As usual, this woman...holds absolutely no punches.
"Rejected."
And my storyboard was rejected...
The whole office went silent, everybody stared at Tiffany who's clenching her fist, standing in front of Taeyeon who's handing her back her storyboard without even looking at her and focused on her own work instead.
"R- Rejected?" Tiffany's eyebrow twitched, feeling her mood turn soar, "May I ask, why?" Tiffany asked as she took back her story board.
"Huh? Why don't I turn that question back on you?" Taeyeon looked up at her with a frown "What made you think this level of storyboard would pass?"
"W- Well I did think Sookyung-nim's work wasn't quite up to par this time...but we're running out of time, so I felt this would do as the base..."
Taeyeon huffed "There you go again with your half-assed work..."
"Huh?!" Tiffany snapped.
"Here, point out the parts you were concerned with." Taeyeon took back the storyboard from Tiffany's hands and opened it up.
"Eh? Ah, well...for example..." Tiffany pointed at a part of the storyboard resting on the table "I felt that this chapter's topic was a bit muddled...so I recommended changing the layout entirely, and having the plot develop from this character's POV."
Taeyeon crossed her arms and rested back on her chair "So you do understand. Now get over the phone and make him write this over again."
And that simply pissed Tiffany off, "Please don't act like it's as simple as all that!" Tiffany took the storyboard back and turned around to leave, "If I have him start over particularly from scratch now, the subsequent schedule will be utterly ruined! And there is also the matter of my feelings having to tell him all of this."
"Huh?" Taeyeon squinted at Tiffany's back and clicked her tongue, "It's better than slapping him name on a shitty manuscript for the whole country to see, don't you think?"
This jerk!
"Fine then. Thank you for checking my work. I'm going off to send some packages. Good day!" Tiffany said grumpily, putting the storyboard on her desk.
"Tiffany." Taeyeon called, getting up as well and walked in the same direction as Tiffany.
"Yes?" Tiffany said, a bit nervous.
"I have got a meeting right in the middle of lunch, so I can't eat together with you."
"Yes!"
When I collapsed the other day...Taeyeon said we would eat one meal a day together.
I really didn't get what she meant...but she was insistent.
"About that, you really don't need to trouble yourself." Tiffany smiled to herself, "I will eat on my own. I'm quite alright now, so please don't worry."
"Dinner" Taeyeon blurted.
"What?" Tiffany squinted at Taeyeon who was walking to her right.
"We're going to eat dinner together." Taeyeon had her hands in her pockets and looked straight ahead.
"No...honestly, you don't have to..."
"Also, what time did you go to bed last night and what time did you wake up this morning and what time did you eat breakfast and what did that breakfast consist of?"
"Uh...what's with the third degree?" Tiffany asked as the elevator door closed on them. Her face was grabbed with one hand and her cheeks were squeezed, "Yesh?" She glared .
"If I don't keep tabs on you like this, you will wind up just keeling over again!" Taeyeon was clearly irritated with Tiffany, "Plus, Yoona is backing me up on this, so give up." Taeyeon started wiggling Tiffany's soft cheeks, loving the feeling of them.
"You really don't hab to. I know my libits now, I will be fibe on my own." Tiffany clenched Taeyeon arm as she was having difficulty speaking, "And please led go of me!"
"Little jerk, is that any way to speak to someone you owe a debt to?" The pace of wiggling increased.
"I will be all ride now...so led go already!" Tiffany struggled to remove Taeyeon's hand off her face "Ngh...why are you being so insistent?!"
Just when Tiffany thought that Taeyeon finally let go of her face, she was grabbed again, gently this time, and pulled in to a sweet chaste kiss.
"Idiot." Taeyeon caressed Tiffany's now red cheek and planted a peck on her forehead "Because I'm worried about you, of course." And just like that, Taeyeon left the elevator. Leaving Tiffany behind all flustered, touching the spot Taeyeon kissed
I'm exhausted...
