Once Upon A Time | 김태형

힌트 • The first hint

"Well, there's our new lovely bride." Jin looks up from his book as I enter the living room, a big smile on his face. Jimin sat next to him, engrossed in the newspaper spread out on the large wooden table in front of him. He probably wouldn't have noticed my presence in the room if Jin hadn't announced it.

During the past week I had successfully avoided Taehyung's brothers, but I knew I could not avoid them forever. Sooner or later I was going to have to interact with them.

Wanting to end this exchange quickly, I smiled as best I could at them both and politely said, "Hello." I stood at the door, nervously looking around the large room, pondering whether I really wanted to enter.

I knew that Jin had a tendency to say out loud whatever came to his mind immediately, which in turn led to uncomfortable situations. Just like I was displeased by the remarks he made in the kitchen after the wedding night.

Taehyung would not be pleased if he knew how I felt about Jin and that he was bringing me into these uncomfortable situations. He would probably confront Jin about this matter and I was quite certain that it would not be a friendly conversation.

Taehyung is a person who is both balanced and calm, but he has certain boundaries and limits. One of these is his tendency to be very protective of his wife.

"How is your pregnancy going?" Jin asked me the question I desperately wanted to avoid. I smiled awkwardly as I pondered my answer.

"My pregnancy is going well, I can't complain with a caring man like Taehyung by my side."

"Well, I hope the baby arrives safely. I really can't wait to be an uncle." He smiled at me and stood up from his seat, placing the book under his arm. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a meeting with my parents."

Jin left the room, and just like that, I was left alone with Jimin.

There were about a million other places I would rather have been at that moment. Jimin made me feel uneasy, probably even more than Jin.

He always had a very close bond with Taehyung but after Taehyung got married with me, their relationship began to change and they both somehow drifted apart. Taehyung said it was because he spent more time with me and neglected Jimin but I didn't believe that.

There was definitely more to the story.

Jimin was mysterious in his own ways, making it difficult to understand what he was thinking. I was still unsure if I could trust him and I felt even more vulnerable without Taehyung here by my side.

I looked around anxiously before I moved and sat down on the other side of the room. It was an awkward silence, with the only sound being the ticking of the old clock.

"I haven't seen you much the last few weeks," Jimin broke the silence and observed me from a distance. His head was tilted in my direction, his eyes fixed firmly on mine, making it hard for me to breathe. "I'm surprised your gatekeeper even let you out of your room tonight."

My gaze shot up to him. I wouldn't have expected him to say anything at all. I knew he was referring to Taehyung as my 'gatekeeper' for whatever reason. "I was busy, it has nothing to do with Taehyung." I stated, ready to defend my husband.

"Relax, I'm just teasing. That's what brothers-in-laws do, right? They tease each other. Although you and I haven't been really good at this whole 'in-law' thing." He chuckled mockingly.

I shifted in my seat uncomfortably. Why do they all keep doing this? Bringing me in these uncomfortable situations?

"You know you're actually really far in your pregnancy," Jimin eyed my bump and slowly leaned forward. His strong arms resting calmly on his knees. "How many weeks are you again? It seems like your bump is too big for just a few weeks, don't you think?"