[Chapter 21]

You Know Time

 

 

 

 

 

[Ding]

 

Both beings entered the store that seemed to have doubled in size compared to what was outside. Antiques from all around were in this store. There were shelves upon shelves of them. Nicknacks stood proudly, one behind the other, as chandeliers and lamps lowly illuminated the store from above. There were vases of every size in one corner as the evolutionary proof of the guitar rested in another. Scattered around on top of easels and hooked on walls were paintings from assorted artists. Placed away from the walls were various antiques that would definitely have caught a person's eye. A book shelf filled with ancient literature in all languages occupied one area. In another area was a different book shelf that was filled with the tiniest of figurines.

 

“Annyeong.” A voice called out to the new customers. However, with so many antiques on display, both the Troubled One and Guardian couldn't tell who, or what, greeted them. The pair ventured deeper into the store slowly, glancing around to find the body that had called out to them. Both sets of eyes ventured the shop like crazy before Taeyeon's vision settled on something that looked like a very convincing mannequin in a full suit of armor. The outfit seemed to have been from a little after her times judging by how the suit was crafted. Still, the mannequin beneath it looked so life like. The Guardian could only praise how advanced the modern world had gotten since she had taken her last breath.

 

“Over here.” The same voice spoke again. Eventually, the mystery person revealed themselves as they stepped forward into the clearing. There stood a man in dark jeans and a red tucked in shirt. Just above his heart was the store logo stitched in black threading. His dark brown hair was swept upward in a mature way. Facially speaking, the man looked as if he were just about to hit his 30's. Still, it wasn't hard to notice the slight bounce in his step as he walked. “Annyeonghaeseyo.” He bowed politely mid-stride before eventually stopping right in front of the cafe owner. “Welcome to You Know Time.” A soft chuckle slithered from his nostrils as his lips pulled up into a smirk.

 

Immediately seeing the red uniform made Tiffany's breath hitch for a moment. She was just about ready to bolt out of the antique shop if it weren't for the heavy case that she were lugging around with her Guardian. Still, a red shirt working in an antique shop? There were already too many penalties there. However, this was possibly her only chance at making enough money to pay for the bills. She had to stay. As her body slowly eased her eyes flickered quickly to her Guardian beside her.

 

The minute this man had revealed himself to his customer, the woman in white was already on her tippy-toes. With squinted eyes, Taeyeon scanned the man over and over again to check if whether or not they were sworn enemies. A relieved sigh trailed from the Guardian's lips as she relaxed once again. “He's not one of them...even if he's wearing their color.” She muttered while crossing her arms across her chest. Despite the reassurance, the Guardian could tell just how jittery her companion was. “You can relax.” Taeyeon spoke with a bit of a snap to wake up Tiffany from her petrified state.

 

Hearing how the man was no potential threat to her made the cafe owner huff out a relieved sigh and compose herself again. Tiffany gently locked eyes with the man across the way with a small smile. “Annyeonghaeseyo.” She practically greeted in a sing song tune. The not-so-troubled Troubled One presented the man with a 90 degree bow of honor. As she stood back up, her eyes immediately fell to the logo above his left . “You Know Time.” She read out loud. Her eyes quickly shifted back up to meet with his before disappearing behind her signature eye smile. “That's a very interesting name.”

 

Again the man breathed out a chuckle. His head bobbed up and down for a moment as he intertwined his fingers in front of him. “Neh. The name actually has two meanings to it. The first being our motto of, 'If you know time, then you know us'.” He explained with a proud smile on his face. At this moment, the antique shop owner had unfolded a hand to raise one finger in the air. “The second meaning is a play on my name.” Tiffany's eyebrows rose with interest as she waited for the man to continue. “Yunho imnida.” The owner chuckled with a welcoming bow to his potential customer.

 

“Yunho.” She repeated, watching the older man nod in approval. With that, the younger shop owner gave another bow. “Tiffany imnida.” She smiled softly. “I own the cafe a block from here.” She explained while pointing a finger in the direction of her shop.

