Behind The Frozen Gaze, 22 | Yoongi
Synopsis: Y/n's family is burdened with significant debt and has gone into hiding to escape the dangerous Yoongi. After a year of living in secrecy, Yoongi tracks them down and in exchange for getting rid of the debt, Y/n's family is forced to give Y/n to Yoongi. Reluctantly, Y/n is forced to marry Yoongi to save her family from ruin.
A week later, the office was quiet.
Not the uncomfortable kind of quiet.
Not the kind that made me feel like I should be somewhere else.
This silence had settled into something familiar over the past week.
Across the room, Yoongi sat behind his desk surrounded by paperwork that seemed endless. Files were stacked neatly beside him, his pen moving steadily across page after page.
Meanwhile, I was occupying the couch with my laptop and absolutely no intention of doing anything productive. The Sims 4 filled my screen. A half finished house sat in the middle of a bright green lot.
I'd been building it for almost two hours and I was still changing the living room for the sixth time. I squinted at the screen.
No, the couch looked wrong. I deleted it, added another one. Stared, deleted that one too.
A quiet sigh escaped me. Across the room, paperwork continued uninterrupted.
I changed the wallpaper, immediately hated it, changed it again, still wrong, changed it a third time, somehow worse.
My mouse clicked repeatedly, the sound filled the office. Yoongi's pen stopped just for a moment, then he said " How many times have you changed that wall? "
I looked up at him and said " You've been paying attention? "
His eyes remained on the documents in front of him and said " No. * Pause * You've been clicking every three seconds for the last fifteen minutes. "
I frowned and said " It's important. "
That single sound somehow carried an unbelievable amount of doubt. I looked back at my laptop and said " It's the living room. "
Silence, then he said " I see. "
" You don't sound like you see. "
I rolled my eyes, a smile threated at the corner of my mouth anyway. My attention returned to the screen.
Maybe the furniture is the problem. I deleted half the room and started over.
Five minutes later, I was rearranging a bookshelf for the fourth time. I leaned back into the couch cushions studied the room. Moved a lamp two inches to the left, perfect. Then I noticed the rug, not perfect, the rug had to go.
I was midway through replacing it when a shadow appeared across the edge of my screen. I blinked, looked up, Yoongi was standing beside the couch. At some point he'd gotten up from his desk without me noticing, my eyes widened slightly and I said " How long have you been standing there? "
I stared and said " A minute? "
His gaze shifted to my laptop and said " You've changed the rug three times. "
I immediately looked back at the screen and he said " .. Maybe four. * Pause, the unexpectedly * The second one looked better. "
I froze, slowly, very slowly, I turned my head toward him and said " You have an opinion? "
His expression remained completely neutral and said " The beige one matched the furniture. "
I stared, actually stared because somehow the idea of Yoongi silently analyzing my Sims living room felt more absurd than anything else and I said " You were paying attention. "
" You literally have a favorite rug. "
" That's having an opinion. "
His jaw tightened slightly. A warning. I ignored it and said " Did you look at the kitchen too? "
Silence. That was all the answer I needed. My grin widened. Across from me, Yoongi looked entirely unimpressed. Unfortunately, the faintest hint of amusement sat beside his eyes.
He glanced at the screen one final time before straightening and said " The bookshelf looked better near the window. "
I gasped and said " Yoongi. "
He turned toward me and said " What? "
" How long have you been judging my house? "
I laughed, actually laughed. The sound filled the office before I could stop it.
For a second, Yoongi paused. His gaze shifted toward me briefly. Not long, just enough, then he turned and walked back toward his desk.
The corner of my mouth refused to stop smiling as I looked back at the screen.
A few seconds later, I moved the bookshelf back to the window because annoyingly enough, he was right.
The door knocked a few moments after Yoongi returned to his desk, without looking up from the paperwork in front of him, he said " Come in. "
The door opened, Yonhae walked in, Yoongi didn't even lift his head and said " What do you want? "
" Well, hello to you too. "
" What do you want, Yonhae? Can't you see I'm busy? " Yoongi said flatly.
Yonhae looked completely unbothered and he said " Grandma Iseul called, she's on her way. "
The office went completely silent, even my fingers froze above my keyboard.
Yoongi stared at him and said " What? "
Yonhae looked entirely too amused and said " She wants to meet Y/n. "
My eyes widened. Across the room, Yoongi looked genuinely unimpressed and said " She can meet her another time. "
Yonhae stared at him for a moment, then he laughed.
Not even a surprise laugh.
A full, disbelieving laugh and said " Oh, that's cute. "
Yoongi's eyes narrowed and said " What? "
" You think Grandma is asking for permission. "
" I wasn't aware showing up unannounced was considered normal behavior. "
" Then that's her problem. "
Yonhae shook his head and said " No, unfortunately, it's about to become ours. "
I watched the exchange from the couch, my laptop suddenly forgotten in my lap. Something told me I should be concerned, very concerned because Yonhae looked far too entertained and Yoongi looked far too resigned.
Neither reaction inspired confidence.
" How long until she gets here? " I asked carefully.
I nearly choked and said " Twenty minutes? "
" And you're telling me this now? " Yoongi said.
