SM Building

SNSD’s Practice Room

2nd Floor

 

 

“Taengoo I buy you some food.” Fany and Sunny walked into the spacious dance studio with bags of food on their hands. One of the two girls who already sat inside on the couch looked at their direction while the other one kept shut, starring nowhere.

“Taebaby, here’s your favorite food.” Fany put the bag on the table and started to unwrapped them.

“i’ll go get some water.” Yuri got up from her seat then walked to the refrigerator.

“How are you? Yuri called me.” Fany took Yuri’s previous spot then the silence girl’s hair.

“What happened Taengoo?” Sunny sat on the other side, asking softly.

The two best friends looked at their dearest one. They were feeling lost for what happened there.

 

 

Yuri was inside the building when Taeyeon and her manager walked to her direction. Even with the sunglasses and scarf for disguise, judging by how her body trembling and her manager unnie’s expression, Yuri knew that there’s something wrong with the leader. She seemed... lost.

She even didn’t hear Yuri calling her name.

 

When Taeyeon was right in front of her, Yuri grabbed her hand, make her stop abruptly.

“Yuri ah...”

 

Even though she couldn’t see her eyes, but Taeyeon’s voice was enough for her to concluded that something bad happened.

Who on earth would sound so pitiful when something good happened to them?

 

And when she tried to pull Taeyeon, her manager unnie prevented her to do so. She was saying about Taeyeon seeing board direction to discuss something. she didnt really hear her words because her attention dropped to her sister who bowed her head down with her trembling hand inside her palm.

“Dont hug me Yul. I probably cry right away.” Taeyeon playfully warned Yuri and gave her smile when Yuri was about to hug her.

“got that sis! I’ll wait and hug you later until you feel breathless.” Yuri squezzed Taeyeon’s hand before let it go.

“hey sis, i’ll be waiting inside our usual room!” she yelled right before Taeyeon and the manager disappeared into the elevator.

 

But, of course it was a stupid request.

And the fact she just realized that after waiting for almost two hours, made she feels more stupid. Hoping Taeyeon  to meet her after the meeting with their board director was... foolish.

 

Whatever it is, it must be very serious that they have to dragged Taeyeon from her free time.

Whatever it is, it must be very bad based on her manager unnie’s dark expression.

And whatever it is, they probably put Taeyeon inside the palm of their hand right away.

 

And to escape from that?

Hell no.

 

 

Yuri was about to wait her on the lobby, when the door opened, revealing the least condition she ever wanted to see on Kim Taeyeon. more like an automatic response, she pulled her inside her embrace. And like an automatic response too, Taeyeon’s tears started to fall.

 

And she wasn’t crying a river. It was more like a waterfall.

 

Yuri grabbed her hand assisting Taeyeon to sit on the nearest couch. Yuri was trying so hard to not crying with Taeyeon. she has to remain strong for her, to support her from her sudden breakdown.

 

Yuri did success. But it didn’t last long.

 

Because the time Taeyeon put her sunglasses down, it shooted bullets right to Yuri’s heart. When finally Taeyeon took her scarf off from her neck and her half-covered face come into her sight, it ignited her duct of tears to produce more bundle of tears.

Taeyeon’s face was pale. Like the vains that usually gave beautiful rosy shade to her cheeks were gone. Taeyeon’s blank and swollen red eyes screamed the unspoken sorrow while her tears fell endlessly, wetting her white blouse.

It pained Yuri beyond anything to see her sister like this. Yuri hugged her, comforted her with her warm embrace, whispered to Taeyeon’s ear that everything will be okay, thet she’ll always stay by her side so Taeyeon has to stop crying.

 

But she didn’t.

Neither did Yuri.

 

Instead, their crying turned louder than before. She took her phone then called Fany and Sunny, the nearest member from SM building. Yuri wasn’t talk enough on the phone. She was crying when Fany picked up her phone and let her heard Taeyeon’s cry on the background. That was enough to inform her that something is definitely wrong.

 

Yeah, she got that message.

Without asking much, she hung up and grabbed the sleeping Sunny from her dream land then drove off almost immediately to the SM building.

Thou Yuri wasn’t mentioning before where she is Fany still drove off to SM.

 

Girls’ bond.

Never underestimate that.

 

The thing that made Yuri scares was Taeyeon’s trembling body. This made Yuri realizes on how much Taeyeon hurted and it made her heart sank deeper and deeper in every seconds.

Taeyeon wasn’t the kind of person who pouring her heart out to everyone to see. Taeyeon was the one with selfless act, never want to bother anyone with her problem. Instead, she made herself drowning into other people’s problem and tried to fix it.

She fixed someone’s problem while she probably fought with her own problem secretly.

Strong and reliable. That was the Kim Taeyeon they had known for years.But this crying Taeyeon inside Yuri’s embrace, was a different one. Some thing was definitely very wrong to made this side of Taeyeon come into the surface. She must’ve been very hurt. And it hurted Yuri more to think Taeyeon has to gone through that painful thing alone.

 

That thing, that she dreaded to know.

That thing, that will make her menboong when she knows it.

That thing, that settled inside the brown envelope she didnt fail to notice, being gripped so tightly by Taeyeon’s hand.

 

Her tears stopped almost immediately after seeing those papers inside the brown envelope. She was utterly speechless. She looked then read it then looked and read again, so many times, over and over again, until she felt like those papers her strength out of her body.

