Taeyeon is reading a book in the living room when Wendy comes back.

 

 

Lights are dim and Ginger is already asleep.

 

 

 

“Hey, you’re back…… Why are your clothes all wet ? Did it rain ?” The older girl looks up. 

 

 

“Yeah. We went to the beach, and the rain came out of nowhere. So, Ginger is doing perfectly fine, right ?” Wendy takes off her half-wet cardigan.

 

 

 

“Yes, he’s fine. And… beach ?” Taeyeon raises an eyebrow hearing a certain word.

 

 

“She suggested we go here and eat. We went to a mini talent show held by SM trainees too……. And I sang.”

 

 

 

“You ? On stage ?” Taeyeon rounds her eyes, not believing what she has just heard.

 

 

“Irene encouraged me to go……. And they loved it hehehehe” Wendy is still excited and gives herself a hug for that.

 

 

 

“Good to hear that. So it’s Irene~” Taeyeon smirks.

 

 

“About Irene……. I want to talk to you.” Wendy bravely asks her unnie for help.

 

 

“Hmm~~ Somebody needs advices here.” 

 

 

“Take it as a yes. I’ll go bathing first.” The Canadian is embarrassed and heads off to take a bathe. 

 

 

 

While the Canadian is in the bathroom, a certain Korean is in deep thought.

 

 

 

Wendy doesn’t take long this time. 

 

 

She enters Tae’s bedroom and sees her sitting on her bed.

 

 

 

“Tell me about Irene first.” Taeyeon leans her back on the headboard. 

 

 

“Like, I don’t know why…… But we have only known for 1 day, I have already felt so close to her. I smile when she smiles. I want to hold her when she’s down. I can’t say no to her. It’s not because she is beautiful ………. I know that. But I just can’t figure what it is.” Wendy throws herself into the bed too, burying her face in Tae’s pillows.

 

 

 

“Maybe it’s love at first sight ? Taeyeon chuckles. 

 

 

Wendy looks up with an unreadable expression, “I love......like her ?”

 

 

 

“Do you think of her anytime, even she’s not by your side ? Do you only want her to be happy ? And will you be willing to do anything to make her smile ? Are you willing to share her burden and wipes her tears ? Are you going to stay by her side when she wants you ……. Or even when she doesn’t need you. If you say yes to one of the above, then you’re in love. If you say yes to all of the above, then you’re hopelessly in love.”

 

 

 

Wendy counts with her fingers and still looks confused.

 

 

 

“Take it easy, kid. Love is complicated. It takes time to see things through.” 

 

 

“If I love her, how can I know if she loves me too ? I can’t just ask her those questions like you do. What if she doesn’t like girls ? Or she doesn’t like me at all ?” Wendy becomes more panic as she thinks more.

 

 

 

“Wanna hear a story ?” Taeyeon sighs then asks.

 

 

“A love story ?” Wendy looks at the ceiling.

 

 

 

“My love story. Didn’t you ask if there’s someone in my heart ?” 

 

 

Wendy turns her gaze back to the older girl and slowly nods. She doesn’t know if it’s a good thing that Taeyeon opens up to her at such a moment. As if she has just forced her to do so, just to solve her own problem.

 

 

 

“It’s time, kid. You have the right to know that.”

 

 

“I am, or was, a gifted child. Been skipping grades since 5. I finished primary school in 3 years, middle and high school in 7. Officially entered university when I was 16. I studied law back then. There was another girl, who was also skipped grades and also at the same age as me, also was a freshman the same year as me.”

 

 

“I knew her from an orientation camp. I then realized there was someone else on this planet who could be alone, ignored, and sad like me. We had done nothing wrong, but those adults kept pushing us, not giving us a chance to breathe. They wouldn’t give a to what do you want. You just study ‘cause you are good at it. And those ing kids teased us and called us names. We couldn’t make any friends…… Or no one wanted to be friends with a quiet kid who skipped grades every semester.”

