[PG-13] Caught in Between (20/25)
Title: Caught in Between
Characters: Kyuhyun/Taeyeon/Eunhyuk, Donghae/Jessica, Sungmin/Sunny, Siwon/Tiffany
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Romance, Friendship, Comedy, Drama
“Taeyeon, wake up,” Sunny said, shaking her sister violently.
“Whyyy?” Taeyeon whined, stirring and opening her eyes. “What time is it?”
“It’s time for you to get up and get dressed,” Sunny informed her.
“What?” Taeyeon asked, sitting up. She looked at the clock on her bedside table. It was 3 o’clock in the afternoon. “Why didn’t you wake me up earlier?” She yawned.
“Because,” Sunny said with a shrug. “I know you need to rest. You’ve been crying all day and all night yesterday.” She stood up and patted her butt. “You better get up and get dressed.”
“Where are we going?” Taeyeon wanted to know, getting off her bed.
“Today’s the new wing opening party of Cho Ji Min center,” Sunny reminded her.
Taeyeon stared at her like she grew octopus tentacles. “That’s today?!”
“Yes,” Sunny calmly answered. Knowing what she was going to say, she continued, “I already asked oppa if you could skip it. He said that granny’s expecting to see all of us.”
Taeyeon sighed and looked at herself in the mirror. “Great. I’m going to a social event looking like I grew another set of eyes.” Her eyes were enormously puffy.
“Nothing makeup won’t be able to solve,” Sunny said, walking towards the door. But before she left, she turned and said, “What did you and Eunhyuk talk about last night? He was acting really weird before they left.”
“Eunhyuk?” Taeyeon asked thoughtfully. “Why?”
“He was just weird,” Sunny said with a shrug. “I figured it was something you two had talked about. Hey, you owe me the story of what happened with you and Kyuhyun.” She then left and went back to her room.
Taeyeon turned her attention back to her reflection and wondered what can be done to salvage the ugliness of her eyes. Chuckling at what she looked like, she suddenly remembered Eunhyuk kissing her last night. She dropped the brush she had just picked up as everything that happened last night came back to her.
Eunhyuk had kissed her.
And she kissed him back.
They kissed!
She kissed her best friend.
Oh god.
Taeyeon sat down on the bed in a daze. She suddenly remembered everything. They were in her room, on her bed. She was crying and upset about everything. He was comforting her. Then he kissed her. And she kissed him back. What did she do? WHAT DID SHE DO??? She knew it was her fault. She had always wondered what it would be like if she and Eunhyuk ended up together, especially since it happened to Sunny and Sungmin. But those were just supposed to be thoughts. They weren’t supposed to happen! She didn’t mean to make him kiss her. She wasn’t thinking straight.
She laid back down on her bed, her arms spread like an eagle. There were going to be serious consequences for this. But maybe it won’t be so awkward. They’d gone through so much more serious things than this. They could get through this. Right?
Sunny walked in, phone in hand. “Taeng, Hyuk’s on the phone. He says he wants to talk to you.”
Taeyeon froze. She turned to her sister and mouthed, “I’m not here.”
“But you’re right there,” Sunny said, not getting it.
Taeyeon slapped her forehead and glared at her sister. Sunny looked at her like she was crazy and handed her the phone.
“You better get dressed,” Sunny said before leaving.
Taeyeon closed her eyes and took a very deep breath before she answered the call. She had to act like nothing happened, like everything was normal, that the kiss was just one of those things that best friends go through.
Oh who was she kidding? This wasn’t a normal thing that best friends go through.
~ * ~
Eunhyuk watched as Kyuhyun greeted and talked to the guests with the rest of his family after the ribbon cutting ceremony for the opening of the new wing. They were at the garden, where the tables and food were all set up. He watched as he faked a smile and fidgeted, his eyes roaming around the place. He clenched his fist. It was taking everything in him not to march over there and punch him.
Sungmin, who was seated beside him, happened to look down and saw his hand clenched. He immediately knew what it was about. Eunhyuk was easy to read. Gently touching his arm, he reminded him, “Think of Taeyeon.”
Eunhyuk took a deep breath and unclenched his hand. Of course he thought of Taeyeon. That’s what he’s done all his life. He always thought about Taeyeon. It was nearly becoming a mantra of his. What would Taeyeon do? Taking another deep breath to calm himself down, he thought about his phone conversation with her earlier.
“Hey,” he greeted once he was sure she was listening.
“Hi,” she responded quietly.
“So, uh, I guess I’ll see you at the party,” he replied, knowing that she would go with Heechul.
“Yeah.” Her second one word answer.
“Right,” he stammered. “I’ll talk to you later.”
“Bye,” was her last one word answer.
They had never been so awkward before. Not even their first meeting was this awkward. He knew this was going to happen. He didn’t know how they’d be able to stand the awkwardness when they do finally see each other again. However their first meeting after last night was going to go, he still couldn’t forget about what happened.
The kiss.
Almost groaning in frustration, he bit his lip and put his face in his hands. It wouldn’t do to make Sungmin suspicious of anything. It would only complicate matters further. It was a good thing Sunny arrived at that moment.
“Hey,” Sunny said. “Granny just finished dressing up. She wants to see you guys.” She noticed Eunhyuk’s gloomy state. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah,” Eunhyuk lied, standing up and following them inside.
“Hi Granny!” Sunny happily greeted when they walked in the room.
“Eunhyuk, Sungmin,” Granny greeted, smiling at them. Taeyeon looked up, startled, and immediately looked away when Eunhyuk caught her eye.
“Gran,” Sungmin cutely greeted back with a kiss, followed by Eunhyuk.
“Granny, are you hungry?” Taeyeon asked, hopping off of the bed. “I’ll get you some food.” She would do anything to get away at the moment. She wasn’t ready.
“We can all eat later,” Granny said, pulling her back. “I just wanted to ask the three of you,” she went on, pointing at Sunny, Eunhyuk and Sungmin, “What happened to Taeyeon?”
“Gran,” Taeyeon groaned, her cheeks turning pink. “I told you nothing happened. My eyes just explode in puffiness sometimes.”
