What Kid? {Jeon Jungkook}

Chapter Eighteen ~

"I didn't trust a word the news said," Mr. Jeon said as he crossed his arms, looking at Jungkook across the dinner table. "Anything we heard about you, we doubted it. We thought you would tell us, so we were waiting for you to call us up and explain that it was either true or false."

Mrs. Jeon wiped her mouth off as she nodded her head. "Just earlier today we were debating if we should head to your place since we never got a call from you. We got a little worried."

"I promise I would've came as soon as I picked Eden up from Sarah's," Jungkook piped up, grimacing a little at the mention of Eden's babysitter's name. "But I didn't know how you guys would react. I thought you guys would disown me or tell me to get out of your sight."

"We would never do such a thing," his mom comforted.

Eden stood up off the floor and walked over to her dad, holding up her stuffed animal to him. She rattled off some phrases in her baby language before getting annoyed and stomping her foot.

"What?" Jungkook asked. He went to pick her up but she moved away, hissing. She waved her toy once more in his face and Jungkook could only chuckle at her. "Are you giving me your toy?"

Eden's eye brows furrowed and she threw the toy at her dad, watching as it hit his knee and fell to the ground.

"I remember when you were that little," Mrs. Jeon sighed. "You thought you ruled the world."

Eden pouted and walked over to her other toys before sitting down and ignoring her father. Jungkook rolled his eyes and picked up the toy and tossed it over in his daughter's direction. It landed beside her and she picked it up and began playing with it again. "I still rule the world, mom. What are you talking about?"

Mr. Jeon chuckled. "Still just as cocky, too, huh?"

Jungkook grinned and stood up, picking his empty plate up and motioning to his dad's. "Want me to clean yours up?"

"No, sit back down," his mom ordered, her voice sharp. Jungkook obeyed immediately. "You aren't going to the dishes, no sir!"

"But mom-"

"I will," his mom countered. "You go play with Eden."

Jungkook nodded and left the dining room. On his way out he picked up Eden, hoisting her onto his shoulders and carrying her to the living room. Her giggles filled the air and she kicked her feet back and forth, clapping her hands. Jungkook took Eden and brought her down to his face. "I love you so much, you know that?" he asked, rubbing his nose on hers. Her laughs were airy and melodic as they entered his ears. Jungkook cradled her in his arms before leaning over, making it seem like he was tipping her over. Her eyes widened but Jungkook quickly stood back up again, curing Eden's fear. He then did it again and again and Eden soon giggled just as much as she had been.

"You're really going to leave her behind?"

Jungkook turned to see his dad leaning against the doorway. His smile vanished and he felt Eden tug on his shirt, wanting the fun to continue. "Well... I have to."

"Jungkook, you don't have to," Mr. Jeon argued. "I can wire you money until you get back on your feet."

"I'm not taking your money, dad," Jungkook opposed. "I've already messed up your expectations of me. I really don't want to take more away."

"Well could you at least stay here with her?" His dad's voice was demanding. It was the tone he was used to hearing when he got lectured after getting in trouble at school. "Jungkook, I can see how happy Eden makes you. I can see how happy she is when you're around. You don't need to leave her. You can stay here and get a job and after you get back into the swing of things, you can go back to Seoul and get started there again."

Jungkook set Eden down on the ground and she ran off somewhere. He heard his mom coo a few seconds later so he assumed she had ran off to get her toys. "No... No, I can't. I don't want to depend on you guys. I'm already going to make you take care of a baby."

"She's my granddaughter, Jungkook," his dad said. "I would take care of her anytime, anywhere. Your mom would, too."

"But dad," Jungkook whined, tears forming in the corner of his eyes. "I'm going to make it up to you and I can't do that if I have to rely on you for who knows how long."

"Make up what to me?"

"Being a terrible son."

"Jeon Jungkook, you are not a terrible son," Mr. Jeon chastised. "You are just as perfect as I would expect you to be. You need to cut yourself some slack. Do you know how many guys out there abandon their child and the mom? You actually stepped up and took care of your daughter on your own."

Jungkook wiped his tears away. "But I did those things."

"Everyone messes up every now and then," his dad soothed. "You can't always keep up the act of being an angel. You're going to slip up sometimes and that's life. If people can't see past those mistakes, then you just got to ignore them." His dad sighed. "I don't know if you've looked at any social media lately, but your mom showed me where a lot of your fans are supporting you, despite everything. You should go take a look sometime." And with that, his dad walked off, leaving Jungkook alone.

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