While You Were Out

And There You Were

“Little flower?” Yuri tilted her head, mouth still agape.

 

Tiffany shook her head out of grogginess. It looked to be she had just woken up and was still in a daze.

 

“Shut up. I’m still half asleep. I didn’t mean that,” Tiffany mumbled while ruffling her hair.

 

Hearing those words made Taeyeon’s chest ache a bit. That was odd. She was just feeling like she was on cloud nine, but when Tiffany denied it entirely it felt like her heart was crashing towards the ground. Taeyeon looked down and saw that Yuri was holding her very tight in her arms; it was to the point it was getting difficult to breathe.

 

“Taeng I have no idea what’s going on, but we need to get the hell out of here.”

 

Yuri tried to drag her short friend away, but Tiffany motioned her hand for them to stop.

 

“Hold the up! You come in here uninvited, make my best friend cry, and tried to convince yourself you’re in love with that thing?” Tiffany pointed at the shorter girl as if she was an insignificant pillow. “Naw . Only way you’re leaving here is in a body bag!”

 

Taeyeon felt Yuri flinch behind her. It felt like Yuri was contemplating if she should sprint away from the angry mushroom. But as Taeyeon was trying to struggle she saw a gold glimmer of a lamp flying directly towards her face.

 

“Look out!”

 

Taeyeon’s stomach churned as Yuri quickly kneeled down with her friend in order to dodge the lamp. The golden projectile whizzed past their heads and shattered completely on the opposite wall.

 

“The lamp! That was my mom’s favorite lamp!”

 

Taeyeon tried to escape from Yuri’s arms in order to salvage what remained of the lamp, but Yuri continued to keep her tight grip.

 

“The hell is your problem you stupid mushroom?! That could’ve hit me!” Yuri yelled while backing away.

 

“Uhh, that’s the point you airheaded bimbo! Now either you let the go or I’ma hit both of you with this chair!” Tiffany held the ornate dining room chair with one hand, her face looking extremely pissed to see Yuri’s arms around Taeyeon.

 

Wait a minute. Didn’t Tiffany like her? Didn’t this girl easily admit that she couldn’t stop thinking about her last night? Why in the hell was Tiffany trying to bludgeon Yuri AND the girl she has feelings for?

 

“Yuri, let me go! I need to stop her!” Taeyeon struggled with all her might, but Yuri held on with nurturing protection.

 

“What are you talking about, Taeng? Get a hold of yourself! We need to call the police!”

 

Tiffany already lost the little patience she had and chucked the wooden chair at the pair, not thinking the chair might hit Taeyeon. This time Yuri fell on her back with Taeyeon’s face squished into Yuri’s chest. The chair barely brushed Taeyeon’s back and collided into the big widescreen TV, both broken into pieces on the ground.

 

“Oh my god! What the !” Taeyeon finally broke free from her friend and ran towards what was left of the TV and the chair. She held the pieces with shaky hands, not believing her home was getting destroyed.

 

“You in dark ! Just die!” Tiffany screamed while continuing to throw whatever she can find at Yuri.

 

Yuri did her best to dodge a family portrait of the Kim family, an old clock, and many books; all of which were within Tiffany’s reach. Eventually there was nothing left for the brunette to throw and Tiffany’s thirst for blood was imminent. She cocked back her fist and was charging straight towards the taller girl. Taeyeon dropped the unsalvageable television and without thinking, tried to run between the two girls.

 

“Tiffany, wait! You don’t have to-”

 

Taeyeon ran in front of Yuri in order to stop the violence, but Tiffany’s fist quickly connected with Taeyeon’s temple; the force was so great that Taeyeon lost all feeling in her entire body. The shorter girl felt her body fly to the right and as her head slammed onto the floor, the whole world turned black. The last thing that could be heard was three girls yelling at the top of their lungs.

 

***

 

It felt really warm right now. Taeyeon didn’t want to open her eyes. She just wanted to drift back to sleep. She felt so snug in her blanket. The pillow she laid on perfectly took in the contours of her head. The sound of a rhythmic beep could be heard next to her.

 

beep……beep….. beep…… beep….. beep…..

 

Now that she thought about it, this bed was way more comfortable than the bed she laid on back at her apartment. Where was she? And why does it feel like there’s somebody her head right now?

 

Taeyeon slowly opened her eyes, her vision tried to clear up. While it was still blurry, she noticed she was surrounded by a white veil surrounding her bed. This seemed way too familiar. The smell of the air was quite clean. As she massaged her tired eyes, her consciousness and her sight were slowly coming to her as she could barely see a girl with an icy aura sitting next to her, her black hair.

 

“Morning Kim. Good to know you weren’t knocked into a coma.”