Tiffany stared blankly at the ground asphalt as she walked back to her home.
I will just have something from the convenience store for dinner...Taeyeon had overtime today, so we couldn't have eaten together even if I had wanted to...
Also, I really wish she would stop doing that kind of thing at the office...or anywhere, for that matter.
If someone was to see us...
Tiffany's legs came to a stop as she realized that there are people in the empty street she's walking in. And by people, it meant that there were two guys embracing against the wall and seemed to be in the middle of a make out session.
What the...?
She didn't mean to look but her eyes caught the face of the guy leaning on the wall.
Eh...? EH?!
D-...Dong...haeeeeeeee?
Donghae who was so immersed in making out noticed Tiffany's presence and pulled away from the kiss, "Hey! Well if it isn't Tiffany-ssi!"
Tiffany jolted in her place when Donghae greeted her with a smile, still holding the other guy's butt, "Go- Good evening to you as well, Donghae-ssi...I-...I'm sorry, I was really just passing through...and I..." Tiffany was flustered.
A KISS?
He was just kissing someone, right?
And that someone...was a GUY, wasn't it?
"Hahah, ah crap, sorry about that! You caught us, huh?" Donghae laughed as he waved goodbye to the guy he was making out with a minute ago, "I was sure no one would be coming this way..."
"I'm so sorry! I will be going now!" Tiffany turned on her heels in a hurry.
"Ah...wait up!"
Tiffany stopped and looked back at Donghae who was smiling awkwardly.
"I would appreciate it if you could keep what you just saw a secret?" Donghae put a finger against his lips.
"Eh? Yes, don't worry." Tiffany nodded.
She herself didn't like the idea of her and Taeyeon being exposed to everyone. Not like she had anything to do with Taeyeon though...
"Hey...how about I buy your silence by treating you to dinner?"
"Eh?! Oh, no, that's...please don't trouble yourself." Tiffany shook her hands in the air, "I won't tell a soul!"
"Nah, I have wanted to have a drink with you for a while, and plus, I would like to discuss Taeyeon."
Oh right...
He knows how Taeyeon used to be before...
"So...?"
"I really am sorry, though!" Donghae laughed, "Must have freaked you out, seeing something like that all of a sudden."
They are currently sitting opposite to each other, having dinner at a restaurant
"Oh, no...it's quite all right." Tiffany chuckled.
"That's good, then! You know how in our country people are still mostly prejudiced against that sort of thing, though there are a lot who accept it too." Donghae laughed awkwardly.
"Well, just..." Tiffany's cheeks turned slightly pink as she looked down with a soft smile, "There are always those cases where...the person you fall in love with just happens to be of the same gender..."
Donghae looked at Tiffany with a slightly open mouth before bursting in laughter
"Wh- What's so funny?" Tiffany got flustered, not knowing why Donghae was laughing his ass off.
"No...sorry, just...that's such a girly comic thing to say! Hahaha!"
Tiffany blushed and looked down again "I...I'm sorry!"
"No no no, I meant it as a compliment!" Donghae shook his hands "That kind of sensitivity is an asset in your line of work!"
I wonder if he's teasing me?
Th- This guy...is kind of too flighty for me to handle.
"So, how do you like it? Romance comics, that is." Donghae asked with a smile.
"Hm?"
"I heard from Shindong you didn't really like your job."
"Ah, yeah...well..." Tiffany chuckled awkwardly, "...I have been through quite a lot...but I think I'm going to stick with it and try my best for the time being."
"I see..." Donghae took a bite of his food, "And is that...because of Taeyeon?"
"Huh?" Tiffany blushed causing Donghae to laugh
"It's just, she really seemed to be looking after you closely..."
"Oh, no, that's..." Tiffany looked away "...probably just because I'm a newbie editor and she has to keep an eye on me."
"I supposed..." Donghae grinned, "Still, I'm happy that you're continuing with comic editing then! This line of work is tough after all. Lots of people start off brimming with enthusiasm, but as their stamina gets sapped away and the mental fatigue hits, they drop out."
