Chapter 18
Making and Breaking Ties

“W-What?”

“You heard me, oppa.”

Tiffany observed as the man in front of her swallowed a lump down his throat as speechlessness tied around his tongue.

“You-”

“I want to end this. Now.”

She demanded, almost too cold and too direct, habitually picking up the ice from her childhood friend.
Jaejoong had kept her waiting time after time again, in the rain, in the sun, in impatience. She didn’t like to wait.

Tiffany did not think she would be this harsh, but frustration and confusion from her meeting with Taeyeon had built up inside her. Now, she just felt the urgent need to pour all of them on someone, anyone. The young man in front of her was just an unfortunate victim.

“No!” Jaejoong furiously slammed his fist on the table, earning curious gazes among the eavesdroppers. Stealing glances from the edges of their eyes, they had momentarily silenced their chatters to listen onto the commotion in the corner of the room. He cleared his throat and retreated himself back to his chair, attempting at his best to retain his composure. “Why? Why are you like this?”

“Why am I like this? Why would I not be? You seriously don’t know why?” he stared at her blankly, “Oppa, it has been two years but our relationship is going practically nowhere.”

“But we’re going smoothl-” 

“Are you kidding me?” Tiffany scoffed, brushing her hair back in distress, “You don’t know what I like, you don’t know what I want, you don’t know anything about me that makes you different from being my boyfriend and being a mere friend. I’m tired of this- this…” she paused, biting her lip, “this thing we’re having. Honestly, it’s not even worth to be called a relationship.”

“Tiffany…” He desperately reached out to her hand but the latter pulled back, clenching her fist and closing her heart to him, “Look, we- We can work things out…? Somehow. You and I, we can change this. Make it better for both of us.”

“I tried for two years now. Working things out between us, by myself. I’m tired, oppa. Please, just let me move on with my life.”

“Tiffany, I’m sorry-”

“You’re not sorry.”

Jaejoong remained silent; apologies and sweet-talks no longer worked. Placing his elbows on the cold surface of the table top, Jaejoong linked his hands and hid his face within his palms.

“You’ve changed,” he whispered.

“You’re right. I have.”

“Why? What changed you?” he asked, his voice losing itself.

“…Something you wouldn’t understand.”

“Has someone changed you?” Jaejoong persisted.

However, Tiffany refused to answer, leaving his curiosity hanging from the edge.

Their conversation ended with only lingering sighs and averting gaze. Tiffany shifted away from her seat, grabbed her bag, and headed out the door in haste. Enough was enough.

“Goodbye, oppa.”

☆★☆

Sooyoung sped on her two feet, dangling her bag on one hand with the other grabbing tightly onto her heels.

Catching a taxi at this hour would take too much time, considering how every other businessmen and women out there were competing with the clock for a decent lunch break. As for Sooyoung, who had forgotten about food for the time being, could only think about getting to SoShi Café on time with her slow long legs, with the hope that she would not be kept waiting too long.

After two minutes or so of running a marathon, Sooyoung arrived at the shop. She glanced at the seat near the glass window where a petite girl sat sipping on her coffee. Memories from the night before then flashed back in her mind.
She didn’t want to think too much into it, since she had already lacked a night of sleep from having the scenes replaying in her head. Sooyoung sighed, neatly strapped on her heels, fixed the wrinkles on her skirt, and walked in casually while striking up an attitude like no effort had been given just moments ago. Her hitched breathing had failed to hide that though.

“Did you just run here…?” her friend’s first words greeted her, questioning the condition that Sooyoung was trying so hard to cover.

“I thought it would be quicker that way,” Sooyoung admitted, situating herself on the seat opposite of her friend’s.

She was the type of person to tell the truth, even if it might be partial, if asked.

It was only later that she would notice (as she was previously distracted by just the sight of the older girl’s appearance) the cup of warm macchiato sitting on her side of the table, inviting her lips to taste its bitter sweetness. However, she was certain she had not taken a single order when she arrived.

“That’s the right one, right?” Sunny asked with a grin despite knowing the answer.

Sooyoung beamed and took a sip from one of her favorite picks.

