Chapter 3: The Secret Unveiled – August 12, 2019
Jungkook sat in shock staring down at her beautiful book. Then a sweet smile curved his gorgeous face. He glanced up at her. She gazed at him apprehensively.
He spoke three simple words, “I love it!”
Her eyes lit up. “Really?”
He nodded his head emphatically. “It’s a beautiful book. Both the writing and the paintings. I love how you showed her gray world being invaded by the color of his.”
She beamed at him.
“You should publish it.”
Her face went blank. “What? No. No one will want to read it.”
“Yunyeong, that’s just not true!”
She brushed off his praise. “Are you ready to take me on our little expedition? I told Tae and Yun we were about to leave. I think they’re ready now.”
He bobbed his head. He couldn’t wait to give her the gift he had so painstakingly created for her.
A few moments later, they all piled into his car. Tae slid into the back with Yunseong. Yunyeong rode up front next to Kookie. He glanced at her before he pulled his car into traffic, but she was staring out her window. He wondered what on earth she was thinking.
“It’s a bit of a drive,” he admitted a while later.
Still, she said nothing. She was lost in her thoughts. Overwhelmed by Kookie’s reaction to her book. Had he truly loved it? Or was he just being nice?
Because he was…unfailingly kind.
Jungkook turned on some music. He could hear Tae and Yunseong in a heated debate in the backseat. Over MIRᴙOR. Jungkook grinned. He hadn’t played his favorite game in over six weeks. But he found that he wasn’t missing it.
His eyes traveled towards the pretty girl seated next to him. She seemed to be in her own world today. He smiled. When wasn’t she? Perhaps he would bring some color into that world today. He certainly hoped so.
—
Tae glanced out the window. He knew exactly where they were going. He recognized this route. But he had no idea why Jungkook was taking Yunyeong to his grandparents’ farm. How odd.
Tae looked at his friend. Was Jungkook becoming so serious about this girl that he wanted her to meet his entire family? Tae’s eyebrows challenged his hairline. Jungkook was pretty committed to a girl he’d met just a few weeks ago.
He supposed he should be thankful that Jungkook had set his eyes on Yunyeong instead of on her twin. Tae’s gaze slid toward Yunseong. He really liked her. They’d become pretty good friends over the last few weeks. He’d found that she was easy to talk to. But not quite as easy to communicate with as Eunji had been.
Eunji. He hadn’t been alone with her for a couple of months. She seemed to be in love with Namjoon now. Which still burned. Tae wondered if his own heart would ever recover. Perhaps she had never really loved him at all. He’d thought she might for a while. And then she had unburdened herself to him. But if she’d ever been in love with him, she’d recovered quickly. Two days later, she’d fallen into Namjoon’s lap and kissed him. So much for her loving Tae.
He still felt sorry for himself. Why had he chosen her?
Because she was beautiful. And funny. And fun to hang out with. She was brilliant too. All the things he’d wanted in a life partner and a girlfriend. But she wasn’t meant for him. Namjoon had won this prize. And he deserved her. Tae was happy for them. They seemed to truly enjoy each other.
If only Tae could forget her.
He glanced at Yunseong again. For some reason, his eyes traced her pretty, pink lips. He’d comforted himself once with them. But that hadn’t been fair to her. So he had promised himself he would never use her that way ever again. Even if he sometimes considered doing so once more. Especially when he was suffering from a lonely moment.
Yunseong could feel Tae’s eyes on her face. She turned her head towards him. Her gaze collided with his. And she felt that familiar spark again. The one that he seemed dead to.
She sighed inwardly. She’d been so patient. For weeks on end, being his friend. Playing MIRᴙOR with him. Even if he wasn’t quite as good at it as Jungkook had been. Still, occasionally, Tae beat her.
She almost rejoiced in those moments because he became so animated. He lost that intense look for a few minutes and returned to the land of the living. Winning would pull him from the abyss he’d been drowning in ever since Eunji had decided she loved his brother more than him. Yunseong longed to comfort him, but Tae had never reached for her again. Not even to hold her hand.
She couldn’t say that she didn’t wish he’d wake up to what a wonderful girl she was. Because she did. Every single moment of every single day. But so far, that had been an impossibility. She was even beginning to wonder if he would ever really notice her. She tried to push such thoughts away. They were depressing. And Yunseong loathed being discouraged.
She sent him a marvelous grin before glancing out her window. She was intensely curious about where they were headed. What was all this mystery about? She was beginning to suspect that Jungkook was intensely romantic. She felt a little jealous of Yuni now. She could have had him, but she’d let him go to her sister.
Nah.
It wasn’t true. She and Jungkook had always been only friends. There had been no spark when she’d glanced his way. And they had both known it. Destined to be only great friends. But she did love him in that way. He was truly a nice guy. She couldn’t have picked a better boy for her sister if she had tried.
“So, Jungkook, won’t you give us one tiny hint about where we’re headed?” Yunseong suddenly ribbed him.
His eyes met hers in the rearview mirror. “The countryside,” was his curt response.
