4 days later
Jungkook thanks the waiter for the food as she heads back in the kitchen with all the dishes. Taehyung shakes his head laughing.
"I thought you said you didn't have an appetite today?" Taehyung questions watching Jungkook open his coke. "Why do you think I didn't order anything? I watched you eat all three of your plates, enjoying your meal,"
"When you've got to eat, you've got to eat," Jungkook smirks.
They've been sitting in the local dinner having a little reunion with each other. They worked hard during the day and in the afternoon mat up to just sit and talk and eat.
Jungkook was extremely glad for the get together. "But in all seriousness, the mission I went on earlier made my empty stomach full. A woman drowned her child in the bathtub. She commited suicide later on by poking her eyes out and drowning herself in the same tub as her child. That's what her husband's brother wants us to believe, but my itch doesn't believe it,"
"Damn," Taehyung frowns. "That sounds like a tough case,"
"Not tough for me. I have my suspicions already and the reports I've documented and people I've had a chat with so far, have proved my suspicion correctly,"
"I can't ever imagine being a detective officer. Talk about cold case." Taehyung shakes his head. "You're still a strong man Kook,"
Jungkook smiles leaning back on his chair. "It's passion that drives me... Also I don't like when the family remains in the dark,"
Taehyung sits up leaning on the table. "Actually.. that case sorta reminds me of myself. Wow," He says and chuckles with no emotion. "I still have regrets of that day."
Jungkook nods his head listening to what Taehyung had to say.
"Just when I thought Namjoon and I were bonding, he just... I mean of course now I understand why he did it. I understand the bitter hate love he had for me but still.. I mean. He took Taedae.. Andrea and himself. He left me all alone so that I could feel what he felt all his time.. but now that I've felt it, what do I do? Where do I go? Who do I tell? I've pushed so many people away.. I've pushed you guys and the very first family I've ever had.." he sighs. "I guess what I'm saying is that, I've dealt with it, I've felt the pain and now.."
"The door is always open for you, if you want to come back," Jungkook encourages. "Family right? We never really walk alone.. Jin told me that. When you loose your way, you get lost for a while but eventually you'll find the road again and get back on it. That's where the rest of the family is,"
Taehyung smiles and feels deep. He didn't even have to say it and Jungkook already understood him. He nods his head. "How did I ever give up on you guys?" He asks rhetorically but Jungkook still answers.
"Sometimes holding in too much emotions can make you do crazy stuff," He answers. "And become distant,"
"Like Aufilea." Taehyung drops the bomb making Jungkook sigh.
"Yeah she's... What I can say is that she definitely has her mother's strong heart. It's a positive and negative thing. Positive because she loves whole heartedly and cares strongly, but negative because once she's set her mind, her heart becomes strong enough to hate, ugh," Jungkook groans closing his eyes. "I hate this moment we're facing,"
Taehyung feels a bit guilty in him and sighs blurting out a confession. "I'm the one who told her everything.. I'm sorry,"
Jungkook opens his eyes and stares at Taehyung with confused emotions. All this time they thought it was Yoongi but now it all makes sense. Jungkook shakes his head. "No, it's all good. Better out then in, Shrek always says,"
The mood is light for a while before it turns serious again. Taehyung licks his lips finding how to break the news and tell Jungkook that it was all his fault starting with the kiss. But Jungkook beats him to it.
"She came back to our house two days ago to pack her things... What astonished me was that..to her mother Fiela, she at least spoke and said that she wasn't there for her. And when I spoke to her... You know like, try to speak to her...she avoided me and just ignored my presence.. When she left I told Fiela that it didn't bother me but really it did." Jungkook swallows.
He truly was grateful to share his true feelings with his friend. Some things he couldn't tell Fiela, because she was a woman and also because she was his wife. She wouldn't understand what he as a man felt. She would try to understand, Jungkook knows that really she would try but it would be from her perspective as a mother and woman. Some things he just needed to tell to another man.
"Aufilea means the world to me, she was my first child. I've, held her in my arms and always considered her as my own. She's my everything and for her to throw it back in my face..is sore. I feel like I've just lost her..that she'll never find comfort in me again, or see me the way she used to.. she'll never call me her dad again." Jungkook hums and shrugs his shoulder taking a sip of the water that was on the table.
