“Everyone! Meeting in 10 minutes!”, boss hwang orders.

 

After she went back to her office, everyone groan and frown. An emergency meeting means bossy boss activated.

 

They are all used to it already especially those who have been working for her since she took over the business.

 

“What did we do this time?”, Sooyoung sigh.

 

“Let’s go, guys. Like you all haven’t used to with this thing. Endure the 10 minutes or so of bossy hwang”, Sunny says. She’s their supervisor and close friend of Tiffany.

 

All of them shrugged and went to the meeting room where Tiffany is already waiting for them with an expression that they can’t explain. 

 

They look at each other with the same questions in their mind but no one knew nothing with what is going on including Sunny who seems to be as clueless like them. 

 

“Please take your seats, guys”, Tiffany asks them with a solemn voice not what her employee is expecting her. “Donghae submitted his resignation this morning”,

 

Gasps. They all gasps totally not expecting it. “Wait. If he quit then what are we going to do with the our ongoing project that he’s in charge of?”, 

 

“That’s our problem right now. I don’t know what happened but he just left without explaining…”, Tiffany actually knew the reason but decided to not to disclose it because after all Donghae is their friends. 

 

Tiffany look at them before closing her laptop. “Now, I know all you are already handling too many workload but is there anyone who would like to take Donghae’s position please raise your hand. The project is one of our biggest this year and we can’t just let that without someone in charge”, 

 

To anyone who will be asks by their boss about that will be instantly a fist fight. Who wouldn’t want to be a principal designer for the mall that will be build in the city. The first mall to be ever built in a small town but all of them will have to pass on that promotion. 

 

The project itself is very crucial and a meticulous planning and on top of that the expectation is so high that it will really cause you a tremendous amount of stress and pressure to push your self to deliver their expectation. 

 

“Guys, anyone?”, Tiffany sigh as she is expecting it already. 

 

“Sorry, Tiff. But that project is a big one and our people is not yet ready to take that role”, Sunny came in to defend her team. 

 

“I know… If one of you will change your mind, just tap Sunny. Or if you know someone that will fit the job please email me. For the mean time, I will be in charge of it”, Tiffany has no other choice but to take cover for it. “Sooyoung, can you please send me the progress reports that Donghae had already accomplished because he left us with nothing. His computer has been wiped out”, 

 

Another gasps. Their eyes widen when Tiffany tells them about that. “What the-He wiped out his computer when all of our drafts and other files are on his documents? The heck is he thinking!”, 

 

“We can’t do anything about that unless you knew someone who can help us retrieve everything that is on his computer”, 

 

A mischievous smile appears on Sunny’s face when her best friend mentioned that. And it didn’t take long before Tiffany notices it and raise an eyebrow on her. 

 

“You may all go and Sunny… stay!”, Tiffany waited for them to be out of the meeting room before looking at her best friend. “Wipe that smug on your face, Lee Sunkyu”, 

 

“Oh, come on. You know that bossy hwang doesn’t work on me”, 

 

Tiffany rolls her eyes and subsequently lean back on her chair. “What is it?”, 

“Did Donghae moved to your dad’s company? I already suspected that he’s been pirating our engineers”, it was Sunny’s turn to be serious 

 

“I don’t want to believe it at first but dad called and warns me…”, Tiffany is a strong independent woman but sometimes her father could somehow intrude her and let her feel weak. 

 

Sunny grimace by just thinking of that man, the biological father of her best friend. The most hated man for them. “He surely doesn’t want to give up, huh?”, 

 

“Not until he sees me going down and telling me ‘I told you so’. Like what did I do wrong? It wasn’t my fault that mom didn’t trust him enough to leave him the her family business”,

 

Tiffany’s mom die when after she got her masters in business administration and on top of that, Tiffany is a licensed civil engineer. 

 

Her mother is her role model growing up. She always wanted to be just like her. Her mom is her best friend, her mentor. 

