Third person's pov

Taehyung entered the house quietly, trying not to wake anyone up. The lights were off, and he moved cautiously through the hallway. Suddenly, he bumped into someone.

"AHHH!" Taewon screamed loudly.

Taehyung quickly placed a hand over Taewon's mouth. "You dumbass, it's me!" he whispered harshly.

Taewon let out a sigh of relief and whispered back, "Appa, where were you? And why did you have to sneak in like a thief?"

Before Taehyung could respond, Soohyun and Heejin came running down the hall. Soohyun had a broom in her hands, ready to swing. "What happened?" she asked.

Taehyung sighed. "Taewon thought I was a thief."

Soohyun put the broom down with a huge sigh and smacked Taewon's head. "You totally ruined my sleep!"

Taewon rubbed his head and whined, "Appa, look if I hit her back, then I'll be the bad one."

Taehyung pinched the bridge of his nose, exasperated. "Can't you both stop fighting for once?"

Heejin, noticing Taehyung's wet clothes, asked, "Why are you wet? Is it raining outside?"

Taehyung raised an eyebrow. "Wow, I’m amazed you three didn’t hear the rain. Are you three deaf?"

They rolled their eyes, " How could we know if its raining when we are inside?" Soohyun muttered.

Heejin went to the bathroom and came out with a towel and handed it to Taehyung, "Here, take this."

Taewon smirked and said, "Let me guess, appa. You saw your ex-lover, went to them, and they rejected you, so you were having your main character moment in the rain, right?"

Taehyung's face flushed slightly. "Soohyun, hit him again," he said, heading to his room.

Soohyun didn't need more encouragement. She smacked Taewon's arm. "You idiot!"

Taewon yelped. "Appa, she's abusing me!"

"Goodnight," Taehyung called over his shoulder, ignoring the chaos behind him. He quickly changed into dry clothes, still thinking about the encounter. He shook his head, trying to focus on getting some rest.

Taehyung lay down on his bed, but his mind kept wandering back to Jungkook. Those eyes, that voice... Could it really be him? He shook his head, trying to dismiss the thoughts.

After 10 minutes..........

Taehyung couldn't sleep at all. He tossed and turned, but nothing seemed to help.

Finally, he got up and went to his cupboard. He rummaged through a box and pulled out an old photograph from 2003. He looked closely at the boy in the picture. "He looked so familiar," Taehyung murmured to himself.

As he was lost in his thoughts, the door suddenly burst open. "Appa! Noona is hitting me again, so I'm going to hit her back!" Taewon shouted, barging into the room.

Taehyung grabbed Taewon by his ear. "Behave, she's older than you," he scolded. But before he could say more, Taewon noticed the photo in Taehyung's hand and snatched it away.

"Appa, who is this?" Taewon asked, looking at the picture.

Taehyung quickly reached for the photo. "No one important, give it back."

Taewon smirked. "Is it your ex? It must be!"

Before Taehyung could respond, Taewon yelled, "NOONA! I FOUND APPA'S PICTURE WITH HIS EX!" and ran out of the room.

Taehyung sighed deeply and muttered, "This brat," before chasing after him. Taewon was already halfway down the hallway, waving the picture around.

Soohyun and Heejin popped their heads out of their rooms. "What did you say?" Soohyun asked, eyes widening.

Taehyung caught up to Taewon and snatched the photo back just in time. He gave Taewon a tight smack on the back of his head. "Go to your rooms, right now, or I'll turn the Internet off."

The threat of losing the Internet was enough to make all three humans scramble back to their rooms without further protest. Taehyung stood in the hallway, shaking his head. "Why do I even bother?" he muttered, clutching the photo close to his chest.

Back in his room, Taehyung sat on the edge of his bed, staring at the old photo. Memories flooded back, unbidden and bittersweet.

He had been so young then, and the boy in the picture had been someone very special to him.

He stared at it for a while and then put it back in the cupboard and drifted to sleeep.

The next morning, Taehyung woke up to the smell of breakfast cooking. He made his way to the kitchen. Taewon was already there, stuffing his face with toast, while Soohyun was making eggs.

"Morning, Appa!" Taewon greeted with a mouthful of toast.

Taehyung ruffled his hair. "Morning, brat. Didn't you learn any manners?"

Soohyun smirked. "It's beyond hope, Appa. Want some eggs?"

"Hmm," Taehyung said, sitting down at the table.

With Jungkook............

Jungkook woke up feeling uncomfortably hot, his head throbbing with an undeniable fever. He groaned and muttered, "Why, why, why, aghh..."

He snuggled deeper into his bed, he knew today would be grueling, especially since he had to meet his relatives.

Reluctantly, he reached for his phone on the nightstand, squinting at the long message that confirmed his thoughts. The family meeting included all the timings and details that left little room for error. He put the phone aside with a sigh and forced himself out of bed.

