"Nah, I was just trying to remember what brand of cigarette your dad smokes. I remember that the box is blue, but I don't remember the name. Do you? I want to buy him some before we go," Lisa said carelessly.
Jungkook's heart felt warm after hearing what Lisa said...
He thought she was mad, but the truth was, she was already picking out cigarettes for his father.
How could he not fall in love with a woman like her?
Lisa ended up buying a few boxes of cigarettes at the supermarket.
She also bought some fresh fruit and then drove back home.
As she was parking her car at BigHit, she saw Jungkook's car coming in.
Jungkook got off his car and put the things she bought onto his Maybach. Lisa changed into a simple pair of jeans, a white tank top, and a black cardigan. She then got onto the passenger seat with her purse in her lap.
"Are you hungry?" on their way over, Jungkook placed his right hand onto Lisa's and gently asked her.
"Just a little bit..." Lisa rubbed her tummy; the cafeteria food at South Side reached a new low today.
The pickled cabbage with pork ribs might've been the most disgusting thing she had ever had...
She really wanted to ask the chef what his secret recipe was. How was he capable of making such a gross dish out of such delicious ingredients?
But then again, the hundreds of people at South Side all ate the same thing, so she didn't want to seem so picky.
In the end, Lisa only had a few bites of lunch. After lunch, she resumed her busy schedule until she left work. She felt hunger creeping up to her as soon as Jungkook asked.
"So, can I give it to you now?" Jungkook's hand moved away from hers and slid all the way down to her thigh.
Lisa then realized that he was talking about another kind of 'hunger'.
She immediately slapped Jungkook's shoulder and scolded him with a smile on her face, "Don't be such a pervert..."
Jungkook asked innocently, "Doll, I was only asking if you wanted me to give you some fruit to fill up that tummy of yours. How is that perverted? I think you're thinking too much..."
Lisa, "-_-"
He played her again; Lisa felt the urge to bury herself underground.
The two of them chatted and laughed all the way back to the Jeon Manor.
After their last conversation, Jungkook's father had compromised.
He rarely went to the company and didn't even ask about billion-dollar investments.
He handed all of his authority over to his son; after all, Jungkook was his only child.
Plus, the major shareholders on the board all knew and were confident of Jungkook's capabilities, so there was no reason for his father to interfere.
Recently, his health had been deteriorating, so he rested at home and occasionally traveled aboard. He lived a decently-fulfilling life.
– Outside the Jeon Manor –
Jungkook's Maybach made a beautiful turn before coming to a stop outside the mansion.
Then, the two of them got off the car and carried the stuff they bought inside.
"Young Master... Young... Madame." The housekeeper was sensible.
She immediately went up to greet the young couple.
"Where's Dad?"
"He's upstairs, I'll go get him."
"Okay."
Jungkook only asked for his father and not his mother because, as attentive to details as he was, he noticed that his mother's car wasn't outside, so he assumed that she was out.
Mr. Jeon's expression didn't change much upon seeing the two of them. He only said, "You're back."
Lisa didn't say anything. She quietly placed the fruit off to the side, washed some, placed them on a fruit platter, and carried it over.
Jungkook and his father talked for a while on the couch.
Then, the housekeeper said, "Sir, Young Master, Young Madame, dinner's ready."
"Okay." Jungkook and his father got up.
"Mom's out? Is she not coming home for dinner?" Jungkook asked.
"Yeah, she's been really into card games recently, and doesn't come back until late at night," Mr. Jeon complained.
"If it makes her happy, just let her be. As long as she doesn't become addicted to gambling," Jungkook consoled his father.
Mr. Jeon nodded...
The three of them sat around the dining table. Lisa didn't talk much, because she didn't know what to say.
She knew that this family didn't really welcome her...
Therefore, she quietly ate her food...
"Do you have any good news for us?" Mr. Jeon's voice suddenly broke the silence.
Jungkook and Lisa were surprised to hear his question...
Lisa even thought, Was he talking to me?
"Lis, my father is asking you a question." Jungkook smiled as he looked at Lisa.
"Ahem... not yet." Lisa lowered her head.
She was embarrassed to talk about stuff like this in front of Jungkook's father...
Then, Mr. Jeon nodded his head and said, "The two of you are old enough. Don't just think about your careers, hurry up and have a baby soon. My health is deteriorating by the day, and if I don't see a grandchild before I leave this world, I'll regret it forever."
"Dad... your body is fine, don't think like that," Jungkook consoled.
"Yeah... everything will be fine." No matter how estranged Lisa felt towards Jungkook l's parents, at the end of the day, she was still a woman.
