“I’m scared.”
Hyunji doesn’t even realise that the words are flying out of her mouth and into the open air before she can catch them and lock them away somewhere. But even if she had, the look in her eyes and nervous breathing would probably give it away anyway.
“I am too.” Jungkook swallows, admitting it for the first time.
He knew it probably wouldn’t help with Hyunji’s situation, admitting that he was anxious as well, but he had to let it out at some point.
Because he was fucking terrified.
There was no denying that everything was about to fall apart and their parents were about to lose their minds at the slightly irresponsible choice that they were making.
But there was no going back now.
They had made their choice, which just seemed like the easiest part of the whole plan.
Now the shit was about to get real.
“We can’t stand out here forever.” he finally sighs, glancing down at Hyunji who stood right next to him, the both of them waiting right in front of her porch, as if the ground would swallow them whole if they dared to take another step.
“Do we have to tell them?” Hyunji gulps, her slightly frantic eyes looking up at him.
Jungkook purses his lips before pushing out a puff of air through his lips.
“It would be the responsible thing to do.”
Who was he kidding? They were getting married to have sex. Nothing about it was being responsible.
“You’re right,” She sighs, her eyes fluttering shut this time, trying to calm her nerves. “Let’s just get this over with.”
Jungkook says nothing as she takes the first step towards the front door, following as she punches in the code to unlock the door. She flashes him a quick glance before finally turning the handle and letting the door creak open.
He steps inside right after her, hearing the distant laughter of their parents from what he assumed was the dining room where they had started eating without them. They take their shoes off, their hearts ringing in their ears as they walk towards the voices echoing through the house.
“I thought I heard the door open!” Hyunji isn’t too surprised when she’s suddenly engulfed into a tight hug as soon as they’re by the kitchen, her breath caught in her throat as she hugs the elder woman back with a small smile.
“Oh look at you darling, you look stunning!”
Blood rushes to her cheeks from Mrs.Jeon’s compliment, her smile growing wider as the anxiety within her is almost forgotten.
“Thank you Mrs.Jeon,” Hyunji says as his new mother-in-law holds her at arm's length, admiring her outfit. She catches the slight frown along her mothers lips as she also stares at her dress from where she stood by the stove.
“It makes her hips look too wide.”
She feels her stomach drop.
“Oh come on, Soyoung, look at how beautiful she is.” Mrs.Jeon responds, looking at her friend from over her shoulder before turning back to Hyunji. “Don’t listen to her, honey. I would do anything to look this young and beautiful again.”
Hyunji thanks her one more time before Mrs.Jeon finally notices her son standing a few feet away.
“The both of you are all dressed up today, huh.” she jokes before giving her son a quick hug and peck on his cheek.
“I felt that I hadn’t worn these in a while.” Jungkook finally speaks, his arm draped over his mother’s shoulder.
“Well, you’ve made a great choice. You look handsome.”
Jungkook’s nose crinkles as his mother pinches his cheek, a whine leaving his lips at the action as the three other women laugh.
“C’mon, you two, your fathers are waiting in the dining room.” Mrs.Jeon finally says, and the four of them make their way towards the dining room.
°•°•°
Hyunj places her chopsticks down, her stomach full to the brim with the delicious foods her mother had made, a sense of sadness pulling at her heartstrings at the thought of this being the last time she tastes her foods for a while.
Almost everyone had finished eating, the last person to be Jungkook sitting next to her as he continued to fill his plate with more food.
She sometimes wondered if he had a black hole for a stomach, because no way could a human being eat so much and keep their physique just so…
Great.
She silently clears her throat, tapping his thigh under the table as he was about to reach for another scoop of rice. He looks over at her, trying to read her eyes, and he finally comes to an understanding.
It was almost time.
“Hyunji dear, would you like some cake?”
Her eyes snap towards Mrs.Jeon who was now serving the chocolate cake with chocolate frosting around the table, having persuaded her mother that since she was the one who had brought it, she should serve it. Her smile was sweet and kind, unlike the stare from across the table she was receiving from her mother, telling her to do anything but say yes. And it frustrates her. It frustrates her that she can’t even have a piece of cake without feeling pressured and insecure.
And then she remembers that this was the reason why she had made a choice a week ago.
But she declines anyway. Instead she glances towards Jungkook before getting up and helping her mother clear off the table as their fathers take their slices of cake and walk away into the living room.
Within the next half hour she finds herself walking out of the main floor washroom and towards the living room where the parents and Jungkook sat down as she finished putting away a few things in the kitchen.
“Hey,” she finds Jungkook standing from his spot on the stairs leading to the second floor, clearly waiting for her to come out.
