Grandma and Grandpa Lee’s Villa
Hannam-dong, Seoul
7.30 a.m.

When Grandma and Grandpa Lee learned from their friend (the other Grandma Lee) about that incident the other night they immediately called Tiffany to their house and asked her to explain what happened. They wanted to know exactly what she and Seunghyun fought about that they ended up locked up outside their house in the middle of the night and that they even have sleep in another house.

The Lee’s were told Tiffany looked as if she cried the whole year; with her eyes so red and puffy. Seunghyun looked bothered and listless as well. But as the other Grandma Lee told her couple friend, Mr. and Mrs. Choi, talked long and serious before they went to bed. And before they left the next morning, even if they are still awkward to each other they seemed a lot better.

Tiffany just finished having an early breakfast with Grandma and Grandpa Lee. They were now sitting at the mini-couches near the couple’s rectangular shaped swimming pool. No one uses that pool now; Grandma and Grandpa are too old to be doing freestyles and butterfly , but it was kept clean and well maintained.

Tiffany was staring at the pool for the longest time while Grandma Lee stared at her too. Pity swept over the old lady watching how Tiffany looked so lonely and broken all this time. She kept a jolly and brave front when she was with them. She pretended she was strong. But Grandma have always noticed that she had a hidden spot; something that she doesn’t want to show to Grandma and Grandpa.

Until she was forced to tell Grandma and Grandpa what she has been through all these time, that morning.

And Tiffany told them everything.

On how she and Seunghyun just woke up married one day and how she woke up with no one. Her family felt she was irresponsible enough to get married and regretted it later on; making up lame excuses like someone just asked for an autograph with a marriage registration document which later on ended up being legally filed. Her friends and her boyfriend thought she did have an affair with Seunghyun and the marriage was a thing they did out of impulse.

Seunghyun’s family, girlfriend and friends hated her and they made very sure that she is aware of that fact. There was never an instance that they didn’t let her feel that way whenever they have an opportunity to do so; if they don’t, they created one.

Grandma and Grandpa were astonished. They were even lost for words at the beginning. They too, wanted to blame Tiffany for not telling at the start. They thought Seunghyun and Tiffany were a happy couple. Heck, they look good together. No wonder, Seunghyun never dropped by to their house to say hi.

“I’m tired, Grandma.” Tiffany told her, “I’m tired to cry.”

“Oh, you poor little one.” It was Grandma Lee who wanted to cry.

But it was Grandpa who shed tears.

“Damn those people.” Grandpa muttered under his breath.

“Sweetheart, listen to Grandma.” Grandma is talking seriously and she is half mad, half angry. “That night when you slept at Lee Yun-Ha’s house is the last time you will cry.”

Tiffany had put down her coffee. The soft-spoken, rich old Lady had transformed into a tigress.

Grandma Lee continued, her voice the same, “Those people do not deserve your tears; heck, do not even deserve your attention. Goodness, they’re lucky if you even look at them. Tiffany, from now on, let go of all those bad things in your life. If they are really your friends, they will understand you and come back to you. Family is always family, they probably feel bad because marriage has always been a sensitive matter…”

“And for those people who mock you and hate you… who are they? They are unimportant people to you. Without them, life still goes on for you, why are you crying because of them, sweetheart? You’re only making them happy by crying…” Grandma sincerely told her.

Tiffany nodded.
 

Grandma was right.
 

What was she thinking all these time?

“People only hurt you when you give them the right to hurt you…” She went on, “And your husband, didn’t you say he was just a stranger before of all of this? Then still treat him like one…”

Why not? Tiffany thought.
Why not?

He didn’t want to be friends, right?
Seunghyun doesn’t want to be friends.
And Shin Min Ah will definitely disagree if she and Seunghyun will be talking, much more if they will be friends.

“Ignore TOP. Pretend he doesn’t exist.” Grandma said as if she was ordering her, “He was ignoring you anyway. And didn’t he refuse to help you when you asked him to? And I don’t think it would matter to him if you would start ignoring him. On the contrary, I think you will be doing him a favor. You will be doing both of you a favor. Ignore him, sweetheart… Okay?”

“Okay, Grandma.” Tiffany faintly smiled.

“Not unless, you tell me your husband is TOP from BANGBANG.” Grandma grinned.

“Oh, Grandma!!” Tiffany can’t help but smile.

“Min-sook-ah!” Grandpa who was silent all this time listening to his wife can’t help it either.

But Grandma, it’s BIGBANG, not BANGBANG.

And YES, it’s that TOP.
Tee-Oh-Pee.

“I think it’d be difficult to ignore him if he is that handsome boy. I should tell you to just go ahead and have babies with him instead.” Grandma laughed.

Oh, Grandma.
Not including you, please.

Tiffany closed her eyes.

“I’m just joking.” But Grandma took it back, “Whether he is that handsome boy or not, ignore him sweetheart. If you can, avoid talking to him. Not for anything, but it’ll save you trouble. Think about it this way: Peaceful coexistence.”

Right.
Peaceful coexistence.

“Why don’t you just live with us here?” Grandpa asked before wiping his eyes and nose with tissue. It was Grandpa who can’t control his tears. “You mentioned someone checking if you live together. I doubt if they check on you every day.”

Grandpa has a point. 

“And besides, if you get caught, we can always say you’re just sleeping over for the night and we invited you over.” Grandpa told continued with his bright idea, “We are old already, we need company aside from our household help.”

