Prequel

‘Oh My Gosh’

“WAKE UP SWEETIE!!!”

Tiffany eyes shoot open at the deafening knocks and sound. Her head feels light as she can’t think right. While blinking briskly, she lets her mind wonder about the need to rush in this very hours. Yes, she knows that she has to attend her school today. Her first time, her beginning of life in the high school will start in a few of hours ahead. Another yes, few. It means, she still has a plenty of time to close her eyes, reminiscing the warmth of her bed, or sleeping is more like it.

The constant violence over her door makes her rumble an incoherent words over and over again. Just, why does her mother seem so eager to wake her up?

Even her alarm doesn’t ring yet. Then what’s the use of it?

“I ALREADY AM, MOM!!!” She screams back to confront the equally loud sound behind the wooden door. She kicks her cover off her feet and can’t help but groan slightly at how nice her morning is.

The hit dies as she hears her mother’s voice over the door. “Good!!”

“I love my mom but at this rate, it’s just—“She gets up slowly and begins to slap her cheeks from side to side. “Good morning Tiffany! Don’t let this awful way of being woken up ruins your beautiful day!!”  

The smiling girl nods her head, deciding to just go straight to her bathroom to fresh her body along with her brain. 

***

“Who’s in charge of that person’s sudden presence?”

Tiffany quirks her eyebrow at the sight of a smiling girl. She paces sluggishly against the floor towards their dining table, fully clothed with her uniform, bag slings alongside her slim body.

The person only makes a face at her welcome gesture.

“Yah seriously! What are you doing here?” Tiffany snaps at the visitor, she slides on the chair while asking. But, her unwelcome response to do nothing to affect the intruder. She only gets a mocked face as a reply.  

Tiffany rolls her eyes at the obvious childish gesture. 

“Kwon Yuri.” She says through gritted teeth. The said girl looks up with a dorky smile. “Of course, I’m eating. Look~”

“Whatever.” Tiffany turns her head to kitchen’s direction. “MOM!!” She yells to catch her mom’s attention. “What exactly Yuri does in here mom??” 

“Is it that obvious? She’s eating.” Her mother responds back.

And upon hearing it, Tiffany has to take a very very deep breath, calming herself just to not run directly towards Yuri who is now sticking her tongue at her. Again, to announce her victory in a childish way, probably.  

***

“Hey, Yul..” She hits Yuri’s hand to make the latter face her.

“Do you like to hit me much, huh?”

“Your face is just calling for it, you know.” Tiffany laughs at Yuri’s sulking face, she then nudges her again. “Hey, why do we need to stay at this auditorium? I mean,” Tiffany checks her wristwatch and shows it to Yuri. “It’s already over, right?”

“They probably want to announce something important? I don’t know as well.” Yuri shrugs and shifts on her seat again as she sees their principal goes to the stage again along with a petite girl trails behind him this time. Yuri raises an eyebrow.

“Look.”

Tiffany slants her head at the direction and gapes in an instant. Her peripheral eyes catch a sight of a cute looking girl who stands beside their principal with a magnificent smile. She can’t keep her eyes off the person, and Tiffany doesn’t know why.

She tries to throw her gaze somewhere else but only resulting it to roll back and search for the figure again. It’s like a magnet though. 

“Ehm..”

The voice of her principal brings her thought back and now is scanning him. Or more like, the figure beside him.

“It’s an honor for us to have such a brilliant student to enroll in our lovely school.” He beams with a smile as he talks through a mic. “She passes the entrance exam with a very amazing mark. She got it 100 % right!” His lips goes wide as he motions the girl to get nearer. “This girl has already broken our school’s record!!”

“And her name is Kim Taeyeon.”

Students inside the room are starting to whisper to one another, mumble of praises can be heard too. But Tiffany simply keeps her eyes at that girl to take a better look. To examine her beauty, better.

“Thank you, Mr. Lee.” Taeyeon bows a bit as she sees the man gesturing for her to speak. She turns her head at the audiences and smiles. “My name is Kim Taeyeon.”

Her voice is like a music for her, kind of alluring herself to fix her stare at Taeyeon even more.

“The honor part actually has to be said by me because until now I couldn’t believe myself that I got accepted in this cool school!!!” She grins at them. “And for the mark or score or whatever.” Taeyeon shrugs nonchalantly. “I wasn’t that smart. Everyone is probably smarter than me though. It’s just luck. Maybe my luck at that time is at its peak? Thus, if I were predicting something at that day, I would get it right. And I’m pretty sure I will get rich by now because yeah, who knows? This kid could’ve won a lottery at that day if she were betting or gambling!!”   

Everyone laughs at her remarks, even their principal’s is practically laughing his off.

Tiffany smiles at the down to earth’s behavior and witty personality this girl probably has.

She feels her heartbeat stop as her eyes accidentally meet with hers. The latter mumbles slowly with a small smile.

“Kim Taeyeon.”

***

“Can I borrow your laptop?”

Tiffany asks as she lays with her stomach against her bed. While propping her right hand under her chin, she stares down at Yuri, who is now playing with her newly laptop. 