Taehyung understood what Jungkook was going through. It reminded him of Taedae and how it felt to loose him literally.
"But what can I say, I'm the man of the house. I can't show emotions." Jungkook sighs rubbing his hands together before brushing his hair back. "I told Jin all about it you know. For the first time in the longest while, I told him everything. He had some encouraging words, the biggest one that stuck with me was to keep showing her love and keep the rest of the family together,"
Taehyung nods his head. "That's all she needs at this moment. Some time and some love, but she already knows what you guys did was for her own good. She's just..." Taehyung looks for the words.
"Stubborn?" Jungkook suggests and nods his head. "Something her mother also has. I hate how I've been doing that. The whole thing of only considering her as her mother's daughter and myself as nothing.. or is it just me feeling like nothing and shit in her life now?"
"It's how you're feeling. And if you continue to feel like that she'll dominate your thoughts, pollute them with negativity. You're a good dad Jungkook. I have seen it. I see more of you in her, for real. You may forget it but you did raise her just as much as your wife. You installed in her some of your values as well as heart. Right now, she's just in a bad head space. If you show her how her words affected you then she'll continue to live in a negative space making sure you feel her rage." Taehyung comments moving his chair closer to Jungkook so that he could hold firmly on his shoulder.
"Right," Jungkook mumbles, letting the advice settle in and sink in. "You're right,"
"She's been coming to work with an Uber and sometimes I offer to drop her home. But as usual she avoids me..and when she does accept my offer she's just as silent." Taehyung says it gently. He moves on to what he really wanted to say. "But it's not only because of the things I told her,"
Jungkook looks to him confused. Taehyung closes his eyes shifting his chair back to its former position facing Jungkook.
"I... made out with her. I kissed her."
Jungkook's eyes sharply turn dark and his knuckles turn white from fisting his fist really hard.
"H-hold on- ugg!" Jungkook moves fast forward already griping Taehyung's collar. "First listen." Taehyung strangles out his words, quickly holding Jungkook's fists. "Please put me down,"
Jungkook breathes heavily in and out of his nostrils glaring at Taehyung. He slowly puts Taehyung down.
"Are you insane?" Jungkook asks.
Taehyung looks around apologizing to the crowd that had averted their attention to them. He sits back down clearing his throat, daring to meet Jungkook's fierce eyes.
"Hear me out okay," Taehyung clears his throat again really feeling pain around his neck. Jungkook's grip on his shirt really squeezed his neck. "Damn that hurts,"
"Taehyung. Explain." Jungkook says deadly sitting down.
"A few months back, I took her to a place I was invited to. The museum was celebrating my success and all that, they acknowledged my work by displaying all the pictures I've taken," he states. "She got to see the pictures.. we got to one of Andrea and I.. I wasn't myself so I got out. But later on she came out and she just... Looked so much like Andrea in that moment so I... Kissed her and made out with her for awhile before realising that she wasn't Andrea-"
"And that Andrea is dead and not reincarnated into my daughter." Jungkook shakes his head the entire time. "No wonder she kept thinking she was in love with you. Some kiss that must've been," his mouth became bitter saying that word kiss.
Taehyung nods shamefully and embarrassed for making Aufilea feel those feelings. "I guess from that day, she's been extra attached to me. I kept to myself and respected her, but then on the day of the initiation she was just too happy and...kissed me. I stopped her immediately but she was adamant on getting the truth out of me and she-"
He watches as Jungkook's expression change harder and harder.
"She touched my body-"
"Stop. I don't want to hear that." Jungkook closes his eyes trying to calm himself. "Dammit. What the hell Taehyung?"
"That's why I blurted out all the truth. I really didn't like where anything was heading and the only way out was to tell her everything. I am, really sorry," he says sincerely apologizing. "You know I would never do it again. She's my niece. I can't ever take advantage of her like that,"
Jungkook lays his head on his hands on the table trying to calm himself down. The thoughts of Aufilea just touching her uncle sickened him. But as long as everything was out in the open and Taehyung clarified that he would never do it again, it reassured Jungkook. "It's okay. It doesn't matter anymore. What matters is her knowing the truth and hopefully coming back to us,"
"Uhm hello. O-officer Jeon?"
