𝙇𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙃𝙤𝙩𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙚 𝘾𝙖𝙡𝙡 : ̗̀➛𝙎𝙞𝙢 𝙅𝙖𝙠𝙚

𝟏𝟖

She grabs her sling bag and sprints towards the front door in a frenzy, not caring about the unfinished drinks and other items on the table.

The only thing that runs through her head is the phrase that she never stops saying to herself, "Get out of here right now."

She walks out of the restaurant with a squint in her eyes, knowing that they had noticed her presence.

She feels a surge of adrenaline once she hears footsteps approaching from behind her because she is certain that somebody is following her.

❝Excuse me miss, you forgot your wallet,❞

Jake's voice is audible behind her.

She has no choice except to turn her back on him, bow before his feet, and avoid making eye contact with him.

Instead of releasing his hold on the pink wallet that was nestled in his palm, he tightened his hand around it even more.

The expression of perplexity can be seen on Soohyeon's face when she raises her eyes to look at him.

He only gives her a glance and a clumsy smile. Although she has attempted to avoid eye contact, she has been unsuccessful.

He starts rubbing the back of his neck, asking,

❝Sorry ma'am, but can you do me a favour and repay me a thank you afterwards?❞

Soohyeon exactly knows what he's planning, which of course, she will do anything to avoid. So she just bows and does simple hand gestures so he can understand it.

❝I❞ She points at herself. ❝Can't❞ She forms a cross/ X sign. ❝Talk❞ She uses her hands to form duck lips with a talking movement.

❝I can understand sign language ma'am, you can do that it's easier.❞

He smiles at her cheekily.

She just shakes her head and looks down in embarrassment. She looks over at her purse, the perfect time to snatch it since it is loose in his grip.

She removes the object from his grasp and walks away without a second thought.

Jake doesn't appear to be following her anymore, much to her surprise, since she hasn't heard any footsteps behind her.

To be sure, she takes a look around her, but there is no sign of Jake anywhere. She exhales a breath of relief as she celebrates her victory.

She begins going towards the bus stop, which is directly in front of the restaurant where she had been dining previously.

As she settles on the chair, she is startled by the sound of her phone ringing. It appears on her screen that someone is calling her by the name 'Office.'

She responds immediately and without hesitation as it might be an important call from one of her colleagues, or they've changed numbers.

❝Hello? Who is this?❞

She asks.

There is a brief moment of silence before someone eventually answers the phone.

❝Take a look at this person who is mute and can't even communicate using sign language.❞

Jake's voice can be heard in the background and in the line.

Soohyeon heaves a hesitant breath as she opens her eyes and turns around warily. They look at one another once more, but this time the exchange is intense.

❝Nice to meet you, Soohyeon.❞