She felt heartbroken by what Jungkook's father said....
"We're old, this world now belongs to your generation. Although... for your mom, Lisa is not the ideal daughter-in-law... fate is an incredible thing. In this world, not everything will go according to your plans. My health hasn't been so well recently, and I occasionally read and get to think about a lot of things. Since you guys are married, you should treat each other well. Being able to share a life together in this life means that you guys did something right in your last life. Treasure it."
"I will, Dad," Jungkook promised with a nod of his head.
Mr. Jeon then looked at Lisa and said, "No matter what happened, it's all in the past. Since we're family now, I really hope that you two can live happily ever after. I know that it won't help to apologize for that incident since we can't awaken the dead, but I still wanted to apologize. If I get a chance, I would also like to apologize to your mother. Our preposterous actions resulted in your family's tragedy."
Tears welled up in Mr. Jeon's eyes as he said this...
The truth was, he didn't know what happened until after the incident. Before that, the driver had only been in contact with Mrs. Jeon.
However, when something like that happened, he had to do all he could to protect his wife. That's why he had been feeling guilty all these years.
He wasn't the murderer, but he was an accessory to this crime...
Lisa was surprised when she heard a man of his age and status suddenly apologize and repent in front of her.
She was not at all prepared for this...
If Jungkook hadn't gently touched her arm, she would still be in a daze.
"My... mother has forgiven Jungkook, but I think she needs some time before she can forgive you guys," Lisa said slowly.
"We won't ask for her forgiveness. People have to pay for the sins they're committed. I think my deteriorating health is by way of karma."
Lisa quietly listened to him...
In comparison, Jungkook's father was much better than his mother.
His father was traditional and stern, but at least he was reasonable and could tell right from wrong.
Jungkook's mother, on the other hand, was horrifying. She was such a control freak.
Not only did she control her husband's life, she also wanted to control her son's. If things didn't go her way, she would go crazy and throw a fit.
After saying all of this, mlMr. Jeon picked up his small wine cup and took a sip of wine...
He seemed to have a lot on his mind...
"Dad... don't drink so much, the doctors said it'll affect your brain." Jungkook was worried.
"It's okay, if the King of Hell wants me to die at midnight, then I won't live to see the next day. We all live the life we're supposed to, it has nothing to do with a small cup of wine. Don't make such a big deal out of it."
Finally, Mr. Jeon looked over at his son and asked, "I heard that you're venturing into the film and television sector?"
"I am." Jungkook nodded.
"The reason?" Mr. Jeon continued to ask.
Jungkook first turned around to look at Lisa... He seemed to be hesitating as to how he should answer his father's question.
"I don't like Jimin."
Jungkook replied, enunciating each word.
"Pffff..." Lisa almost spat out the soup in her mouth upon hearing his answer.
She thought that Jungkook would say how this industry was lucrative and had bright prospects or something along those lines.
To her surprise, however, he revealed his stubborn side.
He doesn't like Jimin? Could that constitute as a reason?
If Jungkook's father wasn't in the room, Lisa would have burst into laughter...
She wondered how Jimin would react if he heard Jungkook say this.
Lisa sucked in her urge to laugh and looked down, pretending to eat...
Mr. Jeon froze for a second before laughing. "I'm surprised to see you so stubborn."
"Your son is an ordinary man who needs to eat and sleep like everyone else. Don't put me on a pedestal," Jungkook said in all seriousness.
"You're right. It's good for young people like you to compete, you'll be able to learn from each other along the way. The entertainment industry is lucrative, but aside from that, it's good to give BigHit a competitor. We're basically contributing to this industry. After all... if one company monopolizes the entire industry, then actresses and actors will have no choice but to sign with them. You're giving young potential rising stars an opportunity to reach fame."
"Dad... I think you're overthinking it."
Jungkook never thought of all that when he decided to invest in the film and television industry.
Giving young people an opportunity? He wasn't Robin Hood, why would he help others?
He just didn't like Jimin...
Jimin had too much free time on his hands; he was so free that he constantly went to South Side to hit on his wife.
Jungkook couldn't stand it any longer...
For Jungkook, Lisa was his one and only bottom line...
Those who dared to touch her had to die.
It was as simple as that... Jungkook's actions were on par with his usual arrogance.
After dinner, Jungkook had some tea with his father in the living room while they talked about the company.
Lisa, on the other hand, sat beside them, playing with her phone and messaging Haruto and Chae.
They never saw Mrs. Jeon, not even when they left...