"I will admit, it's quite a tough job." Tiffany nodded.
"Yup yup. All of the people in my editing department spend most of the day at the office."
"Oh right! Earth is a weekly publication, isn't it? That must be rough!"
"Nah, it's not so bad once you get used to the pace. Plus we have got a sizeable staff as well. After that, it's just a matter of balancing the opinions of the editor and the author." Donghae looked a bit tired as he said, "Plus...not matter how tough a session might be, once you have got the sample in your hands...it makes you think, wow, I can't wait to get started on my next project!Reminds you of how much fun creating books is..."
Ah...!
"Plus...isn't it kind of fun...?...romance" - Taeyeon
Recalling her conversation with Taeyeon on the way to Jeju-do, Tiffany realized that Taeyeon has said the same thing before.
"Hmm? What is it?" Donghae asked, feeling concerned because of Tiffany's silence.
"Oh-...no, it's just...Taeyeon said something similar before..." Tiffany chuckled.
"Seriously?"
"Yes!" Tiffany smiled.
"Wow...so Taeyeon did, huh?"
Donghae-ssi actually isn't as bad as I feared...
Said Donghae suddenly got silent and was looking down at his food.
"Is something the matter?" Tiffany frowned.
"Nah..." He smirked to himself, "I think Taeyeon truly is...an amazing woman." Suddenly, Donghae has a dark expression on his face, "She was assigned to Weekly Earth with me as soon as she joined the company...and in no time flat, she had become the ace of the editing division all on her own. She made these literary styles that had never run in Weekly Earth into hit works, and they all had this sensitivity that no one could manage to emulate," Donghae chuckled, "Before you know it, the Taeyeon brand had been established." He sighed, "But well, she kinda does whatever she wants. That attitude of her ruffled quite a few feathers. So when she quit, sales of both the Earth magazine and related comics plummeted! We were really in a tight spot for a while there!"
Tiffany frowned, "But your sales are doing wonderfully now, right?"
"Because I managed to get the department back on its feet!" Donghae smiled proudly, "But we were seriously up shit creek back then."
So that happened in her past, huh.
Taeyeon really is amazing...and Donghae-ssi as well, for putting Weekly Earth back on its feet.
"Still...I can't wrap my mind around why she went over to romance comics out of the blue!" Donghae frowned
"Oh...as I understand it, it was an order from the company," Tiffany said.
"Really?!" Donghae was surprised to hear that, "That's all?!"
"So it seems...though I wasn't employed at Im's publishing back then." Tiffany chuckled awkwardly.
"Ugh, and here I was convinced she had gone there because she had wanted to!" Donghae covered his face, feeling embarrassed of himself, "Geez...so that's all it was?" He suddenly giggled darkly, "Then...that means there's still a chance she will come back to action comics someday..."
"Eh...?" Tiffany got cold sweat after hearing Donghae's voice tone.
"Oh, no..." Donghae shook his hand, "I always wondered why she took up editing romance comics all of a sudden. The way she dragged Emerald up from the depths to which it had sunk...I mean, I always knew she was an amazing girl. I guess as long as she didn't do it because she had grown to hate action comics, that's all that matters." Removing his hand from his face, he appeared to be smiling, "I just...really want to work with her again!" Donghae chuckled and glanced at her empty plate, "Well, should we head out?" Donghae asked, getting up from his seat.
"Oh, the bill...?" Tiffany took out her wallet ready to pay her share of the bill.
"I told you, I'm buying your silence with this! I will go take care of it!" Donghae laughed at Tiffany as he rejected her money and turned around to go pay.
"My apologies! Thank you for the meal!" Tiffany bowed politely and Donghae waved his hand at her.
The moment Donghae left, Tiffany felt her phone vibrate in her pocket, a grimace immediately appeared on her face when the name Kim Taeyeonflashed on the screen.
