How to Disappear Completely
Mavis has reread...
How to Disappear Comletely by zerorequiem
Rating: Explicit Ship: Taekook Word Count: 71.4k Status: Completed Tags: Alternate Universe - Neighbors, Agoraphobia, Social Anxiety, Age Swap, Hurt/Comfort, Gaming, Isolation, Panic Attacks, Jeon Jungkook is Bad at Feelings, Kimg Taehyung | V is a Sweetheart, Art Student Kim Taehyung | V, First Time, Loss of Virginity, Recreational Drug Use, Strangers to Lovers, Top Jeon Jungkook, Bottom Kim Taehyung | V, Angst, Unreliable narrator Summary: Jeongguk hasn't left his apartment in two years.
Saying this fic is transformative isn't an overstatement. The writing is incredibly satisfying with well-paced phrases and scenes so well described you can see them in front of you crystal clear.
I love Jungkook's characterization here, the author describing his feelings as a NEET and shut-in facing the outside world and it's people is very believable and relatable even if you don't identify as one yourself. It really makes you feel for him, and you want to root for his success. Each change he makes for improvement is so small but you can tell how big it is for him every time and even when he falls back he still shows that he has changed. Taehyung's character is sweet, and he functions as Jungkook's first connection to the outside world, his 'lifeline' an way out of his self-deprecating life. He is very on brand for being Tae, spicy seafood rameyon as his favorite food being the only thing really throwing me off (and maybe the pineapple and anchovies toppings on pizza ???), he is lively, bold and incredibly social. His kindness, confidence and eagerness to help is marked as his strongest traits, maybe a bit too eager as it backfires on him eventually. What I appreciate is that Taehyung isn't written as a magical solution to Jungkook's problems, even though it might seem that way at the beginning. Taehyung is a catalyst, he gives Jungkook a reason to try again, but his hardest battles are still fought internally.
The smut is very scarce but it feels intentional, and it's exceptionally well-written. It feels real, the first time is awkward but not too awkward. There are moments of cringe, but I think it's fitting because Jungkook is a little cringy with purpose.
The setback is... Let's just say it was painful. The writing in chapter 7 perfectly captured the feeling of the increasingly haunting repetitiveness, the way each day started out with the same first sentence made the reader themselves lose track of time. Chapter 8 was especially tough to read through without needing to collect myself every other paragraph. The hopelessness in chapter 7 and 8 back to back was all just pain. Pain and pain and pain over and over again. For me it's just telling how much I cared for Jungkook's character and how I wanted him to succeed, and if I were to reveal a bit of myself I saw my own struggles in him in that chapter.
The following chapters reveal a big change in Jungkook, and honestly the relief of them made me conscious of how hard it was to breathe during the previous ones. I had been holding my breath, and finally finding comfort was like coming up for air after being underwater. It was so earned, and it felt like the weight on your chest just washes away the further you read. Chapters 9 and 10 was the much-needed hug after the emotional beating that chapters 7 and 8 put both Jungkook and the reader (ME) through.
The only real complaint I have is the time skip in the last chapter. I know it is noted sort of like an epilogue, but it throws off the rythm and pacing of Jungkook's development the fic had been building and centered around. This is a very small issue though, as the chapter itself is very sweet and deserving for Jungkook after all he went through. It's a very nice conclusion for an amazing story. Incredible re-read, thanks Arba for reading along with me. I love you.
