Chapter 2

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After getting more paperwork from the immigration office and setting up an appointment with a legal rep., the three were finally on their way back to Boothbay Harbor, Maine. It was about an hour and a half drive and Jungkook was grateful he brought Jimin, the shorter male made the car ride back home more bearable. He knew if it wasn't for Jimin's constant chatter, the car would have remained silent the entire ride home. It wasn't that he couldn't hold a conversation with Seokjin on his own, well, not that he's had the chance yet, but having a third party always made things run more smoothly.

So far, Seokjin has only been giving Jimin one to two-worded replies, which is understandable. Coming to a new country and being surrounded by strangers was terrifying for anyone, but coming over to marry one might be even more so. Seokjin was currently sitting in the passenger side while Jimin slotted himself between their two seats from the back.

"So, Seokjin-ssi, I heard you have a sister. Is she older or younger?" Jimin asked casually in Korean.

Jungkook saw Seokjin stiffen slightly out of the corner of his eye at the question. It confused him because it was an innocent question to be asked. Jimin must have noticed the shift as well because he met Jungkook's eyes in the rearview mirror with an arched brow.

"She's younger," Seokjin said quietly, turning to look out the window.

"Alright, well, all this talking is giving me a headache, so let's just listen to some music, yeah?" Jungkook didn't wait for an answer before turning on his Bluetooth and putting on some lofi beats.

The ride remained quiet after that with Seokjin watching out the window and Jimin playing on his phone. At least it was a comfortable silence. It wasn't until a half-hour in that Jungkook saw his phone light up with a notification as it rested in the cupholder. Picking it up, he unlocked it and saw it was a message from Jisoo, one of his tenants.

"Hey! Eyes on the road, bozo!" Jimin snapped playfully from the backseat.

Jungkook did a sequence of looking at his phone than the road then back again as he typed his response. "Be quiet back there. You're fine, there are barely any cars."

"Not the point!"

"It's just one of my tenants. Her A/C went out apparently. I'll have to go there as soon as we're back. Look, I'm done! I sent it, you happy?" Jungkook looked in the rearview mirror with amusement.

"What is the matter?" Seokjin asked in Korean, curious by all the commotion.

"Nothing, just work," Jungkook responded in Korean with a smile, locking his phone.

"Are you going to drop Seokjin off at your house and head over? Is that safe?" Jimin asked in English, leaning forward between the seats.

Jungkook chanced a glance over at Seokjin who looked forward, aware they were talking about him but unable to understand. "Yeah, he should be alright. I'll give him a quick tour before heading over unless you wanna—"

"Can't. Told you I have that video conference at noon. Plus, my man looks like he's in need of a nap more than anything." Jimin chuckled.

Chancing another glance, Jungkook could help smile as he watched Seokjin's head fall forward only for him to catch himself. Jungkook hadn't even considered the time difference or the jet lag the man was probably going through. It didn't take long for Seokjin to lean into the window before lights were out.

*******

Seokjin snuggled deeper into the warmth surrounding him. This was the best sleep he's got in a while. The nightmares seemed to give him a break for now. He felt like he was on a cloud, never had experienced something so soft and cushioning. It smelled so clean like the expensive soaps the women at the laundry mats would use, soaps that his family could never afford. He didn't want to wake up because waking up meant facing the real world and why would he want to do that?

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