" I came here immediately. " He drank his coffee.
" You stopped for coffee! " Yoongi said.
Yonhae pointed toward the cup in his hand and said " I needed energy for this conversation. "
I heard the faintest exhale leave Yoongi's nose. The kind that meant he was rapidly losing patience and said " Leave. "
Yonhae smiled and said " Actually, I'm staying specifically because this is happening. "
I watched Yoongi reconsider homicide in real time. When it became clear Yonhae wasn't leaving, Yoongi's attention shifted to me.
Immediately, I sat up straighter. Something about the look in his eyes made me instinctively close my laptop. The Sims house disappeared from the screen.
The office suddenly felt much quiter now, more serious. Yoongi was silent for a moment, like he was deciding how much to say.
Then he walked around his desk. My stomach tightened. He stopped a few feet away from the couch. Close enough for a private conversation, far enough to maintain the disrespect he'd always maintained.
His expression remained calm, controlled, but there was a tension beneath it now. Something carefully hidden and said " My Grandmother doesn't know why we got married. "
The words took a second to settle, then realization hit and I said " Oh. "
" She doesn't know about the debt. "
His voice was even. Matter of fact, but there was lowering firm underneath it.
Something that told me this wasn't a topic he discussed often.
I slowly nod my head and said " Okay. "
Yoongi held my gaze for a moment, making sure I understood, then he continued " She believes this marriage happened because I chose it. "
The words settled heavily in the room.
I glanced down at my closed laptop before looking back up at him and said " And she doesn't know anything? "
A brief silence followed, then I asked quietly " So what does she think happened? "
For the first time, Yoongi hesitated. Not long, just enough for me to notice and he said " She thinks I met someone. "
No complicated explanation.
No carefully crafted story.
Across the room, Yonhae immediately looked amused and said " That's technically true. "
Yoongi looked at him and said " Don't. "
Yonhae took another sip of his coffee and said " I disagree. "
I fought back a smile, Yoongi noticed unfortunately, his eyes narrowed slightly, I looked away before he could blame me for encouraging his brother.
A losing battle, honestly.
My attention returning to him and said " She really doesn't know about the debt? "
The answer came immediately.
The room became quiet again. Even Yonhae stopped smiling. For a few seconds, nobody spoke, then Yoongi answered " Because she doesn't need to. "
Simple. Straight forward.
Exactly the kind of answer I'd expected.
Except.. there was something underneath it.
I must have noticed because his gaze shifted toward the window and said " She's old. "
Yonhae snorted and said " Don't let her hear you say that. "
Yoongi ignored him and said " She worries enough. "
The words were spoken quietly, almost absentmindely. Like he hadn't intended to say them out loud and suddenly I understood.
This wasn't about protecting himself.
It wasn't about appearances.
It wasn't even about keeping family secrets.
It was about protecting her.
The realization made something in my chest tighten. Across the room, Yonhae's expression softened slightly and he said " She was happy, you know. "
Yoongi immediately looked annoyed and said " Yonhae. "
" No. * Looked at Y/n * When he called her and told her he got married, she cried. "
My eyes widened and said " What? "
" Three times, actually. "
I looked back at Yoongi. To my surprise, he wasn't denying it. Which meant it was probably true.
The thought left me strangely speechless. His Grandmother had cried because she thought he'd found someone.
Because she thought he'd fallen in love.
Because she thought he'd built a life with another person.
The guilt that followed settled uncomfortably in my stomach. I wasn't supposed to be part of that picture, at least not originally.
I looked down at my hands and said " She must be excited. "
The answer came from Yonhae immediately made my stomach twist even more.
For a moment, nobody spoke then I said " Do I need to be worried? "
Yonhae immediately answered " Absolutely. "
" What? * Looked at Yoongi * I'm being honest. "
" You're being annoying. "
" Also honest. * Pointed coffee cup at Y/n * Grandma is going to love you. "
I blinked and said " What? "
Yonhae nod his head and said " I'm serious, she's been waiting years for this. "
Years.. The word settled heavily into my chest.
Years of waiting for Yoongi to find someone.
Years of hoping he'd be happy.
Years of believing he'd eventually build a life outside of business, meetings, and whatever dangerous things occupied most of his time and now she thought that had happened because of me.
The guilt returned immediately. I lowered my gaze, across from me, Yoongi noticed. His expression didn't change, but his voice was quieter when he spoke.
" You don't need to worry about it. "
My eyes lifted and said " Easy for you to say. "
The answer came immediately. That surprised me. Yoongi leaned lightly against the edge of his desk and I said " She'll ask questions. "
Yonhae snorted and said " She'll ask hundreds of questions. "
Yoongi ignored him and said to me " You don't have to answer anything you don't want to. "
I stared at him and said " Your Grandmother is coming here because she's excited to meet me. "
" And you're telling me I can refuse to answer her questions? "
I narrowed my eyes and said " That doesn't sound realistic. "
" It wasn't a suggestion. "
The firmness in his voice made me pause. For a second, neither of us looked away, then Yonhae ruined the moment and said " Wow. "
Yoongi closed his eyes briefly and said " What now? "
" I think that's the nicest thing I've ever heard you say. "
Yoongi didn't even bother hiding his irritation.
