Chapter Text
The morning had been shockingly awful but Taehyung hadn’t dared to verbalise that because he was being over dramatic and his pity party was completely unfounded and he was self aware enough to know that it was a solo pity party. The crux of the matter was that the overwhelming clinginess from the incredible couch sex last night had continued and when he opened his eyes this morning he wanted to attach himself to his boyfriend but that side of the bed was cold because Jungkook was up and beginning preparations for the parents lunch. Tae didn’t like waking alone when he was feeling especially needy and he was mature enough to accept the irrational, immature, selfish nature of this problem… which is why he sulked alone for a bit, texted Jungkook ‘good morning’ and to tell him that he would be through to join him and offer assistance after a shower.
He was pleased to see that Jungkook was relatively chilled as he busied himself in the kitchen and Tae spent the time watching him and feeling like a spare part but they both accepted that he was more of a hindrance so he was better off sitting at the island going through work emails. He knew that 2pm would be here before they knew it and if Jungkook could get everything ready in time he would be more relaxed and less stressed which is all Tae wanted for him.
Mrs Phan had been and gone before either of the couple were awake and she’d made sure there were vases full of fresh flowers and that the furniture was clean. Tae usually had the couches cleaned by a specialist company but last night had been quite unexpected so he’d sent a message to Mrs Phan to ask if she would bring the leather cleaning products with her. The lovely Vietnamese lady was shameless and like her counterpart, Mrs Dai, seemed to have zero filter. There were plenty of occasions when she had mentioned how the bed needed changing again or how quickly they went through towels. She always commented with a smile and a wink and told Taehyung she was pleased he was getting lots of action, which always resulted in him walking away with red cheeks. He also knew that Mrs Phan, Mrs Dai and his Mother discussed his personal life much more than was acceptable but it was fine all the time that he didn’t hear about it which was difficult with Heeju around so much. Therefore, it wasn’t a surprise when he woke to a text message in Vietnamese that said the couch was clean and there was a packet of special cleaning wipes in the drawer of the cabinet in the lounge for when they couldn’t make it to the bedroom. He’d replied with a ‘thank you’ and had a large bouquet of flowers sent to her to reinforce his gratitude whilst wishing that this was a situation where he could pay her to keep her mouth closed. He didn’t believe that money or materialistic things should be used as bribery but if there was one person he wished would accept it, it was his housekeeper.
Jungkook had stressed about what to wear for the occasion and relaxed when Ash pointed out that he was in his own home and meeting with family so he should wear what he was comfortable in providing it wasn’t sweats and a sweaty old t-shirt. Jungkook questioned his best friend for needing to state what he shouldn’t wear but should’ve known better because it was Ash, after all. He’d very much enjoyed hearing his friend talk about what their itinerary was on Jeju and looked forward to hearing the non intimate details when Ash and Heeju returned even though he doubted that he would be lucky enough to escape that information. The busker hated faffing around with clothes and the fact that his choice was now greater due to owning more clothing didn’t improve the situation one little bit. He decided a while ago that he preferred it when his choice was limited and when he didn’t have a friend like Emery who was keen on knowing everything about his outfit of choice. It was Emery who complained that his chosen outfit of an all black ensemble of t-shirt, trousers and denim jacket was boring but Jungkook didn’t care. He thought it was smart enough without being over the top for a lunch in his home and he didn’t understand what everyone’s problem was with his choice of black all the time.
He could fully appreciate that Taehyung looked like a gorgeous model as he always did in his dark trousers and forest green long sleeved top. His boyfriend didn’t have to try to look good, he just always did. He looked especially good naked on the couch last night and Jungkook had wished that he hadn’t needed to get out of bed this morning as he’d woken with Tae naked and pressed to him. Jungkook watched him sleep for a while before having to carefully slip out of bed and leave the bedroom but what he’d really wanted to do was leave kisses on every patch of skin he could reach until the CEO woke. The busker felt a little hard done by as he quietly sneaked through the apartment to the kitchen where he had a long to-do list which started with a coffee. He was also aware that Taehyung was quite clingy last night and suspected that he would be unhappy waking alone but he’d been proven wrong as when his boyfriend appeared in the kitchen after his shower, he seemed pretty upbeat. Jungkook tried not to sound too insistent that Tae didn’t help him with the food but he wasn’t sure that was achieved. He still felt warm and fuzzy from the tale of the popcorn and the gift of the flask, let alone everything else and he couldn’t wait for the theatre trip which was his chance to spoil his man.
