#baspringwillcome

Jaekyung has always irked you a lot because he's been teasing you about Seokjin since you were kids but you love him regardless. He’s like an older brother to you and has the same age as Jin so they practically hangout every time the latter comes to town.You may also have been too obvious of your little crush on Seokjin that he immediately noticed and tormented you both during birthday parties.

Sometimes you actually feel bad for Seokjin because of all the teasing he gets not only from your cousin but his older sister as well. You and her have been close mainly because you crave having an older sibling, especially a sister. You hated being the eldest cause of you know, gazillion reasons. You invited her and of course she said yes but then she told you how Seokjin might be coming too since he’s apparently free.

Then why did he turn down your cousin’s invite? Does he even remember you at all?

You felt a pang at the thought but you dismissed it immediately. You still need to pack up so no time to wallow. You're gonna go to this retreat with a Seokjin-free mind.

.

When you arrived at the villa, you were in awe of how gorgeous it is. Everything from the inside architecture and all the villa's luxurious services made you pretty damn hype to be finally fully relaxed. You met with the receptionist and told you to be in the lobby after dinner for a welcoming soiree so you’re even more excited to meet new people.

After settling your stuff, you went outside and toured the entire villa, enjoying all the scheduled activities you planned but truth to be told you mainly enjoyed being pampered in the spa the most. You never regretted having this despite your initial doubts with you being money conscious growing up.

During dinner, you didn't really care much to talk to people since all you can focus on is the food, so damn delicious as you have been starving with all the things that you did today and you're more excited for the soiree after anyways. You went back to your room to touch up since you feel like you look messy after eating so much.

Coming down the stairs to the foyer you noticed people talking to themselves already but most of them seemed to be focused on something, more like someone.

And then you hear it, a familiar melody echoing throughout the room that is being played by someone on the piano in the middle of it. At first you only focused on the melody, bringing back to when you tried learning the instrument in elementary only to stop in order to focus on your studies.

But as you came nearer, you're starting to notice who it is, with his prominent broad shoulders and his perfect posture even when sitting down. There's no doubt it's Seokjin.

You walked nearer, observing him graciously playing the piano with his delicate fingers. You marvelled his face, maybe it's just your eyes but he's gotten more handsome now, it's been almost 7 years since you left after all.

With you getting fascinated with Seokjin's musical skill you didn't notice how you're slowly walking closer to a display table near the corner, and when you moved a little to get a good angle of him, you accidentally elbowed the vase behind you.

The sound cracked into the air that diverted everyone's attention from Seokjin to you. You froze, embarrassed at your clumsiness but before you can apologize you see him turned to you. Seokjin's eyes immediately locked with yours, you noticed the disbelief in them though you wonder if he's only trying to remember your face with this perplexed reaction.

You blinked away and started apologizing to everyone around you, even trying to help the cleaners who insisted for you not worry since this happens quite often. You left in a hurry, not giving Seokjin a glance as you hurriedly passed everyone.

Jin is utterly shocked to see you here of all places, he couldn't believe that you're finally back. Are you staying for good or just visiting? Despite his surprise, he managed to catch your startled reaction on seeing him. 

He immediately stood up, ignoring the weird looks he's been getting and hushed complaints since he stopped playing the piano. He's been there for a while now because of countless requests from other guests and he's just too nice to decline. 

You heard footsteps behind you and now you're nervous because it's surely him. You saw the determined look in his eyes earlier beyond the surprise in them so you already guessed that he'll follow you. But why though?

“You saved me back there” he chuckled, breathing heavily as he caught up to you. You stopped in your tracks, a confused expression displayed on your face.

"Uh you're welcome hehe" you smiled shyly as you recovered, avoiding his stares. You've always been bad at making eye contact and it's not helping when Seokjin's staring at you intensely. 

"How have you been Y/N? Didn't think I'd find you here" he laughs nervously, pondering his approach with your stunned face. He's not gonna be an idiot this time, he already missed his shots before.

"Small world haha but you really remember me?"