Yonhae looked entirely pleased with himself.
The office remained quiet for a few more moments. Then, a commotion echoed from somewhere outside.
Footsteps. Voices. Several voices.
One of them noticeably louder than the others " Ma'am, please - "
" I know where I'm going. "
The voice was sharp, confident, and completely unimpressed by whoever was trying to stop her.
Yoongi immediately sighed, Yonhae grinned, my stomach dropped.
The office door opened without a knock. An older woman walked inside like she owned the mansion. Actually.. judging by the way everyone seemed afraid to stop her, she practically did.
Her silver hair was neatly styled, her posture straight, her gaze sharp enough to cut through steel. The moment she stepped into the room, her eyes landed on Yoongi and said " There you are. "
Yoongi leaned back slightly in his chair and said " Hello, Grandma. "
His expression didn't change and said " No? "
" No. You don't get to " Hello Grandma " me. "
Yonhae immediately covered his mouth to hide a laugh. Her eyes shifted toward me, the sharpness disappeared instantly and said " Oh. "
I blinked. For a second, she simply stared.
Not rudely, not critically. Just.. carefully, like she was trying to match me to the image she'd created in her head, then she smiled and suddenly the entire room felt warmer and she said " Oh, you're lovely. "
My eyes widened. I wasn't sure how to respond to that so I said " .. Thank you. "
She walked closer, without thinking I stood from the couch. The smile on her face widened immediately and said " Good manners too. "
She ignored Yoongi completely and said to me " Come here. "
I hesitated, only briefly, then stepped closer. The moment I did, her hands gently took mine. The gesture caught me completely off guard.
Her hands were calm, comforting, familiar in a way they shouldn't have been.
For a second, I forgot what to say. She looked at me carefully. Noticing everything.
The slight tension in my shoulders.
The nervousness I was trying to hide.
Something softened in her expression and said " I'm Iseul. It's nice to finally meet you. "
" Nice to meet you too, I'm Y/n. "
" Have you been nervous about meeting me? "
I laughed quietly and said " A little. "
I smiled sheepishly and said " Maybe more than a little. "
She nod her head and said " Reasonable. "
" Then stop insulting me. "
His Grandmother squeezed my hands gently and said " Don't worry. I'm the normal one. "
Yonhae immediately pointed at her and said " That's exactly what someone like you would say. "
" Nobody asked you for your opinion. "
The two of them continued arguing while I stood there trying not to smile. For the first time since she'd arrived, I felt some of the anxiety easing.
She wasn't intimidating the way I'd expected. Overwhelming? Definitely, but not intimidating. If anything, she felt strangely easy to be around. Then her attention returned to me and said " So. "
My stomach tightened and I said " So? "
Across the room, Yoongi immediately spoke " No. "
She didn't even look at him and said " Yes. "
She finally turned toward him and said " Are you my Grandson? "
His eyes narrowed and said " Unfortunately. "
Yonhae laughed so hard he nearly spilled his coffee, I pressed my lips together, Yoongi looked seconds away from throwing someone out of a window.
His Grandmother looked entirely unbothered, then she looked back at me and said " When did you meet him? "
I froze. The room immediately grew quiet, too quiet. I looked at Yoongi, he looked at me, his Grandmother noticed that too.
Of course she did, nothing escaped her.
Before I could think of an answer, she waved a hand and said " You know what? Nevermind. "
My eyebrows lifted and said " Nevermind? "
She nod her head and said " Clearly there's a story there. "
Yonhae immediately looked interested.
Yoongi immediately looked annoyed.
His Grandmother continued " And judging by his face, he's already planning how to avoid telling me. "
She sighed dramatically and said " You were such a sweet child. "
Yonhae nod his head and said " He really wasn't. "
I couldn't stop smiling. The entire conversation felt surreal.
For years, according to Yonhae, she'd been waiting for Yoongi to meet someone.
Waiting for him to build a life beyond work.
Waiting for him to be happy.
And now she was here, looking at me like I was the answer to all of those hopes. The realization brought the guilt back immediately.
My smile faded slightly. Apparently she noticed because her expression softened and said " What's wrong, sweetheart? "
I blinked and said " Nothing. "
The answer came too quickly.
She didn't believe it. Not for a second.
Neither did Yonhae, neither did Yoongi.
The room became quiet. For a moment, nobody spoke. Then she released one of my hands and gently patted it and said softly " You know, I've been worried about him for a long time. "
My gaze shifted toward Yoongi automatically, his jaw tightened and said " Grandma. "
She ignored him and said " I worried he'd spend this whole life alone. "
The room grew quieter and she said " He works too much. "
Yonhae nod his head immediately and said " True. "
" He never talks about himself. "
Yonhae pointed toward Yoongi and said " Very true. "
Yoongi looked exhausted. His Grandmother smiled faintly and said " When he called me and said he got married, I couldn't believe it. "
My chest tightened, she looked down briefly before smiling again and said " I was happy. "
The simple confession made something ache inside me because it was genuine.
There was no manipulation, no expectations.
Just happiness, pure happiness.
