Dream Girl

Even back at the Academy, Tiffany was the type of girl who preferred to be alone rather than in the company of men. It was mainly because she didn’t think they would have anything to talk about. Did men even talk about which color would look best on her or which nail art was trending that week? Of course not!

The library provided her with some peace and quiet for the first few minutes of her break. During the first few school days, she would spend it with Taeyeon but with her recent change of schedule. She really didn’t have much time to eat and play with her.

And so she spent her breaks in solitude… Almost.

“Hey, Tiff?”

Here we go.

Taecyeon was carrying a book and a binder with him. “I was hoping we can do our homework in Accounting together. I borrowed some notes from a friend.” He sat down beside her.

Tiffany unplugged her earphones. “Fine.” She said as she dug into her bag for her own book and a pen. She didn’t have anything better to do anyway.

He was an annoying young boy. A year older than her, he would teach her who were the right people to talk to in student affairs; when the go-to parties are; and where the best food were sold. Basically, he acted like an oppa would.

Now if he wasn’t just so damn clumsy!

For a person that knows a lot of things, he presented an extreme case of a person that just bore the worst luck in the world since birth. He would lose on games and bets, forget important things when needed and was ham-handed on all his school work.

Tiffany even joked that his lack of taste on clothes was because he gave up on being presentable. Like when they ate and got food on his shirt or when he was playing catch and accidentally slipping into a pile of mud.

Well, a twelve thousand won shirt isn’t much. If it had happened to her brother Leo, he would have probably cursed the day away because his shirt was worth about seventy thousand won or more! She had to admit, it was a refreshing sight to see a boy who didn’t really care much about being too uptight.

He was playful and hilariously stupid to look at. Tiffany had guessed this was the feature that had so many girls turn heads each time they passed by, eyebrows raised at the unlikely friendship that they shared.

“Are you excited about Welcome Party?” Taecyeon asked as they worked on the problem. They usually talked in English so that the other people around them would have a hard time in understanding, keeping their conversation as private as it could.

“You mean the concert? I dunno. I might not even go.” Tiffany shrugged. She knew Taeyeon would just rather stay at home anyway.

“No, no. The after party! Who goes to the concert anyway? The performers are Nugu’s.” Taecyeon nudged her. “C’mon, it’ll be fun.”

He leaned closer and spoke in a lower voice, “The after party for the people the seniors what to know better.”

Tiffany rolled her eyes. “What is this some sort of secret society?”

“Well, not really.” He looked around. “But a wide social network is never a bad thing.”

Tiffany considered this for awhile. He has a point and the parties this school held was said to the most enjoyable. Partying. This was one of the reasons she was excited for college. So why not, right? Maybe she can even coax Taeyeon to going.

“I’ll think about it.” She said as she pointed to the table they were working on, hoping to change the subject before she gets too green. “Isn’t it harmful to place your money in one place?”

Taecyeon nodded. “You see the person in this problem opted to bank all his savings inside one particular branch. Of course, the main reason for this was for him to increase the interest of his savings substantially.” He turned to the next page. “Most banks also offer perks for loyalty. So it could also be a reason on why he chose to place his money only on Bank A rather than dividing it to B and C.”

“You seem to know a lot about this.” Tiffany said as she wrote down Taecyeon’s explanation on her pink notebook. “Is that why you chose Administration?”

“My luck is different when it comes to money making.” He laughed.

“I hope so.” Tiffany giggled. “Your day-to-day luck is terrible.”

“What about you?” He asked, returning his focus on the book in order to solve the next puzzle. “Just because you act all poised, doesn’t mean you never have bad days.”

“I never said I don’t have my days.”

“Then tell me your story.” He said. “How about… Love life?”

“I just broke up with my boyfriend…” She answered. “About a month ago already, I guess.”

“You don’t seem broken up about it.” He chuckled.

“It wouldn’t make a difference if i did.”

“What was he like?”

“Why are you so interested in this?” She asked.

