💓✨

PhysCom @teawithkpop (sex worker!au) a, f, s (on-going)

last updated (22/4/10)

Series

sleeping temptation @yminie (idol!au/poly!au) s (4)

Recrudescence @chimchimsauce (soulmate!au/supernatural!au/fantasy!au) a, f (38)

Happy Hour @sunshinerainbowsbts —hyung line (non-idol!au) c, f (2)

You Broke Me First @minbbyy —jjk,pjm (fake dating!au/social media!au) a, c, f (68)

Salvage @btssaysstudy —jjk,kth (college!au) a, f (6)

exposed @lysjeon (idol!au/social media!au) a, f (24)

One shot

Boys With Luv @ewwboys —pjm,kth (non-idol!au) intense

Scenario

“Here you go,” Taehyung twists the bottle cap open, handing you your drink. A small smile dances on your lips as you recognise your favourite drink. “Didn’t know you stock up on these too.”

“I don’t,” He sheepishly admits, rubbing the back of his neck as he opts to sit on the chair opposite you. “Since you were coming over, I went to buy them this morning.”

“O-Oh,” A fluttery feeling in heart as you place the drink on his table, “Thank you.”

An awkward atmosphere washes over the both of you and it was an unsettling feeling. You had never felt awkward around Taehyung and you hated this feeling.

“So…” Your fingers tapped on your drink, “I texted you because I wanted to talk about something.”

Taehyung fixes his posture, clearing his throat as he gestured for you to continue speaking.

“It’s been awhile since the villa,” you swirled the drink around, “And we’ve been on lots of dates.”

You paused, losing the courage that you had been trying to hold on to. Sensing your hesitance, Taehyung leaves his spot and makes his way to your side on the bed. “At your own time.” He softly smiled at you.

“I don’t even know why I’m so nervous,” You chuckled, laughing at yourself as you placed the drink on the table. With a light slap on your thighs as your way to hype yourself up, you turn to face Taehyung, “I like you. I really do. I don’t want to lose the chance of seeing how we grow together as a couple. If you still like me after all I’ve done and all the waiting I’ve put you through, I’d love to—“

“Of course I still like you.” Taehyung cuts you off, bringing his hands up to cup both your cheeks, “May I?”

You nodded your head as you made the move to lean your head closer towards him, hands going up to his face as your eyes fluttered shut. If you could remember a feeling for life, it would be how Taehyung’s lips felt on yours — gentle as if still processing what was happening, yet filled with desire as he had been waiting for this moment for months.

Taehyung deepens the kiss, this time applying more pressure as his hands drop to your waist to pull you closer to him.

Losing your balance, the both of you break off, falling backwards onto his bed with a laugh. “I’m sorry.” You placed your hand on his chest, your head nicely nestled on his arm.

Taehyung shifts his head to get a better look at you. “Is this real?”

You smile at him, reaching up to plant a light kiss on his lips once more. “Yes it is.”

Taehyung grinned widely as he adjusted his position to face you, resting on his left side as his right arm draped over your body to pull you closer to him.

“Will you be my girlfriend?”

“Of course I will.” You smile as the both of you lean in for another kiss.

-

As he laid in his bed, the kiss you both shared constantly playing in his head. He never thought it would affect him this badly. But it did.

As each day passed, he waited to receive a text from you but none came him way.

Jungkook had been with his thoughts the entire week, his intentions and feelings clearing up each day as his resolve grew stronger.

Bouncing off from his bed, he knew he had to do something before it was too late. Taking his car keys from the counter, he makes his way over to your house.

“Jungkook!” He turned around to meet your cheerful face as you sprinted over to the benchers. The girls had just completed their turn and coach had called for a ten minute break.

“What’s up—“ Jungkook grunts as you crash into him, wrapping your arms around his neck as he automatically wraps his arms around your waist, steadying the both of you so that you won’t crash into the benchers.

“I made it!”

“W-Wait really?” Jungkook pulls back slightly to get a better look on your face. You eagerly nod your head as you let out a triumphant giggle. “Yes! I’m part of the final line-up!”

“I knew it! I’m so proud of you!” Jungkook gleefully congratulated you as he pulled you closer in for a tighter hug. The hot breath from your mouth tickled his neck, sending his shivers down his spine.

Jungkook abruptly pulled away, scratching the back of his head as he reached out to pat your back, “But you still can’t beat me.”

You chuckled, “One day I will, Jeon Jungkook.”

Your friend called out your name, asking you to follow her to the restroom and you headed off, leaving Jungkook and Hoseok by the benchers.

“You’re blushing.” Hoseok teased.

Jungkook sighed, grabbing his towel to throw it at Hoseok. “Not a single word.”

Jungkook knew he had it bad.

*

“Hey,” You walk over to take a sit next to Jungkook. You pull the towel off his head, revealing his red eyes and tear stained cheeks.

“It’s not the end, you have more chances next time.”

Jungkook scoffed, “That’s if coach selects me again.”

“He will.”

