*Again, beware of the cheesy content you're about to read and also I realize this chapter is super long...so sorry if it takes you a decade to read it hehe*

"Hamin-ah."

"Min-ah."

"Baby."

-Jung Hoseok

Chapter 17: The Beast’s Baby and the Beauty’s Oppa (ft. Jimindy)

Cindy checked herself through her phone camera for the millionth time. 

I cannot believe this is happening...finally, she took a deep breath and told herself not to blow it. 

Park Jimin had finally asked her out and that was not something she was going to take lightly.

Of course not.

Standing at the edge of her school parking lot, Cindy giddily waited for her date to show up in his car. It had been less than a minute after she sent Jimin a text saying she was done with classes before he sent a reply: 

Awesome. I’m coming now. See you in a bit.

The extreme speed of his response was something Cindy wasn’t used to in the slightest bit, and yet it made her overwhelmingly happy. She started to have hope. Could it be that finally, her Park Jimin saw her the same way she did?

Could it be that finally, she broke out of the “kid-zone?”

 It seemed obviously so, and yet Cindy couldn’t seem to believe it. And she wouldn’t...unless Jimin himself said something about it. 

She hummed a tune as she kicked a pebble on the ground when a silver vehicle appeared, stopping in front of her. Her face lit up.

“Oppa!” she exclaimed as soon as Jimin rolled down the window of the passenger seat. He grinned.

“Sorry, did I make you wait long? Come on in,” he quickly unlocked the doors. Cindy shook her head as she quickly opened the door and slid into the seat beside him. 

“All set?” Jimin made sure she was buckled in. Cindy nodded rapidly, “Yup! Where are we going?”

“Hm..” Jimin started to drive away, his hands slowly turning the wheel, “Wherever you want to go.”

“...” 

Cindy couldn’t seem to respond to that. She had always dreamed for this date to happen and yet when she was finally given the chance to spend the whole evening with Jimin...she didn’t know what to do.

Where did she want to go? What did she want to do? She hadn’t expected Jimin to give her the say in choice.

“Cindy..?” Jimin looked towards his right when he heard nothing. He saw Cindy biting her lip, lost in thought. That made him smile.

“Come on. There’s gotta be someplace you want to go right now to take a break from all the classes you took today. I’m your genie for the night miss; tell me anywhere and I’ll take you there,” Jimin turned back to face the front with a smirk. He slowed down to a stop as the signal ahead flashed red. 

“But I don’t care where we go; it doesn’t matter to me as long as it’s with you,” Cindy looked at Jimin in all seriousness. Jimin felt his face heat up at how bluntly romantic she was. 

“And besides, you’d be a magic carpet and not a genie if your only job was to take me somewhere,” Cindy leaned back in her seat. “I don’t want a magic carpet or a genie. I want Park Jimin and he’s here.”

“You’re so good,” Jimin muttered under his breath, hoping his face didn’t match the shade of the traffic light ahead. Cindy tilted her head in confusion at his comment and Jimin quickly cleared his throat, “Alright then. I’ll choose where to go. Do you trust me?”

“You’re seriously throwing in too many Aladdin references,” Cindy laughed before quickly nodding, “But yes. I do trust you.”

And with that, Jimin grinned brightly as he began to drive forward, the signal now switching to green. 

It was a pretty scene to be in for sure; the sun was beginning to set, painting the sky assorted shades of orange and pink, and the quiet music playing from the car’s stereo made Cindy feel like she was in a dream. Her entire view was a breathtaking one, with the beautiful sky surrounding city buildings to her front and right, and the God-sculpted side profile of Park Jimin driving to her left. She didn’t even notice how she wasn’t saying a word throughout the car ride; she was too busy wanting to remember this moment as much as possible.

Jimin glanced a few times over at Cindy, a little surprised at how quiet she was. He was certain the Cindy he knew would be rambling about her day, or asking questions about his own by now. But oddly enough, she was just staring out the window, smiling as she tapped her finger rhythmically on her lap. Jimin mirrored her smile as he let her be, enjoying her presence and the evening view. 

“Hangang? No way,” Cindy squealed as she quickly unbuckled her seatbelt and opened the car door. Jimin chuckled at her excited state as he followed her out.

After about ten minutes of solid driving, Jimin slowed his car to a halt. And it took less than a second for Cindy to recognize the glistening water before her: they were at Hangang (Han River). Besides the fact that the weather was perfect and the water seemed to shine more than usual, it was the perfect date spot. 

