boomerang

Chapter 19

Chaeyoung sat uncomfortably in the car, trying her best not to panic as Jungkook's foot was not lifting even a bit from the gas pedal.

"Are you trying to get us both killed?" she asked, no longer able to hide her fear.

Jungkook's grip on the wheel tightened, but he slowed down bit by bit until they were only at 90 km/h. When they finally reached her place, Chaeyoung didn't immediately get out. She sat there and watched him staring blankly to the front. Jungkook only realized she was staring at him after a few moments.

"What's the matter?" he asked.

"This won't do," she muttered, unbuckling her seatbelt. "Are you going somewhere else after this?"

Jungkook shook his head.

"Come with me, then. I'll fix a drink for you."

His forehead creased further. "What?"

"I can't let you go home like this."

"Like what?"

"Like this. I don't know the reason but you're obviously beyond pissed." She gestured toward him. "You drove over the speed limit and I bet you'd do just the same if I let you go home in this state."

Jungkook merely stared at her and she cleared her throat.

"If you get killed before our wedding, I won't get my share," she joked and almost smiled herself when she saw a hint of smile playing on his lips.

Jungkook did as told, wordlessly followed her into her house. He seated himself on the couch as she went to the kitchen to make a cup of mint tea for him, hoping that it would relieve him of his stress. As she walked back to the living room, she sighed softly as her eyes settled on Jungkook leaning his head against the wall, his eyes fixated on the black screen of the TV.

"Here," she passed the cup to him before rounding the table and took a seat next to him.

Jungkook rubbed his thumb against the mouth of the cup, bringing it up to his nose. "Mint?"

"Mmhm," she nodded. "It helps with the stress, every time. At least for me."

He looked at her long before he took a sip. Jungkook tapped his finger a few times on the cup, placing it on the table in front of him after.

"How are you feeling?" she asked, biting her lower lip.

A small chuckle left him. "Is that how it worked for you? A little sip and you're all good?"

Chaeyoung pressed her lips, forming a line. "Of course not. I wasn't even trying to see if the tea helped after one sip." She shifted on the couch so she was completely facing him, her elbow propped on the backrest as she let her head rest on her palm. "Do you want to talk about it? If you don't want to, that's fine. I don't mean to pry. I just thought that—"

"My grandfather wished to pass most of his wealth to his eldest grandson. The rest could have what's left," Jungkook cut her off and her lips were instantly sewn. "Sungjae's my eldest cousin. So by right, he'd be the one getting the most. The only condition my grandfather set was for his grandson to get married at the latest by 26 years old."

Her brows were furrowed as memories of him putting his best effort to get her to agree to marry him because he refused to have his name dropped from the will. "If Sungjae's your eldest cousin and he's the one who was the first on the list..."

"Why did I work so hard to not get my name erased?" He finished it for her and she nodded when he side-glanced her. "Well, first of all, I think I deserve it. I worked my ass off to get to where I am now in the company. Sure, I wasn't the founder, like how Sungjae is with his current business now. But my position now wasn't passed to me the moment I joined the company. I started from the bottom just like any other employee and now here I am."