Jessica’s POV

“Have you heard from that midget yet?” Yuri appeared out of nowhere from behind me, making me jump.

“Oh my god! What was that for?” I slapped Yuri’s arm, making her wince. “And, my girlfriend’s not a midget!”

Yuri merely shrugged. “Feisty…why are you in such a bad mood?” Ignoring my glare, she took her seat beside me. “Taeng do that to you all the time, what’s the big deal?”

By then, Sooyoung and Yoona had caught up with prankster Yul and joined us.

“Taeyeon’s her girlfriend, noobie.” Sooyoung reached over to flick Yuri’s forehead. “There’s obviously a difference in treatment.”

“Oh...why haven’t I thought of that?” Yul turned back to me. “Hey, you haven’t answered me. How’s Taeng?”

“I don’t know.” My gaze shifted back to the notes scattered in front of me. “We were on webcam since yesterday afternoon, but all she did was sleep.” I flipped over a page. “I only got to talk to her for like 5 minutes this morning before I had to leave for school.”

“You called her but she fell asleep talking to you halfway?” Sooyoung seemed confused.

“Nope. She was already sleeping when it got through. Her friend answered it for her. I told her to place the laptop where I could see her.”

“So you just watch her sleep? That’s…exciting.”

I barely heard the sarcasm in Yuri’s statement but nonetheless, she was ignored as I concentrated on my notes, gradually tuning out from their conversation. It was not because I was still mad at her for startling me earlier; I would have joined in if it was not for the fact that I was way behind on my revision plans, having put them aside to help Taeyeon out in her packing and to spend more time with her. The school had finished teaching the entire syllabus and the prelim exams would start in a few weeks, which only added up to my stress level, sending me into panic mode. It did not help that the only person who would be able calm me down and make me relax was currently half way across the globe, way out of my reach right when I needed her the most. I wanted to be in her arms and hear her whisper into my ear over and over again, telling me that everything was alright, and it was just me being over paranoid.

Despite knowing that the separation was not going to be permanent, it did not ease the irritation and anoyance I was feeling towards said person at this very moment. Maybe Yuri was right; Taeyeon IS a midget. A. Stupid. Idiotic. Midget.

Loosening the school tie that was suffocating me, I tugged on the necklace around my neck, pulling it out from under my blouse. As soon as my fingers found the ring which Taeng had given me hanging on it, I let out a satisfied sigh, feeling myself calm down considerably. 

‘Stupid Taeng. Just where the hell are you? You’d better be awake by the time I get back home or I’m so going to cry.’

 

Taeyeon’s POV

My phone alarm went off exactly at 8am, almost blasting my ears off.  I groaned and pulled the covers over my head, kicking my legs around. Switching off the blasted alarm, I reached out for my watch. 4pm Jessica’s time. Even though I had adjusted the time in my phone according to the new time zone, I had not bothered to do the same to my watch, leaving it as it was so that it would be easier for me to check on the time back home without having to mentally count 8 hours forward.

‘Princess said that she would be back home by 5. That means that I’ve still got approximately an hour to kill before she calls?’

Flinging the covers off me, I grudgingly got off the bed and dragged my feet to the bathroom for a much needed shower. However I was not prepared for the sight that greeted me when I pushed the bathroom door open.

“Oh, wow.”

Whoever the previous owner was, they had surely invested quite a lot in the bathroom. No matter how much Tiffany liked to decorate a place, this was by no means her work. It looked like any other toilet in a five star hotel with all the expensive looking marble tiling, bathtub and a separate standing shower.

Why had I not notice this yesterday? Oh right, I was too tired and lazy to bother going into the washroom to change.

The contrast between the bare bedroom and the luxurious looking toilet was too much that I wonder why anybody in their right mind would want to spend the money in that particular area of the house.

I was thanking whoever it was that renovated it though, at least I got to use a nice looking bathroom, but that was until the shower was switched on.

I yelped and cursed as strong jets of water shoot out in all directions from the shower head, hitting my body with enough force that it hurts. As if that was not enough, though the whole fiasco, I had not notice the shower head slowly dislodging itself from the wall, not until the metal- water- spraying monster hit me hard on my head and landed on the ground with a loud clank.

