Chapter 13
Message of a Sprinkled Raindrop

Time was playing with Yoona’s patience. She rolled herself in her comforter and rechecked her clock for the eleventh time.

“If anything, I’ll call you.”

It had been approximately four hours since Yoona got home and the torture of waiting was killing her. 

Groaning in frustration, Yoona hopped off her bed and pulled out her chair. Grabbing a blank sheet of paper and a pencil laying somewhere on her messy desk, Yoona started to scribble down whatever was on her mind. Everything she wanted to let Seohyun know.

Fifteenth minutes passed, and all her paper said were words of gratitude that never really hit the main point. Clanking her pencil against the paper, the lead crumbs scattered around the paper and she dusted them off. Yoona repeated the same thing until she realized that she was merely wasting time. At a moment like this, who knew what Yonghwa could be doing with Seohyun.

The images of the person she loved being easily taken away from her scared Yoona…because she knew it was possible.
Standing up from her chair, Yoona leaped back onto her bed, burying her face into her soft pillow as that was the only way she could properly think at this point.

‘Hyunnie likes flowers… maybe I should decorate the rooftop with pretty red and pink roses… Never mind, I need more time if I am going to make something like that possible,’ Yoona thought to herself, fantasizing about the ‘what-if’ scenarios of how she could confess to Seohyun. She continued on, ‘Or maybe, she would like a swarm of Keroro decorations? No…just…no. That green thing’s presence is just purely unromantic. Plus, I would have a high chance of being neglected. I could ask someone for advice…? Or I could just stick to the simple tradition of just asking. Aish… the pain of procrastination.’

Yoona’s thoughts were similar to a boyfriend who wanted to propose to his girlfriend for her hand in marriage rather than for a start of a simple, romantic relationship. It was just a hallucination, but Yoona would like to hope someday it would happen. 

‘YoonHyun… it has a nice sound to it.’

Gazing upon her phone lying on her table, she felt the need for comfort and advice. Reaching for the handy piece of technology, she dialed the number she had last called.

The ringing went on, and the signal was finally picked up.

“Unnie? Can I talk to you for a few minutes?”

☆★☆

The dinner was delicious, and the gathering was great, but not everyone was in the mood to fully enjoy it.

Seohyun knew well that having a peaceful, happy family dinner was always her wish ever since she moved out to live with her cousins, but she wasn’t just into it. Despite Yonghwa’s presence making its effort to make Seohyun feel delightful, the girl’s mind was off somewhere else with its own worries.

“So what did you want to tell me, unnie?”

“I’ll tell you later.”

It might not be something important at all, but regardless, Seohyun was too eager to know just what was it that Yoona wanted to tell her to even focus on anything else.

“Hyun? Are you not feeling well?”

Yonghwa asked in concern, tapping Seohyun awake after witnessing his friend’s blank expression.

Seohyun jolted and removed herself from her deep thinking. She then replied with unreliable assurance, “Yeah, I’m fine. Thank you.”

Yonghwa took Seohyun for her words and fell back into his silence. He occasionally took glances at Seohyun as he recalled the times of their past; the times that he was in love with the goddess next door.

And he still was.

After so many years had passed, he had not rid himself of the feelings he had for his dear friend. He always wished that he could be the one grabbing her hand after she had walked down the aisle, but he was uncertain of the possibility that Seohyun’s heart might have already been occupied by someone else. 

“Hyun, are you seeing anyone?” Yonghwa asked in nervousness, hiding his shaky hands behind his back while pretending that everything was cool.

“No, I’m not.” 

Seohyun’s reply brought a sigh of relief to Yonghwa as his heart calmed down again. He smiled brightly and turned to her with a bright expression.

“Want to go on a walk with me?” 

★☆★

“So…is there a particular reason why you wanted to go to the movies at this hour?”

Taeyeon glanced at the watch on her wrist as she watched the second hand tick away while the shorter one remained at a northwest radius. Shifting her eyes to the right was a pair of tickets for a newly released romantic movie. Before she could continue observing the wand rotating its full three-hundred and sixty degrees to strike its tenth mark, Taeyeon felt a light force tugging at her arm. 

“Like I said, it’s a date. Now let’s go before the room gets crowded!” Tiffany replied straightforwardly, dragging Taeyeon along.

Taeyeon blushed for the umpteenth time that evening, trailing her eyes at their interlocked arms. The girl was suddenly called out after her work was over for the day and had no clue what Tiffany had planned for her. Like an innocent puppy, she just followed in her own will. 

