Chapter 8

"I don't think they're chasing us anymore." Yuri said, sighing in relief as she swerved the car to a stop by the sidewalks. This was the second time she had to run away from somebody because of Tiffany.

"Do you have to go through this everyday?" she asked Tiffany.

Tiffany sighed, "Pretty much."

"Well, good thing I was there or they would have eaten you up. What's up with the rumors and scandals about you and that 'Siwon' guy anyway?"

"It's none of your business." Tiffany blatantly spat out, and it hit Yuri good.

"Fine, jeez. I was just wondering." Yuri said, scoffing. All she did was just ask nicely about the situation and this is what she gets?

"He's the biggest ass-hole on Earth"

"What did he do to you?" asked the curious Yuri, again, hoping Tiffany would tell her this time.

"I said none of your business!" Tiffany told her off yet again.

"Well, if you're not going to tell me anything, why bother to call him names making me more intrigued!?"

"Whatever." Tiffany rolled her eyes. "I want to go to the concert venue already, when does it even start?"

Yuri sighed and checked her watch, "Uh in about an hour, how about we go there now?"

Tiffany nodded her head. "Yes! Finally! let's go!"

"Wait a minute, are you sure you can just walk in as Tiffany Hwang and hope no one would notice?"

"It's getting dark, I don't think anyone would notice." Tiffany said surely.

"Okay, just know that if they somehow find you, I will be enjoying the concert while the stampede is on you."

---

"STRIKE!" The computerized voice announced for the nth time that night. Claps were also heard from spectators watching from afar. Amazed at how well Seohyun could bowl for a first timer. Yoona clapped her hands loudly as she approached closer to Seohyun, "Are you sure this is your first time? or are you lying to me?" she chuckled looking at Seohyun, who felt very accomplished about her strike just then.

Seohyun shook her head, "This is my first time! I swear!"

"Just kidding." Yoona lightly nudged her shoulders.

"Heh.." Seohyun muttered with a embarrassed smile as she fiddled with her fingers.

"Look, you've beaten my score already 185 to 177 - this is kind of embarrassing.." Yoona scratched her head and laughed, "But that doesn't matter! losing to you should be an honor when you're this good!"

"Aish, what are you saying...It's all thanks to you! you taught me some of your techniques and tricks." Seohyun declared.

"Actually, I'm not really good at bowling, Jonghyun and the others are but not me haha...so do you want to play another game?" Yoona suggested.

"Hm.." Seohyun mumbled diverting her eyes to the clock beside the register counter, it was almost 8 P.M and her unnie would probably be wondering why she isn't home yet - not to mention that she also needs to study for a test in class tomorrow. "Actually, I have to go home now, my Unnie is probably at home waiting for me and I need to continue with my studying."

"Really, so soon?" Yoona asked, disappointed at the fact that time was too short for her to get to know Seohyun more.

"Yes, sadly. Sorry!" Seohyun said guiltily as she began to pack her books inside her bag.

"How do you plan to get home?"

Seohyun turned her head around to take a look of Kimi who was having fun among the others before she turned her head back and sighed, "I guess I'll be riding the bus alone."

"I can give you a ride!" Yoona didn't hesitate to offer.

"What about your friends?"

"I'll come back for them later after I take you home, don't worry. Shall we go now?" Yoona said, taking the dangling keys out of her pocket showing it to Seohyun.

---

"So..what is your college major again?" Yoona asked, trying to strike up a conversation with Seohyun amidst the awkward silence for the past 15 minutes of the ride.

"Archaeology! I have a degree for that major already but I want to enrich myself with more vital studies about the subject so I'm taking the Advance Placement class."

"After watching Indiana Jones, I wanted to become a archaeologist also! I wanna carry a long whip, and wear a fedora hat while whipping bad guys' asses!" Yoona smirked, making a whipping motion with her hand.

Seohyun chuckled, "There won't be any bad guys...but you can still become a archaeologist and wear a fedora?...maybe carry a whip too?" she laughed.

Yoona guffawed, "I really wanted to, but my sister ruined my childhood dream by saying there won't be any bad guys to beat, so why bother? haha just kidding, I'm double majoring in Mechanic and Computer Engineering already...it's already killing me with too much work"

"It will pay off and the future, trust me." Seohyun assured, smiling.

"I guess i'll be trusting you then." Yoona smiled back, making eye contact with Seohyun for a split second before Seohyun told her to turn right into the driveway, where her house was.