 

That voice. That cold, uncaring voice. Could that be…

 

“Jessica?!”

 

Taeyeon jumped away from Jessica’s hand, leaning towards the other side of the bed. She looked down and saw a breathing tube and a feeding tube stuffed inside and immediately pulled them out with much discomfort. There was a cuff on her arm connected to a heart monitor and she ripped it off as well.

 

“I don’t know why you’re so jumpy, Kim. I was just smoothing out your hair,” Jessica sulked as she turned off the blaring heart monitor.

 

Taeyeon massaged her eyes again, still feeling a bit woozy.

 

“Sorry. Force of habit I guess,” Taeyeon apologized while scooting back towards the center of her small bed. The young girl tried to examine her surroundings, but the veil blocked her view. “Where am I?”

 

“Isn’t it obvious? You’re in a hospital, Kim. And a nice hospital at that,” Jessica tried to sound smug.

 

Taeyeon closed her eyes and tried to remember how she ended up here, but as she tried to gather her thoughts, a sharp pain jabbed her right in her temple. She had to use both hands to grip her skull in order to control the crippling pain.

 

“Ugh! My head…” Taeyeon grit her teeth.

 

“Hmm, I guess Tiff really did a number on you with that punch,” Jessica examined from her seat.

 

“Punch?” Taeyeon asked as the pain in her head was subsiding. “I don’t remember Hwang punching me or anything for that matter.”

 

Jessica covered with her hand and squint her eyes as she closely examined the shorter girl’s face.

 

“What was the last thing you can remember?”

 

Taeyeon didn’t want to think too hard again, so she breathed slowly while trying to recollect her thoughts.

 

“Umm… I remember eating a carton of ice cream before passing out on the couch. And I remember-”

 

The sudden flashback of Jessica and Tiffany breaking into her home was coming back to her; Jessica slapping Tiffany, Jessica sticking her tongue in Taeyeon’s mouth, and even Tiffany admitting she was always thinking of Taeyeon in the most awkward way. The memories of the previous night sent a shiver down her back and with all her might she wished that was just a dream.

 

“I’m assuming you don’t remember what happened this morning?” Jessica arched her eyebrow.

 

Taeyeon shook her head. Jessica shrugged in exhaustion for she didn’t really want to explain anything.

 

“I guess since I’m the only one here, I’ll have to fill you in on what happened to Ms. Yuri and your apartment.”

 

Jessica crossed her legs to get comfortable and leaned back in order to stretch.

 

“Yuri? My home? What happened?”

 

Jessica heaved another sigh and looked Taeyeon directly her eyes.

 

“For all intensive purposes, this was Tiff’s fault.”

 

 

***

 

Tiffany didn’t even see Taeyeon as she swung her fist. The short dorky girl jumped in front of her best friend and Tiffany saw her own fist drive into the small girl’s skull. Taeyeon’s body tumbled away like a ragdoll, lying lifelessly on the ground. Yuri’s face became pale with dread.

 

“Taeng?” Yuri whispered as she staggered towards her best friend.

 

“MOVE!”

 

Tiffany shoved Yuri away with ease and rammed through a recliner in order to get to Taeyeon. She knelt down on both knees, inspecting the small girl with shaky hands. The mean girl placed two fingers on Taeyeon’s neck, barely feeling a pulse. Meanwhile, Yuri was on the ground rubbing her head as she saw Tiffany shaking her friend.

 

“Wake up Kim! Damn it, wake up! Don’t you do this to me! My little…”

 

Tiffany violently shook Taeyeon back and forth. The shorter girl’s head was flailing around; Yuri thought Tiffany might break her neck. With no response, Tiffany put her hand behind Taeyeon’s head and laid her down on a pillow on the ground. Yuri could only see Tiffany’s back, but it was clear that the mushroom’s shoulders were shaking as if the mean girl was crying.

 

“Is Taeyeon okay?” Yuri hesitantly asked.

 

Tiffany stopped shaking but as she turned her head, Yuri saw that Tiffany’s eyes were bloodshot red, as if she might cry any second. Tiffany slowly got to her feet, both of her hands clenched into fists. She grit her teeth as she spoke.

 

“You did this…” Tiffany whispered.

 

“Me?” Yuri pointed at herself. “You’re the one who punched her!”

 

The tanned girl had enough of this. She quickly pulled out her phone and was immediately dialing.

 

“That’s it. I’m gonna make sure the police arrest you for breaking, entering, and assault!”

 

Yuri tried to dial for the police, but she only heard three quick footsteps before having her phone swiped away by a now angry Tiffany. Yuri almost fell back in shock, not knowing Tiffany could move that fast. She saw in horror how Tiffany held her new cell phone in her hand and crushed it with her powerful grip. Tiffany dropped the scrap metal while glaring at Yuri with malice. She then swiftly grabbed Yuri’s hair near her scalp and pulled the girl towards her face.

