Tae Men
"Unnie, do you know that guy?" Tae Men-Ki asks.
I am driving him home after a long, draining day. He's scrolling through his phone, looking up stats on Kang Il much to my increasing ire.
"I wouldn't say that I know him; he's just a client."
Now. If you add the word 'now' to that sentence, it would ring true.
"He seems to know you."
"He's probably just good at reading people."
"I'm surprised you accepted a job like this."
Me too kid.
"It's a favor for a different client," I admit.
My hands are tight on the wheel as I think about Gar Yung-Hee's pleading request for help with her husband's employee.
Had I known it would bring that man back into my life, would I have accepted the contract?
"He's a great player; single too."
I let out a groan as I pull in front of our house and park the car.
"How much did Eomeoni pay you to mention that?"
"Two nights of dishes."
"You could've gotten a week from her," I grumble.
"Really?!"
"You were robbed."
"But—"
"You can tell our mother that I am far too busy to consider dating someone right now."
My mother's increasing efforts to find me a husband were admirable. Almost daily I had a sibling, aunt, uncle, grandparent, or parent of a single male friend mentioning to me an eligible bachelor that would be 'just perfect' for me.
I had been on numerous blind dates this last year and hadn't found any of them agreeable.
"You're the most agreeable person in the world and 'Insert Date's Name here' still wasn't good enough?" Was probably the most repeated sentence in our household.
"Will you get to meet any of the other players?"
"Are you asking for the purpose of finding me a husband or so you can get some autographs?"
"Autographs."
"Fair enough. I'm going to the stadium on Friday to watch the game."
"Can I come with?"
"Will you ask me about going on a date?"
"No."
"Then yes."
He lets out a whoop and runs into the house, his backpack swinging as he runs and I slump down in the driver's seat and set my head on the steering wheel.
I think about today's events and the reappearance of Kang Il after so many years.
"I'm 29; the last time I saw him in person was on our 13th birthday, so it's been 16 years since we last saw one another?" The numbers in my head cause my eye to twitch.
I lean back and open my phone, pulling up a search engine and I search Kang Il's name.
The now infamous duck article immediately pulls up, but I switch to the photo search and stare at Kang Il's rookie photo. There weren't many flattering photos of the elusive Kang Il, and the ones that did appear were mostly of him walking his dogs, but his rookie photo allowed me to look at him and remember the boy I once knew without fear he'd pull my innermost thoughts out with his stern glare.
The photo was 6 years old, and his haircut had changed styles, but his eyes and the dangerous smirk on his lips hadn't changed from when we were teenagers. His face seemed even sterner these days, any trace of humor was gone and hard lines had been added to his face and physique.
Presumably from working as a professional athlete for the last 10 years...
"You seem even more serious these days, Carcar."
The old nickname falls from my lips and my hand reaches up and touches my mouth.
Car Taeyang really is Kang Il...
"You left me behind and fulfilled all of your dreams; And I have reached nearly all of mine. Now all that is left is unanswered questions that had been plaguing me since you disappeared."
I look up at my house, remembering the days when a younger version of myself had brought a broken Kang Il home after a misadventure in the park caused some scraped knees and tears.
I let out a grumble as I catch my mother's watchful eye. She motions for me to come inside the house. I nod and climb out of the vehicle, memories of the day I last saw my childhood friend on the front steps fresh in my mind
***
The First Day of 8th Grade | 16 years ago
"You're sure your mom won't mind?"
I laugh at my friend's nervousness, "Taeyang, you've been at my house everyday over break. I think she'd be more worried if you didn't come over for dinner on our birthday!"
"Yeah, but I don't want to be a burden."
Car Taeyang and I's first day of 8th grade was now also marked as our 13th birthday. Every couple of years, it happened that the first day of school was synonymous with the day of our births and ever since we had first met 6 years ago, we spent it together.
"You're not a burden, you're my friend."
Car Taeyang grabs my arm before we enter into the porch of my house.
"Minifred, what if I don't want to be your friend?"
I look at him, mimicking insult, "Then I'd be forever crushed that you think I'm not good enough to be your friend, Car Taeyang."
"That's not what I mean, Minnie."
"Then what do you—"
Before the words can finish falling from my lips, Car Taeyang presses his lips against mine and I freeze as he kisses me.
He pulls back after only a second and I can feel the blush on my cheeks rapidly reddening.
The door opens and I look over in shock as my mother's smiling face looks out at us, "Car Taeyang, Tae Men, hurry on inside! We have cake and seaweed soup waiting on you!"
She ushers us in and I try to act as normally as I can.
***
I blink as the memory hits my mind and I move my hands to my face, the threat of a blush touching me.