“I’ve actually never been this up close! I only saw the river from afar in buildings and subway rides,” Cindy sighed, taking in the scenery before her. She smiled as the breeze took some of her hair and tickled her face before turning to Jimin, who had been looking at her with a grin himself. He reached over unconsciously and tucked the strand of loose hair that was the culprit for all the tickling behind her ear. Cindy’s smile quickly turned into a gasp as she froze at Jimin’s sudden touch.

“I chose the right spot then,” Jimin shrugged as he looked around. “Let’s go sit over there and order some food.”

Cindy nodded and told herself to keep breathing but it wasn’t long before Jimin slipped his hand in hers and made her stiffen again. 

The two walked over to a row of picnic tables, already pretty occupied with people. Cindy eyed them: there were families enjoying fried chicken, friends taking selfies, and couples talking with a can of beer in their hands. Everyone seemed so happy, having a great time. And Cindy was certain she and Jimin would be too.

“Here we are,” Jimin gestured to an empty table. Cindy sat down as he took a seat across from her. “I’m so glad the weather’s nice. It’s like we’re at an outdoor restaurant, except there’s no limit to the menu. What’re you feeling? I’ll order anything you say.”

“I don’t know...anything sounds good right now with a view like that,” Cindy rested her face on her palm as she looked at the river beside them. Jimin rolled his eyes playfully.

“Oh come on. I chose the spot so you choose the food,” he said, his own eyes looking at Cindy. 

“Okay fine. Hmm…” Cindy thought about it for a while before she continued. “Well, the fried chicken and beer some people back there were having looked kind of good…”

“Alrighty. Chi-maek (chicken and maekju/ beer) it is!” Jimin exclaimed as he pulled out his phone. He rested his elbows on the table as he quickly made the order. Cindy just watched him.

“It’ll be arriving in about thirty minutes,” he set his phone down and faced his attention now towards the water. “Ah, it’s been so long since I came here and it’s as nice as I remember it to be.”

“Did you come here often?” Cindy asked him, a little bummed that it was her first time at Hangang but not his.

“Yeah, especially during college days. For some reason, all the stress and tiredness seemed to wear off here,” Jimin smiled, briefly reminiscing his university years. He added, “That’s why I brought you here. I wanted you to experience my stress-relieving zone since you’re the student now.”

“I’m honored,” Cindy mumbled before looking at Jimin with narrowed eyes.

“Who’d you come here with?”

Jimin glanced at Cindy after hearing her question and almost bursted out laughing at her facial expression. With narrowed eyes and a pout, she looked...far from intimidating, despite her tone trying to be so.

She looked cute.

There was no other word to describe how Jimin saw her. And it was clear her face seemed seemed to literally tell him what she was really asking: whether he had brought other females here before her.

“What do you mean? I came with my friends of course,” he answered.

“Friends who? Girls?” Cindy’s attention was no longer on the nice scenery she was oohing over minutes ago.

Jimin laughed at how quickly Cindy verbally asked the question her face was asking.

“Why are you laughing? Did you really come here with other girls?” Cindy began to raise her voice and stood up. Jimin used one hand to cover his mouth and the other to grab her arm, pulling her back down to her seat.

“I came with Kim Taehyung and some other guys, okay?” he said. Cindy sighed in relief at that. Once he had calmed both Cindy and his laugh down, Jimin leaned towards her, staring into her eyes. Cindy gulped, her face inches away from his.

“You’re the first girl I’m on a Hangang date with so don’t worry,” he gave her a toothless grin and Cindy prayed her heart didn’t die on her.

“Oppa. Can we please date?” she blurted without thinking.

Even though Cindy had proclaimed and confessed her love towards the man sitting in front of her countless times, she had never actually asked him out before. But the way Jimin was behaving towards her convinced her that there was hope and that it was, at this moment, okay for her to ask him.

“...”

 Jimin had heard Cindy’s confessions countless times but of course this time was different. It was an actual question thrown at him, asking to start a relationship. And make things “official.” Jimin felt his face heat up at how fiery Cindy’s gaze was, and it didn’t help that the two’s faces were so close to begin with.

It was Jimin’s heart that was dying on him this time.

His silence made her panic. She began to regret everything she had said. 

Gosh Cindy Han! Did you really just ruin the moment by asking him to date you? What if he’s not ready yet! she was already beating herself up with inner thoughts. 

“I’m sorry. That was too sudden wasn’t it? If you’re not ready to answer that and want to take things slow I can work with that! I just really—”

“Cindy baby,” Jimin placed a hand on his face, covering his eyes for a brief moment. He then reached over and grabbed her hand on the table, locking his eyes again with hers.

