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smoll-tangerine · 3 years

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covered by your grace

PAIRING. jaehyun x oc/reader GENRES. romance, angst, historical!au, strangers-to-lovers!au? WORDS. 22.3k

SYNOPSIS. i once knew a boy, who fell in love with a girl, who smiled at the thought of her name. i once knew a girl, who fell in love with a boy, who felt the very same. but it became a struggle, and the timing was wrong, and love decided that they didn’t belong.

BG INFO. this story is set in an alternative universe where it’s a mix of the old days and the present time?? modern transportation exists but other modern gadgets such as cellphones, computers, etc. do not.

TAGLIST. @crescent-iak

[a/n]: reposting this because it didn’t show up in tags, sorry! originally a baekhyun fic, i decided to revamp/rewrite it as a jaehyun one. hope you guys will enjoy this story as much as i enjoyed writing it! ♥

“Miss!” my nanny shouted as she ran after me. “Miss! You are not allowed to leave the house! You’ll get in trouble and you, out of all the people, know that it’s the last thing you want right now.”

I stopped in my tracks and turned around to my nanny with a small, knowing smile. I felt terrible that I somehow dragged her into my antics. But, I didn’t like staying cooped up inside the mansion. Besides, there wasn’t anybody there except for a few maids and butlers.

My older brother, Doyoung, was currently studying in Marseille. Being born into an artistic family, my parents were honestly surprised to hear that he wanted to become a chef. He used to study in Lyon, then Nice, before officially settling in Marseille so that he could learn more about the city’s gastronomy.

My parents were at first, reluctant to let my brother become a chef. They did not believe that someone born in our family could succeed in a field outside of the visual arts. Nonetheless, Doyoung was determined to prove them wrong, which he did. Thus, my parents did not hesitate to boast about their son and his accomplishments.

I couldn’t say the same about myself, though.

Unlike Doyoung, I was still stuck in my hometown, forced to attend events in my parents and older brother’s stead.

However, unlike my brother, I inherited my parents’ skills for the arts. Unfortunately, for my parents, who expected me to take over their legacy, I knew that it was not my passion. I would occasionally enjoy an afternoon or two of drawing in the garden, with a nice cup of tea and lemon scones, but it just wasn’t, well, me.

I was actually in love with literature. Reading and imagining myself in the role of the story’s heroine gave me a lot of thrill and adrenaline; emotions I had never felt due to my dull and mundane life.

I wanted to escape from this place.

Temporarily, permanently—I didn’t care as long as I wasn’t surrounded by the same things and the same people.

“Mirae,” I called my nanny and gave her a knowing look. “You mean you’re the one who’s scared of getting into trouble, not me.”

She shot me a pleading look. “Please, Miss, I cannot afford to lose my job. I need to feed my family.”

I let out a sigh, and then my nanny knew she got me wrapped around her little finger. I disliked it it when she used her family to get me to listen to her because she knew I couldn’t possibly let her family starve. I also felt bad because it was the winter holidays soon, and Mirae was still stuck here with me. I knew how much she wanted to go home and see her children.

I felt bad because I couldn’t do anything for her, for the nanny who took care of me since I was young instead of her own children. Not getting myself into trouble was the least I could do for the woman who had done so much for a brat like myself.

“Come on, Mirae.” I smiled sadly, and I walked back to the mansion with her following me close behind. “I think it’s almost dinner time and I’m quite famished.”

I thought I would never be able to get used to spending days without Doyoung by my side. In him, I found a piece of my safe haven. Unlike typical siblings, we did not fight a lot. Perhaps it was due to our parents’ constant absence in our lives that we realized we actually needed each other.

I missed Doyoung more than I could possibly admit.

Therefore, I was glad that I was able to use Mirae’s children as an excuse to go and visit him, even though I really shouldn’t because children were like gifts to this world. They were just so innocent. I shouldn’t be using them for selfish purposes.

Of course, I did not say that to my parents. I wouldn’t want them to believe that Mirae asked me for a favour. Even if my parents were and could be the sweetest people on Earth, there was still this cruel and almost robotic side to them that they would only show when they sensed that something was wrong.

As parents, they also had a knack to sense whether their children are lying to them or not, which is why they were surprised to find out that I actually didn’t lie about wanting to visit Doyoung in Marseille.

Not only did I want to see him, but I also wanted Mirae to experience the same thing as I—to be around the people we cared about.

“This is rather unusual of you,” my father carefully said as he wiped his lips with his napkin. “Usually, you would be running around the whole town, causing trouble for everybody. I’m afraid that taking care of you would be too much of a hassle for Doyoung.”

I tried not to roll my eyes at his comment. My father and I have always had a close relationship. Perhaps not the perfect father-daughter one since we preferred staying in a comfortable silence instead, but I couldn’t ask for a better father.

Even if he was overly submissive to my overbearing mother.

My mother, on the other hand, was a rather special case. Her mood swings were something that no one could handle. And they only got worse with every passing year. The fact that Father always let her get her way did not help either.

My parents got married at a young age and conceived me and Doyoung at a young age as well. However, there were many things my mother regretted not doing before she got married. Most of the time, she would blame it on us, the children. But I was usually the one at the end of her outbursts since, according to her, at least my brother accomplished something.

On other days, she would spoil me rotten as if I was the only child, something I’ve never got used to. Receiving affection in a physical form from her was something that my brother and I loathed.

I dropped down the fork rather abruptly, causing Mother to cluck her tongue. I faked a wince and mouthed an apology before moving on to what I wanted to say.

“Remember a year ago, you asked me whether I really wanted to go into writing or not, and if I do, you will give me a year to prove that it’s really my passion?” I started, and both my parents nodded. “Well, I thought, why not go to Marseille and just see how it goes?”

“And give me a reason as to why should I send you there?” Father asked with a raised brow, but I knew from the lopsided grin that he was already convinced. Asking me this question was just a formality in hopes of convincing my mother, as well.

I shrugged, giving off a je-ne-sais-quoi attitude. “I’ve got nothing to lose, and the same goes to you guys. If I were to lose my time, might as well do it properly in another city. Who knows? Maybe being with Doyoung would help with the creative juice or whatever you call it.”

Father contemplated my suggestion with his hands crossed in front of his mouth. For a minute, I thought he was going to refuse my proposal. I was ready to pitch myself onto the ground to beg him, but as if he sensed what I was about to do, he immediately raised his hands in defeat. His eyes looked up and down with a frown, and he sighed tiredly.

Mirae subtly let out a breath she was holding as my father said, “Alright.”

I was about to jump in happiness and hug my nanny when my mother suddenly interrupted the happy moment.

Of course, she had to ruin the moment.

“I’m letting you go only on one condition,” she said, and all of us waited for her to continue. She then snapped her fingers. One of the butlers came back with a piece of paper that looked like an envelope. Mother then took the envelope and slid it across the table to me.

Instinctively, I backed away a little from the dining table and eyed the piece of paper skeptically. There was a reason why my mother and I didn’t get along sometimes and it was because I didn’t trust her.

I started losing my trust in her when one day, she announced that she was going to divorce my father.

Suddenly, I was not able to see her as a motherly figure anymore.

Of course, she was still my mother, and I loved her very much, but…

It just wasn’t the same anymore.

Even though they ended up not getting divorced, I still didn’t know the exact details. Nobody, not even Doyoung, informed me. Even today, a part of me was still hurt by my mother’s actions.

Because I remembered clearly.

Too clearly.

The way she left the house with a small suitcase, asking for a break from not only my father but from the family as well.

From me and my brother.

The way my father silently cried in his study room, thinking that nobody would dare to disturb him, thinking that his own children wouldn’t check up on him whether he was okay or not.

I felt betrayed, and I was.

I thought I had a close relationship with my mother. I thought that she would be able to tell me anything, despite my immaturity and lack of real-life experience.

I thought that, as her daughter, she would be able to confide in me, her haunting thoughts that she wouldn’t be able to talk to with anybody else.

But, I guess I was wrong.

Dead wrong.

“What is this?” I asked as I lifted the envelope with my fork, causing her to tsk at me once again. “It looks important… Are you sure you’re supposed to give this to me instead of Doyoung?”

Both my parents gave me a look. Mother was soon to be exasperated and looked like she was close to disowning me, whereas Father was silently begging me to follow my mother’s antics.

I let out a tired sigh as I rubbed my temples. I then reached out for the envelope before opening it and taking out the piece of paper.

Seriously, the things I did for the old man.

“It’s an invitation to a ball that lasts for seven nights,” my mother explained as my eyes scanned the letter. “The Musée des beaux-arts de Lyon is hosting the ball, and they sent us an invitation. I expect you to attend the ball on all seven nights in our family’s stead.”

“But–”

“Lyon is between Paris and Marseille,” she quickly refuted as if she sensed that I was about to refuse. “It shouldn��t cause you any problems since it’s on your way.”

Without waiting for my answer, she wiped her lips before throwing the napkin at the table. She then left us in the dining room, an awkward silence lingering in the air.

“Is it too late to state my opinion?” I said to my father, a bit annoyed that the adults always voiced me out, always treating me like a toddler.

Father sighed. I didn’t know whether he was tired of my mother’s ways of dealing with me, or my attitude towards the family in general.

“Judging by how she said it, I’m guessing she wants me to go because she wants to marry me off or something?” I told him about my theory with a mocking scoff. I could be wrong, but who knows what my mother could be thinking.

“Honey,” my father said. “I know you must resent your mother a little due to the… small incident a few years ago.”

I almost laughed at how ridiculous he sounded. “Small? Dad, do you even hear yourself?”

He ignored my comment. “But always remember that she is still your mother, and she will always hold your best interests at heart. She cares about you, and she wants you to be happy. To be sure of what you want to do.”

“I already told you guys what I want to do.” I huffed before crossing my arms across my torso stubbornly. “But you guys never listen to me.”

“Is that really what you want?” My father stared at me as if he was trying to peek inside of my soul. And it unnerved me. “We’re your parents, honey, and we think that it’s not what you really want.”

I got up from my seat and then shot one last look at my father before leaving the dining room with Mirae behind me.

“I don’t know what I really want either.”

When I finally got to my hotel in Lyon, I lost count of the number of times I regretted telling Mirae to go back to her family for the holidays. My parents left everything for me to organize, and well, let’s just say it wasn’t the easiest thing I have done in my life. I took Mirae for granted and promised myself that I would stop getting her in trouble with me.

The receptionist recognized me and greeted me. She asked someone to bring me to my room, and I refused for obvious reasons, but she was annoyingly persistent. In the end, I ended up following a really tall, almost lanky bellhop.

When I was finally in front of my room, I realized he brought me to a suite.

Not the single room that I initially booked.

I refrained from cursing at the receptionist.

“Are you sure this is the right room?” I chuckled nervously as I stared at the door in front of me.

The male nodded and bowed. “This is the room assigned to you by the musée. If you have any questions, just dial the star on the telephone, and the receptionist downstairs will answer.” He then warned me, “Be careful in the streets of Lyon, Miss. Lyon is not as safe as you think it is. Make sure to not follow any strangers.”

Before I could have said anything, he already left, leaving me alone in the big hallway, wondering whether I should really listen to his advice or not.

After all, where else could I find such thrill other than in Lyon?

I entered my room, to find all of my belongings already placed in their rightful places. However, there was a piece of paper that was sticking out from one of my bags, and I knew I wasn’t the one who placed it there. For a second, I thought my mother had left me something, but to my surprise, it wasn’t.

The letter was actually from Mirae, and on it, it was the written schedule of the whole week. Even when we aren’t together, she would always take care of me, no matter what.

Unlike a certain mother I know.

But it wasn’t time for me to mope around about trifles. I looked at the time, and I realized that I have to prepare myself for tonight’s party.

But I soon let out a sigh when I read the details concerning the party hosted by the museum of Lyon.

I had nothing against parties. I did find them to be quite the entertainment in my dull, boring, and monotone life. Nothing really interested or surprised me anymore since my parents had my whole life already planned. However, masquerade balls were another thing.

Masquerade balls would be something that went with what I searched and thrived for in life. The people would always be so much mysterious. The atmosphere alluring. But, I knew that was it due to the music and the costumes.