"Why am I blushing over that? It happened so long ago. It's not like I haven't kissed a man since then. Besides, I'm sure my Car Taeyang doesn't even—"
He's not yours. And he's not Car Taeyang anymore. Why he changed his name, I'm not sure, but he's Kang Il now.
I pat my cheeks and try to shake him from my thoughts.
"Kang Il left my life a long time ago. He's been plenty busy since he left, I'm sure," I amend my statement and enter the house, memories threatening to plague me for the rest of the day.
Bu Seok
"I just finished up my meeting with Miss Tae. I'll go to the shoot tomorrow with her to see Kang Il's personal life, but other than that I'll be finishing up my most recent script scene," I explain.
Du Shin-Il lets out a grunt of agreement, his stoic nature apparent even over the phone, "Miss Jones confirmed the press conference schedule so we'll be at that this week."
"Has Lee—"
"No updates on my end."
I let out a swear and shake my head at my friend's foolishness.
"Anyways, I should be going. I told Miss Jones I would fetch the next installment in Sj's book series from the library café over west of the river."
"Library café?"
"Yeah, it's pretty popular."
"Where is it again?"
Du Shin-Il rattles off the address and I nod, "I'm in that neighborhood already. I can stop and grab the book. I need to sit and work on some stuff anyways."
"Are you sure?"
"I can handle it."
"Fine, I'll send you the information. Thanks."
Du Shin-Il and I end the call.
I catch a taxi to the address Du Shin-Il sent and arrive in front of a modern building. The black building has a patio out front with an awning covered in vines. A large chalkboard sits outside the building listing the specials of the day and I let out a snort at the caricature drawn on the front. It's a small dinosaur with a funny saying coming out of its angry face.
"Cute," I mumble.
I enter the bookstore and am surprised at the modern exterior. Despite the exterior's clean look and lines, I was expecting a more traditional interior like most other bookstores in the area. But instead, the shop was full of natural light, glass and metal bookshelves showcasing different genres. A wall of plants offset for a sleek marble bar selling coffee and treats is in the center of the building and more chalkboards with different menu items highlighted stands out as the centerpiece. Despite the time, the coffee shop has a steady flow of customers waiting patiently, or in one kid's case, ever so impatiently.
"Eomeoni, I want to get the dino cookie," a little girl whines.
"Be patient, Winnie. We have to wait our turn."
Wanting to see what the hype is about, I hop in line and scan the colorful menus looking for something to try.
A simple vanilla chai latte catches my eye and I patiently wait and watch as the line in front of me slowly diminishes.
The woman in front of me makes her order for a small coffee, dino cookie, and a milk steamer, but I watch as the barista apologizes as they had sold out of the last one.
The little girl begins to cry at the news and the mother looks down at her with a sad expression.
"I'm sorry!"
"Wait!" At the shout, everyone in the coffee shop turns and I watch as a woman comes sliding through with a stack of pastry boxes.
She whips past and slides the boxes down the counter, gracefully leaping over the counter and moving over, an apron flying out of nowhere.
"Catie-Lee!" the barista admonishes.
"What?" the woman pats her eyes innocently.
Catie-Lee I presume?
"You can't do that!" she hisses.
"I think the boss will be fine with it," the woman chuckles.
She turns to the little girl whose eyes are still welling with tears.
"A dino cookie you say?"
Catie Lee's accent is strange, a mix of native and foreigner. She leans across the counter and sends a sly smile at the small child, "I think I might have seen one or two in the box of pastries I just brought over. Shall I check?"
"Yes, please," the small girl smiles shyly as she hides behind her mother's leg.
Catie-Lee unties the twine around the pink boxes and makes an exaggerated effort to search diligently through the boxes for the 'dino cookies.' After a minute she lets out a dramatic gasp and pulls out two cookies and hands them to the mother.
"Oh, I just needed one!"
"One's on the house," Catie Lee grins.
"Catie—"
"The boss won't mind; trust me." Catie rolls her eyes, and the mother thanks her.
After finishing the transaction, I am left at the front of the line and come face to face with Catie-Lee who is dismissing her coworker to go on break.
Catie-Lee is what most would consider an exotic beauty. She's got hair to her shoulders, the tips bleached a bright platinum blonde. Her wide face and small nose are fairly average, but her bright eyes stick out. Not brown, not black, her dark gray eyes twinkle with laughter as she turns to me to take my order.
All of the air leaves my lungs as I meet her eyes and she sends me a dazzling smile.
"How can I help you?"
I open my mouth to tell her my drink choice or a smooth line of some sort, but nothing but the noise a dying whale would make as its life flashes before its eyes is all that comes out.
