Tiffany was now hiding under her blanket. So that's the smell. It's her. I should've known.
"Err... Can you describe your dog?" said Taeyeon to the woman hesitantly. This stranger could just be claiming to have lost a dog, for all she knew, and she wasn't going to give Ginger up that easily.
"She's a female toy poodle with black curly hair and a beautiful pair of deep dark brown eyes, almost black. She can be very loud and demanding but she's smart and really quite adorable once you get to know her. My driver was supposed to pick her up from the groomer's while running other errands last Monday but she ran off. I just checked my email and this designer I hired asked whether I lost a dog and I did," explained the tall woman. "He gave me your address. Sorry I didn't call first. I was too worried."
Taeyeon felt her heart break when she heard that. The description fit Tiffany to a tee. "Is this her?" she asked with a heavy heart, showing the dog in the carrier.
Tiffany wanted to get away when the blanket was pulled from over her but she couldn't. She whined and barked at the woman looking down at her, pleading for her to just go away and let her and Taeyeon be.
"What do you want now? I won't hesitate to bite you if you try to do something to Taeyeon!"
Bark. Bark. Bark. Bark.
"Easy there, Ginger." Taeyeon held the dog with one hand while stroking her fur with the other. She kept her close against herself, reluctant to let go.
Sooyoung looked into Tiffany's eyes and the latter could swear she heard the witch talk without seeing her move her lips.
Calm down, Tiffany. I'm not here to do anything to Taeyeon. Trust me. Just play along for now. You'll see. Don't you want to go back to being human?
"Why yes! This is her!" came out of the woman's mouth, directed at Taeyeon.
The witch opened her arms and accepted the dog that Taeyeon handed to her.
"Thank you, Miss... err..."
"Taeyeon. My name is Taeyeon."
"Thank you, Miss Taeyeon. I'm glad to see that Tiffany's being well taken care of," said Sooyoung as she held Tiffany, stroking her head with one hand. "I was very worried, you know."
Tiffany scoffed in her thoughts but didn't make a sound. Although she despised this woman holding her, she didn't dare do anything that might upset her. She didn't want to repeat that mistake.
"Ah. Her name's Tiffany?" Taeyeon asked, eyes never leaving the dog.
"Yes. What have you been calling her?"
"Ginger. Because she likes my Gingerbread man plushie a lot."
"Aw... that's cute. Anyway, I better get going. Thank you, Taeyeon. I'll make sure that you'll be rewarded handsomely for all you've done for my dog."
"No need. She's a nice girl and a great friend," said Taeyeon with a sad smile. She reached out and patted Tiffany's head. "Take care, Ginger. Or should I say, Tiffany. Come over and play with me sometime."
"We can surely arrange that. You can babysit her every now and then since I travel a lot," said Sooyoung.
"That'll be nice. I'll see you then, Tiffany." Taeyeon waved to the dog sadly.
Tiffany didn't like seeing Taeyeon look so sad. She wanted nothing but to jump out of this woman's arms and run to Taeyeon but she couldn't. Neither could she stop the tears that began flowing when she saw Taeyeon's glistening eyes.
She's gonna be all alone now, she quietly told the witch. Can't you send her someone? Another pet maybe? A real one this time.
She's gonna be fine. You'll see, replied Sooyoung as she bowed to Taeyeon politely and took her leave.
Tiffany kept her eyes on Taeyeon until the elevator door closed. She sighed, feeling as bad as when she first realized that she was no longer human. Maybe even worse this time.
"What now? You're going to raise me as your own?" she asked, barking at the woman.
"No." Sooyoung lifted the dog, turning her around to look at her. "Have you learned your lesson?"
"Depends."
The woman chuckled, amused by Tiffany's resistance and pride. "I know you have. I wouldn't have come for you this quickly if you haven't."
They arrived at the lobby and the woman carried Tiffany inside a waiting car.
She told the driver Tiffany's address, surprising the latter.
"You're going to let me live at my place but as a dog? That is impossible and you know it."
"Sshh," the woman shushed Tiffany. "Be patient and you'll see."
Tiffany lay down on the leather seat, looking up at the outside view through the window, thinking of Taeyeon and how bad she must be feeling right now and how quiet the apartment must be. Please be okay, Taeyeon. I'll go back and see you again somehow. I'll beg and nag this witch to bring me back even if it costs me yet another weird transformation. Do you like frogs, Taeyeon? Just in case she turns me into one next.
Don't be silly.
Tiffany lifted her head when she heard the witch's voice and turned to look at her to find her smiling.
I don't like frogs and you don't have to nag or beg.
Then what are you planning?
Patience, Tiffany. That's also something that you must learn. Sooyoung took out her phone and began typing in it, ending the silent conversation with the dejected looking dog.
—-
"What's your passcode?" the witch asked once they were standing in front of Tiffany's apartment door.
"I thought you knew everything?"
"Not everything. Plus, I wanna be polite and not just barge into someone's apartment."
