One More Chance

Honesty

"How was work?... Tae?... hello?... son?..."

Tae looked up at his Father who was picking mushrooms out of the ramen in his bowl. Tae never understood why he put mushrooms in it in the first place if he didn't like them.

"Huh?"

"Work? How was it?"

"Busy."

"Are you still employed?"

Tae looks up again, staring blankly, "huh?"

"This is a painful conversation... do you still have a job?"

"Yeah... was there a couple of hours ago."

"Have you made new friends?"

Tae answers while looking at his phone, "Not really."

"Anyone else new?"

"Huh?"

"Tae... are you back on that dating app?"

"No?"

"Like you weren't gay?"

"Yeah?"

"It's only been six months and yes okay, you've got yourself a job and you appear happier than I've seen in a long time but I don't think that dating is a good idea..."

"But... you see..." Tae tries to interrupt and explain.

"... with every failed relationship you've moved because you've been searching for a fresh start and..."

"Yeah... but..."

"... now you're home and finally able to be true to yourself. I don't want another failed relationship to force you away. If I'm honest, you aren't going to find what you're looking for until you've laid your past with Jungkook to rest... that is the issue. You are searching to replicate what you had with him but you won't find it because no one is Jungkook so you have to get closure somehow so you can move on."

"Appa..."

"I'm sorry Taehyung but I've watched you self-destruct for years. Even the relationships that lasted over a year were never introduced to me and why is that?"

"Appa..."

"I'll tell you why... because you were not in those relationships for the long haul... only part of you was committed and you need for all of you to be committed."

"Appa!"

"No more excuses."

"I wasn't going to give you any."

"I just want you to be happy, son. I know you didn't ask for my opinion or advice but for days now you've had your head stuck in that phone."

"I was going to tell you..."

"Tell me what?"

"It's Jungkook."

"What is?" Mr Kim suddenly isn't sure he's having the same conversation as his son.

"Who I've been talking to."

"But I thought it was a dating app?"

"It is."

Mr Kim puts his chopsticks down and looks perplexed, "Why are you talking to Jungkook on a dating app?"

"Because... umm... because he doesn't know it's me?" Tae says, pursing his lips together in an apprehensive smile and opening his eyes wide as he waits for his father's response.

"How does he not know that it's you? Don't you need a photo on those sites and why wouldn't you tell him that it's you?"

"I set up a fake profile... please, Appa... please don't tell anyone."