"Tae..."

Tiffany slowly opens Taeyeon's room.

"Aunt Kim said you don’t want to go to school today, what's wrong?"

She asked the girl who is sitting on her bed still wearing her pajamas and looking through the window. The sun is rising on the sky and it’s such a beautiful day, Tiffany even came early.

"I just don’t want to go today." Taeyeon said, more like a whispered.

"Is this about last week? It's been three days, are you not feeling well?"

Tiffany moves to Taeyeon's bed and sat beside the quiet girl.

"I'm fine... just don’t feel like going."

"Taeyeon, you shou-"

"I'm fine, Tiffany. Please, I will go to school tomorrow. I just don't feel like going today." Taeyeon said, still not looking at her. Tiffany slowly stands up.

"I'll be downstairs."

"You can go." Taeyeon sounded cold.

"~sigh~"

Tiffany left her.

"Miyoung-ah…"

"Auntie."

Tiffany smiled seeing the woman approach her with a plate of cookies and a glass of juice.

"She still won't go?" She asked as she places the plate on the table. They are currently on a patio near the garden.

Tiffany shakes her head. "She seems colder too."

"It's been three years. I thought that girl won't come back but here she is again. I hate seeing Taeyeon-ah like this. That year after Hyuna left was the worst and the most heart breaking time of my life. Seeing Taeyeon-ah like that broke all of us." The lady said sadly, tears b at the corner of her eyes.

"Auntie, Hyuna... what did Taeyeon did to her? Why is she still after Taeyeon?"

"If only I can answer that maybe we'll find a solution for this problem too but sadly, I can't. Taeyeon-ah won't open up to us too."

"Don't worry, I will protect her. I will protect Taeyeon." Mrs. Kim smiles at her. "Miyoung-ah, thank you... for being always there for her. She needs you more now. Please do not give up."

"I will never."

~knock~knock~

"Tae, dinner's ready. Auntie and Uncle are waiting downstairs." Tiffany said as she knocked on Taeyeon's door.

"Tae?"

No one answered from inside.

"Is she asleep?"

Tiffany turns the knob and the door opened.

"Tae?"

She took a peek inside the dark room. When Taeyeon still didn't answer, she walks in.

"Taeyeon?"

She goes to the bed and it's empty.

"Taeyeon?" She called out but no one answered.

"Taeyeon, where are you?"

She moves around the room.

"Taeyeon-ah!"

She looks worried, searching everywhere inside the room. She was about to go out when she heard silent sobs from the bathroom. She hurriedly pressed her ears against the door and the sound became louder.

She opens the door and the sight she saw broke her. Taeyeon was sitting on the bathroom floor, head hidden on her arms and her knees pressed against her chest, her back leaning on the wall and her shoulders moving up and down indicating crying and not to mention the shower was open and Taeyeon is now so wet and drenched but her clothes still on.

"T-Taeyeon-ah"

Tears are slowly falling from Tiffany's eyes without her knowing. She hurriedly runs to Taeyeon's side and hugs the latter. Being wet doesn't disturb her but seeing Taeyeon so broken and being in this state kills her.

"Tae, Taeyeon-ah..." she called out.

"I'm here, I'm here... please. Taeyeon lean on me. Please tell me, please look at me." She pleaded to crying girl. "Please tell me, you're breaking me." She said. But still no answer was heard from Taeyeon except the sobs. Tiffany's hug around her tightens and Tiffany tried to comfort her with words but she knows those words mean nothing... they mean nothing.

After a few minutes, Taeyeon seemed to have calmed down. Tiffany's hug slowly becomes less tight.

She doesn't want to see Taeyeon's face but she has to. She has to be strong for Taeyeon, for everyone... for her.

She gently cupped Taeyeon's face and turns her so she can see Taeyeon face to face and DARN! The sight kills her more than the sound Taeyeon’s sobs produced.

"Taeyeon-ah..."

"T-Tiffany..." Taeyeon whispered, her voice became hoarse because of crying.

"I'm here..." Tiffany said, her thumbs caressing Taeyeon's cheek. She moves closer to Taeyeon and kissed her forehead.

“Please tell me..." she whispered against Taeyeon's skin.

"Please trust me..."

And there on those words she said, Taeyeon suddenly moved back, looking afraid.

"T-Taeyeon?" This shocked Tiffany.

Why did Taeyeon move away?

"S-sorry..." Taeyeon said, looking down.

"D-did she... say those words too?" Tiffany asked looking at Taeyeon's eyes which are avoiding her.

"Yeah..." Taeyeon answered. Tiffany's blood is boiling... slowly and it isn't good.

"What else happened? What else did she say?" She asked moving closer to Taeyeon. Taeyeon's just looking down. "It's me, Tiffany. I'm not her, I will never be her." She said reaching out to Taeyeon. The latter smiled bitterly. "She said those too." And it stopped Tiffany from moving closer. "S-she said those?"

"Yeah... she said she's different from you. She'll never leave or hurt me, but she did... just like you..."

Tiffany's inside her room. She's just looking through the window, looking nowhere. Her gaze straight to the darkness of the night. The words that left Taeyeon's lips never left her ears, her mind, her heart.

"I hurt her..." she mumbled.

"I hurt her..."

