Like A Star

Like A Star

“When I die, I want to be a star, so that I can watch and guide you even through the darkest times of your life.” Tiffany Hwang thought that she had already forgotten her traumatic childhood experience after 18 years of medication in the USA. But the moment she set foot on her hometown, South Korea, she proved to herself that she was wrong. All of those bad memories that she fought for 18 years came rushing through her. She presumed that her condition had only gotten worse. She distracted herself by playing, partying, and intoxicating herself with different kinds of alcohol and drugs.

Kim Taeyeon moved to Seoul after her foster parents died. She hated her real parents for leaving her behind. If her biological parents managed to just throw her away, then other people could do worse than that. That was why she can’t trust anyone, believing that everyone will just betray her at the end.

Safe and Sound The sound of the thunder roared through the insides of her ears. She cried in fear and pain as her little body fought against the monstrous waves that were striking her. Her legs were beginning to feel numb from the cold as she waved her hands in the air, trying to get attention. No words came out when she tried to scream. Her teary eyes searched for someone, while her lungs struggled to get air. Dizziness was taking over her system as the waves became heavier and cold raindrops started to hit her head and shoulders. All she wanted was for this nightmare to stop. That was when she closed her eyes, stopped her feet from kicking, and allowed her helpless self to surrender, sinking slowly trough the depths of the ocean…… Tiffany’s POV “NOOO!!!” my whole body was trembling, tears dropped from my eyes as I scanned my surroundings. All of my classmates were gazing at me worriedly. “What happened, Ms. Hwang?” my professor made her way in front of my desk and examined my frightened face. I grabbed my bag and ran outside without answering her. Tears once again gushed from my eyes and my breathing became heavier. That dream again… The next thing I know was sitting in front of an old looking bartender who reluctantly poured my eighth shot of vodka. The alcohol made its way to my system, and my blurry thoughts won’t shut up. The world was already spinning as I

rose from my chair and almost hit the ground when a pair of strong but soft arms caught me. “Gwaenchana?” a soothing voice whispered to my ear, it sounded like music that made me forget of my nightmare. I gripped her arms tightly, submitting myself to her. Taeyeon’s POV My back ached as I carry this unconscious girl from the bar. I hesitated to bring her home at first but I can’t let something happen to her, she seemed vulnerable when I saw her crying her eyes out. I suddenly felt protective to this sloppy student who is also from my school judging from the uniform she’s wearing. We finally reached my apartment and I hurled her in my couch. I slapped her three times to wake her up but it made no difference. She was still lying there like a lifeless dummy. “Damn! I missed my gig and now I’m going to spend the whole night with a drunken stranger! What were you thinking Taeyeon?!” I violently removed her shoes and tossed it to door. I stripped my clothes and went to the bathroom to clean myself. She even threw up at my back while I was carrying her. What a troublesome girl! I thought and chuckled to myself I was already wrapping my towel around me when I heard the bathroom door open, a messed up girl emerged from it and made her way straight to the sink and threw all of her insides out. As soon as she was finished excreting all of the

alcohol that she had taken up, she suddenly went back to her lifeless dummy state. My arms were fast enough to catch her waist before it hits the ground; I took her to my bedroom and laid her on my bed carefully. After putting on my clothes, I went to the kitchen to grab a towel and a bowl of warm water and then went back to my bedroom where a patient is waiting to be taken care of. I removed her blazer and tie, unbuttoned her blouse, revealing her milky white skin and a pink bra. I wiped the dirt off from her face, her arms, and her upper body. I stroked her bloody red hair away from her face, showing her angelic face. I was amazed by her beauty. It’s so innocent yet so dangerous. I watched her sleep beside me. Her brows suddenly tensed, showing sadness and angst. A part of me wants to sympathize with her, yet another told me not to trust her. Maybe something is troubling her even in her dreams. I caressed her head and hummed a song, like a mother putting her little child into sleep after a bad dream. I buttoned her shirt and covered her with a blanket. My heart fluttered as my fingers slowly stroked her face, starting from her forehead, her cheekbones, and when I reached the edge of her full sexy lips, I suddenly felt the urge to kiss her. My heart thumped faster as I moved my face closer to her, inhaling her sweet addictive scent. I used all of my hidden self-control when our lips were just an inch away, I stopped and shifted my face upward, kissing the space between her tensed eyebrows. I pulled away my lips from her, and I was relieved when her face calmed. My heart flickered in pleasure to see her sleeping peacefully. A smile surfaced

from my lips and I can feel myself blushing as I fluffed myself on the couch beside my bed, near the window, and tiredness took over my senses causing me to doze off. The next morning, I woke up with a blanket covering me. The morning sun’s rays hit my body as I searched for the body on my bed to find a note instead. “Thanks for taking care of me last night. I cleaned up the mess I made here and I made you breakfast. I will definitely return the favor to you some other time.” Instead of relief, I felt disappointment. I wanted to cook her breakfast, to make sure that she was feeling okay. I wasn’t supposed to feel this way but I didn’t want her to leave. I want to accompany her and to comfort her from whatever difficulty she is facing right now. I felt the need to be with her, to take care of her. She needs me, wait no; maybe it is me who really needs her. Tiffany’s POV “Tiffany!” my girlfriend yelled from across the street, my lips managed to give her a tiny smile. She gave me a tight hug as soon as she reached me. “I missed you! Where were you last night?! You didn’t answer my calls!” “I’m sorry Yuri. I messed up last night. Now, should we go to my apartment to make it up to you?” I encircled my arms around her waist and winked at her naughtily. We hit the bus, she talked about her stuffs the whole trip and I pretended to be listening by nodding my head regularly while my mind wandered off somewhere else...

Last night was different. For the record, it was the only night that I slept soundly. I don’t understand why but I felt security whenever she held me in her short yet strong arms, my mind was at peace whenever I hear her soothing voice. But I don’t want to be with her again, to experience all of those again because I might get used to it, I can’t get used to it. And I don’t want to have an emotional attachment with somebody.

Whose Punishment?

TIFFANY’S POV Yuri seemed pissed off with our makeup session earlier, she left my apartment without even saying goodbye. I hated myself for that, I felt guilty. The only thing that I can give Yuri is sex, and now I can’t even satisfy her with that. My relationship with her is just pure physical, well that is for me, but not for her. Yuri has feelings for me, she loves me, but I can’t love her. Let’s say that I am just using her as a distraction from all of my problems, she knows that, but she chose to

stay with me, even if it means giving her dignity away and making a fool out of herself. I felt bad being selfish, but I need her as much as I need alcohols and drugs, she serves as one of my coping mechanisms. Two hours passed, I went to school to attend my afternoon classes and I had a warm welcome from the dean’s office. Crap. What a lucky day!!! I sit uncomfortably in front of the middle-aged man’s desk, with my head down, wishing for time to go faster. “So Ms. Tiffany Hwang, let’s review your hard work yesterday.” He grabbed a piece of paper and I can see him smirk annoyingly from the corner of my eye. I gripped the armrest tightly to control my fist from breaking his jaws. “You slept at your class, made a disturbing noise, walked out of the classroom in front of your professor, went outside the university during class hours, and oh! You even punched a guard on your way out of the university. Tsk tsk, how amazing, Ms. Hwang!” He laughed sarcastically and his face suddenly went straight. “You did multiple violations in one go Ms. Tiffany. I’m afraid that an extreme punishment suits you.” He pushed a small piece of paper in front of me. “What is this?” I grabbed the paper and stared at the address written on it: Gwangyang City, South Jeolla province. “That is your punishment. You need to go to that address and do a community service for three days and two nights. Don’t worry, someone will serve as your tour guide and your evaluator. You two will go there tonight.” he tried to utter the words in the most positive manner.

“Tonight?! And what does community service has to do with my academics?! Isn’t this a little too off the issue?!” my pitch became higher as I stared at him in disbelief. “Just do whatever I tell you to do if you don’t want to be expelled from this university!” he is now yelling at my face, he obviously disliked the change of tone in my voice. “Fine.” my answer almost came as a whisper as I took my eyes off him, taken aback by the sudden change of his mood. He looked a lot older when he furrowed his brows that showed tiny veins on the sides of his forehead. “Very well.” His face went back to its emotionless state again. What a bipolar, I thought. “And regarding your ‘tour guide’, she is also a student of this university, and she was a resident of that province. Do not give her headaches and you should try to learn from her, she is the exact opposite of you.” I rolled my eyes and I was halfway through the room when I remembered something. I looked at him again and asked “What’s her name?” “Kim Taeyeon.” Taeyeon’s POV “Tiffany Hwang.” I said to myself for the nth time as I packed my bags after receiving the order from the dean. He made a deal to me that if I accompany this girl to my province and serve as her tour guide for three days and two nights, then there will be no need for me to worry about my fees for the next semester. I abruptly said yes without thinking twice. I can’t let a very good offer pass me.

I got out of the bus and stood in front of the gates of our university where I will meet this Tiffany Hwang. I really wonder what she looks like, is she a real pain in the ass? Then she can go try my patience. Fortunately, I have a very good temper, calm most of the time and doesn’t get annoyed easily. After almost thirty minutes of waiting and kicking dirt that came across my way, a familiar figure came into my sight. The wind blew against her loose white shirt, embracing her perfect figure, with a pair of black shorts underneath which exposed her perfectly-shaped thighs. She flawlessly dragged her luggage as she flipped her fiery red hair. She came closer and closer to me. My heart wanted to jump out of my chest when I figured out the owner of that physique. A familiar feeling went through me. That body is the one I cleaned, caressed, and took care of. I will never forget the touch of her soft milky white skin against my hands. It seemed like, watching her cross the street was longer than the thirty minutes I spent waiting for her. She stopped in front of my frozen body, my face blank, no words came into my mind. “Kim Taeyeon, right? I’m Tiffany Hwang.” Her husky voice penetrated my ears as she offered her hand out to me for a handshake. My trembling hands managed to meet hers. My throat clenched, maybe I had swallowed my tongue. “Nice meeting you.” Her lips made a tiny curve as she gently released my hand. She then shifted her gaze to the street, while I remained staring at her, unable to move like an idiot.

She doesn’t remember me….. Those were the only words my mind was able to form. My heart ached and my head started to become dizzy from all of the emotions and thoughts that rushed through me. It seemed like I am the one being punished instead of her.

The Only Exception

TIFFANY’S POV The trip was awkwardly silent. Neither of us tried to start a conversation, nor tried to take a glimpse of each other. I played with my pink Samsung galaxy note, while Taeyeon just sat there, staring at the windows, not bothering to move an inch. I nearly thought that she was sleeping with her eyes open.

Although I am curious of why she is acting like that, I didn’t ask her. I’m not really the type of the person to show concern and interest for other people. I don’t really give a fuck on anyone. But a part of me was troubled, knowing that she was not okay. I decided to text Yuri to free my thoughts, and after a few seconds, she’s now on the other line. “Omo are you okay babe? I didn’t know our dean was that rude! You don’t deserve that! I miss you Tiffany!” Yuri blurted out as soon as I hit the answer button. I can feel her worrying and longing for me. “Calm down babe. I’m okay. I miss you too. Sleep now, okay? It’s getting late.” I tried my best to sound sweet, sensing that Taeyeon is listening. Wait, am I making her jealous?! I mentally slapped myself for that. “Take care of yourself okay? I love you Tiffany.” I pretended that I didn’t hear her last words and my finger quickly pressed the End Call button. Maybe Yuri noticed, and maybe she was already used to that, and she didn’t even complain-not even once. I always felt guilty whenever I do that, but I can’t lie to her. It is enough that I am using her, I can’t hurt her feelings more. I’d rather slap her with the truth than kiss her with a lie, it will just make her hope for nothing. Taeyeon seemed disturbed by what she heard and suddenly walked out of her seat and went to the comfort room at the other side of the train. I felt even guiltier hurting that girl. I have been hurting Yuri for three long months, while this

girl, I just made her jealous for like three seconds, and now my heart is in agony. I can’t tolerate Taeyeon being hurt. TAEYEON’S POV It was nearly dawn when we arrived at our destination. I lead Tiffany and brought her to a five star hotel owned by my high school friend. Luckily, my friend still remembers me and even gave me a 20% off on a deluxe room. A hotel attendant escorted us to our room, and to my surprise, it is a honeymoon suite. My friend obviously misunderstood our relationship, so I wanted to talk to him to give us an appropriate room. But my mind changed when I noticed that Tiffany was not disturbed by it, she just went straight to the queen-size bed and dozed off. Does she really not care that we will be spending two nights in a same room with a same bed? In a honeymoon suite full of romantic ambiance? Am I that insignificant to her that she didn’t seem to be bothered by my existence? I strolled at the nearby seashore, clearing my head up. Tiffany didn’t even remember me, maybe even that night, but what about her note? She said that she would return the favour to me some other time. No, I wasn’t really after her reward or whatever, I was after her appreciation. I expected that she would give me a soft spot to her heart, like what I did, because that night was special. It was different, that was the only moment that I doubted myself, my feelings. She left me a kind of emotion that I couldn’t explain. Tiffany left me hanging, broke her promise, and forgot me. Another betrayal, another confirmation that I can’t trust anyone.

TIFFANY’S POV Taeyeon was waiting for me at the lobby with a blank expression on her face, and gestured me to follow her as soon as she noticed my presence. She brought me to a small secluded neighbourhood where an orphanage is located. The coordinator and his assistant welcomed and oriented us on what we are going to do. Taeyeon silently helped me in cleaning the newly built classroom, which will also be painted by us tomorrow. Afterwards, we went to the backyard of the orphanage to entertain the children, but I’m not generally good with kids, they always put me in trouble. So Taeyeon took my place when I awkwardly stood in front of our audience, stuttering and panicking. Watching her smiling and making faces in front of the kids while she read them a fairytale fluttered my heart. I found myself laughing and blushing as I watched her with the kids. It’s the first time for me to witness this side of her. The sun started to set as we ate together with the kids. I had to admit that it was a wonderful experience. Based from my personality, these kinds of activities never delighted me. Well, this is an exception, maybe because Taeyeon is by my side. The kids hugged and kissed me when I bid my goodbye, and I noticed that Taeyeon was already gone. Maybe she walked off to our hotel first while I was washing the dishes. I was already a few blocks from the orphanage when I heard a soft humming sound coming from the seashore. Something at the back of my mind told

me to go there, even though I avoided seas the most. Unknowingly, my feet paced like it has its own mind, and went closer to the owner of the voice. Taeyeon was looking at the night sky enlightened by numerous stars, her sweet voice blending with the serene sound of the waves. I sat down on the sand beside her, and looked up at the bright starry sky. It was the very first time I felt security in the place where the most tragic experience of my life happened. Unconsciously, my lips stated the same exact line from 18 years ago. “They say that if a person dies, then she will become a star.”

Hidden Scars

TIFFANY’S POV Gwangpo Bay, South Gyeongsang August 1, 1994 The sky was completely dark, no trace of even a single star could be found. A saline scent intoxicated my nose, as my little hands struggled to set free from the

tight grip of a rope. My teeth ached from the rigid knot of a cloth, which prevented me to make any noise. The man gripped me on my small arm, leaving it bruised. The sand jammed my shoes, as my small feet chased the man’s big footsteps. Before we knew it, my best friend and I are already on top of a yacht. The muscular man untied the cloth that was blocking mouth, emitting my tiny sobs. He then freed my battered wrists, and did the same on my best friend. My whole body was tired. My mind cannot comprehend what was exactly happening around us. My eyes let go of a tear, telling my best friend how pained and scared am I. The older girl furrowed her brows and compressed her thin lips. Her eyes told me that everything will be alright. My face lightened a little as I put all of my faith in her. Out of nowhere, a loud siren echoed the empty ocean. The giant men panicked as a craft with a blue and red light on top approached us. A passenger from the other ship was mumbling words in a device that my little mind couldn’t understand. All of a sudden, our small bodies were thrown in the air. I yelped in shock and my eyes closed impulsively. A hand grabbed mine as our bodies splashed piercingly through the cold salt water. The sound of the thunder roared through the insides of my ears. I cried in fear and pain as my little body fought against the monstrous wave. My legs were beginning to feel numb from the cold as I waved my hands in the air, trying to get attention. That was when I remembered that other hand shouldn’t be empty. I looked at my hand that was occupied earlier, seeking for the one who left it empty.

