Tiffany watched shyly as Taeyeon cut the cake, placing the piece on one of the plates and grabbing a small fork before pushing the plate towards her, making it slide across the table. The blonde smiled encouragingly, as though telling Tiffany to eat the cake.

"Thank you," Tiffany spoke as she took the plate, though the words almost came out as a whisper, and received a simple nod from Taeyeon in response. The brunette observed the careful way the older woman handled everything she touched, and glued her attention to the slightly veiny hands that held the knife with precision as they smoothly sliced the cake once more, placing another piece on the empty plate. Taeyeon was very graceful, Tiffany fancied. Either that, or the woman was scared to break everything she touched. Either way, she thought the first option more plausible.

Taeyeon, on the other hand, was genuinely touched by Tiffany's constant attempts at trying to make her life at the mansion pleasant, and wished to find a way to repay the girl for thoseㅡalbeit she did quite frequently wonder how had Tiffany changed her mind so fast about her feelings towards her. After all, Tiffany was, in fact, extremely hostile the first day they had met, and didn't seem to like Taeyeon whatsoever. However, ever since Taeyeon's second day in the house, the brunette had been nothing but kind and polite to herㅡeven more than stranger should be towards another, Taeyeon mused. So, she wondered: where had Tiffany's urge to please her come from? 

Noticing the perceptible hint of uneasiness in the young girl's expression, and not wishing to make the atmosphere between them even more awkward, Taeyeon, who was just about to sit across her, walked towards Tiffany and took a seat on the chair next to her. She smiled timidly at the brunette, who had been taken by surprise by the sudden approximation, but returned the smile gladly, nonetheless. 

"I'm glad you don't hate me," Taeyeon dared to speak before she cut a small piece of the cake with the fork and stuffed it in . It was true. She was sincerely happy that Tiffany didn't think bad of her. It's not like she expected much from her relationship with the latter, but it was relieving for her to know that she clearly didn't dislike herㅡshe wouldn't act the way she acted towards Taeyeon if she did. Living in the mansion itself was burdensome enough to Taeyeon, and she didn't think she could bear doing so if anyone in the house nurtures bad feelings for her. 

"Why would I?"

Taeyeon smiled a little. "You didn't seem to be very fond of me at first."

"Oh." Tiffany became silent for a moment. "Have I hurt your feelings that day? Do you hold any grudges against me? You can be sincere."

Taeyeon veered her attention to Tiffany, allowing her eyes to accidentally lock with the girl's. Both remained there for a moment, boring into each other's eyes, casually studying the other's face, discreetly enough not to make the moment become strange or uncomfortable. Taeyeon cleared and readily averted her gaze, after her eyes fell on the brunette's plump lips and lingered there for a second. "No." She shook her head. "I can understand why you acted the way you did, but you've been only kind to ever since. Thank you for that."

Tiffany bit her lower lip apprehensively. Should she tell Taeyeon what she saw that night? No, that wouldn't be a wise thing to do. Taeyeon could feel very irritated. That was invasion of privacyㅡhow could the woman feel if she knew Tiffany had trespassed the limits of the privacy she hadn't even had the chance to properly acquire? But, then, Tiffany pondered, it could be good if Taeyeon knew she sympathized with her feelings. That could be something that could help unite the two, and maybe their approach would be facilitated. Still, it was too risky to tell the truth, for now... 

"Tiffany?" Taeyeon called, aware of the girl's vacant eyes and blank expression. The voice startled Tiffany, who jumped a bit on her seat and flickered he eyes towards Taeyeon, leaving her trance.

"I'm sorry. What?"

What's eating you, Tiffany? Taeyeon wondered, but controlled herself not to say that out loud, even though she was dying to know what was preying on Tiffany's mind to the point it made the girl look so lost in thoughts out of blue. "You haven't even touched the cake," she said, making up an excuse to have called the girl. "Go on, try it. It's very good."

"Oh. Right." Tiffany picked up the fork and cut a piece of the cake, mimicking Taeyeon's previous action, and brought it to soon after. She ate absentmindedly, and Taeyeon resumed to eating herself. Aware of how quiet Tiffany had grown, Taeyeon glanced at the girl once more, taking advantage of the moment to take a better look at her, which she hadn't yet had the chance to do, at least not up-close. She first noticed the dark locks perfectly dolled up, without a single strand of hair out of place, and a red ribbon tied up on Tiffany's head. Then, her eyes traveled down towards the girl's face and its features. The pale complexion, in perfect contrast with the dark hair, once again, caught Taeyeon's attention. It was a very beautiful contrast, she fancied. Soft, yet striking. Moving on, Tiffany's high, accentuated cheekbones and delicate nose gave her face an elegant, yet strong look that Taeyeon hadn't seen around with much frequency. 