"Are you okay?"
Her gray eyes widen and she raises her eyebrows at me, a smirk hitting her lips.
"Uhh-I—I mean... DINO COOKIE!" I manage to get out with a yelp;.
She stares at me, a little taken aback at my sudden increase in volume.
"You want a dino cookie?"
"Uh, yes. Sure. Uh huh. That sounded cool. Who doesn't like dinosaurs?"
She blinks.
"And a small vanilla chai latte," I mumble, looking down at my feet. I shuffle awkwardly and reach for my wallet.
"Alrighty then. Your name?"
"It's uh—"
"You don't know your own name?" She smiles.
"It's uh Bu—"
"Catie-Lee!"
At the interruption, she turns her head and I watch as a tall gentleman the age of my father enters the bookstore and heads directly towards her. Her face lights up in a smile and she hands me my drink and pastry bag without a second thought. She hops over the counter again, gracefully leaping like a track star and runs towards the man, jumping in his arms.
I deflate, the moment to introduce myself and ask for her number now gone as she chatters away excitedly with the newcomer. I take my purchases and rather than settling down to write like I had originally planned, I quickly pick up the book Sj needed, pay, and exit the bookstore, one bubbly barista still on my mind.
Kang Il
We'll be arriving to the address you sent shortly.
Tae Men's message was short and to the point. No nonsense, no personality, no feeling. I let out a huff and Mongoose wags his tail as I stand up and go to wait by the front door to let Tae Men and the photography team in.
Today they would be taking 'stock' photos of my home and life to use for my new social media pages. Tae Men insisted we make my pages as 'comfortable' as possible, but the very idea of having her invade my sanctuary made my skin crawl.
Even as kids, she had never been to my house. We only spent time at hers, the library, or school.
The memory of her family's bustling and overflowing home makes mine feel sterile now, but I know that it was still pretty cozy for a bachelor pad. At least that's what my housekeeper told me when she was hired.
A white SUV pulls up in front of the house and I see Tae Men behind the wheel. She stares up at my house and back down at her phone as though she was in a state of disbelief at the scene. She shakes her head and I hold in a grin at the befuddled look on her face.
She hops out of the car and talks into her phone, looking around the quiet street, waiting.
Moments later, a second car pulls up and a group of young men joins her on the street. Hugs and handshakes are exchanged and my stomach dips as I watch a man rustle Tae Men's hair.
Is that her boyfriend?
She fixes her tousled hair and glares up at the man, instead giving him a hug and a quick punch to his arm. He rubs his arm and I smirk at her action.
I remember when I taught you how to punch back then.
The group of people start towards my home and I leave my house to go down into the garden and let them in. Mongoose follows as a close distance and he walks quietly, his paws padding against the ground.
I unlatch the white wooden gate and welcome the group into my front garden.
"Mr. Kang, thank you for welcoming us to your home," Tae Men says diplomatically.
I shrug, simultaneously wanting to welcome her personally and also to kick out the group of strangers who were invading.
"No problem. What do you need to do first?"
Tae Men eyes me. Her face is passive, but her eyes give away the intense curiosity she has for my home.
Somethings haven't changed. Will you finally tell me that you recognize me today or will you keep pretending?
"The team will scout out possible photo opportunities and, whoa!"
Tae Men lets out a gasp as Mongoose leans forward and burrows his graying head into the back of her knees, causing her to fall forward. I reach out and grab her before she can fall and with my actions, end up sweeping her off my feet and into my arms.
In a single breath, she is in my arms, staring at me in disbelief, and I her.
A click of a camera comes and Tae Men and I look over to see a familiar face staring at us with a mischevious grin on his face.
"Unnie, wait till Eomeoni hears—"
Tae Men struggles in my arms and I set her down carefully. She smooths her skirt and lets out a huff as she glares at me and then the photographer.
"Tae Moon, if you show Eomeoni that I'm showing her the photo of you and Yun Goo at karaoke."
Tae Moon, you haven't changed a bit.
I hold in a smirk as Tae Men's younger brother lets out a shudder and grabs her hand, pleading with her apologetically.
"Unnie, I'm sorry, I didn't mean—"
"Don't mess with me today."
"I it your monthly?"
She lets out a snarl and rears back to punch him again. He whimpers as she makes contact with his pec and I wince in sympathy.
"Tae Moon, your Unnie is so awesome," one of the other guys crows.
Tae Moon pouts and rubs his chest as Tae Men turns back to me and tucks a non-existent piece of hair behind her ear.
