Stand By Me! | Jinkook

3. Meet The Family

Family Day at the Kims

Jungkook, Hoseok, Jimin, and Minyoung were lounging in the living room of the Kim mansion, chatting about their week. Meanwhile, Soobin and Yeonjun played in the garden, enjoying the playhouse their grandparents had built when Jisoo was born. Jisoo sat on the swings, scrolling through her phone and occasionally glancing at her brothers in the garden.

It was Saturday, the designated 'Meet The Family' day. Every week, they cleared their schedules to gather at the Kim mansion for lunch, and sometimes dinner and drinks. The four in the living room occasionally turned their attention toward the kitchen, where they could hear Yoongi and Seokjin scolding Taehyung and Namjoon for various reasons. Taehyung, ever curious and hyperactive, had a knack for experimenting in the kitchen, which often led to culinary disasters, while Namjoon lived up to his nickname, "Rap Monster," with a talent for causing chaos.

“Tae, that is not the microwave!” Yoongi’s voice rang out.

“Yah, Namjoon hyung, I told you to slice the onion! Why did you dice it?” Seokjin chimed in next.

“Tae, stop with your weird plating ideas!” Yoongi exclaimed again, annoyance evident in his tone.

“Dad, it’s called creative and fancy plating!” Taehyung shot back.

“Creative, my ass. You call putting chicken on sticks to make them look like flowers creative? Care to explain how that fancy creation turned black? Maybe you misunderstood cooking food to eat with cooking food no one can eat. Let me tell you a fact: even Yeonjun, the youngest in our family, is more creative than you. He can at least recognize a microwave and heat rice in it if given a chance!” Yoongi’s frustrated voice was met with laughter from the living room.

Jimin was the first to chuckle, joined by Hoseok and the others. He hoped Taehyung would finally listen to his father and stop his kitchen experiments, saving Jimin’s taste buds from further torture. Taehyung was an amazing boyfriend who adored Jimin, but cooking was definitely his Achilles' heel. Jimin continued to laugh, clutching his stomach, until Taehyung said something that made him stop abruptly.

“Okay, Dad, I agree about Yeonjun, but I disagree about my creative plating. Just look at this masterpiece! And you’re so wrong about no one being able to eat my food—Jiminie loves what I make! He’s never once complained, unlike you.” Taehyung defended himself.

Jimin groaned, feeling the familiar irritation rise within him. Minyoung and Jungkook snickered, but what bothered him more was Hoseok, who was laughing a little too hard, clearly mocking Jimin’s predicament.

Hoseok, Jimin, and Seokjin were very close friends. They shared everything, so Hoseok knew about Jimin's struggles with Taehyung's cooking. Jimin had been advised many times to confront Taehyung about it, but he didn't want to hurt his boyfriend's feelings. Taehyung had started cooking to impress Jimin when they moved in together, and Jimin still remembered the first meal—cream pasta, which had been decent. He had complimented Taehyung so much that it encouraged him to cook often. Unfortunately, with each dish, the quality declined, becoming increasingly bizarre.

One might wonder why Taehyung didn’t mind the taste of his own cooking. Perhaps it was because he hailed from a planet where non-edible food was the norm. That was the only explanation that made sense.

Jimin recalled the day he had seen genuine hurt in Taehyung's eyes after an argument. Frustrated, he had accidentally blurted out that he didn't like Taehyung's cooking. Taehyung didn’t respond; he simply stopped cooking and ignored Jimin for a week. It wasn’t that Taehyung was mad at Jimin; he was upset with himself for putting Jimin through tasteless meals. When Jimin learned this from Hoseok—who had heard it from Namjoon—he quickly reassured Taehyung that he missed his cooking. They reconciled, and Taehyung returned to the kitchen, cooking with renewed passion whenever Jimin complimented his food.

“Kim Namjoon, you dumbass! How could you not tell the difference between salt and sugar?” Seokjin's voice echoed through the mansion next.

“In my defense, there were two jars! I tasted one, so I assumed the other was—” Namjoon began, but there was no confidence in his voice. “And it’s hyung for you, brat!” he added, regaining some bravado.

“That makes no sense whatsoever. Do you care to enlighten me on how you managed to break both the wooden ladle and the pan’s handle at the same time, dumbass hyung?” Seokjin pressed, struggling to maintain his cool.

Now it was Jimin’s turn to laugh at Hoseok, who was blushing with embarrassment again, thanks to Namjoon’s clumsiness. This wasn’t new for Hoseok; he had learned about Namjoon’s accident-prone nature early in their relationship. The memory of their first date, when Namjoon accidentally broke an unbreakable museum piece, came flooding back. In Namjoon’s defense, the museum should have kept their antiquities at least two feet away from visitors and protected by high security, especially in an adults-only zone. That day had ended with Yoongi scolding Namjoon for the loss, which wasn’t insignificant.

Jimin stopped laughing when he realized the kitchen had gone quiet. Moments later, Yoongi, Seokjin, Taehyung, and Namjoon emerged with the food they had prepared. Jungkook immediately stepped in to help, taking the pan from Seokjin and placing it on the dining table. He then headed to the garden to call the kids.

As everyone settled into their seats, the maids placed side dishes on the table. Once seated, the group began chatting and eating. Jimin desperately tried to avoid the blackened, more like burned, chicken on his plate, but Hoseok nudged Taehyung, compelling Jimin to eat it for his boyfriend’s sake. Meanwhile, Seokjin placed a bowl of stew in front of Namjoon—the same stew Namjoon had ruined by adding excessive salt. Namjoon whined like a baby but reluctantly ate when Seokjin glared at him. Jimin sighed, realizing he had some particularly challenging friends.