JJG

It's been a few years since he's talked to Taehyung's father. Not that he didn't want to, Jeongguk just felt weird to reach out to his ex's father when they weren't even on talking terms. Mostly to avoid the chances that Mr. Kim would bring up Taehyung.

They last bumped into each other at a mutual's wedding as Jeongguk hasn't been to the restaurant since the breakup. They both found that they didn't know anyone else except the bride or groom so they ended up talking the entire evening.

It wasn't as awkward or weird as Jeongguk thought it would be and there wasn't a single mention of his son as if he knew the topic was still iffy to Jeongguk. Jeongguk only regretted cutting ties with him because of his relationship with Taehyung. At the end of that day, Jeongguk said he wouldn't feel shy to visit his restaurant once in a while.

It's been two years.

Yet, even though he never kept that promise, the man welcomed him with a warm hug as he entered his restaurant that was closed early for the occasion. The place hadn't changed much in the years. The interior had gotten some upgrades but you wouldn't tell he was the father of a former member of one of the most paid models in the world.

"Happy birthday, Mr. Kim," Jeongguk said after being released from the hug. He also handed him the gift bag holding a nicely wrapped set of china plates that Jeongguk noticed he had a collection of in the past.

"Oh Jeongguk, you didn't have to. Thank you," Mr. Kim replied, taking the present. He placed his hand on the boy's back and lead him inside.

He saw Taehyung setting up food around the table that already had a man and woman seated. The woman's features resembled Mr. Kim. When Taehyung's eyes met Jeongguk, he offered him a smile that Jeongguk hesitantly returned.

Jeongguk felt weird, as if he shouldn't be here. There was barely anyone else and the couple seemed to be a relative. He felt out of place and was beginning to regret coming, but then he saw the smile on Mr. Kim face earlier and knew he couldn't have missed that and disappointed him.

"Chiyeon-nuna, Jisung-sshi, this a very dear friend of my son and I, Jeongguk," Mr. Kim introduced him to the two and Jeongguk bowed respectively. Mr. Kim continued, "and this is my older sister and her husband."

"Nice to meet you, Jeongguk. Please, sit down," Chiyeon said pointing at the seat in front of them. Jeongguk nodded with a smile and pulled the chair out. He set down his coat and took his seat.

"Honey, is the corn already out?" a new voice entered coming from the back.

"Jangmi-ah, Jeongguk is here," Mr. Kim said excitedly. Jangmi gasped and quickly made her way to Jeongguk's. Jeongguk got up for his seat to greet the older woman properly.

"I've heard lots of you," Jangmi said, pulling the boy in for a hug that Jeongguk wasn't really expecting.

"All good things I hope," Jeongguk said a little worried to be honest.

"Of course," Jangmi replied and pulled away.

"Jeongguk-ah, this is Jangmi," Mr. Kim said shyly. Jeongguk face instantly brightened as he realized what was going on with Mr. Kim's behaviour and her nickname for him.

He took his seat again. Once everything was set up, everyone took their seat and of course Taehyung sat beside Jeongguk.

"Thank you for coming," Taehyung learned over and whispered to Jeongguk, making their shoulder's touch.

"Let's eat!" Mr. Kim announced and everyone thanked him for the food before digging in. Jeongguk felt a little overwhelmed with all the options in front of him. If he was out with his friends, he would've been shoving his mouth with a little of each but he didn't know how to behave in this situation.

"Here, try this first," Taehyung said, placing a piece of fried chicken on his bowl of rice. Jeongguk smiled back as a thank you. He split the chicken in half with his spoon and scooped it up with some rice. Mr. Kim's cooking was still as amazing as ever.

Throughout dinner, they all tried to make small talk with each other. Mr. Kim's sister asked him about his job and Jeongguk explained that he worked in a marketing team but was also Taehyung's secretary. Then she proceeded to say that she thought secretary jobs were just for girls and Jeongguk could only politely nod and bite his tongue to hold back from sounding rude.

