Lunch was, as always, filled with laughter and crazy antics, as expected from the group of friends who had been together since college. Each one of them knew that these get-togethers were a safe zone, wherein they could share everything, from their most random thoughts to their deepest darkest secrets, because they knew that no one will judge them. Tease mercilessly maybe, but never judge.
 

“Are you okay now, Tiff? No more scary coughs and icky phlegm?” Hyoyeon asked the brunette who was taking a sip of her iced latte.
 

“Wow, thanks for the concern, Hyo. Yeah, I’m finally free of those. But really, thanks for the concern, guys. And for all the calls and visits,” Tiffany told everyone meaningfully, letting her eyes settle briefly on each and every one of her friends, not forgetting to give a small extra smile to the short blonde sitting across from her.
 

“Ah, so did Jihyo do a good job taking over for you for a little while?” Yuri asked, referring to Tiffany’s managing editor in the latter’s fashion magazine.
 

“Yeah, she did really well, actually. I think she was trying to make up for the photographer issue, although I wish that she could make up for it by actually fixing the issue.”
 

Photographer issue? Taeyeon wanted Tiffany to elaborate further, but she didn’t know if they were already comfortable enough with each other for her to do so. Thankfully, Sunny beat her to it. “What photographer issue?”
 

“Oh, it’s just that Jihyo had been going on and on about how she was able to get the famous Park Hanjae to be the photographer for our editorial spread this November, but apparently he agreed for the December issue, so now we’re scrambling to find a replacement.” Tiffany closed her eyes briefly as the stress over this problem came back to her.
 

“What? You need a photographer? You’re sitting right in front of one, you pabo!” Sunny exclaimed.
 

Tiffany looked up to meet Taeyeon’s eyes, then she quickly looked away. “Taeyeon’s probably very busy. I don’t—“
 

“Yah! Seriously?” Sunny looked at the two of them, bewildered. “The solution’s right in front of you, and you can’t even…God, I can’t even with the two of you!”
 

“Hey, wait! Weren’t you two talking and laughing together a while ago?” Sooyoung suddenly spoke up, recovering from her brief lapse of amnesia driven by the gummy bears that were shoved inside half an hour ago.
 

The entire table grew quiet. Even Yoona stopped chewing her food. Stunned and incredulous eyes focused on the blonde and brunette who were looking at anything but each other.
 

“Are you serious?!”
 

“I thought the apocalypse was scheduled in 2012.”
 

“Is this a dream?”
 

“Sooyoung, you need to stop eating them shrooms.”
 

“God, why the hell are you guys so dramatic?!” Tiffany exclaimed in English, her code switch giving away how unsettled she actually was with her friends’ scrutiny and disbelief.
 

“Seriously, guys! They were really smiling at each other. I may be a shikshin, but I’m not insane,” Sooyoung exclaimed enthusiastically.
 

The other six again went back to bewilderedly staring at the blushing pair.
 

Tiffany glared at Sooyoung, opening to probably say a biting remark, but Taeyeon prevented her from doing so with an “I’ll do it.”
 

Tiffany turned to face Taeyeon, confused.
 

“I’ll be your—the magazine’s photographer. If you want me to, that is. I mean, I’m not really that busy…I…” She drifted off awkwardly once she noticed that all the girls were gaping at her in shock. Especially Tiffany.
 

Even though Taeyeon had only been a professional photographer for a few years, she had already garnered quite a reputation. She worked as a freelancer most of the time, and she liked it that way, because she was able to pick her projects and capture a variety of things, from humans to animals to nature. She had actually already worked on several magazine photoshoots, and she didn’t mind working on one more. She knew the fashion magazine Tiffany worked for had begun to increase in popularity these past months. Although she used to scoff at the thought, Taeyeon finally admitted to herself that the magazine had garnered more recognition ever since Tiffany had become the editor-in-chief.
 

Taeyeon’s hostile ‘Tiffany-is-public-enemy-number-one’ persona wanted to say that she offered to take the job to boost her own popularity, but Taeyeon’s placated ‘Tiffany-just-gave-me-four-giant-bags-of-candy’ persona shut the former up because she knew that she was really doing it to help the brunette. And also maybe so that she can be at the receiving end of an eye-smile or two.
 

