The Bonds Between Us

Chapter 15

"Omma!" Little Daehan ran happily into his mother's arms as he found her waiting for him in front of his school.

"I miss you so much, Han-ah." Hyerin said pecking his head as he smiled in her embrace.

"How is school today?" She asked looking at him. And the boy lowered his head a bit. He had something to tell her about his behavior the day before.

"Omma Daehan sorry..." He mumbled with his head down and she smiled.

"It's ok. Omma will listen to your reason. Now, how about ice cream?" It worked to lighten him up. He nodded jumping cutely and she took his hands.

The mother and son took taxi to their next destination.

"Omma, what about Appa?" Daehan asked as they walked in an ice cream shop.

"What do you think if Appa goes to pick you up but you're not there?" She asked back sitting down on a chair facing him.

"Mm...he'll come here?"

"He doesn't know that we're here."

"Then he'll call Omma?"

"That will do?"

"Ne~"

"Good." The mother and son talked happily before Hyerin's friends came out from a room.

"Hyerin-ah, you're here? Hello, Han Han." Eunnie asked walking toward them.

"Hello, Eunnie Auntie." The boy said bowing.

"Why didn't you tell us? When did you come?" Wonhee said sitting down beside Daehan as he bowed at her.

"Just a moment."

"Han Han, what do you want to eat? Auntie's treat." She offered smiling at the boy.

"Thank you, Auntie. I want strawberry ice cream." His dimple showed up as he smiled happily.

"Aigo, I don't know how many times your dimple kill me already." Wonhee acted out and they laughed.

Hyerin's phone rang and they turned to look.

"Appa!" Daehan squealed as he found his Appa's name popped up on the screen.

"Wah, your husband finally calls you?" Eunnie asked earning a pinch from Hyerin. She gave her a look and Eunnie nodded, understood that Hyerin didn't want to talk about it in front of her son.

Hyerin picked up as Daehan looked at her, waiting to hear from his father.

"Ne?"

'Where are you?' Jungkook directly asked from other line.

"At Wonhee's shop."

'I'll be there in ten minutes.'

"You don't have..."And before she could finish he hung up.

"He'll come here?" Wonhee asked, surprised.

"Wah, it's been ages we met him. Since the wedding? Oh, no, since you gave birth to Daehan?" Eunnie said earning a nod from Wonhee.

"Appa is coming here, Omma?" Daehan asked and Hyerin nodded.

"Yayy!" He jumped happily before a waitress put ice cream in front of him.

"Hyerin-ah, let's be honest, there's no problem between you two?" Eunnie asked narrowing her eyes at her friend.

"No, not at all." She innocently shook her head as those two still kept their eyes on her. Whenever, her son was with her she avoided talking about it.

"I'm planning to stalk him soon and sooner." Wonhee said sipping her drink.

"Don't do it. I'm afraid you might get fooled by him. For your information, he's good at sensing and tricking." Hyerin warned picking a fork and ate cake.

"Try me." Wonhee stubbornly stated.

"Try him."

"Ok."

"Anyway, do you still remember Hwahyung?" Eunnie asked out of a sudden.

"Yes, I just met her last week." Hyerin recalled.

"How can you forget when she bullied you. But you can be happy now."

"Why?"

"I heard that her father was shot early in the morning today." The news got Hyerin to choke on her cake.

"What? Really?" Hyerin became furious.

"Yes." Wonhee nodded. Hyerin bit her lips, thinking. Jungkook must have known it for sure. She'll ask him more about it. It was somehow what Hyerin should be happy but she didn't feel that way at all. And the death is not something we should grateful about although it was a bad or good person. She also remembered that Jungkook knew her father well.

After that they continued to eat and chatted until Jungkook walked in. He spot them fast at the corner and headed toward the table.

"Appa, you're here!!!" Daehan squealed jumping up and down.

"Annyeong, Wonhee-ssi, Eunnie-ssi. It's been awhile." He said sitting down beside Hyerin.

"Yes, it's been a long while and I almost forget your face." Wonhee mocked and he shrugged.

"Right, not only awhile but years. I wonder how Hyerin could convince herself not to divorce you after all." Eunnie said earning a nudge from Hyerin. Jungkook raised his eyebrow but didn't say anything.