“Ha-Hana-yah! Eodiya?! Hana-yah eotteokhae?” those words struggled to get out of my lips, almost making no sound at all. Tears uncontrollably gushed from my stingy eyes, blurring my vision as I looked around, and found nothing but darkness, and a never ending body of blue water. No words came out when I tried to scream once again. My teary eyes continued to search for someone, while my lungs struggled to get air. Dizziness was taking over my system as the waves became heavier and cold raindrops started to hit my head and shoulders. All I wanted was for this nightmare to stop. That was when I closed her eyes, stopped my feet from kicking, and allowed my helpless self to surrender, sinking slowly trough the depths of the ocean……

My eyes stung as I tried to open them. A lot of pointy objects seemed to slice my left forearm as I tried to move my vegetable-like body. My mind recalled the events last night. So, it was my fifth birthday. A lot of my friends and my parents’ business partners and clients came. My right hand found a necklace around my neck. My fingers fondled the pendant which formed a star. A sudden memory broke into my mind. “They say that if someone dies, then she will become a star.” My best friend said as her short fingers locked the necklace around my neck. “When I die, I want to be a star, so that I can watch and guide you even through the darkest times of your life.” She gave me her sincerest smile and her warm arms encircled around me.

When suddenly, a group of muscular men captured us and brought us to a sea. A cluster of painful memories darted through my small mind. I scanned my surroundings again and my wit was smart enough to tell that I was in a hospital room. My eyes looked for Hana, but there wasn’t a single sign of her. I released a deafening scream, which released all of my pain, anger, sadness. My tears overflowed from my tiny eyes as I let out another scream that sliced through my ears. My chest was getting heavier with every sob. My nails grazed my palm as my fist clenched. The doctor with a bunch of nurses together with my sobbing parents hurried in while I continued with my agonizing cries. I felt a needle pricked my flesh, putting my distressed mind into another sleep. TAEYEON’S POV My arm enclosed Tiffany as my hand intertwined with her. I hummed a melody while my free hand wiped every tear that her swollen eyes give out. I never imagined that this girl had experienced such pain at a very early age. This tough, rebellious, and troublesome girl was actually fragile, miserable and troubled. My heart was stabbed by a knife every time a tear fell from her chaste eyes. I wiped the tear from my eye before it even fell. I can’t cry with her, I should be strong for her at times like this. Tiffany has now occupied a bigger place in my heart. My perception about her changed. No one could ever see her the same way as I do.

I looked deeply into her eyes until she cried herself to sleep. I kissed her tensed forehead like the very first time that I tucked her in like this. My hands squeezed her hand as I lay my head beside her….

My eyes were blinded off by the sun’s rays as my hands half sleepily searched for the person beside me, but it came across to a small piece of paper instead. “Good morning Taeyeon! Thank you again for last night! That was the second time you took care of me. I really owe you a lot…. I just went outside to buy breakfast, so don’t panic. Wait for me *wink*”

As the sun sets

TIFFANY’S POV My breakfast with Taeyeon was undeniably wonderful. I was grinning and blushing the whole time like an idiot. I couldn’t hide the joy that I was feeling. My chest felt unbelievably lighter, as if a lump of rock was removed from blocking it. It was noontime when we started to paint the classroom at the orphanage, and a bunch of kids joined us. We guided the kids on what to do until they started playing. They wiped paint against each other’s faces, dipped their small hands on the container of the pigment, then making a hand print against the wall. Taeyeon envied them and I suddenly felt her damp finger touched the tip of my nose. She smirked at me playfully, exposing her cute dimple. I eyed her in a suspicious manner as I cautiously soaked my palm with paint, and it landed on her

cheeks. She was amazed from my revenge, and started to chase me around with her hands wet in paint. We helped washing the kids who are tarnished with an enormous amount of pigment before saying our goodbyes to them. It was already afternoon and the sun was preparing to set when we started to walk back to our hotel. “Wait, I think we forgot something.” Taeyeon stopped me from walking and positioned my body in front of her. I laughed as I saw my hand print on her cheeks. “I think I know what we forgot. Let’s go!” I grabbed her hand and dragged her to the seashore. “Are you sure that this will be okay?” She stopped our pace and hesitantly asked me. I nodded my head in assurance. “As long as you don’t leave me, I’ll be safe.” I raised our tangled hands and she intertwined our fingers enthusiastically. “Trust me.” She squeezed my hands as her eyes looked at mine deeply. The orange sky watched us as we ran along the edges of the water. Taeyeon occasionally grabbed me by my waist and spun me around. I giggled and yelped every time my feet caught off the ground. We playfully splattered water against each other while our laughter filled the coast. Taeyeon walked in front of me and seized my face with her soft hands. Her fingers gently wiped away the dirt from my face. My hands went up to hers and did the same. Our eyes met, and I slid down my arms to her waist. I shifted my gaze to her inviting lips, as the space between us lessen. “Did you really forget about me?” Taeyeon asked while her eyes focused onto mine. I let out a groan and answered “Did you really think that I forgot about

you and about that night? I can’t forget you Taeyeon, whether I liked it or not. Well I guess I did like remembering you.” I closed my eyes and leaned forward, eliminating the space between us. In an instant, her lips were now moving against mine. She kissed me slowly but passionately. We savoured each other’s taste as our lips moved in rhythm. Finally, my heart gave in all of its concealed emotions. Her lips conquered all of the pain, and replaced it with nothing but happiness and contentment. I can’t help but smile between our kisses. A tear dropped from my eye, but this time, from overwhelming joy that engulfed me. TAEYEON’S POV It was already night time when we arrived at our hotel. We can’t help but giggle at each other unreasonably. I changed into my pajamas and went to the balcony where Tiffany leaned on its edge. “What are you looking at?” I whispered onto her ear as my hands held the railings on both sides of her, surrounding her with my arms. “There were so many stars tonight.” Tiffany said in her husky voice and traced an imaginary line of stars with her finger. “It’s because you are smiling.” I said and my hands reached each other on top her tummy as I hugged her tightly from her back. “Maybe she gave you to me. To make me happy again.” Her hands went up to my face and gently caressed it. Maybe, one of those stars was her best friend. I looked up to the brightest star, and thanked it for giving me a chance to make this girl around my arms to smile again.

A hand tickled me, causing me to wake up. I opened my eyes and saw Tiffany stroking my face. “Good morning my Taetae.” She huskily muttered and placed a quick kiss on my lips. This is how I would love to start my mornings! My lips craved for more…. but I fought the urge to kiss her. We took the morning train back home. Unlike our previous trip, this one was comfortable. Tiffany was obviously in good mood as she kept talking and commenting about every little thing that caught her attention. Her eyes formed lovely crescents as she laughed at my senseless jokes. I felt good seeing her so light-hearted, very far from her troubled outlook when I first met her. “Oh, I almost forgot to ask you, the dean said that you were a resident of that province? Is that true?” Tiffany asked and eyed me curiously. “Hmm yeah, our village was a few meters away from where we stayed. That was where I grew up with my foster parents. I moved to Seoul to continue my studies after they died.” I answered her. “I’m sorry to hear that. But where are your real parents?” she asked and her face suddenly frowned. “I don’t know. I don’t remember them. All I know is they left me when I was six years old.” I stated and shrugged. “Do you want to find them?” Tiffany asked me worriedly. “Not anymore. I was okay without them. I don’t need them if they don’t need me. Yesterday was just a memory. What’s important is today and tomorrow” I said positively. She patted my hand that was resting on my lap and leaned her head on my shoulder. I only need you Tiffany, even if someday you wouldn’t feel the same for me anymore, I will still be needing you.

TIFFANY’S POV The first thing that I wanted to do once we got back to Seoul was to clear things up with Yuri. She called an hour before my arrival and said that she was already waiting for me at the terminal. Great timing, I thought. Taeyeon went ahead of me like I demanded her. “Tiffany! I missed you!” Yuri welcomed me with her arms and kissed me roughly. She pulled away from me when she noticed that I didn’t kiss her back. “What’s wrong?” She asked me in a disappointed tone. “Yuri, we need to talk.” I said to her in a serious tone. “Yuri, we need to stop this.” I directly said to her. My heart ached as her eyes starts to water. “Wh-why? Did I do something wrong? I’ll make it up to you babe. I promise” her voice trembled as she controlled her tears. “No Yuri. I did. I used you. I wasn’t able to catch you. I don’t want to hurt you anymore, Yuri. You don’t deserve someone like me. You deserve someone who will love you back.” I said with my eyes focused on hers intently. Her eyes gave in and let out a couple of tears. “I’m sorry Yuri. But trust me, this is for the better. I believe that someday, your happiness will come too. I’m really sorry Yuri.” I held her face and wiped the tears that continually flowed. She nodded her head and finally turned her back to me. I cried terribly once I got back to my apartment. I really felt bad for Yuri, and felt even more for myself. She was always there, but I just hurt her in the end. I suddenly wiped my tears and composed myself when I heard my doorbell rang. To my surprise, it was Taeyeon, with her luggage.

“Hey. You didn’t go home? Why is your luggage with you?” I opened the door and gestured her to go in. “I did but I was chased out again. Wait, were you crying? You’re eyes are swollen.” Taeyeon sighed and examined my reddened eyes. “Nah, I’m just probably tired. You were chased out?” I asked her. I was not in the mood to talk about my feelings so I just twisted the topic onto her. “Well, yeah… I wasn’t able to pay rent for three months, so the landlady rented it to someone else.” She shrugged and gave out a sarcastic smile. “Awww my poor Taetae!” I pouted and held her hand. That was when a perfect idea popped in my mind. I focused my eyes on onto hers as I suggested a very brilliant proposal. “You want to live here….with me?”

Alcohol and Jealousy

TAEYEON’S POV I agreed at Tiffany’s offer, although I was hesitant at first. I decided to divide the rent in half, Tiffany disagreed initially but I insisted. It would be very practical to my income and I would get to live with this beautiful girl. Now tell me who wouldn’t want to take such an exceptional offer? A few weeks passed and we lived together in harmony. We do the usual stuff, attending classes, working on my part time job. Doing those normal things with Tiffany seemed to make it special. And no, we haven’t had sex. Maybe, we’re both not just ready to take that next level. We were contented sleeping in each other’s arms. There was a staff party at the bar where I worked as a part time singer so I invited Tiffany to come over. We were both intoxicated with alcohol as we came home. Tiffany was so messed up and headed directly to our bedroom to sleep her drowsiness. I washed myself up first and went back to our room.

Tiffany was already in dreamland as I quietly laid myself under the covers beside her. I hugged her waist and I was taken aback when I felt her hot skin against my hands. My eyes widened and my hand refused to leave her body. She suddenly let out some husky moans, and I realized that it was because of my hand that traced her waist, going up to her collarbones. She opened her eyes so I quickly pulled my hand away. I blushed and turned to the opposite direction. I closed my eyes tightly, fighting my hormones from their lustful desires. I cursed in the back of my mind as I felt a hot breath against my ear. “Taetae” her husky voice penetrated my ear and caused a warm sensation down there. Fuck this! My mind rebelled and with one swift motion, Tiffany was now pinned under me. I kissed her roughly, my tongue exploring her mouth. She moaned as I nibbled her lower lip. Lust had successfully taken over my thoughts. My kisses went down to her neck. She grabbed my hair as my tongue hit her sensitive spot. “Taeyeon!” She mumbled breathlessly which turned me on even more. I sucked and licked her neck, leaving a mark on it. My hands were travelling on her sides, sensing every part of her. My lips went down in between her two perfectly round breasts. “Taetae please.” She begged in frustration as I kissed its edges. Her back arched as I licked her hardened nipple, while the other was pleasured by my fingers. Her moans got louder as I bit her numb gently. I sucked her mounds alternately. Her head was twitching from side to side from the overflowing sensation that I was giving her. Tiffany’s hands feasted on my mounds as soon as I took off my upper clothing. I let out a groan as I felt my wetness down there. I lowered my lips even

more to her belly. My tongue played her belly button, causing even louder moans from there. I was almost at her aching center when I felt her body twitched. “Taeyeon, I feel like throwing up!” Tiffany shoved me off from above her. She bolted out of the bed and ran towards the bathroom. I reached for my shirt and put it on as I followed her in the bathroom. I forgot that she was still naked, so I blushed when I saw her perfect body leaning on the sink as she threw all of the alcohol that she consumed earlier. I reached for a robe hanging on the bathroom wall and covered her exposed body. I patted her back as she continued to release all of those intoxicating liquids. “I’m sorry Taeyeon.” Tiffany apologized as we went back to our bedroom. “No it’s okay Tiffany. No one’s at fault. Are you feeling better now?” I asked her as I put the blanket around us. “Hmm.” She nodded her head and moved towards me. She lowered herself under my head and hugged me tightly. I kissed the top of her head and hummed her to sleep. TIFFANY’S POV Taeyeon and I didn’t really talk about our status. It is obvious that we act like someone in a relationship but we haven’t had that kind of closure talk. I think both of us were afraid to admit what was exactly happening between us. Maybe we didn’t want to face the reality that there is something between us. All that matters is that we are happy in what we are now. The dean was surprised and at the same time was very pleased on my recent change of attitude towards my studies. He called me to his office and praised me with a great satisfaction written all over his face. He gave me some extra credits that allowed me to skip three days of school.

I headed to the bar where Taeyeon worked as soon as my classes were finished. I was so excited to tell her the good news that I can’t even bear to wait at home for her to get back. My eyes were smiling as I entered the small bar filled with youngsters. I searched for Taeyeon and my mood reversed when I finally saw where she was. Taeyeon was dying with laughter as she talked to a blonde girl. The girl pinched her cheeks and Taeyeon giggled, she seemed to enjoy it. My lips curled in anger as I approached them. “Oh Tiffany, why are you here?” Taeyeon got up from her seat and the blonde girl turned to me. “Why? Is it illegal for your girlfriend to visit you?” I said in a sarcastic tone and I could hear the blonde sigh. “Tiffany.” Taeyeon eyed me and I shrugged her off. “I don’t mean to be rude but I think I should go now. Goodbye to both of you.” The girl said and fixed her eyes at Taeyeon. “Oh take care, Jessica!” Taeyeon shouted and even waved goodbye to her. I pushed her off me and went outside. “Tiffany.” Taeyeon followed me outside and grabbed my wrist. “Jessica huh?” I shoved her hand off and continued walking. “Are you jealous?! And what did you tell her earlier? You’re my girlfriend?” Taeyeon mocked in an irritated tone. I stopped from walking and faced her. “So what if I am jealous?! Don’t I have the right to be? Oh right, I almost forgot, there is nothing between us huh? I’m not yours and you’re not mine!” I couldn’t help but shout and my tears started to flow from my face.

“Tiffany, I thought you wouldn’t want a commitment?” Taeyeon asked me in a gentle tone. Her eyes seemed to worry when she saw my tears. “I also thought like that Taeyeon, but I was wrong. I was hurt when I saw you flirting with another girl! I realized that I can’t share you with anyone. So Taeyeon, will you be mine?” I mustered all of my courage and proposed in front of her face. “Tiffany.” Taeyeon’s expression became gloomy. “I guess I know your answer. If you don’t want to, then fine!” I screamed onto her and leaved with heavy footsteps. My tears gushed uncontrollably as my heart felt like splitting into pieces. After all this time, Taeyeon didn’t want me. Maybe I just misunderstood her pity and concern for something else.