What masquerade balls really lacked though was unpredictability.

The same kind of people would always fill up the place.

That’s just the thing with balls in general.

An hour later, I swore under my breath as I tried to arrange my hair while getting out of the car. Although we were almost there, an accident happened at the corner of the street, preventing any cars from going through. Although I was certain that my mother would faint at the sight of me running like a madwoman in the streets of Lyon, I was certain that being late was much more of a faux pas.

As I was trying to run in a fashionable manner, I saw a young person leaning against the wall near the place where the accident occurred. But, his position hinted that he was perhaps in hiding. He smiled amusingly at the scene as he popped a lollipop into his mouth.

I suddenly stopped in my tracks as I couldn’t help but continue staring at the mysterious guy. The guy kept overlooking the scene, and I forced my eyes to follow his vision.

The accident wasn’t significant. A few men in black jumped on the roof of the cars, scaring both the passengers and the drivers, thus causing them to freak out and get out of the vehicles to see what was exactly going on. As soon as they thought everything was normal, they went back inside their vehicles, to discover that most of their prized possessions and belongings had been stolen.

I looked back at the amused man, intrigued not only by the way he was standing—so arrogantly and nonchalantly—but also by the clothes he was wearing. Although they were in good shape, they seemed used, as if a family member had passed them down to him.

The man suddenly shot a thumbs-up to a group of people who wore the same type of clothes as he was—black, casual, and used. The others who were scattered across the street then left, leaving the man I first saw leaning against the wall alone.

As if he sensed my eyes, he turned to my direction and his eyes widened just the slightest. He quickly regained his composure and shot me a simple, flirty grin, causing me to cock my head to the side, just trying to decipher what kind of person he was. However, as he eyed me up and down, his smile suddenly vanished. The male then scoffed and glared at me before turning away and left the place.

His behaviour stunned me. Although I admit, I was not perhaps the most open or friendliest person in the world, as my personality might be a little bit too far-fetched for some people, but in no way did I display a behaviour that could be deemed as rude.

Or, at least, not rude enough to deserve such attitude from him.

I didn’t have time to continue staring at the empty spot he left. Even though I loved being fashionably late, there was no point in arriving late when the ball was about to finish. So, burying the thoughts of the man I just saw to the very back of my mind, I turned away from the scene and tried to run to the ball’s venue without tripping over my dress and making a fool out of myself.

The ball’s venue was definitely something I should praise the organizers for. The ball turned out to be held in a magnificent castle, where the garden turned out to be a vast white and ancient maze with tall bushes of roses.

I nodded at the guards, whom I’m guessing, were part of the whole French, masquerade concept, and showed them my invitation card. I could see their eyes growing big at my invitation, and they allowed me in. However, as soon as I stepped inside, the two guards followed me behind, and I turned around to see what exactly they were planning to do.

To my horror, they were about to announce my arrival. I immediately shot them a glare, simultaneously shutting them up at the same time. I knew the ball was inspired by French masquerade balls. But, I did not expect them to actually announce my arrival.

Besides, wasn’t this supposed to be a masquerade ball?

After making sure they weren’t going to say anything else—though, the sudden pause made things slightly awkward, and people were still staring—I walked down the stairs, keeping my eyes on the floor to make sure that I wouldn’t make any eye contact.

The last thing I needed was for people to notice me and to find out my identity.

Not that I expected them to know.

I peeked at my invitation, to find out that I was one of the honoured guests, which explained the guards’ actions. I sighed at those words and tucked the invitation away into the depths of my clutch, and then grabbed a flute of champagne from a waiter that passed by.

There wasn’t much that was happening, and that was exactly what I was afraid of. The least that Mother could do was to send Doyoung a letter and ask him to attend it with me. I felt that it was slightly unfair to let me suffer alone. But then again, it wouldn’t be much of a punishment for me if Doyoung were to attend it as well.

For the first hour or so, I thought I was doing a great job at staying low profile, which probably wasn’t something my mother wanted me to do, but then again, since when did I ever listen to her? Besides, her instructions for me were only to attend all seven nights of the ball. She didn’t say that I actually had to socialize with those people.

But with those thoughts, I probably jinxed myself.

Naturally, people approached me. I didn’t know why. I wasn’t one of those super charismatic people where others would just be naturally attracted to them, nor was I one of those good-looking people that could turn people’s heads.

Like my brother.

I was about to discretely walk away when my mother’s voice suddenly popped inside of my head, warning me that if I were to walk away, I could say goodbye to my freedom. So, reluctantly, I stayed at the same place, forcing my feet not to move an inch.

I heard a male call my name, causing me to turn around with a raised brow.

“You’ve caused quite a scene when you came,” he said to me.

I maintained my expression, waiting for him to elaborate, but he didn’t. I was baffled that someone actually knew me, let alone my name. I thought my mask would hide my face, but it failed its duty. But surprisingly, it didn’t make me feel annoyed as I thought I would be. Instead, my curiosity piqued, and I couldn’t help but wonder, who that mysterious guy in front of me was.

He was rather tall—at least a head and half taller than me—and had silver hair. He had a nice jawline and a tall nose. He wore a black shirt with a dark blue tie that matched with his suit and pants, and there was a white handkerchief in his breast pocket. His mask that paired with his suit enhanced just how dark and peculiar his eyes were.

Even with the mask on, I knew that he was dashing.

But for some odd reason, despite this man’s dapper appearance, I didn’t feel the same pull that I did with that mysterious guy from earlier.

“I didn’t know that my appearance would cause a scene,” I said matter-of-factly. “And besides, I wouldn’t exactly call it a scene if you’re the only one approaching me.”

He let out a chuckle and then opened his mouth to say something when all of a sudden, the lights went out, causing everyone to panic. I decided to take advantage of the pandemonium to leave the place. Unfortunately, a light went back on. Though instead of illuminating back the whole area, it was shining on a person who was standing at the very top of the stairs.

What was the point of hiring guards if they weren’t doing their job correctly?

It was evident to me that the mysterious man that appeared was the cause of the sudden blackout. However, he didn’t seem to be dangerous to me even though he was just oozing with danger and wilderness. The mysterious male also had a mask on, and he was dressed in a black turtleneck with a leather jacket and pants, paired up with combat boots. His hair was a shade of dark brown and was messy in a good way.

Despite a different appearance, it didn’t take me long to realize that it was the guy I saw in the streets from earlier.

He had a rope attached to his hips to which he was hanging onto. He smirked at us all as if he knew a secret that none of us knew before he finally opened his mouth.

“Underneath this little stone, lies Robert Earl of Lyon;

no other archer was so good,

and people called him Robin Hood.

Such outlaws as he and his men.

Will France never see again.”

He then tugged at the rope, and he immediately was pulled away as he exited through one of the high windows. The method he used to leave the place completely baffled me.

It took me a few seconds for his words to sink.

He quoted The Adventures of Robin Hood but replaced the names.

I ignored the cries of surprise of the other people, who realized that someone stole from them, and instead ran out of the castle, ignoring the handsome man in blue who was talking to me earlier on.

Contrary to what I’ve once thought, I stopped regretting the fact that I actually came here.

It took me a while to find the man, but I did.

It was surprising though, that he looked so casual and not alarming as if he knew nobody would actually go after him.

Actually, that was a good question.

Why wasn’t anybody going after him?

He entered the garden in which the maze of walls supposedly led to the exit. I paused at the maze’s entrance, unsure whether should I continue following the mysterious guy or not. Suddenly, I recalled the words that my hotel’s bellhop told me right before he left, about not following anyone I didn’t know.

But this guy…

I couldn’t help but feel like I had to follow him. My guts and instincts were just telling me to go for it; that I only lived once; that I was sure to regret it if I didn’t follow that person.

Somehow, as crazy as it sounds, I thought that maybe, just maybe it was fate that brought me here.

That maybe fate wanted me here so that I could find my answers.

Perhaps, the mysterious guy would lead me to what I’ve always wanted to find.

I immediately entered the maze with white—almost manila coloured—walls. There were numerous stairs that led you up and down, and lights and doors that made you feel a little bit disorientated. But the guy seemed like he knew his way.

The second I decided to take a small breather, the male disappeared right in front of my eyes. I tried not to curse at my bad luck. Because not only did I just lost the guy I was following, I was also terribly lost.

Let’s just say that I wasn’t blessed with a good sense of direction.

However, the next thing I know, my back came into contact with the hard concrete wall, causing me to wince in pain. But, I tried to ignore the throbbing on my back as I stared back at the guy I was following just a few seconds ago.

“Who are you and why are you following me?” he growled.

Even though I tried not to blush—really, this was definitely not the right situation to do so—I still did. It was hard not to, especially in the position we were in. One of his arms was over my head, clouding me from the sky, while the other was pushing me down to the wall by the hip. If he noticed how uncomfortable I was with him touching me like that, he didn’t do anything about it. In fact, it was as if he wanted to use this weakness of mine to his advantage.

“Answer me!”

And I found myself unable to.

His eyes were this deep colour of brown, almost black even, and they just seemed to suck me right in. The kind of eyes that made you think you would be able to look inside, discovering who this person truly was, but to only see a veil blocking you from swimming further.

They were just so mesmerizing.

The clock tower of the castle chimed twelve times, announcing it was midnight. The male in front of me said a few words that would make a sailor blush. He didn’t bother explaining anything as he grabbed my hand and forced me to run along with him.

I didn’t understand the reason why he was running, though. Was he running away? Was he running away from the guards that were supposedly looking for him? But, in my mind, that was impossible because he was literally just casually walking around when we entered the maze.

I didn’t dare to ask him why we started sprinting. Answering my questions didn’t seem to be a priority to him. I was also surprised by the fact that he wasn’t out of breath at all, despite all the running we did. I was a mess and too tired for my own good, which was one of the reasons why I didn’t ask him anything or even ask him to slow down a little.

But, maybe I should have because I hurt myself in the process. One of my feet got caught in a mini pothole that I failed to see because it was too dark. I tripped over it and got caught in my dress before hearing a small crack that was probably my foot or my ankle, whichever.

“You okay?” The stranger bent down.

I huffed, trying not to get mad at the male. After all, it wasn’t really his fault that I got myself hurt even though he dragged me around like a rag doll. I remained silent, but he seemed to have noticed that I injured myself in the process.

“I’m not going to do anything indecent to you, so please don’t shout, okay?” he said while lifting my dress to my knee, keeping it at a relatively decent length, and then gently grabbed my foot.

I gasped out in surprise. I didn’t expect it to hurt that much. But since I was able to move it, I was relieved to find out that it wasn’t broken for real. The male sighed and turned around, before bending down and waved me over with both of his hands.

I was confused as to what exactly was he doing. I think I froze for a good five seconds before the stranger finally noticed that I wasn’t doing what he expected me to do.

“Well?” he said, irritated. “Aren’t you going to get on? We don’t have all night!”

My eyes slightly widened at how loud he sounded, and I almost ended up jumping on him. Thankfully, I didn’t. Though, I wasn’t sure whether the groan he let out was because of me, or because of my dress.

“You know,” I said as he started picking up his pace, despite the extra weight he got on his back. “I don’t get why you have to run. I mean, I don’t even know why you have to bring me with you.”

He didn’t answer.

“It’s kind of awkward doing this with a total stranger, don’t you think?”

His huffed breathing was the only thing I could hear during the few awkward and silent moments between me asking the questions and him not answering them.

But somehow, I was okay with that. It didn’t bother me as much as I thought it would be.

In a normal situation, I wouldn’t hesitate to call him out as a rude person. But since I was on his back and he could drop me on my arse at any time, perhaps shutting my mouth was better. We then ran—well, he ran—in complete silence. It was an awkward experience because this never happened to me before. Getting a piggyback from a stranger wasn’t exactly something I was comfortable with, but it’s not like I had a choice.

After what I thought to be hours, we finally arrived at the destination he so desperately wanted to reach. When I looked in front of him, I realized they were gates. But, I wasn’t sure what was their exact purpose, and why he brought me there.

He then bent down, allowing myself to descend from his back before hopping on one leg. I tried not to limp too much as I was trailing after him. The stranger dashed to the gate and hit it in frustration with a growl as he realized that it was closed, that he was too late. But, I still wasn’t sure about why he was so desperate to leave this place and why were the gates the only way for him to go.

