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***

Tiffany was there, inside the campus gymnasium, among all the supporters of a volleyball match. She let out a sigh as she stole a glance at her tall friend who was seated next to her. She wish she could make herself invisible and sneaked away from this place because she didn’t want to be there. She was in the university’s annual event: campus volleyball tournament. She did not even have any single idea on any rules that applied to the sport. She was here because Sooyoung, the tall best friend next to her begged her to watch the match together.

“Stop sighing and enjoy the game. The Soshi team is very good, you know?” Sooyoung chirped excitedly as she nudged her elbow at Tiffany’s arm.

“Soshi?” Tiffany looked at her friend in confusion.

Sooyoung pointed at the team on their right hand side. “So-nyuh Shi-dae. Girls’ Generation. The team in pink jerseys.” She quipped.

Tiffany laughed at what the name means. “That’s silly. Girls’ Generation. What are they? High schoolers?”

Sooyoung rolled her eyes in irritancy. “You should see how good they are before judging their name. They stand for their name. The best non-professional volleyball group I’ve watched so far. I believe they can be Korea representative if they take professional path.”

“Okay, okay.” Tiffany tried to muffle her laugh. “For your note though, I have zero knowledge about volleyball. I won’t understand whether they are good or not.”

Sooyoung clicked her tongue. “If they win, they’re good. If they lose they’re not as good.” She said sarcastically.

“I am serious, here.” Tiffany also clicked her tongue, not happy with the sarcastic answer. “Look, for example, I don’t understand why there’s someone who wears different jersey color in the team.” She pointed her finger at one petite figures in Soshi team who wears white jersey instead of pink.

“That’s libero.” Sooyoung answered as her eyes followed the petite figure which Tiffany pointed to.

Tiffany furrowed her eyebrows and squinted her eyes, trying to read the name scribed on top of number 9 on the white jersey. “No, she is not Libero. She’s Taeyeon. It’s written on her jersey.” She said after successfully read the player’s name.

Sooyoung laughed hard at Tiffany’s statement. “Yah! Her name is Taeyeon, but her position is libero, silly! I didn’t say her name is Libero.”

“And what is libero? And why is she shorter than any other player? I thought all volleyball players are tall.” She noticed the height difference between the libero named Taeyeon compared to other people in Soshi team.

Sooyoung looked at Taeyeon’s direction. “Well, simply put, Liberos are like defensive specialist. They are not allowed to do the attack during the match, and they are not allowed to move at the front zone. They need to wear different color so referees can spot them easily and enforce rules of that position. And not all volleyball players are tall for your information.” Sooyoung explained as simple as she could to Tiffany.

“Okay, too much information. I don’t understand a thing.” Tiffany shrugged nonchalantly, earning a side eye from her tall friend.

“Now, would you shut up and let me enjoy the game?” Sooyoung snapped in annoyance.

Tiffany only chuckled, enjoying the sight of her grumpy best friend who jutted her lips while watching the team preparing for the match. Sooyoung was a teen volleyball athletes. She participated in U18 World Championship once. But she needed to give up her athletes path after injuring herself badly after the championship. However, her love for volleyball never decreased even though she could only watch it from the bench. Tiffany moved her eyes from Sooyoung to the Soshi players in the court. She read the names of the players: Taeyeon, Yoona, Yuri, Seohyun, Soonkyu, and Hyoyeon. She also noticed that aside from Taeyeon, two other players were relatively shorter than the other, they were Soonkyu and Hyoyeon.

The whistle blew and the match started. Despite her lack of knowledge about volleyball, Tiffany tried to follow the game, and somehow she could enjoy it. Sooyoung was right, Soshi team was indeed very good. They led the game easily. Yoona and Yuri blocked a lot of opponents attacks. Soonkyu was very good at giving pass to Seohyun and Hyoyeon who would deliver attacks to the opponents. And lastly, Taeyeon who did a lot of hustle saving the ball not to land at the back zone of the court as well as passing the ball to the team at the front zone. It only needed one set for Tiffany to be able to enjoy the match and joined Sooyoung cheering for Soshi team.

***

“Is that Taeyeon?” Tiffany nudged Sooyoung who was in the middle of savoring her banana. They were in campus park, waiting for their next class schedule.