You awkwardly laughed since you’re taken aback at how he's approaching you like you two have been long time friends reuniting.

But you and Seokjin weren't friends, just acquaintances since you see each other a lot during celebrations.

"What, you think I'd forget you?" he smiled at you when you turned to him but you didn't miss the regretful look in his eyes. And here you thought he's good at hiding his feelings according to Jaekyung.

"I don't know, you never really talked to me back then" you retorted.

"I just..,hey–"

A sudden darkness enveloped everything around you that made Seokjin yelped and you heard the panicked outcries from the guests in the lobby. You on the other hand remained calm as blackouts don't really scare you.

You were never afraid of it, growing up getting used to frequent blackouts from your little town you developed a skill of maneuvering in the dark. Only case now is that Seokjin's making you nervous so now you clumsily walk forward and hit the corner of the wall.

You let out a small yelp but Seokjin's immediately by your side, holding you tightly. You couldn't see his face but you can tell by his tense touch how worried he is.

"Are you alright?" he asked gently and you chuckled.

"I just bumped Jinnie"

"Jinnie huh?" he teased and you're so sure he's smirking right now.

"Whatever, let's go find some candles" you wavered and instantly grabbed his arm but he removed your hand and laced it together with his own.

You're so fucked, this is moving faster than you anticipated. 

Seokjin's surprised at how you easily moved in the dark and you tried to ignore the butterflies in your stomach when you're holding hands with him, with Seokjin after all these years.

.

You both ventured through the halls and stopped when one of the staff reassured you that the blackout won’t last for the whole night. Seokjin immediately asked for the candles (which are looking fancy btw) and the staff handed them to you. Seokjin tugged you nearer to him to observe your reaction and he can feel you’re still skeptical around him, after all, you’re practically complete strangers until earlier.

"Y-Y/N, I've been meaning to talk to you–"

"I know, but let's not talk in here" you responded softly which caused a big relief for Seokjin. You dragged him further away from other guests and staff, the little light from the moon outside guiding you both as you walked through the stairs. You were going to go in the direction to your room when he moved around the corner and you noticed that it’s towards his room.

“It’s nearer than your room and I might have a flashlight and more candles there" he responded obviously, looking down at the dimming candle which is why you agreed anyways. You are also mentally preparing for this "talk" of you and him. Is this it? Will he confront you about your obvious feelings for him? How fucking embarrassing would that be.

You both entered a large suite which didn’t surprise you. Knowing Seokjin, of course he would get one of the biggest suites in the villa. You laughed thinking how big this room is for one person, it’s that bigger than yours.

Even in the darkness, you can feel him peering at you and now you’re feeling jittery, all your laughter gone in an instant. 

“I-”

“Uh-”

You both laughed a little for answering at the same time, quite cute actually. Seokjin's still fetching some candles when you walk over to him, surprising him when you turn him around to face you.

"You've been really wanting to talk to me, so now we'll talk Jin" you smiled at him and he smiled back, looking at you like you're the only light in this dark room. 

But you are though, always have been in his life ever since.

"Okay so I know we've never really had an actual conversation every time we see each other before but.." he paused, he seems to be nervous. Kim Seokjin is nervous? You smiled in amusement which he didn't miss. What if..

"I like you"

Your widened eyes mirrored Seokjin's after you both synced again. But no laugh came after this time.

"No" you said dryly, your expression twisting into disbelief making him wince.

"Y-Y/N–"

"My cousin and your sister made my feelings even more obvious but you don't have to use that just to start a conversation Seokjin" you sighed in disappointment.

"No, that's not it and where is this even coming from?" his voice frantic after noticing your opposite response to his confession.

"No? How could you? How could you even like me when you couldn't even look at me before let alone talking to me" your voice laced in irritation.

"I don't think you noticed it back then" he sighed and closed his eyes. You didn't know what to say because you're very confused right now.

He took your silence as a sign to continue so he took a deep breath and opened his eyes, looking straight into yours.

