[Chapter 15]

The Middle Realm

 

 

 

“Sleep.” Taeyeon gently commanded the other girl. For the past half hour, Tiffany had been in bed, laying on her side, simply staring at the mystical being that was sitting in the middle of the room. The Guardian didn't mind it, but even so, wouldn't it have been better for her to sleep the night off like she had originally planned? “Fany-ah.” She sighed. “Why won't you sleep?” Taeyeon didn't plan on a whole movie and a half to pass before her Troubled One would so much as yawn. She figured that Tiffany would want to sleep the night away the minute they had entered the apartment room and yet, not long ago did she manage to get the shop owner into bed. So then, what was the reason for staying up for so long?

 

Tiffany let out a sigh and pursed her lips in thought. “I don't know TaeTae. I guess it's just too hard for me to sleep. Even if I am really tired, I just can't.” The cafe owner pulled the pink covers up to her neck and cuddled into the protective layer over her body.

 

With a slight tilt of her head, Taeyeon leaned back in her seat. “You can't sleep...or you don't want to sleep?” She folded her arms loosely. “Because there's a difference.” Although the Guardian hadn't exactly had a Troubled One in a while, she still knew when someone wasn't completely honest with her.

 

A pause of silence shushed the room as Tiffany looked away. She never thought of it that way and yet, Taeyeon was right. Maybe subconsciously she couldn't sleep because her mind didn't want her to sleep. Who knows what her brain would do to her while she would be knocked out? Would it torture her with horrible outcomes of what could have happened back at the restaurant? Or what if she had a nightmare of Taeyeon never being there to begin with? Looking for reassurance of safety made Tiffany lock her eyes with her Guardian. A small gulp slithered down when she finally realized what her answer was. “TaeTae, I can't sleep because...I-I'm scared.” A small wave of uncontrollable emotions swept over Tiffany. Tears started to form in her eyes at the thought of Siwon having his way with her. It frightened her, truly frightened her.

 

Sympathy filled Taeyeon's emotions the minute she saw the welling tears in the corners of her Troubled One's eyes. Slowly, the Guardian stood and strolled across the bedroom floor until she reached the edge of the bed. After squatting down to eye level, Taeyeon looked right into Tiffany's milk chocolate orbs. “You don't have to be afraid Fany-ah. I promise that I'll be here for you so long as I am your Guardian.” She flashed the latter a reassuring smile. “Now sleep. I think I should go so you won't be concentrating on me anymore. I'll be watching over you.” Taeyeon gently tucked in the much exhausted girl and stood up in one quick motion. With their eyes locked, the white clothed girl took a step back. Soon, her body began to fade away with that smile still plastered upon her face.

 

Realizing that her Guardian was about to leave, a gentle, “Can you stay with me tonight?” peeped from the tired shop owner. She didn't want Taeyeon to leave so quickly. Not after a night like tonight. There was something about the girl that comforted Tiffany and if that was what eased her unsteady heart then she made sure to hold onto her. However, Tiffany would be lying if she said she could still see Taeyeon's body in the room, but something was telling her that her Guardian was still there with her. She wasn't too late to stop her was she?

 

Hearing the request made Taeyeon blink in awe. Even though she was mentally expecting the question to come out she didn't think Tiffany would actually ask it. Taeyeon bowed her head once as she stated her answer. “Neh. I can.” Taking a few steps back, the Guardian simply sat down in her usual see through chair and stared at her Troubled One. “But only if you promise that you'll try to sleep.”

 

Nodding her head up and down was Tiffany's only answer since a yawn had stopped her from answering verbally. Wiping the tears that never were onto the edge of her blanket, the Troubled One readjusted herself once more before locking her eyes sleepily on the girl in white. “TaeTae? What did you do after our argument?” The latter asked with heavy eyelids.

