Taeyeon entered the bedroom to get the books she needed for the classes on that day. Regardless of Jessica, who was still sleeping on the bed, she just walked straight to her desk and rummaged her things to get the books.

In consideration of the sick Jessica, Taeyeon took the initiative to sleep on the couch. It was her first time entering the bedroom after she left Jessica there alone the day before and just asked the maid to get the things she needed from there. But it was a kind of unfortunate for her because she hadn’t seen the maid since she woke up a while ago. And thus she decided to get her things on her own.

Jessica suddenly let out a small whimper in her sleep and it caught Taeyeon’s attention. It seemed that she was still in pain, or perhaps, having a nightmare.

Taeyeon turned her attention briefly to Jessica. She stared at the latter and emitted a sigh as she muttered, “Fool.”

At the same time, the door was being opened from outside and the maid appeared.

Taeyeon made her way to the door and stood in front of the maid while holding her books against her chest, “Prepare some porridge and milk for her. And don’t forget the medicines as well. She should heal quickly. I can’t bear sleeping on the couch.”

The maid nodded her head in understanding and Taeyeon left.

—

In the classroom, Tiffany was chatting with Sooyoung and Yoona while waiting for their class to start. As they ran out of topic, Tiffany decided to talk about Taeyeon and the time when she saw the latter singing in the practice room, which had successfully dominated her mind ever since she witnessed the breathtaking moment.

“Her voice is so melodious. I don’t know how else to explain it but for sure her voice is not a joke. I almost fainted when I heard it and I’m serious.” Tiffany recalled in admiration.

“Please don’t tell us that you have fallen in love with her.” Yoona said suspiciously.

Tiffany grinned. Her friend’s words painted a blush on her cheeks.

“No way,” Sooyoung added to Yoona’s suspicious, “Have you fallen in love with her?”

Tiffany cleared with a sheepish smile, “What... if?”

“YOU CAN’T!” The duo responded simultaneously.

Tiffany frowned, “Why? Is it wrong to love people?”

“Yes! It is wrong to love the wrong person!” Yoona said with concerns in her eyes.

“And Taeyeon is obviously not the right person for you. She is married and her wife is our own best friend!” Sooyoung added.

“Do you think I don’t know that?” Tiffany pouted and rolled her eyes, “Gosh, you guys make me sound like a traitor!”

At that time, Taeyeon made an appearance and walked into the classroom. Tiffany, who was sitting with her legs crossed on the table immediately sat in a more appropriate way as she fixed her necktie and hair.

Tiffany smiled at Taeyeon, but the latter didn’t even glance at her. She bit her bottom lip in embarrassment.

A few moments later, Tiffany can’t resist her hidden desire anymore. She decided to approach Taeyeon and sat on the empty seat next to the girl, leaving Yoona and Sooyoung in bewilderment at her boldness.

Taeyeon ignored the presence of Tiffany and started to play with her phone. She was mentally praying for Yuri to come quickly since the girl was supposed to sit next to her. It was disgracing for her to see Tiffany, who was staring at her with a creepy look in such a close distance.

Tiffany cleared but she still failed to get Taeyeon’s attention.

“Is she still in a bad condition?” Tiffany attempted to have a conversation while trying to sound as cold as she always did.

“Yes.” Taeyeon answered indifferently.

“Then why are you here? Aren’t you supposed to take care of her at home?”

“Why should I? It’s not like she’s seriously ill.”

“Still, she needs you. And you’re supposed to be there for her instead of playing with your phone here like there’s nothing to worry about.”

Taeyeon sighed in annoyance and turned her head to the side to look at Tiffany, “I am sorry but aren’t you being too talkative right now?” She remarked sarcastically, “Ah! I bet you don’t know about this, so I’ll let you know. I really hate people like you. Talkative and annoying! So please. Go back to your corner and yourself.”

“What the ?” Tiffany was completely trampled by Taeyeon’s words.

Taeyeon arched her brow, “Yes, loser?”

Sooyoung and Yoona instantly went to get Tiffany and dragged her out of the classroom before the latter embarrassing herself more.

Yuri, who was confused as she watched Tiffany got taken out, confusedly took her seat with her head while looking at the three best friends before averting her gaze to Taeyeon.

"What's wrong with them?" Yuri asked curiously.

Taeyeon exhaled deeply with her eyes fixed on her phone screen, “One stupid person could make the whole group become stupid like them as well if they blend well.”

Yuri frowned, “And what does that mean?”

Taeyeon shook her head and looked at Yuri, “Why are you late?”

“My car went crazy in the middle of the road. I almost got hit by a garbage truck.”

“Better than being bothered by a litter, don’t you think?”