"You know I've always looked forward to going to parties before, because then I'll get to play with your cousins who I treat as brothers since you know, I don't have one" he looked away and smiled warmly, remembering the fond memories of his childhood.

You wanted him to continue but you have so many questions for him. He waited for them but you don't know what to ask first. Annoyance and confusion battling themselves in your mind.

He nodded slightly, a knowing look on his face and turned his back at you. He needs to explain now before your patience runs out but he couldn’t focus with your pretty face in front of him.

“I wasn’t in a good place back then, my parents were always fighting back home so the only way I’ll get an actual break is when I go with my sisters to your town during gatherings. They’re divorced now though, Dad keeps saying that Mom cheated but I didn’t know who to believe that’s why until now I always leave the house as much as I can” he sounds defeated. You noticed how his broad shoulders slacked against the table and your face softened.

“Jin, I’m sorry I didn’t know” you’re full of guilt now, you should’ve just let him explain before. You’re too consumed with your own feelings that you didn’t even give Seokjin the benefit of the doubt, already assuming everything just because you think you’re the only one looking. Your heart broke at his revelation, how he’s still carrying that experience even today.

“Nah it’s okay, even your cousin didn’t know. Guess I have been really good at hiding it, well at least for everyone outside my family” he playfully responded, trying to lighten up the situation.

You walked closer to Seokjin, aching to hug him to comfort him but you didn’t wanna be too pushy. Just because he said he likes you doesn’t mean you’re allowed to cross boundaries already.

“Jinnie..” you said softly, wanting him to turn around.

“I just don’t go to those parties as my escape place and because of your cousins, I wanted to go because I wanted to see you as well ” you heart’s racing with another confession of his.

You couldn’t help it, so many times you could’ve been together. Maybe if you didn’t leave and paid attention more, it would’ve been different. So you instantly wrapped your arms around his waist and you heard him inhale sharply. shit, is it too much?

But then he released a contented sigh and leaned back into your arms, causing you to relax and smile at his response.

"I'm here Jinnie" you spoke gently.

He removed your arms and turned to face you, his eyes full of longing and affection. You reached for his face with one of your hands and he grabbed the other one, lacing his fingers on yours and brought it to his other cheek.

A tender smile appeared on his very handsome face as he leaned back in the table and you closed the distance between you. You both closed your eyes the moment your lips met, his soft and plump ones molding with your own. He removed his other hand from your fingers, running it down delicately through your arm and you shivered in his touch.

The kiss started off slowly and gently but minutes passed by and you both are starting to feel the neediness for each other. You released your lips from his and you both stared at each other's eyes, inhaling sharply after when his lips started kissing your jaw towards your neck.

You tilt your head on the side to give him more access but his hands grabbed your waist closer to him, situating you between his legs causing your legs to touch his inner thighs and he groaned.

Sensitive part then?

You smirked but it vanished when his hands went down to stroke the back of your thighs underneath your dress, gliding them higher and higher until he reached your bum. You gasped when he grabbed a handful, your hands grasping into his hair as he nipped your collarbones.

You don't really mind if he leaves marks but he's doing it lightly so it won't. Seokjin continued his teasing, purposely doing the same thing over and over again until he felt you getting impatient.

"Seokjin.." you whined softly and pulled his hair, making him moan. He didn't answer you and just smiled against your neck, pecking them lightly before looking back at your cute, scrunched up face.

You couldn't take it anymore and you know he's teasing. Of course, Seokjin won't be Seokjin without it.

He watched in daze as you slowly undressed yourself in front of him. He did not think you'd actually do this with him so he’s thankful, though he still wonders how lucky he is that you accepted his confession.

"Are you sure?" he asked softly and you nodded, clutching his suit.

"Off" you demanded.

He laughed quietly and started removing his clothes slowly.

"Jin I swear–"

You immediately stopped your ramble as soon as you saw his skin into view. Despite the dimmed lighting, you can still clearly see his well-built physique.

