Chapter 39: No Escape

Ji-Ah yanked her wrist away, ignoring the warmth Evelyn's touch left behind. "I don't feel anything."

It was a lie. A bad one. And Evelyn knew it.

She didn't argue, though. She just leaned back in her chair, tilting her head slightly. "If that's true, why did you come?"

Ji-Ah's fingers curled around the strap of her bag. "Because you insisted."

Evelyn let out a quiet hum, stirring her coffee. "Right. Just a coincidence, then."

Ji-Ah refused to meet her gaze. "Exactly."

Evelyn took a slow sip of her drink, her eyes never leaving Ji-Ah's face. It made Ji-Ah's skin heat in a way she absolutely did not appreciate.

This wasn't fair. Evelyn was too calm, too composed, while Ji-Ah felt like her brain was short-circuiting.

"You should stop doing that," Ji-Ah muttered.

Evelyn raised a brow. "Doing what?"

"Looking at me like that."

"Like what?" Evelyn smirked. "Like I know you're lying?"

Ji-Ah clenched her jaw. "I said what I said."

Evelyn sighed, setting her cup down. "You know, Ji-Ah… for someone who claims not to care, you sure put a lot of effort into running away."

Ji-Ah scoffed. "I'm not running."

Evelyn didn't argue. She didn't have to. The look in her eyes said enough.

Ji-Ah gritted her teeth. "Are we done here?"

"For now." Evelyn's smirk softened into something unreadable. "But don't act surprised when this conversation happens again."

Ji-Ah turned on her heel and stormed out of the café, determined to put as much distance between them as possible.

But no matter how far she walked, Evelyn's words followed her.

For now.

Ji-Ah hated how much she believed her.