Taeyeon placed the flowers on the grave as she exhaled a heavy sigh.

Standing up, she wiped her fingers over the cement grave stone, “It seems like only a moment ago we just met.” It would be natural to shed tears in this situation but Taeyeon only stands there with a heavy heart and happy memories.

“He had a good life thanks to you Taeyeon.”

Taeyeon smiled bitterly, “Sometimes I think everyone ages with me and time could be endless, but then everyone I love get wrinkles…then…dies. I can only remind myself that until they die, can I make their life comfortable.”

Seohyun gently placed her hand on Taeyeon’s back, “And you did. He lived a great life.”

Taeyeon traced over the letters ‘Shim Changmin Feb. 18 1928-April 3 2017.’

Seohyun leaned on her cane, “Taeyeon come on we have to get going. It is getting dark.”

Nodding along, Taeyeon got up and hooked Seohyun’s arm with hers to help the elderly lady, “I think it is well past your bedtime too.”

Seohyun laughed, “And I thought I was younger than you. Look at you lecturing me as if you were my mother.”

Going back to the black Bentley, Taeyeon helped Seohyun into the backseat before going to the driver side and riding off into the night. It was a quiet ride with a somber feeling in the air; luckily, Seohyun lived close to Taeyeon so she dropped her off at her place before going back to another empty house.

Taeyeon did her usual routine of throwing her keys into the porcelain bowl before going to get her tea ready and a snack of biscuits. She found herself watching more TV these days than books since the Korean broadcasting stations had a wide selection of dramas to watch. She didn’t like the historical dramas since they were riddled with inaccuracies but those with romance in the modern day filled her fancy. She knew the fairytales of bumping into your soulmate was inaccurate but there were times where she would love to picture running into Sooyeon that way, but the past proved that was wrong.

Turning off the TV, Taeyeon slipped into her fuzzy slippers and shuffled around the house looking over memorabilia and old pictures. She found the picture of her and Changmin opening his restaurant together. She hardly ever took photos of herself, but Changmin decided to use his earnings on a restaurant. Taeyeon of course supported his decisions and let him be with his family and run the restaurant. Seohyun already took over most of his jobs and that was the day she had to tell Seohyun about her curse. It was funny because Seohyun being so bright already thought something mystical was casted over Taeyeon’s youthful appearance.

Taeyeon, however, was reluctant to let Changmin go. She had recently lost her dear friend Soo-Man and Changmin was moving away to live his life. By now, Taeyeon wondered how her heart wasn’t made of steel.

Taking her mug to the sink, Taeyeon quickly rinsed it and let out a huge yawn. Organizing the funeral for today was very hard although Changmin’s son did offer to do most of the work, but Taeyeon wanted to at least take care of expenses.

After washing her face, Taeyeon slipped into bed but her eyes didn’t close. She often wondered who would be the next person to die. In the end she just knows it won’t be her.

-------------------

Taeyeon signed the form placed in front of her, “Did we get the expense reports from the shipping company?”

“No not yet. Did you need me to call them?”

“It has been 3 days. Check your email and if they don’t give us anything by the end of the day, call them.”

“Yes mam.”

“Thank you Yeri. That is it for today.” The bright young girl nodded profusely before leaving Taeyeon in her office.

Letting out a big yawn, Taeyeon leaned back in her chair thinking that Yeri might be a good replacement for Seohyun with a bit more training. Finding a good secretary seemed to be very difficult. Most already had families and Taeyeon didn’t want to put her curse on any young man or woman who had other responsibilities.

However, her moment of peace was interrupted by the vibration of her phone, “hello? Oh yes ok no problem. I can be there in a few minutes.”

Taeyeon quickly got up and grabbed her jacket, “Yeri I am leaving for the day. Give me any messages in the morning.”

Yeri didn’t have time to respond as Taeyeon was running out of the door.

Quickly reaching for her keys, Taeyeon unlocked her car and put her seatbelt on.

