“Taeyeon-ah?”

“Hm?” Taeyeon slurped her morning coffee as she read medical magazine that just came this morning.

“I don’t know if now is a right time to ask but I really need to know.” Tiffany looked at Taeyeon cautiously.

“Shoot.”

“The PTSD thing, do you regularly see your psychiatrist?”

That made Taeyeon paused at what she was doing. She took a sharp breath and turned to the girl beside her. Taeyeon met with gentle eyes as she shook her head.

“I’m okay now, no need psychiatrist.” She said firmly. Tiffany tilted her head and smiled. A smile that made Taeyeon wanted to pour her heart out and say whatever she wanted to say without holding back. “I don’t want to depend on drugs, Fany-ah. I can control my emotion and the dreams… it rarely happens and not that severe anymore.”

“Okay then, Tae. If you need anything, you’d tell me, right?” She didn't want to put more pressure on Taeyeon's sensitive issue.

“Will do.” She went back to her coffee, silently thanking Tiffany for her concern.

Tiffany dropped Taeyeon at the hospital after breakfast. Taeyeon squeezed her arms and mumbled a soft thank you before stepping out from the car. She waved Tiffany goodbye and not taking her eyes off the car before it disappeared at the corner.

-----

Taeyeon dragged the food tray to the cashier lazily. The queue was pretty long since it was lunchtime. Majority of the hospital employees were having meal here. She purposefully ate at this cafeteria at the hospital basement to avoid certain people. She wasn’t a spiteful person, more over to her own best friends. She just needed time with herself to heal. What Yuri said to her was hurtful although she knew Yuri would never mean it that way.

Deep in her soul, she understood their concern. They weren’t just some people. They were her best friend, her family, her persons. She hadn’t asked Tiffany what they did at the night she was drunk. They came and then what? She sighed as she caressed her brows.

The cashier informed her bill. Taeyeon took some cash out from her wallet and gave him the amount of the charge.

“Thanks,” Taeyeon mumbled as she picked up the tray, looking for an empty seat. Most of the seats were occupied. The only one left was near the trashcan. She sighed heavily but moved her limps anyway. She didn’t have much time to wait for another table to finish.

She put the tray then sat. She stared at the almost full trashcan by the corner of her eyes. She nearly lost her appetite if she didn’t remember she had surgery this afternoon. She needed all the energy she could get. Besides, the smell wasn’t that bad. She had eaten at the morgue full of dead body and formalin before. She quickly shrugged off the horrible memory otherwise she’d leave her food to puke.

Taeyeon stuck the straw to the juice box and slurped the liquid. She started eating. The loud buzzing around didn’t bother her. She was concentrating to finish her food rapidly. She wasn’t aware of a pair of feet walked closer to her.

“May I sit here?” A familiar voice politely asked her permission.

Taeyeon looked up only to choke on her chicken.

“Unnie!” The newcomer quickly helped her patted her back.

“Ugh!” Taeyeon coughed more before she could breathe properly. Taeyeon caressed her chest then grinned. She stood up as she pulled her dongsaeng into a tight hug. “Welcome home, YonnA-ya! Why didn’t you tell me you’re back?”

“I wanted to meet you in person rather than from phone call.” She hugged her back. “It’s already been a week, I haven’t got the chance to seek you in this big big hospital. You know, paper work, welcoming party and stuff.” The younger exaggerated.

“Yeah, yeah. Congratulations by the way. Endocrine, huh? That’s pretty cool.” Taeyeon smiled proudly.

“Thanks, unnie. I mean fiuh,” she pretended to wiped her non-existence sweat. “I thought I’d be dead before I’m done with the fellowship. My supervisor is no joke, unnie.”

“Hardcore American people, that’s just how they do. Don’t think about it too much. Now you’re done, you’re our ob-gyn attending now.”

“Yes, finally.” YonnA laughed happily. “Why are you sitting here alone anyway?”

“None other seat, Yoong.” Taeyeon replied.

“You usually have lunch upstairs,” Yonna commented as she chewed her food.

“Don’t feel like it.”

“Or you fight with the unnies.” She said nonchalantly.

“They told you?!” Taeyeon frowned.

YonnA only shrugged.

“They told you!” She said as a matter of fact.

