Stage 1
 

“Naw, what is that again?!”

Taeyeon slammed down her palm against her bed. One interruption coming from the sudden blackout before was already pissing her. She had to restart the game again, and not to mention the unstable electric current would damage her device in process.

Putting aside her joystick, she grunted while getting off her bed. There wasn’t need to pause her game again, because she had lost anyway. Thanks to the constant ringing bell on her door that successfully distracted her concentration. She was about to win that game, that was close, she groaned again. Very close.

“Yah! Be patient!”

She didn’t forget to yell while strolling down to the source of her disruption. Taeyeon tipped her toes and squinted one eye on the peephole. No one stood there.

“Hey, show yourself now or I will never open this door for you again.” She spoke against the door.

“You know what?” Taeyeon slowly saw a short figure came to her vision. “You have to let loose and try to not being so serious, all the time, Taeng.”  The same figure remarked.

“Ha, very funny.” Taeyeon opened her door, to let the intruder come. “Such a nice greeting, Soonkyu.”

“YAH! Stop calling me that!!”

She walked back -all the while ignoring Sunny- to her former room and set on her latest position, lying on stomach with joystick by hand. She saw her friend was approaching her with ice cream on her hand. Taeyeon focused back on her game, determinate to win this time.

“Grab one for me!” She demanded, eyes glued over the television. The other girl however, nonchalantly took a seat on the bed as well. Comfortably crossing her legs. “Well, this is the last.” Replied her cozily.

“What?!” Taeyeon stopped playing. “You do realize, that is my last ice cream right?”

She saw her nodding and sighing. “And why are you owning it now, Soonkyu?” She shot her a quick glare before focusing her attention back to the game.

“Yah! How many times I need to personally tell you-“ Sunny pointed her finger on Taeyeon’s direction. “Don’t you dare to ever call me with that name again. And it’s Sunny, if you somehow have such a short term memory!” The slightly shorter girl grumbled. While Taeyeon laughed by her answer, Sunny was already having such a nice plan inside her head. She put aside her pin of ice cream.

“Very funny Kim Taeyeon, very funny.” She snorted and when she saw Taeyeon’s blasé act,  Sunny immediately snatched the controller that was once in Taeyeon’s safe grip. Intentionally made Taeyeon’s car bump onto the competitors, resulting of the sudden mass of cars accident before leaving the right track and soon crashing the car over the wall.

“Wow! That was one heck scene!!”

Taeyeon could only stare in disbelief. “I almost win that race! Twice. You hear me?! Twice!!”

“So?”

“And you ruined it!” Taeyeon screamed. “I didn’t even have a chance to save it before!! How could you?!” The girl’s eyes were still staring at her TV. “I can’t believe you actually doing this to me. You have stabbed me behind my back. I’m hurting.”

“That’s the payback for messing with me.” Sunny resumed to eating her cold treat.

“You’re definitely a heartless people.” Taeyeon sulked. She threw her gaze at Sunny. “And that is my ice cream. Give it back to me.”

A spoon of ice cream landed on her nose. Taeyeon ragged. “Yah!”

“I gave you the taste, didn’t I?”

***

“I bought you ice creams so be grateful.”

“It’s your responsible.”

“I only took one!” Sunny threw her hands up in frustration. “Or I will bring this home instead.” She launched a threat.

“OH WOW THANK YOU SO MUCH MY DEAR BEST EVER FRIEND IN THIS ENTIRE WORLD, LEE SOONKYU!!”

“No mocking included and more sincere please.” Sunny added while leaning against the doorframe. “I’m waiting.” She weighed the plastic bag, full of ice creams.

“Correction. THANK YOU SO MUCH MY BEAUTIFUL BEST FRIEND, LEE SUNNY!”

Taeyeon had to control her face not to let her gag expression go noticed by her best friend.

“See? Being less stoic is a good start.” Sunny said before walking to store the ice creams inside Taeyeon’s fridge. And Taeyeon heaved a sigh of relief. She immersed herself on her game again.

“Do you realize?” She heard Sunny ask after coming from the kitchen. She lifted her head up, but didn’t turn. “What?”

“That next year, we will be graduated.” Sunny exclaimed, eyeing Taeyeon who was still paying her attention on her game.