“How can he select me after I screwed up—“

“Jeon Jungkook.” You interrupted with a stern voice. Jungkook looked up from the ground to meet your eyes. Immediately, your eyes softened, placing your hand on top of his right knee.

“You are an amazing athlete. I’ve seen you train for the past two years. You’re one of the strongest runners we have and I have no doubt that coach feels the same way.”

Jungkook sniffled, wiping his tears away. “Thanks for being here.” He replies, not responding to any of your words. You smile at him, rubbing his knee as a gesture of comfort.

Jungkook reaches out for your hand, “How’d you even know I’m still here?”

“I’m your best friend, how could I not know?”

He finally lets out a chuckle and you playfully nudge him, “There’s the laugh I love.”

You lean your head against his shoulder, “When you’re done beating yourself up, I’ll be here to help you get your shit together. Just don’t kick me away and let me keep you company.”

Jungkook glances down at you, a small smile tugging on his lips as he allows himself to rest his head against yours. He knew it was bad, but he couldn’t help it - Jungkook was falling for you. But there was no way you felt the same way.

-

Just as he was pulling up to your place, he sees you stepping out of the house to throw the trash. He honked his car, calling for your attention as he drew down the windows, “Can we talk?”

You were glad you had already thrown away the trash in the bin. If you hadn’t, you were sure you would’ve dropped the bags onto the floor, probably causing a huge mess outside the porch.

“S-Sure, give me a second.” You rushed back into your house to wash your hands. You never had such a thorough scrub, you felt bad for making Jungkook wait outside his car for you to just finish washing your hands. However, your mind was racing with a million thoughts.

Why was he here? What does he want to talk about? Was it the kiss? You guys haven’t talked about it, so it was probably going to be about that. Why now? Why can’t you have a break first after confessing to Taehyung? Does he know you confessed to Taehyung? Did Taehyung tell Jungkook?

You weren’t expecting to have to talk to Jungkook on the same day you talked with Taehyung. That was the last thing you expected to do for the day. A nervous feeling took over you as you made your way over to Jungkook who had been patiently waiting outside his car.

“The park?” Jungkook suggests and you nodded your head in agreement. Side by side, the two of you made your way to the nearby park. During your school breaks during the first two years of college, you and Jungkook would go jogging around that park since he always drove over to hang out with you.

He hadn’t been at that park during the third year break since you two had lost contact during the third year. It felt weird visiting the park again with him by your side in your final year. It felt bittersweet.

Jungkook kept stealing glances at you, he noticed how distant you seemed. Your gaze stuck on the floor and hands in your pocket. It was as if something was occupying your mind and you were somewhere else. Was something wrong?

An unsettling feeling slowly crept up to him as he realised he may be too late.

“I came to look for you because I wanted to talk about that night.”

“R-Right,” You nodded your head, preparing your words in your head.

“I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it.” Jungkook starts and you bit your lip, trying your best to keep a neutral expression. “Then it made me think about when you confessed to me a year ago.”

You turn to look at him, a regretful look on his face as he looked straight ahead.

“I know I rejected you that day. But I wish I didn’t. To be honest, I liked you too. I just couldn’t believe that you felt the same way. I should’ve been happy and confessed my feelings. But I was so focused on the possibility of our relationship going bad that I’ll lose you. The thought of that scared me so much that I forgot the most important thing was that I like you.”

Jungkook scoffed at himself, looking up to the sky as he took a deep breath, “And that night has reminded me that my feelings haven’t gone away.”

You stopped walking, tears flooding your eyes as you clenched your fists to stop yourself from crying.

How could he say all of this now? After a year?

How could he say that he liked you the same time you confessed but yet still reject you?

Jungkook turns around after noticing you had stopped walking. “Yn—?“

“Why?” His heart aches when he heard your trembling voice. You slowly look up from the ground, tears blurring your vision. “Why are you saying this now? Why not when I confessed? When I was so ready to love you and be with you?”

Jungkook takes a step closer to you, his hands reaching out to find yours. You blinked as you stepped back, tears flowing down your cheeks. “Do you know… How messed up that is? To say you actually liked me but you rejected me? When it took all the courage in me to tell you how I feel?”

“I-I know and I regret not telling you how I felt—“

“You can’t just say these things to me now, Jungkook,” You sob as you took another deep breath to calm yourself, not wanting to make a scene at the park. You were thankful it was a weekday evening and most of the residents were still making their way home.

“Do you know how crushed I felt? How dejected and lost I was? I hated myself for telling you that night because I lost a friend.” You shook your head as you sniff uglily, “No, I lost a best friend. I hated myself for losing you. I always thought that if I could rewind time, I would’ve kept everything to myself. And now, a year later, you’re telling me you felt the same but chose to make me look like a fool?”

Jungkook had failed to keep himself calm as well, tears streaming down as he each of your word felt like a sword slowly piercing through his heart. He hated how much he had hurt you the past year, he hated how much you were crying in front of him yet he knew that you were the last person you wanted comfort from.