 

“You’ll pay for this you careless .”

 

 

***

 

 

“Woah woah woah! Hold up a sec,” Taeyeon raised her hand as she was sitting snug in her hospital bed. “You should’ve been in the bathroom when this was happening. How do you know I got punched by Hwang? And how do you know Hwang grabbed Yuri’s hair?”

 

Jessica massaged her clothes eyelids in frustration.

 

“Kim, what did I tell you about interrupting me when I’m talking? Just shut up and listen!”

 

The annoyed girl was about to continue her story, but when she saw the sad look on Taeyeon’s face, her heart felt soft as she looked into those small heartbreaking eyes. It was as if Jessica didn’t want to see Taeyeon look so miserable. Maybe it was the kiss they shared last night that made Jessica feel closer to Taeyeon.

 

“If you must know Kim, I was peeking through a crack in the bathroom door when I saw the whole thing. Now let me continue.”

 

Taeyeon nodded her head after finally understanding and Jessica was glad Taeyeon didn’t look sad anymore.

 

“Now as I was saying…”

 

 

***

 

 

Tiffany took a deep breath and with a loud cry, she squeezed Yuri’s hair even tighter and slammed her head onto ground, denting the hardwood floor. Tiffany released her and Yuri tried to scurry away while trying to focus her vision and shake away the ringing in her head.

 

Yuri thought it was all over, but then she felt her right leg being grabbed; Tiffany wasn’t finished with her yet. With a flick of her writs, Tiffany heaved Yuri’s leg and launched the tall girl’s entire body towards the wall, breaking the previously hung pictures. Yuri couldn’t stand up; her back was aching and it felt like her right leg was being stabbed by a million tiny needles. Tiffany saw her prey trying to crawl away from her, but she still wasn’t satisfied. She grabbed Yuri by the collar and slammed her again into the wall, looking at her beaten face.

 

“Know this, you dark . Kim is my property. Anybody who dares to touch my property will regret it. Do you understand you egotistic ?” Tiffany growled between clenched teeth.

 

The bully tried to threaten Yuri for hugging Taeyeon, but despite being injured Yuri didn’t show fear. In a way to fight back, Yuri thought of a lie that would let Tiffany know she wasn’t the boss of her.

 

“News flash you stupid mushroom. Me and Taeyeon are already going out. So in a way, she’s ‘my’ property. And no matter what you do, there’s nothing you can do to change that,” Yuri grinned as she saw Tiffany turn red in the face.

 

For a second Yuri felt like she had the upper hand, but then the anger in Tiffany’s face completely vanished and was replaced by a stoic look of no emotion. Yuri was about to ask, but then Tiffany’s right hand gripped the battered girl’s neck and Yuri was desperately gasping for air. She was trying to release herself from Tiffany’s stone like grip while staring into Tiffany’s emotionless eyes. Fearing that she might suffocate, Yuri swung both of her fists towards Tiffany’s head, but Tiffany didn’t even flinch from the strong girl’s swings.

 

Only after five punches, Yuri tried to pry open Tiffany’s hand again because punching Tiffany was like punching a brick wall; Yuri’s knuckles were so sore, they were on the verge of bleeding. Enjoying to see Yuri in agony, Tiffany leaned her head in and glared into Yuri’s eyes.

 

“Nobody gets away with saying like that in front of me. Once I’m through with you, you’ll be wishing for death.”

 

Tiffany finally released Yuri while taking a few steps back. Yuri was gasping for air, but as she thought the worst was over, Tiffany jumped in the air and saw her fist aiming for her already bruised face. It was as if a sledge hammer collided with her head; Yuri literally had the lights knocked out of her because the entire world was dark right now while her skull was in excruciating pain. She tried her best to crawl away again, but Tiffany moved around and delivered a swift kick to Yuri stomach which caused Yuri to grasp her head and her stomach in pain. It looked like even her abs couldn’t absorb a hit from the strong mushroom.

 

 

***

 

 

“You just saw Yuri getting beat up and you did nothing?! I thought you liked her!” Taeyeon interrupted again with her hands in the air.

 

Jessica bit her lip in frustration. She felt like she was dealing with a stupid child who wouldn’t listen. Instead of lashing out at Taeyeon like she normally would, the rich girl took a long deep breath and calmly put her hands in the air as she tried to explain herself.

 

“If you didn’t keep interrupting me Kim, I would’ve explained myself. At the time, I was still upset with Ms. Yuri. I was sure Tiffany wasn’t going to kill her, so I just stayed in the bathroom and watched.”

