♟️PAWN♟️ || jjk×kth ||

Shock

He entered a nearby restaurant and they settled down at a table. He first ordered a pastry to calm her raging tummy a bit. When she started to dig in, he ordered pasta after asking her what she wanted to eat. He ordered egg fried rice for himself as he also started to feel hungry.

Jeongguk looked at her in awe when she gobbled down the pasta after it arrived. He always wondered where she put the food in her little tummy. She can eat almost everything and anytime, whenever you give her.

"Full?" He asked as she finished the last bite and she nodded her head.

"Not hungry anymore?" He asked and she shook her head, licking her lips.

"Wanna have a bite?" He asked when he saw her eyeing his egg fried rice.

She looked at him with her doe eyes and her signature innocent look. She used it when she wanted to have something without asking. Jeongguk chuckled and held a spoonful of fried rice near her mouth. She happily gulped it down.

"That was one and only bite." Jeongguk said as he did not want her to get sick. Thankfully, she nodded her head and proceeded to drink the water from her glass.

After paying the bill, Jeongguk felt something. He suddenly felt the need to use the washroom. He cursed in his head and looked at Choon Hee. Where would he leave her now? Then his eyes landed at the lady at the counter beside the man.

"Uh..excuse me." He called out and the lady looked up.

"Can you please keep her with you for five minutes? I need to go to the washroom." He said in a very polite tone. The lady looked at the little girl beside him.

"Sure. Why not?" She smiled at him, nodding her head. He felt relief.

"Please, take care of her. And I'm sorry for the trouble." He bowed his head a little.

"It's totally fine. Don't worry. She will be safe here." The lady understood his worry and assured him with a bright smile.

"Thank you so much." He bowed his head again and looked at his niece.

"Stay here, okay? Don't talk to anyone except her and don't go anywhere. I'll be back in three minutes." He cupped her face with his palms as he bent down in front of her.

"Okay." She nodded her head with a smile and he kissed her forehead after pulling his mask down, then stood up as he covered his face again.

As he walked towards the washroom, he turned his head again and again to look back at her. He never left her like that in a public place. When he did, his mother was always with her. But today, she was all alone with an unknown lady. He was feeling uneasy after leaving her like that. He cursed himself for his sudden urge to use the washroom.

After washing his hands, Jeongguk came out of the washroom and walked towards the counter of the restaurant. When he turned the corner, his eyes widened a little. He saw a man was talking to his niece as he crouching down in front of her and holding her hands. Although the counter lady was looking at them with a smile, Jeongguk became anxious and angry to see the man.

He hurriedly walked towards them, almost running. When he reached them, he pulled his niece towards himself and held her head, covering her face with his hands. She became happy to see him again and hugged his legs. The man stood up straight.

"Why are you talking to her?" Jeongguk glared at the man, more angry now, because he couldn't see the man's face because of the mask he was wearing.

"Hey, relax. I'm sorry if I made you worried. I don't have any bad intention." The man tried to reassure him as he shook his hands a little, in front of him. He understood what the guardian of the girl was thinking.