Chapter Text
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
When Saeyoung woke up Jangmi was sitting up in her spot on their bed, staring wide-eyed at her phone.
She almost seemed scared.
Saeyoung sat up and hugged her, placing his head on her shoulder and looking up at her with his best puppydog eyes.
When he realized that it wasn’t working, he blew onto her neck.
Jangmi jumped, letting out a squeak and sending her phone flying into the air. Thankfully it landed on the bed unharmed.
Jangmi glared at Saeyoung before reaching for her phone. She sighed as she returned to her previous pose.
Okay, this was worrisome.
“Jangmi, is everything okay?” Saeyoung asked.
Jangmi looked at Saeyoung for a moment and sighed.
“My mother is coming to visit from Daeju,” she said. “My sister too. They’re coming to stay over for the weekend.”
Saeyoung paused. He hadn’t heard Jangmi talk much about her family other than in passing. And this seemed like a bad thing, that her mother was coming.
“Okay,” he said. “Would you like to talk about it?”
“What is there to talk about?” Jangmi snapped. “My mother is coming for a visit, that’s it.”
“And that right there is why,” Saeyoung said. “This is clearly upsetting you. If you don’t want to talk about it right now, that’s fine. Just know I will be right here to listen when you’re ready.”
Jangmi turned to look at her fiancee. Saeyoung placed a hand on her cheek. She leaned into the touch, placing her hand on his.
“My mother…” Jangmi started. “She’s…not the nicest of people. She never raised a hand toward me or my sister, but she did say a lot of hurtful things. She still does, actually.”
Saeyoung pulled Jangmi into his embrace. She slowly wrapped her arms around him, letting herself drift off once more.
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Yoosung had just gotten out of anatomy when his phone rang many times in succession.
(10:36) saeran: have u ever had one of those days where u just
(10:37) saeran: dont feel like anything
(10:37) saeran: like u dont even know if u really exist
(10:37) Yoosung★: im so sorry u feel like that! TAT
(10:37) Yoosung★: do u want me to come over?
(10:38) saeran: ok i guess
(10:38) Yoosung★: ok! (⌒▽⌒)
(10:38) Yoosung★: ill be right over!
(10:39) saeran: but u have class
(10:47) Yoosung★: just got on the subway lol
(10:47) saeran: u really want 2 skip class dont u
(10:48) Yoosung★: ya
(10:48) saeran: god dammit yoosung
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
~Twenty minutes later…~
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Yoosung stood outside the Choi family bunker, only slightly regretting having chosen to skip his last few classes of the day.
*Say, “God Seven has the best fiancee in the cosmos” in Arabic.*
“Just let me IN, Saeyoung!” Yoosung whined. “I have Dr. Pepper!”
“What kind~?” said Saeyoung from the other end of the intercom.
“It’s not diet, now LET ME IIIN!” the blond sobbed desperately.
“Saeyoung, let him in, he’s crying and he has Dr. Pepper!” Jangmi said.
“Okay, fine…”
Once the gate was opened, Yoosung ran in, opened the front door, and fell down on all fours, gasping for breath and sobbing.
Saeyoung and Jangmi watched him, unsure of what to do. It was like watching a train wreck. A very adorable train wreck with little if any direction in life.
“Saeran is in his room if that’s why you’re here,” Jangmi said.
Yoosung’s sobs stopped abruptly. He sniffled and stood up putting on his best smile before walking down the hall, the titters of the couple behind him unregistered.
He knocked on the door before opening it - Saeran told him that he didn’t have to, he was welcome at any time, but it was a force of habit that Yoosung was not about to let go of anytime soon.
The lights were completely off. Saeran was curled up in a ball on his bed, blanket balled up on the ground. The blanket that Jangmi had knitted was still at the foot of his bed, if out of place.
Saeran looked up to face Yoosung. His eyes were bloodshot, dark circles prominent. He was paler than usual.
Yoosung wanted to cry looking at him. But he knew Saeran wouldn’t like that.
He draped the knit blanket over Saeran’s shoulders, crossing it in front of him.