“Yup.”

Within a short time, they had both grown to understand each other well.

But it was only because it’s part of their mission to learn more about one another. Just like a script that needed to be memorized. Once again, she didn’t want to think about it.

“Was there a reason you called me out here?” Sooyoung finally asked after consuming enough oxygen to feed onto her loss energy.

“To repay you for our first outing.”

Sooyoung smiled. ‘So she remembers.’

“Are you sure that’s not an excuse for wanting to see this pretty face of mine?” the taller girl teased cheekily, flipping her hair in a flashy manner.

“It’s not pretty,” Sunny stated, earning a burning glare from the girl sitting on the other side, “It’s beautiful.”

That was what she wanted to hear but little did she expect for such to have been said. And because of that Sooyoung flustered immediately, averting her gaze to the steaming drink swirling around in the cup.

“Wasn’t that what you wanted to hear?” Sunny read her mind.

“That was uncalled for,” Sooyoung denied, hoping that the small cup would cover her red cheeks if she pretended to drink it.

“Are you hiding something from me?”

Sooyoung twitched, placed her drink down, and stared at Sunny. The latter’s eyes spoke of seriousness. Sooyoung gulped.

“You like me don’t you?”

Sooyoung stayed in silence for a few seconds before faking a scoff under her breathe. She opened , but then abruptly changed her mind. Really, what could she hide?

She wasn’t the type to hide anything anyway. No shame in admitting something as natural as this.

“So what if I do?”

“Don’t.”

The answer wasn’t what she expected and it had hurt more than all those memories combined.

“I’ll hurt you.”

“No you won’t.”

She knew that wasn’t true because Sunny was already inflicting more than just hurt.

“We could still be friends. Just…don’t fall for me, please,” Sunny pleaded, her eyes were no longer able to make contact with Sooyoung’s.

“I didn’t choose to like you, and honestly, I didn’t want to,” Sooyoung sighed, clenching onto her skirt under the table to keep herself from losing it, “But my heart persisted.”

“I didn’t ask you to return my feelings. Rather, I was hoping you could ignore it if you ever did find out. Maybe that’s when my heart would stop wanting you. Maybe that’s when I know we-…” Sooyoung swallowed down the lump that was dragging down her heavy words. “Don’t do all of those things then say what you said. I might be tougher than Hyomin-sshi but I’m still a victim in your play. Don’t drag me in any further. I’m just playing a small role in your life, and after I’m done, I’ll be leaving.”

Sooyoung paused, sighed, then continued.

“But never did I want you to kick me off the stage before I am even done with what I have to do.”

“Sooyoung, we-” Sunny didn’t know what to utter.

Sooyoung’s feelings, she never understood them, and partially it was because the girl never had really opened up to her more than she should. Even now, she still wasn’t able to full understand. But what Sooyoung was going through must be more than what she had assumed and more painful than she could ever thought. Sunny wanted to be the one pulling Sooyoung back up but she knew she would only make the girl fall deeper. The only way was to walk away while her friend managed to climb up by herself. Even so, there was no way she could do that.

“I don’t mind us being friends,” Sunny honestly confessed. She didn’t want to lose Sooyoung and now she was regretting the very moment she sent out that text with the intentions of saying these words.

“I mind.”

Without a second look, Sooyoung stood up, having no care about how badly wrinkled her clothes were after being grabbed onto too tightly by her throbbing hands.

“I have work to get to. Thanks for the coffee,” Sooyoung bit her lips, wanting to retrace her steps but instead continued to walk down from the stage in regrets.

The play had been rewritten, her role was over.

“Bye,” she said as she walked off the ‘stage.’

★☆★

“I’d always knew, Yuri. I’m really sorry that I tried to pretend that I don’t… C-Can you give me some time Yuri? I’m not prepared to hear you say t-those words, yet. I… I promise you I’ll tell you my feelings when I’m ready. I’m not really sure right now, and I don’t want to hurt you. I promise you that I will absolutely not date anyone until I tell you how I feel!”

