Memories of friends found and lost filled her mind so much so that she thought she even heard Sooyeon’s voice. Taeyeon laughed bitterly, “Sooyeon…somehow I know you started this curse but now you even pain my heart with the thought your voice?” Taeyeon took another sip of her tea but there it was again, Sooyeon’s voice.

Taeyeon stood up quickly to look around but she didn’t see anything, “Am I imagining?”

Just as Taeyeon was to sit down again, there it was, clear as day, Sooyeon’s laughter. Carefully looking around the hotel’s dining room, Taeyeon scanned until she saw her, “Sooyeon…”

Taeyeon didn’t know what to do.  Was it really her or just a figment of her imagination? Rubbing her eyes, the view of Sooyeon didn’t change. It was her. Old feelings resurfaced as if her heart finally learned to beat again.

Taeyeon nearly toppled over her chair as she mindlessly approached the table where her Sooyeon sat with a male. Without thought, Taeyeon embraced the woman crying out, “I thought I lost you!”

Bewildered, the woman pushed Taeyeon off her, “excuse me. I do not know you.”

Taeyeon didn’t care about her tear stained face as she looked at the woman, “Y-you are Sooyeon?”

The other woman took her time to take in the girl before her, “Really miss you have the wrong person. My name is not Sooyeon.”

Taeyeon looked over the woman closely. The sharp jawline, the tiny lips and those piercing brown eyes, “you have to be.”

Getting annoyed that the woman wasn’t leaving them alone, the Sooyeon look-a-like raised her voice as if hell would freeze over if anyone disobeyed her orders, “Look. I don’t know who Sooyeon is, but you need to leave. Can’t you see that me and my fiancé are having a nice dinner?”

Just noticing the man now, Taeyeon looked him with piercing eyes. Sooyeon thought marriage was absurd so what is this woman doing with a man? If not…this really isn’t her Sooyeon, “Umm I am sorry…” backing away from the table, Taeyeon glanced at the woman over again until she left.

Finally wiping her tears away, Taeyeon walked down the street in confusion. There was no way she could mistake Sooyeon and that woman looked exactly like her. Taeyeon even noticed several birthmarks that were in the same place as her Sooyeon.

As she walked more and more through the night, Taeyeon came to a conclusion that it was her Sooyeon but the woman needed to reminded of her past. The past she had with Taeyeon. Then again there is the small possibility that it isn’t the right person. Taeyeon decided it must be the first option. But how to make Sooyeon remember?

When Taeyeon got home, she searched for all the things she once shared with Sooyeon. Maybe if this woman saw something of her past, that there would be a trigger to wake her up. Taeyeon knew she had to try. Being cursed not to die, led her to find Sooyeon again and she was sure it was so Taeyeon could live to the age where her Sooyeon was returned to her. This new woman was Sooyeon and Taeyeon would rather die than see her to go to some unworthy man.

-----------------

Taeyeon’s secretary arrived at Taeyeon’s estate in complete disarray. Looking around, Seohyun was astonished with all the papers and memorabilia lying around the house when her boss was normally tidy, “Miss Kim?”

Hearing her secretary arrived, Taeyeon popped her head out of the corner, “Oh you are here! Good! Come over here.”

Seohyun stepped over the maze of things lying around to make her way to her boss, “what is going on?”

“I found her.”

Confused Seohyun asked again, “Who?”

“Sooyeon. I found her.”

Seohyun knew the story of her boss’s lost love with the exception of Taeyeon’s ability to not age or die, “You did? I was told she died when you were younger.”

Taeyeon was all smiles with the thought of Sooyeon even if the memory of her being slaughtered filled her mind, “eh well yes and no…It doesn’t matter. Go get Changmin quickly.”

Seohyun looked over at her boss again who was going through paperwork like a lunatic, “Umm sure thing. I will get him right away.” Making her way to the telephone, Seohyun called Heechul’s club, “Ah Changmin it is you, Miss Kim requested your presence at her estate. She said it is urgent.”

With her phone call ending, she went to find her boss in the same place, “Miss Kim, he is on his way. Umm do you need help finding something?”

