This takes place about 7 yrs from where the epilogue of Chapter 2 ended.
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"Jiyoon-ah!"
Taeyeon woke up with a start thanks to the loud voice and automatically let out a groan, pulling the blanket over her head while turning over to the side.
"Hurry up! You're gonna be late for school!"
Tiffany's voice echoed in the apartment and Taeyeon wished that the woman would learn to keep it down every now and then, especially in the morning.
Taeyeon heard the sound of a door being closed next.
"Just eat your breakfast in the car. Here's your lunch," came Tiffany's voice again.
Taeyeon sat up slowly, knowing that her plan for sleeping in on her day off had been ruined. She stretched then put on her slippers before dragging her feet towards the door. Her eyes squinted at the light when she opened the bedroom door, adjusting to the scene she witnessed every morning: Tiffany rushing to and fro, preparing Jiyoon's things for school and her own for work, and the girl in uniform who would calmly chew her breakfast while letting Tiffany fuss over her.
Lately though, Jiyoon's usually calm demeanor had taken a more solemn look to it. Neither Taeyeon nor Tiffany could put their finger on what was bothering their daughter. And should they ask, Jiyoon would just shake her head and mumble short replies such as "Nothing," or "I'm fine."
The solemn attitude would continue after school and work – when they picked Jiyoon up and even after they arrived home. Gone were the endless cheerful stories about what happened at school that day, replaced by the quiet closing of the girl's bedroom door.
Tiffany had gone as far as asking Jiyoon's teacher about whether there was something –or someone– bothering her daughter at school. The teacher said no, there was nothing bad going on. Jiyoon was a good student, a very bright student as a matter of fact. Always in the top three of her class. She was sociable, likeable, had plenty of friends even though she wasn't a social butterfly nor was she popular. In other words, there was nothing that could explain her recent behavior.
Yet despite the change, Jiyoon would strangely keep insisting that either Taeyeon or Tiffany personally prepare her lunch to bring to school, drive her to and pick her up from school –sulking when neither could make it and had to send Yoona's mother instead– and that all three go out somewhere on weekends, even for just a quick meal.
So Taeyeon and Tiffany took it as a good sign that, probably, Jiyoon was just entering a new phase, her teenage years. The most important thing for them was that the girl still liked spending time with them and preferred doing so rather than hanging out with her friends all the time like her friends did. They had promised each other to keep talking to the girl, making sure that she knew that she could always talk to them about anything, and hoped that she would open up to them soon enough.
"You're up?" asked Tiffany when she saw Taeyeon standing at the doorway.
"You're loud," replied Taeyeon, still squinting at the living room.
"Sorry. We're running late. See you later." Tiffany gave Taeyeon a very quick peck on the cheek then rushed to put her shoes on.
Taeyeon turned her head in time to see Jiyoon walking towards her.
"Hey," she said, stepping in front of the girl to stop her. "Do you have a test today?" she asked since she had come home very late last night and Jiyoon was already asleep by then.
Jiyoon shook her head.
"Done all your homework?"
The girl nodded.