Officially Yours TIFFANY’S POV My head felt like it was going to burst anytime. I almost drank myself to death last night. I looked around my room, which was a total mess. I headed to the corner of our room where a full body mirror was located, expecting that my body would be magically clean like the old times. But then again, I remembered that my fairy godmother doesn’t want to take care of me anymore. I looked at my reflection and saw my dishevelled hair, my ruined mascara and my dirty clothes that smelled like liquor. My eyes were swollen from my excessive crying last night and now tears were preparing to fall again, but I fought them back. I stripped down my clothes and just left my underwear on. I headed to the bathroom and noticed that the curtains on the living room were closed, making the whole apartment dark. I thought that maybe I was the one who closed them last night, and I continued walking. I was turning the bathroom’s door knob when suddenly the whole place lit up. I turned around and was amazed at the same time confused by what I saw. Tiny chains of lights dangled on the curtains and formed the sentence I AM SORRY. I walked slowly towards the living room and grabbed the bouquet of roses that was placed on the center table. “Tiffany.” A gentle voice said from my back. I didn’t even need to turn around to identify the owner of that voice. My heart will always recognize that voice. “Why are you here? You don’t want me anymore right?” I answered in a

firm tone. Honestly, I really wanted to turn around and hold her in my arms from the moment that I heard her voice but I controlled myself. I am not that easy, well let me revise that, I was not that easy. “Look at me.” her voice hypnotized me and I found myself obeying her. My chest wanted to explode in happiness when I saw her beautiful face once again. She never failed to give me this special feeling. “Why did you reject me?” my voice trembled and a tear successfully made its way out of my eye. “It’s because I didn’t want you to be the one proposing to me, I wanted to make it special, for you.” Taeyeon said faithfully. My body stiffened when she kneeled in front of me and held out her hand. “Will you be my girlfriend, Tiffany Hwang?” Taeyeon looked at my eyes deeply as she mumbled those precious words. “Yes Taeyeon, I will be your girlfriend!” I excitedly cried my answer without second thoughts and occupied her hand. She got up and embraced me tightly. I smiled while my tears uncontrollably gushed out from overwhelming happiness. “Hmmm Fany-ah, I have a question.” Taeyeon whispered against my ear. “What is it?” I moved my upper body backwards and looked at her face. “Why do you need to be so damn sexy early in the morning?” she teased and pointed her lips at my exposed body. I gasped as I remembered that I was already in my underwear. I was so engrossed in her little presentation that I forgot about my appearance. I looked down in embarrassment but Taeyeon cupped my face and turned it back upwards. “There’s no need to be shy Fany-ah. It’s not the first time that I’ve seen you like this.” She smirked and winked at me teasingly. I hit her lightly on the shoulder and my cheeks reddened as I remembered our interrupted love making.

“I love you, Tiffany.” “I love you, Taeyeon.” We looked deeply into each other’s eyes as we finally declared our true emotions. Taeyeon enclosed me in her arms tighter as we shared a long, deep kiss. TAEYEON’S POV -----LAST NIGHT----Our apartment was also empty. I searched every place that she might possibly go but still, I wasn’t able to find Tiffany. My mind was already panicking from my overflowing thoughts. I will never forgive myself if something bad happened to her. I was starting to lose hope when my phone rang. The device showed the name Fany-ah. “Tiffany! Where are you? Why didn’t you answer my calls?” I blurted out as soon as I pressed the accept call button. “Yeoboseyo? Is this TaTaetae?” a familiar voice spoke on the other line. “It’s Taeyeon, and who are you?” I was slightly embarrassed when she said that childish nickname that Fany gave me. “Oh I am Yuri. Tiffany called me earlier to join her, but now she’s dead drunk. I think I need you to take her home. I’ll text you the address of this bar.” I ran to the nearest bus station as soon as I received her message. A hand waved at me as I entered the bar. I approached the tall girl and saw Tiffany slouching on her seat. Almost a dozen of empty beer bottles lay on her table.

“Taeyeon-ssi.” the tanned girl called me and I turned to her. She motioned me to sit down beside her. “Tiffany was crying her eyes out last night, she talked about you and her feelings. I haven’t seen her like that before. This was the very first time. I love her, but if she truly likes you, I should let go of her. But I am only giving you one chance Taeyeon, hurt her again and I will definitely get her back.” Yuri threatened me, but I could sense the hurt from her voice. “This will never happen again Yuri, I guarantee you. And thank you so much for looking after Tiffany.” I assured her. “You better keep you word.” She said in a firm voice and left. Tiffany’s weight was torturing my back as I walked to our apartment. Her glue like body swayed so I struggled for my balance. “Aigoo! You’re such a stubborn girl. You didn’t only make me feel bad, but you also made me look bad in front of your ex-girlfriend! Why are you so impatient eh? You should’ve waited for my plan.” I chuckled under my breath as I carry and talked to this dummy at my back. “Yah, you should also learn to drink responsibly. What would you do without your Taetae?” We reached our apartment and I placed Tiffany on the bed. I originally planned not to clean her up to prolong the surprise. I went again outside and headed to the night market. I searched for things that I would use as my props for my special presentation. It was already three in the morning when I got back to our apartment. I checked on Tiffany, she was still in her lifeless dummy state. My eyes were heavy from lack of sleep as I formed the lights. It was really hard especially when the lights didn’t cooperate with me. However, the thought of Tiffany being mine washed away all of my tiredness and replaced it with motivation.

After almost two hours, my little stage was finished. I laid myself in the darker corner of the apartment and set my alarm at seven in the morning when Tiffany usually wakes up. Tiredness took over my system and my eyes dozed off to sleep. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------“I found her.” the petite girl tossed a brown envelope on top of her father’s desk. “Very good.” The old man took out the pictures and stared at it ferociously. “Just go on with the plan. You already know what to do next.” He said, not taking away his eyes on the picture. The girl bowed and left his office. “You will not get away with this. Not again.” The old man grumbled under his breath and his wicked laugh echoed entire the room.

Switched Roles

TAEYEON’S POV We are officially dating! We’ve become so much closer and more intimate with each other. I guess that the saying “Love is sweeter the second time around” worked for us. Tiffany excitedly told me about her three-day break from school, she had already bought two tickets for us to visit my hometown without even consulting me. I told her that I can’t probably go because of my classes and my work. She pouted in disappointment when she realized that she forgot to consider my schedule. I can’t resist Fany’s cuteness when she sulked and immediately told her that I would make a way. Her mood brightened up ten times more than her normal one and tortured my cheeks. We scheduled our trip next week, for me to have enough time to consult the dean and my manager. I lied to the dean that there was a personal emergency at my hometown, so I had to go there for three days. He fell for it and just gave me some

extra homework so I could catch up on my grades. Our manager also agreed to give me overtimes to fill my upcoming absences. “Hey Taeyeon, why are you still here?” someone whispered into my ear as I arranged the chairs. I turned around and saw Jessica. She pulled out two chairs and gestured me to sit with her. “Oh I was doing overtime because I’ll be on leave for three days next week.” I explained to her as I sat down beside her. “Why? You’re going somewhere?” she asked and played with the collar of my shirt. “Hmm I will be going at my hometown, something came up.” I lied to her. “With your girlfriend?” Jessica raised an eyebrow and pulled away her hand from my shirt. “Yeah… Wait, why are you still here? The bar’s already closed, isn’t it? I glanced at the door to make sure that the sign was already flipped to “Closed”. “Kim Taeyeon-ssi, you’re missing a lot huh? I’m the owner of this bar. You didn’t know?” she let out a small laugh and smirked at me. My eyes widened as I suddenly got up from my seat and bowed my head to her. “Jesonghamnida Jessicassi. Our manager was the only one that I always see here, so I had no idea what our boss looked like. I’m really sorry for my impoliteness.” I stayed my eyes on the ground as I apologized. How could I be this stupid and unaware? “It’s okay Taeyeon. It was also my fault. I didn’t do my job well.” Jessica shrugged and gestured me to sit again. “N-no, I don’t mean it like that.” I stayed at my position and looked at her with cautious eyes. “Nevermind Taeyeon, just sit and drink here with me. Also, drop the formalities.” She smiled and patted the chair beside her. “Is it really okay?” I asked her once again for assurance as I propped myself down. She just smiled at me in response.

Jessica clicked her fingers in the air and after a few moments, a waiter placed a bucket of beer in our table. “Whoa, how are we going to drink all of that?” I gasped in surprise and she let out a small laugh. “I’m a good drinker Taeyeon, just talk to me and in no time, you wouldn’t even notice that we had finished them all.” She flawlessly opened to bottles and handed me the other one. “So tell me something about your relationship.” Jessica said after emptying half of the beer bottle in a straight gulp. She must be a really good drinker. And like she said, after an hour, my head was already spinning around. I took a glimpse at our table and saw that there’s only one bottle left. Jessica drank all of it, yet she was still composed. She continued to ask me questions that my mind couldn’t remember; my mouth just answered her automatically. My body carelessly swayed in my seat, and after a few moments, my vision turned into a total darkness. TIFFANY’S POV I tossed Taeyeon’s unconscious body on the bed harshly. “How could you drink with that girl huh? I thought you’re already mine! Why are you such a flirt?!” I raged in anger and violently hit her with pillows. We just got committed yet she was already flirting. I was so excited when someone knocked on the door, thinking it was her. Yeah, it was really her, but not in the condition that I expected. She was unconscious, with her arms wrapped around the girl that I resented the most. The smell of alcohol filled my nostrils as the blonde girl passed her to me. I thanked her though, for still bringing my girlfriend home.

I shouldn’t be jealous because we’re now officially committed to each other, but I just don’t feel right about that girl. I don’t know, just something at the back of my mind told me not to trust her. I stared at her unresponsive body and saw her arm reddened from my assault. My heart pained as I realized that I just hurt her when she needed me the most. Taeyeon always took care of me whenever I messed up, while I did nothing but to cause her pain. So I decided to shrug off my jealousy and let my maturity win. I removed her clothes and carried her to the bathroom. I decided to leave her underwear on to prevent my thoughts from imagining inappropriate things. I carefully laid her in the tub and filled it with warm water. She cringed when the water touched her skin but remained unconscious. I guess she must’ve drunk a lot. I gently rubbed her arms, stomach, and legs with soap. I removed her underwear using her hands. I tried not to stare at her at her sacred parts and kept my eyes on her face. I held the back of her hand and filled her palm with soap, then placed it to her mounds so I will be able to wash it without using my own hands. I guided her hand as it stroked her mounds slowly. I didn’t realize that it was such an erotic sight and I could feel a hot sensation in between my thighs. My mind had gone crazy when she let out a lusty moan. I slapped myself with my free hand and immediately took her hand away from her mounds. I rinsed her quickly and dressed her with comfortable clothes. I sighed in relief as I successfully evaded the temptation. I carried her back to our room and carefully laid her on our bed, covering her with a blanket. I kissed her gently in the forehead and wrapped my arms around her as I fell asleep.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The girl typed in some important information from the recording earlier. She was about to close the laptop when a file caught her eye, she clicked it and the file opened. Her mind carefully absorbed the data presented and she realized that it sounded familiar. She listened to the tape over and over again until she figured out the connection between the two. "This can't be." she gasped in disbelief. The door suddenly creaked open and the old man emerged from it. She immediately closed the hidden file and decided to keep her discovery to herself.

Wild Fany is Wild

TAEYEON’S POV Tiffany didn’t want to talk about that night that I got dead drunk with Jessica. She would avoid it every time I open it up to her for me to apologize, saying that it was not a big deal. I wanted to believe her words, but her eyes disagreed with her lips. A couple of days passed, Tiffany seemed a lot different. I would wake up every morning with my breakfast ready, but minus her. She never failed to send me sweet text messages, but always rejected my calls. She will always leave before I wake up, and came home when I was already asleep. Tiffany’s acting like a perfect wife attending her husband’s needs, without an emotion. It’s like she just did all of those as her obligations, but not as a way to show her love to me. The day of our vacation came, and as expected, she avoided seeing me. Tiffany just sent me a voice message telling that she will go there first, and she’ll just wait for me at my friend’s hotel where we previously stayed. I wanted to be mad for not being with her for days, I just miss her so bad. I must clear this all up before our vacation ends.

I arrived at our hotel at dusk, and headed directly to our room. My knuckles slammed our suite’s door anxiously. The doorknob turned and Tiffany surfaced, looking damn sexy in an oversized pullover that reached her toned thighs. My heart pounded ten times faster as I finally saw her face after days of agony. I abruptly enclosed Tiffany in my arms tightly and dragged her inside the room. My foot kicked the door closed as I pinned her on the wall. I leaned my face onto her and captured her lips with mine, but she just stood there like a lifeless human being. “Why?” I pulled away and let go of her, she rolled her eyes and went towards the balcony. “Taeyeon, are you really that insensitive?” Tiffany yelled as I followed her. “I knew something’s wrong, but you would always refuse to tell me! You wouldn’t even talk and see me for days! You didn’t know how much I missed you.” My voice cringed in rage and sorrow. Tiffany cupped her forehead and looked down. “I just can’t understand myself. I love and hate you at the same time Taeyeon. I don’t know what to feel.” She shook her head in annoyance. I went closer to her and my hands gripped her on both shoulders. “Fany-ah, look at me.” Tiffany slowly turned her head to meet my eyes. “My Fany-ah, I am already yours. No one could ever take me away from you. I knew that this was about the night that I got dead drunk with Jessica, and let me explain that. Jessica Jung is the owner of the bar where I worked. Just think of it like my boss ordered me to have a drink with her. Jessica doesn’t mean anything to me. You are my everything, Tiffany. So, don’t you ever compare yourself to anyone again. No one could be as worthy as you.” I stated every word clearly with

my eyes locked on her. A tear fell from her eyes as I planted a soft kiss on her forehead. “I love you, my Taetae.” Tiffany wrapped her arms around me and started crying. “I love you more, my Fany-ah.” I hushed her sobs and stroked her soft hair. Tiffany pulled away and wiped her tears. She then smirked and grabbed my wrist. “Don’t you think you deserve a punishment?” she winked naughtily and dragged me back to our room. I let out a giggle from her cute aggressiveness. My body harshly landed on our soft bed, Tiffany sat up on top of me and started attacking my lips. Our tongues battled for dominance, while Fany’s hand roamed under my button-down top. She freed my lips to lower her tongue to my neck. My eyes were tightly shut as soft moans escaped from me. Then I heard a ripping of cloth and bouncing of buttons on the floor. I glanced down and saw the remains of my torn shirt on Fany’s hands. “Yah! Fanyah?! Why did you rip off my shirt? That was my favourite.” I protested as she threw the ripped cloths aside. I was going to yell again when her lips silenced me. Fany was extremely dominant that I couldn’t even catch up with her mouth. I gasped for air when she left my mouth to tease my mounds. “I just missed you so much my Taetae.” Tiffany huskily said in between her kisses on the edges of my bra. I moaned in frustration and Fany finally unclasped my bra. She didn’t waste a second and started sucking and biting my hard nipple while the other was being pleasured by her fingers. I arched my back to let her shove my breast inside her hot mouth fully. My moans got louder and my breathing got heavier. Her tongue left my breasts and traced down my stomach. “Fany-ah” I moaned and her lips teased the edges of my pants. “You like it my Taetae?”

Tiffany naughtily asked me as she unbuttoned my pants and pulled it down with my underwear. I could just moan in response as her fingers teased my slit. Tiffany’s lips went back up to mine. Her tongue overpoweringly invaded my mouth as I quickly helped her took off her clothes and underwear. She went back down to my aching core and teased my nub. I yelped as I felt her tongue assaulting my opening. My hands gripped her hair tightly as she sucked the hell out of my womanhood. I could feel the building pressure in my belly. “Tiffany, please.” I begged her breathlessly. My eyes rolled up when she shoved two fingers inside me. My hips followed the rhythm of her hands and my moans filled the room. My head turned from side to side as I thrust harder. I grabbed onto the bed sheet as her fingers thumped faster. Her lips caught mine as her free hand played my erected nipple, different kinds of sensations filled me. Oh God she’s good at multitasking, I thought as my moans got even heavier and my chest gasped for air. “Gosh I’m coming!” I mumbled as I felt my walls tighten. “Scream my name, my Taetae.” She demanded and she thrusted her fingers inside me harder. “Tiffany.” I could just whisper from lack of air. “Louder Taeyeon!” She yelled. “Tiffany! TIFFANY!” Like she said, I screamed her name on top of my lungs as my liquids oozed out. Tiffany pulled out her fingers and licked them up, and did the same with my leaking core. Her lips once again reached for mine and kissed me passionately, letting me taste my own juices. “I love you my Fany-ah.” I looked into her eyes and kissed her again. “I love you my Taetae.”