Her best friend looks up with a questioning gaze. “Don’t you have one?”

“Just to remind you, my laptop is still get fixed because someone had clumsily dropped it before.” Tiffany sarcastically replies. “The least you can do is lend me.”

Yuri scratches her head. “Oh, okay. Sorry ‘bout that.” She grins and reaches out her hand to give Tiffany, but only to stop in the midair as she throws another question. “For what?”

“Doing stuff.” She curtly says. She can’t say that she wants to stalk Taeyeon’s profile with the help of her friend’s laptop right?

“Why don’t you use your phone?” Yuri squints her eyes in a suspicious manner at her best friend, who just stares back innocently.

Tiffany then rolls her eyes. “Darn it, Yuri. I’m not going to crash your laptop or something.”

“Okay.” The tanned girl passes her device towards her best friend. “Just don’t watch any with my laptop please. It’s still new.”

Tiffany nearly drops Yuri’s laptop at the sudden remark by her.

“I DO NOT WATCH SUCH A THING!”

Yuri coolly answers while hiding her smirk. “I don’t accuse you for watching it right? It’s just a warning, that is.”

***

“So this is her house.”

Tiffany scans the quiet area with a nod. “Google maps is helping though.” 

She checks her phone once more, upon scrolling her device down, Tiffany notices a few missed calls and massive messages from her parents. She gulps while reading the messages one by one.

“Sweetie, where are you?”

“Tiffany? Where are you?”

“Tiffany Hwang, this is your father talking. Where are you??”

“Tiffany Hwang Miyoung, if you aren’t going to answer this message, I will kidnap your tororo.”

The mentioned girl sighs, she is just too immersed on her own query. Tiffany tightens her grip around her hand and is about to go to the nearest bus stop. But only to halt her movement as she sees Taeyeon walking with an old man by her side, right to her current direction.

Tiffany does a quick scan. As she spots a phone booth, the nearest place to hide herself, without any thought she immediately goes to the said place while secretly glancing at them.

She hurriedly squats down while covering her face with her palms in the corner of the booth when Taeyeon and that old man happen to pass by her.

She peeks at them and hurriedly takes as much as oxygen to fill her lungs because she has just stopped breathing to hide her presence.

The girl gets up slowly and is trailing behind them in the safe distance, her curiosity is calling for her and makes her do another stalking stuff again.

“So, ahboji. Is that your son’s house?”

She hears Taeyeon asking that question to the old man. Tiffany takes another steps closer as she witnesses Taeyeon’s unexpected action. “It means, we are neighbor!!”

Taeyeon has just jumped like a kid while clapping her hands happily. Taeyeon, as in Kim Taeyeon, the smarter student in her school. Kim Taeyeon, her ultimate crush.

Tiffany squeals mentally at the cute scene.

Oh my gosh!

***

“Tororo?” Tiffany calls softly while pulling the gray fluffy stuff from her bedside into her embrace. She probes her chin above it as she leans her body against her bedpost to get a comfortable position. She starts its fur with a dreamy smile the moment later. Her brain will recall the events repeatedly as she closes her eyes to get herself immerse into her own fairy tale. Just like a broken tape, she continually plays the images of her crush inside her mind.

A sigh has escaped through her thin lips, but the cause about is definitely not out of boredom. Tiffany will never get tired for reiterating the images of Taeyeon. She then raises the raccoon like doll in front of her eyes, facing it straight with fluttered heart as she weights her decision to ask something important to a practically lifeless doll.

“Do you believe in love at first sight?”

She only welcomed by its toothy grin. Tiffany closes her eyes and a smile slowly appears on her lips, imagining that her crush is the one who puts that act. Grinning at her childishly.

“Because I think, I already love her in that very moment.”

***

“Are you Kim Taeyeon who used to steal my jellies before?”

Taeyeon freezes in her place. After the speech and whatnot, she chooses to just go to the library. Wanting to read a book or two just to kill the time. And as much as she likes to eat those mentioned food, she will never steal it. But if it’s-

“Yuri?”

Taeyeon put her book aside as she examines the tanned girl in front of her. “As if Kwon Yuri?”

The taller girl smirks, bobbling her head up and down as an answer. “Yes. This is the one and only, great Kwon Yuri.”

Taeyeon grins almost immediately, the thoughts of her childhood memories are resurfacing back upon her head when she happens to remember it again. Yuri is her old friend, her childhood friend back then.

“You didn’t change even a bit.”

Taeyeon lets out a chuckle. “Well, I’ve known for my baby face, you know.”

Yuri just throws an incredulous look, but she nods her head nonetheless.

“Yeah,-” 

But her happy thoughts are crashing into pieces when Yuri begins to speak again.

“The height is more likely.”

Yuri adds with a wink. “Long time no see, Kim Taeyeon.”

Both of them bump their fists together with dorky smiles still intact on each other’ faces. 

“I can do without insult, Kwon Yuri.” Taeyeon pulls a lopsided smile. “But yeah, nice meeting you again, pabo.”

