Jungkook was thankful he had placed down that hot cup of tea on the table before talking to Jieun's father, because he was dead sure he'd have spilled it all over himself from that one question Jieun's father had asked him.
"I was asking about things between you and my daughter."
It wasn't that he wasn't able to answer that question, he just wasn't expecting it.
"Sorry?"
Mr Lee laughed. "Do you not understand my question? Do I have to phrase it in a more... understandable way?"
"No sir," Jungkook answered immediately. "Um, well..."
"Stop putting the poor boy in a spot, honey," Mrs Lee walked into the living room, carrying a tray of cut fruit which she placed on the coffee table. "Have some fruit, Jungkook."
Mrs Lee took a seat next to Mr Lee opposite Jungkook and Jungkook immediately felt like he was there as a son-in-law, meeting his girlfriend's parents for the first time. Well, it was scary.
"Thank you, auntie," Jungkook laughed nervously, reaching forward to grab some fruit as he was told.
"So what did I miss?" Mrs Lee glanced at her husband, before turning back to Jungkook. "I hope Jieun's dad wasn't giving you too much trouble."
"No, no-" Jungkook laughed. "Not at all."
"I was just asking him how things were going with our daughter," Mr Lee said matter-of-factly. "Is that too much?"
"Ya," Mrs Lee laughed, glancing at Jungkook. "Still, how can you ask so directly? How can you even be so sure if he likes her or not? You can't just assume things like that."
"Assuming?" Mr Lee turned to look at Jungkook. "Am I making false assumptions?"
"N-"
"I mean," Mr Lee interrupted before Jungkook could answer, turning back to his wife. "No guy would come look for a girl at this hour out of worry if he didn't like her, am I wrong?"
"Dear," Mrs Lee shook her head. "Times have changed. Youngsters nowadays do that for their friends even if they're not interested. Regardless of gender. You can't just use your standards to judge other people, am I right, Jungkook?"
"I-"
"Sure, times may have changed," Mr Lee argued. "But things like these don't change. You always say as a woman, you understand our daughter. So let me say this - as a guy, I think I understand Jungkook better."
"Please," Mrs Lee rolled her eyes. "I know Jungkook is a good boy and I'd love for him to be our daughter's boyfriend too, but honey, you can't just make assumptions like that..."
"It's okay to make assumptions," Jungkook interrupted softly, gently biting his lip as he spoke.
"...it's really not good to-" Mrs Lee stopped mid-sentence, turning to look at Jungkook with her eyes widened to twice their normal size. "Sorry, hun- what did you say?"
"I..." Jungkook sat up straight, looking directly at Jieun's parents. "Mr Lee, Mrs Lee, I really like Jieun. I just- I really, really like her."
~~~
"Taehyung?" Byulyi's eyes darted to Taehyung's left and almost gasped at the sight of Jisoo. "J-Jisoo? What are you both doing here? At this hour?"
"Ya!" Jisoo whispered under her breath. "This is what you meant by a favour? Wha-"
Taehyung turned to Jisoo, speaking loudly enough for both Byulyi and Jisoo to hear. "Jisoo-ah, do you mind waiting outside here for a while? Just give me a second-"
And Taehyung pushed a very startled Byulyi into her apartment, closing the door behind them and leaving a very confused Jisoo waiting outside.
"What?" Byulyi exclaimed once they were inside. "What's happening, Taehyung? Why- Why is-"
"Listen-" Taehyung frowned. "I know things may be awkward between the two of you, especially for you, but- hm, well-"
"Why are you stuttering?" Byulyi frowned. "Explain properly!"
"Well... it's a long story honestly," Taehyung shrugged. "But Jisoo left home and she has nowhere to stay right now."
"What?!"
"Yeah," Taehyung frowned. "That's basically it."
"No, but-" Byulyi swept her hair out of her face exasperatedly. "I don't get it- why would- why my house, Tae? Why mine?"
"Well..." Taehyung scratched his chin. "Honestly, she said she could stay at a hotel, but-"
"Yeah, I was just about to ask that-" Byulyi frowned. "If a hotel works, why my house? My house is so run down too, have you ever seen where she lives? Why'd she ever wanna stay at a place like this?"
"It's just one night, Byulyi," Taehyung pleaded. "Please?"
"No, but-" Byulyi sighed exasperatedly. "You haven't told me... why?"
"I thought of other places, to be honest," Taehyung admitted. "Yoojung literally lives in a one room apartment and my house would be weird because there's Seokjin-"
"What would make my house any different from yours, then?"
"Would you rather her sleep at my house then?" Taehyung raised his eyebrows defiantly.
Byulyi remained silent for a while. "But what about Jieun?"
It was now Taehyung's turn to remain silent. "Jisoo said she didn't dislike you and wanted to befriend you, actually."
Byulyi's eyes widened. "No way."
"Believe it or not," Taehyung shrugged. "I know everything literally just happened last night, but- well, resolving everything as soon as possible is good, no?"
"Yeah, but-"
"Please?"