“I know where we’re headed,” Tae murmured as he stared out his window at the passing city.
Yunseong whipped her head around to stare at him. “And you didn’t enlighten me!?”
“This is Jungkookie’s secret. Not mine. What kind of a friend would I be if I told you?”
“One that shares secrets with me,” she whispered as she leaned towards him.
Suddenly, his head pivoted her way, and their noses almost touched. Sending her heart galloping. Her eyes collided with his. Could he not feel the electricity in the air between them?
He smiled faintly at her before turning to look outside again.
Apparently not.
She sighed, now disgruntled. Why had she agreed to come on this mysterious expedition?
But then Yunseong glanced at her sister, and she could feel her tension. Yuni was nervous. But, why?
Just then, her twin glanced back at her. There was a wild look in her eyes. Yunseong had seen that expression a few times before. It always baffled her. What was her sister thinking about when that haunted look flooded her eyes? Yunseong had never been able to figure it out. But it disturbed her greatly. Every single time she saw it. She smiled faintly at her twin now in an effort to set her at ease.
Yunyeong lifted the corners of her mouth briefly, but there was no way the resultant curve could have been deemed a smile. She turned her head back towards the front of the car, her eyes sliding along Jungkook’s face before heading back out to the traffic beyond the windshield. But as Yunseong watched her sister, she suddenly gasped.
Yuni was in love with Jungkook! The most vulnerable expression had flitted across her face as her eyes had collided with his countenance a moment before. She was well and truly taken. And she seemed both to know it and to be uncomfortable with it.
––
They all rode the remainder of the drive in silence. Except for one thing. Jungkook began to sing along with the music flowing from his stereo. And, occasionally, Tae would join him. The twins glanced sharply at each other. The boys both had beautiful voices! How had they not known?
When they stopped singing, Yunyeong’s quiet voice could be heard as she addressed Kookie.
“Please. Don’t stop. Your voice is heavenly.”
He looked over at her in surprise. “You like my voice?”
She nodded. “It’s so beautiful. You can sing for me anytime.”
He smiled sheepishly.
“Please,” she whispered.
Jungkook would have done anything to bring a smile to this girl’s face. So he opened his mouth and began to sing along with the next song.
Yunyeong beamed up at him. Her eyes hungrily drank in his face as her ears basked in the sweet sounds flowing from his lips. After a while, she leaned her head back and closed her eyes so that his voice could wash over her in calming waves. And she began to dream a new dream…
She was lying in a bed with him, her head pillowed over his heart. Their intertwined fingers resting on his chest. Her gold rings – the ones he’d given her – were shining in the light of the rising sun. He was singing tenderly to her as she drifted off to sleep once more…
“Yunyeong, wake up,” Kookie’s soft voice woke her from her beautiful dream.
They had married on a beach under a full moon. He’d whisked her off on a wonderful honeymoon…
His voice intruded again. “We’re here.”
She opened her eyes and discovered that she had fallen asleep in the car on the way to his mystery destination.
She glanced around. They were out in the middle of nowhere. Surrounded by green fields. He’d parked in front of a farmhouse. She couldn’t see what lay beyond it.
“Where is here?” she whispered groggily.
“My grandparents’ farm,” he responded jollily. “Come on. I want you to meet them.”
He’d brought her to meet his grandparents?
She couldn’t have been more shocked if he had poured ice water over her head. This was the big surprise he’d been working on for weeks? The reason he’d taken on three jobs? But that made no sense.
She’d best follow him if she wanted an answer to all her questions.
Jungkook reached for her hand as he came around and opened her door. She took it. She felt like she was going to have to draw courage from him to face his elders. She swallowed. No guy had ever introduced her to his family before. Certainly not Eunho.
As they climbed the stairs to the porch, the front door opened, and a beautiful woman with elegant bones beamed at them.
“Kookie!” she cried before engulfing him in a hug.
His grin was every bit as wide as hers. He had, in fact, inherited it from her. “Hi, Gran! This is my friend, Yunyeong.”
He held her hand up momentarily before pulling their hands back down to dangle between them, but he was still clinging to her fingers. She was thankful. Yunyeong smiled shyly at his grandmother.
“Hello, Yunyeong. It’s wonderful to meet you. I’ve heard so much about you.”
She had?
Yunyeong stared at her in bewilderment. What on earth could she say? Kookie had never mentioned his grandmother.
“Let me guess. Kookie hasn’t mentioned me.” She quirked a graying eyebrow at the young woman. “Well, of course not! He didn’t want to ruin the surprise. Speaking of which,” she turned her head to look at her beloved grandson, “did you want to show her now?”
He nodded excitedly. Then he glanced back at Tae and Yunseong. “Gran, this is Yunseong, Yunyeong’s twin sister.”
“Obviously,” his grandmother intoned dryly before chuckling. “Nice to meet you,” she bobbed her head at the girl before turning her attention to Tae. “Tae! My boy! Come give me a hug! I haven’t seen you in ages!” Her eyes raked him from head to foot. She furrowed her brow. “Have you gone and grown again? I think you’ve outstripped Kookie by a mite.”