Taeyeon was not let down.

***

Taeyeon was 28 minutes late, and counting.
 

She pressed the up elevator button about a thousand times, cursing herself under her breath for her lack of punctuality. She was never late. Well, almost never, apparently.
 

She anxiously shifted from one foot to the other as she waited for the elevator doors to open, not finding time to care about rattling the heavy equipment that she was carrying between her shoulders.
 

Tiffany was going to kill her. Kill her.
 

The brunette had already called her a dozen times and texted her double that amount. Taeyeon had to mute her phone to lower the spiking anxiety she got every time a new call or text made her phone ring. Even the vibrations made her sweat. She didn’t answer a single one, save for one lone text she had sent the other woman: “I’m so so so so sorry. I’m on my way. Please wait for me.” She wanted to add more “so’s,” but the seconds it would take to type that would cause her to be even later to the photoshoot.
 

Finally, the elevator doors slid open. Taeyeon quickly entered it, grateful that the box was empty. Even another second’s delay due to an additional passenger would probably cause more harm to Taeyeon once Tiffany gets her hands on her.
 

Was Tiffany a strangler? A puncher? A slapper? Taeyeon shuddered as she realized that she would soon find out.
 

As the elevator ascended, she began to think of how she would apologize to Tiffany. She didn’t think that saying that she was not a morning person would give her any leeway whatsoever. In fact, Tiffany would probably get even angrier. Should she say that her alarm clock didn’t ring? God no; this wasn’t college!
 

Taeyeon’s mind blanked out as the doors slid open on the corresponding floor. She shook her head and ran, deciding that none of her apologies would suffice. She was willing to accept any punishment Tiffany would dole out on her; she knew she deserved it.
 

She reached the door displaying the room number Tiffany had texted her days ago and pushed it open. She stayed rooted on the floor as she witnessed the flurry of activity taking place on the other side. Or the sudden lack thereof, once the people realized that someone had arrived. Almost all of them froze as they turned to look at the petite blonde who would need the mercy of one very pissed off Tiffany Hwang in order to survive.
 

Taeyeon barely registered any of them, their faces blurring as she sought out only one person. It wasn’t difficult, as the woman she was looking for was elegantly stomping her way towards her. Taeyeon stared at her, mesmerized. Tiffany looked like a vindictive archangel ready to dish out a well-deserved smiting. All that were missing were wings and a halo, and probably a whip. Taeyeon gulped as she imagined Tiffany holding a whip. Whoa. No. It was suddenly too hot. Maybe she was in hell. The fire in Tiffany’s eyes seemed appropriate. As were the inappropriately sinful thoughts that suddenly coursed through Taeyeon’s mind.
 

It took less than ten seconds for Tiffany to stand inches away from her. The taller woman’s eyes were narrowed, her jaw was clenched, as well as her hands. Taeyeon could see her internally fighting through the mountain of anger she wanted to unleash on the blonde.
 

The room was suddenly so quiet that all Taeyeon could hear was the shallow breaths the woman before her was releasing, and the frantic thudding of her own heart, which was only partly due to the physical exertion caused by her frantic running to the studio.
 

It was like everyone knew that Tiffany was going to go all out on her. Almost anticipating it, actually. Taeyeon looked at Tiffany straight in the eyes, trying to tell her that it was okay, that she was willing to take everything that the younger woman would give her.
 

Tiffany’s next actions made Taeyeon remember why she had never gotten close to the woman after all those years. Tiffany Hwang was unpredictable. Yes, she was predictably friendly with strangers, with the people she was not yet close to. But once you become her friend, once you enter that zone, it’s like she strips herself of the cloak you didn’t know she had been wearing around you. And maybe, even Tiffany herself didn’t know she had it on in the first place.
 