"Oh God, I feel terrible," he muttered to himself, dragging his feet to the bathroom. He splashed cold water on his face, hoping to wake up a bit more, brushed his teeth, and made his way downstairs. The house was still quiet; his sons, Hyunjae and Sujae, weren't awake yet.

Jungkook called out to the maid, "Can you get me a cup of coffee and set up breakfast? And please, wake Hyunjae and Sujae up."

"Of course, sir," the maid replied,

Jungkook sank into a chair at the dining table, resting his head on the cool surface, trying to alleviate his pounding headache. Moments later, the maid returned.

"Hyunjae sir is awake, but Sujae sir says he doesn't want to go to college today," she reported.

Jungkook sighed deeply. "I'll handle it," he said, pushing himself up and heading toward Sujae's room.

He knocked on the door and then entered. Sujae was still bundled up in his blankets, his hair a messy halo around his head. He peeked out with a sleepy, innocent smile. "Eomma, I’m so sleepy. Can I skip college today?"

Jungkook shook his head with a small smile, despite the pain coursing through his body. "Sujae, I’ll count to three. If you’re not up by then, I’m taking your phone away and locking it up."

Sujae pouted, his lower lip jutting out adorably. "Meanie baby," he mumbled, but he reluctantly started to get up.

"One," Jungkook began,

"Two," he continued as Sujae slowly moved out of bed.

"Okay, okay! I’m up!" Sujae grumbled, dragging himself to the bathroom. "You’re such a meanie."

Jungkook chuckled softly, though the effort made his head throb even more. He then walked back downstairs.

After a few minutes........

Jungkook was already seated at the breakfast table, cradling a cup of coffee, when Hyunjae and Sujae finally came downstairs. Despite his best efforts to mask how terrible he felt, he couldn't hide the sweat beading on his forehead or the way his hands trembled slightly.

Hyunjae approached first, leaning down to kiss his mother's cheek before taking a seat beside him. "Eomma, you feel a bit hot," he said, his brow furrowing with concern.

He placed a hand on Jungkook's forehead, confirming his fear. "Eomma, you have a high fever."

Without waiting for a response, Hyunjae turned to the maid who was standing by. "Please call the doctor immediately. And bring some blankets and fever reducers."

"Hyunjae, I'm fine. It's just a fever,"

"It's not just a fever; it's a high fever," Hyunjae insisted, while looking panicked.

Jungkook sighed and turned to the maid. "Don’t do anything. Just bring me the medicine and Hyunjae, sit down and eat your breakfast. I will be fine."

Hyunjae hesitated, his worry evident in his eyes. "Eomma, you should rest. This isn’t something to take lightly."

"I will rest," Jungkook assured him. "But first, let’s have breakfast together."

"Eomma it's all because you went in the rain last night." Sujae said, looking equally worried as Hyunjae.

"I didn’t get myself wet willingly." Jungkook said to Sujae before turning his attention back to Hyunjae. "Now, eat your breakfast and then head to the office. I will take a leave and rest, okay?"

Hyunjae nodded reluctantly. "Alright. But don’t you dare go anywhere today."

Jungkook nodded, trying to ease his son's worries. He watched as the maid brought in a tray with a variety of breakfast items: toast, scrambled eggs, some fruit, and porridge. The comforting aroma of food filled the room, but Jungkook's appetite was non-existent.

Sujae began eating, but his eyes kept darting back to Jungkook. "Eomma, you should eat something," he said, pushing a plate of toast towards Jungkook.

Jungkook took a small bite, more to appease his sons than out of hunger. "See? I’m eating. Now, both of you, eat."

Hyunjae kept glancing at his mother, his worry evident. Sujae was quieter than usual, clearly unsettled by Jungkook's fever.

"Hyunjae, did you finish the report for the new project?" Jungkook asked, trying to shift the focus away from himself.

"Yes, Eomma. It's all set. I’ll be presenting it today," Hyunjae replied,

"Good."

Soon the maid returned with the  bottle of fever medicine, and a glass of water. Hyunjae immediately took the medicine and measured out a dose. "Here, Eomma. Take this."

Jungkook took the medicine, grimacing slightly at the taste. "There. Happy now?"

Hyunjae sighed. "A bit. But please, promise me you’ll rest today."

"I promise," Jungkook replied, leaning back in his chair.

After the breakfast.......

Hyunjae paused at the door. "Remember, don’t go anywhere. I’ll call to check on you later."

Jungkook waved him off with a tired smile. "Go on, Hyunjae. I’ll be here when you get back."

Sujae hugged Jungkook tightly before following his brother out. "Love you, baby boo."

"Love you too, Sujae," Jungkook whispered, watching them leave.