"You went to Daehan's school, didn't you?" Hyerin asked changing then topic.

"And you didn't even tell me." He said looking at her.

"Appa, are you mad at Omma for picking me up?" Daehan innocently asked.

"Not at all, Han-ah. Omma just needs to learn a lesson for not telling Appa about that." Teasingly, he wiggled his eyebrow at her making Wonhee and Eunnie to pull up their shoulders at each other. Hyerin widened her eyes as her cheeks started to heat up.

"Wae, Appa? Omma needs to go to school too?" Innocently, Daehan asked his father with his big eyes.

"No need. Appa will teach her. Don't worry." The father said patting his innocent son's head.

"Ouch!" And suddenly Jungkook yelled in pain as he got a pinch from her.

"No need to be rash, I'll teach you later, Honey." He said rubbing his forearm where she pinched.

Wonhee and Eunnie raised eyebrow at each other at the scene. Well, they didn't look like they were not in a good relationship at all.

"Anyway, what happen to Hwahyung's father?" Suddenly, Hyerin asked and they turned their eyes to him. His face became straight immediately as he was asked about that topic.

"I'll tell you later. We're going to his funeral in the evening together. Tell us if you want to go along, Wonhee-ssi, Eunnie-ssi." Jungkook reminded and they nodded.

Because Jungkook didn't really have time hanging out with them, they never get to know him better in person. But that day, they started to change their perspective toward him.

The small family went home after finishing their snack.

After lunch, Daehan played for awhile before going to take a nap.

"What happen to Hwahyung's father? Can you tell me now?" Hyerin asked sitting down beside Jungkook who had his eyes closed. Slowly, his eyelids moved up. His clear brown eyes tiredly landed on her.

"He was shot in front of his house this morning and it's still under investigation." He explained rolling his sleeves up before unbuttoning his top button.

"What about Hwahyung? Her family depends on her father all the time and now he's gone. It means she's losing everything...I'm afraid she can think about something bad..." Hyerin mumbled as her husband stared at her with a small smile.

"You're still worried about her after all she did to you?" He asked sitting straight as she blinked her eyes slowly before sighing.

"I don't hold any grudges against her at all, honest. Anyway, losing someone is not what we should laugh after all." Hyerin said lowering her head down.

"Sure, I can see through you. You have it, you have a good heart." He said taking her hand in his and held it gently.

Hyerin let out a small sigh as he stared into her shaky orbs.

*********

In the evening, Jungkook leaded his wife and son to the funeral.

Little Daehan had black suits as same as his father while Hyerin wore a black dress with a long jacket. They walked in the hall with Wonhee and Eunnie who also had their black outfit with sad face.

Hwahyung was sitting in front of the coffin and her father's photo. Her tears weren't dried yet. Her mother sat there quietly, spaced out.

It was a big tragedy of the family and also to a whole department. He was a strong commander and a former chief who achieved countless missions.

Hyerin looked at Hwahyung with her soft orbs before sighing out.

Jungkook helped Daehan to do a bow to the late Mr. Oh.

Wonhee nudged Hyerin and they stepped in.

Before they came out, Hyerin walked toward Hwahyung and patted her shoulder gently.

With her red puffed eyes, she looked up and pushed Hyerin's hand away. Eunnie and Wonhee took Hyerin's hand and pulled her to stand up.

Jungkook went to greet many seniors and his eyes landed on Woohyun, a prosecutor. Formally, they greeted each other.

"Annyeonghaseyo, Uncle." Daehan who recognized the uncle at the mall bowed at him.

"Oh, annyeong, Daehan. How are you?" Woohyun asked patting the boy's head.

"I'm fine thank you." He politely said and Hyerin came to stand beside Jungkook.

"We meet again, Hyerin-ssi." He nodded at her and she nodded back.

"Finally, we have a good chance to know each other officially, Hyerin-ssi. I'm Ahn Woohyun, a prosecutor." He introduced himself and she smiled weakly.

"And finally, I get to meet you as a whole family. I don't know if this is a great thing or not that we happen to see each other again and again, and basically woman always involve." Woohyun started to get a topic and it worked. Jungkook sighed in annoyance as Hyerin frowned in thinking.

"What does it mean with Woman always involve?" Wonhee cut in with a frown.