“If you don’t mind me asking,” I started to say, my curiosity at its peak, “why are you so nervous? I mean, why were you in such a hurry to get here?”

He suddenly turned around, facing me with an indescribable expression. Perhaps it was disbelief since he looked almost shocked by my questions. “You seriously don’t know?” he asked, his eyes wide.

“I’m not exactly from here,” I replied, unsure whether that answered his question or not. “I didn’t even know this castle had a gate, to begin with.”

“You’re not from here? Then, what are you doing at this place and why?” he continued to grill me, but immediately shook his head. “No, never mind that. That’s not the important part. I have to get out of here before they catch me.”

I tried to take a step forward. “Before who catches you?”

“The guards, of course,” he replied as if the answer was obvious. “People like me aren’t supposed to be on this side of the gate at this hour.”

“People like you?” I frowned at his use of words. “What is that supposed to mean?”

I started hearing people running towards our direction—probably the guards he was talking about.

He growled again. “Come on!” he said and motioned me to help him. “Push me up!”

I blinked in surprise and robotically followed his instructions. I didn’t understand why he even needed my help when he was able to smoothly climb the gate and jump over to the other side.

I couldn’t help but get angry a little.

If he was so worried about the fact that he wasn’t allowed to be on this side of the gate, then why was it necessary for him to drag me along?

“Hey!” I shouted after him.

But he shot me a wink with a flirty grin, and saluted me as he said, “I guess I’ll see you tomorrow night, sweetheart.”

I stood there, frozen in shock, unsure whether everything that just happened was either a dream or a reality.

The guards finally arrived, and worry was present on their faces.

“Miss, are you okay? Have you hurt yourself anywhere?” one of them asked me.

“Does it look like I’m okay?” I almost screamed at the poor guard who was simply concerned about my well-being. Then again, I didn’t really have to be mad about anything. The stranger finally freed from his grasp, and even though I still didn’t know why he brought me with him, he gave me a piggyback ride while I was hurt.

So, why was I so frustrated about the fact that he just left me there?

It was only until the guards have walked me back to the castle filled with annoying people that I’ve finally realized.

He didn’t give me his name.

On the second night of the ball, I’ve made sure to wear a dress that was long enough to cover my feet so that nobody would notice the pair of flats I was wearing underneath. I prepared myself in case I would see the mysterious stranger once again. As a matter of fact, I wanted to see him again, believe it or not.

Thankfully, my ankle wasn’t too sprained, and to my relief, I was able to walk and run like usually.

He did come on the second night, but this time, he didn’t make a grand scene out of it and recited a few lines. Instead, he was subtle and sly. More cunning than the first time. People around me did panic over their lost items and pieces of jewellery, so nobody really paid attention to the male who was literally galloping away from the scene, his back facing the exit and his face taunting me, luring me to follow him.

So, I did.

Someone suddenly grabbed my arm, and I turned around to see who the perpetrator was. It ended up being the same tall silver haired guy from yesterday who talked to me.

“You shouldn’t leave,” he advised me. “It’s dangerous if you don’t have an escort.”

I slightly bowed. “Thank you for your kind thoughts, but I am sure that I will be fine.”

With that said, I kindly pried off his hand from my arm and quickly ran after the mysterious stranger, hoping that I wouldn’t lose him amidst the chaotic crowd. To say that I was desperate to find him was an understatement.

I didn’t understand my desperation. After all, he was just a mere stranger who stole from rich people like me. I should be running away from him instead. But I felt that there was more than just him quoting Robin Hood that made me want to go search for him.

Without thinking, I rushed towards the backyard’s maze, thinking he must be there. Where else he could be, right?

Of course, I should have known that running towards an unknown place recklessly was a bad idea, but I followed my guts and decided that there was no harm in following a criminal.

But, who was I kidding? I was out of my mind.

I didn’t know exactly where was I going until a voice behind me suddenly interrupted my running. I immediately halted in my tracks and tried not to look delighted about the stranger’s presence. Though I admit, I wasn’t sure whether he was serious about seeing me again or not.

I guess the childish and somewhat romantic part of me wished that he wasn’t kidding and that he had every intention of seeing me again. Perhaps, not necessarily for the same reasons as I thought he would, but I stayed optimistic and was glad to see him again.

As for why was I glad, I didn’t know.

“So.” He titled his head to the side, an amused expression on his face as he stared at me. “Are you going to tell me why you have been following me for the past two evenings or not?”

And I know I kept repeating myself, but there was just something so mesmerizing about him. Despite his cheerful, cunning, and somewhat youthful appearance, I knew there was something more to him. However, whether he was going to tell me, or reveal to me what he had been hiding, or the reason why he was doing these things—that was up to him to decide.

Though, I doubted he was going to reveal it to a stranger like me.

“I don’t know,” I ended up answering him vaguely. “You tell me.”

He pushed himself off from the wall and then strolled towards me. I found myself unable to take my eyes off him.

Hell, even the way he walked made me feel like a hopeless teenage girl in love.

I mentally shook my head at my own childish and unrealistic thoughts. I was reading too much fiction these days. Maybe that was why my mother disapproved of my love for literature. Reading brought me to a whole completely new world, a place where it was hard for anybody to bring me back.

Fiction never helped me stay grounded. And my mother hated that I had dreams, that I dared to think unrealistically and illogically.

“So, a rich girl like you, doesn’t know the reason why she’s been following a rogue stranger like me?” He smirked at me. He looked almost devil-like and still managed to be so charming at the same time. “You’re asking for trouble.”

I shrugged. “Perhaps I am searching for trouble. There’s nothing wrong with that, is there?”

He stared at me for a few good seconds, and during those seconds, I realized why I was so captivated with his eyes. They seemed to hide a story, one that I was curious to read about. But then, he started laughing out loud as if I said something amusing. And I knew I didn’t, but he was beginning to cry at the same time, worrying me just the slightest about his mental state.

“You’re a fascinating girl,” he told me with a smile that reached his eyes. For a second, I was so surprised because it just completely ruined the mysterious, Robin Hood bad boy image I’ve had of him.

Because, he, well, looked actually quite… adorable.

“I can say the same about you,” I retorted back. “Mr. Robin Hood?”

He snorted at the nickname. “I wouldn’t call myself Robin Hood. That guy is a legend. I would never be able to surpass him. I’m Jaehyun, Jung Jaehyun.” He then shot forward his hand while bowing to me. “What’s your name, milady?”

I gave him my name without giving out my surname. I never really liked giving it out, and I wasn’t carefree enough like him to give it to a stranger. “Nice to meet you, Mr. Jung.”

He brought my hand to his lips before pecking it. “Nice to meet you too. No need to be so formal, just call me Jaehyun.”

“Alright then, Jaehyun,” I said while one of my brows raised at his nonchalance, but I couldn’t stop the small grin that was threatening to appear.

He chuckled against the back of my hand, sending tingling sensations through my whole body and they only stopped when his lips stopped touching my skin.

“So, where are you from?” he asked as he walked away, prompting me to follow him even though I really shouldn’t be. “You told me yesterday you aren’t from here since you didn’t know about the gates. So, where are you from, really?”

“Paris,” I replied before asking the burning question, “By the way, what is it about the gate that made you run like that?”

His brows furrowed at my question and for a second I thought he didn’t want to answer. Asking him was just a way for me to continue the conversation.

“I wasn’t supposed to be there, yesterday night, and technically, I’m not supposed to be here tonight either,” he said. “As you may or may not know, the castle of Lyon is used as a market during the day, and that’s the only time when the gate is open.”

“They close it during the night?” I frowned. “What’s the point?”

“The castle of Lyon is a popular place to host balls and parties,” he replied. “Therefore, only accessible to the rich and famous. And speaking of the rich and famous,” he then trailed off as he eyed me up-and-down, “why are you attending the ball? Are you some rich and attention-seeking heiress who ran away from home?”

As much as I appreciated his humour and witty attitude, this time, I didn’t take his joke lightly. I gave him a dead look. “Ha. Real funny.”

“I know,” he dared to say.

“Well, aren’t you a charmer,” I grumbled but decided to tell him nonetheless. “Well, I actually want to become a writer, something my parents don’t really approve of, unfortunately. And I wanted to visit my older brother, who’s up in Marseille, so that—I don’t know—it might inspire me to write something worthwhile, I guess.”

“But?”

I gave him a tight smile. “My mother forced me to attend the balls in our family’s stead. It’s not exactly something I really like, seeing how every ball I attend is the same old boring thing, but that was the condition if I wanted to go visit my brother.”

“Wow.” He rolled his eyes playfully. “Such a tough life.”

“Hey!” I smacked his arm lightly. “I didn’t judge you for stealing from the rich, so don’t judge about my lifestyle either. It’s not like I decided to be born into a rich family that’s forcing me to do stuff I don’t want to do.”

“Point taken.” He nodded his head. “But, I didn’t tell you about my life story. Thus you didn’t have anything to judge me about.”

“Please.” It was my turn to roll my eyes. “As if quoting Robin Hood wasn’t big enough of a hint.”

“Touché.” He smirked. “Though, you’re probably the only one who actually got it, the only witness to actually understand my actions.”

“Well, seeing as I don’t know your life, I can’t say that I really understand but if you think so, then I guess?”

“For someone who wants to become a writer, your vocabulary is quite varied and enriched.”

I shrugged as I ignored the hint of sarcasm in the tone of his voice. “Just levelling up with you, country boy.”

He gasped out loud, dramatically even. I guess he had a thing for dramatic things. “I am not a country boy!” he corrected. “I actually grew up in the city, thank you very much.”

“Why? Easier to steal from the rich?” I faked a gasp and then checked my belongings. “You didn’t steal from me, right? I trust you, Jung Jaehyun.”

He smiled at me, before answering without wavering, “Of course, I didn’t.”

And that’s how our relationship started.

At first, our relationship was like a cat and a mouse; one was always chasing after the other. It didn’t really matter who was the feline and who was the rodent, all that matters was that somehow our eyes would always search for one and another.

By the fourth night, Jaehyun knew that I sucked at being the cat and he decided to wait for me at what he liked to call our meeting spot. Although we didn’t precisely tell each other to wait for each other at a particular spot, Jaehyun thought it was evident that the entrance to the maze was where we should meet every time.

I was grateful for his presence. After following him for three nights in a row, he seemed to have an idea as to why I didn’t stay inside. But, that wasn’t the only reason.

“So.” I smiled at him. “Tell me about your day.”

He was sitting at the top of the wall that was opposite to me, while I was sitting on the ground, not caring whether I looked like a proper lady or not. My mother and Mirae would have a heart attack if they saw me sitting like this. At least, Jaehyun was enough of a gentleman to lend me his jacket so that my dress wouldn’t get dirty.

Jaehyun grinned at me before switching his position. Instead of sitting and dangling his legs, he was lying his whole body on the top, his hand propped under his chin. He found it weird that I always ask about his day. He thought for sure that I was the one with better “adventures”—as I called them—than him.

“Enough about me,” he said against my expectations. “Why don’t you talk about yourself a little? All I have been talking about for the past few nights is myself, and as much as I like to talk, it’s a bit boring when I’m the only one talking.”

I immediately looked up with pleading and sparkling eyes. “But your stories are so fascinating!”

“What we’re having here,” he said while gesturing the empty space between us two, “is a conversation, a dialogue, okay? Not a monologue.”

“Fine!” I groaned in exasperation and threw away my notebook and pen. “What do you want to know?”

Believe it or not, Jaehyun didn’t know much about me. He wasn’t joking when he said he was the only one talking, but his stories were just so intriguing and exciting. They were much better than my boring and mundane life. He also seemed to realize that I didn’t mind the fact that he was a criminal.

A criminal that might put my life in danger.

But somehow, I trusted Jaehyun like no one else.

Doyoung would also be surprised if I told him that I had made a new friend in Lyon. He wouldn’t believe me for sure because he knew how difficult it was for me to make friends. My whole social life spoke for itself which was not necessarily a good thing when you think about my socialite status.

