The Road Trip

CHAPTER 9

The next day, Namjoon followed Jin into the hospital toward his uncle's room. The doctor said that Sangmin could return home that day, but had to stay on a strict regime in order to prevent a second heart attack. He gave Jin a strict diet that Sangmin had to abide by to lower his cholesterol and Jin was more than up to the task of keeping his uncle healthy.

Namjoon was glad to hear that Sangmin was doing better. Granted he had only met the man for almost ten seconds and he was unconscious the whole time, but with how Jin and his family spoke about him, made him sound like a great guy. He was very understanding of Jin and Taehyung's life choices and accepted them without question. He was the father figure Jin had needed his whole life.

The conversation turned to childhood memories, some of which were embarrassing to Jin but earned a laugh from the audience. That and combined with the amazing food Jin made, the experience was homey, something Namjoon had never had. The only person he had familial connection to was Hoseok, and even that was only because of years of friendship.

Namjoon had learned quickly that Jin was a god in the kitchen. The soup was the perfect balance of taste and texture. He even added leftover chicken from a previous dinner and a cupful of rice. Namjoon knew he would never be able to recreate what Jin had made. He had no doubt that Jin could take just two ingredients and serve it seven ways.

Apart from Namjoon's almost mishap, preparations for dinner went off without a hitch. Watching Jin work in the kitchen was a sight to behold. He barely measured as he cut up vegetables and spices before throwing it in the pot and made rolls from scratch. His knife work was nearly machine fast and precise. Everything seemed to fade away as Jin worked, like his whole concentration was on cooking the soup and everything around him disappeared.

Namjoon had been known to get caught up in his work, but not in the way Jin had. The man was really passionate about his food and Namjoon couldn't understand why he had walked away from it. Even with a couple years out of practice, the man still had the magic touch in the kitchen. It was a shame he threw it away.

Now he stood outside in the hallway waiting for Jin to walk out with Yuri and his uncle. David had work to do in the clinic and Taehyung and Jungkook were manning the grill at the house for a celebratory lunch on Sangmin's return. Jin had given them strict instructions on what to do and made the salad and side dishes before leaving for the hospital. The man was serious about food, even when he wasn't there to oversee its preparation.

He heard the sounds of a door opening and looked up to see Jin wheel Sangmin out on a wheelchair. Namjoon stood up straighter and cleared his throat nervously. He suddenly felt like a boy taking his date to prom and getting the third degree by the dad. He knew he shouldn't. He and Jin were nothing more than acquaintances, maybe friends. So why did he feel so nervous?

"Uncle Sangmin, this is Kim Namjoon, the guy I was telling you about," said Jin. "Namjoon, this is my uncle, Kim Sangmin."

"Jin hyung's told me a lot about you Dr. Kim," said Namjoon, holding his hand to him. Sangmin took it with a grin.

"Please, call me uncle," he said. "Only my patients call me 'doctor', family calls me 'uncle', and friends call me Sangmin."

"Pleased to meet you, uncle," said Namjoon.

"So I hear that we have you to thank for bringing Jin home to us," said Sangmin as they walked, or in Sangmin's case, wheeled down the hallway.

"It was nothing," said Namjoon. "Just a coincidence."

"Oh my boy, nothing in this world is coincidence. Everything happens for a reason."

"And what was the reason behind your heart attack uncle?" said Jin.