"I-I need to finish a couple of things for tomorrow. You spent great time with your mother, I'm sure she missed you a lot"
"We can finish that tomorrow together? Why don't you sit with us, come on, you're her favorite"
"Ah? Nono, I don't want to interrupt your little alone time, love. And also, I don't want to get into any stress tomorrow. Don't mind me, I will just do it alone... Ah, don't make her wait to long. She likes searching around - for you"
"If you say so... Don't overwork yourself and them!" Hongjoong winked and pressed a kiss on Seonghwa's cheek before he left the kitchen to spent the evening chatting with his oh so lovely mother.
Seonghwa let out a heavy breath, leaning himself against the kitchen counter. Oh, his mother-in-law, a lovely woman, a great role model, so humble and honest, really, a great woman. At his thought the tall male shook his head. Ah yes, Mrs. Kim.
"Papa?" Mingi came into the room, hugging his father's legs.
A smile graces Seonghwa's lips when he saw Mingi clinging onto him, so, he picked up his boy, pinching his nose. "Ah, what's wrong, baby?"
Mingi crossed his little arms. "I don't like grandmother" he then said, and Seonghwa had to hold back his laughter.
"Ah! Don't say that, she's still you grandmother, Mingi. You're going to have respect for her even if you don't like her, ah?" he said instead, meaning every word.
"But she's no fun... Grandma is so much nicer..." he pouted, but he took his father's words serious.
"But we're going to be nice to her because...?"
"because she's Daddy's Mommy..." Mingi ended the sentence.
"Yes. Now, Papa has a couple things to finish. I will call you and your brothers later for the bath, ah?" Seonghwa said, setting Mingi down and ruffling his puffy hair. "hophop, inside, I'm sure San is bored without you" his boy nodded, rushing out of the kitchen to join his brothers.
Before Seonghwa started his work - which he brought up to not sit with her in a room - he politely excused himself from his mother-in-law and Hongjoong. His own mother had thought him a lot, and one of the things was always show kindness and politeness. No matter to who, your friend will appreciate it and your enemy will hate it so much. She used to tell him to always keep a face to look at others, to never use the same tactics as the people that didn't like him. And that was just what he did, and deep down he knew how much Hongjoong's mother despised it.
After that, he directly went into his bedroom, cleaning every spot. Oh he had a bad tic. He couldn't stay in a room where he had seen roaches.
While cleaning he also checked all his drawers, counting the accessories and ties. No, he didn't accuse his mother-in-law for repeated burglary. He was just checking. She was searching for something still.
Sighing, Seonghwa opened his last drawer, taking out his little box. It was a wooden box from his childhood, his father had mad it for him and since then he stored the most important things in it. As in his grandfather's ring, Hongjoong's first love letter, a couple pictures and accessories he had received from Hongjoong for special occasions.
Seonghwa opened the pretty decorated box and took out what he found in it. Pictures of Hongjoong and him, during high school, from their wedding. Five pictures of him at the hospital, right after labor with his newborns in his arms. Then, there was his grandfather's ring which he had made into a necklace. When he had Hongjoong's first love letter between his fingers, a smile flashed over his lips. The paper was quite old now, here and there were marks of Seonghwa's tears. Ah yes, Hongjoong was born to write. There was the bracelet he got as a graduation gift, his promise ring... And then the air changed. One thing was missing.
To their fifth anniversary, Hongjoong had bought them matching silver watches, their nicknames ingraved on the backside. Seonghwa rarely wore it, just on special occasions as he feared it could break or get scratches. He loved that watch, it was the first 'big' gift Hongjoong had gotten him, and with the names only the two of them knew ingraved it was priceless for him.
"Oh, this bitch!"
~
"How have you been, mom?" Hongjoong asked, he felt so happy to see her. His bother rarely visited, called or texted him. And he never got the chance to visit her, as he was either working of barely had time for his own family. But now he was at home for a while, he could visit his parents during the next break as he had planned.
Hongjoong loved his parents and his sisters. He held onto them for dear life to be exact. Seonghwa on the other hand couldn't understand why exactly. He had been in his life for about eleven to twelve years and he dared to say that Hongjoong's family, especially his mother, weren't people who deserved such great love. Hongjoong just forgot pretty fast, maybe he had forgiven them for everything already, but Seonghwa didn't. There was a reason they got married on the farm of Seonghwa's parents, there was a reason the children just liked Seonghwa's side more. He wasn't about what happened after they got married, what hurt him more was what Hongjoong went through until then. Hongjoong knew, Hongjoong still felt it sometimes, he didn't forget, he tried his best to. He was a man now, had a family of his own now, but something didn't let him go. They had never been supportive of his dreams, Seonghwa did his best to get him where he wanted to be. He had to work since young age for his own, Hongjoong didn't know pocket money and sometimes he had to finance his sisters. Again, Seonghwa was the one to take that weight off of his shoulders, supporting him in every way. He could also remember all the things they had called his husband, before and after their wedding, he was well aware that it hadn't stopped. Hongjoong knew that, deep inside he did.
Maybe he felt so embarrassed to be a part of such a family, maybe he was jealous that Seonghwa's family wasn't like that, maybe he tried to cover it up by pretending he couldn't remember.
