Sorry this is so late. It’s a bit short. Mianhe!

~

The air at the dining table was very uncomfortable with the fact that everyone was very displeased with the situation. All Taeyeon could do was keep her head down as she ate, trying to avoid the hateful glares Leo was throwing her way.

Leo Hwang glared from across the table as he gripped his fork tightly. Growing up, the family had once loved Kim Taeyeon. Leo was hesitant from the beginning since the young Kim wasn’t very assertive with her love for Tiffany. She had avoided talking about her feelings, in turn, causing Tiffany to doubt herself.

Then things changed when they got together. Taeyeon brought out a side of Tiffany that Leo never saw before. She was happier, more confident, and had this drive to continue being better. It was Tiffany’s decision with the encouragement of Taeyeon to continue the family business. Leo saw that Taeyeon being in Tiffany’s life was a great thing.

Until it wasn’t.

Taeyeon left his baby sister crying inside her car at the bus station.

~

“Wh-why did she leave me?”

Leo looked hopelessly as his sister broke down in his arms. They knew Taeyeon was leaving so she really shouldn’t be crying.

“What do you mean, Tiffany? She’s just gone off to boot camp.”

Tiffany shook her head as her body shook with tremors, “N-no. She left me. For good. Am I not good enough? Am I not worth fighting for our love?”

The young man grit his teeth together as Tiffany looked so lost. Lost without Taeyeon to hold her up and comfort her. He would later find out that the stupid Kim left her on the premise of finding their selves without the other.

~

It was like watching an empty vessel go through the motions. Tiffany still smiled, laughed, and told jokes, but there was a glint of pain in the back of her eyes. Leo could only watch on hopelessly as his baby sister went to college, lonely. He was thankful that her roommate was someone they knew. A Jessica Jung that the family was close to back in the States.

There would be glimpses of a truly happy Tiffany when they were together and he was glad that she had that friendship. It wouldn’t be until a few years later that Leo would be completely appreciative of Jessica for bringing back the old Tiffany. Being in love looked good on his baby sister.

It had roughly been a year and a half since Taeyeon left Tiffany in her car, crying. Leo was at the airport, getting ready to get on a plane to see his fiancé who was currently in the states. There was a familiar figure standing at one of the gates he passed by. Pausing in his steps, Leo turned his head to see the young Kim.

Taeyeon was patiently waiting for her gate to open and was unpleasantly surprised when a hand roughly grabbed her arm. She looked up in shock to see Tiffany’s older brother.

“L-Leo-oppa.”

“It’s Leo-ssi to you, Taeyeon-ssi. You don’t have the right to be familiar with me anymore,” Leo hissed.

“I-I’m sorry, Leo-ssi,” Taeyeon stuttered once more.

They were in a public place but Leo felt like punching Taeyeon, even if she was a woman. Images flashed before his mind’s eye of a broken Tiffany and he glared at the uniformed woman.

“Thank you, for serving our country, Taeyeon-ssi. But I never, never, want to see your face. Ever again. I swear I’ll punch you across the face the next time we meet. What you did to my baby sister is unacceptable. You swore to me you’d never hurt her and you failed to keep that promise. Be thankful we’re out in public or I’d really damage your face right now,” Leo left soon after.

~

“So Taeyeon, it’s great to see you again,” Michelle started off the conversation.

Taeyeon glanced around the table and nodded her head, “It was nice seeing you too, Michelle-ssi.”

“Michelle-ssi? We’re closer than that, Taeyeonnie. You can still call me, unnie,” the eldest Hwang sibling smiled.

Leo who sat beside his sister continued to glare at Taeyeon so all Taeyeon could do was smile hesitantly. His wife placed a hand on his lap to comfort him and her went back to eating. Michelle leaned forward predatorily in her seat.

“Tiffany, you’re telling me you’re with Taeyeon and Jessica, then?”

“Ne. I’m very much in love with the both of them.”

Michelle took a sip of her wine and tilted her head, “Are you sure you love the both of them? Are you sure Jessica was never really…a rebound?”

Tiffany furrowed her brows, “Excuse me?”

“Let’s face it, Taeyeon is your first and only true love. It’s impossible to love two people at the same time. Jessica just so happened to be there to comfort you. So you latched onto it while holding onto your love for Taeyeonnie. I’m pretty sure you don’t love the both of them. Matters of the heart are stronger with the length of time you and Taeyeon were together.”

Jessica tensed in her seat and Taeyeon could only stare helplessly at her girlfriend. Tiffany held Jessica’s hand tightly in her own. This wasn’t an old conversation that reached their ears. The both of them have been hearing that from Tiffany’s close friends back in college. However, it was painful for Tiffany to hear it from her sister who had just been playing nice this whole time she was with Jessica.

“You’re wrong, Unnie.”

