"I'm sincerely sorry," said Taeyeon for the umpteenth time that morning as she bowed to what she considered the hundredth person she had met. Her back had started to hurt from all the deep bowing.
Another person also bowed next to her and she held back a smile. It felt good to have Tiffany with her.
Taeyeon knew that Tiffany wasn't required to be there or to apologize along but there she was, sincerely bowing to everyone. Taeyeon had never felt luckier. Not even when I was with him, she realized with a bit of a shock. Then again, back then I was just a kid. Life is different now. She stole a glance at the young woman standing next to her. And to have her with me like this... I wish I could have her with me, by my side like this forever. She suppressed a smile. Yeah. I'd like that. She straightened up, waited until the person she was apologizing to had walked away then turned around to face Tiffany.
"You don't have to do this you know. Even Jongin's waiting way over there." Taeyeon gestured at the young man who was standing near the door in the waiting area of the post office.
"I'm not going to let you do this alone," replied Tiffany with a slight frown.
Taeyeon smiled. "And for that, I'm very grateful." She stealthily took hold of Tiffany's hand and squeezed it for a second before letting go. She then took a deep breath. "Now then. Who else do I have to apologize to?" She turned around and scanned the room.
They had arrived there early, right in time for the post office to open.
Taeyeon wanted to avoid as many people as possible so she chose the quietest hour of the morning she could think of.
"I think that's it. You've even apologized to the janitor." Tiffany grinned.
"I'll report to the manager then." Taeyeon walked towards a small room at the back at the post office. She knocked on the glass panel. "Excuse me, Mr Park?"
The man looked up from his computer. "Yes, Inspector Kim?" He then stood up.
"I've finished apologizing to everyone personally." Taeyeon stepped inside the small office. "I hope you understand how terribly sorry we are about what happened."
"I guess we can't control every reckless and stubborn subordinate now, can we?" The manager's face clearly showed his dislike of Joonmyun.
Taeyeon wanted to protest and say that Joonmyun wasn't just a subordinate or that it was perfectly understandable for him to do what he did. But she knew that it would be unwise to do so though. In the end, she just kept her face as neutral as possible while giving him a slight nod.
"Thank you for coming all the way here and keeping your word about personally apologizing to every staff member," said the manager. "You can tell Captain Im that she doesn't have to worry. I will withdraw my complaint but I shall keep your apology letter."
"Thank you." Taeyeon bowed. "And thank you for being cooperative regarding the inkpads."
