#Taejin - In My Silence

Chapter 10: An Old Friend

Jeon Jungkook was Taehyung's college friend, now a successful stockbroker. They were in different departments at the university and met for the first time at the basketball field on campus. They hit it off immediately and became friends. However, after they graduated, Jungkook moved to a different city to start his career and they eventually lost contact.

"So, are you still single?" Jungkook asked over their dinner table at a restaurant after they decided to catch up with the past. A bar was obviously way too noisy to make a decent conversation, so they drove here instead.

"Single and still straight, Kook."

"Ouch, straight up a rejection. I haven't even proposed anything." He chuckled. Jungkook had always harbored a crush on Taehyung. He had always hoped that their friendship would develop into something more, but he knew that Taehyung could never see him as more than a friend.

"You've been pining for me since college. I thought you've already moved on."

"I already have. But you're still as handsome as I remember, Tae, so there's no harm in trying again, I guess?"

"Keep trying! You're wasting your time. Why would you invest your time in something that you know you will obviously lose? You should've known better about unprofitable investments, you're a stockbroker." Taehyung said coldly with eyes rolling, making Jungkook chuckle.

"Still blunt and savage like the old times as well. You would have offended many people with that kind of attitude. I wonder how can you survive in your workplace, Tae?"

"Almost didn't...." Taehyung replied in a low tone.

"Huh?"

"... Someone... often cleans my mess, every time I make one..."

"So, you made a lot of messes? Why am I not surprised?"

Taehyung shrugged nonchalantly.

"Must be tough handling you, huh! Only God knows how many people you have offended. Good thing you have a benefactor who cleans up for you, then."

"A benefactor?" Taehyung repeated to himself. "More like... a guardian angel." He said with a mellow voice.

"A guardian angel?!" Jungkook giggled. "There is no such thing as a guardian angel who does things without expecting anything in return. You know there's no free lunch in life, Tae. Maybe the one you have is a sugar momma instead?" Jungkook teased.

"A sugar momma?!" Taehyung chuckled. "Naah!"

"Naaah, I bet she's old enough to have an influential position in your workplace to keep you there, and I double my bet that she's a single lady, or already married but naughty, considering all she did for you."

"Huh?! Nooo! You have to stop gambling, Kook! You lost a big time. He's actually a man, and still young too! And no, he never had any ulterior motive towards me."

"A man, huh? How much has he done for you?" Jungkook asked, but Taehyung's answer was simply silence. He was lost in his deep thoughts. How much? Maybe too much... The heated arguments with his fellow surgeon, the incompetent resident doctor whom he scolded a lot and reported him to HRD for workplace bullying, the delusional nurse who threw herself at him but then set him up for sexual harassment when she didn't get what she wanted... Those were some among the many.

"You know you're a difficult person! It was nice to have someone who did a lot for you without any hidden motive. Love is indeed the greatest thing to drive that kind of sacrifice and devotion." Jungkook continued. "He's gay, I bet?"

Taehyung rendered mute in an instant.

Jungkook smirked. "So, I was right this time," he mumbled. "He must've loved you so much..."

..... the greatest thing to drive that kind of sacrifice and devotion....?

Love....? 

The shock on Taehyung's face was evident as he struggled to process the information. A big chunk of a lump stuck in his throat, it was hard to swallow. He now lost every word to utter. Overwhelmed with emotions, the only thing he could do was sit there in stunned silence. His mind was racing as he tried to come to terms with this unexpected revelation. He had always thought that Seokjin saw him only as a friend, and the idea that he might actually have feelings for him was almost too much to comprehend.

Taehyung's eyes roamed in a random general direction in front of him, until his eyes caught someone familiar sitting a few tables away.

"Chairwoman Kim Young-Hee," he talked more to himself, still in a daze.

"Who?"

"Uh... The hospital's owner..." He stuttered back to reality. "I... I have to greet her." He said, almost like a robot. "Wait here." He got up and approached the sophisticated lady who was currently enjoying dinner with an old man.

"Chairwoman Kim, good evening. I'm sorry to bother you, I saw you here and I just wanna say hello..."

"Aaah!" Kim Young-Hee tried to recall the face of a young man in front of him. "You're... Seokjin's friend, right?"

The old man in front of him looked up from his plate with a friendly smile on his face.

"Yes..."

"Umm... Doctor—-?"

"Kim Taehyung, from the Cosmetic Surgery Department."

"Oh, Doctor Kim Taehyung! It's very nice to meet you again. Come and dine with us sometime. Seokjin rarely brings his friends home, you see."

"Huh? I mean, pardon me?" Home? Taehyung was flabbergasted.

Kim Young-Hee chuckled. "Ah, I bet he also never mentioned that I am his mother?"

The old man in front of them giggled as well and shook his head in amusement.

Taehyung's mouth gaped, but no words came out.

"Taehyung—-can I call you that?" She asked again, to which Taehyung nodded, still trying to digest the new information. "Well then, Taehyung, I should reintroduce myself again. I'm Seokjin's mother, Kim Young-Hee. And this is my father, Kim—-"

"Doctor Kim Min Joon?"

"Yes."

"The founder of our hospital." Taehyung bowed deeply. "Nice to finally meet you in person, Sir."

Kim Min Joon chuckled. "Nice to meet you too, Son. Please understand Seokjin's reason for not telling everybody about his family. He feels awfully awkward about all of this."

Taehyung was bewildered, but nodded anyway. "Uh, please enjoy your dinner. I've interrupted enough." He said before they exchanged some more pleasantries and Taehyung went back to his table in more confusion than ever.

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