Taehyung was driving with Chaeyoung to Paladra. After he broke up with her, he rarely visited the restaurant unlike before. Lisa was his cousin but she was also Chaeyoung's best friend. And he knew that Chaeyoung needed her more during their break up. So for Chaeyoung's sake, he chose to stay away from Lisa for a while. But now, it suddenly occurred to him how much he had missed dining there. So he invited Chaeyoung to have dinner at the place.
Chaeyoung went inside the restaurant first while Taehyung was looking for a space to park. When she came inside, she roamed her eyes around looking for Lisa.
"Chaeyoung!! Over here!" Lisa called, waving a hand at her.
Chaeyoung waved back. She was about to walk over to Lisa when she felt a hand touched her lower back. She looked behind her and saw a happy Taehyung.
"I really missed coming here." Taehyung leaned as he whispered to her ear.
"It looks like you've missed quite a lot of things." She whispered back.
Taehyung pulled back and looked straight into her eyes as he answered, "You bet I did."
Chaeyoung pushed him gently and proceeded to Lisa's location. Lisa was sitting at the far end of the restaurant by the window. Chaeyoung was nearing Lisa when she felt someone watching her. She looked around trying to confirm her suspicion. And she gasped when her eyes met another set of familiar ones. She froze in place due to utter shock.
Then Taehyung blocked her view and asked. "Chaeyoung? Why do you look surprised or something?"
He was about to turn around when Chaeyoung stopped him.
"What? No! I'm just uh . . . I just remembered something about work. I'm afraid I made another bit of mistake. I'm so stupid sometimes, you see."
Taehyung chuckled while pressing her nose with his index finger.
"No, you're not stupid. Remember that."
Then he led her towards Lisa.
Lisa stood up and waited for Chaeyoung to take her seat. She was just waiting for them at their reserved table. Taehyung informed Lisa about his plan beforehand and asked to reserve their favorite table for them.
"I'll just sit on the opposite side." Chaeyoung said.
"But . . . Isn't this side your favorite space? That way you can see the beautiful city lights outside." Lisa questioned.
"Y-yeah, it is. Of course, it is. Well . . . You know . . . Taehyung mentioned earlier how he missed coming here, so I thought I will lend him that seat for tonight." She answered, trying to sound calm and sincere.
"Really? Thanks Chaeyoung." Taehyung responded delightedly.
As Taehyung pulled the seat for Chaeyoung, she was looking down at the table. She can feel Lisa's piercing gaze at the crown of her head. When she looked up, she confirmed her assumption. One of Lisa's brows was raised as if to demand an explanation about her confusing act. In response, Chaeyoung rubbed her hands against each other, silently pleading Lisa to keep quiet at the mean time. Then Lisa walked away after casting a lingering look at Chaeyoung.
When Taehyung took his seat across Chaeyoung, she straightened up and smiled at him while trying to hide her uneasiness. Then she noticed the second pair of eyes looking directly at her from behind Taehyung.
"Oh shit!" Chaeyoung muttered.
"Chaeyoung? You were saying?"
"No-nothing." She answered while slowly raising the menu to slightly cover her face. She was unsure how to mask the discomfort that she was feeling right now. She closed her eyes tightly, wishing for the night to end soon.
When the waiter approached them, Taehyung asked, "Chaeyoung? What should we . . ."
"Let's just have the usual." She answered nonchalantly.
After Taehyung gave the waiter their order, the waiter turned to face Chaeyoung.
"Is there anything else you'd like to add Ma'am?"
She shook her head from side to side.
"If that would be all, may I have the menu please?"
What? Do you really need to get this back? Come on! Chaeyoung mentally nagged while hesitantly giving the menu back to the waiter.
"Chaeyoung? Are you alright?" Taehyung asked thoughtfully.
"Yup! No problem at all." She lied.
"Good. Let me just go to the comfort room then."
"Sure."
Chaeyoung looked at Taehyung walking away. Then she shifted her gaze and eyed Jungkook sitting a few tables from them. She chose to sit at this side of the table because she was afraid Taehyung might recognize Jungkook. They've met twice, but the first time was when Taehyung was totally drunk. She doubted if Taehyung even remembered anything from that night.
Jungkook was currently engaged in a conversation with his companions. He was smiling as he was talking to them. His eyes were curved in a smile that was unlike what she saw earlier when it was widened in surprise at seeing her with Taehyung. She was still staring at him when he suddenly looked back at her, looking glum in an instant. And it saddened her seeing him in that condition.
When a waiter gave them their bill holder, everyone in Jungkook's table started standing up after paying. And Chaeyoung hurriedly looked outside, trying to look interested at the line of cars parked there. Jungkook was the last to stand from their group. He intentionally walked slow and lagged behind.
He momentarily stopped when he reached Chaeyoung's table. While looking straight ahead, he crouched to say, "Enjoy your dinner!" Then he walked on.
Chaeyoung stiffened in her seat before she slowly turned toward Jungkook's direction. He was already standing by the door when she saw him. He never looked back until the door closed behind him. Chaeyoung sighed and looked away from the door.
Little did she know that Jungkook paused to turn and looked at the closed door behind him. He wanted to go back, grab her wrist and dramatically pull her out of the restaurant. But realizing that he was not capable of making any of that happen only left Jungkook feeling destitute.
