15 Nostalgia

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.

"Happy twentieth birthday, Taehee-ah!" Jinhee exclaimed.

With her lips curved upwards, Taehee forwarded towards Jinhee and removed the scarf from around her neck. Smoothly wrapping the scarf around Jinhee's neck, Taehee pinched Jinhee's nose affectionately.

"You still forget to dress warmly," Taehee commented.

The scarf around her neck invited in a pleasant feeling within Jinhee, and it felt as if all the coldness disappeared. Jinhee's hands went towards the scarf, and she held it.

"I forgot to take the scarf from the car." Jinhee grinned sheepishly.

"That's why I bought an extra scarf. Sometimes it feels as if I'm taking care of a kid."

"Just because I'm forgetful at times doesn't mean I'm a kid, Taehee-ah," Jinhee retorted playfully.

Just then, Jinhee's stomach growled angrily, and she stared down in embarrassment. Feeling suffocated by the air in the party, Jinhee stayed pinned to her usual place and didn't dare take a bite out of foods there.

Chuckling softly, Taehee spoke out, "We better hurry. There's a restaurant I've wanted to try out with you."

°°°

Although Jinhee was resolved to stay out of Taehee's life this time around, there was something that drove Jinhee to come here. Before she knew it, following her usual routine, she walked towards the spot.

On this same spot, Jinhee and Taehee met on Taehee's every birthday, and later, both of them celebrated her birthday together. There was none, but the two of them present.

This day was as much as blissful for Jinhee as it was for Taehee. It was a secret between the both of them, and the entire night no one interfered between them.

Staring at the glimmering lake, Jinhee recalled how she saw the sight of Taehee sitting above Jaehyun— her shirt dishevelled and wrinkled. Sweat fell down from her face while she kissed Jaehyun passionately, and one of her hand went inside Jaehyun's shirt.

Jaehyun had his hand around Taehee's waist, and there was no sign of him resisting it. His hair was a mess, and his eyes were wide open as they stared at Jinhee in shock.

The reminder of the betrayal bought a tear on to Jinhee's eyes, and she blinked it away. Remembering that day still managed to bring back an ache to Jinhee.

All of a sudden, warmth engulfed Jinhee, as she felt constant breath of someone hitting her neck, surprising her. Under the cold night and due to her aching heart, maybe this was what she needed the most.