Chapter 8
Melody
 

A smile plastered on Yoona’s face as she skipped happily down the hallway, ignoring how others viewed her, while attracting gazes of various bystanders, most of whom were her fans. She was definitely happy and it was too obvious to the eyes. Of course she was. It was the day Yoona was going to have a ‘private’ study session with her beloved crush, Seohyun.

Not that Yoona was expecting that anything would happen, but she couldn’t help but imagine the things that could have happened if things were to be different.
If they were more than friends.

Yoona’s smile dropped from her joyful expression as the thought of facing Seohyun concerned her. How would she be able to concentrate on her studies if her whole mind would be occupied by the person she loves, who would happened to be right by her side?

“Hey, where are you going?” A young man voice soon interrupted her thinking process before any more worries seeped in. She almost thanked the person for stopping her, even if she was already annoyed before their conversation even really started.

Yoona turned around and eyed him with a glare, showing an unpleased look that she didn’t really mean to have on. “Home.” Yoona replied coldly, as she turned her back to him and continued to walk her way, ignoring the following footsteps trailing behind her.

“So are you free this Friday?” Taecyeon desperately continued the conversation.

“Why?” Yoona questioned, even if she knew that she would object to whatever he had in mind.

“Want to go out and have dinner with me? I want to get to know you better.” Taecyeon offered generously.

Setting aside the word ‘dinner’ as she was being tempted by the sound of food, Yoona rejected Taecyeon’s request almost immediately. “Sorry, I’m not free.”

“Why not?” Taecyeon curiously asked as his face frowned with disappointment.

Stepping out of the school building, Yoona searched for the sight of her best friend and instantly spotted her standing by the gates, continuously observing her watch. Yoona beamed with a bright smile as she unconsciously answered to Taecyeon’s question without making any eye contact.

“I have a date.”

When Yoona realized what she had said, it had been too late. Taecyeon blocked her from walking any further, despite being approximately three yards away from her destination. He then stared at her with hurtful eyes that begged for an answer.

“Yoona, why won’t you give me a chance?”

Yoona noticed the attention that they had drawn, for now she could hear gossiping whispers in both of her ears from all directions. She took a quick glance at Seohyun and was glad that the latter had not notice the commotion. It came to Yoona’s realization that she must end this. Clean and quick, if possible.

“Just one chance was all I ask. Sure, you may not like me and I know that, but why can’t you just let me show you how I can be the right one you. Why won’t you let me try being the one for you? Yoona, I lo-”

“I like someone right now,” Yoona blurted out, in spite of the crowd surrounding them.

Gasps and more whispers were scattered across the field. The newspaper club revealed their cameras and flashed their devices. Fan girls pitied (or even crying for joy) at the scene before them. Yoona knew the consequences, but Taecyeon’s feelings were more important at this point. She didn’t want to hide it from him. Ok Taecyeon deserved to know.

“W-wait…what?” Taecyeon had least expected that this was coming.

“I’m sorry, oppa. I really like this person, and I don’t think I can ever give my heart to anyone else.” Yoona quickly glanced at Seohyun and found the girl listening to music with earphones plugged in, thus, being clueless of her surroundings. Yoona sighed and looked back up at the tall young man in front of her. She suddenly felt apologetic that she couldn’t return his love, and bowed to him in respect as a way of apologizing. “I’m really sorry, Taecyeon-oppa, but I don’t think I can’t give you a chance.”

With her last words, Yoona left the scene, leaving behind a dumfounded Taecyeon and ongoing talks. Yoona retrieved her cheerful smile before approaching her best friend, grabbing the girl’s hand without warning as they both speeded out of the school.

‘I’m sorry Taecyeon-oppa… but I love Seo Joo Hyun.’

★☆★

After minutes driving in the taxi, both girls had arrived at their destination. Seohyun had originally resided at her parents’ home, until she decided to try to live a life independently with her cousins (Jessica and Krystal). Even so, she would come back occasionally to pay her visit to her parents and practice her instrumental skills with the grand piano in the living room. Despite being at a young age, Seohyun was even more responsible than her older relatives, gaining much trust from her parents that she could, indeed, manage life by herself.

Seohyun walked in her own room and began to place her backpack on the floor, unpacking her books that she had prepared to tutor Yoona, along with other utensils.

“Nobody’s home?” Yoona asked after she inspected the house in search of people.

“Jessica-unnie has work and Krystal is out with her friend,” replied Seohyun, who was too busy to notice Yoona’s surprised reaction.

‘So, in other words…it’s just us,’ Yoona thought, as she felt a strange heat running through her ears. The girl purposely slapped herself out of the gutter and decided to distract herself with the decorations of Seohyun’s room.

