“I heard all about it.” Tiffany told Taeyeon as soon as she came face to face with her best friend when she arrived in Seoul. She ignored all her calls when she was in the U.S. because she knew Taeyeon will just be telling her something she already knew:

Choi Seunghyun and Shin Min Ah were never married.
Seunghyun is not the father of her baby.

Their marriage was nothing but a cover-up, created to deceive the public, their fans and just about everyone out there who is gullible enough to buy their story. It was plausible because they were in a relationship for years and their companies had officially released their respective statements.

It was too believable that anyone who might be unwilling to think it’s true is considered to be weird or an outlier to the rest of the majority.

Even Tiffany thought it is true; even with her feelings for Choi Seunghyun, she believed his marriage was real and that he had fathered Shin Min Ah’s baby. Tiffany was just willing to accept him despite those circumstances.

“Well?” Taeyeon seemed to be happy and optimistic about the situation though; TOP being unmarried to Shin Min Ah after all.

Tiffany had squat down and opened her luggage, it was lying in her bedroom floor, still untouched for two days now after she had arrived. She got a Victoria’s Secret paper bag and threw it to Taeyeon.

“It’s pink.” She smiled, “I guess there’s no need to tell you, right? You should know.”

Lingerie.
 

“Tiffany Choi!” Taeyeon placed her hands on her hips, putting Tiffany’s present from L.A. on top of her bed.

“Hwang.” Tiffany corrected, “The last name’s Hwang. It’s back to Hwang.”

It used to be “Choi. The last name’s Choi.”

Sad.
Even Taeyeon is sad hearing her speak those words.
Tiffany used to be proud and happy saying her last name is Choi. 

“TOP is not married.” Taeyeon just had to say it. “He is not married. And Shin Min Ah’s baby’s father is Kwon Sang Woo.”

“Taeng.” Tiffany sat up in her bed. “Which TV station are you working for? Why are saying something that reporters kept on repeating?”

Tiffany even laughed at her own joke and the coldness of it.
She didn’t care.

No, not anymore.

“It’s not my business, Taengoo.” She added with sarcasm. “Not unless I work for YG Entertainment or I am VIP or a TOP stan, then it would still be my business. But no, I am neither. So, the hell I care.”

Oh, the hell she cares.

“You’re hurting.” Taeyeon keeps on pushing her.

“In the past, yes.” Tiffany was being honest, “But not anymore. You know me, if I still do, I would have thrown myself at him the moment I’ve heard about it. And it’s not because of Kwang Jin. It’s because I don’t feel a thing for him anymore. I don’t Taeyeon. When I heard about it, I got nervous because Kwang Jin might feel uneasy about it, but that’s all. It’s not as if there’s a tiny hope inside of me that was re-ignited all of a sudden.”

Tiffany looked straight into Taeyeon's eyes. She need not to reason more than what she is doing now for the SNSD leader, and her best friend to believe her. Tiffany is telling the truth and Taeyeon knows that.

“TOP and I are over.” She sighed, and then she smiled. “We’re over. I don’t feeling anything for him anymore. For me, he’s like the old TOP. That BIGBANG rapper; that artist from another company… We’re over, Taeng. I’m over him.”

Damn right.
They’re over.
She’s over him.

“It’s me, Seunghyun.” He called her.

Tiffany made a mistake of answering his call.

“I’m sorry but I don’t know any guy named Seunghyun.” Then she ended the call.

Tiffany didn’t have any feelings when she ended that call. She went back to what she was doing. No feelings whatsoever.

She didn’t even feel guilty when Seunghyun called more than twenty times more.

Her phone was flooded with his messages too. He wanted to talk to her, wanted to meet up. Those messages were left unanswered. Tiffany ignored them like they were from unwanted loan companies asking her if she wanted to borrow money or those fraud institutions telling her she had won millions.

She ignored that man, Choi Seunghyun.

Who ignores Choi Seunghyun?
Who ignores BIGBANG’s TOP?

The ex-wife.

Tiffany Choi, er, Tiffany Hwang.

Funny, how the word ‘wife’ is still there. How it is still so powerful and it commands such influence.

She turned her phone off when after an hour it still kept on ringing and blinking. Tomorrow, she would ask someone how to block a certain number from calling her and sending her a message.

Tomorrow, she would do that.

She had already succeeded in blocking that person in her heart, why can’t she do that in her mobile phone.

It should be easy.
It should be.

SM TOWN SHOW Rehearsals
National Stadium
Beijing, China
3 p.m.

“TOP is here?”

