"Are you done yet?" Yuri called out, sitting on the chair in the shop. It was the seventh shop they had been to since the morning and at all the shops they visited previously, Tiffany bought some things. It was no exception in this shop and she looked at the bags around her. Why did she even fall in love with a shopaholic? It had been one month since they had started going out and every time they went out for a date, she would end up waiting for Tiffany at a shop for at least twenty minutes, but she was not complaining.

"Almost done, hold on," Tiffany shouted from the changing room. After a few seconds, she came out with a handful of clothes and walked to the counter. "All of these please."

Yuri looked at her in disbelief. She was going to buy all of that? The last time she looked into Tiffany's wardrobe, it was full. Where did she find any space to fit in all the clothes? "You didn't show me how you look!"

"You're going to see me in those one day anyway, patience." Tiffany swiped her card and keyed in her pin number. She knew Yuri did not like going shopping but she liked pulling her along. Though Yuri always complained, she still accompanied her every time. For the one month they had been going out, Tiffany fell for Yuri a little more everyday. Yuri seemed a bit out of the situation most of the time before they were together but now, she was really protective and took care of her well, as well as giving her the personal space she needed. She took the bags and went to Yuri who was rocking back and forth on the chair. She laughed quietly to herself and picked up the bags around her girlfriend. "Let's go, sorry to keep you waiting again."

Yuri waved it off and took some bags from Tiffany's hands. "I've been doing that for a month. If I mind, I wouldn't have been here right now."

"Yeah, yeah, you're the best," Tiffany leaned her head on Yuri's shoulders and hooked her arms around the latter's. "Should we go back to the cafe to check on Taeyeon?"

"Don't worry about her, she has done that a lot of times."

"No, I mean, she doesn't seem too good this morning."

"Ah? She's having a flu, she'll be fine."

They walked along the streets, hands full of bag. They should have turned back to their car to put the bags but it was too troublesome so they continued walking. Yuri asked Taeyeon to look after her shop for a while because going to her office was always option for her and she had Sunny to manage her schedules. Taeyeon seemed happier for the past month, maybe it was because of Jessica but Taeyeon was so secretive about it. Tiffany told her that Jessica's husband still refused to sign the divorce application form and she was getting pissed off. Jessica and Taeyeon seemed to be closer to each other but none of them said anything about how they felt, though both of them were equally aware of each other's feelings. It was frustrating for Yuri to see that happened because it felt like Taeyeon was waiting in the dark, waiting for someone who did not know when she would be free. Tiffany said Jessica was annoyed at Harvey too but he refused to let go, still naively believing that his wife would forgive him.

"Let's go into this shop!" Tiffany pulled Yuri to a stop in front of another shop. Yuri sighed and nodded. Tiffany quickly landed a kiss on Yuri's cheek and pulled her towards the door.

"How many times do I have to tell you don't do that in public!" Yuri said in a hushed voice and pinched Tiffany's arm.

"Tiffany has no master. Tiffany is a free elf." Tiffany reached out her hand to the handle.

"You're an elf alright," Yuri laughed and stood behind Tiffany. She looked into the shop and saw a woman leaving. She pulled Tiffany back to let the woman leave. The door opened and they stepped aside to make way. She looked at the woman and was stunned for a moment.

"Thank you." The woman smiled at them and said. She looked to Yuri who was standing behind Tiffany and stopped. Yuri? That was Yuri right?

"Uh, Tiffany, let's not go into the shop," Yuri pulled Tiffany forward, away from the shop. "The clothes don't suit you."

"What? Kwon Yuri? I bought most of my clothes from that shop!"

"Yuri? Yuri!" The woman called out but Yuri walked away quickly and soon enough, she was lost in the crowd. She was certain. It was Yuri.

"Yuri? Why are you still pulling me?" Tiffany shook her arms and Yuri let go.

"Sorry baby," Yuri said, touching Tiffany's wrist gently. "Just... I saw someone who I don't want to see."

"That woman?" Tiffany asked.

Yuri nodded, keeping quiet. Tiffany knew something was in Yuri's mind because usually, she would tell her everything, so if she kept quiet, she knew something was up and Yuri did not want to talk about it. For the rest of their date, Yuri seemed distracted and Tiffany knew the reason so she suggested to go back to the cafe.

"Sorry honey, I ruined the date," Yuri apologised.

"Hey, don't worry about it. We still have a lot more dates to go," Tiffany winked and held Yuri's hand as they walked back to the car. "If you want to talk to me about anything, remember I'll be right here alright? Don't keep everything to yourself like Taeyeon."

"Oh please, I'm nothing like Taeyeon. That person literally has the whole world locked up inside her."

"Now now, don't say that about your friend," Tiffany said and Yuri frowned. Something about that sentence did not sound right.

-

"Welcome!" Taeyeon greeted as the wind bell jingled.

"Hey." Jessica walked in and stood in front of the counter. She looked around the shop to see a few customers scatter around, reading, listening to music and studying. "Can we talk?"

"I'm looking after the shop." Taeyeon took a deep breath. "If you have something to say, just tell me here."