 

Taeyeon thought it over, remembering what she did while she was gone. “I just went home.” Her answer was as nonchalantly as she could make it. In a sense, it wasn't lying. Taeyeon really did go back to the middle realm. Where else could she have gone that Tiffany couldn't follow? “Now sleep Fany-ah. You need it.” Her mind began to go into depth of what really happened when she had left after their argument. It was all she thought about as she stared at the room's ceiling. It wasn't long until Taeyeon began to drift off into dream land. Even Guardians needed to sleep. After all, they were people that once roamed the Earth, just like everybody else.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Rewind, Taeyeon's POV]

 

Tonight's date really pushed me over the edge as I ventured deeper down the middle realm's Broken Dreams. I finally knew what his true colors were and I knew what he wanted to really do with Tiffany, with my Troubled One! It made me so angry that I just- Without thinking twice, I flipped over a marble table and watched its top crack down the middle before breaking into giant pieces of debris. I then marched up to a wooden chair, that was obviously part of a dining set, and picked it up, smashing it sideways against an already broken statue. I just couldn't control myself! I was just so-

 

“Whoa! Looks like one of the angels is finally growing horns!” A teasing voice called out. I turned to send a glare at whoever it was that made fun of me. There, I spotted him. A Genie with his hands cupped around his mouth to project his voice. Peh. And I knew exactly who it was too...a little too well. I found it best to ignore him. He meant nothing and he was just adding more fuel to the fire I couldn't contain. I picked up a bent aluminum baseball bat and knocked the head clean off of the statue. The dismembered head was sent flying towards the river before splashing into the body of water. I would be lying if I said I wasn't aiming for that bastard on the other end. “Whoa! I thought all angels were supposed to be saints! No wonder your is stuck down here!” Again the red clothed jerk teased.

 

That's it! I've had enough! There are just too many idiots in this world and I'm done putting up with them! “Hey Taecyeon! Why don't you shut your yap before I make you permanently mute?!” I pointed the weapon in my hands right at him.

 

The man rose his hands in a surrendering manner, a smirk still plastered on his face. Despite how gloomy the middle realm was, his attire always seemed to glint in whatever light there was. He sported an all red long sleeved shirt and trousers. Shoulder plates, vambraces and greaves were his means of protection; all made of metal. A red cape that was hung at his shoulders was a clear sign that this man had authority when he was living. Unfortunately for me, I knew a little too well with what he did with his authority. “See? This is exactly why you're wingless!” He laughed.

 

“Wingless?!” I charged closer to him, my mind obviously filled with too much rage to pay attention to where I was going. “You and all the other bastards on your side know exactly why we're stuck here! Don't even try to blame this on us!” My hand rose the bat effortlessly high in the air.

 

“Taeyeon!” Someone called out from behind me. The voice was familiar, but I didn't bother with discovering who it was. My mind was focused on bashing this guy's brains in! When I didn't react, I felt arms wrap around my waist, quickly jerking me backwards. “Taeng!” The same voice called out before my vision of the red clothed person was blocked by a face. “You have to watch where you're going Taeyeon. You almost walked right into the river!” Oh, I knew this Guardian.

 

My eyes diverted away to the background for confirmation. Immediately they landed on the dark green, murky water. Flowing with the current were the countless souls waiting for judgment, each only covered in long, dark gray, ripped clothes. It wasn't hard to outline the head and arms of the souls, and only then did I realize that the ones beside us were reaching out to get even the slightest grip on our clothing.

 

We took steps away from the river before I settled my eyes on my companion. He sported an all white military attire. His uniform displayed everything from when he was living. All from his name and rank stitched firmly on his chest, to his medals pinned on the adjacent side of his outfit. On the top of his head was a hat with the Korean military emblem. There was no doubt that in his living state, he was an official armed serviceman. “Mianhae Leeteuk.” I bowed apologetically towards him. “Maybe I would be able to concentrate if there wasn't a...” I leaned away from my friend and glared at the Genie across the way so Taecyeon knew I was referring to him. “a red clothed monster talking to me!”

 

Seeing the glare from the man in red, I smirked knowing that I struck a nerve somewhere. “Call me whatever you want shortie! At least I can go on and off this horrid place as many times as I want!” He rose an elegant looking dagger in the air with one hand. I knew exactly where it came from. “And guess what? I get to change my item tomorrow too!”

 

Quietly, I growled at a low tone. “What nonsense are you spitting out now?! You can't claim a new item until you've been a Genie for over 1,000 years! You haven't even hit 900!” My hands beside me turned into tight fists as I tried to control myself.

