CONTRACT MARRIAGE ||KookV||

25

Upon hearing Yejun and the others will be coming over to celebrate the festival together, Taehyung's heart was so frazzled it wanted to jump right out of his chest! He was even more nervous than he had been when he went to visit the Jeon family for the first time. The only difference between these two occasions was that, this time around, excitement is what he felt more than anything else.

"Seriously?" Taehyung, not daring to believe this news, asked incessantly, "Aunty Su and the others are really coming here? You're not pulling my leg, right? What about grandpa Jeon? Is he coming with them?"

"Of course he'll be coming with them," Jungkook tsk-ed, reaching out to pinch the chattering man's cheek before adding, "Didn't I already mention that?" Didn't you want to celebrate New Year's together with everyone? Aren't you satisfied?"

"But, but..." Taehyung babbled incoherently, grabbing that spendthrift, named Jungkook—tightly. "But here is so far away, and it's also so cold. How are they, how c—"

"How-how-how-how," Jungkook interrupted him, saying coldly, "See that, I stuttered out the rest of that word for you, so for the love of God, can you please not say it again."

Right now, Taehyung ignored that sharp tongue of his, only feeling how his own brain had become a muddled mess while he gazed at Jungkook with eyes full of yearning. Thus that man, who was unable to bear such a eager gaze directed towards him, conceded. "I told them that your grandfather already knew about us, and since the desire was there for both families to get together for a meal, they felt there couldn't be a better auspicious day to meet so they might as well do so during the celebration of the new lunar year. Both families will unite. Is all of it clear now?"

Taehyung nodded, then immediately shook his head right after. Obviously, he understood what was said, but he still nonetheless felt shocked! But without a doubt, what he felt the most was touched—as well as excited. Grandpa Jeon, along with the others, going as far as journeying to such a distant place to observe the Spring Festival together with them was simply something he would not even dare think!

Seeing a stupefied look still sprawled all over the lad's face, Jungkook gently stroked his hair as he said, "Don't go crying again, you crybaby."

"I won't," Taehyung rebuked, though the tone of his voice had a very tiny difference in how it sounded normally.

Reaching out to take the smaller man into his embrace, Jungkook went on to say, "Granddad said he was worried about letting Grandpa go over there on his own, he was worried your grandad wasn't accustomed. Plus, since he himself had been travelling all over since his youth, making the journey here wouldn't be, in any way, difficult for himself."

"But, this will be too taxing on granddad and your parents, on top of that, it's the dead of winter." Taehyung was still very sorry for the inconveniences they would face.

"Last winter, grandad went up the mountain with some guys to see the snow, so if he were to climb the mountains here, you're the one who'd most likely be unable to catch up to him."

"..." Taehyung chose to remain silent. Truthfully, he really could not climb.

What the lad never expected though, was that Grandpa was also aware of granddad and the rest's arrival. From the beginning, Jungkook had informed Grandpa a couple of days in advance, and the two of them simply kept it from Taehyung, and nothing more. Although the younger man was taken aback by them keeping him in the dark, he also felt that apart from this Kookie, who else would express such sneaky behavior?

That afternoon, Taehyung and Jungkook made their way to the train station to pick up the three family members. When the lad saw the eldest man arrive, he could not help but rush over and embrace the old man. Shocked by the youth's embrace, grandpa Jeon looked over to Jungkook who just shrugged in response, followed by a tear-wiping action.