My hands are on the steering wheel, my eyes locked on the large house I just stopped in front of. Jimin glances at me as he takes his seatbelt off, a slight frown on his face as he does so.
"Are you nervous, noona?"
"Of course I'm nervous" I answer without hesitation, taking a deep breath in before letting it back out. "You're parents are intimidating, and your mom is no doubt going to want to talk to me alone at some point. You are aware that our mothers hate each other, right?"
He nods solemnly, my knee bouncing as I try and calm myself down. They might not say it out loud, but I'm positive our mothers hate each other. That's just how it works when it comes to families with money. My mom gets along with Taehyung's parents because we have more money than them, so she is able to let her guard down. With Mrs. Park, my mom is undoubtably threatened by her power and influence, the two women all smiles and pleasantries while together until one of them looks away and shows their true feelings.
Jimin and I decided that we were going to tell her about us being together at the party tonight to get her off his back a little. More like, we are going to make sure she sees us kissing either before or during the party. I asked him why we couldn't just tell her, or do the same thing while we are getting ready for it at their house, but he said that she would be more likely to accept us if we caught her off guard. I can't help but feel incredibly nervous about having a conversation with her though, me not entirely sure how long I'll be able to keep up my 'good girl' act while in her presence. I haven't had to change my personality for a long time, and keeping the act up today is going to be hard.
I even dressed the way that my father usually insisted that I did just to put on a good impression, my hair up in an intricate bun. White pants are tight on my legs, a loose, white shirt tucked into them. White flats are on my feet and a long, light brown trench coat-like cardigan is hanging unbuttoned on my shoulders. Even my makeup is super natural today, there just enough on for me to appear like I tried to look nice.
"Come on, let's get this over with."
I release another breath before getting out and handing the car keys to one of the valet drivers so that they can put it in the proper parking spot, Jimin coming around on my other side. I look him up and down as a smirk lifts up the corner of my lips, finding the sight to be rather nice. He usually wears loose sweaters in light pinks and blues, him opting for a tight, white button up this time around. It is tucked into the black slacks that he is wearing, black dress shoes on his feet.
"It's really weird seeing you like this" I admit with a slight chuckle, it getting harder to reign in my laughter when he groans in annoyance. "I'm not used to you being taller than me."
"Stop!" he whines, his bottom lip jutting out in a pout. "I thought you said you weren't going to talk about my height anymore."
"Sorry, I'm done" I get out between my laughter, hooking my arm through his as we make our way towards the front entrance. I look down at his shoes to see if I can see the insoles he put on today, snickering to myself once more before controlling myself.
I make sure to let go of Jimin's arm when we get to the front door and a butler opens it, schooling my expression into the one of class that my mother ingrained into me at a young age. Jimin leads the way, my eyes taking in the lavish interior as we go. The boring white walls are covered in exquisite pieces of art, the frames looking to be just as expensive as the actual paintings themselves. Small podiums are set up at random intervals to display statues as well, it clear that the Parks have an interest in the classics when it comes to their decor.
"Jimin, you're finally here" a deep voice calls from in front of us, it breaking me out of my daze. "Your mother has been complaining non-stop about--"
He stops talking as I look up, the man in question looking at me with wide eyes. He seems to have just realized that I was here as well, him taking in my nice clothes before moving back up to my face. I recognize him to be Mr. Park right away, his facial structure matching Jimin's. His small eyes blink at me behind his thin-framed glasses before a wide smile spreads across his face, his hands clasped together as he starts walking towards us.
"Miss Chloe, I haven't seen you in a while. You never seem to accompany your parents to parties anymore, and I never get a chance to catch up with you when you do."
"Nice to see you again, Mr. Park" I say as nicely as I can, it turning out not to be all that hard. Jimin's dad has always been the more laid back one of his parents, his smile genuine as he comes to a stop in front of the two of us.
"I wasn't expecting Jimin to bring you here, though. Would I be correct in assuming that means you two are together now?"
"Dad" Jimin whines softly, putting on the act we had agreed on earlier. "We're just friends."
We had decided to deny any dating speculations for right now to make it seem like we didn't want anyone to know, the fact that our mothers don't like each other coming in handy. When asked about why we lied earlier, we can just say that we were afraid that his mom wouldn't approve of our relationship. I know that neither of them should really care though. Even though they don't like each other, money is money. My mom would rather I went out with a guy who's parents were evenly matched with her financially, so they'll put their differences aside. I'm still not entirely sure why we need to go this far with our acting, but Jimin insisted on it.
Mr. Park smirks, "right. Just friends, I got it." He winks at me and Jimin sighs dejectedly, obviously not enjoying his father's teasing despite it being what we wanted to have happen.
"Come now" the older Park continues. "I need to talk to you about something, son. Mrs. Park is in her study drinking tea, Chloe. Why don't you go up there and say hello?"