Dinner

"Chae Eun, you're back." My mother called me from the kitchen as I walked in.

"Yes mom, I'm back," I mumbled rolling my eyes as she raised a brow at me and put the cutting board down, she always prepares meals days ahead.

"When are you going to treat me with respect?" She snapped.

"When you let me live with dad." I snapped back.

She scoffed a bit nodding her head before getting a knife to cut her vegetables. "Park Chae Eun, your father left us. You are not going to live with a bastard who left his own child and wife!"

"Not like it really affected you. You moved on to stupid Dong-il." I mumbled.

"Dong-il is more like a father to you than your actual father, he tries his hardest for you to accept him yet you are rude and practically hate him!" She yelled at me.

"I don't want him to be like that!" I yelled back. "He's not my dad and he never will be!" I ran up the stairs and went to my bedroom slamming the door.

My father left my mother and me about a year and a half ago, not too long after that she met Kim Dong-il and married him. The night my dad left, he told me he would be back to see me but he has only seen me once. Every time we make plans he cancels and apologizes, I figure it's just work but mom says it's because he doesn't want anything to do with this family. She's wrong, I know dad loves me. Not my fault he wasn't happy with my mother and wanted to leave her.

Suddenly there was a knock on my window, I looked up from leaning on the door and sat my bag down. I knew who it was, only one person knocks on my window and that's Kim Namjoon. He's the only guy who's ever seen my bedroom, my purple princess-themed bedroom, he says its cute and said it fits me. I went to the window and opened it revealing the dimpled man who just smirked coming in.

"What's up?" I asked him as he simply laid on my bed while I closed the window.

"The new husband home?" He looked at me.

"No, just mom. We fought again." I shrugged sitting next to him.

"I'm sorry Chae, you should really tell the others about this." He sighed sitting up so he could look at me.

"Nah, I don't want to burden them Joon." I shook my head. "They all have their own problems, I mean except Jiwoo, but I'm sure she is dealing with something."

He rolled his eyes. "And we are all your best friends, Chae. They would want to know what's really bothering you. Hell, they all think your parents are still together!"

"They see me as an influence, Namjoon." I looked at him. "How am I supposed to tell them my family broke apart because my dad didn't want to be a family with us anymore?"

"You know it's not like that-"

"How is it not? I haven't seen him in a year." I sighed. "They look up to me, I'm the one who keeps the group sane, right? I don't want them to coddle me or feel bad for me. Please, keep it a secret still."

"Dummy, I wouldn't ever tell your secrets. They are yours to tell." He ruffled my hair. 

"Thanks." I smiled. "Why did you decide to come here? Usually, you come on weekends." I tilted my head.

"Oh! I was going to see if you wanted to go with me, Hoseok and Tori to a club. We're going to dance." He grinned.

I chuckled shaking my head. "As much as I would love to, I can't. I have dinner with mom and the stepdad. Rain check?"

"Of course red." He got up kissing my head and went to the window. "Text me if the dinner goes downhill, I'll pick you up."

"Will do!" I smiled as he went out the window.

After he closed the window I began to change to get ready for the stupid dinner, I had to wear fancy yet casual. What even would that be? My mother and her fashion sense are not sensible even the slightest. I picked out a floral dress with black nail polish and red heels, it was casual yet fancy enough for dinner. (A/N: Picture above)

An hour passed by and it was the most awkward car ride of my entire life, it was silent and Dong-il tried smiling at me but I ignored it and went on my phone. I wasn't texting anyone, I just wanted him to stop looking at me. Namjoon says I treat him a little too harshly, but honestly, he is trying to replace my dad. Who wouldn't be upset?

We arrived at the place and we went in, of course, Dong-il had called in a reservation since he thinks he's important. All he does is work at a huge food company as some type of assistant, nothing major to be honest.

"What are you going to get, Chae Eun?" He asked me as we took out seats and was handed menus.

"Probably the most expensive thing I can find," I mumbled under my breath.

"What was that?"

"I think I'm going to go with pork." I smiled as fake as I could.

"Good evening, my name is Jin, and I'll be your waiter." 

My eyes widen, you have got to be kidding me! I looked up from my menu seeing Kim Seokjin holding a little pad of paper and a pen as he saw me and smirked.

"We will both take the special on beef," Dong-il ordered for him and my mother. "I'll have a water to drink."

"Wine for me." Mom smiled at Jin making him nod, of course, she was drinking.

