I had to be honest; this time around, the place we were eating at didn’t impress me nearly as much the restaurant from last week. In fact, if Tiffany’s hand wasn’t in my immediate proximity for me to hold in a death grip, I probably would have never even neared such a place. It started to make sense why Tiffany would have never even heard of the name of the restaurant we were going to; in fact, there were probably very few people who did, considering how out-of-the-way it was, tucked behind an alleyway, a trapdoor blended perfectly into the ground underneath a surprisingly mobile large disposal bin, the short staircase of which lead to a much more dimly lit entrance of a much smaller establishment. The few employees present were well-dressed, the interior as fancy as the other one, but I still felt like I was entering a secret gang hideout or something. Was I just being superstitious or have I just watched too many dramas? I didn’t dare ask Tiffany anything because we were being led by the same chauffer that picked us up last week, who allegedly was the employee of Tiffany’s father, but I ended up being reassured anyway by Tiffany’s smile.

              “Your father is in the room to the right, down the hallway,” the chauffer said, politely gesturing further into the compact space washed in a dim, soothing purple light.

              “Thank you,” Tiffany said to the chauffer as he bowed and walked back out the door. “Let’s go.”

              I followed Tiffany, my hand still connected to hers, into what seemed to be the single dining space in the entire establishment.

              “Tiffany!” her father greeted her daughter warmly, standing up and smiling brightly as we entered the room. “I’m so glad you decided to come!”

              “Where are we?”

              Tiffany’s reply was as stiff as ever, something I thought I braced myself for but felt chills in response nonetheless. I just hoped that Tiffany wouldn’t have many reasons to use that tone in the future.

              “You probably guessed something along these lines, but this is a private establishment owned by me, created when the need arose for a secure location to discuss business with clients in Korea.” Tiffany simply sat down in response, me following suit. “I’m glad you decided to come along as well, Taeyeon; I’m sorry for all these security measures, it wasn’t my intention to scare or intimidate you.”

              “It’s ok,” I replied in a voice meeker than intended. Stop that, Taeyeon, there’s no reason to be scared of Tiffany’s father. I’m the one who told her to be here in the first place. “Thank you for having us and making time for Tiffany,” I said with a straighter voice this time, bowing.

              “Of course. Please, have a seat,” he said, gesturing to the seat next to Tiffany’s. I obliged, once again looking across an impressive table of well-presented dishes.

              “Let’s get this over with. What do you want to talk about?”

              Tiffany’s father sighed, looking across the table first. “Shall we first eat?”

              “No,” Tiffany said with an impressive amount of authority, “Explain while you eat.”

              It was so inappropriate to think so, but I found assertive, authoritative Tiffany really hot. It was a good thing that I already stopped my bad habit of babbling my thoughts aloud, or else I would never be able to live down Tiffany’s constant teasing of that. For some reason, my mind suddenly jumped to that time when the two of us went to go meet her trio of friends for the first time and Tiffany said something about liking the couple name ‘Taeny’, and how she was ok with my name being in the front, making a joke about me being the dominant one in bed.

              God, what was wrong with me? I should not be thinking about such things during right now.

              “Ok, I’m fine with that. You two can start then,” he said, gesturing to our plates with his hands. Tiffany’s dad definitely gave off that confident, ‘I’m-important’ aura, which was why I still found it so unusual to see him acting so polite. My image of those types of people were the type that was really cold to strangers and extremely insistent on controlling everything, including the direction of conversations. Man, all these dramas were really giving me an unrealistic view of things; maybe I should stop, or reduce my drama consumption at the very least. “I thought about what you said last time. To be honest, I have never thought about the complete consequences to my actions; while I admit I had people look after you in my stead, I only started about a year ago. I had no idea you endured all those troubles; as your father, both biologically and legally, it pained me greatly to have heard you go through all of that.” I wasn’t the best at reading faces, despite having taken a few psychology classes, but even I could clearly see the reflection of his words on his face and in his voice. “I’m sorry I couldn't be there for you, Ste—Tiffany.”

              Tiffany scoffed again. “So it took you how many years to admit that you were wrong? Five? Six? Even then, when you finally realized you were wrong, you couldn’t even show your face to me? Because you were ‘too embarrassed’? How embarrassing do you think it was for me, going to that kind of workplace my first year after high school?”

              I reached over to hold Tiffany’s hand, sensing her anger boiling over like a kettle on a hot stove. She flinched, quickly looking over at me briefly and shooting me a gracious smile. I gave her an encouraging smile back, not knowing what else I could do for her.

