The Bonds Between Us

Chapter 3

As the car stopped, Hyerin turned her head to her son and he got up from the seat with his buddy, a baby green dinosaur doll.

"Be nice, arraseo?" The mother said as her son gave her a peck on the cheek with a sweet smile.

"And you, don't try to spoil my son." She said, giving Jungkook a warning look and he shrugged.

"Omma, will you go to the zoo with me and Appa?" He asked, putting his hands on his parents' arms.

"Of course." She nodded and the boy smiled.

The mother pecked her son's chubby cheek before getting out of the car.

"Appa, let's go!" Daehan shouted excitedly, moving to the front seat.

"Let's go!!!" Jungkook joined his son and drove off to their next stop while the mother stood there shaking her head at them.

Jungkook parked his car in a parking lot and helped his little son to get down.

He's rarely home, so he wanted to do everything for his son whenever he could.

They were in an amusement park, playing here and there happily. Daehan had fun so much with his daddy, looked like he didn't get tired easily as he kept moving from one to another place each time.

"Han-ah, are you hungry?" Jungkook asked, wiping the sweat from the boy's lock as they sat on a bench.

"Can I have ice-cream, Appa?" The little boy asked, looking at the ice-cream store as his dad was looking at the picture on his phone.

"Sure."

"Yay!!!" Daehan jumped and ran cutely toward the store while Jungkook was walking behind with a smile.

He couldn't help it, his son was so cute.

"Wah, it's so sweet. I like this." The little boy shook his spoon happily. Jungkook was busy taking photos of Daehan and sending them to Hyerin.

It was their deal that they had to take his photos and send them to each other to let them know what their son was doing.

Sometimes, it kept them in touch as a family even if they were away from each other.

It's like they watched him grow together.

"Han-ah, say cheese," Jungkook said, and Daehan looked up. Upon seeing what was going on, Daehan showed his broad smile to the camera.

The people walking by kept checking and giggling at him about how he took care of his son. While some girls said that they were brothers.

"Appa, Omma told me that today is Halmeonie's birthday. Will we go to see her tonight?" Daehan asked with his innocent eyes.

"Of course. What do you want to do about her birthday?" The father asked, smiling, wanting to know what his son was thinking.

"I want to give her a gift."

"How?"

"Mm...I saved money. I'll use them to buy her a gift."

"Wah, daebak. What do you want to give her?"

"Flowers."

"Flowers? It's nice. Do you know what kind of flower she loves?"

"Er...rose? Ani, Omma said that Halmeonie likes lily flowers." The little boy was thinking hard and he finally got the answer. The father chuckled, ruffling Daehan's hair.

"Keurae, we'll go to buy it for her."

"Thanks, Appa." He said and Jungkook nodded. Suddenly, his sharp eyes darted toward the glass door in front of him and his eyebrows knitted into a deep frown.

It was a reflection of a man wearing a cap looking at them. Jungkook looked away pretending he didn't notice.

"Han-ah, let's go home. We're going to pick Omma up."

"Already? I want to go to the hunting house, Appa." The little boy whined.

"It's getting late now." He said, standing up as Daehan kept his little pout.

"Listen, Han-ah, it's time to go. Don't worry, we'll come back again later and play more, arraseo?" Calmly, he tried to convince his son, who was upset because he couldn't do what he wanted.

"Ok..." With a sad face, he nodded.

"Good boy. Kaja." Jungkook said, taking Daehan's little hand and they left the store. He didn't forget to give a quick glance to the man who still had his eyes on them.

Jungkook parked his car and took his phone out to text Hyerin.

After a while, Hyerin came out.

"Omma, we're here!" Daehan became excited about seeing his mother. Hyerin got into the car and pecked her son's cheek.

"Omma, are you ok?" The little boy looked at his mom, who looked so tired.

"I'm fine, Han-ah. I'm just a little tired." She said, smiling weakly.

"So do you want to pick up the gift for Omma first or go home?" Jungkook asked, starting the engine.

"Let's pick the gift first." She said, taking off her glasses and messaged her nose bridge before closing her eyes.

"You're ok?" He whispered lowly.

"Just tired." She muttered back and they became quiet while Daehan also drifted to sleep at the back.

"Did he cause any trouble?" Hyerin asked with her eyes closed.

