Stray Kids POVs (collection)

the inheritance - Hyunjin (1)

You sit on the couch, still surprised how uncomfortable a couch can be, even though you already knew that. You sit on this place every time your parents had the urge to talk with you. It was not this often, most of the time when you have done something they haven't appreciated. But now, they are the ones who look at you insecure and almost apologetic.

"Do you think, it will get better with the time?" Your mother wrings her hands, obviously nervous about the state of your marriage.

"I don't know." You shrug your shoulders.

"We thought you two were childhood friends, so it wouldn't be difficult to be happy with each other. It's been almost 8 months and it's still not working?"

You grit your teeth to swallow a biting comment but fails miserably. "Well, we were friends in our childhood. I haven't seen him for like ten years when you suggested this arrangement. How should a marriage work when we don't know each other anymore?"

And when you were clearly not the one, he was looking for. You feel the same stinging feeling in your chest like years ago, when you found out, that Hyunjin had a crush on your sister. It was like written in a book, but the happy ending was not this happy.

"You have to give him a chance." Your father looks less apologetic, he's even bold enough to look at you demanding.

"I have given him a chance. He has ignored me fully after the wedding. Don't try to blame me when the marriage don't work. Noone of us two wanted it."

"But you know, we need the influence of the Hwang-family."

"You mean their money, right?" You tilt your head, meeting his surprised look challenging. You have enough of their acting. "I know about the legacy of his grandfather. Both families will get a shitload of money when he stays married for over a year."

Both huffs surprised, but you don't know whether about your words or that you know it. You stand up, before they can even react. "You both know that I'm no longer dependent on you. My bakery is running, I've paid back the money I borrowed from you twice over. Don't act as if I still owe you something. I have married him, but I won't suppress him to make this work, not for you. If it would work, fine. If not, you should try to keep your own business running."

"How dare you talk like that?" Your father stands up, but you ignore him. They were never as good parents as they thought they were, and this arranged marriage was just the cherry on top.

"You dared to interfere in my life like that. You may get a lot of money, but you've lost me in any case. Decide for yourself what this deal was like." You bow a last time to them but grab your bag and leave the house immediately after.

It feels like finally stepping out of their reach when you get in your car. The marriage and their stupid trick to get you into it, was the last mistake they have made with you.

It is your way of dealing with this annoying meeting by trying out new recipes. This time, some pastries with mandarin. You just need the juice of the fruits, and you are curious how they turn out and if you could add them to the assortment of your bakery. The surprisingly large amount of mandarins at home inspired you to try this. You are sure, it was Hyunjins purchase, but you just hope he won't miss a few missing fruits. And you will leave some of the pastry here in case he wants to try it. That's what you've been doing since you moved in together when you baked here. Sometimes he has tried it, sometimes not.

Kkami, who is lying on his pillow in the kitchen and has been watching you until now, suddenly listens up. He has moved in with you and you have absolutely no problem taking care of him instead of Hyunjin's parents. And it seems like on of the few topics your husband talks to you about. You keep him updated over the day with his walks and stuff like this, even when he hasn't answered one of them. It feels better for you to let him know that you take care of Kkami, because you know, how much Hyunjin loves this little furball. And you must admit, after a lot of treats and flatteries, you both get along very well. Better than you get along with his owner.

You look up from the dog, who is now getting up to greet Hyunjin at the kitchen door. He wears some kind of sportswear, and his hair is a sweaty mess. You stare at him for a moment, surprised how good he looks like this. Then you concentrate again on the dough in front of you before he could catch you staring. You hear his steps coming in the room and how he stops at the other end of the kitchen counter.

"Today was the meeting with your parents?" He asks instead of a greeting and you look at him surprised. You can't remember you have told him about it. And you are pretty surprised that he asks about it.

"Yes" You answer shortly and watch how he grabs a mandarin out of the bowl on the counter.

He starts peeling it surprisingly fast and you are amazed by this, because you have failed to do it like this. You have needed the three times the time for peeling.

"How was it?" He asks again, not looking at you and concentrating on the fruit in his hands. He sounds almost bored, as if he tries to hide his interest in it and just asks out of politeness.

"I was there for less than 15 minutes and rushed out before dinner. So they were nice as always." You answer, still troubled by their audacity, and can't quite suppress the irony.

"The nice nature probably runs in the family." He mumbles loud enough for you to hear. It catches you off guard to be compared to your parents and you watch him while he grabs some more mandarins. He throws the peeling of the first in the bin, not even looking at you, and leave the kitchen. You blink a few times and sniff a bit to suppress the tears in your eyes. You hear Kkami coming closer, nudging your leg. You smile down to the dog and kneel down to him, stroking over his head. "Why am I still surprised when he's like this to me?"