9. Parallel Universe

-Love Is Not Eternal-

---

Happy birthday my first and last idol I ever like --> Kim Taeyeon 

---

 

“I went to meet your professor and she said you might not able to graduate this semester if you weren’t back in two weeks! Come on Taeyeonnie..We promised we’ll graduate together, wear that silly robe and take picture in front of that so called cursed statue”

 

“Teyeonnie.. Yuri and Jessica were here, they surprisingly looked civil! Yuri even takes your sister home. Come on wake up Taeyeonnie, we’ll have fun teasing them!”

 

“Taeyeon I miss you. Please wake up?”

 

 

 

“Hey Sica”

“Hey Sunny, how’s your day?”

“Same old, same old.”  Sunny adjusted Taeyeon’s blanket, “You’re done with your book?”

“Yeah, I am so gonna fire that annoying editor after this.”

Jessica eyed her sleeping sister. Even she missed that smarty pants, she had no idea how Sunny holding on for the last 2 months.

“You’re okay? You haven’t visit that favorite bar of yours right?” Jessica put her hand on Sunny shoulder.

Sunny looked back at Jessica, “Chill, I won’t disappoint Taeyeon by going back to that place. I’ve been sober since I met your little sister here.” Then Sunny averted her gaze to her sleeping lover, “But if you wouldn’t wake up in a week I will drink my off in that bar! Are you listening to me Kim Taeyeon?!”

Jessica squeezed the latter’s shoulder, “Yuri said she’ll come over in an hour. Tonight we’ll camp here with you.”

 

 

 

 “Uhuk, uhuk”

 

Sunny was sleeping with her head resting on Taeyeon’s bed, holding her hand, when she felt it jerked up. Half asleep, she witnessed Taeyeon’s body convulsing, coughing uncontrollably.

“OMG! Taeyeon!” She pressed the button on the headboard to summon the doctor. “Taeyeon-ah.. hang in there please”

Jessica and Yuri awakened by Sunny’s voice, they witnessed she screamed for doctor, while Taeyeon kept coughing loudly.

 

Suddenly the door opened, the on-call doctor and two nurses enter the room.

“Please wait outside” One nurse gesturing the crying Sunny to go outside the room. Jessica and Yuri had to drag Sunny as the latter refusing to go out of the room.

“Sunny-ah..Trust them, Taeyeon will be okay.”

 

Half an hour later, Taeyeon’s doctor walked out of the room, with smile in his face.

“The patient is regaining her consciousness, the coughing fit before was a sign that her lung can breath on its own without machine’s help.  She’s still very weak, you can see her for a while then she has to take rest. We’ll take more measurement in the morning.”

 

 

“Taeyeonnie..” Sunny’s eyes brimmed with tears. She wanted to engulf Taeyeon with bear hug but restraint herself as Taeyeon looked so weak and vulnerable like a mere touch could break her, so she settled with giving a gentle peck.

Taeyeon gave Sunny a tired smile, “Hey Soonkyu”

“Taeyeon-ah, do you remember me?” Yuri asked

“Of course, Yuri-ah.”

“Do you remember who I am?”

“Y-yes, you’re Sica unnie’s wife.” Taeyeon answered calmly.

The three of them dropped their jaw. Sunny almost ran out to call the doctor back but canceled it as she heard a distant laughing sound from Taeyeon.

Jessica couldn’t hold her relief laughter, “We’ll now I am sure our Taeyeon is okay.”

 

 

On the afternoon the day after, Taeyeon was left with Yuri to take care of her as Jessica had to meet her editor and they forced Sunny to take proper rest after spending more than two months in hospital, accompanying Taeyeon.

Yuri sat beside Taeyeon’s bed while playing games in her phone. She was too immersed in her game that she didn’t realize Taeyeon had woke up .

“Yuri-ah, how’s Miyoung?”

“Oh crap!” She dropped her phone, “Are you trying to give me heart attack?” She sat up from her chair, approaching water dispenser on the other side of room to fill Taeyeon’s glass.

“Here drink first, the doctor says you have to keep hydrated.” Yuri nudged the straw to Taeyeon’s mouth. “Okay, now go back to sleep! Doctor says you have to take a lot of rest.”

