"Between Our Keys And Strings" ☑️ [2Min ❤️]

5.

Eomma, I'm leaving!" Seungmin called out, slinging his bag over his shoulder and fumbling with his tie in front of the mirror.

"Wait, where are you going? Piano class doesn’t start this early," his mother asked, puzzled, while plating breakfast at the kitchen counter.

"Eomma, did you forget I have a restaurant I need to be at every day?" he replied, still wrestling with his tie.

"Oh, right! But don’t you have class?"

"I do, but I told them I won’t be there this week. I’ll attend in the evenings after work."

"So it’s only your first day, and you’re already skipping classes?"

"Eomma, it’s necessary. Besides, they said the first week is just repetition, so I can practice at home." Seungmin spoke while knotting the tie—wrong again.

With a sigh, his mother gently slapped his hands away and began fixing the tie herself.

"Honestly, get yourself a wife who can tie this properly. Even after Googling 'how to tie a tie' a thousand times, you still can’t get it right."

"Or maybe a husband," Sunoo chimed in casually as he walked out of his room, sipping a glass of water.

"Kim Sunoo."

The cold, sharp voice came from the woman on the sofa, still hidden behind her newspaper—watching the scene unfold, or more specifically, watching the three Kims in the house.

"Don’t say such foolish things," their grandmother snapped. "Only men and women are meant to marry."

Sunoo didn’t flinch. He stood his ground.

"Why? Why can only men and women marry? Everyone has different feelings, different choices."

Their grandmother scoffed and turned a page.

"Let people outside believe what they want. In our family, we’ll never accept such things."

"Tsk. You only remember we’re a ‘family’ when your reputation’s at stake, Mrs. Park Minjun," Seungmin muttered, his voice low and icy. He adjusted the neatly tied knot on his tie without sparing her a glance.

"You disrespectful brat! I’m your mother’s mother! Where are your manners?"

"Don’t talk about relationships when you’ve failed to maintain a single one," Seungmin shot back. "Respect is earned, not inherited—and you, my so-called grandmother, haven’t earned mine."

He picked up his things, heading toward the door.

"Eomma, please give me and Sunoo our lunch. I’ll drop him at university and make sure he eats."

Sensing the tension, his mother simply nodded and handed them their packed meals without a word.

"Eat well and take care." Seungmin smiled softly at her, caressing her cheek as he whispered the words—though his eyes flicked sideways to shoot a final glare at his grandmother.

"Bye, Eomma," Sunoo said with a small hug.

Their mother smiled faintly, waving them off, her heart quietly warmed by her sons’ love—even if the air inside the house still stung. She turned away, tied an apron around her waist, and went back to her chores, ignoring her mother completely.

At Seungmin’s Restaurant

After feeding Sunoo and dropping him off, Seungmin arrived at his restaurant.

The cool blast of the A.C., the scent of raw ingredients, and the soft background music greeted him as he stepped inside. He placed his things on the counter and tied an apron around his waist.

"Oh, look who finally showed up—the young beauty himself," a voice teased behind him.

He didn’t have to turn to know who it was.

"Good morning to you too, Jeongin," Seungmin replied with a smirk.

"Come on, baby, when are you going to return my love?" Jeongin grinned dramatically.

"Never. Not even in your dreams, baby."

They both burst into laughter at their ongoing inside joke.

"You know," Jeongin said between chuckles, "if we keep joking like this, someone’s really going to think we’re dating."

Seungmin kept laughing, while Jeongin quietly admired the way his face lit up.

Eventually, Seungmin wiped his eyes and pointed toward the kitchen. "Alright, enough joking. Back to work. Don’t just stand there staring at me."

Jeongin smiled—small and genuine. . .which was as always unnoticed by Seungmin.

"How’s university?" Seungmin asked, already prepping ingredients.

"Eh, nothing special. Just so-so."

"Study hard, okay?"

"Nae, hyung."

With that, both of them immersed themselves in cooking. Seungmin let the rhythm of chopping, sizzling, and serving slowly wash away the morning’s bitterness.

And it worked.

(Should I post more than one part a day?)
Happy Reading ❤️.