Chapter 32

"Byunghun, did you fight again at school?" The woman asked her only son as the boy tried to look away and push her hands away from his swollen face. "Byunghyun, answer me." She asked again, her voice constantly gentle.

L.Joe heaved a sigh and turn to his mother with a small smile, his hands rested on his mother's thin wrist. "No, umma. I tripped on my feet and fell down the stairs." He answered with a small snigger.

If there's one thing that is amazing about mothers, is that they could understand their child based solely on what is written on their face. As though having possessed some kind of super power, they could read their minds and read through their lies. And Mrs Lee knew all too well that L.Joe was lying.

L.Joe could see his mother rolling her eyes at him but brushes it off with a childish smirk as he pulled Hana away from their mother's bed and carried her out of the graying old room to give their mother a much needed rest. He knew better that his mother could barely hold a short conversation, as hope began to falter.

 

---
 

"Have you guys went out for a date before?" Hyeseong asked with much enthusiasm in her eyes as she scanned a the rows of thick books on Soyeon's bookshelf. "Oh I know! Why don't we go on a double date?"

Soyeon chuckled to herself as she leaned in to grab another piece of cookie from the small coffee table in her room. "In case you had forgotten, this is Jeon Jung Kook we're talking about. I would be dead if we were caught being together."

Hyeseong turned around and gave Soyeon a small pout before sliding across the floor to rest her head on Haerin's shoulder. "Why must you date an idol?" Sighs. "Do you know how long have I dreamt to go on a double date with any of my friends?"

Haerin made no effort to shook her sister off as Hyeseong continued wailing in a childish outrage. "So, Jung Kook and his parents were the "family friends" you mentioned going on a trip with?" Haerin asked with her brows furrowed. "You went to your boyfriend's side of the family's wedding?"

"Well, we went there as friends..." Soyeon giggled nervously under Haerin's intense gaze.
 

"You get to spend your time with his families already? You guys are going so fast!" Hyeseong finally shifted her nonsense rambling to the topic of conversation. "Are you going to tell me you're going to get married soon?" She said jokingly with a flick of her hair as Soyeon stiffened at the mention of the most dreaded word; marriage.


"Hyseong, when can you get through your thick skill that this is Lee Soyeon we're talking about. She had never been into any relationship before and now you're expecting her to get married? Remember what she told us before?-" Haerin said as she gave her sister a meaningful look.
 

"-I will never fall in love easily~" The sisters chimed together with a laughter, mimicking Soyeon's answer whenever everyone  jokes about her being an old maid. 

Soyeon could feel the heat rising up her cheeks and ears, turning her fair skin a crimson red. Never had Soyeon imagine before that she would find love so soon and out of her friends she was the earliest to get married.
 

Hyeseong suddenly stops from laughing and her face turned sullen. "I-I... " She speaks, gaining the two other girls' attention. "I've always thought you would end up with Kai." She looked up to face Soyeon with a sheepish smile on her face. "You see, I've been secretly shipping you guys when I know that you're just friends."
 

Haerin was loss for words, the guilt seeped back into her system. She turned to face Soyeon to read her reaction; Soyeon was looking down as she played with her fingers on her lap, her long hair cascading down, hiding her face. "Why do you always do that? Since before, you kept trying to get us together." She smiled gently at Hyeseong. "He's perfect but --"

 

"Can't you see he likes you?" 

 

Everyone turned to Haerin with shock and confusion written on their face at Haerin's sudden outburst. Haerin dared not to look at anywhere but Soyeon's deep eyes with her own pleading ones. "Jong In likes you and has always been."


There. The words are out and it's too late for Haerin to take it back.

 

I'm sorry Jong In, but you're too much of a coward.

 

---


"five, six, seven, eight.." 

"Jung Kook, you're late with your steps!"

"one, two, three, four"

"Jung Kook, to the center!"

"five, six, seven, eight.."
 

The music stops.

 

"Jung Kook, are you okay? You're distracted." Rap Monster probed the maknae gently as the members took a short water break, wiping away the sweats on their face. Jin walked over to where Jung Kook was sitting  - with Rap Monster towering over him - and handed his two members a bottle of water each.

"Is it about Soyeon?" Jin asked as he took a seat beside Jung Kook.