“Yuri, I’ve been out for two months, I think I have enough sleep. Now, please just tell me how’s Miyoung?”

“Don’t worry, you know she’s fine. It’s proven by your girlfriend and her mother existence until now.”

Taeyeon inhaled a deep breath. “You know that’s not what I mean. HOW is she?”

 

Yuri shifted in her seat, she knew sooner or later she had to deal with this. She cleared before starts talking

 “Ummm..She was and still is devastated about the accident. She came to the river everyday to watch the police searching for you.. After a month they stopped the search with conclusion that you were dead, but Miyoung still comes to the river every day after work or classes. Sometimes she brought Sunny with her, but mostly she went alone. She’d stay for an hour or two, just sitting there, looking at the river..” Yuri’s speech cut by the movement of Taeyeon in bed.

“What are you doing?” Yuri asked

Taeyeon struggled to remove the heart monitor from her finger, “I am going back to tell Miyoung that I am fine so that she won’t be sad anymore.” She success on removing the wire, she get rid of the blanket and stood up, but failing as she hadn’t regain her muscle strength.

Luckily Yuri there to catch her

“There, there tiger you can’t even hold yourself up yet.” Yuri made Taeyeon sat back on her back.

“Listen here Taeyeon, I’ll say this once; the higher up have decided that you’re not allowed to go back to the past anymore.”

“What?” Taeyeon’s voice was dangerously low, it made Yuri felt chills all over her body.

“You knew the deal before you going there at the first place, you’ll back here on your and Miyoung’s 100^th day anniversary.”

“Screw that! I want to go back” Taeyeon closed her eyes to concentrate, she thought of 1994 and Miyoung’s apartment. She was going to meet Miyoung again and assured her that everything was okay, that she was still alive and breathing.

 

She opened her eyes. Instead of meeting with the familiar small yet tidy apartment, she saw Yuri with a pitiful looks in her eyes, looking back at her.

Taeyeon realized something must be done for her not being able to use her power.

“What did you do?!” She hissed at Yuri.

Yuri had to stay firm to Taeyeon, it was a duty given to her after all. “Please calm down Taeyeon-ah. I just want you to protect you and Sunny from unnecessary pain.”

“By sacrificing Miyoung’s happiness?!”

“It has to happen this way. You know how the fate works.”

Taeyeon scoffed, “I don’t give a rat about fate! Now you better give me back my power or I’ll make you sorry.”

Yuri raised her brows, “No offense, but right now you’re so weak that you can’t even stand by yourself. What harm can you do to me?”

 

 

 

 

Yuri indeed felt sorry after that. Taeyeon refused to eat or drink anything for three days. The doctor had to give her IV drip to maintain her metabolism. Another thing, Taeyeon also refused to talk to anyone, including her girlfriend.

 

“Taeyeonnie.. please just one spoon?” Sunny kept trying to coax Taeyeon to eat her food but the latter only looked at her impassively.

Sunny was tired from her final project and Taeyeon’s unreasonable act draining her patience.

“You know what?! I don’t care if you won’t eat anything. I don’t care if you go back to coma. You take care of yourself from now on! I want to go home.”

She put the bowl harshly, spilling its contain. She took her back and stormed out of the room, leaving Taeyeon alone.

Taeyeon just lay there with sad eyes. She felt sorry for Sunny, she knew how much the latter loved her. She still loved Sunny too, but she had to make a point to Yuri and forced her to give her power back.

 

Five minutes later the door creaked open. Taeyeon watched Sunny approaching her with a plastic back. She ignored Taeyeon and went to sit on the chair beside her bed. She took out ice cream, gummy bear, and Taeyeon favorite grape juice out of the plastic.

“Oh crap” Taeyeon said in her mind

“What are you looking at?” Sunny leered at her, “You want it?” She wiggled the ice cream in front of Taeyeon’s eyes

Taeyeon shook her head.

“Okay, suit yourself.” Then Sunny proceed to open the wrapper. She the chocolate first. “Hmmm this is really good! Your favorite ice cream is indeed taste like heaven.” Sunny exaggerated.

