What is love? (Namkook)

3. "I got a proposal today"

Mrs. Kim failed to figure out the reason behind her little Joonie's over the top happiness and giggles throughout the evening. He kept dancing and humming songs that he heard on the television. The boy even ate the broccoli over dinner without creating any noise. This certainly wasn't a normal behaviour from the 8 years old.

"What did you mix in his food today, eomma?" Seokjin asked his mother frowning at his younger brother while their father choked on his food to control his laughter.
"Have some water, Sungi." Mrs. Kim put the glass of water in front of her husband, Sung-hoon.
"Thanks Dong!"

"I didn't add anything, Jinnie. I am wondering how come Joonie is being such a good boy today." After putting the pieces together, she came into some conclusion and continued looking at her younger son, "Joonie, if you are doing all this for the money, then I must tell you that no matter how much you try, you will not get any money in your hand."

"No eomma, I don't need the money anymore." Namjoon guaranteed his good boy act being free of any expectation. He continued chewing onto a fresh piece of vegetable with a cute pout and swinging his legs in the air as his feet barely reached the floor when he was seated at the dining table.

"He already bought it, you won't believe what he got with his piggy bank savings." Seokjin thought of telling his parents that his brother did not ask for the money on the purpose of any inappropriate action.
"What is it Jin?" Sung-hoon asked.
"It's a chocolate bar, appa." He said in a chuckling tone.

"Chocolate bar?" Both the elders asked in shock to which Seokjin nodded.
"Joon, why didn't you tell eomma or me?" His father didn't like the idea of his beloved son spending his valuable piggy bank savings on a chocolate bar while he can buy the entire chocolate factory for him.
"I wanted to buy on my own, appa. One day when I will grow up, I will earn money and then buy lots of chocolates." He said extending his little hands on both sides to show the extent of the word 'lots'.

"My everything is yours and your brother's, Joon, you can do whatever you want with your money then." Sung-hoon was hit on his bicep by his wife who didn't want her sons to take their inheritance for granted. Dong-eun wanted them to work hard on getting to the position where her husband is today.

In the meantime, no one cared to ask who the little boy spent his entire savings for as they saw him with the bar. After Jungkook asked Namjoon to keep the chocolate to himself, the boy was dancing with it.

Few kilometres away from the happy family, there was another family whose daily expenses depended on the part time work the 16 years old did in a departmental store and the little stitching work that his grandmother used to do.

"How are you halmoni?" Jungkook asked his grandmother with a sweet smile on his face as he entered their rented apartment.
"Kookie, I got 5 new orders today." She sounded very excited as 5 orders meant allowance for approximately 10 days.
"That's amazing! But I don't want you to overwork."
"See who's speaking! It's 11:30 now, I asked you not to take the late shift, Kookie."
"I had to go to a friend's house for collecting a copy, so asked the store manager to assign me in the evening shift from 7 to 11."

It is quite clear why Jungkook didn't accept Dong-eun's invitation for dinner as he had to work which will help him and his grandmother with few days of allowance. Things have been quite difficult for them since last five years after his father passed away. He lost his mother to cancer when he was just a toddler. His grandmother, Hye-sun is the only surviving family of Jungkook.

"I feel so bad, my child. You have seen the world too much for my liking. I wish I could provide you the life you deserve." She said lowering her head while putting down the bowl of kimchi soup on the table.
"This is the best life I could get, halmoni. I have you, what else do I need?" Jungkook side hugged her.
"Eat something, Kookie."
"Where is your bowl?"
"I already had mine."

Jungkook was not new to the trick that Hye-sun would use on him whenever there was a shortage of groceries. He went inside the kitchen and came back with a bowl and spoon in his hands. He poured more than half of the soup on the fresh bowl and placed it the table.

"You are going to eat with me."
"Kookie, I am really not hungry."
"Then I will not eat either." How can the caring grandmother allow her loving grandson to sleep in empty stomach!
"Then I will have the other bowl."
"No halmoni, I had some heavy snacks in the evening when I went to my friend's house, so not hungry much."
"Your friend?"
"It's Seokjin."
"Oh! I know he is a nice boy, but stay away from him, Kookie. You know, after all he is the son of the business magnate Kim Sung-hoon. Their lifestyle is way different from ours. I don't want you to get hurt in anyway."

Although he was not able to understand what she was telling about, he did eventually.
"You don't have to worry about anything, halmoni. He is just a friend. Moreover, he has a boyfriend as I have heard from school rumours."
"That's good then."
Slurping some soup down his throat, something important came to his mind.

"I got a proposal today." He said with a smirk.
"Is it for a new job?"
"No! Marriage proposal." Hye-sun's facial expression was worth watching.
"What do you mean? Did any pervert approach you again?"
"No halmoni! He's the eight years old brother of Seokjin. He even asked me to be his boyfriend and gave me a Valentine's Day card."

Both Jungkook and Hye-sun burst out into laughter as the former started narrating little Namjoon's proposal story, forgetting all about their life struggles for a few moments.

Who knows! Maybe one day that little boy could actually be able to bring smile to their faces for more than just few moments!