Once they were gone, Jungkook's mind wandered to the family meeting he hadn’t mentioned to his sons. He couldn’t bear to worry them more than they already were.

His phone buzzed with a reminder of the meeting, and he sighed deeply. There was no way he could miss the meeting.

After 1 hour...........

Despite the fever still burning within him, Jungkook started getting ready for the meeting. He pulled on a tailored suit, the fabric feeling heavier than usual on his feverish body.

The maid looked up from her chores, "Sir, are you going somewhere?"

Jungkook nodded, adjusting his hair. "Yes, I have to be somewhere important. If Hyunjae calls, tell him I’m sleeping. Understood?"

The maid nodded hesitantly. "Understood, sir. Please take care of yourself."

Jungkook gave a brief smile before heading out the door. He got into his car, the engine's purr barely registering over the pounding in his head. He drove to the location specified in the message, trying to focus through the fog of his fever.

As he arrived, he took a deep breath, bracing himself for the confrontation ahead. He stepped out of the car and walked inside the stately home with a sigh.

As Jungkook entered, all eyes turned to him. Soujin, who had caused a scene at his house the previous day, glared at him.

Sejin and sunghoon, Mr. Park's brothers were also present along with their respective wives.

"Jungkook," Soujin began, her voice cold. "I see you decided to show up after all."

"Of course," Jungkook replied, his voice calm. "I wouldn't miss a chance to address the issues you all seem to have with me."

Sejin scoffed. "Issues? You mean the disrespect your son showed Soujin?"

Jungkook met Sejin's gaze steadily. "Hyunjae was defending his family. Something you all have forgotten ages ago."

Sunghoon chimed in, "He was out of line, and it’s your fault. You’ve always caused trouble since you married into this family."

Jungkook felt his temper flare but kept his voice steady. "Jay was the one who chose to marry me."

Sunghoon's wife, interjected with a haughty laugh. "Oh please, Jungkook. We all know you're nothing but a gold-digging opportunist," she jeered,

Jungkook's nostrils flared, "Funny, coming from someone who married into this family for the same reason," he shot back, "But I guess we all have our reasons for being here, don't we?"

The grandmother, sitting regally at the head of the table, finally spoke. "Jungkook, you must understand. This family has traditions and respect to uphold. Hyunjae’s behavior was unacceptable."

Jungkook took a deep breath, "Respect is earned, not demanded. Hyunjae reacted because Soujin came into our home and disrespected me. You can’t expect him to stand by silently while his mother is being attacked."

Soujin’s face flushed with anger. "Attacked? I was merely pointing out the truth!"

"The truth?" Jungkook echoed. "Or your version of it?"

Sejin stood up, "You have no right to speak to us like that. "

Jungkook’s eyes flashed. "Oh I am so sorry, I forgot that in this family you can abuse your partner openly but you can't stand up for your mother.... my bad."

"I’ve said what I needed to say. If there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave." Jungkook said, standing up and grabbing his purse from the table.

"You're just jealous because you know you'll never be accepted as a true member of this family," Sunghoon's wife said from behind.

Jungkook's lips curled into a sardonic smile and he paused, "Jealous?" he scoffed, "Please, I have better things to do with my time than worry about being accepted by a bunch of trash."

Saying this Jungkook exited the room.

" DID HE JUST CALLED US 'TRASH' "

" HOW DARE HE!"

As Jungkook walked out of the grand house with measured steps, his head pounding and his vision blurring slightly. Each step felt heavier than the last as he approached his car parked just a few meters away. The world around him seemed to spin, the edges of his vision darkening.

As he reached for the car door, a sharp dizziness overwhelmed him. Jungkook swayed on his feet, the strength in his legs giving way. He collapsed onto the pavement,

A small crowd quickly gathered around him, concerned murmurs filling the air. People were uncertain about how to help, some reaching for their phones to call for assistance.

Among the onlookers, a young woman in her mid-twenties pushed through the crowd. "Excuse me! Let me through!" she called out,

She knelt beside Jungkook, quickly assessing his condition. "I'm a doctor," she announced to the bystanders. "Someone call an ambulance, now!"

One of the onlookers immediately dialed emergency services, explaining the situation. Meanwhile, the doctor checked Jungkook's pulse and temperature, noting his high fever and shallow breathing.

"He's burning up," she muttered, her brow furrowed with concern. She gently lifted his head and placed it on her folded jacket, trying to make him as comfortable as possible.

Jungkook's consciousness flickered. He could hear distant voices but couldn’t make out the words.

" Hello, can you hear me? "

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So that was all for today's chapter, I hope you enjoyed reading it.

What was your favourite scene?

What do you think about the family meeting?

Who is the doctor ?

Borahae,
Byee.

💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