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"Somehow you guys know exactly when my payday is," Eunwoo sighs, placing two cups of coffee on the table and taking a seat.

Dahyun winks, "We know how to get our fair share of free coffees."

Eunwoo rolls his eyes, crosses his arms in front of him and looks at Minhee who's looking relatively low in mood. "Don't you have work today? Have you finally decided to take a break now that you're married? Is it nice to have a fairly rich husband?"

"One question at a time." Minhee mutters, taking a sip from her coffee. Dahyun sighs, "She messed up big time. We were talking about her mother on the phone and Jeongguk overheard and thought she was talking about his mother."

Eunwoo scoffs, "You always seem to cause trouble and then complain about getting misunderstood. Why don't you just change your name to Miss-understood?"

Dahyun chides, "Talk about yourself, do you think you've achieved everything now that you're out of university?"

"I atleast didn't drop out in between," he pokes his tongue out. Dahyun hits his arm. Eunwoo hisses but turns towards Minhee. "By the way, I heard you're going to Paris."

Minhee nods, "Well yeah, in one way or another."

"What do you mean by that?"

"We were supposed to go the Runway fashion week after collaborating with the Jung's but that didn't work so we are looking for another fashion designer to work our way there." Dahyun explains and watches Eunwoo's eyes grow wide. "But we need to go anyway since Minhee has to attend Julliete's meet and greet with Jeongguk."

Eunwoo shakes his head, "Wait, wait, wait—why are you talking about this like it's normal? Runway fashion week? The Jung's? Ileana Julliete?" he laughs, looking both of his friends in disbelief, "The next thing you'll tell me is that you're gonna live in that tribute hotel and—"

When neither of them show any signs of correcting or denying him, Eunwoo pauses. "Wait, actually? You're actually going to stay at one of the top hotels in Paris and which has the best view of Eiffel tower with every room it has— What the fuck."

He proceeds to open his arms and awkwardly hug both of his friends, stretching his body over because of the table in between. Minhee groans, feeling the table corner dig in her ribs as Dahyun starts hitting him to let them go. "Ladies, maybe if you have too much space in your suitcases, pack me up? Or do you need someone to clean your shoes? Or I can work with picking up your model's elongated train dresses..."

"Let us go!"

...

Somewhere along the afternoon, with memories of the morning vivid and distracting—Minhee finds herself standing in the middle of Jeons' living room. The butler told her that Mrs Jeon is in the yard, she'll be here soon though and asked her to wait.

Minhee can do the waiting except her brain won't stop overthinking the possibilities. For some reason, she can't bear the thought of her motherly eyes and touches to change into something filled with contempt, hurt or disappointment. She'll hate herself if that happens.

"Mrs Jeon wants to know if it's okay for you to visit her in the yard instead." The sound of the butler startles her, pulling her out of her thoughts and Minhee hastily nods, immediately following him to the yard.

As expected, the yard has potted plants all over its corners, a few tall trees here and there— she can recognise only a few of them and is awestruck at how beautifully colour coordinated is the sequence of flowers. "Minhee! So good to see you, child."

Minhee thinks she could cry.

Mrs Jeon greets her with the same motherly smile like she always does, the same enthusiasm and joy she radiates everytime she says her name— it is almost as if nothing happened. If she didn't know Jeongguk better, she would think he is exaggerating the whole thing but she oddly trusts him enough. That if he's lost his patience, then she must have really hurt his mother.

"Look, this is the plant I was telling you about the other day. It's Felicia amelloides, the blue daisy you know? The flowers are yet to bloom but once they do, I will gift you this. I wanted it to be a surprise but what can an old lady do? I think it should fully grow till your birthday—"

Mrs Jeon's rambling is interrupted when Minhee simply hugs her. She doesn't give the older woman time to process the hug, just simply hides her face in her shoulder. "What do they symbolise? The blue daisies..."

Mrs Jeon smiles, bringing a hand to rub the younger's back, "Happiness, purity and innocence."

It's the soft way she says it, Minhee is instantly reminded of the times Jeongguk whispers in her ear. "Focus, Minhee."