It had not changed much since the last time she was here. The room was simple and organized, with everything in its assigned spots. One thing that definitely did not change was the presence of a certain animated character: Keroro.

Yoona felt intimidated, being stared it by the green things that surrounded the room. Glancing over at Seohyun’s bed, only one plush toy of Keroro, out of every single one that the girl had, was on the large cushion. It was the one she had given to Seohyun on the girl’s seventeenth birthday.

‘So she kept that one on her bed…’ The simple thought brought a smile to Yoona’s face. She was glad to know that she somehow held a special place in Seohyun’s heart, even if it’s not in a romantic manner.

“I-I’m going to get us some water, okay? Just relax for now,” Seohyun suddenly spoke up, alarming Yoona that they were in an awkward silence. The younger girl then walked out the door with her head held low and headed to the kitchen.

Yoona returned her attention back to the huggable stuffed toy on the bed, staring at it with an intensity of… jealousy. She picked it up by its two tiny arms and held it by her thumb and index finger, letting it hanged down like a monkey as she continued to glare at it, as if engaging in a staring contest.

“I hate you,” Yoona spoke to the idle green creature in front of her, “but Hyunnie loves you… even more than me.”

---

Seohyun’s hands became sweaty with nervousness and her cheeks were still bright red. She had only realized her true feelings toward her best friend just only recently and now she found it difficult to deal with it. It was the first time that Seohyun was crushing on someone, not mentioning that it was also a girl and her own best friend. Seohyun was clueless on how to face Yoona properly without getting all flustered, and to add to her frustration, they’re going to be alone for another couple of hours. Just the two of them in a room.

After she had realized her feelings, things had changed for Seohyun. As she was waiting at the gates for Yoona, she was thinking of how to not make herself too obvious. Seohyun had even brought herself one of those self-improvement books that she loved reading to help her out. At school, she had tried to refrain herself from being too close to Yoona and not stray too far as to arouse suspicious, either. Seohyun had found herself becoming even more jealous than usual whenever Yoona was surrounded by other people. She had never been bothered by these things before.

Or at least she never knew that she was.

Furthermore, she had been even more bothered by what she had overheard.

“I like someone right now. I really like this person, and I don’t think I can ever give my heart to anyone else.”

Yoona’s words rang through Seohyun’s head continuously, as her heart cried for an answer to know who it is.

Disrupting her thoughts, Seohyun’s phone buzzed with a loud ringtone. She flipped the screen to check who’s on the other line. After confirming the caller, she picked up the phone with a glittering smile.

“Hello? Mom? How have you been? I miss you!” Seohyun exclaimed in excitement.

“Hello my precious Joo Hyun. I’ve been well. How are you my dear?” Her mother replied in the other end.

“I’m fine. Do you need me for something, mom?” Seohyun asked, moving toward the main subject.

“I called just to let you know that Yonghwa and his family are finally back in the country! You know, that kid who always played the guitar in the neighborhood? I want you to come to our reunion dinner this Friday. A neighbor and family reunion, so two birds with one stone,” Her mom informed excitedly.

“Oh… I see.”

Seohyun pondered for a few moments. Jung Yonghwa was a boy next door whose family was close with her own. They were childhood friends and would get along so well that their parents had thought they were dating. In fact, Yonghwa had liked Seohyun since they were in their teens. He was a gentleman and would not force Seohyun in any way, but he was desperate for Seohyun’s attention. Unfortunately, because of certain circumstances, Yonghwa moved away with his parents. He had promised Seohyun that when he came back, he would ask her out properly and hope that she would agree.

Honestly, Seohyun had already planned to give him a chance and was waiting for him to come back… But that was before she met Yoona. If only he had return earlier, then these feelings for her best would possibly not surfaced, and so she would not have to worry about anything regarding her relationship with Yoona. However, it’s already too late.

“Joo Hyun? Are you there, honey?” Her mother called for her attention after noticing the long silence.

“Oh, sorry mom,” Seohyun apologized after realizing she had kept her mom waiting.

“Well, just let me know by tonight if you are coming or not so I can arrange things, okay?”

“Okay, mom.”

“Good bye, dear.”

“Bye, mom.”

A series of beeps followed after their farewell greetings as Seohyun placed the phone back into her pocket. The young girl heaved another heavy sigh as she decided to head back to the room with two cups of water in her hands.

---

“If you replace this with this, the result would turn out to be like this.” Seohyun taught her student, as she scribbled on the paper solving the problem in any method that was easy to help the girl beside her learn faster.

“Oh… I see. That makes much more sense now.” Yoona was still having some difficulties, but she was catching on quicker than expected, thanks to her best friend’s skills.

