The first thing Tiffany does when she wakes up the next morning is check her phone for messages from Taeyeon.
After months of literally having no one to really talk to, it feels so good to be able to connect with someone again. Taeyeon is like a breath of fresh air, the bright spot in her dreary life, and quite possibly, the cure her heart's been looking for.
She pushes that last thought aside as she places her phone back on the mattress.
It's way too early to think that and I'm not even sure she feels the same way regardless of how well we click. Maybe she just likes befriending me. After all, everything we've talked about or done so far is just normal platonic friendly stuff. I'm not even sure she's able to like me that way. This is Korea, after all.
The fact that there's no message from Taeyeon helps convince her that that's indeed the case.
She takes a shower, puts on a loose t-shirt, sweatpants and jacket; and goes down to the minimart to get something to eat for breakfast. Since it's just going to be a quick trip, she leaves her phone in her apartment, only taking her wallet with her.
When she returns, she makes herself two slices of toast with jam and switches on the TV, forgetting about her phone.
After she has finished her breakfast, she finally checks the device and sees a missed call from Taeyeon and a few messages.
"Good morning. Are you up? Sunny offers to pick us up for lunch. It's gonna be somewhere in Apgujeong so should be near where you live. Do you mind texting me your address?"
There's a more recent message after that one.
"On second thought, how 'bout we make it easier for her. I haven't had breakfast yet and if you're free, why don't we go get something to eat? Then Sunny can just pick both of us up at once."
"Darn," she mumbles, instantly regretting not checking her phone earlier and the toasts she just ate. But it's too good of an opportunity to pass up on so she quickly replies, "Hi! Sorry I haven't checked my phone all morning. Is the breakfast invitation still valid?"
It doesn't take long before Taeyeon's reply arrives.
"You're in luck. My fridge is empty and I'm too lazy to get something to eat from the minimart. So, yes."
"Let me guess. You're still in bed?"
They've briefly discussed the differences in how they choose to spend their free time.
Tiffany likes to go out and do stuff, go shopping or even exploring new places to eat at; while Taeyeon prefers staying inside, playing video games or watching TV.
The phone rings and Tiffany taps the green icon eagerly. "Hey."
"Are you psychic?" asks Taeyeon, adding a little gasp for effect.
Tiffany can't help but laugh. "No. I have a good memory, that's all. You told me how much you like staying indoors and since it's weekend, I figured that you'd still be lazing around."
"Well, you're right. So... breakfast?"
"Can we get something light?"
"Anything you want."
Tiffany's smile widens. "Okay then. I'll go change. Where do you want to meet?"
"Gangnam station? You'd have to wait for me though. It'll take a while to get there."
"I don't mind."
"Okay. I'll let you know when I'm on my way so you won't have to wait too long at the station."
"Sure."
"Alright then. See ya in a bit."
"See ya."
Tiffany sets her phone down and rushes to get ready. She takes her time choosing her outfit, applying her makeup and styling her hair. It's just going to be a casual day so a pair of jeans and t-shirt would've sufficed but she wants to look great in front of Taeyeon.
When she's done, she meticulously observes every inch of her appearance to make sure that not a single hair or button is out of place.
Then she waits as patiently as she can.
Her hand keeps locking and unlocking her phone, anxious to hear from Taeyeon.
She paces her apartment at least 15 times, going from the bedroom to the living room to the kitchen and back to the bedroom. She also visits the bathroom to brush her teeth twice in the past 20 minutes then makes sure she has nice breath by gargling after each brush using her extra strong mouthwash.
She takes out the two Kit Kats she has placed in her bag then puts them back inside. This she does about 3 times because she really does not want to forget the treat.
Finally, she can't take it anymore and picks up her phone to ask Taeyeon about her current location.
Her thumb has just pressed the app icon when a message from Taeyeon appears.
"Hey, I'm on my way. Roughly halfway there."
"Alright. I'm gonna get going then. See you."
"See you."
Tiffany does one final and thorough check of her appearance before grabbing her purse, bolting out of the door.
The bus can't come fast enough and she finds herself anxiously jumping in place, much to the amusement of an ahjumma sitting at the bus stop.
She calms down when she sees the smile and shyly nods at the woman while inching away.
Her phone suddenly beeps, providing the necessary distraction while she waits.
"Just passed another station," says Taeyeon.
"I'm at the bus stop," replies Tiffany.
"Ah okay. No need to rush though. I think you'll get there before I do."
"I don't mind waiting."
"But I mind if you have to wait too long."
"I won't," replies Tiffany with a smile. "By the way, I have a little surprise for you later. I hope you like it."
