Etude of Memories

Chapter 38

"KIM TAEHYUNG!!!!"

Taehyung saw a flashing light that blinded his eyes for a few seconds. Some loud horns untuned his ears.

A man slammed his car door. "What were you thinking? Were you trying to get yourself killed?" He grabbed Taehyung and dragged him to the sidewalk.

"Hyung." Taehyung recognized that man. He was Youngjae, SM's head manager.

Youngjae exhaled. "If I hadn't hit my brake in time, I would've killed you!!! Is that what you want?"

Taehyung looked down. "I'm sorry, Hyung."

Youngjae looked at Taehyung. "Where are you going? I will take you there. Come."

Taehyung stared at his sunbae. He reluctantly got into his car.

"It's already late at night. Where are you going?" Youngjae glanced at his passenger.

"Nowhere...."

"Tiffany is going to get married tomorrow.... Are you...." Youngjae turned his car to the left. "Are you sure you will let her marry Jungkook?"

Taehyung took his eyeglasses out of his pocket and wore them. "I have nothing to do with Tiffany Hwang. She can marry anyone she likes."

"Don't lie to me. I know you love each other." Youngjae glanced again. "Hmm, since when you wear glasses?"

"Since yesterday."

Youngjae nodded. "Taehyung ah, it's not too late to win Tiffany back. I can see how much she loves you. Ever since you quit, she hasn't been the same again. She acts like she's happy with everything that happens in her life, but she only fakes it. I've worked with Tiffany for years, I know her well."

Taehyung didn't say anything. He just stared at his nails.

"It's not too late to change your mind, Kim Taehyung. But if you keep pretending that you can bare to lose her, then you will definitely lose her. Is that what you really want?"

"What I want is not important anymore. All I care is Tiffany's well being. And that's enough."

"Huh, I never knew you were this romantic." Youngjae laughed.

Taehyung looked outside his window. "Hyung, how long have you worked for SM?"

Youngjae glanced at Taehyung the third times. "Years. I joined SM three months after Tiffany debuted as an actress."

"Hyung, why did you assign me as Tiffany's manager when Yuri fell off the stairs?"

"Because you were perfect to fill in that position."

"You told Jungkook that the other managers weren't available to temporarily fill in for Yuri's position, but that's not true. There were at least three other managers that you could've chosen for Tiffany that time."

Youngjae laughed. "Why? Are you trying to blame me for your secret relationship with Tiffany? Do you think if I hadn't assigned you to her, you wouldn't have fallen in love with her?"

"No, I'm just curious..."

"Curious about?"

Taehyung looked at Youngjae. "I'm just curious why you're always there when Tiffany needs information about me. It might be too subtle to feel, but you'd always be the one who leads Tiffany to me."

Youngjae didn't say a word.

"That day when the bomb exploded, you were the only one who knew that I had left Tiffany there. And I just found out that the bomb was a time bomb that was activated by a cellphone. I think it had been planned there the whole time, and someone had waited for me to leave Tiffany inside the building. And I also heard that the only person who left the building after me was you. You left it a few minutes before the bomb exploded."