 

 

 

Wendy stares at Taeyeon worriedly since she doesn’t know any of these before. Taeyeon never mentions her past. 

 

 

She now starts to know why Taeyeon is always in deep sorrow, it’s because she has been isolated since she was small. Not to mention someone seemed to break her fragile heart later. 

 

 

And the older girl continues.

 

 

 

“I met her and we were so alike. She was the only friend I have. We shared our worries, our burdens, our happiness. We spent our time together everyday. And of course, we fell in love quickly. I confessed to her when it was her birthday. We were so happy.”

 

 

“She changed me. I was cheerful and hopeful. I woke up everyday smiling. Buy my parents …… They could not accept that I like girls and kicked me out. Her parents, who were in the States, didn’t care much since they thought it was just a puppy love. I studied so hard and hoped to graduate as soon as possible. I could give her better things when I got a job. I got into the biggest law firm in Seoul when I was 19. She also got a job under a fashion brand, although her degree was in medicine. We were so in love and thought nothing could stop us. We lived together in a small apartment. Everyone else known about us also thought we would last forever. Even I thought she would be my first and my last love.”

 

 

 

“Life doesn’t work in this way. We grew apart as we grew up. She didn’t show up on my 20th birthday. It might sound naive now and I was so angry that we fought that night. Later, I found she was overworking that day so that she could buy me a guitar. The guitar….. is the one I still play these days.” 

 

 

“I regretted so much and I planned to make up to her in her birthday, which was one month later than mine. But one of my clients, a very rich one, got into some troubles one night before. He used so much money to get me to work for him. I told her it would a great help to our mortgage. She had let me go. I was so stupid. She spent her birthday alone, waiting for me to come home.” 

 

 

 

Taeyeon forces a smile and closes her eyes, hoping her tears would not fall so quickly. Yet they end up streaming endlessly down her cheeks.

 

 

Wendy listens and watches her unnie crying, making her eyes watered too. 

 

 

 

“I made her cry so many times. One time, I had dinner with another rich client and he got me drunk. The filthy old man tried to harass me. I managed to escape. I got home and she was angry …… at my stupid drunken face and my messy clothes. She thought I went to hit on other girls and I was too embarrassed to tell her the truth. I told her I was with my colleagues. But I ing forgot that I had promised her not to drink again. After one time that I nearly killed myself drink-driving. We fought again and again.”

 

 

“The other time, she didn’t come home one night. She didn’t call and say she wouldn’t be coming back either. The next morning, I saw a guy - one of her colleagues - driving her back. I recognized his damn face ‘cause he always looked at her like she was his. I thought she…… hated me so much that she had fallen out of love….. and had slept with him.” 

 

 

 

“I didn’t confront her that day. Maybe I was too depressed or something. But she didn’t bother to explain to me either. The next day, I waited and still no reply. I called and all she gave was cold shoulders. I started another stupid fight with her. And this time ……… it was her sister Krystal. Krystal left home and fled to Korea to find her. She chose not to tell me since she was afraid that I would tell her parents. I was still extremely furious at the fact that she didn’t trust me. We’d gone through so much but she didn’t even trust me with that. I knew I should put myself in her shoes, but I just couldn’t abandon my freaking pride.”

 

 

“That’s when we truly grew apart. It’s not that we didn’t love each other. There were too many obstacles in our way. Life doesn’t simply give you a cookie for nothing. I guess we couldn’t make it to the cookie.”

 

 

 

“On the other hand, we were not that alike anymore. Me, as a lawyer, and she works as a fashion designer. We lived in 2 totally different worlds.”

 

 

“I was asleep when she was back from work. I had to get up when she had just slept for 1 or 2 hours. We could barely see each other. And when we did, we fought or had nothing to say at all. We no longer shared any similarities. We found each other so unfamiliar. Maybe we could have worked it out. But we were too young to realize.”

 

 

“Things didn’t work well for her at that time too. Her company was having a difficult time. She got fired. I had to support our life on my own so I worked harder, which instead made things worse than it was. I should’ve stayed by her side………. I should’ve…..”