"Aren't parents supposed to be patient when their kids are troubled?" His question made her eyes open. She turned to look at him as he turned to wiggle his right eyebrow at her before turning back to the road.

"I'm just afraid you would spoil him too much."

"Don't worry, Daehan is a good boy. Thanks to you, you taught him well." His compliment didn't get her to smile, but at least, it helped them not to get in a fight.

"Relax, you look tired." He said, smiling.

"Since when have you become so caring towards me?"

"Why? Is it weird?"

"Yes, it's not like you."

"You should adapt yourself to it. I'm just being your husband though."

"Jinjja? I thought I was a single mother to Daehan."

"I'm trying not to pick a fight, Rin. Can't you see?"

"Ok, ok, I see." Mockingly, she nodded. Jungkook glanced at her before sighing softly to himself. Sometimes, he couldn't read her. Although they lived as a couple, they did what married couples do and even did a duty as parents, but he really couldn't reach her. It's like they unknowingly built a wall between them by themselves and he had no idea how to break it -no love, yet no hatred. Then what was it?

The small family finally arrived home after getting the gift for their mother and Daehan also bought a bouquet of lily flowers for his grandma using his savings money.

After showering and getting dressed, Jungkook sat on the couch in the living room with a file in his hand, waiting for his wife and son to be ready.

Meanwhile, Hyerin helped her son to take a bath. After cleaning, Daehan stepped out of the shower slowly and his mother wrapped his body with a small towel around his waist to his knees, enough to cover his lower part.

"Han-ah, bring this to your Appa and ask him to help you get dressed, arraseo?" She said, putting another towel on his head.

"Ne." The boy nodded, putting his small hands on his head to keep the towel there and walked out carefully.

Out of the room, Daehan headed toward his father.

"Appa, look at me." The boy yelled and when his father turned to him, he did the hips dance.

"Aish, gwiyeoweo." He laughed, standing up and walked toward his son.

"Appa, can you help me get dressed?"

"What do you want to wear to see grandma?" Jungkook asked, taking the towel from Daehan's head and wiping his hair gently.

"T-shirt and shorts."

"Don't you want to match your outfit with mine?"

"Mm..." The little boy looked at his father's clothes and nodded.

So the son and father wore matching outfits, a blue button-down shirt and white pants, Daehan had white shorts.

"Appa, will Omma wear the matching clothes with us?" While Jungkook was combing his son's hair, Daehan asked.

"We'll see." With a smile, he turned Daehan to him and stared at his little chubby face.

Daehan took after him a lot; features and even personality. Although he was born without love, he was just a child who needed to be loved.

As parents, they have tried their best to give him love as much as possible without showing him their strange relationship in marriage life.

"Kaja." Jungkook snapped out of his thought as Hyerin came out.

"Omma, you're so beautiful." Daehan innocently gave compliments. Jungkook was stunned by her image that day.

He admitted she was always a beautiful woman. But she looked even prettier in a knee-length blue dress with her long hair neatly going down to her waist. She didn't wear her glasses nor lenses, showing her natural brown eyes.

"Yes, you're beautiful tonight." Softly, he said what he was thinking.

"Let's go." Ignoring his comment, she took Daehan's hand and walked ahead. Jungkook shrugged and followed them with the gift and flowers.

**********

As soon as the family arrived, Daehan was dragged from one hand to another hand. He was the only grandchild in the family, so he got so much love and care.

"So...how is life with Jungkook, Rin?" Asked the girl with the red dress, she looked older than Hyerin, neat and calm.

"It's going fine, Unnie. How about you and Junghoon oppa? Any good news soon?" Hyerin asked, smiling. Haena was Junghoon's wife, their sister-in-law. Junghoon and Haena married two years after Jungkook and Hyerin's marriage. They had been expecting their first child for years. Sadly, they still couldn't make it.

"We're expecting it. That jerk is quite busy though." Haena pouted her lips at her husband, who was busy talking with his brother and father, and Hyerin patted her hand.

"He or she will come soon, Unnie."

"I really envy you guys. You two didn't even have time to be together those years, but look, you have a good son. Your relationship is still cute in our eyes. But look at us. Hmm, such a shame."

"Unnie..."

"Nah, I just complained about my life. Keep going, arraseo. You have a great family, you know."