“It’s obvious, Taeyeon is your first and only love. Jessica was nothing more than a rebound and you just kept her around because you felt bad for using her. It’s clear as day, Tiffany. You never really loved Jessica.”

Fed up, Tiffany slammed her hands on the dining table as she stood up, “I love Jessica. I am so tired of hearing people tell me that Jessica is a rebound. She is not.”

“All she did was pick up the pieces while you were hurting.”

“I heard that from all my friends, I didn’t expect to hear it from you. She did more than just pick up the pieces. She showed me what it was like to love again and that the heart can heal. She gave me the chance to love her and I did. Jessi showed me that I can love two people equally as long as your heart is open to it. ”

“And I love her just the same,” Taeyeon spoke up.

The awkwardness at the table seemed to triple after the outburst and it was Jessica who ushered Tiffany to calm down and sit down. Jessica held Tiffany’s hand in her own while Taeyeon placed a hand on top of theirs in comfort.

Mr. Hwang looked across the table at the three girls and he squinted his eyes. He would accept any of his precious princess’ requests but he was having problems accepting Taeyeon again. Her excuse that long distance wouldn’t work was a load of bull to him. However, it also helped her focus on college life and she had a companion in the form of Jessica through it.

Mrs. Hwang tried to hold in her composure, this was not the announcement I imagined. Her misinterpretation over the phone of Jessica and Tiffany getting married was false. No matter, Mrs. Hwang was an ideal hostess and would continue through this dinner.

“Now that we’re civilized, how about we start over? Jessica, thank you for coming over. Taeyeon, it’s nice seeing you again.”

Tiffany’s girlfriends nodded their heads with small smiles and Taeyeon spoke, “It’s nice seeing you too, Omon-Mrs. Hwang.”

“How’s the navy life treating you?” she took in Taeyeon’s rather dirty attire. “Were you out in the shipyard?”

“I…um no, Mrs. Hwang. I work in construction now.”

Tiffany’s parents glanced at each other, “Construction?”

“Y-yes. I got out of the navy a couple of years ago,” Taeyeon answered.

“Do you have your own place?” Mr. Hwang’s voice was gruff.

“I…I live with Miyoung-ah and Sooyeon-ah.”

Mrs. Hwang tilted her head, “Where did you live before?”

Taeyeon her lips nervously, “With…with my oppa and his family.”

“Did you even finish college?”

A rush of shame ran through Taeyeon, “I dropped out my last year of college.”

There was a sound of Tiffany’s mother clicking , “Are you sure you’re not just feeding off of my daughter?”

“Umma,” Tiffany started.

“What? I’m just concerned. She’s not educated. She’s not in the navy anymore. And she’s a bad influence in making you late for this dinner. Look at what she’s wearing. That is not dinner appropriate. She works in construction!”

“That doesn’t mean she’s feeding off of me! Taeyeon is capable of-”

Mr. Hwang lifted up his hand, effectively cutting off his wife’s and daughter’s argument, as if to say he could handle the situation. He turned his attention to Taeyeon with a stern look.

“Jessica is well off working for a well-known magazine. Tiffany is working for my company and I have to thank you for helping her stay focused on her path to take over the family business. I don’t particularly like the situation Tiffany has placed herself in. Loving two people at the same time? Preposterous. I honestly can’t believe she’s putting Jessica through this.”

“Abuji, if I may, I’m very much in love with Taeyeon as I am with Tiffany,” Jessica spoke up.

Mr. Hwang nodded his head, “Very well. As I was saying, I don’t like the situation. But for my Miyoung, I am willing to at least try. My only main concern is with you, Taeyeon-ssi.”

Taeyeon straightened up in her seat, “Ne, Mr. Hwang.”

“How will you…provide for my daughter? Like my wife has voice out, you’re only working construction. Are you one of the managers? I sincerely doubt it considering you didn’t even finish college. Maybe if you were still in the navy I’d be okay with that, but you’re not. I worry that you’re just dragging my Miyoung down.”

No words could escape Taeyeon as an immense amount of guilt settled upon her. There were reasons why she wasn’t able to finish college. Why she had retired early from the military. Why she was working in construction. However she wasn’t ready to disclose their reasons, not even to her girlfriends.

Tiffany stood up once more, “Umma, Appa. Oppa, Unnie. Your lovely spouses. Thank you for inviting us but I think we’ve overstayed our welcome. If you can’t truly accept my decisions, I will be taking my girlfriends home.”

The three left the Hwang household, Tiffany’s parents, her siblings, and her siblings’ spouses.

~

That night, all three ladies were quiet as they lay in bed, offering each other the most comfort as they could.

~

AuthorFact: I don’t know if I told you yet but I opened another tumblr blog that’s been taking up my time [sorry about that]. So if you’re ever deprived of my work you can come check it out right here --> taenysicscenarios.tumblr.com