Sooyoung looked at the direction of Tiffany’s eyes and immediately waved her free hand which didn’t hold the banana. “Taenggoo!”

The petite girl who was in her black jeans and yellow jumper turned her head to Sooyoung and waved back. “Yo!” She exclaimed excitedly while skipping her way to Tiffany’s tall friend. “What’s up?”

“Same old,” Sooyoung replied with a grin on her face. “You were amazing during the match yesterday!” She playfully punched Taeyeon’s arm.

Taeyeon chuckled as she punched Sooyoung’s arm back. “Yah! You’re exaggerating.” She frowned a bit afterwards. “I wish you can play with us.”

“You were in Soshi team?” Tiffany suddenly joined the conversation, making Taeyeon turned her head at the black haired girl’s direction.

Sooyoung shook her head. “No, Taeng and I were in the same volleyball club when we were in high school.”

“You are in a club?” Tiffany threw her question at Taeyeon who smiled sheepishly.

“I were. But I quit because my parents wanted me to focus on my study. Anyway, have we met before?” She asked Tiffany. Confusion was visible on Taeyeon’s face.

Sooyoung laughed at Taeyeon’s question. “Maybe you’ve crossed paths before.”

“Really?” Taeyeon and Tiffany asked in unison, making Sooyoung laughed even more.

“How could I know. I am not with you guys all the time. But this girl here,” She took a pause while pointing at Tiffany. “She was with me watching your game.”

“Ah…” Taeyeon smiled groggily at Tiffany. “Thanks for watching.”

Sooyoung laughed again at the sight of groggy Taeyeon. “No need to be so formal. She’s a good friend of mine.”

“I am Tiffany.” Tiffany took initiatives to introduce herself. “Nice to meet you, Taeyeon.” She stretched her hand at Taeyeon.

“Nice to meet you too.” Taeyeon took Tiffany’s hand and shook it. “How could you know my name?”

“I read the name on your jersey yesterday. Taeyeon, number nine, white jersey. You’re a libero.” Tiffany proudly stated what she remembered about Taeyeon’s during the match, including Taeyeon’s position which were mentioned by Sooyoung. She smiled wide, showcasing her tidy teeth, and her eye-smile.

“Oh…” Taeyeon smiled back, a timid one, while rubbing the back of her hand which was not holding Tiffany’s. “So, you like volleyball?”

The question wiped Tiffany’s proud smile in a flash. “No…” She grinned shyly. “Your match was the first volleyball match I’ve ever watched.”

Sooyoung chuckled as she pulled Taeyeon’s hand which still held Tiffany’s. “Why you guys keep shaking hands? And Taeng, you need to know, Tiffany desperately wanted to get out from the gymnasium yesterday because she wasn’t into volleyball. But on the second set, she started cheering for Soshi!”

Taeyeon chuckled at Sooyoung’s story, then turned her head at Tiffany. A warm smile drawn on her face, showing a dimple on her chin. “Thanks for cheering for us.”

Tiffany returned the smile while shaking her head. “And thanks for showing a very interesting match! I think Soshi team makes me start to like volleyball game.”

“Anyway, I gotta go now.” Taeyeon stole a glance at her watch. “I have a class in five minutes. Nice to meet you, Tiffany.” She slightly bowed at Tiffany before raising her hand to get a high-five from Sooyoung.

“And see you around, Syoung!” A wide grin plastered on her face.

“See you around, Taeng!” replied Sooyoung as she high-fived Taeyeon.

Taeyeon then jogged away from the two girls who still comfortably sat at the campus park.

“Is Taeyeon always shy and awkward like that?” Tiffany asked Sooyoung as soon as Taeyeon’s figure disappeared from her sight.

“Yeah…” Sooyoung continued munching on her last bite of banana and threw the skin to the bin next to her. “She’s always that shy to new people.”

“But she seemed very relaxed with you.”

Sooyoung shrugged indifferently. “I’ve known her for years. Maybe she’s comfortable enough with me.”

“She also seemed relaxed with Soshi team.”

Sooyoung laughed at Tiffany’s statement. “She’s always relaxed every time she plays volleyball. She and I are very similar when it comes to the love for volleyball.” She then turned her head at Tiffany. “She will put her all in volleyball, especially because her parents are not allowing her to play volleyball again after she graduates from Uni.”

