On most days, Taeyeon found herself slowly evolving into a house fairy. Gone was the hyper girl, and in her place, stood a matured young lady who took joy in busying herself with household chores. Since her schedule for September involved a hell lot of free time, she stayed at home most of the time, and went out only when she had to buy groceries from the nearby supermarket.
It isn't healthy, Tiffany had told her. Taeyeon, on the other hand, found the time spent to be therapeutic and calming. It distracts her from work, and sets her heart at ease. It's the feeling of leaning one's warm scalp against the cool window as it rains.
As she grew quieter, people went swarming in carefully, as if she's a porcelain doll that could break into pieces any moment. Brought up the topic of Baekhyun even more tentatively, and assuming that they had broken up.
Had they broken up? Taeyeon didn't even have the answer herself. The two lost, confused souls wandered around aimlessly when the public had shown extreme hate towards their relationship, grasping and groping at any hope they could find. It wasn't easy, but neither of them were willing to give up. Busy schedules, however, hindered their thoughts and opened brand new paths for them to venture on. In the end, no clear decision was made, but it was apparent that the once strong bond between them had become a ribbon that had loose threads here and there, and the stronger you pull, the more the distance put between them, the more taut it gets. It never snapped — just that more threads appear, and the more painful it is when they both feel the strain.
It was close to evening when Taeyeon got home with her bag of groceries that was supposed to last her for the week. Keys that dangled from her fingers were lightly flung to the countertop as she set the plastic bag down, before proceeding to prepare a simple dinner. Just another normal day at home, and she had a movie night planned out.
Clanking of pots and shutting of cupboard doors filled the kitchen as the house fairy made kimchi stew, steaming rice, and an omelette with loads of ketchup sauce. She sat herself down at the coffee table right in front of the tv and brought a spoonful of kimchi soup to her mouth, blew on it slightly, before sipping it all up and releasing a satisfied sigh right after swallowing.
Deciding that she had to take a breather, Taeyeon put her sneakers on and went for a night jog when the clock stuck 10pm. When the cool breeze helped the chaos in her mind to die down, she concentrated on the rhythm — one, two. one, two. Sneakers met the smooth ground in rhythmic taps, music from her earphones driving her on. The burn in her thighs was exhausting, yet much appreciated.
The moment she entered the house, Taeyeon made a beeline for the iced water in the fridge. Downing a tall glass of it, she took a bath to freshen up, threw herself onto the soft sheets, and grabbed her phone that was lying by the bedside lamp.
It didn't take long for her to get bored of scrolling through social media, and so after a few minutes, the tired girl had flipped over to her back and switched the lights off.
In the darkness, she blinked at the ceiling.
Suddenly missed running her hands through his hair.
Patting his head.
Laughing heartily at his jokes.
Witnessing the poor boy blush when he first talked to her.
And then, most of all, that one time when she had broken down and spilled all of her troubles to him. When he held her close and made her feel safe, promised her things that he shouldn't have promised, lent her his shoulder to lean on when she was tired.
Facing so much pressure, the drained girl really was looking forward to a good rest at home. Alone. But being alone made her realise how much she missed his warm presence, and how painful it was to do things alone. She had put up a strong front in front of everyone, but she wasn't all too sure when she would crumble.
Will he be there to hold her when that happens?
//
"Please tell me you're kidding."
When eyes showed no signs of joking around, Baekhyun slumped on the couch and let out a deep sigh. Eyebrows furrowed in confusion and denial as he thought about the possibilities.
Taeyeon was rumoured to be forming a subunit with Jaehyeong, who was a well-known solo vocalist, also known as the biggest Taeyeon fanboy. He was also known as a flirt.
Now, Baekhyun was happy for her, for the both of them in fact, but he couldn't understand the company's decision. Could they not have paired her with someone more trustworthy? Or were they planning to cook up lies and attract the media since it was clear that this unique pairing would definitely create a fuss.
Yet, it was her life and Baekhyun knew he didn't have any right to interfere.
They were, after all, strangers to each other.
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❝i had wanted to show the entire world how much i loved you.❞
