***

Taeyeon makes her decision once she and Tiffany leave the meeting room and walk back to their respective offices together.
 

She can’t just let it pass.
 

She can’t.
 

Tiffany doesn’t spare her a glance as the former unlocks her office and enters it. Taeyeon reaches out and stops the door from closing with the palm of her hand, pushing it open while trying to calm her racing heart.
 

“May I speak with you, Tiffany-ssi?" She tries to keep her voice even.
 

Tiffany turns back around to face her, surprise evident in her face. “…Yes?”
 

Taeyeon swallows and takes a deep breath through her nose, willing for the right words to come pouring forth. “For someone who speaks so highly about ‘professionality,’ you sure didn’t seem to practice it back there.”
 

Okay, her words were right – maybe a tad too emotional – but the dam has been smashed open, and Taeyeon barely finds the will to filter herself.
 

Tiffany's mouth drops open at her blunt remark. “Wh- ”
 

“That was rude and uncalled for,” she continues, praying she doesn’t get choked up in the midst of her tirade. “Sure, okay, I made some mistakes; I admit that. And maybe I’m not as fluent as you Americans when it comes to English, but that honestly felt like a personal attack.”
 

Tiffany blinks at her in disbelief, before she schools her features into a mask of indifference that only serves to infuriate Taeyeon further. “Well, I…I’m sorry you felt that way, but- ”
 

“You made it seem like I was the dumbest person earth!” Taeyeon harshly exclaims. “I…I thought we were getting somewhere. I thought you…” she trails off, something clicking into place inside her head. A realization that makes her blood run cold. “…I guess this was part of it, huh?”
 

“Part of…what?” Tiffany asks hesitantly. The mask she had on is now gone, but Taeyeon pushes the observation aside to make room for the hurt and betrayal.
 

“That lunch. You…you made me hope so you can crush it and burn it to ashes, didn’t you?”
 

“Taeyeon- ”
 

“Don’t worry.” Taeyeon laughs bitterly. “I’ll be gone soon. A month, right? Give me three weeks. I’ll work harder so I can get this stupid merger over with.”
 

And with that, Taeyeon turns and walks out of Tiffany's office, wishing she were back home in Seoul and not in stupid, frigid New York City.

xxx

It's safe to say that the rest of the morning proves uneventful for Tiffany.
 

Except for the growing ball of what she can only describe as gut-punching guilt at the pit of her stomach.
 

She regrets placing Taeyeon in the office across from hers, regrets setting up her desk to face her own. Usually she can easily ignore it – ignore her – but not today. Not when every time she raises her head, she can see the striking color of Taeyeon's hair and is reminded of what she had done during the meeting. What she had done to her.
 

Tiffany thinks about turning her entire desk around.
 

Nope; too tiring and impractical.
 

Well, what about-
 

Her thoughts are interrupted by the ringing of her phone. She checks the caller ID and stares at her phone in awe. It's like she really knows when I need her help or something.
 

After she hangs up, Tiffany feels some semblance of relief for the first time this morning.

xxx

“So, what is this lunch meeting about?” Jessica asks her, setting down her phone on the table after replying to some urgent messages. “I mean, usually you invite me to eat with you just for fun, but you’re shifting around again like last time, so,” she says with a slight lift of her shoulders.
 

She and Tiffany are at one of the pizza bistros near the midpoint of both o