Taeyeon never felt comfortable in hospitals although she seemed to be living in one for quite a while now whether it was due to her own sickness, follow-up treatments, or to visit others who were sick; Taeyeon was always going to hospitals. “Mrs. Kim Taeyeon?”

Taeyeon turned around to look at the nurse, “Ah yes, that is me.”

“You can follow me.”

Taeyeon sighed as she started following the nurse back. She decided to come on her own and for the first time, she thought this was not the best idea but she had to be strong. Stronger than before.

The nurse checked the chart before opening the door, “You can go in. Remember to sign out before you leave.”

Taeyeon nodded before going into the room. This time she wasn’t surprised to see the girl doing the same thing she did the last time she visited. Maybe the girl liked coloring, like a new hobby since she came in here. Knowing the girl wouldn’t start up a conversation, Taeyeon went to sit next to her, “Hey Tiffany...” Taeyeon looked over at the picture of a princess, “still filling in your fairytale?”

Tiffany looked up in disgust, “why can’t you just leave me alone?”

Taeyeon sighed as she moved her seat a bit closer, “How can I when I see so much of myself in you?” Tiffany quirked her eyebrow to listen further, “Honestly, I should be sitting in your chair coloring that picture or maybe I should be in that room next to you. I don’t think you realize how messed up my life has been.”

“Yet I am here and you are not.”

Taeyeon let out a bitter laugh, “It is strange how I found someone to prevent me from drowning at the right time in my life.”

“Jessica...”

“Yea.” Silence betrothed the room for a while as the two girls exchanged glances while they colored their individual pictures, “Do you remember me telling you that you are here to find what you have hidden?”

Tiffany stopped coloring for a bit before changing crayons and resuming, “Yes.”

“Like you...I had to find what I have hidden too. Or well in different terms, I had to come and find what I threw away.”

Tiffany put down her crayon and readjusted herself in her seat to give Taeyeon her attention, “Taeyeon it seems like you are here to tell a story to someone that would actually care about your life.”

“Yes but none of them could relate like you.”

“So you are saying that I will understand?”

“Yes because I see a lot of me in you. It is strange to say that I want to be close to you, although you did some very bad things to me, because I want to face myself. Every time I talk to you, I feel like I am giving myself advice. Strange huh?”

“I could ask the nurse for you to get admitted too if you need the help.”

Taeyeon chuckled at the dark joke Tiffany made, “So are you willing to hear my story?”

“You have my attention Kim Taeyeon.”

“Other than Sooyoung, no one actually knew about my father abusing me when I was younger. I know you know about my mother’s death but after she died, my father went further into alcoholism and used to take it out on me after my brother left because he was also tired of being the old man’s punching bag.” Taeyeon looked into Tiffany’s eyes that were asking the question, “Trust me, I did everything I could to prevent others from knowing. Heavy makeup and covering my face while he beat me where the only ways to make others not notice that under my shirts and pants, I was covering up the painful truths.”

“You...you were always laughing.” Tiffany said softly.

“School was a happy place and I had good friends.” Taeyeon gave a smile before continuing, “Well after graduation as you also know, I finally escaped him by moving into the dorms. I never looked back for 8 years and completely erased him out of my life, but no matter how much you wish something to disappear, deep inside, it will never actually go away until you face it one more time.”

Taeyeon looked at a man who was more pitiful than what she expected, “Appa...appa...” Taeyeon continued to look at the man while her brother tried to get his attention. Slowly the man opened his eyes and looked the Kim siblings, “Appa, Taeyeon is here.”

The older man slowly turned his head and eyed up the girl, “Just like your mother...so beautiful.”

Taeyeon sighed heavily as the husky voice that used to be strong and confident sounded weak and desperate for air, “Appa...I am going to leave you and Taeyeon alone for a while okay?”

The older man nodded while Taeyeon pulled up a chair to sit next to the bed, “How did he get you here?”

“It wasn’t easy.”

“Why did you come?”

Taeyeon scratched the back of her head, “To be honest, now that I am here, I am not sure either.”

“You know Taeyeon...”The man sighed as he slowly turned his body, “you could have not come, I would have understood.”

It was strange seeing her father looking so pathetic, “There is a saying that ‘the end only starts at the beginning again’...right now I don’t see the father I had 8 years ago, but the father that I had 20 years ago.”

The older man laughed but stopped as he started coughing, “Oh? Why is that?”

“8 years ago you wouldn’t be so selfless and understanding but the father I had 20 years ago was just that way. I really miss him and I am thankful I got to meet him one last time.”

Eyes became more caring and relaxed as he calmly looked into his daughter’s eyes, “Do you really mean that or are you just being kind to a dying man?”

Taeyeon reached into her pocket to take out the ring that belonged to her mother, “Why didn’t you tell me before that you didn’t sell this?”

“There were many times I stepped into a pawn store set to sell that but every time I looked at it, I just couldn’t.”

“Why?” Taeyeon whispered.

“That ring...your mother...how could I throw away the symbol that showed I had loved once?”

“So you did love her?”

“I admit that I did wrong. I handled things wrong and destroyed all the happiness I had, but maybe you were right...now that I am at my end, we can start again.”

“That saying is stupid...if you are at your end, there is no time for a new beginning.”

“Maybe not for me, but it can be for you.” The man tried to sit up straighter, “Taeyeon I know I was the worst father but I can tell you now through all my failures that there is only one thing that will ever make your life a life living for.” Taeyeon sat a little closer to the bed, “Love. Give your mind, body, soul, your everything to the things you love. If you ever forget that there are things for you to love, then you can think of your old man here who did just that and lived his life wishing he would die because he sinned so much that death could be the only sacrifice he could make for the ones he loves.”

For the first time in years, Taeyeon reached out to her father and grabbed his hands, “How could death make anyone happy?”

“Then...how else could your brother and you happy? You both left me and became successful.”

“I thought leaving you was a good choice at the time but you can’t expect your children to hate you forever when you tried to get better and show us that you are a real father who wants to be closer to his kids.”

The man let out a bitter laugh, “Yet I did everything too late.”

Taeyeon squeezed her father’s hand tightly, “Who said it was too late?”

A knock came on the door as Taeyeon’s brother entered, “Am..I...should I come back another time?”

Taeyeon stood up from her chair as she faced her brother, “No it is fine. Actually I should get going.”

“Actually Taeyeon I have something to tell you in private.” Taeyeon’s brother whispered to her.

Taeyeon nodded before looking back at her father giving him one last smile before going outside with her brother.

“I don’t understand what you found.”

Taeyeon stood up and walked over to Tiffany’s picture to write down, “Forgiveness.”

Author's Note

I know I am telling you abruptly but looks like the next chapter will be the last. 

Sorry for a short chapter (next will be much longer) and no taengsic here.

Well comments and upvotes appreciated!!!