“I’m a boy.” He smiled. “I won’t judge you. Just keep talking.”

Tiffany weighed the consequences of her opening up to a guy. She was, in fact, very curious if Taecyeon would hold up to his promise of anomaly if she narrated everything to him. What did she have to lose anyway? This was a person she would never even think of dating. If he understands it, then OK. If not, then it’ll be peace and quiet for the both of them.

She closed her book loudly, making the boy jump in his seat. Tiffany slid her hands under his book’s cover and flipped it shut.

Taecyeon smirked. “Oh, so Miss California Princess is finally going to give me some heart-to-heart?”

She started from her mother, how she died and how it felt; to her days in counseling and she refusal to speak after that; how she has never felt at home with her father and siblings; and finally, how she was reborn when she met Taeyeon.

Before Kim Taeyeon’s rise to stardom, she was one of those at school who first stood up to the notorious prankster: Choi Sooyoung. The Academy was a battlefield back then: all your parents’ money count on your credibility. The school was cut into the haves and have not’s. Nobody was in the middle.

It wasn’t to say Sooyoung was this evil and Taeyeon was completely innocent in the numerous bullying cases that plagued the school. Everyone played their part, but it was only the blonde haired heroine who stepped her game up and shot herself to the top of the food chain with Dear Love,.

Whether it was luck or fate that brought Taeyeon in that competition in the first place, it completely changed the game back home. It wasn’t a battle of who can act like they’re the boss anymore. The tables turned to a peacock battle of flaunting yourself. Sometimes, it made things worse, but it gave the opportunity for those who excel in academics and sports a chance to be noticed.

Who could’ve thought that the legendary Kim Taeyeon, the strong choding and kid DJ, was actually a crybaby?

Tiffany found out about it by accident. On the way home, she would walk by a playground. She found Taeyeon sitting at one of the swings, sobbing incoherently, flipping a metallic lighter on and off. “What happened?” She asked.

“MY OPPA QUIT SMOKING!” The smaller girl shouted. “NAN JEONGMAL HAENGBOKHAE!”

It was one of the most confusing things she had witness in her life. The way Taeyeon shouted it was as if she was angry; although later on, she kept saying she was crying tears of joy. It was the first actual conversation that they and it went on until dusk.

“I have to go home now.” Tiffany said. “I’ll see you at school tomorrow?”

She was surprised that Taeyeon caught her hand and pulled her back to the swing. “Don’t leave me.”

It was then that she cried real tears.

Just like before, a person who needed her… At first, it was just comforting each other. Then they grew close and can’t stay away from one another. In the end, they both built the need to be at each other’s presence. Separation anxiety. Addiction. She didn’t know what to call it, but that feeling. It was something that breathed life into Tiffany.

A person who captured the hearts of many with her virtue; someone who was strong, willful and inspiring; the person who would one day claim her heart: Kim Taeyeon.

“Wait wait…” Taecyeon stopped her. “And Taeyeon is a girl?”

“Yes, Taeyeon is a girl.” Tiffany said. “Why?”

“So you’re… You said you guys kissed a few months after that?”

“Yeap.”

She can see how Taecyeon wanted to admonish her story but he kept silent, egging her to continue.

So she did, her friendship with Taeyeon being the staple focus of the storyline. She enumerated Siwon, the white tree and how hard it was when he left.

“Hold up.” Taecyeon raised his hands. “So this ‘Siwon’ courted you for like, a month and you became a couple while all of this is happening? That’s messed up. What did Taeyeon say?”

“Well, someone was on her tail too!” She said, referring to Leeteuk.

“Yeah, but I mean…” He scratched his head. “You don’t just drop someone in the middle of nowhere for a knight in shining Hotwheels.”

“Well, I don’t want to be called gay for anything.” She admitted. “What would my parents say?”

“Then maybe you should never have kissed her.” Taecyeon said.

This was painfully true. Tiffany did wish she had some restraint when Taeyeon asked for that kiss. Or every other time the other girl came on to her. She wanted to take it all back… But who was she kidding? She enjoyed all of that.

