You Don't Know Me ➳ Taesan [COMPLETED]

Twenty-Seven

'How was school?' Ms. Han asked Taesan who was sitting on the dining table that afternoon as he had some cookies as a snack.

'Hmm...honestly, it was good.' He nodded his head.

'Oh,' her eyes grew big with surprise. 'This is the first time I've ever heard you say that in this new town. And I thought by now you'd have been expelled with what happened last week.'

'I thought so too. But then the mayor came, and he told everyone to be nice to me and stop bullying me. And then everyone started being nice to me and it was just great. I think they even want to be my friends now. The mayor didn't blame me at all.'

'What?' she asked in surprise as she walked closer to him. 'Honey, that's so great! I'm so happy that for once they didn't choose to view you as some kind of monster.' She gave him a hug while he was seated. 'Taesan, maybe we really do belong here. Maybe for once you can be comfortable.'

He sighed happily. 'Maybe.'

For the first time in a long while, Taesan was actually happy to go to school.

...

The next day, Taesan sat with Amy-Janett and Lily in the backyard during breaktime. He loved how he was able to interact with his friends as normal – it almost felt like it did back when he was young and no one was aware of his violent reactions. Several people had said hi to him as they passed by the three.

The backyard was busy with many students wanting to stand in the sun as the morning had started cold. Jaehyun navigated through the crowd with determined strides, his gaze fixed on the trio near the large green tree. Taesan, Lily and Amy-Janett were engaged in a conversation, their laughter loud and natural.

As Jaehyun got closer, he caught a glimpse of how Amy-Janett smiled and laughed at whatever Taesan was saying. He really made her happy. And even Taesan himself, known for his quiet demeanor, seemed at ease in the two girls' company.

Once Jaehyun had approached, he cleared his throat to catch their attention. The three turned to him and hushed their conversation.

'Hi guys,' he greeted them kindly.

The three responded at different intervals, with Taesan being the last to respond.

Jaehyun turned to Amy-Janett. 'Can I talk to you for a moment?'

'Oh, sure.' She nodded. She looked at Taesan, noticing a small innocent concern in his features. She laughed internally, he was probably anxious with how Amy-Janett had started talking to Jaehyun a little more now. 'Don't be jealous Taesan, I'll be right back.' She said, winking at him.

Taesan flinched. 'Why would I be?'

Amy-Janett and Lily laughed, before she followed Jaehyun away from the group. The two stood near the tree that was in the backyard.

'Something strange is happening with my dad,' he admitted immediately. 'Remember you told me to ask him about the situation? And I did.'

AJ's expression shifted from playful to concerned. 'What's going on?'

'I don't know, he just claimed Taesan is a monster,' Jaehyun explained, his voice weighed down by the gravity of the situation. 'But when I confronted him about it, he didn't tell me anything. I've always been the first one to know everything, but this time he's keeping secrets.'

Amy-Janett's brow furrowed, absorbing the seriousness of the situation. 'Hmm...maybe he read about him somewhere in the newspaper. This isn't the first time Taesan has done something like this.'

'But I don't think there's anything secretive about that...he could have easily told me he read about Taesan or something.' Jaehyun looked at Taesan who was a distance away then looked back at Amy-Janett. 'I don't know what to say about this issue, but my father's fear is unsettling. He usually tells me everything but not this time.'