A/N: Thanks for all the comments and subscriptions! So... my last chapter showed how unclear I've written things, so sorry about that... Here are some explanations, hope it helps: 

(1) Jessica and Taeyeon had been dating 9 weeks by the time they went for the Mallipo beach outing (since Jessica had 2 months to prepare for her upcoming match)

(2) Taeyeon does not think Jessica's mom murdered her family and there's no connection. It's just that with her breaks she's getting to think about things she never had time for and talking to Krystal just made her remember her family. 

CHAPTER SIX: Truth

When Taeyeon reported for work Monday morning, Jessica was not at the gym. Tiffany confronted Taeyeon immediately, pulling her aside.

Taeyeon stared right back. When she looked in the mirror this morning, the bridge of her nose was still purple and her split cheek still required bandages. Jessica had probably ed to Tiffany about her side of the story. "Well? Are you going to 'break my face'?"

"I'm a woman of my word," Tiffany replied. Taeyeon cursed and crumpled against the wall when Tiffany popped her in the mouth. 

"Why are you even here? You're fired."

"You're not my boss."

"Don't worry. Old Man Lee is," Tiffany said. When they went back into the training area, Tiffany told Mr. Lee in a loud voice how much of a Taeyeon had been to sob-story Jessica, and indeed she got fired. Taeyeon walked out of the gym with the other trainers and gym go-ers glaring at her.

She went back to the goshiwon and flopped on Hayeon's bed. Her face was not going to pass any job interviews today. Then she went to the restroom to do business.

When she got back, she heard crying and voices. She stopped outside the closed door and leaned close.

"-when I needed you." Hayeon's voice.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I should have gone with you. I'm sorry." Taeyeon recognized it as Minji.

"It's too late."

Taeyeon shook her head. Hayeon should give Minji a chance.

"I know I am. I'm sorry. I can't imagine how you must have felt. Doing it all alone. I'm sorry."

"It's okay."

"Hayeon-ah..."

"I'm the one... who k-k-killed," Hayeon choked up. Taeyeon's eyes widened.

"I'm sorry, so, so sorry."

Minji and Hayeon started another bout of sobbing. Taeyeon waited, frozen at the door in anger and fear. People walked past behind her but she ignored whoever it was. Taeyeon wanted to barge into the room, but what would she say?

"She was mine, Minji."

"Sssh, it's in the past now. She's in heaven now. Don't worry, God will take care of her. She didn't have to come into this world and experience its darkness. She's in the best place she can be now."

Hayeon started crying hysterically again behind the door. Taeyeon felt tears slip down her own cheeks. She stifled with a hand.

Minji emerged from the building alone and walked towards the bicycle rack. Taeyeon approached her then. Minji's eyes were bloodshot and puffy.

"Taeyeon-unnie," Minji said, surprised. "What happened to your face?"

Taeyeon said nothing. She felt lightheaded and exhausted, and she let it show on her face so that Minji would read the situation correctly. "You heard."

Taeyeon nodded. They went to a cafe nearby. Taeyeon ordered Minji a tall Americano and a free cup of water for herself.

"Minji, please, tell me everything."

"Okay."

"I won't get mad at you or Hayeon," Taeyeon said. "Please just tell me the truth."

"I promise, unnie... It was before university, about three months ago. When we went to Busan. Remember that?"

"Yes."

"Remember, Hayeon went to KAIST for her interview, but didn't have enough money for the bus back, so she came to my place to stay," Minji said. "But on the way to my house, she was... attacked by a man."

"Who?"

"We don't know. Hayeon didn't want to go to the police either. She recovered at my house. We told my parents that she was sleeping over for the weekend. They were actually in Busan for a business trip. But Hayeon and I didn't go like she told you."

"Why didn't she want to tell me?"

Minji paused. She rubbed at her cup. "Unnie, Hayeon really looks up to you. You two haven't had the chance to be together much, but she understands how much you sacrificed because of her one request to stay with you."

Taeyeon could not smile at the words she never knew she needed to hear until now. She looked at her hands.

"You were working all the time and she didn't want to affect you."

Hayeon still should have told her. Taeyeon clenched her fists under the table.