“I’m sorry Jungkook, but I met Taehyung today.” You wiped your tears away as you tried to steady your breathing, “I like Taehyung, a lot. I really do. And I don’t want to mess up what I have with Taehyung.”

And just like that, the sword had pierced completely through his heart, his hands that were outstretched to reach out to you had fallen back to his sides.

“R-Right,” Jungkook cleared his throat, “I’m happy for you.”

Your heart ached as you saw how Jungkook did his best to maintain a cheerful expression. It wasn’t hard to notice the shine in his eyes as he tried to blink the tears away.

“Jungkook—“

“It’s alright yn, it was my fault. I screwed up my chances. I genuinely hope you and Taehyung the best.” He puts on a small smile on his face and all you wanted to do was reach out to hug him.

“I’m sorry,” was all you could mutter at that moment. Jungkook shook his head, “Don’t be.”

Jungkook tilted his head up to the sky as he wiped his tears away before taking a deep breath. You watch as he blasted a bright smile on his face, extending out his arms.

“Hug it out? Friends can hug right?” He timidly asked and you crack a small smile, nodding your head, “Yea they can.”

You took careful steps to close the gap, wrapping your arms around his torso as Jungkook’s arms falls around you.

“I don’t want us to go back to how things were just a year ago.” Jungkook’s voice is muffled by the tight embrace. “I don’t want to lose you in my life, but only if you’re comfortable with it.”

Your embrace around him tightened as a form of reassurance, your head nodding in response, “I don’t want to lose you as a friend either.”

You finally pull away, taking a small step back and you shoved your hands into your pockets. “But it will take a while to get back to normal.”

Jungkook nodded his head, “I completely understand.”

You smile at him, “Thank you for understanding.”

“I was a shitty friend a year ago, I’m not going to make the same mistake again.” He said with a determined tone. Jungkook’s gaze shifts to the exit of the park, “Let me walk you home?”

“Sure,” You gave him a small smile.

After two emotional conversations in one day, you were ready to crash into your bed and forget the eventful day. You left it to the next day to deal with the aftermath.

—

Graduation ceremony and you were all finding each other amongst the sea of fresh graduates and you spot Taehyung first who happily skips his way over to you, wrapping his arm around you as he gently plants a kiss on your forehead.

“Congrats on graduating!” He mumbled into your neck where he nuzzled his face into your embrace. You chuckled, your arms around his waist, pinching his side playfully. “Congrats to you too.”

“Ow!” He exclaimed, pulling back with a fake frown.

You hear Miya call for your name, waving her phone at you, signalling that she wanted a picture.

“Stealing her for a sec,” Miya winks at Tae as she pulls you in for a hug as Namjoon sets up the phone, ready to be the photographer.

While taking numerous photos, you hear a very loud and cheerful voice calling for all your names. All of you simultaneously turned your head to see Hoseok making his way over while dragging Jungkook along with him.

“Congrats on surviving college, I’m surprised we all passed.” Hoseok joked as your group naturally herded together after spotting each other.

“Come on now,” Miya gestured with her arms for the group to squeeze together, “It’s picture taking time.” She tapped on a random student’s shoulder to ask for help before making her way over to Namjoon’s side.

You were on the other end, with Taehyung on your right, his arm wrapped around your shoulder. “Three, two, one, I’m just spamming.” The student spoke as he continuously pressed the screen.

“Thank you!”

“Hey,” Taehyung called for your attention, “We haven’t had a photo yet.”

“I’ll help you guys.” Jungkook offered, making eye contact with Taehyung.

In that moment, you could tell that they were having a silent conversation with each other through their facial expression. Taehyung smiled, handing his phone over to Jungkook. “Thanks, Kook.”

Taehyung gently pulled you close to him by your waist, his head leaning down towards yours. You flashed a bright smile your face, your arms wrapped around Taehyung’s torso as your body instinctively leaned closer to him.

“I’m just spamming the button.” Jungkook spoke.

Taehyung quickly changed his pose, planting a light kiss on your forehead.

You turned your body to face Taehyung, both arms now wrapped each other as you looked lovingly into each other’s eyes.

Jungkook paused his persistent pressing for a second, his gaze glancing away from the phone to the actual scene before him. Though his heart still ached for having missed his last chance with you, a smile crept up to his face as he realised how happy you looked in front of him.

“Alright, that’s enough photos.” Taehyung chuckled, gesturing Jungkook to come over.

“Your turn!” He took the phone from Jungkook’s grasp. You smile welcomingly at Jungkook, extending your arm to welcome him by your side. Jungkook smiled, placing his arms over your shoulder as he stood next to you for a photo together.

After a few photos, Hoseok loudly interrupted, saying that he found someone to help take a group photo.

You and Miya stood in the centre, with Taehyung and Namjoon on your sides and Jungkook and Hoseok at the extreme ends.

As the student started his countdown, Miya exclaimed, “We did it!”

The most carefree expression on your face as the photo was snapped.

