She could sense the tensed atmosphere as she quietly glanced between Wooyoung and Tiffany. She cleared and carefully offered Tiffany a drink, which the latter accepted.

The both of them stood up and walked to the kitchen, leaving Wooyoung by himself in the living room.

“Sorry you had to see that,” Taeyeon whispered to Tiffany, they stood against the counter after giving the latter a glass of water.

Tiffany nodded slightly as she hid her flushed face on the mug as she tried to forget the images that was threatening to replay on her mind.

She was talking about the incident earlier right when Tiffany arrived; Wooyoung apparently beat Taeyeon into answering the door, thinking it was the food that he ordered. Freshly out of the shower and only a towel covering his waist, a nearly Wooyoung greeted the horrified Tiffany. 

“Does he usually do that?”

“Well…” Taeyeon hesitated, avoiding looking at the latter. She didn’t want to mention any of Wooyoung’s habits that consisted roaming around the house topless, which he does so unconsciously. Honestly, this situation happened many times before but to Taeyeon it was no longer a big deal, she was used to it, but having Tiffany see that…

Tiffany understood the lack of answer. She heaved a sigh and shook her head.

She decided to give Taeyeon a visit since she was worried about the said guy-best-friend-slash-childhood-friend who was staying with Taeyeon. Taeyeon was never the one to talk much about her personal life but with the worried tone that greeted her on that phone call, Tiffany felt the need to look after her. She didn’t expect what she saw earlier though but it only made her completely restless about Taeyeon’s condition. 

“There’s nothing to be worried about Fany-ah,” Taeyeon soothed her. “He’s harmless. I’ve known him all my life.”

“How come you didn’t tell me about him before?”

“Because there’s no need to.”

“I thought you trusted me with everything, unless…is he really just a best friend, Taeyeon-ah?!” It was a question that had been irking her.

“Ofcourse.” Taeyeon hissed and glared at Tiffany for her voice.

“A best friend and ex?” This time, Tiffany lowered her tone.

“No. I haven’t even looked at him that way, Fany-ah.”

Tiffany scoffed. “I somehow find that hard to believe.”

“Something tells me that you don’t want to leave out of this house alive.”

“You’re mean.”

“I know.” Taeyeon smiled. “Now, come on I’ll introduce you guys to each other.”

----

“Going to work?”

“Don’t talk to me.”

“…Are you hungry? I made breakfast.”

“I said don’t talk to me.”

Wooyoung frowned at the cold reply and walked towards his best friend who was struggling with the strap of her heels. She was having a hard time between juggling the things in her hand and fixing her heels, that she didn’t notice Wooyoung approaching her.

He quietly bent down and hooked the strap for her. She glared at him but proceeded to not saying a word.

“Are you still mad at me?”

“…”

“Oh come on Taeyeon-ah, I already said I’m sorry! Tiffany was okay with it, so should you.”

Taeyeon heaved a sigh. “Are you done?”

He stood up and looked at Taeyeon straight in the eyes. “Not until I’m forgiven.” He snatched his car keys from her hands and held them tightly. He crossed his arms and looked at her smugly, willing to put up a fight.  

“Don’t be such a spoiled brat that you are.” Taeyeon held out her palm.

“Who’s being spoiled?”

Taeyeon wriggled her fingers but Wooyoung didn’t budge. She glared at him and gritted her teeth getting more and more annoyed at the moment. “Spoiled and stubborn. Give it.”

“Nope. You shouldn’t be talking you know.”

“Give it or you’ll sleep on the streets.”

“I know you won’t do that.”

“Wooyoung-ah,” she started to whine.

“No. Not until I’m forgiven.”

“But you embarrassed me!”

“How? I’m well built, haven’t you see?!”

“PUT YOUR SHIRT DOWN OH MY GOD!” She was covering her eyes with one hand while trying to swipe the keys with the other. “Seriously I’m late for work, give the keys to me!”

“Have you forgotten who owns that car?”

“You made a deal.”

“I’ll drive you.”

----

“What the-…“ Taeyeon couldn’t even continue what she was going to say once Wooyoung parked the car in front of the building that she works in. She hasn’t said a word about the address of her job and she was expecting him to drive them elsewhere or give up, but she didn’t expect him to actually know the exact place.

“How did you-”

“Have you forgotten who you’re best friend is?” Wooyoung couldn’t help but give a smugly look towards the confused expression Taeyeon gave him. She just stood there, frozen in place though mouth wide opened.