              “Did you have to go to such extremes though? Why not work as a hostess or , if you needed to go into that industry?”

              “Do you think I had a choice? I was 18, and my debtors pressured me into taking the job because it meant I paid off my debts more quickly. Plus, it benefitted them—” Tiffany abruptly stopped, swallowing the rest of her words, terror evidently seizing her. I squeezed her hand, which thankfully seemed to calm her down. I bit my lip, my insides bubbling with anger. How dare they abuse an innocent, vulnerable girl? Were they even human?

              “What are their names?”

              It was the first time I ever felt fear from the man. While he had always presented himself as amicable and reasonable—whether or not his words reflected his body language was a separate story—this time, he was visibly hostile. One could just about see an aura of anger radiating from his eyes.

              “How would I know? That was so long ago, and I blocked that part of my past from my memory already. Plus, the names they gave me weren’t even real, probably,” she replied, “Are you really using that as a scapegoat? That I should’ve known better? I can’t believe I was foolish enough to actually believe that you were on the verge of admitting that you were wrong. Taeyeon, let’s leave; this man is inconsolable.”

              Tiffany stood up, but her father quickly interjected, saying, “No, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it like that, Tiffany. It was just my emotions getter the better of me again; I know I directed those words at you, but I actually meant to direct them at your debtors. I know it’s ridiculous since they obviously aren’t here right now, but it’s a problem of mine I discovered ever since I sent you here, actually; when I first discovered the news, I just remember being filled with anger. However, at the time, I couldn’t properly identify it and thought it was just anger at you for not doing a better job looking after yourself and burdening me, which is why I did what I did. After some introspection on behalf of your siblings, I realized that what I was mad at was that I wasn’t able to protect you after I let what happened to your mother happen.” He stopped to sigh, Tiffany slinking back into her seat, before continuing, “Tiffany, I regret what I did. I really do. But as you know, your father’s sense of pride is one of his weak points, and I was too stubborn to realize my mistake until it was too late. If you decide to come back to America with me, I’ll make sure you have a nice place to live, together with Taeyeon if you want to; you don’t even have to visit me regularly, I just want my daughter nearby again.”

              I had to cover my mouth with my hand as discretely as possible as it felt like I was on the verge of crying. I didn’t know Tiffany’s father that well, but from what I could pick up, it really seemed like he repented and was sincere in his apology. I could just about feel his sorrow in his downtrodden eyes and on-the-verge voice.

              “I won’t have you dictating my living quarters just for you to use it to encroach on our privacy again,” Tiffany stated firmly, although noticeably less stiff. It really warmed my heart to see Tiffany and her father already making progress in mending their relationship; I felt vindicated for convincing Tiffany to do this. Still, while I wanted to stand on my girlfriend’s side and agree with her decisions, a part of me lamented at her rejection of what sounded like a really nice way of finishing my education, living with Tiffany, and escaping monthly rent and bills simultaneously.

              Actually, Tiffany didn’t say anything about not moving back to America, did she? She only stated that she didn’t want her father to dictate where her residence was to be, not that she didn’t want to go back to America.

              Tiffany’s dad seemed to pick up on something in her words as he made an apologetic face, replying, “Right. I’m sorry for bringing Jessica to Korea and using her to keep tabs on you two. I realized that my sending you to Korea caused you two to break up, and I admit that part of why I did that was an attempt to right my wrongs; I didn’t know you would reunite with Taeyeon and fall in love with her again.”

              That specific word caught my attention: ‘again’. Did he figure it out for himself when even Tiffany herself didn’t know? I didn’t have reason to suspect that Tiffany and her father were on bad terms when she was little, so it seemed possible. Maybe her mother figured it out and let her father in on it? Either way, it definitely improved my opinion of him as a father.

              Tiffany seemed to notice it too, but otherwise paid no heed to it, although it felt like more because she wanted her father to finish than anything else.

              “If I knew such a thing were to happen, I wouldn’t have sent her.”

              “Who is it, then?”

              Tiffany’s father paused for a bit before replying, “Who is what?”

              Tiffany sighed. “You know what I’m talking about. Who is this other person you hired to ‘look after me’?”

              This time, Tiffany’s dad sighed, although his was in clear reluctance. “Are you sure you want me to reveal this?”

              “Why wouldn’t I be?” Tiffany’s tone was more apprehensive than cautiously attacking, which I just saw as another step towards the mending of their relationship, which was strange given the conversation that was going on.

              He deliberated a bit before answering. “Because I wouldn’t want you to feel like my influence or my actions make your accomplishments any less notable,” he carefully explained.

