It seemed like forever since the awkward dinner. He acted completely normal the next morning, scarring you deeper. You couldn't look at him the same, all you saw was Jen. The scene of Jimin's sparkling eyes while he spoke to her replayed in your head. It was difficult being his friend and not getting jealous at what you thought could've been.

Conflicted. That was what you felt prior to the dinner. You thought it was okay to get closer to them because you genuinely loved the twins. You wished to care for them and spend moments outside of school. But then you met Jen. She does things for them like that. In the end, you didn't feel confused. Jen destroyed your feelings.

While things with Jimin were simmering down, Kim's life began spiraling. You tried to be there for support and not mope around about your small crush. Her father, your uncle, had suffered a and was rushed into the hospital two nights after the dinner.

Kim rarely panics in any type of scenario, so seeing her frantically throwing her clothes into a suitcase after barely hearing what she was saying over the phone, completely scared you. It meant that it was really bad and she absolutely needed to be there. You supported her decision, however, you felt worrisome about the sudden leave.

"Are you sure it's okay to leave on such a short notice?" You tried to fast walk to keep up with her.

"I have no choice. It's a family emergency. The school said that they've had shorter notices. I've never met a substitute before, so I'm putting you in charge of holding down the fort." She jumped into her driver's seat and rolled down her window. "I'll be back before you know it. Don't let the substitute walk over you, you are only required to do minimal work."

"I can handle more, you just refuse to give it to me." You figured a bad attitude wasn't what she needed right now. "But don't worry. I got it. Whoever it is can't be that bad."

You regretted what you said the following day. You got to the classroom and a woman stood over Kim's desk with black, shiny pumps supporting her feet. Her pencil skirt outlined every curve and her voluminous curly hair fell at her waist. Her red lips filled majority of her face and her eyelashes reached her eyebrow. She was the definition of a hot teacher, or some chick you'd see at the club. The only problem was that she was teaching six year olds and not college men.

Smiling at her, you brought your cardigan closer to your body. Some part of you felt insecure. You see girls like her all the time while working as a bartender, however you felt more self conscious when you weren't distracted by drinks. Before even introducing her name, she handed you the itinerary and forced you to read it aloud to her. Something about leaving her glasses at home.

You were a bit put off by that action and already had a bad impression of her. Clearing your throat, you gave it back to her. She was not going to make you do every little thing for her and how rude to not even introduce her name.

"It's Ingrid." She rolled her eyes as she snatched the paper from your grasp. "Aren't you some teen volunteer?"

Crossing your arms, you shifted your balance onto one leg. "No, I'm an intern. My name's (Y/N)."

"So if you're not here to help me read things aloud, what are you here for?" She leaned against the table. Her attitude was really angering you. You've been taught to look past people's faults, but her's flashed in your face. Every word she said made you mad.

"I'm not your coffee girl. I help with lesson prep and grading papers. I observe how lessons are taught and how it is to be a good teacher." Kids were beginning to arrive. You opened the door for her and gestured to the hallway, "and the first step to that is to greet the students and the parents."

Ingrid groaned, her heels clicking loudly as she stood at the door. She stood up tall and was very polite to every parent. You noticed she barely acknowledged the students, meaning you had to be the one to greet them with a good morning.

The children were puzzled by the appearance of another lady. They were questioning you as to where Ms.Kim was and who was this strange woman. There was always a morning rush, so you couldn't answer many of the curious kids questions.

Jimin and the twins usually showed up after the rush, like he knew the classroom door would be crowded at a certain hour. His outfits have been different these couple of days. He was very casual and served boyfriend looks. The twins were wearing denim jackets that matched with Jimin's and black leggings. The family looked like triplets, making your heart clench at the adorable sight.

"Hi, I'm the substitute teacher for the next following days. I'm Ingrid." Ingrid's body language completely shifted. She bent one leg and twirled her hair with her finger. Her bold, red lipstick painted a seductive smile on her face. You looked at her strangely as Jimin cautiously took her hand.