In a way, I was glad that I’ve met Jaehyun. Because he was probably one of the only few who knew all of my deepest secrets and thoughts. I didn’t understand myself as I was revealing every aspect of my life to him. I thought maybe it was because he was like a stranger to me that it was easier to tell him.

But, I knew that wasn’t the reason.

At this point, I knew that I stopped considering Jaehyun as that one mysterious stranger that managed to pique my interest and make my boring trip more interesting. He actually became someone important to me, someone I somehow depended on.

But I refuse to think it was because I was feeling lonely.

I would never stoop that low and be so shallow that I thought of Jaehyun as mere fleeting entertainment.

“Why do you always have that notebook and that pen on you?” he then asked. “As far as I’m concerned, you don’t need those two items when you attend a ball.” He then glared at me playfully. “Are you a journalist?”

I didn’t know whether I should be offended or laugh at his words. “Seriously, Jaehyun?” I tried to keep a neutral face, but it was hard. “Out of all the theories and possibilities in the world, that’s the best you could come up with? I’ve got to admit, I’m a bit disappointed.”

He stayed silent.

“Oh, come on! I thought these were a giveaway!” I said while gesturing the pen and notebook that I threw to the side earlier on.

He thought about it for a while. I almost thought he was pulling my leg and was actually pretending to think about it. But, he seemed to be so deep in thoughts that I didn’t dare to tell him what was going on in my mind.

“Well, you did mention that you’ve wanted to become a writer,” he said. My heart swelled at his words. I was happy that he actually remembered. “The notebook is to keep track of your adventures or mine?”

“Both,” I replied without any hesitation. “But for sure yours are far more interesting and worthy than mine.”

“So, are you going to write a book about my adventures specifically?” he asked with a teasing smile, his eyebrows wriggling a little.

“Probably,” I said with a smile as I stared up the starry night. “Who knows, I might write the next Adventures of Robin Hood.”

“You mean, The Adventures of Jung Jaehyun.”

I laughed out loud at his suggestion. “Of course.”

“Well.” He puffed out his chest a little. “I mean, if you’re going to write about me, make sure to spell my name correctly.”

“Don’t worry,” I reassured him. “I won’t mess up the name of my main character.”

He then mockingly bowed at me as best as he could in his position. “It would be an honour to be part of your book.”

I stayed silent, and I guessed it kind of worried him because I never stayed silent for too long. He knew how much I hated it when there was a silence, even though I didn’t tell him anything about that. He just managed to figure me out all on his own.

“Did you mean that?” I asked him softly.

“Mean what?”

“When you’ve said that it would be an honour.”

He smiled softly at me. “Of course. I wouldn’t lie to you, sweetheart.”

I didn’t know why but I suddenly felt so vulnerable and raw in front of him. And I’ve realized, it was only in front of him that I could just show my feelings like that. “You promise you will never lie to me?”

He nodded without an ounce of hesitation shown in his eyes. “I promise.”

“Good.” I smiled back. “Then it would be an honour to write about you, Jung Jaehyun.”

Who would have thought that in barely a week, I would already be infatuated with a guy I had just met?

By the fifth day, we were already hanging out together in broad daylight. Our relationship came to the point where we didn’t have to leave our meetings to luck and hoped that we would see each other at the ball.

On the morning of the fifth day, we decided to do something different than usual and just go to the park to enjoy the beautiful weather Lyon had that day.

I didn’t know how, but I somehow managed to convince him to drop whatever weird, suspicious activities he had planned before, which in my opinion was something to be proud of. The Jaehyun I knew before, the one who saw Robin Hood as his role model, would never think about skipping his night activities to hang out with a girl he’d just met.

But maybe I didn’t give him enough credit.

“Say, Jaehyun,” I said as I sketched his face roughly onto my pad. “What do you usually do during the day?”

While I was sitting on a bench right under a tree, Jaehyun was laying in front of me on the grass with his hands behind his head. It was a bright and sunny day with a warm breeze. I could see that the weather was making him feel lazy a little.

For the first time, I was able to see his face clearly: without any mask or dark makeup on. With the sunlight shining on his face, he looked peaceful, serene and happy. Truth to be told, he didn’t seem like the type of guy who would sneak into masquerade balls to steal from the rich and give it away to the poor. There was a certain innocence that he exuded that was blinding.

“Well, you know,” Jaehyun mumbled, clearly not focused due to the nice weather. “I just do this and that.”

“Uh-huh,” I replied with a frown. I was also too focused on my drawing to reply correctly to his lame answer. “I see.”

I guessed he must’ve thought that it was weird that I didn’t scold him for giving me such a vague answer, as I was not a big fan of vague answers either. I would always persist and annoy him until he gave me a proper one since I needed reliable information and sources for my future novel.

He then got up, surprising me a little and frowned when he saw that I didn’t have my usual white notebook and pen, but instead a relatively big black pad and a drawing pencil. I realized too late that he was staring at me with skeptical eyes, and didn’t have enough time to hide what I was doing properly.

The next thing I know, Jaehyun swiftly grabbed my sketching pad, ignoring my protests and whining, and saw the portrait that I drew of him.

He stood silent for a few seconds, letting the silence linger for a little while longer. And it actually worried me a little. Jaehyun was a chatterbox, and he wouldn’t stop talking for his life. I was actually getting nervous about what he thought of my sketch. I knew that I wasn’t at the same level as my parents, but maybe I overestimated my skills a little.

“You didn’t tell me that you were an artist,” he whispered, clearly in awe but his expression unreadable. “I thought you said that you were a writer?”

“I am a writer,” I retorted, though my voice faltered a little at the mention of the word artist.

It always made me feel guilty, not only to my parents but towards myself as well. It was a feeling that I have chosen to neglect because it always got into my way of thinking and living. I had to calm myself a little before replying to Jaehyun. He didn’t know how much I hated to be associated with art.

“Fine, fine!” He threw his arms up into the air dramatically. “I’m simply going to ignore the fact that you’ll be going to Marseille in two days, and you’re just going to leave me here hanging and wondering about who you really are.”

I glared at him, though I couldn’t help but feel my lips twitch a little at his dramatic act. I didn’t know why, but his words kind of hit home, and I wasn’t able to stop the words that came out from my mouth.

“Then come with me,” I told him with a determined gaze. “Come with me to Marseille after the ball ends. I mean, it wouldn’t hurt to come with me for a few days, right? Either way, I still have to come back to Lyon.”

My parents had sent me a letter, which I received it on my fourth day here. In that letter, they told me that I have permission to go to Marseille and spend a few days there with Doyoung, but I had to bring him back to Lyon with me because they had something important to tell us.

I had a bad feeling about what was hiding behind their reason for coming to Lyon, and I wanted to know their true intentions. Bringing Doyoung back—which basically meant that he had to miss a few days of school—was a sign that something was bound to happen.

Because of this bad feeling, I thought that bringing Jaehyun would make it go away. Honestly, I didn’t know why, but just by being with him makes me feel so relaxed and well, happy.

“Actually, you know what? It’s not even a question, you are coming with me, and I don’t want to hear any excuses,” I said without hearing his opinion. Truth to be told, even if he flat-out refused my request, I would have found a way to stuff him into my luggage and bring him with me to Marseille, whether he liked it or not.

“I can’t,” he said while rolling his eyes, his tone showing that he was a bit annoyed with my persistent attitude, but I swear I saw a hint of sadness hidden behind his eyes as he refused. “Believe it or not, I actually have a day job. Today is an exception because I know you’re leaving soon.” One side of his lips tugged upwards as he continued, “And besides, didn’t you just say that you’re going to come back anyway? I’ll wait for you then.”

“Ask for a few days off,” I replied, refusing to back down from this argument. That was how much I wanted him to come. “Didn’t you tell me that your employer was begging you to take a break? Come on, it’s going to be fun! It’ll be a nice change of pace.”

He let out a small sigh, and I knew I won this argument. I squealed out in happiness and jumped on him, giving him a tight hug to show just how genuinely happy and glad I was about his presence that he was going to grace me with during the trip. I needed moral support, and I was glad that Jaehyun was going to be there to give me some.

Perhaps because I’ve had a feeling that Doyoung knew what our parents had planned for us—or me. Hopefully, he wouldn’t mind Jaehyun’s presence. Doyoung had always been a kind and polite lad. It was a bit sad that people use it to their advantage, though.

“You’re the best, you know that?” I told him after letting myself go from the hug, but I still kept my arms around his neck, and my heart couldn’t help but beat louder and quicker due to his hands that were still around my waist.

What was this man doing to me?

“I know,” Jaehyun replied with a dimpled smile.

“Is this your last night in Lyon, Miss?”

It was finally the last and seventh day of the masquerade ball that the museum was holding.

Once again, I found myself talking to one person only and it was the same, tall and elegant man from before. This time, his hair was light brown, the colour as smooth as melted caramel, and his tux was made out of something similar to leather, which clearly showed off his broad shoulders and tall frame. His black blazer had white lines along the ends and emphasized the delicate material that it was made of.

He was grabbing all the females’ attention, and yet, here he was, still talking to me.

Jaehyun wasn’t going to be here tonight since he had to finish packing his stuff for the trip, so the tall guy was the only source of entertainment I’ve had for the night.

“Yes, it is,” I answered. “I will be going to Marseille to visit my older brother, and I will be back in a few days to meet my parents.”

“Your older brother, Doyoung, is still studying culinary arts, am I correct?”

I frowned at his question because not a lot of people knew that since it was information my parents would boast to their friends only, to our close circle. It wasn’t information that could possibly be leaked to the public.

“Yes, but–”

I was about to ask him where did he hear that from, but I soon got interrupted by an emcee who was going onstage. The chatter around us immediately died, and their attention was solely on the guy that stood on the grand stage. There was something hidden by a veil right behind him, but I wasn’t able to figure what it was.

“Good evening, ladies and gentlemen and thank you all so much for attending our annual event,” the emcee said through the microphone provided to him. “As you all know, this is a charity event hosted and sponsored by the Musée des beaux-arts de Lyon. Well, I’m not going to hold it off any longer. In each of your invitations, behind your card are numbers that are printed in big, bold letters. That will be your bidding paddle.”

I opened up my invitation and indeed, in the back was printed the numbers 0214. The mysterious guy next to me had the numbers 0701.

I wasn’t surprised to see that the things hidden behind the veil were artworks done by yesterday and today’s famous artists. I had a feeling that this was a charity event to auction off artworks. After all, what else could a museum do to contribute to society?

What I didn’t expect, was to see one of my past paintings showcased there alongside other artworks—other famous artworks. Seeing one of my works up there somehow made my blood boil. I wasn’t too keen and happy about that. If anything, it was insulting to the other artists. From that moment, I knew I needed to have a serious talk with my parents.

Before that, I needed to get rid of that abomination before anyone else can have it in their possession.

“Following up is a painting named Summer Serendipity, an acrylic and oil painting that has been graciously donated by one of our main sponsors. However, the sponsor has requested not to reveal the painting’s artist, and we shall respect his wishes.” The emcee smiled. “Without further ado, let’s commence the bidding. Now, who will give me ten thousand to start?”

I almost spat out the champagne that I was drinking when I heard the starting price. I thought it was ridiculous that a painting like mine had ten thousand euros as the starting bidding price.

An old lady in the back raised her number.

“Alright, I have ten thousand euros! Do I hear twenty thousand?”

I silently apologized to the kind lady as I stared at the painting. I would never allow that painting to be in anybody else’s possession except in mine. But before I could have raised my paddle, the guy next to me did it before me.

“Thirty thousand.”

I gaped at him and almost shouted at him for adding an extra ten thousand. It wasn’t worth it, my head screamed. I knew that ten thousand euros were nothing for people like us. But I didn’t want him to get scammed, thinking that what he bought was something worth buying.

I quickly raised my paddle after him. “Forty thousand.”

“Forty-five thousand.” Another male this time had joined the bid.

But the guy next to me didn’t even flinch as he raised his paddle and said, “Fifty thousand.”

My palms were getting sweaty as he raised the bar. My parents did give me some allowance to use during my trip, but that did not mean that I could spend it carelessly. But all rational thoughts flew out from my head. Better than having the stranger owning my painting.

