•honey• || KookMin

07. Natural reactions

"You don't talk much, huh? I'm sorry, I'm sure Jimin has made you very dizzy."

"Mom."

"I'm not exaggerating when I say you're allergic to silence unless you're reading or watching a drama. You talk a lot, honey." says Jimin's mother teasingly and Jeonggoo can see where the very social and loose personality comes from.

She wouldn't know what to say about Mr. Park. He's clearly far from shy, he's cautious. With how confident his daughter is, it's not surprising. Jeonggoo is intimidated by him. She doesn't feel like talking and with him as him analyst, she dares less with every move she makes. Jimin pouts before turning to Jeonggoo. The sulky gesture stands out in his enormous ability to make her look like a very big baby.

"Does bother you If I talk a lot?"

"No! Not at all. I like to hear you talk." Jeonggoo blurts out nervously. She would have preferred not to. It sounded strange and she knows it by the way both parents give each other a glance.

"How long have you two known each other? Jimin never told us about you."

"I didn't have time to introduce them to you." excuses Jimin.

"We've known each other for... Five months? More or less. I'm in the same classroom as Tae. We did some group work and met there. Jimin offered to help me raise my grades in English, math and physics."

She's been, without exaggeration, fifty minutes with that explanation in her head. Jeonggoo formulated a mental dialogue and in it, this question was among the first. In his mind, this is a litmus test. You can tell that Jimin is very concerned about her parents' opinion. If she manages to get them to like her, the closeness will increase and Jimin isn't going to reject her like she did a while ago.

"Ah, that explains why she was so intent on studying late." says Mrs. Park. Jimin nods putting food to her mouth.

Jeonggoo tries to concentrate, seeing her lips red from the hot sauce, how she licks them, the gloss and how they are pressed with chopsticks or food prevents her. This is the worst fight Jeonggoo ever gotten into.

"About martial arts" Mr. Park begins. "It's an unusual sport. I see very few women in it."

"I like to exercise. It's fun for me and I like the way my body looks" she smiles excited and energetic to talk about it. Despite being in interrogation, Mr. Park sounds quite polite and not teasing or dismissive. "I used to be very small and weak. Now in the gym there's no one to beat me." assures, raising her arm. Mr. Park whistles with surprise. Jimin lets go out of curiosity and squeezes a little.

"That's impressive. Jimin's been a dancer since she was very little... She used to do some kicks."

"My jaw still resents it."

"And she goes barefoot everywhere."

"That's better! You can feel the ground more."

Jeonggoo lets them talk at length. Undoubtedly, Jimin is the small and tender version of her parents combined.

. . .

"You can stay for dinner another day."

"Take care of your hands. Nothing is better than a person with manicured hands. "

"I'll talk to you later. "

Jimin says goodbye shyly for remembering the kiss. Jeonggoo nods, says goodbye and walks off at a happy pace. A smile widens on her face before she runs off in full celebration. They liked it! She feels so triumphant lately. Now she wants to tell Namkyung and Jin the new good news.