Day and night, she took herself to the atelier for the sake of passing the time and working much faster. Heechul and Bora started complaining about her temper the other day, but Tiffany’s ears seemed to have shut down when she didn’t have any comment about the matter. Not to mention that thanks to her workaholic self, the preparation for Amare’s planned exhibit sped up.

 

 

 

The creative designer constantly spends her time in the studio looking into the minor details that some of her tailors are starting to freak out again. It’s been a while since the stern Tiffany Young appeared. Her presence scared the living for some.

 

 

“Tiffany, I’ve sent you the fifth revision of that dress. I am not going to redo it, you either make up your mind, or I’m letting Wendy wear peplum tops for the rest of the shoot.” Bora once angrily said to Tiffany.

 

 

She was getting tired of adjusting her schedule, and another episode of Tiffany’s perfectionism occurred that day. Bora had had enough of the woman whose temper had made a 360-degree turn in the past few days.

 

 

 

How?

 

 

 

Bora, Heechul, and the rest of Amare had zero clue.

 

 

 

For all they know, the last time Tiffany went into this crazy drive was when she got back to Europe. And too bad, Mr. Hwang, her father, wasn’t here to appease his daughter.

 

 

 

So for the poor staff who Tiffany was currently yelling at in the other room, bless him. Not long ago, everyone was on their respective stations, not until Tiffany made a surprise visit and found him absurdly cutting lace fabrics.

 

 

 

“Cazzo! Did you switch your head with your foot? I can’t have someone like you running around the stations with those skills!” the designer’s loud voice interrupted them.

 

 

 

“I’m so sorry, Signora. It won’t happen again!” the man apologized in front of the fuming woman.

 

 

 

With her hands on her hips, Tiffany replies. “You’re right. It won’t. You’re fired.” 

 

 

 

Gasps were heard in the room. Heechul and Bora just shook their heads.

 

 

 

“Tiff, calm down. It’s not that big of a deal.” Heechul walked towards them.

 

 

 

“Please, Signora! Amare is everything to me. Give me another chance.”

 

 

 

Tiffany rolls her eyes and leaves the room. Everyone knew that it was her way of cooling herself after an argument. She always gotta have the last word.

 

 

 

Walking away.

 

 

 

Touché.

 

 

 

It was an action that reflected too much of who Tiffany Young was.

 

 

 

“Care to explain what just happened out there?” Heechul barges into her office uninvited.

 

 

 

Tiffany looks at him uninterestedly. She had a magazine in her left hand, her right hand stirring another cup of coffee.

 

 

 

“What do you mean?” she asks back.

 

 

 

“That?” Heechul points at the now-closed door. “Your temper is skyrocketing, Tiff. Is there anything we should know about? It’s been days!”

 

 

 

“He’s messing up. What am I supposed to do, thank him? That’s a waste of our resources.”

 

 

 

“I know that, but firing him? I think that’s too much. The constant nagging, perfectionism, and demands from this week are something we can all tolerate. But this? Tiffany, you better start explaining things at this point.” Heechul says firmly.

 

 

 

He knew very well that confronting his friend somehow meant like digging a grave for himself, but someone has to stand up and have the guts to criticize Tiffany if she’s going overboard. He and Bora cared, of course. If Tiffany had problems, they would help right away.

 

 

 

It’s just that sometimes, you need to resort to other ways to make her talk.

 

 

 

Because Tiffany wasn’t your average woman.

 

 

 

“There is nothing!” Tiffany slams the cup, spilling some of its contents. She sees Heechul flinch a bit and suddenly feels bad. “I….” her tone softens.

 

 

 

Heechul understood this. After working for a long time with Tiffany, the woman often displayed a strong façade. These walls, or what Sunmi would say, ‘The Great Barrier Reef by Tiffany Young,’ covered up the real personality of the designer.

 

 

 

However, it doesn’t change the fact that Tiffany always looks scary every time she raises her voice.

 

 

 

He takes a seat across her table, “You wanna talk about it?”

 

 

 

Tiffany leans back on her leather chair, her eyes so distant. “No.”

 

 

 

She said it with little to no emotion that it troubled him. “I under-”

 

 

 

“Is it possible to feel this empty?”

 

 

 

With that question coming out of , Heechul knew the reason behind all these pretenses. There was only one logical reason.

 

 

 

“Your feelings are always valid, Tiffany.” He gives her a sad smile before patting her hand resting on the glass table.

 

 

 

“Maybe I should put more thought into that, don’t you think?”

 

 

 

“I think you should. Go shopping or summon Sooyoung and Sunmi here. I think you’re happier with a lot more company.” he suggests.

 

 

 

“That’s not true.” Tiffany manages to give a small laugh. “It sounds like I don’t like you and Bora.”

 

 

 

“We both know you can’t leave without us. Who are you going to keep bossing around if there’s no us? Bora’s a sometimes, but you know how she goes.”

 

 

 

A knock interrupts them, and Bora’s head pops in the opened gap, “Yah, do you guys have time for food? I’m starving.”

 

 

 

“Speaking of the devil,” Heechul mutters while collecting some files before heading for the door towards Bora.

 

 

 

“Hmm, sounds good. Give me 10 minutes, and I’ll meet you guys at the lobby.” Tiffany responds.

 

 

 

___________________________________

 

 

 

March 02, 1987

9:27 PM (GMT + 1)

45.4668° N, 9.1904° E

 

 

 

She held onto her camera tighter. The serotonin boost she got from today’s sightseeing makes her feel giddy.

 

 

 

Making her way through the crowded area, she caught sight of a man busking. Watching in awe at how he strummed the guitar while probably singing a local song, she proceeds to tip him a hundred euros.

 

 

 

It made the man happy that he even posed for the camera when he saw her taking pictures. He even asked if she was a record producer and said that he would be glad to apply to her company.

 

 

 

She laughs and responds in English, “I’m not, sorry for disappointing you."

 

 

 

“A rich tourist or businesswoman?” he asks again. He sees her give him a small smile and gets the hint. Raising his arms in defeat,, “Not my business. I know. Enjoy Milano, Signora. Grazie!”

 

 

 

Waving goodbye, Taeyeon continues walking. The moon shining above gave everyone in the city a sense of peace. It was a bit late, but the people around her didn’t seem to want to slow down.

 

 

 

A visit to a local bar sounds good tonight. She silently thought.

 

 

 

“Exhibit?” she mumbles to herself. There was a billboard across from her, and her bad Italian didn’t help in trying to comprehend what was written. Like yeah, she could speak, but there were rather complicated words on it.

 

 

 

As an art enthusiast, she curiously enters the building. How bad could it be just to shoot a few of the displayed pieces? She’s been on one in Sicily, so Taeyeon wasn’t entirely too hesitant to go inside.

 

 

 

“Ah, they wouldn’t be hostile to foreigners, right?” she silently says while climbing up the grand staircase. There were a few people inside, and some were leaving already. No one paid attention to her for being Asian. It was a good idea to wear a coat over her black sweatshirt.

 

 

 

And well, she had her fancy Dr. Martens in case people won’t take her seriously for wearing casual clothes. She takes notes of the crowd's fancy dresses.

 

 

 

With that in mind, she starts taking pictures of the vintage Roman columns of the building, the murals, and up to the displayed photographs-,

 

 

 

Photographs?!

 

 

 

Taeyeon huffs in disappointment when she sees photographs of various models in the lobby. She was expecting a few abstract paintings or contemporary art to shoot and even buy. Don’t get her wrong. They were beautifully taken.

 

 

 

It’s not just what she expected.