TMR | TG [✔]

12. Taehyun/Beomgyu

Taehyun

"You know Yeonjun is in there interrogating Beomgyu right now, don't you?"

I nodded as I handed Minjeong a glass of wine and her husband a scotch. "I know, and as much as I wish I could fight this battle for him, I can't." I sighed deeply before taking a sip of my scotch. "I promised Beomgyu I would always protect him, but sometimes I have to protect him from himself."

"What do you mean?" Jungsuk asked.

I looked at the man, trying to take his measure. Beomgyu and Yeonjun had nothing but good things to say about their father, but I wondered how much he actually knew of what had happened to his son all those years ago. Did he just suspect, or did he know it all?

"Beomgyu avoids confrontation."

"He always has," Jungsuk said. "He's been like that since he was a young child."

"He had good reason," I pointed out.

He grimaced.

"I suspect you know some of what he went through at the hands of your ex-wife."

Jungsuk nodded. "I never asked Beomgyu about it because he became hysterical if I even brought it up, but I know something happened. I just don't know what. I have my suspicions, though."

"I think for your own peace of mind it needs to stay just a suspicion, but I will say that it was probably far worse than you can even imagine. Because of that, Beomgyu has a severe anxiety disorder. He can't handle confrontation or tense situations. Hell, he can't even handle loud situations. He simply shuts down."

Jungsuk slowly lowered himself down onto the couch. His hand shook as he brought it to his lips. "I did this to him."

"No," Beomgyu said from the kitchen entrance. "Mom did this to me."

"Beomgyu—"

"You never ever raised a hand to me, Dad. You were strict, but you weren't cruel."

"I should have seen what she was doing to you."

"When?" He asked. "When you were working eighty hours a week trying to keep your business together? When you were trying everything under the sun to save your marriage? I'm sure if you gave up one or two hours of the four hours of sleep you got every night, you might have been able to do something, but you would have ended up in the hospital from exhaustion."

"I would have done it," Jungsuk whispered. "I would have done anything to save you from this."

Beomgyu walked over to stand next to me and then smiled up at me. "I don't think it turned out so bad."

I grinned before leaning in to press a kiss to Beomgyu's temple. "It turned out great, baby boy."

"So, wait." Minjeong looked at us with narrowed eyes and then gestured between us with her finger. "You two are together together?"

"Taehyun and I have decided to stay married," Beomgyu said with as much confidence as I had ever heard him use. "I'm staying in New York with him."

Jungsuk stood. "You're staying in New York?"

"It's where Taehyun's work is, Dad. I can paint anywhere." That bright, vivacious smile I loved so much slid across his face. "He created two separate art studios for me. One here at home and one at his work. He also took me shopping at the art store and let me buy whatever I wanted."

I chuckled at his exuberance. "Out of all of this, it's the art studios that did it for you, isn't it? I guess I know how I rate."

Beomgyu turned his wide eyes on me. "No, but that was certainly a plus."