The Selfish Matchmaker

Cement Shoes

You are at Taehyungs and are having so much fun with Buffy and Tannie. Laughing, you look at Tae and say, "I'd like it if you called me by my nickname."

 He smiles. "What is it?" 

You softly laugh, "Pen, it's short for Penny. My friends came up with it because every time I found a penny, something good would happen, and you know what?" 

He's still smiling. "What?" 

"I found a penny the day I arrived in Seoul." 

His smile brightens, and he says, "The day we met?" you nod. He leans close, trying to kiss you, but Tannie and Buffy fill his lap. You both softly laugh, and then your ringtone for Jiji starts playing on your phone. You sit up, pulling away from Tae, thinking about the lousy timing.

You answer, and she's upset and crying. You lean over to Tae, sitting on the couch with Buffy and Tannie napping on his lap. You kiss his cheek and whisper in his ear, "It's Jiji, and she's crying."

He nods and gives your hand a little squeeze. He whispers, "Go talk to her. You can use my bedroom. I'm fine right here." You smile lovingly at him and go talk to Jiji.

Upset that Jiji is crying, you close the bedroom door and say, "Do I need to get Lana and meet you? We can take care of Yoongi. I will pick up cement and a bucket on the way."

You hear a strangled laugh, "I don't think it requires cement shoes.  You and Lana read too many mafia novels."

"At least it got you to laugh." 

Jiji tells you all that she found out tonight through Jin. 

"I knew it! I'm buying that bag of cement and a bucket!" This makes her laugh as you wanted it to.

"No, no. I will be alright. I can't believe he used us like that and his friends."

You tell her, "I think his heart was in the right place. He just wanted to have you to himself, but he went about it the wrong way." 

There is silence for a few seconds as you wait for Jiji to say something. You can hear her sniffle. Then you figure you might as well come right out and ask about the*elephant in the room.

"You're in love with him, aren't you?" 

She says, "Yes, I believe I am."

"Lana and I aren't mad at you or him, for that matter. We just think he went about things the wrong way."

 You hear Jiji sigh and blow her nose. "So you and Lana aren't mad at me?"

You smile and tell her, "No, we are not mad at you, silly. Jiji, it is because of him that I met Taehyung. He may have been playing matchmaker for selfish reasons, but Tae and I are happy despite that. Buffy and Yeontan are in love and can hardly be apart for any length of time without whining for the other. So I can't be mad at him any longer." 

She says, "I'm glad because I," 

You interrupt her. "But if he has hurt you beyond fixing, I will still get that bag of cement, and I'm sure Lana will buy the bucket. Oh, she still has the body bag from our Halloween party." 

Hearing her laugh, you ask, "Do you feel better now, Jiji?" 

She says, "Yes, thank you, Pen. I can sleep now. Goodnight, I love you." 

 "Goodnight, Jiji. I love you too."

You go back into the living room and see Tae has fallen asleep on the couch, Buffy and Tannie's front paws and head rest on his chest in sleep. You stand there smiling, falling even deeper in love.

You pull the soft throw over you all as you snuggle next to him and quickly fall asleep.

The next morning, Tae wakes up and realizes he's alone. He suddenly sits up, wondering where Buffy and Tannie have gone. He wonders if you left without saying goodbye. He starts pouting.

He sits on the edge of the couch, running his hands through his hair, and then hears noises from the kitchen. He sees you placing two bowls of food for Buffy and Tannie on the floor. He stands there watching you, suddenly picturing this happening every morning.

*A/N: the phrase "the elephant in the room" means stating the obvious. Talking about something so big it can't be missed.