Sunny kept herself busy in her kitchen and she swore she had never seen her tabletop and cutleries being this shiny. She could hear their conversation but she tried her best not to eavesdrop although they weren't exactly soft-spoken in the first place. She took refuge in her kitchen since she doubt her friends would realize she was missing, together with the finger food.

She could hear Taeyeon saying things she kept in her heart ever since she realized her true feelings towards Tiffany, and she felt proud of her friend. It took a lot of guts to do what she was doing, venturing into the uncertainty of how the other party would react after it. Taeyeon was laying it all out for Tiffany, and the latter had the decision of whether to continue staying friends or not.

She whipped out her phone and sent a text to the only other person who knew about this- Joonhyuk and updated him with the current situation. She needed backup. There was just her alone and she couldn't be there for them both if they decided to run off, or do something.

He replied saying that he would head down to Sunny's place immediately and wait at the lobby to intersect whoever ran off to make sure she's fine. He, too, hoped that any damage would be kept to a minimum.

He was surprised that Taeyeon took the initiative to talk to Tiffany about it, but was worried when Sunny told him the reason for doing so. He swore that if Siwon tried to do anything funny to his friend, he'd beat him senseless even if he was Tiffany's boyfriend.

For now, all they could do is hope. Hope for things to be less scary than they thought. Hope for things between Taeyeon and Tiffany to be fine.

---

So all the late night desserts, dinners or movie 'outings', the text messages and calls exchanged, all the subtle sweet gestures, they were all signs for Tiffany to see or feel that Taeyeon was interested in her? In that way?

Tiffany was beyond shocked. How did her boyfriend manage to see it when she didn't? How was she supposed to explain to him now? What was she going to do? Was she too blind to realize or she chose to ignore the warning signs flashed in her head because she felt comfortable with it?

She liked being with Taeyeon. She felt carefree. She was happy. It didn't occur to her that the frequency she met up with Taeyeon alone was higher than that of the rest combined. She still saw her other friends but she met Taeyeon almost every day without fail.

She felt empty the moment Siwon came back and she had more photoshoots, thus the frequency decreased. She also felt upset that Taeyeon did not try to look for her. Upset that Taeyeon rejected hanging out with her when she asked. She felt this need to see her, to hear her unique laughter, to see her smile, to hear her voice and to feel cared for through the sweet gestures of the blonde.

Tiffany panicked the moment her thoughts sank in. She started to feel afraid as she shook lightly. It was like she's going to be hit by an incoming bullet train. As the high-speed train continued to come at her, the lights blinded her but at the same time made her see things clearly.

She realized it wasn't uncomfortable to know that Taeyeon liked her beyond friends. She didn't mind. In fact, she kind of liked it. And she felt like she was run over by the train when it all became clear for her.

The feeling was mutual. If not her heart wouldn't race after hearing Taeyeon's confession. It couldn't be the adrenaline because she felt the same flutter she did when Siwon first asked her out.

Tiffany Hwang, you are so dead.

---

Taeyeon watched as Tiffany's expression turn from shocked to expressionless as she finished her speech. Her heart ached at the thought of her suffering but it had to be done. Their eyes were still on each other and Taeyeon didn't dare to move her gaze away.

She took note of the little changes to her expression or her posture to gauge how bad the outcome would be, but couldn't come up with anything. It seemed like Tiffany was looking at her but not exactly at her. It was more like she had zoned out as her eyes became lifeless.

Suddenly, she saw Tiffany shaking slightly. She wanted to hug the poor girl in her arms but she couldn't. Was she angry to the point that she's shaking, or was she about to cry because it had managed to freak her out?

She wouldn't know until the brunette says or do something. The wait was killing her. She wanted it to be over so she could rush home, hug herself and cry in her bed. She had been keeping in her tears and she wouldn't be able to hold out any longer.

The sight of Tiffany made her feel like crying more. She was supposed to be this bubbly, loud and happy girl. Not this emotionless, grim and quiet version sitting infront of her. What had she done to her?

Taeyeon would do anything to bring the charming smile back to Tiffany's face, if given a chance. She wanted to see the eyesmile that she adored so much. She thought of the possibility of not seeing Tiffany anymore in future, should she decide to stop all contact, and it wasn’t the best feeling in the world. She still hoped for the best nonetheless.

---

Tiffany felt her heart race and breaths becoming shallow. What was happening to her? Thoughts of the blonde surfaced in her mind and she was so close to smiling. Why did she want to smile the moment she thought of Taeyeon shyly asking her out? She shouldn't have felt this way.

She shook her head and straightened her thoughts. Tiffany Hwang, you are not supposed to feel this way. You're only like this with Siwon. What the hell happened to you?

"Fa-Tiffany, are you okay? You look pale." Taeyeon asked softly, afraid to startle her.

She could see Taeyeon furrowing her brows but the gentleness in that gaze did not go unnoticed. Why was she still so caring and attentive even after the confession? She knew this was wrong and yet...

"Why?" She whispered.

"Pardon?" Taeyeon moved forward, sitting at the edge of the chair.

"Why did you have to tell me this? Why now? You kept it to yourself previously. So why?"