“I’m going to get you some water, okay?” Yoosung said. “I’ll be right back.”
As he turned to leave and get some water, he felt a bony hand grab at his wrist weakly.
Yoosung turned to face Saeran. The redhead was clearly trying not to look at him.
They were silent.
“Do you want me to stay here?” Yoosung asked quietly. Saeran said nothing, only nodding in confirmation.
Yoosung smiled and sat on the bed, facing Saeran and crossing his legs. “What do you wanna do?” he asked.
Saeran scooted closer to him until they were touching. He leaned his head on Yoosung’s shoulder, closing his eyes.
Yoosung was burning. What did people do in situations like this?
Yoosung chose to follow his instincts, wrapping his arms around Saeran.
Saeran moved so he was on Yoosung’s lap, being cradled and comforted.
Yoosung Kim was in shutdown mode. And it would take awhile for him to restart.
Not that he really minded at the moment.
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Zen was at lunch with Rina and, by some weird coincidence, Jumin.
They were quiet for the first ten minutes.
“So, Jumin,” Zen said. “What brings you here?”
“Driver Kim brought me here,” the heir said.
“That is NOT what I MEANT, Trust Fund!” Zen snapped. “I meant WHY are you here?”
“Because I felt like it,” Jumin said with a shrug.
Something about both the way Jumin spoke and the way he was sitting did not sit well with Zen.
“Your dad with a girl again?” Zen asked.
Jumin sighed. All the confirmation Zen required was contained in that sigh.
“That’s rough buddy,” Zen said, leaning back in his seat.
“I understand somewhat,” Rina said. “My mother brought home a new man every other night, almost. I never knew my father, and I don’t even think my mother knows who he was.”
“Damn,” Zen said. Jumin hummed.
“It’s never been a big deal to me,” Rina dismissed with a shrug. “But one thing I do know is that I got the guy’s hair. So if nothing else, I at least know the guy was a redhead.”
“An optimistic way of looking at it, that’s for certain,” Jumin said, sipping his lemon water.
“So your hair is natural?” Zen asked, intrigued.
“Yep,” Rina said, popping the consonant on the end.
“Interesting…” Jumin remarked to himself.
Zen looked at him, an eyebrow raised.
He’d have to ask about that later. For now, he was just going to enjoy this not-exactly-a-date with a not-exactly-a-third-wheel.
He screamed internally once he realized what he’d thought.
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Jangmi was starting to get a little worried. She and Saeyoung hadn’t heard from Saeran or Yoosung in a while.
She decided to check in on them.
She walked down the hall to Saeran’s room, and knocked on the door.
She opened the door.
Saeran and Yoosung were cuddling on the bed together. Sort of. Saeran was actually asleep tightly wrapped in a blanket burrito and Yoosung looked like he’d smoked something amazing that he prabably shouldn’t have.
Jangmi knew EXACTLY what to do.
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Chat Name: I AM TRASH
Jangmi: lol check it
Jangmi: [yooran.jpg]
Jangmi: Ain’t they cuuute~?
Jaehee Kang: Jangmi;;;
ZEN: I’m getting a John and Yoko vibe here…
*707 has logged in.*
707: But we actually LIKE these two together. No WAY they’re John and Yoko!
Jangmi: Yeah!
ZEN: Yeah, but the pose;;;
Jangmi: It’s gayer than Jumin Han.
*Jumin Han has logged in.*
Jumin Han: For the last time, I am not gay.
707: Okay then. More HOMOSEXUAL than Jumin Han!
Jumin Han: -_-
Jangmi: More real-life yaoi than Jumin Han?
Jaehee Kang: More distinctly non-heterosexual than Jumin Han.
Jangmi: Jaehee, no one in the RFA is straight.
Jumin Han: All of you are fired.
707: Please don’t fire me I have a wife and child
Jangmi: I’m the wife Saeran’s the child
ZEN: We don’t even work for you.
Jaehee Kang: This is the second time you’ve fired me, Jumin. I think you might have a problem.
Jumin Han: Why must you people torture me so.
707: Because you’re gay and I want pancakes.