              “It’s ok.”

              Over the course of the meal, I could tell that Tiffany’s language had also transformed. I wanted to express how proud I was of her but found saying such a thing in this situation inappropriate.

              “Your current employer, Ms. Yoo Hana.”

              A moment of silence followed, during which Tiffany appeared to be in deep thought. “I guess that’s why I got hired there.”

              “No, that’s why I was a bit apprehensive to reveal this to you,” he explained, setting down his chopsticks, “While it’s true that your manager pays special attention to you on my behalf, it was also entirely her decision to hire you. I simply instructed her to get into a position in which she could keep an eye on you, and it was her decision to do what she did.”

              “…I see.” Tiffany mulled over his words before saying, “Well, thanks for doing at least that, dad.”

              The last word caught me off guard, but nowhere near as much as it did Tiffany’s father. I peered over at him to gauge his reaction to see his eyes glistening. Tiffany noticed this too and quickly replied, startled, “Why are you crying?”

              “Am I?” he said, reaching up to touch his eyes. “Yes, it seems like I am. I’m sorry,” he quickly wiped his tears before picking up his chopsticks. I kept my hands firmly clamped over my mouth, wondering why the heck I was like this. One would think that the upside of having watched so many dramas is being desensitized to these types of situations, but I guess real life was much different than on TV.

              “Just one more question,” Tiffany added, “Why did you lie to Jessica like that about what happened regarding me?”

              In the middle of Tiffany’s question, my phone started vibrating in my pocket. At first, I just ignored it, hoping that no one else would notice; however, when the ring tone started transitioning to a familiar tune, I quickly pulled out my phone and verified my suspicion.

              “Sorry, I don’t mean to interrupt, but it’s my mom,” I said, standing up and bowing.

              “Oh, really? Huh…” he trailed off for just a second, as if thinking about something. “Go ahead, it must be important,” he said, dismissing me. I bowed again and quickly stepped out into the hallway.

              “Mom?”

              “Taeyeon-ah, where are you right now?”

              My mom’s voice came as a hushed voice from the other side of the receiver. I was using a similar voice, but I couldn’t help but wonder why my mom called me when she was presumably in a similar situation as me.

              “I’m with Tiffany at a restaurant,” I explained vaguely, knowing that exposing such a place was out of the question—that is, if I even knew how to explain such a place like the one I was in right now.

              “Taeyeon, honey, can you walk out of the restaurant? We need to talk to you,” she said with an edge of urgency.

              I was starting to feel scared. I suddenly remembered last week, when Tiffany and I talked to my parents and how they were exceedingly vague about their current relationship with Tiffany’s dad and their work; surely someone as genuine and sincere as Tiffany’s dad surely wasn’t someone to be cautious around, right? Even Tiffany, someone who hated her dad, was starting to mellow out.

              But if my parents were true, then might Tiffany be in trouble? Should I retrieve her first?

              “Taeyeon? Honey? We need to talk to you, but we can’t do that on the phone. Can you come out?”

              I felt trapped. My mind felt like it was going into overload, my breath was quickening, my eyes quickly darting back to the door I just emerged from. Tiffany had her dad to protect her; but wait, wasn’t her dad the one to be fearful of? Maybe it was something else my mom was afraid of?

              “Hm? Oh, I—” my mom’s voice was cut off, and the sound of the door opening promptly followed by the pattering of footsteps was heard—not just from the other side of the phone, but not far from where I stood, or so it seemed. The other line went dead, and my heartbeat rapidly increased, my leg muscles tensed up, panic seizing my body as I edged forward down the hall, attempting a peek further down the corridor. Where they here? Was this the dangerous thing my parents were alluding to?

              Whatever the situation was, with how unwilling I was to face my parents at the moment, I darted back into the room to see Tiffany’s dad putting down his phone, Tiffany turning around in her seat, her eyes filled with worry.

              “Taeyeon, are you ok?” Tiffany asked, helping me back into my seat.

              “Y-Yes,” I answered, clambering back into the chair.

              “Taeyeon, I’m sorry about what’s about to happen,” Tiffany’s dad said. Tiffany’s eyes reignited in an ardent blaze, gripping my hand defensively while glaring at her father. What happened in the short time I was gone? Surely things haven’t been reverted back to a half an hour ago, have they?

              The door opened, my head instinctively turning back to affirm my fears: my parents stood at the entrance of the door, both being escorted by what clearly were members of the establishment’s security.

              “You may leave. Thank you for escorting them,” Tiffany’s dad dismissed the security staff, to which they bowed and left, closing the door behind them. “Long time no see, Kim Jonggu.”