Jungkook was finishing laying the table with food and fussing that he’d done everything when the door chimed and Taehyung popped his head into the dining room:
“Is it 2pm already?” he asks the CEO.
Tae shakes his head, “No, it’s 1.24… I’ll get the door, you finish up in here.”
Jungkook nods in agreement as his boyfriend disappears. He’d cooked a lot more food than he realised as he looked at the bowls and dishes of braised potatoes, sticky rice, spicy fried rice, pickled daikon radish, japchae, tteokbokki, spicy coleslaw, rolled egg omelette and he still had the fried chicken to add to it all. He could only hope that everyone was hungry.
Taehyung was surprised to see the smiling faces of his parents when he answered the door, “You’re early.”
“Oh… we are?” Ara says as she embraces her son and walks into the living area.
“Don’t look at me.” Yejoon adds, following behind.
“Eomma, why are you so early?”
“I’m offended, Taehyung. We are here punctually because it has been a while since we visited.”
“Jungkook is nervous, Eomma and he’s put a lot of effort into lunch.” He has his suspicions and his Mother is a dreadful liar.
“Taehyung, we are here to support you both and we bought cheesecake.” Ara grins, lifting a paper bag as proof.
“Did someone say cheesecake?” Jungkook asks as he enters the living area.
“Jungkookie! You look so smart and the food smells delicious… my son clearly chose his life partner well.” Ara strode towards the busker and pulled him in for a hug.
Yejoon and Taehyung share a father and son look in dismay as Ara gushes over Jungkook. “You did well there, son.” Yejoon says quietly in agreement with his wife.
“Don’t I know it.” Tae replies.
“I hope it tastes as good. Would you like a drink?” Jungkook asks once Mrs Kim has released him.
“You’ve worked so hard on all the food, I’m sure my son can take charge of drinks… here.” She says, handing Jungkook the paper bag.
“I don’t mind getting drinks…” Jungkook peers into the bag and gets a whiff of lemons, “... Is this from Delizioso?”
“It is. We had lunch there on Thursday and when Emiliano knew we were coming here he insisted that we return to collect a cheesecake.” Yejoon informs the room.
“You have completely outdone me… who needs a flask when you can have cheesecake from Lio?” Tae says with a playful pout which makes Jungkook giggle.
“Is this an inside joke?” Ara asks.
“Tae bought me a flask for when I practise in the park or go busking but he knows how much I love Emilliano’s lemon cheesecake.”
“I hope it was a Yeti? We had a display in the store and everyone said they were the best brand for flasks.” Yejoon says.
“That was so thoughtful, Taehyung… you were made for each other… I’ve said it from the beginning and I stand by that and you should all have learnt from the Heeju and Ash situation in that I am usually quite accurate.”
“Eomma, really?”
“Yes, your Mother is still refusing to let us forget.”
“I’ll put this in the kitchen… and yes it is a yeti flask.” Jungkook says with a smile. He felt such fondness for the parents of his boyfriend. They’d shown him nothing but kindness from the very start and never judged him or made him feel like he didn’t belong. He appreciated how they’d taken Billy and Marie under their wings too, never seeing them as anything other than his parents. The Kims were special people and he was sure they would be as gracious towards his Mother too.
Ara follows Jungkook through to the kitchen, “You must have been cooking for days?”
“I was up early today and made a start yesterday morning. I was intending on continuing last night but Tae arranged a movie night.”
“Ahhhh! The popcorn?”
“Yeah, did he tell you?”
“No, Marie did when I spoke to her last night. My son is many things but a chef is not one of them.”
“He can do more than he gives himself credit for.”
“If he is learning from you he can. In the time you have been together, you have managed to get him to make pizza, breakfast and popcorn.”
“And all of it has been edible so he doesn’t need to worry so much.”
“How are you feeling about today?”
The direct question takes him aback as the topic of conversation switches, “Oh err… a bit nervous.”
“Is your Mother staying in Seoul much longer?”
“I don’t know. She said she wanted to return when she had laid the foundations for our relationship so I don’t know what that means for her.”
“Do you feel more confident about your relationship?”
“Oh… erm… yeah…” he rubs the back of his neck, unsure how to answer questions that he hasn’t really thought about, “... There is less awkwardness now and we talk about normal things. I think she finds it difficult to hear about my life but I have a hard time hearing about my brothers and what they’ve achieved while I’ve been away.”