Empty words were brought to the cliff of Yuri’s mind, threatening to fall back into her heart and stabbing it with their sharp edges. Maybe she shouldn’t have pulled out that old photo from her wallet and decided to take a good look at it before tucking it away in a drawer that she would, hopefully, forget about later on. Nevertheless, once she had let her guard down for just one moment, it was difficult to get back up. And for once again, she’ll let them be. Once again, she’ll let her walls fall.

Because her words of acceptance last night was a start of a new life with someone else better fitted for herself. Someone who would love her back.

“Sica, I thought promises are meant to be kept…”

☆☆☆

“Meet me in front of my house. I have something for you. We’re heading out so bring some money. Don’t be late or I’ll be really, really, really mad!!” Yuri read out loud the text sent to her a few minutes ago.

“So…I supposed I’m going to be paying for whatever we’re doing,” Yuri sighed, placing in some paper bills into her wallet. 

She flipped it close but reopened the flap when the photo tucked inside the small pocket caught her eye again. It forced her to recall the progress – if there was any – in her relationship with her best friend.

They had taken their first piece of physical memory together a year after they had met in the garden. A few months after that, Jessica went into training as singer under a label management with Yuri always backing her up in support, through verbal encouragements or even free back massages. They were unable to see each other often due to the drastic on and off tutoring or vocal and dance practices scheduled every week of every month. Before they could keep counting the days, the beginning cold met the city but yet a new kind of warmth entered Yuri’s heart. It was both desired and unwanted. She forgot how long ago was it after the hurt, pain, and jealousy that she stepped up to profess her feelings to Jessica, only to be stopped before she could even uttered the word ‘love’ out of . They made a promise, and for one month, it was unheard of again. In short, there had been nothing special as the younger girl had hoped and was desperate for. Jessica was still Jessica, and Yuri was still the patiently-waiting-girl-in-love.

If she wasn’t so bother by the whole ‘relationship’ complexities between Jessica and her, Yuri would have remembered about that marked date on her December calendar weeks sooner. 
Nevertheless, it was only four days left until she turned twenty.

Rather feeling anticipated for the start of her adulthood, she was more concerned with what she had promised her father a couple of years ago. After realizing her brother would be leaving for the arm forces for two years, if not more, Yuri knew she had to take on the chairman seat for the time being. In order to so, she must undergo a special series of fastidious training courses with her father and other members of the board before having the worth to be entitled as the future CEO of the Kwon Enterprise.

Thinking back on it, she wondered if it was a wise choice to waste her young years on such an obligation.

Shaking her head off the thought of a possibly worst nightmare of her life, Yuri glanced at the clock, stared at it for a good thirty seconds, and then decided that it would be a better choice to head out early. Packing up her belongings (and remembering to throw her wallet into her bag), Yuri began to take steps out her room and toward the front door.

“Mom, I’m heading out with Sica,” Yuri informed her mother, strapping on her sneakers and tapping the tip of her shoe on the surface of the mattress laid out before the main entrance.

“Come home before seven, okay KkabYul? Your father and I have something important to tell you,” Mrs. Kwon noted, poking her head out from the kitchen.

Yuri swallowed and rolled her eyes. ‘It must be that,’ she guessed.

“’Kay,” Yuri gave a short reply with the lack of enthusiasm, opening the door as she stepped outside in a hurry.

“Bye, mom!”

“Wait Yuri-…!” her mother called out to the empty living room, sighing as she watched her daughter dash off in haste and anticipation from the glass windows.

“…It’s going to rain…”

Mrs. Kwon finished up her warning to no one in particular. She sighed, worried wholeheartedly about her fragile daughter. Today, with much reluctance, they might have to break her.

---

Having some time to spare before their appointed hour, Yuri strolled down the sidewalks of Seoul, passing by some street stalls that were amusingly appealing to her eyes. Stopping momentarily at an accessories table, she observed the hairpins with much interest, searching for the perfect match for a perfect someone.

Picking up the most beautiful one and disregarding the price, she bought it without a second thought.

‘I hope she likes this,’ Yuri smiled to herself with Jessica on the tip of her mind. She had always been there.

