CHAPTER 1

“No… Don’t leave her.”

“Do you know what you’re saying?”

“Please…”

“Don’t make me do this, Taeng.”

“NO!”

“Sigh. You leave me no choice…”

*SPLASH*

“AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH! What the… SICA! You…”

“Glad you’re finally awake, Taeng.”

“YAH! What was that for?”

Taeyeon who was soaking wet got up from the bed and shot a glare at Jessica who was holding an empty glass. Shrugging her shoulders, Jessica walked out of the room leaving Taeyeon shivering in her wet clothes. She then decided to take a shower before confronting her friend.

Jessica Jung and Kim Taeyeon had been sharing an apartment for more than two years. Their first meeting was unexpected since they were both new to Seoul at that time.

Jessica came all the way from California. Her parents as well as her only sister lives there. Her parents thought that it will be good for their daughter to live in their homeland and Jessica thought it was a good idea too since she gets to have a taste of freedom away from her parents so she agreed. It never occurred to her freedom costs something.

Taeyeon’s story isn’t much different. She came from the province of Jeonju. She only came to Seoul to finish her studies and achieve her dream of being a doctor someday. Growing up in the countyside, Taeyeon had the ability of living on her own. The only setback is that she is struggling to budget her money effectively.

It was their freshman year when the two first met. They were complete strangers until the landlady brought the two of them together by suggesting that they share the apartment instead of renting one for each of them. With money as their first priority in living independently, Jessica and Taeyeon agreed.

They had known each other for two years already and they were now starting another year as juniors. Never underestimate that short amount of time. In two years of knowing each other, they had built a strong foundation for their friendship amidst of all their differences. It is safe to assume that the two had treated each other like sisters in that short amount of time.

But of course, even sisters or friends have their arguments every now and then. Jessica and Taeyeon are no exception.

After taking a quick shower, Taeyeon made her way to the kitchen to get a glass of milk for herself and sat down next to Jessica. The younger girl ignored Taeyeon’s presence and continued drinking her brewed coffee. Taeyeon stole a glance at her silent friend before putting pancakes on her plate. She finished up all her food before breaking the silence.

“You could’ve just wakened me up in the normal way, you know.” Taeyeon muttered.

“Well, I already tried doing that. It’s ineffective in your case.” Jessica’s cold tone was evident.

“Sica…”

“…”

“Yah. Do you have an idea what you just did to me?”

“Yes. I succeeded in waking you up, didn’t I?”

“You made me get soaked in water! What’s with you today? You know how I get sick so easily. Besides, our classes don’t start until tomorrow so you could’ve just left me alone to sleep.”

Jessica shook her head. “Not gonna happen, Taeng. Have you already forgotten? You’re supposed to do the grocery shopping today. If I didn’t wake you up earlier, we won’t have anything to eat for lunch so I’m pretty sure that what I did was right and just. Most of all, I woke you up in that way because you were sleep talking. Again.”

“I AM NOT!” Taeyeon said defensively.

“Yes Taeng. You definitely ARE talking in your sleep. Why would you bother to deny? You were ASLEEP at that time so you wouldn’t know unless someone tells you. And I am telling you that you are. I can even take a video of you the next time so you would believe me.”

Taeyeon rubbed her neck in embarrassment. “Well. At least it’s not loud…”

Jessica stared at Taeyeon as if she had said the most ridiculous thing in the world. “Not loud? I CAN HEAR YOU FROM MY ROOM!”

Taeyeon instinctively covered her precious ears to protect it from the high-pitched scream. She only removed it when it was finally safe. Taeyeon smiled awkwardly at the glaring Jessica. “Alright. I’m sorry… So, is that why you woke up earlier than me?”

“You think?” Jessica said coldly.

The shorter girl gulped. Her friend was obviously upset with her. A sleep-deprived Jessica isn’t one to mess with.

“Sica… Look, I’m really sorry if I disturbed your precious sleep. Please forgive me. You said so yourself. I don’t even know that I was doing it already. Come on, Sica…” Taeyeon whined while tugging Jessica’s shirt.

Jessica sighed and removed Taeyeon’s grip on her shirt making the older girl pout.

“Sica…”

“Alright Taeng… I’m not supposed to say this but you leave me no choice. I think we can do something about your sleep talking problem. You can lessen its frequency if you want to…”

Taeyeon’s eyes sparkled with hope. “How?”