“Okay then.” Seohyun then wrote a problem down for Yoona then passed the paper to her confused friend. “Try this.”

Yoona stared at the paper with a blank expression then looked back up at Seohyun, who had her palms cuffing her cheeks as she anticipated what would happen next. It was nerve wracking for Yoona, but she had to try her best. She didn’t want to embarrass herself more than she already had in front of Seohyun, especially with all those red marks that she continuously returned home with.

The older girl then put whatever that had been taught to her onto the problem in front of her, beginning to pick up her pencil and write. Yoona surprised herself by finishing solving it with speed and accuracy, something she had never been able to do before.

“Correct. Good job, Yoona-unnie!” Seohyun said as she unconsciously placed her hand on Yoona’s head and patted it. The sudden physical contact surprised Yoona even more than her work before her, as she started blushing on the spot.

Seohyun realized her action and retrieved her hand awkwardly while trying to hide the redness that was appearing on her cheeks.

“You know… I should get a reward.” Yoona suddenly suggested, leaning closer as she observed Seohyun’s reaction. The younger girl then tilted her head in confusion, wondering what her unnie had meant. Touching her bottom lip with her finger, Yoona then seductively suggested, “Something like… a kiss?”

Immediately, Seohyun’s eyes widened, her face turning to a bright color of a fully harvested tomato, and slightly dropped opened.

“Just kidding.” Yoona smiled at her innocent friend’s expressions and knocked up her statement as merely a joke. Instead, she grabbed Seohyun’s hands, and looked at the girl in the eyes while speaking of her more proper request (even though she was quite serious about the kiss), “Can you play the piano for me?”

---

Yoona and Seohyun soon migrated to the living room, where a piano laid still with a cover sheet blocking the dust away from the instrument. Removing the piece of cloth, Seohyun sat down on the chair and lifted up the wooden lid, revealing the glossy, monochrome keys beneath. Placing her delicate hands on the piano, she closed her eyes and tried to decide on the music of her choice. Seohyun then looked back at her friend, in need of suggestions, but found the girl beaming at her with great anticipation and excitement instead. Seohyun was suddenly struck by a strange self desire. She knew just the right piece to play.

Pressing down the keys with just the right strength to each rhythmic beat, Seohyun began her little showcase. Creating waves of soft and gentle high notes, a beautiful scene was created under the golden lights. Yoona watched the angel carefully as she listened to the sounds flowing through her senses. It was a familiar melody.
It was a piece that she knew of… and Yoona absolutely knew where she had first heard it.

Their first encounter…

Yoona remembered how they met like it was yesterday. It was not a coincidence, but it was fate, and Yoona were sure of it.

☆☆☆

Falling asleep in class was never the right option. Yoona, bored to death with the lesson she did not even understand, chose to close her eyes ‘for just a few seconds’. Unfortunately, she was caught by the strict teacher, who immediately sentenced a detention on her with no excuses accepted whatsoever. And so, Yoona ended up being stuck at school for more than she ever wanted.

She never did like the place to begin with.

After the half hour torture, Yoona was finally released from her ‘prison’. Walking down the hallway with no one else around but herself, she suddenly felt a certain freedom she never had at school. Yoona had always been popular among everyone around her, being a beautiful, young actress that she was. However, she was never truly happy about the attention she was receiving. Her friends were never her true friends.

She could never tell them anything. Yoona could not share anything with anyone. She always carried high expectations from others, but Yoona knew they understood nothing about her.

Saying she could care less… was definitely a lie.

The silence of the school was then suddenly filled with a peaceful harmony which averted Yoona’s attention. The girl soon found herself springing her arms wide opened and skipping around like a bird that had recovered its wings, dancing freely to the melody that was being played. It was a soft, gentle piano piece that lured her. Trailing her footsteps to the origin of the sound, she landed in front of a room with a door slightly opened; of course, it was the music room.

Being the curious kid that she was, Yoona peeked through the creak of the entrance. There she saw a girl who was probably around her own age playing the grand instrument which produced the beautiful sounds that she was hearing through the empty halls. Despite the piano piece itself, Yoona took notice of something else… or someone. The young girl in the room was as elegant as the instrument she was playing. The girl had long, silky black hair and light pale skin along with an aura of ‘purity’ that made Yoona couldn’t help but admired and stared.

The last note was then finally sounded as loud claps suddenly followed. It was one of Yoona’s unconscious acts.

Surprised by the out-of-nowhere applause that she never expected, the pianist turned around to face an embarrassing female student behind the door.

“S-sorry. The door was opened,” Yoona apologized while bowing politely as she helped herself into the room, straying away from clinging onto the door.

