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紫陽花 autumn
"I want you to start enrolling for universities soon." Grandma Jeon said as she turned to Jungkook. Her grandson had been reading a book in the living room at the time, minding his own business, while she minded her own on the couch. Now he sat there, feeling like a deer in headlights as he stared at her. "When the new year comes, I expect you to be attending a university. You can't put it off any longer."
"I wasn't putting anything off... I just wanted to earn some money before I started working for the family. And gain some experiences."
"Well you've had nearly a year of it; you can start that course you insisted on." The older woman responded, brushing away his own response with the flick of her hand. She returned her attention to her laptop, signalling she was finished with the conversation. Jungkook didn't mind; he hadn't been enjoying it anyway.
Jungkook migrated to the kitchen when his mother started cooking dinner. He hovered by the island in the centre, watching as she expertly chopped up the vegetables. There were moments when he thought she would cut her fingers, going at the speed she was chopping, but not once did she draw blood.
"Why don't you cook in the restaurant?" The younger male asked as she transferred the vegetables to a pot. This made her smile, although it seemed a little sad.
"I'm not really part of the family - not by blood. I have no place in the restaurant."
"But you're so good."
Mrs Jeon just shook her head, "No, my job is to make sure everything is working at home and that there's cooked meals waiting for everyone; that's how I help the family."
"Did you always want to do that?"
"Be a stay-at-home wife and mum? No." Deciding that this conversation took a higher priority to preparing dinner, the older woman sat down across from her son at one of the seats tucked under the island. "Originally I wanted to be a teacher. And I was, for a few years, but then I met your father and fell in love. I understood when I got married that this family was more... old-fashioned, and I accepted that. I accepted that I would have to give up somethings ー sometimes you have to make sacrifices in a relationship. So it's okay; I have you and your father and that's all I need."
"But what happens if, one day ー hypothetically speaking, I do something that Grandma doesn't like and she disowns me or something?" Jungkook asked, trying hard to play it off as a casual question when he was very much afraid about this possibility. Despite his attempts, his mother saw right through it and gave him a small smile. She placed her hand on his arm, giving it a comforting squeeze.
"No matter what happens or what your grandmother says, you will always be my son and I will always love you. I love you unconditionally." She pressed a kiss to the side of his head. "But now I have to get dinner ready. You're welcome to help, if you'd like."
Jungkook nodded and allowed his mum to tell him what she needed some help with. Not long after, he was set to work peeling some potatoes as he mulled over what his mother had said. In those few minutes, things seemed okay. And that made sense to Jungkook: his mother could always be relied on to make things okay. It was practically a part of her job.
