Chapter 5

Seoul, Korea

Kyuhyun’s favorite bar was unusually crowded that night with new, fresh faces. The reason why he visited this particular hideaway bar was to escape from those same faces but guessed he lost that battle. He had a black, Burberry coat over a black Burberry suit with slick, black Armani leather shoes. It was raining as well so he was able to sneak in without drawing much attention from the crowd. He found a booth and waited patiently for his favorite waitress, Yuri, to arrive.

“I wonder where this crowd showed up…”

Yuri appeared with a smile and a seductive wink.

“Yuri, you took so long…”

“Sorry honey, what are you having tonight?”

“Nothing fancy, a Bacardi and Coke…”

“Okay…”

Yuri took down his order.

“Hey Yuri, what’s with the strange faces tonight? I thought this place was supposed to be a SECRET…”

“Yeah well you haven’t heard huh?”

“Heard what?”

“That new up and rising actress, Tiffany, will be here tonight…”

“Tiffany, the commercial model? Please, she’s just another ‘run of the mill’ pretty face…”

“You haven’t seen her yet huh?”

“I heard of her…American-born Korean girl with a cute smile…nothing original…”

“Kyuhyun, don’t get too worked up…I’ll get your drink for you…”

Yuri smiled and hurried back to the bar. Kyuhyun sighed.

“These new celebrities crack me up…”

Suddenly, the front doors opened and the crowd swarmed to the front. The commotion died down as the bar manager announced that he would start kicking people out if they didn’t calm down. Kyuhyun smiled.

“That’s my boy…”

Yuri returned with his drink.

“Just place it on my tab…”

“Got it…”

Kyuhyun got up and walked over to the crowd to see who was the special guest. He poked his head in and one customer was surprised.

“It’s Kyuhyun everyone…”

Kyuhyun smiled and shook some hands. He saw the cute girl sitting by the counter, waiting for her drink. She looked strangely familiar.

“Ah, so you must be what the commotion is about, huh?”

“I don’t know…maybe…I just wanted to stop by for a drink…”

“Tiffany, was it?”

“That’s me and you must be Kyuhyun…”

Kyuhyun began to notice what was attractive about her.

“Why don’t we go somewhere private to drink?”

Tiffany smiled slyly.

Kyuhyun and Tiffany toasted with champagne as they drank on his balcony overlooking the Seoul cityscape.

“Wow, you’re apartment is beautiful…”

“One of many…”

Tiffany was already getting used to the smugness of Korean male celebrities and didn’t mind taking advantage of them. Kyuhyun continued to scan over Tiffany’s seductive body.

“So you grew up in the States, huh?”

“Born and raised…”

“Yet, you know Korean…impressive…”

“I’m not totally in control of the language…but I know the in’s and out’s…like my body…”

Tiffany smirked and the rim of her glass. Her iness was slowly turning Kyuhyun on. With her tight red dress, long legs, and y hair, Kyuhyun was prepared to pounce. Suddenly, there was knock on the door.

*KNOCK KNOCK*

The mood slowly changed.

“Hold on one second, Tiffany…”

“Sure thing…”

Tiffany rested her elbows on the railing and sipped on her drink. Kyuhyun hopped over his couch and answered the door. It was Jiyeon.

“My dear, why are you here?”

Jiyeon ignored him and stormed inside.

“Kyuhyun, this new schedule is driving me nuts!”

She walked over to his fridge and started rummaging around for some beer.

“Kyuhyun, why don’t you have any beer?”

“Jiyeon, hold on…”

He went back to the balcony.

“Tiffany, my cousin is here…let me close this door for a second and I’ll be right with you…”

“Okay.”

Kyuhyun shut the door and turned to see Jiyeon staring right at him.

“Were you speaking to someone?”

“Oh…no! Just closing the door…it’s cold! Brr….”

“Whatever…anyways! This schedule killing me!”

Jiyeon fell onto his couch and placed her feet up. She chugged down the beer she had surprisingly found and wiped . Kyuhyun watched helplessly as Jiyeon consumed the whole can of beer.

