Lia was tired, but she was more tired of all the questions than she was physically tired.
Sure her night with Taehyung had left her body feeling cherished and spent, but the questions that Hobi had peppered her with that entire Tuesday made her feel the most exhausted. Hobi knew when he had woken up in Lia's bed the next morning - a bed with rose petals still strewn everywhere - that something had happened between her and Taehyung. That wasn't enough for Hobi's curious mind though. He seemed to want all the details from their date night. Lia tried to push him off the best she could. She couldn't focus on the love triangle she had placed herself in. She had more pressing matters at that moment. She was thankful when Wednesday came around, though Jin had questions of his own. His pertained more to where Lia was dragging him on Wednesday afternoon over her love life though for which she was grateful.
Walking down the sidewalk towards the part of town where Jin's grave was erected, Jin walked alongside her in his disguise. She could tell that he was confused as to where they were going. His head was turned away from her as he scanned the nearby buildings.
"Where are we going?" he asked for what felt like the hundredth time.
"You'll find out soon enough. Just trust me," she said a bit snappy, feeling badly about having done so immediately. She sighed as she looked over at Jin to see that he was facing her.
"Are you okay Lia? You've been acting off all day."
"I'm fine. I just have a lot on my plate."
"Maybe you shouldn't eat so much then."
Lia chuckled at Jin's attempt at joking.
"Seriously though, Lia. Is there something you need to talk about?"
"No. I'm sorry I snapped at you. I will be okay."
"Did something happen with one of the others?" asked Jin.
"Jin, I really do appreciate your concern but as I said, I'm fine."
"'I'm fine' is your mantra," said Jin, "So you're not, but I'll let it rest out of respect for you."
Lia appreciated that and fell silent as she walked alongside Jin. Soon the small cemetery that Lia had been at only a few days ago came into view across the street. She could see that Mr. Kim was already there, kneeling in front of Jin's grave to pre-weed the ground. Lia had convinced Mr. Kim to meet her at Jin's grave on Wednesday afternoon so she could help him plant some flowers around it. He seemed keen about the idea and agreed to it instantly, seeming to appreciate that someone took an interest in his son. This was the best plan that Lia could come up with in terms of reuniting Jin with his father. She figured it would be a secluded enough place. On the way to the grave, they had stopped at a flower shop. Lia let Jin pick out the flower that stood out to him the most. Jin had thoughtfully looked them over when Lia said it was for something important, picking out a beautiful purple one. Even though Lia didn't know the name of the plant, she didn't have to know it to appreciate its beauty.
"I want you to carry this," said Lia as she stopped short of the crosswalk.
Jin took the potted flower out of her hand.
"What are we doing with it?"
"You'll see," she said as she moved to grab one of his hands in her free one. Today might be the day where Jin's life changed forever.
As they crossed the crosswalk together, Lia looked over at Jin.
"Please don't say anything or take off your disguise until I tell you, okay?"
"You're making me nervous," said Jin with a slight chuckle.
"Don't be," she said. "I promise that this isn't anything bad."
Jin just nodded again as they both fell silent entering the cemetery. Lia led the way among the graves to the one Mr. Kim was still kneeling in front of. He lifted his head when he heard them approaching, sitting back on his haunches to look at them both.
"Hello Lia. It was nice of you to come and help me tend to the grave," he said before his eyes turned to Jin's disguised form and the flower he held. "You brought a friend?"
"Yes, I did. I figured you wouldn't mind."
"No, not at all."
"We brought this flower for the grave," continued Lia as she nudged Jin into action.
Jin moved to hold the flower out to Mr. Kim as he rose to his feet. Mr. Kim's eyes softened at the sight of the flower. As he took it into his hands, he turned the potted plant side-to-side to admire its beauty.
"This flower was his favorite color..." said Mr. Kim softly as he stopped examining the plant to look back over at them.
"My friend has good taste then. He's the one who picked it out," said Lia as she looked at Jin who had yet to take his gaze off the man in front of him. "Here, let me help you plant that, Mr. Kim."
"Thank you, Lia," he said as he moved to kneel back down on the ground where the grass was bent down so much it looked as if his knees had always been there.
As Lia knelt down beside him to begin tending to the ground, she looked up and over at Jin. Jin had since looked away from Mr. Kim but was still standing awkwardly on the other side of the grave. Lia could tell he was now staring at her. She smiled softly and said to him, "Why don't you take that disguise off and come help us?"
Jin hesitated for a moment before taking off the parts of his disguise a little at a time until his face was visible. Mr. Kim didn't notice who stood in front of him since he was so attentively tending to the flower that had been handed to him. Jin walked over to Lia, kneeling down beside her. He had knelt in a way so that Lia was now in the middle of Jin and Mr. Kim. Lia could see him look at her with a mixture of pain and confusion. She moved to set a hand on his knee to comfort him, especially when she saw his eyes look at the gravestone finally to see his name written there.
"How about you help plant the flower?" suggested Lia. "I'm gonna move out of the way."
Lia moved to get up and Jin was quick to grab her wrist. The look of terror momentarily replaced the confusion.
"It's okay," she said. "I'm still going to be right here."
Jin looked over at Mr. Kim who was currently sinking his fingers into the soil within the potted plant to take it out. He still wasn't looking Jin's way as he transitioned the plant from the pot to the ground. Jin leaned forward to start covering the ground with soil once the flower had been placed gently in the hole.
"So what's your name?" asked Mr. Kim as he turned to look at Jin beside him, turning completely pale when Jin turned to look back at him.
Mr. Kim's eyes filled with an overabundance of tears, causing them to slip down his cheeks. As Mr. Kim cried, Jin just kept looking at him. He felt a pang deep in his heart as if he knew this man and he should be feeling the same way. Jin's eyes flicked from Mr. Kim's sorrowful face to the gravestone bearing his name. Jin didn't realize that a tear or two was silently streaming down his face as he did so.
"Jin...is that you?" asked Mr. Kim, re-capturing Jin's attention.
As Lia stood there, she could see that Jin's eyes were now just as glassy as his father's. Mr. Kim reached out a hand to touch Jin's hand, letting out a gasp when he realized that he was actually there. A sob hiccupped out of Mr. Kim as he moved to wrap his arms tightly about Jin to bring him in close for a hug. Lia stood there as she watched Mr. Kim hug his son close to him while Jin stayed ramrod still, unsure of how to react. Soon enough though, Jin was snaking his arms about Mr. Kim to hug him back.
"Dad..." breathed out Jin; the realization finally coming to him and causing the two of them to hug each other even tighter.