Tiffany emerged from the bathroom thirty minutes later. Wrapped in the fluffy bathrobe and hair still damp, the rich girl walked right by Taeyeon to the couch without casting even a glance at her. Taeyeon made no comment. It wasn’t any of her business if Tiffany was acting like a petty, spoilt brat. As her bodyguard, what Taeyeon was responsible for was her safety and only her safety.

“If you’re done, I’ll take a quick shower,” said Taeyeon. Tiffany didn’t reply, so she went ahead. It was a quick shower, barely five minutes long, and Taeyeon was back in the room, drying her hair. The rich girl in question was on the phone and shortly after she put it down, changed into a black and white outfit for the night. She curtly informed Taeyeon about her plans for supper with her friends when Taeyeon asked. And that was all the words they exchanged until they left the room to meet Tiffany’s friends.

Down at the lobby were Yuri, Yoona and Seohyun and they fussed over Tiffany a little, which made her considerably more cheerful than before. Taeyeon trailed behind them, keeping a respectable distance as they headed out to the supper place and did not join them at their table even though Seohyun had invited her. One look at Tiffany’s eyes was enough for Taeyeon to know that she was not welcome and she had no wish to incur the unnecessary tantrum of a Miss Tiffany Hwang.

Taeyeon intended to maintain the status quo for the rest of the night out, staying apart from them, yet close enough to run interference should anything happen. It didn’t bother her even though Tiffany’s friends seemed uncomfortable with it. This was her job. This was what she was paid to do. However, it appeared that Tiffany’s friends were insistent on bringing Taeyeon in, based on the frequency of their eyes on her and true enough, Seohyun came over to drag Taeyeon to their table when they got to a new place.

“Come, sit,” said Seohyun, not letting go of Taeyeon’s arm until she was seated at the table with them. “We want you to join us.”

“I’m supposed to be guarding Tiffany.”

“You can guard her better now that you’re closer, right?” Seohyun countered.

Taeyeon smiled. “I actually prefer to keep a small distance and watch the surroundings.”

“But we want to hear about your heroic rescue,” Yuri added.

“We have to be sensitive,” said Taeyeon, glancing at Tiffany. “She might not want to hear about the incident right now.”

“Oh, that’s true.” Yuri looked at Tiffany apologetically as Yoona smacked her arm in mild rebuke. “I’m sorry.”

“Nah, I’m totally fine now.” Tiffany’s eyes met Taeyeon’s. “Tell them. They wanna know.”

With a shrug, Taeyeon looked around at the eager eyes of Tiffany’s friends. “Alright, since you said so.”

¤¤¤

Soon, the girls were tipsy and merry, including Tiffany. But Taeyeon remained sober, all the more alert and on the lookout. Unlike the clueless girls who believed that the men were simply robbers who were looking for cash and valuables to steal, Taeyeon thought otherwise and although she didn’t think they would make another attempt in Singapore, the last thing she wanted to do was let her guard down and allow something to happen.

It was about a quarter to midnight when Seohyun raised her arm and asked that they return to their hotel. It was time to rest, she told them and insisted on ending the night out there and then. Taeyeon supported the notion too and between the two of them, they managed to get the girls to go back. After all, they had a flight to catch the next day.

After sending Tiffany’s friends back to their room, Taeyeon found herself left alone to bring a tipsy Tiffany back to her room. Tipsy Tiffany had forgotten to be mean to her and was clinging to her arm like they were best friends. She was also giggling at random things like the elevator button that lit up when she pressed it and their reflection in the gold-plated doors of the elevator.

“You’re totally shorter than me,” said Tiffany, wearing a silly grin on her face. “You’re not really that good at fighting, right? It’s not fair. Why are you pretty and good at fighting? It’s.