(Tiffany’s POV)

"I’m sorry, my little one… I can’t do this anymore!” Taeyeon said.

She may have meant it for Krystal but she was definitely looking right at me when she said it. Her eyes were screaming heartache and sorrow.

She still has feelings for me! I know it!

I saw a tear roll down her cheek as she said that despite her best attempts to hide it.

Then she said, “I’m leaving…” and immediately ran out the door.

I HAD TO go after her.

“I’m sorry, Jess! I have to go after her… You two will just have to figure this out on your own! Stop being children and grow up!” I scolded them before bolting out of the restaurant.

I looked for her immediately after stepping out to see which direction she went but there was no sign of her.

“Excuse me, did you see a girl run out a moment ago? Which way did she go?” I asked the hostess.

“Sorry, miss. I did see her run out but I’m not sure which direction she went,” she answered.

Ugh! That’s no use at all…!

So I did the only logical thing to do. I went home to wait for her. She had to come home some time…

I waited and waited but it was already passed midnight and she still wasn’t home.

I tried calling her but she kept sending me straight to voicemail, so I texted her instead.

“I’m worried, Taeyeonie! Come home, I need to tell you something very important!”

No reply.

“It’s seriously important!”

No reply.

“If you don’t come home soon, I’m going to have to call the police!”

No reply. She called my bluff.

Now I was really worried.

She wouldn’t just not come home… would she?

Just as I was going to give up hope, I heard the front door open and I immediately ran to greet her.

“Taeyeonie!” I ran towards her with open arms, ready to embrace her.

“STOP!” she called out. “Don’t touch me! Don’t call me that!”

I stopped in my tracks.

“Taeyeonie! Wae geurae?”

“Didn’t I just say not to call me that?!”

“But-" I started but she immediately cut me off.

“Save it for Sica!” she said with a cold tone.

This wasn’t my Taeyeon… We really did push her too far…

“Taeyeon, please. Just listen to what I have to say…” I pleaded.

“I really don’t need to know the details of your love life…” she replied.

“It’s not what you think…”

“And what exactly do I think?”

“That Jess and I are a couple…”

“Aren’t you?”

“No…”

“Oh, right… No… you two just started seeing each other so you’re just dating right now… Not quite a couple yet.”

“It’s not even that… Why are you so mad anyway?!”

“You’re mistaken… I’m not mad… I’m disgusted!”

“WHY?! You can be with Krystal but I can’t be with Jess?”

“Who said I was with Krystal?!”

“It’s pretty obvious!”

“Well then, you’re seeing things! There’s absolutely nothing going on between Krystal and me!”

“So… you’re not with Krystal…? Nothing going on? Not even a little?” I asked. I needed to know for sure.

“NO! I’m just being a good unni, okay?! So don’t go blaming this on me!”

She walked past me, towards her room.

“It’s all a lie!” I yelled out. I couldn’t hold it in anymore.

She stopped and turned around.

“What do you mean it’s all a lie?” she asked without softening her expression.

“Jess and I… it’s all a lie…” I admitted. “It was just a ruse to make you jealous…”

“WHY?! Why would you do that?!”

“Because I needed to know you would be jealous…”

“What?! Why?!”

“Because… because I know you like me! You’ve had feelings for me for a long time now, haven’t you?!”

“Tch! You’re conceited!” She started walking away again.

“And because I have feelings for you too!”

She stopped again.

“You’re a real jerk, Hwang Miyoung! I can’t believe you’re playing with my feelings like this. Don’t say that you have feelings for me when you’ve had feelings for Sica all this time…”

I knew she was going to leave again so I wrapped my arms around her as tightly as I could so that she wouldn’t be able to.

“Let me go!” she yelled as she struggled to get free.

“No! Stop it! Just listen to me!” I yelled back at her.

She struggled a little more but then she gave up and started crying instead.

“Please, just let me go…” she sobbed. “I can’t take this torture anymore…”

I drew my head back so that I could look her in the eye.

“It’s true that for a long time I thought I had a crush on Jess. It’s true that I had actually asked her to go out with me. But she rejected me-“

“And I’m your second choice!” she interrupted.

“No, you idiot! It didn’t even break my heart. Sure, it hurt a little but when I thought that you and Krystal were seeing each other… it drove me insane! It tore my heart into pieces. I hated it! And that’s why I asked Jess to help me pretend we were together to make you jealous. I wanted you so desperately Taeyeonie! I realized that you were the one whom I couldn’t live without! Just you, no one else! Taeyeonie… I love you!”

I hoped for some kind of reaction from her but she just stared back at me blankly.

“I-I don’t know…” It was all she could say after I had poured my heart and soul to her.

“If you tell me you don’t love me back… I will leave you alone…” I told her.

She thought about it for a second and then I noticed that she was parting her lips to say something.

No! I’m not letting you say it!

So I pressed my lips against hers. She tried pushing me away but it only made me pull her back harder. Then I felt her stop resisting… and she started kissing me back. I took this as a sign that she wasn’t saying no… so I pulled her even closer and deepened the kiss. Taeyeonie started to surrender herself completely and we were both unable to hold in our feelings any longer. The kiss was intense, passionate, amorous, and heated. Our hands were all over each other. Our kiss quickly became an unstoppable force.

I couldn’t even pull away to take a breath.

“Do you want me to stop?” I managed to ask her in between changing head angles.

She didn’t give me a response, although the answer was very clear…