That question was asked by at least thirty people, artists and staff alike. May it be EXO, F(X), SNSD, their make-up artists, coordi-noonas, or their managers.  Some raised their eyebrows; they couldn’t find a reason why he was there in Beijing. He can’t be SM Town’s special guest, can he? If it was a girl asking why he’s there, the question came with a smile (an excited smile to be exact).

TOP is here.

Make that a period, SM townspeople, not a question mark.

Tee-Oh-Pee is in Beijing.
Right there in the National Stadium.

And he’s not there to see the Great Wall of China.
He’s there to overcome the Great Wall created by Tiffany Hwang.

Great.
And Tiffany did not want to see him ever, of course.

“TOP is here.” It was Taeyeon who told her at the backstage. The best friend is the bearer of bad news.

Sunny came rushing to the backstage as well, only to find the serious Tiffany slumped in of the one of the make-up chairs, staring at herself in the mirror.

“Tiff…” Sunny nervously began, “Someone’s here… Not Daesung, Not Seungri, Not GD, Not Taeyang…”

Oh, Sunny.
She must’ve figured everyone already said “TOP is here” so she tried to tell Tiffany differently.

Not Daesung, not Seungri, not GD, not Taeyang.

Must be…

“TOP is here.” It was a voice so deep, so unique, almost everyone recognizes that voice.

Tiffany used to love that voice.
She used to love from whom that voice comes from. 

Oh dear.

TOP is here.

“Can we talk?” He asked, as if Taeyeon and Sunny were not in the room.

“We better go.” Taeyeon pulled Sunny out as fast as she can. Sunny seemed to have frozen right where she was standing the moment Seunghyun had announced his arrival. His own version of, ‘TOP is here.’

Tiffany still remained staring at the mirror looking at herself. She didn’t even look at Seunghyun who was looking so hot with his new short hair. Tiffany’s eyes were fixed on the mirror looking at a new person: the cold, and seemingly heartless, Tiffany Hwang.

“I miss you.” Seunghyun’s voice cracked.

Damn.

His first words could’ve been “I’m sorry.” or “Let me explain.”
But “I miss you”?

Damn you, Choi Seunghyun.

But Tiffany didn’t flinch.
’I miss you’ by Choi Seunghyun didn’t have an effect to her anymore.

“I miss you so much.” He continued while he was looking at her from behind.

He couldn’t go any closer to her because he was feeling scared that she might run away from her. This is the first time that they’ve met after Kwon Sang Woo’s press conference.

Tiffany ignored all Seunghyun’s calls or messages. When he went to her house a number of times, she wasn’t there. He went to Taeyeon’s but Tiffany wasn’t there too. She wasn’t staying at the Lee’s as well. Nobody would like to tell Seunghyun where Tiffany is until SM artists flew to Beijing for a show. He was at the next available flight to the Chinese Mainland’s capital that same day.

Tiffany stood up and faced him. She didn’t want this to drag and she doesn’t want anymore drama. Her own life is a soap opera for quite some time now and Tiffany doesn’t want anymore of those crying and sad episodes anymore.

She had already parted ways with her (ex) leading man, Choi Seunghyun and there’s no way she wanted to get back with him.

No way.

Even if her new partner, Kwang Jin maybe a boring software engineer to many people, Tiffany would still choose him over that ‘exciting’ Tee-Oh-Pee.

Tiffany would choose the nerdy glasses over the y aviator shades now.
She would choose the neatly pressed trousers over the (super) tight black pants.
It’s the plain black newly shined shoes over the multi-colored designer ones.

It’s Lee Kwang Jin over Choi Seunghyun.

“But I didn’t… I didn’t feel the same.” Tiffany breathed heavily. “I didn’t miss you, TOP. I don’t miss you.”

Oh to the highest level.
And freaking ‘ouch’; one notch higher than the .

It took seconds before he could react, which by the way, was just a subtle nod. Seunghyun’s got tears on his eyes when he did that tiny gesture.

She didn’t miss him.
She doesn’t miss him.

While he waited for that day when he could finally hold her again, and have her back, Seunghyun was welcomed with nothing but a cold and harsh treatment from her.

But he treated her this way before, didn’t he? Seunghyun pushed her away when she begged endlessly. He told her to ‘leave’ a million times. Tiffany had to beg him; she begged with Grandma and Grandpa Lee more than once.  He went to the extent of calling the police. He didn’t tell her the truth about Kwon Sang Woo and Shin Min Ah’s affair; he didn’t explain anything. Seunghyun made her suffer until Tiffany wanted to die out of pain.

He made Tiffany miserable. He was no different from those people who treated her like trash when they found out they were married before.  

Why is Seunghyun now expecting that she would gladly accept him after all this time just because Kwon Sang Woo suddenly had gotten back his balls and admitted everything?