Dear. She's... Taeyeon trailed off in her mind, permitting herself to continue her close examination of the girl's appearance quietly, once she saw the latter didn't seem to notice her actionsㅡTiffany, herself, was immersed in her own wild thoughts, as she stared at the distance. Finally, her eyes reached Tiffany's fleshy lips, which were covered in a sweet candy pink lipstick that flawlessly embraced them, giving them, Taeyeon dared to think, a rather coquettish appearance. The blonde focused on that particular part of Tiffany's face with for enough time and with enough precision to catch sight of the small crumbs of cake that were glued to the lipstick, and her hand flinched on top of the table, thanks to her sudden subconscious urge to wipe the tiny pieces of food off of Tiffany's perfectly drawn mouth with her fingertips. However, once she realizing her impulse, Taeyeon averted her gaze and shook her head rapidly, clenching her fist, though sans much force. What was she thinking? She couldn't touch Tiffany like that. She wasn't supposed to even look at the girl that way. 

"​I believe I need to tell you something," Tiffany broke the silence, capturing Taeyeon's attention once more. The blonde returned her gaze to Tiffany and nodded, encouraging her to speak, and willing to listen to whatever the girl had to tell her.

Tiffany sighed anxiously and put her fork down, turning her body to fully face the woman sitting beside her. She crossed her legs and placed her hands on her lap, starting, "That night when you arrived... I was passing by your room when I heard you... I heard you say your prayers. It was late at night, the door was left ajar, I..." she faltered for a moment, eyeing Taeyeon in hesitation.

The latter had her eyebrows raised, secretly nervous about what Tiffany would say. Considering the woman's countenance as one of curiosity, Tiffany allowed herself to continue, "I stood there and listened to you for a while. And you sounded so sad, you were crying... In that moment, I..." She breathed out heavily, avoiding Taeyeon's gaze, for she thought the blonde was already furious by then. "I won't lie. At first, I did think you were here just because of my father's money. I've grown in my father's world, which means the people I know, the women I know, only truly care for money, comfort, and luxury. They are petty, and most of them don't really know love. Many women have tried to approach my father for his dough. I thought you were just one of them, and that you wanted take my mother's place. Foolish, even childish of me, I know... But could you blame me? I believe that's what any girl my age would think in my position. But after hearing you that night... I realized you were nothing I thought you would be. I realized you were... different. Special, if you will. And I felt horrible because I treated you awfully. I've been trying to make amends since then," the brunette concluded, smiling shyly. "I thought I should let you know this. I'm not being kind to you because I feel obliged to or because someone forced me to. I don't want you to be sad, that's all. Let alone contribute to your sadness."

Tiffany's sudden confession surprised Taeyeon, but did not make her angry. Instead, she was rather concerned. Could Tiffany had heard something she shouldn't? Of course, Taeyeon didn't quite recall the exact words she used in her prayers that nightㅡalthough it had been a very eventful one, but that didn't prevent her from worrying. Tiffany could, under no circumstance, know the truth behind her marriage to her father. In the end, at a loss for words, all Taeyeon manage to do to respond was utter a simple, "Oh."

"​You don't really want to be here, do you?" Tiffany's voice startled Taeyeon again, making her look at her. "It's okay if you don't. Sometimes, I myself feel like running away. I don't understand why you married my father if you didn't want to live here with us in the first place, and I can't say my lack of knowledge regarding that doesn't bother me, but I am learning to live with it. It concerned much more, in the beginning. But now, I just don't want you to be sad. It would also be good if you allowed me to try and build a nice relationship between us. Perhaps, if we bond, being here might not be that bad, for you. It certainly wouldn't, for me." The girl beamed a small smiel. "I'm sorry I made you feel unwelcome, I swear it will take me some time to recover from the shame of what I did. You're not unwelcome, and I like you. I know you are good. I can feel it."

During a few seconds, Tiffany waited expectantly for Taeyeon to respond, but the latter was still digesting all Tiffany had said, and had yet to find a good way to talk back. After a while, Tiffany just nodded quietly, and got up, ready to leave the room, believing she had troubled Taeyeon, and not wishing to do it any longerㅡgiven the woman's lack of answer, that was all she could assume. But as she was passing by the latter's chair, a gentle hand held her wrist in a soft touch, making her turn around.