 

 

 

Taeyeon uncontrollably cries her heart out. She hasn’t never told this to anyone. 

 

 

It’s her first time to talk about it. It’s like reopening a wound.

 

 

Wendy’s heart aches when she sees Taeyeon, who is the one always take care of things and take care of her, now breaks down. 

 

 

 

“T-then, her parents asked her to go back to the States, ‘cause there were more and better opportunities for her. A larger market. She hesitated. I knew I had hurt her enough and I didn’t want to hold her back. W-we broke up……… I let her go. If you love someone deep enough, you should let go. A-and that day she left ………… I finally realized how much I loved her after all those damn years……….. It was autumn when she walked out from my miserable life.”

 

 

“I sincerely wished her all the best …………… But I couldn’t forgive myself. I quitted my ing job and abandoned everything - the house, our friends …….  There were like three months ?? Or half a year ?? I forgot……. There was one time that I tried to kill myself. But I still wanted to see her face again, so I didn’t.” 

 

 

 

“I drank instead. I kept drinking and drinking until I could escape the reality, even only for one second. Then, my parents came to find me. They helped me to start a new life.”

 

 

“I was 22 when I started my career as a writer. I wrote stories of myself and it got popular. Later, I took pictures and it went well too. With the love from my family, especially my siblings, I determined to become a better, a different Taeyeon. I quickly established my fame in this business.”

 

 

 

“And then …….. I met you. A lost teen. You remind me a little bit of myself. I decided to help you as much as I could. I don’t wanna see a kind girl like you to become a person like me.” 

 

 

 

Wendy gently pats Taeyeon’s back as she finishes her story.

 

 

Things are clear for Wendy now.

 

 

 

“You ain’t a bad person, Taeyeon-unnie.” The young Canadian softly speaks. “You helped me, right ? You’re just hurt. And you need someone to heal it for you.”

 

 

Taeyeon wipes her tears and mutters one word, “Jessica.”

 

 

 

“Her name is Jessica. Jung Sooyeon. I couldn’t forget this name even I died.” This name rings a bell in Wendy’s head. She has heard it before.

 

 

“I understand now. It’s time for you to rest.” Wendy tucks her unnie to sleep.

 

 

 

She eventually finds out the reason why Taeyeon loves to sing “Autumn Leaves” so much.

 

 

Taeyeon sings it for Jessica, her love.

 

 

 

“Another day another life,
Passes by just like mine,
It's not complicated.

 

Another mind,
Another soul,
Another body to grow old,
It's not complicated……

 

 

 

Another love that's gone to waste,

Another light lost from your face,

It's complicated………..

 

 

How I miss you,

My symphony played the song that carried you out.

And how much I miss you,

And I miss you and I wish you'd stay.

 

 

 

Do you ever wonder if the stars shine out for you?

Float down,

Like autumn leaves.

And hush now,

Close your eyes before the sleep.

And you're miles away,

And yesterday you were here with me.”

 

 

 

Exactly a story of Taeyeon.

 

 

Taeyeon, who still has tears at the corners of her eyes, weakly nods.

 

 

 

“I’ll sing a new song for you.” Wendy sits on the side of the bed.

 

 

Taeyeon gives another weak nod and closes her eyes.

 

 

 

“Come up to meet you, tell you I'm sorry,

You don't know how lovely you are,

I had to find you, tell you I need you,

Tell you I set you apart.

 

 

And tell me you love me, come back and haunt me
When I rush to the start
Running in circles, chasing up tails
Coming back as we are

 

 

Nobody said it was easy
It's such a shame for us to part
Nobody said it was easy
No one ever said it would be so hard
I'm going back to the start………”

 

 

 

(The Scientist - Coldplay)

 

 

 

Wendy sings until she hears Taeyeon’s stable breathing.

 

 

 

She whispers something into Taeyeon's ears before she leaves.

 

 

“Thank you, unnie.”