Speeding around Seoul, Taeyeon maneuvered her place to the hospital and asked the valet to park her car.

Running inside, Taeyeon found the information desk, “Hello. I am looking for a Kim Seohyun.”

“Oh I see she is in room 452.”

“Thank you.”

Taeyeon ran off to room 452 to see Seohyun laying peacefully in her bed with an oxygen mask on. Taeyeon let out an air of relief seeing that she was still breathing before taking a seat, “how could you scare me so much?” Carefully, Taeyeon took the elderly woman’s cold hand and rubbed to warm them up, “did Changmin dying break your heart too? He was also my best friend.”

“Ah hem?”

Taeyeon quickly stood up, “Oh hello.”

The man entered, “Who are you?”

Taeyeon watched the man carefully knowing full well it was Seohyun’s husband, “I am a friend of hers.”

The man eyed out the ‘younger’ woman, “I didn’t know she had any younger friends.”

“Oh well she might not talk about me much. We umm know each other from work.” Taeyeon said hoping not to reveal her identity, “you are Kim Heechul, Seohyun’s husband right?”

“Yes I am.”

Taeyeon tried to remain calm with the man’s icy exterior. She remembers clearly the day Changmin accidentally set Heechul and Seohyun up on a date. Somehow Seohyun’s meticulous personality put the crazy and eccentric Heechul in his place. He even passed over his club to someone else to have a more respectable job and to win over Seohyun’s heart.

When the two got married, after much courting from Heechul, Seohyun made it very clear that she would work for a Kim Taeyeon until Taeyeon no longer needed her assistance. Heechul already hated Taeyeon for the way she controlled his club and to this day still resents Taeyeon even though he never met the infamous boss.

“So you also work for that Taeyeon? Why won’t that woman die? She has to be like in her hundreds!”

Taeyeon tried to stifle her laugh because well she was far older than that, “I hear she is still very vibrant and youthful.”

Heechul huffed as he took a seat next to his wife, “That woman needs to drop dead or something. She was always taking my Seohyun away from me. I wouldn’t be surprised if Seohyun died from exhaustion. Did you know that several times Seohyun would be admitted at night to get an IV due to the hours she made her work?”

Taeyeon lifted her brows in surprise because this was all new to her, “Why didn’t Seohyun just ask for time off?”

“Seohyun was just as stubborn. She said Taeyeon needed her.”

“Seohyun was always a great worker…I didn’t know she did so much…” Taeyeon held her head low thinking of all the jobs Seohyun volunteered to do.

Heechul gazed at his wife with love, “this woman may have been too kind for her own good.”

Taeyeon let out a sad smile, “She was the best.”

Several hours later, Seohyun opened her eyes to see Taeyeon watching over her and Heechul asleep on the other chair. Taeyeon sprung up seeing Seohyun awake, “Hey there.”

Seohyun looked at her husband, “Is he sleeping?”

Taeyeon nodded, “Yea. He came here as soon as he heard you collapsed. What happened?”

Seohyun adjusted herself to sit up a bit, “I was just going to take the trash to the bin, but I fell and hit my head. I don’t know much after that.”

“I heard your neighbor found you and called the ambulance.” Taeyeon filled in the rest of the details.

“Oh…why didn’t you go home when Heechul arrived?”

Taeyeon scooted closer, “I can’t leave you like that. Besides, aren’t I better company than Heechul who would nag you to be more careful?”

Seohyun laughed until she coughed, “Heechul just cares differently than you.”

“He really nags a lot. That man still hates me too.”

Seohyun smiled, “That he does but he also knows how much working with you means to me. He wouldn’t dare ask me to quit.”

Taeyeon sighed as her eyes lowered to the IV in Seohyun’s arm, “Why wouldn’t you tell me that I worked you too hard? Heechul said you went to the hospital several times because of me…I would have let you be like Changmin and…”

“Taeyeon…” Seohyun said seriously, “I only worked so hard because you inspired me to. There was never a moment where I thought you were forcing me to do more and there was never a moment I regretted doing anything for you. I was living my life perfectly as your assistant. No one could have had a better boss than me.”