Shit. It's Taeyeon!
She immediately hung up and looked right and left.
C-Crap, what do I do? I will be in trouble if Taeyeon finds out I was out with Donghae...
In the end, Tiffany decided to walk out of the restaurant and call Taeyeon back just in case.
"Hey, what the hell did you hang up on me for?" Taeyeon clearly sounded irritated.
"I- I'm sorry! It's was an accident!" She lied in a whisper.
"I'm about to head home now. Have you eaten yet? If not, come to my place."
"Ah! I'm sorry, I already ate!" Tiffany said in a hurry after hearing the restaurant door open and close behind her.
"Where are you?" Taeyeon sounded confused.
"Eh? Umm, outside?" She said in a state of panic.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, Tiffany-ssi." Donghae tapped her on the shoulder and smiled, "I was wondering where you disappeared to!"
"D- Donghae-ssi?!" Tiffany jolted out of shock and accidently dropped her phone.
Crap!
She picked up her phone as fast as she could and checked if the line was still connected with Taeyeon.
"...why are you with Donghae?" Taeyeon asked, frighteningly calm.
"Eh? Uh, I think my signal is weak...it's hard to hear...sorry, I will call you back later! Bye!"
*Beep*
Oh. Crap.
Tiffany grimaced, "I'm sorry, something just came up so I will have to be on my way now..."
"Oh, you do?" Donghae smiled, "Let's go out for dinner again! Whenever I talk to you...it takes me back to my own days as a newbie! Feels like I'm just starting out all over again!" He said enthusiastically, "See ya!"
Tiffany waved back at him and they were both on their separate ways.
Those were kind of crazy circumstances that led us to got out for dinner together, but...I actually had a really good time with him...
Also, everything we talked about was educational. I thought he was all talk, but he's really quite adept at his job.
Plus...he praised Taeyeon too...
I don't think he's a bad guy at all.
I wonder why Taeyeon gets so heated when it comes to him...? I guess something really must have happened at her old job.
A grimace appeared on Tiffany's face after seeing the scene in front of her as soon as she exited the elevator. Taeyeon was sitting on the floor, her back leaning on her own door, hugging her knees like a kid and staring at the ground. Tiffany slowly approached Taeyeon who had that unexplainable look on her face as she stared at her.
"Umm...that was quite rude of me before...I'm sorry." Tiffany bowed down to Taeyeon who looked back down at the floor "It's just...when you called, I had only just finished eating dinner...and uh...umm..." Tiffany said nervously.
"Tiffany." Taeyeon called softly, "Why were you with Donghae?"
Tiffany gulped as she watched Taeyeon stand up, "We-...We just ran into each other by coincidence on my way home."
I'm not lying. I'm not lying! Why am I nervous?!
"He had invited me out for dinner several times before, so I felt it would be rude to turn him down once again..."
Taeyeon stood up and held her hand, "I told you not to hang around with him, didn't I?"
Tiffany frowned at that, "Honestly, there's no need for you to keep harping on about him, really..."
Hearing that, Taeyeon frowned.
"Hey...wait!"
Tiffany found herself being tugged by the sleeve inside of her apartment and Taeyeon let go of her roughly.
"What are you doing?!" Tiffany yelled.
"Why don't you ever listen to what I tell you to do?!" And Taeyeon yelled back.
"Because there is no reason for me to!"
"Huh?!" Taeyeon looked pissed.
"Plus, he wasn't anything like you said he was!" Tiffany glared, "He's quite serious when it comes to his work, and I found conversing with him to be a good learning experience!"
Taeyeon eyes widened "Listen up, you might no understand this, being the pampered little princess that you are..." Taeyeon pointed at her, "...but there is no telling what's going on through Donghae's head! I don't want you to get hurt if anything should happen with him, so I keep telling you to stay away!"
Tiffany frowned, she clearly saw him kissing another guy just a couple of hours ago. Why the hell would anything happen between them?
