Two Weeks Later
KIM’s RESIDENCE

It was a Saturday and two weeks after we’ve had that hell of a week. About a week from now, the three of us would be getting our documents filed in, so that we can enroll on another school. I hadn’t told my parents yet, though. I’m not sure how well would they take the news that their only daughter who was as bright as the sun was basically expelled from the university. I’m not quite sure how’d they handle that baffling info.

“How about this?”

Yuri’s voice interrupted my busy thoughts. The three of us were huddled in front of my iMac in my room, Google-ing schools which are not quite strict about good moral characters. It was kind of hard to look for one since the good moral character requirement is the most difficult to claim. And in our situation, it’s like going through a hole of a needle. “Heub Hyeol Gwi??” We all exclaimed in unison. Heub Hyeol Gwi? Vampire? That sounds weird for a learning institute.

Yuri clicked on the first link and the school’s official website popped up. Yuri, Yoona, and I backed away from the screen when a weird musical intro blasted through the speakers. “What the ?” Yuri chuckled, and I did too. Yoona was stiff beside me. After a minute, she broke into her choding smile. “Cool~” I playfully rolled my eyes. We were quiet for a moment as we go through the list of requirements they needed.

1x1 pictures, form 135, a copy of grades... blah... blah... blah...

“Hey! There’s no good moral listed!” My tanned friend exclaims, all too excitedly, and Yoona and I looked at her. She still had slightly opened as she smiled. I don’t know exactly what happened but the three of us suddenly jumped out of our seats and started dancing. Alesso’s ‘Heroes’ was blaring inside the room. Finally! A school that doesn’t require any good moral sh*t.

After a good while we sit back down.

“But Tae... we haven’t told our parents yet.”

Shoot.

After of what seemed like good ten minutes of arguing and explaining things to mom and dad, I threw the house phone to Yuri, who was splayed all over the couch while watching ‘Game of Thrones’ on tv. Yoona was at the kitchen, doing God knows what---probably making her own snack when we just had lunch an hour ago. I slumped my down on one of the side couches, and stole the remote from Yul’s possession. I flipped the channels for about twenty times until it settled on the rerun of ‘Saturday Night Live’.

“YOU DID WHAT?!”

I whipped my head towards Yuri’s direction, and I saw her already on the floor---gripping her right ear. I chuckled. Yuri’s mom had a loud voice like that, especially when she’s angry. And when I say loud, I meant, REALLY loud. Sometimes when she scolds Yuri, I wonder if the sound of her voice could actually reach the other neighbors’ hearing range.

If you ever wonder why the three of us are living in one roof? Well, first of all, Yoona had no place to stay in since they only rent a unit in Insadong. And since Yoona’s family already... passed away... she needed a place to crash in because she admits she couldn’t survive on her own and was not capable of paying the bills.

On the other hand, Yuri, was technically living alone as well. Well, since her father was in Dubai, managing their company there; and her mother was here, but mostly spends her time on their wine company. She goes home. But in their house in Ilsan. Not here. Did I ever mentioned she had a brother? She has. But he resides in New York. So yeah, I came up with a plan since the three of us were like a bunch of orphans dumped by their families, I had us live together. We’ve been doing that since middle school, up until now. So far, the outcome’s good.

My dad built the house. He’s a well-known engineer there in Paris, whilst my mom’s an architect. Pretty cool huh? Pretty much, the surname Kim is a well-known family name in France.

But anyways, going back to the topic of telling our parents about getting our butts kicked out of Goryeo campus... I think mom’s furious at me. Well, who wouldn’t be? I’m pretty sure Yul was experiencing the same as me. We’re totally cursing Yoona right now in our heads for having totally nothing to worry about. That little troublemaker...

“What did she say?” I switched the channel back to HBO. To which, the Game of Thrones was already rolling credits. From my peripheral vision, Yuri was sending daggers towards my direction. I waved her off. “You weren’t going to understand what’s happening anyways. You can’t be talking with your parents while screaming Kit Harington’s name.” I got away even before she got to me. We both met our maknae on the kitchen. She was prodded up on a bar stool and was laughing at something she was most probably watching on her iPad. Yuri smacked her head. She stopped laughing and glared at the two of us. “What?” I mused, taking a bite from a pear.