He's not muscular like other guys but you don’t really care anyways because it’s Seokjin. Your eyes scanned his face down to his body and you gulped when they reached his very hard member. You looked away now fidgeting but Seokjin just confidently stood up and grabbed your face to kiss you, his thumb caressing your jaw as his kisses turned intense. 

You reciprocated them with fervour, pressing your tongue against his lower lip asking for an entrance which he gladly accepted. Hands desperately roaming at each other’s bodies, you both slowly approached his bed, mouths not stopping at devouring each other until the back of your knees reached the edge.

Seokjin released you, his eyes studying your face, mumbling “gorgeous” before crouching down but you stopped him before his knees reached the floor.

"I want to," he insisted as his palms slid up through your legs, adding the yearning look in his eyes that almost made you say yes. 

"Next time Jinnie" 

"Next time?" he asked softly, scanning your face for any humor in it but you only nodded sheepishly, still shy with this whole thing.

"Mmhmm, I want you inside me now" you pouted, your arousal slowly clouding your shyness. 

"Why are you impatient?" he chuckled, looking at you amusingly, brows wiggling.

"Because the lights might go back on!" you whined.

"So?"

"Jinnie–"

"Are you ready?" Seokjin looked back at you carefully, bringing back your attention to him.

"Mhhmm" you nodded as your nerves increased when he stepped even closer to you with all his naked glory.

Lord thank you for sculpting him like this.

"Words, love" he cooed, laying you both in the mattress, positioning himself after.

"Yes, I'm ready. I have been wanting you for years Jin" you sighed, glad at expressing what you feel for him after keeping them for so long.

And slowly he entered you, making you gasp in pleasure at the feeling when he bottomed out. He's so big and you saw a little smirk appear on his face while letting you adjust. You look so gorgeous like this, staring lovingly into his eyes and he pressed a soft kiss on your forehead, God why did it take him so long..

Jin started moving his hips, slowly grinding himself into you, making his crotch rub into your clit. You gaped at his beautiful sight above you, both of his arms planted on each side of your head and the sweat now forming on his face as his pace is slowly increasing. 

A smile formed on your lips when he groaned at how you keep clenching around him .You ran your palms through his clamp biceps, feeling them up until both of your hands reached his face. Seokjin tilted his head and rubbed his cheeks into your palms, the love swimming in his almond-shaped eyes.

Seokjin masks his emotions so well so you almost teared up at how he's letting you see him with all of them out in the open, right here with you. Your touches roamed down to his chest and he shuddered, his elbows bucking down to the sheets and he latched his mouth into one of your nipples, sucking it slowly. 

You had to hold back your moans because the guests might hear you but Seokjin has other plans. His pace increased its speed and you spread your legs wider, allowing him to hit that spot inside you and you almost scream in delight. 

He silenced your moans by kissing you deeply and you responded to them with equal passion.

"Jinnie.." you whimpered as you feel your orgasm nearing, the feeling of his cock stretching your walls deliciously.

"Hmm? I’m close too, love" he whispered, and the endearment didn’t go unnoticed by you despite the pleasure that’s taking over your mind and your heart soared with love for this man.

"I-I'm here for you..fuck!" you cried when his fingers reached down to your clit, his thumb rubbing the swollen bud even faster than his current pace.

"My solace..I love you Y/N'' he gasped shakily, closing eyes shut when your walls clamped around his cock as you reached your peak. The intense pleasure from your climax didn't allow you to respond to him so you just draped your arms around him, hugging him as your breath came down slowly.

He's very close while he's helping you ride out your orgasm but his breath is quickening so you released him and he pulled out just in time, spurts of his cum hitting the mound of your pussy, so much of it that it dribbled down to your sensitive folds. 

All of a sudden, everything was bright and you covered your eyes, shying away from the brightness and Seokjin giggled.

"You're so cute" he smiled warmly at you and you squirm as you feel his cum dripping into the sheets. 

An amused smile loomed his disheveled face as he stood up to get his shirt, climbing back to the bed to clean you up and you beamed. You're really in this deep.

