27 | Save Me

 

***

 

"Why don't you do it yourself?" Suggested Tiffany. "It's your chance to make it right."

 

"You know he's still so mad at me. I feel like he won't do if its me. He needed some time for now." Explained Taeyeon as he sighs. "Come on, love. We don't have so much tome." He handed his phone while staring at her with begging eyes. "Please?"

 

Tiffany took the phone but only give it back. "I'll call him on my phone." She returned to the dining area and fetch it. 

 

"Thanks, Love." Taeyeon said as he watches his girlfriend ring his brother's number. He's waiting and anticipating.

 

"He's not answering." But Tiffany informs after it just diverted to a voice mail.

 

"Ring it again." Instructed Taeyeon and the latter did as he said.

 

"He's probably busy." Again, Tiffany was greeted by an unreachable number.

 

"Aish." Taeyeon grabs her phone and dials it again. "Come on pick up, choding." He mutters, pacing back and forth.

 

Tiffany sighs, crossing her arms near her chest as she watches her boyfriend. He dials his number again and still the same result. "Stop it." She demanded before he could dial it again. "We can't do anything about it. He's not picking up then so be it." 

 

"Seohyun. I'll call her." Taeyeon thought of his sister-in-law and dial it immediately. He was delighted when she picks up. "Seohyun-ah!" And he didn't wait for long. "Is Yoong with you?"

 

[He hasn't returned, Oppa. But I think he's now on the way back. Why? What is this for]

 

"Ugh, I don't have so much time." 

 

[Hmm?]

 

"I mean I want to ask him if he can help us with the server of the company. Apparently, a hacker is holding it that it's affecting our website, apps, and games." Taeyeon explained while gesturing.

 

[Omo, chincha? Wait I'll call him.]

 

"He wasn't answering us. He's maybe busy."

 

[No, he only left to buy our dinner. I'll call you back.]

 

"What did she say?" Tiffany got curious the moment Taeyeon ended the call.

 

"He wasn't busy. Seohyun told me he only left to buy their dinner. He intentionally didn't answer our calls." Said Taeyeon, sadly sighing. But he wasn't surprised at all. "He's doing what I did to him." He laughs bitterly.

 

Tiffany shakes her head. "Just like you said, he needs time and space. Let's give that to him." She took Taeyeon's hand and gently squeeze it as she assuringly smiled. "Don't worry."

 

Taeyeon smiled back. "But I need to go to the company now. I can't just wait for nothing." He let go of her hand and went to the bedroom.

 

"I'm coming." Tiffany followed in a hurry. Both of them put on their jackets respectively and left the apartment in a hurry.

 

***

 

It had been fifteen minutes since Seohyun called Yoong but she herself has no luck. She started to get worried and keeps pacing back and forth.

 

'Should I call the police? Or should I call Taeyeon Oppa for help as well?'

 

"Omma!" Seoyoung asks so loud as she runs towards her mother.

 

Seohyun stopped from walking and bowed to the nurse that accompanied her daughter. "Appa left to buy us food. We're having dinner here." she told her daughter with a sweet smile, taking her seat on the bench.

 

"Chincha? Yay! I love it here! The air is fresh." Seoyoung giggles, taking her seat next to her mother. "But why do you look like something happened?" she innocently ask. 

 

"Oh, n-nothing. Nothing happened, honey. Aigoo, you talk so much now." Seohyun chuckled, as she briefly pinch her daughter's cheek. 

 

"Nurse Kim is teaching us a lot." shared Seoyoung. She loves it when she's in the nursery, she can learn a lot and make friends with other kids.

 

"That's good." Seohyun is relieved to know. "But you know what? Omma is finally going to get discharged soon." she happily shared the good news.

 

"Chincha? Omma is now fine?" A big smile plastered Seoyoung's face.

 

"We're going there but since I no longer have to be on IV, and the surgery has no more complications, the doctor suggests for me to get discharged maybe Wednesday. Are you excited to go home?"

 

"Yes!" Seoyoung instantly replied. But she frowns when she thought of leaving her new friends. "But that means, I have to say goodbye to my friends." she sadly pouted.

 

Seohyun cupped her daughter's cheeks with her right hand. "It's okay, you're going back to school later." she caresses her puffy cheek and the latter's sad face turned bright when she heard it. "You missed your classmates, didn't you?"

 

"Yes, Omma." Seoyoung smiled as she nodded.

 

"Let's just wait patiently. And we'll be back to normal again." said Seohyun softly. 

 

"But where's Appa now?" ask Seoyoung, looking around the garden. 

 

"He's on the way, don't worry." Seohyun's glad her daughter seems to have forgotten about last night. She's a kid after all. And gladly the nurses are attending on her well, it helps her to forget what she saw.

 

"Omo, there he is." Standing on her feet, Seoyoung almost immediately runs to her father and she meets with him halfway, as she wraps her arms around his hips. Seohyun sighs in relief from her seat, watching her husband and daughter from afar.

