attraction.

Turned Tables. 4/5

Park Chaeyoung notices that her half brother is not his usual self.

The three were having breakfast together (a somewhat rarity) due to the public holiday, allowing their schedules to simultaneously align for once. But Park Jimin barely touches his food and when her boyfriend playfully gives her a kiss as a "thank you for breakie" he doesn't even flinch. Usually he'd at minimum roll his eyes, if not comment on how disgusting the lovebirds were. She too notices that Jeon Jungkook is being extra careful and affectionate, as though he needed approval.

Park Chaeyoung can't take it any long.

"Alright spill, what is it?" She puts down her cutlery down folding her arms over her chest, "... what do you guys need?"

Jeon Jungkook looks at her stunned and she observes the way her boyfriend turns to the other, as though he needed some sort of permission. Park Jimin let's out a sigh.

"It's nothing, just tired from work," he attempts to respond nonchalantly, causing from a glare from the other man, "... I've just been under the weather."

Park Chaeyoung can spot a liar a mile away (it just so happens that most of them are her own clients).

"Jungkook," she turns to her boyfriend, ".... tell me what's going on."

She watches as her boyfriend frantically looks to Park Jimin, before finally replying, "... you should hear it from Jimin."

She turns to him, seeing the evident sense of trauma on his face. Park Jimin puts down his cutlery before turning to her.

"Dad..." he begins, causing for her to by instinct crinkle her nose in bitterness, "... he's been sick for a while. His kidney is no good. But none of us are matches. Would you be willing to check if you are? It doesn't mean we're expecting you to donate—"

Park Chaeyoung can feel her stomach whirl in discuss.

Were they serious?

She hasn't spoken to her father at all, only speaking to him via phone when his wife wanted to warn her about some curse she was bringing into the lineage. Truthfully, she doesn't even know what he looks like. She has no intention of finding out.

She takes a deep breath.

"I don't know, Jimin. I love you, but I'm not close enough to the rest of your family for such a commitment like that," she explains, "... up until the last year we were practically strangers too."

"Yeah I know, I don't want to force you too and it's totally fine if you don't want to, but I just wanted to know if you'd at least go to the hospital to see if you're a match?" He asks her.

There's a sense of vulnerability in his voice and she knows he doesn't want to ask her too.

Perhaps it's desperation.

Deep breath, Chaeyoung.

Before she could respond, Jeon Jungkook interrupts her.

"Will you think about it, at least, babe?"

Somehow, she finds herself more pissed off than sympathetic. She gets up from the table without a word and locks herself in her room.

-

Jeon Jungkook feels as though he's stuck in the middle.

On one hand, Park Chaeyoung is undoubtedly the love of his life and so he wants to protect her from her blood relatives who didn't love her. He acknowledges all the pain and trauma they inflicted on her and her family, and the burden it has on her even to this day. The last thing he wants, is to hurt her.