Jangmi: Because you’re gay and I want pancakes too.
ZEN: Pancake party at the Choi house lol
*saeran has logged in.*
saeran: You came into my domain and you will die a horrible death.
ZEN: I would make a sexy corpse…
Jumin Han: We need you alive.
707: Jumin Han prefers live dick, it seems.
Jaehee Kang: There’s a sentence I hoped I would never read.
707: but
707: you
707: expected
707: it?
Jaehee Kang: So how is everyone?
Jangmi: Remember last year when Jumin called Yoosung’s mom?
saeran: Trust Fund Bitch did what?
*Yoosung★ has logged in.*
Yoosung★: Hey everyone ^^
saeran: Did Jumin Han call your mom last year?
Yoosung★: Oh!
Yoosung★: Yeah, he did…
Yoosung★: I was SO PISSED at him!
Yoosung★: But it turned out to be worth it…
ZEN: Dude.
ZEN: He called your mother on you.
saeran: Jumin Han, I hope you have a good chiropractor because I’m about toojfrehckqurgkcwehrng hrtwbr,gcmbo g
*saeran has logged out.*
*Yoosung★ has logged out.*
707: …
707: Gotta go, we’re cleaning house for Jangmi’s mother!
*707 has logged out.*
Jangmi: So long suckers.
*Jangmi has logged out.*
Jaehee Kang: I must be going. Cam is coming by to pick me up in ten minutes, and I want to get ready.
Jaehee Kang: And with that…
*Jaehee Kang has logged out.*
ZEN: You leave first.
Jumin Han: No, you.
ZEN: No, you!
Jumin Han: If you insist.
*Jumin Han has logged out.*
ZEN: Did this fucker just do that.
ZEN: Oh well…
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
~A week later…~
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Jangmi and Saeyoung were at the train station to meet Jangmi’s mother. They were sweating from nerves.
Jangmi was wearing a knit pastel pink turtleneck and a long burgundy skirt with black mules.
Saeyoung was wearing a white button down and jeans with black sneakers.
They stood next to each other nervously. They didn’t dare hold hands from fear that Jangmi’s mother was about, unseen in the crowd, even though it was around half the usual size.
Jangmi grabbed her fiancee’s hand. Both calmed down almost instantly.
“Jangmi-unnie!”
Jangmi perked up instantly. She started waving the hand that wasn’t attached to Saeyoung in the air like she just didn’t care.
A young middle school girl in a uniform comprised of a white shirt with a dark green ribbon, grey vest, dark green skirt, black socks, and brown shoes with brown pigtails and brown eyes ran up, nearly causing Jangmi to fall over with the force of her hug.
Jangmi returned the hug and nuzzled her sister. Saeyoung nearly had a heart attack from the sheer cuteness.
He cleared his throat to calm himself so as not to seem like a total creep. “So, ah…this is your sister, I take it?”
“Yep!” Jangmi replied, placing the girl at her side and draping an arm over her shoulder. “Saeyoung, this is my sister Nari! Nari, this is my fiancee, Saeyoung Choi!”
Nari gasped. “It's nice to meet you, Saeyoung-gun!”
“Please, no need to be so formal!” Saeyoung said with a smile.
Nari shrugged. “Okay, if you insist, Saeyoung-oppa.”
“Much better!” Saeyoung said.
Nari turned to her sister. “Unnie, you’re fiancee is a weirdo,” she said.
Jangmi simply smiled and shrugged. “I know! It’s part of his charm~”
“Um, Jangmi,” Saeyoung said, “didn’t you say that your mother was also coming…?”
“I escaped!” Nari replied, beaming.
Jangmi looked at the youth in horror. “Nari…have you a death wish…?”
“I’m not in high school yet, so no,” Nari replied.
Jangmi whimpered. “Why oh why must our names be so ironic…?”
Saeyoung rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb to calm her down. Nari rubbed her back to the same end.
“How can you stand her, Saeyoung-oppa?” Nari sighed.
“I dunno, how can she stand me?” Saeyoung asked.
