Tiffany woke up in her own bed.

Despite her long slumber, Tiffany did not feel well-rested - her fatigue was on the verge of lulling her back to sleep. Memories from the day before started to replay in her mind in random sequence – her asking for a job in Hotel del Luna, Seohyun being taken, Yoona apologising, her being tied up, Taeyeon unconscious on the hospital floor, Jessica’s cold welcome, Taeyeon’s laughter… Tiffany realised that her memories were still intact and wondered what it meant.

Something about her room seemed off, even though she could not quite put a finger to it. Perhaps she had spent too much time in the hospital that she had forgotten the subtle details of her own room – the exact shades of the walls, the spaces between furniture, the texture of her bed, her messy piles of clothes that she often left on the floor…

Tiffany concluded that this was not her room. The realisation jolted her brain awake. She immediately headed towards her closet, opening it only to discover that it had a fraction of the clothes she had, the pictures of her family she hid within the walls of her closet nowhere to be found. She pondered if she was in a dream or worse, trapped in another plane. At the corner of her eye, she noticed a note on her desk and rushed towards it.

“I tried to recreate your room and outfits from the pictures on your phone. It isn’t perfect, but I hope this makes you feel more at home. Welcome to Hotel del Luna. Enjoy your first day of work, T-Manager.

– Taeyeon”

Tiffany sunk into her chair, taking in the gravity of the situation. This was the start of a brand new life. There would be no more running, no more sleepless nights, no more fear. She glanced around her surroundings once more, the difference between her actual room and this one becoming more obvious as she scrutinised its details.

But it felt like home.

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Taeyeon did not wake up in her own bed.

After she had draped Jessica in blankets last night (not because Jessica got cold, but because she liked the feeling of being buried in layers while she slept), Taeyeon had laid next to her as she contemplated their conversation from before. She was searching for answers within their exchange, even though she was unsure of the question. All Taeyeon knew was that she felt like a weight in her chest had lifted, and she wanted to know when and why it went away.

She turned to face Jessica and found herself inching closer. It had been awhile since they had shared the same bed, almost a century since Taeyeon had been able to observe Jessica’s features up close. She would be gone the moment Jessica showed any signs of waking up, but for now, Taeyeon wished for more time, concentrating on memorising every trait, every nook and cranny of the person in front of her. She crossed her arms tightly against herself, as if she were holding herself back.

“You’re not supposed to be here,” Jessica murmured, coming across less like an accusation and more like a friendly suggestion. Her eyes were still closed, as if she were buying time for Taeyeon to leave. “How long have you been awake?” Taeyeon asked, pursing her lips, wanting to prolong the moment. It felt too soon to leave. “You smell good,” Jessica stated, taking in a deep breath. She gasped when she caught herself, squeezing her eyes shut as she turned away from Taeyeon.

“Can you please leave?” Jessica asked, finally sounding awake, though the clarity in her voice did not make up for the hesitation in her tone. “You’re not supposed to be here,” she repeated, reminding herself. She felt a hand on her shoulder, gently nudging her backwards, an invitation for a conversation she wasn’t prepared to face. She placed her hand on top of the other, holding it tightly to keep it still. “The hotel needs us. We can’t afford to be distracted by century-old drama,” she said. She felt the grip on her shoulder loosen.

“Tell me what you need me to do, and I’ll do it,” Taeyeon said, pain evident in her voice. Jessica turned abruptly to face Taeyeon, almost like a reflex to the hurt, though regretting it instantly when she realised how close they now were, foreheads almost touching. “I’ll do anything you want,” Taeyeon stated, the intensity in her eyes reflecting her commitment.

“I need you to stop thinking about us…” Jessica said, with emphasis on the word “us”, despite not being able to fully define what they meant to each other. “…and focus on getting the hotel up and running.” Taeyeon nodded slowly, digesting every word. “I feel like I was chosen for a reason, and I want to do a good job. You are exactly the same. If anyone could understand, it would be you. You do understand, right? I know you do. You know what it’s like.” Jessica rambled on, realising how desperate she must have sounded as the words left her lips. Taeyeon nodded again, as if she had no words of her own.

“Do you remember when we first arrived at this hotel more than a thousand years ago? I made it clear how I felt about you then, but you made me wait for decades before you reciprocated.” Jessica reminded Taeyeon, though the intended effect was lost in translation. Taeyeon broke eye contact as she reminisced the years when she ignored Jessica’s affections. It was almost cold - the way she shut Jessica out, as if doing so would enable her to shut out the feelings Jessica had for her.

“Hey…” Jessica called out, lifting Taeyeon’s chin so that their eyes met once more. “It’s like you said, a hundred years compared to eternity is nothing.” Jessica smiled as Taeyeon’s gaze softened. Taeyeon bit her bottom lip as she started leaning forward, lifting her head at the very last moment to place a light kiss on Jessica’s cheek instead.

“I’ll do anything you want,” Taeyeon repeated once more as she dissolved into nothingness, leaving Jessica feeling empty from her sudden departure.