 

“Ha! Looks like you're too slow with the memos shortie! We've got a new rule! It was announced last week! Genies get to change their items every 500 years now! After tomorrow you can have this piece of crap back! It'll be useless to me!” The Genie laughed victoriously into the air.

 

I was ready to charge towards him again, but I felt a hand on my shoulder that pulled me further away. I knew it wasn't Leeteuk because he was also glaring at the man across the river. Peeking over, I saw a slightly heavy set guy reach out and tug on Leeteuk's arm to snap the army official back to reality. “C'mon, let's go back home, away from here.” The bigger guy suggested as he pulled us away. It wasn't until he faced me did I finally know who it was.

 

Realizing what was going, the army man next to me quickly composed himself. “Shindong's right, Taeng. C'mon. Let's go.” Leeteuk spun in place to face his back to the river and the Genie that was having too much fun teasing us. They were right. It would be better to walk away now before the three of us stupidly end up in the river of souls all because of rage. With that, we left the area of Broken Dreams.

 

Eventually we began to walk towards more sacred land as the scenery around us began to turn just a few shades lighter. We entered a place that looked like a gigantic city to shelter us Guardians. Honestly, it was just a place that never ended. For miles this city stretched from one end to the other. This was a city as big as an entire province. Even though this place wasn't exactly heaven, our boss made sure to try and make it as close of a replica as he could. There were stores, food, and culture everywhere the eye could see. In the suburbs were homes for the Guardians that didn't claim a Troubled One on Earth.

 

It wasn't easy claiming a troubled one. Some Guardians fought with each other just to get on land again and even though there are many people living on Earth today, the countless number of Guardians stacked from years and years of death never went away as quickly as those on Earth. Claiming Fany-ah wasn't easy. Even though I mainly look for Troubled Ones in my home country, competing against other Guardians are still unavoidable. Thankfully my reason for why I was the better Guardian for my Troubled One granted my request, but that's a different story.

 

The three of us continued towards the center of the state as we talked about everything except the incident that happened at the river. We wanted to calm down about the whole ordeal instead of get all worked up over it. Then finally, we made it. At the exact center of our half of the realm was a giant white mansion. It was in a relatively new condition, more so than the rest of the buildings that surrounded the place. It was built on the very spot that would allow us to be as close to heaven as we could possibly get without exactly crossing over.

 

We marched into the house, greeted by other Guardians who obviously had a much better day than I did. My eyes searched the area for the most familiar face that I knew. Ever since I became a Guardian, she was always there for me. She isn't here again. I shrugged my shoulders to myself as I followed Shindong and Leeteuk into our usual room. Every room in this mansion had a theme. For us, we picked the room based on our birthplace for the short lives we once lived; that being Korea. Other Guardians were here as well, but we had our own place in this big room. We greeted other country natives before plopping into our usual seats off to the corner.

 

Shindong slowly sat up and looked at me. “Do you want to tell me what all of that was about?” He rose an eyebrow towards me. Though he was looking at me sternly, his attire was one that made him look elegant. Like every Guardian, his outfit was pure white, but he was dressed like a prince. That's because, he was a prince in his living state. He sported the elegant slacks and shoes. The blazer with the stitched on sash decorated with medals and other honorary accessories. This man had authority during his time. Everything was done for him. All he had to do was lift a finger and there would be a swarm of people that he could command.

 

I sighed when I locked eyes with him and saw his stare that was still waiting for an answer. “I was upset, okay? I'm trying hard to help my Troubled One on Earth but she's completely ignoring my guidance.” This wasn't lying, per se. I just left out the information about Tiffany's love life.

 

“What else?” Leeteuk pressed on. When I didn't respond, he sighed and folded his arms. “Taeyeon, we're close buddies. We've been really close friends since we've been in this realm. Hundreds of years we've been best friends and only now is when you're trying to fool me with the act that there's nothing else?”

 

Again I sighed. As grateful as I was that other Guardian's couldn't watch overTroubled Ones already claimed, these two knew me too well. There was no way I could lie my way out of this one. “It's my Troubled One.” I finally confessed in a defeated breath.