Yoona rolled her eyes.

Yuri sat on the bar stool right next to her and leaned her elbows beneath the granite top of the bar. “So, when do you guys plan to go take the entrance exams?” She directed to the both of us.

And the conversation ended there. About exactly three days later, we’ve decided to take the entrance exams. Well, since we haven’t got anything much to do in the house other than watch multiple horror DVD’s and play scrabble in the living room. Sometimes we play basketball in the backyard. But other than those, we were totally free. So I’ve decided since we’re going to take the exams sooner or later, why not do it now? Right?

So now, we’re here in HHG University. The three of us were huddled in the corner as we watch other students pass by us back and forth, back and forth, back and forth...

The pattern goes around for several minutes until the amplifiers nailed on the ceiling, squeaked. A female’s voice then echoed inside the halls. “All Set A students, please proceed to Examination Room number 1. Set B students, please proceed to Examination Room number 2. And Set C, please proceed to Examination Room number 3. Thank You.” The voice fainted into the air, and soon enough, we entered our respective rooms to take exams. Yuri and I were Set B, while Yoona was Set A. We didn’t make the cut in the first group, unfortunately. But it’s okay, I tell Yoona, it’s just exams.

Three people, who most probably looked like they work in the student council, guided each of us in our assigned seats. I sat in the third row on the left, and Yuri was on the fourth on the right side. I fished out a pencil from my backpack’s front pocket and started playing with it with my fingers. They always tell me I’m good at pen tricks. Hmm...

From the corner of my eyes, I see Yuri looking at my way. I slightly turn my head around to look at her and she smiled. She mouthed a simple “Fighting!” and I just nodded. I mouthed back “You too” before the examination papers were already distributed.

I don’t mean to brag but, I’m a hundred and one percent sure we’d make it through this school. I’m that confident. Besides, the three of us were in Section B. what could possibly go wrong?

The entrance exams took about two hours. And I handed my papers to the person in charge and headed out. After thirty seconds, Yuri came behind me. We both sat at a nearby bench and wait for Yoona to come out.

“It wasn’t that hard, right?” Yuri tells me, grinning. I nodded and grinned too. “Yeah.” I say. Yuri crosses her right leg over the other and looks forward. From here, we see students walking through the hallways; doors opening and closing. People (probably freshmen) eating snacks with their guardians on some corner. And people in uniforms. “Oh, they have summer classes.” I tell Yuri, and she nods along. Our school never bothered to have those kind of classes. They say we can fit all the subjects in a regular school day anyway. Do you know how many classes in one semester we have? Fifteen. And I’m not kidding. They wanted to kill us. That incident on the past three weeks was just the right reason to escape that hell pit.

“Don’t they ever realize how most people hate math?!” Yuri and I both whipped our heads at the same time. Yoona huffed in the air and sat at the empty space on Yuri’s left. “I love it.” I say to her; half-teasing and half-serious.

I’m good at math. Great even, as they say. Yuri excels in Science. No one could ever forget her A+ in Bio-Chem last semester. She beat even our batch’s top one. And Yoona, she aces in History. Ask her anything about the world’s history---from Napoleon’s invasion of Italy in 1796 to Berlin wall’s construction and destruction in 1961 and 1989--ANYTHING. She can answer it with her eyes closed.

But of course, everyone has their weaknesses. And Yoona’s weakness is my favourite subject---mathematics. Sure, Yuri disliked the subject too. But she likes it more than Yoona does. My weakness is English. No matter how often you speak to me in that language, or even make me live in America, I would never get it. All of it. I’m very bad at it.

I was caught up in my own thoughts I didn’t even notice the two standing up until I hear my maknae’s stomach grumble. Then, Yuri’s question follows... “Anyone up for some snack?” It took two nods and we’re off to locating the cafeteria in this huge place. This place was bigger than our former school would ever be.