 

Their family were torn apart after they found out that her dad is actually the one behind the sudden downfall of her mom’s company that she inherited from her parents. 

 

Mr.Hwang is actually jealous of his wife’s success that he wanted it for himself instead of helping his wife to manage it and let it be more successful. But his greed and jealousy took him. 

 

Her mom is a smart person. Upon realizing what her husband is doing, she took everything out of his name and gave it to her only daughter. 

 

Every property that was under her name has been transferred to Tiffany including the company. She wouldn’t let her selfish evil husband to enjoy those that she had worked for. 

 

Despite knowing his betrayal, Mrs.Hwang didn’t divorce her husband. Why? Because if she do so, half of what she has will go directly to her husband and she wouldn’t let that happen. 

 

She endures it all for years. Pretending to be the same is took her. Mrs.Hwang were diagnosed with the end stage of brain cancer. 

 

It was something that none of them expected because she never showed them that she is sick or struggling. 

 

Tiffany was devastated by the passing of her mother. Since then, she vows to never let the legacy of her mother to be forgotten. 

 

The day when the attorney read the last will in testament, everything changes. Mr.Hwang was so furious when his wife left him with nothing. 

 

Everything that she owns, her family’s estate is now in Tiffany’s name and he cannot contest it as his daughter is of legal age and can decide on her own. 

 

At first her dad is trying to take advantage of her unstable mental health condition after the passing of her mother but good thing the attorney and her mom’s best friend took care of her. 

 

She gave her the letter that Mrs.Hwang wrote days before her death. Enclosed is the details of everything that she’s been hiding from her. 

 

And that is the start of her riff off with her own father and his whole family. She has no one by her side except for Mrs.Kim, her mom’s best friend and lawyer. 

 

“Anyways, it’s been years of him harassing you. Just don’t mind him and besides were doing fine”, Sunny advised her before giving her a playful smile again. 

 

“Stop with that smile. What do you want? Say it now, I don’t have time for your jokes”, 

 

Sunny laughs. “Well you’ve mentioned that if we know someone who will be able to help us retrieve those deleted files we should tell you, right?”, 

 

Tiffany look at her with a questioning look like she’s having a bad feeling about it but desperate measure means desperate step. So, she nodded. 

 

“There is someone who is more than qualified for the job. An Oxford graduate and genius… And you know him too, Tiff”, Sunny tells her with matching eyebrow wiggling 

 

Tiffany’s eyes wide upon registering who she was talking about. “Heck no! The last thing that I want is to have headaches every single day. You know how much he annoys me with just seeing his face. Sunny, find another one!”, 

 

“He is your only option, Tiff…it’s been almost 10 years I guess since the last time you saw him, or he saw you. I heard from Auntie Kim that he got fired again”,

 

“Then that means he is not qualified for the job. Come on, Sunny. We need who will actually help us not someone who will cause trouble for us”, 

 

Sunny shook her head. “Just think about it. Maybe Auntie haven’t tell you anything about him but one thing is for sure this is a win-win situation for both of you”, 

 

“What do you mean a win-win situation? What did Auntie Kim tells you that I don’t know?”, curiosity strikes and suddenly Tiffany wants to know what happened. 

 

“You will know it soon. Just give him a chance”, Sunny gave her a sad smile as she got up from her seat. “Taeyeon is not who you think he was. Something happens that changes him”, 

 

Yes, it’s Taeyeon. 
Kim Taeyeon the clumsy boy that she grew up with. Not a single day gone by without her getting annoyed by him. 

 

He is the only son of Auntie Kim, her moms best friend and the one who became her legal guardian too. 

 

They grew up together. Spend holidays together, celebrate birthdays together. They’ve been close with each other during their teenage years. 

 

Taeyeon would often stand up for her whenever some kids will try to bully her. Even though he, himself cannot even defend himself, Taeyeon will always tries his best to protect Tiffany. 