“Couldn’t you have waited just a tiny bit? Oppa was going to ask you that first.”

“..?!”

Cindy felt her head spin at his “baby” and her legs go weak at everything else he said after that. 

“But I guess you patiently waiting wouldn’t be very Cindy-like, would it? So...do you want me to answer you or should we pretend you never asked so I can ask you out instead?” Jimin tightened his grip on Cindy’s hands, his voice more silvery than ever. Cindy opened but nothing came out. Everything seemed to good to be true. When Cindy couldn’t seem to answer, Jimin opened his mouth.

“Um, I’m just going to assume that you want me to ask you instead. That way you don’t ever doubt my feelings towards you and you can always tell people that it was me that asked you out, ‘kay? Just nod if you hear me,” Jimin smiled at Cindy’s entranced state. Cindy nodded.

“Okay then,” Jimin cleared his throat before he took a deep breath.

 “Cindy-yah, will you please go out with me?”

Cindy nodded again even before Jimin had finished his question and a tear trickled down her face. Jimin’s eyes grew big. 

“What? Why are you crying?” he quickly slid his thumb across her cheek, wiping it away.

“I can’t believe I’m actually, finally dating you,” Cindy sobbed, feeling as though she won a gold medal at the Olympics after years of brutal training. Well, all the heart pain she got from Jimin’s past rejections probably matched the pain she would have gotten from training for a professional sport. This moment was just that rewarding for her, and her emotions couldn’t seem to control themselves very well. 

“Me too,” Jimin chuckled after hearing her reason and got up to walk to the other side of the picnic table, seating himself next to her and bringing her in for a hug. Cindy quickly wrapped her arms around him, burying her face into his shirt. 

“I’m so sorry for being such a heartless jerk all this time and I swear I’ll never make my girlfriend cry like this again, okay?” Jimin whispered into her ear, patting her back to assure her. 

“But what if I cry over your hotness or just the fact that I can call you mine?” Cindy sniffled and Jimin threw his head back laughing. He was laughing a lot on this date, now that he thought about it.

“Well if my girl’s just someone who cries easily, I guess I’ll have to be there every time to wipe her tears,” Jimin tenderly grabbed her face, using both his thumbs to wipe her tears. He smiled down at her face, now made up of wet cheeks and puffy eyes.

He couldn’t help but lean in and peck her on the lips.

“What..?” Cindy couldn’t process what just happened through her tear-blurred vision, but she felt something as soft as jelly brush against her lips. 

“Did you just...kiss me..?” she nearly shouted, her mind registering what that “jelly” probably was. 

“Well, knowing your speed, I had to make a move and kiss you first before you did,” Jimin shrugged. Cindy pouted at that.

“That wasn’t even a kiss,” she rolled her puffy eyes. Jimin furrowed his eyebrows.

“Excuse me? You did not just say that,” he bit his lip.

“I’m disappointed you think that’s even considered a kis—”

And of course, Cindy was shut up by an triggered Jimin who now had his plump lips glued to her soft ones. 

Poor Cindy’s heart was on the verge of dying again. 

But so was Jimin’s.

It was perfect timing for the fried chicken and beer to come to the rescue.

But maybe not.

***

“Hey mom,” Taehyung answered his phone as he scooted a chair under a table he was wiping. 

“Son! How are you?” his mother’s voice reached his ears.

“Doing well. What about you?” he let out a laugh at his mother’s strong, loud voice. He was glad she sounded healthy and nowhere near a once hospitalized lady—

“I’m okay and so is your dad. But we really do miss you Tae. Can you come down to Geochang sometime?” she asked, going straight to the point.

“Is everything alright? Are you sick again?” Taehyung stopped what he was doing, worried.

“Oh everything’s fine. It’s just...we would really appreciate an extra hand down here and it’s been a while since we’ve seen you—especially after you left us so soon that one time,” Taehyung’s mom assured him, reminding him what a love-struck son he was at that time (going back to Seoul so fast to see Hamin).

Taehyung smiled at that memory, one that was now a bit bitter.

“I don’t know Mom… I have a business I’m running here and I don’t know what the Parks would do without my cooking,” he responded cautiously.

“Would it hurt to just come down for a few weeks then?” his mom still pleaded. Taehyung knitted his brows.

“Hm, I wonder what has gotten into Madam Kim that’s making her so desperate for her son to come home,” Taehyung said with a half smile.

“I just think my son needs a break from working so hard.”

“You mean take a break from working here to come work for you there?” Taehyung laughed.

“Aigoo, just come home, will you? I want to see you,” his mother exclaimed in frustration.

