Taeyeon stared at the paper handed to her. The school term finally started and it was only the second period but there she was, struggling to stay awake. 

She leaned on the table and rested her throbbing head on her palm as Professor Kang went through the production theme for this year.

“Alright, everyone.” Professor Kang clapped his hand to get everyone’s attention. “Since it’s the final year, you can choose your preferred theme!” 

The class cheered excitedly as Professor Kang went through what he was looking for in this year’s production. 

Taeyeon glanced at her friends as they wondered what theme they should do. Indeed this year was going to be a hectic year for them. 

She looked down at the paper on her table, trying to read it but winced when her head throbbed. Taeyeon closed her eyes and hoped that it would soothe the pain.

“She’s autistic, Taeyeon-ah.” 

“W-what?” Taeyeon blinked. She released their hug and stared at the girl, not knowing what to say. 

Yes, Taeyeon knows what autism is. But it was a rare case here in South Korea. From what she knows, only 1 in 38 children has it.

Tiffany looked down in embarrassment when Taeyeon stared at her blankly. She mustered her courage before beginning to speak softly. 

“That’s why sometimes—” Tiffany paused as she took a deep breath. “Sometimes, she would go missing.”

Taeyeon patted Tiffany’s hand and urged her to continue when she saw the latter hesitation.

“When a situation is too overwhelming, she would run off. She would wander off to keep her mind occupied.”

Taeyeon squeezed Tiffany’s hand when she saw a tear roll down the latter’s cheek. 

“It’s okay, Pany-ah. You could explain later, okay? Let’s go find Minjoo.”

Taeyeon started the engine and headed to the park. Tiffany told her that her dad was in the marsh garden of the park. 

She sped up and soon pulled over at the parking lot. Without much thought, the ladies rushed out and began their searches. Tiffany would be on the lawn while Taeyeon was at the massive sand playground. 

Minjoo-ah, where are you? Your family is worried. 

Taeyeon’s phone rang when she asked a family if they had seen Minjoo. It was Tiffany. She excused herself politely before answering the phone. 

“Found her yet?” she asked. 

“Anni, not yet.” A sob could be heard on the other line. 

“Pany-ah, we’ll find her. Okay? Send me a photo of Minjoo. I’ll ask the families here.”

Tiffany hummed in acknowledgement. She couldn’t even form a proper sentence without letting out a sob. 

Taeyeon received Minjoo’s photo right after they ended the call and began showing it to the families at the playground. Her exhaustion was apparent but she was not giving up. She went around the playground asking anyone she could find about Minjoo. 

“OH, this kid.” An elderly man spoke as he squinted his eyes to see the photo. “Neh, I saw her. She was squatting near a swing.”

“R-really? Omo, thank you so much, Sir!” Taeyeon bowed to the old man. She was ready to sprint away when the man spoke again. 

“But be careful, Miss.” The old man warned. “I saw the kid scream at a young lady when she tried to talk to her.” 

Taeyeon frowned at the old man’s remark. She didn’t know what to make out of that information. Before he could utter another word, Taeyeon bowed in a rush and headed to the swing, hoping Minjoo would still be there.

When she finally reached the swing, she took a look around, scanning the area. 

And there she was. A little girl in a white winter jacket, squatting down next to a tree with her palm covering her ears. 

Taeyeon doesn’t know much about autism. But in this situation, she knows that any sudden approach would aggravate Minjoo’s emotions.

She walked in front of Minjoo and squatted, careful not to make any sudden contact.

Families were walking past and staring at them but Taeyeon couldn’t care less. 

“Minjoo-ah. Unnie waseo.” She softly whispered.

The little girl ignored her, still had her palm covering her ears. 

“It’s ok, Minjoo-ah. I’ll keep you company, okay?”

Taeyeon sat down in front of Minjoo. When Minjoo didn’t react, she made herself comfortable on the ground, hugging her knees. She began humming a soft melody while rocking her body with her eyes closed. It went on for more than 5 minutes but Taeyeon had no intention to stop. 

All she could think about was to make Minjoo calm and comfortable. How ironic, isn’t it? For someone who is not fond of kids, Taeyeon is going above and beyond to make sure this little girl in front of her stays calm and safe. 

Just then, her eyes shot open when she felt a hand on her. Minjoo stared at her with teary eyes as she reached out to Taeyeon for a hug. The blonde-haired woman smiled lovingly at the little girl and welcomed Minjoo with an open arm. 

“Is my Minjoo feeling better?” Taeyeon swayed their bodies. Her smile widened when she felt the girl nodded. She softly rubbed the girl’s back, still humming a soft melody. They stayed like that for a while before Taeyeon whispered. 

“Shall we go home now?” Another nod from the girl.

Taeyeon gathered her strength and stood up on her feet while carrying Minjoo. She angled her head slightly downward, wondering what the girl was doing. She grinned at the sight. Minjoo had fallen asleep. 

You must’ve been tired from all the stress. Sleep well, Minjoo-ah.

Taeyeon shifted her weight as she tried to fish out her phone while balancing Minjoo on her arms. She texted Tiffany and asked her to meet at her car. Once done, she slotted her phone back in her pants and made her way to the parking lot. 

When her car was in sight, Taeyeon could see Tiffany and an elderly man running up to her. 

That must be her dad. 

The ride back to Tiffany’s house was silent with only soft music playing in the car. Taeyeon glanced at the rear mirror and saw Minjoo and Mr Hwang sleeping. The old man was hugging the little girl protectively. She then shifted her eyes to Tiffany on the passenger’s side. The woman seemed to be in deep thought.

When they finally reached, Taeyeon helped to open the car door while Mr Hwang carried the sleeping Minjoo. Tiffany had rushed out of the car to unlock the house door in advance.

When they had safely reached the house, Taeyeon bowed to Mr Hwang ready to take her leave but was stopped by him. 

“Thank you, Taeyeon ssi. Thank you so much.” Mr Hwang softly whispered, afraid that Minjoo would wake up. 

Taeyeon shook her head. “It was nothing, Sir, and please do call me Taeyeon.”

Mr Hwang let out a tired smile and nodded. “It’s already late, would you like to stay in and drive home tomorrow? You can sleep in our guest room.”

“Thank you but it’s fine, Sir. I need to get back to the dorm soon.”

“Alright then. Drive safely and please, just call me Uncle.” Taeyeon bowed again as she watched Mr Hwang walk up the stairs and carry Minjoo to her bedroom. 

She then turned to Tiffany who was still quiet when she exchanged words with the latter’s father. 

“Hey, you okay?” Taeyeon gently placed her arm on Tiffany’s shoulder, bringing her back to reality. 

Tiffany nodded and closed the door. “Come on, I’ll walk you to your car.”

Tiffany was still in deep thought as they walked to Taeyeon’s car. She bit her lips trying to string a proper sentence in her head. 

When they finally reached, Taeyeon turned around to see Tiffany strolling with a frown etched on her face and she was still biting her lips. 

What is she thinking about? 

Taeyeon seems to have taken notice that Tiffany would bite her lips when something was on her mind. 

“Are you sure you're alright?” She asked in concern. 

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