Seoul Hospital. She wasn't a fan of hospitals. She'd spent much of her time in hospitals during her youth and didn't have good memories of those times. There was never a good reason to be at a hospital, in her opinion, and her current reason only drove home the point further.

Was Taeyeon alright? Was she badly injured? Her imagination was running amok, spinning up bloody, gory scenarios to haunt her as she hurried to the accident and emergency department. The receptionist directed her to the third floor, towards the emergency wards and she rushed up, anxious to see her.

“Tiffany!”

A shrill voice stopped her in her tracks. She backtracked and saw Sunny in the corridor to her left, staring at her with an odd smile lingering. “Where's Taeyeon?”

“She's in here.” Sunny pointed at the door nearby. “The doctor is checking up on her.”

“Is she still unconscious?”

Sunny shook her head. “She came to, shortly after I arrived. She looked a little banged up but she should be fine. What took you so long to get here?”

“It's a long story.” She sighed. “Is Taeyeon really okay?”

“Her life isn't in danger, if that's what you're asking. She even asked about you before they pushed her in there so I'm sure she's not in bad shape.”

“She asked about me?”

“Mhm. She asked if you were at the race.”

“Oh.”

“You look surprised.”

“I...am.”

Sunny winked. “I'm not. You just don't know Taeyeon well enough. Yet.”

“What are you trying to say?”

A shrug and mysterious smile were her only answers and she was about to ask again when the sound of heels clicking against the floor turned her head. Walking towards them was a woman in a navy blue dress. She had youthful features but gentle lines of worry gracing her skin gave the truth about her age away. Her slim figure was well maintained and her hair, styled with taste. Heels elevated her a little but it was obvious that she was petite and that reminded her of Taeyeon, somehow.

“Aunty.”

Aunty? Tiffany stared at Sunny, taken aback by the curt tone in her voice.

“Sunny. I'm glad you're here. The hospital called me but I can't stay for long.”

“I know, I gave them your number. I'll be here for Taeyeon. You should too.”

“I've signed all the documents they need me to. I have to go back. Take care of her for me.”

“I will.”

The woman smiled and Tiffany found it all too familiar. “Thank you, Sunny,” she said, before turning to face Tiffany with the same smile.

Tiffany returned the smile and stared as the woman turned around and walked away with brisk steps. There was nothing but silence after that as she waited for the coast to be clear before raising her eyebrows at Sunny.

“She's Taeyeon's mother.”

She gasped. “That was Taeyeon's mother?” That explained the uncanny feeling she had, looking at the woman.

Sunny laughed but it sounded hollow. “Yeah, mother. The woman who gave birth to Taeyeon.”

“You don't seem to like her very much.”

“No, I don't.”

Tiffany wasn't sure if it was her place to ask, but she had to. “Why?”

The look in Sunny's eyes just then reminded her of someone who had frozen her heart to the world. It rattled her and she wondered if she had stepped over an invisible line but Sunny answered her after a moment. “You wouldn't like her either, if you knew more about her.”

“I wouldn't know if nobody tells me anything.”

A sudden laugh escaped Sunny. “You wanna know? Why? Why would you wanna know?”

Sunny's question and knowing eyes made her squirm a little inside. It was clear that Sunny was deliberate with her question but she'd never admitted her feelings to anyone before and she wasn't about to come clean with her inner secrets right now. It didn't seem like a wise thing to do either, especially when Sunny and Taeyeon were as close as they were. The last thing she wanted was to appear soft to Taeyeon.

“I know why you came to Seoul. You don't have to hide anything from me. And I won't tell Taeyeon if you don't want me to.”

Tiffany stared, stunned by Sunny. How did this short woman know so many things? And why did it seem as though she could read minds?

“If you know everything, why are you still asking me.”

“To be honest, I'm not on Taeyeon's side when it comes to certain things. She doesn't always know what's good for her.” Sunny sighed. “Look, I can only tell you this—Taeyeon didn't have the happiest childhood. Her relationship with her mother is far from warm and she's trapped between her mother and sister.”

“What about her father?”

“He died before her little sister knew what a father is. And that's all I can say. As for the rest, you'll have to find out by yourself or Taeyeon will kill me.”

“Is that why she seems to hate everything?”