But Granny ignored her and waited expectantly for Sunny, Eunhyuk, and Sungmin’s answer.
“She’s telling the truth, gran,” Sunny seconded with a firm nod. “Taeyeon’s eyes are really weird.” She shook her head. “Sometimes, I get embarrassed just by being around her because of her eyes.”
“It’s really not worth talking about,” Taeyeon added. “The boys are getting bored already.” She smiled slightly and moved towards the door. “I’ll go and get you something to drink.”
“Some fruit, too,” Granny requested. “Have someone go with you. Eun-.”
“Sungmin will go with me,” Taeyeon said, grabbing his arm since he was the nearest.
“But,” Sunny began to protest.
“You can do without him for a couple of minutes,” Taeyeon interjected.
“Minutes?” Sungmin repeated in horror.
“Come on,” Taeyeon said, pulling him out of the room, rolling her eyes. “Would it really kill you to be away from Sunny for a couple of minutes?” she asked him as they made their way to the buffet table.
“Yes, in exactly the same way being away from Kyuhyun is killing you,” Sungmin retorted, smirking. He replaced his smirk with a sheepish look when Taeyeon stopped walking and glared at him.
“You know there’s another way to die aside from being away from my sister,” Taeyeon knowingly and scarily informed him.
“Sorry,” Sungmin muttered. “It won’t happen again.” They resumed walking. “So…” he carefully began, glancing at her, “what exactly happened with you and him?”
She sighed. “Maybe you should ask Sooyoung what happened.” A smirk appeared on her face, followed by a frown.
Sungmin stopped walking and pulled Taeyeon aside so as to not cause a scene. “Sooyoung?” he questioned. When Taeyeon nodded, he went on, “You mean Kyuhyun and Sooyoung…?”
“Yes,” she answered irately. “Do you really want me to spell it out? It wasn’t pleasant the first time around.” She looked away and watched some of the guests chat with each other, while he stood there, absorbing the whole thing.
Suddenly, Sungmin pulled her into a hug. Taeyeon and Sungmin were never as close as him and Sunny nor like she was with Eunhyuk, but there were instances when it just felt right that they consoled each other about something that they’d never talked to neither Sunny nor Eunhyuk about. This seemed like one of those moments. But before Taeyeon started to cry-tears were already brimming in her eyes-she pulled away.
“Taeyeon, I’m so sorry,” Sungmin said, truly looking apologetic.
“Don’t apologize,” Taeyeon said dismissively. “It’s not your fault.” She forced a smile. “Besides, we were broken up. When you think about it, he didn’t exactly cheat on me.”
“That’s not the point,” he responded strongly.
“Okay,” she said, smiling even more, forcing the tears back in. “Let’s not talk about this now. We’re at a party.”
“No wonder Eunhyuk was so upset when he saw Kyuhyun, even more than usual,” Sungmin went on.
Taeyeon suddenly felt awkward. “Uh yeah.” She began walking. “Gran’s probably wondering where her drink and fruits are.”
Sungmin followed her to the buffet table. “I’m surprised you even came here,” he said as he placed a variety of fruits on a small plate.
“I didn’t have a choice,” she told him, getting a glass of iced tea. “Heechul oppa wouldn’t let me stay home because we all promised gran we’d be here.” She turned around to go back, but faced the table again, grabbing Sungmin’s coat.
“What?” Sungmin asked curiously, glancing behind him.
“Kyuhyun’s sister’s coming over,” Taeyeon said, looking around for an escape path.
But it was too late.
“Hi Taeyeon!” Sulli greeted, smiling cutely. “Sungmin.”
Taeyeon and Sungmin both turned around, smiling.
“Sulli,” Sungmin responded. “You’ve grown up.”
“I have,” Sulli agreed proudly. She turned to Taeyeon. “You haven’t been visiting. Why?” After their first meeting at their house, Taeyeon had been back a couple of times, which allowed Sulli and her to sort of bond. Taeyeon didn’t know that Sulli had begun looking forward to her visits.
“I…” Taeyeon started, wondering what to say. “I’ve been busy with some school work,” she then lied. She wasn’t sure if she knew about their break-up.
Sulli pouted. “That’s what Kyuhyun says. I wish you come and visit more often,” she told her. “I have no one to talk to about stuff. Kyuhyun just locks himself in his room these days.”
Sungmin glanced at Taeyeon, who forced a smile. “What about your best friend, Krystal?” Taeyeon asked.
“She only comes over because she wants to see my brother,” Sulli answered, rolling her eyes.
“Sulli,” one of the guests said. “Your parents are calling you to go to the recreation room.”
Sulli suddenly smiled excitedly. “Taeyeon, you should go with me,” she said, holding her hand.
“It’s alright, Sulli,” Taeyeon politely declined, looking at Sungmin for support.
But before Sungmin could say anything, Sulli said, “I know you and Kyu haven’t seen each other yet. He’s going to play the piano.” Then she began pulling her away from Sungmin.
Taeyeon looked at Sungmin in panic as he got the glass of iced tea from her. Sungmin just nodded at her encouragingly. As Sulli dragged her in the building and to the recreation room, she couldn’t help but really regret not insisting on staying at home. She should’ve known that she wasn’t going to be able to avoid seeing Kyuhyun.
Once in the recreation room, Sulli let go of Taeyeon’s hand and hurried over to her parents, who were near the piano. She stood by the door, away from the small crowd that had gathered to watch and listen to Kyuhyun play.
And he played beautifully. This was actually the first time she had listened to him playing the piano seriously. Whenever he played for her, it was always in jest or in drabbles, like he was shy of showing her what he can do. She sighed as she leaned on the doorway. When a couple of people moved aside, allowing her a full view of the right side of his face, her mouth hung open.
The Kyuhyun that she was seeing now, who was playing the piano so beautifully, looked even better than the last time she saw him. Which was only yesterday.
He had cut his hair. It was shorter.
And it made him look even manlier and hotter than ever.
Taeyeon squeezed her eyes shut. This wasn’t happening. She was mad at him. She shouldn’t still be attracted to him. Moving to leave, he had finished playing anyway, she froze as she heard her name being yelled across the room.
