The Escort S2

Part 3: The basic stuff

Jungkook's POV

After I finish my talk with JJ, I linger before going upstairs to be with Tae. This morning has been eye-opening in a lot of ways. First, the distance formed between me and my fiancé. It's quite shocking. I never saw this coming. Us coming apart and not knowing it. A dread rushes over me as my stomach tightens. Tae is the love of my life and I know I'm also his. But still it happened. Thank God we now have a plan. Everything else comes after us.

Lastly, I clearly see that I have failed Tae by not stepping in with Mrs. Chin. But I can't seem to get away from seeing her as my mother's caretaker in childhood. Mom loved Mrs. Chin. My mother was very hands-on with me before her death. It was after she died that Jin and Mrs. Chin cared for me. They filled in the gap as best they could.

Mrs. Chin always made me feel special. It was after my mom's death she gave me my first pet. A hamster, Cho-Cho. Jin tried but he was afraid of little Cho-Cho. Mrs. Chin loved Cho-Cho and showed me how to handle him and clean his cage. But, Tae's right, I'm a grown man and don't require her close care anymore. I have Tae now. I've never known Mrs. Chin to have such a sharp tongue. I chuckle thinking of some of her insults. But it's my job to support Tae's transition. I just never saw it before this morning. The fight has nothing to do with the kitchen, but everything to do with me.

"Mr. Jungkookie, everything is done, and I will return tomorrow." Mrs. Chin says, stopping in the kitchen before she leaves.

"Oh, thanks Mrs. Chin. Uh, before you go, I'd like to talk with you briefly." Why is this so hard for me? She takes a seat and smiles at me.

"Mrs. Chin, what do you think about Mr. Tae?" Her smile relaxes.

She pauses and shrugs her shoulders. "Oh, I-I don't know him very well, Mr. Jungkookie."

"You seem to not like him much by some of things you said and –"

"Mr. Jungkookie, he said that I was going to kill you and JJ with lumpy oatmeal. You know my oatmeal is never lumpy. I think Mr. Tae does not like me." Okay, a bit of denial there. Choking on oatmeal does not equate to murder.

"Mrs. Chin, to be honest you made a comment about Mr. Tae's clothing first." She presses her lips into a thin line.

"Yes, I did because I was concerned about him ruining his nice clothing with his pancake batter." My mouth slightly opens. Damn she's as good as one of my employees trying to convince me I didn't see what I saw. Did she forget I was there? I see she is not naive, and I have underestimated her. But little does she know it won't be that easy now that my eyes are open.

"No, Mrs. Chin, if I recall, it was his box batter and then a razor-sharp cutting comment about overpriced clothing." She folds her hands together and places them on the table. "Also, Mr. Tae did have some unflattering comments too."

"Why does Mr. Tae want to say mean things about my eyeglasses? I can't help it." Fuck, did Mrs. Chin just slam the table with the sympathy card?

"Mrs. Chin, that was an unflattering comment, but you hurt his feelings and then he hurt yours. This is not a good thing."

"Well, I won't say anything to him in the future. How is that?" She huffs.

"Uhm, no. That won't work. Mr. Tae is my fiancé and I plan to marry him. You both have to work together. I also care for you and you're very important to this family. You have done a great job caring for my mother, Namjoon, and me. However, I'm an adult and will soon have a husband who will take care of me, and I will care for him. Please let him do it. What saddens me the most is that you and Tae are both good people and you're both missing out by not knowing each other better." She looks down as her eyes well with tears.