“N-no, it’s okay,” The younger girl responded.

An awkward silence of a few milliseconds then intruded the room as none said anything except the short occurrence of an exchange of deep stares. Now that they were a few feet apart, Yoona respected the girl’s innocent look even more up-close since it was a true natural beauty that even she felt ashamed of.

“So…uh… what song was that just now?” Yoona spoke up in attempt to start a conversation, rubbing the back of her head as she point to the piano with her other hand.

The other girl, through Yoona’s signal, understood what was being asked as she gave a reply, “I haven’t really given it a title yet.”

“Wait. You composed that!?” Yoona asked in surprise. There were just too many talented people in the world that she barely paid attention to them, but this girl was an exception. That piece of music had easily grasped her heart the moment her ears captured its first beat. “I really love it! Honestly!”

“Y-yeah.” The younger girl nodded as a shy smile formed on her lips.

“What year are you in?” Yoona questioned, being curious once more.

“Third year.”

“Oh, so you’re in the same grade as me! How come I never see you around?” Yoona asked as if there were only ten people in the whole high school. However, she had her reasons. How could she have never seen someone so noticeable as her.

“I just moved here. Today was my first day.”

“Oh, cools. If you have anything, just ask me. I’ll be willing to show you around,” Yoona offered, something she would never have done before, which even she, herself, could not believe what she had just said.

“Thank yo-”

Yoona, unknowingly to her own actions, suddenly approached the girl and sat next to her on the empty space of the black piano bench. Glittering with admiration as she cuffed her hands in front of her in a pleading manner while bearing an aegyo expression, Yoona made an abrupt request, “If you don’t mind, can you play that song again?”
The younger girl was shock at the sudden intimacy and drop of honorifics, but was glad that someone had liked what she composed. With a bright smile, Seohyun willingly replayed her self-written piece.

Yoona closed her eyes as she enjoyed the lovely, yet, short moment as the melody calmed her distress. She let her body and mind relaxed with the flow of the music. It was something she never had been able to done while being at school, surrounded by inconsiderate people. Yoona didn’t know why or how she felt the way she did, but she could sense a feeling of comfortableness seeping in as she sat through the whole song.

Was the reason because of what was being played? The soft, gentle harmony that was ever so soothing?

Or was it because of the girl next to her? Someone who could make her feel ever so secure and… warm.

It was a short moment that had unfortunately ended too soon as the last note was finally hit. Yoona brought up her hands and applauded to the wonderful performance before her.

“Thank you so much. It really made my day.” Yoona appreciated with sincerity, creating a blush upon the other girl’s cheeks.

“No problem.” The younger girl smiled gently once again. “I better get going.”

The pianist stood up from her seat and walked to where she had left her belongings, picking them up as she carried her backpack by the hanger. “Bye.”

Yoona was battling her mind at that moment. Should she just let the girl go like that? Who knew when they would meet again? Maybe even never. One word repeated in her mind: friend. She was seeking that person, and maybe this girl was just the right one. Yoona brought up some courage that she never thought she had and halted the younger girl before she walked out.

“W-wait!” Yoona stood up from the bench and took a few running steps toward the confused girl. “My name is Yoona, Im Yoona. W-what’s yours?”

“My name is Seo Joo Hyun, but you can call me Seohyun.” The girl introduced herself.
Clenching her fists tightly as she tried to control her stuttering, Yoona thought about her next words. She never knew there would be a moment like this in her life. A chance.

“C-Can I be your friend?” Yoona asked awkwardly as her face turned bright red.

Seohyun stared at the girl with a tilted head and uplifting eyebrow before she burst into a giggle at the scene before her. For a moment, she thought Yoona was kind of adorable in a way. Somewhat like a ten years old kid.

“Of course!” Seohyun answered without any sign of reluctance.

A glowing expression immediately sprouting on Yoona’s face. She was at loss of words and was beyond happy.

For some reason… Yoona believed that Seo Joo Hyun was the right one.

★★★

Yoona walked over to Seohyun and sat next to the girl after giving her applause for the brief performance. Seohyun glanced over to her side to see Yoona staring at her with intense eyes that did not even looked away for even one second. Before she realized it, they were engaging in an eye contact for a long period of time before Seohyun averted her sight.

“W-why are you staring at me like that?”

“Because Hyunnie is pretty.” Yoona answered straightforwardly, making the latter blush immensely from the reply. “This reminds me of two years ago.” Yoona stated as she placed her hand on the keyboard, pressing random notes.

Seohyun nodded, having the same thought. In fact, she had played this song in remembrance of their memory to begin with.