"What is it? More Kit Kats?"
"I'm not telling."
"Oh come on. Just a hint? Please?"
"Hm... it's edible, that's for sure."
"More Kit Kats! Yay!"
Tiffany chuckles, no longer caring about the ahjumma at the bus stop. "So confident."
"Which flavor?"
"One that I hope you haven't tasted before."
"Now I'm curious. Just passed another station by the way. Should be there soon."
Tiffany looks up when she hears the rumble of the bus approaching and types, "My bus is here."
"Great. I hope I'll arrive around the same time you do."
"I'm seriously okay with waiting, Taeyeon. It's not like you're still home anyway."
"I know but I just don't want you to waste your time for me."
"I'll be fine."
"By the way, you haven't checked your work email, have you?"
"Um... no. Why?"
"Yeonho oppa has given us a list of revisions," Taeyeon says. "He emailed us last night. You better brace yourself."
"For what?" replies Tiffany. "When are they due?"
"That's why I told you to brace yourself."
Tiffany waits for more but Taeyeon only says, "Are you sure you're ready?"
"Taeyeon..."
Then comes a row of texts, one after another:
"5"
"4"
"3"
"2"
"1"
"............."
"Are you ready, Fany-ah?"
Tiffany tries hard not to laugh when she sees the row of many round-eyed emoticons filling her screen next.
"Stop scaring me. Just say it!"
"He wants it by............ Monday."
"Dun dun dunnnnnnnn~"
Tiffany winces. "Monday?"
"Yeah."
"Next Monday?"
"Yes."
"The day after tomorrow Monday?"
"Uh-huh. Told ya. Did you faint?"
"Of course not! It takes more than this to make me faint. Oh well. We still have plenty of time. Someone taught me that when no specific time is given then technically, I can still submit it anytime I want just as long as that day is not over yet."
In the train, Taeyeon is silently grinning from ear to ear. "Whoever taught you that is very smart. But unfortunately, I got that little trick passed down from none other than Yeonho oppa himself so he gave us the time."
Tiffany lets out a sigh. "When?"
"9 AM."
"And how are we supposed to get it done by then?"
"Simple. By not having a life or a free Sunday tomorrow," replies Taeyeon. "Don't worry, most of the revisions are on my end so you can relax."
"How can I relax when my partner's working? It's our project, Taeyeon. We do it together. You and me."
Tiffany nearly regrets typing that spur of the moment reaction but Taeyeon's reply sets her at ease.
"Aw... thank you for that, Partner. Just so you know, there's no one else I'd rather spend my Sunday working with."
Reading that makes her so giddy that she has to cover her mouth with her hand so that the other passengers won't see her face splitting huge smile – the biggest smile that ever graced her face in the past year.
She doesn't know that Taeyeon is just as thrilled when the girl reads her first message, even to the point of biting her fist so that the crowded subway car won't think that she's crazy for smiling so widely while chatting on her phone.
Suddenly the people in the bus start piling out and Tiffany looks up to see that she has arrived at the station. She leaps to her feet and rushes out the door before it closes.
"Whew," she exhales as soon as her feet touch the pavement. That was close.
She's been too focused on chatting with Taeyeon that she almost missed her stop.
"I'm here. I'll wait for you inside the hall, okay? Meeting point."
"Alright. I should be there soon enough. Just a couple more stations to go. Have you thought about what to eat?"
"Yeah. I've decided on letting you decide."
"Cheater."
"Are you calling me names now, Kim Taeyeon?"
"Whoops. Sorry. I was just kidding."
"I know. Relax." Tiffany sends Taeyeon a smiling emoticon to set her at ease. "I was also just kidding."
"Then kindly choose what to eat?"
"I'm gonna be honest with you. I've had a slice of toast before I left," says Tiffany, choosing to deduct the total amount of toasts she had eaten earlier. "So I prefer that you decide since you haven't eaten anything."
"We can't eat much since we're gonna be having lunch with Sunny soon."
"Then how 'bout a sandwich?" suggests Tiffany.
"Sounds great."
"Alright then."
"Do you mind sharing? Just in case I can't finish everything," asks Taeyeon.
"Not at all."
"Great! One more station now."
"I'm right here at the meeting point."
"Okay. Be right there."
"Take your time."
"If I stop replying it means I'm walking, okay?"
"Okay. Be careful. Don't walk under influence." Tiffany then grins at her own joke.
"Funny."
"Thank you."
"Arriving any minute now. I'll see you soon."
"Okay."
The replies from Taeyeon stop and Tiffany closes the app to see her battery considerably reduced from the constant chatting. She has never experienced that before and when she lets go of the device, she realizes that it feels a bit warm.
