~TAEYEON~

“How long will it take to get to Seoul?” My question seemed to cut into Jiyong’s bubble of thoughts and he turned to find me in the doorway.

“It depends on the traffic and how many stops we can make for the baby. All being well, we should get home sometime in the evening.” He told me.

It had been a while since I’d traveled to Seoul and considering Hayi’s wellbeing, I wanted to make our journey a smooth and comfortable ones. “Then I really think Hayi should be in a proper car seat.”

“Fine. If the store you mentioned does in fact exist, we’ll stop and buy one.”

“It does exist and thank you for accepting my suggestion.” I said sarcastically but at the same time relieved at his response. “The baby’s stroller and my knapsack are by the front door.” I told him, having already packed some clothes and my sketch pad, charcoal and pencils for the trip. “I still have to make up a few bottles and pack Hayi’s diaper bag.” Spinning away, I headed for the kitchen.

It was almost ten and if Taerin kept her promise, she would be calling very soon.

When I heard the front door being opened, I sighed with relief. Peeking out of the kitchen window, I watched Hayi’s father carry the stroller and knapsack to his car.

Suddenly the silence was shattered by my phone’s ringtone. I quickly grabbed it, my pulse thundering loudly in my ears.

“Hello!”

“Taeyeon-ah? Hi! It’s me.”

“Taerin! My god… I’m so glad you called.”

“Why? Is there something wrong?”

“Hayi’s father is here.” I said, m heart hammering wildly. “At least he says he’s Hayi’s father. He arrived out of the blue this morning.” I found myself staring at the kitchen window once again to make sure the person mentioned was still outside.

“Jiyong’s there? Like there, there, physically?” Taerin responded, shock in her voice.

“Live and in person, Taerin, trust me.”

“Yes…but…how?” Taerin broke off, then hurried on. “Describe him.”

“Describe him?” I threw a panicked glance at Jiyong standing at the trunk of his car. “He’s just like you said.” I replied and then briefly described him.

“That’s definitely Jiyong.” Taerin said, her voice echoing over the line.

“He says he’s coming to take Hayi home with him.” I hurried on, all the while keeping an eye on Jiyong. “He’s rude and arrogant, and he said something about you two having a deal. Taerin-ah, what does he meant by deal? You’re not caught up something shady, aren’t you?”

“What did you tell him?” Taerin asked, ignoring my questions.

“I told him Hayi wasn’t going anywhere without me. He keeps calling me Erica. Doesn’t he know you have a twin sister?”

Taerin was silent for a moment and I could almost hear the wheels spinning in my sister’s head as she plotted out a strategy. “Are you saying he thinks you’re me?” Taerin finally asked.

“Yes. I tried telling him the truth, but he just wouldn’t listen.” I watched as Jiyong closed the trunk and moved to the driver’s door. “Maybe you should talk to him, tell him I’m only looking after Hayi until you get back.”

“No…that’s not a good idea, Taeyeon.”

“But surely you don’t want me to just hand Hayi over to him, do you?” I went on, at a loss to understand my sister’s lack of concern for her baby.

My question, once again, was met with silence.

“Yah, Kim Taerin! Are you still there?”

“I’m still here.”

“What’s going on? There’s something you’re not telling me. Did you run away from this man? Was he physically abusing you?” I asked, as this possible explanation for my sister’s strange behavior jumped into my mind.

“No! Heck no, Taeyeon! It’s…nothing like that.” Taerin assured me. “But Jiyong…he’s a control freak. He told me to better forget about my singing career and if I insisted on pursuing it, he’d fight me for sole custody of Hayi and do everything in his power to stop me from ever seeing her again.”

I drew a startled breath. “What?! That’s just so awful of him.” I responded, angered by Jiyong’s arrogance and his dictatorial attitude. “What do you want me to do?”

“Continue looking after Hayi so that Jiyong won’t take her away. I know I may not look like I care about my child but I do, Taeyeon. But I have to do this. You know singing means the world for me.”

“I know.”

‘So, you’ll be there for Hayi?”

“I’ll stay with her. I promise you.”

“And if you could play along with Jiyong….”

“Play along? You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“No, I’m not. I know you hate lying but please…just this one time. If you tell him who you really are, chances are he’ll throw you out. Couldn’t you just do it for a little while? For Hayi’s sake, Taeyeon. Just until I can talk to a lawyer and get some advice on how I should proceed.” Taerin pleaded.