“Yeoboseyo?”‘Young Master Park Jungsoo’answered on the fifth ring.

Taeyeon swallowed hard before speaking, “I’m Kim Taeyeon.”

With an awfully cold voice, he replied, “Kim Taeyeon? Who are you? I have no time for prank calls right no--”

Taeyeon, panicking, handed her cellphone to Changryul ahjussi. “Pleasetalktohim,” Taeyeon worriedly told the driver ahjussi.

“Young Master?”

Taeyeon watched as the driver ahjussi nodded.

“Neh, it’s me Baek Changryul. Please go to Seoul General Hospital immediately, sir.”

The driver ahjussi’s head shot up and his worried eyes met Taeyeon’s confused ones. ‘Young Master Park Jungsoo’ was probably yelling ‘MWORAGOYO?!’ over the phone.

“Sir, your mom. Mrs. Park Hansoo fainted at the columbarium and we brought her here,” the driver ahjussi said.

He turned to Taeyeon and gave her the phone, “Young Master hung up. He’s probably on his way.”

Taeyeon could only sigh and go back to rubbing her hands impatiently.

A few minutes later, someone came running along the hallway—a man with fair skin, narrow eyes, brownish hair & average built.

“Young Master!” Changryul ahjussi stood up to politely acknowledge the man.

“So he’s ‘Young Master Park Jungsoo,’”Taeyeon thought as he examined the man who was still in his office attire.

“Ahjussi! Where’s my mother?!” the younger man yelled at Changryul ahjussi who nervously stared at the ground. “Ahjussi!”

Just then, a doctor approached them. “Who’s the family of Mrs. Park Hansoo?” the doctor asked.

“ME! I’M HIS SON! WHERE’S MY MOM?! WHAT HAPPENED TO HER?!”

“Young Master..” Changryul ahjussi tugged on the sleeve of the young master, trying to calm him down.

The doctor cleared his throat and began, “Well, Mrs. Park fainted due to over fatigue & stress Add to that, was the high temperature earlier. Good thing she did not have any severe injuries in her head.”

“So, how’s she now?” Jungsoo asked the doctor urgently.

“She’s still sleeping. Resting, to be exact. She needs lots and lots of it,” the doctor answered.

All three of them—Taeyeon, Changryul ahjussi and Young Master Jungsoo—heaved a deep sigh of relief.

The doctor gave his last advises to Leeteuk before walking away.

Changryul ahjussi looked back at Taeyeon who was still nervously seated. He called her, “Ms. Kim..”

“N-Neh,” Taeyeon unsteadily stood up and walked to meet the so-called ‘Young Master.’

“Who are you?” Leeteuk smirked.

“Annyeonghaseyo~ Kim Taeyeon imnida,” Taeyeon bowed respectfully, ignoring the vibrating cellphone inside her pocket. Hm. It’s either Kangin or the girls, she thought.

“Kim Taeyeon?” Leeteuk repeated as he looked at Taeyeon from head to toe—shorts, oversized shirt and sneakers.

Changryul ahjussi answered, “Neh, Young Master. It was her phone that I used to call you.”

“I see.” He turned to Taeyeon and asked, “What are you still here for, then? Do you need money?” Jungsoo reached for his wallet.

Taeyeon, who was fiddling with her fingers, thought, “How rude was that?”

Jungsoo handed her several bills straight from his wallet, “Here.”

Taeyeon, in shock, could only stare at the money in Jungsoo’s hands. Speechless. With his gesture, Jungsoo hurt both Taeyeon’s pride and ego.

“Take it,” Jungsoo shoved it once more towards Taeyeon’s chest. “Take it now because if it wasn’t not for my mom who fainted, I wouldn’t be here. I was busy looking for an important person the whole day. Now. Take it.”

Taeyeon fought back the urge to punch this man right into the face. Her teeth gritted and her fists clenched.

“Are you gonna take it or not?!” Jungsoo impatiently shifted his weight on either toes as he waited for Taeyeon to accept his money.

Taeyeon slapped Jungsoo’s hand and the bills fell clumsily to the ground. She sarcastically said, “I’m not gonna take it, Young Master! Sorry for wasting your valuable time! Thank you for the generous offer!” Taeyeon was to disappear from the scene when she remembered Changryul ahjussi.

She quickly turned to the middle-aged man and bowed, “Bye, ahjussi. Keep safe. Look after Mrs. Park.” A second later, she was gone—leaving two speechless men behind.

After a few minutes, Leeteuk furiously turned to Changryul ahjussi. He said, “Who’s that pea-sized middle schooler? Where did you meet her, ahjussi?! Did you see how rude she was to me?!”

Changryul ahjussi cleared his throat and said, “Young Master, that’s not the case.”

“Mworagoyo?! Didn’t you see how she slapped my hand?!”

The middle-aged man shook his head and said, “Your mom fainted inside the office as I was waiting for her outside. It was Ms. Kim who handled the situation.”

 Leeteuk’s eyes widened in disbelief as he sank to the seat beside Changryul ahjussi. “W-What did you say, a-ahjussi?”

“Young master, Ms. Kim was the one who rescued your mother. Mrs. Park owes her life to Ms. Kim.”

The next day..

“Kangin oppa,” Taeyeon lead her boyfriend inside.

