A/N

hi, i'm back with another update. this is the chapter that I've promised you, Tiffany's side of story. enjoy it.

Tiffany was working at the café, cleaning the tables and wiping the counters clean. It’s been days that she last saw Taeng, he hasn’t come to school since that day. She asked about it to Yul but she would just get a vague answer. Yul would only say that he didn’t know where Taeng was too, just like his other friends.

She had called Mrs. Kim and asked about Taeng. That didn’t go well when his stepmother broke down over the phone and told her that Taeng’s father was serious about not letting him back into the house. She spent hours over the phone trying to stop Taeng’s stepmother’s crying.

Tiffany felt the guilt building inside her chest. She felt suffocated by it and the only way she could at least take a breather was when she’ll cry every single night she was alone in her apartment, hugging Taetoro to sleep.

It was worse when the people around her started to give her the cold shoulder. Yul and Dennis were the worst towards her. Sometimes they’ll act like she didn’t even exist, even though Jessica and Sunny still treated her the same. Even the boys in the café started to become distant with her. It’s not like they act rudely towards her, but they would no longer fool around with her. She guessed that they must have heard about what happened from her friends. The café that was once a place full of laughter turned somber in that instant that Taeng and her broke up.

Boa came into the café with a serious look on her face. Coincidentally, she too was absent from the café for days, and only sent Tiffany a message saying that she got something to take care off and that she left the café in her care.

Although there were days that Tiffany would want to just sit at home and cry, she still has to come to work because it was her responsibility now.

“Anyoung, Unnie.” Tiffany greeted her boss, with a weak smile.

“We have to talk.” Boa said monotonously, before gesturing her to follow her into an office.

Tiffany closed the door and moved towards Boa slowly. “What is it, Unnie?”

Boa was holding her head in between her palms before she spoke softly.

“What happened?”

“Huh?”

“What in the name of God happened between you two?” Boa repeated as she lifted her head and stared at Tiffany.

Tiffany gulped. “I…”

“I know what you did, Tiffany. I want to know why? How could you do that to him?” Boa felt betrayed. “I thought you love him.”

“I do, Unnie.”

“Then why did you do it!” Boa raised her voice. “The last time I saw him so broken like this was when his mother left him. That was a long time ago, but I’ve made a promise to myself that I would never let something like that happen to him again.”

“I didn’t leave him.”

“But you cheated on him behind his back. That’s worse! Worse than what his mother did to his father because at least Taeng’s father had always known that her heart was not his anymore.” She paused to take a breath. “But you, you cheated on him even after you told him that you’ll never do what his mother did to his family.”

“I didn’t cheat on him.”

“Then tell me what other word that defines seeing another man behind his back? Does that considers it as not cheating on him?”

Tiffany was going to answer Boa but she couldn’t find words to say. Boa had put it in a light that she had never realized it before. She did do all those things. Seeing Thomas behind her boyfriend’s back and lying to him.

“Taeng’s been sick for days. He’s having a fever.” Boa continued after seeing the girl that was quiet.

“How do you know that?”

“He’s at my house. I’ve been taking care of him since a couple of days ago. He’s not recovering well.” Boa massaged her head. She was tired from the nights taking care of a sick Taeng. He hasn’t been this sick before. He keeps on throwing up during the night and having nightmares.. Boa felt bad for leaving him alone at her house but she wanted answers from Tiffany, which was why she decided to confront her about him today.

 “Can I see him?”

“No.” Boa answered flatly. “I didn’t tell you that so that you can see him. In fact I don’t think you should see him anymore after this.”

Tiffany heard the cold and at the same time protective tone in her voice. She gulped nervously. “Unnie, are you…Do you want me to quit?” She knew what Boa was suggesting to her.

Boa was contemplating to nod but she shook her head at last. “No. I don’t want that.” She sighed. “I don’t like mixing business and personal matters together, Tiffany. But it’s really hard for me to look at you right now without picturing a suffering Taeng in my head.”

“I understand.” She bit her lips. “Is he alright, Unnie?”

“What do you think?”

Tiffany looked down. “I’m sorry.” A tear escaped from her eyes.

Boa saw that and felt guilty for being so harsh to her. She was absolutely behind her favourite cousin on this, but seeing the girl crying in front of her told her that something is definitely not right with how they’ve broken up. This girl was too weak to her that she can’t believe she would do something like that. She stood up and walked towards Tiffany slowly. She saw Tiffany wiped her tears away and looked up.

Tiffany was surprised when Boa wrapped her arms around her and pulled her for a hug. She felt like all her burdens had flown away even if it was for a short time. She whimpered in Boa’s embrace, her knees weakened. It’s been so long that she felt an embrace that was this comforting and warm. She finally broke down and let all her tears flowed down her face.

“Syhh..” Boa cooed. “Just let it all out.”

“Unnie..I’m sorry. I…” She choked. “I didn’t want this to happen. I didn’t mean to hurt him.” She struggled to catch her breath. “I love him, I swear I do.”

Boa rubbed her back soothingly and pulled out from the hug. “Then why? Why did you do it?”

“It was a misunderstanding, Unnie. A stupid one and it was all my fault.”

“Are you telling me that the kiss didn’t happen? That Taeng’s eyes were tricking him into believing him that it was a kiss?”

“No. The kiss did happen.”

Boa raised her eyebrow.

“But I didn’t want it, Unnie. Please believe me. I was shocked too when Thomas pulled me and…” She stopped talking and started to cry again. “And he was there to see it. I couldn’t imagine how he felt when he saw it. But his reaction was… I saw his eyes, Unnie. I’m scared. He was so different.”

“You can’t expect me to believe that, Tiffany. Taeng told me that you’ve been seeing him behind his back countless of time. Taeng said that he knows about it but he trusted you. He didn’t expect  that you were having an affair with him.”

“I’m not!”

“Then why? Why did you meet Thomas that day?”

“I was.. I was talking to him.”

“About what?”

“I can’t..”

“So you can talk about this to him, but not to me? To Taeng? Do you expect me to buy that?!” She grew angrier. “Seriously, Tiffany. Why do you find Thomas so easy to talk too compared to your own boyfriend?”

Tiffany kept quiet, searching for words. “I didn’t want him to see me differently.”

“How would he see you differently?” Boa grew impatient. “Tell me, Tiffany!” She shouted at the girl.

“I WAS ALMOST !” She finally lost her will and decided to tell the truth. She dropped to the ground and hugged her knees. “I can’t let him know that. He’ll blame himself again.”

“What?” Boa was astonished. “What do you mean again? What are you talking about?”

“I…” She bit her lips. “I was almost by some jerks from school before and Taeng was there to witness it.”

“I saw how he looked at me then, and I swore to myself that I would never put myself in that light in front of him like that again.” She poured her heart out. “And so it broke me when it happened to me again, I was having nightmares and for a couple of times, I’ve flinched from his intimates approaches towards me. I didn’t want him to feel responsible for what happened to me. I don’t want to put that kind of burden on him. I don’t want to be that girl that he needs to be saving every single time.” She swal