how are you?

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A sigh escapes Chaeyoung's mouth as she curses herself for forgetting to bring along her ear buds when she left her house. Now, here she is at the convenience store near her house where she tells the taxi driver to drop her at. She goes there to buy some snacks and instant foods she needs for the upcoming week.

When she is taking a bread, another hand comes for the same bread which makes Chaeyoung freezes. She pulls her hand away and about to leave the bread section before someone stops her. She turns around and points to herself as if asking if that person is calling her.

"I'm sorry. Do you also want this bread?", the man with his hoodie and mask asks her.

"Oh, no. It's fine, you can have it, sir.", Chaeyoung replies before she excuses herself. But, the man does not stop talking to her. He stops her again and tells her that he is giving the bread to her but she shakes her head. "It's fine, sir. I can come here again next time when they restock it.", she says before excusing herself again.

However, this time she gets shocked when the man said her name.

"Kim Chaeyoung, that's your name, right?", the man asks when Chaeyoung turns around to face him again.

She slowly shakes her head denying him.

"No? Um...don't you remember me?", he asks before he looks around quietly and pulls down his hoodie revealing his face to her. "I helped you that night you fainted.", he says as he points to his face for her to look at.

Chaeyoung's eyes slightly widen but she tries to stay calm when she sees his tattoo on his knuckles. She remembers that tattoo. Not from the night he mentioned but from the time she saw his profile. Jeon Jungkook, the football player who helped her that night.

Chaeyoung quickly shakes her head before saying, "I don't know what you're saying, sir. I'm sorry."

She walks away quickly to the counter as Jungkook stays still watching her from afar. He observes her every movement and tries to stay unnoticed but he can see her trying to get away quickly from him. He knows she remembered him. She pretended not to. But, he does not know why.

"Excuse me, do you know who that girl is?", he asks the cashier when he goes to the counter after Chaeyoung left the store.

"Park Chaeyoung? Oh, she's a lovely girl but...sometimes she's mysterious.", the cashier who looks like to be around his age answers him.

"Park Chaeyoung?", Jungkook asks, he gets confused as his forehead starts to frown.

The cashier nods while putting the things he bought into a paper bag. "Oh, wait! Chaeyoung doesn't like strangers asking about her. Please don't ask me anything anymore. I know nothing about her.", he says as he puts his hands up as if surrendering to the police.

Jungkook shakes his head and says, "Actually I was looking for her. I mean...I'm her old friend. We haven't seen each other for a long time. I wanted to remind her who I am but she left. Perhaps you can tell me if you know where she lives at."

The cashier looks outside before nodding, "You're Chaeyoung's friend?"

A single nod is given as a response.

"She lives at the end of the road before the hill, I guess.", the cashier replies while pointing to the left side of the road to Jungkook.

"You guess?", Jungkook asks him while taking his paper bag.

"Well, I sometimes bumped into her or her best friend. I saw her best friend's boyfriend car at the house at the end of the road once.", he says while giving the balance to Jungkook.

Knowing that information, Jungkook shakes hands with the cashier before thanking him. Then, he quickly leaves the convenience store and turns left as how the cashier showed to him.

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Chaeyoung casually walks to her house after she managed to leave the convenience store without being followed by the stranger. She is worried after she met him in the store. But, she felt relieved to see no one following her after a few meters of walking away from there.

She curses herself for almost triggering her other personality to show up. She cannot let herself be overpowered by Rosé. And the fact that she met him when Rosé was around, it could be more dangerous for him. Yes, for him. Not for her. Rosé only takes over her body when she feels scared, worried or hurt.

"Hi, Park Chaeyoung.", a sudden greeting from someone stops Chaeyoung's walk. Her eyes grow wide again before she realizes someone is standing beside her through the shadow on the pavement seen in front of her.

That foreign shadow beside her moves and her sight is blocked by an all black figure in front of her. Black shoes, black track pants, black hoodie and black mask. The same person from the convenience store earlier is now in front of her.

"Hi, I'm sorry I mistook your last name. I'm Jeon Jungkook if you forget me.", he introduces himself in a really sudden way to Chaeyoung. He extends his hand for a handshake but Chaeyoung ignores it.

She goes speechless as her eyes stares sharply at him. Jungkook takes it that she does not want to shake hands with him and pulls his hand back to his side. Then, he tells her to wait as he takes out the bread he bought.

"You wanted this, right? I just want to give you this and..."

"I don't care who you are and I didn't forget you, sir. I just don't want to remember you, can you stop following me?", Chaeyoung cuts him off with such a harsh words to him.

He is stunned by her harsh response but he remains calm.

"But, I have been looking for you forever. I mean...I looked for you for a week. I'm glad I see you now.", he says in his same calm tone from before.

Chaeyoung's eyes seem to be softened as she heard his words. She gets shy and looks away from him.

"What do you mean you've been looking for me?", she asks as her eyes focus on the pavement below at her feet.

"I looked for you because I was worried. Since I was the one who brought you to the hospital last week, I became worried when I found out you were gone in the morning. I just wanted to know how you are doing so...how are you? The fever is gone?", he asks her casually.

Chaeyoung slowly nods before she looks up back at him. "It's just fever. It lasted only for two days so I'm good now.", she says but her eyes still waver away from looking straight into his.

Jungkook nods his head. "That's good then.", he says to her.

"You're not worried anymore?", she asks him.

"What?", he asks back as he feels something is wrong with her question.

"You are not worried about me anymore, right?", she repeats her question in a clearer way.

Jungkook replies, "Yeah..."

"Then, stop following me and talk to me.", she tells him coldly.

"What?", again he asks the same thing which makes Chaeyoung annoyed.

She steps forward and makes sure her mouth is close to his right ear. "I said stop following me, stop talking with me and stop worrying about me. These things do you no good, Mr Jeon.", she whispers to him those words which sound painful for him to take in.

"But, why?", he asks, totally showing that he will not do as she said.

"Just do as I say! You think I don't know that you followed me from the park that night? You must've thought I only saw you after I was fighting with a neighbour, right?", her words shocked Jungkook for a second.

He looks at her curiously in front of him.

"So, you knew I was following you from the park?", he asks, wanting to get her explanation.

"Yes, I do but I ignored you.."

"Why you ignored me?", it is Jungkook's turn to cut her off.

She scoffs before answering, "Because that's safer. Well, I thought it was safer that way. Ignore you since you're a stranger. But, you just didn't stopped."

"You can say I'm a curious person. Especially when I saw a young lady alone with a little kid at night. Well, I meant in a good way.", he replies.

"If you say so, okay. You will not see me out there at night again. So, don't worry about me, Mr Jeon. We don't know each other, remember that.", Chaeyoung harshly says but Jungkook shakes his head.

He tells her that he knew her name and that she owed him. "You didn't even thank me or apologise to me so I'm not going to do as you say. Let's be friends, Park Chaeyoung.", he says as he extends his hand again.

Chaeyoung looks at it and turns around to go to the gate of her house. However, Jungkook pulls her hand causing her to yell at him. But, he is quicker. He covers her mouth with his hand and tells her that he is not going to harm her. With his other hand, he shows the bread to her and puts it into her paper bag.

"It's yours. I'll see you next time, friend.", he whispers the same way she did earlier to him. Then, he takes a step back and waves his hand at her before he turns around to leave.

Chaeyoung watches him in case he turns around again. When she no longer sees him, she curses herself before she looks at her smart watch. Luckily, her heart rate is still at a normal rate.

"What is wrong with him?", she says as she enters the gate of her house with frustration.

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Seventh chapter

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