Good to know, thought Tiffany. She barked the numbers –since no other human around could understand her anyway– and let Sooyoung open the door.
She was placed on the floor and couldn't help but run around her place, going from the couch to the kitchen and to her bedroom, wagging her tail while sniffing the familiar, welcoming scents. She missed being home.
"So what have you learned?" asked Sooyoung as she sat on the couch.
"You want me to say that you were right? Fine. You were right. I've been a selfish, self-absorbed human being. There. I said it."
Sooyoung cracked a small smile.
"You could've told me all this without turning me into a dog, you know. You're hurting Taeyeon as well."
"How am I hurting her?"
"By giving her a friend and taking that friend away in less than a week."
"She's not lonely, Tiffany. She may live alone and likes being alone but she's not really lonely. She has friends. Your business partner Key is one of those friends."
"I know but..." Tiffany sighed and sat down on the carpet near the woman's feet. "You won't understand."
The smile never left Sooyoung's face as she bent down and picked Tiffany up, placing her on the couch next to her. "Look, I might have taken the extreme path by turning you into a dog but to be honest, just telling you about how you've been behaving wouldn't have worked. You're too stubborn."
Tiffany clenched her jaws but didn't reply. She knew that Sooyoung was right.
"I also know that this doesn't mean that you're a completely different person or that you've changed permanently. It takes more than just a week of experiencing something to really change you."
"Then what's the use of all this?"
"To make you want to change," said Sooyoung. "That's the key, really. Humans are the most stubborn creatures alive. Knowing you should change something and actually wanting to change are two very different things. I was hoping that this experience would make you want to change and that it would be a good reminder every time you relapse."
"Why do you even care?"
"Because you're a kind person with a big heart, Tiffany. Loyal and generous as well. Too bad people couldn't see that thanks to the overbearing 'my way or no way' attitude. It's such a waste, really." Sooyoung leaned back. "On the other hand, Taeyeon needs to learn the exact opposite. She's been too selfless, hence all those failed relationships. It's give and take, not give and give. You should teach her that."
Tiffany tilted her head. "How am I supposed to do that?"
Sooyoung's eyes twinkled as her smile widened. "I'll leave that up to you." She waved her hand and Tiffany once again felt nauseated and dizzy, just like that day at her office.
"What are you doing now?" she asked the witch who didn't answer. So Tiffany closed her eyes, hoping to ease the queasy feeling, and waited until it was all over.
—-
Tiffany bolted up with a gasp, opening her eyes to find herself sitting on a couch.
The first thing she did was to check both her hands.
She let out a relieved sigh when she saw normal human hands and fingers instead of paws covered with black fur.
Tiffany looked around and realized that she was in her apartment, in her living room, with no sign of Sooyoung around.
She rushed to her room to go look in the mirror and heaved another sigh of relief when she saw her old self in her pajamas.
What time is it? Is it still Saturday?
She scrambled for her bedside clock and saw her phone next to it. She grabbed the device, turned the screen on and raised her eyebrows when she saw the date.
"Wait a minute..." she mumbled.
The writing on the phone stated that it was indeed Saturday afternoon but the date was different. It was last week's date.
Tiffany reread the date over and over again. "So she reset everything? Including time?" To make sure, she went online and checked for today's date and time. It was indeed the Saturday before that fateful Monday when she met the witch to give her the dress.
Maybe it was all just a dream. A very long and weird dream.
Just as she finished that thought, her phone's screen lit up, signaling an incoming message. It was from an unknown number.
"Consider this a second chance, Tiffany. Remember what you've learned. I'll see you Monday. Hopefully you still have time to change the color of my dress."
Tiffany inhaled sharply and replied. "You turned back time?"
"Maybe."
She was in the middle of typing another reply when a different message popped up.
"Noona, just want to remind you that Miss Choi's picking up her dress on Monday. Is it done?"
It was from Key.
"Actually, I might have messed up," Tiffany replied to Key instead of finishing her message to Sooyoung. "Can you help me out? Meet me at the office in an hour? It's gonna be one heck of a weekend and I'm sorry to have to drag you to work but I'll reward you for it. Handsomely."
"What happened?"
"I'll explain later. Can you help me?"
"Sure. See you in an hour then."
"Thank you so much."
"No problem."
—-
Key went inside the office space to hear noises coming from the workshop. He raised his eyebrows in surprise when he saw a makeup-less Tiffany diligently cutting fabric. Her hair was up in a messy bun and she was wearing an old hoodie and sweatpants.
"Noona?" said Key hesitantly. He had never seen Tiffany in that state in all the years he'd known her. The woman always made a point to look presentable to people and they weren't exactly close enough for him to be able to see her on a casual, non-work-related situation despite their partnership.
Tiffany looked up and smiled. "Thank God you're here. I need help. Please."
"What are you doing, exactly?" asked Key as he approached the messy desk. "What went wrong?"
"Everything," said Tiffany, pointing at a pink dress hanging nearby. "I kinda... sorta... turned it pink."