"Thanks." She nodded, turning to look at her mother-in-law, who had Daehan in her embrace with the flowers he gave as a gift. Her smile was wide almost it reached her ears.

Right, she had a perfect family. Her in-laws were all positive and great, she had a cute, loving son, she lived where she didn't even care about financial problems, a handsome husband...but why did she still feel like her life was lacking?

On the way back home, Daehan was asleep in her arms, completely silent.

Jungkook glanced at her now and then, just to see her spacing out in her own world.

He sighed sometimes, there were many problems running in his head to which he was trying arrange them into parts so that he could solve them one by one.

"He can sleep alone now." Hyerin said as Jungkook gave her a question-look with his son in his arms.

He nodded and turned his heels to Daehan's room. Hyerin followed him until he put the little boy in his bed. He stood straight after pecking Daehan's head.

"He plays too much today. He could get sick tonight." Hyerin mumbled, caressing her son's hair before pecking his forehead.

"Good night, sweetie." She bid goodnight and stood up.

"You're not too well either." Jungkook caught her arm as she was about to walk away.

"I'm fine." Lowly, she said, taking her arm back and went out.

Jungkook sighed, walking behind her until they reached their bedroom.

"It's your first day at work tomorrow. You'd better go to bed now." Hyerin said, opening her closet and took out her pajamas before going into the bathroom.

She came out to see her husband still awake, on the couch beside the window with his phone in his hand.

"It's late now. Why aren't you sleeping yet?" She asked, sitting down beside him, drying her hair with a towel.

"There's something I want to talk to you about," Jungkook said, putting his phone down.

"What is it?" Carelessly, she asked.

"What are we?" He directly asked. She stopped and put down her hands. She raised her head up to stare into his eyes as he stared down at her.

'Nothing?'

That was what she thought and she wanted to say it but she had to bite her own tongue.

"What are we? Who am I to you? Who are you to me? Is that what you mean?" She asked back, looking straight into his clear brown orbs.

"I..." He was speechless. With work, he solved countless cases. But with her, he solved nothing. He couldn't read her. She was too difficult to see through.

"I am your wife. You are my husband and we are Daehan's parents. But behind that...we are like...strangers. That's all." She said her thought.

"Rin..." His eyes were shaking.

"I have work tomorrow...and you too." She was about to get up but he held her wrist back.

"Strangers? Why strangers?"

"I don't know you. And you don't know me. I know, you know what I meant."

"Right, I don't know you at all. You're like an undercover case I have ever seen. It's really hard to read you, Rin." His hand tightened around her wrist.

"You don't have to. Stay as same as we used to be."

"How long are we going to stay like this?" He pulled her in, a bit closer.

"Who knows, we may divorce and you may find your Mrs. Right one day...no one could expect the future." As usual, she was calm and stable.

"But you should know something...Daehan is mine."

"Let's not involve him in this. He's our son."

"Who knows if we divorce..."

"And let's not talk about that."

"Why? It's possible in our case..."

"I said stop."

"Ok..." She became quiet as he released her hand.

"Somehow it hurt me...to think about it. I know I was a jerk to my family as I always put my work first. I admit I didn't have any responsibility to do the duty as a husband and father to both of you. And I'm sorry."

"It's not about being sorry..."

"Then what is it?"

"Reflect on yourself." She said, turning away as he sighed.

They became quiet, he was thinking, she was spacing out. Until he turned to look at her.

"I want to love you. And I want you to love me too." What he said got her attention.

Hyerin stared at him as he reached his hand to cup her face.

"Why? Love? After this mess for years?"

"After this mess, it's not too late, right?" He asked before dropping his lips on hers. Her eyes were still wide, trying to comprehend what he was saying.

He circled his arms around her waist, pulling her to him as he kissed her, alone. Hyerin started to squirm in his embrace but he didn't let her go. She then responded to his kiss after a while, feeling something new.

What they were doing was not new, since they had done that before because of l**t and desire. But there was a new sensation upon hearing the word 'Love' from him. And she was not sure anymore.

Out of nowhere, her tear rolled down and as soon as he touched it, he stopped. Hyerin hid her face in the crook of his neck, hands clutching tight on his shirt.

"Why?" He asked softly and she pushed herself from him.

"I'm afraid..." That was what she said before standing up and leaving the room.

Jungkook sighed, running his hand through his hair.

It was way more difficult than he thought.