Epilogue

One year later

 

“Taeng, what in the world are you doing here?! You should be at home accompanying your wife-to-be,” Yuri roared. This was the umpteen time Yuri tried to chase Taeyeon home. It was the night before Taeyeon’s engagement party and being the star of the party, she was supposed to be resting at home and preparing for the big day instead of working.

 

“She’s not home. She’s burying herself at work,” Taeyeon answered without looking up from the wedding cake she was decorating.

 

“I thought she was on leave for these few days?”

 

“They had something urgent to rush and she had to go back to office today,” Taeyeon replied with a tinge of sadness in her voice.

 

“Well, be thankful she has been promoted to a strategic position and doesn’t need to travel that often. Taeng, trust me with the cake alright? It would be the most beautiful cake by tomorrow morning.”

 

“But… I want it to be the best cake that she has ever seen and tasted!”

 

“It will be. You baked it. I’m just helping you with the décor. You wouldn’t want to look like a panda at your engagement party right? With immediate effect, you’re banned from the cafe. Go rescue your princess from her office and bring her for a nice dinner,” Yuri commanded.

 

“Taeyeon unnie, don’t forget the flowers!” Yoona called out, running after Taeyeon as Taeyeon was leaving the café. She handed Taeyeon a bunch of pink roses and waved goodbye as Taeyeon drove off.

 

Arriving at the foot of a tall office building, Taeyeon parked her car along the road and waited outside the car. Soon, she saw a blonde rushing out of the building with that familiar red Prada briefcase. The briefcase was getting worn out from the constant use but Jessica didn’t want to throw it away as it held precious memories of how the both of them met.

 

Jessica flung herself onto Taeyeon and enveloped the older woman in a hug.

 

“Whoa whoa, I’m falling backwards from your weight!” Taeyeon said as she struggled to maintain her balance.

 

Jessica took a step back and frowned. “Are you saying I’m fat?”

 

“No no, of course not!” Taeyeon replied hurriedly.

 

“You’ve the perfect S-line figure and I know it best!” Taeyeon said cheekily as she ran her hands down the sides of Jessica’s body, stopping at her waist. She was proud to be the only person who could feel that sexy figure daily.

 

“That sounds better,” Jessica replied conceitedly.

 

Before driving off, Taeyeon carefully removed the bunch of pink roses from the rear passenger seat and handed it to Jessica. “Beautiful flowers for an even more beautiful you.”

 

Jessica took a sniff at the roses and smiled. Pink roses were one of her favourite flowers. In fact, she insisted on having pink roses as part of the decorations for her engagement party.

 

“You and your sugar coated words.” Jessica scrunched up her face and stuck her tongue out at Taeyeon.

 

“Must be the sugar rush from making meringues and macaroons this morning. All for our engagement party tomorrow,” Taeyeon beamed.

 

Jessica leaned across the seat and gave Taeyeon a kiss on her cheek. “Thank you.”

 

“Hmm, that’s not enough.” Taeyeon pointed to her lips and pouted.

 

Jessica whined before giving Taeyeon a light kiss on the lips. However, Taeyeon was quick to reach one hand behind Jessica’s head to prevent the blonde from escaping and the kiss turned into a deep one.

 

“You sly fox!” Jessica slapped Taeyeon’s thigh as the latter finally drove off. The grin on Taeyeon’s face remained throughout the car ride.

 

Shortly, they arrived at Myeongdong. After dinner at a Korean restaurant, Taeyeon decided to spring a surprise on Jessica. She gave the excuse that she wanted to go for a walk after a full dinner.

 

About ten minutes later, they arrived at the foot of a cable car station.

 

“Where are we going?” Jessica asked. She knew that Taeyeon had something up her sleeves but wasn’t sure what it was.

 

“We’re going to the N Seoul Tower. I know you’ve never been here before,” Taeyeon said nonchalantly.

 

“We are what?! No way!!” Jessica shrieked as she tried to break free from Taeyeon. However, Taeyeon held a tight grip on Jessica’s hand and she wrapped the other arm around Jessica’s waist so that the blonde couldn’t escape.

 

“You’ll be fine. I’m here with you and will never leave you. I promise,” Taeyeon assured.

 

The cable car was packed with people who were going to the N Seoul Tower. Jessica was trying her best not to freak out as the cable car ascended. Taeyeon wrapped her arms around Jessica’s waist and hugged the blonde protectively from the back. She propped her chin on Jessica’s shoulders and kept talking to Jessica to reassure her. After what seemed like eternity to Jessica, they finally arrived at the top of Nansam Mountain.

 

“We’ve made it in one piece!” Taeyeon cheered as they strolled into the large open plaza, holding hands. The blonde merely gave a weak smile as she held tightly to Taeyeon’s hand. They shopped around the gift shop and the Teddy Bear Museum at the N Seoul Tower. Taeyeon bought Jessica a keychain in the shape of the N Seoul Tower to commemorate her bravery.

 

After much persuasion, Taeyeon managed to drag Jessica to one of the platforms where they had a gorgeous panoramic view of Seoul and its surrounding areas.

