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Wedding is a public union of two persons with common goal. Non- soulmates could only have a wedding but no soul ceremony.
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"I was not thinking this over. What should I do" She's all panicky as asks Hannah, who is obviously laughing at the other line. "Hannah!" She whines.
"And you thought I was over dramatic when I was about to meet mother-in-law." Hannah replies while giggling.
"Sorry for that...but... what should I do? Tell me." She asks as she keep on arranging the platters.
"What should I tell you? I only know Mrs. Jung." Hannah retorts, obviously having fun of her misery.
"Do you think the cake is enough? The cookies? The tea?" Daun lists all the things that she had prepared. She should have baked one if she had time.
"Wow. That's a lot." Hannah teases.
"Do you think they would like more fruits? I only have strawberries right now." Daun continues.
"Wait." Hannah stops Daun's rumblings. "Are you perhaps hosting a feast?"
"Well... as what Jinnie-oppa said, there will be three of them."
"Just be yourself. I know you could tame them, just like what you did to mom." Hannah soothes.
Her phone vibrates, indicating an incoming call.
"I'm so sorry to cut you off. Yoongi-oppah is calling me." She apologitically says, hangs up and proceeds to answer Yoongi. "Hi!"
"Hello, Kitten." Yoongi's voice is as raspy as the morning when she greeted her once again with his naughty tongue. "How are you?"
"I think I'm fine." Her cheeks are hot with his touch still lingering on her skin.
"You can choose to go out from there and be somewhere else you know." He says with sincerity.
"But I can't do that and I won't." She smiles, feeling a bit calm as she listens to his voice.
"We will be there in an hour. Maybe they are there already-" Before Yoongi could finish his statement, the doorbell dings.
"Opps. I think so too." She looks at the door. "Quick. Tell me I can do this." She waits for his encouragement.
"You can do this Daun-ah." He chuckles. "And I love you." She blushes and hangs up the phone. Her heart skips, still not getting over of his confession. The way he says it never fails on making her so warm.
She hurriedly opens the door with a huge smile plastered on her face.
"Good afternoon." She greets.
There is an awkward silence.
"Daun-ah? Sweetheart?" Mrs. Jung's gasp is so loud with her surprise.
"Oh... how lovely you have grown." The woman moves forward and immediately hugs her tight. Her surprise and glee are obvious on her face.
"Mrs. Jung." She adoringly smiles to the sweet woman. She is as welcoming as before, always endearingly joyful just like her son.
Someone's clearing of throat cuts off their joy of meeting once again, making her realize that she had failed to welcome them inside.
"Come on in." She embarrassingly says. A sweat is obvious on her forehead.
"Oh... the place has become homier." Mrs. Jung chats a lot more.
She only smiles as she nervously observes the three as they look around the penthouse.
Knowing her love of plants, her seven had been gifting her pots and pots of it. It had been creeping along the walls of the veranda. New palm plants are adorning their living room along with Namjoon's bonsais. Her succulents are becoming accessories to the tables and kitchen cabinets. The greens truly evolved the place into a more relaxing haven.
"Indeed. I always told Jinnie to add more to the place. Imagine my horror with minimalism." The other woman adds. Daun is sure that she is the eldest's mother. He has her cheery lips.
Daun is simply at the sides, politely nodding and smiling to their every comment. The other seems so quite with how piercing her dragon eyes are to her. She can't mistake it. She is Namjoon's mother. She has the same authority on her presence. Her gaze is calculative as she looks at Daun from head to toe. Perhaps it's just in her nature, being a successful businesswoman and a mother to two genius children. Jungkook had told her that Namjoon's sister is equally brainiac and a true academic who follows their mother's footsteps.
"And you are?" Namjoon's mother asks. Her voice is stern.
'Strike two.' Daun worriedly thinks. She just didn't almost forget to welcome them inside, she also almost forgot to introduce herself to them.
Quickly, she bows politely. "I am Lee Daun." She starts, but she is tongue tied to continue. Her nerves are acting up. She had repeatedly rehearsed it a while ago. However, now it somehow evaporates with her nervousness.
"Their hired help? A new manager?" Namjoon's mother asks with a raised brow.
Silence.
Daun doesn't know how to counter that. She knows that the woman has a perfect idea who she is.
"Aren't you their soulmate, dear?" Mrs. Jung inquires. "Ji-woo had told me that I would be elated to know who Hoseok-ah's soulmate. She didn't tell me more but the moment you greeted us at the entrance, I know she was referring you."
"Ohhh." Daun feels so relieved as she listens to Mrs. Jung's mumblings. It's nice to hear that someone is rooting for her. "I'm sorry. It's just, it's a first to introduce myself as their soulmate. Oftentimes, they are the one to do that." She shyly says, still bowing to them.
"I heard you have been living with them for months now. I was all confused with the postponement of their tour but never followed-up thinking perhaps its because of their work, Only to know the real reason with Mrs. Jung." Namjoon's mother haughtily says. "For all those months. Don't tell me, you haven't introduced our sons to your parents?" Her pitch increases with exasperation and dissapointment.
She bit her lips. 'She right.' With all those months, it is expected that she had introduced them to her parents. That is, if she has parents to do that.