Her gaze met mine again and said " And then I spent an entire week wondering about you. "
I blinked and said " Me? "
" Of course you. * Smile * I wanted to know who manage to convince this stubborn man to get married. "
Yoongi immediately stood from his chair and said " That's enough. "
Yonhae looked delighted. The older woman shook her head before looking back at me then unexpectedly, she reached up and brushed a strand of hair away from my face.
The gesture was so gentle it caught me completely off guard. For a moment, my throat tightened because I couldn't remember the last time someone had done something so simple. So naturally, like caring required no effort at all.
Her expression softened further and suddenly I understood something. This wasn't just Yoongi's Grandmother, she was the person who worried about him.
The person who loved him enough to overlook his terrible personality.
The person he'd wanted to protect from the truth.
And standing there beneath her warm gaze, I finally understood why because one look at her was enough to know that hearing the truth would have broken her heart.
So instead, she'd spent the past week believing her Grandson had found happiness. Believing he'd found love and as guilty as that made me feel..
I found myself hoping, just a little, that we wouldn't be the reason she lost that smile.
For a few seconds, nobody spoke.
The room felt strangely quiet despite the fact that three minutes ago Yonhae and his Grandmother had been arguing like it was an Olympic sport.
Then his Grandmother clapped her hands together and said " Enough."
Everyone looked at her and she said " I brought food."
Yonhae immediately stood and said " Finally. "
His Grandmother rolled her eyes before looking at me and said " Come downstairs, sweetheart."
I opened my mouth, before I could answer, Yoongi spoke " You two go ahead."
His Grandmother narrowed her eyes and said " Why?"
" I need to talk to Y/n."
Immediately.. Immediately.. Both his Grandmother and Yonhae looked interested. The kind of interested that made me nervous.
Grandma Iseul pointed at him and said " If you scare her, I'll hit you."
Yonhae looked between us suspiciously and said " Are you sure I shouldn't stay?"
" That sounds threatening."
Yonhae sighed dramatically and said " Nobody appreciates me."
Grandma Iseul nod her head and said " Very correct."
Yonhae looked offended. Nobody cared.
A moment later the two of them finally left, the office door closed behind them.
Silence settled over the room. For the first time since she'd arrived, it was quiet.
I released a slow breath, across from me, Yoongi stood near the desk. Watching the closed door, waiting, making absolutely certain they were gone.
Only then did his attention shift toward me, the tension around his shoulders eased slightly, not completely, just enough for me to notice and said " I'm sorry."
The words caught me off guard. I blinked and said " What?"
His voice was lower now, softer, not soft in the way most people were soft, just quieter than usual, less guarded.
I stared at him. For a moment I wasn't sure what surprised me more. The apology or the fact that he looked genuinely sincere.
" That's the polite version."
A laugh escaped me before I could stop it. Yoongi looked mildly annoyed that I'd laughed, which somehow made it worse.
The answer came immediately.
Without hesitation, without thought.
Like there had never been any doubt, something about that surprised me because Yoongi rarely spoke about anyone that way. His Grandmother was apparently the exception.
I tilted my head slightly and said " You love her."
His expression didn't change, not even a little but after a second he answered " Yes."
The answer settled somewhere unexpectedly warm inside my chest. For a moment neither of us spoke, then Yoongi exhaled quietly and said " There is something else."
My stomach immediately tightened. That tone never led anywhere good.
His gaze held mine and said " We need to be convincing."
I blinked and said " Convincing?"
Realization hit immediately.
The marriage, the version she believed existed.
I looked away briefly and said " Right."
" She'll notice if something feels off. We need to act like a married couple." He said.
I stared and said " We are a married couple."
His eyes narrowed slightly and said " You know what I mean."
Unfortunately, I did. That somehow made it worse. Heat crept into my face, a brief silence followed, then I frowned and said " Wait."
" What exactly does your Grandmother expect?"
Yoongi looked toward the ceiling for a moment, as if considering the question, then he answered " Affection."
I nearly choked and said " Affection?"
His expression remained completely serious which somehow made everything worse and he said " She believes we're happy."
I stared at him and said " You're asking me to pretend we're happily married."
" I'm asking you to survive dinner."
I opened my mouth, closed it, opened it again. That was annoyingly reasonable, I hated when he was reasonable.
His shoulders relaxed slightly, just slightly and then he said " Good."
Another silence settled between us, a less uncomfortable one this time, then Yoongi glanced toward the door and said " They're waiting."
I laughed quietly, for the first time, I noticed the faintest shift in his posture, not a smile.
Yoongi almost never smiled, but some of the tension had disappeared.
As if knowing exactly what came next somehow made things easier.
Then he stepped closer, not close enough to make me uncomfortable. Just close enough that my pulse immediately forgot how to behave.
My eyes lifted and said " Yeah?"
His voice lowered, soft enough that I almost missed it.
I blinked and said " What?"
For some reason, my heart started beating faster. Slowly, I held my hand out. Yoongi looked down at it, then he took it, his fingers wrapped around mine.
Before I could react, he intertwined our fingers together. Like it was the most natural thing in the world. My breath caught. For a second I simply stared at our joined hands.
Yoongi didn't, he was already looking toward the door. Focused, practical, like this was nothing more than part of the act.