Turning around, she watched Sulli almost running towards her.
“Where are you going?” Sulli asked, grabbing her hand and pulling her towards the piano. Towards her parents. Towards Kyuhyun. “Omma, Appa,” she said, bringing Taeyeon to her side.
“Sulli,” Kyuhyun tried to interrupt.
“This is Taeyeon, Kyuhyun’s girlfriend,” Sulli introduced to Taeyeon’s and Kyuhyun’s horror.
Taeyeon and Kyuhyun met each other’s eyes, but Taeyeon immediately looked away.
“Uh, I’m really not-,” Taeyeon tried to correct.
“Ah yes,” Mrs. Cho greeted with a warm smile, shaking her hand, “Taeyeon. It’s very nice to finally meet you.”
“We’ve heard a lot about you,” Mr. Cho added, shaking her hand as well.
“It’s nice to meet you, too,” Taeyeon responded, resigned.
“How does your grandmother like her room? Comfortable?” Mrs. Cho asked nicely.
“Yes, very much,” Taeyeon answered gratefully. “Thank you so much for your kindness! We really appreciate it.”
“Oh shush,” Mrs. Cho said, waving her hand. “It’s nothing. Besides, I think Kyuhyun would’ve paid for the room himself if we hadn’t said yes.”
“Omma,” Kyuhyun said, feeling embarrassed.
“I’m really happy we met you,” Mr. Cho suddenly said. “Our son’s never introduced a girlfriend to us before.”
Taeyeon couldn’t help but look at Kyuhyun at this. He’d never introduced a girlfriend to his parents before? Maybe because he had too many in such a short span of time. She looked at his parents and smiled. “I’m really happy to have met you, too,” she said, bowing a little. “If you will excuse me, I have to go and check on my grandmother.”
“Oh of course,” Mrs. Cho said.
Taeyeon turned to Sulli. “I’ll see you later,” she told her then turned to go.
“Kyu, why don’t you go with her?” Mr. Cho suddenly added.
“Oh no it’s fine. I’m sure he’s busy with-,” Taeyeon said, turning to them.
“Just go,” Sulli insisted, pushing Kyuhyun towards her.
Kyuhyun looked at Taeyeon helplessly. And so, they both walked out of the recreation room.
As soon as they were outside and far away from the room and his family, Kyuhyun stopped and turned to Taeyeon. “I’m sorry about that,” he said.
“You didn’t tell Sulli,” Taeyeon pointedly said, staring at his tie.
“She’s grown to like you a lot, Taeyeon,” Kyuhyun shared. “And she’s never had an older sister figure before. I didn’t know how to tell her.”
Taeyeon just continued staring at his tie. She was afraid to look at him, into his eyes.
“About my parents, I’ll tell them the truth,” he went on. “I’m really sorry about that.”
“Okay,” she said, turning to leave.
“And I am sorry about everything,” he persisted. “Sooyoung and I… what happened… there’s really no excuse. But I didn’t mean for it to happen. I don’t feel anything for her.”
“That’s just too bad,” she responded. “Because she obviously still has feelings for you.”
He moved towards her and held her hand tightly. “Please, Taeyeon. Tell me what I can do to make things better, to make things easier for you.”
“You can’t make things better,” she bluntly told him. “You lied to me about everything. You led me to believe that you were someone you’re not. You made me fall in love with some person who doesn’t exist.”
He looked up at her in surprise. “You love me?”
She looked at him, fighting back her tears, forcing out a smile. “That’s the thing I hate the most about everything you did. You made me fall in love with a lie.” She pulled her hand away from his grasp and turned to leave.
“Taeyeon, I really…” He paused and took a deep breath.
She turned around and looked at him when he paused for a long time. She saw that his eyes were glistening with tears.
“What can I do to make things right?” he pleaded, moving closer to her.
“I really don’t know,” she answered, looking down. “But, at this point, nothing that you do will make things okay.”
Without another look at him, she walked away.
~ * ~
“You have thick skin for showing up here,” Hankyung said as he stood beside Donghae.
Donghae looked at him in surprise. Truth be told, he really didn’t want to be there. But Jessica had insisted that he go with her and he could never say no to her. Not anymore. Donghae shifted his standing position uncomfortably, while Hankyung glared at him.
“You have some thick skin for showing up here,” Yoona piped in before Donghae could say anything.
“I’m invited to this party,” Hankyung countered.
“And Donghae is invited as well,” Yoona retorted. “But, unlike you, Donghae didn’t cheat on Jessica.” She looked at him pointedly. “Sooyoung’s invited, too. But I don’t see her around.”
Hankyung stood there for a moment, debating on whether to respond to that, but decided that it wasn’t worth it so he left.
“Thanks,” Donghae told Yoona uncertainly.
“Don’t mention it,” Yoona said. “I hate his guts.”
Donghae turned to her. “Can I ask you something?”
“Sure,” she said, looking at him.
“I’ve had this impression that you revealed Hankyung cheating because of Sooyoung flirting with Kibum,” he honestly shared.
She looked at him in surprise. Then she smiled. “You really are different.”
“Uh thanks?” he said, not sure what to say to that. “I hope I didn’t offend you. I just…”
“You’re right,” she admitted. She sighed. “I really wasn’t planning to tell her about the whole thing. But that’s because I couldn’t. Even though it may seem like I’m a bad friend most of the time, I do love Sica like a sister and I didn’t want her to get hurt.”
He opened his mouth to say something, but she cut him off.
“I know I should’ve told her since I say I care about her and all,” she went on. “But I know her. When Sica falls in love, she goes all the way. And she gets hurt a lot.” She hesitated. “I didn’t want to be the one to tell her and see her get hurt.”
“I understand,” Donghae told her.
“I know you won’t hurt her,” Yoona continued. Donghae looked at her warily. “Oh come on. Being a queenka doesn’t equal to being stupid.”
“Right,” was Donghae’s only response. He really didn’t know what to reply.
At that moment, Jessica returned from talking to her parents. “Hey!” she greeted with a smile. “Sorry I took so long.”
“No worries,” Yoona said before Donghae could speak. “Donghae and I were just doing some bonding.”
