“Any other questions? No?” Their team manager stood up. “Then let’s end here. Mr. Jang, Miss Yoo, thank you for coming. Please send me the files after you’ve gone over them with Miss Kim."

 

Taeyeon’s manager bowed, then turned to Tiffany. “Miss Hwang, if I could have a word with you?"

 

The others filed out of the room, Sunny shooting Tiffany a knowing glance before the doors closed. Tiffany took a deep breath and turned to the two remaining people in the room. “Can I help you?"

 

“Miss Hwang, please accept our apologies.”

 

Tiffany took a step back in surprise as the two bowed. “No, please don’t, it’s not your fault!"

 

“Kim Taeyeon is our responsibility and her actions have caused you a great deal of trouble."

 

“No, it’s not her fault either."

 

The stylist bowed again. “She wanted to come and apologize in person, but the company decided it would be safer for her to remain at home. She says she will make it up to you and that she is very sorry."

 

“Please tell her it’s okay,” said Tiffany awkwardly. “It’s not her fault at all! She drove me to the hospital out of kindness. No one knew this would happen."

 

She watched as they exchanged looks. “Actually, we really should’ve seen it coming,” said the manager, sighing heavily. “I shouldn’t have let her take the car."

 

“But—”

 

“Taeyeon is constantly under scrutiny, Miss Hwang. The three of us all made a terrible mistake and what’s worse, we’ve pulled you into the problem.” Miss Yoo bowed again. “Please accept our sincerest apologies."

 

“O-okay,” said Tiffany. “Um. I accept them?"

 

“Thank you,” said Mr. Jang, looking considerably relieved. “Now, I—oh, please excuse me, it’s the company calling. Hello?"

 

Tiffany watched as the blood drained from his face. Quickly, she looked at Miss Yoo, but the stylist also looked confused.

 

“Yes. Yes. I understand. Yes sir. Okay. Goodbye.” For a moment, Mr. Jang closed his eyes and took several long breaths through his nose. Then he straightened up and said, “Miss Hwang, could we perhaps use the computer in here? Does it have internet access?"

 

“It does. Feel free, there’s no password.” She studiously looked away from the screen, doing her best not to pry. But when she heard his long, defeated exhale, she turned around.

 

“,” said Mr. Jang.

 

“,” agreed Miss Yoo.

 

“What the , I told them I wasn’t pregnant!"

 

They both turned to her and Tiffany gulped. Mr. Jang looked at her with despair in his eyes. “You met reporters today?"

 

“In front of my house, yes."

 

“And you spoke to them?"

 

“I mean, I tried to, but they totally misunderstood and I swear, I swear,” Tiffany pointed at the article on the screen, “I made it abundantly clear that I was definitely not pregnant. It’s like…not even biologically possible!"

 

Mr. Jang said, “Oh, boy."

 

"I told them we weren’t dating!"

 

He sank back into the chair, groaning. Miss Yoo gave Tiffany a sympathetic smile. “The press are not the most reliable of confidantes, Miss Hwang. I know you told them the truth, but they only really want to hear what they want to hear."

 

Tiffany winced. “I’m sorry,” she said in a small voice.

 

--

 

On the train ride home, Tiffany thought she was prepared, but she really wasn’t. She stepped into the crowded carriage and turned her music up to the max to drown out the world. But just as she slipped her phone back into her bag, someone tapped her on the shoulder.

 

She turned to see a woman, around her own mother’s age, smiling at her. Quickly taking out her earbuds, Tiffany said, “Sorry, I didn’t hear you."

 

“Here, you sit."

 

Tiffany blinked politely. “Pardon?"

 

“You need to sit, dear. Women in your condition need to take care of themselves."

 

“I’m sorry? Wh—” It clicked. “Oh, no, auntie, I’m not pregnant."

 

“Nonsense, I saw it on television.” The lady took her elbow. “Kim Taeyeon is a lucky woman to have such a beautiful wife."

 

“It’s a misunderstanding, auntie, please—”

 

“Dear, take it from a mother of three strapping boys. You will want to rest your heels in a few more months. Sit, sit!"

 

When Tiffany was finally pushed backwards into the seat, the entire carriage erupted in applause. She wanted to disappear off the face of the earth.

 

-- 

 

Tiffany stopped short when she saw the horde of reporters still outside her building. “For ’s sake,” she whispered to herself, quickly dodging around a corner. 

 

“Hello? Sunny?"

 

“Tiffany? Everything okay?"

 

“Well, remember the reporters from this morning?"

 

“They’re still there?"

 

“They’re still here,” said Tiffany grimly, taking a peek. “Yep, still here."

 

“Come to my place."

 

“Thanks, I owe you."

 

“Buy some ice cream on your way."

 

“Uh…"

 

She could hear Sunny cursing. “Right. You can’t show your face. Take a taxi here, then."

 

Of course, it would be Tiffany’s luck that she got into the taxi to hear the radio hosts of the evening show discussing “Kim Taeyeon and her anonymous girlfriend”. Tiffany spent all twenty minutes of the ride with her jacket over her head; she had stopped caring that people might think she was insane. In fact, she’d prefer they think she was crazy than have to endure another awkward, painful conversation about how she was not dating Kim Taeyeon and no, she was not pregnant. Not pregnant at all.

 

To her credit, the driver only muttered under his breath and said nothing to her the rest of the ride.

 

When Sunny opened the door, Tiffany held up a finger. “Please tell me you don’t think I’m pregnant."

 

“You’re definitely not pregnant."

 

“Okay. Thank you. I just need one person in this world to believe that and everything is going to turn out fine. Right?"

 

Sunny bit her lip. “Maybe you should just sleep on it."

 

So Tiffany did. She took a long shower, used a lot of Sunny’s favorite shampoo, ate fried chicken takeout, brushed her teeth, texted her mom again — “no mom i am not going to seduce her why are you even saying these things” — and got under the blankets on Sunny’s couch. She stared up at the ceiling, swore quietly, and fell asleep.

 

The next morning she woke up to the smell of coffee. The sun was filtering gently through the curtains and all of a sudden, Tiffany felt an inexplicable sense of hope. She sat up and stretched. “It’s going to be a great day. Everything’s going to be fine!"

 

“Uh, you may want to look at this first."

 

Tiffany padded over, blankets still around her, to look at the tablet Sunny was holding out to her. “What’s this? My eyes aren’t awake yet."

 

“There’s a massive online poll with ten million participants."

 

“For what?"

 

Sunny forced a smile. “46% think your baby is a boy, 32% think it’s a girl, and 22% say it’s going to be twins. There’s also another poll for baby names. How do you feel about the name Kim Joowon? It’s at the top of the lists right now."

 

“FOR THE LAST ING TIME, I’M NOT ING PREGNANT!"