“I mean you’re the main act so everyone caters to you…but on the support side like me…the work never ends! I have to get to the photo-shoot tomorrow with the proper contracts then I have to speak with the cologne representatives to set up the dates for your commercials…don’t get me started with Leeteuk breathing down my throat…”

Kyuhyun could tell Jiyeon was already tipsy before she arrived.

“Jiyeon, relax for a bit, okay?”

“Okay…”

Kyuhyun looked back towards the balcony and saw Tiffany right beside the glass. Jiyeon stood up.

“Is there someone outside?”

“No, what do you mean?”

“Cho Kyuhyun! I know what I saw!”

Tiffany tapped on the glass and Kyuhyun blushed bright red. He sadly opened the door and Tiffany stepped in.

“Why did you have to leave me out there? Was it because of this skinny girl?”

Jiyeon narrowed her eyes.

“Excuse me?”

Tiffany stuck her chin up.

“Well I guess it’s time for me to leave then…sorry for interrupting…”

Kyuhyun reached out for Tiffany’s hand.

“Wait a second…let me call you tomorrow…”

“It’s fine…we’ll chat again soon…”

Tiffany walked out the apartment.

“What did Seohyun see in that creep?”

Kyuhyun sighed and shut the door. He turned and saw Jiyeon looking at him.

“Jiyeon, don’t look at me like that…I’m a young bachelor who wants to expand his horizons, you know?”

“Don’t give me that crap, Kyuhyun…”

“Excuse me?”

Suddenly, tears began to form around Jiyeon’s eyes.

“I was hoping at least one day we could be friends…”

“Aww Jiyeon…we are friends!”

Kyuhyun slid in beside her and wrapped his arm around her. Jiyeon pushed him off.

“Please, I’m just your humble assistant…that’s it…”

“No! You’re my favorite assistant!”

Jiyeon looked at him and rolled her eyes. She wiped her tears and began to laugh at herself.

“I was hoping we could spend sometime together tonight too…I’m such a fool…”

“Jiyeon, stop beating yourself up…”

Jiyeon turned and stared at Kyuhyun. He wiped her tears.

“See, don’t worry about it, Jiyeon…you just need to relax…you mean a lot to me…that’s why were still working together…”

Jiyeon had a million things running through her mind but the one thing she wanted to do was confess her feelings to Kyuhyun. She knew it would be a stressful job but she never knew being close to someone she loved but never being able to show her real feelings would cause unbelievable pain. She prayed every night that Kyuhyun would notice her but no matter what she was always treated as the humble, sisterly assistant. Kyuhyun continued to speak as she stared deeply into his eyes. He touched her face.

“Cheer up, okay?”

Jiyeon didn’t know what had gotten into her that suddenly made her become courageous. She thought maybe it was the alcohol or her desperation for affection but all she did know was that she was tired of him talking.

“Jiyeon, are you listening-“

Jiyeon leaned over and kissed Kyuhyun. Kyuhyun was startled. He slowly pushed her back.

“Jiyeon, you’re drunk…”

“No, I’m not…I just realized how much you mean to me, Kyuhyun…”

Jiyeon attempted to kiss him again but Kyuhyun moved his face away.

“Jiyeon, let me take you home, honey…you’re tired and you’re not thinking straight…”

“I am thinking straight! I love you, Cho Kyuhyun!”

She suddenly passed out on his chest and began to snore. Kyuhyun smiled and brushed her hair.

San Francisco, CA

Seohyun turned right and arrived in the suburbs of Serramonte. She tried to remember the directions that were given to her. Piolo was amazed by his surroundings.

“Wow, the homes here are huge…I always saw them on TV and in the movies but in person…wow…”

“Oh yeah, they’re pretty big…I never knew you were cousins with Sarah Geronimo…”

“Yeah, we’re second cousins but with Filipinos…if you’re just a little bit family…you ARE family!”

Seohyun giggled and found the street number she was searching for.

“5203…that’s it! This is where Sarah lives…wow…”

Piolo looked out the window and saw the two-story home painted in beige. The garage door was open and he could see the dozens of guests eating and chatting. Seohyun parked across the street.

“Hey Seohyun…”

“Yes?”

“Thank you…”

“Of course…”

“No, I mean…thank you for never forgetting me…”

She turned to him and touched his hand.