 

Yoong was surprised but he's happy to be greeted by his adorable daughter. "Did I make you wait that long, honey?" He sweetly smiled.

 

"Not too much, Appa. What you got there?" Seoyoung pointed at the plastic bag. She's excited to eat again.

 

"Let's go to Omma first." Yoong decided to tease his daughter. He took her hand and they approach Seohyun from the bench.

 

"I called you, you didn't pick up." Seohyun greeted her husband immediately. "Where were you? Did you hear your phone?" 

 

"Now what's inside? Seoyoung is hungry." Seoyoung is too excited that she didn't hear her mother's words.

 

Yoong's attention shifted to his daughter. "Your favorite, of course, honey." He said as he took the box of chicken out. 

 

"Kyaaa, there are also dumplings!!!" Seoyoung immediately took one of the dumplings but it's hot that she dropped it accidentally.

 

"Careful." Seohyun picks up the dumpling and puts it aside. She just decided to brush off her curiosity first as her attention was on their hype daughter.

 

"Mianhe." Seoyoung cutely pouts while blowing air on her hands.

 

"Aigoo, too excited." Yoong chuckled. He blows his daughter's hands and fixes her hair. "Let's cool that down first, okay? Wait, I'll set the picnic." He then grabs the folded picnic mat and sets it on the ground.

 

Seohyun and Seoyoung then help him place their food to the center of the mat, as they sit down and began to enjoy their dinner. 

 

"So, care to explain to me?" ask Seohyun while their daughter is quietly enjoying her food.

 

"I didn't know you called." Taking his phone out of his pocket, Yoong gasp when he saw the miss calls. He then realized it was on silent mode and it failed to vibrate. "You did call... and Tiffany Noona. I'm sorry." 

 

"Then what took you long?" 

 

"Traffic. And I have to look for the dumplings around. Mianhe." 

 

Seohyun scoffs. "I thought something happened. But your brother called." And she can't miss to tell him.

 

"He did? Why?" Yoong raised his eyebrows.

 

"The company is in danger. He needs your help." Seohyun replied softly. "But I don't know the situation right now because it was I think 30 minutes ago, but why don't you try to call back?"

 

"He needs my help?" The thought just causes the doe-eyed to chuckle. "After firing me." He mutters. 

 

"Yoong, don't-"

 

"Appa, call Samchon." Seoyoung butted to their conversation, taking her parents' attention to her. She understood what they were talking about and innocently suggested.

 

"No need, Seoyoung-ah. That was earlier on, I can't help them now." Yoong explained to his daughter, flashing a sweet smile as he gently rubs her cheek.

 

"What is happening? Why can't I log-in now?" Suddenly, a kid from nearby is loud, complaining on a game he can't play. 

 

Yoong and Seohyun's attention shifted to him. And it wasn't only him.

 

", what's wrong with their server. It had been down for almost an hour. Just when I was about to pay."

 

"Me too, I can't use their service."

 

"Their website is down too."

 

"Is there any announcement for enhancement?"

 

And more complaints around them can be heard, mostly from young teenagers. 

 

"What are they complaining?" Getting up, Yoong approaches the kid who complained earlier. "What are you playing?" He curiously asks.

 

"The Light Sword. I thought I'm the only one when I just opened my phone." The Kid explained to him. "Omo, Aren't you... Mr. Im? One of the programmers of Im Tech?" And recognized him. "I'm a fan."

 

"Yes. T-thanks." Yoong said and he can really see that the game is inaccessible on the kid's phone. "What's happening?" He returned to his family while checking online on his phone.

 

"The server is really still down?" Seohyun asks her husband right away. She can feel the eyes are on them now that they realized they're in the same place as them.

 

Yoong sits down and nods without taking his eyes off the portal site. Im Tech is trending number one. "There's probably some error on the server." He guesses, looking back at his wife with an assuring smile. "Don't worry, they'll fix it asap."

 

"Why would your brother call you if they can?" Seohyun felt something is weird.

 

Yoong shrugs his shoulders. "It's none of our business anymore. Let's eat now, Hmm?" He ushered. 

 

Couldn't argue with her husband, Seohyun decided to return her attention to their food and their daughter. 'I hope everything will be fine.' But she's quietly concerned for her brother-in-law and the company.

 

***

 

The room is in chaos. Everyone especially the marketing department because of the calls from customers and investors. The hacker has yet to demand anything and the police had been trying to track him down for three hours already but the hacker seems to have used a special program where they can't track him this time. 

 

Tiffany could only watch in the corner, feeling bad for them. Taeyeon is in the lab, monitoring his programmers and she isn't allowed to enter. 

 

"Aish, what is the hacker's mind?" She's annoyed and thought of her friend and called her. But just like she expected, Soobin isn't answering.

 

"Excuse me."