Key gasped. "Noona! She specifically asked for black!"
"I know I know. I thought that it was dreary and that she'd look better in that color..." She saw the look on Key's face. "Yeah, I was being my stubborn self again. Sorry."
"Whoa. What did you say?" Key's eyes widened as his jaw began to drop in shock.
"What? I said sorry for being stubborn."
"First you look like... this, and now you're apologizing and acknowledging that you're stubborn? Who are you? Where's Fany noona?!"
Tiffany couldn't help but laugh. "I'm here, Key. Let's just say that I had a long nap and plenty of time to do some self-searching. I realized that I haven't been the friendliest partner or boss or colleague or friend, and I'm sincerely sorry for that."
Key finally shut his mouth after a few more seconds of staring but never took his eyes off of Tiffany. "You're not a bad person, Noona. You're always friendly to everyone."
"But selfish nonetheless?"
"Err... sometimes," replied Key who smiled when he saw Tiffany grinning knowingly. "Okay. All the time. Is that what you want to hear?"
"Yeah. Don't be afraid to be honest with me from now on, okay? And those sneakers look awesome by the way. Where did you get them?"
"I designed and made them myself," said Key proudly, posing to display the sneakers.
"Fantastic. We'll talk about this new line of yours another day. Now please, help me. We need to finish this before that woman comes to pick it up on Monday."
"N-new line?"
Tiffany nodded. "Your own urban wear. How does that sound?"
Key was flabbergasted. He literally stuttered and spluttered before clearing his throat and calmed down. "That sounds awesome!"
"Good. Now let's do this."
Key took a seat across from Tiffany and began taking the patterns and fabric.
When dinnertime came, Tiffany ordered take-outs, paid for it and told Key to take a quick break to eat.
"I don't know what happened to you, Noona, but I like it," said Key with a smile and a mouth full of food. "Just being honest here."
"Thanks. Let's just say that I've learned my lesson. Feel free to remind me should I start acting like a spoiled child again."
"Will do."
Just then, his phone rang and he quickly excused himself to answer it.
Tiffany finished eating and resumed working while Key was on the phone. She then saw him walk back inside the workshop with a distracted look on his face. "Everything okay?" she asked.
"Yeah."
"Did you have plans tonight?"
"I... did."
"I'm so sorry. You can have Monday and Tuesday off and I'll make sure you get overtime for this plus free lunch for the rest of the week."
Key laughed at that. "Wow! What a deal! But it's nothing serious. I just had to reschedule, that's all. No biggie, Noona. But I'll take the two-day break." He went back to his post and continued where he left off without even finishing his dinner.
"You had a date?" asked Tiffany.
Key nodded shyly, blushing and grinning to himself.
"First? Second? Third?"
The young man looked up and stared at Tiffany.
"Sorry. Didn't mean to pry," said the woman as she went back to focus on her work.
"I don't mind you asking. It's just... you never asked," he said, tilting his head at the inexplicable behavior of his business partner. "Fourth, actually."
"Really?" Tiffany lifted her head and smiled at Key. "Things are going well, huh?"
He nodded. "Thankfully so."
"Good to hear."
The workshop grew noisy as the sound from the sewing machine took over, silencing the two.
"How 'bout you?" asked Key when Tiffany paused from her sewing.
"What about me?"
"Are you seeing anyone?"
Tiffany shook her head. "Haven't done that whole dating thing in a while." She carefully checked her work before looking at Key. "It's hard to find a good person these days, which is why you're lucky."
She continued sewing while Key looked on, seemingly contemplating something.
"I'm gay."
Tiffany almost stepped on the pedal and sewed her finger to the fabric when she heard the sudden statement from her friend. "What?!" she looked at the serious Key.
"I'm gay."
"Err... o-kay? I'm glad that you're being honest and open with me but... why the sudden statement?"
"You don't mind?"
"Of course not! Don't be silly." Tiffany dismissed Key and went back to her task only to notice that he never really stopped staring at her. So she lifted her foot off the small pedal and met his gaze. "Why are you staring at me?"
"What do you think of gay people?"
"W-what?" Tiffany was caught off guard for the second time that night. "I'm totally fine with them. What's with the sudden interrogation? You don't believe me when I said 'okay'?"
"No but... well, I don't know you that well, privately speaking, I mean, so I'm going to go out on a limb here and ask you something. Please don't fire me or dissolve our partnership? And please don't cancel the idea of my own line?"
Tiffany couldn't help but chuckle at the cutely nervous behavior. "I won't. Ask away."
"Have you thought about dating women? I mean, you said that it's hard to find good people these days and I happen to know a few. It's just that..."
"They're gay?"
"Yeah."
Tiffany shrugged nonchalantly, secretly thinking of Taeyeon. "If the chemistry's there and if we click, why not?"
"Really?!"
"Yeah. Now can we get back to work? I'm hoping that we could make it home before lunchtime tomorrow."
"On it!"
#taeny
#thedonkatsu