On the other hand, Tiffany’s heart had also not stopped its relay and was pressuring her to move faster at every slight contact or even a short meeting of the eyes. However, she was taking it easy today as her goal was merely to spend more time with Taeyeon to have them know each other more. 

Even so…taking advantage of the situation was a different story.

“What’s wrong?” Taeyeon questioned after noticing that Tiffany had halted from her walk after they had reached the theatre room.

“Nothing at all.”

Tiffany glanced back at Taeyeon and radiated her mischievous eye-smile, despite acknowledging the fact both of them had troubles seeing in the dark. Using her chance, Tiffany furtively reached for Taeyeon’s hand and immediately grabbed it once she found it in her grasp. Taeyeon’s arm automatically stiffened from the cold touch, staying motionlessly and unresponsive as she was unable to guess Tiffany’s expression with the lack of light.

“I don’t want to lose you so stay close to me,” Tiffany explained, covering up her intentions with an excuse for her sudden behavior.

Taeyeon merely nodded and tagged along obediently.

Tiffany guided Taeyeon to their seats after she turned to ask her friend if the girl was comfortable with their row. Truthfully, both knew that they could see where they were going, now that their eyes had been adjusted fairly enough, but neither of them had the will to lose their hold on each other…even if they were already seated.

Taeyeon stared at their interlocked hands for a prolonged period of time and tried to slip out of Tiffany’s grasp, just because she thought her friend would think she was weird for being too intimate. Tiffany, on the other hand, refused to let go and only loosened her grip a little bit to not hurt Taeyeon.

The lights were dimmed the next minute they settled down and the movie started its screening. Tiffany beamed with her eye-smile and was feeling the excitement as the beginning prologue played through. She would occasionally lean over to Taeyeon, making comments about the characters or the scene as Taeyeon comfortably did the same. 

Eventually, Tiffany was getting annoyed of the armrest between them and decided to get rid of it as she pulled it up.

“Sorry, it was getting in the way,” Tiffany whispered, shortening her distance with Taeyeon as she scooted closer white hooking her arm around her friend’s.

Taeyeon held her breath when she suddenly felt a weight on her shoulder. It was getting difficult for her to concentrate on the movie itself when Tiffany was this close to her, in which the girl had never been.

Heart racing was one thing, but the emerging beast called ‘temptation’ was another, and Taeyeon had never tried so hard till now to control both.

“I mean it when I said it was a date, so just relax, TaeTae,” Tiffany reminded, feeling a little disappointment from Taeyeon’s idleness.

Taeyeon took in a deep breath, inhaling and exhaling through both her stomach and chest, easing herself. It was barely working. 

‘If this is a date then can I touch her…? Wait, I’m already touching her... Why do I have a feeling she is expecting me to do something more? Fany, what is it that you want? Why can’t I read your mind? Why do you know me more than I know you? Do you…like me at all? Or is this just…’

Taeyeon wallowed herself in her worries as she was bothered by them again. Shaking off the thoughts, she sat back and watched the movie only to soon notice that the plot in the movie itself reflected her own life with the girl sitting next to her.

The woman was married to a man, who was too busy with his business to even care for his wife. A second man then stepped into her life and everything seemed to change as she finally understood the love that had been long lost. They had a love affair behind her husband but knowing it was wrong, both broke it off. She soon returned to her home and lived the life before she had met the man who changed it all. Day after day, she felt as if a part of her was missing and she could no longer find the joy of it in her husband. It was the same for the man who truly loved her. Reaching a certain point where she could no longer take the pain of longing for the love of her life, she demanded a file of divorce in which her husband protested. Despite his will against it, she refused to live with him any longer and moved out. Eventually, the star crossed lovers fatefully encountered each other, with the absolute desire that neither was going to let the other go ever again.

Every single piece fitted perfectly into both Taeyeon and Tiffany’s lives, as if the movie itself was an omniscient stalker knowing their every move and thought.

The last scene was played, as the girls watched attentively with tears in their eyes, whether or not it was because of the reflected image that they saw themselves as. 

The two characters approached each other, whispering their loving words of confession to one another. 
And eventually, Taeyeon and Tiffany found themselves doing the same.

“I love you.”

