The One He Tried To Forget | 18+ |

22

It was the week after the new year, and Jin was driving to Yoon Gi's condo to pick him up. Him and Jung Kook. It will be the first time in two weeks that they were all seeing each other again.

Jin had taken some time off just before Christmas to be with his mother. Her condition was deteriorating and Jin had feared that she would not make it to the new year. Jin had felt bad about being away from work once more but his boss had reminded him that he had only one mother, and should therefore spend as much time as possible with her.

Fortunately, the woman had rallied and was there when Tae Hyung kissed Jin on the lips at the stroke of midnight. The man had chosen to spend new year's eve with Jin and his mother in her room at the care facility, instead of going away with his brother to New Caledonia to ring in the new year with their parents.

Jin had been taken by surprise by the kiss, and was about to scold Tae Hyung for doing it when he heard his mother clap her hands and coo. Both he and Tae Hyung had turned to look at her, and the sight of his mother sitting up in bed with a radiant smile on her tired but still beautiful face had brought tears to Jin's eyes.

The last time Jin had seen her smile that way was the day he had come home from his graduation and told her about the awards and prizes that he and Jung Kook had gotten. She had been so happy for him and Jung Kook, and had even confessed that she had squirrelled away some money for Jin so that he would not go to Jung Kook empty-handed when they marry.

The revelation had made Jin blush, and he had scolded his mother for counting her chickens before they were hatched because there was no certainty that Jung Kook would want to marry him. His mother had responded by taking his phone, and scrolling through the many pictures and text messages between himself and Jung Kook, and shoving them in his face to reiterate her conviction that her beloved son was loved just as greatly by someone else who will want him for their husband.

That was the last time that both he and his mother had been genuinely and wholeheartedly happy.

Jin wiped the tears from his cheeks. He was quick to cry these days. At first he had blamed his hormones because being pregnant was a bitch. Though he loved the child he carried in his belly, he didn't like the mood swings and the physical changes that were happening to him.

For one thing, his bladder was always torturing him, and it was embarrassing because he often wanted to pee when he was stuck in a traffic jam. And for another, most of his clothes were refusing to fit him now so he had taken to wearing yoga pants made from spandex jersey. They looked like classic straight-leg trousers but had a wide waistband that stretched with his expanding belly. They were a lifesaver and he was grateful to Tae Hyung for finding them.

Ahh... Tae Hyung. Dear Tae Hyung. Dear sweet Tae Hyung. Dear sweet conundrum Tae Hyung.

Jin didn't know what to make of the man, nor what to do with him. Despite his best efforts, he still could not dissuade Tae Hyung from continuing his pursuit of him. The man had stopped briefly after they both discovered Jin's unexpected pregnancy, but then Jin realised that it wasn't so much as a stop for Tae Hyung, it was more of a pause so Jin would not feel pressured and stressed. After all, the man was a neonatologist who knew that stress and pregnancy were not a good combination.

But now that Jin's pregnancy had progressed further along, Tae Hyung was back to wooing him again. In fact, the man had even announced that he intended to marry Jin and adopt his baby so they could be a family. That had led to the kiss at midnight on New Year's Day which in turn led to Jin's mother looking the happiest she had ever looked in a long time. The fact that she thought Tae Hyung was Jung Kook, and had even called him by the other man's nickname had not dampened Tae Hyung's enthusiasm one bit. But it had felt like someone had dumped a bucketful of ice water over Jin's head, and he was once again reminded of how the baby in his belly had been conceived.

"Seriously, Hobi? You're making us open the door now? You're such a hoe!" Yoon Gi griped as he entered the car and sat down in the back seat before glaring at the dark-haired man following behind him. "Shut the damn door, Jung Kook! I can feel the cold freezing my arse!"

"What arse? You haven't got any!" Jung Kook retorted while pulling the door closed. "If Ji Min told you that you have one, he's a liar. Because all I see is saggy trousers where your arse should be."

Jin's eyes widened at the exchange. He had been so lost in his thoughts that he hadn't noticed he had arrived at the luxurious condominium complex. It was only after he heard Yoon Gi call his boss a hoe that he had roused himself and realised where he was.

"Jin! You're back!" Yoon Gi exclaimed when he noticed who was behind the wheel. "Oh thank god! I didn't know how much more of Hobi's positive TED talks I could take. I was close to terminating my contract with his company but the thought of you eventually coming back convinced me to hold on."

"Jin..." Jung Kook whispered as he stared at the handsome face before him but Jin ignored him and smiled at Yoon Gi instead.

"Buckle up, gentlemen. We have a long drive ahead of us. A trailer spilled its load on the motorway an hour ago and they're still clearing it up," Jin explained. "Here are your drinks. Careful, Yoon Gi. It's hot."

"Ah Jin! You're the best! If I wasn't already married, I would whisk you off to church right now and make you my husband," Yoon Gi declared as he took his cup from Jin. "Hey! Watch it!"

"Sorry, hyung. I didn't see your arm because your slimy glib casanova tongue was in the way," Jung Kook apologised as he took his drink and cradled it in his hand.

Jin bit his lip to keep from laughing before turning his attention back to the front of the car and putting it into gear.

Yoon Gi narrowed his eyes at his cousin. He knew the apology was insincere but he decided not to take the younger man down by a peg. He was just glad that Jung Kook seemed to have recovered his cheeky humour again. And he had Jin to thank for that.

When Jin took some time off towards the end of the previous year, Jung Kook had become difficult and a pain to deal with. Yoon Gi had even suggested that he start driving himself to work again but the man had refused. Yoon Gi knew that Jung Kook missed Jin, and though his cousin had been upset at his ex-boyfriend for returning his birthday gift unopened, he knew Jung Kook wouldn't stay angry with Jin for long.

During the time that Jin was away, Jung Kook always watched for the town car to see who was behind the wheel. And Yoon Gi always knew when it was not Jin because Jung Kook's shoulders would slump forward and he would follow quietly behind his cousin when the car came to a stop. Yoon Gi should have known that Jin was back when Jung Kook practically skipped up to the car to open the back door but he had been too irritated by a text he had gotten at the time. Either way, he was just glad that Jin was back.

A half hour later, Jin stopped the car in front of the hospital and got out to open the back door for Yoon Gi and Jung Kook. After both men exited, Jin closed the door and bowed to wish them a good day, forgetting that his coat was not closed from his midriff down. His pregnancy no longer allowed him to fasten the bottom three buttons. As he straightened from his bow, there was an audible gasp and he looked up, puzzled.

Both Yoon Gi and Jung Kook were staring at his swollen belly. As Jin tried desperately to pull his coat closed, he locked eyes with Jung Kook and his breath caught in his throat. His ex-boyfriend looked devastated. Like the world just ended for him.