Taeyeon shook her head, “No no Changmin knows where it is.” Getting up off the ground, Taeyeon pointed to a few items, “put those in a box for me. I also need to find the name and address of someone who ate at the Namman Hotel at 8pm-10pm. Please give me the names off all of them.”

Seohyun wrote down a few notes, “I will go to the hotel now.”

Taeyeon smiled brightly because she knew Sooyeon was going to be hers soon, “Great.”

A few minutes after Seohyun left, Changmin entered, “Taeyeon?”

Taeyeon came skipping out to find Changmin, “Oh you are here. I need your help finding that painting of Sooyeon.”

Changmin lifted his brows, “You didn’t destroy that yet?”

Taeyeon sighed, “I thought about it…”

Changmin sighed, “you get so depressed when you see it. I thought you got rid of it.”

“No no…I knew it might be needed later on…”

“More like you couldn’t let go.”

“Or that, but where would I put it? Somewhere I wouldn’t look.”

Changmin scoured the house for a while until he came out with a rolled up painting, “Taeyeon you really thought you would never go through your ancient sword collection?”

Taeyeon gazed over the beautiful painting, “swords are a thing of the past they have those other things now…guns? To kill people. I don’t need my swords anymore.”

Changmin sighed as he put the sword casing back in place, “you know you should get rid of some of this stuff. It is ancient.”

“Are you saying you want to get rid of me?” Taeyeon glared at the man, “I am as old or older than the swords.”

“No-No mam!” Changmin panicked for words, “I didn’t mean that.”

Taeyeon couldn’t help but laugh at her flustered subordinate, “you are too easy to fool.”

Changmin rolled his eyes at his boss, “I wonder who is older all the time when you act childish like this.”

“You can be old but young at heart.” Taeyeon returned her attention to the painting, “you know after Sooyeon passed, I ran into an artist. I was grief stricken and hardly had much on me for money but the artist said to set my demons free, I had to release them from my mind. He offered to paint my demons, but instead of having him paint the man who killed Sooyeon, I described her. Thinking back to that time, I can see that my younger self knew what Sooyeon truly meant to me. She is both my savior and the demon that haunts me every night.”

Changmin when to his boss’s side to look at the painting, “do you remember the artist’s name?”

Taeyeon pointed down the corner of the paper, “that is his sign. I never cared to look it up.”

Changmin examined the signature carefully, “even as a beggar, maybe this painting for its age would be worth a lot.”

Taeyeon pulled the painting in closer and hugged it, “don’t you dare sell this! Now that I have proof the woman is Sooyeon, I am going to show her. She will see that she was once mine.”

“Taeyeon you don’t know how crazy you sound right now. You can’t just go over to her house and show her a painting. Any normal person would wonder why you are following her and making paintings. I hear that is what crazy stalkers do.”

Taeyeon’s thought stopped, “Oh you are right. I should lure to my place and when she comes, these objects that were once hers would slowly regain her memory.”

“No no that is even worse! How would she agree to come to your place and then…” Changmin held the bridge of his nose in frustration, “Taeyeon I hate to say this but all your tactics will get her to think you belong in the insane asylum.”

Taeyeon went over to busy herself with all of Sooyeon’s belongings, “don’t worry about it Changmin, she will remember. Then this curse will be broken.”

Knowing he couldn’t convince his boss otherwise, Changmin sighed and let his boss take the lead although she was acting like an idiot.

It was nearly nighttime when Seohyun came back to the Kim residence, “Mam I have the names and addresses for you here.”

Taeyeon took a look at the names before handing the papers to Changmin, “You know what she looks like. Go find her.”

Changmin bowed to his boss, “Yes mam.”

Seohyun watched Changmin leave, “Mam does he know what she looks like? I mean…wouldn’t she have been a lot younger?”

Taeyeon turned around to see Seohyun still hovering around, “Yes. He has seen her picture many times. I doubt her looks have changed much.”

Fiddling with her fingers, Seohyun wondered if she could ask the next question, “I always wondered…would I be able to see her?”

Taeyeon looked at the piece of paper in the corner, “Umm doesn’t matter, you will meet her soon. Changmin will bring her to me.”