Jung Kook shook his head as he down the bottle of water. Sweats trailed down his face and the water he was drinking spilled down his chin but the boy made no move to wipe it off. 

Rap Monster scratched his brows in an irritated manner."Aish, I knew this whole--" He lowered his tone down a notch to a whisper "-marriage thing is going to get in the way."

Jung Kook faced the the leader with wariness written his eyes. "Aniya hyung! It's nothing to do with my--" He whsipers "--marriage."
 

Okay well, maybe that wasn't completely true. Soyeon had something to do with it in some way because what was bugging his mind was what Jong In said to him yesterday. It sounded harmless and warm if not for his threatening tone and persistence to have Soyeon.

Jung Kook tried to not think too much about his words and just trust the boy. But how could he trust a boy who shares the same feeling as him regarding Soyeon?

Don't trust him. Just trust Soyeon instead. He told himself.


Jung Kook did not realize that he had slipped into his train of thoughts and left his hyungs waiting for an answer when his phone rings, bringing him back to reality. "Just a moment hyung." He motioned to Rap Monster and Jin by his side before running to the side of the room to grab his phone.
 

Sweet Angel Soyeon Calling...




 

The phone was immediately picked up at the third ring and a very enthusiastic, breathless voice boomed on the other line. Mrs Lee chuckled to herself. I guess my in-law was right.

That Jung Kook was smitten with her daughter.

"Soyeon!" Jung Kook said with a bell-like laughter.

"That's eomonim to you." Mrs Lee answered sternly but her pretense barely last long as she lets out a giggle at the sudden gasps from the other line.

"I'm sorry eomonim. Hello!" Jung Kook answered, his voice strained in panic. "B-but I thought it was Soyeon because it's her number."

"I used her phone to get in touch with you. I hope you don't mind."

"N-N-NO! Why would I?"

"Listen, would you like to have dinner with us tonight? Soyeon said you'd be busy but--"

"I"LL BE THERE!!"

"Excuse me?" Mrs Lee cringed at Jung Kook's sudden shout, piercing her eardrum.

"I'm sorry. I mean o-of-of course, I would love to. Thank you for the offer."

"I thought you were busy?"

"Err... I can make some time for you, eomonim."
 

For me or for Soyeon? Mrs lee chuckles mentally and went over the details with Jung Kook before hanging up.

Now, I just hope Soyeon wouldn't kill me for doing these..

 

"Okay! Let's get back to practice hyungs!" Jung Kook clapped his hands for attention after he had kept his phone. A wide grin replaced his previous scowl as he flail his arms to push his hyungs back at the dance floor.

Everyone was bewildered at the maknae's sudden change in mood. "What's wrong with him?" Rap Monster asked, his face crunched in perplex. 

"Hurry up hyung! The faster we start, the faster we could get it done with!" Jung Kook hollered at J-Hope with a newfound spirit.

"I guess Lee Soyeon just called." Jin chuckled before making his way to his position, amused at how cute the maknae looks when he's in love.




---


Ding Dong

"Can you see who's at the door?" Mrs Lee said to her daughter as she carried the bowl of food to the table, an excited grin lighting up her face. Of course she knew who it would be.

"Are we having guests for dinner?" Soyeon asked as she sat down the final plate on the table before walking over to the door to answer it. "Who could it be?" She mumbled to herself.

Soyeon turned to the monitor by the front door and wasn't entirely shock to see Jung Kook looking back at her in anxiety. Soyeon lets out a small laugh at the sight of Jung Kook fixing his hair and jacket before opening the door to let him in. "Why are you here?" She asked.

Jung Kook smiled as the door revealed his angel and he unknowingly ran up to pull Soyeon in a tight embrace. 

"Wha-what? What are you doing here?" She asked again, her cheeks a shade of red as she pushed her husband away from her, afraid to be seen by any of her parents.

"What do you mean what I'm doing here?" Jung Kook asked, finally pulling away from the hug. "Eomonim invited me for dinner!"


The door that Soyeon was closing jerked and was suddenly slammed as Soyeon rounded her eyes at Jung Kook. "UMMMAAAA!"





 

Jung kook sat awkwardly beside Soyeon as Mrs Lee poured him a drink. Sitting face to face with Soyeon's parents suddenly felt so nerve-wrecking although this wasn't their first time of doing so. Jung Kook could only imagine how Soyeon must have felt to have to eat with his parents back during his cousins wedding.
 