"She was very ashamed of herself," Minji said. "I thought that was awful enough, but then she missed her period. We were worried because of what just happened. She bought pregnancy tests, and when they were positive, we went to the clinic to confirm it. And then, she wanted to get rid of the baby because she needed to go to university."

It would be hard to get the scholarship, to get professors to like you and get a job if you were pregnant or a single mother. Taeyeon understood, but she did not want to.

"And then," Minji's face crumpled. "Here is where you should scold me, unnie. I was a terrible friend. She needed money for the abortion, but I wouldn't lend it to her because I didn't think it was right. I don't know how she got the money, but she did and I wasn't there for her when she went through with it alone. And we didn't talk after. I think you know we fell out."

Taeyeon let the girl cry as she sat, soaking it all in. She drained her cup of water. "She told me she needed cram school so I gave her the money."

"I'm sorry that you didn't know the truth, unnie."

Taeyeon shook her head. She had not given Hayeon the full sum that she had originally requested. Hayeon must have gone for a cheaper, less safe operation. Yet again, she was not enough to provide for her little sister.

"Thank you for being there for Hayeon all this time, Minji. I know I don't have the right to say anything about this, but I hope you continue to do so. You've been the best friend I could ever wish for Hayeon."

"Thank you, unnie," Minji sobbed.

Taeyeon went back to the apartment. Hayeon was out. Maybe she was at the library studying. Taeyeon could not assume such things anymore. She was afraid that Hayeon was somewhere, wallowing in sadness, unable to concentrate on the life in front of her.

She went to the food stall early to help Sooyoung set up the tentage. While they made preparations, Taeyeon told Sooyoung about her breakup and getting fired from the gym. 

Sooyoung was furious. "I'll kick them out if they dare come here tonight." 

But neither Jessica nor Tiffany showed up.

The customers expressed their concern when they saw Taeyeon's injuries, and it was nice to receive some comfort after such a long day. Taeyeon kept her spirits up and made sure that she approached her customers with as much energy as she usually did.

Then the SunHyoSeo and YoonYul gang arrived, and they had a million questions for her.

"My ex flipped out when we broke up," Taeyeon said. It was technically true.

"Jessica?" Yuri and Sunny shouted. Yep. The one and only who they went out on a couple date with to the movies and patbingsoo.

"Did you go to the police?" Hyoyeon asked.

"I don't want to."

"Taeyeon..." Sunny said.

"Let me check your injuries," Yuri said. Taeyeon let the nurse take her out of the stall. Yuri peeled off the bandaids covering Taeyeon's cheekbone. "That's a laceration. It's not big but it needs to be cleaned very well. Did you use antiseptic?"

Taeyeon shook her head. Yuri told her to go back to work, and actually went all the way to her clinic and back to get supplies. She cleaned the open cut properly and covered Taeyeon's cheek with a wad of gauze before holding it in place with medical tape. She gave everything to Taeyeon in a plastic bag and told her to take care of herself.

"Thanks, Yuri-unnie."

"No problem."

Back at the table, the five talked about how they would kick Taeyeon's ex-girlfriend's MMA , and Taeyeon chuckled with them.

Then work finally ended, and Taeyeon could tell Sooyoung about the really important news about Hayeon. To her surprise, Sooyoung did not explode. She did not even look alarmed.

"You knew?"

"I'm at the goshiwon in the day," Sooyoung said. "I get a lot more time to see Hayeon. I had my suspicions. I pressed her for the information, but she made me promise not to tell you."

Taeyeon stayed silent.

"I'm sorry, Tae."

"I don't know," Taeyeon finally said. She could not look Sooyoung in the eyes. "I don't think I will able to help with the cleanup or go to the market with you today."

"Taeyeon..."

"Don't worry, I'll be back tonight. I promise I won't stay mad," Taeyeon said. "I love you. And Hayeon too."

Sooyoung wiped her eyes. "I understand. I'm really sorry."

"It's okay." And she her heels and walked out. She kept going. The sky turned bright as the sun climbed the sky. She stopped when she was blocked by Han River. She checked her phone. There were no unread texts or missed calls. In a few hours, Jessica would be on a plane to America. Good riddance. She did not think she could deal with more than one problem at a time.