“And who is this litter you talking about, Taeyeon?”

“I am talking about your stupid girlfriend, who else?”

“Tiffany?”

Taeyeon snorted with a smirk.

“Was she flirting with you?”

“Well, she practically did and she thought I would give her some s,” Taeyeon shook her head, “Stupid, really. Just like Jessica.”

“Wow, wow! Don't you think that you’re being too much right now?” Yuri raised her brow with a frown etched on her face, “You know, I still can’t understand you even though we’ve been friends for a long time. And guess what? You’re becoming more vicious than before, Taeyeon. You really need to change that attitude.”

Taeyeon shrugged nonchalantly, “This is how I live, Yuri. I hate changes and I hate people who try to change me. It’s either they deal with it or off. I don’t care.”

“At least be a little gentle to people, especially Jessica. Everyone already knows how you treat her and it’s not a good thing for you and your family’s image, you know that right?”

Taeyeon scoffed, “I don’t care about that ing image, Yuri. It’s better to be vile than being fake. I’m not a snake.”

Yuri sighed in defeat. Taeyeon was still as stubborn as usual.

—

Jessica was watching Ginger enjoying his meal in the living room. She smiled with satisfaction as she managed to give him food for the first time despite her unstable condition.

“You miss Taeyeon, don’t you? I’m sure she would be back soon. Let's wait patiently, okay? I miss her, too.” Jessica told Ginger when the dog begun to rub his fluffy body on her feet.

A moment later, the doorbell rang and Jessica immediately made her way to the entrance and opened the door. A bright smile formed on her lips when she saw her mother in law. She wanted to greet the older woman but something about her vibe prevented her from doing so.

Despite the warm greeting from her daughter in law, Mrs. Kim just ignored it and walked into the house. Her strange and unusual cold vibes made Jessica feel uneasy.

Jessica gently closed the door before trailing after the woman to the living room. She was confused because Mrs. Kim didn’t take a seat and instead, she just stood there with her back on her.

“M- mom, is there something wrong?” Jessica asked carefully, her voice was barely audible.

Mrs. Kim turned around to face Jessica and stepped closer to slowly close the distance between them, “You, ungrateful !” Without any explanation, she gave a surprise slap on Jessica’s left cheek.

The slap was hard enough to make Jessica fall on the floor.

Jessica was completely speechless at the unexpected violence. She placed her hand gently on her cheek. It was painful. She then slowly raised her eyes to look at Mrs. Kim, who was looking at her with a piercing gaze that reminded her of the way Taeyeon always looked at her.

She might have gotten used to it if it was Taeyeon but why did her mother have to look at her like that as well? What was the sudden slap for? Her daughter, Taeyeon had never even touched her, let alone slapped her.

“Mrs. Kim, calm down!” The maid witnessed the incident and decided to come forward to calm Mrs. Kim, who was indeed known for her hot-tempered and arrogance.

Jessica struggled to stand on her feet again. Her eyes were watering but she still tried to hold her tears from flowing. She can’t bring herself to look at Mrs. Kim’s eyes anymore and just kept her head low, having her gaze on the floor instead. She knew that Taeyeon wasn’t going to be good to her either, but she still hoped for Taeyeon to come home quickly.

“Why did you do that? Why did you make my daughter look bad?! Do you think you’re perfect enough?! Do you think that I didn’t know how you’ve been doing it since your wedding day?! Do you think I didn't know that?”

Jessica bit her lower lip as the tears continuously threatened to come out at each of the words she heard from her mother in law.

“Because of you, your parents almost lost faith in my poor daughter! Do you know that?! Do you realize what you have done?!"

In the end, Jessica failed and broke into tears. But, it made no difference to Mrs. Kim’s unreasonable anger.

—

It was a break time for Taeyeon and as usual, the girl spent her time in the practice room. She was absentmindedly playing with the piano while humming to random melodies.

It was just in time when Taeyeon decided to rest her fingers when her phone rang. She can feel the vibration of the gadget in the pocket of her skirt and she answered the call without bothering to check the caller’s name.

“Hello?” Taeyeon spoke.

“Taeyeon, is that you?” A familiar voice of a woman on the other line sounded desperate. Apparently she was the maid in Taeyeon’s house.

“What is it?” Taeyeon asked calmly.

“Taeyeon, your mother is here and she just s- slapped Jessica. I don’t know what to do about it. Please, come home now!”

“Wait, my mom is there?!” Taeyeon was obviously more surprised at the mention of her mother being in her house.

“Yes and Jessica-”

Taeyeon hung up without listening more to what her maid had to say. She slapped the piano keys in exasperation and left the room immediately.