"So, Taehyung-ah, do you have a girlfriend? Or a boyfriend if you're still in that phase," Jisung asked and four out of the six in that room had a feeling this wasn't going to go well.

Taehyung coughed, not expecting such a question phrased like so. Jeongguk clenched his jaw to control himself. He would've chewed off the head of anyone who spoke in such a manner but he wasn't here to ruin Mr. Kim's birthday, so he remained quiet.

"No, uncle. I'm focusing on work for now," Taehyung replied when the coughs stopped, clearly uncomfortable.

Jisung nodded and continued. "I just thought that now you were over with your silly modelling, you'd want to settle down. Say, I've got a friend of mine. His daughter works as at SNU hospital. A lovely girl. I can set up a blind date."

"Thank you for thinking of me but I'm not looking for a partner at the moment," Taehyung said and forced a smile. Jisung sighed and dropped it, but his wife picked up where he left off.

"Don't you have plans of getting married, Tae? You're already in your late twenties. Your beauty will only last forever," Chiyeon said, plastering on a worried look.

"Of course he'll get married, but it'll happen whenever he feels ready," Mr. Kim said and laughed to try and lighten the mood.

Chiyeon shook her head. "You're to blame. You thought of your own marriage before his."

Jeongguk noticed Jangmi shifting in her seat and Mr. Kim placing a hand on her lap to help her ease. A smile that wasn't forced finally formed on Jeongguk's lips looking at the couple.

"We're not getting married, nuna," Mr. Kim said.

Taehyung's head snapped towards his dad. "You're not getting married?" he asked.

"Did you think we would?" Mr. Kim asked, furrowing his brows.

"What would people think if he did at this age?" Chiyeon said with a chuckle.

Taehyung ignored her and kept looking at Mr. Kim. "This may be not be as important to you but it would Jangmi-sshi's first wedding. It wouldn't be fair to her."

"Don't be silly. We're too old for that, Taehyung. And like Chiyeon-sshi said, what would people think?" Jangmi said waving her hand at himself, but Taehyung wasn't convinced.

"You're not too old," Jeongguk finally spoke. "There's no age limit for this. It doesn't matter if your 25 or 85, with a man or woman, different race or religion, or with a disability. Why does it matter what others think? Your marriage is a time to celebrate your love and strengthen your bond with the significant other, and if people are going to judge you for that then it just shows that they don't understand or see the meaning and beauty of love."

As they've probably never had it, Jeongguk wanted to add but thought it was enough by the way everyone stared just stared at him. He felt more reassured seeing the pleased smiles on Jangmi and Mr. Kim's faces, as well as the dumbfounded looks on the other couple.

As Jeongguk was about to apologize for doing literally nothing but hoping for an escape from the situation, Taehyung clapped his hands.

"Who's ready for cake?" Taehyung asked. No one answered him but his aunt and uncle felt relieved at the change of subject and nodded. He got out of his seat and went to the back.

"He's a terrible baker," Mr. Kim said in a hushed tone.

Jangmi covered her mouth to hide the laugh. "I baked it, he decorated," she explained and Mr. Kim let out an exaggerated breath of relief.

"Happy birthday to you," Taehyung sang walking in with the cake with candles already lit. Jeongguk quietly clapped and joined the rest in the birthday song as Taehyung placed the cake in front of his dad.

"Make a wish," Jeongguk said right before Mr. Kim blew them all away.

The rest of their time eating cake went smoothly and there were no more talks of relationships or marriages, although they did brag about their pregnant daughter and their son-in-law who was just too dang busy being a lawyer or something to have come.

Eventually, Chiyeon and Jisung had to call it a night and left. They spared as little as a goodbye to Jeongguk who they surely never wanted to see again, but no worries since the feeling was mutual.

"I should get going too," Jeongguk said ready to get up but Taehyung stopped him.

"What? Already?" Taehyung asked with an adorable frown that he probably didn't realize he had. Jeongguk felt at a lost for words.