So much had happened in your last year in college. Even though it was physically and mentally draining, you were glad it all happened.

You managed to salvage you friendship with Jungkook.

You also managed to find the one who you’re ready to spend the rest of your life with. You were glad Taehyung had decided to try something new in his final year.

At the end of your whole college chapter, it was a huge blessing that you got to end it on a good note.

It was the ending you didn’t see coming, but it the ending you deserved.

sorry i took so long with the last chapter, i've been re-writing it and also some things happened in my life and i've been struggling to get back to doing the things i love even outside writing on tumblr. i hope you guys still liked it nonetheless, i'm sorry if i have disappointed you :(

taglist:

i don’t think anything hurts more than a “she loved him too early, and he loved her too late” trope, even tho that technically wasn’t the case here??? it’s all about that “what could have been” that usually gets me ESP WHEN IT’S BETWEEN BEST FRIENDS…but i’m still super glad everyone got a happy ending and all parties gained acceptance and contentment!

i honestly don’t even know whose team i was.. originally i was team tae bc he was just so good to her!! but then i felt so bad for jungkook and also started hoping they might end up together but y/n and tae deserve each other and i hope jungkook can find his happy ending too.

but when jungkook confessed that he actually liked her the whole time that made me so sad for both parties bc y/n really didn’t deserve that (esp the timing of when jk confessed, it just had to be the same day she confessed to tae).. if only jk didn’t hesitate and let the negative thoughts get the best of him:(( but at the same time, then y/n wouldn’t have ended up with tae.. and they deserve eo, tae is so good to her:(

overall i was so content with this story and its ending. huge kudos to the author i loved this story so much, it was very well written! this is gonna be a story that’s gonna be hard to top for me.. definitely raised my standards haahaha great job author! keep up the great work <333

Taehyung took over your seat as he watched you walk back into your room to get dressed. Taking a deep breath in, he tried to still his shaking leg and calm his nerves.

He knew he had to tell you how he felt. These thoughts have been taking over his mind whenever he saw you. Taehyung knew how he always looked forward to having you around. He always wanted to see you smile and wanted to be there when you’re down.

Something had been holding him back and he knew it was because of the history you had with Jungkook. Now that Jungkook was back in your life, he was worried that he’ll lose his chance to tell you how he felt. Taehyung needed to know that there was nothing between you and Jungkook from the man himself before he could make a move with a peace of mind.

“You okay?”

“Huh?”

“You had a constipated look your face.” You chuckled at him.

“Oh, yea I’m fine. You ready?”

“Yup!” You nodded with a grin on your face.

The both of you headed down the steep stairs of the treehouse villa and made your way towards the post that signalled the start of the hiking trail.

The crunch of the leaves were loud with every step you took and you could hear the birds chirping in the distance. The sun was not too strong and harsh at that timing, gently warming your skin.

“I cant believe this place exists. Feels like i’m in another country.” Taehyung commented as the two of you began the trail.

“It really feels unreal. I’m sure we all needed this break before we get back to reality.”

Taehyung groaned, “I’m not looking forward to getting back to the grind.”

“I wish we had a choice.”

The trail was fairly easy, flat for most of the part. At the halfway point, there was a small pit stop. Huge rocks placed for people to take a short breather.

A sign that says ‘you got this! halfway there!’.

“Let’s take a picture!” Taehyung suggested after you pointed at the sign, commenting on how cute it was.

The two of you positioned yourself next to the sign, Taehyung hesitantly draping his arm over your shoulder as he leaned his head towards you. Your body instinctively moved closer to him, placing your arm loosely around his waist as you posed for the camera.

“Cheese!” Taehyung exclaimed cheekily, taking multiple photos at one go.

Once the two of you had cooled down, you began the second half of the trail, which was back towards to the villas.

The two of you began talking about anything that you could think of under the sun.

“Do you prefer table tennis or track?”

Taehyung hummed as he thought of his response. “I’d say track.”

“Really? Why?”

He shrugged his shoulders, a small tugging at his lips. “A few reasons. I like the vibe and culture as a whole. Feels like family.”

“Was it not the same for table tennis?”

“Not exactly. We were all friends in a way but I couldn’t really find the right group of people that I could genuinely connect with.”

“I see.”

“But I found it here in this team.” He turns to you with a bright smile that made you feel warm inside.

“Actually,” Taehyung stopped in his tracks, causing you to follow, turning back to face him.

“Need a break?” You asked when Taehyung didn’t continue his sentence.

He shook his head, “Could I tell you something?”

“Sure, you can always talk to me.” You encouraged.

Taehyung was not sure if he was doing the right thing. He was so determined to let you know this morning about his feelings for you but now having you in front of him, that was a different challenge.

You both had gotten so close during the semester and he did not want to ruin all of that. He knew how badly it went with Jungkook and he was worried that it would play out the same with him this time.

He didn’t want you to push him away. But he also wanted you to know how he felt. Just in case, in any slim chance, you felt the same way.

“What’s wrong?”

