Author's POV
"— Ara." Taehyung finished her sentence, which surprised her.
"H-How did you know my name?" She asked in amusement.
Taehyung smiled, "I've known you back in college. Well, not literally known that much, like so much. I just see you around since we were batch mates back then." He explained while Ara nodded as she hummed.
"That's, uhm, interesting." She replied with a bashful smile.
"Hwayoung, can you please get daddy the donuts?" Namjoon's voice was heard, which interrupted the two.
"Okay, daddy!" Hwayoung responded and took the box of Krispy Kreme with her to the kitchen.
The two watched her leave. It's funny how they look like a happy family together in the kitchen. Ara glances at Taehyung to see his expression and she sees a bittersweet smile on his face while looking at them. To divert his attention, she faked a cough.
"I've heard about you, too. Seoyeon always mentioned you to me." Ara said and his bittersweet smile turned into a sweet one.
"Really? What did she say?" He asked.
"She told me how loving and sweet you are to her."
"Well, she deserves nothing but love and every good thing there is. I guess my brother is the most capable of giving that to her." He shrugged as he chuckled a little.
Both of them sighed, feeling different pain at the same time. Pain of not being chosen by the one you love was his. Pain of seeing the one you love being in pain because of his unrequited love was hers.
"You're very admirable, you know." She praised, "It takes a lot of courage to let go of someone you love, especially if the reason is because you know that she'll be happier with someone else."
"What do you mean?" He asked curiously.
"I know how it feels, to witness the one you love fall in love with someone else." She said with a pained smile. "I, too, have seen the man I love fall in love with someone else. I didn't do anything, because I know that he will never have the happiness he is experiencing with the woman he wants."
"That's sad...." Taehyung frowned, "Don't worry. He's stupid for missing out a very beautiful and kind woman like you." He assured, which somehow made Ara laugh.
'Only if you know who that man is....' She thought.
"See? Smiling suits you best. You have a beautiful smile." He complimented.
"You're the one who's not smiling that much, Mr. Kim Taehyung." She answered back sassily, making him grin with how funny she is. "Now we're talking! That's the smile of an Adonis." She cheered.
Taehyung couldn't contain himself in joining Ara as they chuckled upon their goofiness. Meanwhile, the three in the kitchen are pretty much enjoying each other's company. Especially the two.
"Tada! Just like what you wanted." Namjoon said after Seoyeon opened the box of donuts.
"Thank you, love. Hm, they look so good." She hummed as she looked at those perfectly glazed donuts and the light made the glaze shine.
"Anything for my girl." He kissed her cheek then rested his chin on her shoulder, while also securely hugging her from behind.
Hwayoung, on the other hand, is just courteously sitting at the table while watching her supposedly parents being all lovey-dovey. Not for long, she eventually got her juice and is now being served with a donut.
"Eat well, my sweetheart." Seoyeon uttered sweetly, and quickly caressed her cheek. "I'll just serve these to Ara and Taehyung." She then excused herself to accommodate the two in the living room.
While being left alone in the kitchen, Hwayoung called Namjoon's attention.
"Daddy, I asked the nanny why mommy is not living with us. She said it's because you and mommy aren't married yet." She said while slicing her donut with a fork.
"Apparently, me and mommy are still dating. As much as daddy wants mommy to live with us, I still don't want to put too much pressure on it. Do you understand that?"
"No, I don't." She answered honestly, which made Namjoon smile.
"It means that I don't want Seoyeon to feel that she needs to marry me because I only want to, but because we both want to. For example, when you don't feel like playing with dolls with your friend but she keeps on telling you to play with dolls with her. How would you feel?"
"I would feel annoyed."
"You would feel annoyed, okay. Do you like that?"
"No, daddy." She said while shaking her head. "So, you think mommy will be annoyed at you?" She suddenly asked.
"Uhm, yeah." He shrugs, "Although I do ask her about it sometimes, but I don't want her to get annoyed at me asking her about it repeatedly."
"I get it. I don't want mommy to be annoyed at you too, daddy." Hwayoung said as she nodded.
"Why will I get annoyed at your father, sweetie?" Seoyeon asked all of a sudden as she entered the kitchen, taking their attention. "Is he hiding something from me, hm?" She asked jokingly before leaning in to kiss his cheek after getting closer to them.