 

“Still, there was no need for that. Blood wouldn’t have been shed if you just went in and stopped her. I specifically remember you knocking Hwang to the ground with your own hands, so you could’ve stopped Hwang at any time,” Taeyeon scratched her head, trying to understand the matter.

 

“Look, let me just finish the story. If you keep interrupting me, I’ll make sure you’ll be paying for your own medical bills and I assure you they won’t be cheap.”

 

Taeyeon knew there was no way her insurance or her savings could cover her medical bill, so she gestured as if she was zipping up her lips. Jessica finally smiled and continued on with her story.

 

“Thank you. Now as I was saying, I saw Tiff beating up Ms. Yuri and I was tempted to stop her.”

 

 

***

 

 

Tiffany used her foot to roll Yuri onto her back. She mounted on top of the injured girl’s chest and positioned her fists.

 

“Let’s see how many times I can punch you until I get bored.”

 

Tiffany drove her first into Yuri’s face, the first punch actually drawing blood. She then landed another bloody haymaker onto Yuri’s’ already bruised face. Yuri was trying her best to remain conscience as she helplessly had her arms covering her face. Tiffany was about to land another punch, but then she heard the bathroom door fly off of its hinges and saw an angry brunette with a fiery aura surrounding her.

 

“TIFFANY!”

 

Tiffany had no time to react as Jessica sprinted towards her best friend and delivered a bone shattering knee kick to Tiffany’s face. The bully’s body slammed hard into the opposite wall; if she went more to the left, she would’ve flown right out of a window. Jessica was horrified to see Yuri’s face swollen and her body covered in bruises. Jessica stood up and marched towards Tiffany who barely had a scratch on her.

 

“Jessi! Don’t you get it now? Kwon doesn’t like you! Now if you just accept my love for you-“

 

Jessica swung her right leg and kicked Tiffany through Taeyeon’s bedroom door; the door also flying off of its hinges. As much as Tiffany was being protective towards Taeyeon, Jessica was also feeling protective towards Yuri. Jessica didn’t want to question her best friend’s logic with Taeyeon and Yuri. For now, Jessica broke off a leg from a chair and charged into Taeyeon’s room, ready to pummel some sense into her best friend’s thick skull.

 

When Tiffany emerged from the remains of Taeyeon’s desk, Jessica delivered a hard swing to Tiffany’s head with the chair leg; her weapon breaking once it made contact.

 

“I said to mess with Ms. Yuri for getting close to Kim! Not to kill her, you idiot!”

 

Jessica and Tiffany were pushing upon each other’s hands, not letting the other to land another hit.

 

“Jess, you don’t understand. Kwon was asking for it. She was also messing with Kim’s head,” Tiffany tried to explain as she struggled to contain Jessica.

 

“So you go and strangle the poor girl?! I’ve had it you idiot!”

 

Jessica untangled herself from Tiffany’s grasp and immediately gripped both of her hands onto Tiffany’s throat. Tiffany was utterly terrified because this was the first time anybody was strong enough to suffocate her.

 

“Is this what you like to do, Tiff? Strangle the one chance I have at happiness!?”

 

Tiffany has always held back when Jessica abused her, but now was a life and death situation and she had no choice if she wanted to live.

 

“Sorry Jess…”

 

With the world getting hazy from the lack of oxygen, Tiffany balled up her fist and with all her strength punched Jessica clean on the jaw, causing her best friend to fall to the ground and leaving Tiffany to shake a bit.

 

“Oh my god Jessi! Are you okay? I swear, I didn’t mean it! I thought I was gonna die and…”

 

Jessica jumped back to her feet as if a shock of electricity woke her up. Tiffany saw there was a small bruise on the corner of her friend’s mouth and she now knew that she just signed a death sentence.

 

“Jessi please. It was an accident. I thought I was gonna-”

 

Without a word, Jessica grabbed her friend’s throat and her arm and positioned her towards a wall.

 

“Jessi-” Tiffany tried to say as she was being choked.

 

“Ahhhh!”

 

Jessica shrieked in her high pitched dolphin scream and Tiffany felt her entire body launch through Taeyeon’s wall and found herself back in the destroyed living room. In the first time in a while, Tiffany was actually feeling pain. Jessica walked through the new hole she made and was holding a metal bat she found in Taeyeon’s room.

 

“You’re gonna pay for that bruise, Tiff.”

 

 

***

 

 

Taeyeon stared at Jessica in disbelief. The rich girl was sipping on an iced coffee one of her body guards gave her before stealthily slipping away through the hospital veil.

 

“Let me get this straight. Hwang beat up Yuri, you beat up Hwang, and my home is now reduced to broken wood and metal?! Please tell me this is a joke!”