“Who said we’re done?” I teased and flipped her over. She giggled and I swiftly sucked her mounds alternately. My mouth went down to her stomach and to her sacred core. I did multiple licks and she moaned relentlessly. I positioned my core on top of hers and started thrusting. “Taetae.” She moaned and shut her eyes. My fingers played with her breasts as our cores rubbed faster. I could feel another pressure building up in my belly as I felt her wetness against mine. The sound of our slapping skins, and heavy moans echoed the room. “TAEYEON!” Fany screamed after one final thrust and we both came. I let myself fell down beside Tiffany after cleaning her up. We were both out of breath and covered with sweat. I reached for her and planted a goodnight kiss on her plump lips. She wrapped her arms around me and buried her face on my neck. I kissed her head as we both fell asleep with smiles on our faces.

Innocence

TIFFANY’S POV It was already noon when I woke up, I sat up on the bed with my eyes still shut. My whole body hurt as I tried to stretch my muscles out. “Will you please put your clothes on Fany-ah? It’s not helping that you’re naked at this time of the day.” I opened my eyes and saw Taeyeon smirking on the couch beside our bed. I switched my gaze down to my naked body and blushed when I realized how exposed it was. “Why Taetae? Don’t you want to repeat last night?” I wrapped the blanket around me and sat on Taeyeon’s lap. “Uh-oh not now, Tiffany. We need to get out. We’re visiting my hometown right?” Taeyeon took her eyes off me and leaned her body away from me.

“You’re too cute my Taetae.” I pinched her cheeks and kissed her gently on the lips. “I’ll go get ready now.” I whispered seductively on her ears and headed to the bathroom. “You’re such a bad girl Tiffany!” Taeyeon yelled and I giggled after knowing that my little tease turned her on. We rode a bus and a ferry to reach her hometown. It was already afternoon when we arrived at her village. The ahjumma’s and ahjussi’s recognized her and welcomed us warmly. She introduced me as her girlfriend which made me blush in front of her old neighbours. Unfortunately, the caretaker of their house was out of the town, and will come back tomorrow, so we weren’t able to get inside. Taeyeon just brought me to a small school instead. She toured me around the campus, and showed me where she usually stayed during her younger days. I somehow envied the simplicity of her childhood, which was very far from my chaotic and agonizing life in the States. Taeyeon knew about my past, and was aware on how I greatly missed my childhood. So, she brought me to a nearby playground and gestured me to play. It felt awkward and new. I realized that I didn’t even know how to have fun with those slides, swings, seesaws and monkey bars. Seeing me wary, Taeyeon initiated and climbed up the slide then let herself fall down. She laughed and motioned me to try it over. And after a few moments, I found myself over-enjoying those little structures. I laughed at every little thing and fooled around as if time brought back my youth, my innocence. Taeyeon also brought me to various eateries around her town, and bought me some cute childish stuff from the night market. I was really happy to

experience how she lived, wishing that I should’ve just spent my life like hers. Maybe if my best friend didn’t die, I would be as happy as Taeyeon. We were already at the hotel’s lobby when Taeyeon’s phone rang. She suddenly became worried about whatever on the other line has told her. “Who was that?” I asked her as soon as she ended the call. “Jessica. She told me that there was an emergency at work so I need to get back there tomorrow morning. Or else, I will be fired.” She anxiously explained. “Well go ahead then.” I responded and headed to the elevator. “No Tiffany. I would stay if you would disapprove.” She said as we reached our floor and headed inside our suite. “It’s okay Taetae. You’ve already explained to me about Jessica. I understand. Besides, you can’t lose your job.” I said and smiled at her. “Thank you Fany-ah!” her arms wrapped around my waist from my back. “Taetae! Don’t you think we should make use of our remaining time wisely?” I huskily whispered onto her ear and I yelped when she lifted me off the ground. “I like your idea.” Taeyeon winked and pinned me down on the bed. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------August 2, 1994 3:00am Sacheon Bay, Gwangyang Province The man was already heading back to the shore after delivering materials to the connected province. A heavy rain had just stopped; he was driving against the huge waves, when a body glimmered from the motorboat’s lights. He quickly turned the steering wheel towards the direction of the floating body, and reached

for the little girl’s arm. The weakening pulse of the girl vibrated on his thumb as he carried the unconscious girl up to his motorboat. The girl seemed to be soaked for hours in water, she was barely breathing. The man clasped his hands and pumped the little girl’s chest hardly. After a few pumps, tons of sea water oozed out from the girl’s little mouth. He sighed in relief and laid the girl securely in the corner. He roared the engine and drove off speedily to the shoreline. The middle-aged man carried the girl on his back and hurriedly paced to their house. His wife opened the door for them and was shocked to see the little girl. “Who is she?” his wife asked as he laid the child on their bed. “I don’t know. I saw her floating against the waves when I was heading back home. Luckily, she was still alive.” The man explained. “Shouldn’t we inform the authorities about her?” his wife asked and worriedly eyed the girl. “It might be dangerous. What if she’s in danger? Just think of it, she was floating in the middle of the vast ocean, almost lifeless. Maybe someone intentionally did that to her.” He stated. The woman eyed her hesitantly and turned to examine the child. “Omo! She has a very high fever! It’s better to take her to the hospital.” She panicked when she touched the child’s forehead and found it boiling in temperature. The man carried the child and they rushed to the nearest hospital. “Your daughter’s already fine. Aside from her high fever, she was also dehydrated and was deprived of oxygen.” The doctor told them after checking the child inside the emergency room. “Thank you very much.” The man sighed in relief. “Just go to that station to fill out the child’s information.” The doctor commanded and left them.

“Eotteokhae yeobeo? We don’t know anything about that child.” The woman asked frantically. “Calm down, we shouldn’t be obvious. I would take care of this. Just sit here.” The man gestured his wife to sit on one of the chairs on the waiting room and headed to the station. “I will just ask you some questions, Mr. Kim.” The nurse gestured him to sit down. “First, what is the patient’s name?” his mind went blank and couldn’t think of a girl’s name. “Sir?” the nurse repeated when he didn’t respond and stared blankly on the floor. He looked around and mumbled the first name that his mind was able to form. “Kim Taeyeon.”

A Sense of Familiarity

TIFFANY’S POV Taeyeon had already gone back to Seoul when I woke up. I went down to the lobby and took a pamphlet out of the counter. I sat at one of the seats near the entrance and scanned the small paper full of advertisements, figuring out some

activities to do before I head back home later tonight. Then, a wonderful idea struck me. I took the train immediately and rode the first trip of the ferry to Gwangyang. I recalled that the caretaker of Taeyeon’s house will be back today, so I will be able to learn more of Taetae’s lifestyle. I arrived at their town before noon, and the elder residents welcomed me warmly like yesterday. They offered me to with them and narrated me some interesting stories about Taeyeon’s past. An ahjumma told me about how her foster parents found her, and it was tragic. I really felt sorry for my Taetae. Now I understand why Taeyeon resented her biological parents. We had already finished chatting when the caretaker arrived. She gave me a set of keys and told me to feel free wandering around the Kim’s residence. The house wasn’t that big like ours, but it is enough for three persons to live in. I stepped inside and scanned the living room. The fixtures were covered with white cloth and the paint on the walls was well-maintained. I walked towards the squeaky stairs and made my way on the second floor of the house. I opened the door with a sign that said “KTY”. I entered and sat on Taetae’s small bed while my eyes got entertained by her old things. I reached for the study table beside her bed and grabbed a book. I flipped over the pages when a small piece of paper fell down. I picked it up and turned it around, it was a photograph of a little Taeyeon standing on the seashore. I smiled at her cuteness and I was going to put it back on the book when I realized something.

Taeyeon’s childhood photo looked very familiar to me; she looked like someone I once knew that my mind couldn’t figure out. I looked at the photo again while a girl’s face formed in the back of my mind. My heart thumped faster when my mind finally made out who it was. My whole body trembled while my mind refused to believe. “Mr. Kim found a girl floating in the middle of the ocean while he was heading back home after making a delivery on the other end of the coast. The girl couldn’t even remember her name and whatever has happened to her. Mr. and Mrs. Kim were scared for the girl’s safety so they just decided to keep her, and the whole town protected her. For around three years, strange groups of men will often roam around the town to look for a lost girl, perhaps that lost girl was Taeyeon. They looked dangerous and suspicious so we hid Taeyeon from them.” The ahjumma’s story about Taeyeon’s past echoed through my ears as the evidences slowly connected in my mind. My tears gushed through my eyes, and I screamed as pain sliced through my heart. A mixture of emotions came through me. I gripped the photograph tightly as I wept tremendously. “Kim Taeyeon…you’re H-Hana?” TAEYEON’S POV Three of my co-workers were injured from a car accident so the bar lacked in people. We worked double-time and I was extremely tired when our shift was finally over. The sun had already set when I reached our apartment. I laid down on the couch and checked my phone for Tiffany’s call, but there were none. Maybe she was already heading back home.

My eyes were already drifting into sleep when the doorbell rang. I excitedly headed to the door thinking it was Tiffany, but I was wrong. A middle-aged couple, who looked rich judging from the designer clothes they were wearing, surfaced in front of me and I looked at them oddly. Maybe they are Tiffany’s parents?, I thought and immediately bowed to them. “Annyeong haseyo.” I greeted them and gestured them to go inside, but they continued to stand there and stared at me. “Please go in.” I said to them, but still they continued to freeze. “Do you know us?” finally, the woman asked me in a shaky voice. “Perhaps you are Tiffany’s parents? This is her apartment, I just rent here.” I answered them and looked at the floor, scared that they will be mad once they learned that Tiffany is already living together with someone. “Kim Taeyeon?” the woman asked me again and her voice trembled even more, like she was holding back her tears or maybe her anger. I lowered my head even more and answered her yes. I wondered how she knew my name. Maybe Tiffany told them, but that was impossible. Or maybe they researched about me to prove that I didn’t suit their child. My thoughts got distracted when the woman grabbed me enclosed me in her arms tightly. She wept as her hands stroked my head while I just stood there awkwardly. I looked up at her husband standing behind, and his eyes were tearing up as well. “Wait, what is going on?” I pulled away from the woman and stared at them oddly. “We are your parents, Hana-yah.” The woman said in between her tears. My body froze from what she said. “My parents were already dead.” I said to them in a firm tone. “No Hana, We are your real parents.” The man from behind

said. “No! I don’t have any parents besides them. And I’m not Hana! My name is Taeyeon!” I shouted in rage and ran outside. I heard them chasing after me, but I continued running as my tears gushed down through my face. It was already dark outside and the people were already rushing home when I reached the Han River. I cried and screamed out my thoughts. Why do they have to come back and mess my life? I am already so much better without them. The sky seemed to sympathize with me and showed no stars. I stared at the moon and cleared my mind. When I had already calmed myself down, I started walking slowly back to our apartment. I haven’t gone too far when I saw a familiar figure on the other end of the street. I wasn’t able see the girl’s face because she was surrounded with men dressed in black uniforms, but she seemed really familiar. The familiar girl seemed to be giving orders, as the men bowed to her and escorted her to her car. The men were also familiar, those uniforms, I’ve seen those somewhere. I continued to walk while my mind tried to recall a faint memory from the past. I reached Cheonggyecheon Park and sat in a secluded corner. There were only a few people strolling as I continued to think about my past. A firework then exploded, as my memory recalled a gun shot. The water streamed from the fountain, like how the sea water formerly gushed and swallowed my little body. My breathing became heavier as I remembered a group of men dressed in that familiar uniform grabbed my arm harshly. A faint voice echoed in my ears, screaming a name that the couple earlier called me “Hana-yah”. I looked at the sky and a star magically emerged and glimmered brightly, which looked like

a necklace that I once held in my little hands. I closed my eyes and saw a familiar little girl, smiling brightly to me as her eyes formed into lovely crescents.

Conspiracies TAEYEON’S POV My memory came back, bringing the lost memories of my innocence. Now that I remember every bit of my life, I decided to head back to our old home in Gangnam. I terribly missed my parents, unlike earlier when I almost drove them away from my apartment. I pressed the doorbell of our huge home, and an old maid opened it for me. I barely recognized her, but I am sure that she was one of the loyal helpers of our family. An old feeling came through me as I entered our home, nothing much changed despite of the many years that had passed. A huge family picture still hung on the living room, with me and my sister still toddlers. My fingers traced a grand piano that I remembered playing. I walked towards the fireplace and scanned the small picture frames mounted on top of it. My heart fluttered as I saw my precious childhood memories. “Hana?” a familiar voice called from my back. I turned around and saw my mom with my dad behind her. “Eomma!” my lips blurted out as my tears fell uncontrollably from my eyes. I ran towards my mom and enclosed her with my arms tightly. My whole body trembled as I felt her loving arms around me once again. “You’re back. You’re alive, my daughter.” My mom said and stroked my hair. Our sobs filled the room, and I looked up to my dad as he reached towards us and wrapped us with his protective arms. We ate dinner together for the first time in eighteen years. It felt wonderful, like a childhood memory repeated itself. My parents laughed at my stories,

showing their wrinkles and fine lines which were absent from when I last saw them. It was indeed a very long time. I couldn’t believe how I managed to spent the last eighteen years of my life without them. There was no sense of awkwardness, like we didn’t get separated for almost two decades. We were chatting on the balcony when I suddenly remembered about my younger sister. “Oh right mom, where’s Yoona?” I asked and looked at them alternately. “Oh you’re sister! She’s at the US. We sent her there as a punishment for the never-ending troubles that she made.” My mom answered and chuckled under her breath. “Does she know about me?” I asked. “Yes! She was really happy when we told her that we’ve already found you! She insisted to go back here immediately, but we refused. She must finish her semester first for her to see you.” My mom said in a high tone and my dad smirked beside her. “You’re really wise mom.” I said and let out a little laugh. “Wait, but how did you find me?” I suddenly remembered to ask that question. “We really believed that you’re alive, Hana. No one found your body, so we hired numerous private detectives from different countries to find you. It was really hard, and finally they found a record in your town’s hospital. The records matched with the time and date of your abduction, so we searched around your town. Unfortunately, we found out that you had already moved to Seoul. We continued our search for you in Seoul, and now there you are.” My dad explained and his face lightened in relief, my mom smiled beside him. I smiled at them, when I remembered to request something. “Mom, Dad, please call me Taeyeon. I am really used to that name now.” I requested them. They just nodded reluctantly. “Did you find out who was behind this whole conspiracy?” I asked and eyed them curiously. “Yes, but we haven’t had

enough evidences so the law couldn’t punish them accurately.” My dad said in a firm tone, his brows furrowed and his jaws tightened. “Who are they?” I insisted and my heart thumped faster in anticipation. “The Hwang Family.” My dad said, and my face turned pale. “Ti-Tiffany’s family?” I swallowed hard as I mumbled her name. My heart wished for my question to be wrong. “Yes. They also kidnapped Tiffany so that they would look innocent. All of that was just a show to deceive us, for them to take over our shares. They’re brilliant, aren’t they? That filthy man even used his own daughter to fulfil his greediness.” My dad said every word sharply, and my ears refused to hear his words. My throat dried and my breathing seemed to stop. I checked my phone for Tiffany’s messages, but there was none. I even called the caretaker of our apartment to check if Tiffany came back home, but the old lady said that there was no one at our apartment. Then I remembered the familiar woman commanding those uniformed men in the street. Maybe it was Tiffany? My body felt weak as I realized that. Perhaps Tiffany just came close to me to pursue their interrupted scheme. Tiffany loves me, she can’t do that. My heart contradicted. But where is she now? Why is she missing? Why did I see her with those men? And why did she act like she didn’t remember that I was her best friend? Why did she have to tell me that her best friend died and she actually suffered a ‘depression’? Those questions echoed through my mind and muted my heart’s screams. TIFFANY’S POV

If I could just have wings to fly back to Seoul and be with Taeyeon’s side again, then I would have. Unfortunately, the train that I was riding had a problem with its wirings and got stuck in the middle of the trip. The operators said that we obviously have to wait until they fix it, whether we liked it or not. My phone’s battery died, so I couldn’t calm myself down in my seat. I wanted to talk to Taeyeon, to finally hear her voice, to tell her to wait for me. My head was mad with thoughts as I looked around the vast forest surrounding us outside the windows. And finally, after four hours of agonized waiting, the train moved. I still have three hours before I could finally be with Taeyeon. I ran excitedly to our apartment and dragged my luggage roughly. It was three in the morning, so maybe Taeyeon was already asleep. I entered our apartment quietly and turned the lights on. And to my surprise, Taeyeon was sitting on the couch, with a blank expression on her face. “Taetae!” I rushed towards her and embraced her tightly. Astonishingly, she harshly removed my arms around her and stood up. “I’m sorry for being late, the train was—” I wasn’t able to finish my sentence for I felt her hand slapped my face. I looked at her with a question in my eyes. “Stop pretending Tiffany Hwang! I know everything! I remembered everything!” Taeyeon yelled at my face and her fists clenched. “You remembered your past?” I mumbled and my voice trembled. “You’re right, so you should stop this act Tiffany! You’re conspiracy will never deceive me again! I trusted you, although my mind said that I shouldn’t! I loved you! But you just used me! I will never trust anyone again, including you, Tiffany! You will never ever see me again!” Taeyeon screamed in anger and her shoulders hit mine harshly as she walked out of our apartment.