 

Yunho thought for a moment as he mapped out the area in his head. The look of a light bulb going off quickly changed his expression. “Ah! I know that place. How may I help you?” His eyes flickered to what was in the strong grip of Tiffany's hand. Yunho could only hope that whatever was in there was something worth trading for.

 

Just hearing the fact that even this man, blocks away from her shop, knew about her cafe made Tiffany twinkle with a bit of excitement. Her grip on the piano case tightened as she tried her best to lift it up to a presentable height. “I actually have some artifacts that I'd like to sell to you,” She announced with a smile that hid her eyes. Tiffany could only imagine herself walking out of the store with enough money to pay off all of the bills. Of course the possibility of that happening was very slim, but hey, she figured that she could at least get some of her hopes up.

 

A pleased smile plastered itself on Yunho's face when the talk about artifacts came into the conversation. “Very well. This way then.” With a small gesture, every present being walked over to the counter in the back of the store. On the very far back wall was a display of swords and weaponry from every time era known to man. A vast majority of the displayed weapons were swords laying elegantly on their sides. To one side of them were cross bows, spears, and axes. On the other side were shields of every shape and size. There in the very corner of the store was the same suit of armor that Taeyeon was admiring just a moment ago.

 

The small group of both living and non-living grouped at the counter where the life changing deal would hopefully be made. With a quick heave of the piano case, of course with the help of Taeyeon, the swords from over 900 years ago were delicately placed on the counter between the two shop owners. The thought of finally racking up some money for the bills made a wave of relief wash over the Troubled One as she stared at the black case she and her Guardian had been lugging around for the longest time. Her only question was, how much would she make?

 

As Tiffany gently revealed her antiques from the piano case, Taeyeon had mindlessly wandered off to the life-like mannequin that was all dressed up in the glinting silver armor. All the while the Guardian listened intently to the conversation the buyer and seller were having with each other. “Yah, Fany-ah. Don't sound too excited remember? He might think you'll take any offer, especially the scam deals.” Taeyeon glanced over her shoulder at the duo over by the counter. “You have to act like a tough client.” The Guardian then glanced back at the still figure.

 

Taeyeon stared closely at the mannequin's face wondering how they were able to get so much detailing into it. Then she noticed one thing; the figure had closed eyes. Usually the mannequins would have opened eyes to look more life-like. It took a while for Taeyeon to realize just how much she was thinking about all of this. “Oh.” Her attention quickly flashed back to her Troubled One. “Be sure not to act too tough.” She continued now half-mindedly. “He might not make you an offer at all.” Quieter and quieter went Taeyeon's voice as she spoke. There was just something about that mannequin that kept bothering her. Being the Guardian that she was, Taeyeon was determined to figure out what exactly it was.

 

Yunho stared in awe at the antique swords that had now been unveiled from their blanket wrap. “Wow.” His eyes skimmed the shining weaponry from one end to the other. He couldn't help but marvel at such a sigh. “It looks so amazing. May I?” He gestured at the sword's handle, wanting to pick up the weapon on top. Tiffany simply nodded towards the man in approval. Pleased, Yunho carefully picked up and examined the vintage item. Silently, he twist and turned his wrist, bringing it closer to his face to look at every detail, then away again.

 

Eventually his inspection subsided as he placed it back down in the pile. “This is very impressive Tiffany-ssi.” He praised while glancing up at the cafe owner then back down at the pile of swords. Yunho just couldn't believe that a simple cafe owner could obtain a wonderfully preserved stack of antique swords. “I'm very curious though and I don't intend on sounding rude, but where did you find such antique material like this?”

 

Tiffany suddenly froze in place. She hadn't exactly talked to Taeyeon about a cover up story on the whole thing. What was she going to do now? While the Troubled One worried on what to say, the Guardian behind her cleared to get her attention. Thankfully it calmed down the young cafe owner enough for her to not seem so suspicious. “Just repeat after me Fany-ah.” Taeyeon calmly commanded. Apparently she had already gotten a story already planned out. Tiffany just wished that her Guardian had told her about it ahead of time.