“I’ll think about it,” Taehyung didn’t want to promise anything, despite her raise of tone.

“No, no! No thinking. Just come. Okay bye,” his mom ended the call, leaving him speechless. What had gotten into his mother?

Truth was, she was worried for her son. After getting a sweet call from Jimin telling her that he was worried Taehyung might need some time away to return home and eat some home-cooked meals he didn’t have to make himself (mainly for the Park siblings), she had been wanting to call her son. Jimin didn’t tell her exactly what happened (with Hamin and all), but he did make it sound like Taehyung was a bit tired at the moment.

Whether it was physically or emotionally, Taehyung needed some time to get over things and rest.

So that he could move on from certain things...or certain people.

And Mrs. Kim understood immediately.

“A break, huh?” Taehyung muttered to himself, setting his phone down and looking around his cafe. It was nearly closing time so there weren’t many people, but it was true a typical day of work consisted of an endless line of (female) customers lined up to get a taste of Tae’s Tea and a glimpse of Tae’s face.

And although he told himself he was fine with all that happened with Hamin...it would be more accurate to say he wasn't entirely. He still had aches and lingering feelings. Perhaps it was a good idea to keep physical distance away from his current place and take some time off to heal and move on.

After all, he had wanted to keep distance away from Hamin too.

Ding.

Taehyung’s eyes flickered to his phone. He grabbed it and saw the message that had arrived.

I sent a train ticket for next week. It should be sent to you via text any second now. See you soon son!

-Mom

Taehyung let out a sigh as his lips formed a small smile. There were two women he couldn’t win against with one of them being his mom.

The other was the woman he was trying to get over. 

Ding.

So he decided to listen to the first woman he couldn’t win against so he could win against the second woman he needed to forget.

***

Honk, honk!

A loud honking noise made Hamin turn to the right, noticing a familiar car. 

“Mr. Kim?” she raised her eyebrows, bending a little to see the driver through the window. The window that was now rolled down, revealing Kim Namjoon himself.

“Ms. Park! I thought it was you. What’re you doing here?” he called out, a little puzzled as to why Hamin was walking in front of his company.

And then it hit him. Why else would Hamin be at his company?

“Oh, did you come to see Hoseok?” he raised his own eyebrows before they furrowed. “Wait, there’s no way Hoseok would just let you go without escorting you home. Did you not see him?”

“I think he’s a bit busy. I came without notice anyway, so it’s fine,” Hamin tried to smile. 

“Huh,” Namjoon wasn’t exactly a mind reader, but he could definitely notice her slightly red eyes and stiff posture. 

Something happened and Jung Hoseok is either in big trouble or huge trouble, Namjoon thought to himself.

He wanted to help somewhat.

“Are you busy Ms. Park?” Namjoon looked at Hamin. He flashed his dimples as soon as she shook her head.

“I’m actually going to go see Soony Halmeoni. Do you want to join?” he asked. Hamin’s eyes lit up at the name she’s been wanting to visit for a while now.

She rapidly nodded.

“Yes please! I’ve been meaning to visit her for so long,” Hamin clapped her hands together. Namjoon chuckled at her sudden change of mood, gesturing with his head for her to get in.

“Buckle up,” he said as he waited for Hamin to get settled. And then they were off.

“Did you get off of work for today?” Hamin asked after a good minute. She noticed Namjoon in his typical professional attire, wearing dark slacks and a white T-shirt under his dark blazer. His silver hair was gelled back and his eyes were behind a pair of gold frames. How Namjoon-like.

“I did,” he nodded. He then glanced at Hamin. “Did you finish classes?”

“Well I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t,” Hamin shrugged, making Namjoon laugh.

“Right,” he said a little sheepishly. “How is your brother doing? I said I’d treat the both of you out to dinner sometime and I haven’t yet.”

“Oh yeah. He’s doing well...I think. But yes, we should definitely schedule dinner sometime,” Hamin replied positively.

“Ask him and let me know when would be a good time for you both,” Namjoon nodded.

“Will do. Thank you sir,” Hamin returned the nod.

Silence filled the car after that and Namjoon didn’t know if he should continue the conversation by asking if everything really was fine. Something told him that Hoseok wasn’t just “busy.” The smitten Jung Hoseok he knew at the moment would probably cancel all of his plans if he knew Hamin had come to see him.

So that meant something was wrong.

And it was probably Hoseok that did the wrong.

Ring, ring.

The sound of Namjoon’s ringtone snapped him out of his thoughts and he quickly looked at the caller’s name.