My mind couldn’t understand everything. It was so fast. What did she mean by her words? My body fell down on the ground as tears flowed continuously through my face which stung from her slap. Questions rushed through my tired and confused mind. I felt helpless and empty without Taeyeon. I thought that I could now be perfectly happy because my best friend, whom I originally thought was dead, and the person that I love more than my life is the same girl. All of my dreams for us faded in a snap of a finger. And that night, the nightmares came back once again.

“Babo! What is the meaning of this? I thought that girl was already dead?! Now, we have to deal with the two of them again!” the old man yelled in anger and slapped the papers on her daughter. “Kim Taeyeon? Ho-how?” the girl asked, pretending that she wasn’t aware of Taeyeon. “Mr. and Mrs. Kim found her yesterday! Aish! Another trouble came yet you weren’t done with that Hwang, but finish this Kim first!” the old man commanded and stroked her forehead. His secretary knocked on the door and opened it just enough for her head to fit in “Sir, Mr. and Mrs. Kim are already downstairs for your business meeting.” The woman said and closed the door.

The old man straightened his body and looked at his daughter who was still looking at the ground. “Compose yourself.”

Intentions

The old man’s secretary knocked on the door and opened it just enough for her head to fit in. “Sir, Mr. and Mrs. Kim are already downstairs for your business meeting.” The woman said and closed the door. The old man straightened his body and looked at his daughter who was still looking at the ground. “Compose yourself.” TAEYEON’S POV My heart felt like it was ripped out into pieces when I left Tiffany alone, in that state. What if her nightmares come back? What if she needs me? Who would take care of her? What would happen to her? I wanted to run back into her arms and apologize, but then again, she used me. This time, I need to save myself. My thoughts were distracted when I saw the big mansion through my windshield. It was splendid, more luxurious than ours. My mom called me earlier to head directly to this address where they would introduce me to their current business partner. It was really a bad timing to face everyone after a big fight with Tiffany. Just thinking of her name makes me weak. I wiped off my tears and put on another layer of make-up to cover up my swollen face. I composed myself as I got out of the car and walked towards the mansion’s entrance slowly. A helper guided me to the living room where my parents sat in an expensive gold plated settee. The whole house glistened with gold. Almost all of the fixtures were coated with gold, even the little ornaments. This family must be

really rich to spend their money excessively. The maid bowed to me as I sat beside my parents, then another set of maids came and served us tea. A petite woman, who obviously looked like a secretary, came in front of us and informed that they are already here. We stood up and I turned my gaze on the other side of the room. An old man who looked stern and rough, surfaced. His lips curved a little and shook my parents’ hands. They greeted and bowed to each other. The old man stood in front of me, and eyed me intently. I bowed my head and greeted him. “Kim Taeyeon! Finally, we meet again.” His hands gripped mine tightly. I cringed as I felt my bones being squeezed. He pulled away immediately after noticing the hurt in my face. “I want you to meet my daughter.” The man said and pointed on the side where he entered. There emerged a petite, blonde woman, looking so elegant in a short black dress. I stared at her angelic face, realizing that I knew her. “This is my daughter, Jessica Jung.” The man announced, confirming my assumption. “Annyeong Haseyo!” Jessica bowed her head and met my eyes. She just smiled a little as I stared into her swollen eyes which looked like she just finished crying. Our parents walked ahead of us towards the dining room after a little chit chat with Jessica. We let them take a few steps away before following them. “Jessica.” I whispered and grabbed her arm. “Do me a favour, Taeyeon. Act like you don’t know me, please?” her voice trembled as her eyes pleaded into mine. I nodded and let go of her arm gently. The dinner went well, for them. Our parents talked most of the time, and I just kept my eye on Jessica. She looked scared and troubled. I wanted to ask her

questions, like why she instructed me to pretend that we were strangers. I could sense something is going on. If it is good or bad, I don’t know.

TIFFANY’S POV My head felt like it was smashed a hundred times on the wall. The circles around my eyes are getting darker and darker every single day. My body became weaker and drained out of energy. Weeks had passed and I still haven’t got a peaceful sleep. The nightmares became worse, so I always ended up waking in the middle of the night, screaming and bawling. As a result, I can’t act normally during the day. Today would be another horrible one. I tapped the alarm clock off before it could even ring. I made my way towards my closet, and dug the pile of used clothes to find some clean ones. After successfully finding a shirt and a pair of pants, I headed to the kitchen while my feet kicked aside the clothes and trashes that blocked my way. I took a mug that was on top of the dirty plates in the sink and soaked it with water. Then, I filled it with coffee, finishing a cup after another. I heard my stomach grumble from not getting a proper meal, but caffeine served as my life saver these days. An announcement from the dean welcomed me as soon as arrived at school. The man scolded me for my sudden failure on all of the subjects, for not attending classes, and for sleeping during lectures if ever I attended them. My mind dozed off while he reprimanded me with his deep, stern voice. “Good morning!” A girl’s voice then echoed and brought me back to reality.

“Ms. Hwang, this is Yoona, she just came back from the US. Since, you have the same experience, and you are both troublemakers, I hope that you can tutor her about the past lessons in which you excelled. Also, this will be a way to cover up for your failures. It’s like hitting two birds in one stone. You will help her to catch up in this semester while you make up for your bad grades.” He explained as I watched the skinny girl sit in front of me. “Okay.” I just agreed because I’m too tired to argue with him. “But, if she fails, you fail. Understand? So help each other.” He said and leaned back on his swivel chair. My eyes studied the girl in front of me as her deer-shaped eyes rolled while her long fingers played the figurine on top of the dean’s desk. I escorted her outside, but she gestured me to follow her to the parking area. “Drive me home.” Yoona said as she threw the keys to me and slipped inside her white Sciroco. I caught the keys, and gripped it tightly in annoyance. I am her tutor, not her driver. Anyway, I still entered her car. Like earlier, I am too tired for an argument. Yoona opened the GPS beside the steering wheel for directions. We arrived at a mansion, like ours in the US. The gates automatically opened as I parked her car in line with the other luxurious cars. “Thank you.” Yoona mumbled as she got out of the car flawlessly. I just shrugged and made my way out. I was already in front of the gates when I noticed her car key dangling on my fingers. My feet heavily walked back to the splendid doors, and slammed them hard. An old maid opened them and informed me that Yoona was upstairs at her room. I quickly paced towards the grand staircase and reached the floor’s hallway. I just forgot to ask which exact room because I am now surrounded with three

identical doors on both sides, a total of six different rooms. I walked toward the middle of the hallway and chose the middle door on my right side. I gripped the door knob and was turning it when someone stopped my arm. “Wrong room. That’s my sister’s room. Mine’s on the other side.” Yoona said and pointed out on the door behind. “Why are you still here?” she asked and dragged me in front of her room. “You forgot this.” I lifted my left hand where her car key dangled. “Oh right. Thanks.” She thriftily said and snatched the key from me. My tutorial days with Yoona was rather peaceful than troublesome. She always comes on time, and participates in my discussions. Perhaps she just didn’t want to drag me in her troubles. We didn’t establish any kind of friendship, just pure working professionalism. There were weird times though, when she would just stare at me intently, then ask me some personal questions out of nowhere. I answered some of them though, but I avoided her other questions, especially when it pertains to relationships. It was kind of creepy. Yoona seemed to be investigating me. The way she asked me personal questions made her look like she had known me for a very long time.

Beautiful Pain

TAEYEON’S POV My parents dropped me out of my current university, and started sending me to one-on-one classes by some of the veteran professors. They wanted me to focus and learn more on how to handle our business, since I will be the one to take over it in the future. Oftentimes, Jessica would help me with my homework, and explain to me some business terms that I could not comprehend. We’re getting closer and more comfortable with each other. We could now talk how our day

went, laugh about nonsense things, and share sentiments. The questions in my mind during the ‘dinner incident’ were still left unanswered. I didn’t want to force those reasons out of her though. Yoona, my troublesome younger sister, came home a few days ago after being expelled out of her university in the US. She said that she purposely did that to be with me earlier. Our reunion was filled with laughter rather than tears. Yoona told me endless stories during her stay in the US, well most of them were about the troubles that she got into. And then suddenly, when she was in the middle of her story, an image of person popped out in my head. Yoona’s experiences were almost identical to that girl’s. My heart sank when I remembered the first time that we met. Those were the times that we were innocent. My eye let out a tear, as my mind wandered back to that time, when everything was simple between me and the girl that I loved more than anything else. “Unnie!” Yoona yelled and snapped her fingers in front of my blank face. “Are you okay? You’re crying.” she asked and looked at me oddly. “Oh I think a dust particle entered my eye, it’s nothing.” I shrugged and wiped my eyes. “Is that so..” she nodded and looked at her watch. “Oh I need to go now, unnie. My tutor would kill me if she knew that I am late for class.” my sister grabbed her bag and kissed me on the cheek. “Take care, dongsaeng!” I said and accompanied her towards the door. “Unnie! I forgot to tell you something!” she stopped in front of the door and turned to me. “What’s that?” I raised my brows as I anticipated for her answer.

“Is Jessica your girlfriend? Well I don’t like her.” She declared in a firm tome while she stared at my eyes intently. Yoona went outside before I could even answer and ask her numerous questions. Why did she think that Jessica is my girlfriend? Is it because we are getting too close? And why didn’t she like Jessica? Is there something wrong about her? Why am I getting a feeling that something I don’t know is happening around me?... TIFFANY’S POV My mind was dumbfounded when I arrived at my apartment and saw a plane ticket slipped through my door with Yoona’s note. She said that we will be going to Jeju Island for whatever reason that I don’t know. I wanted to go crazy when I learned that our flight will be this evening. She said that I must come, or else she will not attend school and therefore, we will both fail. I can’t believe that my younger student is actually manipulating me. It was already afternoon so I don’t have much time to spare. I hurried to get my suitcase and realized that I almost ran out of neat clothes. I have been leaving like a lifeless creature these past weeks, my apartment was a mess. Dirty clothes, empty food containers were scattered everywhere. I couldn’t grasp how I am managing to live like this, or if I am still living. A tour guide welcomed me when I landed to Jeju, and ushered me to the hotel where I will stay. A deluxe room was presented to me. I roamed the huge room, starting from the receiving area, then to the small kitchen, to the single room, up to the balcony. The room was really splendid, the view outside was very

relaxing. But before I forgot, I need to look for Yoona. I passed by the receiving area and noticed a small piece of paper placed on top of the center table. Tiffany seonsaengnim, tadaaa! This is my gift for you……A vacation! kekeke. Recently I noticed that you’re really stressed, you often zone out during our lessons. So I really think that you need to unwind and relax. However, I’m sorry for not telling you the truth. Please don’t get mad at me, I actually bet that you will thank me for this! Thank you for bearing with me for almost a month now. Let’s continue working hard! Fighting! - YOONA :)

That was so sweet, I thought and smiled at her note. I didn’t really think that she actually cared for me. Perhaps Yoona was right. I really need to clear my mind so I could go back to my normal self. It has been two days since I arrived here, and I could say that I am doing great. My mind seemed to forget my problems and escape reality. And for once, I was able to sleep peacefully. Since I think my vacation was already enough, I considered going back to Seoul tomorrow morning.

This night was different. The stars seemed to celebrate as they shine brightly together with the huge round moon. The sound of calm waves soothed my ears, as the gentle winds blew against my hair. I slowly paced back towards to the hotel, when I noticed that the other tourists were crowding on the garden area. I squeezed myself into the crowd to be able to see what was happening on the small stage. Normally, I wouldn’t care about things like this, but my instincts told me that it will be worth looking at. Well, it was obviously a social gathering. The owners of the hotel came for a visit to introduce their future successors. I’ve already decided to go back inside the hotel when the speaker announced the successors’ names. “Everyone, Let us welcome, Ms. Jessica Jung and Ms. Kim Taeyeon!” I froze in my position as the name echoed through my ears repeatedly. “Kim Taeyeon…” my lips blurted out and I turned around. A lump formed in my throat and my knees got weak when I saw the scene on the stage. It was Jessica and Taeyeon, holding each other’s hands with the happiest smiles on their faces. Taeyeon looked so different that I almost didn’t recognize her. A slender dress hugged her petite body, while her dark brown hair fell against her shoulders flawlessly. The new style suited her. She was really beautiful. An old wound seemed to cut open again in my heart as tears unconsciously gushed out from my eyes. My whole body trembled as I decided to walk away while my knees could still bear it. My vision was spinning as I struggled to move my frozen feet. My weak body bumped against everyone in the crowd that it almost caused a scene.

My knees finally gave in when I reached the seashore. My hands grasped the grains of sand tightly as my overflowing tears escaped from my swollen eyes. My piercing scream defeated the sound of the waves. My heavy chest heaved for air. Finally, my feelings were able to get out of me. The torment seemed to feel good to me. I shut my eyes tightly as I allow the pain to penetrate me more. The pain seemed to be my cure. Then I felt those protective arms around me again. Her familiar scent intoxicated my whole being. “Tiffany.” Her sweet voice once again echoed through my ears, sending flutters to my heart. Her gentle body pressed against my back, as her arms embraced me closer. She buried her face on my shoulders which was damp from her tears. My eyes refused to open, for they are scared that once they do, everything will disappear. Whether this is a dream or not, I don’t care. All I wanted was for this moment to never fade away.

'Cause In Your Eyes I'd Like To Stay

TAEYEON’S POV The soft morning breeze blew against the leaves of the giant trees. The sun’s rays started exiting out from the clouds’ small openings, sending a warm sensation over the chilly hill. The smell of the burned wood mixed with the damp grasses’. While the humming of the birds echoed through the meadow. Tiffany’s head rested against my arm which was starting to feel numb from bearing her weight since last night. I stroked my free hand against her hair as I watched her sleep. My eyes refused to close, not wanting to leave the sight of her beautiful face. Her arms held me tight and close, ensuring that I will never leave her side again. My heart stopped when I saw Tiffany last night. Even though there were tons of people in the audience, she will always stand out in my eyes. The next thing I knew was running after her, although my mind says that it was a foolish thing to do. I can’t help it, seeing her miserable, my heart just couldn’t take it.