“Oh no,” Jessica teased, looking around. “Does Kibum know about this?”
“Funny,” Yoona said, making a face at her. “Anyway,” she went on, “I see you are now in good hands so I shall go.” Yoona gave Donghae a smile and left.
“Yoona’s very interesting,” Donghae commented.
“I’ll take that as a positive comment,” Jessica said, smiling a little. “Yoona’s a really good friend. She’s honest. She doesn’t sugar-coat anything.” Her smile grew wider. “Hey, Yoona’s having this party next weekend. Do you want to come?”
Donghae hesitated. “I think I’ve attended enough parties to last me a lifetime.” When Jessica pouted, he asked instead, “How about we do something else? Just the two of us.”
Jessica looked at him and smiled. “What did you have in mind?”
~ * ~
“Are you alright?” Tiffany asked Siwon.
“I’m good,” Siwon answered uncomfortably.
“You’re lying,” Tiffany knowingly replied. He had been weird ever since they arrived at the party.
“I’m not,” Siwon disagreed. “Have you seen Donghae and Jessica yet?” He’d been looking for them since they got there.
“Do you want to hang out with them more than me?” she inquired disappointedly.
“Of course not,” he denied. He enjoyed being with Tiffany. He probably didn’t express it well enough, but he really loved being her boyfriend. “I just…” He looked around and sighed. “I’m not used to this.”
Tiffany nodded and smiled in understanding. She took his hand in hers. “Come, let’s go inside and meet Taeng and Sunny’s grandma.”
Siwon looked at her in surprise. “You call Taeyeon Taeng?”
Tiffany laughed at him. “Sometimes I do.” Ever since she and Siwon had gotten together, she tried her best to hang out with his friends even more. She didn’t want him to change himself just for her, that was his reason for not wanting to be with her in the first place. “I really like them,” she said. “Your friends are really great.”
When they reached the hallway, where Taeyeon and Sunny’s grandmother’s room was, they saw Eunhyuk standing outside of the room.
“Hey, what are you doing out here?” Tiffany asked him.
When Eunhyuk looked up, neither Tiffany nor Siwon thought they’d seen him so sad, upset and confused before.
~ * ~
After having lunch and chatting with family and some other guests, Granny had decided to have some rest and sleep. She hadn’t been sleeping long when she heard someone crying on the side of her bed. When she opened her eyes, she saw that it was Taeyeon. She reached out to her granddaughter and ruffled her hair.
“Gran,” Taeyeon said, looking up and hurriedly wiping her tears. “I’m sorry. Did I wake you?” She stood up to get a glass of water.
“Taeyeon, come here,” Granny said, making her sit beside her. “I’m not thirsty.” Taeyeon reluctantly sat down on the edge of the bed and faced her. “What’s wrong?” she asked in concern.
“Nothing,” Taeyeon lied unconvincingly. “I was just-.”
“Kim Taeyeon, don’t you lie to me,” Granny sternly said. She reached out and gently held her hand. “Does this have something to do with that boy?” she asked, this time gentler.
“What boy?” Taeyeon asked innocently, sniffing.
“Must I spell it out?” Granny said exasperatedly. “Kyu… that boy you introduced to me before.” She had forgotten his whole name. When Taeyeon didn’t answer and merely stared at her lap, she went on, “My dear Taengoo, I’m sure he didn’t mean to hurt you.” Taeyeon looked at her. “I forced Sunny to tell me everything.”
Taeyeon looked away. “I hate myself for getting into this.”
“Why?” Granny asked concernedly.
“Because,” Taeyeon responded strongly. “I knew from the beginning that I was going to get hurt, that I was making a mistake by getting involved with him. And I was right. It was a mistake.”
“Loving someone is never a mistake,” Granny gently said. When Taeyeon didn’t say anything else, she said, “Why don’t you talk to Eunhyuk about this? I’m sure it would make you feel better.”
Taeyeon shook her head. “That’s not possible right now.”
“How come?” Granny asked in concern. She knew that they two were very close, like siblings.
Taeyeon looked at her grandmother. “Gran, grandpa was your best friend, right?”
Granny smiled. “Yes. We’ve known each other for years and were also joined to the hip.” Taeyeon looked like she was debating on whether to say something or not. “Your grandpa was very sweet. I never knew he had feelings for me until he told me so.”
“He must’ve been very surprised when he found out that you were in love with him, too,” Taeyeon said with a weak smile.
“Oh no, I wasn’t,” Granny interjected, which surprised Taeyeon. “I hated him when he told me.”
“You did?” Taeyeon asked in astonishment. She never really knew the details of her grandparents’ love story. “Why?”
“We were best friends,” was Granny’s simple response. “I felt betrayed. I couldn’t believe he did something to jeopardize our friendship.”
“So what did you do?” Taeyeon asked interestedly.
“I didn’t talk to him for a week,” Granny shared. “Then I realized that I couldn’t stand it so I began talking to him again and I found out that I was in love with him, too, but I was just scared.”
Taeyeon smiled sadly. “That’s similar to what happened to Sungmin and Sunny.”
“I heard,” Granny said with a smile. Taeyeon sighed. “I sense this isn’t about Kyuhyun anymore. Did something happen between you and Eunhyuk?”
Taeyeon stared at the floor. She already couldn’t think straight because of what Kyuhyun did and now this thing with Eunhyuk had to happen. Honestly, she was at a loss at what to do. She loved Eunhyuk. She really did. He was her best friend and he knew her more than anyone did (not counting her sister, of course). Her life would’ve been very different if he wasn’t by her side. In fact, she didn’t know what she would do if he wasn’t by her side.
But.
She just didn’t think of him that way. He was like a brother to her.
“Taeyeon, these things happen between best friends,” Granny consoled her. “I’m sure if you tell him, he’ll understand.”
“I don’t know,” Taeyeon said hesitantly.
“Well what did you say when he told you?” Granny then asked.
“We haven’t exactly talked yet,” Taeyeon told her, looking sheepish.
“I suggest you talk to him,” Granny advised. “Ignoring each other isn’t going to do you two any good. You’re best friends. You can get through this.”