"Also, he's bi. He might go for a ditzy air-head like you."
"I'm not ditzy!"
So she already knew about Donghae's sexuality. Oh, wait...he's bisexual? Maybe the reason she's so uptight about Donghae is because...
"Taeyeon..." Tiffany frowned "Did Donghae do something to you...?"
"Huh?!" Taeyeon's eyes widened.
"Also, you're hardly in any position to talk about others like that!"
Tiffany clenched her eye shut when Taeyeon grabbed her and held both of her hands up to the door
"Shut the hell up...I'm nothing like him..."
Taeyeon's icy tone made Tiffany look at her in wonder. Before she knew it, Taeyeon's lips were on hers. She was immediately ticked off and unconsciously pushed Taeyeon away but still held on to her sweater, "P- Please stop..." Tiffany said to Taeyeon who was looked down and clenching her fists "We're not even dating...just...stop doing this kind of thing already!"
Tiffany heard Taeyeon's breath hitch.
"Then...tell me outright that you hate me."
Tiffany's eyes widened as she looked at the floor.
"Be clear about it. Look me in the eye...and say you hateme." Taeyeon looked at Tiffany, "Reject everything that I am."
Tiffany had never heard Taeyeon voice like this before. She sounded...in pain...she must have that unexplainable expression again. When Tiffany looked up. She realized what that unexplainable look on Taeyeon's face sometimes was. It was pain.
Wait...reject...?
Tiffany got flustered "Tha-...That's not..."
The hands clenching Taeyeon sweater were held by Taeyeon's cold hands, "You know, I'm seriously in love with you. So...don't run away. Face yourself straight on." Taeyeon inhaled, "I'm begging you here."
"..."
Hearing no answer from Tiffany, Taeyeon sighed tiredly and face palmed, "Come inside. I'm about to have dinner, and you promised to eat with me." Taeyeon let go of Tiffany's hands and turned around to walk further inside her apartment.
"I- I never promised such thing!" Tiffany got flustered as she watched Taeyeon's back getting further and further.
"I'm just using dinner as an excuse to get to talk to you some more," Taeyeon admitted nonchalantly.
Hearing that, Tiffany blushed...but took off her shoes nonetheless and followed Taeyeon inside.
"Have a seat on the sofa."
Tiffany did so and put her hands on her lap out of nervousness.
"Ah...um, just to be clear, regarding Donghae, there's definitely nothing for you to be concerned about from him," Tiffany explained as Taeyeon went to the kitchen area that is connected to the living room
"Like I can trust your definition of nothing to be concerned about," Taeyeon clicked her tongue as she poured something in a mug,
Hearing that, Tiffany got irritated, "And there is no reason to suspect I would be targeted by him. Your worry is entirely unfounded. And- "
"Here you go." Taeyeon placed a mug of something warm on the coffee table in front of Tiffany
"Oh, thank you," Tiffany nodded before continuing, "...Also...it's...not like I never think about you...Taeyeon..." She said.
Taeyeon took a sip of her own mug after she took a seat on the floor opposite to Tiffany.
"...I don't ha-...*Ahem* I don't hate you." Tiffany gulped the lump in her throat and looked away, "But...I just..."
"Well if you don't hate me, then you must love me, huh?"
"Bwah! Hardly!"
"Tsk!"
"Why do you insist on jumping to such conclusions?! You never listen to me!" Tiffany blushed hard, "That's why we're doing everything out of order...and it's driving me crazy!" She looked at her drink, not realizing that Taeyeon had not looked at her this whole time, "If...you will at least do things in the proper order in which they ought to be done...I will...do my part to consider our situation."
"So you will be satisfied if I just do things the way they should be done?"
"Huh?!"
Taeyeon rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly, "Well, I will grant you that we have kind of gone out of order in this whole affair...It's partly my fault for not being able to keep my head whenever I see you too..."
