I was surprised by that request. Not even in my dreams I pictured Taeyeon asking me to kiss her. She wasn't the type of person to ask those things. In fact, throughout our relationship we never really asked each other a kiss. They just happened, due to circumstances, but never due to us requesting each other for a kiss. And if someone would ever ask for a kiss, it would probably be me, not Taeyeon.

Is she getting angry? Is that why she is asking for a kiss? So she could be calmed down?

“Tiffany!” I heard Yuri calling me. I turned my head towards her. “Don't you dare!”

“Don't you dare kissing that inmate!”

“I...”

“No, Tiffany! Not after what she's done!” I clenched my teeth. “I told you, she can't be trusted! She lies and cheats and deceives… stop being that weak!” Another tear streamed down my face.

“Doc...” I looked at Taeyeon when I heard her calling me. Her arms immobile for the straight-jacket she was wearing. It broke my heart. It broke my heart seeing Taeyeon like this again.

“Tiffany, if you kiss that inmate, I'mma report you!” Yuri threatened. And I closed my eyes, not sure of what to do. There was so much going on right now. How could I cope with that?

“Stay away from her, Tiffany!”

“Doc...” I clenched my fists. 

My heart was utterly in pain, because I wanted to give Taeyeon what she wanted but I knew I couldn't. “I...”

I felt Yuri's hands dragging me away from Taeyeon. Yuri pressed her knees at the sides of my body, locking me against the floor. “Tiffany! For God's Sake! Hear me out!” She pinned my hands against the floor.

“Yah! Let me go!” I tried to release myself from her grip but Yuri was strong.

“NO, Tiffany! She doesn't deserve you! And you know it!”

“Let me go! TAEYEON-A...YOU ALRIGHT?” 

“She's toying with you, Tiffany! Like she toys with words! She is not worthy your time or your feelings!” I sniffed. “She's just a !” It offended me.

“She's not.” 

“She is!”

“NO! TAEYEON...Can you hear me? Can you...” I tried to speak but I got quiet as suddenly as I felt a burn sensation on my left cheek. A lone tear streamed down my face. It took me a couple of seconds to realize what even had happened. Yuri had slapped me.

“WAKE UP, TIFFANY! WAKE THE UP! She's not who you think she is! Stop caring about this inmate!” There was a buzz in my ears. “She doesn't love you back! So STOP! STOP doing everything you can for this !”

“Doctor...” I heard Taeyeon calling again. I looked at her and saw her on her feet, standing up. Her long hair covering her face. “May I leave?” Her voice still rough. “I don't feel well.”

“No! You're going to stay, Kim!” Yuri spoke firmly, pointing her finger at her, still on top of me. “You're going to stay and you're going to answer our questions!”

“Please, Doctor...” She asked again and I felt something was wrong with her. She sounded...robotic… almost lifeless.

“Didn't you hear me, you scumbag?” Yuri walked closer to her and I took this opportunity to stand up myself, clearing my tears with the sleeves of my coat. “You're going to stay! Sit down on this ing chair and answer our questions! You killed a man today and you won't get away with it!”

A deep silence rose up at the office.

Taeyeon lifted her head and stared at me, totally ignoring Yuri. “Please… Let me leave.”  I looked down, listening to the buzz in my ears. Why they were warning me of an imminent danger?

“You're one step away to get you in trouble, you . And this time around, your doctor won't be able to save you.”

“Let her go, Yuri.” I said, firmly. Yuri turned her head to me, incredulous.

“What?”

“Let her go. She doesn't want to stay here.”

“She needs to.”

“She doesn't. She is here because Ho Sung let me talk to her about the incident that happened this morning. She wasn't supposed to have this session and she is clearly not interest in staying here. Let her go.”

“What the hell is wrong with you, Tiffany?”

“No. The question here is what the hell is wrong with you?” I asked, staring at her. “What right you think you have to confess those things to Taeyeon? What right do you think you have to hurt her like that?”

“I'm an officer! I'm her superior!”

“And I'm her doctor! I'm in a superior position than you are. And I'm telling you to let her go!”

She scoffed. “Unbelievable… I can't believe you're still listening to this douchebag.”

“She wants to be alone. And she deserves to have her request fulfilled.”

“Tiffany...”

“Let her be, Yuri. She's getting angry. And you told me yourself that when this inmate gets angry, the only thing crossing our minds should be staying away from her!” She got quiet with that. “So, let's stay away from her.”

I didn't know if it was the tune of my voice or anything else, but Yuri seemed to believe in what I was saying. She gave one last looking towards Taeyeon, who was still quiet, her head down as if she was student punished by a teacher.

“You're a loser, Kim.” Yuri slurred.

“Yuri, stop.” I asked. It was enough. Taeyeon didn't need to hear those words out.

“You're a . That's why you don't have any friends.”

“Yuri, stop! You have no right to say that!”

“I have all the right to say whatever I want! She's just a piece of . And her friends know that... That's why they left her here!”

“Yuri!”

There was a silence in the room.

“Finished?” Taeyeon spoke only then. Her head still lowered down. “Finished talking, officer?”

“Yes.”

“Thank you.” I blinked as Taeyeon bowed her head to Yuri and started to walk away from her spot.

“Taeyeon?”

“Where are you going, Kim?”

“My unit.” She answered, still emotionless.

“You'll need .” Yuri spoke matter-of-factually. “You can't leave like this. You need our permission to leave.”

Taeyeon stopped walking by the door. “May I have the permission to leave, officer?”

“We'll you.”

“May I have another person to me to my unit, officer?” 

“No. Shut up and just follow suit.” She commanded as she opened the door.

Taeyeon quietly obeyed, following her steps. I was walking behind them, not looking away from Taeyeon one second for the whole journey.

When we walked into the SHU, I was already feeling how miserable those days would be for Taeyeon. It's a horrible place to be, especially after Taeyeon was granted to have her recreation back with regular inmates. Taeyeon didn't spoke at all and even when I finally released her from the straight jacket, she stood quiet.

“You okay?” I asked her, upon finally breaking her free from that jacket. She didn't answer. She didn't move. The only thing she did was to lift her eyes to me and I noticed they were staring at my cheek. She placed her hand over the mark of Yuri's fingers on my own skin. “It's okay. I can take it.” I said, trying to smile.

“Let's go, Tiffany!” Yuri called me and I couldn't tell if I was angry at Yuri or not. I was angry at how she hurt Taeyeon, how she confessed my most intimate feelings for that woman, how she had yelled at me. But I also knew she was having good intentions and was only doing that for my good will. Yuri was just... complicated.

I gulped, locking my gaze at Taeyeon's. “...” I couldn't say anything, still taken aback by everything that happened.

“Let's go, Tiffany...” I sighed, trying to recover my previous state of mess, and finally turn my back to Taeyeon in order to leave that unit.

I felt Yuri holding my wrist, pulling myself along her.

“Doc...” I heard Taeyeon calling me. I stopped walking. “I'm...sorry.”

“It's too late for that, Kim.” Yuri spoke for myself.

“Tiffany...” My heart beat faster when upon hearing her calling me by my name. I turned my head to her. “Thank you.” “Thank you...for caring about me.” I couldn't help but feel emotional.

“Tae...”

“Let's go, Tiffany.” Yuri dragged me away.

As Yuri and I left the unit, the heavy metal door behind us was closed, and the noise not only echoed in my ears but also in my heart.  My hands soon covered my face.

“You need some fresh air.” Yuri said. “C'mon, let's get outta here.”

~~*~~

“What was all that about?” I asked her, roughly as soon as we got at the Archive.  I could understand where her anger wa