I wasn't. Not even remotely, but I nod my head anyway and said " Sure."
Then he started walking and because our hands were still linked together, I followed.
The office door opened, the hallway stretched ahead of us. Somewhere downstairs, I could already hear Yonhae's voice and his Grandmother's voice followed immediately after.
I glanced down at our hands one last time, Yoongi noticed, his grip tightened slightly. Not enough to hurt, just enough to reassure or remind. I wasn't entirely sure which.
My eyes drifted down to our joined hands again. Yoongi's grip was steady. Not tight, not loose, just there.
Solid, certain, like he had already decided this was what we were doing and saw no reason to think ahout it any further.
Meanwhile, I was thinking about it far too much because despite being married, this was the first time he'd ever held my hand like this.
No urgency, no orders, no practical reason.
The thought made my pulse stumble. I quickly looked away. Beside me, Yoongi continued walking down the hallway as if nothing unusual was happening.
From downstairs, Yonhae's voice echoed through the mansion " Grandma, stop interrogating the staff. "
" I'm not interrogating them. "
" You asked three people how often Yoongi eats vegetables. "
" No, you have investigations. "
I heard Grandma Iseul scoff, then something that sounded suspiciously like a magazine being thrown at Yonhae's head.
I blinked and said " What are they doing? "
The answer came immediately.
We reached the staircase, as we started down, I instinctively slowed. The marble steps were polished enough to make me nervous.
Without saying anything, Yoongi matched my pace, the movement was subtle, almost invisible but I noticed because he didn't let go of my hand.
My chest tightened unexpectedly. The rest of the walk downstairs passed quietly. At least until we reached the dining room, then I stopped dead. The table was ridiculous. There was no other word for it. Every inch of it was covered.
Platters, bowls, side dishes, soup, fruit, desserts. Enough food to feed an entire wedding reception.
" How many people are coming? "
Grandma Iseul looked up from her seat and said " Just us. "
I blinked, then looked at the table again and said " Just us? "
I pointed and said " That's enough food for twenty people. "
Grandma Iseul looked confused and said " As if I'd let my Granddaughter in law go hungry. "
The words caught me off guard.
So casual, so natural. Like she'd already accepted me without question.
The guilt immediately returned, before I could say anything, Yonhae stood up dramatically and said " Good, you're here. Grandma won't let me eat until everyone sits down. "
" That's because you already ate. "
" I tasted professionally. "
Grandma Iseul smacked his arm, Yonhae looked offended, nobody cared. As we walked toward the table, Grandma Iseul's eyes dropped straight to our hands.
I saw the exact moment she noticed. Her eyebrows lifted, then lifted higher, then she looked at Yoongi, then at me, then back at our hands and said " Oh. "
The single word made me nervous, very nervous. Beside me, Yoongi sighed. A long, tired sigh. The sigh of a man who had survived many battles and knew this one would be worse.
" I didn't say anything. "
Yonhae immediately pointed and said " She absolutely was. "
Grandma Iseul ignored him, then looked at me, then smiled. The kind of smile that suggested she had just been handed the greatest gift of her life.
" Come sit beside me, sweetheart. "
Before I could move, Yoongi answered " No. "
Grandma Iseul blinked, Yonhae blinked, I blinked.
Yoongi pulled out the chair beside his own and said " You sit here. "
For a second, nobody spoke, then Yonhae slowly looked at Yoongi, then at our hands, then back at Yoongi and said " Interesting. "
Yoongi sat down and said " Finish that sentence and I'll throw you out. "
Yonhae looked delighted, Grandma Iseul looked even more delighted which was somehow worse.
I sat down carefully beside Yoongi, only then did he finally let go of my hand. The absence of warmth felt strangely noticeable.
I hated that I noticed immediately.
Across from us, Grandma Iseul rested her chin on her hand. Watching me, definitely watching.
I wrapped both hands around my water glass and pretended not to notice.
The meal started or at least, everyone attempted to start eating, Grandma Iseul had other plans and said " So. "
Yoongi immediately looked at her and said " No. "
" I haven't asked anything yet. "
" I was making a conversation. "
" You were gathering information. "
Grandma Iseul looked offended.
Yonhae looked entertained.
For a few minutes, everyone actually focused on eating. It didn't last. Nothing ever lasted when Grandma Iseul was involved.
Yonhae leaned back in his chair and glanced around the room and said " Wait, where's Grandpa? "
The question seemed innocent enough. Unfortunately, the second it left his mouth, Grandma Iseul's expression changed.
Not dramatically, just enough. The kind of look that immediately told everyone there was a story.
Yonhae noticed too, his eyes narrowed and said " Grandma. "
She took a sip of tea, completely unbothered and said " At home. "
" Because we had an argument. "
The table went silent, I blinked, Yonhae blinked, even Yoongi looked up from his plate and said " You argued? "
Grandma Iseul nod her head and said " Mhmm. "
" That's not important. "
" Which means it's very important. "
" No, it means it's none of your business. "
Yonhae grinned, Grandma Iseul pointed her chopstick at him and said " Don't start. "
" I'm not starting anything, I'm investigating. "
Yoongi sighed, a long suffering sigh. The kind that suggested this conversation had happened many times before.