☆★☆

Bending down, Yuri removed her heels and neatly placed it aside. She spun her keys around her finger before dropping it on the coffee table as she went and fetch herself a blended Ma juice. After retrieving her drink, the chocolate hair girl hopped on the white sofa. She began relaxing her neck against the soft cushion as well as other tensed muscles. Yuri was too tired to go anywhere at this hour on a Friday night and decided to just chill at home for the rest of the day.

Resting her tired eyes, she allowed her mind to process blank thoughts. From the distance, her peace was disturbed by the ringing of her phone that was rising louder in volume by the second.

Even if her inner conscious being refused to pick up, her mind decided against it as she helped herself off the seat and reached for her phone. 

It was her cousin.

“Hello, Yoong?” 

“Unnie? Can I talk to you for a few minutes?”

Yuri straightened herself up and answered invitingly, “Yes, what is it?”

“You know that I like Joo Hyun, right?”

Yuri giggled to herself before replying, “Yes, you told me a year ago at the airport before I left for Japan and a couple of other times when you were hyperventilated about the smallest things. Good times.”

There was a short silence for a while, in which Yuri could have guessed that her cousin must be pouting as of now because they had recalled some of Yoona’s embarrassing, yet, adorable moments.

“I’m going to confess to Hyunnie.”

Yuri smiled, expecting this sooner or later. 

“And you would like me to help you?”

“Just with advice.”

Yuri pondered for a few seconds, laying her head back against the sofa’s headrest as she stared at the white ceiling. She sat upright again when something useful came across her mind.

“Make things simple and be solid with your words. Show her how much she means to you by expressing your true feelings. In short, just get straight to point. Nervousness is also part of confession-making, so don’t feel pressure with it, but one thing for sure…”

Yuri paused for a moment, reminiscing on her own mistakes that she took note of.

“Don’t ever hesitate. If she cares for you as a friend… then she’ll understand.”

“I won’t this time, Yul-unnie. Thank you!”

“No problem.”

And without another word of goodbye, Yoona hung up the phone.

Yuri dropped the device to her side and closed her eyes for a moment. It was only a year ago since she ‘confessed’ to Jessica but everything felt like just yesterday. 

Bored, Yuri grabbed the television remote that had been laid on the table and pressed the red button in the corner. She absent mindedly turned to the weather forecast channel and decided to catch up on the news of the world around her.

The weather chart told of eight percent chance of rain occurring at later hours in the night. 

Yuri grinned playfully as she stared outside through the glass window.

“Confessing in the rain…sounds dramatically romantic,” Yuri said to herself.

Yuri’s smile suddenly dropped as other painful memories hit her again. 

There were things she wished she never had to see, but now that it was all too late, everything she had witnessed continue to torture her every time it reoccurred in her mind. 

The images of the dripping rain…

…Jessica with that man…

…and Yuri hopelessly running away.

★☆★

“That was a great movie! Don’t you think so, TaeTae?” Tiffany exclaimed, stretching her arms and neck after two hours and a half of being in the theatre room. 

“Yeah. That was a really nice pick, Fany,” Taeyeon answered, cracking her neck side to side.

“I really like the love scenes. It was so emotiona-” Tiffany paused and gazed over at Taeyeon, whom she found snickering. “What were you thinking of?” Tiffany asked, knowing exactly what had just gone through Taeyeon’s mind.

“N-No, nothing. Don’t mind me,” Taeyeon straightened herself and tried to neutralize her expression as she took her mind out of the gutter. Changing the topic, she discussed about one of her most memorable parts, “I was really surprised when he suddenly pushed her against the wall. I thought something was going to happen after that but nothing really did.”

“Were you disappointed?” Tiffany asked in a playful tone.

“Yeah… But they got together in the end, so it’s all good,” Taeyeon concluded, smiling as she recalled the happy ending. 

“Wait…where are we…?”

Taeyeon glanced around her surroundings and noticed that there was not a single human around except for Tiffany and herself. They had been walking in the wrong direction and had been going the opposite way of the exit.

“We should turn bac-”

“I’d always wanted to try that,” Tiffany suddenly spoke up.

“What? Being pushed to the wall?” Taeyeon jokingly asked.

Little did she know, she was digging her own grave as she soon found herself being the one having her back against the solid surface. 

Tiffany smirked and moved her arms up, placing them next to Taeyeon as barricades to make sure that the shorter girl wouldn’t be able to escape. Fortunately for the brunette, no other was in the proximity.

