“Can’t he wait the few hours left until he gets off work?” -Kim Namjoon

Chapter 13:  The Needy Beast and Motherly Love  

Hamin couldn’t believe this was happening. In the kitchen, her mom and Taehyung were talking, laughing, cooking, and just having the time of their lives. On the couch seated next to her, Hoseok was silently roaming his eyes around the Park’s rather humble residence. Well, “humble” only compared to Hoseok’s lavish mansion.

Weird scene to be in for sure.

“I’m so sorry, Mr. Jung,” Hamin apologized to the man next to her. She and him were supposed to be out eating dinner together as planned, but that all failed when Mrs. Park came home unexpectedly. And the only two people glad about the fact she interrupted Hamin and Hoseok’s date were Kim Taehyung and the interrupter herself. 

“It’s okay,” Hoseok gave her a smile. He felt a little uncomfortable, but he didn’t mind the fact that he got to see the place where Hamin lived, which he was always curious about. But he did mind the fact that Kim Taehyung seemed to practically live with the Park siblings, filling up their fridge and even now...cooking in the kitchen as if it’s his own.

That made him harder to beat on Hoseok’s part. It made him...a bigger competition. Hoseok sighed, realizing how hard it was to like a girl who had a close family friend like her too.

Hamin was busy trying to read Hoseok’s emotions. Ever since she found herself in awe of how great Hoseok was from the banquet, to feeling embarrassed at whatever it was she did to him when she got drunk the same night, she did all she could do get on Hoseok’s good side (not knowing she was on more than just his good side). She knew he probably felt uncomfortable as her home was nowhere near the size of his home, and she wanted to yell at her mom for making such a prestigious individual have to come in involuntarily for dinner. 

It all happened like this.

“Mom..?” Hamin blinked a couple more times to make sure it really was her mother that was standing before her. 

“Aigoo, the taxi driver dropped me off in some weird place that was ten minutes away from here!” her mom complained. She took a moment to catch her breath before her eyes moved to who was standing next to her daughter.

“Omo Taehyung-ah!” Hamin’s mom stretched her arms out and pulled Taehyung in for a hug once she recognized him. Hamin had to catch her mom’s now-abandoned suitcase from rolling away. Taehyung laughed as he hugged her back, “Hey Auntie. It’s been so long.”

“Too long indeed,” she said as she pulled away to get a good look at his face. She beamed, “Ah, you’ve become even more handsome. And I thought that was impossible.”

“No, it’s you who looks even lovelier Auntie,” Taehyung winked at her. She laughed as she threw her head back, “Ah, this is why I love you Taehyung-ah.”

Then she stopped and looked at the other man standing by her daughter. Her eyes grew wide as her lips formed a smile.

“And who is this fine lad?” she asked. Hamin wanted to face palm herself. Hoseok looked at Hamin for help before he opened his own mouth to introduce himself. He hadn’t dreamed he’d be meeting the mother of Park Hamin on the day he had planned to eat with her. 

“Hello ma’am, my name is Jung Hoseok,” he bowed deeply. Hamin stared at him with large eyes and wanted to tell her mom she should be honored that the co-CEO of Hope’s World just bowed to her more deeply than his own employees do to him. 

“I didn’t know my daughter knew so many good-looking men,” Hamin’s mom daughter as she grinned at Hoseok. “It’s nice to meet you Hoseok-ah. Is it okay if I call you that?”

“Of course,” Hoseok bowed again, feeling a strange warmth from the woman he just met. The woman who was the mom of the girl he grew fond of. He...liked it.

“Mom, what are you doing here anyway? Aren’t you supposed to be in America? Where’s dad?” Hamin finally got a moment to speak up. She asked all the questions that had been piling up inside of her. Really though, what was her mom doing here?

“I just came to see how my babies are doing, you know, to check in on you guys. And your dad’s too busy these days so I thought I might as well come alone. Where’s Park Jimin?”

“He has an appointment tonight like the busy man he is but wait━how long are you staying?” Hamin looked at her mom.

“Only a week,” her mom said bluntly before changing the subject at the sound of her stomach growling.

“Oh my, the plane ride sure made me hungry. What about you guys? Aren’t you all hungry? Let’s go inside and eat!” Hamin’s mom said excitedly. Hamin couldn’t understand her mom’s flow of logic and opened .

“Oh no, mom, actually, I have an appointment myself with Mr. Jung━” Hamin began to say.

“Come on in! I’ll make you something yummy Hoseok-ah,” her mom interrupted as she linked one arm with Taehyung and one arm with Hoseok. Hoseok felt flustered at what was happening but he allowed himself to be dragged into the Park’s residence, while Taehyung wasn’t sure about how he felt about having Hoseok meet his Auntie.

So here they were now, at Hamin’s home. Hamin didn’t know what to do or say.

“If you want, we can just go out,” Hamin offered. Hoseok turned to look at her. He chuckled at seeing her so unnecessarily frantic and worried. He shook his head and smiled assuringly, “It’s fine. A nice, home-cooked meal sounds pretty good right now.”