“! Ow...my head” I doubled over, head tucked tighly under my arms, trying very hard to ignore the searing pain.

“Tae Tae? Are you alright in there?” There was a knock on the bathroom door, followed by Tiffany’s voice, sounding very concerned.

“I-I’m okay…it’s just the shower-”

“Did the shower head fall off?” She asked, cutting me off mid- sentence. “Opps, I’m sorry Tae. I forgot to remind you that the screws are loose. I meant to screw them tight before you came but it slipped my mind I guess. I’m sorry!”

“Argh! Now you say.” I mumbled.

“I’m really sorry Tae! Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I’m still alive Tiff. It’s okay, I got it.”

“Okay, if you say so. By the way, your mom’s making breakfast for us. Don’t take too long in there.”
 

‘Damn, should have known that this is just too good to be true.’ I rubbed the spot where the shower head had hit me, feeling a bump growing there.

 

By the time I got out from my shower, breakfast was already made and Tiffany was setting the table.

“Morning mum. Morning Tiff.” I pulled a chair out, sinking into it.

“It seems like the baby had a good sleep yesterday. Someone’s in a good mood.” Tiffany teased. “Or had the shower head knocked you silly?”

“It definitely woke me up. I’ll take that as your housewarming gift to me.”

“You’re welcome.” She extended her fist out to me and I gave her a fist bump.

“I’m really sorry about it though, seriously.”

“Nah, the bump will go in a few days. I’m alright. And I’m sorry for being a brat yesterday. I don’t know what got into me.” I said nonchalantly, feeling awkward at having to apologize.

“You were tired. I’ll let you go this once.”

I grinned upon hearing that I was forgiven, nodding my head furiously.

“Alright girls, now that you’re done with apologizing to each other, eat your breakfast before it turns cold.” Mum chuckled.

I checked my watch again as I shove the first mouthful down my throat. 30 minutes before Jessica was due to call. There was just enough time for me to finish eating.

Or so I thought.

“Tae, can you hear that?” Tiffany asked, cocking her head to the side.

I did the same, trying to listen to whatever it was.

“Nope.” I shook my head. “I don’t hear anything.”

“Okay. Maybe I just imagining it. Forget about what I said.”

We resumed eating but a few seconds later, Tiffany put her fork down altogether, head tilted to the side, eye brows furrowed up.

“Are you sure that’s not your laptop, Taeng? Skype? Jessica?” She asked, with a confused expression on her face.

*Ring. Ring.*

I heard it this time.

“Holy crap!” I put my utensils down and stood up quickly.

“Honey, wh-”

“Continue eating without me, mom. I’ll be right back!”

With that, I quickly dashed back into my room, crashing into a few boxes in the living room on the way.

“Oww, my toes!”

“Careful, honey.” Mum called out to me.

I could hear Tiffany laughing as I crashed into the door. Howling in pain, I yanked on the doorknob, cursing myself for closing it in the first place.

“Hey Princess! You’re early, I was halfway through breakfast.” I grinned, immediately forgetting about my sore toes and nose when I saw the face that I had been yearning to see appeared on the screen before me.

However, my smile flattered as soon as I saw her expression.

“What’s wrong? Why do you look so sad? Are you hurt? Is anything bothering you? Have I done something wrong?” I started panicking.

“Taengoo…”

“You can tell me, darling. I’m here, I’ll listen to you.”

“Why did it take you so long to answer my call? Are you having too much fun without me?” Her lips quivered, looking very much like how Hayeon did whenever her favorite toy was stolen from her.

“No, I…I was…” I was too stunned to come out with a proper sentence and could not stop stuttering.

How was it that she came to this conclusion? Me? Having fun without her? No way, definitely not.

“Baby, I miss you. Yuri bullied me in school today.”

I had to force back my laughter as I watched Jessica acting like a child.

“What did she do? Tell me, I’ll help you get your revenge the next time I see her.”

“She scared me during break.”

