Chapter 15 - Nostalgia (1/2)
Despite the upper half of his face being covered by a mask, one can easily distinguish him as someone charming to one's eyes. His thin pink lips, prominent nose, sharp jawline, and ivory skin managed to make him stand out of the crowd.
The green eyes of his— inherited from his French mother— held an undecipherable look, and although Jinhee was staring at him for the first time, those features of his looked familiar to her as if she had seen them before. Nevertheless, she couldn't pinpoint where it was.
It could be a mistake of Jinhee's part, but she felt that Taeho's eyes fell upon her for few seconds before moving them. His eyes lit up with a glint in those few seconds— somehow diminishing the feeling that she had seen him before.
There were looks of awe from women of all ages, but no one dared to get close to him. The air of nonchalance he exuded made others feel dazzled yet be wary at the same time.
"Welcome to my seventeenth birthday party, everyone."
His deep voice sounded euphonious to Jinhee, and it was able to drawn in one's attention towards it, almost as if it was a magnet.
'Jinhee, snap out of it. You can't feel this way for a man three years younger than you.'
°°°
As done in all of Taeho's birthday parties Jinhee attended, she slipped out of the party around eight and stepped outside of the mansion. The area around the mansion was owned by the Han family, so it was safe for Jinhee to be out this late.
Jinhee's leg walked towards the park few metres away from the mansion. Golden fairy lights lit up the way, and there was no soul in sight other than the security guards.
The cool breeze outside Jinhee made her regret wearing no warm clothing, and she brushed her arms with the opposite hands to bring warmth to her.
The serenity in the air bought peace to Jinhee, and at the same time, nostalgia hit Jinhee hardly. A hollow feeling within her increased, whilst her footsteps gradually slowed down as she got nearer to the lake.
She halted when she could see her reflection on the lake, and although Jinhee was content with how things were going in her current life, she felt empty inside of her as if a big part of her was missing. There was something she deeply yearned for, but she was helpless to pursue after it.
°°°
"Were you waiting for too long?" Taehee asked as she saw Jinhee's reddened cheeks.
Jinhee smiled at the taller female. The fairy lights brightened up their surrounding magnificently, making it seem ethereal. The lake in front of them glistened, and mixed with the tranquil air, the scene around them was too surreal.
"I just got out of the party early. Things were getting boring there," Jinhee spoke out softly. That was partly the truth; Jinhee simply wanted to meet Taehee.