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"Where did you find that?!" Said a voice from behind.
Jihye jolted up in alarm, spinning around as her eyes fell upon Renjun whose face held a surprised yet indignant expression.
Her eyes darted down to the photo still in her hand then back at him.
"In a draw" She deadpanned while attempting her best to conceal the nervousness that washed over her.
"And you just randomly took it" His features held a furious look, in contrast to his usual flirty personality.
"Well yes, but it's not like I- Ow!" she exclaimed, discontinuing her speech as Renjun snatched the photo out of her grasp and folded it neatly into his pocket.
"Don't just take things that don't belong to you." He warned before turning on his heel to leave.
"It's you isn't it?" He stopped in his tracks.
"The boy in the photo, it's you right?" The pink-haired boy turned to look at her and she studied his features as his demeanour instantly changed, a sad look creeping onto his face, replacing the once angry one.
He swallowed the lump in his throat, trying to fight back the tears that threatened to spill and guilt washed over the girl as she watched him. He looked vulnerable.
"Just mind your own business." His voice was weak, only a little above a whisper.
She watched his figure leave the room and disappear around the corner, thus leaving her standing there, mind filled with confusion and curiosity.
Nice fucking going Jihye. She mentally cursed at herself for the umpteenth time since her arrival.
She realised that she'd seriously need to be more careful next time.
-
A spaced-out Jihye lay on her bed, looking at the soft white coloured ceiling, as she pondered on what to do. She wanted to talk to them and ask them about their knowledge of Jihoon in hopes of gaining more information on what he was hiding.
She figured that would be the most obvious option but she knew that they were far from stupid and they would definitely get suspicious of her. She was at crossroads.
Getting tired of all this thinking, Jihye decided that she needed fresh air to clear her mind, in a different atmosphere.
She left the grand mansion for the first time since her arrival and headed straight to the place she frequently visited. Her comfort place.
It was a coffee shop not that far from Moonlight Shadows' headquarters, but still a distance away.
She inhaled the smell of strong coffee that lingered in the air as she entered the small cafe, making her smile.
It was her safe haven. She has been going there for years now and it always soothed and calmed her whenever she was feeling strong negative emotions.
She made her way toward the counter to greet the cashier, who had already noticed her. "Good afternoon, Jihye" The middle-aged lady beamed.
"Good afternoon, auntie."
"The usual I presume?" She asked to which Jihye confirmed.
Receiving her order, she thanked the lady before heading to take her usual seat near the window.
Just before reaching her table, she abruptly stopped in her tracks as she caught sight of a familiar face. Donghyuck?
"Fancy seeing you here" She strode up to him.
He glanced at her and rolled his eyes, before turning his attention back to his phone.
Jihye frowned at the lack of response so she decided to continue. "Can I join you?"
"No-" "Well, I'm going to anyway" He discontinued his sentence as she sat on the chair opposite him, much to his dismay.
Donghyuck's face held a look of irritation as he stared at the girl facing him who was sipping on the cup of steaming hot coffee.
"So.. How are you?" She attempted to start a conversation with him.
"Fine."
"Do you come here regularly? " He didn't reply. He was testing her patience at this point but she forcefully calmed herself down and tried to act normal.
"I love this place. It's comforting, you know what I mean?"
"I didn't ask"
"Well I did so answer the damn question" Her tone came out harsher than she intended and she mentally facepalmed.
Donghyuck sighed in frustration. "Aren't you supposed to be a maid or something?"
"Maids are allowed to have a life too you know" She was on the verge of snapping at him again but his gaze on her was intense, making her shift in her seat, slightly uncomfortable.
Her eyes averted his face and landed on the shiny silver ring on his index.
"That's a really pretty ring. Where'd you- Hey I'm talking to you!" she exclaimed as he suddenly stood up from his seat. "I know"
"Then lis- wait, where are you going? "Away" he spoke not even sparing her a glance as he walked out.
"At least answer- well shit." Jihye sighed in frustration, failing once again. Well, at least he didn't scream at her this time. She thought.
She stood up, getting ready to leave until she noticed something out of the corner of her eye.
She looked closer until she realised that it was a ring. The ring that Donghyuck was wearing.
"Wait? Wasn't he just wearing this?" She muttered to herself, slightly confused about how careless someone can be.
Nonetheless, She picked it up and placed it in her pocket, keeping it safe for the time being until she could return it to him.
With that, she took one last sip of her coffee and threw the cup in the bin before taking her leave.
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