“Are you sure you don’t want it?” Sunny asked

Taeyeon firmly shook her head, she averted her gaze to the window instead.

 

Sunny refused to give up. She the ice cream once more, she grab Taeyeon’s neck and kissed the latter.  Taeyeon gasped for air, Sunny felt the opportunity as she forced her tongue in to Taeyeon’s cavern.

Taeyeon was struggling at first, but she couldn’t deny her longing for Sunny’s kiss. It had been more than two months after all. The kiss went from fierce with a lot of tugging, to slow with a lot of feelings. Taeyeon could taste the obvious chocolate flavor of her favorite ice cream on Sunny’s lips. She loved both taste.

Sunny pecked Taeyeon one more time before she released the pink lips.

“So? The ice cream is good right?”

Taeyeon nodded.

 “You want some?”

Taeyeon shook her head..

 

 

“Okay Kim Taeyeon, it has been a week and as much as I want to deny it I still have strong feelings towards you so I can’t stand watching your fragile little pale body refusing to eat anymore.” Yuri rattled as she barged in to Taeyeon’s room. “I’ll take you back to Miyoung.”

Taeyeon arose from her bed slowly with a little smile on her face.

Yuri saw that smile, “BUT! We’ll only watch her. The upper man gave me this device that will make us invincible. You won’t be able to interact with Miyoung in any form and I still hold your power until you come back to your senses. Do we agree?”

~~~~~~

 

It was 4 in the afternoon, summer was around the corner so the weather was quite warm. Taeyeon and Yuri saw a woman sitting alone on the river bank with her feet curled up to her chest.

Taeyeon walked closer to Miyoung.

“Taeyeon, what are you doing?” Yuri fasten her step, following Taeyeon but stopped a few feet away from the latter as she saw the look in Taeyeon’s eyes.

 

Taeyeon stood right beside Miyoung. She couldn’t see her face as Miyoung was burying hers in her hands. Taeyeon could hear a faint sobs coming from the woman.

“Miyoung-ah.. I am here” Taeyeon reached her hand to Miyoung’s hair.

 The invincible device made her touch ghost like, Miyoung couldn’t feel her but Taeyeon could.

“Hey, how are you doing?” Taeyeon said in softly. “I am so sorry for leaving you like that. I wish I have more time to be with you or at least to explain mu reasons to you, but my hands are tied. If I left Sunny to be with you then I’ll screw so many people’s life, even yours. But I cannot stay looking at you like this. Miyoung-ah tell me what to do.. ”

Taeyeon didn’t realize warm tears that had been flowing down her eyes.

 

“Taetae?”

 

“Miyoung? Can you hear me?” Taeyeon eyed Miyoung, she wondered if the device malfunctioned that allowed her to talk to Miyoung

“Taetae are you still there?”

Miyoung eyes were distant, instead of looking at Taeyeon beside her, she looked straight back to the river in front of her.

“Do you feel cold? It was raining heavily, after Sunny and I swimming to the surface what I felt first was cold.”

“They said that you’re not here with us anymore. They said you went to heaven, but I feel you’re still somewhere close to me, watching over me and Soonkyu” Miyoung let a small chuckle, “ I must be crazy.. I mean if you are really here, then why don’t you come back to me? You must be missing me right? Or at least Soonkyu? Well.. We miss you.”

Taeyeon continued looking at Miyoung. She wrapped the latter in a side hug, she rested her head on Miyoung’s shoulder, unfortunately Miyoung couldn’t feel it.

“Taeyeon-ah, I want to say sorry. For these past months I’ve been a bad mother to Sunny. Most of the time I left her in my sister’s home while I am mourning over you, you can’t blame it all on me though, it’s partially your fault. You disappear from me so suddenly. We were happy celebrating our anniversary then out of nowhere you were taken away from me. If you were really went to heaven, I wish they at least find your body so that I could say goodbye to you properly, but..”

Miyoung stopped as she was out of breath.

“I am tired of crying over you Taetae.. I want to stop coming over here just because I have this constant dream about you waiting for me right at this spot, but whenever I am awake to come get you, there is no one. It’s always me sitting alone. Please come back to me Taetae..”