 

Suddenly, someone approaches her. She turned and was greeted by a familiar face. "Aren't you... "

 

"I knew it, You're Tiffany Unnie, my sister's friend." Krystal brightly said, extending her hand to her. "I'm Krystal."

 

"Yeah, you're her sister." Tiffany shakes hands with her. 

 

"Do you know the hacker, Unnie?" 

 

"Yes. My friend's boyfriend."

 

"Omo." Krystal widened her eyes. "Chincha? That's a small world. I mean, your friend's boyfriend is hacking your boyfriend's company." 

 

Tiffany chuckled in amusement. "Yeah, kind of. But that is defending her Chanyeol." She can't help and curse.

 

"I can feel your anger Unnie." Krystal awkwardly smiles.

 

"What are you doing here by the way? It's almost ten."

 

"Oh, I was with Yul Oppa, playing games when the server was hacked. He told me to wait and he will drop me home." explained Krystal, sighing as she looks at the employees, getting stress from every call. It's like a war room.

 

"I see." Nodding, Tiffany raised her eyebrows when she noticed the younger girl is holding something. "Mind if... "

 

"Oh, game magazine." A big grin plastered Krystal's face. "I'm an e-sport player. And we actually won the last tournament." she's so proud of it that she flipped the pages and showed her picture in the magazine together with her teammates.

 

"Wow." Tiffany is speechless and amazed.

 

"You know my dream is to become a pro-esport player. I wanted to build my own team someday and coach them." Krystal dreamily said. "What about you Unnie? I mean, when you were my age? What was your dream?"

 

"To be a singer." Tiffany smiled shyly. "But you know life is unpredictable and I'm a manager of an idol group." But she got confident when she shared it.

 

"Whoa, that job is cool. I have a lot of classmates that's want to be an idol too." Krystal beamed with a smile. 

 

"It's a popular dream. I think you're the only female teenager I know that loves esports." 

 

"I'm different. And it's cool." 

 

Tiffany smiled back. "I love what you said. Being different is not a hindrance to doing something we love either way." she shrugs her shoulders.

 

"Yes, you're totally right, Unnie." Krystal giggles. She loves her already as she can't stop smiling. But she frowns when her phone rings and her sister's contact ID is flashing. "Um, I think I need to take this first." She bowed and left the older girl.

 

Tiffany's attention returned to her phone as well only to find a message from Seohyun.

 

Seohyun: fany-ah, please tell me everything is well handled there.

 

"She probably heard the news already." She decided to press the call button instead and look for a quieter place. She entered their pantry and was relieved that there wasn't anyone. "Did you able to contact Yoong?"

 

[He's with us already.]

 

"Omo, did you tell him? The system is being hacked and it looked like the hacker is not demanding anything. The programmers here are trying to return it back but so far, it's uncertain. They keep telling Taeyeon to call his brother because he was the one who built it unfortunately, he won't call Yoong anymore after getting rejected."

 

[I don't know how to convince him. But I'll try later again.]

 

"Please hurry because the police are guessing the hacker is giving them until midnight before he completely shut it down."

 

Seohyun gasps over the next line. [Shut it... meaning...]

 

"Everything will fall into pieces. Im Tech might close down. I hope that won't happen." Said Tiffany as she heavily exhales. It's hard to imagine it will happen later on.

 

[Okay, I'll do everything to make him come there.]

 

Once the call ended, Tiffany can hear weird noises outside. She walked out of the pantry and can see everyone is panicking. She got curious and check one of the computers. There's a countdown on the screen with 2 hours left. " you Chanyeol." She muttered, hurriedly walking to the lab. The programmers are all grumbling and some are asking their chairman to do something. "Oh God, hold on there, Love." she mumbles, worriedly watching at Taeyeon who is in distress. 

 

Taeyeon turned and found Tiffany is outside. He smiled weakly before he turn to face his programmers again. "Yul, call my brother." He instructed, hoping he will get him this time.

 

"Right away." Grabbing his phone, Yul walked out of the lab to dial the doe-eyed's number.

 

Walking inside the room, Tiffany approached her boyfriend and reach for his hand. "Seohyun, she's convincing him right now." She shared earning only a gloomy nod from him.

 

***

 

After making sure Seoyoung is not paying attention to them because a friend of hers likes to play, she turned her attention to Yoong, who is folding back their mat. "Yoong, a hacker is trying to shut down the company. They need you right now. Please set aside your issue with your brother and go there."

 

Yoong looked at her with a poker face. "No. I told you I have no more business with them. It's not because my brother fired me or I am mad of him." He stood up and was about to leave when his phone rang. He rolled his eyes upon seeing Yul's contact ID

 

"The company was built by your parents, are you just going to let it fall? Please don't waste your parent's hard work." Seohyun pursues desperately. 

 

"I barely even had the chance to experience having parents." Yoong coldly replied. He clenched his jaw and fists. "That