Part 1

She squinted her eyes after yawning and looked around the benches which were occupied by different kinds of people- young and old, natives and foreigners, fair and tanned.

She glanced at her wrist-watch and furrowed her brows. ‘Nine o’clock already?’

“Excuse me, ahjussi…” whispered Taeyeon to the man who was busy reading some newspaper.

He turned his attention to her. “Yes?”

“Why aren’t we called for take-off yet?” She spoke not too loud, for the other passengers were still sleeping at the waiting area.

“Ah. You were sleeping, I guess?”

She shyly nodded while scratching her head. “Y-yeah.”

“The flight has been delayed for another hour... must be some technical problem.” He shrugged and continued reading.

“Aah…” She sighed, not sure whether the delay was a good thing or not.

Good… that she’d still be staying for a short while at the country she had grown in. Bad… that she’d end up missing the very person she wanted to be with right now, making her reminisce about the moments they’d spent together—as friends.

But what difference would it make anyway? She was alone at the airport, with no one to talk to but the man beside her, who was rather too busy to talk to any stranger like her.

***

Two girls were sitting across from each other at some café’ in Seoul.

“Tiff, I can’t stand that. Seriously.” Jessica was aware that her Mocha frappe wasn’t cold anymore, but she delayed finishing it on purpose. She had been trying to console her sobbing cousin for the past hour already.

“I’m sorry, Jessie. You know you’re the only one I can run to, right?” Tiffany sniffed, wiping her tears with the handkerchief that originally belonged to someone special to her heart- someone who just left her.

“Correction. The only person you can run to… starting today.” Jessica emphasized.

Hearing that made Tiffany cry even more.

‘Oops sorry.’ Jessica bit her lip, “She’s always been the person you run to whenever you’re like this… the only one who can stop you from crying.”

The sobbing girl creased her forehead. ‘And apparently also the reason why I’m crying.’

Jessica looked at the half-emptied glass infront of her and smiled. “That dork looks like a baby, but when you two are together, she transforms into a mom… Your mom.”

Tiffany forced a smile, but it was eventually replaced by a frown.

“The only person who likes your cooking.” Jessica chuckled. “And I still doubt that. Cause if it’s true, I’ll assume she has a major disease in the taste buds.”

That made Tiffany laugh. “Yah! Like you’re any better.”

“At least I don’t burn people’s kitchens on a normal basis.”

“At least I’m trying! Unlike you!” Tiffany retorted. “She taught me how to cook… Kimchi fried rice.” She half-smiled at the thought. “She kept telling me I should learn a few basic recipes… for my husband.” She paused. “If I ever get married in the future.”

“Oh I can smell a recipe oozing from you right now!”

“Huh?”

Jessica smirked. “Friend-zoned recipe.”

Tiffany rolled her eyes and just stared at the cars passing by outside the glass windows. “I am not friend-zoned.”

“I know… It’s just the two of you are like snails who are secretly in love with each other. So sloooow. Even denying the obvious. What are you afraid of anyway?”

Tiffany was relieved that her cousin could read her mind that she didn’t even have to tell her what she really felt through words.

“You know… Taeyeon and I are…” She hesitated. “The thing between us isn’t exactly normal, right?”

“Hmm… Here we go again with the gender thing.” Jessica pursed her lips and shook her head.

Tiffany huffed in frustration. “And although I’d like to think that our feelings are mutual, I also don’t. Because assuming kills. She’s never the type who expresses her feelings, you know that.”

The silence between them caused Tiffany to think deeply about her situation.

Jessica broke the deafening silence. “Has it ever crossed your mind that maybe… she feels the same way? That she’s just afraid that YOU’RE the one who doesn’t feel the same?”

“Why would she feel that? Compared to her… I’m more affectionate!”

“Oh come on, Tiff!” Jessica snickered. “How many times do you even bombard her with your boy stories? Like… Dennis Oh, Ian Somerhaulder, and even the guys in the campus like Woohyuk, Jaehun, and--”

“That was before I realized my feelings, Jessie.” Tiffany cut her off. “And I admit… I was also trying to make her…”

“Jealous?”

Tiffany nodded in defeat.

“Well, did it work?”

“I’m not sure…” She pouted as she tried to recall those moments.

----

They were walking around the campus during their break, using the free time to see each other despite their schedule conflicts.

“Taeyeon-aaaah!” Tiffany was trying to supress her giggles as she squeezed the poor arm of her best friend.

“Why are you so jumpy today?” asked Taeyeon, wondering why Tiffany was suddenly all giggly.

“Jaehun just passed by my classroom this morning! All the girls in our class were literally gawking at him! I mean like… He’s so tall and handsome and… athletic! OMG!”

‘Everything I’m not.’ Taeyeon thought. “I bet you drooled the most.” She had to force a smile. “Cause you still have traces of saliva left there, Fany-ah…”

---

“Her response was epic.” Jessica couldn’t stop laughing. “Did you really have traces of saliva?”

“What!? No!” Tiffany pouted. “I slept in class… Maybe I--”

“Oh my gosh. Maybe she got turned off?” Jessica covered while laughing at her cousin. “Oh well, who wouldn’t? Even Woohyuk cheated--”

“Let’s not even go there.”

---

Tiffany was trying to hold back her tears. Breaking up with her first boyfriend didn’t actually turn out well. She wasn’t in love with him in the first place. She was just curious about being in a relationship. When she realized that she was just fooling herself, she decided to break it off with him.

But before she could even tell him that they’