⤷MASQUERADE || Jeon Jk FF ♡

part; ³⁰

Taehyung’s footsteps were soft against the cold marble floor, but Y/N didn’t flinch. She felt his presence the moment he stepped onto the balcony, the shift in the air unmistakable, yet she kept her gaze on the city below. He moved closer, standing just beside her now, close enough to catch her scent mixed with the crisp evening breeze. His eyes traced her profile, her delicate features calm but distant, as if she were lost in a world of her own.

She was hugging herself, her arms wrapping around her torso, and then, with a simple movement, she brushed her hair off her bare shoulder. That’s when he noticed it—the faint outline of ink on her shoulder blade, partially hidden by her dress. His eyes sharpened, intrigued. A tattoo.

He leaned in slightly, his gaze lingering on the small mark etched into her skin. It was subtle, understated, but now that he’d seen it, he couldn’t take his eyes off it. It didn’t fit the Y/N he thought he knew—cold, composed, and distant—yet there it was, a mark of something more beneath the surface. His curiosity piqued, and without thinking, the words left his mouth.

"I didn’t know you had a tattoo," he said, his voice low but filled with interest.

Y/N finally turned her head slightly, her eyes meeting his, unbothered by his observation. There was a glint in her eyes, one that told him she was far from surprised by his curiosity, yet she remained as detached as ever.

"Can’t I have one?" she replied, her tone sharp, almost challenging.

Taehyung grinned, tilting his head slightly as he let his eyes flicker back to the tattoo. "Of course you can. I just didn’t expect it from someone like you."

"Someone like me?" she echoed, raising an eyebrow.

He chuckled, shrugging. "You know, the ice queen with no cracks."

Her expression didn’t change, and she shifted her gaze back to the city, uninterested in his attempt at flattery. His eyes, however, stayed on her tattoo. "What does it mean?" he asked, leaning in a little closer. "Is it a butterfly?"

"No." Her voice was calm, almost indifferent. "It’s a moth."

Taehyung’s brow furrowed as he took a closer look, the delicate wings now more defined in the moonlight. "A moth?" he asked, his grin fading into a thoughtful frown. "Why a moth?"

Y/N’s lips curved slightly at the corners, the hint of a smile that wasn’t quite warm. She glanced at him from the corner of her eye, her voice cool as ever. "Moths are drawn to the light, even if it kills them. They don’t know the difference between what burns and what saves."

Taehyung’s smile faded completely now, her words lingering in the air between them. He wasn’t sure if she was speaking about the tattoo or about herself, but something about her response unsettled him. She was always like this, always giving just enough to keep him guessing, but never enough for him to truly understand her.

He looked back at the tattoo, the small moth, dark and delicate against her pale skin. "It suits you," he said quietly, his voice losing its earlier playfulness.

Y/N didn’t respond, her gaze still fixed on the bustling city below, but the silence that stretched between them felt heavier now. There was something unsaid, something just out of reach, and no matter how close he stood to her, Taehyung knew he wasn’t any closer to understanding who she really was.

But maybe that was the point. She wasn’t meant to be understood—just like the moth, drawn to something unknowable, mysterious, and dangerous. And Taehyung, despite everything, found himself being pulled in, unable to resist.