“Do you hear from your brothers?”
“I don’t hear from Han-Shik but I hear from Kyong and Jara. They keep me updated about my nephews… well, Jara does.”
“You’re an Uncle now, huh?”
Jungkook smiles, “Yeah, Ki-Joon is great. He asks for me when he video calls my Mother, it’s cute.”
“You obviously made an impact when you met him.”
Jungkook places the cheesecake in the fridge and walks through to the living area with Ara where Tae was just showing Nuri in. Ara raises her eyebrows at the woman in her white and pink floral dress but forces a smile because she promised Taehyung that she would reserve judgement. Jungkook rushed forward and accepted the hug from Nuri, the first time she’d hugged him it felt strange but she’d asked him if he minded. He hadn’t really known how to answer her at the time but she’d looked at him with glassy eyes and said she understood if it was all too familiar and she would refrain from doing so if it made him uncomfortable but there were times when she forgot herself and the need to hold her son again won out. Jungkook was used to Heeju throwing herself at him and Ara often pulled him in for a hug so he couldn’t find a reason to deny his Mother the same opportunity.
“My boy, you look so smart. Did the tteokbokki turn out as you’d hoped? I’m sure it did.” Nuri gushes.
“I’ll let you be the judge of how it turned out.” Jungkook smiles.
Ara clears her throat and Nuri looks up from where her eyes had been fixed on the face of her son, “Oh I am so sorry, please excuse me for my rudeness.”
“There’s no need to apologise, Eomma.” Jungkook chips in.
Tae steps forward as Ara clears her throat again and coughs a little to diffuse her original, obvious annoyance, “You haven’t been rude, Nuri. Allow me to introduce you.”
Ara stands beside Yejoon as Tae runs through the introductions just before the door chimes and he leaves the room to answer the door.
“We finally meet, we have heard much about you.” Ara says. She finds that she speaks through gritted teeth and she doesn’t know why she feels the way that she does but the effort to keep her facial expressions in check was going to be exhausting.
Nuri takes several steps towards the Kims and extends her hand to Ara first, bowing as she speaks, “As I have heard much about you, too. It is wonderful to be able to put faces to names now.”
“We really should have met sooner, apologies for that, my schedule is quite busy most days. How are you filling your time?” Ara asks, releasing Nuri’s hand.
“Marie, Billy, how lovely to see you.” Yejoon says, disturbing the women’s conversation.
Jungkook goes straight over to them and hugs them both, “Thank you.” He whispers as he hugs Marie. He was thanking her for helping his boyfriend out and for being here but he knows he’d probably confused the diner owner.
“Marie, so lovely to see you again after you were so kind to me turning up unannounced.” Nuri smiles.
“When was this?” Jungkook frowns.
“A couple of days ago, it really wasn’t any trouble.” Marie responds.
“You were at university and I got my days muddled and I stopped by the diner to see you.” Nuri explains.
“No one said.” Jungkook adds.
“It was no big deal, Jungkookie.” Marie says warmly.
“That’s a distance from the Signiel, it’s a shame you had a wasted trip, Nuri.” Ara comments.
“It certainly wasn’t wasted as I had a drink with Marie.”
“Marie has a heart of gold.” Ara remarks.
“I bought some Kimchi… if you already have some, you can keep it for another time.” Marie says, attempting to divert conversation.
“I haven’t got any, thank you! I followed your recipe for the radish.” Jungkook beams.
“I’ll take the kimchi through to the kitchen” Tae offers.
“I’ll come with you and help with drinks, son.” Yejoon states.
“Is coffee an option?” Billy calls out.
“You’re welcome to give us a hand, Billy.” Yejoon suggests, thinking it might be beneficial to free him from the living room.
“There’s a coffee machine similar to the one we have in the diner.” Jungkook informs him.
“I’m on it.” Billy takes the drinks requests from the three women before he joins Taehyung and Yejoon.
“You know that he will be having a different coffee each time today?” Marie giggles.
Jungkook giggles too, “Billy loves a coffee machine, I know.”
“Perhaps Billy can teach Yejoon how to use it.” Ara smiles.
“I showed Tae how to work it and he’s always using it now.”
“His coffee is better than his popcorn?” Ara laughs.
