The Bonds Between Us

Chapter 4

"Need help?" Hyerin asked, walking into the room after helping her son get dressed.

Jungkook, who was struggling hard to put on his tie, nodded his head. It was his first day in a new position at his workplace, he needed to be formal at least. Hyerin came closer and reached for his tie. She only focused on her job while he was staring down into her face.

"It's your first day at work here, are you nervous?" She asked softly, eyes fixed on the tie in her hands.

"I'm more nervous right now." His hands reached her waist while saying those words, stepping closer.

"It's not like you at all." She said, stepping back, but he held her still.

"You make me feel that way," he whispered, leaning down.

"Since when have you become this cheesy? Or I missed something about you?" Playfully, she asked, taking his hands off her waist.

"I said I want to love you, then I will. You better fall for me..."

"I didn't know your work taught you this much." She quickly cut him off and grabbed her bag from the desk as he sighed softly to himself.

It looked like he needed to try harder.

"Appa, Omma, let's go!!!" Daehan ran into the room excitedly after finishing his breakfast.

"Wah, Appa, you're so handsome. Can I be like you when I grow up?" The little boy asked innocently.

"Of course, whose son are you?"

"Jeon Jungkook!"

"That's my boy." The father and son gave each other bumps as the mother shook her head at their childish child.

"Kaja." Hyerin said, taking Daehan's hand as Jungkook followed them behind.

***********

"Is that the new chief?"

"Yes, and they are his wife and his son."

"She's beautiful."

"I know right. But you better not do anything to her if you want our business to run well with him. I heard about his family a lot, quite powerful and untouchable."

"He's famous for being serious in his work. I don't think we can talk to him about this matter."

"Why don't we try to know him better first?"

"Hm." They nodded, looking at the small family and they followed them behind without losing track.

*********

Jungkook and Hyerin took their son to his school and then Jungkook dropped Hyerin at her workplace before going to his destination, where he noticed a car following him around.

"Hello, hyung. Find out the owner of this car, ---." Jungkook calmly talked to his phone, pretending he didn't know anything about the car behind him.

'Ok'

"Thanks." He put his phone down and turned his car into his workplace.

A message showed up as he got out of the car and headed to his target.

He was led into his new office by an assistant and was introduced proudly by a senior who happened to know him before.

Everyone was unfamiliar and everything was new to him, yet he got to know some of his staff.

Jungkook looked around his new office, observing every detail of the room.

"Hope you like it, sir." His new assistant said. His poker face showed his tough personality. He looked young but strong. Jungkook turned to him and gave him a smile, urging him not to worry.

On his desk, there was a pile of folders and it got his attention.

Tons of work was waiting for him already.

"Shh, this is uncomfortable." He mumbled, taking off his jacket, leaving his white shirt on before rolling his sleeves up.

Hour to hour, finally it was lunch time. Ahn Woohyuk, Jungkook's assistant, came in and knocked on the door.

"It's time for lunch, sir." He reminded his boss with his usual poker face.

"Thanks." The boss just hummed as a response while his eyes still focused on the computer screen.

"I mean, will you have lunch now?" Woohyunk asked again and Jungkook raised his head up to look at his assistant.

"I'll have lunch with everyone." His answer made Woohyuk's eyes widen a bit. It was the first time he heard that response from the boss.

"Are you sure?" He muttered a question and Jungkook nodded.

"If...if you said so. This way." Woohyuk led the way as Jungkook followed behind, eyes slowly roamed around to the unfamiliar place.

"Aren't we from the same academy, Woohyuk?" Jungkook asked, catching up with Woohyuk. Looked like he was trying to be friends with his assistant who had a strange personality.

"Yes?" His left eyebrow raised at how his boss happened to know his information in a short time.

"I guess, I'm right." He smiled, looking around as everyone looked at him like he was weird.

"Why does everyone look at me like I'm an i***t?" Jungkook asked, sitting down.

"You're the first chief to be in this lunch room." With his steady tone, Woohyuk reported.

"Jinjja? Should I eat alone?"

"Ani. You should go to an expensive restaurant instead."

"Not all chiefs are rich."

"But you are."

"I'm not, my family is."

"Do you want me to treat you to this lunch?"

"Aish, that's such a shame," Jungkook laughed out.

"Enjoy your lunch."

" OK." Jungkook continued to eat and there he found out a lot about the new workplace. Woohyuk was tough and serious all the time, but he was getting closer to him.

After lunch, they came back to their office and Jungkook called Woohyuk in.

"I want to see this guy at 2 tomorrow before his release." The boss said, pointing to a profile photo on his desk. Woohyuk looked at the photo and widened his eyes.

"Ne?" He questioned, staring at his boss worriedly.

The name in the profile said 'Min Yoongi'.

"What with that face?" Jungkook asked upon noticing Woohyuk's worried face.

"Are you sure you want to hold that case? The old chief left because of him and I'm sure you know that," he explained.

"That's why I'm here."

*********

Hyerin took off her glasses and messaged her temple with her eyes closed.

"Are you feeling, Unnie?" Jaehyu, her assistant asked.

"I'm fine, Jaehyu-ah. Just a little headache. Can you get me a cup of coffee?" She said, getting up and sat on the couch.

"Sure. Be right back."

"Thanks." Tiredly, she muttered and Jaehyu went out. Hyerin took out her phone as it vibrated.

"Hello?"

'Omma, when will you come?' His voice never failed to make her smile.

"We'll pick you up in the evening."

'With appa?'

"Ne. Who are you playing with right now?"

'I'm with Haena omma.'

"Alright, now go to sleep and wait for omma and appa, arraseo?"

'Ne, omma. I miss you, appa too.'

"I miss you, too. I'll tell him."