"Good Morning, Monkeys." You brushed off her attitude and ignored what she was doing with their father. It made you feel uneasy, but the children were first priority and she wasn't doing her job. Also, Jimin was still a looming image of Jen.

"Ms. (YN), where is Ms. Kim?" Minjoo asked, hugging your arm tightly. Minseo stared at the grown woman and then back at you.

"Who is she?" She snarled.

"She's the substitute teacher for the next few days. Ms. Kim had a family emergency, so she can't be here." You explained and they nodded.

"Bye Daddy!" Minseo waved and the twins did their goodbye ritual with Jimin.

"Oh how cute! I love twins." Ingrid marveled and clapped her hands, but she was still staring at Jimin — not the girls.

You were over her attempts to flirt. She was making a fool out of herself because Jimin had a girlfriend already. You rolled your eyes and ushered the girls inside to their cubbies.

"(Y/N), good morning." Jimin held onto your arm to stop you from going inside. You gasped and he let go. You cleared your throat.

"Good morning, Jimin." You shyly looked down, feeling your cheeks get hot again.

"Anyways, I noticed you're not wearing a wedding ring." Ingrid commented in the awkward atmosphere. You wanted to slap her for being so forward.

Jimin chuckled lightly, "I'm not married."

"Aw, I'm surprised. You're such an attractive man." She winked. Jimin only nodded and thanked her.

"I'll get going. I'll see you at 3, (Y/N)." You peered up at your name. He was directly waving goodbye at you, not Ingrid. You smiled weakly and walked inside the classroom.

Ingrid stomped after you, "I'm sorry, but did I hear that correctly? You're meeting with him at 3?"

You sighed, knowing she would misunderstand. "Yes because he'll be picking up his daughters at that time because that's when school ends, Ingrid. I thought they tell substitutes these things before assigning you to a school."

She blinked in realization. She wouldn't look you in the eye because of how embarrassed she was. Ingrid hurried to introduce herself to the students and began class.

-

"Hey Chim.." Jen dragged her sentence. She had called him in an urgent manner. He met up with her at a cafe, thinking it was a good day to enjoy some morning brew.

Her face, however, didn't share the same happiness as his. Jen's fingers were twitching around her mug, a habit she had whenever she was anxious. "Jen, the anticipation is killing me."

"My aunt is coming." Jimin almost spit out his coffee. He quizzed her on her knowledge, getting more and more tense with each answer. "I don't know when, she wouldn't tell me. She said her reason was because she missed me, but I called bull on that. The woman couldn't give two s about me."

"Then why is she coming?" His eyebrows knitted tightly together and Jen held intense eye contact. 

She hesitated, but seeing Jimin's desperate stare made her cave in. "I think it's because she wants to take the twins."

Jimin gulped and slumped into his chair. His motions were quick. He threw his head into his hands, incredibly frustrated by her statement. "She can't."

"Jimin.. I know she can't, but she won't sit quietly and not try to." Jen moved on to tapping her ceramic.

He slammed his fists into the table, causing a loud noise and the table to almost break. "That's not it, Jen. She can't have them because they are my girls. They are my daughters."

She sighed and her shaky hand patted his clenched hand. She nodded and spoke in a calmer voice, "I agree. You are the only one who is eligible in taking care of them. I couldn't think of a better person."

"Maybe their mother." That stung Jen. She removed her hand and returned to tapping her mug. "Sorry Jen, I didn't mean to bring her up."

"No, it's fine." She had tears welled up in her eyes. "You're absolutely right."

"Do you think your aunt is going to take me to court for the twins?" Jimin worried.

She wiped the wetness from her eyes, "no. She knows she'll lose. She's too old and you've been taking care of them for the past 6 years, Jimin. They don't know anyone else as their father."

"I'm merely scared... your aunt is something else." Jen chuckled sourly and peered down at her warm, beige liquid.

She gazed at her reflection, getting lost in the ripples. "Tell me about it. She is one of the worst. After mom and dad died, my life was a living hell because of her. I've never felt such a tremendous desire to disappear.... forever."

"Well, I'm glad you didn't." Jimin held her hand and rubbed the back with his thumb. He smiled sweetly at the young girl, trying to lift her happiness up again.