"Yo! Taengoo!" Yuri greeted her shorter friend with a pat on the back.

"You really took your time with that long vacation of yours!" She said, showing a toothy smile.

Of course she knows it's not a vacation. She knows what happened but her friends, especially Tiffany asked her to just act like the usual towards Taeyeon so the latter can have peace even at school. She wants Taeyeon to forget everything when she's at SM, at least when she's out she can smile rather than crying and crying and crying.

"Here!"

A bag of chips was shoved in front of Taeyeon’s face.

"Sharing is hard for me but you know what they say. Sharing is caring.”  Sooyoung said. "You were gone for days and not a single call. At least through those chips feel some guilt!"

"Yah!" Yuri shoved Sooyoung's shoulder glaring at the latter.

'Stop it' she mouthed.

"Taeyeon started it!" Sooyoung complained.

"She's not even making a sound yet!" Yuri replied.

"I gave her my chips!"

"You gave it yourself!"

They were bickering at each other and not caring about the eyes staring at them.

"Pfft..." they turned quiet.

"Ahahaha!"

An ahjumma laugh echoed throughout the four corners of the room. Taeyeon's laughing, she's laughing again! And so the bickers were forgotten and thumbs up were given to each other.

"I missed you guys!" Taeyeon said smiling at her friends.

"So much..."

"Oh! Taengoo! We missed you too!" Yuri said opening her arms wide ready to engulf Taeyeon in a bear hug when

"Just try..."

A faint voice came from before her and she knows exactly who owns it so she stopped and just hugged Sooyoung.

"Eww! What the hell, Kwon!!" Sooyoung pushed her.

"Disgusting!" Sooyoung shouted. "I know I'm beautiful, awesome, and y but please I'm not into skin ships especially with you!"

"Like I have a choice?"

"You don't want to hug me, Yul?" Taeyeon asked showing her puppy eyes behind those glasses. Sooyoung coughed seeing this, even Yuri. "You're done, Kwon." Sooyoung said still looking at Taeyeon. Yuri gulped; again she heard a sound from behind her.

'I'm dead...'

"Taeyeon-ah..." she said.

Things I do for friendship.

And so she hugged Taeyeon.

"Me too!" Sooyoung shouted hugging the sides of Yuri and Taeyeon.

"I love you guys! You more, Taengoo!"

Yuri’s in the school rooftop. The others are in class so she’s alone right now. She skipped one of their class telling the others she’s not feeling well but the truth is someone asked her to come.

“Thanks for earlier.”

“What earlier?”

“The hug and the laugh.”

“I really wanted to give her those. She needs them. So, why did you call me here, Tifany?”

“I wanna ask about Kim Hyuna.”

“So you met the devil already. What do you wanna know?”

“Why is she still after Taeyeon? What did Taeyeon do to her?”

“Why do you like Taeyeon-ah?”

“What?”

“You already know the answer to that. Sooyoung, me and you, what do we have in common? We are all bad girls. And look at us. Sticking like glue to Taeyeon. So? Let me ask you, why do you think so?”

Tiffany’s just staring at her.

“You already know the answer to that. Everyone knows the answer to that.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“Taeyeon is Taeyeon, Tiffany. She’s like that to everyone and I’m sure she showed the same or maybe more to Hyuna, after all their friendship lasted for two years. I think those years weren’t filled with torture coming from the devil only.”

Yuri was going to the rooftop's door. "Oh and Hwang don't stop me from hugging a good friend, look where it got me, Sooyoung's nasty arms." 

Taeyeon and Tiffany are inside the car on their way to the Kim’s. “Tiffany, I’m sorry about last night. I got you wet too.”

“I don’t mind that Taeyeon.”

“Still, I’m sorry.”

“Taeyeon-ah… can I ask some questions? Please answer me?” Tiffany said her eyes still focused on the road. “I will answer if I can.”

“That’s fair enough. Hyuna, why and how did you became friends with her?”

“…”

“Please, I wanna know the truth Taeyeon. It hurts me. Almost everyone knew except me.”

“… Sh-she, she saved me from some bullies, she and her friends. They stick with me from then on, protecting me from the others who tried to hurt me.”

“Then, why did she hurt you?”

“It wasn’t her fault. Hyuna was a good kid, Fany-ah. She protected me and I trusted her.”

“She wouldn’t hurt you if she really is a good kid. So, why?”

“…”

“Taeyeon?”

“…”

“Fine, I’m willing to wait.”

“Sorry.”

“Stop saying sorry. You didn’t do anything.”

Taeyeon turned quiet after that. Minutes later they arrived at the Kim’s. Taeyeon was about to leave the car when

“Taeyeon-ah, I’m sorry if I hurt you before. I’m sorry if I left you. I’m sorry if I broke our promise to come back fast.” Tiffany said tears forming in her eyes. “You came back. That’s all that matters now. It might have taken you longer but still you came back. That’s enough. But please don’t put yourself in harm’s way just to save me, Tiffany. Don’t do something you will regret later just for me.”

“I won’t promise you that Taeyeon.”

“Tiffany-“

“You are important to me. I will do everything to protect you so I will not make a promise I cannot keep.” They are looking at each other’s eyes.

“I’ll see you tomorrow. Good night, tae.”

“Good night, Fany-ah.”