“Because she’s a weirdo,” Nari replied.
“That makes both of us then,” Saeyoung sighed.
“You two do realize that I can hear you, right?” Jangmi said.
“And who is this young man with my daughters?”
Jangmi and Nari tensed and turned toward the source of the voice.
A woman with short brown hair with a gray skunk stripe and dark brown eyes stood with a suitcase in hand. She wore a white shirt with a brown pinafore dress and brown shoes.
Jangmi managed to snap out of her nerves and cleared her throat.
“Mother,” she began nervously, “this is Saeyoung Choi, the man I told you about. Saeyoung, this is my mother, Eunju Shin.”
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Saeran waited at the door with his best sweater on over a white buttondown and jeans.
They should have been here fifteen minutes ago.
Maybe they finally abandoned him…
Then his phone went off. He debated with himself whether or not to answer.
He answered.
(12:46) 707: Sorry Saeran, but Jangmi’s mother insisted that we eat lunch before going to the house and I had to have help from Jangmi’s sister to escape to the bathroom to send u this…
(12:46) 707: I’m so sorry…
(12:47) saeran: if ur sorry then stop apologizing and get back safe
(12:47) saeran: idiot
(12:47) 707: I will!
(12:47) 707: See u in an hour~
Saeran sighed and put away his phone.
An hour of no idiot brother and idiot brother’s idiot fiancee.
Time to game.
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
The group sat at the outdoor table with their drinks, waiting for their food in icy silence. Jangmi thought she would puke any minute.
Eunju glared at Saeyoung. Saeyoung managed to keep a straight face.
“So,” Eunju said, “what are your intentions toward my daughter?”
“Marriage,” Saeyoung replied seriously and instantly. “And while I am aware that that is not the reason you have here, I will ask for your blessing.”
“No,” Eunju said.
“Why not?” Jangmi asked, voice low and cold.
“Because I know nothing about him,” Eunju reasoned. “You never told me you had met someone, so how do I know you didn’t hire him to try to impress me?”
“Because I never could impress you no matter how well I did in school or extracurricular activities,” Jangmi explained. “Nothing I ever do is enough for you, so why bother going this far? I love Saeyoung, mother. That’s why I’m marrying him. I didn’t do it to impress anyone.”
“Jangmi, that is enough,” Eunju said evenly, seemingly unaffected by Jangmi’s words.
“Well at least something I did in my life was enough for you,” Jangmi bit.
Everyone was silent. Saeyoung stared at Jangmi in awe.
“Sooo,” Nali said slowly. “Where’s our food?”
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
~A few hours later…~
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Chat Name: Motherfucker…
Jangmi: So my mother’s in town
Jumin Han: That’s nice, Jangmi.
Jangmi: Bitch no it ain’t.
Jangmi: She assumed I hired Saeyoung to be my fake fiancee to impress her.
ZEN: lolololololololol
Jangmi: Keep laughing and I lock you in a closet full of cats.
Jumin Han: hahahaha
Jangmi: You I will feed to an army of gold diggers.
Jaehee Kang: Jangmi, I know you’re upset, but there is no need to threaten Zen.
Jumin Han: And I don’t exist, is that right?
Jangmi: Do any of us exist outside of our own minds?
ZEN: Dude.
Jumin Han: Jangmi, please stop. I didn’t take philosophy.
Jangmi: I should go. My sister says hello.
Jaehee Kang: Tell your sister I said the same.
Jumin Han: Do extend my greetings to her as well.
ZEN: You have a sister?
*Jangmi has logged out.*
ZEN: Huh.
ZEN: Well, I should go now.
ZEN: See ya, Douchey McTrust Fund.
*ZEN has logged out.*
Jaehee Kang: …
Jumin Han: That’s a new one.
Jaehee Kang: I should go as well. The shop needs cleaning.
Jumin Han: Of course. Have a good evening, Jaehee.
Jaehee Kang: You as well, Jumin.
*Jaehee Kang has logged out.*
*Jumin Han has logged out.*
*707 has logged in.*
707: GAAAYYYYYYY
*707 has logged out.*
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
~The next evening…~
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
The Choi men and the Park women ate their dinner in silence.