Zero to one-hundred was a perfect way to describe Tiffany, although it was more like a ninety-nine to one-hundred when it comes to her volume. It wasn’t always a bad thing; it was even kind of entertaining, especially once you get used to it. And it’s not like those mood swings were a usual occurrence. It only happened during occasions that caused heightened emotions to pour out from the brunette. Jessica was probably even worse, considering how her ice cold exterior would come out randomly, with no trigger whatsoever. So…maybe this wasn’t the reason why Taeyeon didn’t get along with Tiffany.
 

After looking at Taeyeon with so much fury, Tiffany closed her eyes. She closed them for so long that Taeyeon began to think of turning tail and running back down to the lobby. Before she could will her legs to move, Tiffany finally opened her eyes, taking a deep breath at the same time. The brunette’s gaze was dark and unreadable. The new look scared Taeyeon even more than the burning anger she was on the receiving end of moments ago.
 

“Let’s start. We wasted so much time already.”
 

Taeyeon blinked in shock at Tiffany’s retreating back.
 

“Taeyeon…” Tiffany didn’t even look behind her to know that Taeyeon was still not moving from her position.
 

The cold warning in Tiffany’s voice brought Taeyeon back, and the latter hastily walked towards the area in the room that had a backdrop, signifying that it would be where the shoot would take place. She unloaded her equipment from the bag she was carrying and proceeded to set everything up.
 

“Okay!” Gasps and jerks filled the room as the stunned crew unfroze at the sound of Tiffany’s booming voice, finally prompting them to get back to what they were previously doing. Taeyeon tried so hard not to smile in amusement, knowing that she was still not off the hook.
 

She couldn’t deny the warmth that coursed through her and reached her eyes though, when she glanced at the authoritative brunette that was ordering people around like she was an army captain rather than an editor-in-chief of a fashion magazine.
 

Tiffany Hwang was unpredictable, and Kim Taeyeon kind of liked it.

***

The photoshoot went by fairly smoothly. It actually went quite well; the only reason why Taeyeon couldn’t describe it as ‘great’ was because she knew that she and Tiffany still had to talk about her earlier transgression. What she didn’t know was whether or not they would just be talking. There would probably be some yelling. And a lot of hand flailing.
 

Taeyeon was glad that she agreed to do the job, though, because she finally got to witness Tiffany in her element. To be completely honest, Taeyeon thought that Tiffany was the kind of boss that would order everyone around like they were puppets, and that she would be cold and unforgiving towards people who made mistakes. Tiffany did order people around, but it was because that was her job. Taeyeon had a lot of spare time between takes, when the models had to change clothes or fix their makeup and hair, so she was able to observe how Tiffany interacted with her staff.
 

The photoshoot crew followed Tiffany’s orders without any hesitation, and Taeyeon noted how they did so not because they feared the brunette, but rather because they respected her decisions and actually agreed with them. On the rare chance that they didn’t, they would end up telling her about it, and she would listen to them and then come up with a mutual resolution. Taeyeon could clearly see that they respected and admired their boss, and was even on friendly terms with her, since they actually chatted and laughed with her during the short lunch break. It was evident that Tiffany also felt the same, since she was on a first-name basis with all of them, even the interns.
 

Taeyeon also realized how distracting Tiffany could be. Often, Taeyeon would turn away from the lens to find the brunette suddenly beside her, critically looking over the pictures using the laptop connected to the camera. Taeyeon would catch a whiff of the musky perfume Tiffany had on when the latter would quickly move around the room. Tiffany would also talk to her about the photos, stating her opinions on better angles and poses, and encouraging Taeyeon to share some of her own, as well. It was distracting because Taeyeon had never really conversed with Tiffany this way, wherein they were both serious and professional. It was distracting as much as it was alluring.
 

The photoshoot finally ended mid-afternoon. As soon as Tiffany thanked everyone for their hard work, the crew immediately began to pack up and started to leave one-by-one. Taeyeon knew that she had to stay behind, since she was sure that Tiffany would be the last one to leave the place. The blonde began to disassemble her equipment while the brunette inspected the practically bare room.
 

Taeyeon had just zipped up her bag when Tiffany finally acknowledged her presence and approached her. The latter had her arms crossed, and she regarded Taeyeon with the same unreadable look she had that morning.
 