"Oh I'm fine, son, so is your father and your sisters. We really miss you, you don't visit us anymore! Ahh tsk... Doesn't he let you?" she replied, grabbed Hongjoong's hand, stroking it. "Tsk tsk tsk... He can't just rip off my son of his family! But I heard you visited his parents last summer! Ah... Hongjoong... I have the feeling, Seonghwa tries to... Distance you from us! We love and miss you so much my son"
"Eh-what? Nono, mom! That's not it! Really! He would never do that-"
"Never do that? But can't you see how he even thought the poor kids to not talk to their grandmother correctly. Hongjoong please, wake up. I think... I think Seonghwa uses you, honey"
Yunho's head abtuptly shot up, looking over to his father and grandmother. Something made him feel quite uncomfortable. Not only him, but Mingi and Wooyoung looked like they had heard what was beeing said. "Ah! I'm bored of that, come on, let's play that game in my and Mingi's room! That'd soo much more interesting. Come on, I will help Jongie up the stairs!" Yunho decided, forcing his bothers up the stairs. He didn't exactly know why but he didn't like what he had heard and he didn't want the younger to hear more. The second he had closed his bedroom door, another one was slammed shut. He eavesdropped, heard someone walk down the stairs with rather loud and fast steps and then loud voiced found their way to his ear. "How about we turn on a little bit of music?"
~
Seonghwa turned red because of anger. Oh there was a lot he could tolerate or ignore, but at that very moment he just didn't want to. He was very much done covering up her ugly face for Hongjoong's sake.
He slammed the door shut behind him and stopped down the stairs, confronting the thief.
"I think he's using you honey... I didn't want to tell you that in such a way but- Oh Seonghwa! Are you ready to join us now and stop hiding in your room?"
"Oh I'm ready for so much more, Mrs. Kim" Seonghwa replied a sarcastic smile gracing all over his face. He didn't see his children anywhere, and that was his start light. "Oh, let me join your little conversation about the true side of people. I hope you're done filling my husband with your lies, Jangmi?"
"Seonghwa-" Hongjoong breathed out, shocked that his usually composed husband had just dropped the honorifics.
"See Hongjoong? You see him, a dirty farmer boy"
"Dirty? May I remind you, from where you came? Oh I'm so done with your disgusting play!" Seonghwa walked up to them, he was focused on her, his eyes fixing her bag.
"Seonghwa, stop!" Hongjoong interrupted, standing up and stopping Seonghwa from taking any step further. "That's enough!"
Unfortunately, Seonghwa wasn't having it. "You're right, that's enough!" he agreed, turning to Hongjoong who had a tight grip around his arm. "I love you Hongjoong, and because I love you I respected everything decision you made, I accepted everything you had with you. I lowered my face enough in front of these people. You're right, that's enough! I am no longer going to tolerate a thief in my house!"
"Tsk tsk tsk, you see Hongjoong. Don't you have any dignity, Seonghwa, you're accusing an old woman again... Honey, maybe, maybe you should seek help. You're seeing things I think!"
"Huh?" Seonghwa's eyes widened at her words. He knew speaking against her now wouldn't help him. "Hongjoong listen, i know you haven't forgotten what we went through. I know you haven't. Please. I am not lying, I never have! Please... I know that you know it too, don't be so naive, Hongjoong..."
Hongjoong felt like throwing up, his head was spinning.
"Ahh, he's lying again! Oh, dear, I'm so sorry for you condition! Hongjoong? Why don't you say something? Do you believe him? Do you really think your own mother could steal from you? Ha, I can't believe my own son-"
"Yeah! Drop the manipulative talking already, Jangmi! I haven't forgotten what you did. It's been over ten years, and you haven't changed a bit, you're still the same greedy woman you-"
"Ah!" Hongjoong yelled, shushing everyone in the room. He held his head, it hurt so much. Hongjoong gathered the strength to look Seonghwa in the eyes. "What did she steal?" he asked, as calm as he could, holding both of Seonghwa's shoulders.
"Th-The watch you got me f-for our fifth anniversary" Seonghwa answered, lowering his head, knowing that Hongjoong was just about to snap completely.
Hongjoong slowly let go of his husband and turned to his mother. "Is he lying?" he then asked her.
"Of course he is! He's so-"
"Give me your bag"
"What- Don't you believe-"
"Mom! Stop resisting! Give me your bag!" Hongjoong ordered loud, making both his mother and Seonghwa flinch a little. She still hadn't handed over her bag, so Hongjoong grabbed it forcefully. He had to see for himself.
"No-"
Hongjoong's fingers touched a cold metal, he felt like breaking down. He grabbed it, pulled it out. An expensive silver watch with his and Seonghwa's names ingraved. Hongjoong dropped the bag, his eyes fixed on the watch in his hand. Wordless he gave the watch back to Seonghwa, grabbed his mother's arm, gathered her bag from the floor. He stormed out the door.
"Don't wait for me"
-
Hey! How are you feeling?
Uff... Ahh yes, mother-in-law...
I'm sorry that I couldn't update yesterday! A couple of friends wanted to go out so bad and I couldn't say no >.< we went to the cinema, they wanted to watch a movie soo bad and after that we just chilled in the city
It was pretty exciting! Well, as it was my fist time being out alone with friends in a big city until a really late time >.< yes, I have pretty strict parents :')
Well enough of my life, how is yours?
Y'all, this book reached 10k yesterday morning and now it's about to hit 11k! Y'all are insane holy shit o.O
Aaaannd we will soon - hopefully - hit 1k likes too like for real this is insane
Anyways
Please stay healthy and safe!
-gulkurusubb