This evening had been set aside for questioning Saeyoung about things like work and such.
“So,” Eunju said, “you’ve been caring for your younger brother in the same house as my daughter.”
“Yes,” Saeyoung responded.
“Is there a problem with that?” Saeran asked.
“Well, two grown men in the same house with an unmarried girl, doesn’t it seem a tad…questionable?”
“Ma’am, I have no interest in your daughter,” Saeran said, his voice getting slightly angrier.
“Saeran here actually introduced us!” Jangmi added, clearly trying to diffuse the tension.
“Did he,” Eunju said.
Jangmi and Saeyoung smiled and nodded in harmony.
“He did,” Saeyoung concurred. “Really, if he hadn’t introduced Jangmi into my life, I have no idea where I would be.”
Jangmi smiled at Saeyoung warmly. She extended a similar, though smaller smile to Saeran.
“Do you have a girlfriend?” Nari asked Saeran.
“I’m gay,” Saeran said.
“Oh, okay then.”
“He’s gay?” Eunju asked.
“Yes, Mother,” Jangmi said. “If you have a problem with that like you have with everything else so far, then I’m wondering why you came here in the first place. To trash my efforts some more? You really seem to like doing that for some reason.”
“Jangmi, that is quite enough,” Eunju began.
“No, actually, it’s NOT enough!” Jangmi asserted, banging her hands on the table. “I have a LOT more to say on THAT subject that I for one REALLY think you should hear. And I am gonna say them whether you like it or not.”
“Jangmi, hold your tongue now or else,” Eunju warned.
“Or else what? You’ll disown me? Toss me out on the streets again? Make me feel like more of a failure than I already do? Because that third thing happened the second I heard you were coming here!”
“Jangmi! Shame on you for behaving like this in front of guests!” Eunju spat.
Everyone was silent. Saeran and Nari had similar expressions - Saeran because he’d never seen Jangmi angry before, and Nari because she’d seen this scenario before and she did NOT like having to see it again.
Jangmi stood up slowly.
“Mother,” she said evenly, coldly, “YOU are the guest in MY home. I left home, not only because you kicked me out once I became of age, but because I had been accepted into a university nearby. I also wished to become independent, become my own person! And meeting Saeyoung, and Saeran, and the rest of the RFA - I like to think that I am my own person now. And if you disagree with the choices I’ve made as my own person, I will not apologize since those decisions have made me very, VERY happy! Yes, there have been ups and downs, but that just comes with being ALIVE, Mother! I don’t know why you’ve never been proud of any of my accomplishments, and I would like to know why that is NOW!”
Jangmi, having finished her rant, was panting. She was staring her mother down angrily. Her mother was staring back in shock.
Nari was clinging to Saeran’s sleeve nervously. Saeran was wishing he were anywhere else. Saeyoung was not really sure what to think.
“Well?” Jangmi said. “Explain yourself. Why are you never proud of me?”
More silence.
“Jangmi,” Eunju said calmly, “sit. Down.”
“No. Not until you answer me.”
The mother-daughter staredown continued unabated. Nari was near tears. Saeran was starting to get fidgety.
“Saeran, Nari, why don’t you two go put away your plates and find something to do in the other room?” Saeyoung offered, smiling despite the tension thick enough to drown a person.
“Thank GOD,” Saeran grumbled as he stood up from his chair. Nari followed him silently, still gripping his sleeve.
He sat down in the office at his computer. Nari sat on the couch.
Saeran’s leg bounced.
“It smells like Dr. Pepper in here,” she said.
“Blame my idiot brother for that,” Saeran sighed.
“Do you like Pokemon?” Nari asked.
“Why?”
“Because I wanna know.”
Saeran had no idea why he was humoring this child. He didn’t do children.
“Yeah, sure, I guess,” he grumbled. “It’s been years since I played though.”
“Which region was the last one you played in?” Nari asked.
Saeran was confused. “It had snow in it, I think?”
“Was it 2D or 3D?” she asked.