"Have a couple drinks with us," Mr. Kim said, running over to the mini fridge and pulling out a few bottles of soju.

"Well," Jeongguk stretched. He bit his lip, not having it in him to say no to such a sweet man. He sat back down. "Okay, just a couple."

Mr. Kim cheered and grabbed a few shot glasses. He poured all four of them a cup. They picked it up and clinked it in the middle, yelling out "cheers!".

Jeongguk shifted his body so that it didn't face Mr. Kim or Jangmi and gulped it all down in one shot. His shoulders lifted as the cool drink went down his throat. It felt nice to finally drink for a reason other to drown his sorrows in.

Mr. Kim chuckled. "You seem to be a good drinker," he said, pouring Jeongguk another shot. Jeongguk quietly thanked him.

"I'm sorry about my sister and her husband, they're always like that. But what can you do, they're family," Mr. Kim said to Jeongguk.

Jeongguk shook his head. "You don't need to explain."

"Their intentions were good I guess," Taehyung said with a shrug.

Jeongguk nodded and took a sip of his drink. He then realized the situation he was in. This was what he imagined his life would've been if they had never broken up. It left an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach. Was he the strange one for thinking having dinner with your ex's family would've been more awkward?

Jeongguk shook the thoughts out of his head and joined in the conversation. At some point in the night, Jeongguk found himself laughing there was no tomorrow and just enjoying himself.

"Alright honey, time to get you to bed," Mr. Kim said, putting his hand under Jangmi's shoulder to help her stand up.

"Okay, okay. G'night my dear sons," she slurred. Her cheeks were red and her eyes barely open, she was about to fall at any moment.

"Goodnight, Jangmi-sshi," Jeongguk said waving back at her as they went up the stairs. He watched Mr. Kim carefully escort her up, making sure she didn't miss any steps. The sight just warmed his heart.

He glanced at Taehyung as he felt his gaze on him. The man was staring with a soft smile dancing on his lips. Jeongguk creased his brows and tilted his head ever so slightly.

"What?" Jeongguk asked, wondering if there was something in his face.

"Have I ever told you that you look beautiful when you smile?" Taehyung asked. Jeongguk tensed and looked away. He knew that the man was also slightly drunk but not enough to not realize what he was saying.

"Sorry," Taehyung almost immediately apologized followed by a soft sigh. Jeongguk bit hard on his lips, hoping he wasn't blushing or that his ears hadn't turned red.

Eventually, Mr. Kim came back down. Jeongguk was waiting for him so that he could say goodbye and thank him for the night.

"I actually better get going this time," Jeongguk said getting up from his chair.

"You're not thinking about driving right?" Mr. Kim asked.

"Of course not, I'll call a taxi."

Mr. Kim crossed his arms and hummed. "I could've sent Taehyung to drop you. It's a waste of taxi fare, you live far no? Why don't you stay the night and leave tomorrow? You won't have to come back to get your car too," he suggested.

Jeongguk denied saying that that was alright and that he could manage but yet again, he found himself not being able to say no to the man. Even Taehyung tried to intervene but Mr. Kim had his mind set. That's how Jeongguk ended up up in Taehyung's room waiting for him to find some clothes to change into.

Jeongguk saw that not much has changed about the Kim's residence from the last time he'd been there all those years ago.

"I send him money every month but he just sends it to a charity of his choice. He says there's no point in keeping more than what we need. My dad likes his life as it is and loves his home and restaurant, so I didn't try to force a change. As long as he was happy," Taehyung explained as if he had read Jeongguk's mind.

Jeongguk nodded even though Taehyung had his back turned to him. There was some new furniture and layout changes, and lots of new plants and flowers that most likely was Jangmi's addition, but for the most part it was still all very familiar.

Especially Taehyung's room. Probably as it'd been kept unused for so long. He glanced over everything. The bean bag where they would cuddle while watching random videos. The table where they would study together. The bed where they've done the you know what a few times– okay maybe this wasn't such a good idea. There were far too many memories within these four walls that they shared and Jeongguk felt like he was about to relive each and every one of them.