On that same week, Friday. The three of us went into orientation. They showed us the school’s facilities. So when classes starts in June, we won’t be lost much. We went to see where the rooms were located in each department. We went by the two floored library on the third level. Then, we went to the music room, the orchestra hall---where they hold special events such as musicals, graduations and some. After we went to the science laboratories on the fifth floor, we went back down to the cafeteria.

There weren’t much students today since it was summer, and only a few students take up summer classes. We went straight to Lotte Department Store after lunch. We spent the rest of the day there---shopping for clothes, food, and many other things. It was already an hour before midnight by the time we got home.

“Hey, don’t forget to set your alarms.” Yuri reminds us both before closing the door and going to her bedroom. Yoona and I were still on the floor of my bedroom; playing GTA on my PlayStation 3. It’s kind of childish, I know. “What time’s our first class?” Yoona asks me, not tearing her eyes off the flat screen tv. I drop the controller onto my lap and stretched my arm out to grab my school bag lying on the floor beside the computer desk. I raised our schedule diagram on her face. Yoona made a contorted face. “OH. MY. GOD. Seven-thirty?!” She exclaims. I wouldn’t blame her though. We haven’t had a seven-thirty class in a while now.

I slipped the white sheet of paper back inside one of my notebooks and slid the notebook back inside the bag.

“Let’s go to sleep.” I tell her. She looks at me disappointingly.

I grabbed the remote on her side and switch off the tv. I grabbed her controller and mine and shut of the game console as well. I beckoned her to go back to her room. For so many years living together, Yuri and I have come up to a conclusion that it wasn’t the best of ideas to put a tv and a game console inside Yoona’s room. Because that would lead to disaster. So we made my room the ‘gaming room’. Since Yuri isn’t that much of a gamer so...

“SLEEP.”

I put pressure to the words, so she gets my point.

She pouted in my direction one last time before she stood and headed for the door.

“Goodnight, Yoong~” Was the last words I uttered before I tucked myself inside the duvet.

The next morning, Monday, I felt my whole body being shook violently I don’t doubt for a single second I’d fall off my bed. Surprisingly, I ignored the attempt to wake me up and let myself fall asleep again. I don’t know why, but my eyelids didn’t seem to open at this time, and I refuse to get up. I’m not a sleepyhead. Just this one time, I guess.

“Unnie! Unnie! Wake up! Come on! It’s the first day of school, don’t be lazy!”

I heard Yoona’s loud voice and her fading footsteps. After just exactly ten seconds, I heard footsteps again. Then, an immobilizing cold sensation crawled up my spine. I set the layers of comforters aside and sent my coldest stare towards the prankster who just shoved a bucket of water and ice at me. She only grinned in return.

“YAH! You are so going to get it, you alligator!” I yelled at her retreating figure.

Yoona stopped on her tracks just by the door frame. She turned back to me and stuck out her tongue. I set one foot down on the hardwood floor; about to lunge for her. “Not until you catch meh!” She ran as fast as the wind. I cursed myself for forgetting she used to be in the track and field team.

“Shut up you guys! And KIM TAEYEON,” I turned my torso around and found Yuri standing by the door. I was on the verge of getting up when she came in. “You better get ready, or else.” I raised a single eyebrow at her challenge. “Or else what??” I shot back. Yul didn’t answered, and turned to walk back on the hallway.

“I’ll strangle you.” She tells me before she disappeared down the stairs. I shook my head. I grabbed some clothes from my armoire and headed straight to the bathroom in the floor.

It took only about a fifteen minute ride from the house to our new school. My family’s personal driver was the one who took us to school on the Ford Explorer. It was my dad’s car. He lend it to us for school purposes. And while none of us had the will to drive, I just called on Mr. Dante and asked of him to do the favour.

As soon as the three of us had settled inside the campus, Yoona starts bombarding us with questions I don’t exactly know where it came from. She started saying something along the lines of “University, name, and weird” Then, Yuri seconds the motion. “It’s creepy, don’t you think?” I knocked my tanned friend’s head and laughed. Seriously, I have the weirdest friends in the entire galaxy.