"I love you too Jinnie" you whispered, smiling at him affectionately and he waved you to come closer to him.You put your head on his chest, nuzzling into him while his arms caressed you.

He hummed and silence ruled over you for a while, you're just very happy right now. You still couldn't believe that your childhood crush is your..wait, is he your boyfriend now then?

"You know, your cousin's been teasing me about you since the first time we met" he blurted and you gasped dramatically as you got up, causing him to laugh at your exaggerated reply.

"Really? Gods he does the same to me!" you huffed and Jin just giggled, staring at you fondly.

"I was also gonna offer to teach you some piano stuff secretly before" he confessed meekly, catching you in surprise.

"How did you know? Oh wait, Jaekyung" you scowled, playfully rolling your eyes at him.

“I have another question” you eyed him warily.

He hummed while affectionately touching the side of your back, lightly grabbing your bum.

“Why did you turn down his invite?” 

He laughed hard, hands clamping on his stomach and you elbowed him, your eyebrows scrunching.

“It’s because I wanted to ask you in person, you know an excuse to start talking to you” he giddily responded and you grinned, he finally sounded happy this time.

Seconds later, you noticed his demeanour slowly changing into hesitation, his face contorting into nervousness and eyes refusing to meet yours when you looked at him questioningly. 

"Are-are you only visiting?" he asked quietly, unsure if he wants to know your answer. These years without you made his life dull and he doesn't know if he can handle you leaving after what just happened between you both.

"I don't know, am I?" you teased, fingers running circles on his chest and Seokjin immediately caught on to what you wanted to hear.

"You are not or I will go with you anywhere, girlfriend" he grinned, cocking his head playfully and leaned up, pecking your lips softly.

"Then no, someone just changed my reason to stay" you laughed heartily and instantly moved away when he was about to cage you, his intentions clear with the mischief in his eyes.

“Nope, in my room this time” you winked at him and got up immediately, grabbing on one of his oversized shirts and left him chuckling between the sheets.

This is gonna be a long vacation and you couldn't ask for more.

Prompts:

(5) There is a blackout in the whole building and now we stumble through our apartment, trying to find some candles

(18) At a luxury retreat, Socialite B overhears the most beautiful song and spends the rest of their vacation trying to figure who played that instrument (the writer can choose anything) until they discover it’s their first love - Person A.

tagging Jin stans: @sugasbabiie​ @jinned @erotikkook​ @aroseforyoongi​ @missgeniality​ @kithtaehyung​

GIFSET made by @shinhye

JAMAIS VU [hades!yoongi x oc (persephone)] written by @hobeemin

MAGNOLIAS IN SPRINGTIME [namjoon x reader] written by @btsqualityy

WHEN THE LILAC BLOOMS [hoseok x reader] written by @aredheadedmess​

HALFWAY THROUGH MY HEART [hoseok x reader/ jimin x reader] written by @apotatomashedbybts

DELIRIUM [thief!seokjin x princess!reader] written by @xiaokoo​

I DON’T THINK I’M OKAY [seokjin x reader] written by @ressjeon

I CHOOSE YOU [taehyung x reader] written by @btsqualityy

I...DO? [ceo!taehyung x reader] written by @pars-ley​

SEASONS CROSSED [god!taehyung x god!reader] written by @heejinnien

SCATTERED STARS [jungkook x fem!reader] written by @taegularities

THE STRING THAT BINDS US [jungkook x reader] written by @sunkissedjk

IDEALIZATIONS CONCERNING REAL LIFE RELATIONS [jungkook x fem!reader] written by @venusiangguk

JUST LIKE THE MOVIES [jungkook x fem!reader] written @honeyj00ns​

COLORS [jungkook x reader] written by @heejinnien​

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Your Galaxy Team

Neither of you break eye contact. It’s a game Hoseok likes to play, taking on the challenge of who could keep their eyes open—or in your case on the other person without shying away—the longest. The alarm on your phone to open up the shop breaks the strange silence. You cough, shocked at the sudden interruption, and move to turn it off.

