Please Love Me | JJK

Part 2

The next time you see Jungkook is at the hospital 2 weeks later. His grandfather suffered from a stroke while visiting Seoul, away from their retirement home in Busan, and you visited as soon as he was admitted.

As you enter the VIP room now, you're greeted by Jungkook's grandmother's excited voice. "____, sweetheart!" She quickly reaches out to you for a tight embrace, earning a cocked eyebrow from Jungkook.

When did you get thisclose to his grandmother?

"Thank you for the flowers, my dear," his grandfather pipes in. "I was looking for the chocolates that came with them, but I couldn't find them," he teases.

His grandfather, too?

"You were fast asleep when I arrived, so I ate the chocolates instead," you tease back, earning a laugh from the old man. "But I'm glad you're doing fine, Grandfather. You got us all worried," you continue, a soft smile gracing your face.

"Don't worry about me, my dear. It'll take more than a stroke to end me," he smiles.

Jungkook clears his throat to let you know he's in the room, too, and totally not because he finds this exchange quite odd. The closeness of your families is more between the same generations, and he doesn't recall his grandparents being affectionate towards your siblings, and he definitely isn't like this with your own grandparents.

"Oh, hi Jungkook," you say.

You take in how he looks – hair slicked back in a midnight blue tailored suit that highlights his features. You better get used to this look so you won't be so flushed every time you have to see him after work, you think.

"You visited yesterday?" he asks as he stands up, arms crossed.

"Yeah, I had time," you respond.

Working at an art and design firm gives you that freedom, unless you're working on site or are in a client meeting. You like that part about your job, as the kind that has you staring at a screen all day wouldn't work for you. You could work on your designs anywhere. Part of the job is also traveling and exploring, which you need for inspiration and is also your favorite part.

He nods, unsure of what to say next, eyes dancing around the room. This always happens – without the support of both of your siblings, he doesn't have anything to say. You look at each other awkwardly, not knowing what to do next.

Jungkook's grandparents watch in bewilderment. How you two have known each other since you were babies yet look at each other as if you're strangers is puzzling, and truth be told, quite bothersome too. Surely in your 25 years of knowing each other, you'd be friends, right? Or at least, be more comfortable with each other than this?

"So, ____, will you be staying?" His grandmother asks, and you're thankful for the distraction, as you don't know how much longer you could go on smiling at Jungkook and watching him nervously drum his fingers on his taut biceps.

"Oh, no I won't, Grandmother. I just dropped by to say hi and bring you some fruits," you say, handing her a small bag of the goods. "I'm supposed to meet the Chois for dinner," you continue. Jungkook doesn't miss the slight faltering of your smile.

"Another prospect, I see," the elder Jeon infers. "Seems like your brother getting married revived the pressure on your parents to marry you off."

"Pressure on them, yes, but not on me. If I don't agree then nothing happens," you respond.

How lucky, Jungkook thinks, and how unfair. Of course, amidst all the wealth is someone who can have her way. What a perfect little life you're living. The absence of a partner is still surprising, though, surely by now you'd have found someone, if his brother's mentions of your long list of suitors is anything to go by.

Your smile returns to its full form. If it were him, he would've changed the topic immediately; marriage is something he's not keen on talking about, especially with his grandparents. He knows the drill far too well, and being arranged to be married is not something he'd allow himself to be forced into. Although both your parents would never term it that way.

The elder Jeons smile in understanding. You excuse yourself and head out to prepare yourself for another one of those dinners that your parents request you to attend. You're thankful that they never coerce nor pressure you to choose a spouse from the dozens that ask to meet with you.

Ever since your last relationship, you no longer think it really matters who you end up with, as long as he's someone who will treat you as an equal and will respect the life you choose to live, career included. You've dated someone in your (social) circle and someone who isn't and it didn't work out both times.

It's not that you've given up; in a way you've kind of just been indifferent to it. You didn't grow up socially the way your siblings did, so the chances of you finding a partner within your circle of friends was slim, yet sometimes you let yourself think how good it must be to fall in love with your spouse, one directed (planned) for you to be with, like them. Still, you have your job that you love, hobbies you enjoy, people you care about, and other interests to keep you preoccupied. These "dinners," and the eventual finding of a partner, are just tucked in the small crevices of your life. Whether you find the "one" or not isn't really an issue; it's finding the suitable companion that matters.

It's around 2 weeks later that your father informs you of another one of those dinners - an important one, he says. "It'll be at the Jeon's on Sunday," he states, and you can't help the tightening of your chest and the drying of your throat at what that may mean.