 

“Hold onto the rails. I’ll be right behind you,” Taeyeon said softly. She placed both of Jessica’s hands onto the rails and her own on top of Jessica’s. She felt Jessica leaning onto her body and she liked that feeling. All this while, she was very protective of Jessica and she was happy that the blonde was able to put aside her strong front whenever they were alone, allowing Taeyeon to shower her affection on the blonde. Turning her head to the side, she kissed Jessica’s temple.

 

“I never knew Seoul can be so beautiful from here,” Jessica said, admiring the breath-taking view.

 

“It’s even more beautiful when you’re here with your loved one, isn’t it?”

 

“Cheesecake, you’re making me cringe.”

 

“Baby, if you keep calling me cheesecake, I can’t help but be cheesy all the time,” Taeyeon laughed before planting a few more kisses on Jessica’s cheek and neck.

 

“Why did you bring me here tonight?”

 

“Because this place reminds me of the time we spent at the SkyDeck in Tokyo. At that time, we were merely strangers with needs. Tomorrow, we’re going to commit to spending the rest of our lives together. How amazing is that?” Taeyeon planted a kiss on Jessica’s cheek and squeezed Jessica’s hands.

 

Jessica blushed. “It has been a long journey with bumps along the way but we made it. Tiff was so mad that I’m going to beat her to the aisle but I know she meant well. Too bad Tim hasn’t proposed to her yet.”

 

“Yea, without Tiffany, I wouldn’t have the courage to confess. I’m also thankful for Yul who helped me a lot as well. However, it still took almost nine months for someone to accept me,” Taeyeon teased.

 

“Want another bite on your shoulder again?” Jessica threatened jokingly.

 

“Maybe you can bite my left shoulder this time, so that it evens out.”

 

Jessica stepped onto Taeyeon’s foot and the latter let out a yelp. Jessica let out a laugh before planting a quick kiss on Taeyeon’s arm as an apology for her mischief.

 

“Tiffany wants to hold her wedding on the same day as ours. It would be fun getting married on the same day as my best friend. Would you mind?”

 

“Anything for you. I’ll ask Yul to bake us the biggest and most delicious cake for both our weddings!”

 

“She’s so busy now, shuffling between the two stores with Yoong. Moreover she told me that she’s planning to open another outlet in the city.”

 

“Yea, they’re very busy with the new store but at least we managed to hire more people now. I’m her good friend so she’ll definitely drop everything to fulfil this special favour of mine. My baby is thinking of getting married so soon? Shall we change it to a wedding instead of an engagement party tomorrow?”

 

“Kim Taeyeon. Don’t you dare think of getting away with just a cosy party. I’m expecting a grand affair for our wedding.”

 

“Yes baby, whatever you want. I better start saving right now for that big day. There’s another place I want to show you” Taeyeon lifted Jessica’s hands off the rail and they intertwined their fingers as they headed for another platform. They arrived at a fence that was filled with thousands of locks of various colours.

 

“These are the famous love locks. Wow, I didn’t expect that many of them here!” Jessica exclaimed in amazement.

 

“Yup, shall we be part of them too?” Taeyeon fished out a pink heart-shaped lock and two markers from her pocket. She wrote ‘Taeng’ and Jessica wrote ‘Sic’ in Korean characters on the lock. Taeyeon then added a red heart between the two characters. Both of them held the lock together and locked it onto one of the existing locks on the fence. They took a selca with their lock before heading to a glass terrace to catch another view of Seoul.

 

Taeyeon hugged Jessica from the back as they admired the twinkling lights from the city. They stood at a darker corner, away from the crowds. They whispered sweet nothings to each other, enjoying each other’s company. Out of the blue, Taeyeon slid her right hand under Jessica’s chiffon top and wrote the English words “J, I love you” on Jessica’s stomach.

 

Jessica shuddered from Taeyeon’s warm touch. Turning around, she met Taeyeon’s brown eyes and her heart was pounding inside her chest. Taeyeon gave her a goofy smile, the smile that made her fall in love with this woman. She felt Taeyeon’s moist lips lining her jawline with gentle kisses from her ear to her lips. Taeyeon’s lips always felt like fluffy cotton candy, soft and sweet. Her eyes started to close as she felt Taeyeon’s warm breath against her lips.

 

Taeyeon grazed her tongue against Jessica’s lower lips. She sucked on it before parting Jessica’s lips with her tongue. Jessica felt blood pulsating throughout the veins in her body when she felt Taeyeon’s tongue gaining entry into her mouth. They shared a deep passionate kiss, without a single care on the world, just like how they kissed at the SkyDeck. The only difference was this time they were truly in love with each other.

 

The following day – the day of Taeyeon and Jessica’s engagement party

 

“Taeyeon, Jessi! Open the door!” Tiffany raised her voice as she pressed the doorbell repeatedly. She was standing at the door to Taeyeon’s apartment, waiting to pick both of them up. The couple stayed at Taeyeon’s apartment for the past two nights as Jessica’s apartment was used as their engagement party venue since it was much bigger.

