Masquerade // Jeon Jungkook

CHAPTER 6

Jungkook eyes followed both Seonghwa and Hongjoong until they were out of his sight. He turned around to face Tae Hee. He could feel that her hand was trembling a bit and her head hung low. "Are you okay?" his hand was still holding hers.

When she didn't give him any answer, Jungkook sighed and tilted her chin upwards gently with his other hand. "Look at me," he said as their eyes met. He can see a bit of fear reflecting in her eyes. He didn't know who's the guy before but she seems to be scared of him.

Jungkook saw a marble bench nearby and he gently pulled her towards it. Jungkook asked her to sit and she obeyed. "It's okay. He's gone." Jungkook crouched in front of her. He tried to comfort her as he grabbed both her hands in his.

Tae Hee looked down at their hands and she was amazed how he managed to make her felt save. It is something that he's able to do when he's holding her hand. She felt like she could forget everything and rely on this man. However, she knew this feeling won't last long and she's not supposed to feel this way. Her moments with him were just temporary.

"Sorry," she apologised. She already felt bad for making Seonghwa involved in her problem and she didn't want to add any more person in the list especially Jungkook. She was glad that Seonghwa came before Hongjoong could spill anything that could endanger her identity.

"What are you sorry for?" Jungkook cocked a brow.

"Just now," she muttered.

Jungkook looked at Tae Hee who still refused to meet his eyes. "Does he always stalk or has he ever hurt you?" he asked.

Tae Hee shook his head, eyes still glued to the ground. She didn't want him to know anything about Hongjoong. That will lead him to her true identity.

"Have you eaten?" he asked again.

"N – Yes," she lied. She was hungry but she doesn't feel like eating right now. She lost her appetite since the moment Hongjoong insulted her mother. It reminded her of her past.

Her mother is not in her right mind!

She's the daughter of a crazy woman.

Don't friend with her. Her mother is a crazy person.

If her mother is crazy, does it mean she's crazy too?

Every day, people in her town will talk about her family. She lived in a small town in the north part of South Korea. Her family moved there a year before her father's tragic car accident. She barely knows everyone there and when the incident happened, people were quick to talk about her family.

She tried to ignore all the insults, got herself a scholar and moved to Seoul with her mother. Not long after, her mother was diagnosed with a mental illness and she was sent to a psychiatric hospital since her condition was getting worse. That's when her life hit rock bottom. Tae Hee not only lost her father but she lost her mother too since she can't remember her anymore.

At first, Tae Hee visited her mother every day, then it turned to once a week and ended up to once every two months. It's not like she hates her mother but her heart breaks every time she sees her. Her mother looks weak and fragile. She talks to herself and sometimes she just stares blankly at the window in her room. It tore her apart more when one day her mother said she's waiting for her husband since he promised to come home from his work trip. When Tae Hee told her he's dead, she got agitated and the nurse tried to calm her down with a tranquillizer.

"Are you sure you don't want to eat?" Jungkook's question bounced her back to him. "I can buy you food if you want. I knew a good steak place," he grinned.