“Hey,” she responds, looking up at him. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” he says, shoving his hands into his pockets as he puffs out some air. “They’re just sitting inside, so I was thinking that we tell them now before it’s too late.”
“Oh, um, yeah we should.”
“I’ll just take the lead, alright?”
“Okay.” Hyunji nods, and they both look at each other for a moment before gathering their nerves and finally making it into the living room. Hyunji follows him to the third couch occupying their living room, their mothers occupying their couches to the left, and their fathers to the right, in their own separate conversations. That was until Jungkook’s father had turned towards them.
“How was practice this morning, son?” he asks curiously.
Jungkook’s Adam apple bobs before answering.
“It was good.”
“I hope coach won’t be having you train on Sunday’s again. Your weekend is wasted otherwise.” he then turns to Hyunji’s father. “He wouldn’t have arrived so late. The coach really tries to keep them on the field as much as he can,” he says, shaking his head this time.
“It’s alright. Hyunji was late too anyways, although she knows we’re supposed to have guests over.” Hyunji notices the disapproval in her father’s eyes and voice, looking away right after as the guilt begins to weigh down on her.
“Luckily they arrived at the same time, otherwise I would have dug in with or without them.” Mr.Jeon jokes, but he doesn’t receive the reaction he was hoping for from the two teenagers.
Instead, Jungkook appears slightly nervous, his throat bobbing for a moment.
“Dad, Hyunji and I were out together today.”
He could feel the loud thumping of his heart in his ears as the living room became dead silent, having caught the moms’ attention as well. The four adults stare at them, each with a confused expression.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Hyunji’s father asks slowly, eyeing them both.
Hyunji’s gripping onto the fabric of her skirt, glancing from them to her husband, hands slightly trembling.
“We,” Jungkook swallows, “We have something to tell you.”
A second of silence.
“Hyunji and I got married.”
He swiftly pulls out the small booklet he had hid within his pocket, having taken it out of Hyunjis purse earlier with her permission. He then opens it up and reveals their pictures taken earlier that day with their signatures at the bottom, confirming that they had indeed gotten married.
Their mom’s gasp, them all now standing.
“What do you mean you got married?” Sunho, Hyunji’s father says, his eyes burning into them with a clenched jaw.
“Kook, this is not something to joke about, honey.” Mrs.Jeon says out loud, concern spread across her features.
“This isn’t a joke, mom. Hyunji and I actually decided to get married. We went to city hall today and-”
Jungkook stops the moment he notices Sunho lung towards him, the younger immediately springing up onto his feet and shielding Hyunji just as his father holds his friend back. Sunho tries shoving his friend away, but his attempt fails.
“Explain this right now, Jeon Jungkook.” Mr.Jeon glares, his expression not too far off from his friend who he held back.
Hyunji was also standing now and he could feel her grip on the back of his button up.
“We’ve really liked each other for a while now, and knowing you wouldn’t approve we decided-”
“You’ve been fucking my daughter behind our backs!” Sunho roars, and Jungkook feels Hyunji jump, unable to see the tears beginning to well up in her eyes. “I knew I couldn’t trust you both together! You fucking slut!”
Jungkook’s eyes widened at the words coming out of Mr.Jung’s mouth, unable to believe he would use such a word towards his daughter.
“Let’s just calm down here-” his mother begins before being cut off.
“I’m going to kill you!” Sunho exclaims before finally being shoved back by Jungkook’s father.
“You’re not laying a single finger on my son.” he glares.
“You knew about this didn’t you,” Sunho mutters this time, chest heaving. “You let your son mess around with my daughter behind my back!”
Before Hyunji’s father could grip onto his collar, a punch is delivered immediately to his jaw, landing him back onto the couch as everyone else gasps.
“Let’s go,” Jungkook manages to mutter, his voice urgent as he holds onto her wrist and they begin making their way towards the front door quickly as her eyes linger on her mother rushing towards her father who was now on his feet again.
Jungkook shoves his feet into his shoes, and grabs Hyunji’s purse hanging on the wall before swinging the door open and momentarily stopping to wait for her to put her shoes on too. It’s then when he notices the streaks along her cheeks, and he can’t help but feel terrible about how it all had turned out. But he doesn’t say anything, just grabbing her hand as a way of comfort as they make it to their car parked in front of the house, getting in and driving off before their parents could stop them.
A few minutes later Jungkook pulls over into a plaza parking lot, unable to bear the sound of Hyunji's sniffles and cries she's holding in.
He parks the car and turns to her, his eyes filled with sorrow.
"Don't hold back," he says with a calm tone. "Just let it out. I'm here for you."