The occupants of the table would not stop staring at you and giggling. Well, one, in particular, was more outgoing than the rest. "Eomma, you're gonna burn a hole in her if you keep staring," Jimin whined.
"Shut up." she hissed. "There's something weird about her today right?"
"There's something weird about her everyday." your father commented.
You casted them a look of annoyance. "I can hear you, you know."
"Are you sure about that?" Jimin asked. "You've been staring off into space and touching your lips all sensually." You pulled your hand abruptly away and pretended that nothing happened. But it was already too late, the whole table had seen it and was already judging. Your mother, especially, was having a blast with her sly laughter.
"You've been spending an awful lot of time with that boy." your father said in a full-out protective voice. Just like all fathers, he did not like how a boy is approaching his daughter. When he went to your school orientation, he made sure to walk close so that other boys won't stare. You told him he didn't need to worry about a thing because city girls are much prettier and more fashionable. If only you can paint a new version of yourself.
"I'm only being nice to him because eomma told me to." you recited, which was only half true.
"I didn't ask you to go on a date with him." she smirked.
"It was not a date!"
"I saw you two holding hands when he dropped you off at the house." Jimin exclaimed. You threw your slipper at him and he faked a cry. It was his trick to get your mom to baby him, which she did and threw the slipper back at your head. Jimin poked his tongue out in victory.
"It was...cold." was the only response you could think of. Dinner went on with some more obnoxious comments from Jimin and threats from you. Thinking back, you weren't sure if you could classify that as a date or not. After the kiss, Namjoon pulled back and apologized for shocking you. But he didn't apologize for doing it. He said he's been waiting to do that. Then he reinstated the fact that he has feelings for you, and this isn't just some winter romance that will fade. You didn't want to, but your heart believed him. Despite that, there wasn't an official establishment of the relationship. It seemed like since it was both your first times, that you would take things slowly and tentatively.
When dinner concluded, it was your task to help your mom with the dishes while Jimin practiced his dance moves out in the living room. Sometimes your father would watch and give him as much feedback as possible. "Eomma, I forgot to tell you about something."
"Are you gonna tell me about the kiss?" she joked.
"I-What? No, nothing happened!" you said firmly. "But do you remember the rich grandma in the white mansion? The one who used to give Jimin and I books."
Your mother nodded, her smile long faded. It happens every time you brought her up. Despite all the nice deeds she did for you, your mother was never fond of the woman. It seemed like they had a history before you were even alive. But your mother put up with her because you were thrilled with all the books and dressing up session. She kept you company while your parents were working, so in a way, your mother was grateful for her. "What about her?"
"Namjoon is her grandson," you answered, expecting her to feel a little excited, maybe a little curious. But instead, she dropped a plate hard on the sink and it shattered. You jumped, "Eomma, are you okay?" Luckily, she was wearing gloves so the shards didn't hurt her. The sound caused Jimin's music to stop and the two of them darted back into the kitchen.
"Honey, what's the matter?" your father asked, holding on tightly to her shoulders.
"You need to stay away from that boy." she whispered.
You shook your head, "What? Why?"
"Just stay away from him!" she shouted. "That family is nothing but trouble." The bitterness in her voice gave no hint that she was ever fond of Namjoon. All the praises of his handsome face and kind nature were gone.
"What do you mean? That grandma was so nice to us."
"Don't you dare call her grandma anymore." she snapped, "That woman was only nice because she wanted to rid her guilty conscience. She wasn't a saint like you're making her out to be."
"Honey, it's improper to speak ill of the dead." you father said quietly, his hands still around her shoulders, but now it was out of protection. "It's in the past, now let it go."
"Eomma, what are you talking about?"
Her shoulders dropped, she shook her head. "Your father is right, I need to let it go. But from now on, you are not allowed to see that boy. If he's anything like his father, I'm doing you a favor by saving your heart."
"His father? Why did he come up all of the sudden?" You knew there were secrets in the house, and the mansion, but you never thought they would cause such troubles for you. "That's not fair! If it's all in the past, then Namjoon has done nothing wrong to warrant this punishment. I want to see him still."
"Enough, Y/N." It was your father. He didn't need to raise his voice for you to know he was angry and he doesn't have to explain himself to you. You stormed off to you room and slammed the door. You were more upset than angry, it was the first time you truly wanted something to be yours, the first time you wanted to be selfish.
Late in the night, when everything in the house had fallen asleep including the dusts, your door slowly opened. She walked to your bedside and gently brush your hair back. Under the moonlight that pushed pass your curtains, you could see the dried tear stains on her cheeks.
"I'm sorry about earlier." she whispered.
"Please tell me what happened between you and that woman, and how Namjoon's father is involved."
She exhaled sharply. "I was hoping you could put the pieces together so that I wouldn't have to say anything."
"I can, but I want to hear you say it."
"Haneul and I were childhood friends, we were like shadows, never apart. And as you can imagine, we fell in love. Up until that point, his mother was fond of me, but the day Haneul told her he wanted to marry me, she changed. She said a poor girl like me could never be a good match with her son. At that point, the restaurant was just beginning with not a lot of business. I begged Haneul to say something but he was silent and stared at me as if I was a stranger. My heart was broken. The next month, he married some rich and beautiful girl in the city. He left without saying anything."
"Eomma,"
"I thought it ended there, and when I met your father, I was finally happy again. Having you and Jimin were the biggest blessings of my life. That's why I hated what that woman was doing to you, manipulating and buying forgiveness out of you."
"But he's not like that, eomma. He's so genuine and loving, I think his feelings for me are real."
She leaned down and kissed your forehead, "I hope so, I really do."