I could not control myself this time and snorted, earning myself a displeased look from her.

“What? Why are you laughing at me? She was being mean to me.” She started whining.

“Alright, alright. I’ll smack her for you. Don’t be upset okay?” I held my hands up, surrendering to her. “Are you sure this is it? I’m pretty sure there’s something else bothering you and you’re not telling me about it.”

I saw her hesitated for a second before she spoke up.

“Promise me you won’t laugh at me Taengoo-ah.”

“I won’t. I promise.”

She sighed.

“Come on, tell me, and Super Taeng will help you chase away all those mean monsters bugging you.” I grinned my enormous lopsided grin that I knew she loved so much.

“I…I’m scared. Taeng, baby, I’m so scared right now I need you to hug me and tell me that everything’s gonna be okay.” Tears started rolling down her cheeks and I did not know what to do.

She was perfectly fine just a second ago, save for the fact that she was being uncharacteristically whinny.

“Baby, don’t cry, please.” I reached my hand towards to screen instinctively, attempting to wipe away her tears, momentarily forgetting that it was physically impossible to do so. “Why? Why are you scared?”

“Because I don’t feel prepared for the exams! Prelims are right around the corner and ‘A’ levels are just 2 months away. I’m lagging behind on my revision and I’m so freaking scared.” She sobbed. “What am I going to do, baby? I’m so scared.”

Stunned by her outburst, I was frustrated at the fact that I could not even give her a huge bear hug to calm her down.

“Aren’t you saying anything? Or am I being stupid?” Her voice brought me out of my trance and I started shaking my head furiously.

“Nonononono…You’re not being stupid, I swear. I just hate the fact that I can’t kiss your tears away as much as I would like to.”

She smiled a little hearing it, and I was relieved. At least she had stopped crying though her eyes were still watery.

“Darling, listen to me. You’re going to be fine, trust me. You’ve been doing so well. You have got nothing to be afraid of.”

I did not know how this insecurity of hers came about- she was the top student in the Arts faculty for crying out loud. And as much as I would like to for feeling this way, I could not bring myself to, seeing how sensitive she was.

She nodded at my words, but still did not seem convinced by them.

“I know you’re stressed, I understand. A lot of the year 2s are, but you’re more than prepared. Believe in yourself okay? I know you’ll do well no matter what, because you’re Jessica Jung.” I continued.

“You’re making me feel stupid now, Taeng.”

“You’re wonderful. Really. You just have to stop scaring yourself, Princess. Everything is going to be alright.”

“You know I love you right?”

“I do. And I love you too.” I replied with a smile. “Come on, smile for me.”

And she did.

We spent several moments silently looking at each other. The silence was uncomfortable and it did not feel right- It was weird seeing each other and not having any physical contact at all.

“Why is your nose so red? Are you down with flu?” She asked, probably sensing how awkward it was to stare at each other on the computer screen.

“Oh…ermm…I bang into the door cause I got too excited when you called.” I scratched my cheek meekly, embarrassed to admit it to her.

However, she seemed to find it amusing and started giggling.

“Silly Taengoo.”

“I’m glad you found it funny Princess. Keep smiling okay, I love seeing you like this. Feeling better now?”

“Yep. Seeing you made me feel much better.” She nodded cutely.

It was comical to watch how fast her emotions changed within 15 minutes- from looking sad to scared, crying and then smiling afterwards.

“Taeng?”

“Hmm?”

“I think I should probably get back to my homework, we have a mock exam paper tomorrow”

“Okay, darling. Go take a shower first. I see you haven’t changed out of your uniform yet huh? Smelly girl. Do you really miss me that much?”

“I do. I miss you a lot. Happy now?”

“Yes. Very. I miss you too.” I blow her a kiss to which she returned; we will have to make do with it for the time being.

“I’ll call you again?” she asked.

“Okay. I love you. And don’t worry too much. You’re going to age faster at this rate.”

Jessica chuckled, waving to me.

“Bye Taengoo, I love you too.”

“Bye.”

With that she was gone again.

