I won't let love get in the way of my work

That much is obvious !

I still remember that day clearly.

I was walking in between the school's library book shelves, repeating the name of the book I was looking for over and over in hope to spot it.

Just when I lost hope of finding it, a voice that sounded a bit rough that might have been caused by excessive screaming or being silent for too long echoed next to me.

"Here." The voice said.

The book I was looking for appeared in front of me.

When I turned to my right to look at the owner of the voice and the person who handed me the book, I couldn't move or take my eyes off her. She was short, shoulder length blonde hair, light eyebrows big, beautiful, onyx, deep, dark brown eyes, a cute button nose, reddish lips, and the palest and fairest most perfect skin I have ever seen in my life.

I know that it's weird, I really do. It's plain strange how I fell in love just like that.

Falling in love at first sight, huh. I always thought that it only happened in fairytales. It's not like you can really know the person after only seeing them once, besides, no matter how you look at it...

She's a girl.

I have never spoken to her, I don't even know her name!

I wonder what's gotten into me? Maybe I'm just a little confused.

Ignoring my pounding heart, I kept telling myself that for 3 years.

But then it happened one day...

When our hands accidentally touched as both of us reached out for the same book, "...Taeyeon-sunbae..." I felt my face heat up as Sunbae stared at me with her lips slightly parted.

I'm sure there is a limit to how much unrequited love one can handle.

"How do you know my name?" She asked calmly with not much expression on her face.

She talked to me!

She just talked to me!

The act of confession depends on if courage can overcome rationality, the moment came so suddenly that I don't know whether it was shock or excitement that had all emotions bubbling, and finally, overflow. Maybe it was momentary insanity.

"I love you...Sunbae." I remember saying that with the deepest blush on my face. I snapped out of it in shock and panicked, trying to explain myself after not seeing from her, "No...uh, I- "

"You wanna go out with me?" Is what she said.

"What?! N- No! No! I didn't mean no! I just meant...uh..." And I panicked even more.

"I don't really mind, I will go out with you."

And that's how we started dating.

Simple as that.

...

...

Am I dreaming?

I'm walking together with her.

A- And we're going to h- her h- house.

What should I do? I'm really nervous

I gathered enough courage to look up at her back only to have her looking back at me seconds later.

"Don't be so nervous." She said.

"Huh?!"

How did she know?

I lowered my head again as she opened the gate to her house. It was a normal house, bigger than common if I may say, between normal houses, in the middle of a normal neighborhood.

Normal.

"I pretty much live alone, so no one's home." She said, leading the way inside.

"Huh? Are your parents on a trip or something?" I asked, following her inside the beautiful garden.

"Yeah, something like that," She nodded as she opened the door.

I wonder if I shouldn't have asked.

"I'm home," She said in a low voice the moment we stepped inside and we were welcomed by the meowing of a cute black and white cat.

Oh, that cat...

"I will bring something to drink, head on upstairs. My room is on the right." She pointed at the stairs.

"Okay." I nodded.

She picked up the cat from the floor and I watched her back until she disappeared around a corner. I went upstairs as she said and the moment I opened the door to her room, I felt my heart beat get faster. I was in her room and the first thing I thought was;

Wow, so many books

I walked further into the room and stood in front of her fluffy looking bed. I put my hand on my heart and asked;

Why are you beating so fast?

I was suddenly struck by the naughtiest desire;

Stop it! This is her house!

I can't just...

As I continued staring at the bed more, the desire grew stronger.

But I might not get another chance, I will just do it a little before she comes back.

No, I can't!

But no one is going to see.

But!

In the end, I jumped on the bed like I believed I could fly and squeezed her pillow as hard as I could not forgetting to take a deep sniff.

Then immediately jumped off and sat down as if nothing just happened.

God damn that smelled good

I- I did it, those years of hoping and wishing and I did it! I- I'm so happy I could die!

I let out a deep sigh of relief that I managed to do that without problems and looked up when I heard the sound of the door opening. There she was, my Sunbae.

"Sorry for the wait. Are you good with tea?" She asked.

"Yeah." I nodded enthusiastically.

Sunbae kindly placed a glass of ice tea beside me before taking a seat close by. We're both sitting on the floor and leaning our backs on the bed.

"You wanna watch a movie or something?" She asked calmly.

