(Buckle up kids cause it's a long one)
In the subsequent days, Taehyung always insisted that Jennie be his tour guide on account of their old ties. Jennie could not turn him down but after the temple episode, refrained from spending time alone with him.
Each time they went touring, she would drag Jaewon along. She was polite towards Taehyung . Even when his words held a deeper meaning, she would remain poker faced.
Jaewon appeared not to notice the strange atmosphere between the two, every time Jennie invited him along, he would agree readily. Thanks to his wisdom and good upbringing, their outings as a trio were never awkward.
In those few days, Taehyung felt increasingly hopeless, his heart was slowly crumbling into dust. On the fifth day, he finally announced he was returning to Seoul the following day.
Jennie breathed a sigh of relief inwardly but out of courtesy, decided to cohost a farewell dinner with Jaewon.
Taehyung was unusually withdrawn the entire night. Even downing bear dully with Jaewon failed to erase the pallor in his face. Seeing him in this state, Jennie felt a tad unbearable but she was in no position to comment so she only wished him bon voyage.
Not giving him any hope was best for him. She believed that after some time, he would gain clarity and would look back on this as a huge joke.
The meal was eaten in silence. On seeing that it was nearing an end, Taehyung offered a toast in an unusually courteous tone
"Thank you for your company these few days. If I have caused you any inconvenience, I'd like to repay you with this toast. Let's cast aside all else and I hope you guys will drink this with me."
Jaewon raised his glass "You're too polite. You're Jennie's old classmate, of course we should play host." He looked over at Jennie who wore an uneasy expression as she looked at her glass.
"I don't have good alcohol tolerance; can I be spared from drinking?" Jennie raised her glass awkwardly.
Taehyung stared at her unwaveringly "This is my first toast to you. Will you refuse this too?"
The moment he said this, Jennie was caught between a rock and a hard place; she couldn't drink yet she couldn't not drink.
By this time, Jaewon had finished his mug of beer. He took Jennie's glass from her grasp and said calmly "If you don't mind, I'll finish this on Jennie's behalf."
Taehyung smirked as he said coldly "I'm afraid some things you can never execute on her behalf."
The friendly albeit superficial atmosphere instantly collapsed under the weight of Taehyung's words.
Jennie grabbed her cup back wordlessly and downed it in one continuous gulp. She never touched alcohol ordinarily and so unsurprisingly, she started feeling extremely nauseous by the halfway mark.
Even Jaewon felt uneasy for her but she drank on stoically. She choked on the final mouthful and coughed uncontrollably, causing her face to turn a dark red and tears to well up in her eyes.
Jaewon rushed to hand her some napkins as she slammed the emptied mug on the table and eked out "Are you satisfied now?"
Jaewon stared coldly at the scene unfolding before him. When she finally regained her composure, he acted as if nothing had happened and smiled at Jaewon
"She's always been this stubborn and can't withstand a little provocation."
Jaewon clapped Jennie's back. When she finally recovered, he replied with composure "I actually like this personality of hers."
