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The World Really Is Small, Isn't It?

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Taehyung. Chaeyoung hates the way she easily forgets names when she only heard them once. Where the hell have I heard of that name before?

"So, is this your first time in the city, Rosie?" Taehyung's voice suddenly echoed her ears once again, immediately pulling her out of her thoughts.

Chaeyoung shrugged. "No, actually. I live here." She simply responded, while the boy just nodded his head.

"Too bad. I was thinking of showing you around one night, probably grab some dinner at my place, after." Taehyung smirked, as if hinting something else, which didn't go unnoticed by the blonde, anyway.

Chaeyoung rolled her eyes.

"Well, that won't be necessary, anymore. Thanks."

Taehyung raised both of his eyebrows at the retort, chuckling lightly before deciding to just gesture his glass towards the blonde next to him.

"Rosie, there you are!"

Oh, thank god. Chaeyoung was so glad of Jennie's arrival that she had to fight an urge to just pull her as far away from the red-headed boy as possible.

"Hey, Jen." She calmly greeted back, instead, mirroring Jennie's grin before leaning in to give the cat-eyed brunette a hug.

However, she had to admit, she least expected an extra greeting from the cocky red-head next to her.

"Oh, Jennie. It's you."

Now Chaeyoung was rather confused, turning to face the boy, and then the cat-eyed girl in front of her, who now had both of her eyes furrowed. "Taehyung?"

Taehyung gave Jennie a wide, wicked smile, (and Chaeyoung thought she may happen to look at him disgustedly at that.)

Standing up from his seat, Taehyung walked closer towards where Jennie was standing. "It's been a few years yet here you are, still beautiful as ever." He chuckled as he leaned in closer in an attempt to capture Jennie in a welcoming hug, but not before he felt a strong hand grip his shoulder tightly, pushing him backwards.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?"

Raising both of his hands up, Taehyung chuckled.

"Cousin Kai, been long." He said upon meeting the older boy's annoyed gaze. "Have you missed me as much as cousin Jisoo did?"

Cousin Jisoo. Now Chaeyoung's eyes just widened even more, she thought it almost jumped out of their sockets as she glanced back and forth towards a smirking Taehyung and a raging Kai. Kim Taehyung, it's Chu and Kai's other cousin. The guy who Mina cheated on me with. Lisa's voice suddenly replayed inside her brain.

She had to blink a few times as she tried to process everything at once.

Kai narrowed his gaze at his cousin, obviously displeased at his attempt to even just try and get near his fiancé, let alone give her a hug.

(He knew his cousin well enough to know better than let him anywhere near Jennie.)

On the other hand, Chaeyoung waited for Kai's retort, but it never came, as the brown-haired boy was seemingly good at keeping his cool and staying professional, especially now that they're in a public place.

So instead, he wrapped his arm around Jennie's waist before turning to face the still surprised blonde's direction.

"Hey, Ro. Sorry we're a little late." Kai greeted before giving the blonde a short side hug.

"Oh, not at all. I'm just a lot early." Chaeyoung shook her head, smiling back sweetly at the boy.  "Are you joining me and Jen for dinner tonight, Kai?"

"Well, I wanted to but, I couldn't. Taehyung and I have somewhere we need to be." Kai said, gesturing towards the chuckling red-head behind him. "This is Kim Taehyung, by the way. My cousin."

Shaking his head amusedly, Taehyung gestured his glass towards Chaeyoung once again as he sent her a sly, and rather flirtatious smirk.

Chaeyoung just ignored him, giving Kai a tight-lipped smile, instead. "Yeah, we've met."

The world really is small, isn't it?

She watched the way Kai's eyes widened in slight surprise, obviously not expecting the blonde's response. However, before he could even say anything else,

"She does cocktails in the evening." Taehyung chimed in from behind the couple, successfully catching all three's attention. "Girl of my dreams, eh?"

He chuckled, sending over a wink towards a still unamused Chaeyoung a few meters away from him, (who had to fight a strong urge to roll her eyes at the boy.)

I mean, he's literally a boy. Chaeyoung couldn't believe he's actually related to Kai and Jisoo.

"Adults are having a conversation, Taehyung." Kai snapped, while the red-head just snickered at him, seemingly amused at the reaction he's getting from the older boy.

Kai scoffed, lips twitching upwards in obvious annoyance at his cousin's immature antics, but succeeded in keeping his composure, nonetheless.