“I could never forget you, plus, Sarah spoke about you everyday at school!”

“I see, it must have been crazy knowing she knew me…”

“Crazy indeed…are you ready?”

“Oh yeah! Sorry…”

“No it’s okay…it’s been awhile anyways…let’s get some food!”

“Ay naku! Nandito si Piolo! Ang guapong-guapo mo!”

Oh my goodness! Piolo is here! You’re handsome!

Piolo’s aunt, May, pinched his cheeks and kissed him all over the face. The visitors laughed and smiled as they all greeted him. There were several teenage girls who showed interest and gathered around him.

“Hi Kuya, welcome to the US…”

“Thank you!”

The young girls giggled and drooled over his toned arms. One of the girls was shy and Aunt May introduced her.

“Piolo, this is your cousin, Julia...Julia say hi!”

Piolo smiled and noticed how pretty and shy his cousin was.

“Ok lang Tita…”

It’s okay, Aunt…

Julia nodded and hurried back to her room with her friends.

“Pasenya na, Piolo, mga hiya lang sila...di sila maroong mag-tagalog kaya gaano sila…”

Sorry Piolo, they’re just shy…they don’t know how to speak tagalog that’s why they’re like that…

“That’s okay, I understand, Tita…”

“By the way, sino ang kasama mo? Ang ganda s’ya! Filipina s’ya?”

By the way, who were you with? She’s beautiful! Is she Filipina?

“Oh, her? Hindi po s’ya Filipina…Koreana s’ya…kasamahan n’ya si Sarah doon sa esquelahan…sinoondo n’ya ako sa airport…”

Oh, her? She’s not Filipina…she’s Korean…she’s a coworker of Sarah’s over at the school…she picked me up from the airport…”

“Ay talaga? In fairness, maganda s’ya…ligawan mo s’ya!”

Oh really? In fairness, she’s beautiful…go court her!

Piolo blushed and looked across the party to see Seohyun chatting with Sarah by the dining table. Sarah looked over to Piolo and winked.

“It’s crazy how you know my cousin!”

Seohyun laughed.

“Yeah, we met each other awhile back when I visited Manila for my friend’s wedding…he was our driver for that week…”

“That’s so cute, Seohyun…makes for a cute love story, don’t you think?”

Seohyun laughed and looked to see Piolo looking back at her. They both smiled at each other and Seohyun could feel butterflies in her stomach. Yet, it wasn’t only because of Piolo’s charming smile but his nostalgic presence that reminded her of her moment of love that fateful night. Seohyun took another bite of the lumpia.

“My mom cooks pretty good huh?”

“She does, that’s why I never refuse an invitation to your house!”

Sarah laughed.

“We will have another party next week! My uncle’s birthday! You’re invited!”

“Sure, I’d love to! But please don’t try to hook me up with you college buddies…they drink too much…”

“I won’t! I’m sure someone else has their eye on you…”

Piolo joined them.

“Hi Sarah! Kumusta na ang magandang pinsan ko?”

Hi Sarah! How’s my pretty cousin doing?

“I’m good, Kuya! Just working, you know? Trying to be a teacher, right Seohyun?”

The two girls laughed. Piolo found Seohyun’s laugh cute and smiled at her.

“Anyways, thank you for the welcoming party…I don’t know anyone here but I’ll try my best to be nice…”

“Ay naku Kuya! Ganyan dito sa States! Ang mga pinoy mahilig mag-party! Kahit birthday, anniversary o ang laban ni Paquiao basta party lang pupunta lahat sila!”

Oh my goodness, Big Brother! That’s how it is here in the US! All the Filipinos love to party! Even if it’s a birthday, an anniversary, or Paquiao’s fight as long as it’s a party they will all come!

Piolo laughed and ate a spoonful of rice. He looked over to Seohyun and was surprised that she was eating Pinkabet (Pork cooked with Shrimp Paste and Squash).

“Seohyun, you eat Filipino food?”

Seohyun finished chewing and swallowed her food.

“Ever since I moved to San Francisco two years ago, it was almost mandatory to learn how to eat Filipino food plus, Ms. Geronimo here loves to bring some for lunch…I simply couldn’t resist the smell!”

