"Are you okay, dad?" I ask him, fixing my rear mirror.
"I am good," he almost whispers.
"I am sorry, dad. I should have told you about this. But I didn't know how I would have explained all this on the phone," the windscreen is the best way to avoid looking at him.
"It's okay, don't worry." He is surprisingly calmed.
"I could have never imagined Jung Woo as him. He has groomed so much." He states.
"I mean, yeah! Did you know dad, I slapped him first when he told me."
"No wonder," he holds the upper handle, as I make a turn.
"I mean dad, I was so frustrated at him. That old-time was so terrible and it started playing in front of me." He nods.
"Dad, do you still hate them?" I know I have been assuring Jungkook that he doesn't hate him, but I need to make sure that's the case.
"No, sweetheart." He lets out a light laugh. "There should be no hate for people who are from your past. They are always better than the new ones."
I smile. His compassion is greater than what I think. "And I don't know whatever feuds you had with his father, he is gone now after all."
"Feuds?" he questions me.
"Yes. You had business clashes with his father, didn't you?" I make the last turn, but dad remains silent for long.
"Dad?" I yell to bring him back into the conversation.
"Yes, yes. I had some. No, I had many." I have never seen him this confused before. He is thinking. His memory is not that bad that he has some trouble remembering about it, something is fishy.
I stop the car in front of the building.
"You go, I'll park the car." He nods and leaves the car.
************************
[Next day]
I put up the last touches on his face, making sure he is not missing anything. He is sleeping, so deeply that he doesn't flinch. He had been playing games with Jin the whole night, knowing that he has to attend his formal lunch today with the executives of the state. The boys are quietly sitting outside after I reprimanded them for this non-serious behavior. And I am angry at Jungkook too, but I am so proud of him as well. He has become a global star and contributed so much to this country. He's a gentleman.
I lightly tap the powder on his face and go back to the table to arrange all of my makeup equipment. "Get up and change, so that Jimin can do your hair."
I turn back, expecting him to be sleeping, but he is finally awake now, though his eyes are puffy.
"Get up, already!" I try to act rigidly to remind him not to repeat this.
"You don't look good when you are angry." He says. I roll my eyes and turn my back on him.
"Come here," he grabs my waist from both of his arms and pulls me towards him. My feet move back without any stop and my hips gently land on one of his thighs. He puts his all-glowing face on my shoulder and hums the song he wrote for me.
"No, this won't help," I say right away recognizing the song.
"You want me to write a new song for you?"
"You can't convince me every time like this," I say, my cold behavior is at the edge of disappearing now.
"Okay, I am sorry. I should have taken care of that. I won't let Jin sleep another day in my house." I turn my body sideways to see his face and he grabs my thighs to place them over him. I am in his lap again.
"That's not what I meant."
"Anyways, it's your fault too," he looks in the mirror.
"Don't you dare blame this on me?"
"Well, hyungs don't stay here when you are staying. If you were here, I wouldn't have played all night long." I take a long sigh and look at the ceiling. He has reasons for everything.
"It still doesn't make a difference." I return my gaze back to him and attract his eyes towards me. "You think you would have slept when I stayed here?" His eyes steal glances and he pouts. I let out a light laugh, followed by his.
"This house missed you." I look at his genuine eyes.
"And the resident?" I poke my finger onto his chest.
"He doesn't need to tell you that, every time." I hide a wide smile, and he leans to kiss my cheek, lightly.
"I might need a way to keep you here, forever." He whispers in my ear. "And there's only one way I can think of." I slap him lightly on his shoulder and get myself off his lap.
"Go and change, I'll call Jimin." I open the door and the boys freeze at their positions. Jin and Namjoon are at the table and Jimin and Hobi are on the couch.
"Jimin, you can do his hair now." He nods and gets up from the couch.
"Guys, can you all just chill?" I could see the relaxation in everyone's body around the lounge, along with a smile.
******************
[1 week later]
Dad's cargo is finally here, and there are things I never imagined he would bring. He bought his whole room furniture here. His discomfort could easily be known by the creaks of his bed that echo in the whole apartment at night. I woke up in the morning to find the furniture lying in the hallway and there is barely any space to walk around. Whereas, dad is successful in dragging his tiny side-table into his room already.
