Loving The Wrong Man (SD) ➸ Taekook ✓

- Sixteenth -

Sitting at the kitchen table, Soyoon waited, staring tirelessly at the wall clock. She watched the tiny hand ticking away, minute after minute, with no sound other than the constant ticking of the clock disturbing the silence of the room. Jungkook had long since gone back up to his room after making himself something to eat, refraining from suggesting anything to his mother. She seemed to be waiting for something, so he ignored her and went on with his life as if nothing had happened. He knew what she was waiting for, and he also knew that he wasn't coming. He'd just told him in messages.

Taehyung.

Jungkook had come to realise that the two of them barely communicated. When Taehyung had told him it was an arranged marriage, he hadn't thought it was that bad. Their relationship hadn't even been made public, so he really wondered what the point of the marriage was.

For several evenings in a row, Soyoon had been waiting for Taehyung to come home so that they could eat together. But the man didn't get home until around midnight, and he took a shower before going straight to bed. It was bad enough that they didn't normally talk much to each other, but this week had been catastrophic. And even before that, when he ate at home, the only person Taehyung talked to was Jungkook. She couldn't stand the silence any longer.

11 pm and still no sign of Taehyung.

"Maybe I should send him a message..."

She grabbed her mobile and wrote him a message, asking him when he was coming home. He replied a minute later: "I won't be back for a good two hours. I've already eaten. Don't wait for me". Simple and to the point, she gritted her teeth. This situation was starting to get out of hand. She needed someone to help her, to ask for advice, because she didn't know what to do. Suddenly, an idea popped into her head.

"Mom and Dad are in Paris at the moment, so it can't be late there..."

Indeed, it was four o'clock. So she reached for her phone and immediately called her mother. She waited three rings, then someone picked up.

"Hello?"

"Hello, Mom?"

"Oh, sweetheart! How are you?"

"Not very well, Mom..."

The old woman paused, noticing the sadness in her daughter's voice.

"What's going on, Soyoon?"

The woman bit her lip.

"I think Taehyung's ignoring me, Mom. What should I do? What if... what if he abandons me, like this man?"

"Soyoon, you just got married, he's not going to abandon you! But I don't understand, did you have a fight?"

"No, we haven't."

"Then why is he ignoring you?"

"I don't know, he spends his evenings at work, and he hardly speaks to me."

Her mother sighed. She knew her daughter well, she knew she wasn't an easy person, especially with men. She behaved like a princess, wanting to be taken care of, and often tended to forget that a relationship wasn't only like she wanted it to be. She liked to take, but found it very hard to give.

"Soyoon, you need to make an effort on your side too... Have you tried talking to him about it?"

"No, I haven't tried..."

"Well, I've got some ideas on how to get him back, so you'll have to listen to me. But you've got to make an effort!"

"Yes, thanks Mom!"

***

When Jungkook arrived in the kitchen the next morning, he found, as usual, Taehyung on one side and his mother on the other. What was different, however, was that his mother wasn't staring at her phone, but was instead fidgeting anxiously with her fingers. He decided not to pay any attention to her, simply said hello, and went off to make himself a hot chocolate. He heard his mother get up and walk over to the coffee machine. She carefully prepared a drink, then approached Taehyung with the steaming mug in her hands. She cleared her throat, attracting the attention of the thirty-year-old, who looked up from his newspaper.

"Is there a problem, Soyoon?" he asked, his eyebrows furrowed.

"Oh, no... I... I've made you a coffee..."

She set it down in front of him, and he stared at it for a moment before turning his attention back to his wife.

"Thank you, that's kind of you..."

She sat back down in front of him and watched him attentively. He realised that she was waiting for him to drink it. Taehyung swallowed. The truth was that he didn't like coffee. No, it went further than that, he hated it. Even taking a sip made him grimace uncontrollably. But he could see the way she was looking at him, full of hope that he would enjoy the drink she had prepared so carefully.

Taehyung had a big heart, he hated hurting people, especially when they'd done absolutely nothing to deserve it. So he grabbed the cup anxiously, bringing it gently to his lips, praying to all the gods that he would manage to contain any reaction.

Suddenly, Soyoon's phone rang, drawing everyone's attention.

"Ah, it's work..."

She picked up and stormed out of the kitchen. Taehyung contained a sigh of relief and was about to put the mug back down, but someone snatched it out of his hand and replaced it with a cup of hot chocolate.

"It's the same mug, she won't see the difference." Jungkook winked at him.

"How did you know?" Taehyung asked, his eyes wide.

The teenager smiled slightly at this question.

"I've seen you drink lots of hot drinks, but never coffee, and the machine is clearly new. I thought you didn't like it, and seeing your reaction today, I was right."

Taehyung returned his smile.

"You're very observant. Anyway, thanks, you saved my life! I owe you one!"

"Come home tonight and we'll call it even. I'm sick of always having to eat alone."

Taehyung wanted to reply that he had his mother, but from the few meals they had shared together, he was beginning to think that the mother-son relationship must be rather complicated.

"I'll do what I can."

Soyoon burst in again at the same moment, and immediately turned to her husband.

"So, is it good?" she asked, hopeful.

"Delicious." he replied, taking a sip.

Jungkook struggled to contain a mocking laugh, and discreetly walked over to the sink, into which he poured the coffee.

Ah, talk about a couple. She didn't even know what her husband like and dislike. It's ridiculously fake.