boomerang

Chapter 30

a/n: sorry it took me so long to update! life's being a lil shit sometimes, but here u go! :D

From the very first moment Jaehyun stepped into the cafe, Chaeyoung's eyes were fixated on the bag he brought with him and her instincts were telling her that it was another gift for her.

After arriving back from her one-week vacation with her fiancé, Chaeyoung finally responded to one of Jaehyun's many messages to her.

Jaehyun: let's meet when you get back

He picked her favorite cafe and the weekend to meet, but Chaeyoung figured that it'd be better to meet him during her lunch break since she was only going to have a half-day of work on that day. Jaehyun had apologized that he was going to be a little late, and Chaeyoung ordered first to not waste the time.

When he arrived though, he had a gentle smile on his face as he mentioned how she had ordered his favorite dessert for him. She wasn't sure if this was all an effect of being someone who was already taken, or she had been too oblivious in the past, but her senses had suddenly become so sensitive that she could instantly notice the underlying message behind that tone, that smile and just the content of what he said itself.

Nevertheless, Chaeyoung displayed a small smile and corrected her friend. "Didn't even know that was your favorite. I just ordered randomly."

Jaehyun's smile briefly faltered at her response but he recovered a moment later. Clearing his throat, Jaehyun turned to the gift bag he brought with him, the corners of his lips pulled into a wide smile as he placed it onto the table and gently pushed toward her.

"What's this?" she asked.

He shrugged. "Just a small gift. I thought that maybe you were mad at me. You didn't reply to me. You didn't answer my call."

Jaehyun took a box out of the bag and carefully placed it in front of her. A frown began to form on her face as she stared at it.

"Just something to cheer you up, I guess?"

"Jaehyun, this is—"

"Got you a limited edition Tiffany watch," he said, opening the box.

When he took the watch into his hand and tried to take her hand to have her try it on, Chaeyoung slowly pulled her hand away from the table, sighing heavily. "Jaehyun... I can't accept this."

A moment passed. "Why not?"

"This is..." Her frown deepened before she gave a brief glance toward the box she placed just right beside her feet. Chaeyoung looked back at the watch, then to her friend. "What exactly is this for? My birthday's passed, and it's not anytime soon either."

Jaehyun's thumb gently brushed against the watch. "You don't like this? I can get you a different—"

"It's not about whether I like it or not," Chaeyoung sighed. "Actually, I have something for you."

His face lightened up, the corners of his lips slowly turned upward when Chaeyoung lifted the big box and placed it onto the table.

"What's this?" he chuckled.

Chaeyoung inhaled softly and gently opened the box, containing all the gifts Jaehyun gifted her in New York, from luxurious jewelries, shoes, handbags, dresses and the perfume. "I've opened a few boxes, like the handbag and shoes, but I haven't worn them." Then, she looked him straight in the eyes. "The perfume's still untouched."

Ever since the day Jaehyun appeared with a bouquet of flowers outside her house, hugging her and commenting about the perfume she had on, Chaeyoung had an unsettling feeling within her. The perfume she had sprayed on was the one she personally bought for herself. When she received the perfume as a gift from Jaehyun, she had assumed that it was only a coincidence that he'd gotten her the exact perfume. But with how things turned out, not one day went by without her thinking of how disturbed she felt with the perfume Jaehyun bought.