"That's why I said...!" Tiffany clenched her eyes shut but opened them when she felt both of Taeyeon's hands hold hers.
"Fany-ah." Taeyeon had scooted over to her and was looking at her right in the eye, "I love you, please go out with me."
Tiffany's jaw fell open and closed again and opened one more time, "Eh...?" She didn't know what to say so she just stared at Taeyeon's eyes that shined with honesty and determination.
Unbeknown to her, what Taeyeon saw in her eyes was uncertainty and hesitation. So she just sighed and suddenly stood up and squished Tiffany's fluffy cheeks "Sure. Okay." Taeyeon imitated Tiffany's voice as she wiggled Tiffany's cheeks as if she's the one saying that, "Well, that's that. Isn't that great, Tiffany?" Taeyeon clapped her hands twice as if she just finished a job well done.
"What the heck just happened?!" Tiffany shot up, "I'm not accepting that! I'm totally not accepting it!"
"Ugh, pipe down already. Just own you to your fate." Taeyeon frowned.
"This is exactly the kind of thing I hate about you!" Tiffany sighed.
What is with this girl, geez! And here I was trying to bridge the gap between us too!
"I'm leaving!" Tiffany grabbed her bag.
"Tiffany..." Taeyeon called softly "I will wait for you." Taeyeon held her hand again.
"What?" Tiffany looked at their hands, confused.
Taeyeon was looking at the ground as she held on to her tightly, "However many months...or years it may take. I will be waiting for you." She took a breath before looking up at her seriously, "We're both adults now...and have a lot more freedom than we did when we first met...the world is moreaccepting of us now. I understand that being in love isn't easy. But I still...want your everything."
Tiffany stared at Taeyeon's eyes. Full of love and affection.
"So, some day...give me all your heart and body..."
"Taeyeon..."
"Just...I can't help getting worried sometimes...you bailed on me once before, after all. So at the very least...let me be closer to your side than anyone else."
Tiffany inhaled sharply upon hearing that. Suddenly she wants to kiss Taeyeon so badly.
"Tiffany...I want to kiss you."
Hearing that, Tiffany clenched her eyes shut...and pulled up Taeyeon's hand...and kissed it gently, "Um...I...I...Taeyeon...I..."
Tiffany thanked god that Taeyeon didn't let her continue what she was about to say...
Because she kissed her...and pushed her gently to the couch...
Taeyeon
Taeyeon
Taeyeon
I know that all I have to do if I don't want this is shove her away...so why can't I bring myself to do just that?
I wish she would just stop...because...with every word, she throws at me...with every fire, she ignites on my skin...she becomes all the clearly carved within me...
Before heading to work...there was a meal for two waiting for Tiffany when she woke up in the morning.
What part of this is fun?
Tiffany stared at the warm toast, the sunny side up eggs and the bacon, the salad, and the coffee.
Breakfast with my boss...and a silent one at that.
Super awkward atmosphere.
Tiffany looked up at Taeyeon after hearing her sigh.
"Wow...this is kinda like a breakfast between newlyweds."
"Absolutely not!"
Taeyeon frowned, "You're the one who told me to go about this in the proper order. I have done a remarkable job of doing so if I do say so myself, so be grateful. Or what, you got a problem with me?"
"A huge problem! I still haven't even responded to that confession of yours, and you're already going on about newlyweds!" Tiffany was clearly annoyed as she slammed the table.
''Well, we already went on a date, and a trip...all that's left is living together and getting hitched."
"Huh?!"
"Ooh, how about on days we can't eat together, I make your lunch?"
"Thanks but no thanks! That's not going in order! That's just filling in the blanks!"
Taeyeon chuckled and leaned on her palm, smiling gently, "Tiffany, I will cook your meals every day...so wanna shack up with me?"
"..."
"..."
Huh...?
What the hell is with that proposal-sounding suggestion?!
Noooooo
Nononono
Would you just listen to me already?!
Days until Tiffany falls (Completely) in love: 100