Forbidden Love ➸ Taekook ✓

- Forty-first -

Jungkook's eyes widened.

"What did you just say?"

His mother held his gaze for a few seconds before looking away in shame. And that only made the young man feel worse. The atmosphere in the room grew heavier.

"You've already signed a marriage contract." she repeated.

The boy stepped forward and suddenly banged his fist on the table, startling everyone. Jin wanted to go over to him to calm him down, but Jungkook was emitting such rage that it was better to keep his distance. The teenager curled his lips, like an animal about to attack.

"What do you mean?! When?!" he shouted. "What the fuck does that mean?!"

"Jungkook, calm down..." his father tried.

"You shut up!" he cut him off. "We didn't ask you anything, green plant!"

This time it was Hyeri's turn to get angry.

"Jungkook, don't you dare talk to your father like that!"

The boy took advantage of this renewed attention to gaze into his mother's previously distant eyes. While he could see a mixture of annoyance, sadness and shame, she could see deep anger in his. That's all she saw, anger. Nothing else. For as long as she could remember, Hyeri had never seen anything but anger in her youngest son's eyes.

"Don't change the subject." Jungkook said firmly. "You owe me an explanation."

"And you owe us respect."

"Not after what I've just heard. Especially as it's only the tip of the iceberg. I'll probably hate you even more when I find out the whole truth."

Hyeri felt her chest crushed at these words. She knew it was out of anger, but it was still painful to hear. That her son hated her. It was something no parent wanted to hear.

"You don't really mean that..."

He gave her a look that was worth more than words, a look that said 'Oh, you think so?'.

"Tell. Me. What. I. Want. To. Know." he spat out, word by word.

He sounded so serious, so angry, that she didn't have the courage to go against his wishes. Anyway, he'd find out sooner or later. It was better that she explained the situation to him herself, rather than him finding out from someone else. She exchanged a quick glance with her husband, who encouraged her with a nod, then turned her attention back to her son.

"That was a few months ago. After you turned eighteen."

Jungkook frowned, trying to remember a time when he would have signed such a document. Because he would have realised, wouldn't he? Then suddenly everything clicked in his head, and his eyes widened for the umpteenth time today.

"Don't tell me..."

Hyeri nodded weakly.

"When your father persuaded you to sign the succession papers for Jdesign. This contract was part of the package."

Jungkook gritted his teeth, his surprise immediately replaced by his usual anger.

"You tricked me!" he shouted. "I already didn't want to sign those papers, you forced me to, but on top of that, you slipped in a promise of marriage! How could you do this to me?! You, my own parents?! Do you really hate me that much?!"

The boy felt tears welling up in his eyes, and the only thing that stopped them was the reassuring hand that came to caress his back. Jin was just as shocked as he was, frankly finding it hard to believe that his parents had used such a ploy against their child. Against a child. Because Jungkook was still a child. At eighteen, with all the rebellious spirit you could have, you were still very manipulable. Especially by your own parents.