"I'll have the cheapest meal on pork." I handed Jin my menu not even looking at him.

"And for a drink, ma'am?" He smirked again.

Oh, I wanted to punch him! I sighed and looked at him. "I'll take a beer."

"Park Chae Eun!" My mother smacked my head and looked at Jin. "Apologies, she will take a water as well."

"No problem, I'll be back with your drinks." He bowed before walking off.

"What was that?" My mother hissed at me.

"It was a joke." I mumbled looking away.

Dong-il sighed. "Don't worry hun, I know Chae enough that she wouldn't drink alcohol. She isn't like those friends of hers."

"Like those friends of mine?" My heard jerked towards him. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing bad, Chae Eun. I just mean that you make better choices than them is all." He looked at me. "You don't fall under the peer pressure."

"You think they peer pressure me?" I scoffed. "Look, you aren't my father Dong-il. So stop trying to act like you know me that well. You can't even remember that I hate pork and made me order something different! Same for my mother! And as far as my friends go, they have helped me through times you can't imagine. If it wasn't for them, I wouldn't be where I am." I snapped at him.

"You would have turned out fine if you weren't friends with that Kim Namjoon kid." My mother huffed.

I felt tears rising up as I looked at her. "Do you always have to take his side? What happened to me being your daughter, you know how much Namjoon means to me." I sniffed looking up as Jin was standing there with our drinks putting them down slowly.

"I'm sorry." My mother bowed to Jin. "Our daughter isn't taking her meds, so don't mind her."

"Meds!?" I stood up. "Excuse me, but I can't stay here. Cancel my order, have dinner with just yourselves." I grabbed my stuff and stormed to the bathroom, I couldn't even go inside. I was so upset I started to silently cry, I missed my dad.

"Hey princess?"

"Go away Jin!" I sniffed turning away from his voice.

"If it makes you feel any better, lots of people don't take meds and-"

I turned around and looked at him. "You really think I'm on meds? Of course you do, you're the biggest jerk in the world. No Jin, I'm not on fucking meds! My mother is just trying to show her stupid new husband that she will agree with him no matter what! They want something to be wrong with me so they don't have to deal with me!"

"I'm sure your dad out there is just-"

"He's not my dad!" I snapped at him and the tears came out faster. "My dad didn't want me as a daughter anymore."

"Here." Jin handed me a set of keys. "My car is the red one out back, sit in there and try to calm down. I get out in ten minutes. I'll be out there in a bit okay?"

I sniffed taking the keys and looked at him. "We hate each other, why are you being nice to me?"

"Let's just say I don't hate you when you are crying. Besides, I wasn't the one who made you cry so I have to help so you'll be tough enough for me tomorrow." He chuckled. "Hurry up, I'll see you in a few.

"Loser," I mumbled before going out the back door and saw his car, I knew his family was pretty well off because he never looked poor. And his car was also brand new, I unlocked in and got in the passenger's side sitting down. 

It wasn't long that he came out, he was wearing a black hoodie and ripped jeans coming to his car. He pulled the hood up before he got in and looked at me before taking the keys.

"Are you good now?" He asked me.

"I'm better." I sighed. "Look, I'll make a deal with you to not tell anyone this. My friends don't know about my father leaving us and I don't want them to know."

"We will just say you owe me one favor. Anything I choose."

"Fair enough." I nodded at him. "Thanks. I already called Namjoon, he's coming to pick me up in a few minutes."

"Okay." He started his car. "Does your mom always act like that?"

I shrugged. "She wasn't like that when my father was still around. It was like when she met Dong-il she had to be some snobby person." Why was I telling him this?

"I see. Well, I think you're too good to be her daughter." He chuckled. 

"Really? Why do you say that?" I looked at him.

"Because you got all this spunk and intelligence. It seems she doesn't see that."

"That's the nicest thing you've ever said to me." I laughed.

"Glad I made you laugh." He smiled slightly.

"Yeah, I needed that." I looked over seeing Namjoon's jeep pulling in. "Thanks, Jin, I'll see you at school." I opened the door getting out.

He smirked. "Don't forget, tomorrow I'm back to hating you. And you owe me one favor!"

"Yeah yeah, better cash that in soon! I don't want to owe Kim Seokjin forever!" I laughed closing the door. 

It was surprising, he actually made me feel a little better after that fiasco with my mom.