Stray Kids POVs (collection)

the inheritance - Hyunjin (3)

You are angry. And disappointed.

You know, it's quite a while since you and Hyunjin were friends, but you wouldn't have thought that he would think you could do something like that.

Yes, your parents care more about the inheritance than about you. But he should know that you are not like them, even though he hasn't met you the last years. You were already far too different from them as a child.

You grab the stabler from the kitchen table as soon as you hear the front door open. Hyunjin still tries to get rid off his shoes when you enter the hallway, looking a little surprised as he notices you.

"We need to talk." You start before he can say something. You watch how he takes off his jacket with a peace of mind that almost makes you even more angry.

It's the first time for you to be so demanding towards him and it doesn't seem to impress him in the least. Hyunjin eyes you for a moment, before he squeezes past you into the living room. You turn around and follow him, watching how he catches Kkami on his way to the couch.

"Do you hear badly?" You cross your arms in front of your chest as he lays down on the couch.

He sighs deeply, clearly annoyed. "I've had a really rough day, can you just leave me alone?"

"Fine" You huff, trying not to freak out with his cold appearance. Instead, you go to him and literally throw the stapler on his chest. He stops to play with Kkami next to him and grabs it, now irritated. "If you don't want to talk to me, at least read this. Maybe you will understand that this damn inheritance means nothing to me."

He blinks surprised, but you ignore it and turn around again, heading to the hallway. "If you want to talk after reading, I'm at my bakery."

"He!" He calls after you. "What- Wait- What-"

He stumbles, but you just put on your shows and takes your coat and keys to leave. You have tried it often to talk with him, trying to understand what his problem his. Now that you know it, he can understand for himself that he was wrong, after not wanting to clarify things again.

It's already late in the night when you hear a knock on the front door of your shop. You look carefully out of the kitchen into the salesroom and through the window in the door, not really knowing if it would be Hyunjin or someone other.

But you recognize him immediately, lighted by the streetlamps and the surrounding store lights. So you open the door and locks up again behind him.

"You have read it?" You ask and lead him to the kitchen.

"Yes." He puts the stapler on the now free work surface. "I tried to understand the whole stuff with business texts, accounting and profits and losses, but to be honest, I'm not this good with it."

"Okay." You step next to him and grab the stapler, opening the respective pages. "This is the contract, that I own this shop after my grandma passed away two years ago. This is the contract that I borrowed money from my parents last year, to be able to keep and renovate the bakery. They have contractually bound me to do whatever they want to make profit. I didn't know that they meant the wedding and that it wasn't about the business at all."

You flip through a few pages. "These are the income statements since last year. Thanks to the renovation and social media, it became popular here and I made pretty good profit. Unfortunately, not enough to pay my parents back quickly enough to prevent this marriage."

"I understand." Hyunjin mumbles and looks at the papers, his eyebrows narrowed thoughtfully.

"Really?" You look up at him, but he keeps staring down. "Because this means, I don't need your inheritance. You can do whatever you want with it. I don't need the money, but my parents want it. They wanted to get us married this fast, because they have known how good my business was running and it was just a question of time until they wouldn't have it."

"So, you didn't do it because you just wanted the money?"

"I don't want to hurt your feelings, but I didn't really have a choice."

"And I thought you would have become just like your parents now." He finally looks into your eyes.

"That explains why you've been so cold the last few months." He pulls a guilty face. "But tell me, how did you come up with that? I tried to be friendly and treat you like I used to, but you blocked it right from the start."

He shrugs his shoulders and runs his fingers through his hair. "I heard you and your sister before the ceremony. We hadn't seen each other before, and I wanted to talk to you briefly. But I've heard you say to her that it's all about the money."

"Ahh" You understand and groan, feeling something between desperation and amusement. It really is a coincidence that it could actually be misunderstood in this way. "I meant the money I've borrowed from my parents, not the money from the inheritance."

You stare at each other for some seconds before he catches it. He leans a little back, as if there was no tension about this topic in him anymore, and makes an understanding sound.

"So I got it completely wrong." He summarizes it and sighs deeply.

"Well, I would probably have done the same in this situation." You admit and pat his shoulder hesitantly. "Don't worry, we can only do better from now on."

"Are you sure?" He asks quietly, looking carefully down at you.

"Only if you want to, of course." You can't avoid sounding hopefully. He nods eagerly. "Of course, I do."

You smile satisfied and he too, staring at you intensive that you feel your cheeks redden.

"How about we make a fresh start by going home together?" You point to a paper back at the other end of the counter. "I have everything ready, and a few snacks left. We could order some proper food and make a midnight picnic at home?"