Piolo admired Seohyun’s diverse personality and was glad to see her again. Suddenly, Tita May spoke into the microphone.

“Hello everyone! Thank you for visiting and welcoming my dear nephew! Please be kind to him and guide him as he begins a new life here in America!”

Everyone clapped and Piolo waved and nodded.

“Now let’s karaoke!!!”

Julia the disco lights and the crowd went wild. Piolo’s cheerful aunt started the karaoke show with the memorable country pop tune, “Achey-Breaky Heart” by Billy Ray Cyrus.

“Don’t break my heart! My achey-breaky heart!”

The visitors clapped as Tita May sang her heart out. Seohyun and Sarah laughed together as Piolo remained amazed by his aunt’s ability. He looked over to see Seohyun laughing and felt his heart feel warm again. He thought to himself.

Seohyun unlocked the door to her one-room studio apartment. She was stuffed from Piolo’s welcoming party so she felt pretty drowsy. She tossed her shoes aside and headed straight to the bathroom. She the lights and saw her reflection.

“God I look tired…”

She started to examine herself and posed from side to side. Over the two years in her new home, she had gained over ten pounds. It wasn’t obvious but it bothered her a lot. She tried to blame Sarah’s cooking but it was actually her own stress. From starting her career as a teacher, actually a substitute teacher, and balancing her bills and her father’s hospital bills, life wasn’t as great as she thought it would be. She played with the little fat around her belly.

“I used to never care…now I do…”

She went ahead and cleaned herself up. She removed her make-up and hopped into the shower. Afterwards, she dried her hair and brushed her teeth. She staggered into bed and opened up her laptop. She discovered she received a private Facebook message from Tiffany.

“Tiffany? It’s been months since I heard from her…”

After their unforgettable trip to Manila, Tiffany and Seohyun went their separate ways. They didn’t split on bad terms; rather Tiffany left UCLA to go to actor’s school. Tiffany felt she wasn’t going anywhere in UCLA and felt it was only right to dropout. Yet, Seohyun always felt responsible for Tiffany’s sudden distant personality with her. Still, they kept in contact and after a year, Tiffany was scouted by a Korean talent agency and she was shipped over to start doing some modeling.

From commercials to magazine ads, Tiffany was slowly making her rise in Korea. But, Tiffany wanted to do more than model and began to migrate over to the acting side, which caused a minor stalemate in her new career. Tiffany wasn’t too fluent in Korean so the producers needed her to learn before acting. Tiffany had to go school again.

Seohyun scrolled through the message and was amazed to see how lengthy it was. Seohyun missed Tiffany dearly and wanted to see her again. Tiffany always made sure Seohyun saw her latest photos and asked for any criticisms. Seohyun wasn’t the best judge of photos so she always considered them perfect.

“Tiffany is almost finished with her Korean language class…cool…”

Seohyun suddenly froze when she reached the last part of the message. Tiffany wrote.

“…before leaving the bar I ran into an old friend of ours…he was still handsome and glamorous…he brought me to his apartment but we didn’t do anything…I think he’s seeing his assistant…it was an awkward moment but I wanted to let you know…Kyuhyun is around…”

Seohyun hesitated to respond back and slowly closed her computer. She placed her head on her cool pillow and stared up at the ceiling. She thought she would never hear about him again. After their sad parting in Manila, Seohyun tried her best to forget him. She avoided seeing his shows on TV and the Internet and eluded from questioning Tiffany if she ran into him. Yet after Tiffany’s message, Seohyun couldn’t erase the image of Kyuhyun’s smile and the breathtaking kiss they shared in Rizal Park under the blanket of stars, from her mind. She wanted to see him again but she felt they had grown so far apart that it was nearly impossible to be on the same level with him.

“It would never work out…”

Westmoor High School

Daly City, CA

In the faculty lounge, Seohyun opened up her bagged lunch and pulled out a bag of sweet potato chips. She usually wasn’t fond of chips but when she found one of her favorite food items were turned into chips, she couldn’t resist.  Sarah swooped down and sat beside her.

“Hi Seohyun!”

“Sarah, hello!”