“You can definitely do it if… you stop reading those online stories.”

“WHAT? NO WAY! I’m not going to do that! Na-uh-uh.”

“Taengoo…”

“No Sica. I’m never doing that! And what does reading online stories have to do with my sleep talking problems? Huh?”

“A lot actually. Your sleep talking got worse when you started to get hooked to reading those. I suggest you stop.”

“But… Yah! How would you even know that reading online stories is the reason for my sleep talking? You’re not reading those too, are you?” Taeyeon said teasingly.

“Absolutely not! I would never read stuffs from some amateur writers. And you’re wondering how I knew? Well, I don’t have any other ideas where you got blankie from.”

Taeyeon’s eyes widened and she immediately looked away. Biting her lower lip, she blushed. Jessica took notice of this so she decided to push her friend a little more.

“See? You’re not even denying it.”

“Taeyeon sighed in defeat. “Well, is that all you’ve heard from me when I talk in my sleep?”

“Nope. Last week, you were mumbling something about Barbie… I’m not really sure. And then the other day, you were saying something like looking for angels. I warn you, Kim Taeyeon.  Those online stories won’t do you any good… especially when I’m the one paying for the price.”

“YAH! At least those stories are good! As in REALLY GOOD! Not like the books you read. Those are… ugh.” Taeyeon scrunched her nose in disgust, making Jessica hit her arm.

“FYI, the books that I read are GOOD. What do you know about it? You’re stuck reading online stories.”

Teayeon rubbed the part where Jessica had hit her. “I know what I’m talking about. Don’t you remember? You lent me one of your books for our book review requirement last school year. Let me tell you. IT WAS HORRIBLE! I wasn’t able to think straight for a week! I can’t even make a proper review on that book. How am I even supposed to do a DECENT book review with that kind of story?”

“What book was it?”

“Fifty Shades of Grey.”

Now, it’s Jessica’s turn to blush. Taeyeon grinned when she saw Jessica’s flushed face. She knew she hit the right spot.

“Aigoo. See what you did there, Sica? You got me into a lot of trouble because of that book!”

“H-how? You… You didn’t submit a book review on that, did you?”

“Of course not! Failing in English class isn’t part of the plan. I meant other troubles. It was worse than you think.” Taeyeon shook her head lifelessly as she recalled the unfortunate event.

“W-what happened?”

Taeyeon let out a sigh. “You see, I was planning to read that book in the library but on my way there, I bumped into Juhyun. She saw me carrying that book so she asked me if she could read it too so she can help me with the book review… To make the story short, NOW SHE THINKS I’M A ERT!” Taeyeon covered her face in embarrassment.

Jessica’s cheeks turned even redder.

‘You’re such a pabo, Jessica! Out of all the books you have, you picked Fifty Shades to lend her for a book review? Real smart, Jess.’ Jessica mentally scolded herself.

“Are you listening, Sica? Now, Juhyun thinks badly of her beloved unnie. And it’s all thanks to that good book of yours.”

“I’m sorry, okay?”

“And?” Taeyeon crossed her arms, waiting for Jessica to say something else.

Jessica rolled her eyes. “Alright. I’m sorry for lending you the wrong book. I’m sorry for splashing water on you and… I’m also sorry for insulting your beloved online stories. Better?”

Taeyeon grinned widely. “Much better.”

The rest of the morning went by peacefully for both of them. Yes. They may have differences in their preferences but they work it out easily. Indeed, two years had done so much for them. Two years were more than enough to create a special bond between them. Two years were more than enough to establish their friendship.

Little did they know that something big is going to happen to them the next day. The day will come that the two years that they spent with each other may be tossed aside…

…for that one special girl.

A/N: That rare moment when I get some inspiration for TaengSic. 0.0 This is long overdue so there you go. The first chapter! YAY! *coughs*.

Thanks to all the subs! I hope you won't unsubscribe after only a few chapters... T.T

And I say hello to all the Locksmiths and Wave Surfers out there. Just to remind you guys, just because I'm a JeTi shipper doesn't mean that this will LIKELY end up as JeTi. There are tons of possibilities. Fact: I was a Locksmith before so... yeah. One more thing, TaengSic is also a possibility, right? I am currently reading those now (and I'm liking it). So don't get too confident, JeTidals... *evil smirk*

Comments are most welcomed! Tiffany on the next chapter... ^^,