An Extra Beat of Love

1. Prologue

Hey, guys. Before you start reading this book, I want you to know that the condition Taehyung suffers from in this book is the one that my father used to suffer with. Even though I was too young to properly understand what was happening, I do remember how much he used to suffer because of it.

I am not going to portray him in Taehyung, but his condition is gonna be the same. Thus, I am dedicating this book to my father. He was a greatly respected and adored man. Someday, I wish to become like him.

With that being said, I hope you enjoy this book. 

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"Appaaaaaaa" the three-year-old girl ran towards the man that got out of the car that stopped outside their house. 

"Aww, my princesssss, come here" the man cooed immediately and got down to his knees to brace himself against the bounding body of his daughter. 

"I missed you, Appa" the girl said with her face buried deep into his chest. The man kissed her on her forehead and placed his huge hands on her cheeks. "Appa missed you too, baby" he said. 

"Get into the house, kids!!" the man's mother yelled from the house, making the man chuckle. "Let's go before Halmeoni comes and hits us for not listening to her" the man whispered and picked his daughter up. 

"I made a new f'iend, Appa" she reported to him immediately while her fingers played with the earrings on his ear. 

"Is it?? Good girl!! Don't pull them, Hana, it hurts" the man said while taking his shoes off. "Sowwy" Hana apologized with a pout. The man smiled at her and kissed her cheek messily. He sat down on the couch and made her sit on his lap with her legs dangling off his thighs. 

"Tell me about your new friend" he said. 

"His name is-"

"Jeongguk, go and take a bath. We'll talk over dinner. Hana, you come here" the man's mother said from the threshold of her bedroom. "Okaiie. Sorry, doll. I'll be back, okay?" he apologized to his daughter when he noticed her pout. 

He set her down on the floor and pushed her slightly towards his mother. "Go to Halmeoni. I'll be back before you know it" he said and walked towards his bedroom with his hands already working their way out of his coat. 

Jeon Jeongguk was a twenty four year old CEO of the software company MindCraft, a company that his father had worked very hard to develop. 

He was satisfied with the pace of his life. He had a beautiful daughter named Jeon Hana and had more than enough money to spend the rest of his life peacefully. Thus, he didn't think he needed anything else in his life. His three year old daughter was his everything, after all, and he would rather die than let her down in any aspect. 

His company life made him too busy on the weekdays and thus, he had made an arrangement with his parents, who lived their retired life in a cozy villa in Ilsan, a city half an hour away from the busy streets of Seoul. 

He would leave his daughter with them every Sunday night and take her back to Seoul with him every Friday night. He would spend every Sunday night in his parents' house and leave for work from there on Monday mornings and would return to their house every Friday evening for his daughter. 

A peaceful arrangement in his opinion. 

"New cook?" he asked when he noticed a young man carry dishes from the kitchen to the dining table. 

"Yes. Taehyung-ah, this is Jeongguk, my son. Jeongguk-ah, this is Kim Taehyung, Mina's son and our new cook" his mother, Jeon Jihyo introduced. 

Jeongguk looked at the said man and gave him a pleasant smile, which the man returned immediately along with a bow. 

Once the man left them to get the rest of the dishes, Jeongguk turned to his mother with a frown on his face. 

"Mina?" he asked. "My childhood friend. The one who passed away the day before yesterday" Jihyo said. "Yeah, I know that! I totally forgot that she had a son" he said. "Uhuh? He came to me three days ago for help, but she passed away before we could get to her" Jihyo explained. 

"Ohh?" Jeongguk said and looked at Taehyung, who was walking back from the kitchen with plates and cutlery in his hands. 

"Why is he working here, though?" he asked once he left again for the glasses. 

"He doesn't have anyone left, Gguk-ah. He didn't have anywhere to go, either. I asked him to come with us, but he refused to that if he wasn't going to do something for us in return, so I fired our old cook and put him in her place" Jihyo said. 

"Ohh.....the funeral was yesterday, right? Is he alright?" Jeongguk asked. "I guess so. I asked him to take some rest and start working next week, but he was stubborn. I didn't let him cook in the afternoon, though" Jihyo said. "Ohh" Jeongguk said. 

"Taehyung-ah, where's Hana?" Jihyo asked when Taehyung returned with the glasses and a jug of water. 

"In the kitchen, mam" Taehyung said. "Ohh, thanks. Hana-ya!!!" Jihyo called. "What???" Hana yelled as she ran out of the kitchen. "Go and call Harabeoji for dinner" Jihyo said. "Othaie" Hana said and ran once again, this time in the direction of her grandparents' bedroom. 

"How was your week?" Jaewan, Jeongguk's father asked him when he spotted his son at the dining table. Hana ran to her father and climbed onto his lap and watched as her grandfather took a seat opposite to her. 

"It wasn't too hectic. Everything's smooth for now" Jeongguk said. "Ohh, good, good. Taehyung, what are you doing? Come and sit with us" Jaewan said when he noticed Taehyung retreat silently into the kitchen. 

"No, sir, thank you. I will eat after you are done" Taehyung said politely. "Nonsense! Come and sit with us. You are family, Taehyung-ah. You are cooking here only because you wanted to work. Don't think you are any less than us, okay?" Jihyo scolded him. 

Taehyung smiled at her and Jeongguk swore he could see tears his eyes. "Thank you" he said in a broken voice. 

Jihyo rubbed his arm comfortingly when he joined them. "I told you not to cook for this week. It is okay to mourn your mom's death for a while, child. I know you two were close" she said sadly. 

Taehyung sat with his head hanging low. "It's okay, mam. I am fine now" he whispered. "But you are crying" Hana pointed out loudly, making him look up at her. "I am fi-" he broke into a sob and ran to the kitchen with his hand covering his mouth. 

Jihyo looked at her husband and her son sadly. "He is still mourning her," she sighed, "you guys finish your dinner. I'll eat with him" she said and rushed to the kitchen. 

Jeongguk sighed and looked down at his daughter. "Tell me about your friend, Hana" he said and placed a small ball of rice into her mouth. 

"It's Taetae oppa" she said with her mouth full, her finger pointing towards the kitchen. 

"Ohh...is he nice to you?" he asked. Hana nodded vigorously and opened her mouth for another ball of rice. 

Jeongguk smiled at her. "Good" he said and looked up at his father. "When did they come back from the funeral?" he asked. 

"Today morning" his father said. "Are you staying the night?" he asked. 

"No, no, we'll leave. I'll come back again on Sunday" Jeongguk said. 

"Hmm, okay" his father said and just like that, the two of them drifted towards the topic of their company. 

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Hello, guys :))
Welcome to my eleventh book :DD