“So how’s class?”

“Not too bad…the students weren’t disruptive today…”

“You’re lucky…teaching foreigners English as a second language is so much easier…they have patience…but subbing for an actual English class is killing me…”

“Don’t worry, all the new teachers had to go through that stage…”

“I’ve been a substitute teacher for almost a year already…I want to progress…”

“It takes time…believe me…coming from the Philippines and trying to get certified here was a killer…it took me a year to finally get certified as a California teacher then I had to apply to be a teacher and work as a substitute teacher for two years…it’s painful but you need to have faith, okay?”

“Thanks Sarah…”

“You’re welcome…by the way, is that your lunch?”

Seohyun looked down and saw she only packed three bags of chips and a soda. Her once dedicated diet had dwindled down to childish junk food.

“I was in a rush…”

Sarah felt bad and offered her a piece of her sandwich.

“Sarah, I’m okay…I promise…”

“Ok then…don’t forget the party this weekend, okay?”

Seohyun laughed.

“Of course…by the way…how’s Piolo doing? I haven’t seen him for a couple of days…”

“Oh Piolo, he’s settling in…he’s been wondering about you too…”

Sarah winked and Seohyun blushed.

“Anyways, Piolo will be following my footsteps and going through the teaching certification board exams so he’ll be busy studying…you should visit him sometimes…he’s new and needs a tour guide, you know?”

Seohyun smiled and saw the irony of what Sarah said. Being advised to guide Piolo around the city brought her back to her Manila trip and how he was her guide. She remembered his politeness and couldn’t refuse the favor.

“Of course…”

“Plus, you two seem good for each other…young, attractive, and single…my goodness!”

“Yeah…”

The bell rung and Sarah returned her food to her plastic container.

“Ok then! I got to go, Sarah! Are you finished for today?”

“I am actually…”

“Well then call me, okay?”

Sarah waved goodbye and hurried off, leaving Seohyun alone in the lounge. She looked down at her chips and felt sick.

“I need to start learning how to cook…”

Seoul, Korea

Super Junior Talent Agency

Kyuhyun placed his feet up on Leeteuk’s desk as he spoke on the phone. Leeteuk pushed his feet and glared at him.

“What?”

Leeteuk continued to speak on the phone.

“Yes…yes sir…alright, thank you!”

He hung up the phone and stared at Kyuhyun.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“How long have we worked together, Kyuhyun?”

Kyuhyun counted with his fingers.

“Ummm-“

“Five years, you fool…”

“Ok so?”

“Have I ever let you down?”

“Umm…not yet…”

“Kyuhyun…”

“You have been my best agent and manager! Where are you going with this?”

Leeteuk made a big smirk.

“Well, I was on the phone with the producer of an upcoming drama…big production…international locations…big stuff, you know?”

“Ok…”

“I got you a part in it!”

“What? Who’s producing it? Who’s the director? What’s the title?”

“You remember Lee Donghae, right? Big time playboy and filthy rich movie producer?”

“No way…”

“Yes way…he wants you to play a big role in his new drama…there’s no director yet but that doesn’t really matter as long as you have money being brought in to produce right?”

“Sure!”

“It’s called ‘Lovers in San Francisco’!”

“Wow…so it’ll be in the US?”

“Yes…it will be shot entirely there…the story will start out here then eventually travel across the ocean where the story will develop and conclude there…it’s supposed to be a big love story with some big talent!”

“Oh…like who?”

Leeteuk sighed and seemed worried.

“Leeteuk, I don’t like that face, sir…”

“Choi Siwon will be in it too…”

“Wait! Huh? But he’s like the hero type…wait a minute…am I the antagonist in this story?”

“Well…”

“Leeteuk! I’m trying to change my image around here! I’m tired of being the bad boy who loses the girl…I’m tired of that! It’s sending the wrong signals to the public!”

“I know but…they didn’t say you would lose the girl in this one…”

“Sure…”

“They’re putting a new actress in the story…Donghae wanted to be bold and find some fresh talent…you know that new Korean-American model, Tiffany?”

Kyuhyun remembered her storming out of his apartment after seeing Jiyeon and laughed to himself.