And though, I consider their thoughts---of the school itself being utterly weird, I shrugged it off. It was our first day in our new school, of course, we’d be feeling this way.

After a few sharp turns and climbing up flights of stairs, we managed to find our classroom just in time before the bell rings. And just when we were only a room away, Yoona’s long arm suddenly shots out and halts Yuri and me. “Unnies, stop for a while.” This black kid beside me and I were in the midst of arguing when Yoona did so. Yuri removed my hand from her now-reddened ear and asked Yoona what was wrong. Yoona didn’t seem to respond right away and had hanging off it would’ve fell to the floor by now.

Yoona points her index finger in front, and Yuri and I both slowly turn our heads towards the direction she was pointing at. I froze. I don’t why, but I did. And I know as much that Yuri felt the same.

Right before our very eyes were three girls conversing right in front of our designated room. We couldn’t really hear what they’re talking about, not that we’d actually care about it, but the three of us stood there like statues as we watch the three slim figures who seemed to be arguing about something. The tallest one out of all of them had a grim expression and was running her fingers through her brown locks from time to time. The other brunette---who had her back figure faced towards us---was ruffling her hair in a tangled mess. Oh, they were arguing alright. But the last person, the one who was facing us, had caught my attention the most. I couldn’t comprehend what’s the reason, and why I was too stunned by her flawless exterior, but I am. I swear I’ve never seen someone so beautiful for her own good in my whole life!

I’ve never seen an angel... this would be the first time.

I thought my eyes were playing jokes on me because when I blinked my eyes again, she was looking at me. I tried to take a glance behind me, and when I confirmed there was nobody standing there, I looked back at her. She was still staring at me. At this moment, my heart raced inside my chest, and the butterflies everyone was talking about were ambushing my stomach. It didn’t stop there. Electricity filled my blood-pumping veins and I think I’m going to faint.

No one has ever looked at me that way. She was talking with her friends(?) while she had her eyes glued to my direction. The look didn’t even waver, not even one bit. I tried to look away, but an invisible force was pulling me right towards her. There was something in her eyes; when her pink lips move as she speak. Her beautifully outlined eyebrows twitch every once in a while. Her white skin complexion---that was almost the same as mine---shines like a gem.

Is this what I think it is?

Is this the thing everyone was bragging about? Love at first sight?

Have I already fallen for her? A stranger?

My complex thoughts and feelings ended there in that mini staring battle I’ve had with this beautiful stranger who appears to be in the same class as mine and my friends’; and the same stranger I’ve learned to know of as Tiffany. Tiffany Jung. An old student here in HHG, along with her two sisters who I’ve misinterpreted earlier as friends of hers. And some other three I haven’t caught up the names yet. It’s not easy to cope up with a new environment, ya know.

Our first class started with the usual introduction thing. Well, at least for us few transfer students that is. Yuri and Yoona have gone off first, and I was the last one to go. I stood in front of the class, in the platform, and started.

“Hi everyone. I’m Kim Taeyeon. I’m twenty years old. And I came from Goryeo University. I hope we can be friends.” I finished with a polite bow, and everybody clapped in unison. I received greetings from my new classmates as I made my way towards my desk on the middle row on the left. I glanced at my two best friends and they gave me a thumbs up. Only people who knew us would know how supportive we are of each other.

Yuri and Yoona were seated at the last row on the right---near the rear entrance. They were beside each other and I thought it was a bit unfair. I laughed at my own thoughts until I noticed the two chodings bickering with each other. They seemed to be arguing about their seatmates?---the one in front of Yoona, and the one beside Yuri---they were Tiffany’s siblings. I chuckled lowly. They’ve fallen for the spell too.

All throughout the class, I tried my best to listen to our professor’s introduction about our subject---which turned out to be Physics---but failed to do so. My eyeballs were always busy trying to glance at the girl sitting on my left. The same girl who looked at me straight in the eye from earlier.

I don’t know why I’m like this. I just know I wanted to see her face. And somehow, I wanted her to notice me again. But that hope just went down the drain. First classes ended within an hour and we scurried out the room. We only have three classes for today. I almost sighed in relief.