[Soundtrack] Michael Ortega - It's Hard to Say Goodbye

Sometimes Yuri wanted to push over any thought with any correlation to her best friend off the cliff of her brain. However, as if it was permanently glued to one spot, she could find no strength to even nudge it away. Was being in love like this? It wasn’t easy, but it sure wasn’t all that bad. 

Well, maybe it wasn’t now.

Skipping her way toward Jessica’s house, Yuri held onto the pin with anticipation. What could Jessica be planning for her? The question stumbled back and forth in her head, yet, she had no clue.

Yuri did not want to assume too much, get her hopes to high, and be disappointed in the end.

But the rain had signaled more than just disappointment.

She had regretted the very moment she’d decided to challenge the clock. The acidic drops had hit her hard against every inch of her body, but pain lingered elsewhere. The salty taste of the sky’s tears mixed in with the bitterness from her eyes. Love, it was never easy and it would never be. 

The person she gave her heart to was embracing a man she knew too well. Then he kissed her. In front of her very eyes. Without any hesitation or rejection. She did not push him, she did not run, she did not—… Jessica had given in to Lee Donghae’s hold, as if she had wanted him. No, she did want him. Yuri knew Jessica had always liked the young man. 

How she wished it was just an illusion created by the grey, thundering clouds tricking her into scurrying away… but everything was so clear. Everything was like a day without rain.

Jessica promised. She promised. Promised…

She watched and watched, her fists clenching with anger and fear and grief. She felt betrayed. She wanted to make herself known. She wanted to step in and tear them apart from each other and take back what belonged to her.

But what was it that belonged to her?

The only thing Yuri could have taken back was her own heart that she had submissively offered. It was the only thing that was hers. It was the only thing that she had the right to own.

And it was the very thing that she did not want to take back…

It would just only be an empty shell.

---

“Are you sure about this, Yuri-unnie? Your father said he doesn’t know when you’ll be able to come back!”

“I understand. But I’m going. I made a promise with him and I’m going to keep it.”

“What about Sica-unnie? Aren’t you going to tell her?”

“I’m going.”

“But unnie-!”

“Yoongie, please… promise me that you won’t tell Sica about this until I leave. Don’t let her know.”

“Wh-Why? I thought she’s your best friend!”

“If I see her again, I’m sure I would give into her. I need time. I need to let go.”

★★★

“Yuri, are you alright?”

Among the sound of trickling drops hitting in rhythm against the glass, a soft voice called out to her and a light touch met her shoulder. Yuri opened her eyes slowly only to soon realize that tears had fallen from her eyes. She furtively wiped them away against her sleeves before gazing up at the one worrying over her.

“Sorry, I fell asleep,” Yuri said with a smile, faking a yawn.

“Why don’t you just go home early if you’re tired?” her friend remarked, the older girl’s eyebrows furrowed, “It’s only one hour until work ends anyway. We can handle everything here.”

“You seem to be a bit pushier after being my personal assistant, Victoria,” Yuri teased, earning a glare from the latter. “Come here.”

After some constructive pondering, she had agreed to go with her father’s suggestions in Victoria’s promotions. Besides, Victoria had been helping her more than she could imagine. Why not?

Additionally, it also somehow dealt with the bullying conditions in company now that the older girl was of a higher position. Of course, Yuri could have used her own authority to do more than just that, but she believed this was effective enough. At least for now, Victoria’s safe.

The tan girl signaled with her hands for the other to walk around the table and by her side. As soon as Victoria complied, Yuri pulled the girl in without warning and sat the older girl on her own laps. Before Victoria could properly respond to the type of situation they were in, Yuri wrapped her arms around the girl’s waist intimately and held her tight.

“W-What are you doing, Yuri!? People might see!”

Disregarding Victoria’s protest (although she knew the girl didn’t actually hate the whole action itself), Yuri placed her chin on the crook of the latter’s neck and whispered sweetly, “Thank you for your concerns.”
Victoria gave in shortly (as expected), returning the hug warmly.

“I’m just worried about you.”

“Then let me be a better girlfriend so you don’t have to worry.”