“Did you give it a name yet?”

Unsure of what to answer, Seohyun panicked from Yoona being too close, ended up answer whatever was on top of her head, “It’s Okay Even If It Hurts.”

“Wow… that’s deep,” Yoona commented in amazement. She was expecting something mellower but the title did matched with the sad tune of the song. “Were you thinking of someone special?”

The question surprised Seohyun as she looked over her side to see Yoona staring at her with eyes that were expecting something. Seohyun left the question unanswered and walked away to sit on the sofa so she could hide her flustered face. Indeed, she was thinking of someone, and that person happened to be her one and only audience in the room.

“Is Hyunnie mad? It was just a joke.” Yoona said in aegyo manner as she followed Seohyun and laid her head on the girl’s shoulder.

Seohyun did not respond and sat still like a frozen rock. A mere touch, or the slightest eye contact, and maybe even Yoona’s strawberry fragrance could easily make Seohyun’s heart pound at an irregular speed. How could she have not realized this before? Her feeling for her best friend, that is.

Seohyun unconsciously tilted her head so that hers would be on top of Yoona’s. A warm feeling then erupted within her as she enjoyed their little moment of sweet silence.

“I like someone right now. I really like this person, and I don’t think I can ever give my heart to anyone else.”

Yoona’s words rang in Seohyun’s head once again, dispersing the warmth in her heart replacing it with thorns of uncertainty. She was still curious and still wanted to know… just who that special someone to Yoona was.

“Unnie…can I ask you something?” Seohyun spoke up as she started to get nervous.

“What’s up?”

“Is it true that you like someone?” Seohyun managed to ask, playing with her fingers so she could distract herself from giving out any obvious hints.
Yoona removed her head from Seohyun’s shoulder and looked at the girl with a surprised expression. “You heard?” Seohyun nodded, confirming Yoona’s question. Yoona took a deep breath before answering, “Yeah I do. In fact, it’s not like anymore. I’m in love with that person.”

Seohyun’s chest tightened as questions of ‘why’s’ stormed her mind. She wanted to ask who but she was afraid… afraid to know that it would not be her.

‘Why didn’t she tell me? Are we not friends anymore?’

“A-are you going to confess to that person?”

‘Why did I even bother to ask?’

“Yes, I will.”

‘Why does it hurt so much…?’

Gripping tightly onto their wrists, both girls were holding back onto two things.

One was temptation, with the desire to embrace the other person. And the other was tears, emerging from the pain burning up in their hearts.

‘I want to tell you… I want to let you know. But not now. I’m not ready. I don’t have the courage to confess to you… at least not yet. When the time comes, I’ll say those three words to you. I promise you. I will let you see how much you mean to me. I want to be with you and only with you… Seo Joo Hyun.’

☆★☆

It was 6:30 in the afternoon when Miss Jung Jessica had finally finished her twelve hours worth of a schedule for the day. It was an ‘easy’ day compared to what other professional artists had gone through, like her sunbae, Kim Taeyeon, who would spent more than three-fourths of their entire week occupied by their work. Even so, her lack of sleep and driving hunger were agitating her to the point she was starting to believe that whatever she say was starting to get out of her own control… just like what had happened at the interview earlier this morning.

The ice princess ruffled her blonde hair and leaned back to rest her strained muscles against the car seat, entertaining herself with the bypassing objects through the glass window. Her mind was preoccupied ever since she had stepped out of the recording. Jessica started to wonder if what she had revealed was really the right choice.

‘Maybe I shouldn’t have even said anything…’

It was not her usual habit to lie, and so Jessica had tried to answer with all the truth possible, despite her conscious mind telling her to avoid the question instead. Nevertheless, discussing one’s personal life on a television broadcast was never the right choice for celebrities…especially rookies.

☆☆☆

“I heard that you had personally participated in the making of your debut song. Everyone was curious about who these lyrics were meant for, so if it is not too personal, would you care to share it with us?”

Jessica swallowed as she gave the question some thought before answering, “Truthfully, this song was meant for the person I’m in love with.”

“The lyrics are very sad though.”

“It’s one-sided,” Jessica replied, wishing that it was somehow not part of the truth.

“May I ask who is this person is?”

“Sh- I mean, he is my best friend.” She almost hit herself there and then for the slight slip of the tongue and hoped that none of her viewers had caught it.

“Oh, so your love started to develop from your friendship, huh? Is he here in Seoul?”

“Currently, yes.”

“What’s he like?”

“He’s tall, tan, absolutely handsome, and definitely dorky. But he’s especially kind to everyone around him regardless of who that person may be, and that’s what I really like about him,” Jessica answered, giggling as she recalled Yuri’s traits. She had purposely lied in her use of pronoun to cover up her love’s identity.

