Third person's pov

Jungkook entered Hyunjae's room with slow, tentative steps, each one feeling like a mountain he had to climb.

Hyunjae, hearing the door creak open, quickly wiped his tears away with the back of his hand and turned his back to Jungkook, feigning sleep.

Jungkook approached the bed, his bare feet making almost no sound on the floor. He hesitated for a moment before reaching out and gently tugging at Hyunjae's shirt. "Hyunjae," he whispered, his voice trembling.

Hyunjae kept his eyes shut, trying to maintain the façade. Jungkook's tears started to fall, some landing on Hyunjae's exposed arm.

The warmth of his mother's tears and the quiet sound of his hiccuping and sniffing made Hyunjae open his eyes. He rolled over to see Jungkook standing there, eyes red and puffy, his whole body shaking with sobs.

Without a second thought, Hyunjae sat up and pulled Jungkook into his chest, wrapping his arms around him protectively. He placed one hand on the back of Jungkook's head, gently cradling him. Jungkook clung to him, his fingers gripping the fabric of Hyunjae's shirt tightly.

"Do-on't be ma-ad," Jungkook managed to say between sobs, his voice barely audible.

Hyunjae shook his head vehemently, his own tears starting to fall again. "I'm not mad at all, Eom-mma. D-Don't cry." He hugged Jungkook even tighter, his hand rubbing soothing circles on his back, trying to calm him down.

Jungkook's crying intensified, and he managed to say, "You are m-mad a-at me. I wa-as in that fire and yo-ou didn't eve-en ask if I was ok-kay!"

Hyunjae pulled back just enough to cup Jungkook's face in his hands. He looked into his mother's eyes, "I'm sorry, Eomma. I'm so, so sorry," he repeated, placing a gentle kiss on Jungkook's forehead. He continued to apologize, his thumbs wiping away Jungkook's tears.

Standing in the doorway, Sujae watched the emotional exchange. He stepped inside, a pout on his lips. "I wonder why you both always forget about me like I don't exist. I need a hug too!"

He exclaimed, not waiting for a response before joining the embrace, wrapping his arms around both Jungkook and Hyunjae.

After a few moments, Hyunjae broke the hug and began wiping Jungkook's tears again. "I'm sorry, Eomma," he said, his voice soft and soothing. "You know how I get in these situations. I couldn't think straight."

Jungkook nodded, still sniffling. He looked up at Hyunjae with wide, tear-filled eyes. "You really love him?" Hyunjae asked,

Jungkook nodded again, looking almost childlike in his sincerity. "Are you sure he loves you?" Hyunjae continued.

Without hesitation, Jungkook nodded. "Yes, I'm sure."

Hyunjae sighed deeply. "But I don't trust him," he admitted.

Jungkook's face fell. "Hyunjae, don't you trust me? I wouldn't have loved him again if he wasn't good."

Hyunjae cupped Jungkook's face once more, his thumbs gently stroking his cheeks. "I trust you more than I trust myself, Eomma. But I don't trust him. I don't trust anyone else but you and Sujae. Everything reminds me of him," he said, his voice breaking at the end.

Sujae, still beside them, side-hugged Hyunjae. "Hyung, not everyone is the same," he said softly.

Hyunjae sighed, leaning into the comforting touch of his brother. "I will need to meet him myself and test him. I can't afford anything happening to you again, Eomma."

Jungkook nodded after a moment, "Okay," he whispered, his voice soft, "We’ll do it your way."

After 30 minutes.........

After so much crying, Jungkook eventually fell asleep. His breathing steadied, his chest rising and falling in a calm rhythm. Hyunjae and Sujae both leaned down, kissing his forehead softly before covering him with a blanket.

They made sure he was comfortable, adjusting the pillow beneath his head and tucking the edges of the blanket around him.

Once Jungkook was settled, Hyunjae and Sujae moved to the balcony. The night air was cool, a gentle breeze rustling the leaves of the nearby trees. They sat down, the metal chairs scraping softly against the tiled floor. Hyunjae stared out into the darkness, lost in thought.

Sujae watched him for a moment before asking, "What are you thinking about?"

Hyunjae shook his head and said, "Nothing."

Sujae leaned closer, placing a hand on Hyunjae's arm. "C'mon, I don’t need those answers. Tell me the real thing," he said, trying to sound older and more serious than he was.

Hyunjae sighed, running a hand through his hair. "It's about Eomma. He has suffered so much. You were a baby then, so you don't remember anything, but whenever I think about it, I want to cry......I think if I was in his place, I would have gone insane."

"I feel so selfish and guilty that I talked to him in that tone. "

Sujae placed a comforting hand on Hyunjae's shoulder. "I know, that's why I didn’t say anything about him loving that guy today. I was hurt that I didn’t know about it, but how selfish can I be to even think of taking this happiness away from him?"

