CHAPTER 9

       The bell was ringing, indicating that the class was over. Taeyeon was hurriedly cleaning up her desk, putting her books into her bag, and rumpling some unnecessary papers and throwing them into the trash can across her desk as she shoving her chair away.

       “You seem in a rush, Tae?” her best friend said. Taeyeon released a smile.

       “My Appa pick me up today, Yul,” she displayed her bright teeth.

       “Jinjja?”

       Taeyeon nodded. “He had day-off today and he will take me to our favorite restaurant!” Taeyeon explained in her excitement.

       “Glad to hear that!” Yuri patted Taeyeon’s head, then slang her bag.

       “Have a nice day, Tae. See you tomorrow!”

       “Bye, Yul!” Taeyeon was waving her hand and walking toward opposite direction with Yuri.

       Didn’t take long time, her smile was widening, as she found the man that she looked for, standing near the gate. He was half resting on the umbrella to support his weight – one thing he never forgot to bring – while smiling toward her beloved daughter. He just opened her arm to welcome her and reach her into her hug.

       “Appa!” Taeyeon was calling him.

       “Hi, Sweetie. How’s your class today?” He asked and kissed Taeyeon’s cheek.

       “Great, as usual, Appa. I absorb everything well,” she said bluntly with proud tone.

       Her father was giggling listened to that. He put her daughter down to release her from his hug and towed her hand, then they were walking alone. It was beginning to be drizzle, as Taeyeon could felt some water was pouring down from the sky, doused her uniform. Her father quickly opened the umbrella and screened them from the rain. They kept ambling at the sidewalk, side by side, avoid some water soaked, until finally they left the crowded area around Taeyeon’s school.

       The drizzle didn’t reveal some sign to be subside; it would turn to be heavier, instead.

       “Ah, it’s our favorite restaurant,” her father finally said, pointing her fingers across the street.

       Taeyeon was smiling in relief when saw the restaurant, as she felt starving and her stomach just kept growling during the way.

       They were standing in the corner of the street, waiting for the green light for pedestrian patiently, and began to cross the street when the red light already turned to be green.

       It was the last happy scene that embedded at Taeyeon’s brain.

       Until a car with a very high speed was breaking the traffic light and crossing over the street, toward their direction. Both Taeyeon and her father only could dropped her jaw open when witnessing that, but just in the last second before the uncurbed car hit them, her father was pushing away her daughter, saved her soul, by sacrificing his life.

       A huge bumping sound was heard, as the car was colliding with her father body. Taeyeon was witnessing the whole dreadful and grievous scene that was happening in front of her eyes – the scene that she would never forget, the scene that curdled her blood for some moment. Her father body was thrown in the air, as if it was a buoyant thing, collided the street hard. She was staring frantically, looked bemused when she caught her father was crumpling in pain, under the rain.

       Then she shifted her gaze toward the car, who seemed still stop at the track. She caught a man’s head popped from the window, just to witness the accident he made.

       “Help! Please help my father!” Taeyeon was begging in the middle of her sob.

       The man seemed nonchalant and just throwing a glimpse toward her. “Joesonghae, I’m really rushing over something!”

       By that, he closed the window again and just… left.

       “WAIT!!!!! YOU CAN’T LEAVE!!!”

       Taeyeon was running with all of her might to chase him, but of course, it was only a futile effort and ended up a failure.

       “APPA!!!!” Finally she could manage herself and called her father.

      She was getting approach to her father, who had already laid down with non-stop bleeding from his back part of his head.

       “T-Tae Yeon-aaa~ ul-uljima,” her father murmured.

       “APPA! APPA! Hold on, please. D-don’t leave me!”

       “T-taeng… M-mianhae,” her father struggled her last effort and smiled. “Y-you… are… my pride. S-sarang-h-hae.”

       “APPA! APPA! DON’T LEAVE ME! SOMEBODY HELP! SOMEBODY HELP ME!!!!!!!!”

       “APPA!!!!!!”

       “Taeyeon~nieee! Taeyeon~niee!”

     Taeyeon slowly opened her eyes and could control herself. She blinked few times and just found herself laying on the bed, at the room that she was familiar with it. With the decoration, with the furniture, with the scent, with everything. She tried to puzzle out what happened, until she got back her last memory. When she had fuss with Tiffany and she quit her job, and she left the house, and sat down at the park, under the rain. And…

       Taeyeon yanked her hand when she saw whose hand was holding hers now. She gritted her teeth and glared at the girl who gazed at her with a concern look.

       “Save your look for anyone else! I’m not like you! I don’t need any sympathy!” she scowled and about to get out from the bed. She still couldn’t erase the last scene from her mind, moreover the sting was still penetrating her heart.

       “T-Taeyeon, where are you going?” Tiffany prevented her by holding back her hand again.

       “It’s not your business!” Taeyeon replied rudely and forced herself to get up.

       “T-tae listen to me! You’re still weak and need some rest. You hadn’t recovered yet,” Tiffany said with worry look.

