ACT VI | SCENE XXIX

❝CLAWS❞

JANGMI HUGGED BRIGITTE a third time, arms tightening slightly around the woman who laughed. "i'm going to miss you so much, mimi." she told her. "i'll miss you too." jangmi sighed. "i have no girlfriends here."

"well, i suggest you start making a couple. try making some at work. even though none of them would be as awesome as me, you need more friends besides that happy pill of a man." brigitte pulled away, hands cupping her friend's shoulders. "especially since you know i can't come as i please. i have a patisserie to run. and i can't trust or burden luc with taking care of it that much."

"i know." jangmi chuckled. the voice over the speakers announced that brigitte's plane was now boarding, making the two glance up. "time for me to go." brigitte piped. "have a safe flight." jangmi hugged her again. "and call me when you land."

"yes, ma'am." she chimed, pulling up the handle of her suitcase. backing away, she smacked her bum, as she turned around and began walking away. jangmi snorted with a shake of her head. brigitte glanced back and waved back at a waving jangmi who stood there for a minute, watching her before leaving for the dance school.

• • •

jangmi smiled at im sora, one of the dance teachers, as she stepped out of her last class. the woman smiled back warmly. she had been the nicest to jangmi since she'd started working there. "see you on monday." jangmi popped out. sora nodded as they stepped out of the building together.

she paused, staring ahead. jangmi followed her gaze to see a man dressed in a suit, heading towards them. her eyes narrowed, suddenly feeling tense. "miss han? madam would like to speak to you."

an unsettling feeling found its way to her stomach. she knew exactly who he was referring to. it could be no one else. jimin's mother. she looked at sora. "i have to go." she stated before following the man to the car.

she waited as he opened the car door to allow the older woman to step out. she was dressed elegantly in a knee length jewel pink dress and light grey coat. jangmi mentally prepared herself for what was coming, knowing full well she was not going to like it.

"han jangmi." the woman said rather distastefully, eyeing the younger woman. "good afternoon, mrs park." jangmi replied even though it really wasn't, not anymore. "i'm here to talk to you about my son." hyunjoo stated. jangmi said nothing and waited for her to continue.

"i want you to stay away from jimin. he has someone he wants to marry and he doesn't need a headache like you holding him back." the woman spat out. jangmi's brows furrowed in confusion, although she really shouldn't have been surprised by hyunjoo's words. "with all due respect madam, your son is free to do whatever he wants, i am not, nor will i ever hold him back for whatever reason." she stated evenly, not letting her irritation show. something about hyunjoo's choice of words irked her, feeling vaguely familiar.

"you still try to act proudly even after getting pregnant and casting my son as the father just so you can tie him down!" hyunjoo was raising her voice now, making jangmi glance around. the woman was already drawing attention to them. jangmi did not appreciate being accosted at her place of work. this was a school and a level of decorum was expected from every person, especially the staff. and hyunjoo hashing out personal issues was to say the least, not professional.

"i have no interest in your son. i never tried to tie him down. and ever since i returned to seoul, i never once sought your son out first. so, i think he is the one you should be speaking to about staying away and not me." jangmi replied pointedly. she wasn't going to bother hiding her thoughts. she most definitely wasn't chasing after jimin and felt hyunjoo coming to warn her to stay away was unnecessary. her son was free to date whomever he wanted, she didn't really care. it had nothing to do with her.

hyunjoo's face seemed to redden as her nostrils flared in anger. jangmi could tell that she was irritated just by the expression she held. she lifted a hand and slapped the younger woman hard across the cheek. jangmi's head swung to the side at the impact, hair falling over her face as she held her cheek in shock. it stung badly, a whining sound ringing in her ear from the sheer force of the slap. the older woman pointed a slim finger at her. "i am warning you, keep your filthy claws off jimin! you open your legs for every man with a black card so look for one of them to trap and leave my son alone!"

jangmi's mouth fell open. did jimin's mother just insinuate that she was nothing more than a prostitute? she felt even more insulted than the time she had blatantly accused her of being a gold digger. her mouth opened and closed but she couldn't find the words to speak.

she wanted to use her 'filthy claws' to scratch hyunjoo's eyes out of their sockets at that moment. but she held herself back, clenching her hands tight at her sides, taking calming breaths. she had never done anything to park hyunjoo, yet the woman had insulted her person more than anyone had in her twenty four years. not even jimin had ever said or done anything as offensive as his mother had on three different occasions now.

but she would remain calm. it wasn't anything she couldn't take. she was fine with the woman verbally attacking her, at least for the time being. but jangmi promised herself that the day hyunjoo would attack rosalie in any manner would be the day all that was left of her respect would fly out the window.

with her point made clear, the woman slipped into the backseat of the car again, secretary shutting the door. he glanced at jangmi almost apologetically before opening the passenger's side and slipping in.

jangmi stood there until the car sped out of the parking lot. breathing deeply, she let her eyes move around the parking lot. more than a few pair of eyes were staring back at her. they had witnessed everything and probably thought she was a whore like hyunjoo had implied.

she shut her eyes and sighed heavily. forget making friends, she just hoped she wouldn't lose her job over that little drama.

☀☀☀

teaser:

"i don't care if you think you're protecting me. i am no longer a child. i can take care of myself." his words came out on heavy unsteady breaths. "stop meddling with my life and ruining everything for heaven's sake!" his voice rose higher with frustration at the end...

*walks past munching on gummy bears* more drama coming your way *laughs evilly, eating more gummy bears*