It is a good news for Chaeyoung to know from Jungkook that he finally found his long lost mother. Same goes to Jungkook, he feels utterly happy with the good news from the investigator he hired since a year ago. However, his face still does not show the happiness he felt so Chaeyoung gives him a hug and asks him why he looks sad instead of happy.
"I'm happy. I'm just...too shocked. I've looked for her since I started to receive my first paycheck as a professional footballer, Chae. Since then, there were so many different investigators I hired but none of them found her. Now...I really found her here in Sydney.", he tells her as he stays in her comforting embrace. "It feels like a miracle, Chae. It's like...fate wants me to find her now...when I'm here.", he adds as he tries not to cry out of happiness in front of her.
"Is that why you look like this? You want to cry, do you?", she asks him as she rubs his back. "Just cry if you want to, Kookie. It's happy tears, right?", she tells him as she slowly lets go of him to see his face.
Jungkook smiles a little at her, "My mom wants to see me."
His words make Chaeyoung to smile back at him. "That's good. When? We still have two days here. You can go and meet her. I'll go out with Jisoo unnie and Jin oppa.", Chaeyoung says to him.
Jungkook shakes his head and tells her, "Can you come with me? Tomorrow night near Darling Harbour."
"M..me? Why...should I be there? I mean...you're meeting your mom, Jungkook.."
"I wanted to show you to her. You're my girlfriend and she's supposed to be one of the first to know, don't you think so?", Jungkook tells her his reason as he hopes that she will agree to go and meet his mother with him.
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The whole squad of Seoul FC is going back to South Korea but one person is missing from the media radar. Seoul FC won the game over Sydney FC in Australia with Jungkook scoring a hat trick there. The media is welcoming the team to congratulate him for being recognized as the Man of the Match for the group stage of AFC Champions League there. However, the man they waited for at the airport never showed up.
Jisoo and Seokjin look at the couple in front of them with a disbelief look. Jungkook sees their face expressions as Chaeyoung is combing his hair for the meeting with his mother later. He asks the elders why they give him that look and they show him the phone screen.
"You really became a hot topic for not showing up at the airport, Kook.", Seokjin says as he zooms in the article at the part where it said that Jungkook is nowhere to be seen with his teammates that arrived that afternoon.
"What?", Chaeyoung is the one replying to Seokjin while Jungkook could only smile in respond to him.
"You know how your boyfriend scored hat trick and became man of the match, right? The media in Korea are all looking for him and they don't have a single clue that he's not coming home yet. He's a bad boy, don't you think, Chaeng?", Jisoo says as she smirks at her.
Chaeyoung could only say 'oh' in return as she fixed the collar of Jungkook's white shirt.
"I told the management team and Jimin hyung that I'll be staying here longer so...it's their lost not to find out from them first before waiting for me at the airport.", Jungkook says before he takes Chaeyoung's hand in his and turn themselves to face the Kims. "Okay, hyung, noona. Do we look good together?", he asks them with a big smile formed on his face.
Both Seokjin and Jisoo make a face as if they are thinking hard while looking at Jungkook and Chaeyoung.
"Do you guys have to look that serious?", Chaeyoung asks as she feels awkward of being looked at by them without hearing a word from them.
"All good. Especially you, JK. Your hair looks dashing! Just like mine.."
"Because I'm using your hair gel, hyung?", Jungkook cuts him off knowing that he is joking with his words.
Seokjin laughs before apologizing, "But honestly, both of you look good together. As always."
"Indeed. I almost think you two are going to attend some ballroom event or formal wedding. You guys look great, not going to lie.", Jisoo gives her opinion making the younger couple smile at her.
"Sounds like we overdressed again.", Jungkook says in a lower tone but Jisoo catches it so she laughs at him. "Did we overdress, noona?", he asks Jisoo who he already see as an elder sister to him.
Jisoo shakes her head and asks Seokjin to agree with her, "You're meeting your mom at the luxurious Sydney Sushi, right? You're not overdressed. You guys look luxurious just like the restaurant is. Just go already. I'm sure everyone there wearing similar clothes like you two."
"Okay, I'm thinking the same actually. Hopefully we don't overdressed and make ourselves become the attention to people there.", Jungkook states his concern while thinking of how the restaurant will look like.
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Seokjin is right. Sydney Sushi is a luxurious restaurant where not everyone can go to. When he drove Jungkook and Chaeyoung there, they have to give a name and table number before they can enter the premise. Even when Jungkook is walking together with Chaeyoung to the entrance, the staff who could be the security guard questions him of who is he taking to the restaurant because the table he is going to is reserved for two persons only.
After a few minutes of waiting outside, the staff comes back letting him and Chaeyoung in. Another staff comes to show them their table which is located near the balcony that has a view of the harbour. The person they will meet is facing the view out there so they have not yet meet eyes with her.
When they almost get to the table, Jungkook stops for a while in his tracks. Chaeyoung looks up to him and sees the nervousness in his face. He sweats, she can see the water on his forehead.
"Hey...it's alright.", she does not know if her words help because she too, is nervous inside as she gently squeezes his hand.
"Sir and ma'am, you may sit here at this table.", the staff who brings them to the table says before leaving them.
Right after that, the woman sitting at the table turns her head slowly before she stands up to greet Jungkook. She smiles widely and Chaeyoung realizes how similar it is to Jungkook's smile. Even their eyes look similar to her.
"A..Annyeong...eo...eomma...", Jungkook stutters before he goes forward and hugs the older woman tightly like there is no tomorrow. "Eomma...I miss you..so much...", he says in between tears.
Luckily their table is a bit secluded from other people's tables. No one is bothered by the scene at their table. Only Chaeyoung feels touched to see Jungkook finally meeting his mother again. She does not disturb the mother and son at all for a good minute before the mother herself takes the chance to smile at Chaeyoung as she ends the hug with Jungkook.
