The Light of Dead Stars | KSJ

48

Mr. and Mrs. Kim are kind people. In the years that you've been working for the company, and in the one year since you've been part of their family, you've never really seen them upset. Displeased, yes; a little irritated, a few times. But nothing like this.

Mr. Kim's usually soft and pleasant face is hard, and Mrs. Kim isn't sporting the sweet smile that she's known for. They both look disappointed, angry, and betrayed.

Standing in the living room, Mr. Kim slams the news article on the coffee table, the photos of Jin and Seri blown up.

"Tell us every single thing about these photos and don't you dare lie to us again," he says harshly, the anger in his voice echoing in the room.

You and Jin stand helplessly in front of his parents, unable to say a word. You're trying your best not to break down in front of them, and your husband seems to be doing the same, as you see his clenched fist and jaw from your periphery.

"Kim Seokjin, you better speak now or I will—"

"Father!"

You hear Sejeong's panicked cries as she and Hyo-seop run towards where you are. Taehyung follows right after with Hyun-a, and they both stand beside you, clearly worried and afraid.

"Seokjin," his mother speaks now. "We have been reading all the articles about you and that woman, trying to reason against everything being said about your relationship and about you. We were told those photos don't look fabricated and that cap... your brother got you that cap so that couldn't have been before your first trip to France so please, Son, just tell us there's a reason that doesn't include you cheating on your wife because that's not how we raised you."

You take Jin's hand to tell him it's okay. You discussed earlier that he'd have to be completely honest, including your culpability despite his insistence to take the fall for everything.

"Her name is Seri, and she worked as an assistant in the Vice President's management support team up until she resigned several months ago," Jin starts. "That's where we met, and uh, that's how we got together."

"And she was still part of your brother's team? Taehyung, did you know about this?" Their mother asks.

"Yeah," he admits. "I knew it some time ago."

Jin cuts in before their parents get mad at his brother, too. "It wasn't serious at the start. We just, uh, hung out and..." he trails, not wanting to specifically state what else they did, but based on their parents' shaking heads, they know what he means.

"But we just kept spending time together. I was in my 30s, working my ass off for the company, and I was alone. I just needed someone, and she was there," he continues. "She never demanded anything; she just understood - my schedule, my moods, even whatever my reasons were for not introducing her to you. And that's why it worked. For 5 years."

His father blurts out curses - the first time you've ever heard him do that - and gives Jin a piercing glare.

"Five years?!" His mother shrieks. "Do you know what that looks like? What that makes you - having a relationship with a rank-and-file staff member, who is years younger than you, for that long? You don't take advantage of your position like that! You don't do that!"

The insinuations aren't lost on Jin. He always knew what it looked like, and it's one of the reasons why he tried to break it off a few times. It's clearly unprofessional, especially with how they started, but so many times, he found comfort in Seri's presence. It was hard to let go. But aside from that, he'd never done anything else he wasn't supposed to; he ensured to get consent for every little thing. There was enough trust and respect for that, something she made sure he always knew, as she'd stated herself that she knew what she was getting into.