Chapter 23

"Dad?" Tae hyung asked. I could hear the hurt in his voice. I knew he would like it if his dad said anything. Even if it was yelling at him. I knew it wasn't easy seeing his dad not say anything at all.

His dad had the most blank look on his face. I stared into his eyes seeing if I can see anything, anything at all. He was looking down now at the floor as if he was zoned out. I mean that's a better reaction than my dad, I guess.

"Mom?" he said almost a whisper. I could almost hear the desperation in his voice. As if he knew his mom wouldn't say anything without his dad saying anything.

I turned my body to him - his face pale, eyes slowly watering. I knew I was crying because my entire face felt wet and my nose was stuffy. He hasn't been crying though, not until he called out to his mom. Who actually looked back at him, unlike his dad, eyes filled with tears.

"Mommy?" He called again. I heard a sob finally come out of his mouth when his mother didn't answer. I could feel him tightening his hold on my arm, and I gave him a squeeze.

It was my turn now.

"Uncle, Aunty, please! I love your son very much and I promise to love and take care of him. Please don't let this change how you see him. I beg you! This doesn't have to change anything, we will love a quiet life I promise. We didn't want to hide from you guys that's all. Mom and Dad I know you're mad and disappointed in me, but I am not. I don't feel guilty. For the first time in my life, I feel free. He makes me feel like that."

I felt his eyes on me as he smiled big, through the tears coming out of his eye. "You do!" I said again looking at only him. I couldn't help but smile.

"Son," his dad finally started speaking. Both of us perked up at that

"You know your mom and I love you very much. We are just shocked that's all.... Let us think about it, okay?"

With that he got up. I saw his wife look up at him in confusion. "Honey, don't leave!" she pleaded

He didn't say anything else, he never even looked back. She gave us both an apologetic look. Then she got up to follow him as well. She quickly turned around, running to Tae hyung and grabbed onto him in a tight hug. After kissing the top of his head she ran after her husband. He grabbed onto my hand harder after she left. What was worse was, it looked like she wanted to say a lot to him, but left with it all unsaid.

"Mom?" I finally said breaking the silence that was filled in the room for a few minutes, as I called out to my mom, who didn't say anything but look at my dad.

"Honey! Say something." she nudged my dad

"I was trying to say what I wanted to say but you would not let me. Jungkook you dare say you're not disappointed in yourself? You dare say you're free? I have given you every damn thing in this world. I worked like a damn dog so you could have everything and this is how you repay me? By being a fag?"

My eyes widened in shock. If I stopped crying before I was definitely crying now. That word, that damn word.

"Uncle!" Tae exclaimed next to me, "I begged you to not call him that earlier!"

"You!" My dad got up getting close to Tae hyung who also got up to meet my dad. I jumped up at the look Tae hyung had. I haven't seen it before. His tear stained face went from being distraught to aggressive. Like he was going to punch my father or something.

"What about me?" He said with a stern voice, with the confidence overflowing out of him, like he was ready to fight and win.

"Tae hyung!"

"You pig! You did this to him! My son was fine until he met you!"

"Dad!" I didn't know who to yell at to stop this fight from happening

"Junghoon calm down honey!" My mom was standing with me dad trying to hold him back

"He was never fine especially cause he had to live in the jail you put him in!" The veins on his neck was popping out now as he raised his voice.

"Hyung! Stop it!" I was grabbing his hand trying to push him back as he kept stepping closer to my dad

"Jail? You call living comfortably jail? What does a poor beggar like you know about living comfortably right? Is that why you seduced my son? So you can live in wealth too?"

"Junghoon! Stop!" My mom yelled holding him back. She was crying now, she looked helpless, almost like I did.

Tae hyung stepped back, in silence. Almost as if he was unable to process any of what was just said. Or he heard it, every bit of it and he was unable to say anything back. I had a bad feeling it was the second one.

"Hyung?" I called out to him. He didn't say anything. He looked down not meeting my eye

Guilt took over me. My Dad really said that to him. He really called him a beggar.

"Dad! You have no right! Absolutely no right to talk to him that way!" I yelled

"You telling me about rights? You had no right to disappoint me in this way!"

"You have no right to tell me about my rights cause I don't even remember you raising me!" I shot back

He stepped back, his face filled in anger; "I didn't raise you? Who the hell got you to where you are? Ungrateful brat!"

"Your money did dad! I don't remember you ever being there for me!"

"Jungkook! Shut your mouth!" My mom shot back at me

"No Mom! Can you disagree with anything I said? No! You raised three kids alone cause he was never there! All he ever cared about was money!"

"Jungkook!" Tae hyung grabbed my hand to stop me

"No Hyung! Dad? What's my favorite color? What's my favorite sport? What's my favorite food to eat? What kind of music do Who was my favorite song? What's my favorite movie? Answer any one of those and I'll admit that you raised me."

Silence. It was silence. All I could hear was the sound of my staggered breathing.

After what seems like eternity passed by I started talking again, "See, you don't know me at all. You just wanted me to take over business for you. Was that all I ever was to you dad?" Tears I didn't want was coming out of me again. Words I wished I said a long time ago, feelings I didn't know I had was all coming out of me all at once. "And I finally find someone who loves me and takes care of me. This void I always thought I had, I don't have it anymore! Don't you feel happy for me?"

He stared at me still in anger, he grabbed his coat off the couch and walked towards the door!

"Dad wait!" I called out to him as he stopped midway

"Tae hyung tell him the answers to my questions!"

