Chp 42- Warmth in the Chaos
The Kim mansion was in full swing preparing for two weddings. Everyone had been assigned specific responsibilities, but since Jimin was three and a half months pregnant, and both Yoona and Tzuyu were getting married, the entire burden of the kitchen fell onto Jungkook's shoulders.
After yesterday's engagement, Jungkook was exhausted. Yet, with the dawn of a new day came a new set of rituals, today was the Mehendi and Haldi ceremony. Guests and relatives had already started filling the entire house to capacity.
As people arrived, they offered their blessings not only to the brides, Tzuyu and Yoona, but to Jimin as well.
An elderly woman walked over to Jimin, placing a gentle hand on her head to bless her.
"May God keep you and your aby safe and in good health," the woman said, softly stroking her hair.
Jimin smiled warmly. "Thank you, Maaji." But her smile instantly faded at her next words.
"May you give birth to a playful, healthy boy soon. The first heir of the next generation must be a son. Even if it's a girl, well... it doesn't matter as much, since she'll eventually have to be married off. But a boy will carry the Kim family name forward and stay with you forever. Stay blessed."
With that, the woman walked away, taking Jimin's smile right along with her.
Jimin's heart sank. Tears welled up in her eyes as a wave of thoughts rushed through her mind
"Why must a daughter's arrival be met with reservation?" She thought bitterly, a tear slipping down her cheek.
"Why does this world insist on measuring a child's worth before they even take their first breath? A daughter isn't a debt to be paid or a guest waiting to leave, she is a soul born from the very same love. She carries the power to heal, to love,
and to hold a family together just as fiercely as any son. Is a mother's heart supposed to love her child less simply because of the path society forces them to walk?"
---
Jungkook was extremely busy in the kitchen, handling the work here, serving tea to the guests over there.
Since morning, she had made a large pot of tea more than ten times. Yet, as soon as one pot emptied, another call for tea would come in. Alongside that, she had to instruct the other maids to make small snacks like pakodas,dhokla etc, all while she remained fully immersed in making sweets herself.
She didn't even get a single moment to catch her breath. In her twenty years of life, she had never worked as hard as she was working today.Although Jihyo and Eunchae wanted to help her, one relative or another would constantly drop by and call them away.
On the other hand, Taehyung was equally caught up with the relatives; arranging seating for them, supervising the construction of the wedding canopy, and tallying up the expenses for everything. He even had to run to the bank to withdraw more funds from the account.
Though Hobi and Suga were alongside him, J-hope stayed with the caterers to ensure they had everything they needed, while Suga was overseeing the setting up of the dining tables so that all the visiting relatives and villagers could eat before leaving.
Not a single person was sitting idle; everyone was tied up in one task or another. The entire Kim mansion was bursting with life and activity. Music echoed from one corner, while in another, a group of women sat gathered together, gossiping, laughing, and sharing stories.
Dadi, Jihyo, Eunchae, Jiya, and Sana were sitting together with the group of women. Eunchae was periodically checking on Jimin, who was seated right beside her.
Just then, a conversation broke out.
"Jimin bahu, how many years has it been since you and Suga got married?" a woman asked, adjusting the drape of her saree.
Finding everyone's eyes suddenly on her, Jimin felt a bit uncomfortable and softly replied, "Well... it hasn't been years yet, just eight months."
Feeling all those gazes locked on hee, Jimin used the end of hed drape to gently shield her belly.
"See that? In just a few months, Suga has already shown his magic! By the way, Taehyung got married too, right? Where is his bride? She's nowhere to be seen... she didn't run away, did she?" the woman giggled, covering her mouth with her pallu.
Hearing her words, anger flared up among all the Kims.
"What do you mean by that? Watch your tongue, Gauri! My grandson's wife hasn't run anywhere. Being the eldest daughter-in-law of this house, she is single-handedly managing the entire kitchen by herself. She isn't like your daughter-in-law,
who walks out to the market without even wearing her dupatta," Dadi interjected, her voice sharp and stern.
Her fierce retort immediately silenced the room. Just then, Dadi's close friend sitting right beside her nudged her softly and said
"Let it go, Nayeon, they're just talking. Why don't you call your eldest bahu over? The last time I saw her was during her muh-dikhayi, and I haven't caught a glimpse of her since. Go on, call her out."
Calming down at her friend's request, Dadi turned to Jihyo and said,
"Go and bring Jungkook bahu here. Someone else can look after the kitchen for a little while."
