Anger never builds; it only tears down. In the heat of a single moment, it can feel like strength, an armor to hide behind. But when the fire fades, all that's left are the ashes of what once mattered. Anger doesn't solve anything-it devours patienc...
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People will forget your kindness before they forget your mistakes — stay kind anyway.
Chapter 21: Woman
The next morning came quietly. Jungkook dropped Taehyung off at Jin’s restaurant before heading off to his own errands. The air felt calm, and for once, Taehyung was relieved that the place wasn’t packed with customers. The chatter inside was minimal, only a few groups scattered across the dining area. It was the kind of morning where he could breathe without feeling rushed.
“Order to table no. 12 is up!” the chef called out, the bell ringing sharply above the counter.
Taehyung wiped his hands on his apron and hurried to the kitchen. One of the staff carefully helped him balance the steaming dishes onto his tray. “Thanks,” he murmured with a small smile before making his way through the tables, weaving past chairs until he reached table twelve.
“Table no. 12, here’s your order,” he said politely, setting each dish down with practiced precision.
Just as he adjusted the last plate, a voice came from his left. “Say, you’re Kim Taehyung, aren’t you?”
The question startled him. He turned, brows furrowed, and found a woman seated gracefully, her posture poised like someone who had never once worked a day in her life. She wasn’t someone he recognized, but the way she carried herself — the expensive clothes, the sharp jewelry, the aura of money and power — made her stand out like a flame in the middle of the room.
“Yes, that’s me,” Taehyung answered cautiously. “How can I help you?”
The woman’s lips curved into a slow smile, one that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “Do you want to know who killed your mother?”
Taehyung froze, his breath catching in his throat. The tray nearly slipped from his hand. For a moment, the restaurant around him seemed to blur, his ears ringing at her words. His mother’s death wasn’t a story outsiders knew — it was something confined to hushed whispers in their neighborhood, a shadow he carried alone. Yet here was this stranger, speaking of it as if she held the key to everything.
“Who… are you?” Taehyung asked, his voice low, strained.
The woman leaned back in her chair, her grin widening. “I thought you wouldn’t recognize me.” She reached into her purse with unhurried movements, as though she was savoring his unease, and pulled out a sleek business card. “Here. Perhaps this will jog your memory.”
Taehyung took the card, scanning the bold letters. A CEO. A name that sounded faintly familiar, though he couldn’t place it. Even so, it wasn’t her title that unsettled him — it was the sense that her face lingered at the edge of his memory, like a shadow he couldn’t catch.
“I’m sorry,” he said, tightening his grip on the card. “But may I ask how you knew me… and my mother?”
Her laugh was soft, mocking. “That’s not what you really want to know. Don’t pretend otherwise.” She leaned forward slightly, her eyes gleaming. “What you want is the name of the person who killed her.”
A cold shiver ran down Taehyung’s spine. Every muscle in his body went taut, as if bracing for a blow.
“I have something that will help you solve her case,” the woman continued smoothly. “But I don’t have it with me right now. If you want the truth, meet with me again. I promise you, I’ll hand you the evidence myself.”
Her words were dripping with certainty, with the kind of confidence that suggested she was toying with him. Taehyung’s hands curled into fists at his sides. He didn’t know if he was being reckless, but the temptation to believe her was overwhelming. After all these days, he still wanted—needed—the truth.
“What are you doing here, Gaeul?”
The sudden voice snapped through the tension like glass shattering. Taehyung whipped his head around to see Jin striding toward them, his expression darker than Taehyung had ever seen it.
Before Taehyung could react, Jin grabbed his arm and pulled him back from the table. His hold was firm, protective, almost urgent.
“Can’t you see I’m a customer?” Gaeul replied sweetly, tilting her head with mock innocence.
“What nonsense are you spewing?” Jin’s voice was sharp, cutting, vibrating with anger. “You know damn well you’re not allowed here.”
“Just because Jungkook doesn’t like me, you think you can toss me out like trash?” Gaeul’s chuckle was light, but her words carried venom.
“I can — and I will.” Jin’s tone was steel, his eyes glaring at her like a blade pressed to her throat.
Gaeul sighed, standing with deliberate grace, smoothing her dress as though nothing had happened. “Why don’t you calm down, Jin? You’re frightening your staff.” She flicked her gaze toward Taehyung, her smirk returning.
Jin stepped between them immediately, blocking her line of sight. His presence was towering, his voice laced with threat. “Leave. Now. Or I’ll make you.”
For the first time, Gaeul’s smile faltered ever so slightly, but she recovered quickly, tilting her chin as if she held the upper hand regardless. “Well, it seems this conversation isn’t going anywhere. I suppose I’ll take my leave.”
She looked at Taehyung one last time, her stare deliberate and unsettling, before she swept out of the restaurant without another word.
The air around them felt suffocating in her absence, as if she’d left behind a residue of poison. Taehyung’s pulse was racing, his thoughts tangled in shock. He turned to Jin, but before he could ask, Jin spoke first, his voice low and seething.
“Listen to me, Taehyung.” Jin’s eyes were blazing, his jaw clenched tight. “Don’t trust her. Don’t listen to a single word out of her mouth. That woman is dangerous. For your own safety, stay as far away from her as possible. Do you understand me?”
Taehyung nodded automatically, his body responding before his mind could.
Jin exhaled sharply, muttering under his breath as he turned away, the curse words laced with anger Taehyung had rarely heard from him. Taehyung stood there, still gripping the business card in his hand, his heart pounding as if the restaurant had just turned into the center of a storm.
And it didn’t take long before the sound of the front door opening drew Taehyung’s attention. He glanced up from where he was carefully setting down glasses of water for a pair of customers. His heart skipped when he saw Jungkook step inside the restaurant, his tall frame and familiar presence impossible to miss.
For a fleeting second, Taehyung felt a rush of relief, thinking Jungkook had come for him — maybe to check on him, maybe because he somehow sensed the strange tension that still lingered after Gaeul’s visit.
But Jungkook didn’t even look his way. His strides were long, purposeful, carrying him past the tables, past Taehyung, as though he weren’t even there. His expression was unreadable, eyes fixed straight ahead.
Taehyung froze mid-step, the polite smile he’d kept for the customers faltering. He turned slightly, tray still in hand, watching as Jungkook made his way directly toward the hallway at the back. Without hesitation, Jungkook disappeared into Jin’s office, shutting the door behind him.
A knot formed in Taehyung’s chest. He stood there, rooted in place, his mind racing with questions. Why was Jungkook here? Why go straight to Jin without even acknowledging him?
The chatter of the customers at the table drew him back, and he forced himself to finish serving with steady hands. But his thoughts wouldn’t settle. Something was happening — something he wasn’t being told — and the more he tried to focus on his work, the more his curiosity and unease gnawed at him.