"Don't you move another piece, dad!" His hands that were resting on his wooden chair stopped right at their place. "Your back will ache again."
"Sorry, honey. But it needs to be done. I don't want you to tire yourself," he straightens himself.
"Don't worry. I will call some help." He pouts in an unsatisfied manner, looking at his precious furniture. I walk to the lounge, making sure I don't hit my pinky anywhere. My eyes are now diverted to the huge carton boxes lying on the lounge's floor. There are four in total and almost reach my knees.
"What is in them?" I look back at dad who is cooking something in the kitchen.
"One of them has my books." I peek into that box to find his favorite on top, "100 things millionaires do"
"One of them has my artifacts." If he brings a new artifact home, know that he got his paycheck that day.
"Two of them just have my document files." I wonder if these two boxes are too confined to fit in his millions of business files.
"Who are you calling for help?" He alerts me. "Jungkook?"
"Oh no. He is busy rehearsing today. I'll call his friend."
He nods and I pick up my phone to call Taehyung.
[Three hours later]
"Thank you so much, Taehyung. You have gotten me rid of my headache for all the arrangements."
"No need to. I am glad I was of help," he sips from his cup. "I don't drink coffee, but this is delicious."
"It's imported, that's why." I laugh at his cute, astonished expressions. And we get back to gulping it while looking at the busy road from the balcony.
"Umm, if you don't mind, can I ask something?" I look up at him. "Sure?"
"Well, I was always curious about this. How did your mother pass away?" He asks with a bit of hesitation in his tone.
"It was an accident; a car accident to be more precise."
"I am sorry." He taps me lightly on my shoulder. "Was she driving alone?"
"Nope. She was in a taxi." I say, looking at his sad face.
"I am so proud of you, Hana. You are a strong girl." A little smile appears and his hand stops tapping me and just rests on my shoulder.
"It has never been easy, but I don't complain either," I take another sip from my cup.
"I have a question too," I ask and he gives me a smirk, so I drop it before he says a yes.
"What was Jungkook like in his college life? I just remember when he was in school."
"Ah, he was a very dull one in the start. He didn't talk much or didn't show a keen interest in the class either. He had pretty bad grades too."
"But he wasn't like that. He was one of the brilliant children in school," I cut him off.
"Well yes, it was evident. He was just too absorbed in his surroundings that he completely transformed into someone I can't even imagine today." He stops and places his cup on the tiny table, placed against the grill.
"He had a really bad time. I used to always sit in the front and he was always in the back. His presence didn't even count sometimes."
"So, how did he come out of it?"
"It was Jimin. He was a new admission and I still remember he sat on the empty seat beside Jungkook that was left empty for months. And then, their bond became strong, and there wasn't a single moment they weren't together. I noticed his improvement when he suddenly scored the second-highest in the class."
He stops and laughs lightly as if remembering a good moment from the past.
"Then, we worked together on a project, and eventually, their aura caught me," he chuckles. "And with time, he took off that cloak of hopelessness and his brightness still pricks my eyes."
He ended it with a pursed smile and sad eyes.
"But you know what makes him the brightest?" he turns to me. I raise my eyebrows.
"You." The last sip stayed still in my mouth. I couldn't take it in nor spit it out. "Me?" I point at myself.
"When he is with you, he smiles more, he laughs more and he sees everything with love in his eyes. You have a great impact on him."
I don't know how to react. Coming from his mouth soothes me out and Taehyung notices a change in him after all those years makes my heart so warm. He places both of his hands on my shoulders.
"Just stay with him, always. It makes me so happy when I see him happy after all he went through." He stops, but his mouth stays open. "And of course you. I still remember how nervous you were when you joined. Your happiness is so vibrant that it makes all of our work even harder for Jungkook."
"Thank you, Taehyung." I hug him and he gently places his arms on my shoulders. "And don't worry, I would risk my life, but I'll never leave your friend alone." I pull myself back and look at him. "Your heart is much better at work than your muscles," I say to him, lightly hitting his biceps, but ending up getting my hand hurt.
Bricks.
*********************