“Oh she must! I mean if you were lovers, maybe she would be happy to see you too.”

Taeyeon bit her lip and thought of the angry woman in the hotel, “she may not remember me, but I will be sure to make her remember again. I have lived my whole life to meet her again.”

Seohyun smiled at her boss’s passion to find her first love, “I didn’t know you were such a romantic.”

Taeyeon laughed, “I am not sure I could be called that. I have only loved once in my life.”

“Whether you believe it or not, I believe you are. The way your eyes sparkle when you mention Sooyeon is obvious. Even if she doesn’t remember you, as long as you show your sincerity, she will at least fall for you again.”

Blushing at Seohyun, Taeyeon ushered the other woman to her wardrobe, “Come here Seohyun, help me find something to sweep Sooyeon off her feet!”

---------------------------

Taeyeon held a pack in her hands looking at the address in her hands. Changmin said this was the correct address for the woman that resembled Sooyeon. Looking around, Taeyeon knew this neighborhood was very posh and Taeyeon couldn’t help but smile to herself that Sooyeon was living so well now.

Gaining enough courage, Taeyeon reached to ring the doorbell, “yes?”

Taeyeon looked at the paper in her hand, “I am looking for a Jeong-sook.”

The maid opened the door wider, “The madam is playing the piano, may I announce who is here?”

“Taeyeon. A Kim Taeyeon.”

The maid allowed Taeyeon into the household which proved to be even more grand than the outside appeared. Ushering her to the other room where the sweet melody of the piano could be heard, “Madam a Kim Taeyeon is here to see you.”

Taeyeon wished the maid had not been in a haste to announce her arrival as the piano stopped playing, turning around in all her elegance, Taeyeon knew it was Sooyeon, “Oh you are from a few days ago? I thought I made it clear – “

“I know. I just need a bit of your time please.”

Sooyeon Jeong-sook turned around on her seat to fully face Taeyeon, “Please go ahead.”

Taeyeon smiled with her chance given, “I have proof to who I say you are.”

Raising one brow curious to see this woman’s ‘proof’, Jeong-sook watched as Taeyeon unraveled a painting.

“This is you, is it not?”

The elegant woman got off her seat to examine the painting that had a stunning resemblance to herself, “amazing…but how do I know you didn’t just steal a photo and have it painted of me? This proves nothing.”  Examining the painting even closer, “Wait...I know this marking. It is from the painter Hwawon! W-where did you get this? It should be in a museum.”

Taeyeon watched the other woman closely with her fascination now in the signature of the painting rather than the painting looking exactly like her.

Jeong-sook continued to be captivated by the photo, “I take art history at Korea University and there is no doubt this is a Hwawon portrait, but how could you get this?” Eyeing out the other woman, “Did you steal it?”

“W-what! No! It was given to me. Can’t you see that it is a photo of you? I am telling you that I know...”

“You are clearly crazy! Hwawon was from the Joseon period. I shall call the police.”

“Wait! No! I am not crazy! I am telling you that that is you! Can’t you remember please? Don’t I look familiar to you at all?”

Jeong-sook eyed out the shorter woman even closer, “I have never seen you before. Now tell me where you got this painting before I call the police.”

“I already told you it was gifted to me. I have many things from many years ago.” Taking up her sack, Taeyeon dug around for some of Sooyeon’s baskets, “Here. Don’t these bring back any memories?”

Jeong-sook observed the basket, “Is that stole too?”

“I swear I didn’t steal anything! How can you not see that this was made by you,” Taeyeon pointed at the painting, “That girl there, she is you and you made this basket!”

“I can’t believe I let you into my house. I am calling the police.” Jeong-sook reached for the phone but Taeyeon quickly interjected.

“You don’t need to call. I will go. Please give me back my painting.”

“I don’t think this belongs to you.”

Taeyeon panicked at the woman threatened to take one of her prized possessions as it was her only photo of Sooyeon, “I promise you that I never would steal. I have no need to.” Taking a piece of paper, Taeyeon wrote down her name and address, “You can always find me here. If you have a need to call the police, this is where I am found. Would you offer this as an exchange for my painting?”