“2D,” he responded.
“Color or monochrome?”
“Color.”
“Was the character in a coat?”
“What is this, 20 Questions?” Saeran mumbled.
“I’m the one asking questions here mister, now answer me!” Nari snapped.
“No coat,” Saeran said, a little too quickly for his own liking.
“Okay,” Nari said with a nod. “You were playing either Diamond or Pearl then. Do you remember what the game card thingy looked like?”
“Why the hell would I remember something like that?!” Saeran asked.
“Sorry, just thought I’d ask…” Nari mumbled, pouting.
She saw something on the side table.
“Ooh, whose phone is this?” Nari asked.
“That’s mine, don’t touch - I SAID DON’T TOUCH IT YOU BRAT!”
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Chat Name: A Wild Wild Weekend
saeran: [image_7.jpg]
saeran: adfgkhrixhgnibdjfigj
Yoosung★: Is that Jangmi’s sister in the foreground?
saeran: Little brat stole my phone…
Yoosung★: lolololol
saeran: Not funny Yoosung.
Yoosung★: sorry;;
saeran: Whatevehfifjfjgivsodiruziopo
Yoosung★: ?!!?!!?!
saeran: r u saeran oppas bf???
Yoosung★: ???!!??!?!!??!
saeran: jfk fofkcjddkfkfofkgkfit
Yoosung★: Wha…?
Yoosung★: I am so confused…
saeran: Ignore all of that.
Yoosung★: I have no idea what just happened…
saeran: Jangmi’s sister grabbed my phone.
saeran: AGAIN.
Yoosung★: ^^;;
Yoosung★: Where are Jangmi and Saeyoung?
saeran: Jangmi’s mother…
Yoosung★: OH.
Yoosung★: GASP!!!
saeran: ?
Yoosung★: Does she not approve of the marriage??!?!
saeran: Seems like it.
saeran: Nari just said that their mother doesn’t like Saeyoung.
Yoosung★: Awww…
Yoosung★: But Jangmi doesn’t care what people say, she does what she wants!
Yoosung★: She’ll stay with Saeyoung anyway! Because she loves him!
saeran: That and they’re both weirdos.
Yoosung★: Well yeah, but mostly that first thing!
Yoosung★: Tell Nari I said hello!
saeran: u didnt answer my question tho r u saerans bf or not
Yoosung★: Um…
saeran: That fucking brat.
Yoosung★: …
saeran: Yoosung.
saeran: You don’t have to respond if it makes you uncomfortable, okay?
Yoosung★: Would you want to though?
saeran: Want to what?
Yoosung★: Um…
Yoosung★: Be boyfriends?
*saeran has logged out.*
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
~Meanwhile, in the dining room…~
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
If Saeyoung was already nervous before, now he was fighting back running from the room screaming.
And Jangmi and Eunju hadn’t even stopped glaring at each other.
And Saeyoung was very much aware of Jangmi’s discomfort with eye contact - she only made it when she trusted someone enough to weaken herself. Whenever she locked eyes with him, he always felt like he could and would take on the world.
She was trying - consciously or otherwise - to tell her mother to be honest, because at this point they were equals whether Eunju thought so or not.
But one thing was certain.
Both Jangmi and her mother were stubborn as fuck.
Saeyoung watched as his fiancee and future mother-in-law continued to glare at each other.
“Well?” Jangmi spat. “Say something.”
“What is there to say?” Eunju said, voice wavering. “You’ve already shown how grateful you are for giving you everything you could ask for.”
“Tell me one thing you’re proud of me for once and maybe, just MAYBE, I’ll consider thanking you for a lifetime of making me feel like a failure!”
Eunju was silent.
Jangmi smiled. Saeyoung felt his heart break at the sight. Jangmi’s smiles were meant to be warm and bright and true, not cold and dark and…
“I thought so,” Jangmi choked out in a whisper. She walked to her and Saeyoung’s room, not even glancing back.
Eunju stared at her hands in her lap.
“Are you really not proud of her?” Saeyoung asked suddenly.
