He feels like a prisoner, destitute and shackled as he waits for his sentence, anticipating the punishment deemed fit for his crime and in a twist of irony, it’s the manacle encircling, confiding his wrist that feels like the only sense of peace. His eyes are pools of endless darkness, barren and drained from any real emotion as he tries his hardest not to displace even a dot, nor a stain of regret as he watches as she runs through her rehearsals with the other three girls. Park Chaeyoung emanates of debility, bare faced with dark bags underneath her eyes that contrasted to the pure milk of her skin. 

Even then, she radiates for a gracefulness that couldn’t be replicated elsewhere.

Her lips part, quickly covered by her hand in a yawn as she looks towards the production team, asking for a few final microphone tests before excusing them off the stage and by the second she reaches the boundary between the stage and the back area where he was standing, with the other boys, she has her arms linked and occupied by Lalisa Manoban. 

He notes how they’re standing a few centimetres behind from the other older girls, as they greet his other group members, making small talk about how they’d did amazingly for rehearsals before jumping into mutual tirades about early rehearsal call times. 

The iciness from his early glare quickly melts into something more tender, a combination of emotions that looked a lot like regret and sorrow.

Perhaps, it’s the warmth that radiated from her, despite his earlier behaviours that brings a tinge of bitterness in the tip of his tongue.

It hurts for him to look at her, standing only a few metres at most from him and he knows, he truly messed up when the girls rejected their invitation to an afterparty at their penthouse following the performance. 

He’d fallen privy to greed, he had gotten too selfish, too hungry and allowed the ugly green monster that had a mind of its own to consume him only for a brief moment of satisfaction that truly didn’t feel that great. In his attempt to one up the pain she’d inflicted on him, he’d allowed a part of himself to take control into something that was so abundantly detrimental. 

He’s careful. 

Jeon Jungkook manages to maintain the slightly semblance of control as he clears his throat, all eyes on him. 

“  You guys should come, it’s not the same without the BLACKPINK girls around,  ”  he manages to brush off the tip of his lips, ignoring the awkward stares that could be felt from his group mates beside him.

Jennie Kim is quick to shake her head, without even consideration before Park Chaeyoung reaches her hand out to the other, tugging on the hem of her black cropped top as she flickers her tongue, fluidly transitioning into a different language, English, each word enunciating with a sinuous care. 

She doesn’t speak in the foreign language to hide her words, but is more of a homely touch, a familiar bond with the other girl as he says something he can’t quite articulate. He reminds himself to ask his group friends later on, for the translations of what they can hear though her voice is a few octaves lower than usual, and barely passing the volume of a whisper. 

Her voice was so simple and effortless, she could drag his name through the mud and he’d still think her voice is truly the most beautiful music he’d ever heard. Perhaps, she should do so, it surely would be behaviour that’s warranted. 

He watches, carefully as Jennie Kim frowns her sparse brows at the other, mutter a few words which is met by a nod before she turns to the boys. 

“  Jisoo, Lisa and myself will come by for a little bit but Chae is going to visit her auntie, so she won’t be able to. Is that fine with you guys  ?  ”

She’s lying. 

The boys nod in understanding as he wonders how long she’ll be able to keep up with her lies, how long it’ll be until her own group mates will figure out that her late night rendezvous is not for something so innocent. 

Not that he has any place to judge since he’d fallen for the exact same, gullible facade, possessed through public moments such as these.

He didn’t find out her identity out of his own detective, but because she felt like it was the right time to tell him. From the beginning, she had the upper hand.

She still does.

Park Chaeyoung is an expert in deception, a master greater than any magician.

Why does he care ?

Jeon Jungkook is very aware that Park Chaeyoung has no intention to meeting with a relative, but an acquaintance that she bonds with more deeper than a