Jen struggled with a dark and ugly past. The last thing he wanted was for her to relive it or for his girls to live it. She returned a small smile, "She's probably coming to check to see how everything's going too. Trying to find the tiniest problem for an excuse to have them."

"Minjoo and Minseo are safe under my care and we live happily together. They go to a great school. They are loved by many, especially the adults in their lives. (Y/N) is a perfect example of that and Ms.Kim." Jimin listed out all the positives in any way to convince himself they were stable.

Jen scoffed, "funny how you mention her name first when Ms.Kim is their actual teacher."

He studied Jen's face, a smirk danced across her face. "She was the first person I thought of. She loves the twins and they love her. A lot."

"Yeah, they're not the only ones, right?" Jen laughed and he glanced nervously around the room, in case any strangers heard.

"Not sure what that means." He sipped his coffee. 

"Oh! Give it up, Chim. I've known you for the past nine years and I have never seen you act the way you do when you are around her." Jen was very proud of herself for her observation skills. She patted herself on the shoulder to push Jimin a little more.

He tried to laugh it off, "we act like friendly strangers. I'm trying to get to know her more."

"Really? Because you didn't act like friendly strangers when we met." She dramatically clenched her heart, pretending to be offended.

"You were like 14, get over yourself. We didn't even talk until you actually started making sense." Jen applauded Jimin for his savage comment.

"Okay Mr. High and Mighty, don't get cocky because you're three years older than me. Speaking of which, isn't she still in college?" Jen the sweet cream off of her toast.

Jimin ripped off the crust for himself, "she's in her last year."

"Isn't that weird?" 

"No.. is it suppose to be? Jen, we aren't in high school anymore. Age isn't really a big deal." He rolled his eyes and stuffed his face with bread.

She wiggled her eyebrows, "you just confirmed you're into her, so much for friendly strangers. Well if you want my blessing, you have it. I like her, but I don't think she likes me a whole lot."

"Why do you say that?" Jimin gave up on denying his small crush on you. Jen could read him better than anyone. She was also really good at observing. He didn't even remember what he did that night at the dinner to tip it off.

The young girl shrugged and her gaze wandered off into a different direction. "Maybe I was sending off some bad vibes? But you can tell she felt uneasy, especially when she made the excuse to leave."

"Given her circumstances, it made sense that Kim needed her. Kim isn't at school because she has a family emergency." None of Jen's points were making sense. You seemed like you were having fun at dinner. 

"Did the substitute flirt with you?" She brought her cup to her lips as Jimin jumped forward in his seat. He narrowed his eyes at her.

"How did you know?" 

"Because you're just that attractive, Jimin. It doesn't help that Minjoo and Minseo help you draw in the attentions of women. You're a young, hot, single dad of adorable twins. Women drop like flies when those keywords are in the same sentence." She was amused and he rolled his eyes again. He wondered if you thought that about him. That he was nothing more than a hot, single dad.

Jimin thought about you quite often. He wondered about your health being and how many times you get hit on at the club. His thoughts are filled with images of your bright smile and luscious hair. Scenarios pop into his head of you and him taking the twins somewhere that you'd all enjoy. His skin craved to be touched by your hands and often times he'd get afraid you'd catch him staring at your pink lips. 

He'd itch to fit your hands together and how your body would feel against his. Sometimes when your hair fell over your eyes, he'd have to hold back from reaching over. He acted out of impulse this morning, however. He didn't know what had come over him when he grabbed your arm.

You barely looked in his direction or acknowledged him. As much as he loves watching you interact with the twins, you didn't even bat an eyelash at him. He needed to do something. The picture of your surprised expression plastered his mind. If you reacted like that from a simple touch, he wasn't sure what to expect if he were to get any closer.

-

For some odd reason, this entire day was extremely difficult compared to the rest. You've been working as an intern ever since the school year began and there has never been a day you couldn't handle. The students were rowdy and refused to listen to Ingrid. A few started crying because of the lack of attention. Kids were hitting one another and yelling. There was yelling throughout the whole day. You could barely hear yourself whenever you tried to talk.