She carefully puts the phone in her purse and begins fidgeting in place, half in excitement and half in anxiety. There's no denying the building anticipation even though they've just spent the whole day together yesterday and been talking to each other constantly.
Seeing Taeyeon in person is different. It's better in every way but it always makes Tiffany nervous at the start.
Calm down! Think of this as spending time with a close friend. There's no need for me to be this fidgety.
She takes deep breaths and manages to calm down until she sees her walking briskly towards her.
The dormant flutters in her stomach awaken and she has to silently tell herself over and over again to look cool.
Too bad she doesn't notice that Taeyeon is in exactly the same state, trying not to run or appear too eager when she approaches Tiffany.
"Hi!" greets Taeyeon. "Sorry to have kept you waiting."
"Hey and no need to apologize."
There's a pause as the two awkwardly look anywhere but at each other's eyes.
"So um... where can we get a nice sandwich around here?" asks Taeyeon, trying to kick start the conversation.
"I'm not really sure. It's been a while. Why don't we just walk down the street and see what we can find?" suggests Tiffany.
"Sounds like a plan. Lead the way," Taeyeon says, graciously stepping aside.
Tiffany smiles a little and begins walking, clutching her purse tightly.
They walk out of the station without saying a word to each other. It's not that they don't want to talk but both are struggling with their hearts and minds – unsure whether it's normal to feel this awkward and shy around the other person.
"I think..." begins Tiffany, "there's a café around here somewhere that's open for breakfast," she says hesitantly, looking around the area. "I've only been there once though."
"Do you remember where it is?"
Tiffany shakes her head. "It should be somewhere near the station. Not there," she points at the street lined with shops and restaurants.
"It might be at another exit. Do you remember the name of the place?"
"I only remember how it looks."
"Hm... that's gonna be tricky. How 'bout we just eat at that bakery," Taeyeon says, pointing at the huge building across the street. "It's a bit common, I know, but they have good sandwiches and cakes," she adds since it's a store from the largest bakery franchise in the country.
"I see nothing wrong with common. As long as the food's good and the service is friendly."
"Alright then. Let's go."
When Sunny calls Taeyeon a good two hours later, the two are still sitting in that same bakery, talking and laughing without any hint of awkwardness left between them.
The shared sandwich is long gone and they've had to order a few more drinks but none of it matters to them.
"Sunny's gonna meet us at the restaurant. I hope you're okay with more Korean food," Taeyeon says once she has ended the call with her best friend.
"I love it."
"Good. You should satisfy all your cravings before you fly back."
"I plan to do that."
They smile at each other then finish their drinks. The cheerful mood is mellowed a bit thanks to the reminder of Tiffany leaving but they say nothing of it.
"Where are we going?" asks Tiffany as they wait to cross the street, standing among the gathering crowd.
"She texted me the name of the restaurant. I guess we just have to find it."
"Ah okay."
Once the light turns green, the weekend crowd starts pushing them and Tiffany grabs Taeyeon's arm by reflex, holding on tight.
Taeyeon turns her head when she feels the familiar tingling touch to see a flustered Tiffany. Before her mind could protest, her body has reacted on instinct and she does what she thinks is best in the situation.
When Tiffany sees Taeyeon looking at her, she quickly thinks that the girl doesn't like being grabbed like that and nearly lets go. But to her surprise, and much delight, Taeyeon moves her arm and grabs hold of her hand instead.
Tiffany looks down when their palms meet, noting the softness and warmth of Taeyeon's hand while trying hard to suppress her smile.
Lucky for her, Taeyeon is busy trying to pull them across, navigating through the crowd, so the girl doesn't even notice her behavior.
After they have safely crossed the street, Taeyeon slowly –almost regretfully– releases Tiffany's hand. She has become fully aware of what she had done and she's not sure whether it was appropriate to do even though she meant well.
Tiffany doesn't want Taeyeon to let go but she also doesn't want to discomfort the girl by clinging to her. That's not what friends would do anyway. Not at this age, at least. She held my hand to make sure I stay near. Yeah. That's all there is to it.
"Hm... I think it's further down the street."
She hears Taeyeon say and turns her head to see her scrutinizing her phone.
"Do you have a map of it or something?" she asks as she stops herself from gawking at Taeyeon's side profile.
"Yeah." Taeyeon shows Tiffany her phone and points straight to her left. "Should be that way. Let's go. Since Sunny's making us work for our food so let's make her pay later," she jokes.
"Sounds good to me," replies Tiffany with a smile as they begin their walk towards the restaurant.
#taeny #thedonkatsu