 

With an unnoticeable nod, the Troubled One cleared as an excuse for her delayed answer. All she wanted was the money and to leave. However, the only way she would do that is by doing exactly what her Guardian had commanded her. So she recited everything that flowed out of Taeyeon's mouth. “I have an uncle that lives in Bucheon over to the west. He gave it to me when he had come to visit on the weekend of my mom's...” Tiffany paused for a moment, struggling to finish the sentence that her Guardian had stated. With another clearing of , the Troubled One was able to compose herself and continue with the story. “...my mom's anniversary.” Her lips pursed for a short moment as she tried desperately to try and get the thought out of her head. Tiffany knew that she had to get her mind back onto the cover up story that Taeyeon was telling her. “He told me that he had bought it from a traveler all the way down south from Jeonju. She had ran out of money for food and desperately traded him the bundle for very cheap.” Mentally, Tiffany could only imagine if her Guardian had actually come from one of those places. If that was the case, it was no wonder why she couldn't go with Taeyeon to dig up the artifacts. “He told me that even if I wasn't going to use them for what they were made for, he hoped that they would help me in some way.” The Troubled One flashed Yunho a gentle smile as she ended her story, pleased with how simple, yet believable, the whole thing was even if she didn't have an uncle that lived in the neighboring city of Seoul.

 

By the look that Yunho was displaying, Tiffany figured that he believed every single bit of it. That made it all the more satisfying to her. “Your uncle is a very lucky man then Tiffany-ssi. All of this looks authentically made, but I'm going to have to talk with my friend Max about it. He is the shop's historian and he absolutely loves these kinds of antiques. This is why we have an entire wall dedicated to medieval weapons.” Yunho chuckled as he spread his arms out towards the displayed items on the wall. Everything was easily hard to miss from Tiffany's point of view. “Still he is an expert at his job and I trust him most with whether or not everything brought into the shop is real or fake. I do hope you understand.” He raised a small eyebrow at the cafe owner hoping that she was okay with him calling his friend over to verify the antiques.

 

Both Taeyeon and Tiffany nodded with a smirk on their face. They knew what the real answer was to the question. The only thing to discover now was whether or not this historian man really was an expert at his job. Delighted with her agreement, Yunho turned his attention to the store's backdoor. “Yah! Max!” The owner called out with a hand cupped around his mouth. “Come here and check this out! I think you're going to like it!” Despite the call for the extra employee, Taeyeon kept her attention onto the armor covered mannequin that was standing nearby. There was just something about it that was absolutely intriguing her. She couldn't help but lean in closer one more time, trying her best to peer between the thin sheets of metal that barely covered the eyes in the helmet.

 

On command to the call, the mannequin's eyes shot open. The sudden life in the once inanimate object absolutely scared the Guardian that was staring so intently at it. Taeyeon's reflexes boosted to its full reaction as she jumped and fell back with a startled scream ripping out forcefully from . It was a scream that only one other person could hear. The unplanned screech even made Tiffany flinch. “I-It's alive!” Taeyeon cried out frightfully. By the time Tiffany spotted her Guardian, the white clothed woman was on the floor, looking terrified at the suit of armor that was now moving on its own. The metal being creaked and clanked with every step it took towards the living pair. All the while the terrified Guardian was crawling backwards trying to get away from the possessed inanimate object. Even Tiffany couldn't help but take a few steps back as it closed the gap between them.

 

“Yah! Changmin-ah!” Yunho hollered out loudly towards the massive thing. Immediately the unexplained figure froze in place. “You're gonna scare away our customer!” The antique owner warned while gesturing to the living girl who looked just about ready to bolt out of the shop. Slowly, the heap of metal stood upright before bowing apologetically towards Tiffany. Once it stood upright again the armored suit reached up to remove its helmet.