“Pushing someone to the wall. I like to dominate at times, too, you know?” 

Taeyeon swallowed and gulped upon hearing Tiffany’s deep, husky voice so close next to her ear. Her blood started to rise and her heart was pumping its way out of her chest. Tiffany’s words, actions, and just about everything that had happened tonight was too much for Taeyeon and her emotions. 

Tiffany leaned in closer, inching herself nearer to Taeyeon’s lips. The shorter girl held her breath and shut her eyes closed, in which the brunette smiled at the cuteness.

“Tiffany, don’t do anything stupid before you break it off with Jaejoong.”

There were certain limits, and Tiffany knew hers.

The brunette withdrew herself and backed away from Taeyeon, who opened her eyes slowly after nothing special had occurred.

“Let’s head back before they close the place,” Tiffany stated, turning her back to her friend as she continued to walk toward the right direction this time.

Taeyeon followed close behind Tiffany, nudging herself away from the wall. She kept a fair distance between them, not because of the awkwardness, but because she understood well about herself that she couldn’t resist wanting to continue further where they left off. But like the movie, nothing happened. In short, it was just a tease.

Taeyeon really had the courage to kiss Tiffany there and then, but the happy image of Tiffany and her boyfriend haunted her more than anything.

A movie is a movie, and reality is a different story…and Taeyeon was living in the latter.

☆★☆

“So we’ll meet up in front of SoShi café tomorrow at ten okay, Sooyoungie?”

Sooyoung twitched slightly at the newfound nickname that Sunny had been calling her for the past couple of days. However, now she had to get used to it now because they were no longer ‘just’ friends.

“Don’t be late, Sunny Bunny.”

They were partners in crime.

Carrying a bundle of different assorted magazines, Sooyoung unlocked the apartment’s entrance and stepped in as she kicked the door closed. Tossing her shoes aside, Sooyoung hurried to the coffee table and dropped everything she had in her arms. 

“What are these?” Yuri asked, picking up several brochures that had caught her attention and began to skim through them.

Sooyoung stayed quiet and unresponsive to Yuri’s question, dashing to the kitchen and opened the refrigerator. Grabbing anything she saw as ‘delicious’ inside the storage, Sooyoung placed them in the microwave and waited for her food to be heated.

As soon as the microwave reached zero seconds on its countdown timer, Sooyoung flung opened the machine and retrieved her meal. Hungrily, she raced herself to the sofa and sat on the floor as she feed on the food like a hungry beast that had not been fed for days.

“Mind explaining these ‘dating ideas and locations’?” Yuri questioned amusingly.

Sooyoung, without a word, snatched the material in Yuri’s hand and placed them back on the table. “It’s nothing.”

“You’re dating someone?” Yuri assumed, not expecting an answer.

“Sunny.”

But she got one anyway, and it had surely knocked her back in shock.

“E-Excuse me?”

“I’ll tell you the details later. Just let me eat in my peace of mind now will you?”

Sooyoung attempted to quiet Yuri’s questioning by turning on the television. It was just her luck, or maybe Yuri’s, but the channel was screening a reality show…featuring Jessica. Moving her hand toward the channel change button, she aimed at the screen again only to be stopped by Yuri’s words.

“I’m okay, so don’t turn it off.”

Sooyoung was unsure of Yuri’s conditions but obediently laid down the remote back on the table. In truth, she also wanted to watch the variety show, something she hadn’t done in a while.

“You seem…different today. Let me guess, is it because your wife visited you?” Sooyoung stated teasingly as she spun another set of noodles around her fork and putting it in .

“How did you know about that?”

“More like how did I not know.”

Despite the muffling sound of Sooyoung chewing her meal, Yuri could hear the emphasized tone. She nodded in acknowledgement as she remembered how much a nosy, gossiping bunch her colleagues were.

“So, how are you feeling?”

“I’m fine,” Yuri answered simply, but decided to add on, “I’ve grown to understand that there are just some things that can’t be forced, and that it would be better to let loose of it once it a while.”

“What are you trying to say?” Sooyoung asked, not really comprehending her friend’s full point behind the complex, poetic words.

“I love Jessica. I’m not going to deny it anymore, especially to myself. If I’m going to forget her then I need time. If one year is not enough…then so be it.”

Sooyoung remained silent, letting Yuri’s words processed through her brain for it had somehow had affected her own thinking. Denial: it was something she was experiencing herself.

