Slave to a King | Jinkook

Thirty-Six

"How are you liking it?" Soonhee inquired as she saw her son searching through the food she had given him.

"It's very good, thank you," Jin said with a little smile.

"Are you alright, Seokjin? You're not eating it as if you're enjoying it." Soonhee sits across from her son, with Moon in her arms.

"Everything is okay," Jin said, nodding. "I didn't realize you had such a setup and wasn't expecting you to be cooking either. I'm sorry, but I promise I'll eat it well."

"It's all right; take your time. I can put it in a bag for you to take back with you. Given your presence, it seems that the dinner with the King has been postponed?"

"Due to a conflict with the King, dinner will not be feasible tonight; I apologize for not saying anything as soon as I arrived; I wasn't sure whether the news of the intended dinner had been communicated with you." Jin apologized profusely to his parents. He had not seen the King since the morning, and he had not returned to the bed after leaving the room, so he knew there would be no dinner. Moon was in her crib when Jin awoke.

"I am sure the King is quite busy," Soonhee said, smiling at her son. "Whenever he can have dinner with us, we will be willing. I'm grateful that he has enabled us to be here for you at this difficult time. Although I wish I could see you more often, I'm sure it's been tough for you with a baby. Please know that your father and I are here to assist you in whatever way we can until we must go."

"Thank you, Mom, and I apologize for not visiting as often as I would want. I'll try harder; it's been tough with Moon since the doctor sees her so often, and-"

"Please don't be concerned, son, as long as you're doing well. Prince Jimin and Hoseok have been quite kind to us; your father and I have dined with them numerous times since our arrival. I know you must be adapting to a lot, but simply being in the same area as you are enough for your father and me. It was a tough adjustment for us to watch you leave us, but seeing you have a happy life makes us both happy. However, I am concerned since you do not seem to be the Jinnie I am familiar with. I don't see you smiling very often, but that may be because I haven't seen you much since I arrived. Is everything in your life going well for you? Are you having trouble adapting to becoming a parent and with the baby? It's difficult at times, isn't it, since the King is likely too busy to help?"

"Another thing I've been interested about is I finally obtained proof that he has a lot of kids. Are they living with you?" Soonhee pulled her chair closer to her son. "Are you looking after them as well as Moon? Is he planning to commit to you, or is there anything else going on? I realize it's too much for me to be asking these questions, but you're my son, and I find it disturbing that he has so many children and has never married. I'm not sure whether you'll be thrown out if he finds someone else, but it worries your father and me.

One of the reasons we were looking forward to dining today was to learn more about the King's plans for you. Also, I'd want to see you around the King and see how-"

"Does the King intend for marriage with you? What are your plans for the future now that you have a child together, or are you simply another person he has fallen in love with and gotten pregnant?" Jin's father gets up from the couch and walks over to the dining table to join them in their chat.

"We are still discussing things for the future, but there hasn't been anything definitive as of yet," Jin stated as he set his utensil down and turned to face his father, who hadn't spoken anything since his arrival. "Even if the King has such plans for the future, I don't want to hurry into marriage." He wasn't attempting to tell his parents too much since it was best if they didn't know too much.

"Seokjin, although I can't tell you how to lead your life since you're an adult, I'm not comfortable with this attitude. Your mother and I raised you to be a wise young man, but, as we have learned, the King already has children and has never married. This is something that worries me. Just because he's a King doesn't give him the right to have all these children and never marry; it's unfair to everyone, including you and Moon. It does not appeal to me.