"Unnie."
Taeyeon looked up from her computer to see Yoona coming to stand in front of her desk.
"Can I talk to you for a bit?" asked the captain. "You too, Unnie," she told Tiffany before gesturing towards her office.
"Sure." Taeyeon stood up, shot Tiffany a questioning glance then walked with her towards Yoona's office. "What's up?" she asked as soon as she had closed the door behind her.
Yoona waited until the other two had taken a seat before she carefully began talking – hands clasped on her desk. "How's the adoption thing going?"
"We've brought the attorney to Mrs. Yoon's house to talk to her. The papers are slowly being taken care of so you could say that things are going as planned. Why?" Taeyeon asked.
"Well, the reason I need to talk to you about this is that, unfortunately, I can't really let you continue leaving work too often to pick her up from school," said Yoona with an apologetic smile. "I was willing to let you do it this past couple of weeks because of our circumstances but it can't be a permanent thing, I'm afraid. I'm sorry, Unnies. My hands are tied. There are rules that we must adhere to."
"That's totally understandable," said Tiffany. "But does that apply to me as well? I mean, I can understand Taeyeon's obligations but can you make an exception for me? It'll be quick. I'll just pick her up from school and be back here before you know it."
"Who would look after Jiyoon until you're done with work?" asked Yoona.
"Um... can't I bring her here? She's been here a lot, she's not a difficult kid and everybody loves her."
"True but, unfortunately, this isn't a daycare, Unnie." Yoona exhaled. "I'm really sorry but we have to work something out. This work environment isn't exactly a safe one for a child and it's against policy to bring a child to work every day."
Taeyeon looked at Tiffany. They hadn't really thought about this with everything that had been going on. Their first priority was to secure Jiyoon as theirs. The rest, they thought, would be figured out as they went along.
Yoona seemed to understand what was going on. She smiled and leaned back in her chair. "I have a suggestion to make."
"What suggestion?" asked Taeyeon.
"Unnie, are you still going to get your driver's license?" Yoona turned her head towards Tiffany.
"Yes. Why?"
"Good. Then you can go ahead with your plan to pick up Jiyoon from school every day."
"But you said-..."
"And after that, you can take her home and let her do her homework or play peacefully."
"What?"
"I've talked to the Commissioner," said Yoona. "He wants to see you two to discuss what he called 'the life-changing decision and huge responsibility that is parenting', by the way," she added then laughed before turning serious again. "But seriously, we've talked and he said Fany unnie can work less hours daily. You would have to make up for those hours, of course, so we've decided to extend your commitment to us instead. It would probably total up to a year extra, give or take a few months," she explained. "What do you think?"
"Will that be okay?" Tiffany asked in half-disbelief since it sounded so simple.
"Do you mind working with us for another year?"
"Not at all."
"Then yes, it should be okay," said Yoona with a smile. "The Commissioner himself has approved it, Unnie. It's all good. You've been a valuable aid to our team so consider this part of our recognition. Besides, if you ever need a babysitter, I know someone who's always available and more than willing to do it for free."