Yuri pulled out shortly but kept a close proximity between them. She placed her cold palms on both of Victoria’s cheeks as the other girl shivered but remained in submission. Yuri continued to stare into the dark orbs directing at nowhere else but at her own, tracing their messages. They were full of hope and full of love.

Full of the many things she wished she could have read within Jessica’s eyes.

Yuri leaned in closer, tugging Victoria gently toward her. Closing her eyes, she planted a soft, longing kiss on the older girl’s forehead. It was without love but it was with gratitude.

Someday, she thought, it would be of love. All her touches, all her kisses, all her thoughts for Victoria…they would be of genuine love.

Sometimes you need to betray your own heart to let go of the things that hurt you most… to let go of the things you love most completely.

★☆★

“Taeyeon, please reply. Call me when you get this.”

“What’s wrong? We can work this out. Please, tell me what’s wrong.”

“What happened to us? Why are you being like this? If you won’t tell me I won’t understand. Please, I want to understand.”

Nine messages, nine missed calls, nine voicemails.

All unanswered.

“I’m sorry, Fany…”

Hesitantly, Taeyeon threw her phone aside for the ninth time and tried to forget everything for the umpteenth time. She never thought it would be as difficult. She never imagined how far she had already went.

“Kim Taeyeon, I miss you.”

☆★☆

“Am I doing it wrong?”

“Y-You put it in the wrong place.”

“Then…How about here?”

“Unnie, let me just show you first.”

“Sorry…”

“It’s okay, it’s your first time trying this so I don’t blame you.”

“…You’re so good at it…”

“That’s because I’ve done the same thing a couple of times already. Yoong-unnie, look here. This is how you do it properly.”

“Can I rest…?”

“But we just started...”

The older girl groaned, spinning the pen in her hand in endless circles as she gazed down at what seemed like distorted puzzle pieces from numerous different sets that refuse to match up with each other.

“This is not like an equality problem so you can’t add or subtract or do any of the like you would normally. You’re trying to verify if they are equal so you need to find the trigonometry functions that could replace cot x and 1/tan x,” Seohyun explained, professionally arranging the pieces of Yoona’s brain back to place.

Unlike other times, Yoona had tried to pull her best efforts to listen carefully, paying careful attention to her girlfriend’s precise instructions. She took note of the details and then applied it to the problems presented to her; each time it got easier and easier. Of course, all effort never went without a reason. Truthfully, there was a specific strong force that had driven her to pursue this extracurricular study.

Seohyun had promised to do one thing – anything — the girl wished if she had completed all the homework and projects thoroughly. Therefore, Yoona was doing just as told, despite how much her brain was spinning and circling in confusion within her hard-skull head. Well, she had a wish in mind and she wanted it…bad.

After an hour or nearly two of leaving Yoona to do the rest of the assignments by herself, Seohyun sat in a corner of the older girl’s bed with a book for a read of entertainment. Moments later, she got off the comfortable mattress and decided to sit beside the older girl. Surprisingly, Yoona was too focused to notice her nearing presence.

Seohyun took that short amount of silence to gaze at the precious person next to her.

‘I forgot, she’s my girlfriend now,’ Seohyun thought with a worried smile fading out slowly from her face. ‘This…it’s real, right?’

Despite the many, and rather often, loving words expressed by Yoona, the younger girl couldn’t help but be frighten by the eerie chills of insecurities. She had dreamt too much, imagined too much, and now that reality had met her eyes, she was slow to differentiate between what were delusions and what was real.

She reached out to Yoona slowly, almost unconsciously, and tucked back the stranded lock of hair behind the girl’s ear. Yoona jolted in response but remained calm and still (or at least attempted to.)

Without a second thought – or any at all – Seohyun moved closer and placed her lips softly on smooth skin of the latter’s cheek. It was uncalled for, but it was certainly wished for.

Widening her eyes in shock at her own actions, Seohyun backed away shortly and composed herself embarrassingly.

“M-Maybe we should take a break,” the younger girl announced quietly, taking steps outside the room and closing the door behind her with a ‘thud.’

Stoned, Yoona sat idle, the pen dropping slowly out of her hand along with her gawking jaw. She her dry lips then shook her head before proceeding to slap her face with both palms.