Taehyung blinked, pulling himself back from his thoughts as he bit his lips nervously.

Something clicked in you. The memory of you confessing to Jungkook flashed. You noticed the signs of nervousness, of hesitation, of contemplating the next move.

Your heart was racing faster as you had realised what was about to happen.

“I like you.”

It was as if the air had been caught in your throat, your gaze locked with his as Taehyung continued.

“I’m not sure exactly when I knew that. But I realized it after how I always find myself counting down to the most boring lectures just to sit next to you. How I looked forwarding to our physical training sessions just to see you for the entire afternoon. I always look forward to our study sessions even though we’re studying the most boring thing in the world.”

You fiddled with your fingers as you tried to think of something to say. You heard ever single word that came out from his mouth. You felt every single word dripping with sincerity and you felt it from his gaze. His nervous smile plastered on his face as he let out an awkward chuckle, “You dont have to say anything really. I just thought it’s right to let you know. I hope this doesn’t change our friendship… I know what happened with… Yea and I don’t want that to happen to us. I like being with you.”

You slowly nodded your head, air coming back into your lungs as you took a deep breath in and out to calm your rapid heart rate. “Thank you for telling me, I’m flattered, really. And honestly I’m even shocked that you even like me.”

“What’s not to like about you? You always lighten my mood no matter how bad it has been. Even when the day is boring, it just feels good to be around you.”

With a smile, you extended out your arms for a hug, Taehyung closing the distance eagerly to pull you in for an embrace.

“Don’t take my response as a no either. I just need some time to think.”

“Of course, all in your time.”

It was as if you just experienced deja vu. Only this time, you were on the receiving end.

—

Jungkook knew Taehyung had stuck to his words. He picked up the relieved expression on his face when the both of you had returned from your morning hike.

Just like the night before, Jungkook had lost his mood for the pancakes.

He was your friend. He should be happy for you. Jungkook was irked that he didn’t feel that way. Something was bugging him but he couldn’t exactly place his finger on it.

What was making him feel this way?

Was he worried that you being in a relationship would mean less time for both of you to make up for the lost time?

Was that really his concern?

“We made pancakes!” Hoseok proudly showed the plate of perfectly cooked pancakes, “Just don’t look at the trash.”

You laughed, making your way over to the kitchen counter. “They look amazing!”

Namjoon quietly heads out into the living area, calling for all your attention. “Okay she’s getting ready.”

“Getting ready?”

Namjoon faces you, “I told her that you wanted to go on a hike with her. Could you keep her away from here while we prepare the decorations? I have it in my bag but I hid it in Jungkook’s room.”

You internally cried at having to walk another time, you definitely clocked in your workout for the month in one day.

“Sure, sure. Let me just have one pancake.” You grabbed a plate to fill up your empty stomach.

Taehyung handed a glass of ice cold water, “Here, to refresh yourself before going on another hike.”

“Another?” Namjoon asked.

“Yea, Tae and I went out this morning. But it’s cool, get some exercise in.”

A few minutes later, Miya stepped out ready for her first hike while you were ready for your second. Though, she didn’t need to know that. “Have fun you lazy pigs!” Miya waved goodbye as the two of you headed out. The boys had positioned themselves laying lazily on the couch as they turned on a random movie on Netflix.

Namjoon told Miya that the boys were lazy to join so it was just the two of you.

“They’re missing out.” Miya happily jumped off the last step, turning to face you as she stuck out her arm, waiting for you to intertwine yours with hers.

“Can you believe we’re about to graduate soon?”

“I can’t. It feels like we just met each other yesterday.”

“And how we both coincidentally signed up for track.” Miya chips in and you both laugh.

“Time flies really fast.”

“It does,” Miya takes a big content sigh, eyes looking up at the thick trees. “I’m happy that our final semester is ending with our original group back together. Plus Tae too of course.”

At the mention of Taehyung, you nearly tripped on your own foot, clearing your throat to play it off. However, being your roommate and best friend, Miya knew when something was off. Almost immediately, she stops, tilting her head in confusion as she slowly turns to face you.

“What happened?”

“W-What?” You stutter. Miya raises her eyebrows suspiciously and you sigh, giving in as you shared about what happened this morning.

“Long story short, Taehyung confessed to me this morning.”

“What did you say?”

“I didn’t give him a response.”

“But how do you feel?”

You paused, your gaze drifting to the ground, kicking small stones as you thought about it. “I think it’s too early to say anything but I do feel something for Taehyung. A good something.”

Miya nodded her head, “You guys aren’t… Awkward?”

“No, well, hopefully it stays this way. I don’t want another repeat of what happened.”

“I hope so too. Taehyung’s a great guy. I see the way he cares for you.”

“But how about Jungkook?”

You turned to face her, “What about him?”

“Do you still have feelings for him?”

“I-I don’t know, to be honest. I thought I don’t, but having him back in my life is bringing back the feelings I thought I buried.”

“I don’t want you to get into something messy, yn.”

