R15. Miss Rank Number 2

Summary: Kim Taeyeon is suffering from ADHD and she knows just what to say to piss off Miss Rank Number 2, Tiffany Hwang. 

A/N: Hi guys, Soshi_051697 here. I'm glad that you liked Winter Story and I'm happy to read your lovely comments. I hope you will also like the one-shot I wrote today and I hope I gave justice to the prompt our requester has sent. Please excuse me if there is inaccuracy with the said disease. I only based the characters on what I read online and I have no intention of hurting people who are suffering from it. Enjoy reading folks! :D
 

BEGIN.

“Are you ready to rock and roll?!” The MC excitedly shouted to the student outside the auditorium. 

The girl with short black hair and an all-black ensemble could care less about the noise on the stage. She’s quietly sitting on the black couch while her hands were busy playing with a 4x4 Rubik’s cube. 

There were other people inside the room but most of them are doing last-minute rehearsals before performing onstage. It was a university event during Foundation Week to hold a battle of the bands for aspiring students. 

‘This is so boring.’  

She was able to complete the Rubik’s cube a few seconds later and put it in her bag. She’s done playing with the toy for now. Her bandmates were busy tuning their guitars so she followed suit and put out the electric guitar from the bag. If she would be truthful to herself, she’s doing her best to hold the fidgeting she has inside. 

She knew that symptom very well and it’s not healthy to entertain such thoughts at this point. She closed her eyes as her fingers fumbled on the strings and followed what her psychiatrist would always say.

‘Breathe in, breathe out. Relax and calm yourself.’

It was a mantra she kept repeating to herself until it finally did its magic and calmed her down. A girl with an innocent face and white dress suddenly came and interrupted her calming trance.

“Taeyeon unnie.” Seohyun’s sweet voice called out. Taeyeon was shocked to see their drummer not wearing the black theme they have agreed upon. It was so unlike the maknae so she stared for a minute before speaking up.

“Uh, what are you wearing?” Taeyeon asked in confusion. 

“Well, Fany unnie is missing a guitar player since Krystal got sick so they got me as a replacement. I will wear my black outfit later. Would that be okay with you?” The younger girl explained. 

Taeyeon wanted to tell her no as her brain wracked up different worries. What if they got disqualified? Is that even allowed? Will Joohyun have enough time? Is it their turn first before ours?

As if sensing her uneasiness, Seohyun smiled and patted her shoulder.

“I already asked. Fany unnie’s band will perform first then we go last. So we have plenty of time. We also got permission from the organizer.” the younger girl clarified. 

Taeyeon hesitantly nodded while her brain internally panicked, just when she had just managed to calm herself down.

Unknown to everyone was that Kim Taeyeon is suffering from ADHD. It is a common neurodevelopmental disorder that she was diagnosed with since she was a child. Contrary to the usual symptoms of the said mental illness, she wasn’t hyperactive. It was far from it. 

True to her name, Taeyeon is the epitome of calmness in every situation. She was trained to be that way because she is from a chaebol family. What set it off was that she was so calm that when she was almost run over by a car, she only smiled without crying. 

She was diagnosed with ADHD when she was finally brought to a psychiatrist and told her to remove all the rules imposed on her by her parents. Alas, all the repressed bad habits were shown. 

After countless medication and therapy, she’s almost a normal functioning student that can keep her mental condition under wraps. Most of her peers pass off her awkward personality as being introverted and she preferred it that way. 

Because of the said condition, Taeyeon would keep bringing Rubik’s cube and guitar to the university so she can have stuff to fiddle with in her free time. She decided to continue tuning her guitar when Seohyun bid goodbye so they could start performing. 

“SM University, are you ready!?” the familiar husky voice boomed over the speaker and it made Taeyeon smile in a split second.

It was from Tiffany Hwang. She was everything Taeyeon was not. She was loud, confident, and outspoken. In Taeyeon’s eyes, she was wonderful. But for Tiffany, Taeyeon was her only rival. 

After hyping up the crowd, Seohyun the piano intro then swiftly transitioned to leading up the guitar afterward. The display of talent hyped out the crowd so much so everybody cheered even if they didn't know the song.

“Homecoming, I'm coming

My sweet mistake

Summer's over, hope it's not too late”

Tiffany sang effortlessly and I was drowned with her voice. I sighed.

‘If only Tiffany doesn’t hate me that much.‘

But I don’t blame her. I kinda brought it to myself.

First Meeting

Attending the acquaintance party for freshmen is not something Taeyeon decided by herself. Instead, it was decided by her mother who’s trying to be supportive of her daughter. Taeyeon didn’t have the heart to spoil the excitement so she begrudgingly attended.

She watched her peers go around and greet strangers while she stayed at their table like a flower pot. Her hands were busy playing with different types of Rubik’s cube she put on her bag earlier.

The music changed to a song she recognized so she bobs her head following the rhythm as she watched Seohyun and her other classmates dance together. There was a girl that managed to get her attention while wearing her red dress and her long black hair shined as she danced. 

For once, Taeyeon wanted to put her toys back in the bag and go to the dance floor to join her peers but her mind would not allow her. 

