The Escort S2

Part 67: Street justice

I answer the door as Jimin and Suga are the last to arrive. Lisa and dad are here as well as Chanyeol. Namjoon and Jin are out with the children in order to give us a quiet place for the meeting. Kookie and I will share the details with them later.

"Tae, will Jae and Hobi attend tonight?" Chanyeol asks.

"No, Chany, they will not. They will give support in another way. According to Lisa we have everyone we need."

"Tae, I'd like to say hi to Ivory if it's okay."

"That would be great Chany. I'm sure he'd be happy to see you. They're in the game room downstairs.

"How's Ivory adjusting, Tae?"

"All things considered, well."

"I'm pretty sure that JJ is a big part of his adjustment."

"What? Cousin Tae, are you telling me that they like each other in a special, uh, way.?" Chany says as a smile shows on his lips.

"They like each other a lot but nothing official. They're just friends." I confirm.

"JJ and I have become good friends and he's really a good dude. I don't know a lot about Ivory, but from what I see he's really a good guy that didn't deserve what that asshole Daesung did to him." His smile quickly washes away.

"One of my motivations is to get him some, uh, what does Lisa call it. Street Justice. He deserves that and more. Lisa told me how you and she are caring for him. That's cool, Tae."

"Thanks, Chany. There's a part of Ivory that I, as well as Lisa, can relate to. Don't worry, Daesung will get what he has coming." I share with an affirming nod.

"Cousin Tae, you're pretty amazing, you know that. I can never repay what you've done for me. I-I just want you to know I appreciate you." I can hear his deep-felt emotion in his voice as he stammers. "Lisa told me how you stood up to that bitch, Cousin Joy." There's a mixture of sadness in his voice and strength.

"She always looked down on me. When I was having struggles as a kid, she and her siblings just laughed at me and called me weird and disgusting." My heart sinks. Talk about someone not deserving the shitty hand there were dealt is Chanyeol. So many people failed him.

"Cousin Tae, I was like 10 and an introvert. I had no one so I just got angry. My therapist says that's why I acted so badly. So, thank you." His eyes are soft and appear misty. I reach over and take his hand. I really want him to hear me and know I'm serious. I'm committed to not failing him.

"Chany, you are family. There's no way I'd allow Cousin Joy or anyone to tell me you couldn't be at our wedding." His chest rises and falls quickly as he sucks in a deep breath.

"And speaking of our wedding, Kookie and I want you to be a part of it."

"What? Really, Cousin Tae...I-I'd be honored." Chany says rapidly nodding.

"Chany, I know you're spending a lot of time with dad. How are things going there?" I shift the topic before we both become teary messes.

"It's better. I'm not perfect but I'm working through my anger. He's really trying, and I love him, he says followed by a throat clear."I just want him to be proud of me. You know, like he is of Kookie," Chany says and diverts his eyes and my heart tugs.

"No, Chany, he's proud –"

"Tae, it's okay. I haven't lived a life that would make a dad proud."

"Chanyeol, I can't speak for your dad, but Kookie is so proud of how you stood up and did the right thing." Light returns to his eyes.