Jessica leaned forward and lowered her voice, "Taeyeon, that time Harvey was drunk alright, and I can't just leave him in the bar and not do anything!"

"I forgot about that already," Taeyeon said nonchalantly, typing on her laptop.

"Have you really?" Jessica asked. "Taeyeon, look at me."

Taeyeon looked up to meet Jessica's eyes. She was concerned. One time when she was supposed to send Jessica home, the latter's phone rang and it was a phone call from her husband. For a month, he refused to divorce. From mid-September to mid-October, he held on and Jessica was still not free. Taeyeon said she would wait and she had no intention to stop. She offered to drive Jessica there but she said she would just take a cab. Jessica felt it was quite bad of her to ask Taeyeon to drive her and Harvey back to their apartment so she went to the bar herself. After that night, Taeyeon was a little cold to her and she panicked, again. She was aware of the ability Taeyeon had to sway her feelings and Jessica was not going to deny anymore that she might have already fallen for Taeyeon.

"It's unfair for you, I know, but he's holding on and I couldn't do anything. I've talked to him so many times and everytime I say something, he would think it's you."

"Maybe you should just go back to him." Taeyeon looked down. "He seemed regretful enough."

"What are you saying, Kim Taeyeon?" Jessica asked. There was a slight ache in her chest. "You said you'll wait."

"I didn't say I wouldn't!"

"Then why did you say that?"

"Because..." Taeyeon sighed inaudibly. "You still seem to care so much for him."

"I'm with him for seven years, almost eight. I might hate him for what he has done and some part of me still hurt but he's the man who I have given my first love to."

Taeyeon looked up to her almost as if she was hit. "Then what am I to you?"

Jessica was a bit taken aback because that was the closest Taeyeon got to talking about their 'relationship'. There was no relationship but they knew about each other's mutual feelings. What was Taeyeon to her? At first, she was unsure but a month passed and that was enough for her to clear up her mind a bit. She knew Taeyeon had unconsciously become a part of life and she did not want to lose that. "You're important to me, Taeyeon, more than you can imagine."

"Hey!" Tiffany pushed open the door to the shop and Jessica moved away from the counter. Taeyeon let out a sigh after hearing what Jessica said to her, at least she knew she was not nothing to the latter. Tiffany noticed the weird atmosphere in the shop and looked towards the two who was sitting opposite each other, one behind the counter, one at the table in front of the counter. She turned towards Yuri who was still holding onto her bags. Yuri motioned her to come with her and the both of them went to the rooms.

"What's going on between the two of them?" Tiffany asked the moment they were in the room.

Yuri put down the bags and said, "I don't know how to put this but... I think Taeyeon was unhappy that Harvey refused to let go and Jessica was still..."

"That woman!" Tiffany hissed. She told Jessica many times to ignore Harvey but being the kind soul she was, she would always care for him when he got himself drunk or called her to lie that he was sick. And everytime, Jessica fell for it. Sooyoung and herself did knock some sense into her, literally, and told her to think about Taeyeon's feelings because it was getting more and more evident that Taeyeon liked her. "I told her not to go to that jerk. She's so kind sometimes I just want to lock her up in the apartment!"

"I need to talk to that little kid," Yuri said as she left the room. Tiffany followed her out and there they were, still sitting where they left them. Jessica occasionally looked in the direction of Taeyeon who kept her eyes fastened on the laptop screen, refusing to look at Jessica. If one did not know their relationship, they would think they were a couple who just finished quarrelling.

Then, the wind bell jingled again.

"Welcome!" Taeyeon and Yuri greeted together and in walked the same woman Yuri saw at the shop with Tiffany. Tiffany saw the woman and looked towards Yuri. She noticed a change on her girlfriend's face. Her expression was exactly like the one she had at the shop. Yuri turned to look at Taeyeon who was also looking at the woman but her expression was slightly different. She had hostility written across her face.

"Yuri?" The woman landed her eyes on Yuri first and noticed someone behind her at the counter. "Tae- Taeyeon?"

"Mom," Yuri managed to squeeze out the word from . Tiffany looked, a bit baffled by the situation. Yuri had never mentioned anything about her family before and the person they saw at the shop and now, standing in front of them was Yuri's mother? She looked like she was in her 60s and she was solemnly dressed. When she heard Yuri called her "Mom", it triggered something inside her and her eyes started to glisten.

She then looked towards Taeyeon again. "Taeyeon, is that you?"

Taeyeon's jaws tightened and her frown deepened, eyes narrowing. Her expression was that of anger and Jessica, Yuri and Tiffany looked at her. Jessica was worried. It had been a while since Taeyeon had such hostility in her eyes. The last time she saw them was the time when she brought her bag to Yoris. Tiffany was curious. Who was this woman who could make two seemingly calm people lose their composure? And Yuri, on the other hand was afraid.

Taeyeon's face contorted into a forced and ugly smile, her lips visibly trembling as she tried to steady herself. "Mom."

-

A/N: Sorry for the sudden jump, I didn't want to make the story too draggy...