“I never said I WASN’T proud of her!” Eunju spat. She sighed, hunching her shoulders and putting her head in her hands. “I don’t know why she’s acting like this…what did I do wrong…?”
“Well, from an outsider’s perspective, you appear to be guilt tripping Jangmi,” Saeyoung said. “You’re also not acknowledging her successes, choosing instead to focus on her failures. I’ve seen what that does to people - it’s not pretty.”
Eunju was silent.
“Saeran and I never had a good relationship with our mother,” Saeyoung continued with a sigh. “She sometimes didn’t even bother feeding us just to buy herself booze. She’d… physically abuse us, try to keep us from leaving our room. Since Saeran has always been pretty sickly, he was the most frequent target of our mother’s wrath.”
Eunju remained silent. Saeyoung was starting to feel a tad uncomfortable.
“I’m very sorry to hear that,” Eunju said.
“No need,” Saeyoung assured. “It happened, we got out, there’s nothing else to it. It’s not something that just goes away, sure, but it’s like with anything, time and love can heal the wounds. Some wounds won’t heal, but they can be tolerated.”
“I can understand that much,” Eunju sighed.
Saeyoung hummed in response.
“I honestly had no idea Jangmi felt this way,” Eunju said. “She’s always been an odd one, keeping to herself more often than not. She never did like troubling others with her problems. She would rather help others with theirs than speak of her own.”
“Yeah,” Saeyoung said wistfully. “She’s so, so kind…”
Eunju stared at Saeyoung.
“You really love my Jangmi, don’t you?” she stated more than asked.
“She’s my universe,” Saeyoung affirmed.
Silence.
“Well then,” Eunju said. “I wish you both happiness. You have my blessing.”
Saeyoung perked up. He smiled.
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Jangmi cried into her pillow - the last time she’d done this was during the week Saeyoung had stayed with her in Rika’s apartment and tried to push her away. The big difference was that at least she could understand why Saeyoung acted as he did. Her mother, she doubted she would ever understand.
She heard the bedroom door open. A weight settled beside her, lighter than her fiancee’s by far.
“You’re far stronger than you give yourself credit for,” Eunju said.
Jangmi said nothing.
“You’ve always been a selfless one, always wanting to help others,” the older woman continued. “You never wished to burden others with your troubles, so you kept them to yourself. I apologize for not having noticed sooner.”
Jangmi remained silent.
“I will allow Nari to stay the night here with you and your fiancee,” Eunju said. “We are leaving for home tomorrow.”
Still more silence.
Jangmi felt her mother get up from the bed and leave the room.
Now she was crying into her pillow for a more positive reason.
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
~The following morning…~
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Jangmi stood hugging Nari farewell as Eunju looked on.
Jangmi looked up toward her mother and smiled.
Eunju returned the smile.
“You’re gonna send wedding invitations soon, right Unnie?” Nari asked.
Jangmi giggled. “Soon, once we have other things settled first,” Jangmi said.
“How long is that gonna take?” Nari asked flatly.
“Until later this month at the earliest,” Jangmi said. “But I promise I’ll keep you posted, okay Nari?”
Nari smiled. “Okay! Tell Saeran-Oppa to keep in touch, okay?”
“I will, don’t you worry,” Jangmi assured.
“Thank you for having us,” Eunju said. “We may return over the summer if circumstances will allow.”
Jangmi smiled. “I’ll look forward to it.”
As Jangmi waved her mother and sister farewell at last, she just knew that her relationship with her mother was going to improve even further.
She decided that tonight they would order pizza for dinner…
Then she got a call from Saeyoung.
“Hi, Saeyoungie~ I’m on my way home now. Did you need something?”
“Babe, when did you last check the RFA chatroom?” Saeyoung asked.
“Friday evening for sure. Why do you ask?”
“Just check it. It’s…it’s wild.”
Jangmi checked every chat from Friday night to now.
Her eyes widened. “I’m on my way back,” she said quickly.
She wasn’t sure whether to feel sad for Saeran or Yoosung, so she settled for both.
There goes her plan to invite Yoosung over for pizza tonight…
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️