'Byebye, omma.'

"Ne~" She sang and put her phone down with a smile as she stared into the screen which had the photo of her and Daehan as a wallpaper before calling Jungkook, but he didn't pick up. She supposed he was busy again and it was not strange since he's always like that. Sometimes, it hurt her because she felt disappointed.

With a sigh, she closed her eyes slowly to rest for a while.

**********

After work, Hyerin went to a nearby mall to buy some stuff and she told Jungkook to go there to take her.

She was on tiptoe while trying to take a honey jar but a hand reached it first.

"You're too short for that." An unfamiliar man said, handing it to her. She frowned but took the jar.

"It's good to be born tall. Thanks." Hyerin put the jar in the trolley and hurried walked away as he was there staring at her back.

It was not the first time he had helped her, but she still didn't recognize him. And she never gave him an opportunity to introduce himself or be friends.

At the counter, Hyerin paid for the things and was about to push the trolley, but the same man put this bag in it and pushed it ahead.

"Eh..."

"I don't have many things, but it's heavy and your trolley has some space, so...thanks." He shamelessly said as she tried to catch up his pace.

"And to pay back, I'm happy to give you a ride." He said, smiling as they reached the parking lot.

"No thanks." Hyerin took his bag out of the trolley and shoved it into his chest. She quickly took all of her bags and walked away.

"I'm Ahn Woohyun. Yours?" He shouted at her back, smiling. But she didn't respond.

Something about her attracted him. She's beautiful, neat and calm, totally his ideal type.

Meanwhile, Hyerin ran to Jungkook's car which was waiting for her.

He helped her, putting all the things in with an unreadable face which was not good at all.

"Let's take Daehan from your house." She said, getting in the car.

"Who is he?" He asked softly.

"Hm?"

"That guy."

"I don't know. How was your first day at work?"

"Don't try to change the topic. I saw everything." He emphasized the word everything.

"If you saw everything, you don't have to ask me." Carelessly, she replied and it somehow burned him. She's good at going with the flow.

"You're married, Rin." He reminded her of the fact, showing clearly how he was jealous about it.

"So what? You're telling me to divorce you and I can date again? Fine, bring it on." That burned him even more.

"You mentioned the divorce thing a lot lately. So he's really your boyfriend?"

"No, I don't know him."

"He's trying to hit on you."

"Why do you care?" She stubbornly turned away and he pulled over to the side.

"Are you trying to play dumb or do you really have no clue why I am acting like that?" he asked, turning to her as she turned to him with a question mark.

"Daehan is waiting."

"Don't involve him in our matter." Their conversation was getting serious.

"I'll take the taxi then." She said, opening the door, but he grabbed her wrist to stop her, pulled her back.

"Leave Daehan at my house for tonight. We need to talk." He said, starting the engine.

"Jeon Jungkook!" Hyerin yelled out in frustration.

"Isn't it too much? Don't use your harsh behavior towards me. I'm not your culprit." She said with her deep frown as he drove off.

"I don't use it unless you listen to me."

"What do you want to talk about?"

"Let's change how we treat each other. That was too cold."

"We used to be that cold. It's not strange."

"Stop it from now on."

"You're too childish."

"It's not childish. It's called jealousy." He confessed.

"Jealousy? Psh!"

"Stop rejecting me, Rin. I know you don't want Daehan to be sad either, that's why you held it back for years. Let's start a new beginning from now on. I have already made it clear that I love you..." He said slowly, but she cut him off again.

"But I don't love you. I'm holding it back because I don't have anyone and I only focus on Daehan, but in the future, perhaps I'll see someone and we will divorce. I'm already done with the hardships I have with you, and I don't need it anymore."

"..." He was speechless. What is the use of trying to keep her when she stated that she wanted to separate?

"Fine..." Finally, he gave it...but not forever. He learned not to give up easily, so he would just give her time.

The couple went to pick up their son from their parent's house, then they silently went back home without saying anything to each other.

"Omma, where is Appa?" Little Daehan asked, hugging his mother's neck from behind as Hyerin read a book. After dinner, the small family separated to do their own business.

"Have you finished your homework?" Instead of answering, she followed up her son's responsibility.

"Done and I want to play with Appa."

"Did you shower?" She asked, taking him into her arms and pecked his cheek gently.

"Already. Where is appa, omma?" Daehan whined cutely, not giving up on finding his father to play with.

"I'm not sure. Try looking for him in his office then."

"Ok, thanks, omma." The boy nodded and ran into a room on the right side and she heard his tiny scream when he found his father.

The son and father got along so well although they rarely met each other. But the blood ran well to blood. And she couldn't deny that.

Somehow it worried her...what if one day everything changed? What if they really divorce?

Hyerin kept thinking until she fell asleep on the couch.

With Daehan sleeping in his arms, Jungkook came out to take his son to bed and he found his wife sleeping soundly on the couch.

After tucking Daehan into bed, he went back to see Heyrin. He softened as he stared into her tired face.

Gently, he lifted her and she woke up.

"What are you doing?" She asked sleepily but didn't move, afraid of falling down.

"It's uncomfortable to sleep on the couch." He reasoned and she remained quiet as he kept walking to their room.

"There're many things I want to do as a husband. Will you let me?" He asked softly. She gulped and didn't know what to say. They didn't have much to say to each other, didn't even get to know when both of them had problems. They found it hard to share how to solve it when they didn't understand one another. Living as a married couple, but their feelings never unite. There, they unknowingly built the distance and that was what Jungkook wanted to make up.

"Try it. Try to make me fall for you..." Her voice was low but it was enough for him to hear and he smiled.

That night, it was the first time in six years they cuddled. And they felt something new.

***********