Break the Ice!
 

Leeteuk asked everyone to stay calm but it was as if no one heard him. They all wanted to see how the brave Seoul boy showed his passionate love for this country girl. How he must've romantically kissed her while professing his love. How he had a love so strong that it set the white tree on fire.

Onew and the others had already begun to do crowd control but Leeteuk can only think of one thing:

Taeyeon.

A few days after they started hanging out, Leeteuk curiously asked what was in Taeyeon's bag.  She started pulling stuff that was normal for a highschool girl:

Books, notes, pens, a small make up kit and an mp3 player. There were song sheets and a bundle of scratch paper with witty comments she must've wrote during her radio show days.

But what caught his eyes was a lighter. He flipped it open and it lit up. He looked at her questionably, as if to ask if she had cigarettes tucked away somewhere.

"What do you want to know?" she asked.

"Do you smoke?"

She laughed as she took the lighter and stuffed it back in her bag. "This was my brother's." she explained. "I was really upset when he started smoking that I couldn't stop crying about it. It took me a few months but eventually he quit for good. He let me have this lighter before moving out. I keep it with me all the time."

Leeteuk then connected the dots. Siwon couldn't have done any of this. First of all, Siwon knew that the tree is school property and destroying it like that would mean a trip to the principal's. Secondly, he knew what would happen if he screwed up one more time. What was it, Japan? America? England? He'd get sent away, never to come back to Korea!

Not with him or Yonghwa, or even Tiffany.

He headed backstage to the exit, his pace faster as he came near the white tree. He saw a glimpse of Siwon getting hailed to the office and Seohyun hugging a shocked Tiffany. Things were happening so fast and only he had figured it all out.

For now.

His heart beat faster as he saw Yonghwa picked up the only piece of paper that didn't burn in the fiasco. If it was a clue, he had better hurry up and find Taeyeon.

•••••••

In the midst of all this, Taeyeon was in the garden silently sobbing at the fact that she had witnessed her friend kiss someone else. She had no idea it would hurt this much.

Taeyeon was only a few meters away when she heard Tiffany's loud voice echo on the dark school grounds. She was with Siwon, of course. They might've gone out to get some fresh air too.

It was hard to make up what they were talking about when jealousy blotted out your hearing. Nevertheless, she stood there, as if she was tied up and blindfolded, waiting for the gunshot that will end her life.

Taeyeon prayed Tiffany would be merciful; that she would consider what she would feel if she told her about it the next day... Would she even tell me? She asked herself. Her heart ached when she hugged him; and when their lips touched, she wanted to go up to them, take her hand and just run.

But then he saw Fany’s lips move in perfect sync with Siwon's. She was kissing him the exact same way she would caress Taeyeon softly. First, she would turn her head to the side. Her hands would grab on to your shoulders. Then her lips will move, if you hold her hand at this point, she'd stick her tongue out at you. She knew her like this, from her eyes, lips... All the way down her back. Everything.

Siwon isn't even doing it right. Taeyeon grit.

The pain grew stronger and stronger that she couldn't take it anymore. She turned and ran away. Letting her legs take her anywhere but the nightmare of a reality she just saw. She heard the deafening sound of metal in each step and was running for what it seems hours before she reached the garden and collapsed.

She looked up, hoping that the night sky would provide her even a moment to forget what she saw. But the moon reflected Tiffany's face, the sky was her bed and the clouds that floated in the sky were as soft as her feathered pillows where they laid and kissed all the time.

If she looked to her side, the trees rearranged themselves to what their secret place looked like. The leaves would turn to her lips and the cold wind that blew turned into Tiffany's warm embrace.

Everywhere I look, I see you and every path I decide to walk leads to you.

She had tried everything. From hosting shows to meet new people, or designing alone in her room, even talking the air out of her lungs. Why is it like this? Nothing provided Taeyeon with the same happiness in seeing Tiffany's eyes curve to a smile.

She was in love with her best friend and she knew that she loved her too. She felt it in her lips when they touched and on sweet little messages they exchanged on Kakao...

Wait, her lips?

If she was kissing Siwon like that, Was I just some guinea pig to her? She pushed those thoughts aside. No.

"Taeyeon?" a cool voice said.

Taeyeon immediately wiped her tears and turned. "Who's there?"

A cold face slowly emerged from the shadows and the features of the girl were almost fox-like.

"Ssika?" Taeyeon recognized her at once, composing herself as she stood. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to visit." She answered pulling Taeyeon up in her arms. "What happened to you?"

"Oh, this and that." Taeyeon awkwardly chuckled as she tried to fix her dress the way it was before she ran like hell. "Are you here to see Donghae?"

"It's so hard to have a boyfriend from the province." she winked. "Thanks for looking after him."

"Believe me. You don't have much competition here." Taeyeon assured her. She was the one who introduced them to each other. They had worked together during her DJ days.

Just then, Leeteuk came running towards them. "Taeyeon!"

"What's with the name calling all of a sudden?" she asked. "You should be back at the gym."

"Who's this?" Jessica inquired, pointing at a panting Leeteuk.

"This is Leeteuk." she introduced him casually. "He's my date."

"Oh." Jessica offered a smile. "Nice to meet you."

"Yeah, me too." Leeteuk picked himself up, ignoring the other girl and immediately took Taeyeon’s hand to grab her purse. He searched the bag frantically. There was foundation, lipstick and a few other things he couldn't identify but no lighter. Did she get rid of it? No, it was too precious. She must've left it at home.

Taeyeon didn't set the tree on fire? He realized. He was happy to know she didn't, because it would make him wonder why she did it in the first place.

She snatched her bag from Leeteuk's hands. "What the hell is wrong with you?!" Zipping it up and hauling it over her shoulder.

"Nothing. I just..." he said, cutting himself off by hugging Taeyeon. It was just for a moment. "I just thought you were in trouble, that's all."

Why would you search my purse if I was in trouble, dummy? She stared at him, dumbfounded as it was the stupidest thing he’s ever done… And if front of Jessica too! She thought in embarrassment as she pulled held Leeteuk's hand to divert what she thought was happening. "We should get back."

Jessica grinned, knowing well that she was the only person who knew what actually happened that night.