Chapter Four: Precious

“Let’s meet somewhere. I need to see you.”

Taeyeon bit her lip, clutching her cellphone close to her. Why had he texted her this late? In fact, why was he texting her at all? It was the first time he’d contacted her since they’d broken up. Was he drunk or something?

Was she even supposed to text him back? She shook her head violently. No. She couldn’t. She wasn’t supposed to.

She jumped slightly when another beep came from her phone.

“I promise it won’t take long. And I won’t do anything stupid. Please just meet up with me. At this rate, I’m going to go crazy.”

Why was he being so desperate? This wasn’t like him. Taeyeon frowned. What made him think that his begging would make her go? They weren’t close anymore. And the netizens would go crazy if pictures of them were taken.

At this rate, I’m going to go crazy.

She hesitated. Maybe it was better to just go see him. She didn’t want to risk him knocking at their dorm, drunk in the middle of the night. He had done it before and it was not a pretty situation. It took a whole lot of explaining and excuses on her part to convince her members that she had “nothing” to do with him.

Besides, it wasn’t as if she was meeting him for a date or something. He simply had something to say. That didn’t mean anything. She was over him, and even if he tried to get back with her, she’d definitely decline him.

Swallowing anxiously, she texted him back.

“Meet me at the café by our dorm.”

She got there faster than she thought she would. Embarrassingly enough, she awkwardly sat a table alone, while people would occasionally glance her way. In a way, she felt panicked. She hadn’t expected so many people to be here when it was so late.

She sipped her coffee apprehensively. Why wasn’t he here yet? Oh god. What if he wasn’t even showing up? What if this was a prank? Or worse, what if he came, not even disguised? What if he was just trying to humiliate her?

Maybe it’d be better for her to wait outside. She rose from her seat, grabbing her scarf and her coffee. However, just when she was about to exit, someone suddenly grabbed her wrist.

“By chance…uh…are you SNSD’s Taeyeon?”

Taeyeon quickly shook her head, lowering her voice an octave. “No. I think you have the wrong person.”

She pried the person’s hand off of her wrist and was about to leave again, when he grabbed her again.

“Ah, I really think you’re her though! Your hair color is the same and your eyes look really similar!” The person, a male, protested. Taeyeon glanced up in annoyance. Why was this person so persistent?

“I’m not her,” She said firmly. “Please let go of me. What you’re doing is very rude.”

But he didn’t let go. He kept his hold on her. By now, everyone in the café seemed to be interested in what was going on. All eyes were on them. Taeyeon’s heart beat furiously. This was bad. At this rate, her identity as SNSD’s Taeyeon could be revealed. She shuddered, just thinking of all the articles and pictures. Netizens would make ridiculous speculations on what she was doing.

Suddenly, she felt another hand grabbing her wrist. Her eyes widened as she realized who it was.

It was Jiyong, but he was heavily disguised. Even those close to him wouldn’t be able to recognize him. But his scent was something so familiar to her. She knew exactly how he smelled, from hugging him so many times.

Before she could say anything, he pulled her away, sprinting out of the café. Her eyes widened in surprise, yet she couldn't help but feel a rush of excitement in her stomach. It was a feeling of freedom. It made her feel as though she was not the leader of SNSD, but just Kim Taeyeon. She wasn't a celebrity, but just a girl.

Even if she did feel that way, that didn't mean it was true. She wasn't just Kim Taeyeon. She could never just be Kim Taeyeon. She would always carry SNSD's image upon her shoulders and she had the burden of being the leader.

"Can..we stop now?" Taeyeon asked breathlessly. "I'm tired! Besides, we're already far enough! Those people won't be chasing after us, Jiyong!"

He suddenly stopped, surprising her. And then, without warning, he spun around and embraced her tightly. Stunned, she pushed him away from her. 

"What do you think you're doing!?" She snapped. "We're over already! Do you think that we should really be embracing each other, like this, in public!?"

He stared at her, his eyes holding no hatred or arrogance. No, his eyes were ones that contained loneliness and sadness. They were eyes that were so familiar to Taeyeon.

They were