 

There, a man just about Yunho's age smiled like a little kid. Facially he looked younger than the antique owner himself. His hair, being the opposite of his friend's, flowed down and to the side with an adolescent touch to it. “Mianhae Yunho. You know how much I enjoy dressing up in this armor.” The newly revealed man chuckled at his own words, watching to see if his friend would react to his play pun with his name.

 

The antique owner gave his friend an unsatisfied glare. “Haha...very funny.” Yunho spoke with such a sarcastic tone. It wasn't the first time his friend had said some lame joke with his name in it. He couldn't help but shrug it off with an eye roll. “Whatever. Now come here and take a look at these weapons. I think it's something you might like.” Very carefully, Yunho waved his hand over the weapons in a presentable manner. A single eyebrow from the historian raised in interest as he spotted the open piano case on top of the counter. “You'll have to excuse my friend Tiffany-ssi. I know he can be very immature at times.” With that said, Yunho gave his friend a cold glare that practically went unnoticed. “Like I said before though, this is Max. His real name is Changmin, but ever since he's gone to the states, he's acquired a liking for his American name.”

 

The said man in armor creaked his way to the counter where he set aside the helmet. “Yup, that's me. So what do we have here?” Max tilted his head while trying to figure out what all the excitement was about. When his eyes finally settled on the small pile of medieval weapons, he gasped with raised eyebrows. “M-May I take a look?” His eyes quickly flickered to Tiffany, pleased when he spotted the cafe owner nod in approval.

 

“Not so fast.” Yunho called out with a blocking hand. He gave his historian friend a glare and shook his head. Max could only look at the latter baffled by the rejection. “I'm not letting you examine anything while you're wearing that.” The antique owner rose an eyebrow while he used his eyes to point at the metal armor. “Besides, I thought I told you not to play with any of the antiques. They're for collecting, not playing with.” Yunho shook his head 'no' the minute he saw his best friend want to whine in protest.

 

Eventually every piece of the suit of armor was carefully stripped off and set on the counter top to be put away later. The moment his true clothing under the nuts and bolts antique was revealed, the two customers gasped silently across the counter. The matching red uniform made Tiffany's lips twitch together in anxiety while she flickered her attention towards Taeyeon for an answer of either running away or not. The Guardian examined the other man just as thoroughly as she did with Yunho. She quickly pushed aside her earlier feeling of hatred towards the man for scaring her. The last thing Taeyeon wanted to do was make Tiffany find another place to go to just because she mixed up a grudge with thinking there was a Genie in the store.

 

One thing stood out to the Troubled One though, it took Taeyeon a longer time to finally determine if whether or not that Max guy was a Genie. It even made her wonder if Taeyeon was second guessing herself with whatever conclusion she had about the man. Eventually the woman in white let out a long sigh that took practically all of her Troubled One's attention. She gave her head a slow shake. “I'm not sensing anything from this guy either.” Taeyeon finally reassured with her eyes still glued on him.

 

Tiffany let out a sigh of relief just as both men had finished setting aside the metal armor. The trusted historian of the store then fixed his uniform and joined the customer once more. His eyes immediately glued onto the antiques with a glint in his eye. As carefully as he could, Max picked up the sword on top, the exact same one that Yunho had examined earlier, glancing at every little detail with an expression of sheer awe. “It's been a while since we, since I, have seen such an authentic sword.” He spoke as he continued to marvel at the condition of the ancient item in his hand.

 

Yunho's eyebrows rose in interest. “So, these weapons are real?” He tilted his head, examining the rest of the small pile. The antique owner's eyes quickly landed on Tiffany. He could only wonder how lucky this girl was to come across this sort of treasure. To his knowledge, he was rather certain that she sold her house and a majority of her belongings not long after the cafe was opened.