“Why so?” Tiffany furrowed her eyebrows, even though she didn’t understand a thing about volleyball, during yesterday’s match she could see the twinkle in Taeyeon’s eyes along the game. The twinkle she didn’t get to see when she saw Taeyeon today.

“Well, she won’t tell.” Sooyoung dismissed.

Tiffany nodded and stopped asking further question. But her mind kept wondering, how hard it was for Taeyeon to leave something she really loved.

***

Taeyeon walked alone in campus hall. She was wearing grey jeans, black crop top, topped with white jacket. Earphones were plugged in both her ears. She seemed to be in her own world when she suddenly felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned her head at the back and was greeted with a bright smile from a black haired girl who stood behind her.

“Oh…” She unplugged one piece of her earphones. And smiled shyly. “Hi, Fany.”

“Fany?” The person behind her seemed confused

“You’re Tiffany, right?” Taeyeon now seemed uncertain.

“Ah, you shortened my name.” The girl laughed, noticing the way Taeyeon shortened her name.

“Uhm, yes? Do you mind?” Taeyeon rubbed the back of her neck groggily.

Tiffany noticed the gesture and immediately smiled, to let Taeyeon know she was okay with it. “I don’t mind as long as you allow me to make a nickname for you as well.” 

“You can call me Taenggoo. That’s my nickname.” Taeyeon replied fast. She looked troubled just because of small stuff.

“Relax, Taeyeon.” Tiffany chuckled as she took a step forward to walk down the hall. And Taeyeon followed along. “Why are you easily agitated? I was just kidding.”

“Oh…” Taeyeon chuckled dryly. “I don’t know…”

“You seemed different when you were on the court, you know?” Tiffany’s question sounded more like a statement than a question.

“Different?” Taeyeon unplugged the other piece of her earphones and put both pieces in the case before tucked it into the pocket of her jacket.

“Yes, you looked confident, radiant, and approachable when I saw you during the match.” Tiffany mentioned the version of Taeyeon she saw couple of days ago.

“Ah…” Taeyeon nodded. “That’s because…” She paused for a while, as if thinking whether she should tell Tiffany or not. “Well, I’ve known the girls for quite a while already.”

Tiffany nodded at the answer. “Anyway, you look good in that outfit.” Tiffany stated sincerely.

Taeyeon laughed at Tiffany’s statement. “Gosh, have you seen yourself?” She stopped her step and looked at Tiffany from head to toe. Blue checkered mini dress, topped with black jacket. “You look stunning.” Taeyeon smiled wide at Tiffany, showing the dimple on her chin.

Tiffany was surprised by the unexpected response. For a while there she thought that Taeyeon was pretty much approachable. She smiled at the volleyball player sincerely. “Thanks for the compliment.” She then continued to stroll down the campus’ hall. “To be honest, I thought sport players would be boyish. The last time I saw you, you were in black jeans and yellow jumper.” She paused and turned her head at Taeyeon, making sure the girl was still next to her.

Taeyeon chuckled at the statement. “Yeah, I woke up late that time. Didn’t have time to choose what clothes should I wear.” Again, she rubbed the back of her neck.

“You look good in any style though.” Tiffany beamed her smile at Taeyeon. She really meant what she said. She had seen Taeyeon in her jersey, in a casual jumper, and now in a way more fashionable manner. In any of those style, Taeyeon looked good nonetheless.

“That’s…” Taeyeon threw her gaze away from Tiffany and a slight blush painted her cheeks. “Such a huge compliment from someone as beautiful as you.” She then put her gaze down, as if the tip of her shoes was the most interesting thing in the world.

Taeyeon’s actions made Tiffany’s smile turned into a soft giggle. She never thought that a sport player would be as cute. “I am gonna have lunch with Soo after this.” She notified Taeyeon on her plan. Somehow she wanted to know more about Taeyeon, but she didn’t want to make Taeyeon uncomfortable. Maybe bringing her tall friend could ease up Taeyeon. “Wanna join us?”

Taeyeon finally looked at Tiffany with a grin on her face. “Sure.”