“Well, wow. Someone’s liking our morning class.” Yoona states while looking towards Yuri’s direction. Yuri just gave her a smile that seemed to be a mix of smirk and grin. Yuri loves science; I almost forgot. Yoona rolled her eyes as we headed down the cafeteria. We have like an hour or two till our next class, and I’m already thinking about what we should do for the mean time.

As we reached the double swing doors of the cafeteria, an ocean of students; old and new, greeted our sights. Wow. I never realized until now how many students actually goes here. Well, it’s a huge school, so I guess it was normal. The three of us slowly make our way towards a coffee shop at the end of the hall. My estimated count of food stores were about... twenty? Wow. In Goryeo we only have like... what... seven? eight?

Yoona’s going to love this place.

We sat at a round table for three located near the counter. While Yuri orders for us, I busy myself looking around. The cafeteria wasn’t chaotic, I’ll credit it that. It almost seemed like we were in a library, if not for the inevitable noises the utensils make from time to time. In our former school, you wouldn’t even hear your own voice because of the unnecessary noises clouding up the atmosphere. Not that I’m hating on my old school now, but... you get my point.

Yuri came back a little later with a tray of food and set it down the table. Yuri munches on her Caesar salad before she started talking. She’s a talker, have I mentioned that? This tanned girl never ran out of stories to tell. “Have you guys noticed the three girls who were standing in front of the room earlier? The late ones? Though, I wonder why they came in late.” Oh, I never expected this topic to surface so soon. I took a sip from my lychee flavoured fruit tea. Yoona opened her big mouth to answer Yuri, but a tall figure’s shadow suddenly towered over us and we looked at that person’s direction.

We later learned that that person was Sooyoung. A girl in our class. She formally introduced herself to us, and we introduced ours in return. We shook hands, and a little later, her two other friends were heading towards our table.

The two blondes hauled up two chairs from the other table and sat beside us. Hyoyeon, the blonde with long locks that stops just right above her elbow, was all-smiles when we started telling them about ourselves. On the other hand, the other blonde with short hair that stops just above her shoulders, wasn’t seemed very pleased with our presence.

“Please understand her. She’s just normally like that, but I’m telling you, she has a kind heart.” Hyoyeon tells us when Sunny stands up and walks away. The chit-chat continued on for several minutes when someone catches my attention unintentionally.

It was her again. She was holding a book on her one hand and a cup of what seemed like coffee on the other. She was talking to her sisters again. Are they the only ones she talks to? I mean, I haven’t seen her talk to anybody since I got here. Wait. Did I just admit I was watching her? Ugh. What’s happening to me?

I hear Yoona ask something like “Do you know them” and that’s when I choked on my fruit tea, because that very moment, Tiffany looked at my direction again. From the corner of my eyes, I see my friends turn to me with confused stares. “You okay?” Sooyoung asks me, and I give her a thumbs up. By the time I lift my head up to see if Tiffany was still looking at me, she was gone. A blush immediately rose to my cheeks.

Damn.

It was five minutes before three o’clock when classes concluded with our last subject for the day---Philosophy. Yuri and Yoona both went on to the front doors of the university to watch out for Dante. I was left behind because I needed to get something from my new locker that I forgot to haul up earlier. I punched in the combination and pulled the door open.

“Hurry up.” I stopped my whistling halfway when I heard a faint voice on my right. I backed away slightly from my opened locker and widened my eyes. Was this girl following me or what? ‘Don’t be delusional, Taeng’ I debate with myself even when Tiffany was walking on the same hallway I was in. I was frozen. I couldn’t move my whole body. I don’t know why everytime I see her, I’m like this. Do I really like her now?

Tiffany opens her locker and hurriedly places her things inside.

At this rate, I ought to look away and hurry up. Because if I didn’t, I might suffer from severe palpitation and end up in a cardiac arrest. Only Tiffany have ever made me feel this way.

“Ah!”