My whole world crashed when I saw her weak knees fell on to the ground. Her piercing screams penetrated my soul and tore every fragment of my being. My tears started to flow, washing away the bad judgments that I imposed upon her. I couldn’t believe myself, how could I hurt my life? “Tiffany” once again, I uttered that name, the name which changed my life, as my arms wrapped around its owner. Her weak body pressed tightly against mine. At that moment, she served as my lifeline. For how many minutes or hours we were it that position, none of us seemed to notice. Time had stopped for us to treasure that moment. Without any words, our hands grabbed each other, and our legs suddenly moved in sync. Together, we ran away from the cruel reality behind us. The girl beside me twitched her eyes open, meeting mine and bringing me back to the present time. “Taeyeon.” Tiffany mumbled and cupped my face gently. I nodded as my hand met hers on my face, assuring her that I was real. A tear escaped from her eyes, as she realized that she was not dreaming anymore. “I’m sorry….for not believing you.” those were the only words that my lips managed to produce. “I love you Taetae. I don’t want to lose you again.” Tiffany said as her eyes stayed on me. “I love you more, Fany-ah. I don’t want to leave your side ever again.” it wasn’t my lips which did the talking, it was already my heart. “ The wind blew softly against our intertwined bodies. My arms tightened around Tiffany, as her lips touched mine. Slowly, our kiss deepened, replacing all of the gentleness with passion. Our chest gasped for air as our lips parted. “Trust me, okay?” Tiffany said and looked into my eyes sincerely. I smiled in response

and embraced her closer. The sun successfully made its way up, making the whole surroundings bright, like our love which just surpassed its darkest point. A new day had just started, giving a new hope, another reason to believe that everything will be all right. We sat up and looked at the bright sky, our hands still intertwined. Our eyes twinkled from the magnificent view. “If only life was this simple.” I heard Tiffany utter under her breath. “Unfortunately, it’s not Fany-ah, but don’t worry, you will never face it alone.” I squeezed her hand. Her eyes met mine as she smiled in response. “Can we just stay like this, Taetae? Let’s forget everything, escape our reality. Pretend that life was simple, that the two of us were the only ones that mattered. Can we? Even just for a day?” her voice shook as her pleading eyes anticipated for my response. I leaned my face closer to her, giving her a quick kiss on the lips as my answer. It seemed like we travelled back in time. Back to that moment when we were still innocent kids, when everything was not complicated, when we still have our own little worlds that no one could interfere. We spent the day roaming around the small quiet town in the island. Tiffany insisted to buy childish stuffs on the small market such as couple shirts, and couple socks. I disagreed at first, but eventually gave in when she turned her aegyo on me. She was amazed by the littlest things that we encountered on our way. I can’t help but giggle at her charm whenever she squealed at the sight of something adorable. I could see that she tried really hard to look happy. Her smiles hid her sorrows, but her eyes failed to lie. Fear, sorrow, and worry were evident through her them. We found a small traditional lodging house where we decided to spend the night. It’s amazing how time flies when you’re happy, and how it slows down

whenever you’re in agony. Tomorrow, we will go back and face the truth. Even though both of us refuse, we still have to. Due to tiredness, I fell asleep while Tiffany told me some of her stories back in high school. I opened my eyes, and was awakened when my arms didn’t find Tiffany beside me. I half-sleepily looked around the dark four-sided room, and found Tiffany sitting beside the slightly opened door, which allowed the moonlight to enter our room. “Fany-ah, why are you still awake?” I asked while I made my way beside her. “Taetae…. I don’t want to sleep and waste my time. I want time to slow down, and value every second of this moment.” She responded as she stared at the stars through the door’s small opening. I reached for her hand and grasped it tightly, as I fixed my gaze to her worried face. “I’m scared for the sun to rise… can’t we just stay like this forever?” she wished upon the stars although she knew in herself that her unrealistic desire will never be granted. I cupped her face and turned it to face me. My eyes stared deeply onto hers as it sent my feelings which my lips failed to voice out. Tiffany angled her face, and leaned it closer to me. My lips accepted her invitation and seized hers gently. I could feel that she was crying while our lips moved in sync. “Don’t be afraid, Fany-ah. I am here.” I said in between our kiss. We gradually made our way onto the mattress propped on the wooden floor without breaking our kiss. I laid Tiffany tenderly, as our lips still moved with each other. Her soft hands were travelling around my back, sensing every bit of it. My hands reached for the edges of her nightshirt and slowly removed it from her, as she did the same to me. I lowered my kisses down to her collarbones, savouring

her sweet taste. Her hands muddled my hair and my lips went back up to find hers. The moonlight made the tears on her face glisten, and I kissed away every drop of loneliness on her face. Finally, I made my way inside her. The sounds of mixed pain and pleasure elicited through her. She started to move against me as I went deeper. Her insides started to tighten around my fingers as they moved quicker. With one deep thrust, she released all of her while screaming my name. I savoured her sweet taste as she gasped for air. Tiffany regained her energy, and switched roles with me. I could feel her warm lips caressing my sacred places, sending different sensations throughout my body. Her soft hands rubbed against my whole being. My chest heaved for oxygen as I felt her inside me. Slowly, she picked up speed as I moved against her. My eyes fell back as my hoarse voice struggled to scream her name. My body curved forward as the pressure on my stomach made its way out. The cold wind of the night blew against our bare bodies, but our intertwined beings sent a warm feeling against each other. We cherished and caressed each other slowly, taking our time to make each other as our own territory. We owned each other simultaneously, not allowing every part of us to be left untouched. The moonlight, together with the stars witnessed our love. We linked our bodies under the same blanket. “I love you so much Tiffany. I couldn’t imagine my life without you.” I said as I stroked her hair and planted a soft kiss on her forehead. “You are my life, Taeyeon. I love you forever.” Tiffany said in clarity as her slender fingers traced little circles on my shoulder.

We stayed in that position until the sun finally rose. I pulled her closer to me, as my thoughts wandered. Today will be the day that we will finally go back to our lives. We will face reality, together. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The tall girl sneaked her way inside her suspect’s room. She searched the drawers and the cabinets rapidly, while keeping her senses alert for any sign of movement inside the room. Then suddenly, she heard the door slammed open, and she quickly slid her body under the queen sized bed to hide herself. The girl lifted up the bed sheets just enough for her to see what was happening. “Liar!!!” the old man slapped his daughter. The intensity sent the blonde girl onto the ground. The old man threw a bunch of papers and a tape on his daughter’s face. “Come here! I’ll show you what you deserve.” He then grabbed her weeping daughter on the arms and dragged her outside. On the other hand, the sneaky girl quickly crawled out of the bed and shoved the suspicious tape and papers inside her bag.

Together

TIFFANY’S POV Taeyeon didn’t let go of my hand as we travelled back to Seoul. We held each other’s hand tightly as to comfort our worried thoughts on what awaits for us back in the city. Although our situation was really mind-wrecking, it felt so good that Taeyeon is beside me again. The plane landed safely, Taeyeon tightened her hand on me when she felt my hesitation. She looked at my eyes deeply and nodded her head. I smiled as I felt

safe in those eyes. We walked slowly, Taeyeon guiding me like a toddler who was taking a series of first steps. “Unnie!” A familiar voice echoed through the airport. “Yoona!” Taeyeon shouted excitedly and welcomed the running girl in her arms. “Yoona?” I asked and I eyed them alternately. Taeyeon let go of the skinny girl and both of them faced me. “Yes Tiffany. She’s my sister, Yoona. Do you know each other?” Taeyeon asked at looked at Yoona. “Annyeong Haseyo seonsaengnim!” Yoona responded and bowed at me. “Yes, Unnie. Tiffany seonsaengnim is my tutor!” Yoona said and smiled at us. I just bowed and smiled at her awkwardly. “Wow! What a coincidence! Better be good to her, Yoona!” Taeyeon nudged Yoona on the shoulder and laughed in amusement. Taeyeon pushed our luggage and walked ahead of us. Yoona then grabbed me in the arm and whispered. “Tiffany unnie, you liked my present right? I told you, you would thank me for this.” I looked at her with a puzzled expression. Yoona just winked at me and smirked suspiciously. Taeyeon called us in the car before I could question her. We arrived at the Kim’s residence in an hour. Good thing Mr. & Mrs. Kim were still in Jeju Island to finish some promotions, I could still be at ease. I still don’t know what’s happening around me, though it is obvious that Taeyeon’s parents suspected our family for the kidnapping incident 18 years ago. I didn’t know how did that happen, why did they suspect our family for committing such crime when my dad and Taeyeon’s dad were best buddies, not only in business but

also since in their college days. Something’s really wrong, but I don’t know how I can figure that out. “Taetae, are you sure that it will be okay for me to stay here? I can still stay at my apartment.” I asked Taeyeon as she guided me inside her room. “Fany-ah, there’s no need to worry. I’m here.” Taeyeon turned to me and cupped my face. “I’m scared, Taeyeon.” I said as I locked my gaze deep into her eyes. Taeyeon then hugged me tight. “I’m here, Tiffany. I will never leave you. Trust me.” She whispered in my ear and stroked my hair. Somehow, I felt security in her arms and in her eyes.

The night came, I paced back and forth inside Taeyeon’s room as I anticipated for the arrival of her parents, or what will happen when they arrive was what I looked forward to, in an anxious way. And after an hour, my agonizing wait was finally over. The sound of screeching wheels echoed through the window. I watched from above as the black Mercedes made its way in front of the gates of the mansion. Taeyeon went beside me and grabbed my hand. She intertwined our fingers and looked at me. A lump formed in my throat, my breathing started to get heavy. We made our way outside her room with small, careful steps. I kept my head lowered as we walked along the never-ending hallway. Taeyeon squeezed my hand when I stopped in front of the staircase. I looked at her, my eyes crying for help. She just nodded her head and lifted our intertwined hands. With a heavy sigh, I started pacing down the stairs with her.

We reached the living room, where the old couple, which I barely recognized, stood in stance. “Appa, Eomma, Tiffany.” Taeyeon said and gestured her free hand in front of me. “A-Annyeong Haseyo!” I stuttered and bowed to them in the most respectful way. “Taeyeon, what is this?” Mr. Kim asked in a firm voice. I tried to look at them, but averted my gaze in a second. “Appa, we’ve been living together. And I’ll continue living with her.” Taeyeon said firmly and tightened her grip in my hand. “What is going on with your mind, Kim Taeyeon?! Do you even know what you are doing?! How did you grow up as a fool! She is an enemy!” Mr. Kim yelled in anger. I bowed my head even more, not wanting to see his veins coming out of his head. “Tiffany is innocent! If Mr. Hwang was the one who really planned that kidnappping, then Tiffany should not be dragged in this! She was also an innocent child like me when the incident happened!” Taeyeon fought back, her voice rising in pitch. “But Tiffany isn’t a child anymore! You don’t know what is in the back of her mind! She is a Hwang! Our enemy’s blood runs through her veins! I will never ever let an enemy live inside my house!” Mr. Kim’s voice echoed through the first floor, or it might even reached the second. Mrs. Kim sighed and grabbed her husband’s shoulder. “Fine then. I trust Tiffany. I’ll go with her.” Taeyeon declared confidently and dragged me away. I didn’t know what to do. I know that this is wrong, but this seemed to be the right thing for me. “Taeyeon!” I heard Mrs. Kim say. I tried to stop but Taeyeon dragged me harder.

We decided to go back to our old place. The car, which Taeyeon drove, flew in speed along the dark road. Taeyeon slammed the car doors shut and ran up to my apartment. I followed her and saw her sitting on the couch. Her face was buried in her hands as she let her tears out. “I’m sorry.” I whispered and sat beside her and wrapped her in my arms. “I love you, Taeyeon. I will never leave you.” I said in all sincerity. Taeyeon hugged me back tightly and buried her face on my shoulders. I know I am being selfish, but I need Taeyeon. I can’t let go of her again for another conspiracy. I just have to believe that everything will be alright.

The doorbell rang as Taeyeon and I cleaned my apartment. Taeyeon teased me on how did I become a hobo suddenly, and felt guilty when I told her that it was all her fault. “Yoona?” I heard Taeyeon say from the door. My tall student then entered my apartment freely and sat on the couch. “Ewww your home’s a mess seonsaengnim!” Yoona exclaimed and grabbed the small box on top of the center table, which contained our (Taeyeon) photos. “What are you doing here?” Taeyeon said as she stood in front of her sister and crossed her arms. “I will stay here for a while unnie. I can’t stand the tension in our house.” Yoona said and then laughed out loud on a picture. “Who said that you can stay here?! Taeyeon asked and snatched some of the photos from Yoona. “Tiffany seonsaengnim! Right?” she faced me and I just

smiled at her sarcastically. Taeyeon questioned my response. “Don’t worry, I will not interrupt your private and intimate moments! Like this!” Yoona teased and lifted a photo of me and Taeyeon kissing. I gasped and covered my face in embarrassment. “Give me that!” Taeyeon jumped to reach the photo away from Yoona, who raised her hand even higher. It was already two in the morning when we all finished our works and decided to sleep. We helped Yoona clean the storage room for her to sleep in. “Home sweet home!” Taeyeon said and stretched her body after coming out of the shower. She made her way onto the bed and crashed her little body. “You missed our ‘home’ that much huh?” I asked as I removed my robe to change into my pajamas. “Yes! Especially my mushroom!” Taeyeon said and smirked at me while untying her robe. “Don’t give me that look, Taeyeon! Aren’t you tired? And your sister’s here.” I said and tossed her clothes on the bed. “I will never be tired of you mushroom!” Taeyeon said and hugged me when I sat on the bed beside her. Taeyeon slowly leaned to me and angled her face for a kiss. I teased her by placing a quick kiss on her lips. To my surprise, she cupped my face and brought back my lips onto hers. She licked my mouth open and rammed her tongue inside. I shouldn’t have teased this byuntae!, I thought as I tried to push her away, but lust is taking over me. The next thing I knew is my mouth moving against her, our tongues battling for dominance. Taeyeon’s hands held my waist and pushed me on the headboard. “Taeyeon! Not now!” I said in a stern voice as her kisses lowered down to my neck. “Ugh Taetae…” my voice trailed off as I felt her left hand on my clothed breast. Light moans escaped through my mouth and were muffled when Taeyeon

caught my lips again. Lust has already contained me. I gripped her hair tightly, as I kissed her passionately. I rose from being pinned on the headboard slowly without breaking our kiss. My body pushed hers down on the mattress, making me on top of her without any space between us. Taeyeon’s hands were on my back, reaching for the end of my shirt and lifting it a little. I bit her lower lip to stop her and she moaned in pain. I traced my finger on the aggrieved part of her lip and kissed it gently. “Unnie! Oops---” The door slammed opened and we both turned our heads in shock. We saw Yoona standing on the door, frozen. “Yoona!!!” Taeyeon shouted madly as we both sat up. We rearranged our clothes, or in Taeyeon’s case, her robe and our dishevelled hair. “I didn’t mean to interrupt your private lessons, but mom called me. There’s an emergency!” Yoona exclaimed, worry was obvious on her face. “What happened?” Taeyeon asked anxiously and I worriedly anticipated for her sister’s answer. “Jessica’s missing!” Yoona answered, which left all of us in wonder.

Straightening the Jagged Edges

TAEYEON’S POV Weeks had passed and still, we haven’t found Jessica. We’ve been searching for her every day. Checking our phones every hour for her message, but there’s none. Mr. Jung already hired private detectives to find her daughter. My parents assisted him and their company. No, we didn’t go back to our house. Dad still disapproves Tiffany. Yoona is still in our apartment no matter how our parents commanded her to go back home. My sister is kind of useful though. She looks after the apartment whenever we are away to help in finding Jessica. Jessica treated me as a friend since day one, so I can’t let anything happen to her. Plus, if her disappearance has something to do with the chaos that is happening between our families now, we really need to find her first. She will be a really big help. We just hope that she is not in danger. Tiffany helps me in finding Jessi, although they disliked each other at first. Tiffany said that she still has to thank Jessica for taking care of me while we were apart. The bed cringed in Tiffany’s movement, making me wake up again. She kept on switching sides. I turned to face her side and saw her anxious face. “Taetae.” Tiffany hugged me and buried her face under my neck. “Hmmm?” I responded as I hugged her back.

“I can’t sleep.” She responded, her warm breath blew upon my cold body. “Why? Is there something bothering you? My family? Jessica?” I asked and stroked her soft hair as she nodded her head. “Do you think everything will be alright?” Tiffany’s voice broke at the last word, a signal that she’s crying. “Shhhhh.” I lowered my face to level with hers. I cupped her face and wiped away her tears. “Everything will be alright. Trust me Fany-ah.” I said firmly while I stared deep into her worried eyes. “Sleep now Fany-ah. I love you.” I said and placed a quick kiss on her plump lips. “I love you too Taetae.” Tiffany said and buried her face on my neck again. I hugged her tight and hummed a tone like a mother putting her baby to sleep.