"Ah, nothing, love. I just told Hwayoung that I don't want to annoy you or else you'll get mad at me." He said, so Seoyeon looked at Hwayoung to make sure.
"That's true, mommy." Hwayoung said in return.
Seoyeon just chuckled as she nodded and took a donut from the box. After taking a bite, she offered Namjoon to bite some. It made her pout to see how big Namjoon's bite was though. He got almost half of the donut.
"They are so soft and chewy." He said while munching it.
"Yeah, I bet they are." She mumbled before eating the donut.
As they enjoyed the donuts, Seoyeon then heard a familiar sound of vehicle outside. She went to check by the window and her guess was right.
"Oh, eomma and appa are home!" She announced.
It made Namjoon almost choke with the donut he was eating, coughing a little while rubbing his chest, after hearing Seoyeon's announcement. He straight up drank a glass of juice and wiped off the glaze on his lips. It's been a while since he felt this nervous, far different from how he felt when facing Seyoung's parents. When the door opened, it was as if he heard a snap.
"We're home!" Seoyeon's father announced as they enter the house.
"Welcome home, appa and eomma. Let me help you with those." Seoyeon offered after seeing the plastic bags.
"It's okay, pumpkin. Your appa is still strong." He assured with a wink, making her smile.
"Hi, uncle and auntie!" Ara greeted as well.
"Hello, my beautiful daughters!" Seoyeon's mother greeted to Ara and Seoyeon.
It wasn't long when her sight found its way to the Kim brothers standing beside each other.
"I see we have company." She smiled, causing her husband to look at the two.
Taehyung and Namjoon immediately bowed their heads to them. Hwayoung, who saw what they did, mimicked them. They remained that way for a few seconds before Seoyeon's father told them to raise their heads.
"Good morning, Mr. and Mrs. Park." Namjoon and Taehyung greeted her parents formally.
"Hello, mommy Seoyeon's mommy and daddy! Good morning!" Hwayoung beamed happily, making the couple chuckle at her cuteness.
Her greeting made Seoyeon giggle a little. Ara bit her lip to contain the smile after hearing the girl call Seoyeon as mommy. She thinks it suits well.
"Good morning as well, my dear one." Seoyeon's mother replied lovingly to Hwayoung before looking at the two. "Welcome to our humble home."
"Thank you for inviting us for lunch, ma'am. We truly appreciate the gesture." Namjoon politely said, bowing again.
"Oh, it's our pleasure. My husband and I are happy to have you here." She said as she gestured to him.
"Thank you as well, sir." He bowed, "Please let me help you with those." Namjoon offered.
"Thank you, Namjoon. I appreciate your help." He then gave him the biggest plastic bag. "Let's go and put them in the kitchen, shall we?" He instructed, so Namjoon followed.
Seoyeon saw how Namjoon's face got happy when he accepted the bag from her father. She watched them enter the kitchen with a relieved smile on her lips. Ara was then told by Seoyeon's mother to assist Taehyung and Hwayoung to the living room. When it was only her and Seoyeon at the receiving area, she cleared her throat to get her daughter's attention.
"Yes, eomma?" Seoyeon asked as she faced her mother, who was smiling slyly at her.
"Mommy Seoyeon, huh?" She joked with a knowing look and poked Seoyeon on the waist, making her flinch and laugh a little.
"I told you, eomma. She calls me mommy." Seoyeon uttered with a bashful smile. "She's such a sweetheart, isn't she?" She asked and her mother nodded affirmatively.
"A very sweet and beautiful child indeed." She added, "Well, let's check on the two in the kitchen or else they might break something."
Her mother's statement made her laugh, knowing how clumsy both her father and Namjoon were. So they went to the kitchen and saw the two putting out the items from the plastic bags. Seoyeon's father is instructing Namjoon where to put the item while Namjoon is just being obedient.
"Alright, boys. We can take it from here. Thank you for helping us." Seoyeon's mother stated when they were done.
"Thank you, love." Seoyeon mouthed to Namjoon, giving him a thumbs-up, which made him smile.
"So, Namjoon.... Would you mind if you accompany me outside?" Seoyeon's father invited, this is the part where usually most of the thrill starts.
"Sure, sir. I'd love to." He answered.