              “Mr. Hwang,” my father curtly greeted Tiffany’s.

              “I must ask, how did you discover this place?”

              Dad glanced at me, an apology in his eyes, before answering, “Simply put, we were worried for our daughter, and after learning that you met with her last week, it’s no surprise that we’re being more defensive of her.”

              Tiffany’s dad sighed; I could tell that those choice of words in particular hurt him. So my dad also disliked Tiffany’s father? Why? Maybe it was a bad idea to get Tiffany to reconcile with her father after all… “I thought I was being careful, but I guess nothing gets past you, huh? As expected of my past CFO. Still, I can’t say it’s a particularly smart idea to reveal yourselves in front of your enemy.”

              “Our purpose was simply to make sure Taeyeon was ok,” dad stated, then turning to Tiffany, “Tiffany, I didn’t mean to insult you or anything, implying that you couldn’t protect Taeyeon or anything, but you can never be too careful around people like him.”

              “Now, why would I harm my daughter’s girlfriend?”

              Dad scoffed. “Oh, so she’s your daughter now?”

              “She was always my daughter.”

              “Is that what you were thinking when you flew her over to Korea by herself?”

              I grabbed Tiffany’s hand while the voices of both men gradually rose in volume. I could clearly see conflict in Tiffany’s eyes, and yet again, I didn’t know what I could do. Stupid, stupid Taeyeon, why are you so useless? How many times has Tiffany protected you? Isn’t about time you protect her?

              “It was an action that stemmed from an emotional outburst that I deeply regret. I’m here attempting to make amends.”

              “Oh, really? I guess it’s just a coincidence that your clients—”

              “Be quiet!”

              Tiffany’s dad exploded with anger, slamming the table fiercely, sending the plates situated on the table a centimeter into the air, creating a great rattling sound. Both Tiffany and I jumped, mom walking over and placing a gentle hand on each of our shoulders, shooting us an apologetic look.

              “Isn’t it enough that you’re ruining my private time with my daughter? What are you hoping to accomplish?”

              Dad opened his mouth to respond, but hesitated for a second, glancing at us. His facial features mellowed out in a second, shooting both of us another apologetic smile. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to get you two caught up in this.”

              “It’s ok,” Tiffany replied firmly, sitting up straight in her seat, “I want to know as well.”

              “Stephanie…”

              “I wondered why you came to Korea all of the sudden. Seems like part of your reason was to talk to Tiffany, but this place is very indicative,” dad noted, his voice much more calm this time as he scanned the room, “I admit, it was a bit hard to locate, but I’m glad we did. So is this the place you meet up with your criminal clientele?”

              Before I even had a chance to fully process dad’s words, Tiffany’s dad instantly retorted with, “It’s for my family’s sake.”

              “And I see that you’re still hiding behind that excuse.”

              “If you’re going to call it an excuse, it’s a pretty damn good one. What would you do if Taeyeon was the one being in danger?”

              “Well for one, I wouldn’t associate myself with criminals, that’s for sure.”

              “You.” Tiffany rose from her seat, glaring at her father. “I wondered why now of all times. I just shrugged it off as ‘well, maybe you finally came around’, but you’re actually here for business, aren’t you?”

              “Ste—”

              “It’s Tiffany!” Tiffany rose her voice. I racked my brain with possible ways I could support Tiffany but came up blank; it felt absolutely terrible, but this feeling wasn’t going to help much either. “You know, I believed that you were actually sorry, that you actually admitted wrongdoing. Maybe you actually feel that way, too. But did it really take business—with criminals, no less—to come over?”

              “Tiffany, are you really going to believe them, or your own dad?”

              “I don’t have a reason to believe you, do I?”

              Tiffany’s dad sighed. “Fine. Jonggun, Heeja, feel free to take a seat. It’s a good thing I chose such a private place; I’ll make crystal clear what happened all those years ago.”

Not gonna lie, had to do a quick google search to find the names of Taeyeon’s parents … I sorta feel like a stalker or a sasaeng after doing so …

That aside, as promised, here’s the quicker update! Admittedly it was still a few hours later than I had originally intended, but at least it’s better than once every 2-3 weeks … ^_^’

What do you think? Did I get you? Did you almost believe that Tiffany and her father were going to make up? XD

Anyway, hope you enjoy, and look forward to the next chapter! Thanks for reading! :D

P.S. check out my facebook page https://fb.me/affkesujo; if you want notifications as soon as something new gets uploaded or updates on my process on the newest chapter, then go ahead and give it a like/follow! :D