“We met each other casually once…”

“Ok…well…she’s the rumored main actress…it’s definitely bold but the story is still in the works…”

“I see…”

Kyuhyun leaned back in his chair and began to imagine what it would be like to shoot in San Francisco. Suddenly, an image of Seohyun’s soft smiling face appeared. He always wondered where she ended up after they split in Manila. He shook his head to erase her image from his thoughts. He stood up and placed his hand out to Leeteuk.

“Good work, Hyung…I can’t wait to hear more about our new adventure…thanks!”

“Certainly…”

They shook hands and Kyuhyun turned to the door. Leeteuk spoke up as he was turning the knob.

“How’s Jiyeon?”

Kyuhyun remembered Jiyeon’s surprise kiss and her quickly passing out.

“She’s fine…”

“I hope so…she’s been real bogged down by the work I’ve been giving her…tell her to visit me sometimes…also…don’t work her too much alright? She’s young and fragile…”

Kyuhyun shook his head.

“She’s fragile indeed…”

Seohyun stared up at the Jamba Juice menu and was confused on what to order.

“Am I feeling a ‘Caribbean Passion’ or ‘Strawberries Wild’?”

The young female cashier stared at her blankly as Seohyun rubbed her chin. Suddenly, the cashier looked over Seohyun’s shoulder and smiled. Seohyun turned and found Piolo behind her, sweaty.

“Piolo?”

“Hi there, I was on my afternoon jog and I saw you in here so I decided to say hello.”

Seohyun smiled and looked at his expensive running gear.

“Wow, what fancy gear you have on…all shiny and reflective…”

“Haha, oh this? My aunt gave it to me…I prefer not to be all showy but figured why not try the gear, right?”

“Yeah…”

Seohyun finally got to see first hand on how well Piolo kept up on his fitness and could tell he was strict about it. With his nicely defined shoulders, tight facial muscles, and toned arms, Seohyun was beginning wonder what he looked like . She shook off her thought.

“Oh, I need to order first!”

They sat across from each other outside the Jamba Juice. Like all California strip malls, the parking was in the middle with stores on all four corners of the area. Seohyun sipped on her smoothie as Piolo removed his sweater revealing his impressive arms. She was beginning to grow hot from Piolo’s nonchalant attitude of revealing his body.

“Anyways, how are you fitting in, Piolo?”

“So far it’s been real relaxing…of course since I don’t have a job right now, I’ve just been working on my fitness and studying for the board exam…”

“That’s good…those exams must be a pain, huh?”

“Yeah but the whole atmosphere isn’t new to me…in the Philippines…everything relied on this wretched board exams so I have the right mentality down…”

“I wish I had the mentality…I barely passed my exam and I’m still a substitute teacher…I really hoped for more in my life…”

“Don’t worry, Seohyun…”

Piolo placed his hand on Seohyun’s.

“Everything takes time…patience goes a long way, you know?”

They both smiled at each other. Seohyun slowly brought her hand back and continued to sip on her drink. Piolo could tell she was moved by his friendly gesture.

“So do you still see Tiffany?”

“Oh, it’s been a real long time actually…after Manila, she left my school and decided to seriously pursue her dream to be an actress…she’s over in Korea doing some modeling…”

“Wow, that’s amazing…she was very pretty…”

“Yeah, lots of men were always going after her…a real heartbreaker…”

“Yeah…”

Piolo remembered Seohyun walking in on him and Tiffany as they shared a kiss. He decided to switch topics to avoid delving any deeper into the subject of Tiffany.

“How long have you been here in San Francisco?”

“Ummm…it must be a little over two years or so…after college I tried to stay in LA but I got fed up of the place and wanted to switch environments…my classmate, which was also your cousin, recommended that I visit her up here and see what it’s like and well…I never moved back…”

“That’s awesome…”

“After moving here, I got to know Sarah more and found out that you were her cousin through a photograph…I almost flew off the couch after seeing you…a wild coincidence!”

“Life is full of surprises, I guess…”

“It is…”

They both sighed and smiled at each other. Piolo looked at his watch and remembered he had something important to do.