 

I heard Shindong gasp a little, catching my full attention. “You aren't getting 'close' to her are you?” He leaned in to listen to my response, careful not to miss anything. Still, I stayed quiet. That only meant one thing to these two. “You know what happens when you get too attached to them. Remember last time?” Shindong reminded. His lips slowly pursed together gently when he knew what he had just said. I knew he didn't mean to bring up the past, but I guess that was the only thing to say so that I could remember.

 

My head hung shamefully. “Neh. I remember.” The memories from my past began to haunt me again. It was something I didn't want. I had to focus on something else, anything to get my mind off of this hurtful memory. Tiffany...she was the only one that could take my attention. “But this one's different.” I murmured as I lifted my head. “She's...” I thought about it and shook my head to him. “Never mind, you're right. I shouldn't get attached.”

 

His head nodded to me slowly. “Neh. Getting attached to a Troubled One is never any good Taeng. You start to...” And there, I mentally blocked out his voice. I heard this whole spiel once before, there was no need to hear it again, especially when it would emotionally hurt me. That would just make me mentally unstable like it did last time!

 

As he spoke, something quickly caught my attention; his tongue. No matter how long we've been friends in this realm, his tongue would always catch my attention. At first, it was completely disgusting to the point where I didn't want to even face him when he answered me, but now I was able to bear it. His tongue wasn't the typical pink, flesh colored hue anyone would normally think of when they heard the word. Instead, his tongue was a dark gray shade. It was shriveled and dried up with holes like a sponge. Involuntarily I shivered at the sight and only then did I finally hear, “Taeng. Taeng. Taeyeon, stop looking at the tongue. Taeyeon. Hajima.”

 

“Huh?” My eyes quickly diverted upwards so we could share a gaze. “Oh. M-Mianhae. I just got a little distracted.” I gave him a weak smile of guilt as he just rolled his eyes. What could I do? It was an attention getter.

 

The Prince huffed out a sigh. “You know very well that if I wasn't poisoned by those envious chefs in my palace, I never would have gotten this.” And with that said, he meronged. It made me cringe whenever his tongue would be made clearly visible like that.

 

Leeteuk put a hand out to block his view of the wrinkled body part, thankfully saying the number one thing we were both thinking. “Put it away! No one wants to see that! Aish!” He turned his head away when Shindong defined the army personnel and started to blow raspberries instead. Aigoo...

 

Once the prince stopped acting like a little kid, he huffed out another sigh and reclined in his seat. “I'd rather receive the fate of getting shot 10 times like you than having to go through the rest of eternity with this.” Again Shindong stuck out his tongue. Aish. Make it stop!

 

“Actually,” Leeteuk called out, making the Prince retrieve his tongue back into his mouth. “It was 13 times.” He corrected. The military man took off his hat to scratch the top of his head. On the dead center of his forehead was a small circle that looked very much like a newly made flesh wound no matter how long it's been since we first saw it. “And one was to the forehead.” He smirked to the other man and replaced his hat atop of his head, covering the permanent circle wound. “But who's counting right?”

 

The Prince shook his head. “At least you can hide your wounds! I can't stop people from staring at this. Especially my Troubled Ones! The only way I could get rid of it is by chopping off my own tongue! However, if I should do that, then I can't talk to the ones I must watch over!”

 

Their bickering went on for a while as each of them said their clever comebacks. Both sides were determined to see who would win with this argument. It was something the two of them would do with almost every argument they had with each other. From what I could remember, the score of who won the most arguments was at a tie. Of course, they didn't take the insults too seriously. Leeteuk and Shindong had grown a brotherly bond between each other over the years. As for me, I was more of a younger sister to the both of them.

 

I listened to their fight through words, mentally judging who had the better comeback. However, when the topic of who died a more horrible death came up, I couldn't help but think of the way I died. Mentally I spaced out from reality as my brain replayed the incident all over again. It brought pain to all parts of my body with every scene that took part in my head. Every time I closed my eyes, that horrendous smirk from my slayer would pop into my head. That nightmarish look will forever haunt me.

 

Needing security, I wrapped my arms tight around my stomach. It didn't go unnoticed by the observant army personnel though. When it was his turn to make an insult, Leeteuk glanced over to me and then gave Shindong a bit of a glare. It was the prince that brought up the topic of death anyways. “You win this time.” Leeteuk surrendered. “But I'm not gonna hold back the next time.” He threatened with a finger pointing right at the royal figure.

