A/N: I’m sorry for not updating for so long! I went on vacation last week and when I got back, my internet started acting up. Well anyway, did you manage to catch the hint from the previous chapter? If you did, then good for you. If you didn’t... well, you’ll find out eventually so don’t worry. :) Enjoy! (though it seems like a lame chapter tbqh)

She was left alone inside the apartment after Sunny came by to pick up Taeyeon. She was happy that the two best friends got a chance to spend time together.

She sat on the sofa and sighed. She made herself a cup of tea earlier as she thought of what to do on such a lazy Sunday.

She resorted to watching TV but soon turned it off when there was nothing entertaining enough to watch. She leaned back and stared at the black TV screen. A smile graced her lips as she remembered how her movie nights with Taeyeon would always end up with both of them situated in compromising positions.

The smile, however, slowly faded when she remembered their current situation. She didn’t want to talk about it since it was heartbreaking to even think about Taeyeon leaving her. Despite Taeyeon’s efforts of asking her why she had been quiet recently, she still didn’t want to think talk about it. Not now. She still wanted to enjoy their moments together while her girlfriend was still there.

She sighed when she remembered how her girlfriend cried while talking to Hayeon on the phone. She knew the older girl was troubled too.

As much as it would hurt her to see Taeyeon go, she didn’t have the heart to take Taeyeon away from her family. She herself grew up without parents and she didn’t want anyone – especially the love of her life – to experience living without theirs. 

It was a painful road to take.

---

“Taengoo-ah, what’s wrong?”

She looked up from her ice cream cup and shook her head. “Nothing.”

Sunny scoffed. “Don’t even try lying to me. I’ve known you since young so I know when you’re not telling the truth. Plus, you’re playing with your ice cream instead of eating it. It’s a sight I never thought I’d see, Ice Cream Addict.”

She smiled a little but it soon faltered as she spoke. “I miss them, Sunny-ah.”

“Huh? Them who?”

“Umma, Appa and Hayeon.”

Sunny nodded. “Isn’t your contract ending soon, though?”

She nodded hesitantly. “Y-yes.”

“Then?”

“Tiffany...” she mumbled.

Sunny nodded.

“What do you think I should do? Sh-should I ask her to come with me?”

“But what about her job?”

Right. She didn’t have an answer to that. She’s been thinking about that too.

“Have the two of you talked about this? About what you’re going to do when your contract ends? About you leaving for Jeonju?”

“N-no.”

She heard Sunny sigh. “And why not?”

“I don’t know how to bring the topic up directly. I’m waiting for her to but she doesn’t say anything. Maybe it doesn’t bother her at all.”

“Just because she isn’t saying, doesn’t mean it doesn’t bother her. Maybe she’s waiting for you too. Has she been acting strange lately?”

She thought about it for a while. “She’s been spacing out a lot these past few days, even during our date yesterday. She would just stare at me and say nothing.”

“And you didn’t ask her why?”

“I did, but she would shake her head and completely change the topic without answering me.”

“You’re going to be leaving in a few days, Taeyeon-ah. I think you better talk to her soon.”

---

She was bored to death at home so she decided to clear her troubled mind by taking a drive around the city.

Ironically, the only other place apart from her uncle’s house that reminds her of her aunt was the same place she ended up going to calm her mind. She bought flowers and candles and placed them on top of her aunt’s grave. She sighed as she ran her fingers on the gravestone, tracing the letters that spelled her late aunt’s name.  

“I’m really sorry.”

She stared at the gravestone as if waiting for it to accept her apology. She then sat down on the grass and just stared some more. She bit her lips to prevent herself from crying.

The wind blew and her hair danced along with the grass and the trees. She inhaled the fresh air and closed her eyes.

-

She was in her room with a cassette player on in medium volume. She sang along with the soothing music as she closed her eyes and tried to memorize the words and the melody.

The door suddenly hit the wall with a loud bang as it was roughly opened from the outside. She opened her eyes and automatically cowered when she caught sight of her enraged aunt.

Her hand reach out to press the stop button on the player just before her aunt exploded.

“Who gave you permission to play that irritating song?!”

She wanted to answer but couldn’t. She was trembling in fear as she face the aunt who never treated her like family. “S-sorry,” was all she could say.

