Chapter 6 - Same world

Gold-rimmed sunglasses covered his brown eyes, and a black bucket hat sat upon his head, slightly revealing his parted blond hair. The expression on his face was unreadable and filled with nonchalance.

The difference between the expression of Jaehyun and Taehee, despite being unable to decipher them most of the times, was that Jaehyun's face held a cold outlook whilst Taehee's one was playful.

Even after years of staying beside both of them, Jinhee found herself to be knowing barely anything about them. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't figure both of them out.

Therefore, they both remained a great danger for her to carry out her plans since they were huge variables. Jinhee is already aware that her small actions has created ripples in calm lake, but she didn't know how far did the effects of those ripples go.

"Jaehyun-ah, you're here too," Jangmi spoke out while she stepped towards the table Jinhee was seated at with a tray containing three square desert plate.

The surface of circular dessert appeared smooth. The colours red, green, and yellow was more evident on the upper layer, and sandy brown was colour of the bottom layer. The dessert appeared extremely appetizing in Jinhee's opinion.

Jaehyun nodded in acknowledgement.

Seeing Jaehyun here did not bring much surprise to Jinhee since she was aware that he was allowed here. Jaehyun's mother was the older sister of Jangmi, and he was her adored nephew.

In her previous life, Jinhee convinced Jangmi to teach her how to make desserts, and she worked her hardest to impress Jaehyun with her desserts although they weren't comparable to Jangmi.

Jinhee recalled the pathetic moments of how she stayed up late for months just to perfect a cake for Jaehyun's birthday, and the only thing she received was one 'good' from him.

This was enough to make Jinhee feel satisfied at that time, but now, it makes her scoff at herself for being so easily convinced with a simple word. He didn't even bother showing a smile over at her.

'Lee Jinhee, where was your self-respect? No wonder you're so easily disregarded by others.'

Taehee shook her shoulder to pull her out of the trance, and driven out of her thoughts, Jinhee stared at Taehee questioningly. A big smile sat upon Taehee's face, accentuating her alluring features.

Jinhee noticed that Jaehyun had already taken a seat in between of her and Taehee. The sunglasses were no longer upon his face, and a calm look was placed on his countenance.

"Take a bite, and say how it tastes. Jangmi unnie never disappoints," Taehee stated— her expression seeming strangely too cheerful.

Vague creases formed between Jinhee's eyebrows for her inability to understand Taehee, as she picked her dessert spoon and dug it into the jelly. Cutting off a small piece, she placed it inside her mouth.

The biscuit layer below tasted palatable with the colourful jelly layer made with mixture of many fruits. The fruits chosen complemented it each other perfectly, and one couldn't help but crave for it more.

"This is truly delicious, Jangmi-ssi," Jinhee commented, smiling at the gentle woman who stood beside Taehee.

Unbeknownst to Jinhee, the male seated beside her was staring at her, as his eyes reflected the oddity he felt. There was something about the situation he couldn't pinpoint.

"Eat up fast, Jinnie. You have that homework to complete." Taehee softly patted Jinhee's head while looking at her softly.

The sudden action of fondness astounded Jinhee terribly, and it could deciphered by her widened eyes. Taehee rarely called by a pet name or acted affectionate with someone. Moreover, Jinhee wasn't close to Taehee to begin with this time, and all Jinhee showed Taehee was a cold look.

"Thank you for bringing me here," Jinhee spoke out— stuffing her mouth with a spoonful of dessert.

Taehee's sudden display managed to create a huge guilt within Jinhee, and she couldn't help but utter that out. The smile on Taehee's face became wider, as she watched Jinhee chew on the food.

"My Jinnie looks like a cute little squirrel!" Taehee exclaimed, catching Jinhee by surprise.

She started coughing rapidly whilst tears gathered at the corner of her eyes. Tender and rhythmic pats was felt by Jinhee on her back, and she took the glass of water that was handed to her.

After consuming the water, her series of cough stopped, and raising her head up, she was surprised when she saw the usually indifferent Jaehyun staring at her with concern. More astonishingly, he was the one patting her back.

Noticing that Jinhee was no longer coughing, Jaehyun went back to his, and his mask of apathy was set upon his face. A pair of darkened eyes was watching both of them.

'Am I really back in the same world?'