Ingrid left most of the time because she couldn't deal with the noise and the anarchy. You found yourself lost at what you should do. Kim was the absolute best at controlling the crowd and moving things along smoothly.

You were not looking forward for the next few days of her absence. You predict your head would explode by the end of it all.

two words. bad day.

same here. dad's blood levels have been fluctuating every 2 hrs. not sure what's to happen next, ill keep u updated

ok u too

You had sent a quick text to her and it seemed like neither of you were having a good day. Your uncle's health was tremendously unstable and it concerned you. There was nothing you could do, making the feeling worse.

Work at the club was a whole other story. Although it was a weekday and it was normally less busy, the club was rented out by a random fraternity. It was chaos. Glasses broke every three minutes and screaming. There was so much screaming and hollering. If you didn't get enough of that from school, you had to put up with more of it later in the night.

People were dancing on the counters and on the tables. Drunk people were like the six year olds you took care of. You had to repeat yourself multiple times for them to understand that you only had two pairs of hands. People were getting impatient and angry when you weren't able to make their drink within the time they finished ordering it.

To make matters worse, Wes was examining you the entire night. He refused to leave your side because he was worried that you'd get whisked away by some frat. He also touched you in unimaginable places, causing you to drop many drinks.

By the time you were driving home, you were physically drained. As dangerous as it sounded, you rested your eyes at every stoplight. When you arrived to your street, you couldn't believe your luck.

You swore under your breath when you saw half of your apartment covered in large plastic wrap and tape. Getting out of your car, you didn't want to believe the sight. The person who lived down the hall spotted you and ran up to fill you in.

"Bed bugs." He warned and pointed to the pest control vans that accompanied the curb.

"I know." You gaped at your building.

"Hopefully you have a place to stay, (Y/N)." He said before walking away. To top it all off, you actually had no place to stay. Kim was gone and you didn't have the keys to her house. The only other near person was Jimin. Were you really going to bother him? You checked your time — 12:00 AM.

You were no longer thinking, your mind was too tired to refuse to try. A nice bed was all you wanted. You called him and already felt guilty at the sound of his voice. "(Y/N), are you okay?" It was like he knew you were asking him for help.

"Hey Jimin, did I wake you?" You walked back into your car.

"No, I was just about to hop into the shower. Is there something wrong?"

"I'm so sorry to bother you about this, but I'm low on options." You started and watched the plastic blow in the night air. "There is a bed bug infestation in my apartment complex and I have no where to stay because Kim is out of town and I feel so bad for even thinking about asking—"

"Yes, (Y/N)." He cut you off and you paused.

"I didn't even finish yet."

"You don't need to. I have a guest room you can stay in and I know the girls won't mind."

You weren't convinced, "would you mind, Jimin?"

"Not one bit."

"What about Jen?" You swallowed. You were afraid she'd misunderstand your situation if you were to show up and sleep at her boyfriend's house.

He chuckled, "why would she mind? She doesn't even live here."

"Well, she is your girlfriend." There was no stopping you now, you didn't have enough strength to stop words from spilling out of your mouth. "I don't want her to get upset if I slept over at her boyfriend's house."

Jimin cleared his throat and sighed. "(Y/N)."

"Jimin, I understand if I am problem."

"(Y/N), you're silly, did you know that?" You weren't sure what he meant by that. "Jen is my friend. We're not dating or involved with one another like that. She has a boyfriend, which is definitely not me, and I haven't dated anyone ever since the twins were born." He explained and you leaned over your steering wheel. How could you be so dumb?

You were so embarrassed. All this time you were the one who misread the situation. "Jimin, I'm so sorry. I'll be on my way. Can we forget that I'm a and not mention this ever?"

He laughed cutely, "of course. I'll see you soon. Drive safely, (Y/N)."

"Thank you, Jimin, for letting me stay and everything else." You made your way to his home, still mentally slapping yourself for over thinking.

