BABY MAMA | pjm

LXXVII

ACT XVI | SCENE LXXVII

❝PILLOW TALK❞

BOTH PARENTS LAID in bed, staring at the ceiling, neither one of them speaking. rosalie slept peacefully between them, snuggled against her father's arm, her mother distractedly stroking her hair.

jimin took in a deep breath, expelling loudly, eyes – which had now adjusted to the dark of jangmi's room – trained on the ceiling. "i saw them, you know." he started, voice a raspy whisper. "saw what?" jangmi questioned, gaze still upwards as she wondered what he was talking about. "the roses." he simply replied, clasping his hands together over his torso, careful not to move too much so he didn't wake his daughter up. she pressed her lips together, not sure how to reply to that.

"when i went to ask her about rosalie, she was trimming the thorns off the stalks." he added after a long moment of silence. he sniffed, rubbing his index finger against the tip of his nose which felt cold to the touch.

she ran a thumb over the sleeping girl's hairline, brushing soft curly wisps of baby hair back. "what happened there?" she asked softly, feeling curiosity nag at her. a sliver of moonlight hit the ceiling, slicing into the darkness with a dull milky glow. she focused her eyes on it, feeling it to be a bit brighter than it actually was.

he sighed audibly, hands clasped again. "i just asked if she did it. i still wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt, you know? but the way her expression morphed told me everything. she couldn't keep the guilt from her face. she started stuttering about how none of this was supposed to happen and that it'd all escalated out of her control. i couldn't listen to any more. i wasn't even mad. just hurt and really disappointed. my mother might be capable of a lot of things but i never expected that she could ever think to do something like this. when i confronted her about the whole dna thing, she couldn't even say anything. she didn't try to deny any part of it. i couldn't bear to stay in that house with her so i packed my things and left."

jangmi pouted and smacked her lips together loudly. "that explains the bags." she bobbed her head to the side a bit. "i'm only going to stay here for a couple of days until i figure out my accommodation. you won't even see me except in the mornings and at night when i come back from the office. i'm thinking of getting an apartment close by. it's better anyway. it'll be easier to see rosalie when i want to." as if on cue, the sleeping child nuzzled his arm, letting out a small groggy moan. father and mother glanced down to make sure she was still sleeping. when she was sure that she was, jangmi smiled. "you don't have to worry about bothering me. you can stay until you find a place."

"thank you." he mumbled softly. a heavy breath left her lips as she tried to figure out what to say. "have you spoken to your father?" she asked after a long minute of silence. "no... but i'm pretty sure he knows everything by now." he answered, eyes on the moonbeam. it was the brightest thing in the room, offering the only source of light in the dark.

"you should talk to him. he acts tough but i think chairman park is kind of a softie. this will break his heart." she mused, distractedly drawing circles on her thigh. his face crinkled, nose scrunching. "that sounded so weird. please never say that again." he shuddered. she chuckled, the soft sound moving through the room like a cloud. he smiled as it reached his ears, enjoying the sound. he turned his head to look at her under the soft moonlight that only hit one part of her face, leaving most of it in misty shadows.

he stared until she eventually turned her head towards him. "what about your mother? are you going to talk to her?" her voice was low, soft. he exhaled at the question. "i left the house so i don't have to see her. i don't think that's going to happen." he glanced at the window where the moonlight was peeking in through the closed curtains.

"i think you should."

his head snapped in her direction at that, brows moving higher on his face. she sucked in a breath and pressed her lips together in a soft smile at his reaction. her eyes moved back up.

"you and i and pretty much everyone who knows me, know that your mother is my least favourite person on earth. but it doesn't mean she should be yours. mm, she drives me right up the wall and i don't think there's been a time that we've met that she hasn't said or done anything that made me want to throw a table at her. and you should know, i'm not one of those goody-two-shoes who would simply say it's okay and forgive just like that. to be brutally honest, with the way i'm currently feeling, if i saw hyunjoo on fire and i had a glass of water, i'd wash my face with it."

jimin frowned at that. despite how mad and disappointed he currently was at his mother, he couldn't not feel offended by jangmi's words. she was definitely brutal with her honesty. he said nothing, however, somewhat understanding her sentiments.

"but," she continued, turning on her side to face him, "my mum taught me to always try to be the bigger person, no matter how much i hate it, so i'm going to say this. she's a mother. she's your mother. and you're stuck with her whether or not you like it. she's a mother so i kind of maybe understand where she's coming from a bit even though i really don't. she, in her warped, upside down way, feels the motherly instinct to protect her child. and according to your father, she's been hanging out with the wrong crowd. now, i don't know about that but i do know this, she does love you. a good mother is willing to do anything for her child even in his shortcomings and she would never purposely hurt her child. so i think you should ask her. find out what really happened. why she did what she did. and make up with her."

"what was it you said about being a goody-two-shoes?" he chimed teasingly, turning his head to face her, keeping his body still for rosalie's sake. "don't get me wrong. i still don't like her." he saw the shadow of her smile as she spoke. "but i don't have a choice?" his smile mirrored hers. "exactly."

there was a peaceful silence between them as they both turned to stare at the ceiling. "you know," jimin began, pulling her attention back to him. "this isn't my idea of pillow talk but i'll take it." he chimed, lips curving in a playful smirk. jangmi's eyes widened and she reached over rosalie to shove at his head. "get out of my bed, you pervert." she grunted in annoyance. he only chuckled, the cute sounds he made making her smile and her heart warm.

"thanks, jangmi."

☀☀☀

i realise i haven't updated in a month wow. i'm sorry for the long wait (which you might have to endure for a bit longer) but i've really been swamped with studying for my upcoming finals, preparing for mock trials and working at a law firm and all the short essays i have to prepare for school. it's been hell to say the least.
first, i'd like to say a big thank you because i came back to find that this has over a hundred thousand reads and 2k more votes than it did when i left?? like i'm still amazed by the growth in less than a month. the last time i updated i was thanking you guys for 86k reads and 5k votes and now we're at 138k reads and 7k votes? wow you guys are really amazing.
but the best part for me though is reading the comments (which unfortunately i can't do right now) because i love seeing your reactions. it honestly makes my day and i love communicating with you all. i miss it so much. you make writing this story all the more worth it for me.
thank you for being patient with me. you guys are honestly the best. i love you! until next time beautiful butterflies
- love, t 💛