 

Taeyeon gripped her bed sheets while shaking with terror; she was afraid how her mom would react if she came back to a home that looked to have been hit by a typhoon.

 

Jessica lightly chuckled with her straw in . She covered and placed her beverage down as her chuckling became louder and almost sounded like a dolphin’s cry.

 

“You’ll need to excuse me Kim. I guess you saw how farfetched my story really was,” Jessica calmed down with a smile on her face. “I think spending the night in your home encouraged me to stretch the truth a bit.”

 

A big sigh of relief escaped Taeyeon’s mouth. She didn’t even know Jessica was capable of cracking a joke, but she was happy it was all just a story.

 

“So my apartment is actually okay and Yuri and Hwang aren’t critically injured?”

 

Jessica picked up her drink and took another small sip, her smile still on her lips.

 

“Oh that part of the story was real. I was talking about how I beat Tiff with a chair leg and a baseball bat. I’m not some barbarian that depends on an unfair advantage like a weapon. I used my fists and my legs to deal with Tiff. Yeah, everything in your apartment was destroyed. Surprisingly, the only things that weren’t broken were your cheap electronics and your stuffed animals.”

 

The room couldn’t get any more quiet than it already was. Taeyeon fell down backwards onto her pillow and covered her eyes with her forearm. A massive headache and the urge to cry was hitting the shorter girl.

 

“Oh stop being so dramatic, Kim. As we speak, everything in your apartment is being repaired and/or replaced thanks to a few specialists I know. Since this was my best friend’s fault, she’ll be paying for all the damages. Don’t worry. When you get back home later today, you won’t even think a fight broke out in there,” Jessica explained.

 

Taeyeon sat up again with a look of disbelief. A big weight was lifted from Taeyeon’s shoulders. She didn’t care who was paying to fix the mess as long as her mom didn’t find out. But as she examined Jessica’s face, something about the story didn’t make sense.

 

“Wait a minute. You said Tiffany punched you and she left a bruise on the corner of your mouth. Where’s the bruise?” Taeyeon inspected.

 

“It’s called concealer, Kim. You should try it some time.”

 

Taeyeon just sat in her hospital bed with a dumb look on her face. The entire story was just too farfetched to be real. Was Jessica just pulling her leg and her apartment was fine? What about Yuri and Hwang? Things didn’t make sense.

 

“What about Yuri? What happened to her? Is she okay?”

 

Jessica hesitated for a few seconds before finally answering.

 

“Ms. Yuri is recovering in another recovery room in a different building,” Jessica explained quickly. It was as if Jessica didn’t want to speak anymore about Yuri.

 

It was a relief that Yuri was okay, but to think she took a beating from Hwang and lived. If Yuri got hit by Hwang and didn’t get knocked out, she’s probably a lot stronger than Taeyeon thought. Thinking about it now, this left her with many more questions she never really pondered about till now.

 

“Hey Jessica, how in the world are you and Hwang so strong? You threw Hwang through a wall, Hwang got hit by a bus and lived, and the way you punched Hwang last night, from the sound of the punch I thought you killed her!”

 

That question irked Jessica since it looked like a spike struck through her chest. Jessica looked to the recovering girl with a fake smile.

 

“Look, would you just stop asking questions?! I didn’t come here as a messenger you know,” Jessica tried to change the subject with angry eyes.

 

The sound of doctors and nurses walking in the hallway was the only thing that could be heard at that moment. Taeyeon looked down at her hands, not wanting to get Jessica angrier. But if Jessica didn’t come as a messenger, why was she here?

 

“I’m here Kim because I wanted to talk about Tiffany,” answered Taeyeon’s telepathic question.

 

“How did you-”

 

“Yours and Ms. Yuri’s faces are easy to read, okay?”

 

Jessica’s voice went up an octave when she mentioned Yuri’s name. Taeyeon hugged her knees towards her chest and covered her eyes.

 

“I don’t care about Hwang,” Taeyeon murmured.

 

“Is that so?” Jessica raised an eyebrow. “You just heard how insane she went when she thought you were hurt. Doesn’t that prove she cares about you?”

 

“I couldn’t care less, Jessica. That stupid girl ruined my life and I don’t care how she feels about me or anybody else,” Taeyeon argued while avoiding Jessica’s judging stare since she was still confused about how she really felt about Tiffany. “And also, why do you keep going after Yuri? Poor girl just straight up told you she doesn’t like you. Can’t you just accept that?”

 

Jessica looked to the ceiling as she remembered Yuri yelling fowl words at her, a smile creeping on her face.

