Chapter 13
edits
The first thing Tiffany noticed when the lift doors opened was that the lobby was entirely silent. In all her years working for the magazine, she had never seen it this quiet. She cautiously stepped out of the lift, wallet and phone in hand.
Everyone in the lobby studiously avoided her eyes as she looked around. Tall, tall, short, tall — Tiffany finally spotted a familiar figure standing by the doors.
As she walked over, every single squeak from her sneakers echoed clearly throughout the room. Tiffany’s face was bright red by the time she stopped in front of Taeyeon. “Hi,” she managed.
“Hey,” said Taeyeon, smiling up at her. She smoothed down her striped button-down. “You’re early."
“Team manager told us to go lunch early today,” said Tiffany. Glancing around, she lowered her voice. “I was washing most of my clothes this morning so I only had this shirt left. Sorry."
“It looks good on you. You like Hello Kitty?"
“It’s embarrassing."
Taeyeon grinned. “You’re as pink as your shirt right now."
“Can we…stand somewhere else?” Tiffany looked up and everyone in the room immediately turned away. “This is a little uncomfortable."
“I’d like to say you’ll get used to it, but you really never do."
“Are we allowed to wear paper bags over our heads?"
--
Tiffany swallowed her mouthful of sushi and looked around. “This is actually really nice. Did you book the room?"
“Yeah. I come here a lot because they have a strict no camera policy.”
She watched as Taeyeon stretched and yawned. “Tired?"
“I’m always sleepy."
“Really? But you look so alert and energetic."
Taeyeon grinned. “It’s called having acting skills. Plus really good make-up."
“Do you not sleep well or something?"
“I’m told I’m a really bad sleeper, actually. I’ve never seen it but I apparently move around a lot. Maybe that’s why I feel so tired when I wake up?"
“Who told you that?"
“My mom,” said Taeyeon, blushing.
“Does she live with you?"
“My family’s in Jeonju. Yours?"
“In California,” said Tiffany, checking her watch instinctively to calculate the time difference.
She looked back up to see Taeyeon nodding thoughtfully. “And here I was about to say my family lived far away,” Taeyeon said, laughing. “Do you have any siblings?"
“A brother and a sister. You?"
“Me too! Older? Younger?"
“My sister’s the oldest, then my brother, and then me."
“So you’re the youngest?"
Taking a sip of her tea, Tiffany nodded.
“Whoa. And you…were you born here?"
“Nope. L.A. born and bred,” said Tiffany. “I moved here a few years ago."
“I see. Your English must be really good, then?"
“A lot better than my Korean, that’s for sure.” She shook her head when she saw Taeyeon’s admiring look. “It’s nothing special, Taeyeon. It’s not a talent, like your singing. When did you start, actually?"
Taeyeon tilted her head. “Start singing?"
“Mhmm."
“I became a singer maybe…ten years ago?"
Tiffany stared. “Ten years ago?"
“Yeah."
“Wait, how old are you?” Tiffany frowned in confusion as Taeyeon started to laugh. “What? What’s so funny?"
“Nothing, I just thought that this was refreshing. Usually when I talk to people, they end up telling me about myself, quoting things I’ve said and done that I’ve already forgotten. You’re the first person I’ve met who’s asked me these questions in a long time,” said Taeyeon, leaning back in her chair.
“Sorry,” said Tiffany, wincing. “I should’ve done my research first."
“No, this is better. I mean, you’re not supposed to be able to Google everything about a date, right? There’s the requisite Facebook stalking but that’s it, you don’t get flash cards.” Taeyeon poked her chopstick into the soy sauce. “So this is cool. I like that we’re getting to know each other without the help of Wikipedia."
“Is your Wiki page long?” Tiffany took out her phone, put it on the table, and glanced at Taeyeon. “I know you just said we should get to know each other without the help of Wikipedia, but I’m really curious now. Have you ever looked at your own page?"
“Once or twice,” said Taeyeon with an amused grin. “Go ahead, if you really want to. But!"
“But?"
“Whatever you read there, you have to tell me a corresponding fact about yourself."
Tiffany raised an eyebrow. “What is this, Twenty Questions?"
“We do have a talk show to go on, you know. It would look bad if we didn’t know anything about each other."
“You’ll quickly find that I’m really boring,” said Tiffany, typing Taeyeon’s name into the search bar, “but okay. Alright. First th— wow! Your page has, like, 20 languages!"
“I can only read the Korean version."
“March 9th, 1989?"
“Oh goody, they got my birthday right. What’s yours?"
“August 1st. Same year."
“I’m older!"
Tiffany ignored her, scrolling. “Jeonju, singer — wait, it says actress too?"
“I was in one episode of 'This Summer, The Sun Shines’, as a guest.” Taeyeon rubbed her elbow with a sigh.
“That counts as being an actress?"
“Gotta milk it for what it’s worth. Company wanted me to branch out."
“So I’m guessing you didn’t like it?"
Taeyeon chased a grain of rice around her plate, giving Tiffany a toothy grin. “I can’t act. That’s the truth."
“Which episode was it?"
“You’re going to search it up, aren’t you?"
“Just to see how bad your acting really is,” said Tiffany with a straight face. “No judgment."
Taeyeon raised her eyebrows. “You didn’t tell me about your job."
“I’m just a designer at the magazine. I edit pictures and stuff."
“Did you photoshop abs for me?"
Tiffany gave Taeyeon a flat stare. “No."
“Actually, it’s kind of weird to think that you’ve scrutinized pictures of me before…”
“I’ve done that for a lot of people, okay?"