 

“What the is this?” Yuri questioned, feeling weak but slightly angry. “Who the hell do this to you?!” the sobbing Taeyeon didn’t give Yuri the proper answer.

“Taengoo… what’s this? H-h-how this could happen? The rumor…” she asked again, yet receiving almost the same answer.

 

“Oh dear…”

There was no answer she could expect from Taeyeon at that time except her tears. Yuri understood, crystal clear. When she saw the content of the brown paper, her heart was crushing down into million pieces.

 

It must’ve turned into billion for Taeyeon herself.

 

“These photos… are they even real? You’ve talked with him right? Right Taengoo? Answer me?!” Yuri shook Taeyeon’s body then hugged her again. This time, more tightly.

“Ssshh… everything is gonna be alright dear. We’ll fix this so stop crying.” Yuri rocked their body slowly; try to give the still crying woman inside her embrace more comfort.

“You’ll be alright, Taeng. We’ll always stand by your side. Promise.”

And with Yuri’s warmness, Taeyeon’s tears subsided. She pulled her body from Yuri’s embrace then smiled lightly.

“I made your blouse wet Yul. Sorry for that.”

“And I made your eyes wet Taengoo. But not sorry for that.”

Taeyeon smiled weakly to Yuri before she pulled Taeyeon back to her embrace.

“I called Fany and Sunny. They’ll be here in a minutes.”

“Thank you Yul. I don’t know what to do.”

“Everything will be alright sis”

“Is it?”

“Of course. Just hold on.” They stayed like that for a while before Taeyeon pulled her body from Yuri’s embrace.

Silence enveloped them after that. Yuri just put her head on Taeyeon’s shoulder while holding her hand. No one talked

 

Until Fany and Sunny came and that brown envelope caught them by surprise.

Until Fany’s loud curses were audible to everyone who passed by the room.

Until Sunny’s tight hug caused Taeyeon hard to breathe.

 

 

That afternoon, they cried together inside that practice room that always heard and witnessed their laughs and tears for more than five years.

That afternoon, Taeyeon cried inside that place that always offered her warmness and gave her comfort for more than ten years.

Her sister’s embrace.

 

YG Building

CEO Room, 4th Floor

 

 

“What the hell are you doing now?!” YG appa asked the lifeless young man whom sitting on the sofa. His disappointment resonated through his raised voice. But the young man didn’t flinch a bit. Even his eyes didnt focus.

 

The only thing that differentiates him from a complete statue was just the up-and-down movement on his chest.

 

“Tell me Jiyong, what would you do next?” YG appa’s hand on his forehead. This time, he sounded so desperate. The time his secretary told him that he has a visitor from SM entertainment, he already felt anxious. And the anxiety grew bigger when the representative gave him one brown envelope without saying anything. Not even a smile.

 

When YG appa figured out later that he was the one of SMent’s general public affair managers, his stomach lurched uncomfortably.

 

What the hell?

 

Having one of the managers from SMent for his breakfast buddy with such a cold expression on his face was wrong in every aspect.

 

The brown envelope left untouched for minutes. YG appa was dreading before finally decide to open it.

Because he felt like it could burn his hand if he touches it.

Like it could shoot an arrow straight to his heart if he opens it

Like it could make his futuristic building whom he built with all his sweat and tears, crumbled down in just a minute if he knows what it is.

 

And true enough.

 

When he opened the envelope and it content came into his sight, YG appa’s world stopped. So, it was an understatement if that brown envelope could affect this young man in a deeper pain. Even though YG appa was angry and felt disappointment towards him, he couldn’t help but feel pity.

 

Once Jiyong saw it contents, it seemed like all the colors on his body disappear.

 

Jiyong was still in the car to YG building when YG appa called him. Nervousness ate him slowly, bit by bit; every minute after YG appa ended their phone call. He sounded so beaten up. Angry and tired... Slightly sad? The rest of the road left Jiyong thinking about it. He already told YG appa the whole situation.

 

He does not, did not, and will not cheat behind Taeyeon.

Never

 

And Jiyong was sure that YG appa understood. He even said he will be behind Jiyong’s back in all cost.  The media plan and strategy has been discussed together with him. And so, there shouldn’t be any problem.

 

But why YG appa sounded so... complicated?

This question stayed inside his mind, left unanswered.

Until he came into YG appa’s room and saw him in his dark expression.

He sensed big trouble.

 

No, make it huge.

 

Double huge when YG appa threw him the brown envelope and its contents scattered on the floor.

And his world started to stop spinning.

 

‘...Judging from the unfortunate circumstance that can affect everyone from both side in a very unfortunate way, we suggest you to stop seeing our artist, Kim Taeyeon, in every possible way, until our further information…”

 

Then he found it difficult to breathe.

 

'…These photos as evidence will be forever ours if you keep your path steadily with us. We suggest you to act wisely...'

 

The Dragon’s Pad

Living Room, 1st Floor

 

5 p.m.

 

Sat alone in the spacious living room with nervous heart was the least thing Taeyeon want to do. She was waiting for Jiyong for almost 2 freaking hours. Taeyeon has sent him bunch of messages and voice mails and missed call. But it seemed no one has reached him.

 She wanted to talk. She needed to.