***

Sooyoung looked at Tiffany in suspicion but her hands wouldn’t stop taking chips to .

“You can ask me anything, Soo.” Tiffany started to feel uncomfortable under Sooyoung’s dubious pair of eyes.

They were in the university dorm. They were dormmates, and Sooyoung was now sitting on a couch while Tiffany took another couch across her.

“How come you came with Taeng?”

“I met her in campus hall, we chatted a bit while walking, then I asked her whether she would join us for lunch.” Tiffany stared at Sooyoung guilt-free. “Why is it bothering you though?”

Sooyoung finally stopped munching the chips and put the half empty pack on the coffee table. “That’s weird, you know?”

“Why am I weird?” Tiffany took the chip bag and took some into .

“I am not saying you’re weird.” Sooyoung sighed. “Taenggoo doesn’t easily agree to join lunch. Especially if some stranger is the one who invite her.”

“But I am not a stranger.” She furrowed her eyebrows, confused with Sooyoung’s statement. “She knows me. She even remembers my name.”

Sooyoung let out a dramatic sigh this time. “She is a very shy and introverted person. Unlike a certain someone who’s a social butterfly.” She eye-sided Tiffany. “You might be just another stranger for her.

“Well, it didn’t seem that way.” Tiffany put the chip bag on the coffee table before taking her tumbler which was situated on the same table. “She seemed okay talking to me.”

“Whatever, Tiff.” Sooyoung dismissed with a frown on her face.

Tiffany drank from her tumbler while eyeing Sooyoung. “Why do you seem troubled with that?” She stated as soon as she finished gulping the water.

“Don’t mind me.” Sooyoung tried to end the conversation.

“Okay then.”

***

Tiffany knew how good Taeyeon was in volleyball. She had been watching campus volleyball matches and practices for the past three months, and she was always amazed by Taeyeon’s performance. Tiffany also knew that Taeyeon had quite a good taste in fashion. They had met quite often at the campus hall or in the campus park, and Tiffany thought Taeyeon always looked good in any outfit she wore. Tiffany knew Taeyeon was cute. Especially when she dashed her smile showing the dimple on her chin. Tiffany knew Taeyeon was shy. Taeyeon always rubbed the back of her neck every time she was shy or nervous, and Tiffany found it adorable. But at the moment, the sight before her eyes was another version of Taeyeon she never saw before. And what made her even more surprised was what her ears got to hear.

It was not planned at all. After her last class of the day, Tiffany noticed that she left her dorm key in her room. She tried to contact Sooyoung, but to no avail, her tall friend wouldn’t pick up her call and didn’t message her back. She thought she would find Sooyoung in volleyball activity room — a facility given by the campus for the volleyball team to take care of their administrative tasks and for the team to hang out after class. The last time her friend couldn’t be contacted was when she lounged about with volleyball team in activity room. She almost barged into the activity room when she caught a sight of a figure from the small window at the activity door. The person had her back facing the door, but Tiffany was familiar with the figure. This past three months, she had familiarized herself with the particular figure before her eyes. So, she decided to open the door in silence, afraid that she would surprise the person in the room. When the door opened, her ears were greeted by a soft voice complimented by a beautiful guitar melodies. Taeyeon was playing guitar while singing alone in the empty activity room.

Tiffany unconsciously smiled as she watched and listened to Taeyeon’s singing. She didn’t know that the short volleyball player could sing. But on top of that, she noticed that there was this admiration that had been growing for the petite girl before her eyes.

“I didn’t know you can play guitar.” She finally decided to announce her presence.

Taeyeon immediately stopped singing and turned around. Her face were turning into the color of tomatoes. “Oh, hi…” She rubbed the back of her neck with her right hand which was not holding the guitar.

“You have beautiful voice when singing. I like it.” Tiffany continued to compliment Taeyeon.

Taeyeon chuckled shyly as she stood up and put the guitar at the corner of the room. “It’s just something I do in my free time.”

Tiffany finally stepped into the activity room and took a seat near where Taeyeon stood up. “Why are you stopping?” 

Taeyeon threw her gaze to the window, avoiding Tiffany’s eyes. “Because you’re here.”