Marie giggles too, feeling bad for the CEO after his urgent call to her last night. “Ara, don’t be mean, his heart was in the right place.”
“The popcorn was nice.” Jungkook adds.
“Had he managed to get rid of the smell before you arrived home?” Marie asks Jungkook.
The busker screws his face up and shakes his head, “Not really…” Both Ara and Marie start laughing, “... you just said his heart was in the right place and now you’re laughing at him… it was tasty popcorn and we had a lovely evening.”
The sound of the coffee machine and the men chattering could be heard as distant background noise while female laughter filled the living room. Jungkook looked over at his Mother who was very quiet and he hoped the men would be back soon so they could move the conversation on.
“Popcorn?” is all Nuri said, looking at the two women who were laughing.
“My apologies for being rude and not explaining… my son decided to cook popcorn for Jungkookie last night but he ran into trouble and called Marie to bail him out.” Ara explains.
“I did not bail him out, he needed a little bit of support that is all.”
“You talked him through it step by step after he threw away the whole pot with his first attempt in it.”
“Did he actually throw the pot away?” Marie asks Jungkook.
“Yeah… he did… can you both stop picking on my boyfriend now?”
Jungkook’s stance just makes the women giggle a little more as Nuri remains quiet. Ara gazes at the busker once she has composed herself, warmth spreading through her at the man defending her son.
“What’s so amusing or is it better that we don’t know?” Billy asks as the trio appear.
Jungkook walks over to Taehyung and takes two drinks from the tray he is carrying and walks back to hand them to Marie and his Mother. He returns to his boyfriend who puts the tray down once everyone has their drinks and the CEO’s hand automatically finds Jungkook’s waist.
“We were discussing Taehyung’s popcorn efforts.” Ara says.
“And I requested that they leave you alone.” Jungkook tells his man.
Tae’s cheeks flush a little but he can’t resist leaning in to leave a kiss on his boyfriend’s cheek by way of thanks for jumping to his defence. “I have zero culinary skills and make no attempt to hide that fact.”
“But you make the effort for Jungkook and that’s commendable, Son.” Yejoon pitches in.
“That’s what love does to someone.” Marie gushes.
“And I appreciate everything you do.” Jungkook says, turning to look at his boyfriend and briefly forgetting that they were standing in a room full of their parents.
“You two,” Ara says, fawning over the couple.
“Did Heeju and Ash get away okay? It was lovely to see Ash again, he’s grown into a fine young man.” Nuri asks the room.
“You saw Ash?” Jungkook can’t believe that no one mentioned that his Mother went to the diner. Even Ash didn’t mention it when they spoke yesterday but when he actually thinks about it, the call was quite short and mostly about his wardrobe options.
“I did. He was leaving to meet Heeju I believe?”
“Yes they arrived safely and are having a wonderful time. I spoke to them this morning.” Ara remarks.
“Jeju is beautiful.” Nuri adds.
“We have a property on the beach and it is indeed beautiful. Taehyung and Jungkook spent some time there last year but it would be good for them to return in the warmer weather.” Ara says.
“It’s a gorgeous house… I would like to go back in the summer.” Jungkook responds.
Taehyung did have something to add but thoughts of Jungkook in swimwear on the beach meant that Yejoon got there first:
“Billy and I have already planned a Jeju United game when we go there.”
“When are you going?” Taehyung asks his father.
“It’s still in the planning but we thought it would be good to have a short trip.”
“Are you going?” Jungkook asks Marie and Ara.
“We are! I want to take Marie to a spa for the night so we will go to the Ecoland hotel or the Grand Hyatt for the night.”
There were points through the conversations that followed where Jungkook couldn’t help but gravitate towards his Mother who seemed so out of it all and very quiet. She assured him that she was taking it all in and it was her opportunity to learn but there was something quite sad when she spoke. It didn’t seem to matter what the topic of conversation was, the one thing that stood out was how close the two families were and as much as Jungkook’s heart felt so full as a result of this, he couldn’t help but feel guilt and a sort of sorrow for his Mother. He begrudged having to retire to the kitchen to finish cooking the food but was pleased when Tae joined him for a short period of time while he made more drinks.
“Do you work out, Taehyung?” Nuri asks when there is a break in conversation as they all sit around the dining table.
Tae shot his boyfriend a look as Jungkook’s automatic response was to snicker. “No, I leave the fitness regime to my boyfriend.”