Sunny laughed. “You're good for her. She just doesn't know it yet.”

“What do you mean?”

The shorter woman laid a hand on her shoulder and squeezed. “Taeyeon needs some love in her life.”

-

“Does she have any family?”

Yuri shook her head, tears blurring her vision before she blinked them away. “No,” she replied before catching herself. “Actually...she may have a sister.”

“I'm sorry but I don't quite understand. What do you mean when you say she may have a sister?”

“She's waiting for the results of a DNA test to be sure.”

“I see. Well, in that case, you'll have to sign the documents for Miss Jung.”

She sniffed and looked at the nurse in front of her. “What do I have to sign?”

“Please come with me.”

-

A hundred and one signatures later, Yuri jogged back to the room that Jessica was in and sat on the seats outside. Jessica had been unconscious when they brought her in and she was quite beside herself, feverish with the need to know that she was going to be alright. Instead, she'd been kept out and asked to sign a bunch of papers. So, she'd signed them blindly, too upset to take notice of what she was signing for.

It couldn't have been more than an hour but it felt like days to her as she sat there waiting. Maybe the problem was waiting alone. With nothing to do, other than boring holes into the door with her eyes, her imagination was free to wander from bad to worse scenarios in her mind.

“She'll be okay, Yuri. It's alright. Don't cry,” she said to herself. “Sica will be fine.” Not knowing what else to do, she closed her eyes and prayed. A short while later, the door open and she leapt from her seat. “Doctor, is she okay?”

The doctor smiled and nodded. “She's come back to consciousness. There are no major injuries, just a concussion and I suspect possible whiplash but she'll be fine after some time.”

“What's whiplash?”

“A whiplash is basically a neck sprain. It's quite common after car accidents. Nothing much to worry about though. It should be fine after a few days. As for her concussion, she might be nauseous and sensitive for a while, but give it a few days of proper rest and the symptoms should go away.”

“So all she has to do is rest and she'll be okay?”

“Yes. Give her a few days and she should be back to normal.”

Suddenly, she could smile again. “Thank you, Doctor. Thank you very much.”

“You're welcome. She'll be moved to a ward in a bit. We'll keep her here for observation for 24 hours. If there's nothing else, she'll be discharged.”

“May I see her now?”

“Yes—”

Yuri didn't hang around long enough to hear the rest of what the doctor had to say. She pushed into the room and had to cover at the sight of Jessica lying on a bed, looking tinier than she'd ever been. She didn't appear to be conscious and there were numerous wires running from her body to machines, striking a rabid streak of fear in her heart. The doctor had said she was fine but this didn't look even remotely like fine to her.

“Sica...” Her tears rolled down her cheeks as she tried to hold herself together.

“Sweetie, don't cry. She's fine.” The nurse gave her a smile and removed the wires from Jessica's arms and torso.

“B-But these wires...why...”

“Don't worry about them. They look scary but are actually harmless.” The nurse giggled at her little joke. “These things are going to be removed now.” And true enough, the other nurses in the room began pushing the equipment and machines out. She stepped aside to let them out and the smiling nurse stopped as she passed by. “She's asleep at the moment. Let her rest. We'll shift her to another ward in a while.”

“Oh.” The nurse's words calmed her heart and she sniffed as relief set in. “Thank you very much.”

-

Her eyes found Taeyeon the moment she stepped into the room. Taeyeon looked like a tossed up kid in bed and her heart went out to her. Her features were scrunched up but it was hard to tell if it was due to pain or a foul temper. She stood behind Sunny, allowing the shorter woman to ask the all-important question.

“Are you dead yet?”

“You wished,” Taeyeon croaked. The sound of Taeyeon's voice, as croaky as it was, sparked off a sigh of relief and Taeyeon asked, “Who's that.”

Sunny stepped aside. “It's Tiffany.”

Taeyeon stared at her for a moment and their eyes locked but she looked away too soon. “I don't want to see her.”

She wasn't entirely surprised by Taeyeon's brusque reaction to her. But very muscle in her body stiffened all the same and she had to fight the urge to shake Taeyeon hard for being so difficult.

“Taeyeon, she came all the way here to see you. She's worried.”

“That doesn't concern me.”

At the sound of Taeyeon's errant tone, she found her voice again. “I'll leave. Don't worry, I'll leave.” She turned and walked out of the room, fighting back the tears that threatened to fall.