“Ah, I am sorry for bothering you.” Tiffany immediately stood up, feeling bad for interrupting Taeyeon.

“No, no.” Taeyeon turned her head at Tiffany and held Tiffany’s hand trying to stop the latter to walk away. “Ah, sorry.” She released Tiffany’s hand and looked down. “I am shy…” She explained herself. “I never sing in front of anyone.” She mumbled.

Tiffany chuckled at the sight of shy Taeyeon. She sat down again while trying to take a peek at Taeyeon’s face. “Will you also be shy to play guitar in front of me?”

Taeyeon finally looked at Tiffany with a sheepish smile on her face. “A bit.”

“Not as shy as singing?” Tiffany threw a smile at Taeyeon.

“Kind of?”

“Can you play the guitar for me? I will be the one who sing.”

“You can sing?”

“Yeah, I can sing badly.” Tiffany laughed at her own testimony.

Finally Taeyeon laughed at that and took the guitar she previously put at the corner of the room. “What song do you want to sing, Fany?”

***

“Soo, do you have any girl crush?” Asked Tiffany casually while staring at the smart TV which showcased choices of top ten movies in Netflix.

Sooyoung who was seated next to Tiffany didn’t answer right away. Instead she silently slipped herself under the duvet, covering herself until her neck. “Don’t flirt with me. I am straight.”

“Yah!” Tiffany took a pillow and threw it to Sooyoung’s face, making the girl under the duvet laughed hard.

“Are you coming out just now?” Sooyoung threw the pillow back at Tiffany while sitting up again.

“I was just asking whether you have a girl crush or not, why are you jumping into such conclusion?” Tiffany huffed in irritation.

Sooyoung chuckled as she looked for a comfortable position to sit on the bed. “I think I have had some girl crush before. It’s normal to have a girl crush when you’re in sports. Some teammates are so talented that you grow admiration towards them.”

Tiffany shifted her eyes from TV screen to her best friend. “And who’s your girl crush?”

“Taenggoo.”

Tiffany’s eyes widen in surprise. “Really?” And her voice was loud.

Sooyoung laughed hard upon receiving such reactions, earning another pillow landed on her face. “Gosh, why do you love throwing pillows at my face?”

“Because you’re annoying.” Tiffany averted her eyes back to the screen.

“Are you having a crush on Taeng?” Sooyoung’s tone didn’t sound teasing this time.

Tiffany huffed loudly. “I think I admire her.” She threw her back at the headboard while keeping her gaze straight to the screen. “She’s good at volleyball, she’s cute, she has a good taste in fashion, she is also good at singing and playing guitar.”

“What?” Sooyoung exclaimed.

“What? What?” Tiffany was shocked at the sudden burst.

“Is she good at singing? And playing guitar as well?”

“You didn’t know?”

“How could you know?” 

Tiffany opened but soon shut it again, remembering Taeyeon mentioned that she never sang in front of anyone. “I just happen to know.” She mumbled in hesitance.

“How close you two are?” Now Sooyoung leaned forward, her eyes burning with curiosity.

“Definitely not close at all. I am just a fan.” Tiffany pouted.

Sooyoung leaned back and rested her back at the headboard, copying Tiffany’s position. “Tiff…”

Tiffany turned her head to her best friend.

“You’re not hiding anything from me, are you?”

Tiffany shook her head without no doubt. “Why should I?”

Sooyoung smiled mischievously. “I don’t know. Maybe you’re afraid to come out to me?”

“I am not gay, giraffe!”

And another pillow landed on Sooyoung’s face.

***

“Are you interested in joining volleyball club?” Taeyeon stemmed her guitar, oblivious of Tiffany’s gaze which fell upon her.

“Huh?” The question made Tiffany blinked her eyes in confusion.

Taeyeon chuckled at the response and finally put her gaze at girl who sat next to her. “You always come to the activity room in your spare time for the past two months, I wonder whether you want to join the club.”