He smirked, reaching out to close . “One of my good friend’s dad is the CEO of this building, why do you think you got in so easily?”

Taeyeon blinked, trying to process what he had just told her. “But-“ The same month of Wooyoung’s disappearance she started to look for a permanent job, other than tiring herself with endless part times that involved late night shifts. She did found it odd that she was able to get hired in such a high class kind of work so easily.

“Thank me later, now go.” Wooyoung nudged her. “You’re late, go.”

Taeyeon slowly stepped out of the car, still staring at Wooyoung.

“I’ll park the car and I’ll just ask someone to send in the keys to you, okay?”

“Yeah.”

He smiled and waved at her.  

----

“Kim Taeyeon-ssi?”

She looked up at the sound of her name. “Yeah?”

“Someone sent these for you.”

Wooyoung’s car keys and a paper bag with a cup of coffee and bagel were placed on top of her desk. She thanked the woman and placed the keys in her bag, she couldn’t help but smile at the additional things as what happened earlier replayed in Taeyeon’s mind.

She was about to turn her computer on when her eyes caught a Polaroid picture taped at the bottom of her computer screen, she remembered placing it there when she was assembling her work space, since she missed Wooyoung at that time.

It was a picture of Wooyoung and her, taken by his mom before the month his decided to disappear without any trace or word. His family went to a vacation abroad that time, taking Taeyeon and her grandmother with them. A small smile formed on her lips as she remembered that memorable day.

Growing up, Taeyeon was raised by her grandmother since both her parents went through a divorce and didn’t want to claim her, so for as long as she could remember it’s only been her grandmother as the only one in her family. She never asked who her parents were since she deemed them unimportant due to their nonexistence. But ever since she met Wooyoung, she was able to know how having a family felt like. At first of course, she grew jealous of the little boy who had everything anyone could ask for – whether it was wealth or the existence of his parents, he had it. But as the both of them got to know each other the jealousy was forgotten and both of them became inseparable. Wooyoung’s parents had already called Taeyeon their own daughter, due to her frequent visits in their house.

Taeyeon knew about Wooyoung’s status but chose not to pay attention and forget it because it wasn’t at all that mattered plus Wooyoung never really brought it up– which is why she was surprised with what happened this morning. It was a given reminder that Wooyoung was indeed a rich man’s son; it always amazes Taeyeon each time she would realize that.

A beep on her phone startled her and she reached in her bag to see his message. She smiled instantly.

“Did you get them?”

“Yes, thanks Wooyoungie you shouldn’t have.” The use of the old nickname brought her memories and she couldn’t help but chuckle.

“No problem. I guess I’m forgiven now?”

“We’ll see about that.”

“I already know I am.”

“Fine.”

“Okay. I’ll let you work now, bye Tae-Tae.”

“Bye.”

----

“I seriously don’t get it still.” Tiffany suddenly spoke in the midst of the silence. Taeyeon glanced at the other and couldn’t help but roll her eyes, she didn’t want to further explain, and she was tired.

“What’s there not to get?”

“You two.”

“Stop implying things, Fany-ah. We’re just best friends who grew up together, nothing more.”

“But that can’t be, what about me and Erika?”

“What about you two?”

“There must be something going on, it’s not that easy to stay best friends with someone until your death.”

Taeyeon glanced at Tiffany then returned her eyes to the road. “Well you and Erika are a different case compared to Wooyoung and me. And for your information, it is possible to stay best friends and only best friends.”

“Not unless you two have feelings for each other.”

“Which in this case, we don’t.”

“Oh please.”

“It’s been twenty years, and I seriously have never seen Wooyoung in that way.”

“But you’re not sure about him.”

“Oh I’m totally sure.” Taeyeon knew that the stereotypes for rich boys being players were true when it comes to Wooyoung, well atleast that’s what she remembered. But she noticed that his worst habits toned down these days.

“Kim Taeyeon is such a liar, how about those coffee and food that he sends you every morning, and sometimes lunch, huh?”

Taeyeon sighed, if only she had known that accepting Tiffany’s request to drive her to her apartment meant being interrogated then she would’ve refused. “He’s just looking out for me – that’s all. If you’d like, I can ask him to send you some too. You can even ask him yourself since you already have his contact number, I’m sure he won’t mind.”

Tiffany groaned and leaned back at the head rest. She covered her face with her palm and decided to not ask any further.

