Cherry Blossom [JINKOOK]

Chapter 3

"You needed to see me, sir?" the young boy asked in a timid voice. 

The young businessman's mind involuntarily ran all the way back to his childhood. His mind clouded with vivid pictures of a small boy he once knew. Or at least he thought he knew. Someone he hadn't forgot at all after so many years. 

Seokjin came out of his thoughts and motioned him to sit down on the opposite side, where his assistant had been a while ago. The boy slid sideways and seated himself on the vinyl, biting his lips. The soft neon glow of the lights fell to the right side of his face.

"Jeon Jungkook, right?" Seokjin asked, as casually as he could.

The boy nodded. "Yes, sir."

Seokjin cracked a tiny smile. "You don't have to be formal, Jungkook. I'm Kim Seokjin and you can call me hyung."

Jungkook smiled awkwardly. "Seokjin hyung."

Clearly, this boy didn't know who he was. Seokjin smiled a little wider. "That's better. So...um, I'm here to gift you something."

The younger's eyes went wide. "Gift?"

Seokjin nodded. "Aren't you in your final years now?"

"Yes, I study statistics at Busan university."

"That sounds great. So, where are your parents?"

Jungkook thought for a second before answering. "My dad's at home."

"Mother?"

"Well.. um she d-died a couple of years ago."

Seokjin stared at him for a second with tightened lips. "I-I'm so sorry to hear that. Do you mind telling me what happened?"

"I-It was a suicide." Jungkook's lips wobbled a little as he went through his past. "She hung herself. Left a little note for me."

"I'm sorry. You don't have to talk about it anymore."

Jungkook closed his eyes and shook his head. "I-It's fine. She got tired of everything a-and chose to leave everything behind."

"Why would she do that?"

Jungkook opened his eyes. "I'm not sure... but I think it's got something to do with my dad going to prison. He was framed for a crime he didn't do, when I was little. Stayed in jail for five long years. A-And when he came back, things were different."

That exact moment Seokjin knew he had to cut off certain parts of his story on fifteen-million wons. Like the main reason why his dad wanted to give the Jeons money in the first place. 

"Different how?"

Jungkook studied the elder's face with care for a second or two. Then he mumbled, "You probably wouldn't wanna know my life story. It's not something one could smile at."

Seokjin's eyes softened. "I'm here to help you, Jungkook-ah. So I'd be really grateful if you could share the details with me. That way I'd get to know you better."

The young boy looked curious. "I was going to ask you, what is  this gift anyway? Cuz I don't remember buying a lottery or something?"

Seokjin shook his head with a small smile. "Not a lottery. But something like that. It was someone's last wish."

Jungkook's eyes went a little wide. "Someone wanted to gift me something before death?"

"Technically, it's after death. He's dead already."

Jungkook's face fell. "Oh, I'm so sorry. Is he someone you knew?"

"You could say. He was my dad."