Kim Mansion

Cheongdam-dong – Seoul, South Korea

14.02.28 – 03:00 pm

 

 

Taemin frowned as his uncle started lecturing him about how the decision he had taken could have really bad consequences.

They had been inside the man's office for a while, talking about what Taemin wanted to do with the information he had. It had been almost a week since his arrival there and he hadn't done anything it yet. He was getting impatient, yet Jaejoong couldn't seem to undersand the younger's resolve to go forward with his plan, still blind to what pushed him to act in such a way.

 

“Uncle, I know what I'm doing.” the nephew argued once more.

 

“Do you really Tae?” Jaejoong asked, as he stopped pacing in front of the younger, to look at him in the eyes. “I've been in that field my whole life and there's a reason why I don't force Jongin to join like my father forced me to. And there's a reason why your mother decided to put as much distance between us both. She didn't want you involded in this.”

 

Taemin sighed.

 

“That's why she doesn't know I'm here.” he retorted matter-of-factly. “And it's not like my father's business is any different.”

 

Jaejoong repressed a frustrated groan, he had forgotten how stubborn that kid could be.

 

“Listen Tae,” Jaejoong came to sit across from his nephew, resting his elbows on the oak desk, joining his hands and looking straight into the young CEO's eyes. “I get you must have your reasons to do that, but to put a kid into this is too much.”

 

“I'm not going to harm the child... just...”

 

“Just what?”

 

To be honest, Taemin didn't even know.

 

Everytime he thought about the kid he had discovered the existence of, rage swelled in him. Apparently, her relationship with Jonghyun was more serious than he had given them credit for and it made him crazy.

And there he had been, the last six years of his life, thinking that maybe one day he woud've been able to forgive her, even after the things she had done.

 

“Uncle, I need to do this.” he admitted, eyes downcast.

 

Deep inside he knew that this blind rage he harboured would only fuel bad. But what could he do? For once, he wanted to be selfish and make decisions regardless of whom would be on his way.

 

“Why?” came Jaejoong's question. “Why are these people so important that you feel the need to destroy them? What did they do to you?”

 

Taemin swallowed in thickly. He had dreaded the moment the interrogations would come, had secretly hoped they wouldn't. But he knew his uncle well, the man would not just give in to his requests without having been given a good reason to.

 

“They deserve it.” he answered evasivly.

 

 

Crada Kindergarten

Sinsa-dong – Seoul, South Korea

14.02.28 – 03:31 pm

 

 

Jieun parked her car on the sidewalk and exited the vehicle, her eyes already scanning the surroundings as she looked for her son.

As she approached the school gates, a high pitched squeal reached her ears and she felt her legs being tightly hugged by thin, short amrs.

 

“Umma~” the little boy called, burrying his face on his mother's tighs.

 

“Kyungie!” she chuckled, prying the boy's arms off her, before scooting down holding him by the shoulders. “How's my little angel?”

 

The doe-eyed child gave his mother a heart shaped smile before wrapping his arms around the woman's neck.

 

“Miss you mommy.” he mumbled.

 

Jieun smiled as she got up, cradling the little body into her arms.

 

“Kyungsoo!” a woman yelled, as she reached the pair, breathless. “Oh... Mrs. Kim, you're here.”

 

The women bowed at each other.

 

“Hi, Mrs. Jung,” Jieun greeted. “he ran off again, didn't he?”

 

Mrs. Jung nodded as she playfully narrowed her eyes at the kid staring at her.

 

“It's as if he had some kind of countdown in his head or something. I swear he can guess when you're coming to pick him up. It's amazing how he manages to get passed any supervision.”

 

Jieun chuckled as her son pouted at his teacher before burying his face on the crook of her neck.

 

“Come on Kyungsoo, what did mommy tell you about running off like that?”

 

The five year-old mumbled something unintelligible against her neck before looking back up at his teacher and muttering a – grumpy – quiet “I'm sorry”.

Jieun sighed at her son's stubbornness, disliking how much his temper ressembled his father's.

 

After exchanging goodbyes with the woman, Jieun returned to her car, carefully bulcking Kyungsoo in his seat at the back and getting in on the driver's seat.

 

Minues later, as they got home, Kyungsoo couldn't stand still, almost flying off the car as Jieun unbuckled him.

 

“Appa!” he yelled, entering the house with loud bang of the door against the wall.

 

“Be careful.” Jieun warned.

 

She only observed, not even fazed anymore by the five year-old's antics. Taking her hand bag and Kyungsoo's backpack from the vehicle, she made her way to the house, carefully closing the door behind her. She heard voices coming from the living room and made her way there.

 

“Where's he?” Kyungsoo asked a hint of disappointment in his voice as he sat on his uncle's lap, little arms crossed over his chest.

 

“He didn't arrive yet Kyungie...” the man replied, hand making soothing circular motions on the child's back.

 

“But he promised...” the latter pouted, eyes already watering.

 

Jieun pursed her lips.

 

“He'll be here soon Kyungie,” she said. “daddy alyways keeps promises, remember?”

 

The child nodded slightly.

 

“Come on now, you need to change from this uniform.”

 

Jieun beckonned her son closer and turned around to leave.

 

“Minho,” she called. “could you call your brother to know where he's at?”

 

“Consider it done.” the man replied taking his cellphone out of his pocket.

