Chapter 12

When Tiffany entered her room later that day, her forehead wrinkled in bewilderment. The room was as spotless as it had never been. The desk was polished until it gleamed under the light without any sign of the speckle of water she had accidentally dropped there this morning. Her bed was made up with new sheets & new plumper pillows. She stuck her head out when she heard somebody walked past her room & saw one of the upstairs maids, “Sorry, Sunny, but did you know if someone entered my room today?”

The maid nodded lightly, “Today is the clean up day so I guess they must have entered it to scrub it down today. Why? Is there something wrong?”

“Clean up day?” Tiffany asked casually.

Sunny nodded again, & explained, “Every year, the house is cleaned from top to bottom by us maids. We are divided into two teams of five maids for upper level & two teams for lower level. Mrs. Jung said that the five maids have to work together so they could supervise each other. Is there something amiss, Tim Oppa? You didn’t lose something, did you?” She started to get an alarmed look on her rectangular-shaped face as her thought traveled further.

Tiffany shook her head & smiled to calm her down, “No, nothing’s wrong. I’m just asking because my room is cleaner than I have ever seen it. Thanks, Sunny, & give my thanks to whoever cleaned my room, too.”

Trusting that the staff wouldn’t be so noisy as to go through her stuff, she went to take a bath. The matter was soon forgotten as she started to speculate what Yunho was going to talk about shortly.

A knock on his door almost made Yunho yelped like a little girl. Heart still beating erratically from the jolt, he unearthed his head from the pile of discarded papers he buried himself in. From outside, he could hear the voice of a maid, “Master Yunho, I’m sorry to disturb you but you said I’m to tell you when Tim has come home.”

He swallowed profusely & rapped his head once more on the desk. Five hours & still nothing. For five hours, he had tried to put in writing what he planned to say to her but the results were there on his desk. Countless of crumpled papers where he had buried his head in frustration. In his desperation, he had even tried to lay unmoving under his bed, thinking that maybe staying in the dark & looking up at his mattress would help him find any inspiration. Weird idea but god knew he had tried everything else that were considered normal. Banging his head on the desk had only given him a bump the size of an egg on his forehead & circling stars around his head. Standing upside down hadn’t helped either. Instead of a light-bulb moment, he had almost had a light-out moment when the blood had rushed to & pooled in his head because he had refused to give up & stand upright again. He had tried to submerged himself in water, thinking the water would somehow seep into his head & refresh it but it only managed to make him wet. No matter what he had tried, the idea of what & how to say it all was still as out of reach as before.

Sighing in defeat, he let out a loud grunt, signaling the maid outside that he had heard her. He shook his head, not unlike satan shaking his body to get rid of unwanted things & picked up his pen again. After a couple of minutes, he shot up from his chair & started prowling around the room, tousling & yanking his hair in the process.

He glanced at the clock & squared his shoulder. Since he couldn’t prepare for it then so be it. Maybe it’s better not to rehearsed anyway. It would sound more sincere, wouldn’t it? He comforted himself with the thought as he ran downstairs.

In front of Tim’s door, he paused. From inside, he could hear the blaring sound of rock & roll, telling him to get down & dirty. A humorless smile curled his lips. Oh, he’s down alright. Way down to the bottommost of the pit if he couldn’t get her to hear him out. As for dirty, it would all depend on how Tim would react to his confession.

Taking in a deep breath, he knocked on her door, although he doubted she could hear him. Hearing no reply, he slowly turned the doorknob. It was unlocked. He pushed the door open & stuck his head inside. The engaging grin he had fixed on his face faltered when he saw nobody in there. He stormed into the room & stood in the middle of it with his hands on his hips & an annoyed scowl on his face! Now, where would the girl be? Without a warning, he squatted low enough to peer under the bed. He wouldn’t put it past her to pull such a trick on him but nobody was hiding there.

He was ready to trashed the house down when he suddenly heard the sound of water running in the bathroom. Only then did he find he could breathe easily again. Waiting for his heart rate to settle, he paced around the room, mentally ticking up the point he wanted to say to her.

He didn’t know how many lifetimes had passed when he finally heard a soft click & the sound of the bathroom door opening. Smiling charmingly, he turned around to greet her & felt as if his heart had dropped to the bottom of his stomach. Instead of a warm & cheerful greeting, a small choked sound escaped his lips. He stood rooted to the floor just as Tim stood there astounded, clad only in her black ruffle bathrobe & her hair in a towel. Although he could see Tim getting paler as the blood rushed down from her face, it didn’t register fully in his mind that he was the cause. All his attention was captured by the vision in front of him.

“Goodness gracious.” He whispered reverently, as he goggled at the girl in front of him. Not even in his wildest imagination did he ever think she could look like this. If not because of the light in those eyes, he would probably think he had entered the wrong room but he would always recognize the look in them whenever she gazed at him.

Nothing could have prepared Tiffany for Yunho’s presence in her room. She was very conscious of what she looked like without her usual makeup & bindings. Squealing in distress, she quickly flew back into the bathroom & locked the door, “Get out.” She croaked.