Why is Seunghyun expecting an “I miss you too” with his “I miss you?”
Why is he hoping that things would go back the way they used to be between them?
Why, for even for one second, Choi Seunghyun, ever thought, they can go back to where they left off…”

As Mr. and Mrs. Choi Seunghyun.

He still wears his ‘wedding’ ring.

Damn it.

Why, Seunghyun?

“I didn’t get married to Noona.” He finally explained, “I’m not her baby’s father too.”

Finally, a live version of what Tiffany had repeatedly saw in the news, heard in the radio, read in the newspapers and in the Internet.

“They needed my help…” He continued, “Sang Woo-Hyung is like my brother, a very close one. And Noona, I know her for so long that I know her family will get hurt of the situation. I had to help them and all the people around me were asking me to help them too.”

Seunghyun could only watch an expressionless Tiffany watch him. It’s not as if he could not read her. She kept her face straight face, and not one bit moved by any of his words.

“I didn’t tell you because I was coward…”

Now, that’s a revelation.
Oh no.

“I got scared.” Seunghyun admitted, his tears were falling down his cheeks now. “And I had to choose. It’s between my friends whom I’ve known for the longest time and you. And I chose them. Everyone was telling me we’re not going to last anyway. If we didn’t wake up married and we didn’t live together, there could never be an ‘us’. Everything happened too fast and they said it’s just attraction… and I believed them… And in the end, I chose to help them… I chose them.”

Seunghyun had to pause and waited for her reaction. Still he got none from Tiffany. She looked at him, wordlessly, still with a poker face.

“And with helping them, I can’t see you. Because if anyone see us together, it might not be good… I can’t tell you because for sure you would not agree with that kind of set-up.” Seunghyun went on, “But I regretted everything. I regretted that I believed them…”

“Are you done?” Finally she spoke after Seunghyun paused for quite some time.

The handsome rapper was crying in front of his ex-wife but no matter how true his emotions are, and how real those tears were, it failed to solicit sympathy from her.

Her feelings are gone.
When love was replaced by hate, it’s dangerous.
But when love-turned-hate becomes indifference, that’s dead end.

“Tell me, I’ll do anything and everything to have you back, please.” Seunghyun pleaded. His eyes still in tears. “I’m sorry, I really am.”

“Let’s just go back to how we were before.” Tiffany told him, “As strangers, please TOP.”

He’s back to being TOP.
And he’s back to being a stranger.

“Tiffany…” He wiped his eyes, “I know you hate me… I know you do. I just need another chance.”

“I don’t hate you, TOP.” Tiffany’s eyes were speaking the truth, “In fact, I never hated you… but I don’t feel anything for you now… I’m sorry.”

Tears.

Choi Seunghyun was always familiar with them.
Especially now.

He tried to touch her hand, but she gently pushed his hand away.

“I have to go.” Tiffany said as she went straight to the door, walking past Seunghyun.

She stopped halfway and turned, “I have a favor to ask though. For old time’s sake… Could this be the last time we talk to each other?”

“Tiffany…”

“Please…” Her eyes were sincerely asking.

Seunghyun couldn’t even get to the first post of the Great Wall after all.

Yes.
He couldn’t see hate.
But there was too much indifference; she didn’t care anymore.

And unfortunately he recognizes one more thing: Tiffany doesn’t love him anymore.

Not anymore.

SM Entertainment Building
Gangnam-Gu Apgujeong 2-dong, Seoul
10 a.m.

“Tell her, it’s someone who woke up married to someone…” Seunghyun was desperate telling the secretary at the SM Entertainment Building.

His disguise didn’t work so the poor girl was palpitating and getting giddy at the sight of hot T.O.P in front of her wanting to talk to SNSD’s Tiffany.

The girl finally got enough courage to dial the number of the room where Tiffany’s in. But she got pale upon relaying the words to Seunghyun.

Sorry, make that singular.
Word.

“Leave.” The secretary told Seunghyun. “Tiffany said, ‘leave’.”

Damn.

She used his own ‘word’ on him.

Just one word.

'Leave.'

“I need to see her, please.” Seunghyun got a piece of paper in front of the secretary and copied numbers from his mobile phone. “Please let me in. I’ll give you BIGBANG members’ phone numbers if you let me meet Tiffany.”

Desperate.
That man, Choi Seunghyun.

The secretary was excited by his offer but no, he didn’t let the handsome Seunghyun in. She even had to call security to someone from YG Entertainment who trespassed in SM Entertainment’s building.