The sound of books falling on the floor echoed in the nearly empty hallway. “Sorry.” I heard Tiffany’s husky voice, and that’s when I bent down to gather my things and hers with my heart pounding inside my chest like it wanted to break free. Everything was suddenly in slow motion, and I find the corner of my lips tugging themselves upwards even though Tiffany wasn’t smiling nor looking at me at all.

She’s beautiful. I’d already lost count how many times I’ve said that in just a day.

Time seemed to stop when I touched her hand instead of my ‘Business Management III’ textbook. My breath hitched when our eyes met for the first time.

‘Ohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygod...

Sh*t brain, why won’t you function well??’

Tiffany looked away first and hastily retracted her hand. We both stood from our crouched position. Now I feel the blush rising up my cheeks again. I tried looking elsewhere but her gorgeous face. “Uhh...” I tried to start a decent conversation, but even before I could mutter something coherent, her voice interrupted me, “Sorry.” She says, yet again. And then, she was off. I sighed---both in relief and disappointment.

I’m relieved because my heartbeat returned to its normal pace. I’m also disappointed because we only had a little moment. I wanted to be in her presence more.

KIM’s RESIDENCE

By eight I decided to go straight to bed and recall our first day of classes in our new school. Somehow, everything went well. Everyone there were approachable and friendly---except some of those boys who sat at the back always giggling about everyone’s mistakes. Even our instructors were approachable too. Though, I’d gladly extract our Psychology professor to the list. He was nothing but approachable. And calm.

But other than good classmates and professors, the school---in general, was great. Spacious rooms, library, cafeteria, music rooms, and just about everything is spacious. And even though we went through the orientation, we still got a bit lost.

It took my mind several more thoughts---like our meeting with new friends like Sooyoung, Sunny, and Hyoyeon (though, I’m not sure with Sunny if she’s ready to be friends with us yet) before it all goes down to one person: Tiffany. I smiled at the thought of seeing her tomorrow, and the next days to come.

“Why are you smiling at the ceiling?”

I nearly fell off to the side when I hear an unpleasant munching on my other side, and Yuri’s voice. She had a bowl of popcorn in her hand and was staring at me with a raised eyebrow while sitting on the edge of my double-sized bed. We stared at each other for several minutes. Then, both of us were laughing. She settled herself in the middle of the bed and asked again, “So, why were you smiling at the ceiling again?”

My laughter died.

I crossed my legs and continued to stare at her. I shook my head. “Come on!” She mused and I grinned to myself. Damn. I think Tiffany had put some spell on me or something. “Tiffany? As in the Tiffany in our class?” Wait. Did I voiced that out?

Yuri smirked at me when I looked at her in horror. “You like her.” She says to me. “No, I think---it’s not possible, Yul. I mean, It’s only been a day. I couldn’t possibly be feeling these tiny little things inside my chest and all those wild rabbits---“ “Butterflies.” “Butterflies flying around inside my stomach and that tingly sensation crawling up my spine and that warmness creeping up my cheeks...” I breathed hard, as if speaking made me tired all of a sudden. Yuri leaned in and patted my shoulder.

“There there. It’s okay, Taeng. I like someone too.”

“Who?” She waved a single finger in front of me. “I’m not gonna tell.” Ugh. This girl never fails to give me headaches. I was about to swear at her when I remembered what happened in the room earlier. A smirk crept up my face. “I think I know who it is.” She shrugged her shoulders and took a single popcorn into .

“It’s Tiffany’s sister, right? Jessica?”

I unleashed my infamous ahjumma laugh before she threw me the whole bowl of popcorn. I raced to my door and hurried outside. “CLEAN IT UP!” I yelled and went downstairs. From there, I could still hear Yuri swearing in the air.

---

NOTE: Okay, before you guys throw those rocks at me, I just want to remind you that this is only the appetizer, so sit back and relax. There'll be lots and lots of TaeNy moments on the next chapters.

But until then, I'll see you guys soon~ :)))

PS. THANK YOU as always, to my readers! I LOVE YOU GUYS <3
And if there are further questions, just comment below, and I'll try my best to give satisfying answers ^^