Taeyeon could hear the sharp intake of breath from the girl besides her and a gasp from Jaehee but she could barely focus on them. Tiffany let out her signature smirk as she walked towards them in confidence stride.

She then stopped in front of the girl besides her.

“Let’s just assume I have slept with half the guys from the campus? What’s it to you?”

“…”

“I don't even have to lift a finger to make a guy drooling over me. Can you even make a guy you’re interested fall for you?”

The girl’s face went red in anger and shame instantly but she didn't respond. Taeyeon could only stare at Tiffany acting like The Queen that she’s rumoured to be, gaping at the smug grin, the arrogant stares and the diva stance of the latter.

“If I am a piece of meat, then I’m sure no one at the campus will be the least interested in you after they got a taste of me.”

“You !”,The actual  snarled as she raised her hand to slap Tiffany. Taeyeon immediately prepared to hold her hand off Tiffany. But Tiffany went ahead and grabbed the girl’s hand harshly.

“And you, Jaehee”, Tiffany looked at the gossip girl who had been silent throughout the whole ordeal, “You told me you owe me after I did your assignment. Remember?”

“…”

“Don't you have a voice? I’m pretty sure I heard your voice loud and clear less than ten minutes ago.”

“Y-yes.”

“Well, what you have to do for me in return as a favour of you achieving your very first A in two years of your degree will be”, Tiffany paused, “making sure that not a single student ever hears or knows about what happened here. Got it?”

“ What? Too ashamed to be known as a ?” ,The girl that Tiffany was holding sniggered.

Tiffany smirked at the remark and shrugged, “I’m already a  to you gossiping low- lives. Another petty gossip means nothing to me.”

“But if you ever dare trash talked about Taeyeon or any of her friends, I will make sure I can be a real that you won’t even dare to step a foot inside the campus.”

“…”

“Don't test me, Son Eunyoung. You don't want to be an enemy of Tiffany Hwang.”

“…”

“And you”, Tiffany made sure Jaehee also got the right message, “ If I ever hear a single nonsense about Taeyeon, I will assume BOTH OF YOU as the masterminds and I'm sure you know the ending to that.”

Tiffany held Taeyeon by the wrist, bumping into the rude girl intentionally by the shoulders and left the restroom.

___________

“Do you wanna sit down?”

Taeyeon asked Tiffany softly as she felt her shaking through the hand that was holding her. They were now standing at the rooftop of the restaurant after Tiffany dragged her along without saying a single word and she also didn't pull out.

Maybe the touch was warm or she was still shocked, she didn't care.

Tiffany let out a small chuckle and nodded. She sat on a nearby bench and closed her eyes, breathing in slowly. A warm feeling was felt over her shoulders, covering her sleeveless top. She looked up and saw Taeyeon looking around except her with a small blush on her cheeks.

“I-I’m wearing a sweater so just put on my jacket for a while.”

Tiffany bursted into tears.

Taeyeon immediately went over to the latter, freaking out internally. Tiffany instantly hugged her by the waist tightly and hid her face in their embrace, wetting Taeyeon’s sweater in the process. Taeyeon could hardly care even if her mascara and makeup were stained in the process.

But she couldn’t stand Tiffany’s crying.

“Please don’t cry? They don’t deserve your tears.”,Taeyeon comforted the brunette beauty as she patted her back. Taeyeon’s grip tightened around Tiffany as she heard the latter’s trying to stop her crying as she sobbed.

This was Tiffany Hwang.

The It-Girl of the Campus, the Queen of the University, the Beauty of the Major. They were the titles that people dubbed her. She didn’t choose it. She became a spectacle to be gawked at, hated, admired and lusted after.

And Taeyeon could see Tiffany made sure she fit the persona that people made of her. She dressed to impress, dated guys after guys and did nothing to correct the rumors. But the beauty was actually one of the most sincere and genuine persons she’s ever known.

Now here she was, crying over the usual bathroom gossip that some ignorant students started.

The sobs eventually slowed down, replaced by a few sniffs. Taeyeon took out the tissue from her pant pocket which she intended to use in the restroom in case there wasn’t any tissue.

“Here”

Tiffany leaned back a bit and looked at the tissue in Taeyeon’s left hand. Her eyes was red and her mascara were smudged with makeup around her eyes as Taeyeon predicted.

“It’s clean. I took it from our dining table.”

“…Thank you.”

Tiffany slowly took the tissue and wiped away her tears.

Taeyeon awkwardly stepped away from Tiffany and looked around the surrounding. The hug happened by instinct at the heat of the moment, just to comfort somebody in pain. Now that they were not exactly in speaking terms, Taeyeon didn’t know how to escape this weird atmosphere.

Glancing at her watch, Taeyeon discreetly looked at Tiffany again. The latter was hanging her head low, her gaze focused on her worn out tissue in her hand.

“I-I should go. You might want to be alone for a while.”

Taeyeon turned around and prepared to leave the rooftop.

“Stay.”

A small voice halted her steps. Taeyeon turned back to see Tiffany looking at her straightly.

“Stay.”

________

Yuri worriedly ran up to the stairs leading to the rooftop of the restaurant. Taeyeon could do bizarre things when she got drunk and she hoped this wouldn’t be one of these moments.

She hurriedly open the latch of the door and greeted by the chilling cold air of Seoul. She looked to her left and Taeyeon stiffly sitting besides Tiffany, hugging the latter sideways whose head was hanging low.

She slowly approached the duo, “Hey, are you guys okay?”

Taeyeon nodded and looked at Yuri, “ We are fine.”

“You didn’t try to jump and prove you have Superman’s blood, did you?” ,Yuri blurted remembering one incident involving drunk Hyoyeon and Taeyeon trying to jump over the two storeyed building to show that they’re superheroes.

“HAHAHAHA!”,A laugh erupted from Tiffany as Taeyeon blushed furiously and glared at the tan woman in front of her.

This baboon , I outta….

“Tiffany, did you cry?!” Yuri went to Tiffany in concern when she saw Tiffany’s reddening eyes and nose after the latter raised her head while laughing.

Tiffany immediately stopped laughing and turned her head sideways.

“I-I’m fine.”

“Is it okay for us to leave first?”

Yuri looked at Taeyeon and saw her best friend seemed to be actually sober.

“I think so? What happened though?”

Taeyeon ignored her friend’s question and continued," I might leave earlier with Tiffany first. She needs some rest."

Yuri decided not to probe further, noticing that something actually happened but she couldn’t guess. Taeyeon would eventually tell her later.

“It’s okay. I will tell our friends that you felt a bit sick so you needed to leave early.”

Taeyeon nodded, “Thanks.”

“And here’s your bag”, Yuri handed the bag to the owner.

“C-can you also bring me my handbag?”

Taeyeon looked at Tiffany and felt the latter trembling which made her grip around her tighten at the tension in her body.

“Can you wait here for a while then? I will go and take your