 

“Let me tell you this, Kim. There are just some things in life we can’t control. As much as I want to be with Ms. Yuri, I can’t change her opinion of me right now. But am I going to cry about it? No.  I’ll just take a different approach in the future and try to change her opinion. It’s all I can do,” Jessica shrugged her shoulders in contemplation.

 

For a girl who was the same age as Taeyeon, Jessica did have a point. But at the same time, Jessica really should stop wasting her time on Yuri since she kept causing so many problems for both of them.

 

“But even though I still care for Ms. Yuri, there’s still another matter I wanted to discuss.”

 

Jessica stood up from her seat and approached Taeyeon’s bed while swaying her hips.

 

“What are you-”

 

Jessica placed a finger on Taeyeon’s lips in order to silence her.

 

“I was hoping we’d talk more about us,” Jessica smirked with an alluring grin.

 

Jessica leaned in towards Taeyeon’s face and as if it was a normal action, smashed her lips onto Taeyeon again while holding the back of her head so that she wouldn’t pull away. Taeyeon’s eyes were wide open and though she tried to break away, Jessica’s grip was too strong on her head; there was nothing she could do as Jessica’s lips were on her lower lip. Jessica was about to stick in her tongue, but instead pushed Taeyeon’s head away. She used her right hand to gently caress Taeyeon’s now reddened cheek and seductively traced her hand down to Taeyeon’s small chest.

 

“Jessica… what was…,” Taeyeon tried to form a complete sentence, but what Jessica was doing to her body made her brain go on off mode. “But…. Yuri?”

 

“Oh I still do like Ms. Yuri, don’t get me wrong. It’s just after that kiss we shared last night, I feel like there was a spark between us, Kim. I think I now understand why you’re so desirable to Tiffany and Ms. Yuri.” Jessica seductively her lips.

 

“Spark?” Taeyeon was playing dumb. “That was just a game Jessica! Nothing more!”

 

“You’re right Kim. It was a game.” Jessica moved her hand away from Taeyeon’s chest and sneaked it down even further, drawing small circles just above her honey pot. “I was wondering if you wanted to play more games with me. We could make it our little secret and we could ‘play’ all we want.”

 

This had to be a dream. Jessica with her lustful eyes and the way she was fighting the urge to gyrate her hips was blowing Taeyeon’s mind. Taeyeon tried to squirm, but the curiosity of what Jessica wanted to do was getting her aroused. The closeness of Jessica’s fingers was clouding Taeyeon’s judgment and she didn’t know what the right thing to do was. Jessica saw that Taeyeon looked to be shaking of fear or desire and thought that maybe she was being too forward with her actions.

 

“My apologies, Kim.” Jessica removed her hand from Taeyeon’s belly and rested it on her shoulder. “This might be a little too much for you to process right now. It might be best if we discussed this when we’re in a more intimate setting,” Jessica took a few deep breaths while trying to collect her composure. “Just forget this ever happened.”

 

Jessica leaned in again and took a big long whiff of Taeyeon’s hair while her eyes almost rolled back into her head. She had to fight the urge to do anymore to Taeyeon as she stood up and smoothed out her clothes. When Jessica removed her hands, it was as if Taeyeon was waking up from a trance; it was as if she was a few moments away from losing her innocence. Taeyeon covered her chest in embarrassment while feeling guilty for no reason; it felt like she just cheated on someone even though she knew she was definitely single. As Jessica took a few steps away from Taeyeon, she turned around and placed a finger to her head.

 

“It’ll be a couple of days till Ms. Yuri can leave her recovery room, so don’t you worry about her. Also if you see Tiff, make sure to call me ASAP. She’s a little sensitive right now. And as for my little episode, I’m sure you’ll keep this a secret since you know what I’m capable of,” Jessica tilted her head and grinned with threatening eyes.

 

Jessica winked goodbye before giggling like a school girl and slipping through the veil and into the hallway. Taeyeon was left alone to deal a feeling of dread and ual frustration.

 

What in god’s name just happened?! Who replaced Jessica with -sica?!

 

 

***

 

 

After an hour after Jessica’s strange visit, the doctor told Taeyeon that she seemed fine and that she didn’t have a concussion or any internal bleeding; the tubes they stuffed into was just a precaution. She was told that the hospital owner’s daughter covered all of her medical bills and she was free to leave. Taeyeon was still amazed of the power Jessica and her family had. She wondered if Jessica’s family controlled the police and the government.

 

Outside the hospital it was already dusk. Taeyeon couldn’t believe she spent her entire Saturday cooped up in a hospital and not in her room surfing the internet. She tried calling Yuri several times on her cell phone, but she kept getting directed to Yuri’s voice box; it was as if Yuri’s phone was switched off. Jessica didn’t bother telling her where Yuri was, so she hoped Yuri was doing okay. On her way back home, Taeyeon picked up a dosirak and a smoothie for dinner. With her food in a plastic bag, she stood in front of her front door and was hesitant for a moment. The now black haired girl cautiously punched in her key code for her door and when the lock chimed, Taeyeon slowly nudged the door open, expecting to see a junk yard.

