8 years ago.

"W—what?!" Tiffany was taken aback by the words that came out of her brother's mouth.

"I didn't find out about this until Daddy's secretary contacted me and informed me that he was hospitalized," her brother said.

“Then why didn’t you tell me the moment you know about it?” Tiffany raised her voice.

“He told me not to. But I felt awful for not telling you so…” He sighed. “The doctor said that he’s just stressed. It’s not life threatening, so don’t worry too much.” He then left Tiffany’s office after telling her about their dad’s whereabouts.

The woman was still in a state of shock. She was distraught by the possibility that she might have been losing another important figure in her life without having any prior knowledge of it. It was like this back then too, she thought.

She stared out the big window behind her and clenched her jaws as she remembered the anguish of losing her mother. She recalled how, on that one awful day, she woke up and was forced to face the fact that her mother had left her forever.

“Fany!”

Tiffany was startled by the cheerful voice.

“I cut IU’s hair today. Like, really cut it.” Taeyeon told her girlfriend who had her back facing her. The random revelation made the latter chuckle.

Taeyeon had just gotten back from filming a variety show with another artists. The filming had to end early because of her mistake. After expressing her regrets to the artist's team and the manager, who were outraged, she quickly left the scene to visit Tiffany.

Tiffany cleared . “Why did you do that?” She tried to regain her composure before turning her chair to face Taeyeon.

“The crew gave me a mission to collect a strand of everyone’s hair, but I couldn’t do it without anyone getting suspicious. So, I thought using scissors would help. But I was too nervous and accidentally cut a chunk of her hair.”

Tiffany laughed so hard that she shocked herself. Just a few minutes ago, she was on the verge of bursting into tears, but, as if by perfect timing, the woman in front of her barged into her office, and suddenly, she found herself bursting out laughing.

"So… Apparently only you and I found it funny. I got scolded by her stylist and manager. Well, who cares? The filming ended early, and I was able to meet my girlfriend sooner than expected," Taeyeon said, clueless of the other woman’s emotion.

Tiffany couldn’t help but smile as she realized how much she needed someone to be with her at the moment, and it just so happened that the woman in front of her was exactly who she needed.

She stood up from her seat and was about to hug Taeyeon since she needed to be in the latter's comforting embrace, when she noticed that the woman had already had her arms open.

It seems as though we were telepathically communicating, Tiffany thought.

She stepped forward and draped her arms around the other woman, sighing contentedly.

“Are you okay?” Taeyeon asked.

Tiffany shook her head. She closed her eyes and inhaled the comforting scent.

“You want to talk about it?”

“Give me a minute.”

“Okay.” Taeyeon tightened her hold.

After a few minutes had passed, Tiffany broke the hug, and she began by telling her girlfriend about her dad and the worries that she had. She also told Taeyeon about the painful memory of how her mother had left without giving her any time to prepare herself.

"He probably doesn’t want to worry you. To be frank, I don't think that's a good idea to keep it from you. But, you know, that's just the way parents are. I can understand why he did that. I might be like that too someday. I would rather keep my problem to myself than worry my children."

“It scares me. I don’t want history to repeat itself.”

"Then… How about meeting him constantly? I think that’s the best way for you to keep tabs on him and his health," Taeyeon carefully stated. She was aware of how Tiffany had been avoiding her dad and only meeting him for business-related reasons.

“Not until he stops being stubborn and starts learning to accept you.”

Taeyeon and Tiffany had made the decision to inform their parents about their relationship, however, in contrast to Taeyeon's parents' reactions, Tiffany's dad was against the idea. That irked the woman because she had expected her dad, who had spent his formative years in the States, to be more accepting.

"He will come around eventually. I thought you’re worried about him?"

Tiffany sighed. "Fine. Can you accompany me?"

"Visiting your dad? Will that be okay for his health?”

Tiffany shrugged. “Oppa said that it’s nothing serious. He’s just stressed.”

"I’m okay if you’re okay with it. All I have to do now is brace myself."

“He won’t bite.”

"Just in case," she paused, "but can you spare him the details of how I tried to drive you away? I'm afraid he'll kill me for hurting his daughter," she said.

"If you're afraid of him, you shouldn't do it in the first place."

Taeyeon winced. “Sorry. It was a miscalculation. I realised I couldn't survive without you."

Tiffany chuckled. “Glad that it has knocked some sense out of you.”

----

Even after the days had past, Tiffany was unable to shake off the gloomy mood. The fact that her mother's birthday was about to come up was not helpful in any way.

That night, she woke up after having a dream about her mother for the first time in years. She was going to re-enact the dream, despite knowing full well that she would likely give in to the emotion of missing her mother again, when her phone beeped, signalling a new text message.

Are you awake? She read the message from Taeyeon. She glanced at the time and noted that it was 1 in the morning. She frowned, wondering as to why her girlfriend was still awake at that time.

“Yes.” She replied to Taeyeon’s message.

"Good. Can you buzz me in? I didn’t bring the key card."

She was about to ask Taeyeon why the woman was there when she heard the buzzer. She buzzed Taeyeon inside and waited in front of the door. Tiffany inched her way closer to the door as she overheard the other woman on the other side entering the PIN code to unlock the door. Seconds after Taeyeon entered her apartment, Tiffany was unable to contain her laughter at Taeyeon's terrified face.

“Yah! Why are you standing here looking like a ghost?!” Taeyeon hissed and clutched her chest. “At least look presentable if you want to welcome me.”

“Why are you here?” Tiffany asked after she had done laughing.

"You don’t want me here? See you later, then." Taeyeon playfully turned her back and stopped in her tracks when she felt her hand being grabbed by the other woman.

Tiffany then repeated her question while pulling Taeyeon inside and to her bedroom.

"I was driving around looking for a late-night snack and decided to try the Soondae across the street from your apartment building." Taeyeon pulled Tiffany to sit on the latter’s bed. "When I looked at the Soondae, it reminded me of you. So, here I am."

"What is the resemblance between me and that unhealthy food that made you remind of me?” Tiffany asked, displaying her unpleasant expression.

"I love Soondae and I love you." Taeyeon grinned sheepishly, making the latter shake her head.

"What if I’ve already fallen asleep?"

"Then I would just go back home and sleep alone. As much as I missed you, I’m too lazy to take the key card and drive back here."

“What is it with you and perfect timing?” Tiffany frowned.

“Huh?”

“You just distracted me from my crying session. Again.”

“Is everything al