That addicting lingering feeling that weaved in and out when she touched her, it was too much to pass on. She wanted that to herself, but there were things that held her back. Her beliefs and her family, what other people would think of if they find out she’d slept with a woman.

If it was possible for her to keep Taeyeon as a secret while living a normal life. She would’ve banked on it. Unfortunately, no such luxury existed. She can’t be normal if she liked girls. That’s the reason she shoved her face to Siwon’s in the first place.

“Maybe you’re biual?” Taecyeon suggested.

“I don’t really know yet.” She avoided his eyes.

“You’re a train wreck!” He laughed.

“I know.” Tiffany dug her fingers in her hair. “Don’t get me started on Sunny.”

“Okay, who’s that?”

She pouted. This was the first time she revealed something that didn’t go through Taeyeon’s ears before someone else. “Our new roommate.”

“And what’s the story with her?”

“She…” Tiffany sighed. “She’s just a person I really wanna take care of. I really like her.”

“Don’t tell me, you kissed her?” Taecyeon fussed. Tiffany stopped her a bit and he knew she’s been caught; his jejune eyes stared at her before he let his thoughts burst. “Oh my God! You kissed her? You kissed her!”

“Shut up!” Tiffany placed her hands on Taecyeon’s mouth. 'They understand you, you dimwit!' she mouthed. They heard the library bell ring, signaling the students to keep quiet. They both kept their heads down and resuming talking in lower voices.

“I can’t believe this! How can you kiss a new roommate?”

“Her lips were really pretty!”

“THAT’S NOT A VALID EXCUSE, YOU WALKING DIMWIT OF AN !” He cussed.

“She has a nice set of…”

“STOP!” He stood up and covered his ear, then frantically gathered his things and stuffed them inside his bag. “I am not having this conversation with you!”

"Mr. Ok and Ms. Hwang! Out! Right now!" The librarian shouted.

The two were taken outside the hallway, kneeling with their hands up. "Twenty minutes." She said.

When the door shut, Tiffany giggled. “Omo, this is like, so high school.”

“You really are a something, aren't you?” He sighed as he tried to cover his head from the students that passed by. “God, Tiffany! You really have to fix yourself. Not everyone you like is yours. Do you think you’re just picking out clothes when you look for friends?”

“Wouldn’t it be great if it did though? Everyone I like would be in Pink.”

“You’re missing the point!”

“No, I’m not. Once I figure things out, I’ll fix it.” She confidently said.

Taecyeon stared at her. Silence. They kept their head down for at least ten minutes. Another ten more minutes to go. People pass by and whisper to each other while looking at the two. “I bet we look like idiots.”

“Oh, shoot. Don't we have Statistics right now?” She realized.

“Tiffany, Its 2PM. Stat was over thirty minutes ago.” Taecyeon showed her the time on his watch.

The girl punched him as hard as she could. “You should’ve told me! We totally missed a class!”

“Chill. It’s just one class.” Taecyeon wrapped his arms around Tiffany’s shoulders. “You know what we should do? We should get some cold noodles.”

“What, you’re craving?”

“It’s customary to eat naengmyun when you just got out of jail. Don’t you know that?” He pulled her closer with his arm. “That, and considering that you've just released those pent up feelings you have for your best friend. I made you admit you love her more than that.”

“Shut up.” She chuckled. "Just because I told you that doesn't make you any less lucky in the love department."

“You know, you should stop referring to Taeyeon as your best friend.” He advised, continuing to raise his arms up just in case the librarian checks on them. “I bet she’ll appreciate it better if you gave her a different title; although she can still act as your best friend and all, just… Promote her to something else.”

“What, like husband and wife?” She asked.

“Yeah, because she needs to scoot over.” Taecyeon shrugged.

“What do you mean?”

“I’m your best friend from now on, get it?” He softly claimed. “From now on, things like this… Or anything at all. Tell me, okay? I want to be there for you too.”