Although his long legs felt like two chopsticks & his arms felt like a dead weight on both sides of his body, he managed to get to the bathroom door & pounded on it, “Tim, open it.” God, he couldn’t even recognize his own voice. It was so hoarse & quivery, unlike his usual deep & smooth one. He cleared his throat & pounded again, “Tim. Open up.” When he still heard no answer from inside, he yelled, “Then you had better be decent because dressed or not dressed, I’m going to break this door unless you open it right now!”

“Go away.”

“One.” He waited for a second then continued, “Two.”

A second of silence & then he heard a soft click. Slowly, with reluctance stamped all over her striking face, Tim appeared before him, still dressed in her bathrobe & towel.

Once again, he was staggered when faced with the beauty in front of him. Who could have guessed that her skin could be so creamy & luminous without a dab of makeup? The moisture from her bath made her looked like a fresh flower with dew sprinkled on it. So alluring & flawless & who could have thought that those eyes were even more exquisite & mesmerizing? All this time, when he had imagined Tim as a girl, he only put her in a dress instead of her usual jeans in his mind. Never had he thought that those eyebrows & darker complexion were fake articles & those lips, they became fuller now & oh, so tempting, ‘Thank you god.’ He said deferentially. His eyes roamed her features almost with worship & disbelief, not even noticing how Tim had become squirmy under his gazed. When he felt he could speak almost coherently, he took a step closer to her which caused the girl to dash into the shower box & grab the showerhead, “Don’t take another step unless you want to be scalded by this hot water.” She warned. He chuckled as he stalked towards her slowly, “Yunho, I’m serious.” She waved the shower head closer in his direction while her other hand hovered on the knob.

Being a bit careful this time, Yunho stood still & looked at her, “God, you are beautiful.” He chuckled as he saw her cheeks turning crimson red, “You know, this works out even better than I would ever plan.” He said, amused & delighted by this turn of event. Looking at her dead in the eye, he took a deliberate step towards her. He saw her hand trembled a little on the hot water knob & hurriedly said what he wanted to say before he wasn’t able to say anything other than ouch, “Tim, listen & listen carefully. I’m not gay; I swear I’m not. I kissed you because I wanted to, not because of a moment impulse & I wanted to because I have known for sometime now that you are a girl. Somehow, by reasoned, I couldn’t even begin to explain, I took a liking towards you.”

A moment of silent then her soft, yet defiant voice reached his ear, “Who said I’m a girl?”

Yunho let out a long-suffering sigh & like a lightning, stole the showerhead from her hand before she could even blink & swiped the towel off of her head. Her shoulder-length hair tumbled down, framing her startled face & making her looked more like a girl than ever. He pulled the shower head until it broke & tossed it away. Then he turned around & asked softly, “Do you need me to say more?” His thumb flicked her cheek, testing if it was as soft as it looked & then he nodded his head in approval & admiration.

She waved his hand away, much like she was waving her secret goodbye inwardly & surrendering to her fate, “That still doesn’t prove anything. So what if I’m a pretty boy? That’s no fault of mine.” She said sulkily. Amused & flattered by his reaction, she looked down casually, trying to hide the blushed on her cheeks subtly, “Oh, come on, Tim. Just admit it. I know you are a girl.” He said, with a painful look as if she had just insulted his intelligence.

Tiffany shook her head stubbornly. Then felt her forehead crinkled in bewilderment when she saw Yunho stalked with determination towards the medicine cabinet. She followed him with her eyes & saw him opening one drawer after another. She heard the ‘Yeah, right, not a girl’ muttering from him & felt like smiling. She watched with anticipation of what he would bring out to prove his claim & felt mortified to the bone when he waved her monthly pads in front of her eyes. Choking, she tried to grab it out of his hands but he was quicker, “Now, what can you say, Tim? Hmmm?”

Seeing the gloating look on his face, she said the first thing that came into her mind, “I still wet my bed. That’s what it’s for.”

Now, it was Yunho who was choking but whereas hers was in mortification, his was in laughter, “You are the most ingenious girl I have ever met, you know that?” He said in between laughter, “My god, wet your bed? That’s a pretty good answer & quick, too.” He said, with respect & appreciation showing clearly in his eyes. Tiffany finally gave in & laughed too, “I think so, too.” She said cheekily, but her laughter died abruptly & she took in a sharp breath when she saw the way Yunho was looking at her again. So intense, piercing & possessive that she felt her body tingled in reaction.

“What’s your name? & don’t give me anymore fake names this time.”

“Tiffany.” She said softly.

“Tiffany.” He whispered, throwing the package in his hand away & grabbing her hand to bring her closer. Looking up at her face, he kissed her knuckles, “Hi. I’m Yunho.”

Tiffany was still laughing when she felt she was yanked against him & felt Yunho’s lips curved against her cheeks. Her laughter faded away as she looked him in the eye. As if in slow motion, she felt his hands bringing her face up. Then his head descended ever so slowly. Before she knew it, his lips were covering hers. Soft, gentle, warm & sweet. His hand started to caress her back & brought her even closer.

