Setting: Several Days before Prologue

To: Hyoyeon, Yuri, Sooyoung, Yoona, Seohyun

My Appa is gone :’(

Five loud beeps broke the silence in the classroom and everyone looked around curiously as if asking one another, “Whose cellphones are those?”

The teacher continued writing on the board and a girl with huge round eyes snuck a peek on her phone.

Seohyun gasped as she absorbed the contents of the message she received from her Taeyeon unnie.

“Ms. Seo Joohyun!” the teacher called Seohyun’s attention.

“Sorry, Ma’am,” she stood up and apologized.

Four other girls stood up and they had the same look on their faces—one with sadness and worry.

The teacher looked at them confusedly and was about to continue writing when a girl spoke up.

“Ma’am, Taeyeon’s father just passed away,” Yoona said with tears in her eyes.

“Eomona~” the teacher exclaimed and continued, “you girls can go to her and comfort her. I’ll properly excuse you. Leave it to me.”

“Thank you so much, Ma’am,” Yuri bowed as she reached into her bag for something—keys.

The five girls bowed weakly and hurried out of the classroom.

Sooyoung was sobbing all throughout the trip to the hospital and Hyoyeon was crying with her in the backseat of Yuri’s car.

Yuri gripped on the steering wheel tightly as she fought back her own tears, trying to be strong for the other girls. “Girls, let’s try to be strong for Taeyeon unnie, neh?” Yuri suggested.

“Neh,” the four other girls answered in unison.

“Should I also inform our unnies in America?” Seohyun asked with her voice cracking. She was referring to Tiffany, Jessica and Sunny.

“Yes, tell them the unfortunate news,” Sooyoung answered.

Yoona spoke in a low voice, “Taeyeon unnie’s only family.. is now gone..”

“P-Poor unnie,” Hyoyeon sobbed.

 “Jagiyaaaa~” Leeteuk’s mom, Park Hansoo, wailed beside the hospital bed—where the lifeless body of Leeteuk’s father lied.

“Eomma,” Leeteuk hugged her mom tight as tears fell down his own cheeks.

“Jungsoo-ah,” his mother looked up at him with wet red swollen eyes.

“Neh, eomma..” Leeteuk tried to be strong.

“H-He’s gone.”

“No, eomma. He’ll forever be in our hearts,” Leeteuk firmly said and he sat her mom down. “I’ll just call the doctors,” he gestured to the door. As he walked away from the room he can hear the faint sound of his mom, still crying and he can’t help but feel his knees become wobbly.

“Sir, are you okay?” a nurse approached him, seeing him holding on the railing for support.

“I’m fine. Room 514. Doctors,” Leeteuk pointed down the hallway and the nurse processed his orders.

“Immediately, sir,” the nurse ran to her desk and made a call on the phone.

A few seconds later, a group of nurses and doctors ran past Leeteuk who was still in a trance. He reached to his pocket for his phone and made a call, “Hello?”

“Vice president Park?”a woman’s voice answered.

“Miss BoA, President Park Yongwoon is g-gone,” Leeteuk tried to hold his composure.

“My sincerest condolences, sir.”

“N-Neh, tell his secretary to make the necessary preparations.”

“Yes, sir. I will.”

“Kamsahamnida, bye.”

“Be strong, Mr. Park. Bye,”the woman hung up and Leeteuk burst into tears as he sank on the floor with his face on his hands.

After a few moments of crying his heart out, he stood up, dried his face and went back to the dreaded room. His mom needed him. She needed him bad.

The next day at Mr. Kim Daehyeong’s funeral wake..

“Unnie,” Yoona approached Taeyeon who was being comforted by her boyfriend, Kangin.

“Oh, Yoona~” Taeyeon weakly said.

Yoona sat beside her and rubbed her unnie’s back.

Kangin acknowledged Yoona with a nod and stood up to get the two girls water.

“Where are the other four?” Taeyeon asked with a hoarse voice she got from crying overnight—she was looking for Hyoyeon, Yuri, Sooyoung & Seohyun.

“Hyoyeon unnie accompanied Yuri unnie in the parking lot and the other two are picking up lunch for all of us,” Yoona explained as she looked around the empty room. Only she, Kangin and Taeyeon were there.

Taeyeon slowly nodded and said, “I need to tell you girls something important.”

“Neh, unnie. We’ll wait for them and talk about it during lunch, arasseoyo?” Yoona suggested.

“Okay,” Taeyeon moaned.

Meanwhile at the top floor of The Park Group of Companies building..

Knock knock.

“Come in,” Leeteuk said.

The door opened and a woman with long black hair entered. “Vice president Park Jungsoo..”

“Neh,” he put down the papers in his hands and looked up at the woman who entered.

“Someone’s here to see you,” she said.

“I’m obviously doing something important, Ms. Jang,” Leeteuk sternly said.

“But Mr. Par--”

“Ms. Jang,” Leeteuk sighed and was practically yelling, “I don’t have the time to meet anyone! My father died yesterday and I should be in his funeral wake right now but no! I’m he--”

“Jungsoo-ah?” a tall slender woman with long brown hair and prominent facial bones peeked through the door.

“Kahee noona!” Leeteuk stood up from his swivel chair with a surprised expression in his face.

“You can leave now, Ms. Jang,” Leeteuk ordered his employee with an unusually cold voice.

He and Kahee watched as the woman headed outside with her head lowered.

“Were you shouting at her?” Kahee approached Leeteuk’s table.