‘W-What was- that was…She…me...k-kissed…D-Did she just.’

Yoona’s mind was running the tracks, round after round, jumping from question to question as if her brain had started a hurdle on its own.

She brought her cold hand up to her blushed cheek and remained motionless as she felt the warm engulfing the icy tips of her fingers. It really did happen.

‘Seohyun kissed me.’

All of this time, in all honesty, Yoona was trying hard to control herself. Often she would leave red marks on her palms from plunging her fingernails too hard on her skin. She had tried to focus all of her attention on the assignments in front of her, leaving all distractions aside. It worked, although for a very, very short while.

Yoona’s wish was simple. She just wanted a kiss. Quick, short, but is full of love. A kiss to confirm that they were now more than just friends – more than best friends. Yoona was indeed experienced in kissing, as she was forced a couple of times before by her desperate ex-boyfriends; although, now was a different story. With Seohyun, she was back to an amateur. (Though, that could be a good thing, too.)

The creaking sound of the door drew her attention to the person entering the room. Seohyun stood in a distance for a while, her eyes greeting the floor. Yoona kept her stare focused on her girlfriend, her heart beating faster than usual.

But really, when had it ever been normally paced when she’s with Seo Joo Hyun?

Her body began to move on its own as her feet started dragging themselves to where they want to be without her consent. Yoona slid her hand on Seohyun’s arm down to the girl’s palm, intertwining their fingers in a perfect fit. She could vividly hear a gulp of empty air from the younger girl.

However, her body refused to be stopped. It moved closer, bending lower slightly to make eye contact with the girl whose sight was avoiding hers. She smiled at the cuteness and unconsciously nudged closer. Yoona watched as Seohyun closed her eyes in reflex before closing her own slowly. Steadily and without hurry, she leaned forward to retrieve her wish.

The wish that was yet to be granted.

“W-Wait!”

Yoona backed away immediately, afraid that she had accidentally hit a landmine with a slip on the wrong step.

“S-Sorry,” Yoona apologized, rubbing the back of her head in embarrassment while thinking how much of an idiot she was for rushing. She didn’t want to offend Seohyun or ruin their relationship. That was the worst that could happen especially if they had barely progress anywhere.

“It’s-…I… It’s not your fault, unnie,” Seohyun explained, biting her lips, “It’s just I’m not-…I’m not ready.”

Yoona felt her heart dropped a few stories down to the edge of her ribcage.

“Are you not ready for us? Like…being together?” she nervously questioned, beads of sweat probably already running down her forehead.

“N-No!” Seohyun reassured in her loudest voice, taking Yoona by surprise.

“I-I mean, I’m ready for us. I just…how do I say this...” Seohyun continued with her stuttering, playing with her fingers to help her think as Yoona waited patiently. She inhaled and exhaled deeply before speaking again, “I just want our first kiss to be more…special, I guess…”

Yoona processed the confession in her mind for a little while before letting off a tinge of redness on her cheeks and a small giggle.

“Romantic, you mean?

“W-What?”

“You’re so cute.”

Seohyun blushed again. Yoona’s unintentional flirts always got the better of her.

The older girl took small steps toward her girlfriend and held her partner’s petite hands into her own, caressing their smooth skin.

“Joo Hyun-ah.”

“Hmm?”

Yoona ran her fingers in between Seohyun’s smooth strands then proceeded to sliding her hand behind the girl’s neck. Yoona pulled Seohyun closer and tip-toed on her foot, leaving a soft kiss on her girlfriend’s forehead.

“I’ll wait. Just trust me to make you happy.”

★☆★

The intermingled scent of smoke and alcohol and sweat were just perfect ornaments to her frustration. The banging, echoing music hammered heavily on the drums of her ears, beat after beat, pushing away all her sane and rational thoughts. Ignoring all of the judging stares and knocking away all of the desperate hands reaching out to her, Tiffany plunged herself on the farthest seat of the bar as she called loudly out to the bartender.

“The usual, please!”

