Art of Deceit

II

CHAPTER TWO
Art

"I'm so sorry-"

"Jina." My brother called out my name before I could finish. He walked towards me with a plateful of food and furrowed brows. Taehyung seemed a little relieved for some reason, almost like he dreaded hearing those words of sympathy.

"How do you have the stomach to eat right now?" I asked with an incredulous look painted on my face.

"I don't." Jimin shook his head, "Mrs Lee insisted that I grabbed something." He replied as his fingers pushed around the sandwiches on his plate. "Anyway, what's going on here?" He looked up from his plate and glanced at the both of us on the swing.

"Nothing." I breathed out, eyes drifting back to Taehyung.

My brother's gaze then shifted to Taehyung as his eyes softened. "Taehyung, I'm really sorry." He said as Taehyung simply nodded, his stare dropping to the ground after hearing those words.

"And mum's looking for you." Jimin said to me as he motioned towards the house.

"I'll be there in a bit." I said and with a nod, my brother walked away. I turned to look at Taehyung who was staring at his feet in a daze and my heart sank into a strong pool of regret. I couldn't leave him alone, he was completely broken.

A part of me felt obligated to stay with him since I could've prevented all this pain. Or at least that was what I thought, that if I had answered that call a month ago, Yeona wouldn't have gone missing to begin with.

Little whispers grasped my attention and I noticed a few students talking amongst themselves, not having the decency to be subtle about who they were talking about. Their pointed fingers were directed at Taehyung and I feel him sink into the swing a little more.

"People can be so stupid sometimes." I muttered under my breath with the shake of my head and a bitter chuckle leaves his lips.

"You think?" He said, arching an eyebrow as he looked at me. "I think it's time I leave." He breathed out as he stood up, the chains of the swing rattling against each other as he moved away.

"Oh." I stood up right after, "so soon?" I questioned, not sure if it was the most appropriate question.

"Yea, I'm not a fan of the gossip." He shook his head, raking his fingers through his slightly dishevelled hair. "Do you want to come?" He offered and I choked up a little.

"Me?" I stupidly ask, brows knitting together in bewilderment.

"Yea," a smile tugged onto his lips upon seeing my reaction. "You've been out here the entire time, even though Jimin called you in. Just thought you weren't really keen on going back in." He said as he tried studying my posture.

He wasn't entirely wrong. This was the last place I wanted to be. I didn't want to have to face Yeona's parents, acting like I knew nothing about her disappearance.

"Okay." It slipped out my lips without much consideration.

"Where are we going?" I spoke out after a long silence between us.

"I don't really know." He chuckled inwardly, the baritone of his voice sending a shiver of warmth surge through my body. "Oh, I know somewhere." His eyes lit up a little and silence fell upon us once more.

He drove far out and my doubts started crawling it's way into me, realising how I had just followed someone I barely knew, blindly. He took a sharp turn into Woods Field, a slightly forested area and instead of feeling anxious, a feeling of serenity washed over me as I looked at the scenic beauty unfold before me.