 

To her surprise her home was as clean as it was this morning. The TV wasn’t broken, there were no holes in her walls, and even her mom’s favorite lamp was still intact as if it was never shattered.

 

Wow, this is unreal. I clearly remembered Tiffany destroying most of the stuff here. What kind of people did Jessica hire to restore all of this?

 

Even the supposed hole in her living room was nonexistent nor were the dents in the floor. Taeyeon didn’t want to think anymore of this and scurried to her couch and placed her dinner on the coffee table in front of her. She leaned back in the couch cushion that felt just as squishy as it was this morning and closed her eyes in order to clear her mind. She tried her best to flush out any thoughts of Tiffany, Jessica, and even Yuri hitting on her. To throw away all the thoughts of bullies, lies, and so called love out the window. Taeyeon took a slow deep breath that filled up her lungs and slowly exhaled out all the tension and stress she felt for the entire day.

 

No matter what, she just wanted to treat these past two days as if it was just a nightmare and hope things will get better tomorrow. She leaned forward toward her dinner and opened the box, inhaling the scent of tonkatasu and pork fried rice wrapped in an omelet and smothered with ketchup while having a chocolate banana smoothie on the side. Taeyeon couldn’t wait to dig in and enjoy her unhealthy comfort food. She was about to enjoy her first bite when she felt a nagging aura in the back of her neck. She slowly put down her chopsticks and closed her eyes as she tried to remember where she felt this aura before.

 

Why does it feel like somebody’s watching me? Last time I felt like this was when Hwang…

 

Taeyeon quickly opened her eyes and shrugged in disgust. She knew exactly what was going on here. She slowly got up from her couch and turned around to face her empty kitchen with a scowl on her face. She spoke to the kitchen as if somebody was there.

 

“I know you’re here Hwang! No need for you to surprise me, so just come out!” Taeyeon yelled at the silence, not expecting an answer. “Well? What’s it going to be?”

 

Taeyeon kept her feet planted as a few seconds passed by. It was only after fifteen seconds did Taeyeon see the knob on her coat closet slowly twist and the door creaked open to reveal a brunette wearing a long black collared shirt which was meant for sleeping and a pair of skinny jeans. Tiffany took two steps out of the closet with a look of stoic calmness. Taeyeon noticed a light purple bruise forming around Tiffany’s left eye; that must’ve been from the multiple hits from Jessica. Last thing Taeyeon needed right now was to see the face of the girl who destroyed her house. She was really tempted to call Jessica, but wanted to hear Tiffany speak first.

 

“What are you doing here?” Taeyeon asked coldly. “Are you here to break my kitchen now?”

 

Normally Tiffany would come up with a mean comeback, but instead she shook her head while trying to avoid eye contact.

 

“No,” Tiffany muttered to the floor.

 

This was odd. Tiffany wasn’t even trying to start a fight. Normally Taeyeon would feel a violent aura around Tiffany whenever she spoke to her, but now the bully was very passive and maybe even gentle. Taeyeon did not show any fear this time since she knew one phone call would get Tiffany out of here.

 

“Well? You took the time to break into my house again, so you might as well say what you want to say and get out of here,” Taeyeon gestured rudely on purpose.

 

Tiffany sighed with her eyes closed before responding.

 

“I just wanted to say I’m sorry for this morning. I was a little emotional and I wasn’t thinking properly,” Tiffany mumbled before slightly bowing in apology.

 

This wasn’t Tiffany. The real Tiffany Hwang would never apologize for her own actions. What was she trying to do here? Trick her into a false sense of security? Well Taeyeon wasn’t going to fall for it.

 

“You’re sorry now? You got all delicate and weepy last night and this morning you try to kill me, my best friend, and destroy my home. Do you honestly think an apology like that is going to wipe away every single thing you’ve done?!”

 

Tiffany continued to look at the floor in guilt. Taeyeon was still thinking this was just another one of Tiffany’s schemes so she was still on edge. Just then Tiffany looked up and slowly made her way towards the shorter girl.

 

“Hwang? What are you doing?”

 

Tiffany looked directly into Taeyeon’s eyes and she was only a few feet away. Taeyeon was trying to scoot herself back.

 

“Okay enough games, Hwang. Just stay away!”

 

Tiffany stopped in her tracks and Taeyeon thought it was over. But then Tiffany went ahead full speed and stretched her arms toward Taeyeon.

