Jinae made her way to the other side of the oval-shaped dining table. She wanted to stay as far away from Yoongi as possible. As he sat the plates down in front of each chair on one side, Jinae set the utensils for each place on the other side. Neither one looked up from their tasks, each working hard to avoid the other's gaze.
As she tried to not look at him she also tried to push away all of the good memories they had sitting at this table together.
It was just as painful to remember as it was to look at him.
It wasn't a surprise that Yoongi had been invited to the special dinner though. Jinae knew that. Passing thoughts of his presence had occurred to her in the week leading up to the dinner, but she'd pushed the thought away, trying to be ignorant and blissful.
She hadn't wanted Yoongi to come.
She'd tried to imagine that he wouldn't.
Here he was though, setting the table with her, just like when they were kids.
As soon as she was finished she returned to the kitchen, and she didn't break the fragile silence between her and Yoongi.
He didn't break it either.
Ten minutes later, everyone was sat at the table eating the meal with gusto. Jinae's mother sat beside her husband and the Mins sat beside one another. Yoongi's brother had also joined the dinner party, sitting beside his parents. Jinae sat beside her mother and Yoongi. It was the usual arrangement. Jinae knew that this time though, it was causing the dull ache in her chest. She just hoped her mother would get to the point sooner rather than later. The sooner she could leave, the better.
As she waited for her mother to speak up, she let her focus remain primarily on her plate, only catching snippets of the small talk, only processing the occasional bits of neighborhood gossip passed between her mother and Yoongi's.
"Oh, Mrs. Kim down the street?" Mrs. Min asked with shock and curiosity.
"Yes, and the mailman."
"No!"
Jinae lost interest until Yoongi's quiet voice caught her attention.
"We leave for an assignment in February," Yoongi spoke with his usual slow, thoughtful tone, answering Mr. Park's question.
"For how long?"
"About three weeks."
"It must be tiring, all that traveling and such." Jinae correctly assumed that Yoongi was going on another reporting trip soon with his partner, Sophie. Both Yoongi and Sophie were talented and young, so they were sent on a lot of trips for their reports. They were part of what kept Yoongi so busy all of the time. Jinae knew they were part of the reason she'd grown so distant from Yoongi.
"It is, but I wouldn't trade it for anything else." Yoongi glanced over at Jinae, a part of him hoping she'd catch his lie.
She didn't.
Then again, he wasn't surprised. She never caught the lies he told in regards to her.
The conversation wound on and on, and the meal continued. To both Jinae and Yoongi, it seemed like it was the length of eternity. Jinae couldn't handle the tenseness she felt sitting beside Yoongi after the fight they'd had and Yoongi couldn't bear the silence and the coldness Jinae was sending him.
Finally, once each plate around the table was cleared of the meal, Jinae's mother got everyone's attention.
Jinae was relieved that finally, the night was coming to an end.
She watched as her mother stood with her step-father, smiling brightly.
Things were so different now than they'd been a decade earlier. Yes, her mother was older now. She, however, wasn't the younger, unhappy woman she'd been on that first Christmas after the separation. Jinae knew that her mother was happy now.
For that Jinae was glad.
"Tao and I have an announcement." Oblivious to the meaning of her mother's radiant smile and glow, and to Tao's, Jinae began to smile slightly herself. "It's something we've hoped and dreamt about for years. It's not common for a couple of our age to be blessed in such a way." Smiling faces and nods of attentiveness circled around the table. With a deep breath, Park Bo Young squeezed her husband's hand and spoke again. "We're going to have a baby," she breathed out.
And then the room exploded into reactions.
Mrs. Min gasped with delight and clapped while her husband smiled brightly and stood to pat Mr. Park on the back.
Yoongi smiled politely and congratulated the older couple, as did his brother, Geum Jae
Jinae though, felt as if her smile was melted plastic stuck to her face, slowly suffocating her. As soon as her mother had said she was pregnant, a lump had formed in her throat and her chest had grown heavy.
In a moment, when the din of excitement and congratulations died down, Mrs. Park turned to her daughter.
"Jinae, you finally get the little brother or sister you always wanted!" Her mother's smile seemed so natural and fluid to Jinae, such a stark contrast to her own starched expression. "Isn't that exciting?" Mrs. Park wasn't being patronizing, as she truly thought Jinae would be elated by the news, but her words and tone grated on her daughter's nerves. Jinae nodded her head, and smiled brighter, trying to convince her mother that she was happy. Trying to convince herself.
Her mask had cracked through.
The smile turned more into a red-lipstick lined grimace as the seconds ticked by.
The tears were brimming in her eyes and beginning to spill out in streams.
Immediately, her mother's attitude turned to one of concern.
"Jinae, honey, what's the matter? Aren't- Aren't you happy?" her mother faltered.
"Yes, yes of course I am. Congratulations." Jinae rose from her seat, all eyes on her. She couldn't see the shock and concern in each pair looking back at her through her tears. "I have something, and I need to go now." Abruptly, she walked out of the room. Her mother turned to her step-father and buried her face in his sweater as she cried. The Mins shook their heads sadly.
Yoongi sat in fear as if paralyzed. He had absolutely no idea what Jinae was planning to do.
He had never seen her so upset before, so out of control of her emotions.
As children, she'd always been a fairly emotional person. She cried when the dogs died in animated films and became excited easily, and he'd always responded with an amused smirk or a genuine smile. This, however, was different.
There had only been a handful of times when he'd seen her truly broken by her emotions.
So, for a few moments, he sat in shocked silence. As his shock turned to confusion, he argued with himself that his going after her would only worsen the situation. He of all people, wouldn't be the one Jinae wanted to see at that moment. Yoongi wanted to run after Jinae to ensure that she was okay and not being irrational. He wanted to sit with her as she cried like he had that day at the park. Min Yoongi just wanted to be there for the friend he cherished the most. He was afraid though, that just as he had in the past, he wouldn't be able to cherish her enough.
His brother kicking him under the table, subtly telling him to go brought Yoongi to his senses. Nodding, Yoongi got up from the table and left the room quickly. No one asked where he was going and he didn't offer up any explanations. He grabbed his coat and the coat that Jinae had left in her rush, and then he walked out into the cold December night.
The cold night air seemed to clear his head, and he began to reason through the situation. He knew that Jinae had taken a cab to her mother's house, and she couldn't have gotten one to take her home in such a short time, so she was on foot. It had only been about ten minutes since she'd walked out, so she couldn't have gotten far. Surely she was still in the neighborhood and Yoongi would be able to find her before she got much farther.
On instinct, he broke out into a run towards the side of the neighborhood that contained local businesses, hoping that he'd find Jinae in one of them. As the clouds of breath rose into the dark air, Yoongi hoped he'd find Jinae quickly. She didn't deserve to be alone right now.
A/N: Manic updates
Featured Song: Fake Happy by Paramore
(Edited June 2019)
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Liar//MYG✔️
Fanfiction"I love you Jinae." "Liar." "Correct." Min Yoongi Fanfiction Disclaimer: Discussion of divorce, depression, and unhealthy relationships.
