“Ah, so you've decided to join us for lunch?” Taeyeon greeted Tiffany with a smile as she dragged herself to the table where lunch was served.

“I guess it won't hurt to have some food.”

“Are you feeling ill, unnie?” Yoona asked with concern.

“I'm fine, Yoon. Just wanted to be alone for a while.”

“You've been acting weird these past few days,” Yoona pointed out. “If there's something bothering you, you can tell us. We're your friends, and we're here to help.”

Tiffany looked at Yoona and smiled in gratitude. In the back of her mind, she scolded herself for being so stubborn.

“Thanks, Yoon.”

“Okay, no more chatting! It's time to eat!” Taeyeon announced excitedly, grabbing a spoonful of rice.

“Aigo, unnie, have some manners!” Tiffany chuckled at Taeyeon's puffy cheeks full of rice. 

“It's food, Yoona. It's the law of the jungle.”

“Well, with your manners, you really look like an animal,” Tiffany remarked.

“Which one? A fox? A panther? A tiger? A lion?”

“A bafoon!” Yoona chuckled at the joke.

“Okay, first, the correct name is baboon -” Taeyeon corrected. “And second… I'm not the one who's a pain in the . And third… You think you're winning this? The more you talk, the less food you have. So hurry up, Bright Spark, or you'll end up without a proper meal.”

“Aish, you're so childish!” Tiffany retorted.

“Oh, because you're so mature!” Taeyeon laughed off. “Oh look at me, I want to be alone in my room because you wouldn’t understand my alpha struggles!” She mocked, with her palm over her forehead, mirroring a drama queen. “Please don't bother even trying! I'm better than all of you, inferior kins!!”

“I've never said that!” Tiffany complained. “You are just ridiculous!”

“Just take your seat and sit down, alpha. We are in no mood to hear your complaints.” 

“Pff, you are the most irritating omega kin I’ve ever met!”

“Thanks.”

“That’s not a compliment!”

“Yes, it is, you just don’t know it yet.” Yoona actually chuckled at the banter. 

“How can you be so…”

“Look, if you are not going to eat with us, then it's better to leave!” Taeyeon cut it sharply. “Go to your pink room and cry over your troubles.”

“No, I wanna eat!”

“What changed your mind?” Taeyeon asked curiously.

“Got hungry.”

“You said you weren't hungry.”

“But I got it.”

“So quickly?”

“You can't judge me for how quickly I get hungry!”

"Oh, for God’s sake! Just be quiet, both of you!" Sunny finally commanded with annoyance. "Honestly, I don't know which one of you is worse! Taeyeon, stop picking on Tiffany's habits! And Tiffany, can you finally take your seat and eat your lunch?"

Following Sunny's instructions, Tiffany grabbed a chair and sat down. As she took some rice, her face twisted in displeasure.

"It's cold."

"Of course it's cold; you take ages to start eating!" Taeyeon retorted. "If you were an animal in the jungle, hyenas would have stolen your food. Did you know that?"

"Hyenas don't live in the jungle, Stupid Omega; they live in the savannahs!"

"Now a biology expert, huh?"

"Oh, good grief!" Sunny sighed, facepalming herself. Yoona chuckled.

"Let them be, unnie. They'll get over it eventually."

Sunny shook her head. "Out of all the dorms in South Korea, did it really have to be this one?"

~~*~~

“Are you okay, Tiffany?” Sunny was the one questioning, upon finding Tiffany lying down on the couch of the living room. “What are you doing on Taeyeon’s couch?” Though it was technically the dorm's couch, it had become known as Taeyeon's couch since she often slept there. Tiffany found the title fitting because that furniture now carried the omega's real scent, not the peculiar one she was currently emanating.

“I'm fine,” she replied, her eyes heavy. “Just… relaxing.” 

“Then why are you covering yourself with Taeyeon's blankets?”

“Her scent is different nowadays. Have you noticed it?” Tiffany asked curiously.

“And?”

“And I don't like it. Her couch and blankets still have her natural scent.” She buried her nose deeper into the Mickey Mouse blanket, inhaling the omega's natural aroma. “Smells nice.”

“That's really creepy, Tiffany.”

“It calms me down,” she admitted without reservation. It felt good to have that scent around her. “It makes me feel warm, happy.. and safe.” Her eyes closed off. “Just like after you drink some good makgeolli and receive a good hug.” 

Sunny widened her eyes. “Tiffany…”

“But she smells different now. It doesn't smell like her. I don't like it. Now it smells like moss or something. It makes me confused. You know more about her than me, Sunny! Do you know if she's been marked?”

Sunny didn't like the question. “This is personal. Taeyeon deserves her privacy. If you want to know about it, just ask her.”

“I can't ask her.”

“Why not?”

“She'll think I'm a demanding person.”

Sunny furrowed her brows, not quite understanding. “But...you are?”

“No, I'm not!” Tiffany exhaled. “She is affecting me, Sunny. She is changing me.”

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