"Here, I've never worn these before," Taehyung said, turning around and facing Jeongguk.

"Thanks," Jeongguk muttered, taking the clothes. Taehyung nodded and left the room with clothes of his own to change into. He closed the door behind him as he left and Jeongguk locked it.

He stared at the folded sweatpants and graphic shirt for way too long before finally changing. Just as he did, there were two knocks on the door. Jeongguk unlocked the door and opened it, finding Taehyung holding a large blanket and covers.

"I'll change these for you," Taehyung said and entered the room. Jeongguk moved to the side and let Taehyung do everything while he did the pillow covers to help a little.

"Tell me if you need anything else," Taehyung said after laying the blanket out on the bed.

Jeongguk nodded again. Taehyung gave a short smile and walked towards the door, and for some reason Jeongguk had this urge to stop him. Without thinking about it twice, Jeongguk grabbed on his sleeve, holding it loosely between his thumb and pointer finger, and successfully stopping Taehyung in his tracks.

Then Jeongguk began to panic as he didn't even know what he was going to do. He just did it. Was he drunk? There's no going back now, he had to say something before it go more awkward than it already was.

"Thanks... for the covers," Jeongguk came up with. He dropped his hand and Taehyung turned around. Jeongguk kept his eyes glued to ground, too embarrassed to face him. He didn't expect to be pulled into a hug.

Taehyung has his arms wrapped around Jeongguk neck and his head over his shoulder while Jeongguk's stood their frozen. "Just– Just for a moment, please," Taehyung requested although Jeongguk wasn't about to move as his body wasn't currently functioning.

"I miss you," Taehyung whispered after a whole, nuzzling his head making Jeongguk's breath hitch.

"Tae..." Jeongguk breathed out and gently pushed him off. He looked up at Taehyung and shook his head slowly. "Don't do this, please. N-Not now. It's not fair."

"It really isn't fair," Taehyung repeated but with a different meaning then the one Jeongguk intended. Taehyung nodded and stepped back.

"Hope you have a goodnight," he said as his final words before leaving the room.

Jeongguk felt this pang of guilt watching the boy leave so broken. It felt like looking into a mirror. He would've usually felt fury and convinced himself that he didn't deserve to feel regret now when he's the one who broke up with him, but now that he's come to terms with it, he just felt bad. Now he was the one at fault. Then again, did Jeongguk miss Taehyung back?

Well the answer to that is simple: of course he did. Taehyung had once literally consumed his life and thoughts. Jeongguk wouldn't be surprised if he'd jumped off a cliff because Taehyung said to. The boy followed him so blindly.

The follow up question was what was complicated. Does he want what he misses back?

•—•—•

KTH

Taehyung walked to the kitchen where his dad was preparing himself a cup of green tea. He felt like banging his head against a cabinet. He didn't know why he couldn't control himself just for one day, now potentially ruining the little friendship they've tried to build.

"You still love him, don't you?" Mr. Kim asked quiet enough that it wouldn't reach Jeongguk.

Taehyung inhaled a large breath. "Yeah, I do. I really do," he answered. Saying it out loud for the first time only made Taehyung realize how his love for Jeongguk had never burned out.

"Then you better not lose him again."

Taehyung chuckled. "I have to have him to lose him, dad. He's not going to come back to me, he's been hurt too much to forget."

"You're making the same mistake again, Taehyung-ah. Giving up. You're an adult now, and it's still okay to make mistakes but not the same one again. You're old enough to know that."

Taehyung pressed his lips together and turned back to look at his bedroom door, wondering if he really had a chance to get him back.

—•
How did you guys find this fic? I assumed most of y'all are from here from my other fics (I do a lot of self promo lol) but are you? I'm just curious !

I was gonna give Mr. Kim a name when I was proofreading but then I forgot and I'm sleepy so I'm sorry it might've been a little ehh to read

Bye<3