Jimin opened the door and he had no shirt on. His black hair was wet and his sweatpants laid low on his waist. A towel was being used to dry his hair. You couldn't help, but admire him up and down. His body was so toned and chiseled. His biceps flexed as he rubbed his wet hair and his abs glistened with water. You've seen how fit he was by how tight his dress shirt hugged him. His pecs lined the fabric perfectly, but never did you think you'd see without his shirt. You gulped as your eyes traveled to his smirk. Your eyes meeting immediately.

"Eyes up here, dear." Jimin commented.

You hid your face in your hands, "sorry." He smiled at your cute reaction and lent out his hand for you to take it. Your heart raced silently in your chest. The feelings returned. He pulled you inside the comfortable home.

"I'm glad you called me." Jimin said as he shut the door.

You turned to face him, confused. "Why?"

"Because I wanted to see more of you..." Red covered his cheeks, matching your own. You shook your head at how wrong that sounded and laughed. "Oh- god- (Y/N), not like that." He rolled his eyes. "I mean I wanted to see you more often. It's nice to be finally alone and talking to you."

"Well, Jimin. I didn't know how much you wanted to see me. You could've visited me at the club." You followed him into one of the rooms. There was a full sized bed in the middle of the room. It looked untouched and neatly made. Clothes were folded at the edge.

"You do know that the club isn't easily accessible, right? My girls are sleeping right next door and it's a school night." He chuckled. His beautiful smile brighten the dull room.

Right, you two weren't entirely alone. "This is so inappropriate, I'm sorry Jimin." You sat on the duvet and frowned. You felt so in debt to the family.

"We do a lot of things that are inappropriate, (Y/N), and I don't mind." Jimin laughed. His face soften at your yawn and began to say, "you seemed like you had a really long day. I'll leave you to rest, I left a pile of clothes for you to change into. I've never worn them before, so they're new."

"Jimin, where is your room?" You got up to pick up the clean clothes. 

"Right across from yours. There is a bathroom diagonal to you. I've set up a tooth brush for you and towels if you needed to wash up. You can stay as long as you want, (Y/N)." Jimin stayed at the door frame, not entering your personal space. He respected you, which you truly liked. 

You nodded and thanked him for the hundredth time. "Is it all right if you stayed with me for a little while? I've felt particularly alone today and yeah, I've had a long day."

He perked up at your request. The corners of his lips twitching upward. "The twins might've told me how the day went today."

"I'm not surprised. Oh god, I'll never be able to be a teacher at this rate." You fell into the bed, face first. You felt a hand your back and the bed shift.

"I think you'll be a great teacher. You and Ms. Kim have something different from other teachers. You two care immensely about the students before anything else, I couldn't ask for anyone better to be watching my kids." Jimin's voice was becoming raspy and low. His hand was warmth against your back and he had the lightest touch.

You sat up and scooted closer to him. "Are you a doctor because I feel a lot better already." He laughed and shied away. Your hands reached out for him to face you.

Slowly, you crept closer and closer. Your breaths were mixing together and you saw every line in his pupils. He was shocked at what you were doing, his eyes darting from yours to your lips.

Something soared in your chest and a small voice in your head was telling you to just go for it. You hooded eyes zoned in on his plump, moist lips. He had the cutest pout and the clearest skin. His hand reached up to caress your face, his thumbs smoothing against your cheek.

Just as you were leaning forward, tilting your face, and closing your eyes, he got up. You fell forward a little bit, disappointed at his response. You couldn't have made it more obvious that you were going to kiss him. "You should sleep, (Y/N). Goodnight."

You were no longer soaring. You were plummeting fast to the ground below. You felt more stupid than you did when you assumed Jen was his girlfriend. It was like this day couldn't get any worse, but it did. First your uncle, Kim leaving, the flirting no good substitute, the uncontrollable students, the rude customers at the club, getting throw up on your hands, deafening shouting, Wes, your apartment being infested by bed bugs, and now Jimin rejecting your kiss. You just wanted to hide away from everything.

"Goodnight." You said with low spirits and he shut the door. You tossed angrily in the bed, like a child throwing a tantrum. How could he? Were you wrong with reading his signs? Maybe he didn't like you back and you were still only a fool. 

