The Double

ℱ𝑜𝓇𝓉𝓎-𝒪𝓃𝑒 (𝒻𝒾𝓃𝒶𝓁)

What? I stare at my phone, then at the door. When I reach out to open it, I note clincially that my fingers are trembling. Taehyung is sitting next to my mother, holding her hands. They both look up at me, twin expressions of surprise on their faces.

"Taehyung?"

This is weird. This is very weird because Taehyung is supposed to be in Korea doing movie-star things, not here in my mom's long-term care home, dressed in jeans and a white T-shirt.

I want to rush across the room but my feet step backward into the hall as I frown at them. Why is he here, alone with Eomma?

Taehyung's eyes track my progress, and he must think I'm about to make a run for it because he gives Eomma's hands a squeeze before walking across the room to stand in front of me. "Suzy."

I don't know what to say. I don't even know where to look because I can't focus through my newly blurry eyes. Shit. I'm crying. Taehyung reaches out to run his thumb across my cheekbone, and when I don't move, he comes a bit closer.

"I'm sorry," I whisper. He ducks down to hear me. "Taehyung, I'm so sorry."

"Why?" Taehyung looks astonished. "I should apologize to you. I gave up after you left in the café because I'm a stubborn fool."

"I don't think I was in the mood to listen."

"Maybe not but I should have tried harder."

This is not a productive discussion so I turn to the more salient point. "I don't understand why you're here. In my mom's room?"

He takes such a deep breath that it whooshes out when he exhales and he closes his eyes.

"Taehyung?" I don't know how many more butterflies will fit in my chest before they burst out.

"Eoseo," he whispers, opening his eyes. "Come on, Tae. You can do it."

"What?"

Taehyung takes my face in his hands and silences me with a kiss that travels down to my toes. "I think I'm falling in love with you," he says in a rush. "No, I know I am. I should have told you sooner."

I feel the blood rush to my face under his touch.

"I'm here because I missed you. I needed to see you." He runs his hands down my arms. "Duna told me about her visit and that you had my number but you never called. I couldn't stand it. I thought I might see you here, to talk in person."

"Here?" I echo.

"I wanted to see your mother as well. I can't be her brother, but I can be a friend."

Eomma's voice calls out from behind him. "Taehyungie knows my old neighborhood. He remembers the noodle house." Eomma watches us with huge eyes and a smile that says maybe she understands what Taehyung is to me.

Taehyung wraps his arm around me. "It's the best I can do for her."

"Thank you." All I do is thank him.

"Maybe you two should go and talk." Another voice comes from the hallway. It's Duna, wearing a determined expression and holding a bouquet of daylilies.

"Duna?"

She looks over my shoulder to Eomma. "I talk to Appa today. Just now." Her voice wavers. "It's true, what you said. He won't tell me the whole story but I don't want to lose any more time with my mother."

"I understand."

"I should have told you before I came but . . ." Her voice trails off. "I wasn't thinking."

I give her a hug. "She's your mother, too."

Eomma has already risen out of her chair, her arms outstretched and her face alight. Both of us go and embrace her. "You look like my little girl," she whispers. Then she begins to speak in Korean. Thanks to my app, I'm getting better but Taehyung has to translate because although Duna opens her mouth, no words come out.