 

 

Kim Mansion

Cheongdam-dong – Seoul, South Korea

14.02.28 – 03:40 pm

 

 

“Dad?” Jongin called as he entered Jaejoong's office.

 

The latter and his nephew looked at the door where Jongin stood, scratching the back of his head with a nervous expression on his face.

 

“You might want to see this...” he said, voice hesitant.

 

“See what Jongin?”

 

“In the living-room.”

 

Jaejoong forwned at the incoherent answer his son gave him but decided to just check by himself. He made his way out of his office and crossed the hall closely followed by his son and nephew.

As he entered the living-room, his steps came to a halt and his eyes widened. Yet, his surprise only lasted some seconds before he narrowed his eyes in a death-glare and lashed towards the targets of his anger.

 

“You rascals!” he growled as he gripped the two men by the collars of their shirts, shaking them violently.

 

But before his fist could make contact with any of his victims' faces, he was snatched back by Jongin and Taemin.

 

“Dad!” the eighteen year-old yelled. “Calm down!”

 

Taemin had his eyes wide in surprise as he observed the pair that had put his uncle in such a fury with only their presence. They were his two eldest cousins, Changmin and Kibum. And as far as he remembered, the two were his uncle's joy and pride so he couldn't help but wonder what they had done to make calm and composed Jaejoong so angry.

 

“Let me go you two!” Jaejoong growled, and afraid of receiving the man's wrath, both Jongin and Taemin stepped back, taking their hands of the older man in the room.

 

“What are you doing here?”

 

Changmin slightly shoved Kibum with his elbow, the younger looking at him with a hard gaze before both returned their attention to their father. The tension in the room was so thick, Taemin swore he could cut it with a knife.

 

“Dad-”

 

“Don't.” Jaejoong's voice was stern.

 

“Father,” Kibum spoke up, mustering his most charming smile. “we're home.”

 

He stated the obvious, apparently unaffected by his father's clenching of fists and piercing glare.

 

“No , sherlock.” Changmin mumbled, rolling his eyes at his brother. “Daddy, we missed you, it's all.”

 

Jaejoong let out a dry chuckled.

 

“Ran out of money again?” he asked, voice strangely calm.

 

Changmin smiled sheepishly.

 

“That too.”

 

Kim Residence

Sinsa-dong – Seoul, South Korea

14.02.28 – 05:20 pm

 

“He didn't learn that from me.” Jonghyun argued as he watched his son play with his toys.

 

Jieun had just told him – for the nth time – how Kyungsoo had developped the bad habit of running out of school at the end of classes without his teacher's permission.

 

It hadn't even been an hour since he had come home, but he had already been cornered by his wife and step-brother, as the two interrogated him about how his business trip had went. Now, he stood at the door of his son's playroom, Jieun by his side as the both watched the five year-old entertain himself with the new toys he had just been given. Minho lost somewhere in the house doing who-knows-what.

 

“I'm not saying he did.” Jieun retorted, a sigh leaving her lips. “I'm just asking you to talk to him about it, he doesn't seem to listen when I tell him he can't do that.”

 

Jonghyun served his wife a smug expression as a smile spread on his lips.

 

“Are you admitting he likes me better than you?”

 

That earned him a pinch on the arm.

 

“Never,” Jieun said, feeling proud as Jonghyun yelped in pain. “just talk to him.”

 

“Why? He'll get it on his own at some point.” the older man replied, carressing the sore spot on his arm.

 

The look Jieun gave him made him shiver, not because it was menacing or anything like that, but because of the things she left unsaid, but were clear in that simple glance. Apparently, she was still wary of the place after living there for so many years but he couldn't blame her, he knew how deeply she was marked by her past.

 

“Fine,” he settled, “I'll try making him understand, but you need to promise me something.”

 

Jieun frowned at that, but waited for him to keep on.

 

“Promise me you'll relax a little more.” Jonghyun said, a hand coming to press against her pale cheek, his thumb caressing the smooth surface. “They can't reach you anymore remember? It's over now.”

 

Her lips formed a thin line, but she nodded anyway. She knew he was right, if something was to happen, it woud've already had.

Jonghyun leaned in closer and pressed his lips to hers in a chaste kiss, before walking over to Kyungsoo in the middle of the room.

 

She observed the two interact, glad Jonghyun was there for her. He was an amazing father to their son and a dependable husband. Nothing like what Taemin would've been if she had stayed with him. She wouldn't have had the peace she had always seeked for. That was something she had convinced herself of a long time ago.

Brushing these thoughts away, she smiled as Kyungsoo ran to her, little arms stretched above his head, asking to be picked up.

 

And, as she carried the five year-old into her arms, Jonghyun's strong ones came to sneak around her waist, his warm body pressed against her back and his chin on her shoulder.

 

That was the ideal life she had always wanted.

 

---

 

A/N: Hiyo~! Second chapter and... Oh? Jieun finally makes her appearance! And with her come Jonghyun, Minho and lovely kid!Kyungsoo *squeals at Kyungsoo's smile* Now, new characters also include Changmin and Kibum, Taemin's cousins... whom (one of them at least) might or might not play a big role in this... *acts nonchalant* Anyways, seems like Jaejoong isn't quite sure he wants to help Tae anymore... And Jieun married to Jonghyun? Yep... Not the TaeIu I promised *malicious smile* sorry... it'll come... some day....

Thank you all for subscribing =)

I hope you guys are enjoying it so far... are you?

With love,

Soo <3