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"Are you here yet? The children are almost finished competing."

His voice was calm but Hyun-Ji could hear the excitement simmering underneath. Not a trace of fatigue was in his voice despite having spent six hours and counting in their former high school's gymnasium.

"Yes, we're walking in now," she said.

Jungseok, carrying Hyori in her car seat, opened the gym door for Hyun-Ji and Haneul. They stopped after walking inside for a few paces and scanned the crowd for Jungkook. Countless uniformed competitors and staff from their respective schools filled the perimeter of the gym, while even more supporters sat in the bleachers. Their children and friends competed in one of three red and blue rings while the judges sat at tables lining one edge of the padded competition space. Beyond the crowd, Haneul spotted Jungkook near the farthest ring jumping and waving his arm, and the group weaved their way over to meet him.

He greeted them with a wide smile and kissed Hyun-Ji full and quick on the lips, catching her off guard. He usually kept his affection to a minimum around Haneul. Although she loved Hyun-Ji like a daughter, she was still a bit squeamish about his romantic endeavors.

Jungseok handed Hyori's car seat to him and Jungkook promptly squatted down to free her from her confinement.

"How much longer until the black belts compete? Haneul asked him.

"Shouldn't be too much longer. Most of the kids are already done. Then it's our turn."

"How did your school do? His father asked.

Jungkook smiled proudly. "They did great! Almost everyone placed in the top three. Some placed in all categories, and we have two students that pulled off an all-kill." He elaborated when Hyun-Ji tilted her head in question. "They placed first in sparring, weapons, and forms."

She nodded in understanding and smiled as he then greeted Hyori with a loud kiss on her cheek.

"Sounds like they have a great teacher,"
Haneul smiled.

He smiled bashfully and shook his head. "I just help out, that's all. The kids do all the work. They deserve all the credit."

Haneul playfully scrunched her nose and pinched his cheek. "You're so modest, Kookie!"

"Yeah, yeah..." he groaned, shooing her hand away from his face. "Find some seats. I want to take Hyun-Ji to meet some people."

He took Hyun-Ji's hand and led her and Hyori to the opposite side of the ring where two children were sparring. She watched them in awe, admiring how fearless they were despite looking no more than 9 or 10 years old. She never possessed that much courage.

"Hyun-Ji? This is my instructor, Choi sabum-nim. Sabum-nim, this is my fiancée Hyun-Ji, and this little chipmunk is our daughter, Hyori. She's three months old."

The older man that exuded a sense of wisdom and tranquility smiled at the young family, his hooded eyes turning into crescents. "It's wonderful to finally meet you, Hyun-Ji. Jungkook talks about you constantly. All good things."

✔️ Unconditionally [Book 2] | Jeon Jungkook Where stories live. Discover now