Tiffany slotted the key into their dormitory door and turned the slot as delicately as she could.

She could feel the exhaustion weighing down deep into her bones and the fatigue drooping over her shoulder like an old coat. They were old friends, and today they had brought a new friend to torment her heart.

She sighed as she staggered into the living room and shone her hand phone to illuminate the clock on the wall.

3:15AM

She groaned internally. She was going to be in trouble if they found out. She could wash up quickly, sneak back into her room and…

“Where were you.”

Taeyeon’s hushed voice rang out, cold as the still air in the living room.

Tiffany winced.

Why her. Why her of all of them.

She turned around slowly to come face to face with Taeyeon’s silhouette in the balcony. With the moon as her backdrop, Taeyeon was practically glistening.

“Tae…I was…”

Maybe today she could borrow some Dutch courage from the remnants of the alcohol she could feel in her system…

“Out.”

Nope.

“We have a recording schedule for our comeback performance in 3 hours and you saw fit to go romping with your boy?”

The venom in Taeyeon’s voice was evident despite her attempt to keep her volume low for the benefit of the other sleeping members.Tiffany felt her temper rise.

“I was not romping with him Kim Taeyeon.” She had raised her voice a notch higher subconsciously.

“Oh really.” The sarcasm in Taeyeon’s voice was cutting.

“I don’t want to quarrel with you,” warned Tiffany, her voice staggering with the effort to keep her tone even. But Taeyeon was too far-gone in her own anger to notice. She took the bait.

“What kind of a boyfriend he must be… getting you drunk in the dead of the night every time… his intentions are obvious you fool!”

“Don’t say that about him! And why do you even care so much?”

“…As the leader I need to inform you…”

“I thought you didn’t want to be the leader anymore Kim Taeyeon? Why are you going all super-nova leader mode on me now!”

“I wouldn’t have to if you weren’t so god damn IRRESPONSIBLE!”

“KIM TAEYEON YOU -”

“Guys…” A voice croaked and then a sigh – the duo turned in sync to see a blondie appeared in the hallway. Their quarrel had woken up the poor inhabitants of the nearest room.

“We’re trying to sleep here, if you haven’t notice. Resume the shouting match tomorrow?”

“Unnies... what’s wrong?” A second voice squeaked and a taller shadow joined the first at the hallway.

“It’s nothing, just Taeny at it again.”

Tiffany scrambled to grab her bag, brushing ruthlessly past her accuser in the balcony as she walked towards the hallway. A sob almost escaped her when she muttered a quick apology to Hyoyeon and Seohyun as she hurried past them, not quite daring to look them in the eye.

In the distance, a door slammed lock.

Taeyeon took a deep breath, sealing her emotions into the tightly lidded jar buried deep in her heart. She brushed her hand through her hair haphazardly, messing up her hair so it reflected the state of her mind.

She stared pointedly at Hyoyeon. “There is no Taeny alright? Never was and never will be.”

Brushing off the stares from the two blearily eyed witnesses, she stalked off into the darkness. Hyoyeon groaned as she rubbed her hands over her face.

Turning to her roommate, she muttered, “Seob, we gotta talk to the rest about this.”

------------------------

“Taeny are really going at it this time…” said Sunny as she wrapped her hands around her head before laying it on the table.

There were seven groans in unison.

Girls’ Generation, bar Taeyeon and Tiffany, were congregated in Seohyun and Hyoyeon’s room, in deep discussion of a matter of national importance. Today was the only day they had a common schedule-free day in the week.

In the days that had passed Taeyeon and Tiffany barely spoke. In fact, apart from their official work commitments they could hardly stand to be in the same room as each other. It was casting a dull on the atmosphere in the dorm, and with their comeback looming the girls knew they had to resolve this issue quickly.

“Taeyeon said she would sooner change her freaking surname than apologize to Fany. Truth be told she actually yelled that, instead of merely saying it...” Sunny continued.

“I got no better. Tiff told me to get out of the room if I was intending to speak up for Taeyeon,” murmured Jessica to her left.

“And her eyes were so red I think she spent the whole night crying, again.”

“Those two always fight and make up afterwards though. Maybe… it’ll work out this time too…?” Hyoyeon’s lack of faith in her own words was palpable.

“There’s something different about this though. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Taeyeon unnie this pissed,” said Seohyun, giving voice to the concern that Sunny was nursing at the back of her mind.

“She usually gives in after a while - it’s like she knows she can never win against Fany unnie. But this time…”

“So we’ve got a plan alright. Tonight,” Sooyoung stepped in confidently.

“Tonight is movie night.”

Sooyoung, Hyoyeon and Yoona shared a smirk.

“Taeny wouldn’t know what hit them.”