Decided to finish this early for the people who subscribed, upvoted, and commented before even reading the first chapter. Encouragement received. I hope you like it. 

What if Tiffany did not join SM? (Part I) 

The same cycle repeats itself - a flurry of promotional activities that eventually blur into forgettable months, only this time she already feels like a rusted wheel. Taeyeon smiles at the camera while holding her latest award, her bright smile distracting the camera from the fatigue in her eyes. Her manager will be uploading the pictures to her socials, with captions of gratitude she meant, but never wrote.

“Congratulations sunbae!”  She doesn’t recognise the voice that startles her. She turns only to be met by someone in the midst of a bow. The bow lasts for a few seconds but seems longer than it is because of how awkward Taeyeon feels being at the receiving end.

When crescent-shaped eyes meet hers, she forgets to say thank you.  

Five more girls bow, out of sync, as they walk past and Taeyeon finally places the girl in front of her as one of their members, based on their coordinated outfits. This was the new girl group from a rival company that recently debuted and broke many records due to their thought-provoking lyrics and experimental sound, their music even reaching the American market. She tries to recall names, but her mind blanks.

“I’m Tiffany Young from Magnetic Moon.” She bows again. Taeyeon mirrors her this time, a competition on how low one can bend. “It’s an honour to meet you. I’m a big fan.”

Taeyeon hears this a lot, but she believes it this time for some reason. She smiles, sincerely, surprising herself. “Thank you,” she blushes and looks at the ground. 

She blames her lack of social skills on the fact that she’s been working like a machine for the past 3 years after the success of her first album. Her management was surprised by her popularity and wanted to milk it before she faded into irrelevance, which they were convinced would happen after a year or two. It didn’t, the award in her hand for her third album serving as testimony, but still, the paranoia remained. It's tiring to work as if you'd be forced to retire at any moment. 

“Any advice?” She’s surprised that the other girl hasn’t left, apparently interested in prolonging what was barely a conversation.

“I’ve never been in a group before, so I wouldn’t know.” She feels a tinge of jealousy as the words leave her. She often wonders if she would feel less pressure if she hadn’t debuted as a solo artist. There were talks of the formation of a 9-member girl group when she was a trainee, but the idea was scrapped, deemed too risky since groups were mostly male-dominated. She was proud that Magnetic Moon became the first group to challenge the status of male groups.

“You’re doing well. You’re going to be an inspiration to many, especially young girls.” She says what she feels.

“Thank you. It means a lot coming from you.” Tiffany watches her as if she's waiting for more, but Taeyeon rarely has more to give. 

“Don’t you have somewhere to be?” Taeyeon asks, curious that no colleagues or staff members were rushing the leader of the current most popular girl group off to the next event. 

“Everyone knows I’m a big fan of yours.” She shrugs as if it’s a sufficient explanation, then leans against the wall as if she has all the time in the world to kill. Taeyeon admires the air of liberty that is exuded. 

"How about you?"

“I wanted to drive myself home today since it’s not far from where I live. I’m just waiting for the fans to go home before I do.” She suddenly feels self-conscious about how ungrateful she might have come across, suggesting that she’s avoiding meeting fans, in front of a fan.

“How’s that like? Being able to drive alone and live alone? I am always with my bandmates so I can’t imagine.”

“It’s less lonely.” Ironic, but true. She thinks that Tiffany can’t relate to the word. Anyone who could strike up a conversation with a stranger in a hallway so casually should have no problem forming connections with anyone and everyone.

“I’ve pretty much watched all of your interviews but now I don’t think that’s really you.” She says it like she's discovered a secret.

“Are you disappointed?” Taeyeon realises that she cares a lot about the answer.

“I’m a big fan of your songs, not your personality.”

It stings.

Tiffany catches her expression and panics.

“It came out wrong, I’m sorry! I’m stupid. I mean that I respect you as an artist and it doesn’t matter to me who you are as a person. So you can’t disappoint me. Does that make sense? It still sounds wrong because I like who you are as a person too. I like you even more now that I’ve spoken to you. Is that embarrassing? I’m such an idiot.” She covers her eyes with a hand.

“How did they decide to make you the leader of Magnetic Moon?” Taeyeon laughs at how the other girl had completely lost her composure. She cou