"Taehyung, you don't get it," Byulyi sighed. "You don't know what an awkward position you're putting me in right now-"
"Please?"
"Taehyung," Byulyi looked away. "I really-"
"Please, Byulyi?" Taehyung pleaded for the fiftieth time. "It'd really mean so much to me to see the two of you reconcile."
"Why, Taehyung?" Byulyi frowned. "Why does this mean so much to you?"
"Well," Taehyung pursed his lips. "Firstly, there's my brother of course. If you guys reconcile, it'd be the first step before my brother and Jisoo reconcile."
"Fine," Byulyi nodded slowly. "And secondly?"
"Jisoo's in a bad place right now," Taehyung admitted. "Her family's in a mess and... I thought perhaps settling this matter will reduce the burden on her shoulders."
"Hm."
"Please, Byulyi?" Taehyung begged. "Just for one night. If it doesn't work out, I'll find another place for her immediately."
Byulyi finally gave in. "Fine."
"Urgh, I could seriously hug you right now!" Taehyung jumped for joy, and Byulyi backed away in case he actually did.
"I don't think you should."
"Why?" Taehyung grinned. "Would my brother kill me?"
Byulyi tried hard not to smile. "Perhaps."
"My brother carried you home last night," Taehyung added. "Just so you know."
"I know," Byulyi laughed. "He told me."
"So..." Taehyung raised his eyebrows. "How did it go?"
"How did what go?"
"Did you guys talk or...?"
"We did," Byulyi smiled, before looking away shyly. "We talked things out."
"And?" Taehyung probed, looking more and more excited by the minute. "And then what happened?"
Byulyi nodded.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Taehyung's eyes were literally about to pop out of its sockets. "What does a nod mean?"
"It worked out," Byulyi grinned.
"Yes," Taehyung closed his eyes as he punched his fist in the air dramatically. "Yes! Yes! Yes!"
"Calm down, Tae," Byulyi giggled. "You don't need to be so... dramatic."
"I'm not being dramatic," Taehyung grinned. "Do you know how much trouble I went through for you two? Every time my brother told me something, I couldn't tell you. Every time you told me something, I couldn't tell him. Do you know how much it stressed me out?"
Byulyi laughed. "Must have been horrible for you, huh."
"I sure am glad my days of suffering are finally over!" Taehyung laughed. "But of course, I'm glad you're finally looking much happier than you were."
"I was an emotional wreck, wasn't I?" Byulyi cringed at the thought of her a few weeks ago. "I couldn't even control my own emotions any longer."
"It's good to hear how much you really like my bro," Taehyung grinned. "But really, I think you - no, we - should all learn how to function properly even if we're struggling with our love life. Look how thin you've gotten!"
"I've got the rest of my life to put it back on," Byulyi chuckled. "But speak for yourself, Tae, how's everything going? You know, with Jieun."
Taehyung had been so busy today, with accompanying Jungkook to the columbarium, providing him with emotional support, then checking in on Jisoo, seeing her parents, then trying to find a place for her that he had totally forgot about Jieun.
"It's funny," Taehyung commented. "It's funny how when I'm busy, I hardly think of her. But when I'm all alone at night and can't sleep, she is all I think of."
~~~
"Really, Jungkook?" Mr and Mrs Lee were sitting at the edges of their seats. "Do you really mean what you said?"
"Yeah, I do," Jungkook pursed his lips.
This conversation had come way earlier than he had expected, but now that he was in the midst of it, he felt like pouring out his heart to Jieun's parents. Because he found it so hard to do so directly to her.
"Mr and Mrs Lee," Jungkook continued carefully. "I was born a rather introverted person since young. I have never enjoyed socialising, I have never liked making friends, I have never been the one to make the first move be it in friendships or relationships. As a result, since young, I only had three close friends. Around them, I was comfortable. I could be who I am."
Mr and Mrs Lee listened attentively, not interrupting a single time.
"It was a year ago when this all changed," Jungkook bit his lower lip. "Someone I really treasured left me. I was depressed for a whole year, unable to open up to anyone - not even my three best friends."
Jungkook paused for a while, trying to get a hold of his own emotions.
"Jieun was the first," Jungkook finally said. "Initially, I pushed her away, the way I did with everyone else. By pure coincidence, she happened to remind me a lot of the person I lost, and because of that, I pushed her away more than everyone else. But she always bothered me. She made me worry and feel all kinds of feelings I didn't feel for the past one year of grieving. I found myself going to school everyday, for the sole purpose of seeing her face. I found myself living, to see her happy."
"Wow..."
"She was the first person to have ever gotten my attention since my loved one passed," Jungkook took a deep breath, trying to ignore the gaping mouths of Jieun's parents. "She is the first person to make me want to become a better person. She is the first person whom I found an emotional connection with. She... She's the first person I love."
Jungkook heard footsteps coming from behind him and whipped around. There stood Jieun, her eyes wide open and her jaws on the ground.
"Jungkook, w-what are you doing here?"