Seoyeon's father motioned his head for him to be followed, which Namjoon did. Before they could walk past the two, Seoyeon casually reached for Namjoon's hand to give it a quick squeeze. That gesture made him feel less anxious about why her father invited him outside.
As he followed Seoyeon's father, he could feel his heartbeat banging like drums. They walked past the gates and that made him curious.
"Has my daughter mentioned to you that we own a flower shop?" He suddenly asked.
"Yes, sir."
"Good. We're heading there. It's just near this neighborhood, don't worry." He assured as he glanced behind to check Namjoon. "You can walk beside me, Namjoon." He gestured, so Namjoon nodded and walked beside her father.
It was a short moment of silence before Seoyeon's father spoke again, "Tell me, how's my daughter doing? Is she working well?"
"Your daughter is very hardworking, sir. She keeps me perfectly on track with all my tasks in the company. She's a secretary that any CEO would wish to have — diligent and responsible." Namjoon answered, "About Seoyeon's well-being, I'm doing my best in taking care of her, sir."
"Hmm…." Her father hummed, "I'm glad to hear that…. And you, how are you?" He asked.
"I'm doing well, sir…. To be honest, I've never been this better and happier than I was before." He confessed while rubbing his nape, smiling bashfully.
"That's good. I'm guessing it has something to do with Seoyeon." He chuckled.
"Indeed, sir. She changed my life, made it even better. I treasure her very much."
"Do you really love my daughter, Namjoon?"
"I do, sir. I love your daughter and I'm willing to love her more, everything about her." He answered sincerely.
"Then, what do you love about my daughter?"
The question made Namjoon fall silent for a short while. He couldn't think of any in particular, there's so much to choose from.
"Cat got your tongue?" Seoyeon's father jokes, snapping Namjoon from his thoughts.
"S-Sorry, sir. I can't enumerate the things I love about her, there's a lot…. But, if there's one, it would be her patience."
"Her patience, you say?"
"Her patience is very admirable. I admit that I was a jerk before. I was rude, impatient, and got angry easily. There were so many employees who applied for that job before her and all of them didn't last longer than a week. All because of my bad attitude and behavior. But Seoyeon, she chose to stay and became very patient with me." He said, then sighed, "If only I could turn back time, I wouldn't treat her that way."
"What matters is that you learned from your mistakes and no longer treat her that way." Her father comforted. "Like what you said, Seoyeon is indeed a patient kid. Patience is a virtue is what she always says. It's been one of her motto since she was a kid." He smiled, reminiscing her childhood days.
"That's a great mindset." Namjoon agreed.
"Well, what do you hate about Seoyeon?" Her father asked.
"I will be honest with you, sir. I don't hate anything about her, but there's one thing that I just feel sad about."
"And what is that?"
"Most of the time, whenever she's having problems, she keeps it to herself. Although she hides it perfectly, I still notice her sometimes. As much as I can, I try to practice open communication between us without breaking any of her boundaries. I just don't want Seoyeon to feel that she has no one to fight with her."
He could sense Namjoon's genuine care towards Seoyeon with how he said those words. He didn't ask any further since they'd reached the flower shop. When they entered, a worker greeted them.
"Greetings, monsieur!" The worker beamed, making Seoyeon's father laugh. "I heard your daughter is home from Seoul?" He asked.
"Why, yes. This man I'm with is my daughter's boyfriend." His answer caused a smile to form on Namjoon's face.
"What a handsome man!" The worker praised.
"Thank you, sir!" Namjoon bowed.
"So, what can I help you with? Another bouquet of roses for madame?" The worker raised a perfectly made bouquet of red roses.
"You already know me." Seoyeon's father said as he took the bouquet. "I always get a bouquet of roses for my wife. It's her favorite." He explained to Namjoon, who nodded as he hummed.
"Can I please get a bouquet of red tulips, too?" Namjoon asked the worker.
"Right away, handsome monsieur."
"Red tulips?" Seoyeon's father asked.
"Seoyeon loves tulips, sir, especially the red ones." Namjoon beamed.
"Then I should prepare a lot of tulips for your wedding, huh?" That sudden remark stunned Namjoon.
[A/N: Hellooo! It's been a while again. I hope you are all having a nice week so far. I've made a teaser for the sequel, which I will upload after the last chapter of this story. Speaking of last chapter, I'm thinking of having Chapter 70 as the last one. Anyway, stay safe and lovelots!]