Tiffany smiled while shaking her head. She had no interest in joining the volleyball club. She just enjoyed the time she spent with Taeyeon. She enjoyed the time she spent in campus gymnasium, watching Taeyeon practicing. She enjoyed the time she spent talking to Taeyeon when they ran to each other in campus hall. She enjoyed the time she spent watching Taeyeon and Sooyoung conversed about volleyball excitedly. But above all, she enjoyed the time she spent in activity room, listening to Taeyeon sang while playing guitar. The more time she spent with Taeyeon, the more she knew about Taeyeon. Even though Taeyeon was really shy at first, now that they had met quite often, she noticed that Taeyeon was actually a very sincere person. She always meant what she said. Tiffany also noticed Taeyeon was very calm. She always spoke softly, she never cursed, even during matches when she needed to shout at her team, her voice would sounded calm. But what made her admiration grew bigger was after she realized that Taeyeon was so gentle. The way Taeyeon treated her, made her felt special. Simple gestures like preparing the utensils for Tiffany when they had lunch together with Sooyoung, unfolded the chair in activity room for Tiffany before unfolding one for herself, and the way Taeyeon put her utmost attention at her every time they were together, made Tiffany felt warm at heart.

“Then why do you spend a lot of time in this activity room?” Taeyeon finished stemming the guitar and positioned the guitar on her lap, getting prepared to play with it.

“To sing with you.” Tiffany answered innocently.

“This is volleyball club, Fany.” Taeyeon laughed at the honest answer. “Not a vocal group.”

Tiffany loved Taeyeon’s melodious laugh. She couldn’t help but to laugh along every time she heard Taeyeon’s laugh. “I know, Taeyeon.” She stopped her laugh and replaced it with a smile. “I just want to spend time with you.”

Taeyeon stopped laughing as well, her face was painted with pink blush after hearing Tiffany’s words. She looked away from Tiffany and fixed her gaze at her fingers at the neck of guitar she held.

Tiffany knew Taeyeon was shy. Taeyeon was still shy every time Tiffany complimented her, no matter how often the latter did it. Taeyeon’s fair skin didn’t help to hide her reddened face at all. But Tiffany enjoyed the sight. “Have you done stemming your guitar?”

“Yes.” Taeyeon answered fast, eyes which were glued to her own fingers at the neck of the guitar immediately shifted to Tiffany. “What song do you want to sing?”

Tiffany showed her phone screen which showed one of the song in the top forty song list, and Taeyeon only nodded before her fingers started to play the tune. Tiffany kept smiling at the sight. It was a beautiful sight. Everything about Taeyeon was beautiful. She could spend all her time watching Taeyeon and she wouldn’t get bored. She then averted her eyes from Taeyeon to read the lyrics of the song and started singing accompanied by Taeyeon’s guitar. In the middle of the song, she stole a glance at Taeyeon and she couldn’t help but smile when she noticed Taeyeon was also stealing a glance at her with a smile on her face. And at that moment, Tiffany’s heart skipped a beat.

***

“Is Taeyeon single?” Tiffany immediately asked Sooyoung when the tall friend just stepped into their dorm.

“What?” Sooyoung was surprised at the sudden question.

“Is Taeyeon single?” Tiffany repeated her question, didn’t seem to care that Sooyoung was just arrived at the dorm.

“Why do you ask?” Sooyoung took off her shoes and put it in the rack before taking steps towards Tiffany who sat on the couch.

“I am just wondering, she is pretty, cute, she’s very good at volleyball, she also can sing and play guitar. I wonder how many people have a crush on her or maybe she actually has a boyfriend already.” Tiffany babbled.

Sooyoung chuckled at the reason she received from her friend. “Why are you asking me? Why won’t you ask her instead?”

Tiffany huffed at the absence of answer from her dormmate. “I am not sure whether I am close enough to her to ask the question.”

“Since when do you care about stuff like that, social butterfly?” Sooyoung threw herself at the couch, taking the empty space next to Tiffany.

“Stop calling me social butterfly.” Tiffany pouted at the nickname.

Sooyoung laughed at the response. “That’s the truth, though. You’re a social butterfly. How many circle of friends do you have? Twelve? One hundred?”

“Shut up, giraffe!”

Sooyoung chortled at her irked friend. “So, tell me… why do you suddenly have such huge interest to my Taenggoo?” She turned her body to face Tiffany and wiggled her eyebrows in curiosity.

“It’s not suddenly. It’s been quite a while actually...” Tiffany took a deep breath with her eyes closed and exhaled it loudly before opening