Grandma Iseul took another sip of tea, then casually, as if she were discussing the weather, she said " Anyway, I'll be staying here for a few days. "
Yoongi nearly choked on his water. The cough that followed was immediate, violent, unexpected.
I stared, Yonhae burst into laughter, Grandma Iseul looked concerned and said " Honestly. Slow down when you drink. "
Yoongi set his glass down and stared at her and said " What? "
" What do you mean what? "
Grandma Iseul blinked and said " Where else would I be staying? "
" I just told you we argued. "
" That doesn't explain why you're moving in. "
Yoongi looked unconvinced, very unconvinced. Across from him, Yonhae was enjoying this entirely too much and Yoongi said " How many days? "
Grandma Iseul thought for a moment and said " Three. "
Yoongi narrowed his eyes and said " Three? "
" The number keeps getting bigger. "
Yonhae laughed so hard he nearly dropped his fork and said " This is incredible. "
" Nobody asked for your opinion. "
" I know. I gave it anyway. "
Grandma Iseul rolled her eyes, then she looked at me. Immediately, her expression softened and said " Don't worry, sweetheart. I'll stay out of your way. "
Yonhae snorted loudly, very loudly. Grandma Iseul slowly turned toward him and said " Excuse me? "
He wasn't sorry, not even a little.
" Last time you stayed at my apartment, you reorganized my entire kitchen. "
" I couldn't find anything for two weeks. "
" That's not how that works. "
Grandma Iseul ignored him, nobody had even argued with her about staying yet. She'd simply announced it like it was already decided, which judging by everyone's reactions, meant it probably was.
Yonhae suddenly pointed his fork at her and said " Wait. "
" Did you pack already? "
A brief silence followed. Grandma Iseul smiled, that smile was suspicious, very suspicious.
Yonhae immediately gasped and said " You packed already. "
" That's not important. "
The room went silent. Yoongi slowly closed his eyes, Yonhae looked delighted, I stared.
Grandma Iseul smiled innocently, nobody believed the innocent smile, not a single person.
Finally, Yoongi opened his eyes, looked at her and said " You planned this. "
" I have no idea what you're talking about. "
Grandma Iseul and him stared at each other for a few seconds. It was almost funny, almost because somehow, despite being one of the most intimidating people I'd ever met, Yoongi looked completely defeated whenever he was dealing with her.
Yonhae leaned back in his chair, watching the two of them with the biggest smile on his face.
"You're enjoying this way too much," Yoongi said without looking at him.
Yonhae didn't even deny it and said " Maybe. "
Grandma Iseul sighed and shook her head before turning her attention back to me. Immediately, I sat a little straighter.
I still wasn't used to being the center of attention. Especially not from someone who seemed to notice every little thing, but her expression wasn't judgmental, it was warm and somehow that made me even more nervous because I didn't know what to do with kindness when it came so easily.
Grandma Iseul reached over, gently rest her hand on top of mine and said " Sweetheart. "
Her eyes dropped to my left hand and said " Can I see your wedding ring? "
For some reason, the question made me nervous, I nod my head and said " Yes. "
She moved her hand away from mine, slowly I lifted my hand.
Grandma Iseul gently took it, careful like she was holding something precious.
She looked down at the ring, turning my hand slightly so the light caught against it.
For a few seconds, she didn't say anything, then her smile softened and said " Oh. It's beautiful."
The words were so simple but they settled somewhere deeper than I expected.
I looked back down at the ring and whispered " Thank you. "
She kept holding my hand, her thumb brushing lightly over my fingers and said " Yoongi chose well. "
The second she said it, the table went quiet.
Yonhae immediately looked at his brother.
Yoongi's expression remained the same, but I noticed the slight shift in his eyes. A tiny reaction, something almost invisible.
Grandma Iseul continued looking at the ring and said " Did you like it when you first saw it? "
I froze because the honest answer was complicated.
The ring wasn't something I'd chosen.
The marriage wasn't something I'd chosen.
But sitting there, with her looking at me with so much happiness, I didn't want to hurt that.
So I gave a small nod and said " Yes. "
Her smile widened and said " I knew it. "
I blinked and said " You did? "
She nod her head confidently and said " Of course. "
Yonhae raised an eyebrow and said " How? "
She looked at him like the answer was obvious and said " Because Yoongi would never choose something meaningless. "
The words made me look at him. For a moment, I forgot everyone else was there because the truth was, I had spent so much time thinking about what this marriage meant.
About what had been taken from me.
But I had never really thought about the small things.
The things Yoongi did without saying anything.
The way he noticed when I was uncomfortable.
The way he remembered little details.
The way he protected his Grandmother from the truth.
Grandma Iseul finally released my hand, smiled and said " I'm happy that he has someone. "
The guilt returned instantly because she looked so certain, so happy and I still felt like I was standing inside a story that wasn't supposed to belong to me.
Before I could look away, Yoongi spoke " Grandma. "
His voice was quiet, not annoyed this time, something else.
She looked at him and said " What? "
He held her gaze for a moment before saying " Don't overwhelm her. "
The table went silent, I looked at him because it wasn't a warning.
Not really, it sounded almost protective.