“Seohyun, I need to get going now…I have to call my mother back in the Philippines and see how she’s doing…I’m worried she’s angry with me since I haven’t contacted her for over a week…”

“Well hurry along then…”

“By the way, are you busy this weekend?”

Seohyun was never busy especially on weekends.

“Not really, why?”

“I was hoping we can visit the piers over at downtown…we can bring Sarah along so it doesn’t have to be a date or anything…”

Seohyun lightly laughed.

“Sure thing, Piolo, I’d love to…”

Piolo was excited.

“Awesome…I’ll call you then!”

“Ok, I’ll see you!”

Piolo put on his sweater and jogged off. He turned around and waved goodbye to Seohyun as he turned the corner. Seohyun waved back and thought to herself.

“I guess it wouldn’t hurt to go out and it would be nice to connect more with Piolo…”

Seohyun returned home, lifeless as usual, and went straight to her room. She placed her things beside her desk and powered on her laptop. She stared blankly at her screen as she went through the usual routine of checking her email and Facebook messages. She came upon a new message from Tiffany.

“Wow, that was a fast response…that’s not like her…”

The subject read, “A Dream Come True!”

Seohyun scanned through the message and came upon Kyuhyun’s name again. Tiffany said.

******

Seo-baby! Guess what? I’m finally able to do what I’ve always dreamed of! Being an actress in a Korean Drama! The story will take place in San Francisco so of course I’m going to see you! I cannot wait!

By the way, I will be acting alongside our old friend, Kyuhyun. I know you two have some history so you might have your chance to see him again and reconcile your differences.

I miss you Seohyun! Respond back to me soon!

Love,

Fany

******

Seohyun closed the Internet window and looked out her window. She tried to register what Tiffany had written to her. Seohyun was excited to see her old friend perform and live her dreams but seeing Kyuhyun bothered her. She had been harboring bad feelings for him ever since he broke his promise of saying goodbye to her.

“What am I suppose to say to him if I see him again? Oh hi Kyuhyun, I missed you?”

Seoul, Korea

There was a knock at Jiyeon’s door. She quickly dashed out from her bedroom and answered the door. It was Tiffany.

“Oh? Hi…”

“Hi, I’m Tiffany…we ran into each other the other night…”

“We did?”

“You were pretty drunk that night…”

“I must have forgotten…anyways…may I help you?”

“I wanted to get in touch with Kyuhyun…you heard about the drama we’re going to be in, right?”

“Wait, you’re the Tiffany they’ve been talking about?”

“I am…May I come in? It’s kind of awkward talking to you with your door cracked open like this…”

“Oh, of course…”

Jiyeon opened the door to allow Tiffany in. Tiffany entered and scanned the small, tidy apartment. Everything was neatly organized and the kitchen was remarkably spotless.

“Nice place…”

“I like to be clean, you know?”

“Of course…but yeah…Kyuhyun, Choi Siwon, and I will be the leading actors on the show…”

Jiyeon could tell Tiffany was going a little above herself but she excused her for this moment. Jiyeon could tell she would bumping heads with her soon when shooting began. Jiyeon detested actresses but she downright hated rising new actresses. They thought they had the world in their palms.

“Did you want something to drink?”

“I’m fine…anyways I’m here to get in contact with Kyuhyun…he’s not picking up my phone calls…since you’re his well-known and respected secretary…I thought it would be best to speak to you first…”

“I appreciate the compliment…if you don’t mind…what’s so important that you need to speak with Kyuhyun about?”

“Just wanted some tips really…”

“He’s a very busy man…right now I’m speaking to his other sponsors to set his schedule right so there won’t be any conflicts…acting and modeling are two things that are hard to balance…luckily he isn’t a singer too or I would have hung myself years ago…”

Tiffany lightly laughed.

“I see…well I guess this trip was useless…”

“Don’t say that…”

“Jiyeon, you’re sweet…anyway tell him that Tiffany was looking for him and wanted to share some ideas with him…”

“Of course…very proactive, I see…”

“You better believe it…”

Tiffany headed towards the front door and turned the knob.

“Are you sure you don’t want anything?”

“I’m fine…by the way…you know we’re heading to San Francisco next month to do some shooting, yes?”

“I do, why do you bring it up?”

