Chương 16: Chapter 16
A Bright Sunday.
Teresa woke up early, put on her sports clothes and shoes, then stepped outside the house, inhaling the fresh morning air. Every holiday, Teresa always made time for exercise, even if it was just jogging. The atmosphere in the neighborhood was still very quiet that morning.
Before running, Teresa stretched her body and did some warm-up exercises. She rotated her neck, stretched her legs, then put on her earphones and started jogging around the residential area.
As she ran, Teresa sang along to the song playing in her ears. She passed a few other joggers, but no one greeted her. The people in the neighborhood were very individualistic, likely because they were wealthy and preoccupied with their own lives, leaving no time for socializing. This was very different from Teresa's previous life.
"Huhhhh." Teresa stopped running and walked toward the park at the end of the neighborhood. She sat down on the park's edge and sipped from her water bottle. She had only just discovered the park and found its scenery to be quite beautiful.
The air in the park was refreshing, dominated by large trees that provided a cool atmosphere.
"Ehh?" A ball accidentally bumped into Teresa's leg. She picked it up and looked around for its owner.
A small boy approached and said the ball was his.
"Oh, this is your ball?" Teresa handed it over.
"Yes, sister, that's mine."
Teresa looked around again. "Who are you with?" she asked.
"I'm with my brother."
"Where is he?" Teresa asked the little boy.
"Here," a familiar voice answered. She turned toward the source of the voice and saw a tall man standing there.
"Kenzo," she said, staring at him in silence.
Kenzo sat down next to Teresa and handed an ice cream he had just bought to his little brother and Teresa.
"I-is this for me?" Teresa asked nervously.
"No, I'm just fixing my shoelaces."
"Oh." Teresa smiled awkwardly, feeling overly confident. It turned out Kenzo was just holding it for her temporarily. She watched as Kenzo bent down to tie his shoelaces.
"Do you know this sister?" the little boy asked. "Is she your girlfriend?"
"No, she's just a friend," Kenzo replied, ruffling the boy's hair. "Go on, play. I'll be here."
The little boy ran off with his ball to play in the open area. Kenzo glanced at Teresa, who was still holding the ice cream.
"That one's for you," he said, then looked away.
"Huh, oh, thanks," Teresa said, scooping a bit of the ice cream into her mouth.
"Mmmm, it's good," she said after tasting it. She glanced at Kenzo, who was smiling as he watched his little brother play. Teresa couldn't help but admire how handsome he looked when he smiled—his attractiveness seemed to increase by 100%.
"So handsome," she thought to herself, feeling like she could melt on the spot.
Kenzo suddenly turned to look at her, catching Teresa staring. She panicked and quickly looked away.
"Do you have a hobby of staring at me?" Kenzo asked.
"N-no, not at all," Teresa stammered, clearly flustered. Suddenly, Kenzo reached over and grabbed one of her earphones, putting it in his own ear.
"Ehh!" Teresa was a bit surprised. She hadn't been playing any music since sitting there.
Suddenly, music started playing again through the earphone: "You Never Know" by Blackpink. Kenzo turned back to her and gave her a look.
"What?" Teresa asked.
"You Never Know."
"You know it?"
Kenzo smiled faintly, then leaned his head back against the bench and closed his eyes.
Teresa smiled while watching him, then continued eating her chocolate ice cream while keeping an eye on Kenzo's little brother playing nearby.
"Brother!" the boy called out, running toward them. Kenzo opened his eyes.
"Come play with Kevin," the boy said, pulling both Teresa and Kenzo by the hand. They stood up and joined him to play ball.
Teresa quickly grew close to Kenzo's little brother. Kenzo watched them, surprised at how quickly Teresa and his brother became friends, even though it was their first time meeting.
...
The sun was now higher in the sky. The three of them walked home together. Kenzo and Teresa walked on either side, with Kevin in the middle. Kevin and Teresa were still munching on the spiral potatoes they had bought at the park.
"Brother Kenzo, why don't you date sister Teresa? She's pretty," Kevin asked innocently.
Kenzo looked confused by his little brother's question and didn't know how to respond.
"What's wrong, brother? Kevin likes sister Teresa."
Teresa's eyes widened at hearing that, and for some reason, she felt happy to hear it from Kenzo's little brother. She smiled to herself.
They arrived in front of Kenzo's house. "Sister Teresa, where do you live?" Kevin asked.
"Over there, take a right," Teresa pointed down the street.
"Okay, Kevin, go inside," Kenzo told his brother.
"Alright. I guess I'll head home now," Teresa said, turning around and starting to walk away. As she made her way home, she secretly hoped Kenzo would follow her and offer to walk her back. She smiled when she heard footsteps approaching, thinking Kenzo was coming after her.
She turned her head to the right, smiling in anticipation, only to find out it wasn't Kenzo but someone else passing by. She looked back and saw that Kenzo had already disappeared from in front of his house.
"Teresa, Teresa, you know how Kenzo is, yet you still hope for something," Teresa muttered to herself, feeling a bit disappointed. She then started jogging lightly to get home quickly since the sun was already heating up her skin.
When she reached the front of the large house, Teresa opened the small gate, but before she could, it opened by itself, revealing Gabril standing behind it.
Gabril looked at Teresa from head to toe.
"Ehh."
"Jogging?" Gabril asked.
"Yes, I'll head inside now," Teresa said, walking past him.
"Teresa, wait."
Teresa stopped in her tracks and looked back at Gabril with a questioning look.
"Later, we'll have a group study at Ameh's house at 2 PM. Don't forget."
Teresa smiled and nodded, then continued walking toward the small house behind the main one. When she reached the door, she saw a package hanging on the door handle. She took it inside and opened it.
"Chicken porridge."
There was a small note inside the package. She picked it up and read it.
"Don't forget to have breakfast, Teresa."
Teresa didn't know who it was from. If it were from her mom, it would have been placed inside the house.
Teresa tried guessing who had given her the porridge. She mentally checked off the names of all the workers in the house. "Gabril?" she thought. "No way. Why would he buy chicken porridge? Oh well, whoever it is, thank you," Teresa said as she happily ate the porridge, which she really enjoyed.
*******
Gabril was all ready and prepared to leave for group study that day. He walked out and greeted his mom, who was sitting in the living room watching a movie.
"Mom, I'm heading out for group study."
"Alright, take care, sweetheart."
Gabril left the house and walked toward Teresa's house at the back. Before he could knock, the door opened, and it was Teresa who happened to open it.
"Sorry, sir, what are you doing here?" Teresa asked.
"I came to invite you to go together."
"Oh, no need, sir, I'll take public transport by myself," Teresa replied.
"Why don't we just go together? It's on the way," Gabril asked.
"I don't feel comfortable, sir. You go ahead. I'll manage on my own," Teresa said, stepping past Gabril.
Gabril grabbed her hand and pulled her back. "Why are you so afraid of me getting close to you, Teresa? I just want us to be closer," Gabril said, looking seriously into her eyes.
Teresa was confused, unsure how to respond. Gabril's serious expression left her speechless.
"I'm sorry, sir, but I-I can't." Teresa pulled her hand away and hurried out of the house. She took a deep breath and quickened her pace. Teresa couldn't imagine getting too close to her employer's son; it felt intimidating and inappropriate.
She waved at the side of the road, stopping a public transport vehicle, then hopped inside. Just a few seconds after it started moving, the vehicle stopped again to pick up another passenger. Teresa glanced up to see who had gotten on.
"GABRIL!"
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