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Tiffany knew that this was not going to be a typical first day of work the moment she stepped into the elevator. She glanced between the two empty panels, assuming that the buttons with floor numbers would magically appear. Though even if they did, Tiffany did not know which floor she was headed to. She thought about Taeyeon, hoping that thoughts alone would summon the tree deity. The elevator started moving upwards and she felt a sense of relief. Even though she was unsure of her destination, she had faith that it would lead her to where she needed to go.

The door opened, revealing vast green plains that stretched on indefinitely, with vague outlines of hills surrounding the edges. She wondered if she was still at the hotel, or if the elevator was also a mode of teleportation. She looked at her shoes, praying it would survive the walk among the tall grass. The faint sounds of colliding metal commanded her attention and Tiffany turned to notice two distant figures on her left sparring. The clashing of swords made her feel as if she had stepped into a scene from a historical movie. She stared at her heels defeatedly and took them off, starting her long walk towards Taeyeon and Yoona.

"You're so much better than I remember,” Yoona said, as she ducked to avoid the swing of the sword above her head. While crouching, Yoona swept her feet, aiming for Taeyeon’s ankles, but missed it by inches as the other girl leapt. Their swords met once more as they found themselves face-to-face. “You want to tell me what’s wrong?” Yoona asked as she forced the other deity backwards by leaning her weight against their swords.

“What makes you think something’s wrong?” Taeyeon replied as she manoeuvred to her left, causing Yoona lose her balance for a few seconds. These critical few seconds were enough for Taeyeon to deliver a kick towards Yoona’s right hand, disarming her as her sword flew from her hand. “You win.” Yoona declared as she lifted both her hands as a sign of surrender, even though Yoona could have easily caught the sword and continued their spar. Taeyeon frowned as Yoona took a seat on the grass for a water break, knowing that the grim reaper had let her win. She spotted Tiffany walking towards them and chuckled at how absurd the new manager looked in the open field, wearing an office suit while clutching her heels.

“You have 3 minutes to tell me why your focus is all over the place,” Yoona said, before she took another large gulp of water. “Because you’re leaving,” Taeyeon pouted, allowing herself to be childish around Yoona. “I’m just not working for the hotel, who said anything about leaving? Now you have 2 minutes to tell me the real reason,” Yoona counted down as she waved enthusiastically to Tiffany, cheering her on as she picked up the pace towards them.

“You know I love you right?” Taeyeon blurted out, causing a surprised Yoona to choke on her drink. “You’re being weird,” Yoona said between coughs. “This worries me even more,” Yoona laughed nervously, looking concerned. “It’s just something Jessica said,” Taeyeon shrugged. “I never meant to shut you out all those years. I’m sorry. You’re one of the most important people in my life and I should have showed it more.” Taeyeon offered her hand. “I appreciate you telling me what I already know, you midget.” Yoona said as she allowed Taeyeon to pull her to her feet. “What I don’t know is why you weren’t in your room all night.” Yoona whispered in her ear and watched as Taeyeon tensed.

“T-Manager reporting for day 1,” Tiffany announced, radiating positivity despite panting from the walk, ending the unfinished conversation between Taeyeon and Yoona. The women in front of her were dressed in tank tops and leggings, both had their hair tied in high ponytails, and were holding swords at their sides. Despite how intense their sword fighting had seemed from afar; they hadn’t broken a sweat, the only evidence of their workout being the state of their messy ponytails.

“I’m so curious now,” Yoona said, eyes widening in excitement as she walked towards Tiffany. “Take this,” Yoona handed Tiffany her sword, gesturing her to hold it upright. Tiffany held the hilt of the sword tightly with both hands, confused of the ask. Taeyeon tilted her head to the side, watching Yoona attentively, after having figured out her intention. Before Taeyeon could protest, Yoona had sliced her palm against the blade, falling to her knees and cursing as drops of red stained the grass below her. Tiffany threw the blade aside and stooped beside Yoona, removing her blazer to put pressure on the wound. “I’m sorry… why did you…would you… I’m sorry!” Tiffany stuttered, panicking. “You could have chosen to prick your finger instead of cutting your hand in half,” Taeyeon said, exasperated, after examining Yoona’s wound and realising how deep it was. “It’s not your fault, Tiffany,” Taeyeon reassured the flustered girl. “You can’t blame me either,” Yoona laughed as she teared, “I have not experienced enough pain in my lifetime to know the difference between a prick and a cut.”

“Here,” Taeyeon opened her hand to reveal a syringe filled with an unknown liquid,  “This should be help with the pain.” “Why...” Tiffany reached the same conclusion before she could finish her question and took the syringe. She jabbed the syringe into Yoona’s arm, still startled when the needle penetrated the skin. The three of them huddled together as the drug took effect. “Is this why you’re hunted?” Yoona asked quietly, sounding out of breath. “I… I don’t know… I didn’t know I could hurt …do this…” Tiffany stammered, her heart racing. “Please don’t make me leave,” she begged Taeyeon, fearing the worst. “No one is going to make you leave. This is your home now,” Taeyeon said as she hugged the frightened girl, comforting her with gentle pats on her back, unintentionally staining Tiffany’s white shirt with blood. She understood what it was like to be terrified of one’s own abilities. “Just… don’t tell Jessica.”

“Don’t tell Jessica what?”

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ps: I hope you like this one!