 

“Kyah!!!” Taeyeon yelled, expecting to feel pain any second now.

 

There was no pain, but instead a warm feeling spreading through her body. Tiffany had her arms wrapped around Taeyeon’s back and her head was resting of top of Taeyeon’s. The shorter girl was about to push Tiffany away, but something was coming over her. Tiffany’s scent was so intoxicating and the warmth Tiffany was emitting made Taeyeon feel like she was safe from harm’s way.

 

“Do you understand now, Kim? I truly am sorry,” Tiffany said while her face was buried in Taeyeon’s hair.

 

Taeyeon tried to reach her arms around Tiffany, but then memories of the mushroom stuffing her into a gym locker and the mushroom almost killing her in the classroom was swarming in her mind. The memories of Tiffany’s true character finally resurfaced and Taeyeon snapped back into reality.

 

“No!”

 

Taeyeon pushed Tiffany with all her might with both hands, but that just caused Tiffany to let go and Taeyeon was propelled backwards two feet away.

 

“Don’t touch me you stupid mushroom! Don’t think I’ve forgotten about what you did to me. I’ll never forgive you for anything. Do you hear me?!”

 

Taeyeon was breathing heavily while Tiffany genuinely looked hurt from Taeyeon’s words.

 

“I guess I deserve that. Look Kim, I don’t know how to explain it. I…. I really don’t know. Something inside of me told me you wanted a hug,” Tiffany tried to explain.

 

“Well now I’m telling you to leave, Hwang.” Taeyeon pulled out her phone and showed it to her uninvited guest. “I swear to god if you don’t leave, I’ll call Jessica and we both know she’ll be here in minutes.”

 

It felt silly threatening Tiffany with a cell phone, but she just had enough of Tiffany for one day and wanted her out. Tiffany nodded her head in understanding, but didn’t leave. Instead she reached into her back pocket and was trying to pull something out.

 

“What are you…” Taeyeon tried to peek behind Tiffany’s back.

 

When Tiffany finally got a good grip, she slowly brought back her arm and inside her hand was a small pink rose that looked way too familiar to Taeyeon. That made Taeyeon drop her cell phone as she stared at the flower in terror. It looked exactly like the pink rose Tiffany gave her in her dream last night. She thought it was sweet how dream Tiffany gave her the rose, but seeing the real Tiffany giving her the flower felt so wrong.

 

“Why are you giving me this?” Taeyeon pointed a shaky finger.

 

“We both had the same dream, right? I saw this rose near my place and I wanted to give it to you.”

 

Taeyeon was speechless. So both her and Tiffany shared the same dream with the rainy café and the cheesy moments with the flower. But wait, if that was true did that mean Tiffany…

 

“Also,” Tiffany walked closer to Taeyeon who was just shaking in disbelief. “I still remember what I called you this morning. For your information, I wasn’t half asleep.”

 

Tiffany reached her right hand onto Taeyeon’s head and smoothed out her hair. Taeyeon was blushing from the intimate contact Tiffany was making.

 

“I don’t know what this feeling is. I don’t know how I’m supposed to feel about you. I still want Jessica as my girlfriend. But for you…”

 

Tiffany tucked back strands of hair behind Taeyeon’s ear so that she looked like a princess in Tiffany’s eyes. She took the pink rose and carefully placed it into Taeyeon’s smooth hair while said girl was looking like a blushing bride.

 

“I just want you to be my little flower and no one elses.”

 


 

안녕! (annyeong)! Sorry I haven't been posting regulary. Lots of changes in my life right now and it kept me busy. Hope you enjoyed this extra long chapter and I hope you'll forgive me for my long absence. As always, comments and constructive criticism is always appreciated. Also if you really like the story, an upvote would be nice too. Look forward to the next chapter!

 

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UndefinedCharacter
#1
Chapter 48: I had fun reading this! I hope you are doing well these days. ♥️
Mihyun101 #2
Chapter 48: Awwww to bad this is not continued:’(
Mihyun101 #3
Chapter 36: Why’s everyone starting to get obsessed with taeyeon lol
Mihyun101 #4
Chapter 10: I hope tiffany gets the karma she deserves... hell if she dies idc anymore HSHXBXB
Mihyun101 #5
Chapter 5: Can this be a taeri/yultae story lol
Mihyun101 #6
Chapter 4: Poor taengoo... and tiffany
Wendy29 #7
Chapter 48: Me gusta tu historia, espero que puedas continuarla pronto y que estés bien con tus problemas
Taengooly
#8
Chapter 48: I hope it can be finished 💜
LisaManobanisBae
#9
Chapter 48: This was a good read, too bad it wasn't finished :(
SevenL
#10
Chapter 48: This was funny
And impatient Sica is really amusing!