Grandma Iseul noticed too. A knowing smile slowly appeared on her face and said " Oh. "
Yoongi immediately narrowed his eyes and said " Don't. "
" I didn't say anything. "
Yonhae laughed. I tried to hide my smile, but failed and somehow, sitting there between all of them, listening to their arguments and watching Yoongi pretend he wasn't affected by any of it.
For a little while, everyone returned to eating. I thought I was safe.
Grandma Iseul looked between me and Yoongi, then she smiled. That smile alone made me nervous and she said " So. "
My stomach dropped, I took a sip of water, Yoongi immediately looked suspicious.
Grandma Iseul folded her hands together and said " When are you two going to have children? "
I choked on my water instantly, the cough was violent enough that tears sprang into my eyes, my face burned.
Mortification crashed into me all at once.
Before I could recover, a hand landed gently against my back.
I looked sideways in shock, his expression remained completely calm like his Grandmother hadn't just asked the most horrifying question imaginable.
I wanted the floor to open and swallow me whole. Across from us, Grandma Iseul looked startled and said " Oh dear. "
I grabbed my napkin and coughed again. Yoongi waited until I could breathe properly before finally looked at his Grandmother and said " Grandma. "
His tone was patient, dangerously patient.
" I know. It was only a question. "
Yoongi sighed quietly and said " A question that nearly killed her. "
I stared at my water glass.
Grandma Iseul finally noticed how embarrassed I was, her expression softened immediately and said " Sweetheart, you don't have to look so terrified. "
My eyes widened, looked at her and said " I-I'm not terrified. "
Grandma Iseul smiled warmly and said " That's alright. "
I was never going to recover from this, ever.
She reached over, patted my hand gently and said " I'm just happy. "
The simple words made me pause. The teasing disappeared from her voice, leaving behind only sincerity.
" I spent years worrying about him. "
My eyes shifted toward Yoongi automatically, Grandma Iseul smiled softly and said " And now he's married. "
For a moment, the table grew quieter and she said " Seeing the two of you together makes me happy. "
The embarrassment remained, but so did something else.
Something that made the guilt in my chest ache a little more.
Beside me, Yoongi's hand rested briefly against my shoulder. A small gesture gone almost as quickly as it appeared, but it was enough.
Enough to steady my nerves.
Enough to make me glance toward him.
He didn't look at me, just picked up his glass and took a sip of water.
As if he hadn't noticed my panic at all.
As if he hadn't immediately reached over to help and somehow...
That made my face burn all over again.
Dinner continued after that.
Somehow, despite everything, the atmosphere had settled into something comfortable.
Grandma Iseul talked about everything.
Things Yoongi apparently did when he was younger that he denied completely.
Yonhae enjoyed every second of embarrassing him and Yoongi...
Yoongi eating quietly, occasionally responding with short answers while pretending he wasn't listening.
It was strange seeing him like this.
Not as the man everyone feared.
Not as the person everyone carefully watched.
Someone sitting at a dinner table with his family.
Then suddenly, a phone rang.
Grandma Iseul paused, everyone looked up. She reached into her purse, pulled out her phone, the second she looked at the screen, her expression changed.
Her eyes narrowed slightly and said " It's your grandpa. "
She stood from her chair and said " Excuse me. "
She answered the call as she walked away. The second the phone reached her ear, her voice changed.
" What do you want, Taemin? "
Then she disappeared into the hallway. For a few moments, everything was quiet, then Yoongi let out a long sigh and said " Finally she left. "
He picked up his water and took a sip. Yonhae continued eating like nothing happened. I looked between them, they weren't worried, they weren't surprised.
They were just... eating.
Like Grandma Iseul leaving the room after a suspicious phone call was completely normal.
I slowly picked up my fork again and then..
" TAEMIN, DON'T YOU DARE CHANGE THE SUBJECT. "
The sound echoed through the mansion. My hand stopped, the fork froze halfway, I looked toward the doorway.
Another voice followed, quieter, impossible to understand, then Grandma Iseul's voice came again, louder " NO, THAT IS NOT WHAT HAPPENED. "
I stared. The argument wasn't playful, it wasn't teasing, it was heated. The kind where every word carried across the entire house.
" YOU KNOW EXACTLY WHY I'M UPSET. "
I slowly lowered my fork. Across from me, Yonhae continued eating and Yoongi continued eating, both of them completely calm.
Like this wasn't happening.
Like Grandma Iseul wasn't currently arguing with Grandpa loud enough for the entire mansion to hear.
I looked at them in disbelief.
How were they so normal about this?
Another shout echoed " AFTER EVERYTHING WE TALKED ABOUT, YOU STILL DID THAT? "
I looked back toward the doorway, I couldn't help it. My attention kept drifting there.
The voices carried through the hallway, and every time Grandma Iseul spoke, I expected someone to react.
Someone to do something, but nobody moved. Not even slightly.
I stopped eating completely. Apparently Yoongi noticed, without looking at me, he said " Eat your food, Y/n. "
I blinked, looked at him and said " She's... yelling. "
I glanced toward the doorway again and said " Should we do something? "
The answer came immediately. Simple. Certain.