Grandma added, “You keep your things there, and you keep some here sweetheart. I’m sure TOP will be happy… and her girlfriend happier.”

But Tiffany’s the happiest.

Why didn’t she think about this?

“Oh my…” She covered her face with her hands, “Thank you so much…”

She stood up to hug Grandma first then Grandpa next. She was ecstatic. Finally, her stormy days are over.

“And sweetheart…” Grandpa proudly told her, “Grandpa here is one of the prime judges during my time. I know a lot of judges and whole lot of excellent lawyers out there… I can help you.”

Tiffany wanted to cry but she was told not to anymore. She was so overwhelmed.

Finally her sunshine after the rain er, the storm. A very bad storm.

Grandma had a few reminders though. She told her at least to leave a note that she is not sleeping in their house. Tiffany was convinced to follow what Grandma told her to do:

1.       Not to cry anymore;

2.       Not to allow other (very unimportant and downright negligible) people to hurt her;

3.       Ignore Choi Seunghyun

Tiffany is going back to her old self: happy, positive and carefree.

Goodbye tears.
Goodbye heartache.

Goodbye Mrs. Choi Seunghyun.

Hello again, Ms. Tiffany Hwang.

Seunghyun and Tiffany's Villa
Hannam-dong, Seoul
 

Tiffany didn’t want to leave abruptly. But she had slept at Grandma and Grandpa Lee’s house very so often but Seunghyun didn’t notice at first. Maybe he thought SNSD just had activities that she had to fly overseas or she had to stay overnight at the dorm or any of the member’s house.

Or maybe he didn’t care.
And more importantly, Tiffany didn’t care if he cared.

Finally.

And during this time, Tiffany and Seunghyun went back to that ‘I-don’t-notice-you’ stage and ‘I-am-in-denial-that-I-am-married’ phase.

They completely ignored each other.

But Seunghyun was surprised that Tiffany doesn’t exert any effort to reach out now. She had turned cold towards him already. She doesn’t bow to him anymore. And worse, she acts as if she doesn’t see him at all.

But at least, she bows to his mom and dad when they visit their house. But she never smiled to them again. His mom had gotten worried. When she finally had left food for Tiffany one time, she didn’t eat it. Tiffany said thanks (she only left a note saying thank you) but she never touched it. Now every time his mom leaves food for Seunghyun, she always leaves some too for Tiffany. But Tiffany never eats it. Seunghyun’s sister came home from a trip one time too, and bought something for her; Tiffany said thanks as well but she returned it.

Seunghyun waited for Tiffany to reach out again but she never did.

Not anymore.

As days pass by, Seunghyun also noticed that she almost never sleeps at their house. It reached the point that he checked the CCTV tapes to see if she was at their house at the time when he was not in; she was not.

Seunghyun felt bad, worried and guilty at the same time.

At long last.

He had wanted to talk to her. But his pride and his girlfriend had kept him from doing so. And he got scared of the look that Tiffany’s got on her face. He had composed so many messages in his phone but he didn’t send any to her.

One time, he finally got a chance to see her at home. He waited at the living room so when Tiffany leaves, she’ll pass by him on her way outside.

He knew she was about to leave; he heard tell someone over the phone. But it seems like Tiffany was waiting for him to leave first.

Mmmm.
Interesting.

Then Seunghyun heard her phone ring again. Must be that person again whom she talked to awhile back.

Seunghyun was nervous.
He doesn’t really know what to tell her.
But he wanted to talk to her badly.

Then Tiffany went out of her room, hurrying straight to the door. Of course, she didn’t look at Seunghyun. But he was fast enough to block her from getting out of the house. Problem is, they were too close.

Too close.
Their faces inches apart.

You know, when two people are about to kiss.
That close.

Those eyes.
It was Seunghyun who was mesmerized with those eyes this time around.

But Seunghyun froze.

Usually, in a situation like this, he’d forget what he’d wanted to say. What more if he doesn’t know what he wanted to say?

To make the story short, Tiffany made a side step and went out of the house, leaving Seunghyun still frozen.

He wanted to know why is she acting so indifferent now… or maybe mad. But they seemed cool when they shared a bed weeks ago. Seunghyun will apologize again if she wants to. He’ll do it again; Tiffany will just have to tell him to.

Seunghyun is so bothered.
And he is bothered that he is actually bothered.

The handsome BANGBANG rapper is bothered.

When Seunghyun attended Lee Byung Hun and Lee Min Jung’s wedding, he stayed late at the after-party and dropped off Shin Min Ah to her house so he went home almost past midnight already. He was near their villa when he noticed someone; he was sure it was Tiffany, entering another villa apart from their own.

He tried calling her and he saw her look at her mobile phone.

And he saw her ignore his call.

Ouch.

Then she rejected his call.

Another ouch.

Tiffany then entered the villa. Seunghyun didn’t know what to do. He wanted to follow her, but he didn’t want to intrude to his neighbors or anything. He didn’t know those neighbors who lived there. He kept calling Tiffany but she wasn’t answering and after some time, she turned off her phone.

Seunghyun came into conclusion that Tiffany was really ignoring him.

The reason?
He doesn’t know.

But he really wants to find out. And he decided he’ll go to his neighbor the next morning.

However, his ‘Noona’ slash girlfriend came early the next morning so he wasn’t able to go as he planned and ‘Noona’ saw his recent calls in his phone and flared up again.

Shin Min Ah was literally throwing plates and drinking glasses in the kitchen upon seeing he was calling Tiffany at 12.30 a.m. Seunghyun reason