“Fifty-five,” I said while glaring at him, hoping that he would get my message.

But he only smirked and raised his paddle. “Sixty thousand.”

I was seriously considering choking him to death, and asking what was wrong with him.

“I have sixty thousand euros! Who will give me more?” the emcee shouted, clearly excited by the turn of events. “Going once! Going twice! Third and final call! SOLD! For sixty thousand dollars to bidder number 0701!”

I stuttered as I oversaw the two workers bringing the painting down from the table. The (un)lucky bastard who managed to buy my painting smoothly walked away to claim his prize, but I managed to grab the back of his blazer and held him back.

“I’ll buy it from you,” I told him in a desperate tone. “Sixty-five. I’ll even give you more if you want!”

The male turned around and gently smiled at me before putting my hand against his lips, startling me a little. “I’m sorry, love, but I won’t let that painting fall into someone else’s possession.”

With that said, he left me alone in the middle of the room with no retort. That naturally made me even more frustrated than ever.

And I guess it still affected me after even though I was leaving Lyon. Even Jaehyun noticed it as I settled down inside the compartment provided for us. Instead of renting a car and drive there, I thought that taking the train would be more effective. Besides, it was quicker that way too.

The faster I get to see Doyoung, the more at ease I would feel.

Jaehyun’s eyes seemed to be vacant when we boarded the train. I thought it was probably because of the argument we’ve had over who was going to pay for the train tickets (I won, obviously), but I also felt like there was more to it.

For the time being, I thought it would be best to leave him alone during the two-and-a-half-hour train ride. Maybe he’ll cool off by the time we get to Marseille. So, during the whole train ride, I didn’t talk to him. Instead, I resorted to drawing his profile.

Drawing him made me feel so at ease. It was unlike the usual times I drew in the backyard, where I know my parents were checking up on me from inside the house, their eyes following my every movement, my every stroke of the brush, my every artistic mistake.

My parents already informed Doyoung of my arrival and of the time and place he should pick me up. I was ecstatic to see my older brother again. I couldn’t even remember how many months had it been since the last time I’d seen him. Hopefully, he didn’t change much.

When we finally arrived at the Marseille train station, I immediately darted out of my cabin, almost forgetting that Jaehyun was with me and I sent him an apologetic smile. He, however, understood my sudden enthusiasm and shook his head with a soft smile on his face, urging me to go on and search for my older brother.

It wasn’t that hard to find Doyoung amidst the crowd. He looked the same as the last time he came back home for the holidays, except that this time, his hair was a darker shade of brown. For a second, I thought it was someone impersonating him. However, I knew he was my older brother because of the way his face lit up as he saw me.

I didn’t hesitate to run and jump on him. Although he would usually chide me for acting so unladylike, this time he didn’t say anything but instead embraced me tightly.

Someone behind me cleared their throat, and I automatically let go of Doyoung, who was confused by the sight of Jaehyun, holding both of our luggage.

I chuckled in embarrassment and took my carrier from him, before introducing Jaehyun to my older brother. “Doyoung, this is my friend, Jaehyun. A friend that I’ve made during my week in Lyon.”

My brother seemed shocked to see him, and the same could be said about Jaehyun as well. There was an awkward silence in the air, and I wasn’t sure whether that was a good thing or not. Nonetheless, Doyoung was the one who snapped out of his trance first and put on his picture-perfect smile while extending his hand to my friend.

“Nice to meet you, Jaehyun,” he said, and the latter shook his hand. “Thank you so much for keeping my little sister company. I hope she didn’t cause any problems for you.”

Jaehyun stuttered a little, and his hand even slightly trembled as he shook Doyoung’s hand with a small bow of his head. Though, I remember that I told him he didn’t have to be so formal with my sibling. After all, he was too kind and friendly for his own good.

“It’s n-nice t-to meet you too, Mr. Doyoung,” he stuttered out.

I snorted at his formality. “Mr. Doyoung?”

“Shut up,” he muttered under his breath, hidden with a smile, hoping that Doyoung didn’t hear the small interaction between us.

But as soon as I saw Doyoung’s expression—a mix of surprise, pleasure and something similar to sadness—I knew that he heard us. However, that expression immediately went away and was replaced with his usual kind smile that I love. And just with that, my suspicions went away.

Doyoung led us to his car—a gift from our parents—and drove us to the apartment he rented near his school. Although he was a student, he wasn’t a big fan of dorms. He said it would be much more convenient for us if we decided to visit him.

I was sitting in the front with Doyoung, while Jaehyun was in the backseat, admiring Marseille from the windows.

“So, how was Lyon?” my brother asked.

I let out a groan of displeasure. “Horrible,” I answered honestly. “If it weren’t for Jaehyun, for sure I would die of boredom.”

“I see…” was what he said.

But I ignored his lack of response and continued with my chatter. Usually, I wouldn’t talk a lot—as Jaehyun witnessed before—but I just had so much to catch up with Doyoung, I almost forgot about my friend.

Upon the realization, I craned my head to the back, wondering if Jaehyun was comfortable or not. But instead, he was smiling softly with an expression that I wasn’t able to decipher. However, it did make me blush madly, causing me to turn my attention back to the front abruptly. My heart was pounding, and I was sure that even Doyoung could hear it. But, if he did, then he didn’t say anything. Instead, he had the same sullen expression he had on when I introduced him to Jaehyun.

We arrived at Doyoung’s apartment about fifteen minutes later. The place he rented was casual and straightforward, but it still gave a modern and comfortable vibe. It wasn’t extravagant nor did it scream expensive and imposing like our mansion back in Paris.

I immediately let out a sigh of relief, glad that the environment wouldn’t bother Jaehyun too much. I wouldn’t want him to feel uncomfortable.

“Your room is the usual,” my brother announced as we settled ourselves in. “And Jaehyun, the guest room is right next to my little sister’s room.”

To my surprise, Jaehyun refused to take the guest room. I took a look at the said room, and in my opinion, it looked minimalist and simple. I didn’t understand his refusal.

“I don’t need much. You can just give me a bed in the servants’ quarters or something,” Jaehyun said as he looked around, all nervous and unlike the usual sassy and cheeky Jaehyun I knew.

“Nonsense.” My brother waved his proposition aside. “You’re my sister’s guest, therefore mine as well. Take the guest room.”

I nudged him and gave him a look. If Jaehyun thought that I was stubborn, then he would be in for a surprise if he continued arguing with Doyoung. I didn’t understand why he was so reluctant to accept the guest room, but he finally took the place with a small sigh.

“Then, I humbly thank you and will accept the room.”

Doyoung nodded at him and then said, “You guys should rest up a little bit. Since I have to take a few days off from school, I have to go see my professors and take advance so that I won’t be missing anything.” He then smiled apologetically. “I’m sorry that I won’t be able to show you guys around. But, enjoy your stay.”

“Thanks, Doyoung,” I said and hugged him. “You should rest up as well. You have school tomorrow.”

He nodded and bade us goodnight, before going to the master’s room.

It was silent before Jaehyun opened up his mouth.

“Your brother is a very kind man,” he told me. He must’ve noticed how excited I got when he mentioned Doyoung. “You must be very proud of him.”

“You make me sound like a parent.” I rolled my eyes at his choice of words, but I nodded nonetheless. “But, yes, of course, I am proud of him. But more than that, I’m just glad that he was able to get out of my parents’ clutch and you know, fulfill his dreams.”

“Yes, it is very admirable of him.”

I then turned to him with raised brows. “You know, Jaehyun, ever since we’ve got here, your speech and vocabulary have become very… formal.”

He actually dared to let out a small, nervous chuckle at my remark. “Is that so? I didn’t even realize it.”

I threw my hands up in defeat. “Fine! Don’t tell me.” I then motioned the guest room with my chin. “You should rest up as Doyoung said, we have a heavy schedule ahead of us.”

He mockingly saluted me with a small smirk. “Aye, aye!”

The next few days, I didn’t let Jaehyun rest at all as I dragged him around the whole city. Although it wasn’t as pretty and impressive as Paris, there were a few things that caught my attention, such as the port and the festivals.

After attending a small music festival, we’ve decided to take a break in the old port. Merchants were showcasing their most beautiful and exquisite jewellery and products, while children were playing around in the fountain, not having a care in the world.

I didn’t realize that I was being silent until Jaehyun softly nudged me, wondering what exactly was I staring at.

I then subtly motioned the kids in the fountain with my eyes. “Do you see those kids over there?”

He followed my line of vision and nodded. “What about them?”

I stared at the children longingly. “Nothing really, I just thought that they were lucky. Lucky enough to have a normal childhood. You know, just playing around, not shouldering any heavy responsibilities until a certain age–just being carefree.”

He didn’t say anything for a while—I didn’t expect him to—but what he just said after, baffled me a little.

“How much did you suffer during your childhood?”

I blinked repeatedly, not exactly knowing what to say. I was too stunned to process the words in my brain. Jaehyun also seemed to realize that I was surprised by his words and repeated them to me. But, he could tell that I wasn’t too comfortable with his question.

“You don’t have to tell me anything if you don’t want to,” he mumbled quietly as if he was starting to regret his question already. “You know what? Just ignore my question. It was a stupid one, anyway.”

I shook my head furiously. “No! It’s not– it’s just–” I breathed out sharply. “It’s complicated, actually. Will you still be willing to listen to me?”

Without any hesitation, he nodded.

I didn’t know exactly where to start. So, I just started with the one that must be the most obvious: my relationship with Doyoung and how it saved me from everything that was going on. After that, I started talking about my parents a little. I didn’t say who they were exactly. I just mentioned what was going on between them and how their almost-divorce affected me most horribly, how my trust in my mum so easily crumbled. I talked to him about how suffocated and lonely I felt during my childhood. Like how I wasn’t allowed to go to school—even private ones—and that I have always been homeschooled.

During my whole narration, Jaehyun didn’t interrupt me once. If anything, he looked like he was about to cry. I didn’t understand his sudden sadness, though. I didn’t understand why he looked like he was in so much pain until he brought his hand to my cheek and then I realized.

I was crying.

I was crying hard. My tears wouldn’t stop falling no matter how hard I told myself to stop crying.

I literally bore my soul to him, and he didn’t run away from me.

He stared at me as he wiped away my tears, and slowly his face came closer to mine, his lips barely grazing mine as if he was waiting for me to permit him. I didn’t hesitate and met his lips. It was soft and innocent, but I could feel how much of our feelings were hidden behind this one kiss. Jaehyun tasted so sweet and tender that I felt like I never wanted to pull away. It almost made me lose control of my thoughts and actions.

But, one thing for sure, though, was that I knew I didn’t regret what I was doing.

His thumb circled my cheek tenderly while his other hand was on my hip, pulling me closer to him. I didn’t hesitate to bring my arms up around his neck.

If anything, I just wanted to be closer, feel closer to him.

We reluctantly pulled away from each other. My arms remained around his neck. I then buried my face into his chest, embracing the warmth and comfort his body gave off.

I knew this was wrong on so many levels. I didn’t even want to know what my parents were going to say about this.

All I knew was that I wanted and needed Jung Jaehyun in my life.

I didn’t mind throwing everything away for him if it meant that we could be together forever.

When I looked up to him, I knew that we were thinking the same thing. There was going to be a lot of obstacles in our way, but somehow, I had a feeling I would be able to overcome them all with Jaehyun by my side.

“I love you,” I suddenly blurted out, and I could feel him stiffen, but soon relaxed as he caressed the back of my head.

“I love you, too,” he replied softly. “But you know that I can’t–”

“I don’t care.” I shook my head furiously. “I don’t care if we don’t even live in the same world. Just promise me one thing.”

He let out a sigh as he kissed the top of my head. “Anything.”

I looked up at him. “Promise me that you’ll never leave me and that we’ll go through this together.”

It took him a while for him to answer, but in the end, with his eyes full of determination, he finally said the words that I’ve wanted to hear.

“I promise you.”

On our second to last night, Doyoung, who was finally able to spend some time with us, brought us to the Opéra de Marseille. It was an old building of amazing architecture situated near the port. During the night, it looked amazing with the lights dangling around the colonnades.

