Should Be You | Jikook ✔️

Chapter 19

The morning light streamed through the kitchen window, casting a soft glow over Jimin as he stood by the stove, carefully flipping pancakes. The scent of warm syrup and butter filled the air, and the quiet hum of the day beginning was almost peaceful. Almost. Jimin's mind was still tangled with the events of last night, the argument with Jungkook replaying in his head on a loop. He tried to shake it off, focusing on the task in front of him, but the knot in his chest refused to loosen.

Suddenly, the quiet was broken by the sound of little feet padding into the kitchen. Jimin glanced over his shoulder just in time to see Jungwoo climb up onto a chair at the kitchen counter. His toy car clutched tightly in one hand. The boy hummed softly to himself, completely unaware of the tension that still hung in the air from the night before.

"Good morning, Woonie," Jimin greeted with a soft smile, trying to push his worries aside. He didn't want Jungwoo to sense the lingering unease. "Are you ready for some pancakes?"

Jungwoo nodded eagerly, but his bright smile faded as his little brows furrowed in thought. "Mr. Park... why were you and Daddy arguing last night?"

Jimin froze for a second, his grip on the spatula tightening as the question hung in the air. He hadn't expected Jungwoo to bring it up, especially not so soon. He glanced over at the boy, seeing the innocent curiosity in his eyes—eyes that didn't yet understand the complexities of adult life.

"Well, Jungwoo," Jimin began, his voice gentle as he tried to find the right words, "sometimes grown-ups argue about... grown-up things. It's nothing for you to worry about, okay?"

Jungwoo sighed, a small, exaggerated huff that seemed far too heavy for someone so young. He rested his chin on his hands, looking down at the counter, his toy car still clutched tightly in his fingers.

"I just want Daddy to be happy," he mumbled, his voice quiet and a little sad. Jimin's heart ached at the simplicity of the boy's words, the pure honesty that came with being five years old. He turned off the stove, setting the spatula down as he walked over to sit beside Jungwoo.

"I want that too, Woonie," Jimin said softly, resting a hand on the boy's back. "I really do." But just as Jimin was about to continue, Jungwoo's small voice interrupted him. "But..." Jungwoo's eyes, wide and innocent, turned to Jimin with a seriousness that made Jimin's breath catch. "Daddy's happy when he's with you. He smiles a lot when you're here. But last night..." Jungwoo paused, looking away as if trying to understand it himself.

"It looked like you were being like Mommy."Jimin's eyes widened in surprise, his heart sinking as he processed what Jungwoo had said.

"Like... like your mom?" he asked, unsure where the boy was going with this.Jungwoo nodded, his small fingers tracing the edge of his toy car absentmindedly. "Yeah. Mommy always makes Daddy sad. And last night, you were like Mommy. You didn't let Daddy be happy." The words hit Jimin like a punch to the gut. He stared at Jungwoo, speechless for a moment, as the boy's innocent, childlike understanding of the situation unraveled in front of him.

He hadn't meant to be that way. I hadn't wanted to make things worse for Jungkook. But to hear those words from Jungwoo, to see how even a child as young as him could feel the weight of what was happening... it crushed him.

Jimin forced a small smile, even though his heart was heavy. "Oh, Jungwoo... it's not that I don't want your dad to be happy," he said softly, his voice tight with emotion. "It's just... sometimes grown-ups don't always know the right way to make each other happy. And sometimes, we mess up. But I promise, I never want to make your dad sad."

Jungwoo stared at Jimin for a moment, his little face scrunched up in concentration as if he were trying to understand the complexity of it all. But in his five-year-old mind, things were simpler than that. "But why don't you just let him be happy then?" Jungwoo asked, as if it were the easiest thing in the world.