Taeyeon sniffled away a few tears, “Seo…”

“Taeyeon…please continue to inspire others. You have a very special gift even though you say it is a curse. I don’t think you quite understand what kind of blessing the Gods gave you that night.” Seohyun was the one to reach out and comfort Taeyeon, “I also believe that you will find Sooyeon again. If I can see the amount of love you are able to give, I am sure she will too. Make her see all of you Taeyeon because once that happens, there will be no way she can turn her back on you.”

Taeyeon was about to rebuttal but the sound of the heart monitor lying flat caused her to jump up, “Seo!”

The doctors quickly entered the room pushing Taeyeon aside with Heechul crying for his wife. Seohyun said her last words that night leaving Taeyeon feeling more alone than ever.

---------------------

This game called life; Taeyeon was done playing with it. Every moment she felt that she was losing. Anger and resentment boil when you are always dealt a losing hand but who was Taeyeon to get mad at? Fate? Can you get mad at something that doesn’t bare a face?

Flopping on her bed, Taeyeon pushed her alarm off to stare at the ceiling, “To go to work or to not?”

Taeyeon quickly turned to bury her face into her pillow again, “Is there a point?” Flopping again onto her back, “I do have people relying on me. People have jobs under me and Yeri….she doesn’t have Seohyun either.”

Taeyeon let out a loud groan that echoed through the walls.

“Should I sell off my business? Or a trip? I really need to get out of here.”

Taeyeon sat back up thinking about it, “I still need money so I should keep the business.”

Jumping off the bed, Taeyeon reached for her laptop. Turning it on, Taeyeon found an application that spun a virtual globe, “Ok, wherever it lands, you are going!” Nervously, Taeyeon clicked the button and the globe started spinning. She watched it whirl around several times until she pressed her finger on the mouse making it stop. A popup came on her screen telling her of the location, “California?”

Carefully putting her laptop down, Taeyeon ran to her closet, “Ok Kim Taeyeon you are going to California! It has been a while since I have gone. I hope there are more Asians there now than the 1940s. Oh I might meet someone famous!”

Excited about the sudden vacation, Taeyeon quickly dialed Yeri, “Hello. Book me a flight to California. Yes yes I am going. Don’t worry we have other people to keep the business a float. Oh I don’t know where. Somewhere fun! No I don’t want a return ticket back….I don’t know how long. At least a month, but don’t get me a ticket back! I need time off. No no tomorrow. I need to pack. I know you can handle it Yeri. Bye bye!”

Taeyeon was rejuvenated with the thought of going on vacation. Giggling like a school girl, Taeyeon went around her room packing everything she thought she would need for a long stay. By the 3^rd suitcase, Taeyeon thought she might have packed too much.

---------------------

Strutting through the airport coolly with her shades on, Taeyeon bypassed the economy class line and went straight to the VIP area placing her passport down, “Kim Taeyeon.”

The worker quickly typed away pulling up Taeyeon’s ticket, “I see that you are going to San Francisco, California.” Printing out the ticket, the worker handed it to Taeyeon, “Enjoy the flight.”

Taeyeon looked down at her ticket, “Humm S-San Francisco…sounds fancy. Yeri better have picked a fun place.” Just then Taeyeon’s phone rang, “Hello? Oh hey Yeri! Oh you are the best!”  Smiling to herself, Taeyeon thought Yeri might be the best assistant-replacement ever. She didn’t even have to tell Yeri to order a pick up and a guide when she arrived. It has been a while since Taeyeon used her money to splurge on herself and what better way than to have other people make her trip the least stressful.

Taeyeon even reserved the executive portion of the plane so that she could walk around and sleep in the luxury of such an exclusive cabin. Sure Taeyeon could use the thousands of dollars spent on her seat to feed starving children but Taeyeon thought the next 100 years can be dedicated to that again; not like Taeyeon wasn’t generous before with her spending.