Sunny followed her out and spoke quietly, “I'm sorry. She's being impossible.”

“She just crashed out of a race. She can't be in a good mood.”

“Tiffany—”

She shook her head to silence Sunny. “Let her rest. I'll come back tomorrow.”

“I'm sorry, Tiffany.”

She managed a wan smile. “You don't have to apologize. I'm used to Taeyeon's harsh words. I would retaliate at any other time but she's not well so I should just go back and rest.”

“Tiffany,” Sunny's plump lips curled into a bright smile, “I'm right about you. You're good for Taeyeon.”

-

Contrary to what she said at the hospital, the opposite was true once she got home. The scene of the accident was constantly on her mind and Taeyeon's hurtful words pierced her over and over again, even if she knew the woman didn't really mean them.

With a great big sigh, she threw herself under the shower and willed the running water to wash her troubles away. Sunny's cryptic words replayed in her mind. What had Taeyeon's childhood been like? Why wasn't she on good terms with her mother? And did that have anything to do with Taeyeon's initial anger when the woman had wrongly assumed she was Paul's mistress?

It had to have something to do with it. That would be the only explanation she could think of. That would explain why Taeyeon was so hostile towards her while claiming she didn't hate her. But even if it were true, how was she going to get through to Taeyeon? How was she going to break down the metre-thick walls of steel that guarded Taeyeon's heart?

At any rate, she wasn't about to give up. She hadn't planned on going this far when she came to Seoul, but somehow, things had gotten this far and it wasn't her to give up easily. She was going to fight for every chance, every possibility to get what she wanted. Who she wanted.

-

“Yuri?”

Her eyebrows dipped as she registered a soft voice calling her name. “Mmm?”

“Yuri...”

There it was again. Mmm. It was a nice voice. Only, her neck was aching and so was her back. With a groan, she pinched her eyes tight and straightened her back in a cat-like stretch.

“Yuri.”

“Sica,” she responded naturally as her eyes opened. Only then did she realize where she was. “Oh my God. Sica, you're awake. Are you feeling better?” Her anxious eyes and worried hands must have appeared comical for Jessica giggled before lapsing into a groan. “Are you in pain?” she asked in panic, her anxiety shooting up through the roof in that instant.

“My ribs hurt when I laughed.”

“I'll get a doctor to come and check on you.”

“Yuri.”

She turned back and looked into Jessica's eyes. They glistened a little and she knew it was only a matter of time before Jessica was reduced to tears. She bent low and cupped her girlfriend's cheeks gently. “Sica...don't cry...you're safe now.”

“I want to see Krystal.”

“Sica—”

“I want to see Krystal.”

Yuri sighed. “I'll call her.”

-

“Jessica's in the hospital and she wants to see you.”

“What did you say?”

Yuri was pleased to note the shock in Crystal's voice. Perhaps, she wasn't as heartless as she appeared to be. “Sica was in the Hongdae race last night. She crashed and is in the hospital now. She wants to see you.”

There was a moment's pause before Crystal's voice came through the phone, low and cautious. “Is she...”

“Her injuries are not severe.”

“I see,” she replied, her voice lightening up at once, “Which hospital is she in?”

“Seoul Hospital.”

“I'll be there in a while.”

“Alright. See you soon.” Yuri ended the call and stared at her phone. Crystal hadn't said anything mean or insensitive. She'd sounded concerned, even. Was she wrong about Crystal? She hoped she was, for Jessica's sake.

-

The door pushed open and she entered. Several pairs of eyes blinked and stared, unsettling her, until Sunny stood up with a tired smile.

“Good morning Tiffany. Did you manage to sleep well?”

She shook her head. “You?”

Sunny pointed at her puffy eyes and they chuckled. “Tiffany, this is Sooyoung and Hyoyeon.”

They exchanged friendly smiles and a round of hellos and stood stiffly, stealing curious stares at each other.

Sunny rolled her eyes. “Yes, Sooyoung. This is Tiffany. Isn't it obvious enough?”

Tiffany could only blink as Sooyoung blushed and said, “I was only trying to be sure.”

“Anyway, your timing is excellent, Tiffany. My hungry giant over here has been complaining of an empty stomach. Since you're here now, we can all go for breakfast.”

