“Okay, Taeyon, let me get this straight. Tiffany will move in with you tomorrow? As in less than 24 hours from now?”

“Yes, Sunny. You’ve straightened this issue for dozen times already. Stop it.” Taeyeon rolled her eyes.

“Oh my God! Who would’ve thought! I mean, she’s moving in with you. It feels surreal, you know?”

“Listen here, you shorty. I barely know her. I only see her once–”

“But you will see her everyday from now on.” Sunny snatched off her sentence.

“It’s not the point! Seriously! Why are you being like this? My freedom is over, Sunny. Don’t you get it? Mom and dad would kill me if they ever find out that I have a lot of flings. Especially now, when they expect me to marry their best friend’s daughter.” She said it in one breath and sighed dramatically at the end.

“Well… that is what I’m talking about. Aren’t you tired? You act like you don’t care but I know you better, Taeyeon. What you did is not healthy. Why can’t you see this as a positive thing?” Taeyeon raised her eyebrows, indicating Sunny to make it clear. “I think it’s time for you to let go your past and start living the present. Your parents want the finest for you. I’m sure Tiffany is a good girl. You don’t know her yet to make bad judgment of her. So please, I’m begging you as your best friend who loves you very much, try your best.”

“I don’t want to get attached to anyone, Sunny. You know that,” She spoke tiredly. The bottom of her stomach suddenly felt like it twisted, remembering the certain scene she can never forget.

“Hey,” the blonde nudged her friend softly. “Tiffany is not her. I don’t know this Tiffany either but I trust your parents. If they’re not sure about this, they wouldn’t offer it from the beginning.”

“Force it, is the actual word,” The doctor stared blankly at her lunch. All this time, she’d been avoiding any kind of attachment to anybody. What she did was just for fun and nothing meant. She wasn’t sure about the idea of letting Tiffany, who was practically a stranger, into her messy live. Taeyeon was lost in her own thought to realize her phone was ringing inside her lab coat pocket.

Sunny threw her fries, earning a deathful glared from Taeyeon.

“Your phone,” she simply said. Taeyeon took out her cell phone as she noticed the familiar caller ID on her screen.

“Mom?” She greeted the older woman.

“Hey Sweety. Take you long enough to answer, are you busy?” She asked.

“Umm, not really.” She spoke hesitantly, she had a bad feeling regarding the phone call. “Why? What’s up?”

“I just want you to know that half of Tiffany’s stuff will be delivered tonight, perhaps you could make home before seven?”

“Why? I thought she’d move in tomorrow?” Her unpleased tone went unnoticed by her mother.

“It’d make tomorrow less hectic, duh! Just be home early, okay? I wish we could help but your father business hasn’t done yet. And honey, please don’t make unreasonable excuse.”

See?

“Okay mom, I’ll be home before seven. Happy?”

“Very. Now go back to work and kick some . Bye sweety!” She hung up.

-----

Taeyeon ran for her live as she entered her apartment building in bullet sweats. She had promised her mom she’d be home by seven but when she woke up in on-call room, the clock on the wall had showed 8.19 p.m. instead. She was drained from long surgery. She fell asleep when she finally met a neat bed. Her phone was out of battery and her pager was nowhere near her. So basically she knew nothing about a hundred missed calls from her parents.

She woke up due to loud bang as two other surgeons kissing passionately stumbled into the room. That had shocked Taeyeon to death. The couple abruptly stopped their activity and left the room in hurry. She quickly regained her consciousness, hastily looking for her phone and found it completely blank. She blindly searched for her pager in the darkness. It was located under the bunk beds. Taeyeon groaned at 911s from Sunny. It must be her parents. When they can’t reach Taeyeon, they’d call Sunny for help.

The elevator was still on fourth floor. She ran her hand through her hair anxiously, waiting for it to come down rapidly. When the ding rang through the hall, she pushed aside other people from the opposite direction and roughly pressed her apartment level button.

She freaked out when she saw no one in her doorstep, not even a suitcase. Taeyeon ran back to the elevator, prayed for it to descend faster. She was out of her mind. The image of her mother scolding her because of her ignorant act terrified her.

“Ms. Taeyeon?” A young man approached her.

“Have you seen a girl a little bit taller than me, her hair um – I don’t know might be black? She probably carried a lot of luggages? She was supposed to be here like two hours ago.” She said out of breath.

“Yes, Ms. Tiffany Hwang? She asked for you. She’s sitting with her friend in the lobby at the moment, Miss.” He replied politely.

“Thanks.” She ran again.

Taeyeon had to accept the fact that she was stupid. Tiffany had never been to her apartment before. The security didn’t know her, she didn’t inform them about Tiffany. Why in the world did she sprint in flash to her door when she should’ve known that the doorman wouldn’t let Tiffany enter the elevator without explicit permission from her.