-

You were unsure how long you were planning on staying with Jimin. The past three mornings were agonizing. Those were the only moments you had to see him. You ran off to Wes' place until late into the night to come back, making you thankful that Jimin left a key for you on the dining table.

The twins woke you up every morning, which you loved. You always had time for cuddles with them. They were unbelievably ecstatic that you were staying with them, to the point where they'd wait for your return. They had tried to sleep on the couch after their father went into his room to wait for you to come back.

When you came back that first night, it had to be past 2 in the morning. Minseo was curled up to Minjoo on the sofa, there small snores had filled the living room. You didn't think Jimin would just leave them out there like that. You had taken matters into your own hands and picked up the sleeping children.

They had rested their tiny heads on your shoulder as you took them to their room. You had set them down in their respected beds. You vividly remembered what Minjoo said to you.

You had placed her down carefully and she held onto your arm to stop you from leaving. "Mommy, don't leave." Her eyes were still closed, so you knew she was still sleeping. You had stayed for a good amount of time before heading back to the guest room.

Jimin didn't mention anything that happened that night. He was fine and went about his mornings normally. You hated that he did that because you were outwardly dying. He could pretend nothing was wrong and not have a single care in the world. You, on the other hand, made it quite noticeable that you were avoiding him.

Coming home after he slept wasn't far enough. You gave him short replies and wouldn't greet him back as often. You responded in nods or shakes, but when the twins got your attention, you would have full fledge conversations.

You just wanted to hurt him in some way like how he hurt you. It was a horrible thought, but it couldn't have been helped. You were genuinely offended and discouraged by his rejection.

Nonetheless, you couldn't avoid him any longer. The club let you leave earlier because they were training the new employees. Wes told you to chill out and that you were being too needy. At the end of the day, you merely went back.

Jimin had been leaving food from their dinners for you, afraid you weren't having meals. Now, you could actually join them for one.

You unlocked the door to see Jimin in the kitchen. "Oh, (Y/N). You're back early." There was an eerie silence, no familiar youthful giggle or pit pat of small feet.

"Are Minjoo and Minseo home?" That was the first thing you asked. Jimin shook his head and you helped him prep the table. 

"They're off with Jen somewhere. It's her boyfriend's birthday soon and they're scouting potential birthday presents for him. It's only you and me for dinner tonight." You gulped at that statement, terrified of being alone with Jimin again.

"Actually, I'm not that hungry." You lied, starving out of your mind. Jimin sighed and turned off the stove, plating his last dish.

"(Y/N), I'm really sorry about what I did. I really like you, I do. I feel like you didn't understand what you were doing and I didn't want to take advantage of that. I want to kiss you when you're awake and sober." Nothing he said made sense. It was as if the wires of your brain weren't connected. The words had scissors and snipped apart every cord.

"Jimin, you.. you—" you joined him at the table, sitting right next to him. "—like me? Me as in (Y/N)? I'm not totally getting what you're saying right now— what?" You sounded incoherent and Jimin chuckled at how flustered you were.

He pinched your cheek and placed different vegetables into your bowl of rice. "This was in no way how I wanted to tell you. But you seemed really hurt about what I did. I had no other way of explaining myself without revealing my feelings for you. You'd think it was one sided, which it's not. I didn't want you feeling like what you did was embarrassing."

"It was embarrassing." You mumbled and stuffed your face with his delicious food.

"Not even close. It was really flattering.." He fed you a piece of cucumber. "..and cute. I mean I always thought I was going to be the one to kiss you first because I have horrible self control, but you keep surprising me everyday." 

"You think about kissing me?" You almost choked on your dinner, everything he was saying made you utterly confused and conflicted.

The torturous stirring of butterflies accompanied your stomach and your heart did that annoying thing where it would beat quickly against your rib cage.

Jimin paused and peered up at you. Ducking your head, you were too shy to hold eye contact. "I think about much more than that too."

"Stop, Jimin. You don't even know me." 

