The Taste Of Ink | Taekook | ENG

27. STARS IN YOUR EYES

"I don't know what your friend has in him, but Yoo is totally in love with him," Yerim suddenly said and laughed heartily. Her voice was soft and melodic. "After you left that night, she only talked about him the whole time," she added.

Jeongguk looked up and for a moment their eyes crossed. Yerim's gaze was tender, but he saw a strange note in it as well, as if the woman hadn't told him everything in her head, waiting for him to open up to her. For a moment it crossed his mind that maybe Yoo had told her something that made Yerim think, and in an instant a million thoughts and memories of that day were flashing through his mind. He quickly analyzed whether he had done or said anything that might sound ambiguous. But what the hell could have been ambiguous for a six-year-old girl?

"Yoo said he has... red hair?" the woman continued, marking her last words with a great deal of uncertainty, as if she was not entirely convinced about the truthfulness of her daughter's words.

"Y-yeah. He has... very unique style," he replied quickly, moistening his lips nervously.

"Yes!" Yoo squeaked. "Tae has hair like Zola!" she added proudly in support of her words.

How would Jeongguk even know who Zola is?!

He smiled embarrassed, praying that the girl would stop talking about Tae.

"And he has coloring too! Lots of coloring. And he said that when I grow up, he would do it to me too. I want one on my hands. Same as Tae has!" she continued, clearly not intending to keep this wonderful information to herself.

Speaking of Taehyung's tattoos, she herself began to glide her hands on the smooth skin of her arms. Yerim drew her perfect eyebrows together, not quite understanding what her daughter meant.

"What coloring?" she asked confused.

"Tae said these were tattoos," she explained, proudly raising her chin. 

"Ah, tattoos? Oh, it really has to be a special boy," the brunette replied, turning her gaze to Jeongguk again.

The boy looked embarrassed. He clearly avoided her gaze, a little nervously finishing the braid on Yoo's hair.

"He's Jimin's friend," he said quickly, still not looking at her. "You know how crazy he is," he added, as if to confirm the truth of his words.

Yerim muttered softly in acknowledgment. In fact, Jeongguk was right. She had met Jimin a few years ago and had to admit that the young millionaire was very entertaining. That's why Lisa hated him so much. Yerim on the contrary. Park was pretty crazy, but Yerim had always thought he was a great friend, and she also knew that it was largely thanks to him that Jeongguk came out of his shell.

Having such a "rare specimen" like the red-haired man among his friends would surely fit in with the image of Park, Yerim had the opportunity to meet. But she couldn't hold back one memory that suddenly popped into her head...

She saw this man...

And not with Jimin. She was almost convinced that the boy her daughter was talking about was the same boy she saw at the clinic... How many men in Seoul have blood-red dyed hair and tattoos on their skin? In addition, her daughter was telling the truth, this boy was really beautiful.

But why would Park's friend want to visit Jeongguk so late, and how would he know so quickly that the boy was taken to the hospital?

She felt that there was more to this story. Something Gguk doesn't want or isn't ready to tell her. For a moment she wondered if the brunet knew about this visit at all. She knew that only Jin and Lisa had seen Jeongguk that night. Knowing their family, probably no one who did not get permission from them, could enter to visit Gguk. Perhaps he didn't even know the boy was there.