how many ing PARTS OF SOUTHPAW WILL THERE BE?!

(ps the answer is 7, if i dont keep thinking of plot twists jfc)

Taeyeon was never good with words. She didn't even like saying good bye.

So when she disappeared for half a year, Tiffany wasn't any bit surprised.

♦ ♦ ♦

"What?" Jessica's voice strongly echoed across the empty office. "Yes, she was our representative, but we had no formal contract. I think you're forgetting she was a friend." 

Her concentration and energy was fueled with an empty feeling. Tiffany had plans to grab lunch with her friend, not meaning to intrude into her phone call however, she stood outside the door when she heard her friend shouting.

She had a slight idea about what was going on, it was hard to miss now that she kept up with MMA news. Once she was confident the phone call ended, she knocked on the door calmly, juggling the question of whether or not she should mention that she overheard.

Jessica opened the door, her usual pristine look was replaced according to her mood. "What?" She said quickly before recognizing her best friend's face. She dropped her shoulders and tried to relax. "Oh, Tiff. Sorry. I didn't mean to bust you out like that."

"Is everything alright?" Tiffany innocently asked. Jessica opened , mentally deciding what to say. The nurse merely laughed, "I'll take that as a no. Want to talk about it over lunch?"

♦ ♦ ♦

Lunch had been normal and delicious, but there was no beating the bush that Jessica had something to say. Mid-way into their meal, Tiffany sighed and began to dabble. "Something's bothering you, what is it?"

Jessica looked up, taking a moment to settle in her nervousness. "Alright, I'm just going to be upfront. What the hell happened between you and Taeyeon?"

The nurse had expected this and gave an automatic response. "I think we broke up."

"You think?"

"Well, we never actually said the words to each other. But to be fair, we haven't talked since we got into this huge fight a couple months ago."

"Right..." The woman sighed and rubbed her temples, shaking her head simultaneously. "A couple months ago, are you aware she's completely disappeared since then? And not just a, 'I-Need-Some-Space' kind of disappearance, no, she literally gone. Doesn't that bother you at all?"

"I mean..it's her choice.."

"So that fight completely disintegrated all your feelings for each other? That one fight was enough to break your, what? Two, three years you've been together? Hell you lived in her apartment. Did she just stop paying rent or something? What did you two even fight about?" Tiffany mindlessly asked for the check and boxes for the remainder of their meal, trying to use the spare moments of interaction to figure out how to answer all these questions.

As they made their way out of the restaurant, she slowly began to explain what happened and her side of the story. With no agenda in mind, they walked around the mall, taking short breaks to purchase an item or a small snack. By the time she summarized the story, the two were sitting in front of a bakery.

"She was too controlling, I felt like a dog chained to her. I just wanted some space and I guess that time she accused me of doing something, I felt betrayed and upset she'd even think that way. I wouldn't do that."

"Well no . You aren't her, with her issues. Of course you wouldn't."

"..I guess you're right. She was a beautiful badass. I guess I didn't know her enough."

"I don't necessarily think she said that because she didn't trust you. I don't think she trusted herself. With that being said, I guess it's normal for people to want to disappear after a bad break up, but Tiff, it's been half a year. I just--" Jessica fiddled around with her drink, tracing the rims with her finger. "I just have two more questions and I won't bring this up again. Do you know where she is? And...do you still love her?"

Two questions. Two questions and Tiffany had never been such a nervous wreck to answer. She began to fiddle with the ring Taeyeon got her. She never wore it in public, but she liked keeping it around. It was such a heavy question, but she had two simple answers.

"No and yes."

♦ ♦ ♦

"She was literally a walking ball of sunshine. I had a hard time keeping up with her sometimes."

"How did that make you feel?"

"Me? I loved it of course, she was my sunlight. But now I learned not to rely on someone too much."

"Is that why you came here to Norway all by yourself? To learn?"

"..Sure. That and.." The fighter clutched the balls of bloody tissue in her hands. "...I needed some time away from everything to figure out if what I'm doing is worth my life. I literally left everything behind. My friends, my family, my career. Because I wasn't able to defend my title, it was taken away from me by default. I'm fading into the scene."

"And how does that make you feel?"

"I like it. It humbles me. I need time away from everything. I realize I was too much of a hot shot, thinking I was all that, to the point I pushed away the person I needed the most."

"So you still love her."

"Of course I do."

"Then why haven't you gone back?"

Taeyeon chuckled. "I may love her, but I don't love myself. You shouldn't love people without loving yourself first."

"What are you waiting for?"

"..That's a good question. A part of me hopes that she'll find me somehow and bring me back. Though I can easily just find her and come back. I think I need that self assurance that she still loves me. Of course, she could be waiting on me and together we'd just play an endless waiting game.."