 

Max looked back at his friend when he heard the question. “Neh. These are very authentic.” This time, the weapon historian set down the sword and picked up a dagger that was also in the pile. “Even though everything is dull and not as shiny as this armor, it doesn't mean it's fake. This armor was buffed and polished, however they didn't have that material back then besides some spit and elbow grease. Hence the dull look.” Again, Max set down the weapon and picked up another sword. This time he slowly slid his thumb down the blade, barely missing the sharp ends that could easily cut his flesh. “It is also quite obvious that this was shaped by hand and not machine. If it was molded by a machine, like many swords are today, then it would be one leveled slate. Here, we have little parts of indentation, signifying the constant pounding of a hammer on the surface. This is, this is purely amazing.” He chuckled, embarrassed at his own excitement.

 

After hearing the facts, Yunho had to find out the answer. “Tiffany-ssi. I know you were given all of this from your uncle but did he happen to mention a name of the woman that had sold him all of this? It would be a great honor to try and figure out where she had come across everything.” His fingers had intertwined with themselves as he rested his hands upon the counter top in anticipation.

 

By now, the Guardian was behind Tiffany, using her as a shield in case any other items decided to come to life. However hearing the question made Taeyeon concentrate on the conversation with her full attention. She had to think of something to hide the truth. How would either of them be able to explain about a Guardian digging up her 900 year old belongings from the Earth? The woman in white settled down for a moment as she continued to think. “You know Fany-ah. I think it's safe to say that it was me, I'm sure no one knows who I-”

 

“Taeyeon...” A voice had spoken up. However, it wasn't from the Troubled One. “Kim Taeyeon.” The one named Max spoke out, silencing the room completely. All eyes were now on the historian that had been staring at a certain part of the sword for the longest time now.

 

The simple mention of her Guardian's name made the Troubled One's breath hitch. How could it be that this man knew who her invisible companion was? Her mind figured that it came with the job, but it still startled her nonetheless. With a hesitant voice, Tiffany pursed her lips before saying, “E-Excuse me?” Her eyes studied the man that had been staring so intently at the sword. He...He knows about Taeyeon? Tiffany could only wonder at what else he knew about her Guardian.

 

“Huh?” Max lifted his attention away from the ancient artifact that resided in his hands. “Oh,” He chuckled weakly when he realized that he had been mumbling to himself out loud again. “M-Mianhae. I uhh...I got a little carried away with my inspecting.” He apologized with a small scratch to the back of his head.

 

Still, the Troubled One looked to him in awe. How did this man know about her Guardian? A silent gasp held itself in Tiffany's lungs as she stared directly at his red shirt. Was it possible that he really was a Genie and that Taeyeon had made a mistake? What if both of them were a Genie and her Guardian thought wrong of them? Tiffany's eyes flickered over to Yunho, but her thought about him quickly went out the window the minute she saw his puzzled face. If he was a Genie and knew about her Guardian, then why was he the most confused one there? Still, that didn't mean that Max wasn't a Genie. As she looked to Taeyeon for reassurance, Tiffany was greeted with nothing more than a stone cold face. There's no way she was going to get a word out of her. If she wanted answers about this man, she was going to have to find out from the man himself. “Uhm, excuse me Max. How did you come up with that name?” Her head tilted to one side in curiosity. Hopefully it would be just enough to get an honest answer from the latter, if Genies ever were honest to begin with.

 

Max laid the sword down on the counter, pointing a finger to the round weight at the of the weapon. “This symbol.” was all the historian had said. It made everyone's eyes follow his finger to the 'obvious' clue. Imprinted at the very bottom of the circle weight was a key with wings, the of the key being in the shape of a heart. “Legend says that this design was dedicated to Kim Taeyeon's early deceased mother.” That alone immediately intrigued Tiffany. For once, she had finally met someone who was in the same boat as her. The cafe owner's eyes never peeled off of the symbol that held so much meaning to it. “It's said that with everything she made, Kim Taeyeon would stamp this very symbol somewhere on her creation.”