Jung Hoseok

“Speak of the devil,” Namjoon muttered under his breath before inserting a bluetooth earpiece into his ear. He briefly looked over at an unbothered Hamin to find her staring out the window before he quickly answered the call.

“Hey man.’”

“Hey. Where are you? Did you leave already?” Hoseok’s voice reached his ear.

“Yeah I’m going to see Halmeoni,” Namjoon answered. He paused before he added, “...with Ms. Park.”

“Hamin? You’re with Hamin?” Hoseok’s voice got blaring loud and Namjoon had to lower the volume to prevent major hearing loss. Hamin whipped her head around at the mention of her name, staring at Namjoon with questioning eyes.

“Yes. We’re both going to see Soony Halmeoni,” Namjoon tried to calmly answer. He wasn’t sure if he was doing the right thing by telling Hoseok all this. What if Hamin didn’t want to see him?

Because Namjoon was a thousand percent certain that by telling Hoseok he was with Hamin to go see his grandmother, he would come too.

“I’m coming too.”

See? Precisely so.

 Namjoon nervously eyed Hamin. She was still staring, wanting to hear who he was talking to.

“Okay then see you there man,” Namjoon hurriedly ended the call before Hoseok could say anything.

“Who was that?” Hamin asked, although she kind of knew the answer. From the way Namjoon comfortably talked to the caller, it was clear that it would probably be a close friend...and Hamin knew Namjoon’s closest pal was most likely her significant other that she didn’t really want to see at the moment.

“Um, Hoseok,” Namjoon ended up giving her a smile, confirming her guess.

“He’s coming to see Soony Halmeoni too?” Hamin raised her brows.

“Yes..? Is that okay?” Namjoon tightened the grip on the wheel, hoping he didn’t make a mistake.

“Yeah,” Hamin answered quietly, nodding to affirm. Namjoon let out a short sigh of relief, even though a part of him told him that Hamin was probably lying. 

Buzz. Buzz. Buzz. 

Hamin felt her phone vibrate and reached for it. Her screen lit up, revealing a series of texts from the beast himself. 

Hey I didn’t know you were with Namjoon. 

You should’ve told me if you wanted to see Soony Halmeoni. 

We could have gone together...but anyway, I’ll see you there.

-Jung Hoseok

Hamin let out a sigh and slipped her phone back into her pocket. She didn’t feel like replying to him. All she wanted to do was see Soony Halmeoni, and so she silently stared out the window as she patiently waited for the hospital she had missed to come into view.

***

“Hamin! My girl!” Soony Halmeoni’s eyes literally sparked life at the sight of the young girl she had longed to see for some time now. 

“Halmeoni! I missed you so much! Have you been well?” Hamin ran to give the old lady a hug. 

“Aigoo, I’ve been well but I can’t believe you took this long to come visit me! You know how much I wanted to see you?” Soony Halmeoni returned the hug, now Hamin’s hair. Namjoon cleared his throat.

“Hi Halmeoni. I’m here too you know,” he set down a box of fruit juices on the table beside the bed. It was only then when Soony Halmeoni noticed her grandson.

“Namjoon-ah, I told you how much I wanted to see Haminnie and you bring her after a decade huh? And why is it hard to see your face these days too?” the grandma pouted as she glared at Namjoon. 

“Well I’m sorry Halmeoni...but we’ve all been busy. Ms. Park’s a student with a college life to run, and I’m a CEO with a company to run,” Namjoon explained, sitting in one of the seats beside his grandma. He gestured for Hamin to take a seat as well. 

“Yes, it’s my fault too that I didn’t make the time to come see you sooner. Forgive me Halmeoni,” Hamin gave the old lady puppy eyes, making her chuckle.

“I understand. It’s just...I wish I could see you both more often that’s all,” she said softly, now smiling at her two visitors sitting side by side.

Before anyone could say anything in response, there was a knock.

“Come in,” Soony Halmeoni called out. The door slid open and both Hamin and Namjoon turned their heads to see who had walked in.

“Halmeoni, have you been well?”

It was Jung Hoseok, his hair a little messy from running, but his suit and smile still looking flawless. He walked over to the grandma and handed her a bouquet of flowers. Hamin enlarged her eyes at how gentle and respectful Hoseok was...but then again, it seemed the cold beast was decent enough to have manners towards the elderly, or at least the elderly he cared about (shown in the way he treated her mom).

“Omo Hoseok-ah! Is it my birthday? I’m so blessed to see all the youngsters I love,” Soony Halmeoni beamed at the bouquet and Hoseok’s smiling face. She gave Hoseok a pat on the back as he leaned towards her to