Taeyeon was sobbing as she embraced Miyoung. She was chanting ‘I am sorry, I love you, I am right here.’ But the latter couldn’t hear any single sound.

 

 

She looked back at Yuri who watched them from distance. Her anger suddenly went overflowed. She stood up abruptly and immediately ran to where Yuri stood with all she had.

Yuri seeing Taeyeon charging after her with angry eyes, readied herself for any form of attack. She caught Taeyeon’s fist in time.

Taeyeon launched her body one more time, this time she success on tackling Yuri to the ground.

 

BRUUK!

 

Both of them fell to the ground, Taeyeon put her hands on Yuri’s neck trying to strangle her. Yuri, who clearly much stronger than Taeyeon pushed the latter back, making Taeyeon laying flat on the ground beneath her.

“Stop it Kim Taeyeon!”

Both of them were breathing heavily.

Sometimes what it took to feel better was one deep breath. Indeed, Taeyeon felt a little bit better as she regain her normal breathing.

 

“Where are we?” Taeyeon asked

Yuri snorted, “Finally you realize that we’re not in the past anymore huh? Thanks for trying to strangle me anyway, no need to say sorry”

“I am sorry Yuri-ah.. I guess I was just looking for someone to blame and you just happened to be there”

 

Taeyeon sat back up, this room or place or whatever was new for Taeyeon. It was clear white, spotless, bright, too bright that she couldn’t see the end or the corner of it.

She tried to walk but she didn’t move further away from Yuri, it was like walking on a treadmill. She tried to jump forward, only to fall face first on the ground.

Yuri laughed at her action, “What are you doing Taeyeonie? Are you performing solo slapstick?”

Taeyeon pouted while her aching nose.

 

Yuri stood up and spreading her hands.

“Welcome to Alternate Universe 101”

“What?” Taeyeon asked dumbfounded.

Yuri took Taeyeon’s hand, “Here, let me show you.” Yuri punched something on her smartphone like device. Suddenly the white wall surrounding them changed, displaying an unfamiliar scene.

 

“This is your life in another universe, where you end up alone, choosing neither Miyoung nor Sunny.”

 

Taeyeon felt confuse, she heard about alternate universe before but she never learnt about it and no one that she knew, aware of it.

“It’s okay to be confuse, this alternate universe thing is a top secret that kept by our organization.”

Yuri paused to put her hand on the screen like surface, zooming the scene.

“Look at that. That’s you being alone in your old age.”

Yuri pointed at the other Taeyeon, who from Taeyeon’s point of view looking like a 70 years or more.

 

“What happen to Miyoung and Sunny?” Taeyeon asked

Suddenly the scene changed, displaying another old woman reading a book on a cozy looking chair.

“That’s Sunny. Well, both of mother and daughter suffer the same ending as you, growing up alone.”

Taeyeon furrowed her brows, “Why? I understand if Miyoung didn’t want to get married again but Sunny is young and beautiful. She can find another girlfriend in a blink.”

“Oh really? Do you remember how you two meet?”

 

Taeyeon gave bittersweet smile away, remembering her first meeting with Sunny.

“We bumped at each other in the hospital, she was literally just get her stomach pumped out after her alcohol poisoning and me.. Well I was suffering from clinical depression..”

“You were cutting yourself. If Jessica found out a little late, you’d end up in a grave sooner. You two were a little broken before meeting each other”

“Okay, what’s your point?”

Taeyeon cut Yuri, she didn’t want to remember that particular point of time when she suffered from depression.

Yuri focused her attention on the lonely woman in front of them. “You and Sunny supposed to be together, but you choose not to. You’re her soulmate and she's yours, there is no other person for her or you.”

Taeyeon ran her hand through her messy hair.

“I don’t like how this fate works.”

 

 

Yuri smiled bitterly, she played with her smartphone like device once more. The scenery changed again.

“This is another universe where you and Miyoung end up together.”

Taeyeon’s eyes widened. “How’s that possible? What about Sunny?” Her tone raised.