“Gran, how do you tell your best friend that you’re not in love with him?”
Characters: Kyuhyun/Taeyeon/Eunhyuk, Donghae/Jessica, Sungmin/Sunny, Siwon/Tiffany
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Romance, Friendship, Comedy, Drama
“Taeyeon, wake up,” Sunny said, shaking her sister violently.
“Whyyy?” Taeyeon whined, stirring and opening her eyes. “What time is it?”
“It’s time for you to get up and get dressed,” Sunny informed her.
“What?” Taeyeon asked, sitting up. She looked at the clock on her bedside table. It was 3 o’clock in the afternoon. “Why didn’t you wake me up earlier?” She yawned.
“Because,” Sunny said with a shrug. “I know you need to rest. You’ve been crying all day and all night yesterday.” She stood up and patted her butt. “You better get up and get dressed.”
“Where are we going?” Taeyeon wanted to know, getting off her bed.
“Today’s the new wing opening party of Cho Ji Min center,” Sunny reminded her.
Taeyeon stared at her like she grew octopus tentacles. “That’s today?!”
“Yes,” Sunny calmly answered. Knowing what she was going to say, she continued, “I already asked oppa if you could skip it. He said that granny’s expecting to see all of us.”
Taeyeon sighed and looked at herself in the mirror. “Great. I’m going to a social event looking like I grew another set of eyes.” Her eyes were enormously puffy.
“Nothing makeup won’t be able to solve,” Sunny said, walking towards the door. But before she left, she turned and said, “What did you and Eunhyuk talk about last night? He was acting really weird before they left.”
“Eunhyuk?” Taeyeon asked thoughtfully. “Why?”
“He was just weird,” Sunny said with a shrug. “I figured it was something you two had talked about. Hey, you owe me the story of what happened with you and Kyuhyun.” She then left and went back to her room.
Taeyeon turned her attention back to her reflection and wondered what can be done to salvage the ugliness of her eyes. Chuckling at what she looked like, she suddenly remembered Eunhyuk kissing her last night. She dropped the brush she had just picked up as everything that happened last night came back to her.
Eunhyuk had kissed her.
And she kissed him back.
They kissed!
She kissed her best friend.
Oh god.
Taeyeon sat down on the bed in a daze. She suddenly remembered everything. They were in her room, on her bed. She was crying and upset about everything. He was comforting her. Then he kissed her. And she kissed him back. What did she do? WHAT DID SHE DO??? She knew it was her fault. She had always wondered what it would be like if she and Eunhyuk ended up together, especially since it happened to Sunny and Sungmin. But those were just supposed to be thoughts. They weren’t supposed to happen! She didn’t mean to make him kiss her. She wasn’t thinking straight.
She laid back down on her bed, her arms spread like an eagle. There were going to be serious consequences for this. But maybe it won’t be so awkward. They’d gone through so much more serious things than this. They could get through this. Right?
Sunny walked in, phone in hand. “Taeng, Hyuk’s on the phone. He says he wants to talk to you.”
Taeyeon froze. She turned to her sister and mouthed, “I’m not here.”
“But you’re right there,” Sunny said, not getting it.
Taeyeon slapped her forehead and glared at her sister. Sunny looked at her like she was crazy and handed her the phone.
“You better get dressed,” Sunny said before leaving.
Taeyeon closed her eyes and took a very deep breath before she answered the call. She had to act like nothing happened, like everything was normal, that the kiss was just one of those things that best friends go through.
Oh who was she kidding? This wasn’t a normal thing that best friends go through.
~ * ~
Eunhyuk watched as Kyuhyun greeted and talked to the guests with the rest of his family after the ribbon cutting ceremony for the opening of the new wing. They were at the garden, where the tables and food were all set up. He watched as he faked a smile and fidgeted, his eyes roaming around the place. He clenched his fist. It was taking everything in him not to march over there and punch him.
Sungmin, who was seated beside him, happened to look down and saw his hand clenched. He immediately knew what it was about. Eunhyuk was easy to read. Gently touching his arm, he reminded him, “Think of Taeyeon.”
Eunhyuk took a deep breath and unclenched his hand. Of course he thought of Taeyeon. That’s what he’s done all his life. He always thought about Taeyeon. It was nearly becoming a mantra of his. What would Taeyeon do? Taking another deep breath to calm himself down, he thought about his phone conversation with her earlier.
“Hey,” he greeted once he was sure she was listening.
“Hi,” she responded quietly.
“So, uh, I guess I’ll see you at the party,” he replied, knowing that she would go with Heechul.
“Yeah.” Her second one word answer.
“Right,” he stammered. “I’ll talk to you later.”
“Bye,” was her last one word answer.
They had never been so awkward before. Not even their first meeting was this awkward. He knew this was going to happen. He didn’t know how they’d be able to stand the awkwardness when they do finally see each other again. However their first meeting after last night was going to go, he still couldn’t forget about what happened.
The kiss.
Almost groaning in frustration, he bit his lip and put his face in his hands. It wouldn’t do to make Sungmin suspicious of anything. It would only complicate matters further. It was a good thing Sunny arrived at that moment.
“Hey,” Sunny said. “Granny just finished dressing up. She wants to see you guys.” She noticed Eunhyuk’s gloomy state. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah,” Eunhyuk lied, standing up and following them inside.
“Hi Granny!” Sunny happily greeted when they walked in the room.
“Eunhyuk, Sungmin,” Granny greeted, smiling at them. Taeyeon looked up, startled, and immediately looked away when Eunhyuk caught her eye.
“Gran,” Sungmin cutely greeted back with a kiss, followed by Eunhyuk.
“Granny, are you hungry?” Taeyeon asked, hopping off of the bed. “I’ll get you some food.” She would do anything to get away at the moment. She wasn’t ready.
“We can all eat later,” Granny said, pulling her back. “I just wanted to ask the three of you,” she went on, pointing at Sunny, Eunhyuk and Sungmin, “What happened to Taeyeon?”
“Gran,” Taeyeon groaned, her cheeks turning pink. “I told you nothing happened. My eyes just explode in puffiness sometimes.”
But Granny ignored her and waited expectantly for Sunny, Eunhyuk, and Sungmin’s answer.