Nuri looked between the couple and smiled, “I see. Jungkookie has always loved working out. We often used to jog together.”
“We did until I started running and you couldn’t keep up.” Jungkook smiled.
“You were too fast for me. Nowadays I prefer a more gentle routine.” Nuri added.
“You make use of the facilities at the Signiel?” Ara asks.
“Yes, they have a good pool but I prefer to walk outside instead of on a machine. My middle son has attempted to get me into a gym many times but I prefer to be outdoors. Thankfully we live close to the beach.”
“It must be difficult to find things to occupy your time while here. When are you returning to Busan?”
“Should I have plans to return? Apologies, perhaps I misunderstood the tone.” Nuri answers.
“I’m sure it wasn’t meant to cause offence.” Taehyung interrupts.
Ara quickly continues, “That wasn’t my intention at all. I only asked because you must miss the beach and home, that is all.”
“I do miss it but sometimes there are things that are much more important.” Nuri says, glancing briefly at Jungkook then looking down at the food on her plate.
Marie sees the look on Jungkook’s face and knows that there is probably a lot going through his head. She’s had to concentrate on his expressions and what he didn’t actually verbalise over the years when she was trying to get through to him. She knew that he wanted this to work and for their families to blend but she also knew that he wasn’t aware of Ara’s stance and her desire to protect them all. The most obvious point to it all was that his defences would be triggered if he felt his Mother was being attacked and that she was sure of because Jungkook loved and cared for those closest to him with all of his heart and would take it personally if he felt they were being put down. This couldn’t have been more clear just a few hours ago when they’d been laughing at Taehyung’s popcorn attempt. It was light hearted without malice and even though his defence of Taehyung was of the same vein, she’d seen how instantly he defended his man and she didn’t want him to feel that way about Nuri especially if he was protecting her from people who cared about him.
“Perhaps while you are here, we could meet for lunch or a walk along the river?” the diner owner suggests.
“That’s very kind of you, Marie, thank you.” Nuri replies with a smile.
Jungkook looks over at Marie and gives her a smile. His fondness for her constantly growing as he appreciates the effort she is making when he understands how difficult this situation must be for her.
“This food is nothing short of phenomenal, JK… I would say that this is the best fried chicken I’ve eaten but I have to go home with Marie so it’s probably better that I don’t say it.” Billy says to the table.
“Brave man.” Yejoon mutters.
“Since it’s Marie’s recipe, she should get the praise.” Jungkook suggests.
“Absolutely not! You have worked so hard, Jungkook… the compliments are all yours… and I’ll deal with Billy later.” She laughed.
“My boyfriend is nothing short of amazing.” Tae gushes, leaning to the side so he can peck his man on the cheek, feeling the heat as he blushes.
“It must be a relief to have found Jungkook and see him so happy.” Yejoon says to Nuri.
“It is. The love he has for Taehyung was clear from the moment we met. It will make it easier once I return to Busan, knowing that he is so happy and loved.”
“He is certainly loved by many around him.” Ara adds.
“Am I right that your eldest Son is married?” Yejoon asks.
“Yes, Kyong is married to Jara. She is a lovely girl and a wonderful wife and mother. Jara is the daughter that I wasn’t blessed with.”
Taehyung pitches in, “They were very welcoming when we attended Ki-Joon’s birthday.”
“Jara’s really nice…” Jungkook adds, “... I wish I hadn’t missed out on so much.”
“Hey.” Tae says, reaching over and taking Jungkook’s hand.
“We aren’t having any of that, my baby boy… you know that the past can’t be undone, so we look ahead.” Nuri says.
“Your Mother is right, Jungkook… what’s important is what you do now for the future, to ensure that you don’t miss out on anything else.” Ara says warmly.
“I know… it’s just difficult.”
“We understand and we are all here to support you. You have many more years ahead of you than you’ve missed so one day, those six years won’t matter.” Marie wants the man she has grown to love to be free of all his demons one day.
“That’s very true...” Yejoon confirms, “... is your middle son dating?”
“There is someone he has known for a long time that is back in the picture so we have hope for that. She is a lovely girl and will be a good influence on him. Hopefully he will settle down.”
“That’s exciting.” Marie comments.
“We have much to look forward to because I suspect that Heeju and Ash won’t hold back once they decide to get married.” Ara beams.
“Oh yes! I agree and you know how right we were about them at the start.” Marie giggles.