His hand grabbed onto yours, slowly intertwining your fingers and yours fitting in the spaces between his. "I feel like I do. You make me feel comfortable and vulnerable at the same time. It's like you have this strange sense of reassurance. I can be with you and not feel suffocated. And your smile! — don't even get my started about how beautiful your smile is. Plus you radiate this positive attitude. You make me feel.. warm and safe."

There was a knot in your throat, making dinner hard to swallow and words to flow out your mouth. "I-I don't know what I'm doing half of the time."

"That's the thing, you don't! That's how I know you're genuine and you're not faking anything." Jimin picked up your chin and you closed your eyes. "Look at me, baby."

Your eyes shot open at the sound of affection. Oh how you loved how it roll off his tongue. The pink on your cheeks deepen to a red, making you resemble a tomato. "I like you, (Y/N), don't you ever forget that."

"Okay." You replied, still awkward as to what was happening. Jimin smiled, nevertheless, and continued eating. "I like you too." You blurted out. "But I guess you knew that already." Your voice gradually getting softer.

Jimin remained glued to the table, not wanting to fluster you any further, and nodded in response. A smile that he couldn't hide rested on his face and stayed throughout dinner.

-

After the meal, you had gone to take a shower. Jimin was left to dry the dishes until someone rang the door bell. They were impatient and repeatedly pressed the chime. He figured it was the girls messing around. He opened the door to reveal an older woman, standing in her fur coat and diamonds dangling down her stretched earlobes.

"It's been a while, hasn't it?" Her voice gave him an unsettling chill down his spine. 

Glaring at her, Jimin didn't care if he seemed welcoming towards her. "What are you doing here?"

"Jen didn't tell you I would visit?" The woman asked and invited herself in. She analyzed the moderate home. "Where are they?"

"They're out with Jen." Jimin slammed the door. He crossed his arms and she shook her head in disappointment.

"In this hour? It's half pasted seven, Jimin." She mocked and tapped her silver watch.

"You don't trust your own niece?" He ridiculed.

She threw her hands up in defense, "let's not get hostile here. I come in peace."

"Like I'm suppose to believe that." Jimin scoffed, sounding as sarcastic as ever.

Claudia stepped forward and frowned, "I guess we don't have to pretend to be nice then. I'll get straight to the point. Let me have the twins and I'll get out of your way."

"I'm not going to let you take Minseo and Minjoo away from me! You didn't want them before, what do you think in my right mind that I'd just hand them over now?" Jimin clenched his fists, his blood boiling at the thought of the twins under her care.

"I thought you were a sensible man, Jimin. You were so willing to have the twins, so I let you take care of them during the difficult ages. They're growing up now and potty trained. They should be handed over to me now." She picked at her fingernails, showing disinterest in the serious conversation.

Jimin laughed coldly. "That's not how it works, Claudia. Just because Stacey and Jen were handed over to you and became your servants, doesn't mean every generation is going to be also. They didn't have a choice, they had no one else. The twins are different. I'm here for them. We are happy together and I love them with every ounce of my heart. I know you won't and I promised Stacey I would give them a life she never had."

She tried to slap Jimin in the face, but missed. "I gave them a roof over these heads! I fed them!"

"No, you didn't. You starved them for days and lived in your ing barn."

"It was because we were poor before. I'm rich now, their uncle left me a fortune in his will. I am their family!" Claudia was yelling now, her long earrings were shaking as she furiously moved her head.

Jimin opened the door for her to leave, "you don't deserve them. I will never let you have them, so don't even dare coming back here."

"Mark my words, Jimin. I will get my hands on them."

"Over my dead body." He helped her out and closed the door. His back hit the wall as he slid down to the ground. He was fragile from the argument. He loved Minjoo and Minseo, so he can't even imagine parting from them. He remained strong throughout the entire back and forth, but lost it when Claudia left. There was a slight chance she could take them and the pressure of that destroyed Jimin.

The sound of a door opening caught his attention. He looked down the hall at you staring back at him, panicked and bewildered. "What happened, Jimin? Who was that? Why was she trying to take the twins away?"

Jimin didn't wish to explain anything to you. It was too early, the information would be too burdening for you to handle and you were the second to last person he'd want to lose.