Hamin nodded at that, but she still wasn’t sure if Hoseok meant it. She recalled how respectful he was to her mother earlier and realized how the cold beast really had somehow thawed into some warm puppy lately. She still didn’t understand why and how, but she liked it. It made her heart beat fast, like the time she saw Hoseok speaking at the banquet…

“Dinner’s ready kiddos!” Hamin’s mom called out and Hamin and Hoseok immediately got up to walk over to the dining table. 

“Whoa, you made all this?” Hamin gawked at the dinner table, filled with a feast: japchae, galbi-jjim, Korean pancakes, and all sorts of other assorted side dishes. Taehyung grinned at her as he gestured her to take a seat. 

“You guys sure should be lucky Taehyung comes over to cook for you. I wouldn’t have been able to finish all this without his help. And he cooks really well, which is a plus,” Hamin’s mom smiled at Taehyung who smiled back.

Hoseok silently wondered when the last time he cooked was.

And what he could even cook.

“Here take a seat, Mr. Jung,” Hamin pointed at the seat next to her, breaking his thoughts. Hoseok nodded and sat down without question. After everyone was seated, it was time to eat.

Hamin, her mother, and Taehyung lively picked at various dishes with their chopsticks before putting the food in hungry stomachs. Hoseok, on the other hand, didn’t know where to begin. He eyed the table with chopsticks in hand. 

The meal in front of him wasn’t the most luxurious meal he had eaten in his lifetime, but it had to be the warmest. It was a meal that made him feel that warmth again.

That strange, home-like warmth.

Something he hadn’t quite experienced before. 

“Tell me Hoseok-ah, how do you know my daughter?” Hamin’s mom asked eagerly as she took a bite of her food. Hoseok glanced at Hamin.

“He’s my boss mom. I read for him like I do for Soony Halmeoni, do you remember?” Hamin answered instead and added, “And he’s one of the CEOs of Hope’s World, which is like a huge game designing company.”

“A CEO?” Hamin’s mom raised her eyebrows. That was a big deal. A CEO of a company like Hope’s World meant he was on Korea’s top 10 list for the most successful and influential individuals.

But in Mrs. Park’s eyes, Hoseok was just a little boy.

Almost like a son to her.

A young, good looking son.

And hearing how Hamin reads for him, she could only assume that meant he was a son with insomnia. 

Mrs. Park knew quite well how talented her daughter was in making people sleep with her reading skills, but she never knew she was reading to someone like Hoseok. 

“You never told me you work for a CEO this good looking!” Hamin’s mom beamed and then turned her gaze fully on Hoseok, who was eating slowly. Mrs. Park clicked her tongue.

“Aigoo, you look like you haven’t had a good meal in ages. You’re so thin,” Hamin’s mom said as she gently placed a piece of meat on Hoseok’s rice. “Eat up Hoseok-ah.”

Hoseok stopped.

He looked into Hamin’s mom’s warm eyes before looking down at his rice. Something came over him and he felt like he could almost...cry.

And he never cried. How could he?

He was the cold beast whose tears were frozen enough to never come out.

“Come on,” Hamin’s mom urged and Hoseok slowly raised his spoon with the piece of meat on some rice and took a big bite. He chewed and nodded when Hamin’s mom raised her eyebrows. 

“Good?” 

“Yes ma’am,” Hoseok nodded again. And before he knew it, another piece of meat was placed on his rice and he was taking another bite. 

Hamin watched Hoseok as her mom kept placing things onto his rice bowl, and was about to stop her mom when she saw the smile Hoseok had on his face. Hamin herself smiled, knowing of Hoseok’s past and hoping that the warmth of her mom reached his motherless heart.

And it did.

That’s what was almost making him cry. The warmth of a mother turned out to be stronger than any ice barrier a cold beast like Hoseok might have.

Meanwhile Taehyung silently took in what was going on. He didn’t know what to do or say. He saw Hamin smiling at Hoseok and he saw Hoseok smiling at Hamin, along with her mom. He looked down at his own bowl and began to eat as well.

Silently. 

Mrs. Park side glanced in Taehyung’s direction and silently wondered whether one of the two men sitting at their table was the one for her daughter.

Well, she bound to find out.

***

“It was nice meeting you Hoseok-ah. I hope I can see you before I go back,” Hamin’s mother smiled at Hoseok as she gave him a pat on the shoulder. The meal was over and after much chatter, it was time to leave.

Hoseok bowed with a smile, “I hope so too. Thank you for the meal.”

“Okay, well then I’ll be going with Mr. Jung to read to him now,” Hamin waved at her mom and Taehyung, about to follow Hoseok out the door. Her mom nodded and waved back before going back into the kitchen.

Taehyung stopped her. 

“Call me after you’re done. I’ll come pick you up,” he said.

“It’s okay, I’m sure Mr. Kim will drive me back━” Hamin was about to decline.