"I heard you bring along your girlfriend, Jungkook-ah.", she says as she keeps her eyes on Chaeyoung.
Jungkook nods his head as he wipes away the remaining tears from his face. "Her name is Chaeyoung, eomma. Park Chaeyoung, my girlfriend.", he introduced the two women to each other. "Chae, this is Jeon Jiwoo. My mom.", he watched the two shake hands before Jiwoo pulling Chaeyoung into a warm hug.
"Call me Jennifer. I use my English name now, Jungkook-ah.", Jiwoo corrects her son as she pats Chaeyoung's shoulder.
Chaeyoung feels a bit awkward but she remains calm. "You look like a good girl..", Jiwoo says as they let go of each other. "You're lovely, I see why my son loves you.", she adds to not sound weird with the young woman. "Now, shall we sit? The food is ready.", she tells them as she points to the food that have already been prepared for their dinner.
They eat under the moonlight that reflects on the water of the harbour while chatting about their lives. Jiwoo does not talk much about herself but Jungkook likes it better that way. He does not want to ask her about her life which began after she left him. He likes to tell her his own story to successfully be a professional footballer as of now.
She seems to be proud of him too as he tells her his journey from the youth team until he gets to the first team of Seoul FC. Chaeyoung, on his side, enjoys the story as well since Jiwoo does not ask her much about herself. Only when Jungkook leaves them for the toilet, she talks with Chaeyoung for a while.
She asks the blonde girl how she knew Jungkook and how long they have been together. Chaeyoung told her just enough and not too detailed as it involves her alters. She cannot let Jiwoo knows Jungkook saved her when she was not herself. At least, not now at the first meeting with her.
"Did I miss anything? Eomma? Chaeyoung?", Jungkook comes back asking as he takes his seat.
They continue talking about Jungkook for a while until their food is finished. When Jungkook talks about not wanting to end the night yet, Jiwoo tells him that she has to go. Jungkook tries to tell her to stay and go for a walk or something but Jiwoo refuses.
"Jungkook, I...have something important to tell you.", she says as she glanced at her watch.
"You can tell me when we walk..."
"No, I...have to tell you now. I don't have much time left.", she cuts him off as she hits the table a little to stop Jungkook from talking.
Chaeyoung flinched in response but she remains quiet.
"Don't have much time left...what do you mean, eomma?", Jungkook thought his mother is sick but he is wrong.
"I...don't want to see you anymore. I can't...see you anymore, Jungkook.", Jiwoo stammers in her own words.
It had both of the young people in front of her to blink and look at her with a questioning look on their faces.
"Eo..eomma, what are you talking about?", Jungkook asks in a sad tone.
"I said...I don't want to see you anymore. I can't and never will see you again. This is the first and last time we meet after I left you. Okay?", Jiwoo really tried her best courage to say those mean words to her son. "I'm a bad mom. You don't need me. You have your girl..."
"Why? Why, eomma? I thought we will exchange numbers and keep in touch. What is this bullshit you're spitting to me?", he cuts her off with his voice cracking as he is about to cry any moment by now.
"Kookie, language!", Chaeyoung whisper shouts to him to remind him who he is talking to at the moment.
Jiwoo chuckles before saying, "Look at you..having a good girlfriend who cares about you. I'm sure she can take care of you well. I'm not going to be able to do that for you. I've abandoned you long ago, Jungkook. I don't deserve to be called mom by you."
"Why are you saying this...eomma?", Jungkook still calls her that way just like he used to when he was small. "At least, give me a reason..", he adds as he closes his eyes making his tears fall to his cheeks.
"Okay...my reason is my family. My current family here, Kook. Luke Hemmings, my husband. He's a famous businessman here and he will be a mayor here soon. I cannot see or even talk to you again because of him. He hates my past life before I married him. He also doesn't want it to be the reason his reputation will damage. So, I hope you understand it. I'm doing this for my family. The Hemmings family.", Jiwoo explains before she stands up from her seat.
Jungkook could not help himself from crying a lot as his vision gets blurry. He cannot see Jiwoo's face clearly anymore as he watched her standing up.
"I'm sorry, Jeon Jungkook. It was a pleasure to meet you and Chaeyoung. Park Chaeyoung, I hope you can take care of him better than I did. I'm a failure, don't be like me. Good night.", with that, Jiwoo leaves without even turning back to see them again.
She leaves Jungkook in crying mess with Chaeyoung who tries to comfort him. His head stays low to the table for almost half an hour before he looks up to the empty seat in front of him.
"Jungkook, don't cry anymore please..", Chaeyoung says as she sees the tears that have already dried itself on his face.
"Excuse me.", he replies before he heads for the toilet.
Chaeyoung waits for him at the hallway as she worried about him. Five minutes later, he comes out with a messed up hair unlike the first time they got there when his hair is all combed nicely with Seokjin's hair gel. She asks him if he is okay and he only nods before telling her go leave the restaurant.
"Jungkook, wait.", she stops him and finds a weird smell from his mouth. "This smell..."
"I throw up, okay? That's it. I'm alright now.", Jungkook says as he continues to walk out of the restaurant.
"Why did you throw up? Did you force yourself..."
Jungkook nods his head before Chaeyoung can finish her question. "How do you think I can be full eating with someone who doesn't admit me as a family? It hurts...", he expresses himself as his tears show up again.
"Jungkook...I'm sorry. Please don't cry anymore, Kookie.", Chaeyoung gives him a hug and rubs his back to comfort him. "I'm here with you, okay? Please don't cry. I hate to see you like this, Kookie.", she adds as she feels how wet her shoulder is with his tears.
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Sixty eighth chapter ✔
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