right after ch 30. the grad party

“They won’t want to kill me on sight, will they?” Jeonghan looked at the restaurant in nervousness. It was full of Joshua’s relatives. Some no doubt who knew that Joshua had been kept waiting for a long time.

Laughing Joshua shook his head. “No.” He paused, “Well not all of them. Some of them maybe.” Dragging him along, he added, “I’ll protect you. Don’t worry.”

“But what if you want revenge on me too.” Jeonghan had to be worried about that. What he did wasn’t exactly great or nice and he knew Joshua still was hurt over it even if he understood. He remembered the letters filled with curses and full of tear marks.

He giggled. “I won’t let them hurt you for too long.” He aimed a beautiful smile at Jeonghan. “I just got you back and I can’t have you dying. You’re mine.”

They entered through the doors and immediately huge pops were heard and streamers flew into the air. Jesus. Joshua’s family must’ve popped those noise makers. Brushing the streamers off Joshua’s laughing face, Jeonghan smiled. It had been too long.

“Joshua!” A loud voice came barreling in, grabbing him away from Jeonghan. “Congrats man!”

“Thanks Owen.” The two of them did that bro hug and then Owen turned to Jeonghan.

“This him,” he asked with a grunt and head tilt.

“Yes,” Joshua answered with a grin. “This is Jeonghan. My fiancé.”

Owen gave Jeonghan an ugly look. “You watch yourself,” he said in stilted Korean. “I made sure to teach Joshua more fighting techniques while you were gone. with him and make him sad or cry and I’ll make sure to pound you in the ground.” He emphasized that with a fist to his open palm.

And it was a large meaty palm too. Joshua’s cousin was a large muscled man. No doubt some sort of trainer.

“I won’t,” Jeonghan said, in English. He picked it up while trying to get better in Korea. Lots of frustrated conversations with Vernon and Seungkwan’s enthusiastic help. And the quiet sort of help that Vernon’s mother had provided. And the stilted conversations with Joshua’s father while drinking.

Joshua smiled at him proudly. Clearly, he was happy that Jeonghan finally tried learning.

“Just making sure,” he said. He turned his head, “Let’s go. Everyone’s waiting for you.”

Jeonghan looked around, his head spinning. All the English and mottled Korean was killing him. He couldn’t keep up at all. He had never had a big family gathering like this. They were all in little conversations or in huge groups talking and shoving food into their mouths.

Joshua who was the center of attention was also being passed around and talking to all of his relatives. He smiled and laughed and just looked so damn happy. Which made Jeonghan happy. He’d just sit here and eat then while waiting for his angel to come back to his seat.

“Hey,” a little girl’s voice called out to him.

He turned around, raising a brow.

“Are you Joshua’s fiancé?” She crossed her arms over her summer dress, her tiny brows knitted together.

“Yes.” He moved his body to face her. “I’m Yoon Jeonghan.” He held out a hand for her to shake but she just stared at him. With quite a bit of hatred it seems.

“You’re the bastard who made him cry,” she spat, “and the one who’s going to take him away from us again.”

“Mary!” One of the cousins looked at her in surprise.

Another one, who clearly didn’t like Jeonghan that much either, laughed. “Holy Mary! Who taught you that?”

She ignored them all to kick Jeonghan in the shins. “You don’t deserve him! I don’t know why he wants to marry you after you hurt him for so long! You !”

Jeonghan hissed, moving his legs away from the cousin that Joshua adored. “Listen—“

But Joshua had come back, putting his hands on Mary’s shoulders. “Mary. That wasn’t nice. Apologize to Jeonghan.”

She turned fierce eyes onto him. “No! He’s going to take you away and you’re going to leave with him. Even after he hurt you! You’re stupid Joshua!” She pushed Joshua away, into his uncle who came to see what the commotion was about. Using this as a distraction Mary ran up the stairs to the second floor where the offices were. A large slam was heard as the whole family quieted down.

Uncle David sighed. “Let me go talk to her. She’s upset about this I think.”

“No,” Joshua said. “Let me. She has problems with my plans and I guess I didn’t see how angry they made her.”

“Joshua,” Jeonghan began only to get cut off.

“I got this. She was very attached to me when I got back. And I guess I was too happy to see you and didn’t see how it was affecting her.”

He nodded. Best to let her cousin talk to her than him, the man she hated. Grimacing he turned back to see quite a few eyes on him. Putting on his salesperson smile, he asked, “Can I help anyone?”

Some of them shook their heads and turned away. Others nodded.

“Let’s talk,” a middle aged woman said. “I’m Joshua’s aunt. I’m married to one of his uncles. So you’re the rich older fiancé.” She gave him an evil smile, like she was going to cut him open and then grill him. “Tell us all about you.”

A good thirty minutes later Joshua came down with Mary in his arms. She was red eyed and sniffly, but content to hold onto Joshua’s neck and have him hold her.

Joshua laughed. “Soon you’re going to be too big for me to do this. Aren’t you almost 10 now?”

“Only eight,” she mumbled. “I’m your favorite cousin. I’ll never be too old for this.”

“Right,” he said tweaking her red little nose. “So, will you apologize to Jeonghan now?”

“Yea,” she replied. “Still hate him for making your hurt though.”

“That’s between me and him. But he loves me and I love him. We’ll work it out. And like I said. I won’t be leaving forever ok?”

She nodded. “If you do I’ll kick your .”

Gently, he placed her on the ground in front of Jeonghan who was sadly getting grilled by several aunts and curious cousins.

“Hey,” she said, shaking Jeonghan’s sleeve.

Giving them a relieved smile Jeonghan turned to them. “Yes?”

Scuffing her shoes on the floor she said, “Sorry for earlier. You’re not a bastard and the kick wasn’t nice.”

“Thank you for apologizing,” Jeonghan said. “And I’m sorry for hurting him. I didn’t want to.”

“Joshua told me that.” She bit her lip and her eyes turned fierce again. “Still. If you do it again I’ll make sure to kick you somewhere where it hurts. I learned lots from Owen and Theo.”

“You’ll have to get in line,” Joshua said with a laugh. “I think Owen wants to be first. But all of you have to wait until I get my hit in.”

The family members who were listening in laughed.

Bending down Jeonghan held out his pinky to Mary. “If I ever hurt him, I’ll give you first dibs ok?”

Mary nodded, linking her pinky with his and they shook it.

“But I’ll do my best to keep him smiling and happy.”

“You better.”

Joshua smiled down at them. Giving Mary a kiss on the head, he sent her back to Aunt Helen before plopping on Jeonghan’s lap.

Hearing an oof he laughed. “I’m not heavy. If you make remarks I’ll smack you right here.”

Jeonghan laughed into Joshua’s back. “No. Just surprised you’d sit like this in front of your family.”

“It’s my special day,” he said with a tiny pout. “I’ll do what I want. Now I’m hungry.” Turning to Jeonghan with that lovely smile he said, “Feed me.”

“Got it,” he said, smiling back. He’d die if he ever hurt this beautiful, beloved person of his. “Forever and ever.”