Lisa thought that it turned out for the best, since they were always so unhappy when they saw each other anyway.
On their way home, Jungkook held onto Lisa's hand and wouldn't let go.
"Why are you holding onto me so tightly? Are you afraid that I'll run away?"
"No matter where you run off to, you'll still be my wife." Jungkook put her hand on his lips and kissed it.
"Thanks for buying my dad those cigarettes, I think he has accepted you. I'm relieved that he apologized for what happened in the past."
"Actually... if I tell you the truth, you can't get mad, okay?" Lisa smiled.
"I won't."
"Your dad... is so much better than your mom." Lisa spoke the truth.
Jungkook immediately burst into laughter...
"What are you laughing at?"
"You expressed my dad's and my heartfelt thoughts. It's not just you, everyone who meets them say that my dad is ten times better than my mom. My dad is an entrepreneur with broad horizons, and my mom is a short-sighted housewife who also happens to be a control freak. How did you think they got together?"
"I really don't understand why your dad married your mom. They all say that if your dad marries the wrong person, you'll live your childhood in pain. If you marry the wrong woman, you'll live your adulthood in pain. If your son marries the wrong woman, you'll live your retirement days in pain." Lisa took delight in what she said.
Jungkook smiled, "I'm glad that I only spent my childhood in pain. I'm sure that my adulthood will be as happy as can be. In the future, I'll get our son to marry a woman as good as you. Then, we'll be able to happily live out the rest of our lives. It's better late than never."
"Shame on you! Who said that I was going to have a son with you?" Lisa smiled and teased.
"I'd be equally happy with a daughter."
The duo flirted on their way back. Just as they were about to reach Imperial Park, Jungkook suddenly asked, "Doll, are you sleepy?"
"Nope."
"Should I take you somewhere cool?" Jungkook smiled mysteriously. Then, he made a quick U-turn and steered his car towards a different direction.
Lisa had a feeling that tonight would be a fun night...
She didn't ask Jungkook where he was taking her, because there was no point.
From her past experience, she was almost certain that his answer would be, "Guess."
Lisa didn't want to tire out her brain by guessing around...
After all, she had been working her ass off at South Side every day and wanted to shut her brain off at home.
Therefore, she quietly waited for Jungkook to make the arrangements...
She didn't care where she went, as long as she was with Jungkook.
She was down for anything, whether it was having street food, enjoying the night scene by the beach, watching a movie downtown, shopping at a local night market, or even wandering the streets, if it was with him.
– Twenty minutes later –
Jungkook parked his flashy Maybach outside a 7-story building located downtown.
Lisa got off the car and looked up.
She recognized this place; they were in front of the biggest arcade games center in the city. It was always filled with people, all year round.
Apparently, money rolled in like water...
This was because nowadays, aside from children, grown-ups were becoming addicted to arcade games as well.
This place had a dizzying array of arcade games, from the first floor to the seventh. The owners really did invest a lot in building it.
"Shall we go play some arcade games?" Jungkook turned his head to ask Lisa.
"Why not? We're already here. Plus, I'm not sleepy at all." Lisa smiled.
Jungkook held onto her hand as the two of them walked in and took the elevator right up to the 7th floor.
There weren't a lot of people on the 7th floor, because the machines were higher-end and the tokens were much more expensive than that on the other floors.
Consider it as a VIP floor. In this world, you would be able to receive the best services as long as you were rich.
As soon as they walked in, Jungkook bought few tokens.
Then, he held the little basket of tokens in one hand, and Lisa's hand in the other, traveling among the abundant variety of games.
The good thing was that not a lot of people knew what Jungkook looked like because he hadn't exposed himself much to the public. Or else... everyone would go crazy.
Jungkook and Lisa played on a crane machine for a while. She tried multiple times but failed to get the toy she wanted, which was a stuffed toy in the shape of a black coal ball.
After she caught a couple of stuffed bunnies, she gave up and went up to the Fisherman's Quest machine with Jungkook.
There were only two seats on this machine.
One of the seats had already been taken by a girl. Behind that girl stood a guy, who appeared to be her boyfriend.
Lisa sat down on the machine across from that girl, and Jungkook sat down beside Lisa and thoughtfully inserted the tokens for her.
Then, Lisa proceeded to reach a 100% catch rate. She quickly elevated to a high score.
"Holy shit, she's good, that's an expert right there." The young girl sitting across from her had on heavy makeup. She exclaimed admirably as she watched Lisa play.
Lisa smiled but didn't say anything...