Doyoung seemed to be more fidgety than usual, but I didn’t say anything since I thought it was because we were going to see our parents soon. It had been a while for him, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he were nervous because of that. After all, there was a reason why he wanted to study in another city and away from our parents.

After the opera, we were invited to attend an after-party thanks to Doyoung’s reputation and connections. Apparently, some of the singers had already tasted his cooking even though he didn’t own a restaurant just yet.

The after-party was dull and boring, not that I expected a lot, anyway. But, at least the food tasted better than usual, so I was mostly standing next to the buffet with Jaehyun chuckling at my gluttony. However, he didn’t say anything, but simply looked at me with adoration in his eyes while wiping away a bit of cream that was on the corner of my lips.

Someone coughed behind me, and I turned around to see Doyoung looking a little bit awkward. My body went still at the possibility that he might have seen what just happened between Jaehyun and me, but soon relaxed when I felt Jaehyun’s hand on the small of my back.

“May I borrow my little sister for a bit?”

Jaehyun gulped and nodded at my brother, who smiled in thanks before motioning me to follow him out. I wasn’t quite sure why he wanted to talk to me without Jaehyun’s presence. I first thought that I shouldn’t be nervous, but when we finally got outside, his face completely changed.

He didn’t have the same serene and angel-like expression on his face anymore. Instead, his expression was a mix of anger, betrayal and mostly… worry.

I told myself to calm down since Doyoung couldn’t possibly say or do anything to me that could harm me in any way.

But, I was wrong.

“I saw you that day with Jaehyun,” he told me when we finally got to a secluded place. “When you guys were at the port…”

My eyes widened in shock. I did not expect him to find out about us in this way. I was planning on telling Doyoung and then my parents, only after settling down everything. I would have never expected my older brother to discover our relationship before I could even tell him.

However, most importantly, I did not want Doyoung to misunderstand either. So, I thought that maybe Doyoung finding out now rather than later wouldn’t be such a bad thing.

“I love him,” was all I could say.

I didn’t know what else should I tell him. I didn’t know what he wanted me to say. If he expected me to say that Jaehyun was just a fling, just someone I was using for my own entertainment, then he was wrong. I would never be able to say that, and I couldn’t possibly do that to Jaehyun

He was far too precious to me.

I would never be able to lie to Doyoung—much less to myself—about my true feelings. No matter what he said, I would never betray Jaehyun’s feelings and mine.

He started calling my name with that tone. The tone he always used when he wanted to reason with me. The one that told me that my brother was not on my side this time.

“Jaehyun, he’s–” Doyoung looked at me in pity and let out a sigh. “He’s not from our world.”

I knew what he meant by that, but I did not want to admit it. Even if he wasn’t part of our world, I wanted him to be part of it. I wanted my family to accept him, to accept that I have someone I can depend on, and be happy with.

“I’ll make him part of our world,” I replied stubbornly. “Why are you so against this? It’s not like I’m doing anything wrong!”

Doyoung looked conflicted, and I knew that he was torn between choosing me or choosing what was considered as the right thing in our world. “It’s a lot more complicated than that, sweetheart.” He tried to reason with me, but I refused to listen. “You know that our parents would never be able to accept this, no matter what. They– they– they’ll disown you!”

“Disown me, for all that I care!” I started stuttering a little, not caring about my words. “I’ll– I’ll even run away if I have to!”

My brother looked at me in shock, unable to believe that I would dare to utter such words. Because he knows and understands me the most. That was why he thought that I would never think of such a thing. However, I wasn’t the same person anymore. I wasn’t that same girl who would listen to everything her parents say.

I wasn’t afraid to stand up for myself anymore.

“I’ll run away with Jaehyun,” I told him with determination. “When we’ll go back to Lyon, I’ll just grab everything and leave.”

His expression was neutral for a while and anger seemed to dissipate from him a little. “And… what makes you think that he would run away with you? Just because he said so? Please, you know that you can’t trust him! What if he–”

“I love her,” a voice behind me said.

I spun around to see that it was Jaehyun who was hiding in the shadows, listening to our conversation for who knew how long. He then came to my side and tangled our hands together, showing that I wasn’t alone in this and that he was going to stick with me. I smiled a little when I realized that we’ve said the same thing to my older brother.

What I didn’t realize, though, that it was just a test from him. A test to see how much are we willing to sacrifice to be with each other.

“Okay.” His expression took 180 degrees turn as if he was never mad or disappointed, to begin with. “Then, I fully support you two. I’ll even help you guys run away.”

I could feel my whole body bask in hope and relief when my older brother offered us his help. Although I did doubt him for a second, I knew that Doyoung couldn’t possibly be on our parents’ side instead of mine.

Like I’ve said, he understood me the most.

He knew that I’ve wanted to search for my own passion and happiness and well, I’ve found it.

Just that, instead of being a form of art, it was Jaehyun instead.

“We’ll start planning as soon as we get on that train back to Lyon.”

On the ride home, Doyoung and Jaehyun were enthusiastically talking about the plan. I, on the other hand, was watching them closely while drawing the scene in front of me. It was a sight I thought I would never be able to see in my life. Seeing my soulmate and my favourite brother chatting together and getting along was a memory I would always remember.

My brother seemed to have noticed my lack of contribution and smiled in wonder. “What are you doing? You do realize that I’m doing this for you, right?”

I rolled my eyes, but before I could stop him, he already grabbed the drawing pad away from me.

Doyoung was shocked that I was actually drawing again. If I were him, I would be too ever since I proclaimed to my parents that I would never touch a paintbrush or a drawing pencil ever again. That was before I found Jaehyun though. However, he seemed to have realized my reasons as he flipped through the pages. Doyoung looked happy that I wasn’t rejecting my talent anymore.

I wouldn’t say that I was rejecting my talent, but I didn’t like the fact that my parents were pressuring me so much into entering their field. And to be honest, now that I was drawing of my own will, without anyone forcing me, I realized that it was something I would definitely enjoy in my free time. I understand the reasons why my parents liked it so much now.

Though, their passion was on a whole entirely different level than mine.

By the end of the ride, the boys decided that we should leave three days after our parents’ arrival in Lyon so they wouldn’t get too suspicious if I happened to be absent for a while. If they’d seen me for at least three days, they wouldn’t say anything about my absences during family dinners.

Jaehyun and I agreed to meet up by the gates of the castle during the day. Not only it would be less suspicious with all the people around us, but it would also be much more comfortable and less dangerous for us to travel.

Doyoung made sure that we would have enough food and money, while Jaehyun made sure to secure a place in Axe-de-Provence, where we had decided to settle. Not only that, but Jaehyun also had other connections that helped us prepared for the trip, and I wondered just from where did he meet all those people.

My parents arrived shortly after our arrival. Thankfully, we didn’t need to pick them up since they already had a ride to the hotel I was previously staying in. Initially, I thought I would have a bit of free time to organize my luggage—deciding what to bring and whatnot—but my parents were less tired from their trip than I thought. By the second evening, they already wanted to have dinner with us.

Doyoung and I arrived at the restaurant a little later after our parents. Usually, they would scold us for our tardiness, but they hadn’t seen my brother for so long that they didn’t say a thing.

“Doyoung!” Mother exclaimed happily, ignoring me in the process, but I didn’t mind much, while I greeted my father on the sidelines. “Oh, my dear son! You’ve gotten so much more handsome! Did your cheeky little sister bother you and your studies when she visited you?”

I rolled my eyes as we sat down in our respective seats. It was a rather small rectangular table. My father and mother were at the ends of the table, whereas my brother and I sat in front of each other. For once, I liked our seating because then, I wouldn’t have to face my parents and feel guilty about what I was about to do in a day.

I spoke little when we were eating, and my mother seemed to have realized that. As she was about to comment on my behaviour, she frowned a little, as if she noticed something.

“What?” I said and frowned back. “Do I have sauce on my face or something?”

“No,” she replied rather dryly. “I just thought that you looked different a little. Your face looks like it’s glowing or something.”

Something must have clicked in her head because she suddenly started squealing; a complete change of attitude. “Oh, my dear God! My little princess has found someone she likes!”

I cringed at the nickname she gave me, but it was mostly an attempt to hide the horror that was threatening to appear on my face. And it seemed like it was the case for Doyoung too, as he tried to cover it with a laugh instead. Father, on the other hand, seemed somewhat amused but did not comment.

“So, tell me, is it someone you’ve met at the ball?” she asked, her eyes glistening, not exactly in mischief, but I knew by her look that she was hiding something.

“Yes, I suppose so,” I answered. It wasn’t a lie—I did meet Jaehyun at the ball. Though maybe not in the most conventional way, but she did not need to know that.

“So, what does he look like?”

I shrugged casually. “It was a masquerade ball, Mother, how do you expect me to know how he actually looks like?”

“And you guys talked?”

“Yes, we did,” I replied, almost annoyed. “But I don’t think that I will see him again here in Lyon.”

“Pish-posh.” She waved it away as if it was nothing. “If you guys are really meant to be, you’ll meet each other soon enough.”

I didn’t like the way she said the last sentence. It almost sounded as if she was being sarcastic and making fun of it at the same time. Nevertheless, since I was leaving soon enough, I didn’t want to create any problems that might delay the plan.

I tried to muster my best smile and continued eating while shooting a few glances over at Doyoung. Both my brother and I let out a subtle sigh of relief as soon as we heard our parents bickering over which museum they should visit tomorrow.

This was going to be a long night.

It was finally the day Jaehyun and I had decided to meet up.

Jaehyun said he would join me later as he still had a few things to organize before leaving. Doyoung insisted on walking me there and he sighed as I was checking my luggage.

“What’s wrong?” I asked him as I mentally checked off the things I needed.

“Nothing really,” he replied vaguely. I waited for him to continue because I knew he would always say what was on his mind, no matter what. Doyoung had never been the type to be able to hide things from me.

“I’m just going to miss you a lot.”

I looked over at him with a sad yet loving smile, and he did the same.

“What are you talking about?” I said with a small scoff. “I’ll be sending you a letter as soon as I settle in. You can come and visit us on your holidays as well! I mean, that is, if Mother doesn’t force you to go back home to Paris.”

Doyoung didn’t answer and kept silent. His silence did worry me because he was never the type to not voice out his opinion, especially to me. I understood that he was worried about my excursion, but I wasn’t the little sister that he needed to take care of anymore.

“Promise?” he finally said with a resigning sigh.

I smiled at him. “Promise.”

Doyoung insisted on accompanying me to the meeting place, as there would be a lot of people and he didn’t trust me enough to be cautious on my own. And besides, he said that he also had a few words to say to Jaehyun. Not only that, but he also helped me with my luggage so that I don’t have to drag it with me during our whole trip to the market.

The market was a completely different place than what I’d seen at night. While at the night, the marketplace was empty, and somewhat eerie, during the day, the market was lively and full of people bustling around, trying to sell everything they had.

But that wasn’t the only difference.

While in the night, we couldn’t see how different the people were, we could see it during the day. With everybody running around, we could see how people acted from different social classes. There were the rich who were wholly dressed up in formal attire, and walking around with a sense of false dignity around them. And there was the poor who were dressed up in used, dirty clothes as they were trying to make a living for their family.

“Despicable, isn’t it?” Doyoung muttered as we walked past an old wealthy couple who just brushed off an elderly lady who was trying to sell them a bag of oranges.

“What is?” I asked, unsure whether he was talking about how the wealthy couple was acting, or the old lady.

“It’s despicable how life can be so unfair,” he answered, but didn’t elaborate further. However, his eyes were still glued on that old lady who was kneeling on the dirty ground, trying to pick up the oranges that fell because of the previous couple.

I nodded in agreement, hoping that I actually did understand his words. I then looked around as well and noticed that the old lady wasn’t the only one suffering and trying to make a living. There were families standing on the sidewalk and trying to sell whatever they managed to harvest from their land; children begging other people for money, with their little siblings clinging onto them.

After a few minutes, we’ve finally reached the gates. Although there was still a little bit of time before our meeting, I was surprised a little that Jaehyun wasn’t here yet. Even when we met during the ball, he would always be there before me, no matter what.