Meanwhile, when Taehyung was in the comfort room, he was trying to figure out why the man seated not too far away from them looked oddly familiar. But he gave up shortly and went back to Chaeyoung. He was walking towards their table when he saw Chaeyoung looking straight ahead. When Taehyung followed her gaze, she was looking at that familiar person while he was looking back at her. Taehyung felt a sudden prick of jealousy ran through his veins.
Who is he? He thought.
Taehyung was about to walk on closer when the man and his companions rose from their seats. The man was walking far behind. Then he stopped for a moment and crouched at Chaeyoung. He said something to her but she didn't respond. Then she turned to stare at his back until he went out of the restaurant. She looked disappointed when she looked back down to the table in front of her.
Am I missing something here? I just can't pinpoint who that guy is.
Taehyung contemplated before remembering something. He remembered seeing him with Chaeyoung once, the very first time he actually tried to approach her after their breakup.
Oh yeah! He was that guy who stopped Chaeyoung when I tried to talk to her. Is there something going on between him and Chaeyoung? And should I ask her about it?
Taehyung got back to their table and smiled at Chaeyoung. He was trying to calm his nerves with the disturbing thoughts that were running on his mind. And when she sweetly smiled back at him, he was taken aback.
He cleared his throat before saying, "Did I take too long? Sorry, I . . ."
"No! It's alright, it's alright. Don't worry about it." She answered promptly.
"Okay. So . . . how's your day so far?"
It's been a roller coaster just a few minutes ago. She wanted to answer him honestly.
Instead she said, "It's been fine. Ooh! By the way, there was this project at work that I've been meaning to be a part of. And guess what, I got the part."
"Wow! I'm so proud of you."
"Thanks! Well how about you Taehyung, what have you been up to these days?"
He blankly looked at her, unable to respond. Her question was simple and it sounded sincere but he wasn't prepared to hear it. She sounded so casual out of the blue as if she never hated him for the past few weeks.
"What? Why are you staring at me like that? Is there something wrong with my face? Do I have food stuck in my teeth?"
He laughed when she opened her mouth widely, exposing all of her teeth at him.
"Taehyung! What is it? What's so funny?" She whined.
"Um, it's nothing. You just looked too beautiful tonight, you're taking my breath away."
"Ugh! You've used that one before."
"Because it's still true." He shrugged.
She smirked at him.
The waiter arrived and started arranging their food on the table. And Chaeyoung's eyes widened in delight upon seeing the luscious food in front of her. She licked her lips in anticipation.
Taehyung grinned at her reaction. And before he could stop himself, he pinched her cheeks gently.
"Ow!"
"Here." Taehyung said as he tried to feed Chaeyoung a spoonful of lasagna.
"That's too much. I can't possibly put that all in my mouth."
"Then open your mouth widely. C'mon!"
She did as told and covered her mouth as she chewed on the food. She raised her thumb up in approval. Then she cut a big piece of the beef tenderloin and offered it to Taehyung.
"You're actually getting back at me?" He beamed.
She nodded her head happily, moving her fork closer to Taehyung's mouth. And he accepted it without any more complaints.
The rest of the dinner went well as they finished everything on their plates. They were both satisfied at the meal they just had. When they were about to leave their table, Chaeyoung stopped Taehyung in his track. Then she dabbed at the corners of his mouth using her table napkin. After feeling satisfied, she put her napkin back at the table and walked on.
Taehyung was rooted to the spot, completely astonished with Chaeyoung's actions.
Then she looked back at him saying, "Hey! Let's go!"
Her voice awakened him from his brief trance and he hurried towards her. He confidently put his arm around her shoulder as they went out of the restaurant. He was half-expecting her to budge but she did nothing and casually walked ahead.
... ... ... ... ...
Jungkook was lying restlessly on his bed. He got home an hour ago but he felt that he left his mind behind at Paladra. The memory of Chaeyoung being cozy with her ex-boyfriend was replaying vividly on his mind all night.
When Jungkook heard someone called Chaeyoung's name, it piqued his interest. So he looked at the woman seated a few tables from him and followed her gaze towards the person she was waving at. It was Chaeyoung, the same Chaeyoung who stirred his idle heart.
He was staring at her when her ex-boyfriend came behind her. They stood at the middle of the restaurant, looking so good together. Then they whispered something at each other while he was listening to the tearing of his heart. When they neared their own table, he locked gazes with her and she looked shocked.
He tried to avoid looking at her direction. But one time when he was unable to, they found each other's gaze once again. It was short-lived because she looked away at once and covered her face with the menu. He found it adorable and smiled at himself.
He tried to immerse himself in their group's conversation. But then he felt someone looking at him. And there she was, staring at him. For the third time that night, they looked into each other's eyes. He tried so hard to conceal the pain he was feeling inside.
Chaeyoung was alone at their table when he got ready to go out with his friends. He walked slowly, trying to prolong that moment with her. When he reached their table, he crouched at her, unable to walk away without doing anything. He told her to enjoy their dinner. Though at the back of his mind, he wanted to ask her to leave with him and forget about her ex. Then he walked on painfully, straining himself from doing anything rash.
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