Although Soyeon never looked as nervous as he is right now and he admires her for that; but this is Lee Soyeon we're talking about. She's always calm and collected.

Soyeon gently shook Jung Kook's arm and nudged him to eat the food before him. Mrs Lee gave her daughter a teasing look before breaking the ice, asking Jung kook how he's coping with work and school. At the topic of his work, Jung kook relaxed and began to converse with everyone at the table, sharing with them stories of his fans and the celebrities he had met.

Soyeon was glad and happy that she does not have to worry if her parents like Jung Kook- They had married her off to him in the first place! But seeing how Jung Kook is well-loved, Soyeon knew that there's one thing less to be worried about in the future.

Omo, you're thinking about the future already Soyeon? She blushed at the thought.




 

"So this is your room." Jung Kook said as soon as he stepped inside Soyeon's room for the first time. Jung Kook was excited when Soyeon had invited him to his room as he was always curious on what would Soyeon's room be like - the room she slept in, she rest in, she studied in.

 The room wasn't stereotypically pink as he had presumed. It was light beige, almost white and the furniture were the color of oak. There weren't too many stuffs around, which makes the room bigger and wider.

Modern and sophisticated - it perfectly describes Lee Soyeon.

It was neat too, unlike his room. Books were in it's place, and not a single cloth were lying around.  If he didn't know any better, he would have thought that Soyeon had cleaned up her room prior to his arrival. But knowing Lee Soyeon, of course the room is as clean as it has ever been.
 

Jung Kook sat down on Soyeon's perfectly made bed and watches as Soyeon draws the curtain to her room close before walking over to her desk and sat on the leather chair. 

A small smirk lights up his face when Jung Kook spotted something on Soyeon's bookshelf. "Doesn't this seemed familiar oh?" He pulled out the familiar album and waved it in front of Soyeon. It was Bangtan Boy's first album, an album that Jung Kook was sure he did not personally give.
 

Soyeon had bought one for herself to complete her collection.


At the sight of the black cover, Soyeon jumped up her seat and grabbed it from Jung Kook before replacing it back at it's position beside BTS' second album (the one Jung kook had personally given her). "You did not just see that!" She said before pulling Jung Kook away from her book shelf.

"Why is it so hard to admit that you're my fan?" Jung Kook asked in between laughs as he sat back on her warm bed.

Soyeon waited for Jung Kook to calm down from his laughter before answering him with an irritated sigh. "I'm not." She bluntly put out and picked up her pen to continue with her homework. A sinister thought crossed her mind. "I'm Suga oppa's fan remember?"
 

Jung Kook froze, his mouth hanging open. He was about to retort something in return when she saw the small smile escaped Soyeon's lips. Of course she was joking. Jung Kook turned his frown upside down and threw his body on her bed in relief. "You can stop pretending to be Suga hyung's fan now." Jung Kook said as he ran his hands around the bed in search of something to hug on.

His hand landed on a cute plush toy and Jung Kook turned the teddy bear over and raked his fingers againts its smooth fur when his eyes landed on the tag of the teddy bear. The word "Jong In & Soyeon" was written on it and Jung Kook immediately scowled as he threw the innocent teddy bear aside.

He sat up and found a small pillow at the end of the bed and hugged it instead, a small childish smile escaped his lips as he sigh in content, his eyes softly gazing at Soyeon's back as her head bend low in concentration at the text book she was scanning.

It feels so nice to just stay like this, watchig her as though she's the most interesting person he had ever encountered.

 

Soyeon decided that she wasn't up for a playful fight with Jung Kook and decided to just ignore his question as she hums along to Jay Park's music and work on her homework instead.



 

Soyeon had only remembered that Jung Kook was in her room when she was done with her homework for the night. She turned around, expecting the room to be empty - that perhaps Jung Kook had went home and she was lost in her world to hear him leave, but --
 

Jung Kook was still there. Sprawled on her bed, fast asleep; still hugging the small pillow.
 

No matter how adorable he looks and how crazy her stomach was doing flips at the sight, Soyeon could feel the distant ache in her heart and a small part of her felt sorry for him.