 

There it was again. The one thing that always threw the cafe owner off guard. “What do you mean by 'everything she made'?” Sure Taeyeon confirmed to her that she made everything with her own hands back when they were cleaning the antiques back at the cafe, but she never said anything more after that. The conversation was completely killed and they never went back to the topic. Now was her chance to finally get some answers on the mystery woman that she had trusted so much.

 

The man who seemed to know everything about the Guardian he didn't know was there stared at Tiffany with disbelief as if the answer was obvious. Noticing that their potential client really didn't know anything about the very girl he admired made Max realize that not everyone was so into history like he was. “Kim Taeyeon was a blacksmith.” He answered straightforward. His gaze with Tiffany broke as he looked down to marvel at the swords' beauty. “She was said to have made many things in her lifetime. Her father taught her how to make shields, swords, armor, and with everything she made, she would always stamp this symbol on it. What's also supposedly said about Kim Taeyeon is really fascinating.” Max glanced up again to lock eyes with the girl that brought in the artifacts. He just wanted to make sure that she was actually interested in listening and that he wasn't going on about something no one wanted to hear about. Not that it really mattered though, it wouldn't be the first time that happened. Pleased with how intrigued Tiffany was, the historian cleared his throat quietly and continued with his history lesson. “During a civil war, she and her father prepared her village by crafting as many weapons as they could until every single man and boy was drafted for battle. Knowing her way with the hammer, Taeyeon was left to craft more weapons by herself in case anything were to happen.”

 

Tiffany was completely captivated by her Guardian's past. The only question she could ask herself at this point was, Is it all true? Slowly, her eyes shifted to her white clothed friend who had pursed her lips so tight it could stop the Han river from leaking. Judging by the look on her face, Tiffany knew that there had to be some part of it that was true. She knew that if any of his 'facts' were wrong then Taeyeon would most likely have been laughing on the floor by now. Then, a thought popped into her head. If her Guardian always avoided the question, then maybe this historian could give her an answer. “What ever happened to her after the war?” Whether or not his answer was the complete truth, Tiffany wanted to at least have an idea of what happened to Taeyeon in her past life. This was about as close of an answer as she could get.

 

The historian pursed his lips together tightly as he stared deeply into the Troubled One's eyes. It seemed as if for once, he didn't have all the answers. “That's the thing Tiffany-ssi. Nobody knows what happened to Kim Taeyeon.” Again his lips pursed as he tried to think of the answer. He hated how he couldn't finish his history lesson for someone who, in a long time, seemed so interested with what he had to say. “There are so many different theories about her disappearance. Some people say that she ran away from home and started a new life in another village. Others say she fell ill with the same incurable sickness her mother had just before the war ended and that she met with an early demise. Nobody knows what happened to the only female blacksmith of her time, but the proof that she existed is right here.” Again Max pointed to the symbol that only her Guardian used as a stamp of completion; the heart key with wings. “These swords...” Max started, eventually pausing as he tried to find words to finish his sentence. All the while, he delicately picked up the ancient artifact again, admiring every bit of the sword. “They're incredibly rare and because the story of Kim Taeyeon is practically unknown, antique duplicators never think twice about copying her symbol.” He marveled at the beauty of the weaponry that he held. It really was an elegant masterpiece. “I would give anything for crafts made by the Kim Taeyeon.”

 

A quick breath snarled out from the Guardian's nostrils. “Now's the time to start bargaining with him.” Taeyeon spoke with a stern voice. Despite how much praise she had just gotten from what seemed to be the only person that knew her story, the woman in white was obviously less than pleased with the historian's history lesson. It was as if she didn't want Max to answer any question her Troubled One had about her.

 

Something about the mystical being seemed off to Tiffany. That much was obvious. It made her curious to ask, but then again she couldn't exactly do that while she was in public. Pretending to be on the phone at this time wouldn't be a smart move either. Her question would just have to wait until next time. “You said you would pay anything for something made by Kim Taeyeon? If that's the case then how much would you spend for these undeniably authentic Kim Taeyeon masterpieces?”