"Sure. I'm fine with whatever." I nodded nervously.

Sunbae turned the TV on and slipped in a CD in the DVD on a shelf under it then sat back next to me.

Huh?

Isn't she sitting awfully close?

"Sorry, my room is such a mess." Sunbae apologized as she sipped on her own tea, looking straight at the TV.

Excluding the piles of books on the floor, the room was actually pretty much neat and clean and the air was kind of fresh as if the window was open.

"What? No, it's fine. I really like rooms full of books." I looked down at the glass between my hands and smiled to myself, recalling how my own room looked like, pretty much the same as her room, piles of books on the floor because they don't fit on the shelve but unlike this room, mine is nowhere near as clean as this room.

"Can I ask you something?" She said, still staring at the TV playing the movie that I can't recognize.

"Sure." I nodded, taking subtle glances at her.

"I have been wondering about this for a while...how can you say that you're in love with me?"

I have realized this a long time ago, but...Sunbae's face really doesn't change expressions a lot, I can't tell if she's actually curious or not.

"Oh, that's..." I blushed and fixed my gaze at one of the books on the floor.

"Cause it's not like you know anything about me." She said.

After hearing that, I turned to her and glared at her for judging, "I do know some things. Like that cat just now..."

This was the first time I see a change on her face, she looked confused, it was very cute but there was no way I could tell her that to her face,

"Cat?" She frowned.

The moment I realized we were making eye contact, I took a sharp inhale in, couldn't handle looking at her face for so long at such a close proximity and immediately looked away, "Um...I'm sorry, but I saw you. It was raining and the cat was left alone in a box, under the rain, everybody just walked past it...you didn't."

Sunbae leaned forward and looked at me with wide eyes, surprised, "What the hell? You saw that?!"

"I- I'm so sorry!" I clenched my eyes shut and apologized.

"Oh, man. I can't believe you actually saw that. That sounds like something out of a comic or something!"

It was also cute to see her embarrassed and covering her eyes with the back of her hand.

"Huh? Um...I don't really read comics so..."

Upon hearing that, Sunbae relaxed visibly, "Really? That's fine then. But wait, are you a stalker or something?" She looked at me in wonder.

"I- I know, I'm so sorry, but I just can't help it." I clenched my eyes shut.

"I just...really love you, Sunbae."

I did not hear a reaction from Sunbae. I slowly opened my eyes and turned to my left to face her. She looked at me in wonder, there was something in the way her eyes looked at me but I couldn't figure out what it was. Her pretty face started getting closer, I didn't know what to do but I knew that her eyes shifted from mine to further down. I felt something warm and soft on my lips and the side of her face is what I'm seeing.

Then I realized that she's kissing me right now, and I was the idiot who pushed away.

"What are you doing?" I asked her, pretty sure that my face looks ridicules right now.

"I thought you wanted to do this kind of stuff with me." She said, eyes flickering from my eyes to my lips back and forth.

"No, I, uh...It's just..." I looked away, face red and shifty eyes.

"Then what were you doing on my bed earlier?"

She saw?!

"Oh...um...I'm so sor- "

"You don't have to apologize," She said sternly.

I felt my body freeze as Sunbae slipped a hand under my blazer and the other started unbuttoning my shirt and I made no move to stop her.

"I know exactly...what kind of love it is you feel"

I looked up at her, heart pounding loudly in my ears, "Uh...um, Sunbae, I- "

"Let me touch you."

That was all it took for me to surrender to Sunbae's touch. I could feel her hands caress my arms, chest, and stomach as she pressed her lips against mine one more time, this time without me pushing her away. Minutes later, Sunbae pulled away and I couldn't tell what the look on her cold face meant.

"Wh- What's wrong?" I asked nervously.

"Stop clenching your lips shut. I want to kiss you with my tongue." She said, caressing my lower lip with her thumb gently.

My face immediately heats up more and my head started spinning, "Y- Your tongue?!"

Sunbae took advantage of the state of my open mouth, held my face in place and leaned in for the third time.

So that's what tongue feels like.

The sound of our lips smacking together made my body ache.

This isn't good.

My body feels so hot and achy that I can't push her away, my heart it beating so hard.

I'm embarrassed. What should I do?