"Oh... Namjoon omma." Mrs. Jung comes to the resque. The woman knows her status, being the one who gave her a parental consent to the seventeen year old Daun just to travel to Paris and search for her biological father. She was the one who encouraged her more with the search after tearing up so much with her story.
"They died already... maam." Daun solemnly and respectfully answers. "I unfortunately didn't have the chance to see them or know them. I'm sorry." She bows deeply, her eyes downcast with shame as she says the last statement. The matter is so much sensitive for her. Maybe this is why they don't want her to meet their parents yet as they thought that it would hurt her. After all, if she talked about her papa to Namjoon and the others, she would always end up crying. Even with age. Even though she had tried cutting her connection to him, she is still a daughter, still wishing for a love from any of their paternal bond.
Daun failed to see the surprise of the three women with her bow. Mrs. Kim, Namjoon's mom in particular is taken a back and brought speechless. Mrs. Jung, once again saves the day with her gasp and commentary on the laid out food at the kitchen counter.
"Would you like some tea?" Daun tries to compose herself and immediately hides from their presence as she begins to prepare their snacks.
"I'm sorry with Mrs. Kim. She may come out rude but she is only concerned to the seven boys." Jin's mother sweetly says as she follows her a while later. She has the same loving smile. Her face shows beauty and youth even with her age. " They might be already men but for us , as their mothers, they are still our babies. I hope you forgive her rashness." She adds soothingly.
Daun can't help but hold on her words.
"It's okay." Daun mirrors the tender glow of concern in Jin's mother with her dimpled smile.
**********
"Darling!" Jin's voice echoes to the penthouse as he smooches kisses on Daun's face. She only giggles with the eldest's dramatic entrance. There is only one reason with his antics.
"They are no longer here Jinnie-oppa." She whispers to his ears as she returns his kisses with pecks on his cheeks.
"None? As in they left?" Jungkook peeps over the living room together with Jimin and Taehyung.
"What do you mean by that? It's only an hour from their intrusion." Namjoon asks surprised.
"Your mother received an important call. She had to leave earlier than expected." She calmly smiles and kisses his cheeks as a greeting.
"Really?" He double takes.
"Yes...really." She eye smiles.
"So, how was it?" Hoseok asks as he in turn hugs and kisses her forehead. "Were they okay?"
"It was. I think?" She hesitates to answer. The other two were okay.However, she couldn't say that Namjoon's mother seemed to be disliking her or something. "It was just okay." She lovingly smiles.
"So what to do with all these take outs?" Yoongi asks with a pout as if he doesn't want to be holding all the packed food.
She laughs. As expected with the second's eldest's tendency to bring all the forgotten things. She bets the others were in a haste for her rescue, forgetting all the packed food that they are bringing.
"We can eat them all." Daun dashes towards the grumpy man and playfully smooches a loud kiss on his lips.
**********
The gallery is quite. It's already late and no one is expected to be getting in already as the closing time is near. Daun is walking around, checking the hallways for any remaining guests when she sees a very familiar woman in front of her biggest creation. It is a painting of seven little boys running around, seemingly playing a game of tag in the middle of the mist with obvious tiger lilies on their skins.
"Good afternoon Mrs. Kim." Daun respectfully greets with a bow. However, the woman remains unnerving as she gazes more intently on the painting. She lifts her self up and looks at the painting, letting herself engulf in the happy scene in front of her.
"I miss my Joonie." Daun hears longing on the woman's voice.
Daun only nods and tilts her head towards the woman. She notices the wrinkles on her face. She looks more an elderly with all the years of experience in life rather than a strict business woman with her white collared blouse and her dark pair of slacks.
"It has been two years since his last visit at home. That brat seemed to have millions of reasons on his sleeve just to avoid me. Seeing this painting makes me look back to the carefree and cute Namjoon. He had been soft at heart. I thought he was gay or something, so when I knew about their soulmates, I insisted for them to have the soul ceremony to tie their souls indefinitely. I thought it would protect them from backlash if they will be known. After all... they are all in Multiples and above all, they are all men." Mrs. Kim faces her. Her dragon eyes are no longer piercing. "I never bothered to question his disagreement. I never asked why." She smiles a little. "I know now why." She pauses. "Mrs. Jung told me everything she knows about you. I am sorry." She bows a little.
Immediately Daun raises her palms to stop her. It's embarrassing for someone beyond her years to bow down on her. "Don't mention it Mrs. Kim." She stutters. "I do understand."
"I was quick to judge you." She states firmly.
"Only because you cared for Joonie."
Mrs. Kim dimpled smile. "I do. I am happy that you understand. I wish to know more about you Daun dear." She pauses with her eyes no intently looking at Daun. They somehow morph into a sweet gentle caress like a mother looks to her beloved child. "Let's meet up again."
"Yes Mrs. Kim."
"And call me omma." She reaches out for her shoulders to pat. "You need at least seven moms to turn to with those seven brats. "
Daun almost cries with that.
With the emptiness of the gallery, their heels are the only rhythmic serenity that resounds. It's akin to Daun's heart as it beats with the overwhelming warmth that blankets her. She can only sweetly smiles to the woman that she can now call her mom.