"This is it! thanks for teaching me how to bowl and thanks for giving me a ride home today!" Seohyun said, unbuckling her seatbelt, and as she was about to open the door to step outside.. Yoona immediately got into action.

"Are you free Tuesday next week?" she quickly asked before Seohyun got off the car.

"Oh, uhm, I have this volunteering job at a medical center, so sorry I won't be free." Seohyun said sadly.

"A volunteering job? can I come with?..I mean I would like to help out and stuff"

"Sure! we're actually looking for some new volunteers too, and if you can come and help out that would be great!"

"Great! I can come pick you up that day and we can both go?" Yoona asked.

"It's okay, my unnie is coming with me too so she'll be driving!"

"Oh..well..where should we meet up then?"

"At the James Franklin medical center at 10AM" Seohyun answered.

"Alright, got you. See you then!" Yoona waved as Seohyun got off the car and hurriedly walked up to her front porch. She turned around and waved bye to Yoona, "Thanks for everything!"she said, giving a slight bow before she took her keys out and began to unlock the door.

"Maybe.. she isn't like what people told me." Seohyun whispered to herself as she turned around once again to watch Yoona drive out of her driveway.

---

As soon as Yuri and Tiffany arrived at the concert venue, thousands and thousands of fans have already waited in line to get inside the concert. All of them wearing a t-shirt with Jason Mraz's face plastered all over them, both front and back.

"I want one!" Tiffany shouted, pointing to a girl who was wearing the said shirt.

"Shh!" Yuri shushed, "Don't try to bring attention over to you, remember that you are Tiffany Hwang! you need to go incognito mode."

"Alright, fine whatever." Tiffany mumbled.

"As much as I love Jason Mraz, I'd never wear a t-shirt with someone's face plastered all over it. It looks cheesy."

"Not to me." Tiffany said, quickly going through her purse to get cash out, "Buy me one of those shirts."

"What am I? your maid?" Yuri asked, but took the cash anyway to buy the shirts.

"That's more like it, you owe me anyways for making me shed tears today. My tears are precious you know." Tiffany remarked, and with that, Yuri hurriedly walked over to the shirt stands - she couldn't take it anymore hearing how Tiffany is always so full of herself. It was expected since she grown up with no loving parents by her - and that they spoiled her to who knows what, but still, she needs someone to teach her a lesson sometimes. Yuri shook her head in irritation.

"One Jason Mraz shirt please." Yuri said, getting ready to hand the merchant the cash.

"What color do you want? we have blue, black, red, pink..―"

"Pink would be great." Yuri answered.

"Pink it is then!" The guy said, bending down to reach for the light pink shirt with Jason Mraz's  face on it. "That'll be 25 dollars."

Yuri nodded and gave him the cash before she took hold of the shirt and began to walk over to Tiffany.

Yuri stood with a frown and handed her the shirt with one hand, "Here. Happy now?"

Tiffany smiled wide, "Very."

---

Yuri was practically shoving everyone in order to get into her place near the stage with the floor tickets. "Right here!" Yuri waved her hands to capture Tiffany's attention and as soon as Tiffany reached to where Yuri was standing, the stage lights had already began to flicker when Jason Mraz made his big dramatic entrance and began to greet the fans in both English and his not-so-great Korean. Everyone was cheering excitedly - including Yuri and Tiffany themselves.

"Woooo! JASON!" Yuri and Tiffany cheered loudly when Jason Mraz began to sing 'I'm Yours', the first song for the night.

"But I won't hesitate no more, no more, it cannot wait, I'm yours~" Tiffany sang loudly along with the song. Yuri looked at her and smile, it was the first time she saw her like that today.

"Guess once you fangirl, you turn completely into a different person." Yuri thought to herself, smiling once again. This side of Tiffany was much more bearable than the 'My tears are precious', 'I'm THE Tiffany Hwang' arrogant side of her.

"What are you looking at?" Tiffany asked when she saw Yuri staring intently - or rather weirdly at her.

"Nothing...WOOO JASON!" Yuri said, quickly diverting her eyes towards the stage. Tiffany squinted her eyes and gave Yuri an odd look.

"What?" Yuri asked innocently.

"Nothing." Tiffany replied nonchalantly as her eyes was once again focused on the stage.

"TIFFANY!"

Tiffany heard her name and turned around. The voice sounded familiar. And there it was, she saw HIM walking towards her - Choi Siwon. Way to ruin her night. It was just the first song too. "Can't I enjoy something in peace for once!" Tiffany muttered as she tried hard to make way through the crowds to avoid him but was quickly pulled back by her hands by Yuri.

