✓ Never Is A Promise, p.js

11 | still falling for you

11. STILL FALLING FOR YOU

— JAY'S POV

Jay couldn't recall when was the last time he had a proper dinner with his parents— specifically a period when he had to wear his full suit and eat a full course meal at the same table as his adults. His family owns this tradition whereas they will have a family dinner when they have accomplishments to be celebrated at those five-stars restaurants or hotels, but he doesn't remember acknowledging anything excellent in particular to be glorified.

With a tiny sip of the white wine, Jay takes a couple minute of break after devouring their main dish and wipes off the corner of his lips with a napkin on the left side of his plate, "Do you enjoy your Bouillabaisse?" His mother enthusiastically asks.

Upon hearing the foreign word and those off-pronunciation that comes out of his mother's mouth, Jay slightly chokes on his wine, "Bou what again?" Jay asks, trying to make fun of his mother's French pronunciation but the Park parents just laugh it off faintly at their son. "Those shrimps and clams! Are they any good?" Mr Park eventually highlights.

"This? Eating it makes me craves for Korean food again" Jay scoffs before taking another sip of his wine.

"As if you didn't just have Sam Gae Tang for your lunch earlier" Mrs Park remarks. The prior tense situation he was in just now surely just made him overthinking about nothing at all. In fact, he loves it even more when he could just casually joke around his parents and make them burst a laugh. But their laughs lay low as soon as Jay interrupts them with a sudden question, "So, what's with the dinner? I thought we don't really have anything to celebrate?"

His father clears his throat, exchanging a quick glance with his mother on his side and flashes a small smile, "The thing is, you're almost done with your studies, right? Your mother and I had just thought and discussed about wanting to have you over in our company" The old licks his chapped lips carefully before continues explaining his future plans for their only son. "We would love to have you involved with this family business and perhaps, recommend you to take over my position soon?"

Being the only child in the family means one thing — sacrificing some of his desired dreams to build his own empire and resuming to be under the shadow of the Park's. Growing up with all those opportunities and chances being easily served on his plate simply made him less adventurous. Being a privileged person, he constantly gets all those labels from his peers — about how things are uncomplicated because all those education, healthcare, careers were being settled by his parents. He never once let himself tries things out on his own. But for this once, he just wants to fight for something without any help from his adults.

"What do you say about that?" Jay's father snaps him out of his deep thought. He doesn't realise he's zoning out for almost a minute to respond to them. "I-I don't know yet" He mutters.

"Jay, please consider the decision. You're the only son that we own. And if it's possible, we are keen to pass down the throne to a closest Park's heir, and that'd be only you" The mother persuades softly, the look that she has in her eyes is rather hoping for an answer that they both wanted to hear, but Jay responds the opposite.

"You guys provided me everything ever since I was born. With all these privileges and help from you, I think it's best for me to venture things out myself later on. I want to be independent." Jay proclaims

"But we can help you. Being in the Park's corporation doesn't mean you will be spoon-fed again. We will try to you give some room to handle problems on your own, as long as you're agree to be with us soon" Jay's mother suggest, leaving his father nods in agreement.