“I know… I just need time to figure out my thoughts.”

Miya stops walking, reaching her hand out to stop you as well. “Hey, Taehyung’s a really great guy. I can tell he cares a lot about you. Just don’t let your worries prevent something good from happening. But, don’t rush things either.”

You smiled, placing your free hand on top of hers. “Yea, I’ll keep that in mind.”

The two of you eventually made your way back to the villa half an hour later. You were both dropped in sweat since the harsh morning sun had started to rise as time drew closer to noon.

“I got the key.” You quickly went ahead by a few steps to unlock the door for Miya. With a heavy sigh, Miya pushed the unlocked door, “I cant wait for a good bath—“

“Happy birthday!” The boys exclaimed, clapping their hands as they advanced towards Miya to pull her towards to kitchen where the birthday cake awaited for her.

The group sang the birthday song cheerfully, reminding Miya to make a birthday wish. With hands clasped tight and eyes shut, Miya made her wish before blowing out the candles.

“You guys! The decorations are so cute!” She gushed as her eyes scanned around the living room. They managed to get a load of balloons covering the floor, a huge ‘happy birthday’ displayed on the black wall and the radio softly playing today’s pop hits.

“Yn already went for a walk today but she clocked in another round to distract you.”

“I’m done exercising for the month.” You joked as Miya cooed, pulling you towards her for a sweaty embrace.

“You guys are the best!”

—

The second night mirrored the first night, the whole lot of you finishing up whatever drinks were left from the previous night while watching a light comedy movie that Miya had been wanting to watch.

After the movie had ended, you had all returned to your individual rooms to enjoy the rest of the night. Miya and Namjoon were spending their own time together and all of you were smart enough to leave them undisturbed.

“Rest well,” Jungkook sounds out to you as you were about to head to your room. With a small smile, you nodded your head, “You too, Jungkook.”

As you found yourself alone in your room, you decided to connect your phone to the bluetooth speaker available to play your soft nights playlist. You decided to pack your belongings so that you could sleep in for the last morning at the villa.

While packing, all you could think about was Taehyung’s confession that replayed in your head.

There was a knock at your door and you called for the person to come in.

“You’re packing?”

“Yep.”

“Could I join you?”

You smiled, patting the empty space next to you, “Come in.”

Taehyung smiled, softly closing the door behind you to join you on your bed as you continued to pack your things.

“Excited to go home?” Taehyung teased and you shook your head with a laugh. “The total opposite.”

He sighed, leaning back on the palm of his hands, his gaze softly landing on your back as you focused on folding your clothes.

“Tomorrow when we check out and go back to our dorms, we’ll be focusing on finals. I just want to stay here.”

“Me too.” You huffed, nodding your head in agreement.

As you got off the bed bed to close your duffel bag, Taehyung nervously shifted in his spot. “Listen, I know you haven’t given a response and I’m not asking for one. But…” He shyly rubbed his palms together, “I was wondering if you’d be okay on going on a date with me some time after finals?”

You paused, looking up to make eye contact before smiling, “Sure.”

Taehyung immediately broke out into a giddy smile, hopping off the bed to pull you in a quick tight hug, “That’s great! I’ll figure out the details and update you again.”

—

It was back to reality and you were all meeting up to study together almost every day. You were grateful you had them to drag you out of bed if not, you would be procrastinating in bed, sleeping in every morning.

It was a Saturday and you had decided to change your study location for the day from your dorm to the library. Miya was lazy to pack her things and join you, so you headed to the library alone.

With your headphones in, you managed to get some revision in for the day. You did not have the time to think about what happened at the villa with Taehyung and you were also thankful that Taehyung didn’t bring it up because you both had to focus on your last finals ever.

As you were packing up to head to the dining hall for dinner, you heard someone whispering your name.

“Jungkook? Done studying for the day?” You asked as you threw your bag over your shoulder. Jungkook nodded your head, “Got hungry.” He licked his lips nervously before inviting you, “Do you want to get dinner together? Treat ourselves to some good food instead of the dining hall?”

You shrugged your shoulders with a smile, “Alright.”

The two of you made your way to the carpark and Jungkook said that he had a place in mind and drove the both of you there. He brought you to a quaint Italian restaurant, the ones running the restaurant were the owners, an Italian family that migrated there.

“This place feels nice.”

The staff worked efficiently, after they had taken your orders, it was at most 15 minutes before your orders had arrived. On top of that, the food was delicious. It was as if the two of you had teleported to Italy for your dinner.

“I can’t believe our final semester is ending.”

You nodded your head, “I can’t believe it too. I still remember bumping into you when we were freshmen.”

Jungkook choked on his drink as he chuckled from the memory, “Two lost souls navigating around the huge campus.”

You smiled, “And now we’re going to enter adulthood.”

Jungkook sighed, his smile faltering as he reached out for his drink once more. “What’s wrong?” You asked.

He shook his head, “Just the usual worrying about the future.”

“I’m sure you’ll figure things out. You always did.”