He paused before adding, "Seriously, you were a jerk earlier. I wanted to punch you."

Hyunjae chuckled, a small smile breaking through his serious expression. "I think I would have gotten a bit of sense if you did so."

Sujae laughed, giving Hyunjae a playful shove.

Hyunjae took a deep breath and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "I just want to give him every happiness I can possibly afford. You know, when he first came, I didn’t like it. I thought he was just one of Jay's chicks."

Sujae raised an eyebrow. "So, you were a jerk from the start, too?"

Hyunjae shook his head, smiling despite himself. "I am your hyung, remember."

Sujae immediately straightened up, his expression contrite. "Sorry, Hyung. By the way, when are you going to meet that man?"

Hyunjae sighed. "Tomorrow."

With Taehyung..........

Meanwhile, at Taehyung's place, he was in Taewon's room. Taewon was pacing back and forth, gesticulating wildly as he gave Taehyung some serious (and somewhat nonsensical) advice. Taehyung watched him, amusement in his eyes.

"Appa, you need to show him who’s boss. Be strong, but also be gentle. And remember to smile, but not too much," Taewon said, nodding to himself as if his advice was the most profound thing ever.

Taehyung waved a hand dismissively. "Stop, these are nonsense," he said, shaking his head with a smile.

Heejin, who was also in the room, looked at Taehyung with a more serious expression. "Do you really love him?"

Taehyung looked at her, a serious expression on his face. "Any doubt?"

Heejin crossed her arms, her brow furrowing. "But I don't like him."

Taehyung sighed, rubbing his temples. "I will be the one dating him, not you, so your opinion isn’t needed."

Taewon's eyes immediately widened and he said,"Slayyy Appa."

Taehyung looked confused. "What is 'slay'? Yah, are you trying to disrespect me?"

Taewon quickly explained the meaning, his hands moving animatedly as he spoke. Taehyung's expression softened into one of understanding and amusement. "Ah, I see. Yeah, I do slay."

"My Prince also slays but his sons don't. " Taehyung thought in his mind referring to jungkook.

"What are you going to do about noona? She's really upset." Taewon suddenly said, taking Taehyung out of his thoughts.

Taehyung sighed deeply, "What can I possibly do? I'm old, not heartless. I also have desires but she doesn't want me to have them."

Heejin, seated on the edge of her bed, looked at him with a frown. "So you aren’t going to convince her or anything?"

Taehyung crossed his arms and leaned against the bed his eyes focused on the fan above. "I will have to. I have no other option, but she will have to listen to me too," he said, his voice gentle.

Just then, Taehyung sat up with a troubled look on his face, "But what about the shop? I don't think my savings are enough to rebuild it. The loss is huge."

Taewon's expression softened, and he moved to sit beside Taehyung, placing a reassuring hand on his father's shoulder. "Don’t worry about that. Even if we don’t build the shop again, we are doing financially well. And when I get a real job, it will be even better," he said, trying to sound confident.

Heejin nodded, her hands clasped tightly in her lap. "Appa, don’t worry. Even if you don’t rebuild the shop, we’ll be fine."

Taehyung looked at his children, "I will rebuild it even if it takes more than 10 years!" he said firmly.

Heejin and Taewon gave each looks which screamed, " What's wrong with our oldie ?"

After sometime, Taewon tried to change the subject his hands fidgeting nervously. "So, are you going to get married?"

Taehyung stood up abruptly, his movements tense. "I don't know, why are you even talkihg about this." he muttered before heading to his room, the door closing behind him with a soft thud.

Heejin watched him go, then turned to Taewon with a smirk. "If they really get married, which I hope not, then Hyunjae will be your elder brother."

Taewon's eyes widened in fear, and he immediately shook his head. "No way!"

"I can climb a mountain, fall from the top and then do 100 backflips but I can't ever accept him as my brother!"

Heejin chuckled softly. "Then stop their relationship."

"As if its that easy!"

The next morning,.........

The next morning, Taehyung woke up to the sound of his phone buzzing on the nightstand. He groggily reached for it, squinting at the screen. It was a text message from Jungkook. He read it carefully, noting that Hyunjae wanted to meet him and that Jungkook had sent the location and timing.

Taehyung muttered to himself, "Why do I feel like I’m going on a business dinner?" He shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. "I have nothing to wear," he sighed, looking around his cluttered room.

He pulled open his closet, rummaging through the clothes. His hands moved swiftly, pulling out shirts and jackets, holding them up to himself in the mirror. Nothing seemed right. "Why am I so nervous?" he muttered, tossing a shirt onto the bed..

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So that was all for today's chapter, I hope you enjoyed reading it.

What are your thoughts on it ?

Do you think the story is going fine like the pacing ?

Which kind of test was hyunjae talking about?

Borahae,
Byeeee.

💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