“I have an old friend that Kyuhyun might know up there…I wanted to speak him about that too…”

“I see, what’s her name? I’ll send him the message…”

“Seo Joo Hyun or Seohyun for short…”

Jiyeon was speechless.

“Ok then, I’ll see you soon, Jiyeon…”

Tiffany let herself out, as Jiyeon remained silent and still.

“Seohyun? That girl…”

Jiyeon remembered that girl from her first trip abroad to the Philippines and slapping her. She was also the same girl who single-handedly won Kyuhyun’s heart. Kyuhyun would never admit it but he returned to Seoul heartbroken after Manila. Jiyeon tried her best to appeal to him but he never looked at her the same way he used to stare at Seohyun. She suddenly felt a cold chill run through her spine. She went to her fridge and grabbed a bottle of water. She chugged it down and looked at her reflection through the balcony window.

“If they see each other again…what…what will I be left with?”

Kyuhyun was watching TV and drinking a glass of red wine when his phone began to vibrate. It was from Jiyeon. He took another sip and answered.

“Jiyeon, what’s up?”

“Do you remember Tiffany?”

“I do…why?”

“She swung by my place…awkwardly…and wanted to leave you message since she couldn’t get a hold of you…are you avoiding her?”

“Actually I am…don’t tell on me!”

“I won’t, silly…”

“Well, what’s her message?”

“She wanted acting tips or something and she had some ideas to share with you about the drama…”

“What? Come on…that’s the writer’s job…we just act…”

“I thought it was proactive…”

“Jiyeon…sweetheart…we both know what Tiffany is trying to do…”

“I guess so…”

“New, young girls like her…pretty and forthcoming…they will do whatever it takes to get on top…WHATEVER IT TAKES…don’t be an actress, honey…”

“I won’t…”

“Was there anything else she said?”

Jiyeon hesitated for a moment. She remembered Tiffany mentioning Seohyun’s name and wanted to erase that memory from her mind but she couldn’t.

“She said she remembered you from Manila, two years ago…”

“Oh really, huh? Never knew that…”

“That’s pretty much it then…”

“Alright then, kiddo, I’ll see you tomorrow at the photo shoot…”

“Ok, bye…”

“Bye…”

Kyuhyun hung up and tried to remember Tiffany’s face.

“She does look a little familiar…”

He closed his eyes and began to run through his memories.

“That cute face of hers should have stuck out like a sore thumb…weird…”

Suddenly, he remembered when he went up to Seohyun’s room and caught her friend kissing their tour guide. Seohyun was hurt by that image and because of it he was able to kiss her that night.

“Wait…Seohyun’s friend…it was Tiffany!”

Kyuhyun stood up and looked through his cellphone and found her number. He called her instantly.

*RING RING*

“Hello?”

“Hey Tiffany, it’s Kyuhyun…”

“Oh…I’ve been waiting for your call…”

“Yeah, yeah, I wanted to ask you a question…”

“Shoot…”

“Do you know a girl named Seohyun?”

“Who?”

“Seo Joo Hyun?”

“If I do, what will you give me?”

“Excuse me?”

Kyuhyun wasn’t in the mood for any cute, flirting games.

“If I know her, will you hook me up with your celebrity friends? Single rich friends?”

“Sure…so do you know her?”

“Best friend since high school…she’s living in San Francisco now…I’ve been telling her about you but she doesn’t respond to my messages…I’m sure she’s busy…”

“What does she do?”

“She currently a substitute teacher at a high school…poor girl…she’s been struggling this past year after her father passed away…I want to help her but you know, us celebrities can’t help EVERYBODY right?”

Kyuhyun hung up on Tiffany, annoyed by her ignorant slur. He fell back onto his couch and sighed deeply.

“Seohyun…I promised I would find you again…”

He felt guilty for never getting back to her. He tried his best to think of excuses to tell her but they all failed. Kyuhyun simply loved his current situation and was afraid he would lose all of it if he were to get closer with Seohyun. She meant everything to him but he felt he didn’t deserve her. He could sense this upcoming drama project at San Francisco could possibly be life changing, career-wise and personally. He sipped his wine and looked at the view of Seoul.