Nodding at her instruction, Jihyo stood up and headed off to call Jungkook.
Jihyo entered the kitchen and saw Jungkook drenched in sweat, her hair tied up messily, completely occupied with cooking. Flour was smeared on her forehead, and her hands were busy frying fresh jalebis. Seeing her in such a state, Jihyo felt deeply sorry for her.
"Jungkook bahu, stop for a moment," Jihyo said, walking up to her and gently catching her hand.
Jungkook wiped her sweat with her shoulder, looked at Jihyo with tired eyes, and asked, "What happened maa? Is something needed outside? Tea, snacks, or..."
"Nothing is needed, dear. Dadi is calling you outside. Some guests want to meet the eldest bahu of the house," Jihyo replied softly, taking the spatula from her hand and handing it to a nearby maid.
"But Maa, the sweet syrup for the jalebis is still on the stove, and the guests outside" Jungkook tried to say, her eyes filled with worry about the unfinished work.
"Don't worry about any of this. The maids will handle the rest. You go, wash your face, fix your drape, and head to the courtyard," Jihyo insisted, lovingly smoothing back the loose strands of hair from Jungkook's face.
Jungkook nodded silently. She quickly washed her hands, wiped her face, and adjusted her dupatta over her head before walking toward the grand hall where all the women were gathered.
As soon as Jungkook stepped into the courtyard, all eyes shifted toward her. Despite the exhaustion evident on her face, her gentle grace and sheer simplicity instantly held everyone's attention.
A few eager relatives immediately guided Jungkook to the center of their gathering, settling her down as they openly gushed over her appearance.
"Goodness, look at her! She is absolutely breathtaking."
"Truly, her skin just glows with grace."
"Taehyung is undeniably blessed to have found a wife who isn't just stunning, but so grounded, traditional, and gentle at heart."
Overwhelmed by the sudden flood of praise, Jungkook kept her gaze fixed on her lap, a deep crimson blush spreading across her cheeks.
Seeing her modesty, Dadi's friend, Mina, beckoned the young bride over to sit beside her. Jungkook instinctively leaned down to touch Mina's feet. Blessing her warmly, Mina gently ran a hand over Jungkook's head.
"She is a darling, so polite, so respectful, and undeniably gorgeous," Mina remarked warmly. "I'm sure our Taehyung falls in love with her all over again every single day."
A ripple of teasing laughter echoed through the circle. "Oh, just look at her face! She's turned completely red!" one aunt poked fun.
Then, the tone subtly shifted as another relative leaned forward. "It's been about two months since the wedding, hasn't it?"
Jungkook offered a tiny, hesitant nod, keeping her eyes cast downward.
"So, when are you going to bless Taehyung with a child?" the woman prodded, a mischievous grin on her face.
Before Jungkook could process the question, another voice chimed in with a snide smirk. "Judging by her expression, I doubt the two of them have even consummated their marriage yet."
"Isn't she the eldest bahu of this house?" a third voice added, crossing her arms. "Technically, she should have been the first to give this family an heir."
"Do you think there's some underlying medical issue? Is that why she hasn't conceived yet?"
The room quickly filled with a chorus of intrusive speculation. Jungkook tried to tune out the painful whispers, but each careless assumption sliced through her fragile composure like a blade.
"Enough! All of you, hold your tongues!" Mina's sharp, commanding voice cut through the air, instantly silencing the room.
She swept a stern, disappointed glare across the group of women.
"You ought to be ashamed of yourselves! We are gathered here for a festive wedding, and you choose to spew such vile, intrusive nonsense? A bit of light playful banter is fine, but I will not tolerate this toxic, shameless badgering under this roof!"
Mina scolded them and turned her gaze back to Jungkook, who was sitting quietly with her shoulders tensely hunched.
Mina softened her tone, taking Jungkook's cold, trembling hands into her own warm palm.
"Listen to me carefully, my dear. Do not let their careless words take root in your heart. You must live your life on your own terms, not according to the unrealistic expectations of society. There is absolutely no rush to bring a child into this world. Your marriage is still fresh,
use this precious time to build a foundation, to truly know and understand one another. A child will come when the time is right."
Mina smiled softly, giving her hands a reassuring squeeze.
"And if Taehyung ever dares to pressure you into anything before you are ready, you come straight to me. I will pull him by the ear and put him in his place!" She said imitating how she'll pull taehyung's ear.