“They don’t. I was just kidding then you said that. Then that means you guys are totally not in a good term.”

Taeyeon shut .

“What happened, Taeyeon unnie?”

“Yoongie-ah, you just got home. I don’t want to trouble you with something unimportant. It is not a big deal. We argue all the time. This is how we are.” Taeyeon explained.

“I’ll dig the other unnies then,” YoonA shrugged again.

Taeyeon could only sigh.

-----

“Okay, now that we are all here. Let’s talk about this.” YoonA turned to the older women after she secured them inside the on call room. She crossed her arms disapprovingly since no one had the gut to say anything. “Seriously?!” She yelled, frustrated. “You guys are older than me, don’t be such a kid. Taeyeon unnie?”

“I have nothing to say.” She shrugged with hard expression.

“Sunny unnie? I look up to you in maturity business, please don’t disappoint me.”

Sunny stole a quick glance towards Yuri and Hyoyeon then gulped the saliva down to as she looked at Taeyeon clenching her jaw.

“Well uhm,” she cleared . “Taeyeon-ah?” She immediately stopped when Taeyeon looked away. Sunny silently pleaded her friends to back her up but the others bowed their head down.

“We’re sorry,” She said barely whisper.

YoonA had been suspicious that it was more than their usual arguments. It was too plain to see. She watched them in silence, didn’t want to interrupt the confession.

“I’m sorry. It was my fault. I came up with the idea and it messed up and we hurt you. I’m so, so sorry.” Sunny explained in one breath.

“What?” Taeyeon frowned.

“It wasn’t her fault,” Yuri finally found her courage. “I said it so it was me to blame. I–”

“What are you talking about? What idea?!” Taeyeon cut in with high tone making the rest of the people in the room shrank in their seat.

“Taeyeon unnie, please calm down. Let them explain first.”

“We want to make you jealous of Yuri,” Sunny spoke again, very quietly. “Because we want you to work out with Tiffany.”

YoonA got more confused than she already was. Tiffany? Who was Tiffany? Why was she had anything to do with this?

“It better be one heck of explanation because frankly this isn’t good enough!” Taeyeon yelled.

“Look Taeyeon, I will tell you the whole story. But please, hold it before I finish.” Yuri chimed in. “When we had dinner at your place, it was time that we all agreed that Tiffany is good for you. She’s perfect for you. But you’re stubborn, you are too drown to your past you can’t realize the great thing is right in front of you. We decided to help and see if the attraction is at least there. We’re right, you like her.” The cardio surgeon scrunched her face as more and more sentences came out from Yuri’s mouth. “I met Tiffany, Sooyoung and Jessica by accident one afternoon when I was craving for sushi. I went to this restaurant way before and it apparently near their office. I went there since the sushi was good.”

“We started hanging out and I really didn’t have a clue that Tiffany didn’t tell you about that. I only had lunch – just the two of us – once. At that time, it was supposed to be the four of us but suddenly Sooyoung and Jessica couldn’t make it. I’m sorry about what I said that day. It was hurtful and you had the right to be mad or even hate me.”

“You know whatever happen between me and Tiffany is none of your damn business!”

“Would you be in this stage with her if it wasn’t because of us?!” Hyoyeon who had been silent finally snapped at Taeyeon. “You really need a slap on your face to finally realize that you need someone else to take care of you! We’ve tried long enough, Taeyeon. You didn’t change. I’m sick of seeing you sleeping around and defend you from all the bad talk behind your back! It is none of my damn business but you. are. my. stupid. damn. person!” She emphasized each word.

Taeyeon’s mouth agape, she was speechless by the sudden outburst. Her anger somehow subsided.

“We’ve tried for years, Taeyeon. You know Tiffany just a few months back yet she can change you for the better. We want the best for you. However, what I said to you was horrible, it was unplanned and I’m terribly sorry. I never meant to hurt you. We never meant to hurt you. The plan was stupid and unnecessary.”

Taeyeon sighed heavily. Never in million years she would’ve thought her best friends would make such a dumb plan. Although in some way it succeed. It did collide some sense to her.

“It is not stupid,” she eventually mumbled. “I’m sorry I’m a jerk. Thank you for caring.”

“I have to agree with you on that, Taeng. You’re a total jerk, but