“Oh, tell me something I don’t know then.” replied Taeyeon casually.

“Don’t you feel lonely?”

That was a slight hesitation before she responded. “No, I have games. I’m much contented with it. And if you imply for any real interaction between humans that I had to have. Oh believe me, I’m attending college. I met humans there.”

“So, relationship?” Sunny twisted her question and intrigued more. Noting Taeyeon’s expression.

“I’m not in any relationship.” Taeyeon punched the button on her controller hardly. “Spare me headache, heartache and the list go down on the floor.”

“Since?”

“Forever.”

“I know it already and wow, and you still somehow survive?”

“Pretty much. I’m happy being single.” Taeyeon put a small smile. “It’s much easier. More flexible.”

“That’s why you’re easily feeling cranky.” The shorter girl marched towards her and took a seat at the edge of the bed.

But Taeyeon just shrugged it off.

Sunny huffed, feeling frustrated with her best friend’s stubbornness. “Why don’t you try to find love?” She finally got to her point that Taeyeon had expected it since earlier; she paused her game and processed to face her best friend.

“Which part of happy being single don’t you understand Sunny?” Taeyeon’s tone got cold. She appreciated her kindness, but not with the intention. She didn’t like being forced into something she certainly had to think over and over again.

It brought back the memory of her painful past. What her father promised to her mother before was loving her with all of his heart. But what it got in the end? He left her. He left their family without words. It was love. Taeyeon shook her head slowly before looking away. Love can do that. She thought to herself as she gritted her teeth.

“What’s the point of loving someone if in the end, you will leave your so called loved one? Hurting and dealing with everything alone?”

“Taeyeon,” Sunny called softly, hands were already on Taeyeon’s shoulder. “You will never know, what love can do to people. To you.” She continued. “Just because one thing, you already close your heart and prevent yourself from being in love.”

“Exactly, Love can do everything. And I do not wish to acknowledge it.”

“Love can be a pain, but at the same time, its joys beat the pain. Much more. Don’t you wonder?”

Taeyeon shook her head. “Thank you but like I said before, no still means no.”

“But, it’s been a long time, Taeyeon.” Sunny’s eyes softened after seeing her look. Taeyeon might try to hide it, but being her best friend since they were kids, something like that would she eventually notice even if Taeyeon refused to tell her the truth. Nevertheless, Sunny understood.

“You are not going to be young anymore. Although your face may trick.”  Sunny added jokingly.

Taeyeon smiled a bit, feeling grateful of her friend’s effort to make her feeling better. “I know it  already. But please, just let me?”

Sunny nodded, straightening up her back. “Just don’t come all running to me when you are in your forties and still are single.”

Her best friend laughed at that. “That’s so mean. But seriously, thank you.”

***
 

She loved her parents. That was sure, especially her mom. And to tell the truth, she loved her father just as much. He was such a caring husband and lovable father. Taeyeon didn’t really know if her parents ever went into a fight, because they looked all okay to her. Back then she never really heard her parents argued. And she naively proud of that, until she got to see it by herself.

Just when Taeyeon woke up in the middle of night. She had a nightmare, and all she wanted to get was a comfort from her mother. She closed her door behind her softly and walked to her parents’ room. She just a mere near the closed door when she heard a noisy sound. Taeyeon quickened herself into the direction, feeling scared. About her nightmare and thought of something bad happened to her them.

She turned the knob cautiously and peeked inside the room. For the first time in her life, she had to witness her parents in argument. A heavy argument, loud and clear. Perhaps, that’s way she wasn’t being noticed, although the hinge of the door wasn’t the quietest thing around her. Portraying her father figure, it never crossed inside her little mind that he could ever lay a finger on her mother like that. Rudely slapping her.

Taeyeon stood on her ground, didn’t want to interrupt. But the look on her mother, was something she wished to never see it again. She clearly spotted tears.

With her slightly shaky hands, Taeyeon pushed the door a bit wider this time. Making her mother stared in horror after realizing her presence. And what she saw in her father was unreadable eyes, if she hadn’t any better, she would tell that it was cold. Cold eyes. 

“Don’t hurt my mother.”

With that brave words, she got one slap for the first time on that day. 

Hello, sorry for deleting the whole chapters :(
And, I made a slight change of it. Hope you still like it. Well, I hope so :)