18


She was looking at me innocently. Her eyes were blinking prettily. She was looking to her left and then to her right, before her eyes fell on mine. And she nodded her head once. She moved closer towards me, before taking my face into her hands as she played it as though she were kneading dough or playdoh.

She chuckled lightly, before smacking my cheeks red. “You’re pretty.” She said before sighing, “Too bad, I can’t fall in love with you because I’m taken.”

She said before sighing even louder, “Are you the singer of this?” She asked, fishing out a CD.

I could only gawk at her in amazement. Time seems to have stood still, everything other than the girl faded into an empty sphere and all I heard were her words. They repeated in my head like a loudhailer that refused to let me go.

Too bad, I can’t fall in love with you because I’m taken.

I was staring at her in silent amazement. And she frowned at me, “Could you quit staring at me?”

I nodded lightly. Ah, Tiffany, who would have guessed you would become like this?

And who could have guessed that the girl before me is actually capable of giving me other reactions other than her usual mad, possessive love.

The girl tilted her head to study me, “Like I said, you’re exceptionally pretty, but I’m beginning to doubt your.....” she pointed to her head and she gave a sorry shrug, almost as if to say ‘what a beauty, what a waste’.

I snapped right out of my dumb reverie and sighed softly. What’s happening, Tiffany? Why is she like this, Tiffany? What have you done, Tiffany?

Truly, even I didn’t know what had done.

I want Kim Taeyeon to disappear….forever.

My lips gave a quirk of a rueful smile. Be careful what you wish for, didn’t they say?

Because true enough, the girl before me was Kim Taeyeon alright externally – but truly, the real ‘Taeyeon’ had…disappeared.



-



Jessica was the first to react. She jumped back in fear when she saw who the person standing at the door was.

“It’s you?” She gasped and glanced furtively at Taeyeon before looking worriedly at me.

Taeyeon frowned, her pretty brows furrowed into a troubled gaze and she rubbed her temples tiredly. She looked as though she had travelled a long distance given her tired state, “Aigoo. What is wrong with this place? I just came here to get an autograph because…..She seems to like this singer a lot. And Now, this? I’m faced with two mentally challenged kids? Why, Taeyeon? Why is your life so…..”

“Who are you calling mentally challenged?” Of all things, Jessica had to pick that up first. She narrowed her eyes pointedly at Taeyeon and placed both her hands on her hips strategically.

Forget about fear, Jessica was deeply offended.

Taeyeon glanced at Jessica before rolling her eyes slowly, “If you have to ask that question, wouldn’t you have just proven that I’m right?”

“You!”

Jessica pointed at Taeyeon shakily and Taeyeon merely shrugged with a slight shake of her pretty head.

I sighed loudly and interjected the interaction, “Stop.” I said, raising my hands to stop the two. Taeyeon, as a cheery kid, seems fascinating, but it was taking a toll on my mental state seeing her behave in this manner along with Jessica.

It felt as though I was a teacher handling two kindergarten kids, and I was not used to this feeling. I was used to being taken care of by Taeyeon. She’d made sure that everything around me was well cared for.

Furthermore, I didn’t miss the fact that Taeyeon had mentioned….about a ‘Her’.

She had said that she was here because someone appreciated my songs. I rubbed my forehead and patted it before I tried to give a happier smile.

Why did it matter so much that the most important person in her life wasn’t Me anymore?

I gave a wider smile. Smile, come on, Tiffany, smile.

“You…were saying that you wanted my autograph?”

Taeyeon stopped glaring at Jessica who was looking at her with equal animosity, and she turned her entire attention to me once again.

“Aigoo, finally. Someone who understands what I’m here for.”

I smiled gently, “I understood. I was just too caught up with…. the past.”

Taeyeon looked at me, narrowing her eyes, “Was it sad? Your past, that is.”

My smile was intact, and I nodded lightly, “Quite.”

“No wonder. Did you sing that song because you were sorry?”

I thought for awhile, thinking about the song that I had recorded and the lyrics that my manager had insisted on adding. I shook my head, “I sang that song because I was hoping that the person that I’ve let down would come find me actually. Because, I was once….her ‘special someone’.”

Taeyeon was looking at me thoughtfully with a frown. She stared at me quietly for 1 second, 2 seconds – before that pensive silent broke away into a smile and she patted my shoulders instead, “Aigoo. That’s the way, singer. No worries, I’m sure your special someone will find her way back to you.”

She said cheerily before handing the cd cover to me, “Now, do you mind? Could you help me sign this so that I could give it to my ‘special someone’?”