“She gave me a VIP ticket to her concert at Music Bank for tomorrow.”

“Just you?”

“I don’t know.”

Sooyoung grinned to herself and stood up from her seat as she carried her empty plates to the sink. 

“Sometimes I can’t help but think she’s into you just as much as you are.”

Yuri immediately laughed it off as a joke, shaking her head at what she considered a silly assumption.

“I doubt it. I think she has a boyfriend.”

“You think or you know?”

“I think.”

Sooyoung headed back to the living room and sat next to her roommate. Both were watching the broadcasted show behind the screen before the taller girl decided to speak up again. 

“Why don’t you just ask her to confirm? You might still have a chance.”

“Do you want me to forget her or get with her?” 

Sooyoung shrugged in response to Yuri’s joking question, “Either one, but definitely not in between.”

There was a prolonged trail of silence as both were deep in thought. The episode of Star King was starring many different artists, in which among the crowd was Jessica, whom Yuri could not take her eyes off.

They both had their share of laughter as they witnessed the ice princess’ clumsiness in action. The singer had flipped the shoe and missed the bucket, which resulted in it landing on her head with a flopping sound instead.

Still, Jessica laughed it off. 

Yuri had came to a realization that Jessica was no longer the ice princess in front of others but were now the warm ice that Yuri had came to cherish. 

“I love her.”

Yuri confessed without any refrain in her tone.

Sooyoung admired that fact about Yuri, and wished she could do the same.

“I know.”

★☆★

Yoona had run out of the house, bringing only her phone with her, after she had heard the needed advice from her cousin. Running block after block, words to say were speeding through her mind with ever step landed on the ground. She had been waiting for this courage inside her for too long now, and it would be unfortunate if she was to let it go to waste.

Catching her breath after what seemed like a marathon, Yoona finally arrived at her destination. 

‘Im Yoona, fighting!’ she thought, encouraging herself as she pumped her fist in the air.

One step, two step, three step… Yoona approached Seohyun’s house slowly. However, as soon as she caught sight of two shadows in the distance, Yoona dashed off to find a wall to hide behind.

The gap between Yoona and the two people in front of her friend’s house was too big for her to hear anything but she could still clearly identify the two individuals…and how she wished she didn’t have to see them together.

‘Why is he still here…?’

Sprinkle droplets of rain were starting to fall on Yoona, who had no care for such matter at the moment as she concentrated on nothing more than watching her beloved best friend being all intimate with a boy that she was definitely not in favor of. 

She was having a bad view as she saw vague sights of Seohyun, thanks to Yonghwa’s back blocking everything. Yoona rolled her eyes as she waited for what seemed like a prolonged period of time. Too impatient for her own good, Yoona removed herself away from the wall and decided to interfere the pair’s little moment.

Either it was bad timing, or maybe either way it would happen, but the moment Yoona stepped away from that little corner…
…she regretted every second of it.

Then the rain came pouring down as the image before her was engraved in her memory. A slid of a tear came mixing with the salty taste of the rain…and soon her heart came crying out.

The words of secret love were left unsaid, and the person she loves was stolen away in that split moment. She watched silently at how Seohyun did not even budge from her spot or pushed Yonghwa away as he approached closer and closer to her.

‘Why…?’

Yoona retreated in her steps…and soon found herself running away. 
How she wished she never hesitated time after time. How she wished she wasn’t such a coward. How she wished she didn’t have to see what she had.

‘Joo Hyun…I love you. I love you so much…’

How she wished she never fell in love with her best friend.

☆★☆

“Yoona?” 

“U-Unnie…”

Muffled voice, heavy rainfall.

“Yoong? What happened?! Answer me!”

Tears and sobs.

“Yuri-unnie…”

“Where are you!?”

Wrapping her jacket on herself, Yuri grabbed her car keys and headed out in the rain. All in her head were concerns for her cousin…

‘Please…please…don’t let history repeat itself.’

…and the replay of that day.

===========================

'Fast update' since a while xD 
I was in my writing mood and I wasn't busy so I decided to write chapter 13.
I hope you all like this because I think it was pretty choppy (>A< )
YulSic is going very slow in the progress because I love torturing you all ;D
Tiffany seemed to me as more of a dominant type while Taeyeon is more laid-back. TaeNy is going very fast...(^__^; )
YoonHyun is experiencing a lot of drama...I like ;D
I don't have much to say... leave comments (^__^)?
-June