Seunghyun never gave up and went to the basement parking. He found a space near her car. But when Tiffany saw a familiar looking car next to hers, she rode with Taeyeon. Seunghyun waited until midnight only to find out he had fallen asleep and there were only two cars left in that parking area. His car and Tiffany’s.

He drove to her place that same night. She didn’t open the door for him when he rang the doorbell and he knocked endlessly. Could it be another person, he or she would’ve called her already if she didn’t open the door. But she had Seunghyun’s number blocked already so he couldn’t call her nor send a message to her. His calls and messages do not get thru. So when the door bell keeps on ringing, and knocks get louder, Tiffany knew it was Seunghyun and no one else.

She turned all the lights off and listened to loud music with her earphones on.

No feelings.
Not even guilt.

Not even when her neighbor called her and told her there was a handsome man sleeping by her door. That nosy Ahjumma had put in hearts and smileys in her message when she told Tiffany that the guy in her doorstep looks like BIGBANG’s TOP.

Ahjumma sent her another message in the morning, saying TOP doppelganger is still there.

Tiffany didn’t get out of her house until she was sure Seunghyun had left.
It was lunch time when the doorbell last rang.

Google Korea 
Gangnam Finance Center
Teheran-ro, Gangnam-gu
Seoul
11.00 a.m.

No, Google’s CEO didn’t arrive at their South Korea head office. But the whole office was abuzz upon the arrival of a certain someone.

A special guest.

But no, it isn’t the CEO. Because if it was the CEO, the ladies wouldn’t have such excited expressions on their faces.

It’s BIGBANG’s TOP just paying one of their top employees a visit. He is just dropping by saying hello or maybe a little more than that.

“I am Tiffany’s husband.” TOP kept a straight face when he spoke.

“Ex-husband.” Kwang Jin corrected.

Ex.
E-X.

Two letters made a lot of difference.

Oh, but that wasn’t ‘hello’.
Perhaps, that was the ‘a little more than that’.

“Have a seat.” Kwang Jin pointed at the guest chair across him.

Seunghyun scanned Kwang Jin’s office. It looked plain to him. Well, when you’re in your arch-nemesis turf, you can’t see anything nice, anything positive. Opposite thing when you are in love, everything is just beautiful and perfect.

“What can I do for you, Mr. Choi?” Kwang Jin glanced at his wristwatch intentionally as if telling Seunghyun he doesn’t much time to spend with him. “Oh, can I offer you something?”

“No, thanks.” Seunghyun declined, “I’m just here to tell you I am fixing things with my wife. I wanted it to be clear with you so as not create any misunderstandings in the future.”

Boom.
Mr. Choi was straight to the point and was indeed serious.

Lee Kwang Jin has seen both his movies. He was a student-soldier in one, then a North Korean spy in the other. Both roles he played were serious. He didn’t know he’ll meet the actor in real life and get to know him also in the same mood – serious.

And the way he said ‘my wife’ was with authority. He possessively claimed her; Tiffany is his wife. He didn’t take it as something in the past.

"I am her husband."
"My wife."

Not, ‘I was her husband’ and ‘she was my wife’.
Seunghyun spoke in present tense.

“TOP-ssi.” Lee Kwang Jin smiled and warmed up the next second. Gone is the stiffness and formality. He dropped the ‘Mr. Choi’, “My grandparents talked highly about you. They like you a lot even up to now; even after everything that had happened. Even after what you did to your EX-WIFE. With that in mind, I will talk to you civilly and I will keep my cool.”

Boy, Lee Kwang Jin was raised well.
But boy, it takes a lot of courage and lip-biting and suppressed sighs.
His kept his balled fist under the table too.

 “You and Tiffany are over.” Kwang Jin told him as if he was just delivering a technical report. “I think she made it clear with you when you guys have talked. And besides, it was quite obvious that no matter how much you try to reach her, you don’t seem to even get close to wherever she is.”

Seunghyun heard him but he never took anything by heart. It was too painful, because everything was damn true. By now, he realized his calls and messages were blocked. He was banned from the building that Tiffany lives in. SM Entertainment does not allow him to go inside the building as well. Seunghyun can’t go anywhere near Tiffany.

It’s useless going after her because aside from her manager and SM’s hired bodyguards, Tiffany hired her own too. Only to keep Seunghyun away from her. For a time, Choi Seunghyun felt like a stalker to his own ex-wife.

He sent her flowers, chocolates and gifts only for those things to be returned to him later on. Seunghyun also would ask someone to check if Tiffany received them, whatever he sends her. Either they go back to Seunghyun or those go to the trash bin. Whatever it is, may it be a Louis Vuitton or Prada bag or shoes, if it’s from the ex-husband, it becomes an ex-gift.

Seunghyun we