 

Tiffany tried calling their mobile phones but none of them were switched on. Since the doorbell didn’t work, she decided to knock the door. Just as she lifted her fist, the door opened and there stood a very sleepy looking Taeyeon in purple pyjamas with dishevelled hair and half opened eyes. The buttons on her pyjamas were haphazardly done and her pants were dragging on the floor.

 

Seeing the huge red mark on Taeyeon’s neck, Tiffany slapped herself on the forehead. “Did you forget about your big day today? Quick wash up. You’re late for hair and make-up! Where is Jessi?”

 

Taeyeon pointed to a blonde who was sauntering out of the bedroom lazily. Jessica had a sheepish smile on her face and she looked like she had put on her pink pyjamas in a hurry.

 

“Hey Tiff,” Jessica greeted as she yawned.

 

“Gosh, the both of you. Just one night…I’ve already reminded you so many times to…to….argh! Jessi should have slept over at my place so that you two can’t get into any trouble. Go shower right now!” Tiffany commanded as she shoved Jessica into the bathroom. She dragged Taeyeon to the sink to wash up while waiting for her turn to shower.

 

~*~*~*~*~

 

“Is the couple arriving soon?” Yuri shouted from the kitchen. She was examining the cake to ensure that the decorations were in place and that the cake was flawless.

 

“Yes, they’re at the carpark,” Yoona replied. She had just finished scattering pink rose petals from the lift lobby to the hallway inside Jessica’s apartment. Jessica wanted the whole place to be covered in pink roses as that was her favourite flower.

 

“Everyone get ready!” Yoona called out, gathering the small group of twenty guests in the apartment.

 

Ding Dong

 

Yoona pressed play and the door opened to the tune of Martina McBride’s I Love You. Taeyeon wore a dark purple long sleeve blouse with a black vest and a pair of black pants, while Jessica was dressed in all white long sleeve blouse, adorned with sequins and a pair of white pants. Everyone cheered as the couple held hands and waltzed into the apartment along the trail of pink roses.

 

They stopped in the middle of the living room where there was a small table. On top of the table was their cake. It was a double tiered red velvet cake with cream frosting, numerous tiny pink hearts were scattered all over the top of the cake and there was a bunch of pink roses made of fondant on the lower tier of the cake. Right on top of the cake were three characters; a white letter “T”, a red heart and a white letter “J”.

 

“The cake is gorgeous!” Jessica gasped, covering her mouth with her free hand.

 

Taeyeon lifted Jessica’s hand and kissed the back of it. “Only for you.”

 

Yoona appeared by their side and presented a pink cushion with two diamond rings on it. The couple slipped the diamond ring on each other’s finger and the guests, comprising of friends and close colleagues, applauded.

 

“Kiss, kiss, kiss!” the guests chanted.

 

Taeyeon and Jessica looked at each other shyly and giggled. Blood rushed through their veins, causing their faces to turn as red as tomatoes.

 

“Why are we waiting? Why are we waiting?” Tiffany suddenly chanted. Soon, the rest of the guests joined in.

 

“Shall we grant them their wish?” Taeyeon asked Jessica as she wrapped her arms around Jessica’s waist.

 

Jessica nodded bashfully, slipping her arms around Taeyeon’s neck as she closed the gap between them.

 

“Finally!” Yuri cheered. She was glad the long journey had ended happily for this couple.

 

~*~*~*~*~

 

After all the excitement and cleaning up, Taeyeon and Jessica were finally left alone in Jessica’s apartment.

 

Jessica rested her head against Taeyeon’s shoulder and the latter had her arm around Jessica’s waist as they lazed on the couch in the living room watching the television. Taeyeon was sharing a slice of cake with Jessica, feeding the blonde with the tiny pieces she pinched from the slice.

 

“Hey, watch where you’re aiming,” Jessica whined. Taeyeon accidentally brushed the piece of cake against Jessica’s nose instead of putting it into her mouth.

 

Taeyeon giggled and playfully licked the cream frosting off Jessica’s nose. “Cleaned!”

 

Both of them burst out laughing as they cuddled on the couch.

 

Just then, a 98degrees music video appeared on television. Taeyeon smiled and rose from the couch. Bending down, she extended her hand and requested for a dance.

 

Jessica looked at Taeyeon with a puzzled expression on her face, wondering what Taeyeon was up to. Nonetheless she held Taeyeon’s hand as Taeyeon pulled her up. Taeyeon had one arm around Jessica’s waist and another behind her back as they did swayed along with the song ‘Because of you’.

 

“You’re the sunshine after the rain, you’re the cure against my fear and my pain, ‘cause I’m losing my mind when you’re not around…” Taeyeon sang.

 

There was a sincere smile on Taeyeon’s face as she sang the next line. “It’s all…it’s all…it’s all because of you.”

 

Jessica blushed. “Cheesy cheesecake.”

 

“Only cheesy for you,” Taeyeon smiled as she pressed her lips against Jessica’s.

 

= THE END =