I didn’t think much of it at first. I thought that maybe something happened and he had to fix it. I thought that it was possible that he could be late for a few minutes.

But a few minutes turn out to be half-an-hour, and I was starting to become distressed. And since Doyoung was there by my side, I didn’t dare to let it show on my face. He was already worried as it is, and I didn’t want to worsen his anxiety.

“Something probably happened on his way,” he told me with a gentle smile and patted the top of my head softly. “He’ll come soon, I’m certain. In the meantime, I’ll buy something for us to drink, okay? Don’t move an inch.”

I slowly nodded as he walked away, trying to find a stall where he could buy us a few refreshments. Meanwhile, I didn’t hesitate and let my eyes wander over the whole marketplace, trying to see if I could recognize the man I fell in love with.

I wasn’t able to, but I didn’t let that discourage me.

Doyoung would probably take a while before coming back, so I decided to walk around a bit and see if Jaehyun got lost among the crowd. It was unlikely that he got lost, but I didn’t want to lose hope.

As soon as I took a step forward, I felt a small tugging at the end of my dress’s sleeve and turned around, hoping that it was Jaehyun who decided to scare and surprise me at the same time.

But my expression soon fell when I saw it was just a little kid.

I tried keeping my smile and said, “I’m sorry, I don’t want to buy–”

“This is for you,” he said while handing out a small sheet of crumpled paper.

My eyes went to the piece of paper that was in his hand, and I had a bad feeling about it. I slowly lifted my hand, stalling to use the time and decide whether should I listen to my instincts and run away from the kid, or stay and see what was written on that paper.

However, I didn’t have the chance to make the decision myself. The young boy softly grabbed my hand and subtly inserted the paper into my palm, making sure that I’ve received it.

I looked down at my hand and slowly opened it up, to only find a few words written on it.

I’m sorry. -JH.

I wasn’t able to form a coherent sentence as my mind processed the written words, over and over again. I tried voicing out something. But I wasn’t capable of doing anything else but stare at the two words continuously. My heart was beating loudly and it pounded at my ears. My breath hitched as my hands trembled.

God, I felt like throwing up.

I couldn’t breathe.

Someone get me out of here.

Doyoung came back at the worst time possible, and I immediately had to wear a mask that could hide all the turmoil that was inside of me. The young boy saw my brother arriving as well and quickly turned around to leave.

At the last minute, I suddenly called him out.

“Wait!”

I silently pleaded Doyoung to stay where he was. Even though he was confused about my behaviour, he complied with my request and motioned me to follow after the young boy without asking any questions. My hands were tightly clenched as if it helped me stay in reality. As if it prevented me from crumbling down in front of everyone.

I lowered myself to his eye-level and tried to muster the best smile I could at the moment. His eyes clearly showed that he was confused. I tried not to chuckle at his refreshing innocence as my hand went into my handbag to pull out a fifty-euro bill, and handed it to him.

I knew it wasn’t much, but I still wanted to do something.

“Could you do me a small favour,” I said as I tilted my head to the side, “and thank him for everything he has done for me?”

He nodded with a somewhat sorrowful expression on his face. I held my hand even further, softly urging him to take the bill as a small ‘thank you’ on my part, but surprisingly he didn’t take it. Instead, he pushed my hand away and threw his arms around me.

“Oh!” I let out a small gasp as I almost fell over.

“He told me you were a really nice and generous lady,” he whispered in my ear and my tears just naturally flowed out at his next words, “and that he didn’t deserve to be with you.”

I’ve never really cried in public, and I wasn’t planning on making a scene either. So, I quickly wiped away the tears that stained my face with my silk handkerchief and got up while ruffling the kid’s hair.

“If you do see him again,” I said, “tell him that it’s actually the opposite.”

The young boy gave me a nod before leaving, and I stood there, immobile as I stared at his back. I smiled bitterly as I noticed that it reminded me of a scene.

No matter what I did and no matter how fast I ran after Jaehyun in the maze or even anywhere else, I would never be able to reach him.

I would just be able to see his back and his back only.

I didn’t realize that I stood there longer than I should have because Doyoung was suddenly by my side, his face contorted into a weird, anxious expression. He waved his hand in front of me a few times, making sure that I was mentally present, before noticing that I was tightly holding something.

His fingers slowly grazed my hand. Although I wasn’t there mentally, my hand seemed to refuse to let him access what it was hiding. Eventually, Doyoung had to resort to a little bit of force and decided to not be so gentle with his actions anymore. He used both hands in an attempt to open my fist, and when he finally succeeded, my legs gave out.

He let out a surprised gasp and held onto me. He called out my name in surprise and worry. When Doyoung made certain that I was properly leaning against him for support, he looked at the message with his other hand and crumbled the piece of paper before throwing it away.

My heart wanted to go after that piece of paper and retrieve it to remember Jaehyun, but my body simply refused to move, and I knew what it meant.

I had to move on because Jaehyun already did.

That message was proof.

“Was it all lies, Doyoung?” I asked him, my eyes vacant. “Did it not mean anything to him?”

Even Doyoung didn’t have any answers for me and said the two words that I dreaded the most at the moment. “I’m sorry, sweetheart.”

I shook my head furiously at what he said. I didn’t want to accept reality—I wasn’t ready to face it. I didn’t want to believe that Jaehyun wasn’t prepared to build a future with me, and I didn’t want to accept the fact that he wouldn’t be part of my future anymore.

I wasn’t able to see anything without him in my life.

“Come on, now,” Doyoung said in a pleading tone. “Our parents are waiting for us. We have a dinner to attend.”

With that said, he grabbed my stuff and helped me walk a little before calling a cab. He helped me settle into the backseat and even stayed with me, instead of sitting in the front.

I didn’t know what was exactly going on in Doyoung’s mind, but a part of me was happy that he didn’t throw a fit about how Jaehyun had abandoned me. Instead, he helped me cope with the situation. The fact that he was silent now showed that he didn’t know how could he make me feel better and would do probably anything to lift my spirits.

However, one thing remained the same.

I was the only one capable of bringing myself back to normal.

And I wasn’t sure whether I could do that or not.

After all, what was exactly the normal life that I’ve had before Jaehyun appeared in it?

I tried to act as if everything was okay.

Not fine. Not wonderful.

Just okay.

Acting more cheerfully or broodier than usual would make my parents suspicious about my behaviour. As a result, they would send me back home even if I still had more time to figure out my so-called plans.

Doyoung, who knew everything, was worried of course. However, he didn’t show it through his words. He didn’t annoy me or asked me whether I was okay or not. He showed me that he cared with little actions, such as bringing me a cup of café au lait in the mornings, or replying in my stead when my parents were too pushy with their questions.

It had been almost three weeks since Jaehyun left me.

Both Doyoung and I were tired of waiting for our parents. In Mother’s letter, it said that she had something important to tell us. We thought that she would announce it as soon as possible. However, she was doing the complete opposite which made us skeptical about her true intentions.

Doyoung was getting impatient as well since he took more day-offs from school than expected.

“I don’t get it,” he told me as we got out of the car. “Why ask us to dress up and everything, and ask us to come to this place that’s not even a restaurant?”

I shrugged at his question. It wasn’t worth answering since it was a rhetorical question, but I was thinking the same as him. I felt bad for my older brother since I knew he really wanted to go back to school. However, I also felt bad because there was a part of me that thought that, perhaps he stayed because of my pathetic self.

We walked along the path, as instructed by the driver, and frowned when we arrived in front of a small mansion. It wasn’t the biggest mansion of the street, nor was it the most luxurious. However, it gave off a cozy and warm feeling that I couldn’t help but feel like it reminded me of Jaehyun.

I didn’t know how to deal with my conflicted feelings and decided to let it be. There wasn’t any use to ignore or repress them anymore. What was done was done, and I couldn’t do anything to change the past.

However, as soon as Doyoung saw the mansion, he immediately stopped in his tracks. I stopped as well, wondering if something was wrong, but he showed no signs of replying to me.

“Doyoung?” I looked at him with worried eyes. “Is everything okay?”

He didn’t hear me and instead kept speaking to himself. “I knew the path looked familiar,” he grumbled to himself and rubbed his forehead while spinning around, looking at his surroundings. “I can’t believe I wasn’t able to recognize this place the second we got here!”

My brows furrowed in confusion. “You’ve been here before?”

He suddenly whipped his head around to me as if just realizing that I was there with him too. He immediately grabbed my arm and pulled me away from the mansion, and back to the path we were on before.

“Hey!” I half-yelled. “What are you doing? Mother and Father are waiting for us in there!”

“They can wait a little bit longer.”

“Doyoung!” I yanked my arm out of his hand. “My future is in their hands! I can’t just decide that I don’t want to attend this stupid dinner and just hope that they will still let me do whatever I want!”

He glared at me, something he had never done before. “Well, that didn’t stop you from deciding to elope with that boy of yours.”

My eyes widened in shock, and I shook my head after hearing his words. “I- I can’t believe you just said that to me.”

Right after telling him that, it seems like it woke him up from that little moment he had.

“Ah, damn it,” he said and rubbed his temples as he tried to pull me into a hug, but I resisted. I didn’t want the situation to blow away as if nothing happened with a hug and an apology.

“God, sweetheart, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it– you know I didn’t. It’s just–” He looked over at the white mansion and let out a sigh before switching his attention back to me. “Are you certain you want to go in there?”

“Doyoung.” My expression softened. But I was afraid, more than anything. “You’re starting to scare me a little. What’s wrong?”

He let out another sigh and grabbed me by the shoulders before looking at me deep in the eyes. “This is what our parents wanted to tell us, sweetheart. This is the reason why we’re all here, and this is the main reason why they let you come here.”

“W-what do you mean?”

He refused to budge. “Just answer my question.”

I looked over at the mansion, and something told me that I would regret it if I didn’t go in, and it was not just because of my parents. There was something about the mansion that pulled me in, and I didn’t know whether I was actually strong enough to push it away or not.

“Yeah,” I breathed out. “I’m certain.”

My brother continued to look at me as if he was expecting me to back out of my decision, but I didn’t. Instead, I was the one who grabbed his arm and pulled him towards the mansion, hoping that our parents wouldn’t scold us too much for being late.

As I was about to knock on the door, it opened right in front of me, leaving me hanging with my fist in the air. I then sent a look at Doyoung, who looked like he was praying for his life. I let down my fist and cleared my throat as I realized it was actually a butler who opened the door for us. Both of us greeted the butler politely, and he motioned us to follow him to the dining room.

I was about to ask him whose place was this, but I was suddenly interrupted by Doyoung who annoyingly tugged at me, but he was pointing at something that was on the wall. I turned around, my brows furrowed in uncertainty before my jaw almost dropped down to the floor upon the reality.

Right in front of me was a painting.

On the art piece was painted a beautiful garden with a small patio and a pond. Sitting on the patio was a girl with long dark hair, who was painting and eating something at the same time. Standing next to her was a young woman that looked like a maid, and sitting next to her, was a young male who seemed to be reading a book.

It took me a moment to realize that the painting on the wall was mine.

It was Summer Serendipity.

A painting that I’ve done just for fun while waiting for Doyoung to finish his book during the summer, about three years ago.

A painting that was auctioned off just a couple of weeks ago, and bought for sixty thousand euros.

A painting that was bought by the mysterious man whose name was still unknown to me.

“Doyoung…” I said while staring at the painting. “Why do I feel like this is not a coincidence at all?”

He didn’t answer, but instead, lightly pushed me in the back to follow the butler that was getting farther and farther away from us.

The butler led us to a grand dining room, and I was in awe by the simplicity of it. Here I thought by the size of the place that it would be more extravagant on the inside, but I was proven wrong.

My mother shouted my name as she saw me and I tried not to cringe. She never used to call me first, but Doyoung instead. “Come here!” she exclaimed happily. “There’s someone I want you to meet.”

“Um, okay?” I said while being dragged away, and sent a scared yet somewhat goofy smile at my father who waved at me.

A tall man suddenly stood up from the table, and I frowned at his appearance as he got closer to me.

“Sweetheart, this is Lee Taeyong. He is the heir to Lee Corporations who own some of the most popular and important art auction houses in the world.” My mother introduced to us a tad too enthusiastically. She seemed like she was the one excited to meet him.