Minutes later, they had arrived at Tiffany’s apartment, Taeyeon parked in front and Tiffany got off quietly.

She was expecting Tiffany to just get off and not say anything else since the latter was clearly upset, but to her surprise Tiffany bent down and glared and Taeyeon. “Just watch, I’ll get to the bottom of this.” Were her last words after slamming the door shut and walking towards her apartment’s front door without looking back.

Taeyeon simply shook her head and drove away.

----

Her phone was ringing but she was still driving so she was hesitant to pick it up. She waited until the lights turned red but by the time it did, the ringing had already stopped.

She sandwiched her phone between her head and shoulders, waiting for the person to pick up.

A few rings later, a woman’s voice answered the call. “Taeyeon-ah.”

“Umma, sorry I couldn’t pick up earlier,” She had grown to know Wooyoung’s parents as her own, and even call them as umma and appa.

“You’re driving?”

“Yeah.”

“Wooyoung’s car?”

“Yes.”

She heard a sigh on the other line. “So it is true, he’s back home.”

Taeyeon’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion about the muttered reply, but decided since she was driving to ask about it later. “Umma, I’ll call you once I get home, okay?”

“Alright, sorry, drive safely.”

Thankfully traffic was very light today and in no time, Taeyeon had reached her neighborhood and parked in front of her apartment. Before getting out of the car she decided to call back Wooyoung’s mom first.

It only took three rings before the woman answered. “You’re home now?”

“Yes umma. What did you want to talk about?” Taeyeon knew that she doesn’t call unless she’s checking up on Taeyeon or something about Wooyoung.

“Halmoni’s in the hospital.”

“W-what?” Taeyeon exclaimed. “What happened, is everything okay?”

She heard a sigh. “For now. A neighbor found her passed out on the floor one day and alerted me about it. I kept insisting her to let me take her to the hospital but she kept refusing and telling me that she’s fine. I decided to pay her house a visit last week and found her passed out again.”

Taeyeon didn’t find the courage to speak.

“She misses you, Taeyeon-ah.”

Tears had formed in Taeyeon eyes, she felt paralyzed at the sudden news of her own grandmother, the woman who raised her being hospitalized. She had regretted moving out to her own apartment and leaving the old woman alone. “Umma-…”

“Taeyeon-ah?”

“…”

“I’ll take care of Halmoni, so don’t worry about it okay? Try visiting her sometime. She’s happy that you’re doing good in life, she hopes you well, Taeyeon. She’s proud of you.”

Taeyeon only nodded she couldn’t move from her spot and she grew frightened as the tears sprawled.

“Oh and Taeyeon-ah?”

“Y-yes?”

“Please take care of Wooyoung. ”

“Yes.”

“Thank you. Bye.”

“I should be thanking you-…”

“We’re a family, Taeyeon-ah. Family’s support each other. I’ll be going now. Take care.”

Taeyeon let herself break down after the call. She cried silently inside the car, letting the tears fall down uncontrollably. 

----

Wooyoung wrapped his arms around Taeyeon’s shoulders as they shook uncontrollably from the sobs that she was trying to hold in. He didn’t even care that the sleeves of his shirt had gotten soaked; he just wanted to be there to comfort her.

He saw his car parked infront of the apartment minutes ago and was wondering why Taeyeon wasn’t coming out. He went outside to check and his heart broke upon seeing a broken Taeyeon crying in the car.

Until then, he didn’t ask Taeyeon any questions. He just quietly led her in the house sat them on the sofa, and let her cry everything out.

Once Taeyeon calmed down a bit, he pushed Taeyeon gently away and held the messy chin in front of him.

“Are you ready to talk about it?” He asked carefully.

Taeyeon nodded, she didn’t look up but Wooyoung knew, with the grip that she had on her shirt that tears had already built up once again.

He got up and returned with a box of tissue. He reached out for one and gently wiped her face with it. He then brushed the messy strands of hair and tucked them behind her ears. He waited, patiently, until she was ready.

When she spoke, her voice broke into a whimper, but Wooyoung let her finish, wrapping his arms securely around her once more.

It was only Taeyeon’s sobs along with her hoarse voice and the silence of the apartment.

“Don’t worry Tae-Tae,” he said soothingly. “She’ll be fine, Halmoni is strong.” His own heart broke upon hearing the news, he grew to know her grandma as his own, but for Taeyeon, he’ll be strong.

“We’ll visit her, I promise. I’ll come with you.”