It would be a 12 hour flight later that a very groggy Taeyeon shuffled out of the plane looking for her ride. Unfortunately, she got the only very hyper Korean man standing there to be her chaffier. The driver was on the verge of getting kicked out of his own car if Taeyeon didn’t finally fall asleep to the mindless drone of his non-stop talking. Once at the hotel, Taeyeon put an urgent message to Yeri that this man was not to be seen tomorrow morning. Someone less hyperactive would be a better choice.

Reserving the Tower suite at the Fairmont Hotel was the best decision in Taeyeon’s life. The 360 view of San Francisco in the comfort of her insanely soft robe was truly the word of comfort and luxury. Walking around her hotel room, Taeyeon found all the homey touches to be refreshing and the bathroom was to die for with the large tub that could have been a small pool. Yeri had planned a full schedule for her the next day so Taeyeon quickly disrobed and let the warm water caress her body. Dunking her head under the water, Taeyeon smiled brightly with her whole body relaxing to the aroma the tub gave off. She loved the smell of vanilla and jasmine that let her mind clear of the worries she had in Korea. After all, Taeyeon was on vacation.

Waking up to the comfort of Egyptian cotton, Taeyeon snuggled closer to her silky soft sheets. Although the sun was bright and pestered her tired eyes, Taeyeon couldn’t help but smile. She thought she slept on clouds with the mattress that was a must-have purchase when she returned to Korea. Yeri was truly the best assistant ever.

Rolling over, Taeyeon her phone to see a stream of messages from Yeri, “Maybe the best ever was an over-statement.” Taeyeon read through a few of the messages and answered a few as she ate her room-serviced meal to the calming sounds of classical Korean music. Although she lived through many genres of music, Taeyeon still preferred the sounds of instruments she often heard in the streets of her youth. Even such a small comfort made her think she was home again.

Taeyeon sipped on her tea before stretching and putting her laptop away, “Enough work! Time to go play!”

Going through her belongings, Taeyeon decided to ignore her expensive professional wear and opted to go out in comfort of a T-shirt and khakis with converse. Of course the 1000 year old woman decided to make herself look like she was teenager but did age really matter?  Before heading out to find her guide, Taeyeon packed her backpack with the essentials.

To Taeyeon’s relief, the hyperactive driver she had from yesterday was replaced with a woman in her early 20s, “hello are you Ms. Kim?”

Out of habit, Taeyeon reached out to shake the woman’s hand, “Yes. And you are?”

“Oh! I am Nicole. I will be taking you around the city sites! There is so much that this place has to offer. I am sure you already saw the Golden Gate Bridge.”

Taeyeon was worried if she could keep up with this Korean-American girl with the rapid speed of her conversation but her type of energy she could handle, “Ah yes. It is good to see from my hotel room.”

The girl knew Taeyeon was rich but her eyes were shocked to hear just about how rich this ‘young’-heiress could be, “Wow. That would be a great view.”

“It isn’t too bad. What is the first thing on the schedule today?”

“Oh!” Nicole whipped her backpack around pulling out a paper schedule, “There are so many things to see but your secretary said you will be here a while so I will help you get the lay of the land while we do several sites a day. Does that sound good?”

Giving the younger woman a warm smile, “That is great. I hope you don’t mind if I decide to wander by myself later in the day.”

Nicole shook her head in response, “I don’t mind. Ah umm this card has my contact information. Feel free to call me anytime of the day. Especially if you get lost, I will come find you right away!”

Taeyeon couldn’t help but laugh at Nicole’s dedication which was similar to a young Seohyun. Although this vacation was to help forget her troubles, Taeyeon couldn’t help but see so many similarities between Nicole and Seohyun. Strangely, Seohyun’s double didn’t make her depressed, but happy. It was like Seohyun decided to go back to her youth and enjoy vacation with Taeyeon.

Although Taeyeon didn’t know the way, she lead the charge with an excited, “Let’s go!”