“Where are your friends?” Kangin asked as he looked around the empty room where Taeyeon’s father, Kim Daehyeong’s remains laid in peace.

“They’re on their way,” Taeyeon answered as she sat back down in front of her father’s remains.

Kangin stood behind her seat and massaged her shoulders. The girl flexed her neck muscles and groaned.

“Feeling better?”  Kangin asked.

“A lot better,” Taeyeon answered, smiling. “Komawoyo, oppa.”

“The least that I can do,” Kangin leaned forward to kiss the top of Taeyeon’s head.

“I hope you’ve changed your mind,” Taeyeon began.

“What do you mean?”

“About my decision to stop studying and start working without anyone’s help.”

Kangin sighed and confessed, “Well, do I have a choice?”

Taeyeon let out a tiny giggle.

“I mean, if supporting you means easing the burden on your shoulders, then by all means.. I will support you all the way,” Kangin said.

Taeyeon touched Kangin’s hand on her shoulders and looked back at him. She smiled, “Saranghaeyo, oppa.”

“I know. I love you more,” Kangin was about to lean forward and kiss her when they heard the door open.

The lovers turned to the direction of the sound and Taeyeon’s friends went in—Hyoyeon, Yuri, Sooyoung, Yoona and Seohyun.

“Girls,” Taeyeon stood up and walked towards them.

“Unnie,” Seohyun stepped forward and gave her unnie a warm hug.

Meanwhile..

Kring kring.

The phone on Leeteuk’s office desk rang.

He answered it, “Yeoboseyo?”

“Vice president Park Jungsoo?”a man asked on the other end of the line.

“Neh, neh. It’s me.”

“Sir, I have the information you need,” the man confidently said.

A smile formed on Leeteuk’s lips. He said, “Very well, e-mail it to me right this instant. You will receive the promised amount before night falls.”

“Double?”the man asked.

“Yes. Double. As promised,” Leeteuk firmly said.

“Thank you very much, sir!”

“Until next time. Bye,” Leeteuk hung up and swung his swivel chair so that he was facing his computer. He checked his e-mail and indeed, the information he asked for was now right in front his very eyes—full name, contact information and address.

“Kim Daehyeong, hide-and-seek is now over.”

Leeteuk cleared his desk hastily after staring at the information on his screen for a few moments. He was ready to meet this mystery man and so he fiercely drove to the address—Kim Daehyeong’s home address.

Inside his car, he made a call to the contact numbers that was given to him.

Kring kring.

Leeteuk was calling a home phone number. Kim Daehyeong’s home phone number.

Kring kring.

Kring kring.

Kring kring.

Kring kring.

Kring kring.

Kring kring.

No luck. There was no answer. Leeteuk impatiently threw his cellphone on the passenger seat and stepped on the gas, making his car shoot forward.

After a few minutes of driving to alleys and a few questions to passersby, Leeteuk finally located exactly where the address on-hand pointed. Leeteuk turned off the engine of his car and heaved a deep sigh before hopping out of the vehicle.

He fixed his collar as he slowly walked towards the front door of the house. From the outside, Leeteuk assumed it to be small—one where a simple family of three to four would live in. It had no lawn or garden in front, just a tree—a tree that seemed to have not been watered for a few days.

“Must be poor,” Leeteuk smirked to himself.

He took in a deep breath as he raised his hand, preparing to knock. He hesitated for a while, but he knocked, anyway.

Knock knock.

No answer.

Leeteuk looked around, trying to spot a doorbell but again, no luck.

Knock knock.

No one seemed to be home because Leeteuk could not hear any noise from the inside. He was getting impatient as he bounced on his toes.

Knock knock.

“Anyone home?” Leeteuk yelled.

Knock knock.

Now, he was furious. Can anyone even hear him? He stopped knocking and started banging. “Kim Daehyeong?! Kim Daehyeong?!”

Leeteuk’s voice must have been too loud because an ahjumma on the street shouted at him, “Young man! No one is inside that house!”

Leeteuk turned with a blank expression on his face. “Where are they?” he impolitely asked.

The ahjumma’s eyebrows met as she gestured for Leeteuk to come closer.

Leeteuk did as he was instructed and he walked towards the older lady.

“How rude of you,” the old woman muttered under her breath, avoiding for Leeteuk to hear it. “You seem to be clueless,” the ahjumma disgustedly told him.

“Mworagoyo?”

“Go to Daeheyong’s funeral wake,” the lady sighed.

“What?” Leeteuk did not understand one word the ahjumma told him since he was not paying any attention.

The ahjumma hit him on the arm with her umbrella and yelled, “I will tell you where they are! Go to Pyeonggu Funeral Homes! That’s where you will find them, clueless rude young man!”

“F-Funeral Homes?” Leeteuk was puzzled. “Is this some kind of a sick joke? My dad just passed away and now this ahjumma is telling me to go to a funeral home?!”

“Pyeonggu Funeral Homes!” the ahjumma yelled once more before walking away, leaving Leeteuk with information that seemed irrelevant.

*drumroll* Oh gosh~ TaeTeuk’s second meeting is close enough to touch! HOHOHO :] TaeTeuk shippers are definitely in for a treat (next chapter)! >:D You guys can CRITICIZE me, ‘kay? Don’t hesitate to leave your comments, too~

COMMENT REPLIES

@shanaa12. arasseo, arasseo :) this chapter's for you, then ^.^