Taeyeon let out a breath as the figure of Tiffany and her friend came to her sight. Tiffany’s hair was brown. Guess who didn’t pay much attention? Right. Taeyeon.

She gulped hard. Her footstep became heavier in each move. She honestly felt guilty for neglecting Tiffany.

“Hey.” Taeyeon greeted her in regret. “I’m sorry I’m late.” She bowed her head when Tiffany looked up to her, unable to make eye contact.

“You’re sorry? You’re two hours late!” Taeyeon turned her head to the other girl beside Tiffany. Her face was annoyed.  Taeyeon rolled her eyes and ignored her.

“Where are your things? Let’s get them upstairs.” Taeyeon changed the subject. She hated awkward moment like this.

“Wow, so much for sincere apologize,” Tiffany’s friend muttered under her breath but loud enough for Taeyeon to hear.

“Who are you?” She snapped.

“Jessica Jung, and you Kim Taeyeon, you’re one heck of a person. I can’t believe your parents actually matchmaking you with her.” She turned towards Tiffany who had not uttered a word since Taeyeon’s arrival. Jessica missed the dagger Taeyeon threw by her stare.

“Come on,” Tiffany nudged Jessica to stand up. “I’m tired, I want to go home.” She didn’t even spare a glance at Taeyeon. “There are my belongings, all of them. Now would you please tell me your room password?”

“654321.” There was something in Tiffany’s voice that made her obeyed her order in an instant. Maybe because it was dangerously low that frightened her.

“I’ll be here at ten tomorrow morning. I’ll be on my way now, I hope I don’t trouble you with that.” She nodded to the direction of total five large suitcases. She then walked away.

“Wait!” Taeyeon shouted. “Aren’t you going to help me with these?”

“I was going to but she’s running late on her curfew. Being a responsible friend that I am, I have to take her home now, so…” Tiffany pointed Jessica. “Please take care of my things, Taeyeon.” She bowed a little and went straight to the exit, leaving Taeyeon dumbfounded.

Curfew? What curfew? How old was she? Seven?!

-----

Her muscles ached. Even with the doorman’s help, her muscles were still aching.

Taeyeon caressed the back of her neck as she passed by the nurse station towards attending lounge. She wasn’t supposed to be at work today because her mother had straightforwardly told her to help Tiffany move in but she was beyond pissed to that woman that she purposely disregarded her mother’s order.

“What are you doing here?” Yuri stopped stirring her coffee.

“I’m working. Give me a cup.” Taeyeon took a pair of clean scrubs from her locker as she changed to it slowly.

“I thought you’re not working today? Something happened with Tiffany? She’s not moving in?” Yuri asked right away. Even though she sensed Taeyeon was in bad mood, the need to know her friend’s latest news was way more important than getting nagged from the shorty.

“Oh how I wish,” Taeyeon said wearily. “Let’s just not talk about her, shall we?”

“Why?” Yuri handed the coffee to Taeyeon.

“Because I said so.”

“But Tae–”

“No.”

“Will you talk to Sunny about it then?”

“No.”

“Oh come on! You have to talk to one of us!” Yuri yelled earning disapproving look from Tayeon. “Sorry.” She added then grinned awkwardly.

“Why?” Taeyeon pursed her brows.

“Because we need stuff to talk about aside from dying patients.” Yuri stated as it a matter of fact.

“You guys talk about me behind my back?!” The cardio surgeon couldn’t believe her friend would do something like that.

“It’s not a bad thing, Taeyeon-ah. You couldn’t possibly think we talk bad about you, could you?” The tanned girl spoke calmly. “Besides, we also make a plan from of it.”

“What? What plan? What–” This conversation was confusing Taeyeon.

“Nothing of your concern whatsoever.” Sunny all of sudden cut her off as she walked into the room from the toilet. “Yuri-ah, I need your help with my patient, burn trauma, we need to do skin graft on him.” She dragged Yuri to the door leaving the dumbfounded Taeyeon alone.

“But I’m a general surgeon? What do you want to do with me?” She asked bewilderedly.

“I don’t know, but I’d do anything to stop you from talking nonsense to her.” She mumbled under her breath. “This is supposed to be a secret, Yuri!” She said lowly once she closed the door behind her.

“Oh? Right! I’m sorry. I forgot that for a sec. She wouldn’t tell me why she’s here, so I kind of accidently leak it a bit.” She bit her sandwich before continued, “And it’s not like I tell her everything. She still has no clue what kind of plan we have, so chill, Soonkyu.” Yuri patted her friend’s shoulder.

“Yuri, she’d kill us if she ever finds out and I’m not keen to the idea of die young.” The blonde her forehead. She didn’t dare to imagine what would happened if she wasn’t there in time. “Look, we’re still on on our plan, just keep it from Taeng, okay? Do not, I repeat, do not ever mention it in front of her ever again.”

“Okay. I was over excited, you know?”

“Trust me, you’re not the only one who’s eager.”

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