Nicole giggled at her guest’s excitement and quickly led her to the car, “We are going to first stop at Golden Gate Park. It is by far the largest park in San Francisco and is often compared to New York’s Central Park for size in comparison to the city size. You could say that Golden Gate Park is the Central Park of the West.”

Taeyeon nodded along to the sound of Nicole’s voice as she told her some more history about the park, but what caught Taeyeon’s attention was the city skyline. She had been to America in the 1940s and there was a much different sight than what she is seeing now. For such a short amount of time passed, Taeyeon had to admit that America made incredible progress over the years.

“Umm Ms. Kim we are here.”

Taeyeon snapped away from her daydreaming to see Nicole holding the door open for her, “Ah thanks and you should just call me Taeyeon. Ms. Kim makes me feel older.”

Again, Nicole just smiled as she ushered Taeyeon along, “Yeri told me you like tea so here in the park there is a very famous and old Japanese Tea House. It is almost time for lunch but I am sure you don’t mind having a cup of tea before the day progresses.”

Taeyeon thought of the ancient tea houses in her hometown and laughed internally that such a tea house here would be called old, “The garden is pretty.”

“Oh yes. I think the Japanese architecture was captured well here.” Nicole disappeared quickly into the tea house before emerging once again, “Taeyeon our seat is ready.”

Raising her brow, Taeyeon wondered what Nicole told the busy hostess to get them a seat so fast.  Even Taeyeon felt guilty skipping the large line of people waiting to get into the place.

“You have the private room here. I will be waiting outside if you need me.”

Taeyeon was quick to stop Nicole from disappearing, “please sit with me. I like having company while I have my tea.”

Nicole bit her lower lip in hesitation but eventually joined Taeyeon at the table.

Taeyeon reached for the menu and read through the English as if it was her first language, “Oolong tea please.”

Nicole picked out a simple green tea knowing that it was the cheapest thing on the menu, “So I hope you don’t mind me asking but what brings you to vacation here in San Fran? I feel like you could have been anywhere but here.”

Taeyeon laughed a little, “I didn’t plan this location but taking a vacation was needed so I came here. I don’t have a real reason for why I am here but after waking up this morning, I have an urge to stay for more than my allotted month.”

“That sounds exciting. Going to any destination without a plan is so adventurous and there are no expectations before coming. I hope that I can make this city a great memory for you.”

Giggling over her tea, Taeyeon was starting to feel Nicole’s excitement herself, “This trip is already on a great start. The tea here is delectable.”

Nicole quickly went to taste her tea, “Mmm yes I hope to make you enjoy the tastes of our town from morning to night.”

“If you know any more good tea shops, you can easily make my mornings enjoyable.” Taeyeon closed her eyes smelling the fresh fragrance of the tea. Certain smells like these could make Taeyeon relive the days of her youth. She remembers distinctly the smell of teas drifting in the air from the line of tea houses while men would enjoy their morning cup. The smell of tea was the one thing that made Taeyeon think her day was just starting.

“Taeyeon did you want another pot?”

Looking down, Taeyeon noticed her cup empty and Nicole holding the empty pot. Without Taeyeon knowing, Nicole was refilling Taeyeon’s cup as the woman drank up each drop whilst lost in her own world. Nicole would have said something to release Taeyeon from her reverie but the soft and peaceful smile adorned on Taeyeon’s face kept Nicole quiet.

“Oh no.” Taeyeon looked down at her phone to see the time, “We should probably get going. Are we going to see more of the park?”

Nicole quickly waved over the waiter, “Yes we will. I will settle the bill.”

Taeyeon quickly reached into her purse, “Let me please.”

“Oh you don’t have to. Yeri set up an account. I will pay and she will get the receipts of our purchases. She told me you like to have records of every transaction and this would be the easiest way to have during your stay.”

Taeyeon was ready to shed tears of joy. Thoughts of Yeri being the best assistant every reared in her head again.