       “I said, it’s not your business. Now, get rid your hand off me!”

       “Tae,” Suddenly Tiffany was kneeling in front of her.

       “I know how you’re dreadfully getting mad at me. I know I deserve that. And I know I would never compensate it by anything,” Tiffany said sincerely. Her eyes began to be teary.

       Taeyeon even didn’t look at her, but Tiffany was sure, Taeyeon was listening to her words thoroughly.

       “I won’t hold you here,” she said again. “But please stay until you recover. Please?”

       Taeyeon just didn’t have any chance to release some response, as Tiffany yelled, calling Jessica.

       “Sica! She’d already sober. Please come here! I will stay outside!”

       For a moment before leaving, Tiffany was looking at Taeyeon again. This time, Taeyeon didn’t avoid her eye-contact.

       “I know you’re sick of me. Gwaenchana, I really deserve it,” Tiffany said. “I won’t bother you by staying here. Let Jessica take care of you instead.”

       Somehow, after Tiffany left, Taeyeon felt a different feeling in her heart, that she was sure, it wasn’t a relief feeling at all. She felt hurt. She felt lost.

Hurt and lost? For what? For knowing that Tiffany was hurt too?

       Not long after that, Jessica emerged from the door. She brought a tray with a glass of water on it. She released a warm smile and humped to put the glass on the table beside Taeyeon.

       “You’re worrisome,” she said bluntly. “You got fever and unconscious during two nights. You won’t have any idea how we’re really worried about you.”

       “Take this, please,” she handed a pill to Taeyeon and Taeyeon received it. She just obeyed Jessica’s order and gulped it by water.

       “W-what happened? Last scene I can remember is when I was in a park.”

       “Tiffany was chasing up you,” Jessica explained. “She found you already fainted,” she continued. “I don’t mean to plead her or else; yet don’t mean to exaggerate the fact – as I know it’s all her fault – but she’s terribly guilty and sorry and worry when she found you fainted.”

       “I even don’t think she can totally forgive herself.”

       Taeyeon was still listening. Somehow, again, her heart was painful when she heard Jessica’s explanation.

       “She didn’t sleep properly during these two days. I asked her to shift each other to keep an eye for you, but she refused. She never left even a step from your side, unless when her nature alarm calling,” Jessica said and smiled. “I knew her well and I knew she’d already changed a lot. I don’t know how or why, but one thing I’m sure, it was because of you.”

       “S-so…,” Taeyeon was gulping before continuing her words. “Did she eat well?”

       “She ate. But not really well,” Jessica shrugged her shoulder. “You know, I felt very worry, at the same time, I should took care both people I care about,” Jessica admitted. “I hope you two don’t experience that kind of thing again.”

       “She supposed to be… rest well.”

       “I told her so, but you knew her, rite? She was cussedness,” Jessica said.

       Taeyeon was about to get out from the bed again. Jessica was frowning her face, showing her disagreement. But Taeyeon just didn’t take it.

       “All the things I could say to you for now is… thank you, Jessica,” Taeyeon said sincerely while holding both Jessica’s hands.

       “You’re really such a good friend for me.”

       “But I’ve to go now. I don’t think the situation between me and Tiffany will be better just by staying here,” Taeyeon said. “It will be awkward. I need some space.”

       “You… didn’t forgive her yet?”

       Taeyeon was shrugging her shoulder, seemed confused.

       “Let time answer it,” she hung her head low, felt sorry for releasing a kind of answer like that.

       “I felt better now, I think I can take care of my own self,” Taeyeon said and searched around her suitcase. She found it at the corner of the room, under the table. She approached it and held it.

       “Once again, gomawo, Sica!” She bowed a little as a goodbye sign and left dumbfounded Jessica at her place.

       She went downstair with a vacant look, but at the end of the stairs she caught Tiffany was sitting on the crouch, at the living room, near the entrance. Her palms were covering her head and Taeyeon also could barely hear some sob.

       She was hesitating for a moment, whether she should say goodbye or not.

       Finally she opened the mouth after faking a cough.

       “I’m leaving now. Thank you for looking after me,” she said without looking at Tiffany and then just walked away.

       “Taeyeon,” Tiffany’s voice was heard. Seemed it was huskier than usual. Probably because… too much sob?

       Taeyeon even didn’t tilt her head. Her back was facing Tiffany now.

       “Do you really hate me?” Tiffany asked in desperate tone.

       Taeyeon was squinting her eyes, bitting her bottom lip, as her best effort to hold her tears.

       “If I said no, will you let me go?” Taeyeon was asking back, but still didn’t want to face Tiffany.

       There was silence for a moment.

       “I think… I don’t need any answer again, Tae,” Tiffany said desperately. “For the last time… mianhae…”

       Taeyeon was frozen for a moment and even still considered to look at the face for the last time; however her dignity just took over all of her feelings. She was remaining silent and walking nonchalantly toward the gate.

       Leaving.

       Forgetting.

       For good.

To be continued