Tiffany ruffled the back of her head then proceeded to pulling out her phone, gazing at the lit-up screen with a bitter smirk plastered on her lips. What could she expect? A text? A missed call? She was hoping for some signs — any sign at all — that Taeyeon hadn’t meant what she said the other day.
There was nothing. No text. No missed call. Not even a voice mail. Only visible was a photo of Taeyeon and herself that slowly dimmed back to black, reminding her that what they had was at least real.

But…what did they have?

“We can’t see each other anymore.”

She hated hearing those words. Those same words.

What did she do wrong? What was wrong? She didn’t understand in the least bit of the situation. They were completely fine just the other day. It was because of that day that Tiffany had decided to finally end it all with Jaejoong. It was because of that day that she was confident on her love, her real love, for Taeyeon. It was because of that day that she had decided to step up and confess.

“F***.”

An unintended muttering of a curse slipped from her lips, but little did she care. All she needed right now was a cold drink traveling down , engulfing the flame on her bleeding wound, or maybe just something to help her forget everything that had happened, even if it’s only momentarily.

One by one, they were leaving her.

“Hey, babe, do you want to dance?”

Here came the first dumb one.

The young man whistled, stepping more into her privacy as his eyes scanned her body from head to toe then back up. He was good-looking, more than an average person Tiffany admitted. Nonetheless, he was just a pebble to her eye. Tiffany merely scoffed, glared at him, then glanced away coldly,

“Hey, you’re really attractive. Maybe you and I can go and have some fun, what do you say?”

If it weren’t for the fact that this place used to be her ‘second home,’ Tiffany wouldn’t even step foot through those doors. ‘How pathetic,’ she thought as she violently flicked off the hand nearing her thighs.

Before the stubborn predator could attempt at another shot of getting his hands anywhere on her body, a dinging sound of glass cups clanging against each other sounded before crashing down on the bar stand.

“She’s not interested, buddy,” the man behind the table voiced calmly, “Maybe if you have some man-pride, you’ll know when to scurry along the way.”

The other man immediately distanced himself from Tiffany, clicking his tongue before walking off to search for an easier catch.

“Thanks, Yunho-oppa,” Tiffany grinned, popping off the cap of the wine bottle before pouring the red remedy into her glass.

“Oh, okay, now you acknowledge my existence?” The young man joked, teasingly knocking his finger against Tiffany’s forehead.

“Sorry, I was thinking.”

“About Jaejoong?” Yunho asked casually, cleaning the edges of the wine glass before placing them aside to wipe the other.

“Not really,” Tiffany took a sip of the bitterness, “I broke up with him today.”

An expected silence intruded shortly between them.

Yunho cleared his throat, “So you did.”

“I expected more of a reaction from you. Don’t try to hide it,” Tiffany mischievously flashed a smile, tapping her finger against her drink, “I can see right through you like glass.”

“That doesn’t mean that he would open his heart to me now.”

“Did you tell him?”

Yunho cautiously glanced around for the sight of his manager before allowing Tiffany to pour some wine into his own cup. He drank it in one shot.

“I did. Just a few days ago. He’s ignoring me,” Yunho confessed, his tone mirroring Tiffany’s.

“…Of course.”

The brunette reached for the nearly empty bottle and dumped its contents into her glass. The alcohol still hadn’t kicked in. She was still conscious. Still remembering.

“How does it feel for you? Being like...” Tiffany searched her brain for a better connotation.

“Like what?” Yunho smiled, reading the girl’s mind, “Homoual?”

Tiffany flinched but kept her composure, taking another quick sip.

“Normal,” he added, “almost right.”

“Not completely?” Tiffany pried further, curious to know. After all, she was only half of what he was.

“I’m in no situation to say everything is fine. But then again, love never feels completely right nor is it satisfying, is that not so?”

“I can prove you wrong on that part,” Tiffany beamed weakly, accidentally pulling on the strings of her happy moments with Taeyeon that she had been trying so hard to ignore. They were moments tucked in the deepest pocket of her heart where she felt everything was ‘completely’ right, that everything was where she wanted to be.

“Until you can really smile like the way you genuinely you did years ago, come back to tell me that. Maybe I’ll believe you then,” Yunho remarked, hinting that Tiffany was like a black dot on a white paper to him.