Sprawled out on the bed, I fiddled with the ring which was resting snugly on my ring finger and stared up at the ceiling.

“Honey, are you done talking? Get out and finish your breakfast, we’re going out soon. Tiffany’s going to show you around to get you familiar with the place and I still have to shop for your chair and what not.” Mum called out for me.

Judging from the sound of the tap water running in the kitchen, the both of them must have been done with breakfast.

With a huge sigh, I willed myself to trudge out of bed and brought my back into the kitchen.

 

--

 

“Crap, I’m lost! Jessica’s going to kill me for being late.” I murmured under my breath, knocking my knuckles on my head, ignoring the stares I was receiving for talking to myself.

It was a stupid decision to walk home from school- it was all I could conclude as I frantically looked around for any familiar buildings in sight.

After wondering around aimlessly for a few more minutes, I almost jumped in joy seeing the candy shop that I had always frequent. Home is just 5 minutes away then!

Going home from school by foot was supposed to be a short 10 minutes’ walk but somehow I had managed to take a wrong turn and ended up going a detour. Even though it had been more than 2 months since I had started school, I was still not familiar with the neighborhood; anywhere out of the 1km radius from my apartment that is. Tiffany had been kind enough to drive me to college in the morning, but I had to go home by myself after classes and I would usually take a bus home, seeing that it stops right in front of the apartment and there was no chance of me ever losing my way.

I did not know what had gotten into me that day, having the sudden urge to walk home for a change and ended up getting lost instead.

*Buzz*

‘I’m so dead. Please save me.’ I pleaded silently, fishing my phone out from my pocket.

I had a new Whatsapp notification and I knew who the sender was without having to look at it.

 

To Taengoo:

Baby! You’re late and your class ended early today! Where have you been? Outside flirting with girls again?!

From Princess <3

 

As much as I love Jessica, I was getting sick of her accusing me of flirting and it was barely 13 weeks since we were apart. I thought she said she trusted me; apparently that was not the case. Tiffany had caught my classmate giving me a peck on my cheek as a greeting when she dropped me off at school a few weeks back. The action had left me stunned. But despite knowing that it was merely a friendly gesture and that my girlfriend was the very jealous type of lover, she thought it would be fun to rat on me.

Jessica had not been kidding when she said that she would have Tiffany keep an eye on me. It had resulted in Jessica giving me the cold shoulder for a few days before I managed to coax her, through tons of text messages, into picking up her Skype calls so that I could explain and redeem myself. I never understood why people said that it was nearly impossible to maintain a long distance relationship. But I now know. It sure takes a lot of effort, patience (on my part, or so it seemed) and not to forget, babying, to keep it going strong.

 

To Princess<3:

I’m sorry darling. I got lost on the way back home. I’ll be back in 3 minutes, don’t be mad at me. I swear I’m not out flirting! I love you and only you. Don’t be mad please.

From Taengoo

 

Though I was irritated by her thoughtless accusation, I did not want to pick an argument with her at that moment. She was in the midst of taking her national exams and her stress level was at it its peak, not to mention the fact that it had also made her a lot more sensitive than before. I tried to be more understanding whenever she had her random ‘hellsica’ outbreaks, which happened very frequently these days. Her insecurities about me were most probably stemmed from me being away and out of her sight.

 

To Taengoo:

I’ll give you 2 minutes. And if you don’t call me by then, I’m not going to talk to you for a week. Just so you know it’s 1 in the morning here and my literature paper starts at 8am.

From Princess <3

 

‘Well, you can go to sleep and we can talk tomorrow instead.’

I was tempted to reply her with that, but I held it in. I would be asking for trouble, besides, I knew that there was no way I could survive not talking to her for a week. No matter how unreasonable she might get, I just could not stand having her entirely out of my life for such a long period of time.

1 minute 30 seconds...and I started running home.

30 seconds left. ‘She’s just having a bad day, she didn’t mean what she said.’ I convinced myself as I dashed up the stairs, having decided that the lift was too slow for me.

20 seconds. I fumbled with the password, trying to get the damn door to open.

