Opposites Attract | Taejin

Chapter Forty-Two

Seokjin leaned against the wall, next to the door of Taehyung's apartment, as he glanced at his wristwatch, listening to his mother on the phone. While he was waiting for the younger male, Seokjin received a phone call from his mother to speak to him about the emergency board directors' meeting and how furious his father was for not discussing the matter with him first, which he was already expecting since he purposely excluded his father, not wanting him to interfere in his business and dictate what he should do, Seokjin didn't need his father's opinions and criticism, especially when he knew he was a much better businessman than his father ever was. Unlike his father, Seokjin could think outside the box and not resort to outdated ideas to implement inside the company, and that was the main problem the Kim family had, his ancestors as well as his grandfather and his father vehemently believed in those old-fashioned principles – the old-fashioned principles Seokjin refused to follow, the past wasn't the answer, the future was.

After his mother explained how his father was beyond furious for not being included, she told him she had another topic she wanted to talk to him about, a topic Seokjin brought up after he encountered Taehyung's father on Hoseok's birthday. The dark-haired male didn't believe in coincidences and after recalling how he met Taehyung's parents during one of his father's events, he pondered the possibility of Taehyung's mother and his mother being close acquaintances or, even friends, so out of curiosity, Seokjin asked her about her relationship with Taehyung's mother and if she had been the one to share the japchae recipe with his mother and, to Seokjin's amazement, Taehyung's mother had indeed shared the recipe with her.

"Really?" Seokjin questioned incredulously, after hearing what his mother just told him "You have the paper where she wrote it?"

"Yes, sweetheart, I have it right here in my hand, I told you I had it somewhere, it was inside my very first recipe book..." Seokjin's mother replied gently as she stared at the yellowish piece of paper she was holding, smiling sadly. She remembered the particular event Seokjin mentioned when they spoke about her relationship with the Kims, namely, her friendship with Jung Eun, apparently, Namjoon and Taehyung's mother "We were already close back then, but when I noticed how people were putting aside because of the stain, I felt the need to come over and talk to her, we chatted for a while and she ended up telling me about the black bean sauce incident, that was when I asked her if she didn't mind sharing the recipe with me and the next time we saw each other, she brought this piece of paper with her..." Seokjin's mother added, placing the piece of paper on her lap "I should have known the young man Jiminie has been talking  about was Jung Eun's younger son, I fetched the photo album from that event and compared the photo we took that night with the ones Jungkook sent to me of you and Taehyung, he has the same unique smile his mother had, not only that, but he's also a kind-hearted person..."

Seokjin slowly started to reminisce about some episodes from his past, which he avoided doing, he was still trying to accept that part of him, personally, he believed he wasn't the best person when he was younger, however, hearing Jungkook and his mother speaking about him during those times, gave Seokjin an entirely different perspective. Among the many unpleasant memories, which the majority were related to his father, Seokjin was able to bring to the surface a few regarding Taehyung's mother, one of them was from that particular event, when he was about to leave the property to go to some party with Jungkook, without his parents knowing.

Seokjin smiled mindlessly when he listened to the words his mother professed, finding it funny how she noticed similarities between Taehyung and his mother through their unique boxy smile, just like him.

"Yes, Taehyung's unique smile was one of the first physical features I took-, wait a moment..." Seokjin paused abruptly, rewinding the conversation a bit. He straightened himself and frowned, feeling slightly agitated "Mom, did you just say Jungkook sent you the photos of Taehyung and me?" Seokjin ran his fingers through his hair while hearing his mother's laughter in between his grunts. The dark-haired male made a mental note to keep Jungkook in the office after hours "I have to teach Jungkook a lesson, he shouldn't have done that..."