 

He would often be kicked, pushed and punched for protecting her that Tiffany is not aware of. Those who likes Tiffany will always threatens him to stay away from her or they will beat him. 

 

Because they are friends, more like best friends Taeyeon will always say no to them. He promised to protect her no matter what. 

 

Everyday he will go home with a fresh cut on his lips and some bruises on his body. And everyday he will lie to her mom and Tiffany that it was due to his clumsiness. 

 

That was his lies all throughout his life. He is afraid that those bullies will do something if he will tell his mom about the assaults. 

 

He kept mum and endure the pain every single days. He will always pretend to be clumsy most of the time even though he is not. 

 

Sometimes he will purposely trip himself to cover up to some of his bruises. And sometimes he will drop some plates, cups or anything just to keep his façade of being clumsy. 

 

Tiffany hates it. She always has a short temper with a clumsy person and not a single day had gone by that she wouldn’t raise her voice to him. 

 

What annoys her the most about him is that Taeyeon will just give him a smile saying sorry over and over again. 

 

It makes her worry about him thinking that he might actually get hurt real bad. 

 

Despite the constant nagging and yelling, Tiffany actually truly cares for him. She even started feeling something for him but it immediately died when she met Nickhun. 

 

With months of pursuing her, Tiffany decided to give it a try. They started dating and she forgot to inform Taeyeon about it. 

 

Taeyeon only found out about it after Nickhun and his friends beat him up. Nickhun is jealous of him because he knew that Taeyeon likes Tiffany more than just a friend. 

 

The beating is so severe that Taeyeon and Tiffany didn’t see each other for months. It was so hard for him to avoid his only friend. 

 

The bullying continues even after he cut contacts with Tiffany. 

 

From afar, that’s how he can look after her. 
From afar, he prays that she will be safe from him. 
From afar, he wish that it was him not him who is making her laugh. 
From afar, he is hoping that he will be strong enough to tell her that he loves her. 
And from afar, the distance between them continues to grow. 

Then one day, it was Auntie Kim’s birthday. By tradition they all celebrated together. Tiffany and Taeyeon sat beside each other. 

 

While the elders are catching up, the two teenagers is having an awkward moment. Tiffany is staring at her friend that she haven’t spoke with for months and she could only get a glimpse of him whenever he will pass by her classroom. 

 

She asked him how he was, a simple ‘good’ is his reply. 
She asked him if he changed his phone number, a simple ‘yes’ is his reply. 
She asked him if his avoiding her, a simple ‘no’ is his reply. 

 

That stops her from asking him because it hurts her watching her best friend treats her like that. She starts questioning herself what she did to him to upset him like that but nothing she could think of. 

 

After their lunch, Mrs.Kim asks Taeyeon to drive Tiffany back home because they will go to the salon to catch up. 

 

Taeyeon wants to say no to his mom but he knew if he do that it will be obvious that he is avoiding her. So, in the end he drives her off to their house. 

 

The car ride is eerie quiet. The only thing that you will hear is the car engine because even the radio is off. 

 

The restaurant is only 15 minutes away from their house. They’re family lives 8 blocks away from each other. 

 

Upon arriving at the Hwang’s residence, Taeyeon got out of the car to open the door for Tiffany like how he always do. 

 

He then walks her towards the front door and kissed her on the forehead like how they used to. When he’s about to return to his car, Nickhun arrives. 

 

Nickhun is glaring at him and silently telling him the he will beat the hell out of him before showing a sweet smile to his girlfriend Tiffany who is oblivious about the tension between her boyfriend and her best friend. 

 

True enough, Nickhun and his friends managed to corner Taeyeon on the parking lot of their school. It was already late that time so no one could hear him plead. 

 

Nickhun gave him a final warning because he is not the type of guy that wants to share what he has especially Tiffany, his trophy girlfriend. 