“Well I hope you two find a bright future together. Why would he ever reject a beautiful girl like you?”

“Yeah… I hope so, too.”

★★★

Twirling the key as it gave off a clicking sound Jessica opened the door to her apartment, walking in the house with a dead tired expression.
“I’m home.”

“Welcome home, Jessie!”

She was greeted unexpectedly by a very cheery voice that did not belong to Seohyun or Krystal. That loud and happy-go-lucky voice could only be of one person.

“Tiffany, what…are you doing here?” Jessica asked her friend, who was sitting comfortably on her sofa in her home watching her television while greeting her with an attitude that was a total opposite of her own.

“Making myself at home. I was at work and decided to stop by since your house is near, plus it has good food,” Tiffany answered casually as she sipped on the bowl of soup that she had been drinking.

Smelling the scent of delicious meals surrounding the kitchen, she wondered about the whereabouts of its cook, “Where’s Seohyun?”

“She’s in the room,” Tiffany replied, pointing to the locked door of the younger girl’s room.

“Oh, I see…” Jessica laid her stuffs down on the floor and relaxed herself on the sofa next to Tiffany, who lent Jessica a shoulder to lean on.

“Why the long sigh?” Tiffany asked in concern as she straightened Jessica’s messy hair with her fingers.

“Nothing much. I’m just worried…”

“What is wrong with all of you girls today?” Tiffany whispered to herself. She looked at Jessica then switched her attention to Seohyun’s closed room, then back at Jessica who gave her a questioning stare.

“What was that?”

“Hey, is there something wrong with your cousin?” Tiffany drew Jessica closer and whispered to the girl in English in case of being overheard. “She just cooked us food, hurried with her own meal, and then went in the room and locked herself in there. I never seen her that...‘down’ before, except when she is either lacking sleep or when you and Krystal messed up the living room.”

Jessica ignored Tiffany’s side comment and took a quick glance at Seohyun’s room in concern. It was indeed rather silent today, with Seohyun dismissing her usual greeting to Jessica whenever the latter comes home. “I don’t know, but I’ll ask her later.”

“As for your case…” Tiffany then turned back to Jessica and put her hands on her friend’s shoulder, surprising the girl with the sudden change in topic and the tap. “Is it because you said something you shouldn’t have even mention on TV?”

“Ye-… Wait, how do you know?” Jessica’s eyebrow tilted up as she stared at her friend questionably.

“I saw you when it got broadcasted live this morning,” Tiffany replied with a sigh. “It won’t be long ‘till the media would be searching for the ‘tall, tan, absolutely handsome, and totally dorky’ individual to make a scandal out of. Who’d know that the ‘someone’ is the infamous Kwon Yuri of the Kwon Enterprise.” Tiffany scoffed at the irony, which entertained her very much so.

“Do you think they would find out?” Jessica asked worriedly. Not only she was afraid of her own career being ruined by scandals before it even really started, but she was more concern about Yuri’s own life. Knowing the paparazzi, they would go to any extend to bother anyone just for their own interests, especially if their targets are controversial individuals.

“I’m sure they will search their brains out and would never realize it would be someone so obvious.” Tiffany gave off an evil, yet, sarcastic laugh at the thought of the suffering media, who always somehow cause troubles. “Why are you regretting it now? Come to think of it, why did you even say what you did in the first place?”

“I was hoping that maybe she would be able to hear me…” Jessica confessed her real reason. Even though she knew there was a slight chance, she couldn’t simply pass it by. She would do anything to let Yuri know that she loves her, and that she hadn’t forgotten their promise.

“Aww, how cute of you, Jessie.” Tiffany stated as her eyes sparkled, holding onto Jessica’s hands as she was being delivered by an icy stare that demanded her to let go.

Suddenly, a loud beeping sound invaded the room as Tiffany reached for her pocket and mentally thanked it for rescuing her from being ‘frozen’. Staring at the screen, her eyes suddenly lit up with an even more glittery expression than that of her usual ‘brighter than gems’ aura.

Curious, Jessica leaned over to peek at the sender’s name only to have the phone quickly pulled away from her sight. “Why are you being so suspicious?” Jessica asked, considering how her friend always let in on every secret of her personal life. ‘Sharing is caring’, so they always said.

“I-I’m not being suspicious. It’s just p-privacy.” Tiffany replied nervously as she faced the back of the phone to Jessica, quickly texting back a message to the sender.

“Since when was there ever any privacy between you and me?” Jessica questioned rhetorically.