When she went back to the goshiwon, Hayeon was in the room. Taeyeon told her that she knew about the baby, and Hayeon shook in her arms like a leaf as she cried. They stayed in the embrace for a long time.

"SOOYEON 'JESSICA' JUNG'S FIRST LOSS: TAPS OUT TO RONDA ROUSEY'S ARMBAR."

Taeyeon stared impassively at the phone that Tiffany had at her. Tiffany had come at ten, an unusual time for her. Sooyoung demanded that she leave, but the boxer stood her ground until Taeyeon agreed to talk to her.

"So?"

Tiffany twitched, and Taeyeon blushed when she shirked away. Eating and brushing her teeth had only just started to not hurt. It would be troublesome if she got hit again.

"Is it my fault she lost to someone ranked higher than her?"

"She lost in one minute in the first round," Tiffany said. "Rousey has done it before, but Jess trained a lot for that. And Jess doesn't lose."

"I don't know what she told you, but this isn't my fault. So go away, Tiffany-ssi."

Tiffany grabbed her shirt, and Taeyeon's hands involuntarily raised to cover her face.

"Hey! Get off her or I'll call the police!" Sooyoung shouted, running out of the stall with a two-foot ladle in her hand.

Tiffany faked a punch and smirked when Taeyeon flinched. Then she snatched her phone back and went away.

"What did she want?" Sooyoung asked.

"Jessica lost her match," Taeyeon said. "Tiffany wanted me to feel guilty."

"You better not be."

"I'm not."

"Good."

"Yeah..."

"You better not," Sooyoung repeated. Taeyeon sighed and went to clean up a table.

Jessica's left arm was striped with blue tape. Other than that, the rest of her was unmarred. It was a strange sight considering that her match had only been two days ago. Even Taeyeon still had two bandaids over her cheek. They had only been away from each other for a week, but it felt like years.

"And what do you want? Tiffany-ssi already came to intimidate me a couple days ago."

"Get in the car."

"No."

"It's two and Sooyoung can handle those customers. Get in."

"No."

"Please get in. I need to talk to you."

Jessica never begged. Taeyeon almost caved. "No, Jessica-ssi. I have no reason to answer to you. Especially not if you're going to beat me up again."

Jessica sighed. She left her car at the sidewalk and went into the tent. She sat at a table. "Give me one bottle of soju, please."

Jessica never drank. To her, it lacked discipline and was just empty calories. Taeyeon fetched a shot glass and a bottle of Jinro and placed it on the table and walked away. She watched as Jessica drunk herself into a stupor in under half a bottle. The woman slumped over the table. Taeyeon and Sooyoung ignored her and continued with their business. There were always people who went to pojangmachas to drink their sorrows away. When Sooyoung moved to Hongdae, they would never have to tolerate such customers again. She had already obtained a lease agreement.

When they were closing down, Taeyeon walked over to Jessica. It was amazing how the woman had managed to sleep through the morning crowd. She tapped Jessica on the shoulder. "Jessica-ssi, wake up."

"Taeyeon-ah, please let me talk to you."

"We're closing shop. Just say it here and leave."

"I need to talk to you privately. Tiffany is wrong. I don't think my loss had anything to do with you at all. But what I want to talk about can only be said between the both of us."

"Okay, you said your piece, and I heard it," Taeyeon said. She took the half-empty bottle and shot glass from the table.

"I'm sorry," Jessica said quietly. 

Taeyeon hesitated. "Apology accepted. And I'm sorry for saying about your family. It was low and unneccessary and I shouldn't have done it. But you hit me and you'll do it again next time. So please stay away."

When Jessica did not budge, she turned to Sooyoung. "Soo, help me see this customer out. She won't leave."

Sooyoung threatened Jessica with the police and the woman left.

A/N: Thanks for reading and let me know what you think!

Hope Taeyeon gets well soon! And that she'll be back at 100%. It was nice to see her Instagram get flooded with nice comments for once. It was strange to see the incessant comments on other sites make a big deal out of being apathetic or vengeful just because Taeyeon was some famous person they didn't care about or hated.