Etude of Memories

Chapter 9

Seoul, Present Day

Tiffany was really curious of Kim Taehyung she saw the other day. She could have sworn that the guy she had seen was really Kim Taehyung, but why would she do that? No one in SM or even in entire Seoul knew about her Kim Taehyung.

Yuri told her that the new Kim Taehyung was assigned as Im Yoona's new manager. He replaced Yoona's old manager who now handled Kim Taeyeon. Tiffany wanted to see that man again, even if he wasn't the Kim Taehyung she had known in her highschool, she still wanted to see him. Tiffany had to make sure whether that guy was really Taehyung or someone else.

But she hadn't got a chance to meet that guy again until the next week. Right after her filming schedule ended for that day, she drove her car to Yoona's new drama set.

"Yoona! Yoona!" Tiffany called her dongsaeng inside her make up room. Tiffany's heart pounded her chest hard as she approached that room. There was a second where Tiffany thought she would better cancel her plan. What if that guy was really Taehyung? And what if he was completely a different person?

"Unni!" Yoona waved her hand from her chair. The stylist was doing her hair.

After greeting everyone in the room, Tiffany came to Yoona. She was curious why she didn't see the new manager there.

"How's your drama doing, Yoong?"

"So far so good. Unni, you said on the phone that you need to see Taehyung oppa. Why?"

Tiffany cleared her throat. "There's something I need to ask him. Uhmmm... Where is he?" She looked her left and right.

"Oh, Oppa is taking my clothes from the car. He'll be here soon. Sit here, Unni." Yoona pointed at an empty chair beside her.

Tiffany sat next to her dongsaeng while waiting for Taehyung to return.

"Unni, how have you been? I'm sorry I couldn't visit you at the hospital. My schedule was crazy last week."

"It's okay. Both of us really have a hectic schedule. Sometimes I ask myself why I'm living as an actress."

"And you're also a singer. Your schedule must be more packed than mine. So you must be more tired than me." Yoona reminded her.

Tiffany smiled. "Once we sign the contract, we can't run from it, can we?"

Yoona laughed. "But I really enjoy it. I can't imagine what I would do if I wasn't an actress." She looked at her sunbae, "what about you, Unni?"

Tiffany shrugged her shoulders. Being an actress and a singer was her dream. She had never thought of another occupation she would do if she wasn't an actress.

"Unni and I are the same, then." Yoona gave her best smile. "Eh, by the way, where's Yuri unni? Why is she not with you?"

"Yuri had to go back to SM. And I used this rare opportunity to visit my favorite dongsaeng here." Tiffany grinned.

Yoona suddenly frowned. "Unni," she said, "you're not here to steal Taehyung oppa, right?"

"Hmm?" Tiffany didn't expect Yoona to think that way. "Oh no.., no no. Don't worry, Yuri is still the best manager for me. I won't trade her with anyone."

"Ah," Yoona made a long 'ah' that she forgot to close her mouth.

"Uhm, anyway, how is this Kim Taehyung?"

"What do you mean, Unni?"

"I mean, what do you know about him?  Where he grew up in, his family, his school?"

Yoona suddenly laughed. "Unni, are you sure you don't plan to steal Taehyung oppa? You seem to be interested in him so much."

"What? No, of course not. What I mean is, he's a new manager. Are you sure you can trust him?"

Yoona giggled. "Unni, Taehyung oppa is my manager, not my future husband. And here he is. Oppa!" Yoona waved her hand towards the door.

Tiffany spontaneously turned her head. And there he was. Kim Taehyung the new manager.

"Taehyung-ah...." Tiffany clenched her bag. The man who was standing by the doorway was really Kim Taehyung. He looked ten years older of course, but Tiffany would still remember his face no matter what. She spontaneously stood up.

Kim Taehyung the new manager looked at Tiffany. He bowed his head but didn't say anything. He walked past her and approached Yoona. "This is your clothes."

"Gomawoyo, Oppa." Yoona smiled so sweetly at her new manager. "Eh, Oppa. Fany unni wants to talk with you."

Taehyung turned to Tiffany who stood still watching Taehyung's every move. His face, his eyes, his lips, his nose, his walk. Everything belonged to her Kim Taehyung. And his voice! That was Taehyung's voice.

"Is there anything I can do for you, Tiffany-ssi?" Taehyung looked at her.

Tiffany snapped back. She was really confused. Taehyung didn't seem to recognize her at all. Was this guy only pretending? Or was he not her Kim Taehyung at all?

"Uh, can I ask you something?" Tiffany touched her own hair. "I mean, privately?"

Taehyung glanced at Yoona as if he asked for her approval. Yoona nodded. "But don't steal my manager, okay Unni?" She winked.

Tiffany felt like she had slept walking. Everything she saw seemed to be unreal. She didn't even remember how she got out of Yoona's make up room.

"Taehyung... Are you... Are you really Kim Taehyung? My Kim Taehyung?"

Taehyung coldly stared at her. "I don't understand what you mean, Tiffany-ssi."

"You're Kim Taehyung, right?" She tremblingly touched Taehyung's face, but that man flinched.

"What are you doing?" He asked.

Tiffany withdrew her hand spontaneously. Her tears began to gather as she remembered one fine afternoon where she touched Taehyung's face for the first time because she had thought that guy was having a fever. Their reaction was the same. Even the words they said were the same. And they said it in the same exact tone.

"Why? Why did you pretend to be dead all these years?" Her view was blurred by the tears that were ready to roll down.

"Tiffany-ssi, is there something wrong?" Taehyung looked at that young singer confusedly.

"You are Kim Taehyung. How can you not remember me?" She grabbed Taehyung's arms. "Taehyung-ah... Taehyungie."

Taehyung looked at her clutches at him. "I really don't understand."

"Stop lying. I know you are Kim Taehyung. There are no two different people who can look this similar and share the same name!!! Stop lying to me. It hurts my heart so much to be standing here and begging you to remember me...."

Tiffany no longer cared if her tears had ruined her make up. She shook Taehyung. "Why are you doing this to me, Taehyung-ah? Why? Why did you leave me and...  And...."

Taehyung stood there without saying any words. He looked so perplexed. And it made Tiffany more frustrated.

"Don't you remember me? I'm your Tiffany. Don't you remember Aegi, the dog we raised together? Don't you remember our old school? Don't you remember all memories we had in that place?"

Taehyung kept silent.

Tiffany clenched Taehyung's arms more tightly. She looked at the ground and let her tears fall. Her shoulders shook real hard. Then she quickly looked at Taehyung's face.

"Do you not remember the night we spent at Apsan Park?" Tiffany hoped, even if Taehyung had forgotten everything, at least he wouldn't forget the fateful night they had spent in that place. The night that had changed everything.

She looked at Taehyung and prayed to see any signs of him remembering that memory. But the man who was standing right in front of her didn't show any expressions.

"Tell me you are Kim Taehyung! Tell me you are really Kim Taehyung, my Kim Taehyung!!!! Please...."

"Tiffany-ssi," that gorgeous man said, "I am Kim Taehyung, but I don't recall anything you just said. I'm sorry you have mistaken me with someone else."[]

........................................................................