the anatomy of love / jungri

05. 父母之命: 2

05. THE LIFE WHICH IS OWED.
part ii

Jungkook would later ask me, after the whole ordeal, if there was, in all my voracious habits of literary consumption, any book I regret having read.

"The Metamorphosis. Kafka." I would then say, "It's the kind of book that makes you feel all the wrong sorts of emotions. I don't like feeling angry after reading a book, but I was after that one. I was sad, too—empty sadness."

He'd peer at me from across the bed, where I was lying on my stomach, chin propped in my hands, legs curled at the knee and feet suspended mid-air.

Of course, he would ask me my reasons, and in the end, I would admit to him: that maybe, at the time, I simply wanted to believe family was more than what Kafka made it to be.

—

"Jungkook, I'm glad to finally meet you."

My mother is polite as Jungkook rises from his bow, her hand gesturing out for Heechul to accept Jungkook's gifts at the doorstep.

Despite spending the evening helping him learn about my family, Jungkook took care of much else on his own. He'd brought gifts, as was the tradition, large boxes and fancy bags of things I would have to sneak a peek through later.

"As am I." my father says when Jungkook bows to him next, extending his hand for a shake. "We've heard a lot about you."

It takes a few moments for everyone to get situated at the table, but my mother has the food brought in almost immediately after everyone sits. I'd let go of Jungkook's hand sometime in the process, but after seating myself in the large, wooden chair I'd practically grown up eating on, I grip his knee under the table.

Jungkook cracks a smile, but doesn't react visibly as my hand fidgets below the tablecloth, before his hand reaches underneath and clasps mine again.

I toss him a glance that a piano teacher would send their student before a recital. Encouraging, but nervous—actually, it felt more along the lines of a "Jeon Jungkook, please don't die."

My father starts the conversation, which begins with basic questioning. "How did you and Yerim meet each other?"

"The Choi wedding, about ten years ago." Jungkook answers. "We've been friends ever since."

"I see. And you attended school out of the country?"

"Cornell for my graduate. I wasn't old enough to live out on my own for my undergrad."

"Ah, if I remember correctly, you graduated high school quite early."

"Yes, I was able to complete my doctorate at an earlier age than most."

"What made you take an interest in your family business? As the youngest, you should have been able to pursue anything you wanted."

"I didn't think I would grow to enjoy it at first, either. I almost completely rejected the idea, if I'm honest. I actually planned to become a dentist, before realizing that curation and subsequent experiments were actually interesting to me."

"Your family is fortunate to have you." my father comments.

"No, I am fortunate to have them." Jungkook replies humbly.