 

Max looked up at Tiffany with sheer astonishment. He couldn't believe that the swords were actually for sale! They were made by the Kim Taeyeon! Trying his best to contain his excitement of potentially owning something from one of the very first female blacksmiths in history, the historian pursed his lips gently in thought. “How much are you selling them for?”

 

Before the Troubled One could say anything, Taeyeon spoke out with, “Ask him what he thinks everything is worth. Most likely he'll offer a lot higher than we anticipated. If you set a price for him then he'll try to go lower.” The Guardian warned while folding her arms across her chest with that still stern look towards the younger man.

 

Tiffany nodded her head slightly, just enough for Taeyeon to know that she understood what she was saying. The cafe owner tried to seem like she was in deep thought about a price range. Her eyes were glued solely on the sword that was still in Max's hands. “Well, these are the swords crafted by the Kim Taeyeon. They have the symbol of authenticity and everything.” She put a thinking hand under her chin and jutted her lower lip up in thought. Her eyes never parted away from the antiques that were meant for bargaining. Suddenly, Tiffany glanced up at what was possibly the only fanboy of her Guardian. “How much do you think it's worth?”

 

Seeing the look on Max's face made Taeyeon curve her lips up into her very first smile since they had walked into the shop. It was a smirk of victory as he finally called out the price, double of what their initial goal was. Even Tiffany was struggling with trying to keep a poker face on. The woman in white eventually unfolded her arms across her chest and slid her hands relaxingly into her slack pockets. “We got him.” The only thing Taeyeon had to do now was talk Tiffany through the whole trading process and soon that money would be theirs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The pleased cafe owner gathered up the money after recounting it on the counter once more. No doubt that it was just about enough to help pay for the debt and the bill that was due that month. “Wow. Gamsahamnida!” Tiffany cried out happily. The Troubled One, who wasn't exactly troubled anymore, bowed so deep that her head would have touched the floor. “You don't know how much I needed this.” Her eyes glanced to the life changing money held in between her hands. Even though this didn't seem like much to the others, that stack of cash meant more to Tiffany than just saving her cafe. Her eyes quickly disappeared behind her signature eye-smiles. “Neomu neomu gamsahamnida!” Tiffany thanked again with another back breaking bow. If only they knew.

 

“Fany-ah. Kaja.” The white clothed woman spoke. She knew the other two wouldn't hear her since they were just average workers, but something about Max wouldn't stop bothering the Guardian. Perhaps it was his dress up joke from the beginning of their visit, or maybe the fact that he offered to pay just enough money that would cover all the bills. Then again, it would most likely be the fact that he knew practically everything about Taeyeon's background. Not once had anyone, including a vast majority of her past Troubled Ones, ever known about her past. This man made her skin crawl.

 

Over and over again Taeyeon scanned the man from head to toe to see if he was a Genie. Everything about him practically screamed to her that he was a Genie! The shop that he worked at was an antique shop. His uniform consisted of a red shirt with black pants. Not to mention that Max's occupation of being a “historian” would be a believable cover up for his extensive knowledge on ancient times. So then what was the problem? What made the Guardian second guess herself about whether or not this man was indeed a sworn enemy of her kind?

 

The biggest set back was the fact that Taeyeon couldn't sense a single ounce of Genie material in his blood. Ever since Taeyeon was turned into a Guardian, she was able to sense a Genie in the area way before the living could. Anyone who wasn't a Genie blended in easily with their surroundings which explains why Taeyeon had such difficulty differentiating Max from a mannequin while he wore the suit. This Genie sensing trait was something that every Guardian possessed no matter how new or old they were. That went the same for the ones in red. Genies could sense Guardians in their surrounding area. No matter what either side would do, masking the obvious tell tale sign of who was a Guardian and who was a Genie was unachievable. To Taeyeon, it would be practically impossible for her to mistake a Genie for one of the living. So then, why was this man not coming off as one of her eternal enemies?