Jeong-sook took the paper, “Kim Taeyeon. I will remember the name.”

Taeyeon gave a loud sigh of relief with the painting back in her hands, “I am sorry for bothering you about this issue, but I do believe that you will remember your past soon.” The other woman didn’t respond as Taeyeon gathered her belongings and left.

“I don’t understand...I thought once we met again, she would remember and this curse broken.” Taeyeon sat down looking at her photo.

Changmin was always there for her in the time of need, “Maybe she isn’t the right one?”

“She was. I know it.”

“What was the curse again?”

“Day by Day...Love is eternal. Love can come again. Time will stop but when two hearts match, only then can you live again.” Taeyeon said monotoniously.

“So your love did come again? Do your hearts match?”

Taeyeon played with the basket in her hand, “Sooyeon and I love each other very much.”

“No no not you and Sooyeon, but you and Jeong-sook.”

“Well no...she has that fiancé. I am sure she loves him.”

Changmin stood up quickly, “That’s it! You need her to love you to break the curse!”

Taeyeon smiled broadly when everything clicked, “yes! I need to make her love me again.”

“Exactly! So go out and make her love you.”

Taeyeon’s smiled quickly faded, “But she thinks I am crazy...I shouldn’t have confronted her with all these items.”

“Well you do come off crazy...I thought you were crazy the time you told me all this.”

“Changmin you are not helping!”

“I didn’t believe you until you clearly stopped aging.”

“Changmin I am not going to wait 20 years for her to believe me. I need to find another way to make her fall in love with me.”

“Have you ever tried wooing a girl?”

“Not actively.”

“Not that I am to brag but I have...”

Taeyeon held up her hand, “No you haven’t. Girls are easily tricked by your good looks.”

“Well you are not going to woo anyone talking to me. Maybe you should show her your humane side without her fiancé around.”

Taeyeon laid back on the couch, “where would he not be? I am also not allowed to go back to that house.”

“Didn’t you say she attended Korea University?”

“Yes. She said she was an art history major.”

“That’s it noona! Go pretend to be a student or something like that.”

Taeyeon sat back up, “You are right! I have my youthful looks to disguise as a student.”

“There you go. Now you just need to make her see you for you and not the crazy person you are.”

“I am not crazy!”

“Sure sure.”

The next day Taeyeon padded down her borrowed uniform for Korea University, “Ok Taeyeon you are not stalking but also attending university where she goes. Let’s have Sooyeon not think you are crazy today.” Taeyeon said a she stood in front of the full-length mirror, “don’t forget to smile. Sooyeon said you have a pretty smile.”

Finally ready to leave after much mental preparation, Taeyeon took her book bag and headed out to the university. In an effort to fit in, Taeyeon chose to ride a bike to the university.

Riding along, Taeyeon noticed the university almost completely empty. She was sure studies would have started by now but the university had hardly any students. Luckily, Taeyeon spotted a boy running out of the main building, “excuse me but is it holiday today?”

The boy stopped, “Oh you didn’t hear? Most of the students are at the Blue House. We are going to protest Sungman Rhee and overthrow him. Only if we act as a unified team of students will the government acknowledge our existence and see his thirst for power.”

Taeyeon was taken aback by this young chap’s youthful rant, “I see, are you going perhaps?”

“Of course.”

“Please take me with you. You know to fight the tyranny and such.” Taeyeon pumped her hand in the air wondering if that was the right gesture to convince the boy.

“Of course! My bike is over there.” The boy pointed to his bike so the two of them could race off to the Blue House. Apparently, all the students left nearly an hour ago so there was still time to catch up to them since they were marching through the streets. Both Taeyeon and the boy went full speed in hopes of making it to the rally just in time before the other students get to the Blue House. The boy said he even knew a shortcut so Taeyeon followed him around the streets of Seoul cutting in and out of alleyways.

Eventually the pair heard the chants of distressed students and the two ditched their bikes to join the crowd of students. Taeyeon didn’t care where the boy went but went to find a certain girl. With a crowd this size, Taeyeon knew it would be hard finding Jeong-sook but she scoured through the young adults in hopes of finding the woman. Hell there could be a chance that Jeong-sook wasn’t even here and stayed home knowing the students were going to riot today.