"Where are you going?"

"He's HERE!" Tiffany shouted.

"Who's here?" Yuri asked, confused.

"Choi Siwon!" Tiffany yelled, pointing to the guy who was trying to get through the crowds to get to her.

Yuri sighed, "You owe me, again." she said before she grabbed Tiffany's hands and began to push through the wild crowd. Tiffany looked at her hands as they were being grabbed and lead on by Yuri, she was blushing. Unknown to her, but yes - she was blushing at the fact that Yuri said earlier that she would be still enjoying the concert and wouldn't care if a 'stampede of people' was on Tiffany or not but here she was helping her get away from that basturd by the name of Choi Siwon.

---

"Tiffany, where are you going?" Siwon shouted, but he quickly lost track of her due to the crowd. "Where is she?" his right hand man Donghae asked, looking around in the dark crowd.

"That b!tch got away." Siwon said angrily, both hands on his waist.

"What about that family dinner your mom have been wanting her to come to? You can't possibly postpone it any further with your parents right?"

"Don't worry, I'll make her come no matter what." Siwon chuckled.

"I'm surprised that we saw her at this concert, more surprised that she was here alone with no one."

"She wasn't alone, I saw some girl leading her out. Who is she?"

---

"Cold water!" Yuri said, leaning against the big water fountain around the corner of the stadium as she reached her hands in for the water and cleanse her face from the perspiration caused from the running.

"Seriously, I can't believe I just left the concert like that!"

"Neither did I." Tiffany found herself saying.

"Well, I just can't let him take you away or something. There must be a reason for you to hate him that much..right?"

Tiffany sighed, "Right."

"I mean, if you don't want to tell me, it's cool. Like you said, it wasn't none of my business―" Yuri said slowly in reverse psychology, trying to entice Tiffany into telling her about Siwon.

"―It was about a year ago." Tiffany started, "My parents suggested that I go out on a date with the heir to some company - which turns out to be my father's rival company. I didn't want to, but they said it was beneficial to the company so in order to help them out.."

Yuri listened to Tiffany intently, "So then what happened?"

"So I went with him. He took me to this 'greatest hotel restaurant in Seoul' as he puts it."

"And then, and then?" Yuri pushed on.

"We were eating steaks and drinking red wine, and when I wasn't aware. He slipped in a drug."

Yuri's eyes bulged out, "You mean he ―"

"No he didn't. Thanks to someone who saved me from him."

"Who was it?"

"He was a movie extra in my film. When Siwon was carrying my dazed self into the hotel room, he immediately got into action and saved me."

Yuri sighed in relief, people are just too fu*cked up these days to do such things, she thought. Who would have known that Tiffany had been a victim of an attempted rape? not to mention that the perpetrator was still out there. "I'm glad you were safe. Thank god that guy was there! what happened after? did you tell your parents? did you tell the police?"

"I told my parents― but they told me to let it go and not tell the police."

"What the hell? what the hell is wrong with them? their daughter was almost raped and they told you to let it go?!"

"And to add to the horror, they want me to marry Siwon. They even spread the news to paparazzis, and so that's mainly the reason why they always ask me about this, and I of course always try to deny."

"You make me want to knock some sense into your parents' head. Are they crazy? how can they do this to you? come with me!" Yuri said, grabbing Tiffany's hands.

"Let me go! what are you doing!?" Tiffany yelled, shaking her hands for release from Yuri's hold.

"Police station! we can't let him stay free like this!" Yuri said angrily, pulling Tiffany even harder along with her.

"You're hurting me! let me go!" Tiffany shrieked, and Yuri immediately let her go.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to―" Yuri said but she was cut off by Tiffany.

"What's wrong with you? always trying to grab people's hands without permission." Tiffany rubbed her reddened wrist slowly."―Even if we go, it's already been a year. They wouldn't believe me."

"But you're THE Tiffany Hwang! they WILL believe you! Why would you make all this stuff up?" Yuri retorted.

"Even if they do, this will become news again and my career would be in a ruckus. Nothing happened to me that night, so why can't I just let it go?"

Yuri sighed, "Maybe you're right. Nothing bad happened to you, and that's all that matters."

Tiffany stirred at what she just heard coming out of Yuri's mouth. "Why the sudden of being so nice to me?"

"If you're nice to me, I'm nice to you. Isn't it how it works?" Yuri asked back.

Tiffany looked at her, "Was I being nice to you or something? I don't recall that."