I woke up earlier than usual today. Yoona always slams our door every morning, waking us up and asking us to cook food for breakfast. I went to her room to tell her that I am already awake so she doesn’t need to bother Tiffany anymore. To my surprise, her bed is empty and fixed, looking like no one slept there last night. I searched around and the house was empty. Maybe she just went for a jog, so I just went to the kitchen to prepare breakfast. I was already preparing the table when the door creaked open and saw Yoona creeping in slowly. “Yoona!” I shouted and she almost jumped in shock. “Unnie! Why are you already awake?” She asked in a shaky voice. “So you didn’t have to wake Tiffany anymore to make me prepare your breakfast.” I laughed. I looked oddly at Yoona who was still standing in front of the door. Usually, she would jump in front of the table when she heard about food.

“Hey! Yoona! Didn’t you hear me? There’s food already!” I made my voice louder and presented the food in the table. “Oh! Yay food!” Yoona said but it was obvious that she just forced herself to sound excited. “Where did you go this early in the morning? And why are you creeping in like a thief when you entered?” I asked which made her off guard. Yoona stopped chewing on her food. “O-Oh I just went for a jog! Right! That’s it!” She said without looking at me and went back on eating. I knew that she was lying. First, she was wearing a pair of designer jeans and top. Who would dare to jog with that? Second, she acted differently today. Does she always do this every morning? Where did she go for her to lie to me? There is really something suspicious about my little sister. Our room’s door slammed open, interrupting my thoughts. Tiffany quickly surfaced while struggling to change her clothes. “Fany-ah, I didn’t know you’re already awake. Why are you such in a rush?” I asked as I watched Tiffany pick up her things along her way and shoved them carelessly inside her bag. “My parents suddenly came here in Korea. I don’t know why, but I need to fetch them on the airport now. Bye Taeyeon, bye Yoona! See you later!” Tiffany said loudly and ran out of the door before we could say something.

THIRD PERSON’S POV Jessica looked at herself in front of the mirror, straightening her dress. She breathed heavily as she thought of what will happen later. She is sure that she will be doing the right thing, as she remembered what happened weeks ago that finalized her decision to do this. Jessica went running back inside her room, tears relentlessly flowing through her reddened sore face. Her dad found out about her secret research about Taeyeon’s identity, that she found out Taeyeon was still alive beforehand. After calming herself, Jessica rearranged her messed up room from the earlier commotion. She remembered her dad throwing the files about Taeyeon, which she gathered, everywhere. She bent down and searched under the bed and the cabinets but she found nothing. “Are you looking for these?” the door slammed open and a tall girl emerged from it, with the files in her hands. “What are you doing here? And why are you holding that?!” Jessica stood up and stammered in shock while eyeing the girl and the files alternately. “Oops, I think I should be the one asking you questions. But there are too many, I don’t think you can answer all of those right now.” The girl said and scanned the documents in her hand. “What do you want?” Jessica asked, completely pissed by the girl’s stubbornness.

“Explanations.” The girl said with authority in her tone. “Actually, I accidentally saw what happened between you and your dad earlier.” The tall girl added and threw the papers on Jessica’s bed. “Now, explain to me everything.” Jessica contemplated for a while before looking into the tall girl’s eyes sincerely. Fear and regret were obvious through her teary eyes. She then clutched the files on her bed tightly. “Actually, me and my dad didn’t know that Taeyeon was still alive. Our intention was just to get close to Tiffany, so that my dad could sabotage her inheritance and take over their business. Intentionally, I came across Taeyeon, who is Tiffany’s girlfriend. I used her to smooch information about Tiffany, and eventually, I learned about her true identity.” Jessica declared as tears flowed unconsciously in her eyes. “I was really shocked when I knew Taeyeon’s real identity. She herself couldn’t remember anything about her past. I felt guilty, ever since we were young, I really liked Taeyeon. But she seemed to be fond of Tiffany only, and I felt really jealous. I envy the attention that Tiffany gets from Taeyeon. I thought that, that would be my last chance to get Taeyeon from Tiffany. So I decided to shut my mouth and to protect Taeyeon from my father, as I ruined her relationship with Tiffany. I comforted her, expecting that she would like me back, but all she felt for me was pure pity and friendly love.” Jessica continued, wiping away the continuous tears upon her face. “It was hard to see them apart and hurting because of me. I wanted to change myself and help them. But the moment that I’ve finally realized my mistakes, dad found out about my secret research on Taeyeon. She wanted me finish off the two,

but I can’t. I’d rather make my dad kill me instead of them so that I could return all of the pain that I’ve caused them.” Jessica said with all of her sincerity. “No, no one needs die. Now that I’ve finally heard your story, I would carry out my plan. I know you are sincere enough to join me. So, come with me, and I will protect you while we straighten out this mess between our families. So deal?” The tall girl said and offered her hand toward Jessica. “Deal.” Jessica accepted the girl’s hand with hers with a smile of relief in her face. The door creaked open, interrupting her thoughts. A tall girl who helped her all through the way surfaced from it. “Are you ready?” the girl asked. Jessica looked intently at her reflection for the last time, and nodded her head. “Let’s get this done.”

The Courage of Love

THIRD PERSON'S POV “Jessica!” Taeyeon grabbed Jessica’s wrist to stop her from running away. Jessica turned around and faced Taeyeon weakly. Jessica found it weird to see Taeyeon’s eyes reflecting gratitude instead of anger. “Taeyeon, I’m sorry…. If I betrayed you, like what others did.” Jessica apologized with all of her sincerity. Guilt engulfed her whole being. When she learned about Taeyeon’s past, how people betrayed her, she promised to herself that she will remain true to Taeyeon. Unfortunately, things made it complicated which lead her to break her promise, not only to Taeyeon, but also to herself. “No Jessica, you didn’t betray me. You saved me. Us. Thank you. And I’m sorry for all of the pain that I made you feel.” Taeyeon slid her hand down to meet Jessica’s. She squeezed her hand as a sign of assurance and pulled the confused girl into a tight hug. Jessica hugged Taeyeon, allowing the moment to comfort her troubled mind. She rested her head on Taeyeon’s shoulder as she finally allowed her tears out, dampening Taeyeon’s shirt. Jessica sighed, her chest felt unbelievably lighter, like thorns were removed from it. Jessica made the most out of most probably, their last hug. She finally submitted all of her feelings on Taeyeon’s embrace as she closed her eyes and watched the memories of earlier rewind on her mind.

The three founders of the biggest companies, Mr. Jung, Mr. Kim, and Mr. Hwang, scanned their surroundings oddly as they gathered in a conference room with their families. Without any idea why, a mail was sent to them which informed them about the ‘emergency meeting’. Gasps echoed through the room when Jessica Jung entered and made her way on the end of the long table, facing the three families. “Appa, I’m really sorry, but I have to do this!” Jessica focused her gaze on her confused father, apologizing sincerely. “Jessica! What kind of show is this?!” Mr. Jung, Jessica’s father, straightened his body on his seat as he yelled on his daughter. “I’m here to reveal the truth. Taeyeon, Tiffany, I’m sorry for ruining your relationship. Taeyeon, Tiffany’s family doesn’t know anything about what happened 18 years ago. Like your family, they’re also clueless. It’s us. My family was the culprit. Dad planned to kidnap both of you so that he will be able to take over the inheritance of the two companies. Unfortunately, Tiffany survived. And as we all assumed, Hana died. Dad wanted me to get close to Tiffany to carry out his plan, so I did. I couldn’t refuse to any of his wishes. I found out that Taeyeon is Tiffany’s lover, so I made my first move on her. Eventually, I learned about her true identity. I felt guilty. I wanted to protect Taeyeon, so I kept my discovery to myself. But dad found out about it. She wanted me to ‘take care’ of Taeyeon as well. I couldn’t do it. During the time that Taeyeon and I were together, she just showed me pure sincerity. So, for once, I decided to go against my dad’s wishes.” Jessica stated confidently, saying each word clearly with all of her honesty.

“Jessica! What non sense are you blabbering about!” Mr. Jung stood up from his seat and faced the two families. “They’re all lies! Don’t believe her!” Mr. Jung waved his hand in the air and let out a nervous laugh. “You’re the one lying, Mr. Jung!” Yoona shouted and stood up from her seat. Curious eyes around the room turned their gaze on her. “I did some ‘research’ about what happened to my sister during my stay at America! And I found out all about your conspiracies. Accidentally, I saw you and Jessica fighting, I realized that you two were not on the same boat. So, I made a deal with Jessica, I’ll protect her if she will reveal the truth behind all of your conspiracies!” Yoona stated, making all of the people around her gasp in shock and realization.

“How could you do this to your own father, Jessica!!!” Mr. Jung slammed his fists in the wooden table hard enough to make his knuckles bleed. Seconds later, the door slammed open, a group of policemen surrounded Mr. Jung. They handcuffed him as he tried to free from their grips. “Appa, again, I’m sorry. But this is for the good of everyone. You will thank me for this.” Jessica shouted as tears flowed from her eyes from watching the authorities forcefully take her father out from the room. Jessica, Taeyeon, Yoona, Tiffany, together with their parents, except for Jessica’s, were left inside the room. Awkward silence echoed through the four walls of the room. Jessica forced her tears not to flow, but when she can’t take it anymore, she ran out of the room. Without knowing, Taeyeon trailed after her.

Jessica smiled as she realized that all of the years of her hardships had finally come to an end. She’s thankful that she loved Taeyeon, because love provided her the courage to do what is right, and finally sacrifice her selfishness. It is really painful to let go of Taeyeon, but it would be more painful to see her suffer because of her selfish desires. Love taught her to put her happiness second to the one that she loved. Sometimes, when you love someone, you should set them free. Love isn’t measured by how much you are willing to chase after that person, but by how courageous you are to allow them to be happy, even though if it means that you weren’t the reason behind their smiles.

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“Jessica unnie, take care of yourself okay?” Yoona said in tears as she pulled away from their hug. Jessica is leaving today to go back to America and manage their business there. As well as to finally live a peaceful life. “Aigoo, don’t cry! I will surely visit whenever I have free time.” Jessica reached up to mess Yoona’s hair. “Thank you for everything!” Jessica said and held the taller girl’s hand in hers.

“Jessica-yah, I’m sorry for hating you! And thank you for everything!” Tiffany snatched Jessica from Yoona and pulled her into a tight embrace. “Well we hated each other at first!” Jessica joked and laughed, earning a tap on the back from her fellow Korean-American. “Yah! When you go to America, don’t forget to visit me okay?” Jessica said and let go of their hug. “Sure Jessi! See you soon!” Tiffany said in english. Jessica furrowed her eyebrows from Tiffany’s last statement. She was going to question Tiffany but Taeyeon cut her off. “Yah! Yah! I’m still here American girls!” Taeyeon said which made the three English speakers laugh. “Jessica, you know how grateful I am to you right? Take good care of yourself okay? And don’t forget to visit!” Taeyeon pulled Jessica and hugged her. “Aigoo I really hate these kinds of moments! I will miss you, my friend.” Taeyeon said and stroked Jessica’s back gently. “I will miss all of you too!” Jessica said and pulled away from Taeyeon. Wiping a tear away from her eye, the announcement to boarding passengers echoed through the airport! “Oops I have to go now! Bye guys! ‘Til we meet again!” Jessica waved while she slowly made her way inside. The three girls waved back as they watched Jessica disappear though the glass doors.

The Little Visitor

“TAEYEON-AHHHH!!!!!! WAKE UP AND OPEN THIS DOOR!!!!!!!” A loud banging on the door caused Taeyeon to squirm from her deep slumber. Trying to ignore the loud yelling outside, Taeyeon shifted her position only to fall harshly on the ground. The impact of her fall made her fully-awake and she realized that she fell asleep on the couch again, a pile of papers and a laptop left unattended on the center table.

“Who would visit me at this hour?!?! The sun hasn’t risen yet!!” Taeyeon cursed under her breath as she looked at the wall clock which informed her that it was only four in the morning. “YAHHHH KIM TAEYEON!!!!!!!!!!!!” The yelling outside her apartment’s door became louder. And this time, it was accompanied by a loud high-pitched cry of another being. “Coming!!!!” Taeyeon yelled back. She stretched her aching joints and let out a loud yawn as she made her way toward the door. The girl outside threw her arms around Taeyeon without letting the latter to see her clearly. “Taetae!!!!! I missed you soooo much!” The girl let go of her only to cup her face and to give her a long passionate kiss. Taeyeon, as her vision was still blurry, pushed the girl away to take a closer look at the girl’s face. She blinked twice, making sure that her eyes weren’t fooling her. The girl looked back at her apologetically. “Okay I’m sorry for leaving you without proper goodbye!” “TIFFANY?!?!” Taeyeon blurted out. She wanted to hug and kiss the girl back, but she must resist to save her pride. After Jessica’s departure, Taeyeon thought that she would finally have a happy life with her beloved girlfriend. But she celebrated too early, only to be disappointed.

[FLASHBACK] It has been an hour since Tiffany was pacing back and forth in front of the Arrival Area, waiting for the announcement of the landing aircraft. She rushed to the airport when she woke up and received an e-mail from her dad, telling that their plane will land here in South Korea in an hour. “Dad! Mom!” Tiffany shouted when she saw the two of them pushing their luggage. Tiffany waved in the air and my parents smiled when they saw their daughter. “I really missed you mom, dad!” Tiffany said as she welcomed them with a warm hug. “We missed you too, princess!” Mr. Hwang teased when Tiffany hugged him. “Eww dad! Stop calling me your princess! I’m all grown up now!” Tiffany said in my Californian accent. “Sure you are. Let’s go now, Miyoung!” Mrs. Hwang called Tiffany in her Korean name to tease her, aware that her daughter hates it. Tiffany pouted and stomped as she followed her parents to the cab. “Eomma, Appa, what are you two doing here? Why did you come back?” Tiffany asked and looked at her mom sitting beside her then to her dad on the passenger seat.

“We were invited by someone. We need to clean our family’s name.” Mr. Hwang stated in a serious tone, not averting his eyes on the road. “What? I can’t understand?” Tiffany furrowed from her dad’s vague answer. “You’ll know. Just wait.” Mrs. Hwang said and patted Tiffany’s hand on her lap. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------After Jessica’s confession, all of them were left in awe and awkward silence. Taeyeon trailed after Jessica, while Tiffany’s parents talked to The Kims about what just happened. “Yoona, what will happen to Jessica?” Tiffany asked the girl beside her. “Oh we’ve already settled that, her flight back to America is scheduled tomorrow morning.” “What?! This is so sudden! Why?!” Tiffany’s voice rose in volume and scooted closer to Yoona. “This is for her security.” Yoona shrugged and patted Tiffany’s back. “Miyoung-ah” Mrs. Hwang called and sat beside Tiffany. The two girls instinctively turned their gazes toward the middle-aged woman. “You’re coming with us. We scheduled our flight tomorrow evening.”

“Uhm..Okay….Wait! WHAT?!?!” Tiffany bolted up from her seat, and looked alternately at her parents, seeking confirmation. “You heard that right Tiffany. We’ve already planned this a long time ago. Now is the perfect timing. I’ve already arranged your school papers and applied you to a university in the US. The semester will start next week so you still have a week to adjust though I don’t find that necessary.” Mr. Hwang confirmed and stated. Tiffany wasn’t sure if these were all just dreams, although she wishes that it were. The sudden plans made her head hurt and cloud her reasoning. Yoona was looking up at the family’s commotion in front of her. Their minds are thinking of the same question: ‘What about Taeyeon?’

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The night of their departure came, Tiffany lifelessly walked through the airport. She didn’t know what got into her, but she decided not to inform Taeyeon about her sudden departure. She just wrote a letter and entrusted it to Yoona to hand it to Taeyeon. Everything happened too fast for her to make up a logical move.

Taeyeon was devastated upon reading the letter. She rushed to the airport, hoping that she will find Tiffany there and they will peacefully go back to their apartment, just like in the movies. But there was no Tiffany. She had literally searched every corner of the airport, only to verify her false hopes. [END FLASHBACK]

“Yah!!! Aren’t you going to let us in?” Tiffany said, snapping Taeyeon back to reality. “Us?!?!” Taeyeon asked and followed Tiffany’s gaze. Beside Tiffany, a stroller was situated with a six-month-old baby crying on it. Taeyeon’s mouth opened in agape, her eyes fixated on the little girl whom she didn’t noticed earlier, crying her lungs out for the past minute. Tiffany lifted the baby girl from her stroller, and dragged their luggage by her free hand inside. After two years of separation, Taeyeon still thought that Tiffany looked the most gorgeous girl in this world. Her hair was now dyed jet black. She became paler and thinner, which made Taeyeon worried about her girlfriend’s health.