"Doll, that's the jellyfish, catch it." Jungkook reached out to grab Lisa's waist, while his other hand pointed at the machine.
The jellyfish was the 'boss' you had to catch before the game ended. It always appeared along with a bunch of other fish.
It wasn't easy to catch, and it was incredibly difficult to find the right angle...
The girl across from her spent a lot of time trying to catch the jellyfish but failed...
When the jellyfish appeared, the player only had one minute to catch it...
Lisa took her time as she quietly looked at the fish swimming around the jellyfish, looking for the angle she should attack from.
Finally, when there were only 10 seconds left to the game...
The girl's boyfriend became anxious and kept saying, "Hurry up, there are only ten seconds left, hurry up."
"Don't nag me, I'm trying." The girl kept shooting out harpoons, but they all missed.
Lisa didn't do anything until the very end. She pressed a button and the harpoon pierced right through the jellyfish...
The machine lit up with a really high score...
"Woah, she caught it, she's so good!" the couple across from them kept exclaiming.
"Good job, give me a kiss." Jungkook smiled.
Happy, Lisa turned around and pecked the corner of Jungkook's mouth...
Who knew that the two of them, as old as they were, could still find the feeling they felt back in high school? At an arcade game center of all places.
Not far from them, a man squinted his eyes and glanced over. "Is that... Lisa?"
Bang Chan was an arcade games enthusiast, unlike Taehyung and Jimin.
Those two would spend most of their time hanging out at nightclubs and private social clubs.
Bang Chan was the only one who still had the heart of a child and frequented the venue with a few other friends.
He never thought that he would see Lisa here with Jungkook sitting beside her.
Bang Chan took out his phone and sneakily recorded a video while standing not far behind the two.
Then, he dastardly sent it to Jimin...
So... as Jungkook's friend, Bambam was quite a troll at times, though it was infrequent.
As Jimin's friends, Bang Chan and Taehyung were extremely trolling and would always dig pits for him to fall in.
Although it was only Lisa's silhouette in the short clip, Jimin recognized her with one glance.
At that moment, he was in the executive conference room at BigHit's headquarters.
After Jimin watched the video, he raised his head and looked around.
"Are you all clear about your tasks today?"
"We are, President Park." A dozen executives all nodded.
The situation had reached a point where the boss was working overtime instead of sleeping, flirting with girls, or going to a nightclub in the middle of the night.
It looked like Jimin would occasionally treat something seriously...
"You're free to go now."
After speaking, Jimin rose and left the conference room...
Right after he left, he called Bang Chan.
"Hello? Young Master Park..."
"Where did you see her?" Without holding back, Jimin went straight to the point.
"Tsk, tsk... Why aren't you sleeping in the middle of the night?"
"I'll sleep your sister..."
"Haha, it'd be great if you would sleep with her. She is crazily infatuated with you," Bang Chan laughed.
"Stop blabbering and answer my question." Jimin couldn't wait.
"What? If I say a location, are you going to come immediately?" Bang Chan laughed and kept on trolling Jimin.
"You little assface, I'll give you three seconds. If you don't tell me, I'll put you in South Side Recuperation Centre again," Jimin started to drop threats.
"No, no, no, Young Master Park, I'm scared of you. I don't want to stay at South Side ever again, the food is horrible and Lisa is too scary..." Bang Chan remembered South Side like it was yesterday.
He was terrorized by Lisa and didn't sleep or eat well. He couldn't get girls and was always in a horrible mood. All in all, it was a terrible experience.
"Stop blabbering, get to the point."
Jimin was losing his patience...
If Bang Chan was in front of him, Jimin would've busted his head in by now.
"I'm on the seventh floor of Arcade City."
After speaking and before Jimin could reply, Bang Chan continued to say, "However, I don't think you should come. You probably noticed from the video that she came with her husband, you're only hurting yourself if you come."
Jimin fell silent after hearing that...
"Hello? are you still there?" Bang Chan questioned.
"Turn on your video chat."
Jimin swiftly hung up after he finished speaking...
Then, Bang Chan reinitiated a video call...
When the two connected, Bang Chan purposefully turned the camera away from Lisa.
"Do you want to die?" Jimin cursed.
"I'll let you see her for a bottle of Lafite," Bang Chan began negotiating.
As a wine enthusiast, Jimin had a private wine estate in France and good wine in his cellar.
It was said that Jimin personally visited his winery annually and selected a batch of good wine for his own keeping.
So, those within the circle were extremely honored to be able to drink Jimin's wine.
"Stop blabbering, I'll give you ten bottles of red wine later. Let me see her." Jimin's temper turned violent.