Jungkook is broken away from his heavy intoxicating thoughts to the girl standing next to him. A black blazer covering up her clean white shirt along with a really short black plaid skirt. Olivia.
He fixes his expression happy to see the girl dressed in uniform. "Olivia, what are you doing here?" The time was almost to six yet she was still walking around like she was from school.
"Well.. uh," she looks around the diner. "I saw you..and I wanted to say hi.." she smiles a little bit too forced.
Jungkook leans back keeping a suspicious eye on her as she seems to be getting nervous. Her hands are shaking and if Jungkook looked well then the blazer she had was not hers it was too big. She was hiding something in it. "Okay. How are you? How have you been?"
"I'm fine.." She bites the inside of her lip avoiding him. Before letting out a sigh. She was a shitty liar and she knew that he knew that. What gave her away? Was it the empty bags and how she was carrying them inside the blazer or was it her fidgeting hands? "Actually... I came here to-"
"Steal." Jungkook says in a straight voice making Taehyung's eyes widen. "Steal food."
Taehyung speaks up. "Jungkook how can you say that-"
"No, no, no. He's right. But I didn't come to steal here in this particular diner." She justifies herself. "This is a big place and no where to run.. I was gonna go down the street by the outside market where no can see if I take something and run," she nods her head a little ashamed to look at Jungkook.
"Wow you know your tactics," Jungkook smirks. "Why not eat at the orphanage?"
She looks down at her fingers. "Mrs Mathye didn't make for me any food,"
Jungkook frowns. "Why?"
"Because..." She sighs. "I missed curfew,"
"You missed curfew and instead of staying and asking for forgiveness you run away?"
"Yes. They don't like me there so I ran away myself. But then... I saw you in here and," she shrugs her shoulders biting her lip and pouting it at the same time. "I guess I thought...that if maybe...Uhm... If I asked you for help, you know," she says and her heart beats faster. "Like um.. please..can you help me with some money...so I can buy some food.." She never liked begging. She never did it in the orphanage and she certainly was not gonna do it to Jungkook, but she did feel like he was probably the only one who could help her at that moment.
Jungkook's eyebrows stray up and he smiles. He saw how difficult it was for her to ask. She wasn't very comfortable at the moment and Jungkook could see it. But at least she took a chance and that was more enough for Jungkook. "Instead of giving you money, I've got a better idea,"
She looks up to him with her big confused eyes.
"This is my in law.. friend, brother, Kim Taehyung," he introduces Taehyung with a smile, as Taehyung bows his head with an uncertain smile. "And he didn't eat as well,"
Olivia looks really confused. Taehyung just stares at Jungkook hoping that Jungkook wouldn't set him up with some high school student just because Taehyung kissed Jungkook's daughter.
"Taehyung this is Olivia, my little trouble maker." Jungkook smiles her way. "I know my wife is at home making a wonderful dinner, so why not invite you guys,"
There's a moment of silence as both parties settle the information down. Taehyung waits for the punchline. The part that would make sense for his free invitation. Meanwhile Jungkook looks to both Olivia and Taehyung wondering if they'd accept or not. As soon as Taehyung sees that their is no dark motive he nods his head.
"That sounds great," Taehyung approves after a moment of silence. "Mini reunion with the family,"
"It's just dinner Tae," Jungkook says.
"It'll be special for me. Getting to finally see you and your wife after a long time," Taehyung says very eagerly.
"Plus my other children," Jungkook smiles. "They'll be happy to see there uncle,"
Taehyung grins feeling really glad to hear that. He was still considered.
"What about you Olivia? I'm inviting you and I'll take you right back. Plus I know that Fiela would be really thrilled to see you. So will you come?" Jungkook asks her gently. She gulps and is about to reject and run away but her empty growling stomach answers for her.
Grrr grrr
"Okay.." she closes her eyes and faintly smiles.
"Taehyung you're paying for the meal I ate." Jungkook quickly stands up gently directing Olivia out and away just as Taehyung realises that their was a catch.
"Hahaha. Very funny." he mumbles with a poker face taking out his wallet.
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Chapter 26