"Thank you," Taeyeon crooned, looking up at the brunette. 

The younger stood there for a moment just looking at the blonde, who was still sitting down, keeping her eyes fixed on Tiffany. The latter shivered a little when Taeyeon's fingertips slid delicately through her skin as she let go of her wrist, but decided to ignore the eerie feeling and concentrate on responding her. Tiffany bobbed her head and smiled timidly. "Thank you for understanding. I was seriously concerned you would be mad at me."

Taeyeon beamed a small, relieved smile at Tiffany, as she replayed the girl's move and got up herself. The other remained there, still, engulfed in her staring at the blonde in front of her. The strange sensation of being so strongly drawn to Taeyeon just by looking at her disconcerted Tiffany every time it showed itself, and the fact that the girl couldn't find an explanation to it perturbed her greatly. Nothing, nor nobody, had ever looked and felt so interesting to Tiffany as Taeyeon did, and she didn't know whether that was good or bad, right or wrong. All she knew was that, whenever she was in the woman's presence, all she cared about was Taeyeon, and Taeyeon alone. The main piece of her broken puzzle. Sometimes, she wished Taeyeon were a book, so she could rummage through the pages, analyzing her story and reading it over and over again as she pleased.

The blonde was about to pass by and make her way towards the exit of the dining room when she noticed Tiffany's eyes focused on her, gleaming with the utmost attention, which made her stop even before she could begin walking. She looked back at Tiffany, and her eyes met again. The brunette's stare was intense, yet enigmaticㅡTaeyeon didn't know what that focused, piercing look meant. She did notice, however, Tiffany's face somewhat approaching her own slowly, which made her hold her breath, unsure of what to expect or do. Tiffany, on the other hand, didn't seem to be aware of her own actions. 

"I have to go," Taeyeon managed to breathe out, panicking at the proximity with the girl. "Thank you, again. The cake was delicious, I really, really appreciate that," she cooed, beaming Tiffany a sweet smile. Soon after, however, she left the room in quick, nervous steps, rapidly making he way towards the staircase, intending to go back to the study. In her way, she came across a picture of Tiffany hanging on the wall, amidst some other portraits, and stopped for a moment to look at it.

"You," she muttered, poking the portrait with her fingertip, "Tiffany, must take those pretty eyes away fro me." Her other hand rested on her chest as she massaged it slowly, trying to calm down her thumping, nervous heart.

***

"Miss Taeyeon! Your guest has arrived!" Mrs. Winters called from the first floor, making an excited Taeyeon jump off of her seat and hasten towards and subsequently down the staircase. The housekeeper excused herself when she heard Taeyeon's heels clicking quickly down the steps, bidding goodbye to the unfamiliar woman that had just entered the house. Taeyeon reached the salon in a matter of seconds and caught sight of her friend smiling happily at her. They ran towards each other with open arms, ready to welcome the other  with a warm hug.

"Irene!" Taeyeon exclaimed, embracing the woman with the chocolate brown hair. The latter hugged her back, both of them smiling largely at the contact that had been long overdue. "Oh, what a relief it is to see your face again."

Irene chuckled, tightening her grip around Taeyeon before she let her go. "Tell me about it. I've missed you so much. Work is so lonely without you, and nobody bakes me cookies anymore. Not to mention how much I daily fret about your well-being."

"You needn't to. I'm perfectly fine."

"Are you really?" Irene queried, cocking an eyebrow. "I don't trust you in that."

Taeyeon smiled a little. "I could be doing better, of course, but I'm fine. Don't worry about me, I--"

"'I can take care of myself,'" Irene interrupted Taeyeon, quoting the phrase the blonde liked to tell her so often. "That I know. But it doesn't prevent me from worrying about you."

"May we not talk about worries nor anything unpleasant? It's my birthday. And I want to know about you. Come," Taeyeon said as she placed her hand on the younger woman's back, guiding her towards the living room.

"Wow!" Irene exclaimed in surprise when she noticed the varied foods that were placed on the fancy coffee table once they reached their destiny. "What is this all for?"

"Oh..." Taeyeon began, also a little surprised by the amount of food that had been provided. "I asked the housekeeper to get the cooks to bake us some pastries for today."

"Some pastries? There's enough to feed an army. There's even a pie! How are we going to eat all of that?!"

Taeyeon uttered a faint chuckle. "You get used to it. The quantity of food here is always exaggerated. I was shocked when I first noticed it, too. You should see the dinner. I know the staff of the mansion also eat what is cooked here for every meal but, indeed... It's too much food."