“She’s telling the truth, gran,” Sunny seconded with a firm nod. “Taeyeon’s eyes are really weird.” She shook her head. “Sometimes, I get embarrassed just by being around her because of her eyes.”
“It’s really not worth talking about,” Taeyeon added. “The boys are getting bored already.” She smiled slightly and moved towards the door. “I’ll go and get you something to drink.”
“Some fruit, too,” Granny requested. “Have someone go with you. Eun-.”
“Sungmin will go with me,” Taeyeon said, grabbing his arm since he was the nearest.
“But,” Sunny began to protest.
“You can do without him for a couple of minutes,” Taeyeon interjected.
“Minutes?” Sungmin repeated in horror.
“Come on,” Taeyeon said, pulling him out of the room, rolling her eyes. “Would it really kill you to be away from Sunny for a couple of minutes?” she asked him as they made their way to the buffet table.
“Yes, in exactly the same way being away from Kyuhyun is killing you,” Sungmin retorted, smirking. He replaced his smirk with a sheepish look when Taeyeon stopped walking and glared at him.
“You know there’s another way to die aside from being away from my sister,” Taeyeon knowingly and scarily informed him.
“Sorry,” Sungmin muttered. “It won’t happen again.” They resumed walking. “So…” he carefully began, glancing at her, “what exactly happened with you and him?”
She sighed. “Maybe you should ask Sooyoung what happened.” A smirk appeared on her face, followed by a frown.
Sungmin stopped walking and pulled Taeyeon aside so as to not cause a scene. “Sooyoung?” he questioned. When Taeyeon nodded, he went on, “You mean Kyuhyun and Sooyoung…?”
“Yes,” she answered irately. “Do you really want me to spell it out? It wasn’t pleasant the first time around.” She looked away and watched some of the guests chat with each other, while he stood there, absorbing the whole thing.
Suddenly, Sungmin pulled her into a hug. Taeyeon and Sungmin were never as close as him and Sunny nor like she was with Eunhyuk, but there were instances when it just felt right that they consoled each other about something that they’d never talked to neither Sunny nor Eunhyuk about. This seemed like one of those moments. But before Taeyeon started to cry-tears were already brimming in her eyes-she pulled away.
“Taeyeon, I’m so sorry,” Sungmin said, truly looking apologetic.
“Don’t apologize,” Taeyeon said dismissively. “It’s not your fault.” She forced a smile. “Besides, we were broken up. When you think about it, he didn’t exactly cheat on me.”
“That’s not the point,” he responded strongly.
“Okay,” she said, smiling even more, forcing the tears back in. “Let’s not talk about this now. We’re at a party.”
“No wonder Eunhyuk was so upset when he saw Kyuhyun, even more than usual,” Sungmin went on.
Taeyeon suddenly felt awkward. “Uh yeah.” She began walking. “Gran’s probably wondering where her drink and fruits are.”
Sungmin followed her to the buffet table. “I’m surprised you even came here,” he said as he placed a variety of fruits on a small plate.
“I didn’t have a choice,” she told him, getting a glass of iced tea. “Heechul oppa wouldn’t let me stay home because we all promised gran we’d be here.” She turned around to go back, but faced the table again, grabbing Sungmin’s coat.
“What?” Sungmin asked curiously, glancing behind him.
“Kyuhyun’s sister’s coming over,” Taeyeon said, looking around for an escape path.
But it was too late.
“Hi Taeyeon!” Sulli greeted, smiling cutely. “Sungmin.”
Taeyeon and Sungmin both turned around, smiling.
“Sulli,” Sungmin responded. “You’ve grown up.”
“I have,” Sulli agreed proudly. She turned to Taeyeon. “You haven’t been visiting. Why?” After their first meeting at their house, Taeyeon had been back a couple of times, which allowed Sulli and her to sort of bond. Taeyeon didn’t know that Sulli had begun looking forward to her visits.
“I…” Taeyeon started, wondering what to say. “I’ve been busy with some school work,” she then lied. She wasn’t sure if she knew about their break-up.
Sulli pouted. “That’s what Kyuhyun says. I wish you come and visit more often,” she told her. “I have no one to talk to about stuff. Kyuhyun just locks himself in his room these days.”
Sungmin glanced at Taeyeon, who forced a smile. “What about your best friend, Krystal?” Taeyeon asked.
“She only comes over because she wants to see my brother,” Sulli answered, rolling her eyes.
“Sulli,” one of the guests said. “Your parents are calling you to go to the recreation room.”
Sulli suddenly smiled excitedly. “Taeyeon, you should go with me,” she said, holding her hand.
“It’s alright, Sulli,” Taeyeon politely declined, looking at Sungmin for support.
But before Sungmin could say anything, Sulli said, “I know you and Kyu haven’t seen each other yet. He’s going to play the piano.” Then she began pulling her away from Sungmin.
Taeyeon looked at Sungmin in panic as he got the glass of iced tea from her. Sungmin just nodded at her encouragingly. As Sulli dragged her in the building and to the recreation room, she couldn’t help but really regret not insisting on staying at home. She should’ve known that she wasn’t going to be able to avoid seeing Kyuhyun.
Once in the recreation room, Sulli let go of Taeyeon’s hand and hurried over to her parents, who were near the piano. She stood by the door, away from the small crowd that had gathered to watch and listen to Kyuhyun play.
And he played beautifully. This was actually the first time she had listened to him playing the piano seriously. Whenever he played for her, it was always in jest or in drabbles, like he was shy of showing her what he can do. She sighed as she leaned on the doorway. When a couple of people moved aside, allowing her a full view of the right side of his face, her mouth hung open.
The Kyuhyun that she was seeing now, who was playing the piano so beautifully, looked even better than the last time she saw him. Which was only yesterday.
He had cut his hair. It was shorter.
And it made him look even manlier and hotter than ever.
Taeyeon squeezed her eyes shut. This wasn’t happening. She was mad at him. She shouldn’t still be attracted to him. Moving to leave, he had finished playing anyway, she froze as she heard her name being yelled across the room.
Turning around, she watched Sulli almost running towards her.
