Forever And Ever (BTS)

Chapter 18

The boys were in the living room doing their own things. They were oblivious to anything going on beyond the walls of the room, too caught up in the bliss of being home and having fun. So, they didn't notice the figure outside the house, looking in through the window. "I wonder if Mum will ever find us," Jungkook said "Dad told her we weren't here, the only way she'll know is if she comes here herself, which she won't," Yoongi replied matter-of-factly.

Little did they know, their mother walked past the house at that exact moment, trying to look inconspicuous. Jim had convinced her to check for herself whether the boys were with her ex-husband. She had decided to go to the grocery store near the house and use it as an excuse to go past and look inside. As she peered in, she saw the children. They were playing together and looking happier than they ever had. She couldn't help but be shocked. While she was suspicious, she didn't expect their father to straight-up lie to her, especially about the boys. Once she got over the shock, it was replaced with rage. Her children were just taken from her without any good reason and she wanted them back. She would do anything to keep Mr Kim away from them. She got her phone out and took pictures of the kids. Then, she slinked away back to Jim's, prepared to show the evidence to the police.

The doorbell rang loudly while everyone was having dinner. Jin went to open the door. "Um, Dad? Can you come?" Mr Kim walked over to see two policemen. "Can I help you?" "Mr Kim, we are here to inform you that your ex-wife has pressed charges against you for kidnapping. You have three days to bring the children back to her, after which she will immediately take full custody of the children." All of a sudden, the rest of the boys appeared, "No, don't take us away from our Dad!" Mr Kim struggled to maintain his composure. "I want to fight for custody," he said. The policeman nodded in acknowledgement, "We will inform her, you should receive details in the next few days." With that, the two left.

A week later, the whole family was in court. The boys' mother had decided to allow their father to fight for custody. There was a mutual agreement that this would make the choice once and for all, no follow-ups. The boys were sticking to their plan to express their want to stay with their father to the judge. They were ready to pull out all the stops to make sure that they would be able to have their choice.

"May the mother of these boys make her statement now, please," the judge had a stern face that remained impassive throughout the meeting. The boys were intimidated, but they stayed strong, holding onto each other for comfort. They watched as their mother stood up and walked to the middle of the room. "First of all, my children are in danger around Mr Kim. He is a drunkard, and a violent one. He even hit one of them once. What kind of father does that? They are much safer with me. Also, he doesn't have a job. He lost his company. What does that say about his ability to hold onto a job? He is unstable in this aspect. He could easily lose all his money. I have a secure job, as well as my current partner." The end of her statement was a shock to Mr Kim and the boys. So, she had ended up with Jim. Although given how cold she was towards her family now, they couldn't be completely surprised. Then, it was Mr Kim's turn. "To address the first point, while I had been drinking the past few months, I have now stopped. I have also found a new job," This was news to the kids, who let themselves smile in pride that their father was getting back on track. "I love the children, I don't want to lose them and I never did. I made mistakes, bad ones, but I hope to be given the chance to redeem myself. The boys chose to come back to me, and that should be taken into consideration." His words were full of sincerity. The judge's emotionless expression slipped for a quick second, and even after she regained her initial impassiveness, there was warmth in her eyes that hadn't been there before. "And now, if the children would like to say anything, they may." The brothers squeezed each others' hands in support as they stood up together. "We would like to stay with our Dad. Even though he was mean before and tried to hit us, we feel that we belong in his house more than with our Mum and Jim. Living with him makes us feel at home. We know he's sorry about what he did, and we want to spend time with him again. So we hope you will let us stay with him." Namjoon, being the most eloquent one, had been chosen to speak, and he finished with a hopeful look to the judge. His brothers gave him encouraging looks as he wrapped up. They sat back down and waited for the judge to make her verdict. A few minutes later, it was decided. "The verdict is that the children will live with... Mr Kim." The boys sighed in relief and joy. Mr Kim started to tear up, full of ecstasy that he had the chance to give the kids the life they deserved once more. Their mother stood with a glare, and stalked out of the court room. But they couldn't care less. While she was their mother and did love them, they couldn't be happy with her and Jim. With their father was where they truly belonged. They celebrated with cheers as they exited the room and headed out for multiple scoops of ice cream. Life was going back to normal.

Sorry this took a while, I will try to update more often. Also, sorry if this is a bit rushed, I wanted to wrap up this part of the story quickly as it isn't the main focus. And I know this probably isn't how court works. Do comment!