“Thanks yn.”

The two of you had cleared your plate entirely and a food coma was coming your way. Jungkook called for the bill and insisted to pay for dinner, “You really don’t have to Jungkook, we can split—“

“Just let me treat this one, please?”

“Why?”

Jungkook hesitates, “I-I just want to.”

“Alright, fine. But I’ll treat the next meal then.”

The two of you left after Jungkook had made the payment and made your way back into his car. While Jungkook was setting up the GPS to find the directions back to the dorms, he spoke, “I’ve said this a lot. But, I’m really very happy to be back with you in the final semester before graduating.”

You tried your best to ignore how that sentence made you feel as you nodded your head in agreement. “Me too.”

After parking his car, Jungkook insisted to send you all the way back to your place. “What are your plans this summer before entering the working world?”

“I’m not sure. But, I’m going back to live with my parents first and maybe plan a trip.” You turned to face him, “How about you?”

With a shrug, Jungkook responded, “Still thinking about it.”

Recognising your dorm number, you both stopped outside your door, turning your body to face Jungkook. You reached out to pat his shoulder, “It’s normal to feel this way. Don’t stress yourself too much on it, you’ve got us here as well.”

He smiles, raising his hand to place it on top of yours that was still on his shoulder.

“Thanks yn, it feels good to just let stout to you.”

He flash an encouraging smile, “Any time.”

You watch as Jungkook’s eyes flicker to your lips, his small slowly dropping. Feeling draw, you found yourselves inching closer towards each other. The gap closing making your heart rate go erratic. Jungkook’s hand leaves yours as he moves to gently cup you cheek, leaning in to gently press his lips against yours.

It was a hesitant kiss as you didn’t reciprocate immediately. Almost automatically, your hand that was on his shoulder, mimics his action as you move to cup his cheek, moving closer to him to deepen the kiss.

A year ago, you would have been over the moon. Happy tears flowing down your face as you realise Jungkook felt the same way. This should have been the moment you had been waiting for.

But it wasn’t.

It felt wrong.

Friends don’t do this, you thought as you pulled yourself out from this romantic

“I-I’m sorry, I gotta go.” You scrambled for words are you hand frantically ran through your hair.

“W-Wait, yn.” Jungkook tried to reach out to you with his words and hands but he could almost feel you slipping away even though you were right in front of him.

“I’m sorry yn, I shouldn’t have—“

“No it’s alright, goodnight Jungkook. Thanks for today again.” You quickly said your finals words before closing the door of him.

With a heavy sigh, Jungkook stared at the unwelcoming door for a few more seconds before making his way back to his dorm, feeling as though he had screwed up all the progress made during the semester.

—

Despite the confession from the villa and kiss from the dinner, you surprisingly managed to get your act together for your last few papers ever in college.

Taehyung had finished a day earlier and had eagerly asked if he could take you out right after your last finals paper. You agreed to celebrate your freedom with him since Miya had strongly encouraged you to say yes since she was also going to ditch you for Namjoon.

“So,” You spoke with curiosity, “Why are we here at this park?”

Taehyung turned around with a big grin, reaching out with an open hand, “Just trust me.”

You gave in, reaching out to place yours on his waiting hand before heading over to his surprise hand in hand.

It was definitely a beautiful surprise.

Since it was a weekday, the park was relatively empty but on the empty patch of land was a pastel blue checkered mat, pinned down with four tall wooden poles that all meet at the top like a pyramid.

Fairy lights strategically wrapped around the poles to enhance the ambience since extra light was not necessarily since it was still the afternoon.

On the picnic mat laid a big picnic bag filled with different kinds of light snacks inside. The rest of the mat surrounded with different types of cushions.

“Did you set that all up?”

Taehyung flicked his hand, “I’m not that talented. There’s a company that does these things so I booked a picnic date after you agreed to celebrating the end of finals with me.”

You let yourself smile widely like a giddy girl who just got her dream gift from her parents.

“It’s amazing.”

“Why don’t we enjoy it?"

You nodded and the two of you made your way over to the beautiful set-up to enjoy your picnic date.

Taehyung rummaged through his bag to take out his bluetooth speaker, childishly giggling like a shy boy. “For the vibes.”

You chuckled as you watched him set up the bluetooth speaker to softly play a relaxing playlist that he has specially created for this date.

“I can’t believe this is the end of the college.”

“Time really flies too fast sometimes.”

The two of you enjoyed the wide array of picnic snacks prepared as you let out your pent up worries and dreams for the new chapter waiting to begin.

“We actually don’t have anymore finals to deal with anymore.”

“I still don’t believe that’s true.” You half-joked, reaching out for the drinks.

Taehyung hesitates as he fiddles with his watch, “I hope i get to enjoy my future with you by my side. Be it romantically or not. I hope we stay in each other’s lives.”

Though your cheeks grew hot and your heart almost wanting to jump out of your chest to give a personal hug to Taehyung, a guilty feeling was nagging at the back of your mind.