"Excuse them; I hired my brother as the photographer as I thought he'd appreciate a bone, but maybe—"
"Unnie—"
"It's fine," I state. "Tae Moon, good to see you again."
Tae Moon looks at me and his eyes widen in recognition.
"Unnie is that?"
"Kang Il, from the Seoul Eagles? Yes."
Tae Men's tone is fierce as she stares Tae Moon down.
"But—"
"Let's head inside."
"Mongoose, come." I nod my head in the direction of the house where Rhino and Turtle are barking as well and the faithful dog leads the group into my house.
We enter the hallway and rather than taking the slippers I had set out by the door, the camera crew pulls boot covers out and places them on their shoes. I look down at Tae Men's pointy heels and she comes to the same realization that I do, the boot covers aren't a viable option. She slides them off and gracefully accepts the pair of light purple slippers I had purchased for her.
Just in case.
"Thank you."
"How many dogs do you have?" Tae Moon asks.
"Three."
"Are they all golden retrievers?"
I shake my head, "Just Mongoose. Rhino is a mix and Turtle is—"
At the mention of their names, my pets bark from their corral in the kitchen.
"Turtle is a bulldog."
Tae Men's nose twitches and I hold in a smirk.
"A bulldog?" Tae Moon asks. "Really?"
"They're all rescues; Turtle was rescued from a pure-bred puppy mill, Rhino from a dog fighting arena, and Mongoose—" My stomach curdles at the memories, but I shake them away.
"And Mongoose found me."
My guests nod in understanding, but Tae Men remains silent and still. Her jaw is clenched and she's staring at the wall, once again refusing to meet my eyes.
"Shall I give you a tour?"
"Sure. Do you live here alone? Anyone we would need to have sign photo release forms?"
"Just me."
"Will your parents be around to take photos of them?" Tae Men asks, beginning to look around the living space.
My stomach clenches and I shake my head, "It's just me."
I lead them around the house and point out the guest rooms and home gym. On the front side of my house is a study with a wall full of books, the spines facing away from view. The room has a couple of different action shots from my career hanging in matte black frames and the few photos I have left of my childhood are carefully frames next to different pieces of art I had gathered over the last couple of years.
What will she think about pictures from our past hanging on my walls even still?
Tae Men ignores the photographs but instead stares at a particular piece hanging inside a photo box with a look of confusion. Her confusion isn't surprising to me as to anyone other than myself, the story is hidden from view. The scrap of cardboard with stains and scratches in it probably seemed like an odd decorating choice, but it was the most important thing in my home after my dogs.
Tae Men stares at the piece for a second before turning to the books and reaching out. I grab her wrist before she can look at the cover.
"What?" She asks, staring at me.
"What are you doing?" I murmur, my voice soft as I take in her reaction to my touch.
She furrows her brow, "Reading is a great conversation piece to establish rapport with your fan base. Giving them an idea of what you spend your time reading—"
"I don't read them. They're just for decoration," I lie.
I look over at the wall and point at the pages facing us, "Why else would the spines be facing the wall?"
"I thought—"
"I don't read so that's not necessarily something you can film. It would give people the wrong idea."
"Alright," she huffs. She pulls her wrist from my grasp and points her thumb over her shoulder at the art on the walls. "What about you telling the story behind your art?"
"My decorator chose them," I lie again. "Besides, would people really want to know the story behind those pictures?"
I cock my brow and point at the photos. She steps closer and looks at them carefully. Ever so subtly I hear her let out a small gasp. At the noise, her brother walks over to see what she's staring at. He whispers something in her ear, and she excuses herself from my study, claiming she was going to get some close ups of my weight room, before leaving.
I sigh and walk over to the photos.
I stare at the photo that had caused her to gasp.
Tae Men is posing for the camera, a first-place ribbon in her hands, as she holds it out proudly. I'm standing next to her and staring at her as she exuberantly cheers over our surprise win of the three-legged race. The photo was from grade school, the first year I had known the piece of sunshine that was Tae Men.
"You are Car Taeyang," Tae Moon says.
I nod.
"Is that a problem?"
"Not for me."
"For her? Is she ever gonna stop pretending she doesn't recognize me?"
Tae Moon lets out a sigh and walks forward until he's standing next to me in front of the wall of memories, "That depends."
"On what exactly?"
"If she thinks you're gonna forget her and leave her behind again if I had to guess."
His words sting my soul and I grunt, nodding as I realize that reconnecting with Tae Men and her family would most definitely require me to reveal what had happened in the last 15 years since I had last seen Tae Men on the porch of her house, stealing her first kiss and giving her mine.
"I did leave her behind; but I never, not for a moment, forgot Tae Men."