Beautifully Flawed

22. Trustfrated

To conquer frustration, one must remain intensely focused on the outcome, not the obstacles.
—

He talked to his dad every single day. The conversation ranged from work, friends, life back in Busan and just the general life conversations. Jungkook pretty much told his father – the man who had raised him and loved him unconditionally – everything. However, he could not bring himself to tell his father about him. The love of his life. An adorable goofball that added light to his days and made him want to be a better man – if he wasn’t already. The one who made him get out of bed every morning and go out with fierceness to conquer the world.

The longer he kept this from him, the heavier it weighed on his mind. Every time he saw Jimin, a big part of him felt like he was not being fair to him. He needed his father’s approval and then, only then would he be able to love freely without inhibitions. Without his father’s approval, he was lost. There was no way he could go against his father’s wishes and also go on living without Jimin in his life. Jimin was like the air he so much needed to breathe or the only thing that kept him sane in this mad world. He was the one he wanted to love through all lifetimes.

He found himself troubled that evening. He had just come back home from an amazing dinner date with Jimin and his mother. It was a delight. She had extended an invite for dinner the evening before at her house and she was absolutely taken by Jungkook. She had so many things she liked about him but the way he loved her son, took precedence above all of them. Jungook had gotten along with his love’s mother and fit right into their family. He could even say that he found a mother he never had in her. He couldn’t help but go back to the conversation he had with her when Jimin stepped away for little while.

[Earlier that evening]

"How are you and Jimin doing?" she had asked.
He couldn’t help the furious blush that spread through his cheeks to the tips of his ears. He was a man in love and that simple question set his heart pounding through his chest.

“We are really… really doing great,” he replied shyly. “You have a wonderful son.”

"I know! I raised him well, didn’t I?” she added teasingly. She reached out and rubbed his back soothingly. Mothering Jungkook came so easy.

She couldn’t tell him just yet but Jimin’s mother was so relieved that her son had finally met someone who treated him like he was the most precious thing in the world. When she first met Dae-Hyun, she didn’t like the dread that stirred up inside her. The man had a terrible aura around her and even though she tried to tell her son about her worries, she did not want to burst his bubble because he was in love. So, like any good mother would, she supported her son.
She never liked the man and when he hurt her child she wanted to go on a murder spree. All the things she had done to her son made her angry but she kept the peace and concentrated on her putting her son back together.

“Forgive me for asking, but are your parents okay with this?” she asked. “I mean how do they feel about you dating a man?"

From the way he went stiff, she knew and she could feel her chest tighten. This felt oddly familiar and hell would freeze over before she let her son get hurt again. Tension spread through Jungkook – he was not ready to come out to his father yet and he did not know how to answer that question. He really wanted Jimin’s mother to like him and this alone was a big fat x in her book.

It was only then that she realized that he never talked about his parents and this knowledge made her wonder if she was okay with her son dating him. Was she being overprotective? Would her son hate her if she did not approve of this? Even though her mother instincts were coming, she did not want to be rash about it. The way Jimin glowed and smiled genuinely when he was with Jungkook gave her faith that he was a good man and that gave her peace.