Taehyung, Billy and Yejoon roll their eyes and groan because they’d heard it a million times before and hoped the mother’s would have gotten over it by now but that obviously wasn’t the case. Jungkook’s attention is on his Mother who had once again become quite withdrawn, eating quietly as chatter continued around the table. He hoped that the next time would be easier and that the more times they all got together, the less awkward it would feel.
***
A loud sigh was expelled from Ara’s lips as they arrived home after the parents lunch. Yejoon had to make a business call on the way back so she’d been deep in thought all the way home.
“What is it?” Yejoon asks his wife as they remove their shoes and walk up the stairs.
“She wasn’t what I expected.”
“What did you expect? A fire breathing dragon?”
“More Maleficent than the dragon to be honest.” Ara answers sarcastically.
“You’re never backwards in coming forward so you may as well tell me what is going on in your head, Ara.”
“Honestly? I don’t know? I instantly disliked the woman when she first walked in but I could reason with myself that it was my defence mechanism because I viewed her as a form of invader into the home of my Son but as the afternoon wore on I became quite confused by her demeanour. There were times when I felt quite sorry for her, brought home by how quiet she was because she couldn’t join in with conversation. It isn’t at all like me to make someone feel like an outcast and that wasn’t my intention but I found myself in a very difficult position.”
“I think everyone was aware that you disliked her, Ara and I suspect that Taehyung will say something at some point.”
“Taehyung can say whatever he likes and I will tell him what I tell you. Marie is such a gracious, kind hearted woman and I do not want her to be hurt. I didn’t ever think that Jungkook would turn his back on Marie because he isn't that type of person but I do know that Marie is worried about losing their closeness. If I have a strong relationship with Marie, it provides her with some security because that woman’s involvement in Jungkook’s life has absolutely no bearing on me.”
“I found her to be as I expected to be honest. She was a stranger to us and new to our circle so her demeanour was normal for that situation in my opinion. I was impressed that she was quick to reassure Jungkook when he mentioned the past though which was inline with the things that Taehyung had told us.”
“Ugh! I know! My head is at odds with my gut because by the end of the afternoon I wasn’t sure what I was so wary of, she’s just a woman, a mother, like me. Where I am concerned, her social standing and financial status are irrelevant and hold no merit which lead me to the conclusion that if she doesn’t want anything from us aside from her son back in her life then what is the problem? My mind has been going around in circles. There were points this afternoon when her responses felt fake but who am I to judge whether she is fake when I don’t know her?”
“Are these questions that you would like answers to?”
“No… unless you know something that I don’t?”
“I am clueless compared to you, my dear.”
“That is something I do know.”
“Merely a man, my dear Ara. I didn’t have a clue about our daughter and Ash, after all.”
“I am going to ignore the tone and focus on the truths that you are speaking because all of that is very true. I worry for Jungkookie… he looked quite vulnerable at times today.”
“He also looked very happy too?”
“Yes he did. He looked so very happy to have us all together. Perhaps I am worrying unnecessarily. The answer is to get to know the woman I suppose.”
“We are linked now and I can’t see Taehyung and Jungkook ever parting ways so all the time that they are in a relationship, we will have to blend with Nuri and the rest of her family.”
“Yes, if I think this could be a long term situation then my fears are unfounded because she has been consistent.”
“We have to appear supportive to Taehyung and Jungkook no matter what our personal opinions are of her, unless she gives us cause to doubt her.”
Ara nods in agreement as she settles on the couch and switches on the tv. It had been an interesting afternoon and on the face of it, it appeared to go well. The Kims thought best to leave before Nuri and offered Billy and Marie a lift home. They’d spoken about the Jeju trip and she was relieved that the diner owners were upbeat and relaxed which led her to believe that her own doubts about Jungkook’s Mother were personal to her and her desire to protect her family and friends. Once they’d dropped them at the diner, Yejoon took the business call and her mind was a chaotic mess of thoughts and counteractive feelings. She would bide her time for now, she wouldn’t dismiss the niggling doubt entirely but she also wouldn’t do anything to cause trouble because she feared that is exactly what would play into Nuri’s hands and drive Taehyung and Jungkook away.
***
The hotel suite was quiet as Nuri’s phone rang again with an incoming video call she hadn’t been expecting so soon after returning from her afternoon with Taehyung and Jungkook. She sat down and accepted the call, pleased when Kyong came into view.
“What is so urgent, Kyong?”