 

It puzzled Taeyeon for the longest time since Max had revealed himself to her Troubled One. There was absolutely nothing Genie related running in his veins. If there was then she would have undoubtedly steered Tiffany away from this place from the very beginning. Eventually Taeyeon tried her best to not think of him as a Genie. She told herself that the red was just a uniform and that the shop was just a shop, she told herself that he really was a historian and that his knowledge came with the job, and she also told herself that the reason why she couldn't detect any Genie vibes from him was because he wasn't a Genie to being with. Still, it bothered her, but it was the only conclusion the Guardian could come up with for now.

 

With a final purse of her lips, Taeyeon peeled her eyes off of the man that knew too much about her and locked her onyx orbs right on her Troubled One. The woman in white let out a gentle breath through her nose to calm her frustrated mind. “It's time that we go. Paying the bills early would be better than at the last minute. That way if they try charging you with anything else, you would still have enough time to sell the rest of the things for more money.” Taeyeon's eyes flickered to the duo behind the counter then back again at her Troubled One.

 

Hearing the words from the being only she could see, Tiffany gave an unnoticeable nod Taeyeon's way. It wasn't hard for the Troubled One to figure out that her Guardian wanted to leave the place. Then again, Tiffany just figured that all the antique talk was putting Taeyeon on the verge of flipping out. There were way too many signs that these two could be potential Genies. If they were Genies then Taeyeon would have warned me to not even go into the store in the first place. She said so herself. Still, Tiffany decided not to waste anymore time then they already had. The cafe owner gave a final bow and stood up straight again. “Thank you so much for everything you two, but I have to go now. It was nice doing business with you. Annyeong!” And with that, a wave of the hand was the last the two men saw as their big customer for the day happily strolled down the sidewalk.

 

There was a gentle moment of silence between the pair of men before Yunho sighed heavily and leaned his lower back against the store counter. His arms were folded firmly across his chest with his eyes staring straight into his partner's eyes. “You seemed to have known a lot about that Kim Taeyeon girl.” He breathed out with a tone that didn't seem too pleased with the deal that had just been done. They had traded away a whole lot of money to what didn't look like much. Yunho only prayed that his partner in trading knew what he had just done.

 

A smile crawled onto Max's face at his friend's comment. In a way, he knew that the confrontation was coming. Yunho would always ask him something like that whenever he would make a deal that large without his consent. However, this time he had a genuine reason for the purchase. Everything really was one of a kind. Those items really were from the said blacksmith of a time long ago. There was no way he could mistake it. “Of course I know about Kim Taeyeon.” Max turned his head to look at his friend, still with a smile on his face.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“I came from her village.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A/N: Annyeong my awesome readers! Here I am again with another chapter! Wow! It feels so good to be updating every two weeks for you! Alas, it is summer vacation for me and the family does have some vacation time planned out so I will be busy these up coming weeks! I know! I was such on a good streak too! Anyways, I hope you guys understand if I don't have another update coming out in the next two weeks. I'm warning you now on why there might be a delay! Please be understanding!

 

So the story! I gave you some facts about Taeyeon! But wait, ARE they facts? Dun dun duuun! Plus, do you trust Max? I mean, Taeyeon doesn't say he's a Genie but apparently there's more to him. Whaaat? Maybe he's just a devoted fanboy? Either way, Tiffany now has the money to pay for the bills! Wow! What do you think is going to happen next?!? Comment! I enjoy reading your predictions! I hope you enjoyed! Please stick around until the next update!

 

-Jeo

 

=_= Genie. You aren't going anywhere.

 

@u@

 

Uhh...TaeTae? Is it just me or is there something different about our dongsaeng-ah today?

 

@u@

 

Well, it is 4:30 in the morning for her Fany-ah. My guess is that Jeo-ah didn't get any sleep yet.

 

How long do you think it's going to take for her to-

 

Zzz.....Zzz...Zzz...