“What’s on the agenda today?” Hoseok laughs.

You ignore the urge to toss a handful of dirt at him to wipe away the smug look on his face. He knows he won, but he’d rather have you admit it. Though, you’re glad he is focused on work today, as when you check the store calendar, you sigh. The list of things to do isn’t long, but today is a major day for working with couples—and handling crazy bridezillas. “Well, we’ve got a few couples coming in to look for floral arrangements for some weddings. Mmmm…” you hum, “That new shipment of mulch will arrive today. And just the normal things.”

Hoseok’s shoulders deflate slightly at the mention of the couples. It’s neither one of your favorite activities to do, but they’re the ones who really keep your business going.

“I’ll have you get started on watering the succulents,” you decide.

As the clock hits noon, you unlock the front doors. There are a couple people already waiting, and you can’t help but perk up at the thought of your store becoming more popular. You started this shop because of your love of plants five years ago. Ever since then, you’ve had only the best experiences. You met Hoseok, who was a customer of yours when you first started, bought your first home, and are growing more and more popular by the day.

Pushing the glass door open, you smile at the small cluster of customers.

“Welcome!”

Your eyes follow the last customer as they make their way towards the door. Hoseok wishes them a good night just before they place their hands on the handle. After what seems like forever, the bell above the entrance chimes, and you melt to the floor. The soft click of the lock follows as Hoseok starts to close up for the night. When he turns back to the counter, he notices your disappearance.

“Y/N? Where’d you go?”

You don’t answer. You can’t answer. Your tongue is glued to the roof of your mouth, jaw too tired to function after the day you’ve had. For most of your shift, it was smooth sailing. Customers filtered through your store, many buying at least one flower. The majority of the appointments you had went well. Though, there was one that the bride threatened to sue you for not having her favorite flower in stock—didn’t she know they were winter flowers? Then, there was the one who missed his appointment. Not one call or email to cancel or postpone. It’s not the first time it has happened, and you know it won’t be the last. But it always irritates you.

Hoseok’s giggle draws you to look at him. He must have noticed you as he walked past the counter to look in the back room. You blink tiredly at him.

“You can’t sleep here all night,” Hoseok laughs.

You pout, slowly curling into yourself. The floor isn’t very comfortable, but you’ll take what you can get.

“I can, and I will.”

“Nope. C’mon, let’s get this place cleaned up. Then we can sleep in your comfy bed!”

Your eyes quickly shift back towards the man hovering over you. Brows furrowing, you stare at him incredulously. 

“We?”

Hoseok only smiles, holding out his hand for you to grab. You scoff at him with a smile of your own, taking his hand in yours and pulling yourself up. Hoseok’s smile seems brighter as you come face to face with him. You shake away your thoughts and feelings and instead focus on your closing tasks.

Closing the shop is one of your favorite times. For most of the year, the sun sets as you clean up the storefront. The large windows give you the perfect view to watch as the sun falls below the horizon in the distance. Your flower shop isn’t placed on a high trafficked road, so the streets are fairly empty by the time you close. The quietness that surrounds your building leaves you and Hoseok to bask in each other’s company, slowly dancing around the other as you do your part to clean.

Hoseok holds out the small broom for you to take. You take it with a small smile, turning back towards the main floor. You sweep underneath each table carefully as to not accidentally knock a potted plant over. The closer you get to the windows, the more you feel like you can feel the sun’s warmth as it seeps through the clouds. You turn to sweep under one last table when you notice something doesn’t seem right. In the corner of the shop, a small vibrant flower catches your eye. You pause in your sweeping to stare at it harder. Among the cluster of unblossomed white snapdragons lies a fully bloomed red snapdragon. There is still another few months before they bloom, so why is this one the only one open? And where did the red one come from?

“Hey, Sunflower, you good?”

Your head snaps towards the back room, noticing Hoseok has finished pruning the few bonsai trees you have. His eyebrow is raised in slight worry. How long have you been staring at the flower? You clear your throat.

