The Taste of Tears (VFany Fanfiction)

Chapter 14

“She isn’t good enough for you, hyung.”

“And I’m not even good enough for a girl like her.”

Jungkook snorted. “You’ve been blinded by love, Hyung. There’s a reason why Tiffany threw herself to a lowlife man like Seonghwa.”

Taehyung glanced at his dongsaeng. “What do you think about us, Kook? Do you think we’re better than Tiffany and Taeyeon? Look at what we’ve done all these years. We beat up people, we extort them, we ransack clubs, restaurants, and cafes. We do dirty jobs, what makes you think we’re better than them?”

“But we don’t sleep with anyone for money. That’s the difference, Hyung.” Jungkook glared.

Taehyung sighed heavily. He couldn’t deny that his heart was hurt. “Tiffany is just an orphan, she has no family who can protect her. She’s just like us. She got trapped in a very bad situation. She might’ve chosen the wrong door to enter….” Taehyung still tried to understand how life could lead such a kindhearted woman like Tiffany to the darkest pit in this city. “She happened to choose the wrong man to give her shelter.”

“But her friend doesn’t sleep with Seonghwa just to get some money.” Jungkook scoffed.

“Geumanhaera,” it was too painful for Taehyung to even hear it from Jungkook.

“Where do you think you can take her, Hyung? Seonghwa’s henchmen are everywhere. That man is capable of doing horrible things. He will hunt you and kill you, Hyung.” Jungkook stared at Taehyung perplexedly. “There’s no way you can run away from a mob like him.”

“What do you know about Lee Seonghwa?” This is the information that Taehyung needed to hear from Jungkook. His youngest dongsaeng still worked for Bang Shi Hyuk. Mobs knew each other. Jungkook was in the right place to get all the information Taehyung needed.

“Lee Seonghwa owns several night clubs, not only in Korea, but also in Hongkong. He also has some illegal business such as counterfeit branded products and sells them abroad. You know, Hyung, Lee Seonghwa owes Mr. Bang 100 million won, aren’t you wondering why he doesn’t pay his debt even though he has more money than 100 million? And he isn’t worried although we’ve ransacked his club twice. You know why?”

Taehyung didn’t give any answers.

“Namjoon-hyung told me that Lee Seonghwa has connections in the government. He bribes all dirty cops he could find. He hires our competitor to secure his illegal business. After you left us, cops came to fetch Yoongi hyung and everyone who was involved in the chaos at XX club.”

Taehyung got startled. “Yoongi hyung got arrested?”

Jungkook nodded. “I was lucky I wasn’t at the headquarter that time. Mr. Bang had to spend a lot of money to get Yoongi hyung and the others out. And that is what Lee Seonghwa wanted us to know; that he is not just an ordinary man one could mess around with.”

Taehyung sighed. He didn’t know Lee Seonghwa was that powerful. He only read from the file-folder Mr. Bang gave him that Lee Seonghwa and Mr. Bang had an agreement to smuggle illegal human organs two years ago. They earned more than three hundred million won from that illegal business, but Seonghwa betrayed Mr. Bang. They should’ve halved the money equally, but Seonghwa took the other one hundred million won for himself. That was why Mr. Bank assigned Taehyung, Jungkook, and Yoongi to dun the money from him.

“Do you still want to run away with Tiffany?” Jungkook asked.

Taehyung looked at his favorite dongsaeng. “Yes. I want Tiffany to have a better life. I want to save her from someone like Lee Seonghwa.”

“I can’t forbid you, can I Hyung?”

“That’s not why I asked you to come here, Kook.”

Jungkook leered. “So what is it?”

Taehyung leaned forward, he put his hand together like a pyramid. He glanced at Jungkook. “I need you to do something here while I’m gone.”

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The moon had never been this beautiful. It shone the dark night above their heads. The twinkling stars decorated the night sky by the River Han. They were standing facing that beautiful river where the moon, the stars, and the city lights were perfectly reflected on the water. Taehyung who was holding Tiffany’s hands secretly wished for the time to stop at that very moment. He could live this moment forever as long as Tiffany was always beside him.

“Fany-ah,” Taehyung let go off that girl’s hand only to hug her from behind.

Tiffany smiled, “eung?”

“Let’s move to Daegu.”

Tiffany stood still. Taehyung had asked her to leave somewhere else with him several times. She would’ve never hesitated to say yes to him, if only there weren’t Taeyeon and Seohyun here. Tiffany would’ve given up everything she had just to be with Taehyung—far away from Seoul, away from Lee Seonghwa. But she could never give Taeyeon and Seohyun up.

Tiffany looked down to see Taehyung’s hands that were holding her so tightly. Those were the hands of the man she loved. She wanted to hold those hands forever. She wanted to be able to feel more moments like this where there was nobody else existed but the two of them. Only the two of them.

“Are you worried about Taeyeon?” Taehyung whispered in her ear.

Tiffany nodded. And Seohyun too…. Tiffany said to herself. Until that moment, she still couldn’t tell Taehyung about Seohyun and that everything she did was to keep her alive. It had been five years since Seohyun went to her slumber without ever waking up. Even though Tiffany had sold her body and soul to a devil like Lee Seonghwa just to see Seohyun peacefully sleep in her eternal dream, she always believed that one day, Seohyun would open her eyes and come back to them again. And when that day finally came, Tiffany would gladly leave Lee Seonghwa. Her pain, sorrow, sadness, and indignation feeling were for Seohyun’s sake only. Tiffany sacrificed everything she had, including her last dignity, to save Seohyun from the hands of the death.

So how would Tiffany ever run away and leave Taeyeon and Seohyun here? Her heart was torn between Taehyung and her sworn sisters. And what would Lee Seonghwa do to Seohyun if Tiffany left him? Would he unplug her life support machine? Tiffany couldn’t bring herself to imagine it.

But she couldn’t live her life without Taehyung either…. That man had been all over her heart. Tiffany would rather die than to live without Taehyung. Taeyeon used to say, “Love is like a rose, it’s beautiful, but the thorns will pierce your fingers if you try to pick the flower.”

“Let’s get married in Daegu.” Taehyung kissed her hair. He held Tiffany more tightly. “Let’s not think about anything else.”[]