"The staff?"

"Oh, yes. There's the maidens, the cooks, the chauffeur, the gardeners... All these people work here on a daily basis. Aside from them, it's only Mrs. Winters, me, and..." 

"And?"

"And Tiffany," Taeyeon finished, smiling nervously, without really knowing why. "Mr. Hwang left for another trip the day I arrived."

"And who is Tffany?" Irene inquired, sitting closer to Taeyeon before grabbing one of the pastries. 

"Miss Hwang," Taeyeon replied, trying to sound indifferent.

"Ah. Your stepdaughter!" Irene nodded, chewing on her food. "How is she? Spoiled? Bad tempered? Annoying?"

"She's the kindest woman I've met in years. And please refrain from using that word to refer to her," Taeyeon responded, feeling slightly uncomfortable with the idea of having Tiffany as a stepdaughter, making a face to express her feelings. "It's odd. I could be no stepmother"

Irene eyed her friend for a minute, cocking an eyebrow. "Woman?"

Taeyeon nodded in agreement. "I would say she is roughly 2 years younger than you. Maybe 3 or 4 at most. So, she is a woman. She doesn't look any younger to me." She stopped, pondering for a moment. "Which is good, don't you think? Wouldn't it be harder to adapt, were she a child? I've never been good with children... Although I do like them."

"I see..." Irene muttered to herself. "But, anyway, you said she was the nicest. I wonder why?"

"She... she just is. She's kind and polite, she has a good heart. She didn't react very well to my presence when I first arrived, but she apologized the next day and, well... ever since, she's been nothing but good to me. That is, during the scarce occasions in which we have some sort of interaction. We don't talk very often."

Irene just hummed and nodded slowly. "And why does the word stepdaughter bug you so much? Technically, that's what Tiffany is to you."

"It doesn't bug me!" Taeyeon defended herself, a bit too eagerly for Irene's taste. "I know that, but wouldn't you find it strange to marry a man and be welcomed into the family, so to say, as the stepmother of a grown up young lady, if you were me? It's strange! She ought to be old enough to be my little sister, just like you. Not a daughter."

"Perhaps." The younger woman shrugged, taking another bite of the pastry she had in hands. "I would like to meet her, by the way. Is she pretty? Rich people tend to be beautiful."

Taeyeon gulped. 

"​Taeyeon?"

"She's okay," Taeyeon responded as nonchalantly as she could, rubbing her hands on the skirt of her dress and evading Irene's inquiring gaze. She swiftly took ahold of a small pastry, bringing it to her lips and stuffing it in , as to avoid speaking any further regarding the topic.

"Oh, I see," the younger said, pointing a finger at Taeyeon. "Don't you think I know? You are lying to me."

Taeyeon frowned. "I beg your pardon?"

"That thing you do when you are lying, as well as when you're nervous. Rubbing your hands somewhere or fidgeting and evading eye contact. You just did it. You are lying. What are you lying about? Why are you lying?" Irene pried further.

"Um... Taeyeon?" the two women heard a diffident voice approach as it called the blonde from outside the living room. They turned their heads instantly, and Taeyeon got up almost at the same second to make her way towards the entrance. Irene followed behind inconspicuously.

Taeyeon walked quickly towards the source of the voice, only to find an hesitant Tiffany carrying a silver tray with a jar and two glasses on top of it, a few steps away from the entrance. She eyed the girl in confusion, approaching her with small steps. "Yes?"

"Nana told me you were accompanied and that the maidens had forgotten to bring you and your friend the juice. I went to the kitchen to get something to eat and Nana asked me to bring this to you on my way back. I hope I haven't interrupted anything," Tiffany responded calmly, carefully laying the tray on Taeyeon's hands.

The blonde looked at Tiffany with gratitude yet again, and beamed the latter a small, but sincere smile. "Thank you. They shouldn't have bugged you with that. You're always doing things for me and for my comfort, it's not fair."

"It's nothing. Anyway, I shall go now."

"Are you Tiffany?" a voice Tiffany hadn't heard before called from behind Taeyeon and hindered her from turning around to leave, and was followed by the appearance of a brown-haired, young-looking woman that was new to Tiffany's eyes. Soon enough, however, she recognized her as the woman who was with Taeyeon the day the latter arrived in the mansion. She nodded, smiling a tad shyly at the stranger. She didn't fail to notice that she and Taeyeon were quite similar, and could easily pass by as sisters. She took a mental note to ask Taeyeon whether the smiling woman was indeed he sister or not, if she had the chance to.