 

It took a while for Shindong to understand why their verbal war had to be called quits so soon. In my opinion, it seemed like the Prince had just a few more insults tucked under his sleeve. Whatever look the brotherly Guardians had between each other finally made Shindong make a face of understanding. He nodded slowly and then smirked, trying not to make the victorious atmosphere between us awkward. “Well with me in the lead, you've got a long way to go.” Shindong mentioned, giving a merong once more.

 

“Yah!” Leeteuk and I called out together. It really was such a spine chilling sight...and not in a good way. “If you don't stop doing that, I'll cut off your tongue myself and chuck that shriveled up thing like a grenade as far as I can towards the bastards' territory!” Leeteuk warned. In a flash he quickly equipped a military knife that was tucked away in his pocket. The blade shone in the light and even though it glinted beautifully, it would no doubt be a very bad blood bath if anyone were to be cut by it. Thankfully Leeteuk's aggressive side was enough to make Shindong retreat that sponge flesh of his to where we couldn't see it anymore. However, thinking of the military man throw away that thing would have been a funny sight to see.

 

Then a thought came to mind. “Hey, speaking of those monsters.” I called out. The leader like Guardian and Prince turned their heads to look at me. “What was Taecyeon going off about? Some 'new rule' that was made about their linked items?” My eyebrows crashed into a straight line of curiosity.

 

“Oh that. It was announced last week while you were on Earth. The Big Man sent us a copy scroll.” Shindong explained while leaning back in his usual seat. “Its in the room rule, but I'll save you the trouble of going over there and reading the manuscript.” He swatted the air in front of him. “It states that any Genie can now choose a new linked item every 500 years. Any Genie that was active for over half a millennium but under their first millennium is granted the benefit of being able to...”

 

Again I tuned him out. All that old times talking was hurting my brain. Yeah I came from a time long ago, but even I picked up some current slang while I was with a claimed Troubled One. Eventually Shindong's brain hurting explanation was over. In the end, I just scrunched my eyebrows together in confusion. His shortened version didn't make sense to me at all. I glanced over to Leeteuk for assistance. We both knew Shindong wasn't much of a improv speaker because that was more of his father's thing. Since the army official constantly shouted orders to hundreds of troops under his command, it was obvious that Leeteuk was better at wording things in a way anyone can understand.

 

“Long story short, and in a language we can all understand,” Leeteuk growled lowly, glaring a little at our friend. “Whenever a Genie hits their 500^th, 1,000^th or whatever other multiple of 500 years of service, they have the opportunity to pick a new linked item from that time frame. Not from when they hit 250 years or 1,400 whatever years. It has to be from when they exactly served their 500^th, 1,000^th or whatever year.” I don't know what look I had on my face, but whatever it was must have been funny seeing as the two grinned like idiots. “Make sense?”

 

I nodded to him. “Neh. I understand now.” Lifting up my top hat, I used my other hand to run my hand through my hair. “The only thing that I don't comprehend is why they get so many benefits compared to us.” I readjusted my hat back onto my head and leaned back in my seat. “I mean, aren't we supposed to be the good guys? Why are they letting the bad guys have so much freedom?”

 

Shindong folded his arms in thought. “I remember reading in the scroll that it was passed so that Genies won't stick out like a sore thumb, carrying around something that's about 1,000 years old.” He looked at me to make sure I were understanding him. I guess he knew that I wasn't listening to him the last time. “If they have linked items coming from more recent times then no one would have any questions about it. That means no questions about our world.”

 

An irritated groan escaped from Leeteuk, immediately catching our attentions. “It's such a stupid reason though.” He complained while wiping his eyes with his thumb and pointer finger. “If Genies start doing that then it'll be easier for the living to fall for their schemes.” The army personnel looked at me in the eye. “That also means that claimed Troubled Ones can fall for their tricks too.”