Leeteuk sighed and sat back on his swivel chair. “She didn’t tell me it was you, noona,” he explained.

“Because you didn’t give her the chance to,” Kahee sat herself in front of Leeteuk and started, “Look. I know it’s not the best time to give you a sermon here but this is not you, Jungsoo. What’s happening?”

Leeteuk looked at Kahee and tilted his head to the side.

Kahee tried to make it clear, “Jungsoo, you never shout at your people. What happened with Ms. Jang earlier?”

“I’m just not over Appa’s death yet,” Leeteuk reasoned out.

“And so you have the right to shout at your people?” Kahee faced Leeteuk and said, “I know you’re sad. You were really close to your father. Everyone knows that, as well but I hope this tragedy won’t change the Park Jungoo we all once knew—cheerful & good-natured. Don’t let depression take its toll on you.”

“Nothing’s happening to me, noona. You’re overreacting,” Leeteuk smirked.

“You can’t fool me, Jungsoo. I’ve known you for years,” Kahee said and sat back. She looked at the papers in Leeteuk’s desk and asked, “What are you so busy about, anyway?”

Leeteuk swung his swivel chair sideways and answered, “Appa’s Last Will & Testament.”

“Oh,” Kahee nodded.

“Appa is giving a stranger 20% of The Park Group of Companies’ stocks and shares, noona.”

“Mworago? A stranger?” Kahee can’t believe what she just heard.

“Neh, noona. A certain Mr. Kim Daehyeong,” Leeteuk shook his head.

“I’m sure your father has his reasons.”

“But I don’t even know this man, noona!” Leeteuk pointed.

“Then it’s time for you to search for this man, don’t you think? Your father wouldn’t like it for you to oppose his decisions like this, Jungsoo-ah,” Kahee shrugged.

“I guess you’re right, noona. It’s the least I can do now since he’s gone,” Leeteuk unwillingly agreed. He loved his father very much that even in his father’s absence, Leeteuk will obey & fulfill his orders.

“I should probably get going; I just checked to see how you’re coping up. I’ll be with your mom at the funeral wake,” Kahee stood up.

“Neh, noona. I’ll be there tonight.”

“And Jungsoo..”

“Huh?”

“Fix your attitude. I hope you stay the same even after this tragedy. Shouting at your employees is a red flag,” Kahee said before heading out the door and closing it behind her.

 “Where’s Kangin oppa?” Hyoyeon asked Taeyeon.

“He went out to fetch his parents. They’ll be here tonight,” Taeyeon answered.

“By the way, Taeyeon unnie,” Seohyun called Taeyeon as she handed out packed lunches to each of the girls.

“Neh, Seohyun-ah?”

“Yoona unnie told us you were going to tell us something important,” Seohyun said.

“Oh, neh,” Taeyeon sighed.

“What is it?” Hyoyeon asked.

“Well, I’ve been thinking a lot about what’s gonna happen next for me,” Taeyeon started, “And I think I’m gonna have to stop studying and start working.”

“MWOH?!” the five girls exclaimed.

“But, unnie!” Sooyoung tried to make sense of her unnie’s words.

“I have to,” Taeyeon said, “How can I possibly survive AND be capable of studying at the same time when I have to provide for myself now that Appa’s gone.”

“I’m sure we can find other ways, unnie,” Hyoyeon said.

“Neh, we can. Taeyeon unnie, education is very important,” Yoona pointed.

Yuri spoke up, “Unnie, I can pay for whatever school fees you still need to pay.”

“KWON YURI!” Taeyeon yelled. “I know you can do that but I don’t want you to and I also won’t allow you to.”

“But unnie, we don’t want you to stop your stud--” Yuri was interrupted by Taeyeon.

“Yuri-ah. Girls. Please support me with my decision. It’s bad enough that Kangin oppa is also opposing my idea. I need to work. You know I really have to,” Taeyeon sighed.

“Or I can recommend you for a position in our company,” Yuri said.

“Yuri unnie,” Seohyun tried to stop Yuri from offering her silly deals.

Taeyeon sighed and said, “Yuri-ah, thank you very much. I know how much you want to help me but it feels wrong to study or work when I know I’m leeching off of someone—especially you. A good friend.”

“Unnie, I won’t call it leeching off. I offered it to you whole-heartedly,” Yuri continued reasoning out.

“I’ve made my decision and it’s final,” Taeyeon said with a no-one-can-stop-me tone in her voice, “You can support me or not but I want to make this work on my own.” Taeyeon stood up and approached her father’s coffin. There, she cried her heart out and moments later, the girls were crying with her—comforting her and mutually saying “Unnie, we support you. We know you can do this.”

So, how’s the first chapter, readers? Should I still continue? Huh? Kekeke~ :D Anyway, sorry if there are no TaeTeuk moments yet.. I’ll TRY to put some in the next chapter. Minahaeyo, everyone! ^^v Also, THANK YOU, READERS & SUBSRIBERS! Any questions? Comments? Feedback? CRITICISMS? I wanna hear from you, arasseoyo? I will update soon! That’s a promise!

COMMENT REPLIES

@shanaa12. oh yeah \m/ this chapter's for all of you who waited ;)

@Taeteuknumber1. well, komawoyo for the compliment ^.^

@wootaeteuk. jinjja? thank you & I hope you like it :)

@superangel09. author-nim?!?! is that really you?!?! WAAAH! thanks for leaving a 'lil something here, unnie~ XD