“Yeah.” You glance back at the flower once more before turning back toward the employee door. “Yeah, I’m good.”

It's a quiet Saturday morning. Too early for you to be awake, but the perfect time to be alone with your thoughts. The sun is barely peeking over the horizon as you step out of your small home. You tug your jacket closed, keeping you warm against the cool spring air.

Despite how cold it is, you decide to walk to the shop. It's not a long walk, maybe twenty minutes at most, and usually you're too into your thoughts to notice the distance. So, you start waking.

Lately, your mind has been hooked on the man that is your best friend. Maybe it's your eyes playing tricks on you, but it seems as if he's hiding something from you. Even in the past week—ever since he stayed over at your home—Hoseok has distanced from you a little more than usual. Did you do something to upset him? Or has he noticed your feelings for him and he doesn't feel the same? You hope it's the former rather than the latter as that's easier to come to terms with. Either way, it's put a damper on your mood. And somehow, the plants in your shop almost seem to reflect the change of air between the two of you.

You sniff from the cold, shaking yourself out of your thoughts. Perfect timing. The shop is finally in your sight. With a slight hop in your step, you make it to the front door with a shimmer of hope that today will be better than the past few days. The keys in your pocket jingle when you shift your arm to reach for them. You stumble with the object, trying to find the right key. Why you have so many, you aren’t exactly sure, but you can’t will yourself to get rid of anything. Finally, you grasp the correct one and turn towards the door.

As you raise the key to the lock, you look inside. There isn’t much that you can see, as the shop is dark—like it should be—but a white rectangular object lying near the door causes your eyebrows to furrow. You waste no more time fumbling with the key and lock, and the door clicks open. You quickly step inside, setting your keys in your pocket. You make sure to lock the door again behind you. Crouching down to the floor, you carefully reach for the object. An envelope with your name on it. How did it get here? All of the doors to the shop are locked overnight, an alarm set for more protection. There isn’t a way that someone could have entered without you being notified, not even Hoseok. There also isn’t a gap under the door that someone could have slid it through. The envelope is placed too square to the door for it to have been pushed through anyway. Shaking the strange and worrying thoughts from your mind, you tuck the envelope into your jacket pocket. You will have to focus on it later.

You busy yourself with preparations to open for the day; watering the plants that need watering, counting the till, checking your schedule for the day—you have only two meetings with customers, which you're grateful for. Time seems to fly by as Hoseok is timidly entering the shop. He sends you a small, but energized greeting before working on his own tasks. Soon enough, you are opening the door for the awaiting bunch of customers.

Break time comes around quickly, and you are glad to get off your feet. Leaving Hoseok to man the storefront, you hastily make your way to the backroom. The sub sandwich you have stored in the fridge is calling your name. Despite it being a Saturday, the store is fairly calm, meaning the backroom is even calmer. That is unless Hoseok barges in with a riled customer restlessly waiting at the counter. There have been a few times where your lunchtime is spoiled by an angry customer. The one moment outside of the time before you open and when you close that you can rest for a minute is during your break. And when that time is interrupted, you get just as grouchy as the people you have to deal with in the moment. Hoseok has learned not to push your buttons after resolving the customer’s frustration, opting for you to take a slightly longer break when it happens.

You set the dish on the small table in the corner of the room. The chairs placed with it aren’t the most comfortable, but neither you nor Hoseok have thought to change them out for something else. Too worried about your plants to care much. With your sandwich in hand, you dig in. With how quiet it is in the back room—save for the faint whirring of the fridge—your mind starts to wander. It’s easy for you to get so lost in your head when you have so many thoughts running around, and now that you have the room to yourself, you quickly fall into them. At first, the tunes and lyrics of songs playing on the overhead speakers in the shop reside in your head. You can feel your body moving slightly to the rhythm of each song as you hum out the music. Some songs quickly become annoying, too repetitive for your liking. Slowly, you dig deeper, grasping at the odd ideas of plant uses you have somehow retained from your scrolling through random websites over the past few weeks. What you had been searching for, you don’t remember, but whatever it was, you never want to search for it again. You have to physically shake your head to get rid of the unwanted images in your mind.