"Oh, it's a pleasure to meet you!" Irene continued, smiling happily as she walked past Taeyeon, who was still holding the tray as she looked at the two women in front of her dumbfoundedly, and held out her hands to greet the heir. "We were just talking about you. I'm Irene."

"Hello, Irene," Tiffany's smile grew wider at the woman's warmth and sympathy, and she shook the latter's small hand delicately. "I hope Taeyeon hasn't badmouthed me. I haven't been the most excellent of hosts to her, exactly, but I'm trying."

"On the contrary. She's spoken very well of you to me. I can see you're just as sweet, polite, and beautiful as she described."

Taeyeon's eyes grew wide in shock upon hearing Irene's shameless words, and she could feel her cheeks warm up in embarrassment. If she only didn't feel the need to hide her embarrassment, she would have as well stepped on Irene's foot to make her shut . Tiffany was equally surprised to hear the statement, but not in a bad way. She took a quick glance at the blonde, who was now turning around to walk back inside the living room in order to disguise her reaction, and sniggered shyly. "Thank you," she said, returning her attention to Irene. "But I should go now. I don't want to obstruct your meeting anymore. Do feel welcome to come back often, Irene," Tiffany stated sincerely. "This house can feel quite empty sometimes. And I think Taeyeon could use some company. She doesn't seem to be very comfortable in mine."

"Thank you, too." Irene took a few steps back, still looking at the dark-haired girl. "But don't hold on to that thought. I'm sure you two will get along just fine, eventually." 

Tiffany bobbed her head and smiled politely. Irene mimicked her actions and watched as the girl walked away before she returned to the living room. Making her way back inside, she met with Taeyeon sitting comfortably on the couch, eating the last piece of a pastry she had in hands.

"She really is beautiful. I'm almost jealous," Irene said, approaching Taeyeon. "She would easily get all those modeling contracts I failed to obtain."

"She is," Taeyeon responded, forcing a nonchalant and absent tone as she avoided making eye contact with Irene. Not that she had something to hide that could be given away by her eyes, or something to be judged for. She didn't think she did. She hadn't done anything wrong or worthy of being frowned upon, after all. S he simply wanted to avoid Irene's prying eyes. 

"Well, anyway," Taeyeon began before Irene could develop the subject, "enough about Tiffany. I'm glad you mentioned it, I've been wanting to know: any progress with the modeling?"

Irene sighed, getting easily distracted by the new topic. "Not much. I've taken some new pictures with a new agency I stumbled upon recently, a smaller one. They are looking for a new girl to be their star for this spring and summer. I'm waiting for their call. I mean, I hope they call me..." she trailed off as she looked down, fidgeting with her fingers.

"Don't lose heart," Taeyeon stated tenderly as she placed her hand on top of her best friend's. "Your time will come."

***

"I can't believe we've been talking for all these hours!" Irene said, giggling as she hung her purse on her shoulder and followed Taeyeon towards the front door of the mansion.

"Me neither. But it was great. It's always refreshing to talk to you." Taeyeon opened the door for Irene, who stepped outside. "You keep my mind busy and away from my torments. Do call more often. I will call you as well. Are you sure you don't want to stay for dinner? It'll be served in less than an hour."

"I'd like to. But it's not good nor safe for a woman to be out and about by herself at night. I'm a little scared of doing that. I still need to stop by the drug store, and I want to get home before it gets too dark."

Both of them were startled by a sudden, loud sound of a horn. Taeyeon giggled as she saw Irene jump a little in surprise. "Your chauffeur is a bit hasty," said the latter.

"Everyone here is very diligent when it comes to their duties. I guess he doesn't like to be kept waiting." Taeyeon made a small pause and was about to say goodbye to Irene when she gasped and snapped her fingers. "Oh! Wait! I have some papers I need you to take to the office. It's new articles I've written for the paper. Stay here, ask the chauffeur to wait just a little longer, I'll get them and I'll be back in one!"

"Wait, for the paper, you said?" Irene inquired, holding Taeyeon's arm and preventing the latter from leaving her spot. The blonde eyed her with a confused look. "Why, yes, for the journal. Why?"

Irene frowned. "Didn't Mr. Hwang tell you?"

"Tell me what?" Taeyeon asked, getting a little preoccupied. She stepped closer to Irene, willing to hear what the latter had to say more attentively.

