1RomanceEB Chapter 14 The Uncrossable Boundary
Chapter 14 The Uncrossable Boundary
"Ani, I genuinely wanted to treat you to the meal," Tiffany immediately corrected, her expression serious. "Introducing Taigu was also because I genuinely thought you two could get to know each other, but this matter is something I really want you to help me with."
She paused, her voice lowering, "You can refuse. This isn't your business, nor is it a burden that someone you've only known for two days should entrust to you. I just... really don't know who else to turn to."
Jiang Yan looked at Tiffany's clenched fists and a complex emotion suddenly welled up in his heart.
It's not that I don't want to help.
Rather, this matter is too serious.
Who is Kim Tae-yeon?
The leader of Girls' Generation, one of the pillars of K-POP, and the person standing at the top of the girl group pyramid.
Any little thing she does can trend on social media, and any wrong word she says can be magnified and interpreted a thousand times over.
If her inner state is truly as Tiffany fears, then it is an even more taboo subject that should not be touched by him, an outsider who has only been with the company for less than a week.
He was just a poor student from Busan who, by sheer luck, developed the ability to see through appearances. He helped Tiffany revise a song and, by sheer luck, got his ticket to SM Entertainment.
Now he's being asked to probe the mind of a top female team leader?
He and Kim Tae-yeon have only known each other for one meal, so what right does he have to judge her mental state?
Even if Tiffany is his benefactor and the person who gave him the opportunity, he cannot cross the line just because of a meal, a few clothes, or ten million in pocket money.
But the way this Nuna was behaving made it impossible for him to remain silent.
Alas, favors are hard to repay. I was too young and need to be more careful in this regard in the future.
Jiang Yan pondered for a moment, then looked up at Tiffany, "I did sense something."
Tiffany's breath hitched slightly upon hearing this, and she stared intently at Jiang Yan.
Seeing her like this, Jiang Yan quickly considered his words and blurted out, "But I'm not a psychologist, nor am I a wizard who can see through people's hearts. I just pay more attention to details than others when I'm making music."
"The singer's breath control, pronunciation, breathing rhythm, and emotional fluctuations—these things will turn into very specific images and colors in my mind."
"So I can hear that your arrangement is disconnected from you, because it's your voice and the accompaniment that tell me that."
"But Kim Tae-yeon sunbaenim... I only had a meal with her and exchanged less than twenty words with her. All I could sense was that she's someone who protects herself very well and doesn't easily let others into her world. Besides that, I really can't say anything more."
Tiffany's eyes dimmed slightly, but she quickly forced a smile and waved her hand, saying, "It was Nuna who was too presumptuous. Don't take it to heart. I was just inviting you to dinner, but I messed it up like this."
Jiang Yan lowered her eyes, avoiding looking at her expression. "It's okay, noona. You're just worried about Taeyeon noona."
Tiffany shook her head and didn't say anything more. She walked to the side of the road, hailed a taxi, put him in the back seat, and waved to him through the half-rolled-down window: "Go back and get some rest. Don't you have to pick up your sister tomorrow? By the way, don't think I was joking. If you need any help, be sure to call me."
"Yes, Nuna, good night."
The taxi slowly drove out of Apgujeong and merged into the ever-flowing river of cars in the night of Gangnam.
Neon lights flashed by outside the window like flowing water. Jiang Yan leaned back in his seat and let out a long breath.
The lump in my chest that had been blocking my chest all night was finally slowly dissipating.
He looked down at his hands, recalling the thick, deep blue mist in Kim Tae-yeon's heart, and the dark red threads wrapped around it.
Tiffany is right.
He did see it.
But he really had no other choice.
These eyes can see through the skeleton of a song and translate a singer's inexpressible feelings into technical parameters, but they cannot see through the mental walls a person has built over a decade, nor can they prescribe a cure for that darkness.
It was almost 11 o'clock when I got back to Hongdae 601.
Jiang Yan changed into slippers, turned on the living room light, and the warm yellow light shone into the empty room.
The Marine Corps license plate on the wall quietly reflected a faint light, as if waiting for him to come home.
He stood in front of the dog tag for a moment, then went into Kim Minjung's room to do a final check.
After he finished, he went to the kitchen to boil some water, made a cup of instant coffee, and then moved a chair to sit on the balcony.
The night breeze at the end of March was still cool, carrying moisture from the Han River. In the distance, the high-rise buildings of Yeouido were brightly lit, like a lighthouse that would never go out.
He took a sip of coffee and suddenly remembered that he hadn't offered incense to Old Jiang's military badge today.
So he got up again, rummaged through the TV cabinet and found a piece of sandalwood he had bought in Busan, and stuck it in the makeshift incense burner made from an aluminum can under the dog tag.
The match was struck, the orange-red flame flickered, the sandalwood incense was lit, and a wisp of white smoke rose up and slowly dispersed under the lamplight.
Jiang Yan took two steps back, looked at the wisp of smoke, and suddenly smiled.
"Dad, I saw Girls' Generation today."
"Not on TV, but in real life, sitting face-to-face eating together."
"Kim Tae-yeon and Tiffany, the two you used to say had really good singing voices."
He paused, then looked down at his toes.
"Tiffany told me to call her Noona, and she even gave me some pocket money, telling me not to dress too shabbily. She's a really nice person, unlike the kind of Seoulites you've described."
"Senior Kim Tae-yeon... She's not very talkative, but she told me at the end that if Min-jung needed vocal coaching, I could go to her."
"Look, your son is doing quite well in Seoul, isn't he?"
The sandalwood incense burned down to a small section, and the white ash fell silently to the bottom of the can.
Jiang Yan stared at the military tag for a long time, but ultimately swallowed back what he was about to say.
But Father, I saw some things today, things I don't quite understand, and I don't know if I should get involved.
When you were serving in the military in Busan, did you ever encounter someone who kept everything bottled up inside?
If so, how did you do it?
He didn't say these words aloud.
Old Jiang has been gone for almost two months. He has gotten used to talking to himself in front of the military license plate and has also gotten used to hiding some things that he shouldn't say.
Because he knew that Lao Jiang didn't like listening to his excuses.
The night wind rose again, scattering the last wisp of sandalwood incense.
Jiang Yan returned to the balcony, moved the chair forward, put his feet on the railing, and looked up at the night sky.
The next day at noon, Jiang Yan was woken up by his cell phone ringing.
I groggily reached for my phone, and the words "Min Kotaro" were flashing on the screen.
"Feed..."
"Oppa!!" Kim Minjung's clear voice was like a small bomb, waking him from his sleep. "Why are you still sleeping! It's already 11:40!!"