“M-Me too.” You stammered before laughing at how flustered you were.

You didn’t have it in you to tell Taehyung what happened with Jungkook. Frankly, you were trying to forget it happened as much as possible.

Your group hadn’t had a reunion since Namjoon had already started his management trainee program and you were all waiting for a day he could take a breather.

Hoseok had been juggling with part time jobs while waiting for his full time job to begin.

The rest of you had still been job searching or waiting on offers.

Throughout that period, you barely had time to meet with Jungkook as he had been busying himself with job interviews and you figured it was too awkward for the both of you to meet up.

You had exchanged a few texts ever since that night, acting as if nothing happened. But you were sure that every time you were reminded of each other, that event immediately replayed in your minds.

Besides that, you and Taehyung had been going out on more dates whenever you were both free. Taehyung would meet you after his interviews, and you could never get sick of the sight of him in a suit.

However, your guilt increased after each date as you never got to bring yourself to tell Taehyung of that Jungkook incident.

A week after finals, you had gone back to your home with your parents. Taehyung thankfully didn’t live too far, he would drive over whenever you had nothing to do.

He would always claim that doing nothing with you around is way better than doing nothing in his own room.

After lots of tough love and nagging from Miya, you knew you had to tell Taehyung.

“Hey,” You prepared yourself up on your bed, Taehyung stops spinning in your swivel chair.

“What’s up?”

You patted the empty bed, gesturing for him to come over, which he obliged. Fiddling with your hands, Taehyung immediately knew something was troubling you.

“Is it about your response thing?”

“Huh?” You looked back to him in confusion.

“I understand you haven’t given me a response about my confession but I really mean it when I say no pressure. I want things to happen in your comfortable pace.”

You gave a weak smile, shaking your head, “It’s not about that.”

“Oh,” he tilts his head, “What is it about then?”

Having zero courage to look him in the eye, you stared at your shaking hands. “Jungkook and I kissed. It was before finals.”

Taehyung took a few moments to internalise what you had confessed before uttering out a single “oh”.

“We went out for dinner, but it wasn’t a date. We were just studying at the library before that. He sent me home and… I’m sorry. I should’ve told you earlier. I should’ve told you immediately—“

“Hey, hey, look at me.” Taehyung softly interjects, placing his hand over yours. You gingerly looked up to see his eyes still filled with warmth and not a single ounce of anger.

“I’m not angry. Yes, I’m sad and upset. But, you don’t owe me anything. We’re not together and you don’t have to feel bad about not sharing earlier. You still told me and it means a lot.”

As you heard Taehyung’s compassionate and mature words, tears welled up in your eyes as you tried to stop them from falling.

“Why are you so n-nice to me?” Your voice cracked as a lone tear dropped.

Taehyung shrugged his shoulders and for the first time, you could see pain in his expression, “I just really like you a lot, yn.”

To be very honest, he felt like his heart had just been crushed by an elephant. Taehyung knew how close you and Jungkook were as friends already and after that event, he felt that he had just fallen many steps behind Jungkook. Taehyung worried that he could never live up to that, like he could never provide you the relationship you wanted with Jungkook.

“You deserve better, Tae.”

“Who says you’re not good enough for me?” Taehyung gently patting away the tears that dropped. You reached up, placing your hand on his to stop his movement, “I’m really sorry Tae.”

Taehyung shook his head one more time, “It’s okay,” He pulls you towards his chest for an embrace, “It’s okay, yn.”

-

The next day, you had tried to get your mind off of Taehyung and Jungkook. You went out with Miya for some girls time. The two of you went to the mall for some retail therapy before buying a couple of bottles back to your house where Miya was crashing for the night.

Over drinks, you shared your dilemma with Miya. Saying how bad you felt about hurting Taehyung. You felt that you screwed it up with Taehyung. You don’t know what to do about the two.

Miya just smiles at you and you question her, “Why are you smiling like that?”

“It seems like you know the answer.”

A blush crept up on your face as you reached out to take a few more sips. “It’s too late anyway, I already ruined my chance with him.”

“Doesn’t seem like it. Call him. Tell him how you feel.”

“What do I do with him then?”

“You have to meet him too.” Miya answered solemnly, “Hopefully he takes it well and that… You two don’t drift apart again.”

Miya was right and you were worried about that. You had just patched things up with Jungkook and you didn’t want anything to sabotage that again. Things were going great with Taehyung and you also didn’t want to lose that strong connection with him.

But you knew what you had to do.

That night when Miya had already knocked out in your bed, you sat at the edge of your bed, stiff as a rock as you clicked on the contact.

Could we meet up tomorrow? - yn

Just as you were about to put your phone away, your phone lights up. Heart beating rapidly, you immediately opened your message to see a “sure”. Clutching your phone tightly in your hand, you hoped that tomorrow will go well.

author's note: possibly just 1 chapter left to go if I decide to combine everything into the 6th chapter. I am so so sorry I took so long to publish this next chapter. Please forgive me. Let me know how you feel about it!

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