Taeyeon sighed. “Okay. Lay it all out on me. I’m truly, genuinely sorry, by the way.”
 

Tiffany stared at her for a few more seconds before she finally spoke up. “I’m still angry, you know. We’re…friends, but that was very unprofessional, Taeyeon.”
 

Taeyeon was once again taken aback by how Tiffany kept doing the opposite of what she had expected. She expected her ears to ring, not…this. Not a civilized scolding.
 

Tiffany understood the question behind Taeyeon’s eyes. “I don’t want to fight with you, Taeyeon. That’s why I stopped myself from yelling at you a while ago. I even thought that it would be a good thing for the crew to see me raging at someone who was late. It would certainly make them strive to continue being punctual in the future. I just didn’t…because…like I said, I don’t want to have another fight with you. We’ve had too much of that, don’t you think? Seven years too much?” Tiffany’s mouth lifted up at that last part.
 

Taeyeon’s smile was wider than hers, albeit tentative. “I wholeheartedly agree.”
 

“So…just let me rant a little bit, okay? You know how important time is. It’s priceless. Your tardiness would have been tolerable if it were just a few minutes, but thirty? Everyone in this room was ready, except for you.”
 

Taeyeon hung her head in shame at that, knowing Tiffany was completely right. About everything.
 

“It’s like when our professors would sometimes dismiss us early during our classes in college. We’d be so happy, since we got to spend more time studying for the exam next period, or because we could grab a bite to eat or catch a few minutes of sleep with that extra time. It’s like that now, too. Everyone in my crew live different lives, but all of them would have found good use for the thirty minutes you could have spared them.”
 

Although Taeyeon was still feeling incredibly guilty about her mistake, she couldn’t help but stare in awe at the woman in front of her, who was not only passionate about work, but also the people she worked with. Taeyeon now felt even worse, but she knew that she would never make the same mistake again.
 

“I know my apology is practically useless, but I’m still honestly sorry, Fany—Tiffany.”
 

Tiffany grinned at the slip-up. “You can call me that, you know.”
 

“Ah. Okay. Y-you can also call me Tae. If you want. Or Taeng.”
 

Tiffany’s eyes disappeared into crescents. “Okay, Tae.”
 

Taeyeon didn’t know she would enjoy being called by her nickname this much. It came out so…y…when it rolled of Tiffany’s slightly-American-accented tongue, along with the brunette’s husky voice.
 

“By the way,” Tiffany continued, “Professionalism aside, I found it incredibly hilarious that you were actually late for our one-and-only business-related meeting, when you’ve been early in ALL our lunches and dinners. ALL of them, Taeyeon.”
 

Taeyeon laughed at that along with Tiffany. “I know! Well, it’s mostly because we never actually have breakfast hang outs. If we did, I’d be late for sure.”
 

“Oh? Not a morning person?”
 

“Nope. I honestly rival Sica in that category.”
 

Tiffany’s mouth formed an O at the revelation. “Wow…I…didn’t know that.”
 

“It’s…kind of sad, isn’t it? How we don’t know these basic things about each other even after seven years?”
 

Tiffany shook her head. “I know! It’s borderline ridiculous.”
 

“Well…we could umm…remedy that. Starting now. Want to have a late lunch with me?” Taeyeon had noticed that although Tiffany had chatted with the crew during lunch time, the brunette didn’t actually touch any of the food.
 

“Oh…but didn’t you eat already?”
 

“I did, but I didn’t really taste any of it. I was too nervous about the smiting that I thought was coming for me.”
 

Tiffany laughed, eyes sparkling. “Smiting?!”
 

“You looked like a vindictive angel a while ago, okay?”
 

Tiffany felt herself grow warm due to the indirect compliment. “Fine, fine. Let’s have lunch. Come on, I’m starving. You’re paying, by the way.”
 

“Okay, Hwang Miyoung.”
 

“YAH! I said you could use ‘Fany!’ Not that!” A slap.
 

“Ow! Okay, okay.” A chuckle.

A/N:

Omg I really should stop updating this so quickly x_x I haven't been writing for this story recently. But I really like this chapter...so...lol NO RAGRETS.