I looked back at him and said " Really? "
Yoongi took another bite of his food and said " Really. "
Yonhae nod his head and said " Trust me. This is normal. "
Another loud voice echoed " NO, YOU LISTEN TO ME. "
I stared and said " Normal? "
Yonhae shrugged his shoulders and said " Unfortunately. "
Yoongi took a sip of his water and said " She'll be fine. "
The confidence in his voice surprised me, not because he didn't care, the opposite, because he knew her.
He knew this wasn't something to panic about.
He knew she'd walk back in whenever she was ready and act like nothing happened.
And somehow... That was exactly what happened.
A few minutes later, footsteps approached. Grandma Iseul returned, completely calm. Her expression was peaceful like she hadn't just been having a heated argument that probably woke up half the house.
She sat down, picked up her utensils, looked at Yoongi and Yonhae and casually said " Your Grandfather says hi. "
Silence. I looked at her, then at Yoongi, then Yonhae, neither of them reacted.
Yonhae simply nod his head, Yoongi continued eating like this was the most ordinary thing in the world.
Grandma Iseul took another bite of food and continued eating like nothing unusual had happened.
I looked at her for a moment. It was almost impressive.
The entire mansion had heard her arguing a few minutes ago, but now she was sitting at the table calmly eating like nothing happened.
Then her attention shifted toward my plate, before I could say anything, she reached over, placed more food onto it and said " Eat."
I looked down at the food and said " Grandma Iseul, I'm okay. "
She immediately shook her head and said " No. "
I blinked and said " No? "
I didn't know what to say to that. Beside me, Yoongi quietly looked at her and said " Grandma. "
She turned toward him and said " What? "
" You're putting too much on her plate. "
" She's already eating. "
Yoongi sighed softly and said " You're going to make her uncomfortable. "
Grandma Iseul looked at me and said " Am I? "
I quickly shook my head and said " No, it's okay. "
Her expression softened immediately, looked at Yoongi and said " See? "
Grandma Iseul suddenly turned her attention toward Yonhae, she stared at him, Yonhae noticed almost immediately and said " What? "
Grandma Iseul tilted her head and said
" When are you getting married? "
Yonhae froze, slowly put his fork down and said " Grandma. "
" You can't just ask me that. "
" Because that's personal. "
" That doesn't mean you can question my entire future during dinner. "
Grandma Iseul looked completely unimpressed and said " You've been saying the same thing for years. "
Yonhae opened his mouth, then closed it, she continued " When are you going to find someone? "
" I have to find someone first. "
Grandma Iseul stared at him, then she shook her head and said " No. "
Yonhae frowned and said " No? "
" It means you better find someone. "
Yonhae looked at her in disbelief and said " That's your advice? "
" Because sitting around waiting won't help. "
Yonhae sighed and said " I am not sitting around. "
Grandma Iseul raised an eyebrow and said " You are. "
" So does your brother. "
Yonhae immediately looked toward Yoongi, Yoongi continued eating, completely silent.
Grandma Iseul pointed at him and said " See? He got married. "
Yonhae looked offended and said " That's not the same. "
He stopped because he didn't actually have an answer.
Grandma Iseul nod her head like she had won and she said " Exactly. "
Yonhae looked betrayed and said " This family is against me. "
Grandma Iseul calmly picked up her tea and said " No. * Took a sip * We are encouraging you. "
For a moment, the table went quiet. I looked between them, watching the way they argued so naturally. The way nobody seemed offended, nobody seemed hurt. It was just... them.
I looked down at my plate, at the food Grandma Iseul had insisted I eat, then glanced beside me at Yoongi. He was still quiet, still pretending not to be involved, but I noticed the small things.
The way he watched his family.
The way he never actually looked annoyed when it came to them.
He just looked like Yoongi, but a different version.
A version I was slowly starting to see.
Suddenly, Yonhae turned toward him with a desperate expression and said " Are you gonna help me? "
The question made everyone pause. Yoongi didn't even look up from his food and said " No. "
Yonhae stared at him and said " That's it? "
Yonhae looked completely betrayed. Grandma Iseul simply continued eating like this was a normal conversation and somehow... it was.
I looked around the table, listening to their voices fill the room.
Yonhae was still complaining,
Grandma Iseul was still ignoring him, and Yoongi was still pretending he wasn't entertained, but he was.
I could see it now, the small things.
The way he listened when Grandma Iseul spoke.
The way he never truly got annoyed with her.
The way he let himself be part of this moment.
For once, he wasn't the cold man everyone feared. He was just Yoongi.
My eyes lowered to my plate, a small smile appearing before I could stop it.
Maybe because, for the first time, I understood why he wanted to protect this.
The things he never talked about.
I looked beside me, Yoongi was watching me, I quickly looked away and said " I'm just listening."
His gaze stayed on me for a moment before he nod his head and said " Okay."
Just okay and somehow, that felt like enough.
Across the table, Grandma Iseul smiled at the two of us. A smile that made me realize something.
Tonight was supposed to be an act. A story we were telling her, but sitting there, surrounded by the sound of their voices, I almost forgot that.
The dining room slowly grew quieter as everyone continued eating and I found myself hoping...
Just for a little while longer...
That this moment wouldn't end.