 

The sudden thought of Fany-ah falling into the hands of a Genie because of this new rule made me realize that I shouldn't have left her side. Yeah, Siwon wasn't a Genie but that didn't mean that his friends weren't. As much as I completely hate the guts of that spoiled brat, I knew that it would be best if I did my role right in being there for my Troubled One. Without saying a word I stood up and walked away from our usual sitting area.

 

“Hey Taeng, where are you going?” Leeteuk called out to me. From behind me I could hear the rushed footsteps of my two friends as they quickly caught up to my sides. Not a single word came from me as I just continued to walk. After a while, neither of them questioned my sense of direction anymore. It was pretty clear where I was headed, and even if I didn't answer them at all, they knew what I was planning on doing.

 

Finally the three of us made it to the dead center of our humongous mansion. Right in front of us housed a gigantic, elegant looking mirror that stood about 10 feet tall and wide. It's perimeter ran with floral designs all attached together with a vine like structure that seemed to never end. If anyone were to look behind it, the rope-like greenery could clearly be seen attached to the wall. The closer the vines got to the bottom of the mirror, the fatter and thicker they had gotten as they slowly transformed into roots, all of which connected the mirror to the very floor underneath our feet. In the reflection of the mirror were the three of us with other Guardians standing and chatting in the background. That's when I locked my eyes on my reflection.

 

Eventually I looked away from the gigantic mirror mounted on the back wall. I settled my vision on my long time friend in this other world, flashing him a crooked smile. “Even if my Troubled One is falling for a man I don't approve of, who am I to judge? I'm not exactly in any position to tell who my Troubled One can and can't fall in love with. That would be too hypocritical wouldn't it?” I faced towards the big mirror again, staring right into the eyes of my own reflection.

 

Slowly, I stepped towards the mirror, ready to start the procedure. Using my pointer finger, I gave the big mirror a gentle tap. The moment my finger lifted away from the glass, the reflective surface began to ripple like a puddle of water. Every Guardian had to do this little ritual before going back to Earth. When a Guardian touches the mirror, it mimics the fingerprint, searching all of Earth in a matter of seconds for the living being that the Guardian claimed to look over. After finding the Guardian's Troubled One, the portal from the middle realm to Earth would be open and the rippling effect would end. Before me was the real time image of my Troubled One nodding and chatting away with her date. Seeing the smile plastered on Tiffany's lips hurt me on the inside just a little. I may not be able to make you smile like this, but I might as well protect you the best I can. At the edges of the mirror came a gentle white light, signaling that it was okay for the me to return back to Earth.

 

From the corner of my eye, I spotted Shindong fold his arms and tilt his head slightly. “When will be the next time we become the three musketeers again?” His lips twisted awkwardly at the question. Judging from his expression it was obvious that he was going to miss me. We were close friends after all, but this was my duty as a Guardian. I had to be there for my Troubled One.

 

I looked to the ceiling of this elegant mansion in thought as a pout formed on my lips. “I don't know oppa.” I finally confessed with a shrug. Our eyes locked and I flashed him a smile. “Maybe when you finally have a Troubled One that isn't scared of that tongue of yours.” I joked, stepping through the mirror before he could snap a comeback at me. The last thing I heard was Leeteuk's gentle laughter in the background.

 

Walking through the mirror always felt like walking through a thick screen of clear jello. At first, it would be hard to walk through as the jelly blob would consume a Guardian's body completely to register that someone was going back to Earth. It had to mimic everything about us, otherwise a Guardian could end up looking like a horrible beast with their eyes where their lips are and their nose on the side of their face. Then after a while the massive weight on our shoulders would lighten up the closer to Earth we got. By the time we took our first step on the world we used to occupy, this blanket of, whatever it was, weighed absolutely nothing at all and our senses would be able to pick up the surrounding environment of the destination. The process of going from my world to Earth seemed complex. It always fascinated and disturbed me at the same time, but after doing this for more than 900 years, it's easy to get used to it.