15 seconds. I slide across the living room with my socks still on.

“Where are you running to? Are you going out again?” Tiffany was on the couch, munching on some crackers as she typed in a report.

“Oh my gosh! Oww!” The next thing I knew, I had landed on my right outside my bedroom door, having trip over my own feet.

“I’ve told you lots of time to not run in the house with your socks on.” she shrugged, not bothering to look up from her laptop.

8 seconds. “She’s going to kill me.” I groaned, picking myself up.

I yanked the door open and kicked my backpack in, rushing to my study table.

6 seconds. It should not take long for my laptop to start; it was in hibernating mood.

1 second left. I clicked on the call button by Jessica’s name. Done!

It got through on the second ring.

“You’re 2 seconds late, Kim Taeyeon.” She snarled, as soon as she appeared on the screen.

“I’m sorry, I got lost walking home from school. You’ve got a paper tomorrow?”

She nodded meekly and then her face contorted together.

Oh no, no please...please don’t do this to me…

“Baby, why are you crying again?” I asked, trying to sound as concerned as I could.

I roughly knew the answer.

“Taengoo…” She sobbed, her lower lip jutting out. “I think I did badly for my paper today. What am I going to do?”

Sharks. Here we go again.

It had become quite a familiar pattern. She would call and cry over how unprepared she was, how she thought she had done badly for a paper for the past few weeks. Most of the time when she was having a good day, these topics would be avoided altogether; we would be filling in each other about our day at school, I would be telling her how much I love her and vice versa, anticipating and planning the dates we would be going on when I fly back for Christmas…

‘Today’s not one of those days I guess.’ I thought to myself.

Whoever came up with the idea of having exams…they should be blasted into pieces.

Well, at least her last paper ends tomorrow and I would have an easier life then. My holidays would start in a few weeks’ time and with me back where she could see me right in front of her, it could at least put her mind at ease, finally.

After calming her down and assuring her over and over again that I still love her even if she was sounding stupid (according to her), I managed to get her to go to bed, wishing her the best of luck for her paper tomorrow.

“Argh!” I yelled as I slammed my body down onto the bed.

“Hey are you alright? Jessica called just now?” Tiffany poked her head into my room, curious.

“Don’t remind me of the call. I’m so tired.” I grabbed a pillow and buried my face into it.

“She’s still not letting up on that kissing incident?” She asked.

“That, among other things.” I groaned. “She cried again.”

“So? Don’t tell me you’re getting tired of her already.”

“That’s what’s frustrating me the most. Even if she’s becoming more like a whinny irritating baby and less like the person I had initially fallen in love with…I…I still love her.” I admitted. “And don’t you dare tell her about this!” I uncovered my face for a moment to glare at her, making sure that she had gotten my message. “Gosh! Why am I so whipped? She had me totally wrapped around her finger!”

“You know it’s not gonna be permanent, you said so yourself. Once her exams are over, she’s going to return back to her usual self, without the crying, pms-ing and all.” Tiffany patted me on my shoulder encouragingly.

“Do you think it would have been easier on her if I had never left?” I asked, peeping out from under the pillow.

“Maybe. But you’ll get through this.”

“How do you know?” I challenged.

“Because despite all of this,” she waved her hand in the general direction of my laptop, “you still yearn for each other. Let’s face it Tae Tae, you had a lot more happy moments together and you would rather put up with her for a little while longer than to lose her completely.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It has been a long time! I know I promised more updates during the short school break in June but then my laptop broke down and I had to send it for repair. I’ve got it back now, but since they had to change the hard disk, everything was back to default setting…which means that I don’t have Microsoft word installed anymore T.T I could have just typed it in my phone and uploaded a chapter but I lost the motivation to write without it. There would be a lot more spelling and grammar mistakes everywhere…

Today’s just one of those rare moments when the girlfriend had kindly let me use her laptop for a few hours and so I took the opportunity to write this chapter. It’s rushed, I know. And I haven’t had the time to read through it a second time. It probably does not make sense at some point in the chapter, but whatever! I’ll read vet it through by tomorrow and make amendments to it!