“Wow! What a nice place you have Taeyeon!” Tiffany scanned the newly built apartment before plopping herself on the couch, with the baby on her lap. “Tiffany, you have a lot of explaining to do.”

Mr. Destiny

“Tiffany, you have a lot of explaining to do.” “Aigoo Taetae, calm down okay.” Tiffany stood up and placed the baby on its stroller why making her way toward her pouting girlfriend. “Taeyeon-ah, I really missed you.” Tiffany pulled Taeyeon to a tight embrace before continuing. “Those two years away from you wasn’t easy. I had to deal with a lot of things alone, without you by my side.” She pulled away and cupped the shorter girl’s cheeks. “I’m really sorry, Taeyeon. What I did was really rude. I just disappeared, with just leaving you a letter. It was my fault. Please forgive me?” Tiffany looked at Taeyeon with her puppy eyes while pouting cutely. Taeyeon sighed to control her giggle from coming out because of the adorable

sight in front of her. “It’s not fair Fany-ah, stop looking at me with your puppy eyes and stop pouting, will you? Explain that baby to me first.” Taeyeon pointed at the baby sitting on her stroller. “Oh! Remember our schoolmate Hyoyeon? The dancer? I met her last year in LA. We hanged out oftentimes and I noticed her sudden gain of weight. That’s when I learned that her boyfriend got her pregnant unexpectedly. Their parents would kill them if they knew about her unwanted pregnancy so her boyfriend wanted the baby to be aborted. But, she couldn’t kill her own child so she just went to LA to hide her pregnancy to her parents. She planned to give her child up for adoption when she gave birth. I took care of her, and I couldn’t allow giving the baby to just some stranger, so I offered to adopt her child. And she was so happy that I did, she would know that her baby will be in good hands.” Tiffany said and carried the baby toward Taeyeon. “I wanted her to have a family, I don’t want her to be stuck in an orphanage waiting for her parents to arrive.” Tiffany added and patted the child’s back. Taeyeon looked at them. She felt a tug in her heart, telling her to be part of that family which Tiffany is planning to give to the innocent child. She lifted the child from Tiffany’s arms, bringing the kid onto hers. “Annyeong! From now on, I will be your another umma! Or you can call me appa, so you will not be confused between me and your Fany-umma!” Tiffany’s eyes widened at Taeyeon’s statement. “Whoa Taetae, are you sure? You want to adopt her as well?” “Aigoo Fany-ah, I won’t let my girlfriend be a single mother!” Taeyeon grinned. Tiffany squealed in delight and hugged the both of them tightly. The child

let out a high-pitched giggle. “Yah! Look she’s happy!” Taeyeon looked at the giggling child in her arms and bounced her up and down. “Wait, Fany-ah. What is our daughter’s name?” Taeyeon asked. Tiffany smiled when Taeyeon referred to the baby as their daughter. “Hayeon. I combined your names. Hana + Taeyeon = Hayeon!” Tiffany said in her eyesmile. “Whoa look Hayeon-ah, you’re named after your appa!” Taeyeon laughed and swirled the baby around. Tiffany was on the verge of crying while watching the two girls who eventually became her whole life. She now understands what happiness truly meant. On that moment, she could not ask for anything more.

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“It has been a while since I held you this close to me Fany-ah.” Taeyeon said as she hugged Tiffany on the waist while lying on the bed. “Wait, are you sure you just adopted Hayeon?” “Yah! What are you implying? That I cheated on you and got pregnant and gave birth to her?” Tiffany said, slapping Taeyeon’s arm around her. “Exactly.” Taeyeon nodded. “Do I look like someone who gave birth to a child?” “Well…….” Taeyeon looked at Tiffany’s ever gorgeous body. “Let me check then!” Taeyeon whispered seductively onto Tiffany’s ears. “Byuntae! You still haven’t changed huh?” Tiffany slapped Taeyeon’s arms some more, and yelped when Taeyeon straddled her. Taeyeon tilted her head to give Tiffany a soft kiss. But the kiss deepened, as they savour each other’s lips which they missed for two years. Tiffany snaked her arms around Taeyeon’s neck, pulling her closer. Taeyeon tugged the hem of Tiffany’s shirt. Just as Taeyeon slipped her hand inside Tiffany’s shirt, a loud cry from the room beside theirs echoed. “Yah! I need to check on Hayeon!” Tiffany pulled away from the kiss and saw a pouting Taeyeon on top of her. She smiled as she made her way out of the bed.

After almost an hour, Tiffany went back inside their room. She found Taeyeon sitting on the bed, pouting with her arms crossed. “Yah! What took you so long?” Taeyeon said and playfully kicked the blanket. “Hayeon is having a hard time to adjust to the time zone. It was hard putting her back to sleep.” Tiffany said while she crawled beside her pouting girlfriend. “You’re neglecting me!” Taeyeon said with her aegyo. “Omo! I almost forgot, I have another child here. Sorry for neglecting you, kid.” Tiffany mocked. “Yah! What kid?!” Taeyeon yelled. “Shhhhhh you might wake Hayeon again!” Tiffany then had an idea to make it up to her neglected Taetae. “Don’t you want to know why Hayeon cried?” Taeyeon looked at her oddly. “Then why?” Tiffany leaned closer toward Taeyeon, letting her hot breath brush against the latter’s neck. “Because she wanted a baby brother.” Tiffany said huskily as her hand brushed one of Taeyeon’s arms. Taeyeon got the cue and pushed Tiffany on the bed, making her on top. She placed a kiss on Tiffany’s neck, which made the girl yelp.

“Shhhhh. You might wake Hayeon again. I don’t want to be interrupted when I’m making her baby brother.”

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Taeyeon and Tiffany, as well as Hayeon were woken up by the loud slamming on the door. Taeyeon stirred and made her way onto the door while Tiffany checked on Hayeon who was crying because of the noise. “Unnie!!!” Yoona wrapped her arms around Taeyeon once the door was opened. “Yah! What are you doing here this early? Wait, are you crying?” Taeyeon pulled Yoona away and looked at her face when she felt her sobbing. “What’s wrong, Yoongie?” Taeyeon asked and pulled her sister onto the couch. “I’m not graduating this year. I failed two subjects.” Yoona said in between her sobs.

“Haha! That’s what you get for playing around!” Taeyeon mocked and knocked her sister’s head. “You’re a bad unnie!!” Yoona wailed and cried even louder. “Taeyeon! Stop that!” Tiffany said and made her way toward them. She passed the baby onto Taeyeon’s lap. “Tiffany-unnie?!” Yoona said, rubbing her watery eyes to clear her vision. Seeing a smiling Tiffany in front of her, she threw her arms around the eyesmiling girl. “You’re back! I missed you!!” “I missed you too, Yoong!” Tiffany pulled away from the hug and pinched Yoona’s nose. “Whoa! Is that your child, Fany-unnie?” Yoona said, diverting her attention toward the child on Taeyeon’s lap. “Correction Sis, She is our child.” Taeyeon declared proudly and smirked at her sister. Tiffany smiled at Taeyeon’s response. Yoona rolled her eyes and diverted her attention again to Tiffany. “Yoona, you should stop playing around so that you will be able to graduate next school year. Promise me, okay?” Tiffany held Yoona’s hands. “Yes unnie. But I hate our dean! That old man is too demanding!” Yoona retaliated. “Why? What did he do?” Taeyeon asked, eyeing her furious sister curiously.

“He wanted me to be tutored! He even chose Seohyun to be my tutor! Now I have to deal with that nerd almost every day! And you know what? He scheduled us for a week-long seminar in Busan! I can’t imagine spending a whole week with that weirdo!!!!” Yoona whined in irritation and shivered at the thought of listening to Seohyun’s preach for one whole week. Taeyeon and Tiffany looked at each other instinctively as they remembered what happened when that old man set them up for a trip. “That old man really plans the best things!” Tiffany said out loud and smirked at Yoona. “What?! Maybe you mean the worst thing to ever happen in my life!” Yoona said, shaking her head at the thought of spending 168 hours with Seohyun the Nerd. “Trust me, you will thank him for this.” Taeyeon said and winked at Yoona. She smiled at the thought of the old man who brought her and Tiffany closer. Oftentimes, she would wonder if that old man was actually who people called ‘Mr. Destiny’.

Uh-oh, it seems like Mr. Destiny is planning to bring another pair of hearts together.

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Meanwhile in Los Angeles, California….

Jessica Jung held the placard where her client’s name was written. She sighed in frustration as another batch of passengers passed her way. Their family’s business was temporarily taken over by her uncle while she’s finishing her studies. However, she was still assigned to work in preparation for her future take-over of the company. Now, she was assigned to train a new apprentice in their company.

Jessica wiped the sweat on her forehead and made her way in front of the crowd of people in the arrival area as another batch of passengers landed. Not long after, a tall girl eyed her sign and walked toward her. “Ms. Jessica Jung?” The girl asked. “Yes. Are you…?” Jessica looked at her client and onto her sign alternately. The girl in front of her nodded and smiled as she held her hand out to Jessica. “Kwon Yuri.”

EPILOGUE: LIKE A STAR

“Yoona!” “What?” “Don’t eat that!” “Eh? Why?” “You’ll die!” “Seohyun~!” “Stop! Or else….” “Or else what?” “No hugs and kisses for a week!” “Fine. Now come closer.” “Good girl.” “Sigh…. The things I do for love.” “Awww my poor shikshin.” A kiss. “Yoongie, thank you.” “Huh? For what?”

“For putting up with me in that week… if it weren’t for that, we wouldn’t have been what we are now.” “I also thank myself for that… I’ve found an amazing girl behind those nerdy glasses.” “Yah!” “Remind me to thank Mr. Destiny..” “Mr. Destiny?” “The dean..” “Eh?” “He was also the one who put up Taeyeon unnie and Tiffany unnie in a silly seminar out of town.” “Whoa! That’s amazing!” “It is. He is like some sort of matchmaker now.” “I’ll thank him too!” “Let’s give him some of your gogumas?” “Sure!” “I love you, Hyunnie~” “I love you too, Yoong~”

“More than your precious gogumas?” “I consider you one of them.” “What? I’m a goguma now?” “Yep. So I can love all of you equally.” “Yah! Why do you always ruin the moment?” “Ha ha!” “Hmp…. Don’t talk to me.” “Yoongie~ I was just kidding!” “Move away. No kisses or hugs for a week!” “Nooo! Forgive me?” “On one condition.” “What’s that?” “Let me eat those junk foods.” “Those are unhealthy!” “No hugs and kisses then.” “Sigh! Fine! You always have your way!” “Yay! Thank you!” A quick kiss. “I love you…”

“I love you too… more than gogumas!”

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“Hello eerbody.. My name is Yuw-ree Korn… I am tenteen years old… And today is Monday!” “Yah! You babo!” “What?!” “You can’t even pronounce your name correctly! It has been four years, Yuri-ah!” “It’s not my fault that my tongue can’t pronounce it.” “Your tongue isn’t good at anything!” “You know that’s not true!” “Wha-WHAT?!”

“Want me to show you? You have proven its skills for three years now, anyway.” “Yah! Stop with your perverted talk! ByunYul!” “Only for my Sica baby~” “Sigh… Why are you my girlfriend?” “Cause I’m Yurisistible!” “Whatever… Hmmm don’t you feel awkward?” “Why?” “Your ex-girlfriend and someone I loved before are together now… and we’re together.” “Well a bit… but past is past.” “But you slept with Fany for God knows how many times!” “So? That was in the past…” “I didn’t sleep with Taeyeon! I didn’t even kiss her!” “But we have done it way more than Fany and I did!” “But still it feels awkward… it’s like I slept with her indirectly.” “Stop that Sica! I love you, and only you okay?” “I love you too…”

“Now taint me.” “What?” “Mark me as yours?” “Hmm where?” “Anywhere.” “Can I mark you everywhere?” “Now who’s the pervert?” “Yah!” “Blushing Sica is sooo cute! Now do what’s you’re supposed to do!” “And what is that I am supposed to do?” “Me.”

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“Ummaaaaaaaa~!” “Appaaaaaaaaa~!” “Hey kids! What’s with the yelling?” “Kyungsan ruined my drawing!” “But it was an accident! Hayeon unnie broke my crayons in half!” “Hey hey! No fighting!” “Taeyeon, tell Kyungsan to say sorry to Hayeon and I’ll tell Hayeon to say sorry to her brother.”

“Kyungsan-ah, say sorry to your Hayeon unnie.” “But I didn’t mean it appa! She broke my crayons!” “Maybe she’s just really angry, and she didn’t know that it was an accident. We’ll buy another set of crayons. Just say sorry to her.. and forgive her, okay?”

“Hayeon-ah… say sorry to your brother.”

“I just did it for revenge! He ruined my drawing!” “Hayeon-ah… you shouldn’t revenge on anyone. It will just worsen the situation.. You will not get anything good out of it. Just like now.. Understand?” “Yes umma..” “Now say sorry to your brother.”

“Kyungsan-ah.. I’m sorry for braking your crayons.” “Sorry for ruining your drawing Hayeon unnie…” “Forgive me?” “Yes unnie. Will you forgive me too?” “Of course, dongsaeng!” “Very good kids! Now go back playing! We’ll go to the mall later!” “Yay!” “Our children are so cute.” “Like you!” “And their appa is cheesy!”

“Thank you Fany-ah, for bringing Hayeon into our lives. Though it was a bit unexpected and shocking at first.” “Yah! You did the same! You just came home with Kyungsan in our anniversary!” “I wanted to surprise you.” “I love it, nonetheless.” “I love you, Fany-ah.” “I love you Taetae!” “Let’s stay like this?” “Forever.”

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When I lost you, I didn’t know how to go on with life… You took everything about me with you. I was just barely breathing, but not living. I wasted my life… cause without you what meaning would it have? Every night, that tragic evening haunts me. Whenever I sleep, I wanted to dream about you, but not the incident where fate decided to take you away from me. I distracted myself by getting into endless troubles. I dated countless boys and girls. I didn’t know who I am anymore. I lost myself.

Where ever you are hiding I can find you If there were no you If there were no you ...Then my heart would stop

Then, you came along, as a different person. I didn’t recognize you. I didn’t know you were the one I lost.

Even if my eyes didn’t, my heart felt the emotions that you offered me. It was familiar… something I have felt before… It was love. Now that I’ve found you, I don’t want to lose you ever again. Cause in you, I’ve found myself.

Even if you don't say "Love" I can feel with my heart If you are here If you are here

Please stay with me. My best friend, my love, my star. You are the light that guides me through the darkness. You are the fulfilment of my wish. You are what love is.

I don't need anything You're my everything to me You're my everything to me Please shine like a star in the sky You are my only love Forever my only love We love each other All I need is you

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When I first saw you, I knew you were someone special. Like there’s some sort of connection between us that I couldn’t define. My heart softens at your tough appearance. Deep down, I knew there’s something within you.. something that was hidden, waiting to be freed. You tried to push me away by hurting me… but I didn’t give up. Even if it was hard and painful, I tried. And when you finally loved me, I felt real happiness.

I couldn’t wish for anything else but you.

Can it be compared with anything else Can it be exchanged with anything else Your love Your heart

I cherished every moment I spent with you. Every second in your arms was pure bliss. I just wanted to stay that way. But challenges come… it was inevitable. My true identity was revealed… and I left you. I hated myself for not being able to hate you… I found comfort in someone else’s arms, but that was nothing compared to your love.

But fate played a huge play on me. Everyone betrayed me… except for you. I was the one who betrayed you… sorry for doubting your love. Sorry for doubting us.

Who can replace you You're my everything to me You're my everything to me Please shine like a star in the sky Please shine like a star in the sky You are my only love Forever my only love

I choose you in every way. And thank you for the little addition to our family. We will never lose each other again. We will surpass every challenge in our way. We will be together. Forever.

사랑해요…

Anything that will hurt you Nothing that will cause tear will happen You're my everything to me You're my everything to me Let's not change Even as time goes by You're my only love Forever my only love We love each other In a place without sadness

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