 

There, across the way to the back of the restaurant, was my eye-smiling Troubled One. She nodded and laughed gently as her and that pathetic date of hers continued on with their conversation. However, something caught my eye. It was something that wiped my own smile off my face and replaced it with nothing but anger. That something, was Siwon's constant leg rub against Tiffany.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[The Next Day, 3^rd Person]

 

 

 

Taeyeon quickly stirred awake, sitting up in her invisible bed. She took a look around the room she was in. Nothing but pink met her eyes until she spotted a sleeping body laying in the only bed that was pushed against the corner of the room. A small smile tugged at the corner of Taeyeon's lips. It's so rare to see a living angel. I wonder how she managed to escape. The Guardian chuckled silently to not wake up the other girl. After standing up carefully, Taeyeon pulled the blanket up to Tiffany's neck, making sure the latter wouldn't catch a cold. Getting mesmerized with her Troubled One's peaceful state caused the Guardian to reach out towards the living. Just a little contact with the latter would satisfy the simple urge that was pulsing through her veins. Aniyo Taeng...

 

At the last second, Taeyeon pulled her hand away from Tiffany's face. Her desire to touch the latter's smooth skin would have to wait for another time. The Guardian released a sigh and fell back into her usual invisible seat behind her. She stared longingly at the young shop owner, wanting to know what it was like to touch someone else's skin again. Every time a living being would travel through any part of her body, all she felt was pain. It was a burning sort of pain from stealing the other person's warmth. That was the exact reason why the living would feel cold, because Guardian's would take their heat. A Guardian's body would involuntarily try to reconstruct the very thing that was taken from them. That was- Taeyeon's thoughts were suddenly cut off with the unexpected blare of Tiffany's alarm clock. It was time for work again.

 

A pair of tired hands emerged from beneath the covers, stretching the rest of the body awake. With a long yawn, Tiffany retrieved her hands back to herself and rubbed her eyes, pleased to see a smiling Guardian staring right at her. “Morning TaeTae.” She called out sweetly. Just the simple sight of the girl in white seemed to wake Tiffany up completely.

 

Taeyeon smiled at how cute her Troubled One sounded. “Good morning Fany-ah. Did you sleep well?” The latter nodded her head once and curled into a ball again, locking her eyes on the angelic being. The Guardian stood up elegantly and strolled over to Tiffany's pink towel. “You better get ready. Work is waiting for you in a couple of hours.” With that, she tossed the towel over to her Troubled One, landing right on Tiffany's face.

 

“Yah!” Quickly ripping off the pink fabric, Tiffany pouted and folded her arms across her chest. However, the edges of her lips couldn't help but quiver as she tried so hard to suppress a smile from revealing itself. It was so hard to stay mad at this dork.

 

Taeyeon let out a soft chuckle and placed her hands on her hips. “C'mon Fany-ah. Get up. I'll go cook breakfast for you. Arasso?” Again the girl in white chuckled as she saw Tiffany groggily get up and out of bed. She had to admit, a frustrated Tiffany was a cute Tiffany, but in no way would she want to see a psychotically angry Tiffany. Then in the blink of an eye the guardian was already in the kitchen, raiding the refrigerator for something breakfast worthy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The cafe was empty as usual in the morning. All that occupied the tiny space was its owner and her white clothed companion. Now that all the once joyful fun of dates and going out every night was permanently done with, both beings knew that it was time to concentrate on the money managing again. All it took was one look at the big number circled in red for Tiffany to hang her head in defeat. “I don't know how to pay for the bills anymore Tae...I'm all out of options.”

 

Seeing her Troubled One like this made Taeyeon feel sorry for the girl. What could she do to help her without using her wish? After some long deep thought an idea finally popped into her head. Would it work? Taeyeon wasn't sure, but at this moment taking a risk would be worth it. “Fany-ah.” She called out. The depressed shop owner rose her head silently. “When are your bills due again?”

 

The shop owner's eyebrows crashed together in confusion. “Uhh.” Tiffany had spent the whole week gallivanting with some fake Prince Charming that even she didn't know how many days passed while she was on her roller coaster ride. Finally it hit her. “Everything's due by the end of next week. Wae?”

 

A gentle pout formed on Taeyeon's features as she thought. Would her plan be able to work in as little as a week? Probably, if the both of them made sure not to mess around with the time that they had left. “And how much do you owe again?”

 

Tiffany heaved out a sigh and pushed forward the open manila envelope with the circled red number. “This much.” Just the sight of the number made her cringe. How could all of that debt build up? It would have to be impossible to keep both the cafe and Taeyeon at her side.