 

“I will break every bone in your tiny little body or you will see you best friend slash secret love crying. Your choice!”, that was what Nickhun told him that night of his final assault to Taeyeon. 

 

Final and last assault before leaving for good. Taeyeon begged his mom to talk to his school to allow him to take the final exams earlier because he wanted to leave, he wants to go far from every one who’s hurting him. 

 

His mom, Mrs.Kim got alarmed by how strange he is acting and upon seeing the bruises all over his body except for his face says it all. 

 

Taeyeon came clean with her and tells her everything but not really everything because he lies on some part of the story. 

 

He told her that those bullies always beats him up because he is clumsy. Yeah, that clumsiness is still his alibi. 

 

Mrs.Kim is really confused. Why would they beat her son just because of his clumsiness? 

 

Her questions were soon be answered when she one day saw Nickhun’s friends follows him to the parking lot after he dropped Tiffany to her part time job in a café. 

 

To her horror she witnessed how her son were unable to fight back with every punches being thrown to his tiny body. 

 

She then heard the reason why…It was because of Tiffany. Every makes sense to her and in that moment all that she could think of is get her son out of there. 

 

“Throw one more punch to my son and all of you will spend your teenage life in juvenile!”, she yelled at them and they all run for their life because they knew that she is a lawyer. 

 

Taeyeon cradle to her mom’s arms . Anguish and sorrow. That’s what she can say. She felt bad for not being able to realize it sooner. 

 

Taeyeon begs him not to tell anyone about it because he is afraid that they will something to Tiffany. 

He sacrificed. 
He endured. 
He gave up. 

 

 

A week before their finals, Taeyeon is already in the US with his mom’s cousin. They took him for awhile before he could find a place of his own. 

 

There he started building his life away from those who took his happiness from him and those who made his life miserable. 

 

But that was all a wishful thinking because he met one of Nickhun’s friend there who happened to be dating the only friend he has at the time. 

 

The beating seems to be part of his life and he can’t escape from it no matter how far he run. They will always catch him. 

 

Above all, the worst part is that Taeyeon never cry. Not a single tears he shed for them which is very alarming because he's keeping it inside of him like a time bomb that he is waiting to explode. 

 

His sudden disappearance hurts Tiffany. Imagine on her birthday, her best friend who is always excited for that day is gone. 

 

Tiffany is looking forward celebrating her birthday with Taeyeon because that has been part of them. 

 

Every year Taeyeon will give her something that she really loves and part of that is his long letter. He is the type that can’t say everything in person that’s why he leaned on his paper and pens. 

 

That year instead of him giving her birthday gift, it was Mrs.Kim who hand it over to her. Inside a small box is the bracelet that she was looking at when they went to the mall. 

 

A silver bracelet with a heart shape pendant. 

 

But she’s anticipating that there will be a hand written letter coming from her best friend. Mrs.Kim gave her the small envelope that she thought was the handwritten letter of him. 

 

“Um, Auntie… where is his letter?”, 

 

“Letter? You’re holding it already, sweetie.”,

 

To her disappointment. 

 

The hand written letter suddenly became a greeting card. Inside is ‘Happy Birthday – Kim Taeyeon’ 

Nothing else was written. 

 

The gifts stops every birthday of her but the greeting card continues. It has been the same. Happy birthday – Kim Taeyeon is all is written. 

 

She even suspected that Mrs.Kim is the one sending her all that card yearly but she strongly denies it. 

 

Tiffany only stops questioning her when she compares all the hand writing in each cards and it was all the same with Taeyeon’s. 

 

On the day her mom died, Taeyeon never showed up. He never calls her. She thought he will go home and comfort her but it never happened. 

 

It was Nickhun who stayed by her side throughout that dark moment of her life. 

 

That day, she buried all the memories that she had of him. For her, Taeyeon is no longer her best friend. 

 

For Tiffany, Taeyeon is only the son of her guardian. Nothing else. 

 

“Wait. He's back already?”, Tiffany gasps