She looked up from her phone as Taeyeon leaned forward slightly. “Did any of them ever give you nosebleeds?” Taeyeon asked, a small smile on her face.
“…No,” said Tiffany.
“I’m flattered, I think."
Tiffany rolled her eyes. “You could’ve indirectly killed me."
“Still flattered."
“It says here that you sang an OST for…” Tiffany frowned. “Wait a second, ‘Can You Hear Me’? I know this song!"
“You don’t like it, right?"
“What? No! Why would you think that?"
Taeyeon laughed. “That’s what you told me before."
“Wait, no way! I didn’t even know you sang it!"
“It was when you were delirious at the hospital,” said Taeyeon, grinning widely. “I was trying to get you out of the car and I asked you if you could hear me and you said you didn’t like it very much."
“Oh, god. I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean it, I swear!"
“Drunk people are honest."
“I wasn’t drunk!"
“You had no filter, then.”
Tiffany looked at Taeyeon in despair. “I’m so sorry."
“I’m kidding, Tiffany. It’s okay if you don’t like the song. At least you listened to it.”
“I—” Tiffany let out a breath. “I promise, I am going to go home today and listen to every single one of your songs. Every single one of them."
“And watch my break-out acting scene?"
“And that!"
Taeyeon crossed her arms and rested her elbows on the table. “That may take several hours,” she said, shifting in her seat. “You’ll be bored of me really fast."
“I will do it anyway."
“You don’t have to."
“I’ll do it anyway."
“Would you say you’re a fairly stubborn person?"
Tiffany nodded decisively. “Very."
“Interesting. Wanna keep going? The hour’s almost up."
“What? Oh. Right,” said Tiffany, going back to her phone. She moved down the page slowly. “Then it lists your awards…wow, that’s a lot. You’re really famous, aren’t you?"
“You could say that."
“And then—” Tiffany stopped suddenly.
“What?"
“I’m looking at personal details, and,” she showed the phone to Taeyeon. “It’s a little unnerving to see my own name on a Wikipedia page."
“Yes. Fans are fast. Congrats, you’re on the Internet.” Taeyeon pointed at the screen. “Looks like you even have your own page."
“Wait, what?"
Taeyeon took the phone from her and clicked. “Let’s see here. Okay, it’s in Korean and English so far. You’re listed as a graphic designer—”
“Not exactly true."
“—And it says here that you graduated from USC in 2010?"
“Okay, how in the world did they find that?!” Tiffany tried to get the phone back. “Let me see!"
“And, oh man, this is funny. Says that you were allegedly pregnant but the rumors were disproven.” Taeyeon cackled. “It’s on your Wikipedia page, Tiffany. This is great."
“Of all the things they could’ve put there—”
“They’ll have more to put once the show airs,” said Taeyeon, handing the phone back to Tiffany.
Tiffany narrowed her eyes. “Was that meant to be reassuring?"
“That depends on what you’re going to say."
“What…what exactly is this show?"
“Life’s Good? The talk show?"
She shrugged helplessly. “I don’t watch TV."
“You don’t know what Life’s Good is?"
“I know it’s a talk show,” said Tiffany hesitantly. “So…we talk?"
“Jeez. What do you do in your free time?"
Tiffany cleared . “Nothing much."
“I refuse to believe that. Books? TV shows? American shows?"
“No, I really don’t watch anything."
Taeyeon leaned back in her chair. “So you just sit at home?"
“I do puzzles,” said Tiffany defensively. “I do a lot of puzzles."
“Puzzles?"
“Yes. I do a lot of them."
“Like, those things that come in pieces?"
“Yeah."
Taeyeon raised her eyebrows and nodded slowly. “Puzzles,” she said flatly.
“I like puzzles."
“Okay, okay. Do you, you know, do anything else?"
“Not really."
“Just go to work, come home, do puzzles?"
“I like framing them too."
“Wow."
“I told you I’m boring,” said Tiffany quietly.
“I mean, it’s not boring, just…surprising. Do you listen to music while you do puzzles or something?"
Tiffany tapped her fingers on the table.
“No? No music at all?"
“Well,” she said hesitantly, “I do listen to music."
“What kind?"
“Do you know the Eagles?"
Taeyeon nodded. “Hotel California? Yeah, I know them."
“I listen to the Eagles."
“Cool!” Taeyeon waited, smiling encouragingly. “What else?"
“…Just the Eagles."
“Just the Eagles?!"
Tiffany grimaced. “I told you, I’m really boring."
“No, this is interesting. Why only the Eagles?"
“I told you I’m the youngest, right? My mom is a bit of a, ah—”
“Free spirit is the phrase you used the other time."
“Right, free spirit.” Tiffany folded her napkin up. “My brother and sister are a lot older than me. By the time they left for college, I wasn’t even in high school yet. My mom was so tired of dealing with them that she just kept me at home with her a lot."
“Wow."
“That’s why I’m used to puzzles. And the Eagles, because they’re all she listened to.” Tiffany tried to smile. “And that’s me, world’s least interesting person."
She waited nervously as Taeyeon nodded at her empty plate, seemingly deep in thought. Just as Tiffany was about to say something, Taeyeon suddenly looked up.
“Can I put that on your Wikipedia page?"
“What?"
“The fact that you like puzzles and the Eagles. Can I write that on your Wikipedia page?"
She looked at Taeyeon’s cheeky expression and felt an odd sense of relief. “Um, no. No way."
“Please? Just those two things?"
“You wouldn’t."
“I totally will.”
“Kim Ta—”
The door suddenly opened and Mr. Jang poked his head into the room. “We have to go in ten minutes, girls. Ready?"
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