‘You don’t even dance, what if they think of you as a weirdo and bully you until you graduate? Stay as a wallflower and be on the safe side.’ 

Her anxiety got the better of her so she stayed still, watching from the sideline. Their eyes met and the girl with the red dress smiled at her. 

She hesitantly smiled back and thought it was the end of it but the girl whispered something to her friends and started making her way to Taeyeon’s table. Her heart raced and she felt like it was going to explode at any moment.

‘How would I talk to her without sounding so eager and desperate? Should I compliment her hair or dress? Should I say she’s beautiful? Should I ask what her section is? Her school ranking?’

She’s approaching my table faster than expected and I feel cold beads of sweat forming on my forehead. I closed my eyes, wanting to just disappear this instant. I opened my eyes again and she was a few meters away from me.

“Hi! Why don’t you join us with dancing? It’s fun!” she invited casually. She was already gorgeous while dancing on the floor but her presence near me completely took my breath away. My mind distracted me by listening to the song that’s currently playing. 

“You know, the thing you got behind you is amazing.” I said casually, my mind was singing along with the song but my mind and body coordination just dug a grave for me. It was an inappropriate statement. 

She looked stunned and blushed. I almost smacked my head with the words I just said but my body just wouldn’t cooperate so I bit my tongue as my eyes gawked at her. 

“What the hell?” she was feeling scandalous and she has every right to be. My apology is stuck on my throat and my mind is a jumbled mess. 

“I am not just gonna stand here and take this abuse, Miss. Who the hell are you?” she glared at me. I bit my tongue to prevent myself from saying any other stupid thing.

“Fany unnie, calm down. I’m sure Taeyeon unnie didn’t mean it that way.” Seohyun said calmly, trying to diffuse the situation.

“Taeyeon?” Tiffany repeated the name. Taeyeon nodded her head. “That Taeyeon?”

“Yes, unnie. Rank 1 in our school with a photographic memory.” Seohyun confirmed. Tiffany’s lips curved into a twisted smile and nodded her head.

“I didn’t expect to meet you this way but I am telling you this, I won’t let a creep like you graduate as the class valedictorian.” she said in a firm tone before throwing me one last look then moving back to the dance floor.

--

After the disaster acquaintance party, she only found out that Tiffany Hwang is as competitive as she can get.

“Can anyone answer the equation on the board?” the Math professor asked. Tiffany threw a dirty glance at Taeyeon’s corner before putting up her hands. The professor let her and Tiffany show off by answering as fast as she can, missing one part of the solution.

“Does everyone agree with Ms. Hwang’s answer?” the professor asked after Tiffany completed her answer. Everybody murmured an agreement but Taeyeon lazily gazed at the board. Her desk is empty while the others were cramped with scratch papers and books.

“I think Ms. Hwang missed the 2nd part of the quadratic formula. We have , so she gets the + part but not the -. If we follow the formula, the other answer would be -6. There are two answers.” Taeyeon clarified and the younger girl frowned even more.

The professor was in awe. 

“Very good Ms. Kim but how were you able to come up with the correct values? You don’t have any scratch paper on your desk.” The professor clarified. 

“I solved it mentally.” Taeyeon answered nonchalantly as if it was the most normal thing in the world. The professor took it as a challenge and wrote an even longer equation that Taeyeon answered instantly. Tiffany Hwang is so pissed that if she has laser eyes, Taeyeon would already be burned by her intense stares.

When Taeyeon turned to look at Tiffany, the latter was still staring. Taeyeon masked her nervousness and excitement by teasing her.

“Is there anything I can help you with, Miss Rank Number 2?” Taeyeon stressed out the ranking number more, knowing how much the girl hated it. 

She saw Tiffany frowning even more and Taeyeon looked away, concealing the smile that has spread across her face. Taeyeon put on her blank expression as soon as she turned back to her classmate.

--

Another display of the brewing competition was when there was an interschool sports festival. Tiffany joined the volleyball team and chess competition. As luck would have it, the grand finals were between Tiffany Hwang and Kim Taeyeon.

At the start, it seems that Tiffany has been winning against Taeyeon but when she was too confident and made a mistake, the older girl used that to her advantage. Tiffany was shocked when she was checkmate using a dark horse.

To mask Taeyeon’s thumping heart, she smirked mischievously and stared at Tiffany’s brown orbs.

“I didn’t know you liked being Miss Rank Number 2 that much.” Taeyeon teased with her charming voice and Tiffany stood abruptly.

“Excuse me, I still have a volleyball championship to attend.” Tiffany reasoned out in embarrassment as she stepped out of the chess hall.

Taeyeon watched the girl and started walking towards the gymnasium. Unbeknownst to Tiffany was Taeyeon was there, cheering and watching the confident girl.

‘How can I approach you without offending you?’

Damn this stupid heart. Damn indeed.

--

It was another time for competition between Tiffany and Taeyeon when choosing the representative for the regional quiz bee.

All of the brightest students in the university were gathered in one hall for the preliminary examination. 

There were familiar faces around Taeyeon but her attention was only for the girl who was animatedly talking to their other batchmates. 