“Ryan told me I should call you to check on you.”
“I’m fine, tell him not to worry.”
“How did it go?”
“It was interesting. The Kims and the diner owners are very close it appears. Jungkook and Taehyung were very hospitable.”
“Eomma, what is wrong?”
“Nothing, Kyong, please… don’t worry.”
“I am worried because there is something not right… have you been crying? Eomma, Ryan will be infuriated if someone has upset you.”
“I have felt a bit emotional since returning, that is all… it was difficult at times… I couldn’t relate to what they were saying because I haven’t been there for six years.”
“But that’s not your fault! That was Jungkook’s fault for leaving.”
“We all know that but it was a lot to handle today. They are all obviously very close and… and… I don’t belong.”
“I don’t want you dealing with this on your own anymore, I’m coming out to Seoul.”
Nuri sniffles and pinches her nose with a tissue, “No, Kyong… you have a family and the business. We can’t leave Han in charge.”
“We can, he’s capable and I trust him. Jara will be fine. I will fly out for a couple of weeks and I’ll arrange an appointment with the local government department while I’m there to push this along. The sooner we have the paperwork in place the better. I will visit Gi-Chan too because he needs to hurry up and confirm the sale. Once that’s all in place you can come home and leave Jungkook to get on with his perfect little life.”
“Kyong, I can’t ask you to do that. I chose to come here and I will see this through.”
“You aren’t asking, Eomma. Today has taken its toll on you and you’ve got no one there for support. Ryan will be happier if he knows I am with you. I will call the Signiel and inform them that I will be taking the adjoining room to your suite so they know it will be occupied.”
“If you’re sure?”
“I will go now and make arrangements. Go for a swim and make sure to call Ryan before you sleep or he will worry. I will email you my flight details once I have it booked.”
“Okay.”
Once the call has ended, Nuri sends a quick text to her husband before she casts her phone to one side and stands up, throwing the tissue in the bin and checking her hair in the mirror.
NURI
All sorted. Kyong will fly out to me. Keep an eye on Han. This will all be over soon, my love and I can come home to you.
The afternoon had been an eye-opener for her. There were times when she was savvy enough to know when not to interfere and the relationships on display told her a lot. Marie had been easy to get to but Ara was too prickly and Nuri would hold her at arm's length. She had no plans whatsoever for a Mothers lunch anytime soon and it was best for everyone if the job she’d set out to do could be completed so she could return home. She actually expected Jungkook to be a little more difficult to win over but he was obviously more susceptible to feelings of guilt than she’d anticipated. He’d always been her sensitive boy but she’d gone into this believing that life may have toughened him up yet he was still the sensitive boy she had always known.
There was a time when she was happy, life was tiring with three young sons and a business. Her marriage was relatively peaceful if she overlooked her husband’s promiscuity. When she met Ryan and was determined to make him hers, she hoped that her life would be free of the three boys and full of the luxuries of life and she’d tried to make that happen. Whilst working on accidentally bumping into Ryan and winning his favour, she’d been making her marriage an unhappy place to be, causing unrest. With a history of cheating, it was easy to throw false allegations around and refuse to believe Jung-Yoo when he denied it. At the time, Jung-Yoo was a good father, devoted to his business and his family but he was never going to give Nuri the life she wanted after Ryan had turned her head. She made herself unlovable and blackmailed Jung-Yoo into having custody of the boys so she could be free but she hadn’t factored in that Ryan wanted her sons. He didn’t have heirs to his empire and once he’d met them, he began to care for them and he’d seen the whole package.
Ryan knew she was married but didn’t blame her for leaving her husband who didn’t care for her as she should be cared for. He saw the boys as the future and wouldn’t permit a life with Nuri without them so she had no choice but to take them along with her, which broke Jung-Yoo’s heart. The boys were a bind but also her meal ticket and Ryan had the power to get anything and everything he wanted. The boys idolised their father but had no idea what he would do once they’d gone but that was Nuri’s trump card should he ever try to outshine her. That secret was one that would’ve ensured that Jungkook broke ties with his father and if he'd stayed around after his eighteenth it all would’ve played out naturally, right into Ryan’s hands but Jungkook leaving changed the course of that but it was the only thing that Nuri had where she wasn’t the villain.
But none of that mattered. The past and who did what was no longer relevant. Very soon, she would be walking away and it would be her turn to show her back to Jungkook.