Etude of Memories

Chapter 2

Daegu High School, 10 years ago.

Tiffany hastily ran up the stairs that connected her school building with its rooftop. She shook the doorknob. Luckily, the door wasn't locked, it opened easily. Tiffany walked towards the tall fence that surrounding the rooftop. She clutched the fence and began to sob. Her shoulders shook up and down.

"Prince ah..., why did you leave so soon?" She let her tears fall down. Tiffany had held that tear since her morning classes. She didn't want her classmates to call her a crybaby. That was why she waited until she got a change to run to the empty rooftop to express her sadness.

"Why are you crying?" A baritone voice surprised Tiffany. That girl spontaneously turned around. She didn't expect to meet anyone there.

"Y-you! Yah! What are you doing here? Are you following me?" Tiffany glared at a boy of her age.

That boy was sitting on the floor not far from Tiffany. Tiffany hadn't seen him there when she came to the rooftop earlier because that boy was hidden behind some old boxes.

"Who wants to follow you? I've been here long before you bursted through the door." That boy yawned and cleaned his ear using his pinky. "Did you just break up with your boyfriend?"

Tiffany glared wider. "Ya! Kim Taehyung! That's so rude." Tiffany shouted.

Taehyung looked quite puzzed. "You know my name?" He asked.

"Of course I know. I-I...." Tiffany shut her mouth tight. Of course she knew who that boy was. He was Kim Taehyung, a weird student in her class who spent most of his time by sleeping or spacing out. Usually, Tiffany never noticed that boy. There was nothing special about him. She had never talked to him before even though they had been schoolmates for years.

"Huh, I'm not like you. I remember all of my classmates' names." Tiffany snorted.

"I can barely remember all of our teachers' names." Taehyung scratched his cheek.

"Are you mocking me?" Tiffany shot a glare.

"Am I?" That boy looked at Tiffany. He suddenly smirked. "You should wipe your tears."

Tiffany gasped. She was so embarrassed. She quickly wiped her tears away. She abruptly left, but at the doorway, Tiffany reluctantly turned around. She slowly approached Taehyung.

"Please don't tell anyone that I was crying here...."

Taehyung looked up. "I won't."

Tiffany gave her classmate a vague smile. "Thank you."

"With one condition...." Taehyung grinned.

"What?!" Tiffany glowered.

Taehyung crossed his legs on the floor. "Tell me why you were crying. And who is this prince?"

"You-you... You are so rude!!!" Tiffany snapped. "Who gave you a permission to secretly listen to someone's crying?"

Taehyung shook his shoulders. "I wasn't secretly listening, but your lament disturbed my sleep. I was dreaming about a dog when suddenly, that dog turned into a cotton candy, so I ate the dog."

Tiffany was suddenly reminded of her Prince. Her tears were ready to roll down again. She wiped them using the back of her arm even before they fell down. "You're so insensitive. I was crying for my dog. He died two days ago, and now I missed him so much. Happy?!"

Taehyung stared at Tiffany. "Why would I be happy over a dead dog?"

Tiffany was so affronted. "Prince Fluffy was really precious to me! Why are you so rude?" Tiffany cleaned the tears off her cheeks.