"Huh?" he was confused

"What's my favorite color?" I asked

"Black." He looked kinda dazed that I was questioning him in this way

"What's my favorite sport?"

"Anything but basketball cause it's the only one I beat you in!" he quietly chuckled

"What's my favorite food?"

"Pork belly! But you like anything as long as it's food."

"What music do I listen to?"

"You love any kind of music as long as it's music." He smiled. "And your favorite movie is Tangled cause i have the entire movie memorized by now. And you cry when you see someone else cry, you're kind hearted sweet and sensitive. I hope everyone can see that." He said looking only at me.

"Now you can go Dad!" I stated, with the stern confident tone I always wished I had with him. I always hid from him, I tried never to say the wrong things so he didn't get mad, I stayed quiet to everything he said so he was happy.

Only he didn't leave as I thought. He stared at us in dismay. I broke eye contact with him finally and heard his footsteps as he walked out the door. I saw that coming. I looked at my mom now. She was smiling, gleaming almost.

"I'll talk to him son! I'm so proud of you! Both of my sons that is. They will come around Taehyung. Your parents know how hard you worked for them! Don't think they don't. This whole thing is new.... It's new for me too and I'm still getting used to it."

"Thanks Aunty! We know you try regardless of this being new to you!"

"Tae, I have always seen you as my son. I'm sorry for the way my husband talked to you. I don't recognize the man that talked to you in that way, but that's not my husband, I hope you know that."

"I understand. I took his dream away, he has every right to be mad at me Aunty! Lucky for him I won't be mad... cause I found my dream!" he reached for my hands and I took it from him

"I love you both! I will talk to him Jungkook! I promise! I don't know when he will come around but the man I fell in love with is an understanding one." She hugged us both, "Until then Tae, take care of my Jungkook. I know you will" she nodded and ran out after my dad.

"I am your dream?" I finally asked

"That's the first thing you're gonna say to me?"

"Yeah!" My voice cracked, "can't believe you said that, that's all! Can't believe you said any of that! I- uh I am just so thankful."

"Kookie!" he pulled me in close to him hugging me tightly, "Well you are! I never lied."

"I am sorry about my dad, and I am so so sorry that your parents left like that!"

"Meh!"

"Meh? Did you just say meh?" I pulled away from our hug

"I expected it to go a lot worse!" he said absolutely relaxed

"Then why we're you so positive about it earlier?"

"Cause I wanted to be free! Let's be free and gay!" He said hugging me again

"Hyung! Stop! I know what you're doing. Stop trying to make this funny. What happened was not funny."

"It was kinda funny! Let's be free and gay like Yoongi Hyung! I wanna tell everyone, hey I'm gay and I have a boyfriend at home!"

"Baby!" I grabbed both his cheeks, "We are free! I want you to know that. When you're with me, you're free. So please be free okay? There's no need to hold it in like that!"

"I'm okay Kooks!" He assured trying to break away from me. I held onto him regardless.

"Are you okay baby?" I asked again

"Yeah..." his voice slowly started breaking, "I am..."

"Okay! But it's okay if you're not."

"They just left Kook!" his voice was weak, he sounded exhausted, he sounded so sad.

"I know!"

"They really just walked out cause it was hard. I never did that... I don't regret anything but I never walked out when it was hard." he started to cry as it turned into sobs. I quickly held onto him.

"I know babe. But parents don't think like that? This is new to them, hell it's new to us! They were shocked. I know for a fact that your parents love you so much. So much that your mom couldn't leave without kissing you goodbye. She knows you're hurt, trust me once Uncle calms down she'll be the first to call."

"I doubt it. They probably will check out of the hotel after this and never come back."

"No you don't know that. They can't leave you like that. Tae hyung, your parents were always there and they both love you. I know how proud they are of you. You gave up your education so you can work 50 million different part time jobs for them, so your little brother can go to school. I know Taehyun loves his Hyung for that too. I know they see that, and they won't ever forget it. You're amazing, you know that?" I wiped his tears away

"Kook! I love you!" he hugged me tight, "I am sorry your Dad reacted like that too! He will come around! And I'm sorry I got mad at him, I should have kept my calm."

"No I don't blame you, you're just being protective over me. You know how he's always been to me and you couldn't hold it in anymore. And him coming around? Yeah I doubt that, he always wins."

"So there goes your CEO position huh?" he lifted his head up to look at me, "Darn so you're as poor as me? I don't think I want you anymore!" He giggled

"You're stuck with me now, dirt poor and all!" I snuggled against him

"Not dirt poor! We got a job! We also got an apartment, clothes on our backs and food on our plates. We are filthy rich!"

"We are! Let's go shower and head to bed? We look so gross from all the crying. Or would you like to cry some more?"

"I think I'm all cried out. Just snuggle me!"

"Wow you're so clingy these days." I grabbed a hold of his arm, walking him to the bathroom, "I can do that though!"

For once in our relationship I felt useful to him. I could feel him relying on me, and him being clingy like this wasn't unusual, but knowing he needed me was nice. He was always so used pretending to be strong, and positive.

I let him know throughout our relationship he didn't need do that .... not with me, but he never listened. Knowing he trusted me enough to be vulnerable with me was amazing, we really have come so far. He really has come so far.

I snuggled him closer and held onto him tighter that night as I could feel him slowly falling asleep. His breathing got harder as soft snores took over. I smiled at that, he was such a cute sleeper. I turned around and looked at the clock as it just turned midnight. That's right, we're gonna be okay now, today is another day, and we are going to be happy.