The moment Tiffany stepped into the kitchen, already dressed up for work, she furrowed her brows upon seeing Taeyeon indulging in a bowl of vanilla ice cream.

“Good morning, Bright Spark!” Taeyeon greeted. “You want some cookies?” She asked, extending a tray full of cookies to Tiffany.

Tiffany tilted her head to the side. “Are you eating ice cream?”

“Yeah,” she replied.

“Taeyeon… it's 7 am!”

“So?”

“Why are you eating ice cream at 7 am?”

She shrugged. “I'm hungry.” She scooped another spoonful of ice cream into her bowl. “You don't want cookies? It's okay, I'm also baking a cake…. if you want some.”

“What?” Tiffany blinked. “You are baking a cake?”

“Hmhum.”

“Are you alright?”

“Yeah, why are you asking?”

“Why are you baking a cake when you already have cookies and ice cream?”

“People like different things. I've made those for everyone in the dorm, not just myself.” Tiffany found it extremely odd because Taeyeon usually only cooked when necessary. The traditional South Korean custom of omegas doing most house chores, including cleaning, laundry, and cooking, had Taeyeon complaining more than once. It was clear she wasn't a fan of doing such tasks, and suddenly there she was, baking cake and cookies. That was very unusual. “Is there anything else you would like to eat?”

“Not really.” She answered, still frowning. “Are you really alright? What is going on? Why are you all… prone to baking?”

“Nothing! I just feel like doing stuff!” She smiled, displaying her dimple.

“Right,” Tiffany said, sounding unconvinced.

“And I'm kinda hungry. That's all.”

She wasn't lying, though. Taeyeon genuinely seemed hungry, and Tiffany couldn't help but notice how much food she was consuming. Between meals, she always seemed to have a snack up her sleeve. Tiffany began to feel a genuine concern for the girl.

“Yoona...” Tiffany called, approaching the other omega in their dorm on the following day.

“Hm… What's wrong, unnie?”

“Don't you think Taeyeon is being weird these days?”

“Weird?” Yoona frowned.

“Yeah, she is so hungry. Eating a lot. Like a lot. Especially sweets! Yesterday, she ate like two chocolate bars on her own!” Yoona blinked. “I tried to talk to her, but she always says she is alright and there's nothing wrong with her... Add to that her lack of scent! I'm genuinely worried about her.”

Yoona looked away. “Maybe she is just under stress? Taeyeon is a bit stubborn when it comes to talking about her problems... she never tells what is bothering her and usually keeps all that to herself. She comes up with her own ways to deal with her issues, and sometimes they are not the best ways.”

Tiffany looked down, feeling her heart race a little faster. “Does she have a drinking problem or something?”

“Not that I know of,” Yoona answered.

“I really hope she is alright.”

“I'm sure she is fine,” Yoona confirmed, but Tiffany wasn't entirely convinced.

~~*~~

The instant Tiffany returned to the dorm from work, her eyes instinctively sought out Taeyeon, as had become their usual routine. The omega girl was asleep on her “couch” as usual, but the sight of numerous food packages scattered on the floor startled her. Jelly bags, Snickers bars, candy wrappers, potato chips...

“What the hell is wrong with you?” She muttered to the sleeping girl, a bit shocked by the overwhelming sugar cravings.

Tiffany noticed droplets of sweat on Taeyeon's forehead. Leaning forward, she placed her hand on Taeyeon's forehead, feeling a slight warmth. “Fever? Is she sick? She feels hot.” Gently, she used a tissue to wipe away the sweat. Her actions made Taeyeon mutter something unintelligible and slowly open her eyes. Tiffany paused, blinking, waiting for the girl's response.

“Bright...spark?” Taeyeon whispered softly, making Tiffany's lips curl upwards.

“Sorry. Didn't mean to wake you up.”

“You came from work?” The girl asked, her voice showing how tired and sleepy she was.

“Yes.”

“It's late at night. What time is it?”

“You should be worried about yourself, young lady.”

“Me?”

“Yes. You. What's up with all this… hunger of yours?”

“Nothing. I just feel like eating.” 

“That’s not normal. You feel hot… Are you sick or something?”

She shook her head. “No.” “I’m feeling fine.” 

Tiffany shook her head. “Guess I can't do anything but trust you.” 

“You can trust me.” Taeyeon remarked, nodding her head.

“You can trust me too.” Tiffany replied. “So if there's anything bothering you, just tell me, alright?”

“There's nothing bothering me.” She said confidently. 

“Yeah, right.” Tiffany sighed, still not convinced.

“I just... want to sleep now.” Taeyeon gutted, wrapping herself with her blanket. 

Tiffany made a silent nod. “I'll leave you be. Good night.”

“Tiffany...” She called before Tiffany could leave.

“Yes...”

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