Yuri rolls her eyes, but still grinning. The moment later her phone rings, startling both Yuri and Taeyeon. “Crap, I forgot to mute it.” She mutters and fishes her device out to check it.

She swaps her phone and sees the caller ID, raising her one eyebrow at the sudden call. Her best friend is calling.

Yuri throws her gaze back at Taeyeon and notices the book her friend has gripped. “Dude, I gotta answer this call. We will talk later okay?”

The girl nods and smiles. “Yup. So this is the end?”

The taller girl laughs, “You’re such a drama queen. Okay then bye Tae!”

Yuri immediately walks out of the library after bidding a goodbye while picking her phone up. “What’s with the call Tiff?”

“YAH! WHERE ARE YOU?!” She hears her best friend yell and can’t help but flinch at loud voice. Her voice is no joke.

“Wh- damn!”  Her eyes widens as she finally realizes something. “I’m sorry Tiff! I just I just lost track of time!!”  

“You better be hurry now, or I will track you down and find you and as soon as I find you, I will not responsible with my act, Kwon Yuri.”

She runs with her might to the toilet where she left Tiffany the moment ago, just to take a glimpse of her childhood friend.

“Darn it! Tiffany will surely kill me!”

***

Taeyeon stops walking, she rotates her head slowly to inspect any other presence aside of hers. Nothing but a girl who happens to walk behind her in such a 5 meters away, she notices. Taeyeon raises her brows. It’s as if wherever she goes, the very same girl will be there. It kind of creepy at first, but eventually she gets used to that girl’s daily routine— to pop up in everywhere. She remembers, that girl is probably her school mates as well. Aside the same uniforms, of course. It’s because Taeyeon clearly recalls a beautiful smile of the girl when they happen to gaze towards each other back then in the auditorium. She is beautiful, Taeyeon smiles at the thought.       

She secretly glances back and sees that the girl still has her eyes on the phone. Taking a picture of herself Taeyeon assumes. Cute.

Taeyeon grins and looks back to the front, resumes walking while randomly humming songs lowly. She puts her ear phones back, but this time, she presses the pause button on the playlist. Wanting to hear anything about the girl. That’s a lie if she doesn’t feel intrigued over this girl’s strangely cute behavior.  

“Huff.. She will never notice me.”

Taeyeon continues to stroll down the street nonchalantly, in fact, she is trying hard to suppress her laughter after hearing what the girl has said. She wants me to notice her, huh?

Her smile is growing wider at the thought of it. Well, this is interesting.

That girl is interesting.

***

Taeyeon holds her phone against one hand as she stares at her ceiling. Her eyes are closed, as the memories of that girl smile resurface. Not only smile, but her silly thing that mostly makes Taeyeon can’t stop beaming a smile since she got home twenty minutes ago.    

If her mother sees her in this condition, she would think that her only daughter is crazy now.

“If you want to talk then talk Yuri, I don’t have time.” She says, suddenly feeling tired of holding her device against gravity. She groans silently. 

“Hold up!” comes the reply. “Oh well, Taeyeon. I want to introduce someone to you.” She hears Yuri snickering to herself. Taeyeon’s eyes opened slightly and make its way to roll. “I’m not interested.”

Her response is short and to the point, much to Yuri dismay. “Yah, why are you so cold? And I just want to introduce my best friend to you! What is so wrong with that?”

“Because you sounded like a match maker.”

Taeyeon swears, Yuri is smiling by now. “Am I right?”

“You might like her!” Yuri coaxes from the other side. “She is a cheerful girl! Perfect to balance your gloomy side!”

“Once again Yuri. I’m not interested. There, you hear me?” The truth is, she already has her attention over a girl who likes to stalk her. She just doesn’t want to admit it towards her friend.

“But she is beautiful! You must see her!”

Taeyeon sighs, her friend is so persistent. “Stubborn.”

“Find a mirror, please. Anyway I will send you her photo and from there we will see what will happen.” Yuri laughs. “I’m pretty sure you will like her though.”

“You are not lying about her photo right? No editing includes.” Taeyeon sternly demands. Because she knows how her friend like to exaggerate something. Or in this case, someone.

“Of course. Bye, I will send it real quick.”

The line gets off, and Taeyeon receives a notification later and immediately checks it. Her jaws drops as she stares at the image. What?

“That’s Tiffany. Obviously, no photoshop. How? :3” 

Taeyeon hates to admit her defeat but the stalker she grows to like happened to be the same girl Yuri insisted to be friend with her.

“Damn you, Yuri.” She sends a short message to Yuri. She closes the chat and opens the image again. She gazes at the girl’s face as her wide smile reaches the corner of her lips.

“Tiffany.”

Hi~

The prequel took place when they were still in their freshmen year. If you noticed that there’s no Jessica, it’s basically because she wasn’t there at that time (she was a new student and entered their school only in second years). That’s also explain why Jessica doesn’t know Taeyeon at all when you read the actual one-shot ;)

Hope you like it and have a nice day!