All the touches Sunbae left on my body increased the heat I felt and it only increased more when her hand went under my skirt.

"W- Wait! Don't! Sunb-"

"Come on, touch me too." Sunbae's hand that was caressing my breasts grabbed mine and guided it to her own breasts.

Fluffy glorious boobs squeezing in my hand.

What should I do?

What on earth should I do?

I could hear Sunbae's breath hitch as I squeezed more.

"Can I go further?" Sunbae questioned as she hugged me tightly and I could hear her ragged breath next to my ear.

I'm in Sunbae's embrace.

"...Yes." I agreed and embraced Sunbae just as tightly. I didn't even think of refusing at that moment.

Some time later, I was laying on Sunbae's pillow looking at her lovely skin while she wrapped her arms around me.

"I'm sorry...it hurts, right?"

Sunbae was so kind and gentle, she wiped the remaining tears that brimmed at the corner of my eyes.

"I...I'm fine...because it's you..."

I didn't hear a respond from Sunbae, Instead, she put her hands on my cheeks and pulled me in for one more kiss, "Fany-ah."

I opened my eyes wide upon hearing what Sunbae just called me between kisses.

Oh

O-...Oh no

She just...called me by a nickname...for the first time.

We kissed more and more and more, my arms were around Sunbae's neck the whole time, pulling her closer and closer to me if that was even possible.

"Fany-ah..."

Huh ?

"...Love you."

What did she just say?

Did I hear her right?

I guess because I really truly love her, if she loved me back at least a little...I could die happy.

I really could.

...

...

"...ny"

"...fany"

"Tiffany!"

"What?!" Tiffany opened her eyes in panic and squinted at the person standing above her.

Sunbae?

It was Taeyeon Sunbae, her first love.

Am I dreaming?

No, wait.

I think this is reality.

Huh ? what did I...?

She rubbed her eyes roughly and shook her head a few times before squinting up again. As she thought, it was Taeyeon. However, this was not the Im Taeyeon Sunbae from school 10 years ago. This is Kim Taeyeon, her arrogant boss.

She clenched her aching head and looked around her only to realize she's laying in the middle of the garbage filled office floor and Taeyeon hovering over her with crossed arms.

"Oh no! I'm so sorry, I fell asleep right on the battlefield!" Tiffany literally jumped up.

"I-...It's fine. I think you just fainted..." Sunny said. She, herself is about to faint.

Crap, my body feels really heavy. I just slept, but I'm still so tired.

And just why did I have a dream like that?

"Don't you dare try to die again without asking my permission!" Taeyeon said, angrily. Stress and Taeyeon did not match.

Tiffany blushed and stared at Taeyeon's face recalling the dream she just had or more specifically the memory her mind just flashed in her dream.

"What? Is there something on my face?" Taeyeon asked.

"Nothing whatsoever!" Tiffany yelled.

"We just got these blue slides. Go over them." Taeyeon sighed.

Tiffany grimaced at the pile of papers Taeyeon just dropped on her desk, "What?! This many?!"

"You have got to pay back every minute you wasted in dreamland, right?" Taeyeon raised an eyebrow, "You looked really happy. You must have had a nice dream."

I was dreaming about you, you asshole!

Tiffany wanted to slap herself for blushing at that.

"Not at all! I had the absolute worst nightmare ever!"

"Really now. Well then, stop complaining and get back to work, newbie." Taeyeon said in a mocking manner.

Tiffany gritted her teeth and shook her head, getting back on her desk to resume her work.

Why the hell did I have to dream about Taeyeon of all people?!

Urgh

...

Aurgh

...

Aurgh!

...

"Auuuuuurrrrgggghhhh!"

She lost it.

"Looks like Tiff is full of energy again," Sunny said in a deathly tone, watching Tiffany finish her work, paper by paper in the speed of light and the expression of Satan.

"What a relief." Hyoyeon nodded slowly.

Poor Yuri who couldn't see how much effort Tiffany put into her work, has actually fainted right after Tiffany but her body is buried under all the questionable garbage that no one noticed the difference between her and dirty floor.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhh!" Tiffany screamed as she slammed a file close and opened another one.

"There there." Sunny rubbed her back in assurance but to no avail.

And so, the third all-nighter in a row continued in Im's publishing's Emerald editing department.