She was angry. Angry at Taeyeon for doing this to her, angry at herself for not being able to see it coming. And the only way she thought of to let out all her frustrations was to lash out at Taeyeon. But she couldn't do it. She couldn't bear to. It fuelled her frustration even more when she realized she couldn't even raise her voice at her.

The question rendered Taeyeon speechless. Did Tiffany mean she would rather not know? And here she thought it would be fairer for them both if she were to come clean. Was it a wrong move? She bit her lips as her hand shook. Somehow, there was this nagging feeling that Tiffany did not take this well. She might be losing her for real.

"I can't. I can't deal with this right now. I-I..." she paused, as if what she said would have a great impact. "Please leave. I don't- I don't think I can stand being in the same room as you right now."

Tears clouded her eyes as Taeyeon heard what Tiffany had said. Was she so disgusted to the point that she couldn't even be in the same place as her? Had it come down to this? Was this goodbye?

She looked at her sadly, taking in the sight of the brunette although her sight was blurry due to the tears that had threatened to fall. It might be the last time she would be able to see her; for a period of time, or forever.

She wasn't sure if she could mend the broken friendship. She crossed the line, that she knew, and she would gladly accept the consequences that followed as much as it hurt her. It was her punishment. But why does it seem like it was punishing them both?

Tiffany watched as Taeyeon walked towards the door quickly. She could see her lifting up her hand to her face and she assumed she's wiping her tears. Taeyeon left without a word and shut the door lightly behind her.

She felt the distance between them growing. The door was just there, but it seemed out of her reach. Her brain was telling her to move, to run after Taeyeon, but her feet were glued to the ground. It was exactly how they would be from now on, Tiffany felt. There would always be a wall between them and she wasn't sure if it could ever be broken down.

She had hurt Taeyeon. She regretted her harsh words but it was too late. Taeyeon was gone, and she was in no position to go after her.

Taeyeon-ah, I'm sorry.

---

Sunny came out of the kitchen after Taeyeon left, with her own batch of tears running down her face. She wanted to go after Taeyeon, but remembered Tiffany was in her living room fighting her own emotions. She hoped Joonhyuk had arrived and was waiting at the lobby.

She wasn't sure if it was right of Tiffany to be so brutal but she understood where she was coming from. She might have reacted worse if it were her, honestly speaking. It was kind of expected since it wasn't easy for the brunette to take it all in immediately and pretend everything was fine. It was anything but fine.

With that thought in mind, she wiped her tears and moved towards Tiffany as quietly as she could to sit beside her. Tiffany looked like she was in great shock. She felt pity for them both. It wasn't fair. It wasn't supposed to be like this.

"Hey, it's okay. She'll get over it. Don't worry. It's not your fault you didn't feel the same. It was bad timing." She tried explaining and put her arms over Tiffany to comfort her.

Her heart ached at the sight of Tiffany biting her quivering lips, a few drops of tears trickling down her face. She wasn’t sure if she was crying because of shock, resentment, or that she felt the same towards Taeyeon but the only person stopping her was Siwon. She rubbed Tiffany’s arm comfortingly, whispering it's okay over and over again.

Tiffany shook her head furiously as more tears welled up in her eyes. She knew she was in deep trouble. It felt like she had cheated on Siwon. The attraction must have been mutual, and it was wrong of her.

That explained the invisible pull Tiffany felt towards Taeyeon. But when exactly did it start? What made her so special that she defied all norms and fell for a female? She didn't want to lose either Siwon or Taeyeon. And if she were to choose... she shut her eyes tightly which forced more tears to run down her cheeks.

She knew whom she was going to choose, and it didn't make her feel any lighter or better. She felt like she was suffocating instead, and a part of her had died the moment she made her decision.

Her answer was Siwon. It had to be him.

---

Taeyeon ran out of the lift and stopped in her tracks when she saw Joonhyuk standing there with his arms outstretched. She ran into his embrace, ignoring the tears that gushed out of her eyes.

She cried her heart out at the lobby, ignoring the stare the security guard was giving her. Everything didn't matter now that the thing that mattered most to her was gone. The person she held close to her heart slipped away and it broke Taeyeon's heart.

She never knew it could be so painful. She had her fair share of rejection but this one topped the chart for being the most heartbreaking. Why didn't she pull away the moment she felt something different? She could have saved herself from being heartbroken, and she would still have Tiffany as her friend.

All the 'if onlys' popped into her mind and it reminded her of how stupid she was. If only she could contain the attraction better. If only she wasn't that obvious. If only she had agreed to marry Inha oppa. Things would definitely be different and she wouldn't be crying shamelessly at the lobby.

Joonhyuk patted her back comfortingly as he held her in his embrace. He knew whatever he said right now would only fall on deaf ears. Judging by how sorrowful she was, it would take a long time for her to recover from this.

His arms tightened around Taeyeon as she burrowed her head into his shoulder to muffle her cries, letting out all the emotions she kept from Tiffany at Sunny's place.

---

Alright, this marks the end of the 'confession'. I racked my brain for these 2 chapters but I am kind of relieved. Quite satisfied with the flow and outcome of it. Well, kind of.

Thanks for the subs and comments!

It's bedtime so good night if you're still up! ^^