“Where are you going?” Sulli asked, grabbing her hand and pulling her towards the piano. Towards her parents. Towards Kyuhyun. “Omma, Appa,” she said, bringing Taeyeon to her side.
“Sulli,” Kyuhyun tried to interrupt.
“This is Taeyeon, Kyuhyun’s girlfriend,” Sulli introduced to Taeyeon’s and Kyuhyun’s horror.
Taeyeon and Kyuhyun met each other’s eyes, but Taeyeon immediately looked away.
“Uh, I’m really not-,” Taeyeon tried to correct.
“Ah yes,” Mrs. Cho greeted with a warm smile, shaking her hand, “Taeyeon. It’s very nice to finally meet you.”
“We’ve heard a lot about you,” Mr. Cho added, shaking her hand as well.
“It’s nice to meet you, too,” Taeyeon responded, resigned.
“How does your grandmother like her room? Comfortable?” Mrs. Cho asked nicely.
“Yes, very much,” Taeyeon answered gratefully. “Thank you so much for your kindness! We really appreciate it.”
“Oh shush,” Mrs. Cho said, waving her hand. “It’s nothing. Besides, I think Kyuhyun would’ve paid for the room himself if we hadn’t said yes.”
“Omma,” Kyuhyun said, feeling embarrassed.
“I’m really happy we met you,” Mr. Cho suddenly said. “Our son’s never introduced a girlfriend to us before.”
Taeyeon couldn’t help but look at Kyuhyun at this. He’d never introduced a girlfriend to his parents before? Maybe because he had too many in such a short span of time. She looked at his parents and smiled. “I’m really happy to have met you, too,” she said, bowing a little. “If you will excuse me, I have to go and check on my grandmother.”
“Oh of course,” Mrs. Cho said.
Taeyeon turned to Sulli. “I’ll see you later,” she told her then turned to go.
“Kyu, why don’t you go with her?” Mr. Cho suddenly added.
“Oh no it’s fine. I’m sure he’s busy with-,” Taeyeon said, turning to them.
“Just go,” Sulli insisted, pushing Kyuhyun towards her.
Kyuhyun looked at Taeyeon helplessly. And so, they both walked out of the recreation room.
As soon as they were outside and far away from the room and his family, Kyuhyun stopped and turned to Taeyeon. “I’m sorry about that,” he said.
“You didn’t tell Sulli,” Taeyeon pointedly said, staring at his tie.
“She’s grown to like you a lot, Taeyeon,” Kyuhyun shared. “And she’s never had an older sister figure before. I didn’t know how to tell her.”
Taeyeon just continued staring at his tie. She was afraid to look at him, into his eyes.
“About my parents, I’ll tell them the truth,” he went on. “I’m really sorry about that.”
“Okay,” she said, turning to leave.
“And I am sorry about everything,” he persisted. “Sooyoung and I… what happened… there’s really no excuse. But I didn’t mean for it to happen. I don’t feel anything for her.”
“That’s just too bad,” she responded. “Because she obviously still has feelings for you.”
He moved towards her and held her hand tightly. “Please, Taeyeon. Tell me what I can do to make things better, to make things easier for you.”
“You can’t make things better,” she bluntly told him. “You lied to me about everything. You led me to believe that you were someone you’re not. You made me fall in love with some person who doesn’t exist.”
He looked up at her in surprise. “You love me?”
She looked at him, fighting back her tears, forcing out a smile. “That’s the thing I hate the most about everything you did. You made me fall in love with a lie.” She pulled her hand away from his grasp and turned to leave.
“Taeyeon, I really…” He paused and took a deep breath.
She turned around and looked at him when he paused for a long time. She saw that his eyes were glistening with tears.
“What can I do to make things right?” he pleaded, moving closer to her.
“I really don’t know,” she answered, looking down. “But, at this point, nothing that you do will make things okay.”
Without another look at him, she walked away.
~ * ~
“You have thick skin for showing up here,” Hankyung said as he stood beside Donghae.
Donghae looked at him in surprise. Truth be told, he really didn’t want to be there. But Jessica had insisted that he go with her and he could never say no to her. Not anymore. Donghae shifted his standing position uncomfortably, while Hankyung glared at him.
“You have some thick skin for showing up here,” Yoona piped in before Donghae could say anything.
“I’m invited to this party,” Hankyung countered.
“And Donghae is invited as well,” Yoona retorted. “But, unlike you, Donghae didn’t cheat on Jessica.” She looked at him pointedly. “Sooyoung’s invited, too. But I don’t see her around.”
Hankyung stood there for a moment, debating on whether to respond to that, but decided that it wasn’t worth it so he left.
“Thanks,” Donghae told Yoona uncertainly.
“Don’t mention it,” Yoona said. “I hate his guts.”
Donghae turned to her. “Can I ask you something?”
“Sure,” she said, looking at him.
“I’ve had this impression that you revealed Hankyung cheating because of Sooyoung flirting with Kibum,” he honestly shared.
She looked at him in surprise. Then she smiled. “You really are different.”
“Uh thanks?” he said, not sure what to say to that. “I hope I didn’t offend you. I just…”
“You’re right,” she admitted. She sighed. “I really wasn’t planning to tell her about the whole thing. But that’s because I couldn’t. Even though it may seem like I’m a bad friend most of the time, I do love Sica like a sister and I didn’t want her to get hurt.”
He opened his mouth to say something, but she cut him off.
“I know I should’ve told her since I say I care about her and all,” she went on. “But I know her. When Sica falls in love, she goes all the way. And she gets hurt a lot.” She hesitated. “I didn’t want to be the one to tell her and see her get hurt.”
“I understand,” Donghae told her.
“I know you won’t hurt her,” Yoona continued. Donghae looked at her warily. “Oh come on. Being a queenka doesn’t equal to being stupid.”
“Right,” was Donghae’s only response. He really didn’t know what to reply.
At that moment, Jessica returned from talking to her parents. “Hey!” she greeted with a smile. “Sorry I took so long.”
“No worries,” Yoona said before Donghae could speak. “Donghae and I were just doing some bonding.”