Her aunt let out a frustrated sigh before slamming the door shut.

She sighed and put the cassette player back inside her closet then plopped down on her bed. She closed her eyes and tried singing the song on her mind instead.

-

It a day before her music recital and she has yet to properly practice. Her aunt refused to let her stay late in school and still refused to let her play her music at home.

The musical recital was her final exam for a class and she only need to pass that to finish the school year at the top of her class.

Needless to say, her aunt didn’t know – and didn’t care – about the recital nor her class standing. No words were ever directed to Tiffany unless they were of anger and disappointment. 

She didn’t have the heart to tell her uncle either, thinking that it would be best if no one other than her knew. Her aunt and uncle have been fighting about her a lot since she came to stay with them and she didn’t want to start another argument between the two.

(Un)fortunately, her uncle cared for her like how a father should. He eventually found out about the recital and bought two tickets to the show – one for him and another for his wife.

Of course, that started another argument.

-

“Why do you have to go to that stupid show? Parents were invited, not aunts and uncles. She doesn’t have a parent so she should go by herself!”

“I want to support Miyoung, Eunsan-ah. She’s like our daughter already.”

That earned him a loud scoff. “Speak for yourself. Only you treated her like a daughter. I would never want a daughter like her. So selfish. So dependent of other. Doesn’t she know that we don’t have enough money for the both of us then she comes waltzing into our lives, pretending to need help?! That brother of yours did nothing for us, why should we do something for him? We even had to put her to school! We don’t have money and now you buy tickets to a stupid show?!”

Tiffany tugged on her uncle’s sleeve and waited for the man to look at her. “Uncle, you don’t have to watch the show.”

“See? Even that worthless child knows you shouldn’t be wasting money like that!”

Her uncle ignored his wife and looked at Tiffany with a smile. “I want to watch and hear you sing, Miyoung-ah. I bet you have a wonderful voice.”

That warmed her heart. Her uncle was very much like her father. She was sure she would’ve been a great father if he and his wife had a child.

Her aunt slammed her hands on the table in front of her, startling her and her uncle. “If you continue focusing on that child like I’m not here, then I think I should just leave! i can’t take having her here and it seems like you care for her more!”

“What are you saying, Eunsan? I care for you! I love you!”

It ached her heart to see her kind and caring uncle beg for his totally opposite spouse to stay.

Her aunt glared at him and crossed her arms. “Choose. That child or me.”

Tiffany froze. How did a small thing like her music recital even escalate to her uncle choosing between her and her aunt? She gulped, not liking where the argument headed.

She watched her uncle slowly straighten up before looking back and forth between his niece and his wife.

“I’m waiting, Jinho.”

The man gulped before he stepped closer to Tiffany. “You are being unreasonable here, Eunsan. Think about what you’re saying. I’m going to Miyoung’s recital and we will talk about this again when we come back.”

Without saying another word, he pulled her by the arm and led her to the car.

-

What happened after that was all a blur. She only remembered coming back to find blood on the street and her aunt’s body on the ground.

Her uncle’s horror stricken face when he kneeled beside the body was enough to tell her that her aunt didn’t make it. How, she didn’t know.

Soon after that, rumors of her aunt committing suicide went around. None believed it at first because Hwang Jinho was a good man, but when her aunt’s relatives found out that everything started when his niece stayed with them, they started putting all the blame on Tiffany.

Though not directly, she knew in her mind that she had something to do with her aunt’s death. She blamed herself for not hiding the invitation better; for not forcing her uncle to choose her aunt that night; for not looking for another place to stay in; for not dying with her parents.

From then on, she promised not to let anything happen like that ever again. She didn’t want to bother other people by making them choose between her and anything else. She promised not to lean on others too much for support.

Oh yeah, if you haven’t voted for Taeyeon and TTS on MAMA yet, please do. Here’s a link a friend of mine provided:

http://mama.interest.me/visite?s=1351959654868

Apparently, if you use this link, she’d be able to raise a flag for them and post a support message. So vote vote vote!

EDIT: Are there people here who have Kakaotalk? Because @moomoomilk is asking me to make one but if no one's really going to talk to me there, then I'd rather not. Lol (oh and thanks for those who followed me on twitter! Though only two of you talk to me, thank you still!)