Be My Pride

Chapter 16: I Can't Tell You... Yet

Jeongguk and Kim Jimin haven't met up so many times since the former started living with Park Jimin. Both busy with their individual things, making it nearly impossible to see each other at all. Safe for the few times Kim Jimin came by at Happy Sweet, they have not had a proper meet-up for a while already.

So it goes without saying Jeongguk was very much excited when Kim Jimin called him up the day after his trip to the aquarium, asking if Jeongguk was free for dinner in a few days.

Jeongguk told him he's free of course. As available as can be!

But why Jeongguk felt so happy to be asked out by Kim Jimin, he himself is not really too sure.

And thus here we are a few days later; back in the familiar room of Crescent Paradise with differing mouth-wathering dishes before them. Eating happily, enjoying the rich taste and each other's presence.

You wouldn't say a lot has changed so at first glance. Jeongguk is still Kim Jeongguk from a poor family and Kim Jimin is still a mysterious young man. And yet in reality, everything has changed. Because Jeongguk is no longer a courtesan at Crimson Heaven, he is a waiter at Happy Sweet now. Though still known by Kim Jimin as Min San, everything else is different.

Kim Jimin on the other hand...

Jeongguk can tell something is going on with him. It makes him feel weird somehow, probably an emotion akin to concern for the mysterious young man.

"You can tell me," Jeongguk speaks up after a while of eating in unease, laying down his chopsticks with a soft *clang*. "Something's wrong, no?"

Whereas Jeongguk's life has made quite the U-turn recently, he can still tell when other's aren't happy. Besides, Kim Jimin is acting really weird today. His usual arrogance has toned down a few notches and he has not been ordering the staff around as he would do usually. All this is strange to Jeongguk, and he doesn't like it.

Kim Jimin sighs. He also puts down his chopsticks and faces the younger with a complicated expression on his face. "Not precisely. It isn't that something is wrong, but it's not quite right either."

"How so?"

"Well..." Kim Jimin contemplates for a moment, his eyes wandering back to the dishes. He then looks back up to Jeongguk, his eyes filled with an indescribable kind of determination. "I have a cousin. My cousin is always fighting his older brother because he's unhappy with the family rules. He refuses to follow the rules even though he's in it so deep. My oldest cousin is fed up with him and doesn't know how to deal with him."

Jeongguk nods. "That sounds like a serious issue." He speaks his mind.

"Don't you say," Kim Jimin sighs. "That cousin of mine is foul-mouthed. It's not good to have him walk around freely, yet he's hidden himself. My oldest cousin is troubling to find him and asked me to help. It's tiring."

"Is it really not alright to leave him be?"

Kim Jimin looks at the younger with a look of curiosity. "Why're you asking?"

"Well, even if he belongs to a rich family, he isn't the only child, right? Shouldn't it be alright as long as he doesn't cause trouble?" Jeongguk explains his thoughts carefully, tapping his chin as he does so. A small smile slowly grows on his lips as he watches his boyfriend's face go blank. "To belong to such a family sounds like too much of a trouble."