Sooyoung grinned, her eyes shining as she stood and took Sunny's hand. “Let's go. I'm starving.”

Her eyes unwittingly trailed up Sooyoung's slender calves, thighs and body all the way to the top of her head in awe. Sooyoung towered over her, making her feel like a dwarf and she couldn't stop staring.

“We'll be back in half an hour,” said Sunny.

She nodded, tearing her eyes away from Sooyoung and hoping nobody noticed. “See you later.”

The door closed on the food seeking trio and she turned back to look at Taeyeon. The woman was fast asleep, but a slight frown marred the serenity of it. Even in sleep, Taeyeon was not fully at peace.

After a long night of tossing and turning, she'd finally come up with a theory about Taeyeon and her mother. Based on what Sunny had told her and the things Taeyeon had said in the past, there had to be a reason for Taeyeon's unreasonable treatment of her. A mere dislike for mistresses couldn't be the case. Her strong feelings against such people had appeared to be unfounded. Until now.

Taeyeon's mother had worn expensive clothing when she came to the hospital. Her heels alone, were worth a few hundred thousand won, if the maker was who she thought it was. And her nails were immaculately done, the touch of a spa visit evident in the professional finish of her manicure and pedicure.

She'd made it clear she couldn't stay. Who did she have to get back to, if Taeyeon's father was no longer in this world? It could be Taeyeon's sister, but she doubted it. And as the pieces of the puzzle clicked into place, she was left with a simple, yet heart breaking answer.

“Taeyeon,” she breathed, reaching out to brush the sleeping woman's hair from her face. She couldn't understand the intensity of her feelings for Taeyeon. She didn't understand how she'd gone from a fan, hoping to pitch her skills against one of the best drivers in the world, to this pathetic soul sitting by Taeyeon's bedside, watching as she slept.

That crazy night was to be blamed. It was that one night. That one taste. That one moment when she fell into Taeyeon’s eyes as wicked fingers coaxed her soul out of her. And now, here she was, murmuring Taeyeon's name like a lovesick vagabond looking for a place to call home. Unfortunately for her, the home called Taeyeon was by no means easy to get into. There were moments when she'd thought she made it in, only to be kicked straight out the front door, luggage and all. Those moments pierced her like a sharp needle, and made her wary. But she was Tiffany Hwang and Tiffany Hwang wasn't one to give up easily.

“Taeyeon,” she breathed again in a sigh. This time, she was answered by a groan. Taeyeon's eyes opened a peek and her face scrunched up, looking disgruntled. Taeyeon was not a morning person, she thought, and for some reason, it made her smile.

“T...fany...”

“Yes, it's me.”

“Where's...Sunny...”

“She went out for breakfast with Sooyoung. And Hyoyeon.”

“s left me alone for food.”

“They didn't leave you alone.” She blazed her eyes down at Taeyeon and the woman blinked before looking away.

“Why are you here.”

“That's a good question but I don't know the answer. Do you?”

“How would I know.”

“How's your head this morning?” A cheery voice interrupted them, stealing their attention from each other. “Good morning, I'm Doctor Seo. I'm here to check on you and if all's well, I'll give you the clear to be discharged.” She turned to Tiffany and smiled. “My apologies but I have to ask you to wait outside while I'm doing the checks.”

Tiffany stood as two nurses entered. “I'll be outside,” she said to Taeyeon, ignoring the fact that the woman wasn't even looking at her. Then, in an act that would stun both Taeyeon and herself, she bent and kissed the woman's cheek before turning around and leaving the room in brisk strides.

The door closed behind her and she leaned against it, her heart beating fast. Yet, as she stood there with a hand pressed against her chest, a sense of thrill ballooned inside her. Yes, she'd wanted to do that ever since that night at the dinner party. She'd wanted to grab Taeyeon by her neck and kiss the daylight out of her, right in front of everybody. She didn't want shady after-race s and secretive meetings in the night. She wanted a broad daylight affair. Out in the open. With nothing to be ashamed of.

Her lips curled into a confident smirk as she pushed herself off the door and stood up straight. Taeyeon and her swinging rejections weren't going to stop her. She was Tiffany Hwang. And Tiffany Hwang always got what she wanted.

-