Tiffany smiled again. That’s how she hid everything. Smile, and they won’t ask.

But Yunho was different. Yunho knew – rather, he understood – Tiffany possibly more than anymore. Possibly more than Jessica.

“What’s wrong, Steph?” He asked after a moment of silence between them while addressing the girl in front of him familiarly. Yunho placed his arms on the bar stand as he leaned down to his friend’s eye-level, catching the worries in the dark orbs.

That name. ‘Right, that’s me,’ Tiffany thought, swallowing up some old memories.

“Like wine,” she finally answered, sipping another shot.

“Care to share?”

Tiffany glanced at Yunho for a few seconds before knocking her head back down to stare at the wavering liquid swinging back and forth like the pendulum in her mind, indecisive and confused.

She ruffled up her hair then swallowed the lump in for the nth time before speaking, “I’m in love with someone.”

Yunho snickered and gently untangled the younger girl’s locks.

“I can tell,” Yunho nodded as Tiffany smiled in expectance. “A girl. Am I right?”

Tiffany’s lips spread side to side again and nodded without any hesitation.

“She steps into my life, messes with my heart without even trying, pull on the strings of my thoughts night and day, and now she wants out,” Tiffany summed it up shortly, tears threatening to well up in her eyes, “I hate it. I hate this. I hate how she makes me feel so vulnerable inside. She gives me the impression that she feels the same, but now…now I-…”

“So, she said she doesn’t want to see you anymore, is that right?” Yunho took another guess, hitting the bull’s eye. “Did you-…?”

Tiffany shook her head. “I think she knows without me telling her.”

“Steph. You can’t assume,” Yunho stated strongly, “humans are incapable of understanding how the other really feels, especially when they are too trapped within their own emotions. I think you know more than anyone else what to do without me telling you.”

Tiffany allowed the wise-spoken words to seep into her mind before expressing her gratefulness.

“Thanks, oppa.”

“And please,” he reached out for the glass cups and retrieved them in his hands, “stop drinking alcohol when something brings you down. I know you don’t get drunk but it’s a bad habit.”

“Said the person that works as a bartender,” Tiffany sarcastically said, obediently placing the bottle back on the table. She already drank it all though.

“I’ll deliver to your house something better. It might taste a teeny tad bit like wine, but it has no alcohol. You’ll like it,” Yunho noted, pulling out his phone to make a self-reminder.

“I’ll be waiting then,” Tiffany got off from the stool and stood upright on her heels.

Yunho was right: she didn’t get drunk. Or rather, she couldn’t.

“It was nice talking to you, oppa. Bye.”

“Steph, are you…” Tiffany halted in her steps, “…are you planning to come back here any time?”

That question again.

She eyed the flashing lights, the crowd of people, and the dance floor with a solemn silence in the midst of a noisy room. Memories of five years ago came flooding into her mind like a mad rush, speeding across her brain and infiltrating her heart where it hurt most. She could hear the voices of the old chants and the rhythmic claps to the music, echoing in the edges of where all was once buried deep. But furthermore, she could hear her own voice crying out for a loss she could not see again.

“The stage is lonely without you.”

Tiffany smiled pensively, her eyes refusing to move with the act.

“I’ll see you later, oppa.”

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

LONG TIME NO SEE~ MISS ME!? ~(^__^)~ -hides behind any object possible-

Well...I bring you an update.

Sorry I had finals...and writer's block...and...just...depression in general OTL But I managed to finish this! I'm actually satisfy with certain parts of the chapter -coughTaeNycough- and was disappointed in a few OTL I did re-read this a couple of times but I'm sure there are still a bunch of mistakes lying around (=A= ) Oh whatevers...

Part of YulSic's past has been revealed~ WOO I've been waiting forever to write that OTL

AND YES, Fany cussed LOL

The next chapter is the point of suspense for specifically two couples. I'll have you all guessed which ones they are keke

Just for people out there who don't know this fact as well, Jung Yunho is the leader of DBSK and of the same group as Kim Jaejoong.

SEE YOU AGAIN SOON \(^__^ ) (coughmaybecough)

-June