“Oh no,” Jessica teased, looking around. “Does Kibum know about this?”
“Funny,” Yoona said, making a face at her. “Anyway,” she went on, “I see you are now in good hands so I shall go.” Yoona gave Donghae a smile and left.
“Yoona’s very interesting,” Donghae commented.
“I’ll take that as a positive comment,” Jessica said, smiling a little. “Yoona’s a really good friend. She’s honest. She doesn’t sugar-coat anything.” Her smile grew wider. “Hey, Yoona’s having this party next weekend. Do you want to come?”
Donghae hesitated. “I think I’ve attended enough parties to last me a lifetime.” When Jessica pouted, he asked instead, “How about we do something else? Just the two of us.”
Jessica looked at him and smiled. “What did you have in mind?”
~ * ~
“Are you alright?” Tiffany asked Siwon.
“I’m good,” Siwon answered uncomfortably.
“You’re lying,” Tiffany knowingly replied. He had been weird ever since they arrived at the party.
“I’m not,” Siwon disagreed. “Have you seen Donghae and Jessica yet?” He’d been looking for them since they got there.
“Do you want to hang out with them more than me?” she inquired disappointedly.
“Of course not,” he denied. He enjoyed being with Tiffany. He probably didn’t express it well enough, but he really loved being her boyfriend. “I just…” He looked around and sighed. “I’m not used to this.”
Tiffany nodded and smiled in understanding. She took his hand in hers. “Come, let’s go inside and meet Taeng and Sunny’s grandma.”
Siwon looked at her in surprise. “You call Taeyeon Taeng?”
Tiffany laughed at him. “Sometimes I do.” Ever since she and Siwon had gotten together, she tried her best to hang out with his friends even more. She didn’t want him to change himself just for her, that was his reason for not wanting to be with her in the first place. “I really like them,” she said. “Your friends are really great.”
When they reached the hallway, where Taeyeon and Sunny’s grandmother’s room was, they saw Eunhyuk standing outside of the room.
“Hey, what are you doing out here?” Tiffany asked him.
When Eunhyuk looked up, neither Tiffany nor Siwon thought they’d seen him so sad, upset and confused before.
~ * ~
After having lunch and chatting with family and some other guests, Granny had decided to have some rest and sleep. She hadn’t been sleeping long when she heard someone crying on the side of her bed. When she opened her eyes, she saw that it was Taeyeon. She reached out to her granddaughter and ruffled her hair.
“Gran,” Taeyeon said, looking up and hurriedly wiping her tears. “I’m sorry. Did I wake you?” She stood up to get a glass of water.
“Taeyeon, come here,” Granny said, making her sit beside her. “I’m not thirsty.” Taeyeon reluctantly sat down on the edge of the bed and faced her. “What’s wrong?” she asked in concern.
“Nothing,” Taeyeon lied unconvincingly. “I was just-.”
“Kim Taeyeon, don’t you lie to me,” Granny sternly said. She reached out and gently held her hand. “Does this have something to do with that boy?” she asked, this time gentler.
“What boy?” Taeyeon asked innocently, sniffing.
“Must I spell it out?” Granny said exasperatedly. “Kyu… that boy you introduced to me before.” She had forgotten his whole name. When Taeyeon didn’t answer and merely stared at her lap, she went on, “My dear Taengoo, I’m sure he didn’t mean to hurt you.” Taeyeon looked at her. “I forced Sunny to tell me everything.”
Taeyeon looked away. “I hate myself for getting into this.”
“Why?” Granny asked concernedly.
“Because,” Taeyeon responded strongly. “I knew from the beginning that I was going to get hurt, that I was making a mistake by getting involved with him. And I was right. It was a mistake.”
“Loving someone is never a mistake,” Granny gently said. When Taeyeon didn’t say anything else, she said, “Why don’t you talk to Eunhyuk about this? I’m sure it would make you feel better.”
Taeyeon shook her head. “That’s not possible right now.”
“How come?” Granny asked in concern. She knew that they two were very close, like siblings.
Taeyeon looked at her grandmother. “Gran, grandpa was your best friend, right?”
Granny smiled. “Yes. We’ve known each other for years and were also joined to the hip.” Taeyeon looked like she was debating on whether to say something or not. “Your grandpa was very sweet. I never knew he had feelings for me until he told me so.”
“He must’ve been very surprised when he found out that you were in love with him, too,” Taeyeon said with a weak smile.
“Oh no, I wasn’t,” Granny interjected, which surprised Taeyeon. “I hated him when he told me.”
“You did?” Taeyeon asked in astonishment. She never really knew the details of her grandparents’ love story. “Why?”
“We were best friends,” was Granny’s simple response. “I felt betrayed. I couldn’t believe he did something to jeopardize our friendship.”
“So what did you do?” Taeyeon asked interestedly.
“I didn’t talk to him for a week,” Granny shared. “Then I realized that I couldn’t stand it so I began talking to him again and I found out that I was in love with him, too, but I was just scared.”
Taeyeon smiled sadly. “That’s similar to what happened to Sungmin and Sunny.”
“I heard,” Granny said with a smile. Taeyeon sighed. “I sense this isn’t about Kyuhyun anymore. Did something happen between you and Eunhyuk?”
Taeyeon stared at the floor. She already couldn’t think straight because of what Kyuhyun did and now this thing with Eunhyuk had to happen. Honestly, she was at a loss at what to do. She loved Eunhyuk. She really did. He was her best friend and he knew her more than anyone did (not counting her sister, of course). Her life would’ve been very different if he wasn’t by her side. In fact, she didn’t know what she would do if he wasn’t by her side.
But.
She just didn’t think of him that way. He was like a brother to her.
“Taeyeon, these things happen between best friends,” Granny consoled her. “I’m sure if you tell him, he’ll understand.”
“I don’t know,” Taeyeon said hesitantly.
“Well what did you say when he told you?” Granny then asked.
“We haven’t exactly talked yet,” Taeyeon told her, looking sheepish.
“I suggest you talk to him,” Granny advised. “Ignoring each other isn’t going to do you two any good. You’re best friends. You can get through this.”
“Gran, how do you tell your best friend that you’re not in love with him?”