Etude of Memories

Chapter 11

Apsan Park,  10 Years Ago

"I'm sorry...." Taehyung clenched his fists as he sat beside Tiffany who was putting her clothes on. "I... I..." Taehyung really wanted to smack his own head. He gritted his teeth and bit his lip until it bled. "I shouldn't... I shouldn't...."

Tiffany looked at the wooden floor in front of her. She didn't know whether to cry or not.

"Please forgive me, Tiffany....." He bowed down.

Tiffany touched her boyfriend's hand. "Do you regret it, Taehyungie?"

Taehyung held his head up and looked at the beautiful girl before him. He was speechless. Did he regret it? Did he really regret what he had done with Tiffany in that small and dark cabin log just now?

"I'm scared...." Tiffany squeezed his hand. "But I don't regret anything. Because I truly love you... That's why."

Taehyung held Tiffany's hand and pulled her into his arms. He kissed that girl's hair.

"Will you always be by my side....?" Tiffany laid her head on Taehyung's chest. "Or will you leave me one day?"

That young handsome lad took a deep breath. "I love you so much... How will I ever leave you? I promise, I'll always stay by your side. I'll never leave if you don't allow me to. And I will always love you even if one day you stop loving me...." He kissed Tiffany's crown again, so tenderly again, so lovingly again.

Tiffany shook her head. She looked at her handsome boyfriend. "No," she looked into his eyes wholeheartedly, "me too, I will never stop loving you. You are my first and my last, Taehyungie."

Taehyung softly smiled. "I know. I know, Tiffany."

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Even though the rain had stopped, Taehyung and Tiffany didn't want to take a risk to trek down in the dark. The ground must be really damp, wet and slippery. They decided to stay in the hut until the sun showed its face tomorrow.

The temperature was low and it was really cold even inside the cabin. Taehyung held Tiffany more tightly and rubbed his hands on her arms just to keep her warm.

But secretly, Tiffany didn't really feel the cold weather. With Taehyung's arms around her body, she felt really warm. She laid her head on Taehyung chest and stayed like that until the morning came.

After what they had done earlier, Taehyung felt more responsible for that girl. Tiffany had given him her most precious flower and she didn't regret it. Taehyung vowed that he would care for that girl even more. He would love only her. He would see only her. And he would only surrender his life to only her. They had become one. His beating heart belonged to Tiffany. The lips that kissed her belonged to Tiffany. Even the hands that held her arms so tightly like this belonged to Tiffany. He would only need Tiffany Hwang in his life and no one else.

Taehyung felt his love for that girl grew more immensely that he no longer knew how much he loved that beautiful girl. Tiffany breathed so peacefully on his chest while Aegi snored on his lap.  Taehyung had never felt this lucky before.

"I love you more than anything, Tiffany Hwang." He whispered in his girlfriend's ear even though he wasn't sure if that girl could hear him or not. She apparently had fallen asleep.

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But the next day, both of them sat nervously on the bus that taking them back to Tiffany's house. Only few words came out of their lips.

Their parents must've really freaked out right now. There was a slight remorse in their hearts when they thought about their parents. Why hadn't they called them or texted them just to say that they were alright and not gone missing for a day.

Tiffany even thought that she should've called her father when they got trapped in the rain last night. He would definitely look for them in Apsan Park. But everything had happened. They just realized how stupid they had been.

Taehyung didn't want to show his girlfriend that he was worried of their parents' wraths, especially Tiffany's father's wrath. What would that man do to him if he found out that Taehyung had tainted his daughter?

Taehyung quickly shrugged that thought off. He must be a gentleman. He would take all the blame and responsibilities.

Before they got home, Taehyung took Tiffany and Aegi to have breakfast at the nearest mini market. It was pointless to be scared, their parents would absolutely be outraged. And if they were going to scold them, they'd better receive the wrath with full stomach.

"PLAAAAK!!!" Mr. Hwang slapped Taehyung's left cheek the moment those teenagers stepped into Tiffany's front yard. That old man hadn't slept since last night. He visited Sooyoung's house to look for his daughter, but Tiffany wasn't there. Sooyoung told him that her friend gone with Taehyung somewhere, but she hadn't said where.

"PLAAAAK!!!" Tiffany's father slapped Taehyung on his right cheek real hard until it left a red mark.

"Daddy! Don't!" Tiffany grabbed her father's hand that was about to give another slap on Taehyung's face. "It's not only Taehyung's fault. It's my fault too!"

Tiffany's father looked at his daughter furiously. "Don't think I forgot that you're also at fault, young lady."

Tiffany let go her clutch. She knew her father was totally furious.

"I-I'm really sorry...." Taehyung's cheeks swollen, and his bottom lip bled since he accidentally bit it when Tiffany's father slapped his face. He looked at the old man before him. Taehyung knew he was guilty and he took the beating since he knew he deserved it. But he refused to bow his head and stare at the ground. He was sorry, but he didn't regret anything.

"Get out and don't ever think you can see my daughter ever again. You're lucky I didn't report you to the police for kidnapping my daughter."

"Daddy! Taehyung didn't kidnap me. We... We were trapped in a rain." Tiffany shouted.

"And what did this bastard do to you?" Her father shot a glare.

Tiffany was staggered. She couldn't tell her father what had happened last night. "Daddy!" She could only desperately shouted.

"Listen to me," Mr. Hwang hissed at his daughter, "from now on, you can't see this bastard again. You're moving out to California."

Tiffany and Taehyung gasped.

"Daddy! I don't want to move to Cali. I want to stay here!" Tiffany really felt like crying.

"You have no right to object. You're leaving this week!"

Tiffany couldn't hold her anguish, sorrow, and frustration ever again. Her tears rolled down by themselves without anyone commanded them. That young girl ran to her bedroom and outpoured all her sadness through her tears on her pillow.

Taehyung blamed himself for everything. If he hadn't taken Tiffany to Apsan Park, maybe they wouldn't have been trapped in a heavy rain. And if they hadn't been trapped in the rain, maybe they could've come home yesterday..., and they wouldn't have made love for the first time. And everything wouldn't have had to be tangled like this.

Taehyung curseyed in front of Tiffany's father. "I am really sorry.... But please don't punish Tiffany like this. It is all my fault."

Mr. Hwang glowered at that boy. "I'll let you know something you should've known before." He whispered one sentence that instantly sent shiver to Taehyung's spine.[]

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