I didn’t let my true emotions show. Instead, I gave him a small, polite smile and extended my hand to shake his that was already out. “It is nice to meet you, Mr. Taeyong,” I said.

“It is not our first time meeting each other, though, Miss.”

It took me a long time to realize it.

The colour of his hair, the way he talked to me, the way he called my name, the way he stood and the way he dressed.

That big ass ugly painting in his foyer that I’ve painted was also a giveaway.

“Oh!” I exclaimed in surprise. “You’re that guy from the masquerade ball!”

A side of his lips tugged up at my comment. “I am delighted to know that you remember me.”

“How could I possibly forget the gentleman who bought that hideous painting at the auction?”

He let out a small chuckle. “Says the lady who wanted to buy it from me.”

I was about to retort back when I heard a rather exaggerated cough behind me. It turns out it was Doyoung who didn’t know what to do. My older brother smiled sheepishly and waved amiably at Taeyong who waved back. The former walked towards us while Mother probably went back to her place at the table to talk about something with Father.

I looked at both males in confusion. “You guys know each other?”

“Know each other?” Doyoung laughed in a way I’d never heard him laugh before. Although he was an overly friendly person, he had never been the type to befriend other people quickly. To see him being so open with Taeyong was a surprise.

Yeah, well that’s what you thought before too about him and Jaehyun on the train. And guess how did that turn out?

I shook my head subtly at myself.

Shut up, conscience. I do not need you to ruin the moment.

“Doyoung had a little bit of problem during his stay here in Lyon,” Taeyong informed me. “I simply helped him out a little.”

“A little?” Doyoung was starting to act a bit overdramatically. “He practically saved my life! Sweetheart, he’s the reason why your precious older brother is still alive today.”

“Well, we shouldn’t keep your parents waiting,” Taeyong said with a twinkle in his eyes and offered me his arm. “Shall we?”

Doyoung already went to his seat and sent me a discreet wink, showing me his support to this—whatever this was. I couldn’t help but feel somewhat unsettled by the situation. Here I thought my older brother would be on my side instead of my parents, but I guess even blood couldn’t come between them. However, that wasn’t the only thing that made me feel uncomfortable. I just felt like this situation was wrong in so many ways, and I was a bit mad at my brother for not being more understanding of this situation.

I knew that I was thinking selfishly. I knew my brother already done all he could to make me go back. Earlier on, when he asked me whether I was certain or not, was enough proof that he did care for me.

I was simply too stubborn, hurt, and stupid to ignore his help.

I gave Taeyong a nod and gently grabbed his arm as he led me to my seat. After helping me, he went to the seat in front of mine. Although my father wasn’t the head of this estate, Taeyong was being nice and let my father took the spot at the very front, which in my way, made me think…

Was this how is it going to be in the future?

Was this what my parents were planning from the beginning?

One of the butlers announced in a firm, clear voice, “Appetizer is served. Today’s appetizer is mini mushroom and goat cheese tarts.”

After that, a string of younger-looking butlers came out with plates in their hands, and all of them served us nicely and impeccably.

As I raised my head from the dish to compliment Taeyong on his excellent staff, the image in front of me almost threw me off my seat and judging by the sudden clutter caused by Doyoung’s fork on the table. I guessed that he felt the same.

Why?

Because, right in front of me, while serving Taeyong as if nothing was wrong, was Jung Jaehyun.

Dinner was horrible.

To make things worse, the whole family was staying at Taeyong’s place. I was aware it was common courtesy for the host to offer a place to rest, but I would have never thought they would actually accept his offer. Father wasn’t the type of person who liked to sleep at other people’s places, and I knew Doyoung could have cared less, even if he wanted to catch up with Taeyong. Therefore, it leaves my mother.

Typical.

I wasn’t able to fall asleep as the image from dinner still haunted me. Every time I closed my eyes, I would just see Jaehyun and his dark, swirling brown orbs, and him serving my family and me at the dinner table.

I decided to take a walk in the garden, hoping that it would help me clear my mind. There was a stone bench right in front of the artificial pond, and I immediately took a seat. Little did I know that someone was actually following me.

All of a sudden, I was enveloped with warmth, and I realized that it was a small quilt. I turned around automatically, and I couldn’t help the displeasure from appearing on my face. He sat down next to me, and I got up, wanting to get away from him as fast as possible.

I felt suffocated just being around him, hence the reason why I wanted to take a walk in the first place.

He grabbed my wrist then moved to my hand.

“Please, love, let me explain–”

“Explain what, Jaehyun?” I replied harsher than I expected. And here I thought I was doing better than before. It looked like my bitterness was still rooted deep inside of me.

He looked defeated by my reply, and he had that kicked puppy look of his on. I couldn’t help but let out a tired sigh as I ran my free hand through my hair.

“What do you want from me, Jae?” I closed my eyes, sensing a headache coming soon. “What more do you want?”

“You deserve an explanation,” he said, his grip around my hand getting tighter.

“I think I deserve more than an explanation from what you’ve done to me, Jaehyun.” I almost scoffed. “You think a little note would make everything okay?”

“No, of course not! I–”

“Did you even feel the same about me, then I feel about you?”

“Love, please.”

I let out another defeated sigh and yanked my hand away from him before taking a seat next to him, but I made sure that there was a reasonable space between us.

However, he didn’t say anything for a while, and my patience was getting the better of me. I’ve had better things to do than just sit around with the guy who literally broke my heart into pieces. That was why I’ve decided to take matters into my own hands and start the conversation myself.

“How long?” I asked him, my arms crossed across my chest and my eyes staring straight in front of me.

“What?” he replied, his eyes wide in confusion.

“For how long have you been working for Taeyong?”

There was a pause before he answered. “For as long as I can remember.”

He let out a shaky breath. “I was just an orphan kid from the streets. Taeyong was playing around in the park and then asked me whether I wanted to play with him or not. When his parents have found him with me, Taeyong didn’t want to leave and asked whether I could come with them or not. So, they adopted me and brought me into the household. If it weren’t for Taeyong, then I don’t even know whether I would still be alive today or not.”

Jaehyun then looked at me with pleading eyes. “You have to understand, love. I was a starving kid with no money and a place to sleep in. Both Taeyong and his parents saved me from my past miserable life.”

I shook my head. “I understand that you’ve had a hard life before Taeyong’s parents decided to take you in, but what I don’t understand is why you’ve decided to play with my feelings and then leave me without explaining yourself!” I abruptly turned around and glared at him. “So, tell me. Was it fun to play around with a rich girl’s feelings? Wasn’t it so much better than just stealing from the rich?”

Jaehyun shook his head. “I never once thought about playing around with you. I genuinely wanted to get closer to you. I admit, at first, I was annoyed with you when I first saw you by the sidewalk because of the way you dressed. I thought you were just another rich person who seemed like you didn’t care about everybody else but yourself. But, I was wrong. You’re one of the most beautiful and genuine people I have ever encountered in my life, and you don’t deserve the way you were treated by me.”

Tears started to streak my face, and I honestly didn’t care how ugly I must have looked in front of him. I just wanted to get to the bottom of this. “And?” I croaked out.

“Everything we’ve discussed, about leaving everything behind us to start anew, I was ready to do that as long as I’m with you,” he started to talk about things that I actually wanted to know. “But the day I came back from our trip, Taeyong was waiting for me in his study room, and he looked so excited when I came back. I asked him what was making him so happy and then he showed me your file with all of your information and photos.”

I knew something was suspicious when my mum suddenly asked me to take a few pictures before I left for Lyon.

“I didn’t know that you were part of such a distinguished family,” he continued. “I knew you came from a rich family, but I didn’t think you came from an influential art family until I’ve met your brother in Marseille.”

“You’ve met him before,” I said upon the belated realization. “You’ve met him when Taeyong helped my brother out when he was studying in Lyon.”

He nodded as he continued with his explanation. “And then I thought that maybe Taeyong just wanted to marry you for business purposes only, but I was wrong.” He let out a bitter chuckle. “He told me he has already met you at the masquerade ball. And I just saw how his eyes twinkled as he talked about how amazing and down-to-earth you are. And I knew that look because I’m sure that’s how I look when I think of you as well.”

“Then why-”

Jaehyun looked up in the sky with a sigh filled with emotions that I couldn’t exactly decipher. “I couldn’t possibly betray the one person who helped me get to where I am today.”

I chuckled bitterly. “So, you’ve decided to betray me instead.”

He looked so pained when I said the words out loud as if that reality only came upon him at that moment only as if he realized the consequences of his actions just now.

“How could you do this to me, Jaehyun?” I shook my head furiously. “How can you expect me to marry someone else and then live under the same roof with both the guy I will marry and the guy I’m in love with?”

I was furious and angry and just so, so mad.

“Tell me how!”

I wasn’t able to stay mad at him for long.

Not when I knew what kind of person Jaehyun was.

Not when I knew Jaehyun had the kindest soul in the universe.

“I’m sorry,” he said in the end. “I truly am sorry.”

I broke down in tears, and I wasn’t able to describe how I felt during that particular moment. I silently sobbed into my hands as his arms enveloped me into a warm embrace.

“Is this how our story is going to end?” I asked him after calming down a little. “Is this how we’re going to end?”

His body froze at my words, and I took that as a yes.

“I’m sorry,” he repeated as I got up from the stone bench.

I took off the quilt that was tightly wrapped around me, before folding it perfectly and laid it on the spot that I was sitting on just a few seconds ago, and then smiled bitterly at him.

“I’m sorry too.”

That was the last time I’ve talked to or seen Jung Jaehyun.

6 months later

“This seems like déjà-vu.” I chuckled to Taeyong, who was sitting next to me as we attended another auction that one of his auction houses had organized. The money raised from this auction were to be split evenly and be donated to all the orphanages in the city of Lyon.

“Only this time, you gave your consent to selling your painting,” he replied smugly and gave a small peck on my cheek. “Thanks for saying yes, by the way.”

Taeyong and I were officially engaged for the past six months. The first three months were a bit tough, but Taeyong has been nothing but understanding and caring about my situation.

I made a compromise with my parents about my choice of career, and they seemed to have accepted it. I decided to pursue my studies in university and decided to double major. I went into business management so that I could help out Taeyong with the company, and went into arts and letters so that I could continue both writing and painting.

Jaehyun left the day after our engagement has been officialized.

Taeyong was devastated, and that’s when I’ve decided to tell him about my past with Jaehyun. He was kind enough to give me a choice, to not accept this marriage proposal.

He was honestly too good for me.

I wasn’t completely over Jaehyun, of course. But thanks to Taeyong and his endless love and patience, I convinced myself that I was able to heal. Slowly, but surely.

Jaehyun would always remain as not only a pleasant memory but also as my first love that I will never forget no matter what.

I considered myself blessed to be able to meet Jaehyun in this lifetime. I thanked the gods and my previous self to have deserved his presence in my life, even if it was only for a short period.

So, I decided to convey those feelings into a painting since I thought writing about it would be too painful. Those feelings transformed into the painting that was going to get auctioned off at the very second.

“Following up is a painting named Covered by Your Grace.”

Covered by your Grace was a painting of kids playing near a fountain in the background along with all the buildings. The main focus was on the couple sitting in the middle. The girl was leaning into the guy who seemed to be comforting her. And right behind the guy, was a pair of pure, white wings that seemed to sparkle at the sign of light. That was a special effect of mine that I’ve decided to add at the very last minute. It was tough trying to add gold glitter on an oil painting, but somehow, I was able to.

“Without further ado, let’s commence the bidding. Now, who will give me ten thousand euros to start?”

An old man next to us raised his hand.

“Alright, I have ten thousand! Do I hear twenty?”

Someone from the back raised their hand and said, “Thirty thousand.”

“Forty thousand.”

“Forty-five.”

“Fifty.”

“Sixty-five thousand euros!”

Nobody else dared to beat the last price.

“Going once! Going twice! Third and final call!” The emcee responsible looked around, before looking down at his pad so that he could announce who the winner was as the sound of three hammers echoed throughout the whole auditorium.

“Sold for sixty-five thousand euros to bidder number 0214, Robert Earl of Lyon.”

THE END.

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