"To be honest, the chief and I are not getting a long that well and it's because of someone likes to be a hero and I'm a villain. Isn't it true, Chief?" He asked with his eyebrow raised. Jungkook didn't say anything but shrugged.

Wonhee and Eunnie looked at each other while Hyerin had a straight face on but her mind went wild already.

"And to be alerted, it's good to watch your husband closely behind his back, Hyerin-ssi. It's my advice. Then, goodnight." He smiled at Hyerin and turned to smirk at Jungkook before walking away leaving them there in doubts.

"Let's go. Daehan must be sleepy." Hyerin said taking Daehan's hand and walked ahead. Jungkook sighed before following them.

She was thinking and he was doing the same with different feeling.

"Ppalgang-ah!!!" As the family went into their apartment, Daehan quickly went to change his clothes and played with Ppalgang.

Hyerin walked in the room without saying anything, followed by Jungkook. He knew he needed to say something.

"Rin..." He started walking behind her. She didn't even look at him but walked in the closet which he also did the same.

Quietly, he watched her as she tied her hair into a bun and reached her hand back to pull the zipper of her dress down, but she couldn't do it properly. Jungkook then stepped closer and held her hand to stop before pulling it down for her.

She remained silent before grabbing her clothes and got into the bathroom.

Again, he sighed before turning to take out his pajamas and headed out to take shower in another bathroom.

It's like Hyerin tried to avoid Jungkook. She would talk to Daehan when he tried to talk to her.

"Han-ah, it's time to do homework." She said before Jungkook could say anything.

"Ne, Omma." And the mother and son went into the boy's room leaving Jungkook there watching TV alone.

And after a while, Daehan walked toward him and he smiled at his son.

"Appa, Goodnight." The boy said pecking his father's cheek with a pair of sleepy eyes. Jungkook chuckled at how cute his son was.

"Ne, sweet dream. And Omma?" He asked hugging the boy, kissed his head.

"Omma will read me a story."

"Ok." He nodded and the boy ran back to his room.

Jungkook then got into his office after getting a call from his friend.

"Ne. Ne, Hyung. Thank you. I'll send that file to you right away." He said and put his phone down. His eyes landed on the time and he sighed.

He finished the last file before getting out. His feet leaded him into his son's room. Daehan was sleeping peacefully with his buddy in his arms. He leaned down to peck the boy's head gently with a small smile.

The chief got into the main room after turning every lamps off. In the bed, he found Hyerin who had her back to him. He could sense that she was still awake.

"Rin..." Softly, he said her name. She didn't budge even a bit.

"We need to talk." He mumbled and she finally decided to turn to him.

"Is it the reason why you don't want me to meet him or being friend?" She asked coldly.

"Ani..."

"Don't worry. I always expect something like that from you. So I don't really hurt."

"Rin..."

"It's not really strange for a man to have another woman beside his wife while he's always far from home." She continued sitting up.

"And like I said, I did expect it."

"What did you expect? Me, having another woman out there? Or did you expect all along that I cheat on you?"

"Yes." Somehow her tears formed in her eyes when she said it.

"And until now?"

"Sure. Because I don't want to feel disappointed. And because I have to expect it before hands so I don't really feel like it's strange. Many women experience that." Though, she almost cried out.

"And you thought it's true?"

"Or it's not?"

"Rin, I clearly stated that I come back for you."

"And you dumped those girls for me?"

"Those girls?"

"I thought you're a responsible man..."

"It's getting out of hand now, Rin."

"Let say, we will treat each other like we always did, Jungkook." She said and was about to get up but he held her wrist.

"Seriously, I didn't even do anything like that. It's true that Woohyun and I got involved by a girl but we're nothing. It's only something happen because I helped her from Woohyun."

"And now it's Woohyun-ssi's fault?"

"You don't trust me, Rin." He asked and she could sense his pain.

"I...I want to...but..." She couldn't hold it back anymore.

"Rin, trust me." He muttered softly.

"Then you can hurt me?" Her tears dropped down finally. Although she's a strong girl, she could easily cried out. Maybe because she recently trusted him all of her heart.

"I don't and I won't because I really don't even think about it. If you're willing to listen I'll tell you about her." He whispered wiping her tears from her cheeks.

"Fine."

"Thanks." Gladly, he pulled her into his arms as she was ready to listen to him.

*********