl’s shoulder.

“Yah! How’d you become this tall in just a few years?” Taeyeon huffs after being released from the exchange.

Krystal laughed wholly this time, her usual stone cold face melting into a warm grin and in turn made blood rush into Taeyeon’s cheeks unexpectedly. It was too warm, was the airport’s air conditioning damaged or something?

Taeyeon coughed, trying to chase away her flustered state. “W-where’s the other princess?”

“She already left with her girlfriend,” the younger Jung scowls, “Yuri-unnie picked her up ten minutes ago. Didn’t she tell you?”

Taeyeon tried but failed to keep in a snarl. If she was being honest, she was actually really excited to finally see her best friend in person again despite acting nonchalant earlier. But apparently it wasn’t the same way for the older Jung.

Her best friend was a jerk.

“So let me get this straight,” her fingers pinched the middle of her forehead in annoyance, “my best friend, who I haven’t seen in years, who also begged me to pick her up at six in the morning, ditched me for her girlfriend?”

Krystal visibly winced before shrugging again, “well if you put it that way.” She simply patted the blonde’s head wordlessly. There wasn’t much she could do but that action itself seems to have calmed Taeyeon down significantly. She sighed and she found she was able to compose herself better.

It used to be me who did this to make you feel better when we were younger, Taeyeon remembered.

“You see this is why Tiffany has the official title as best friend.” That seems to lift up both of the girls’ moods as laughter bubbles up.

“If it’s any comfort, she ditched me too. But I guess it wasn’t too bad because I’m left with you.” Krystal sends her a wink which Taeyeon switly waves off.

“You make it sound like you’re cutting your losses kid.”

Krystal’s face warped into a mope after hearing the term. “Just so you know, I’m a twenty-four year old woman who can take care of myself well, thank you very much.” Krystal said it as a joke but it somehow also translated into something else Taeyeon couldn’t pin down.

“Yeah well I’m still older kid.” The younger girl continued to pout even more and Taeyeon pinched her cheeks in return.

Just like old times.

“Come on, I’ll drive you home.” She grabbed the carry-on from Krystal and started to walk to the exit before the latter pulled on her wrist halting her.

“My other stuff is over there,” Krystal points to a spot behind her with an apologetic face and Taeyeon paled in realization at the number of luggage stacked over each other.

Taeyeon sighed one last time before dragging her feet. She grabbed as much bags as she could carry with very little help from a certain Jung. She grunts and decided it was finally time to take Seohyun’s advice and actually exercise. Krystal cuts her thoughts with her laughter and Taeyeon tries her best not to get distracted by the symphonic sound.

She clicked her tongue and decided to cut her losses too.

Ugh, royalty.

--

“So I’ve officially revoked your best friend card,” Taeyeon drinks from her iced coffee this time around, an Americano with three pumps of syrup, just how she liked it. “I only know a Stephanie Hwang Miyoung as my one and only best friend from now on.”

“Awwhh is Taengoo still mad about what happened at the airport?” The ex-best friend had the guts to even about it.

“I woke up at six Sica— six in the freaking morning.”

Everyone knew how Taeyeon wasn’t a morning person. Jessica may be the queen of sleep but Taeyeon rivaled that whenever it involved daybreak.

Lucky for her, the whole airport trip wasn’t a complete loss— nor was it a loss at all when she thought about it now. As much as she missed her (ex) best friend, she never realized till then how long it’s been since she last saw the younger sister too.

Once upon a time, when the Jungs lived in the same neighborhood and country as her, she made her first childhood friend. Contrary to popular belief, she befriended Krystal before the ice princess even with their five year .

Where Jessica was cold and unapproachable, Krystal was wholeheartedly open and kind. The younger sister would share her gummy candy complete with a bright grin even if some teeth were significantly missing. Meanwhile the older Jung would berate her sister and Taeyeon for eating too much sweets.

You’re such a bad influence to Soojungie, Taeyeon-ssi— was what Jessica would usually say.

Unfortunately for Jessica, her parents loved Taeyeon what with her goofy but responsible (most of the time) personality. So much that they usually asked her to babysit the sisters— yeah, both sisters. Even when Jessica was as old as Taeyeon, her parents were simply worried that she’d burn their house down if she tried as much as be in a ten meter radius around the kitchen. It made her laugh then and it still made her laugh now.

“You look like a creep laughing like that on your own Taengoo,” Jessica snapped her back from her reverie, taking a bite from her chocolate cake.

So much for eating too much sweets.

“I was just reminiscing about old times,” Taeyeon smiles and it transforms into a smirk. “Which makes me think about how you turned into my best friend and not Soojung.”

Jessica knew what she was talking about if the amused smile on the brunette’s face made it evident. They seem to be on the same track of thought. She and Taeyeon were practically enemies when they were younger. They were similar in a lot of ways yet it was what made them clash as well.

“Well we do have Soojungie herself to thank for that.”

It was true, if it wasn’t for Krystal, the two would probably be bickering for hours, neither of them wanting to back down. But for ten year old Krystal, all she wanted was for her sister and new friend to get along. That meant Taeyeon was subjected to movie nights with both sisters present. Though the younger sister would always have to sit in the middle to try and me