Tiffany was still having that eye-smile that was still not swept off her face, just as curiosity had not left Jessica. As soon as Jessica confirmed with her eyes that Tiffany had clicked the send button, she stealthily, yet in a fast manner, snatched the pink device out of Tiffany’s hand and took a quick glance at the name.

“Yah! Jung Sooyeon!” In quick reflexes, Tiffany grabbed back her phone and hid it behind her back to prevent it getting anywhere near the thief.

All Jessica could see before it slipped out of her hand were two letters next to each other: “ae”.

‘Maybe’s she just texting Jaejoong.’

Following Jessica’s conclusion, Tiffany’s phone gave out another sound; this time it was her call ringtone. The brunette stared at her phone, starting with a happy smile that slowly dulled into a neutral, expressionless face. Jessica tilted her head in confusion at the little play of facial expressions in front of her.
Tiffany then picked up the phone call reluctantly, “Oppa…? Yeah… I’m free, I think. Uh…s-sure. O-okay then. I guess I’ll see you tomorrow… Goodnight, oppa.”

“Jaejoong?”

“Yeah,” Tiffany replied with a sigh then stared at the screen for a few seconds, as if she was waiting for something, but ended up tucking the device back into her pocket. “He asked me out for a lunch date tomorrow.”

“Lunch…how nice,” Jessica commented sarcastically as she leaned back on the soft sofa, crossing her arms in a very unpleased manner. “He only has time for lunch with his girlfriend now? Seriously, what kind of boyfriend doesn’t even take his girlfriend out for a nice, romantic dinner that should last more than fifteen minutes, followed by long chat for once.”

“Well…he’s busy with his modeling career so it can’t be help,” Tiffany defended.

“I’m pretty sure his company is not all that hard on him. Man, if all guys out there are like this, then I encourage you to just go ahead and date a girl. At least they know how girls feel,” Jessica exclaimed, feeling all frustrated over Tiffany’s issue once again.

Tiffany twitched at Jessica’s random statements that somewhat had affected her… especially when her friend had just told her to go date a girl. As much as she wanted to ignore that certain person that had just popped in her mind in that split second, she knew that she wasn’t imagining it. “Not everyone can be a gentlewoman like your Kwon Yuri, miss ice princess.”

“You’re right. My Kwon-seobang is the best,” Jessica said with a smile that did not fit with her image of an ice princess in the slightest.

Tiffany was glad that Jessica had warmed up immensely ever since she had met Yuri. Despite blaming the tan girl for every tear that Jessica had shed, she appreciated the girl for being there with Jessica and somehow improved the ice princess’ personalities.

Tiffany’s phone then gave off another vibration as another text message arrived. The brunette dug in her pocket and took out the pink device, reading the message, with yet, another shining smile.

“Glad to know you’re doing well, Tiffany. So would you like to help me again with giving me your opinions? (>o<) I think I trust you most with your honesty. I really value what you say.”

Scanning the words on the screen for what seemed like the third time, Tiffany finally replied, “Thank you, I’m really happy to hear that (>///<) I’ll be more than happy to help you! (^__^) Maybe you and me can meet up sometimes? I just can’t get enough of your singing, Taeyeon.”

“So that’s who you’re texting.”

Hearing Jessica’s voice right next to her ear surprised Tiffany, making her jolt from her seat in reaction. “Yah! Stop sneaking up on me!”

‘So the ‘ae’ didn’t stand for Jaejoong but it was Taeyeon,’ Jessica smirked slyly. “You you didn’t have to hide it if it’s really Taeyeon, unless there’s something more going on that I don’t know about?”

“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Tiffany replied, ignoring the question completely.

Another message arrived as this time Tiffany didn’t bother to push Jessica away since the girl was too stubborn.

“That sounds good. Just tell me when you’re free and I’ll try to keep that date unoccupied. I’ll be hoping to see you soon! I’ll get back to work now otherwise my manager would start yelling at me if I stay on break any longer (>__< ) Talk to you later, Tiffany!”

Jessica took a quick glance at Tiffany’s reaction. A smile… a dorky smile. It was the same smile of a person in love. The blonde pinched the brunette’s cheeks to hopefully remove it off the girl’s dumbfounded face.

'Creepy smile? Check. Obvious blush? Check. In denial? Check. In love. Definite check.'

“Ow! What was that for?” Tiffany rubbed her cheeks in pain while pouting adorably.

“You look like you’re texting your lover so there’s definitely something suspicious here,” Jessica continued with her assumption, even though she was already 99.99% certain that her theory was correct. “So tell me, what happened yesterday?”

“Nothing!” Tiffany exclaimed, backing away from the evil aura she was sensing.