“So did you want to spend more time in the park?”

Taeyeon grabbed her bag to head out the door, “I want to see why this would be the Central Park of the west. Lead the way Nicole.”

The two ‘young’ women headed out to see the park. Taeyeon had to admit that this was one of the most extravagant parks she has visited. The flowers were in full bloom so she was able to see the rows of flowers that lined the green grass. It was like the park never ended and Taeyeon didn’t mind until her feet started hurting.

Seeing Taeyeon getting tired, Nicole opted for them to go to Chinatown and enjoy a late lunch. It would be in Chinatown that Taeyeon almost cried for joy again. It wasn’t the exact taste of home, but Taeyeon had to admit the Chinese food was as close to what she remembered. The way the chief boiled the meat and allowed for the broth of her soup to maintain it’s clear complexion was near perfection.

After eating, Taeyeon thought it was time for Nicole to get home as it was late and the sun already set. Nicole knew Taeyeon wanted to wind down after a long day so she offered to drop Taeyeon off at the Coit Tower to enjoy a drink in the 360 degree view at the very top. Although the thought of running a hot bath at the hotel was tempting, Taeyeon had a thirst for a bit of alcohol.

Going up the elevator, Taeyeon didn’t know what to expect when the doors opened, but what she saw, was much more than she ever imagined. The bright lights of San Francisco illuminating below her were a sight she thought to only see in paintings. Taeyeon couldn’t peel her eyes away from the city lights as she sipped on the house special.

Knowing her lack of an ability to hold her alcohol, Taeyeon called for the bill after two drinks. It was difficult for Taeyeon to pull herself away from the sights of the city, but she was getting tired and Nicole was to pick her up again tomorrow to see some more historical sites in the city.

Feeling a bit tipsy after leaving the bar, Taeyeon wanted to walk off the alcohol which didn’t seem like a difficult task as her hotel was a few blocks away.

High on life, Taeyeon walked around Union Square with a huge grin on her face the whole time. She loved the way today felt. There were so many smells and experiences that had Taeyeon feeling alive in her youth once again.  It was strange that so many past memories came alive in a foreign place.

Making her way past the first left turn, Taeyeon was blinded by the lights of an older looking theater, “O-Odeon..” Taeyeon thought nothing of the theater until her vision focused on a particular blond glowing like an angel under the lights. Rubbing her eyes multiple times, Taeyeon couldn’t get over the idea that the young woman looked vaguely familiar. Taking a few steps closer, Taeyeon stared at the girl long enough to see why she thought the woman looked so familiar, “Sooyeon?”

Taeyeon felt her heart soar and drop at the same time with the sight of another woman that looked exactly like her Sooyeon, albeit the blond hair. In fact, Taeyeon panicked a little and quickly went to hide behind a car parked on the side of the road.  Blatantly staring at the unsuspecting woman, Taeyeon had a million thoughts running through her head. Most of the thoughts were wondering if the alcohol was making Taeyeon imagine her deepest desires.

The woman was just hanging around the theater with her friends. There was no way that Taeyeon would peak her interest, unless the woman saw Taeyeon being predator-ish by stalking her prey behind a car. Yet the girl went on talking as if no one was looking at her with hungry eyes.

Thinking back to the mistakes she made before with the other Sooyeon-look-a-like, Taeyeon chose to keep her distance. Knowing this was not the right time to approach the unsuspecting prey, Taeyeon just observed. She took in the way that the lighter hair color suited her pale skin and that the dressed down college attire made her look approachable and kind. In fact, Taeyeon could even see the keychain of the university this woman attended, “B-Ber-Berkley...Design?”

Taeyeon mentally noted the name of the college and left.

Author's Note

Wow I got 100 new subs after doing an advertisement. Welcome new readers!!! Please feel free to comment or upvote :)

So I was really trying to get this update out a few days ago but I ended up writing a lot more than expected originally. More writing takes more time so sorry for the delay but I will get the final chapter out before August hits! 

Happy readings ^^