"There's a new columnist working there. They hired him a couple of weeks ago. I found it strange at first because you told me you and Mr. Hwang had agreed on maintaining your articles in the paper, but I presumed you knew about it, and that you had come to an agreement with him. That's why I didn't feel the need to mention anything today. You really didn't know?" Irene questioned softly, her eyes filled with concern for the blonde in font of her, knowing that wasn't a news Taeyeon would take easily. 

Taeyeon shock was spread all over her face, as well as her indignation and hurt. Her worst nightmare had come true. The floor could crack open under her feet in that moment and engulf her entirely, and the fall wouldn't make her half as desperate as she felt. She could almost hear and see the whole world she had fought for and built for herself with so much difficulty crashing down right before her eyes. Again. This time, permanently. She couldn't believe, let alone accept, she had lost her job.

"Go," was all the blonde managed to utter under her breath as she listened to yet another screaming sound of the horn and the chauffeur's voice yelling something at them. 

"Taeyeon--"

"Go. We'll talk some other time. Now go," Taeyeon cut Irene off, gently pushing the younger woman away from the door. "Thank you for your visit. And for telling me. I love you." She forced a smile, albeit tears were visibly b in her eyes. "Take care, kid."

Irene pouted and rushed towards the woman, embracing her tightly. "I love you, too. I'm sorry. I am so, so sorry. I didn't want to be the one to tell you this, I swear I thought you knew."

Taeyeon merely nodded, and watched as her best friend hurried to the car. She waved goodbye before she closed the do behind her, leaning on it and finally letting the tears that she was holding back go. A mixture of sadness, anger, and guilt was laced in a weep of sheer catharsis, and Taeyeon hated herself, for she was convinced none of that would have happened if she only hadn't been so weak and reckless. She blamed the whole situation on herself, and wondered how could she had been stupid enough to let it come to that point.

She hid her face in her hands and squatted down, letting her bottom gently hit the floor as she cried harder. The news was nothing but morbid to her. She was sure she was left with nothing else of her own. Her freedom no longer existed. Her family had been long gone. Losing her job, the very thing that could bring her some sort of happiness, save for Irene, was like the end of the world for her. The end of her world. Who was she, now? What did she have? 

"You're crying again." Tiffany's voice gave Taeyeon a scare and the blonde immediately got up, quickly wiping away the tears, although she knew that the red eyes couldn't be disguised. 

"I didn't hear you come," Taeyeon simply replied, still fighting to halt her crying. 

"It's the second time I'm casually passing by and stumble upon you crying like you're mourning the death of a loved one," Tiffany stated as she approached Taeyeon with a concerned face. 

Tiffany had come to appreciate Taeyeon's face. Not because she thought it was beautiful from the start, but because she found it to be a very pleasant one, for a reason she hadn't quite figured out yet, and despite the woman's constant cool and inexpressive expressions. To see Taeyeon cry meant the loss of the calm countenance she had acquired the taste for and was growing to endear so much throughout the days. And she didn't like that.

"I'm sorry," Taeyeon said, releasing more tears. "I'm sorry, I'm not like this. I'm not this weak. Please go back to whatever you were doing, Tiffany. I've bothered you enough for a while now."

"I've never heard of crying being a synonym for weakness," Tiffany stated, hesitantly placing her hands on Taeyeon's arms as she guided the woman towards the salon. Numb due to the pain her emotions were causing her, Taeyeon simply followed Tiffany and let herself be led. Tiffany rushed to the living room and came back in less than a minute with a tissue in hands, approaching Taeyeon once again and carefully wrapping one of her arms around the latter's back as she led her upstairs. Taeyeon tagged along again and hugged her arms, letting herself be soothed. Tiffany had a calming effect, the blonde could feel that, but she still couldn't stop the tears from falling. 

"I'm not the prying type," Tiffany cooed, gently touching Taeyeon's milky skin with the tissue to dry the stubborn tears that insisted on wetting the woman's face, "but I'd like to know what caused you all this sorrow. That is, if you want to talk about it."

 "I can't tell you, Tiffany," Taeyeon muttered. "I'm sorry. I-I'm grateful for your concern, but don't mind me. This shall pass." She turned her face around, meeting Tiffany's brown, warm orbs. She gazed at them for a while before she felt the girl withdraw her arm, and listened as she sighed in defeat. Tiffany nodded and handed Taeyeon the tissue. "Okay," she agreed, forcing a little smile. "I see you don't want company right now. I'm sorry to disturb you."

Taeyeon was just about to protest and apologize for making Tiffany misunderstand her, but the girl had already turned around and marched towards her room, leaving Taeyeon in front of the door to her own.