Tae laughed. “Sure have!” He threw his arms around her and pulled her close. He inhaled deeply. She always reminded him of his own dear grandmother. She even smelled like her. “Have you any cookies today?” he whispered roughly into her ear, his deep voice sending chills up her spine.
She chuckled. “Always. Especially when I’m expecting your lovely company!”
He quirked a dark eyebrow. “You were expecting me?” He glanced at Jungkook.
“Kookie told me it was a possibility.”
“Did he now?” Tae pulled his eyebrows down towards his nose.
Yunyeong stared up at Jungkook. He had known she wouldn’t want to come alone with him? Why did that knowledge both comfort her and hurt her heart?
Maybe because she believed that he deserved more than her suspicions.
––
Kookie led her out into the backyard. Before he opened the door, he asked her to close her eyes. He squeezed her hand to let her know he would lead her. She glanced at him hesitantly, but, after gazing into his steady, obsidian eyes, she closed her own. After all, he had brought her home to meet his grandmother. A grandmother who clearly adored him. How dangerous could he be?
He drew her through the doorway, directed her down some steps, and then led her across a grassy area. They walked for a few moments before stopping.
“Keep your eyes closed.”
Then she heard a gate creak. Kookie led her forward. They walked a few feet before he drew her to a stop.
Then he whispered, “Open your eyes.”
She opened her eyes. But nothing could have prepared her for what she saw. Instantly, tears flooded her eyes, which had flown wide as they took in the gift that Kookie had fashioned for her. Her hungry eyes feasted on the delights he had designed just for her. The beautiful boy had brought his colors to bear to bleed into her heart and life. He had brought her dream to astounding life! He had flooded her world with all the colors of his rainbow. And with her favorite scent too. Roses.
“This is exactly as I imagined it!” she exclaimed.
Her eyes flew to his.
“Welcome to your very own secret garden,” he breathed in that soft, sweet voice. The voice she’d fallen in love with.
She threw herself at him. Her arms flying around his neck as he chuckled in her ear. His arms slid around her waist, pulling her firmly up against him. Over his shoulder, she stared in wonder at their heavenly rose garden.
This garden had four gray stone walls. Inside its walls was an apple tree. Several rose bushes had been planted along the walls and in the center of the garden.
“The climbing roses haven’t bloomed yet. I’m sorry. We probably won’t see their blossoms until next year. I just planted them yesterday.”
“Kookie,” her voice was full of wonder, “did you build this whole garden yourself?”
“Well, not the apple tree. It was already here. But, as you can see, its apples are ripe and ready to be picked.”
She stared up at him in awe as tears streamed down her face. “You built this for me?”
He nodded. “This is why I worked three jobs. I had to buy the stones to build the walls. And I bought all the rose bushes too. And the gate.”
She gazed up at him in disbelief. “Who – who are you? That you would go to so much trouble for a girl you barely know?”
He reached up and cupped her cheek with his hand. He bent towards her.
“I know you, Yunyeong.” His sweet breath slipped over her lips. “You’re my beautiful, brilliant, talented girl. The object of my heart’s desire. The woman I love with all my heart.”
The tears kept flowing. No matter how his thumb brushed them gently away. They were simply replaced by more of their kind.
It was too much. She couldn’t take it in. How – how – had he dreamed the same dream she had? And then built it for her while she was illustrating a book about it?
“This will be our secret garden forever. One day this property will belong to me. That’s why Gran and Pop let me build you a garden here.” He bent low as a sweet smile lit his face. “Well, I might have promised Gran that she can enjoy it when we’re not here. She agreed to tend to the roses and pick the apples we miss too.”
Yunyeong stared at him. She had no idea what to say. This was the most extravagant gift she had ever heard of. And Kookie had made it for her. He had gifted her a garden. A secret one. It was so much more than she could ever deserve.
He bent and whispered in her ear, “Shall we eat an apple? Want to try one? I want to see if they’re as crisp as the ones you painted. And as juicy,” he twinkled down at her.
Distractedly, she blinked and let him pull her towards the tree. As he reached up to grab an apple, she turned to study the garden once more. Pink and red roses dotted all the lush greenery. The walking paths were dirt now, but knowing Kookie, he would probably pave them with gray stone someday. She turned back towards him and noted the crimson apples hanging from the green tree.
“My next project will be to plant gray stones for the walking paths. But I ran out of money before I could do that part. Truthfully, if Pop hadn’t had a friend willing to sell me the stones at cost, I never could have built the wall. Not this summer anyway.”
He grinned at her as his teeth sank into the apple. It was, indeed, crisp. She watched as some juice rolled down his chin. She reached up and wiped it away before licking her fingers.
“Sweet,” she mused as her eyes locked with his.
He stilled. “Do you like it?” His voice was just a breath. A beautiful breath.
She nodded her head and stepped closer to him. She lifted her face towards his. Jungkook nearly choked on the bite of apple in his mouth. He finished chewing it and swallowed. Then, very slowly, he lowered his face towards hers. Was he misreading the moment?