“You and Sunny met just like before, but both of you never took your relationship for more than bestfriend. You too, had to go back to the past and the exact accident happened too but after that you waited for Miyoung. You waited until you met again with her much later in the future. After that you marrry your bestfriend’s mom.”

They could see Taeyeon and an older looking Miyoung got married in a small chapel.

“Sunny must want to smack me for banging her mom” Taeyeon stated

Yuri chuckled, “Yeah, she had a hard time processing the idea of having new step mother in her age, but you three were cool after that. In that universe, Miyoung is your soulmate, however long you two being separated, you eventually found your way back to her again.”

 

 

After that their surrounding went back to the bright white like before. Yuri turned her body to face Taeyeon, she touched the latter’s slumped shoulder.

“Hey, do you understand what I am trying to say?”

Taeyeon nodded weakly.

“Yes, in every universe I have different fate that I have to walk on and in this universe, I have to be with Sunny.. right?“

Yuri smiled and gave Taeyeon a gentle pat.

 

“I know it’s but it’s how fate works, you can choose different way yet you’ll end up at the same place.” Yuri eyed Taeyeon. The latter was lost in her thought.

“Taeyeonnie, do you love Miyoung?”

That got Taeyeon’s attention back. “Huh? Of course I do.” She fiddled with her fingers, “I mean I didn’t want to develop this romantic feeling towards her but it just happen.”

Yuri nodded slightly, “You still love Sunny?”

“Yes! I still do and this feelings of mine for her mother making me feel so damn guilty, Yuri-ah..”

Yuri touched Taeyeon’s chin, making the latter looking at her eyes.

“You have to let go. You only have two choice; following your destiny by being with Sunny or deny it, which will end up with all of you being alone until you die.”

Taeyeon lost her words, “I-I.. Yuri-ah”

“Listen to me, let Miyoung go, Taeyeonnie..”

Taeyeon could see the change in Yuri’s eyes. It went way softer, she looked at Taeyeon in a longing stare that Taeyeon never got from Yuri.

 

 

“Here, I’ll show you that you’re not the only one who have to suffer from fate.”

Once again their surrounding came to life. It displayed an older looking Taeyeon with a little boy in her embrace.

“Is he my son?” Taeyeon asked

“He is.” Yuri smiled at what happened in front of them after.

“He is our son.”

 

Taeyeon’s eyes budged as she saw another Yuri came to the mother and son, giving the mother a gentle peck on her lips. Taeyeon clasped her hands on .

“A-are we..?” Taeyeon looked at Yuri with wide eyes

“What? Married? Yes we are married in that universe and you’re having our second child!” Yuri said excitedly.

“Oh my god..”

Yuri averted her gaze back at the scene in front of them. “I wasn’t kidding when I said you’re fated to be with me.. well in other universe, but still..”

Yuri’s tone was a little off. Taeyeon wasn’t that dense to understand her friend’s actual feelings.

“I am so sorry Yuri-ah.. I thought all this time when you said you liked me and all, you were kidding.” Taeyeon held Yuri’s arm to divert her attention from the lovely scene.

Yuri smiled bitterly, “It’s okay. You have no idea about it.”

 

“Have you let me go?” Taeyeon asked

Yuri shook her head. “No, not yet. Not until I see you walk through the aisle to marry Sunny. Until then I’ll still have those crazy ideas about how to keep looking for a loophole for us to be together or for me to jump to that universe.”

Taeyeon bite her lips, suppressing her tears. She launched her body to Yuri for the second today, this time for embracing her in tight hug.

 

“We will be okay Yuri-ah.. We’re both gonna seek for our closure.” Taeyeon burrowed her face on Yuri’s neck. “We will be okay..”

 

“I hope so.” Yuri Taeyeon’s back lightly “Let Miyoung go Taeyeonnie.. I promise to let you go too.”

 

---

Hey, long time no see. I am trying to update on Taeyeon's birthday (in my country now is still 9th March)  :)

The next chapter will be the ending.

I hope you wouldn't resent me for how this story goes. I want to display how the fate works from the point of view the majority of people. You only have one fated person. Isn't that ? We spend our life to search that someone but what if that person isn't what we want anymore?

Well, don't forget to comment, upvote and subscribe 

Barney's out