When his kiss trailed to her jaw & his hand started to fit her body to his, Tiffany pushed him away & took a step back. She had to take some deep breaths before she was able to softly say, “Oppa, wait for me in your study okay? I will get dressed & then we will have our talk.” Then with a more demanding look & tone, she glared at him & said, “& you had better have some good explanation ready about knowing my secret for some time & hiding it from me.”

Although reluctant to leave her, Yunho grinned & nodded. He knew that he was on a treacherous ground if he insisted to stay there, especially with a fuming Tim dressed only in a bathrobe & nothing else. There was only so much temptation that he could take after all before he would be burnt alive. After giving her a peck on her nose, he walked out of her room, grinning widely, impatient to see the charade officially over & to finally make her his.

She had just finished getting dressed when she heard a knock on her door. Feeling exasperated by Yunho’s impatience, she opened the door with a stern expression on her face even as her lips curved into a smile & found herself lost of words when she saw it was Yoona who was leaning against the doorway.

“May I come in?”

Before she could answer, Yoona had already pushed her way in. Tiffany closed the door slowly, feeling her heart beating uncomfortably. Something’s wrong with the girl. She was standing with her back to her & for once, no simpering & worshipful eyes were directed towards her. Instead of her usual molasses coated voice, this time, her voice was so cool & detached.

“Yoona what is it? Are you okay?” She asked. Although the girl was exasperating in her pursuit but she’s also the one who had helped her the most when she first got here.

Yoona’s answer was to throw a photograph at her. Feeling strange, she looked down at the picture & gasped out loud. It was the picture of her & Michelle on her 21st birthday. Below the picture was her mother’s lovely handwriting, Michelle & Tiffany.

“So, Tiffany?” Yoona sneered.

Tiffany’s head snapped up in fury, “How dare you go through my stuff!” She hissed, at the conceited girl in front of her.

“Whatever I dare or not dare to do isn’t important now, is it? My, my, what would master Yunho said if he found these photographs?” The sneer on Yoona’s face was ugly & spiteful.

Tiffany forced out a laugh when she felt like clawing the girl’s face to shreds, “Go ahead, you can tell him. He already knows about it. Too bad for you.”

Tiffany expected to see Yoona’s face filled with disappointment but instead, the sneer on the girl’s face went even nastier, “Oh?” She said. Then with a flourish, she took out something else, “Then what would he think if I gave him this?” This turned out to be a picture of her & Chanyeol. She had brought the picture with her because that was the only picture that would remind her of the sweet innocent puppy love she had once in her life. Cursing herself for being a sentimental fool, she tried to grab the damning evidence but it seemed as if Yoona had anticipated her reaction for she leaped backward, still waving the pictures in her hand, “My, my. I bet master Yunho doesn’t know about your past with master Chanyeol. Hmmm, what would he do if he found out that you & his best friend are double-timing him? Would they fight? Would they become mortal enemies? Would their fight upset Mrs. Jung enough to trigger another heart attack? Mrs. Jung loves master Chanyeol like a son, you know? & what master Chanyeol would do if he knew his girl pretended to be a guy & lied to him?”

“What do you want?” Tiffany asked, trying to keep her voice indifferent when her heart felt like it was bursting with apprehension. She knew better than to let the panic & desperation seeped through for this witch would surely use it against her.

“Simple.” She said, letting the pause hang there for a second, “I want you to keep your distance from master Yunho romantically. You are to be his friend & friend only. One more thing, he mustn’t know about our agreement. One word to him & the deals off.” Her horrified face must have given her away for Yoona let out a shrill laugh, “You must be wondering why I wanted you to do this. Sure, unlike you, I have no secret so I will tell you my reason.” Her smirk turned more terrible by a degree, “The thing is, you broke my heart by lying to me about who you are. You humiliated me when you made me acted like a fool, trying to get your attention & love & crying for you when you least deserved it. So for your deceit, I want you to feel what I was feeling when I found out about your treachery. No less than to feel the same heartbreak. To have him so close at hand & yet, no way to get him.”

“But…”

Tiffany didn’t have a chance to finish her words before Yoona cut her off, “No buts. Either you agree with my condition or I will show this picture to master Yunho & master Chanyeol. They will boot you out for sure & they would most probably get into their biggest fight. I just wish the fight wouldn’t upset Mrs. Jung enough to warrant another attack. She almost died last time, you know? & we wouldn’t want that, would we?” Yoona mocked, “At least if you gave your agreement to me, you would still be able to be by his side, to see him everyday & to be his friend. You would still see a healthy Mrs. Jung. You would still have master Chanyeol’s friendship. Cross me & you will be out of their lives for good. You & I know how much master Yunho loves his mother. He would never forgive you if you caused his mother any harm. So what do you say?”

What choice did Tiffany have? It seemed like one way or the other, Yunho was out of her reach anyway.