"Now that I think about it― not really." Yuri rubbed her chin.

"But either way, thanks for everything. I'm kinda grateful."

Yuri gasped with her mouth opened wide, "THE Tiffany Hwang just thanked me? can you please say it again so I can record it on tape?"

Tiffany frowned, "Shut up, you make me look like I'm a heartless b!tch with no feelings or something."

Yuri smiled and nudged her, "Jay kay."

Tiffany laughed, nudging back at Yuri. How can one person made her express..or rather feel so many emotions in just one day? at first it was annoyance, then it was anger, irritation, sadness, and now...joy? was it that―she actually liked being around Yuri due to her downtoearthyly-ness? or is it that―?

"―Earth to Tippani!" Yuri said, waving her hands in front of her face and leaned in closer, her eyes meeting up with Tiffany.

"Oh..what?" Tiffany shook out of her thoughts, shifting her head away from Yuri's glance.

"What were you thinking about? you were just staring into space." Yuri teased her.

"Oh nothing. Do you think they allow us to reenter the concert?"

Yuri scratched her head, "I don't know..I kinda threw away the tickets."

"Gee, thanks a lot."

"You're welcome!" Yuri said sarcastically to Tiffany's sarcasm. "Instead of just sitting here doing nothing, let's try to complete that 'mission' or whatever Sunny gave us."

"What was it anyway?"

"To learn a few things about each other and report it back to her." Yuri replied, "We kinda did know a lot about each other already, but I don't think I can reveal 'those' to Sunny." she chuckled.

"What do you want to know about me?"

Yuri rubbed her chin and tried to think of some simple basic questions. "Hm, okay first question! do you have a boyfriend?"

"Nope. So far, no one really captured my attention yet. What about you? don't you have a girlfriend or something?"

Yuri rose an eyebrow at Tiffany, "Yeah, how did you know about my orientation and the fact that I had a girlfriend?"

"Oh, I saw a post on your blog and the subtitle said it was your girlfriend, so I'm guessing it was her? Jessica right?"

"Yeah, yeah. We kind of broke up though, it's been a while."

Tiffany's face saddened a little, "Really? why?"

"Long story short ― she didn't accept the fact that she was gay so yeah."

Tiffany sighed, "If she loved you, why would she care about that stuff? she probably doesn't deserve your love."

"Probably, I still can't help but have lingering feelings for her. We're still friends and all, though."

"Hm, did you know that my sister is also gay?" Tiffany questioned.

"Not really. Really?" Yuri asked surprised.

"Should I try to hook you two up? you can teach her a few things or two."

Yuri made a disgusted face showing displeasure at the suggestion, "Thanks but no thanks, I'll pass out on that, 'thanks' though."

"I have an idea!" Tiffany shouted out of nowhere, "Let's flip a coin into the fountain and make a wish!"

"Seriously?" Yuri laughed at the suggestion.

"I'll make a wish hoping I'll find someone that truly loves me and I love them. And as for you, you can wish for a uhh girlfriend?"

"Seriously now?" Yuri laughed again.

"Give me a quarter! I don't have any change." Tiffany demanded.

"Here." Yuri handed her the quarter she found in her pocket, she got one for herself also to try and take a shot.

Tiffany flicked the coin into the fountain and immediately closed her eyes to make a wish. Following Tiffany, Yuri did the same and also closed her eyes to make a wish.

"Do we seem pathetic wishing for this?" Tiffany chuckled.

"Hey, I'm only following what you told me to do. You're the pathetic one asking for a boyfriend." Yuri said with both hands out, defending herself. And just then, a downpour started and all within a second was all it took for them to be soaking wet from the rain already. Yuri quickly grabbed the newspaper near the bin and used it to cover herself.

"Aw, you have got to be kidding me." Yuri and Tiffany mumbled in unison as they run over to the bus stop with the roof over their heads.

"Today is such a unlucky day being out with you." Yuri mumbled.

"Whatever! I could say the same!" Tiffany retorted.

"Glad I took Sunny's offer to hang out with you though." Yuri smiled.

"Huh?" Tiffany asked with a blank expression.

"We did learn a lot about each other today didn't we?" Yuri asked, leaning back against the bench.

"Sure why not. You better keep your mouth shut about me!"

"Don't worry about that. My mouth is zipped like ziplock." Yuri smiled once again, making an 'ok' sign with her fingers. She caused Tiffany to chuckle.

"When is the rain gonna stop?" Tiffany asked, looking out into the downpour. The wild concert was still faintly heard from outside.