"I'm sorry," Minhee whispers. The hand rubbing her back stills. She hates her, doesn't she? She fucked up big time. Minhee can't stop her tears the next time she blinks, one rolling down either of her cheeks. She grasps Mrs Jeon's clothes a little too tight, not caring if the fabric gets crumpled. "Whatever you overheard, it wasn't for you. I could never say that to you. I would love to go to the kitty with you...but I wasn't sure if I would want to see my mother...or her friends...I-I am so sorry it hurt you so much..."

Mrs Jeon places her hands on Minhee's shoulders to look at her face. Her face instantly grows concerned when she sees the tears rolling down her face, "Oh Jeongguk, I told him not to...oh no child, don't cry." She wipes her tears with her thumb, caressing her hair with her other hand. "I am sorry too, I should have talked to you about it instead of crying about it like a child. Maybe all the jokes of Jeongguk that old age is the new childhood aren't fully wrong after all," she chuckles.

Minhee shakes her head. She knows she'll probably regret crying here somewhere in the future if she'll think back on this but she doesn't care about that now. "Let me make it up to you," she sniffs, holding the elder's hands. "Would you like to go on a shopping date?"

...

"Ahh, it's been so long since I have come out to shop like this." Mrs Jeon says, sitting at one of the benches inside the mall. She looks at Minhee and makes a huffing face, "Jeongguk and his father, both of them hate when I ask them to come shopping with me, even though they would go alone for the whole day."

Minhee laughs, sipping the milkshake they bought on the way.

"It is good to have a daughter-in-law indeed." It is sighed out. Minhee wonder's why? She is sitting right beside her then why does it feel like Mrs Jeon is still yearning for a daughter-in-law?

"I am content now. I think I have done enough shopping for like...the next year as well."

"I am always up for some, we can be shopping buddies."

Mrs Jeon laughs, nodding. "Sounds good to me."

It becomes silent then. Minhee is unsure what to say anymore and whenever she darts around her brain, she only finds things related to Jeongguk to say. She wants to ask if Jeongguk has had Bam for a long time and if he has more pets. If Jeongguk likes to sing because she saw an abandoned karaoke machine in his storeroom or if she has some childhood pictures she can see and tease him about.

Since when was she curious about him?

"I hope you have adjusted at home." Mrs Jeon says after a few beats of silence. "Jeongguk isn't the type to make every place in his house, home. You can see it anywhere he goes. Even in his office, he'll have one area warm and other areas neglected. I didn't understand him at first but figured out he tries to make a small comforting bubble for himself. Just himself."

Minhee licks her lips. She doesn't know why she's being told all of this.

"He doesn't let anyone near it, doesn't try to make everything a home so that anyone else can fit in as well. I don't know when this happened, or maybe I do...but I couldn't help it. I couldn't be a good mother to him..."

Minhee hears the crack in her voice. She wants to comfort her, saying that she's a mother ten times better than any other she has seen. Jeongguk's flaws aren't her fault but she just scoots closer.

"The fact that you're living under the same roof as him, it must have made his mind a mess. He doesn't like it, that's why he often left in the middle of the night to the office to just get some sleep. He can't sleep knowing someone is in the same house as his. Stupid boy."

Minhee can't help but chuckle. It's harmless, has no teasing laced to it but she still presses her lips when she realises. Mrs Jeon shakes her head, laughing lightly as well. "Laugh, laugh all you want at him. It riles him up, he does half of the things only after I laugh at him."

There's a sad smile on Mrs Jeon's face and Minhee knows there's a lot of things hidden behind it. Maybe answers to the questions that revolve in her brain as well.

She doesn't press on the matter but just wraps her arms around her shoulder, murmuring. "You're the best mother Jeongguk or, rather anyone can ask for."

It makes her sad. It reminds her of her mom, her betrayal and her harsh words. She wishes there comes a day where she can say that to her own mom too. Minhee then sees a doughnut shop and asks Mrs Jeon to wait for a moment before she buys something to eat.

The mall's crowded, murmurs of people and machines working around. But when Minhee stands up with her wallet to buy something, she doesn't miss Mrs Jeon whispering.

"And you're the best person Jeongguk could marry too."

It pierces right through her heart but she doesn't show any reaction to it. She internally shakes her head at that.

I can only wish you were correct about it, Mrs Jeon.

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TT