A Guy Like You

A Family Gathering

Akira's POV

One month later, my phone rings, and I see it's my mother calling. "Okkasan..." My voice is warmer than usual, a sweetness evident in my tone, and my mother replies in kind. 

"My daughter, where's my son-in-law?!" She booms with a hearty laugh, a question that never fails to surface. "Mom! We've been through this!" I exclaim, a hint of exasperation in my voice. 

"It's been awhile, come home." She laughs again, seemingly unfazed by my response, and then casually invites me to the usual family meeting that we hold once every month.

I can almost picture her smiling on the other end of the line, "I don't know mom...." I sighed stepping out of my room to the Veranda. 

"Come on, Akira. It's been a while since we caught up. Your father and I miss you both," she adds, her tone softening. 

"That man? Missing me?! Yeah right." I scoffed and my mother chuckled. "You better than everyone else know that his coldness is all a front, right?"

"With what I did last month, I'm pretty sure he's planning my funeral. If I suspiciously end up missing one day, you know whom to blame!" I retorted playfully, and she burst into laughter.

"Come home..." Despite the playful banter, there's an underlying warmth in her words that tugs at my heart. 

"Alright, alright, I'll come." I concede, unable to resist the familiar pull of family. "I'll be there for the meeting. But no matchmaking, Mom, please!!" I pleaded, remembering the countless times she's tried to play matchmaker.

"Here, your father wants to talk to you, it seems." Just as I started to relax, my mother's voice handed the phone over to my father.

His tone takes on a serious note, "Akira, listen. I've invited IU and her boyfriend to join us this time. You bring yours," he says decisively, his words hanging in the air before abruptly cutting the call.

My scowl deepens as I process what he just said. "Why IU and her boyfriend?" It was just a month ago that IU came out that she's dating Lee Jong-suk to public.

This wasn't a typical family meeting, it felt more like a setup asking me to bring Jungkook. "What is he scheming?" I mutter under my breath, frustration evident in my tone. 

I make my way to the living room cupboard, grabbing an E-cig and taking a long drag, walking back to the Veranda. "I don't like this," I admit to myself, the smoke swirling around me as I exhale. 

The prospect of introducing a Jungkook, especially under these orchestrated circumstances, feels suffocating but I try to shake off the unease.

Just then, the one I was thinking about called me, and I quickly picked up the call. "Noona!" Jungkook's cheerful voice rang through the phone, and I winced. 

"Don't yell, it's the weekend," I groaned, trying to shield my ears from the unexpected burst of energy. 

He chuckled on the other end. "You're speaking nonsense. It's already 12." I sighed, realizing I had lost track of time. "Well, whatever. What's up?" I asked, shifting the conversation.

Jungkook's tone turned mischievous. "Guess what? I found this little bakery downtown, and they claim to have the best chocolate cake. Wanna check it out with me?" 

A smile tugged at my lips. "Chocolate cake, huh? You know the way to my heart, Jungkook. But I have no plans on wasting my weekend with an annoying brat."

"You're so mean," he said grumpily, and I chuckled to myself, relishing the idea of spending the day indulging in some much-needed rest.

Continuing the call, I warily started, "Hey, I'm gonna propose something, and I want you to reject me." I hesitated for a moment, anticipating his response.