"Well, then. I guess we have to head now." Planting a soft kiss on Jennie's cheek, the brown-haired boy smiled at the two women as he bid his farewell. "Enjoy the evening, ladies."

Both Jennie and Chaeyoung just watched silently as the two disappeared into the restaurant's exit. And the moment the glass door closes, Jennie turns to face the still surprised blonde.

"So," She started, making Chaeyoung turn to face her as well. Jennie sent the younger girl a weird eye. "I didn't know you and Taehyung..."

It took a few moments before Chaeyoung realizes what the cat-eyed girl means by that, and she had to wave her hands frantically in the air as she let out hastily,

"Oh, no. My god, no. We're not- I just met him tonight. I got here early and then, he walked in and-" Letting out a frustrated huff, she rolled her eyes. "We're just certainly not, Jen."

Chaeyoung wouldn't lie, she expected Jennie to throw her another strings of questions, but the blonde was rather confused when the older girl just shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly at her retort.

"Well, good. I mean, that's Taehyung." Jennie said, rolling her eyes. "He's a vulture. He sees someone, decides he wants them, takes them to bed. I mean, it doesn't even matter to him if they're single-"

"Or not?" Chaeyoung cuts her off, catching Jennie off guard.

She looked at the blonde confusedly, blinking several times. "Yes... How did you know?"

Sending the older girl a toothless smile, Chaeyoung mumbled cautiously,

"Lisa's told me about him." And Chaeyoung would be lying if she said she hadn't noticed the way Jennie froze at the mention of the Thai's name. "Apparently, he's the guy Mina cheated on her with in college, and then Mina broke up with her to be with him," She trailed off, watching Jennie swallow the now growing lump inside her throat. "And then, we met you, at the University Library."

Now, Chaeyoung wasn't so sure if telling the cat-eyed girl was the right decision, because by the way Jennie lets out a deep sigh as she shook her head, seemingly catching her breath, Chaeyoung feels like she just reopened a still slightly fresh wound from the past.

"Oh," Jennie breathed out, forcing a smile as she tried her best to respond normally. "Well, I-I certainly didn't know that."

Chaeyoung can see how she's still affected by it. And now, she doubts Jennie would still be able to keep playing nice around Taehyung after this.

Letting out a short sigh, the blonde asked, "Jen, are you really sure about this?" She gestured with her glass as she tried to catch the latter's gaze. "Marrying Kai? I mean, I love him, I do. He's a great guy, but- Don't you think it's all moving a little too fast? And Lisa..."

A part of her expected the older girl to get mad at her for saying that, and for acting like someone who knows better than her, trying to think her out of her own marriage that's just about to come in a few days,

But Chaeyoung also saw the way Jennie's eyes dimmed a little at the question.

Clearing her throat, the cat-eyed girl bit her lip before letting out in a rather firm tone, "Ro, Lisa and I, we're long done. You know that."

The statement was left exactly as it was, and Chaeyoung was left with no other choice but to just nod at that.

"Right. You're right. Gosh, I'm so sorry." She breathed out, while Jennie just sent her a reassuring smile.

Silence took over them for about a minute, and before Chaeyoung could even take initiative in breaking it for their own sake, Jennie suddenly spoke once again, beating her to it.

"Even if I want it to," She gulped, looking down on her glass of red wine as she forced a chuckle. "It just can't be fixed, you know? Some things are like that."

Chaeyoung sighed too, reaching out to rub the cat-eyed girl's arm comfortingly.

She didn't respond at Jennie's statement, simply because she didn't know how to. And so the latter chuckled, looking up in order to hold back the tears that are now starting to well-up in her eyes.

"I just wish it all turned out differently." Jennie sighed, rolling her eyes to herself because of feeling slightly ridiculous at the words that are now coming out of her mouth. "I mean, Lisa and I- I really thought it's gonna be me and her in the end. I wish Mina just didn't come back into the picture to ruin it all," She scoffed, sniffling her tears away, while Chaeyoung just continued to listen closely. "And I just wish Lisa had acknowledged her feelings, and figured it out, before it all went to hell. I mean, maybe if she did, it all wouldn't have gone to hell in the first place."

Chaeyoung visibly gulped at that, feeling her heart race in an instant as Jennie's words slowly sank in on her brain.

And she didn't like the way it sounded more of an indirect to her, at all.

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