Taeyeon looked around and around to find many guys but no girls and time was running short as she saw the Blue House in the distance. Giving up her search alone, Taeyeon yelled out “Jeong-sook! Jeong-sook!”

A few boys turned to Taeyeon, “Are you looking for Jeong-sook?”

“Yes. Have you seen her?”

“Ah that must be Sung-ho’s girl. I saw them near the front. Sung-ho’s father benefits with the dismissal of the president so he helped organize the demonstration.”

Taeyeon bit the inside of with the mention of Jeong-sook’s man, but she came here to find her and that was what Taeyeon was going to do, “Thanks...ummm down with the power!”

Sprinting off, Taeyeon worked through the crowd and off to the front. Sure enough, there she was and Taeyeon quickly went to her side, “Fancy seeing you here.”

Jeong-sook looked at Taeyeon crossed, “I didn’t know a thief cared about political affairs.”

“Oh I care a lot but I am not a thief! I am a student see.” Taeyeon pointed proudly at her borrowed uniform.

The other woman eyed up Taeyeon a few seconds before resuming her chanting, but Taeyeon didn’t like being ignored while she was trying to woo the girl.

“So you like politics? I thought you would be more docile with your interest in the arts.”

Jeong-sook sighed as Taeyeon trailed alongside of her, “It is something that affects the whole country. I am here to make the lives of our people better. I want to be part of the history where we make change.”

Taeyeon nodded as she knew what it was like to literally be history, “That is very noble of you.”

“No thanks are needed, more chanting if you are going to be here.”

Taeyeon nodded, “Ah yes. Let’s get back to rioting.” Following the rants of other students, Taeyeon was starting to feel their energy and anger towards the man she also despised. He tried cheating her out of her lands and he sent his henchmen to take things by negotiation although she said many times over that she didn’t want to sell the land. In fact, Taeyeon had a lot to say about the president. He deserves to be overthrown!

Wooing Jeong-sook over was soon forgotten when Taeyeon became more passionate in the cause and protests. It wasn’t long until the Blue House came to view with a line of police blocking their path. Taeyeon stopped when the crowd of people came too close to the police, but instead of standing there peacefully, the guards aimed their guns at the crowd.

 Out of instinct, Taeyeon quickly threw herself in front of Jeong-sook as the fire of guns echoed into the air.

Pop

Pop

Pop

However, the shooting didn’t stop with the first round when the police reloaded and set another round of shells into the crowd.

Taeyeon could feel the bullets entering her which hurt like hell but she knew she couldn’t die, “Jeong-sook are you ok?”

The frightened woman under Taeyeon looked up at her wide-eyed when she saw the blood-stained uniform, “Y-you are shot.”

Taeyeon laughed, “It may be hard to believe but these bullets won’t kill me.”

Jeong-sook was too entranced with Taeyeon laughing over her to notice the red stain on her side. Yet the adrenaline coursing through her veins wore off and the pain shot through her whole body, “T-Tae...”

Taeyeon’s eyes quickly locked onto the red staining Jeong-sook’s dress, “No no no...” putting her hands on Jeong-sook’s side, to stop the bleeding Taeyeon was brought back to the time she lost Sooyeon, “You can’t die. I need you. I need you back.”

Grasping for her last breaths of air, Jeong-sook didn’t hear Taeyeon crying out for her to live because she was already dead.

“Sooyeon Sooyeon! No no no! I can’t lose you again! I just found you.” Taeyeon wept over the lifeless body thinking her one and only chance was lost.

Author’s Note

Haha I bet all of you readers hate the author now since I killed Sooyeon twice!

Fun fact is that the author has been using real people and real events. 108 students died in the April 19 Revolution which happened in 1960. Yes we are in 1960 so why does my poster say 1957? My detective readers are free to guess their opinions about those dates but the truth will be revealed at a later time ^^

Thanks for reading!

BTW all these fan edits of Taeyeon are awesome and I feel like fit into my story perfectly :)