He had no patience...
Seeing that he got his way, Bang Chan turned the camera with a big douchebag smile on his face...
Then...
The atmosphere promptly changed...
"Where's she?" Jimin's face darkened.
"Ahem... I swear, she was just playing Fisherman's Quest over there, I'm being honest," Bang Chan explained at once.
How did he lose her within just a few moments?
"You rascal, if you don't find her, I'll come and wreck your cheeks in Arcade City in a bit," Jimin threatened.
Bang Chan laughed until his stomach hurt from seeing Jimin go crazy...
"Just you wait, Jim, I'll turn this place upside down looking for your sweetheart." As he spoke, Bang Chan turned around to look for her.
At that moment, an exquisite face appeared in the video camera...
"Are you looking for me?"
The sudden change left both Bang Chan, who was holding the phone and Jimin, who was in the video dumbfounded...
Jungkook was standing in front of the camera... alone, and Lisa was nowhere to be seen.
Bang Chan was a little dumbfounded, and he didn't know what to do...
As for Jimin, he reacted quite quickly. Glancing at Jungkook with disdain, he said, "I want to see Lisa."
"Oh... then you are out of luck, my wife headed downstairs already."
Bang Chan remained silent...
Jimin had no reply either...
At that moment, Jungkook smiled and said, "It seems like President Park isn't busy enough, I have to try harder."
"Do you think I'm afraid of you? You think you can deal with me with your moves? Your thoughts are too simple," Jimin sneered.
He believed that since Jungkook returned to the country less than a year ago, he wasn't clear about the domestic situation.
It wasn't that BigHit Entertainment hadn't encountered any competitors these years, but rather that those competitors had all suffered miserable ends.
People who went against Jimin almost never had a good ending.
Although JC was a large and rich corporation, there was a saying, 'a powerful dragon cannot crush a snake in its territory'.
Jimin felt like he was the snake and this was his territory. There was no way he would get bullied by somebody who had just returned from being abroad for seven years.
"Don't be so full of yourself, we'll see." After speaking, Jungkook turned around to leave.
Suddenly, he turned his head around and smiled to the Jimin in Bang Chan's phone. "Oh, right. Did your teacher ever teach you this principle at school? Don't long for things that don't belong to you, otherwise, you'll have an exhausting life."
When Jimin finished listening, his expression dimmed...
Then, he answered in a domineering tone, "My apologies, I didn't even graduate from elementary school. I joined the army straight away, so I don't understand your crappy principles."
"It's alright if you don't understand, I'll teach you to see the truth."
Jungkook pridefully left that sentence before turning away...
Jimin was put in a horrible mood...
Goddamn, he was so excited to see Lisa. Not only did he not see her, but he was also lectured by Jungkook, which was quite tragic.
Bang Chan didn't dare to face Jimin, so without saying another word, he terminated the video call.
The truth was, after Lisa won the Fisherman's Quest, she excitedly used the points to trade for presents.
In the end, she traded them for plushies that she planned to put on the rear window of her Audi R8.
Although it was a little childish, she liked it regardless...
Jungkook told her to wait downstairs because he needed to use the toilet...
That was how he sent Lisa away...
As for Jungkook, he immediately realized that Bang Chan was secretly filming them, so he walked right up to him.
He then talked to Jimin, face to face...
When Jungkook arrived downstairs, Lisa was still waiting by the door with her stuffed toys in hand.
"Get in the car."
"You took so long, I thought you fell into the toilet," Lisa teased.
"No, I ran into an acquaintance, so we talked for a bit."
"Oh? You met an acquaintance here? Who was it?" Lisa was a little curious.
"Mhm... It was a... friend from business." After thinking for a little bit, Jungkook ultimately defined Jimin as his 'business friend'.
Would Jimin become depressed if he heard this?
"Oh, oh, I see."
"How was it? Did you play enough?" seeing Lisa in a good mood, Jungkook asked.
"Of course it was enough. I'm pretty tired, so let's go home."
Jungkook nodded and opened the passenger's door in a gentlemanly manner.
The two returned to Imperial Park together...
Lisa actually really wanted to return to the South Hill Manor.
However, she felt empty living there, since they didn't have any kids yet. Even with their butler, chauffeurs, and maids, it was still weird living with just the two of them, so she still treated Imperial Park as her home.
After the two returned and showered, an exhausted Lisa climbed onto their big bed.
Jungkook immediately got on top of her, seductively whispering into Lisa's ears, "Doctor Lisa, do you need a massage?"