“Call me Min-ah. I’ll pick you up,” Taehyung ordered this time with a stern voice and Hamin had no choice but to nod. She didn’t have much time to wonder why Taehyung was so...demanding at the moment.

“Okay. See you,” she said before leaving the house. She saw that Hoseok was already in the car, starting it up. She quickly ran to it and sat in the passenger’s seat.

“Ready to go?” Hoseok’s gentle voice reached her ears and she smiled as she buckled herself in, “Yes sir.”

The car ride was fairly silent, as both of them had different things to think about. Hamin wondered if Hoseok was at all satisfied with the meal they just had, and felt bad about having to cancel their dinner appointment due to her mom (and Taehyung) butting in. Hoseok, on the other side, wondered why he felt so strange. Ever since he met the Mrs. Park, his heart felt like it was drilled with holes. It made him feel almost empty. And he hadn’t ever felt an emptiness like that before. He thought he had it all, even if he was motherless.

But now he realized that maybe the orphanage headmistress or Namjoon’s parents weren’t as motherly to him as he thought they were. And Mrs. Park was.

Hoseok needed someone.

Someone to cry to.

Because all this time, he hadn’t realized how much he wanted that motherly, tenderly love. 

“Mr. Jung?” Hamin broke Hoseok’s thoughts and only then did he realize he had already parked his car in his own parking lot. He cleared his throat and quickly got out. Hamin followed right after, and the two were soon greeted by Hoseok’s maids into his mansion.

“Sorry about my mom again, Mr. Jung. I hope you didn’t mind eating her food,” Hamin began to say as they made their way up the stairs to Hoseok’s room. Hoseok walked up silently for a moment before turning around.

“Stop apologizing Hamin. It’s okay. I enjoyed it,” he said before turning back around to enter his room. Hamin nodded and lowered her gaze as she followed him.

“Here. Have a seat while I take a shower,” Hoseok pulled out a chair for Hamin by his bed, and Hamin noticed it wasn’t the same chair she usually sat in when she read for Hoseok. It was a much larger, more comfortably padded chair, colored a light pink. She stared at it.

“I thought my reader should be comfortable too, so I asked Namjoon to bring in a chair you might like,” Hoseok said as he began to his shirt when he noticed Hamin just staring at the chair. He smiled.

“Do you like it? Try sitting on it.”

Hamin slowly made her way to the chair and sat down. The chair generously embraced her as she let her body sink into it. Hamin smiled back.

“It’s so nice. I love it,” she said. Hoseok nodded in satisfaction, his lips still in a smile and then turned around to head into his bathroom. 

Hamin sat quietly as she waited for Hoseok. She ran her fingers along the soft armrests of the chair and hummed a short tune. She soon heard the showers go off.

“I wonder why he’s been acting so nice these days,” she wondered out loud.

Then she thought to herself, It’s making me confused. Making my heart confused.

Hamin got up and walked over to the large bookshelves occupying a wall in Hoseok’s room. Filled with all sorts of colorful books, Hamin eagerly read the spines, only to see that they were all boring, non-fiction books about business and gaming. 

For a guy that creates stories, he sure is in need of some, she said in her head.

She then reached into her own bag she had brought, and pulled out the books she had brought to read to Hoseok. She had been consistently reading him fairytales and literature, and she held up the two books she brought. One was the book she was reading to him currently, and the other was one she planned to read next━the very first book that took Hoseok to dreamland: Noona’s My Girl.

Hamin held back a giggle as she carefully slid the book onto a shelf by some business related books. She then made her way back to her seat and was about to sit down when she heard Hoseok coming out of the bathroom. She turned her gaze towards the sound, and watched Hoseok come out in comfortable home wear and damp hair. He used both hands to dry his hair with a towel and soon came to where Hamin was standing. 

“Hey,” he said as he tossed his towel into the nearby laundry basket.

“You ready Mr. Jung?” Hamin smiled as she finally sat down. Hoseok briefly nodded and climbed into bed. He laid down upright, his mind buzzing with thoughts he had in the car that returned in the shower. Thoughts about that warm feeling and strong desire.

“Are we starting with five questions this time too?” Hamin asked with doe eyes. There was silence for a brief moment before Hoseok broke it.

“Hamin-ah,” Hoseok called her name in response. In his low, calm voice. Hamin raised her eyebrows, a little surprised at that.

“Yes?” There was another moment of silence, as if Hoseok was trying to figure out a way to say something.

“I think I’m sick,” he said finally, making Hamin surprised.

  “Sick? Where?” Hamin quickly got up to inspect Hoseok, who looked at her with rather sleepy eyes as he grabbed her wandering hands. He sighed.

“I think your mom made me sick. And I don’t know what to do,” Hoseok said and Hamin widened her eyes.

“Was it the food?” she took her hands out of his grip to cover her opened mouth.

“No,” Hoseok almost laughed at her innocence. He shook his head.

“I don’t know it’s like a weird feeling that’s hitting me...I never really cared about growing up as an orphan, but for some reason today, I felt something that made me unsure of that.