“Tell me!” Jessica then jumped Tiffany, tickling her friend continuously, as to try and have the girl spill out the secrets.

However, all she got was a laughing mushroom in denial.

“I said nothi-”

A clicking sound of an unlocking door halted their actions as their attention was paid fully to the origin of the sound. An awkward silence followed as they witnessed as Seohyun walked lifelessly out of her room, into the kitchen, grabbing a cup of water as she gulped it down, then finally trailed herself back into the room, shutting the door closed once again.

Jessica and Tiffany looked at each other as they sent one another a telepathy message.

‘Now that is suspicious.’

---

Seo Joo Hyun crawled into her bed and covered herself with the blanket, wrapping herself around it, as if she was trying to block away everything around her. In her arms was only one thing: Keroro. To be specific, it was the Keroro plush toy that she received for her birthday present from none other than Yoona.

“I like someone right now. I really like this person, and I don’t think I can ever give my heart to anyone else.”

“A-are you going to confess to that person?”

“Yes, I will.”

Their past conversation continued to bother her as it endlessly replayed the lines which had inflicted her with much doubts. Seohyun is an innocent girl, who had never fallen in love and was now dealing with the pain of it. She had no experience whatsoever, nor will those self-improvements books that she always love to read would even help her in the slightest. She was in need of advice and comfort… but above all, she was in need of Yoona’s attention.

Seohyun knew she would not have the courage to confess nor did she ever really think through about telling Yoona. The day she realized her feelings was the day she decided to hide them.

And from that… she knew she was someday going to lose Yoona. What Seohyun did think about was how she should deal with her feelings after Yoona has someone else. Pessimism did not define Seo Joo Hyun, but she could not help but being a pessimist when it came to her love life.

Before Seohyun knew it, her sleeves and sheets were already drenched with unwanted teardrops. She got up from her bed and walked outside of her room. Her presence silenced the two girls that were creating all sorts of loud talks in the living room. However, Seohyun, herself, was completely oblivious to them even being there as she quietly performed her activities and walked back into her room.

Seohyun gazed at the time on her phone; 7:11PM it read. She had enough of moping around for 2 hours, thinking that it was time to maybe clear up her mind of some sort. Not feeling like reading at the moment, Seohyun her laptop and waited for the screen to light up from its sleeping mode. Opening up her browser, she revealed a web page she had last visited: Yoona’s drama.

‘No…right now is not the time.’

Despite her mind telling her to exit the tab and completely move away from it, Seohyun ended up doing the opposite, clicking on the play button as she continued to watch where she had last stopped. Just like any normal viewer, Seohyun would laugh at any comedic scene, cry at any dramatic scene, and anticipate at any cliff hangers. However, what were clearly different were the feelings that Seohyun held as she watched Yoona being embrace by the main actor in the film. Real jealousy, so it was called.

Seohyun dropped her head on the table as she thought of how hopeless she was being. A vibration then surprised her as a small device began to give off a soft melody of a ringtone. Seohyun glanced at her phone questionably. Who would call her at this hour? (Other than Yoona, of course.) It was not in her saved contacts, as a series of numbers with no name flashed on her screen. The ringing continued as she was wondering if she should picked it up just in case.

Moving her finger over the green button, Seohyun answered the call.

“Hello?”

“Hey Hyun.” A young man’s voice spoke up, calling her in a very familiar way.

“I’m sorry, but who is this?”

“Oh my bad. I guess you can’t tell me by my voice since it had been such a long time,” He giggled at his own carelessness.

Seohyun was starting to pick up a hint but all she need was a confirmation. ‘Can it really be him?’

“Long time no talk, Hyun. It’s Yong. Jung Yonghwa.”

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

Delayed...chapter...for two weeks. I know you have pitchforks in your possession right now ready to kill me anytime with those (>__< ) I'm really sorry for the two weeks delayed. School is tiring but I did well on my finals b(^__^) Thanks for those who had been supporting me as readers or just dear friends, because they really do drive me to do better haha (even though my updating speed is just crazingly slow...) OT

Chapter discussion time! (Yay!) Chapter 8 is concentrated on YoonHyun's side of the story. This chapter was initially longer, 25 pages of word document (o__ol ), but I cut it down and moved the second part to a new chapter since I don't want you readers to kill your eyes (>__< )

If you have any questions, feel free to ask, 'cause I know there are some people that might have been quite confused with all the text. I won't reveal any spoilers but I'll try my best to answer you question (^__^)b
Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed the chapter~
-June
P.S. THANK YOU SO MUCH SNSDMANIAC FOR MAKING THE MV! I love you <3 Check it out if you haven't!
(Concentrates on mostly Chapter 1-9)