 

The Guardian's eyes locked onto the number where she nodded once after mentally reading it. “Hmm...Fany-ah.” Taeyeon's eyes peeled off the parchment and landed on the other girl. “Do you know if there's an antique dealer around here?” Her head tilted to one side curiously. She held her breath anxiously, hoping for a confirmation of the said store.

 

A raised eyebrow was Tiffany's initial response. “Antique dealer?” Her eyebrows then crashed together in confusion. “Actually, now that you mention it, yeah there is.” She looked out the window towards the direction she could have sworn she last saw it. “There's one a few blocks from here. Why do you ask?” This time it was Tiffany's turn to tilt her head and look at the latter. Taeyeon was starting to become suspicious with that last question.

 

Hearing her Troubled One's response made Taeyeon smile. “I'll be back alright? Just...run the rest of the day like you would any other day. Oh, and you don't mind staying here after work do you?” She smirked. “It is the weekend anyways.” Nothing but a confused look came Taeyeon's way. Where was her Guardian going with this topic? “If I'm not back by 10 o'clock tonight then just go home okay? But be sure to leave the counter top empty.” The Guardian pointed to the top of the bar-like counter that was the main hot spot hangout between her and the cafe buddies.

 

Everything that Taeyeon requested only confused the shop owner more. Nothing but unanswered questions swarmed her very curious head. “Ara....sso?” Tiffany couldn't put anything together. What did the antique dealer and staying after hours have to do with each other? Better yet, “TaeTae where are you going?”

 

The secretive Guardian couldn't help but smile. Thinking about everything as planned only made her gleeful. “I'm going someplace that could potentially save your cafe.” She flashed her Troubled One a toothy grin. The Guardian easily saw the shop owner's face light up at her answer. That's when she knew she had to add quickly, “But you can't come with me.” She knew that Tiffany couldn't and shouldn't follow her to the destination.

 

The shop owner quickly made a face that had both sadness and confusion put into one. “But...” Her lips pursed tightly at the extra bit of information. Why did this place have to be kept a secret? Was it a place that only Guardian's could go to? Tiffany tried not to think about it though, otherwise it would be the only thing she would think about for the rest of the day. With a final sigh, Tiffany nodded to the woman in white. “Arasso.” And just like that, The white clothed Guardian was out of her sight. All that was left was the red circled number before her. Tiffany breathed out in anticipation and brought the manila folder to her, staring at the very intimidating jumble of numbers. TaeTae, if you find a way to pay for this, then I'll never make my wish...

 

 

 

 

Ever.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A/N: Alright everybody! You awesome readers you! Here is the detailed chapter of the middle realm! What do you guys think? Too confusing? I hope it wasn't that bad! I know I'm not that great with details but I hope it wasn't flat out horrible! >< Plus, I know there's more characters, but you guys know who they are right? And yes, this is the very first introduction of a Genie! Oh no! Is he exactly as jerkish as you predicted? I hope so because that's what I was going for!

 

Anyways, for anyone that doesn't know, I'm officially employed! So now I have to work. And with school just around the corner I'll be busy every day of the week! Oh no! But I do plan on bringing a notebook to work so I can write during my breaks and all that. Yay for getting paid! I get my first pay check this Friday. Wee! I'm so excited! ^^ I'm already [hand] writing the next chapter so hopefully it doesn't take forever to get the next chapter up! I'll try my best to finish it as quickly and efficiently as I can for all of you awesome readers! Until next time! Remember, we aren't Genies.

 

-Jeo

 

You're working now Dongsaeng? Cool!

 

Congrats on the job Dongsaeng! ^^

 

Gamsahamnida unnies! ^^

 

Yah Jeo. I'm just curious but, what's your uniform color?

 

*uneasy* Eh heh. Uhm. Aren't you just glad that I got a job Taeyeon-unnie?

 

Oh, we're very proud Jeo, but are you okay?

 

I'm just curious on the color. What is it?

 

*silent*

 

Jeo?

 

I-It's...red.

 

WHAT?!?!?

 

*commotion*

 

TaeTae let go! Tae!!!!

 

She's a GENIE!!!!

 

Aniyo unnie! T_T I swear I'm not!!!