‘She’s very friendly.’

“I think it's much better to talk to her normally instead of watching her like a creep.” Seohyun said beside me and grinned. 

I am comfortable with Seohyun because she was a friend I knew since we were wearing diapers. She was always there even when I was diagnosed with a mental disease. She was one of the people who always kept me in check if I was being overpowered by my mad mind.

“She hates me.” I answered sadly and heaved a deep breath.

“No, she doesn’t. You just tick her off with your bluntness.” 

“What can I do Seohyun-ah? She makes me nervous and my body doesn’t coordinate well when I’m nervous.” 

“She won’t bite you. Just relax.” Seohyun said and Taeyeon nodded her head.

It seems that luck wasn't on Taeyeon’s side after the result was announced and Taeyeon was the Science representative while Tiffany got English. Taeyeon was only ahead with one point and she gave a smug smile to the girl she fancies.

“You really love being number 2, don’t you?” Taeyeon teased with her heart beating like crazy inside. It’s like her brain was hardwired to self-destruct when she’s around the younger girl.

Tiffany threw Taeyeon a murderous glare before walking out of the room, followed by her posse. Seohyun can only shake her head at the scene. 

--

Back to the Battle of the Bands

Their performance ended on a high note. Every student was cheering for the band because Tiffany did a damn great job with the vocals and all of them were in sync. Seohyun changed her clothes to our black ensemble but I was watching Tiffany using my peripheral vision.

She was actively talking with her group of friends backstage while making her commentary on the performances by the other groups.

They were soon queued by the organizer since it will be their turn soon. Taeyeon threw Tiffany one last look but she was also staring back at her. She gave her a smile that showed her dimples before walking toward the center stage. 

Normally, Taeyeon would be the shy kid on one corner but this is her zone. This is music. It was as if a different spirit was with her when she remembered Tiffany’s intense gaze when their eyes locked earlier. She took a deep breath and nodded to her bandmates.

Taeyeon started the intro on her guitar then sang. 

“Heyyyyy…” 

The crowd screamed when she hit the starting note. Taeyeon smirked, liking their reaction.

“Run!!!!...”

“Run!!!!...” 

Taeyeon continued the vocal riff of “Devil’s Cry.” The energy inside her exploded. She continued singing while her fingers were busy strumming the guitar.

“My devil’s cry…” she finished the intro. But she was just starting. She would bring down the auditorium tonight. Her fingers smoothly transitioned to the chords of her next song called “Dangerous.”

“I didn't know who you were at first

But one look in your gaze and I knew”

She continued rocking out to her heart's content on the stage. She was headbanging and her fingers crazily played riff after riff. Seohyun is their drummer/backup vocals. The excitement was exhilarating. 

They finally did their drum and guitar solo on the bridge part. She was now screaming out loud as if she was using to the maximum and letting all of her repressed emotions.

“I don't want you” Taeyeon screamed after doing her guitar solo. The crowd exploded in louder cheers. True to her word, their band brings the roof down.

It was not a surprise that Taeyeon’s band got first place and unlike the usual frown she gave the older girl, Tiffany turned to congratulate Taeyeon sincerely.

But Taeyeon has her way of saying the stupidest thing when in front of Tiffany.

“You’re consistent in being Miss Rank Number 2, Tiffany.” The younger girl managed to keep her reaction calm as they were in front of a crowd. Seohyun who saw the whole thing wrapped her thin arms around Taeyeon’s neck.

“You have to excuse the stupid mouth of Taeyeon, Fany unnie.” Seohyun said and smiled at her close friend. “She just has a peculiar way of complimenting someone.” Seohyun added. 

Tiffany finally smiled again and felt awkward. 

“Right. I better get going now.” Tiffany said as she scurried away to her friends. Seohyun let go of Taeyeon.

“What was that unnie?” Seohyun asked and she saw Taeyeon spacing out again, overthinking what just happened. She shook her head and tapped Taeyeon’s shoulder.

‘She only acts that way with Fany unnie. She behaves normally with other people. This isn’t good.’ 

“Don’t you think it’s time to visit Sunny again?” Seohyun asked, pertaining to her psychiatrist.

“No. I am fine, Seohyun-ah.” Taeyeon answered in a firm tone. The younger girl could only sigh at her stubborn friend.

--

Present Time
 

It was just a normal school day for Taeyeon. She attended the class but was too preoccupied with the idea of the afterlife that she ended up staring blankly at the board, tuning out their Science professor. 

A few hours later, Taeyeon was already listing down the possible destination of the afterlife in her head when she suddenly noticed that everyone was staring at her including the teacher.

“Ms. Kim, would you like to share with us what’s so interesting with the blank board?” the Arts instructor asked. Taeyeon cleared and stared back at the teacher.

“I was thinking that it’s like a blank canvas and I’m excited to draw…” Taeyeon answered and Seohyun gave the sign language for the current topic which is “Futurism style.” Taeyeon added. The teacher nodded his head and let it go.

“Nice guess, but I suggest you listen to your group project.” the professor said motioning for Taeyeon to sit down.