That’s when you spot it. The corner of the white envelope from this morning sticks out from your jacket pocket. Abandoning your food for a moment, you move to retrieve the envelope. When you first saw it this morning, nothing looked out of the ordinary; a plain white envelope with something the size of a birthday card inside. When you hold it up to the light to see inside, a dark spot on the backside of the envelope catches your attention. You quickly flip it around. Stamped in the center of the space is a deep red seal. The impression of a fruit, a pomegranate you can decipher, is pressed into it. How you never noticed it earlier, you're not sure. Whoever made it is talented. You’ll give them that.

You push your food farther from you once you sit down again, opting to place your elbows on the table in its place. Carefully, you open the envelope. No confetti, that’s a good sign. A piece of paper sits inside. The note is just smaller than its container, a thick cardstock-like paper in the same white color as the envelope. You pull it out with your brows furrowed. There isn’t much on the paper, a couple of lines of words. A poem maybe? Whatever it is, the handwriting is unfamiliar. No one you know writes as elegantly as what you see in front of you. You dismiss the uneasy thoughts, shift in your seat, and begin to read.

Like a viola that blossoms in the spring, you, too, shall bloom. The sun will rise high above, and the hawthorn shall become anew. The honeysuckle you search for comes in due time. But leave not the rhododendron alone for it shall take you away.

“Ha ha, very funny,” you mumble to yourself.

It must be a prank, you conclude. A stupid one, but a prank nonetheless. Why else would someone give this to you if not for some laughs? With a shake of your head, you toss both the envelope and the card into the trash can in the corner of the room.

“Y/N, I need your help out here!”

Hoseok’s voice is slightly muffled by the closed door. You sigh, pulling out your phone to check the time. Ten more minutes. Ten more minutes and you could have had to finish your quiet, albeit strange, break. The sound of a ceramic pot shattering against the ground and the loud voice of an angry customer ring through the room. You pinch the bridge of your nose, closing your eyes, and huffing out in irritation. So much for the rest of your break.

“Hey, Sunflow- Whoa.”

Hoseok stops in the middle of the doorway, jaw dropped in amazement. Currently, you are trying to control the three hanging pots of devil’s ivy you have. Your hands start to tangle in the long vines, making it difficult to prune. When you turn your head towards him with a small pout, he chuckles, watching you struggle in the plant’s grasp.

“A little help?” you whine.

Setting the bag he has in his hand down, Hoseok swiftly steps to your side. He helps you untangle yourself, holding onto your hand slightly to keep you still as he unwraps the vines off your arm. You can feel the heat rising to your cheeks from the embarrassment—and the non-existent space between you and your best friend. With a content hum, Hoseok lets you go after a few minutes. He steps back with his hands on his hips, admiring the plants.

“Since when did it become so big? I don’t remember it being this long yesterday. But maybe I just did really notice it.”

“I’m not sure either.” You shrug.

“Well, it looks good anyways.”

It’s strange. Over the course of a few days, there are more odd occurrences. Several flowers bloom a few weeks or so before they are supposed to; like the bluebells and irises. There have also been times when you count a handful more of jonquil than you remember having inventory of. And out of the corner of your eye as you close, you swear you catch a glimpse of exotic flowers—ones that you know don’t grow naturally anywhere near you.

To anyone else, it seems as if the height spring is already at your door; summer only a couple steps away. Hoseok is excited seeing the flowers bloom. It’s one of his favorite times of the year. Though, you can see the slight confusion on his face when he notices another early bloomer. Many of your customers have pointed their fingers at the looming threat of global warming for the oddities, but you don’t believe any of it. How could it affect your shop that fast?

More and more letters have shown since the first one last week. You find them in odd locations; peeking out from under potted plants, in the microwave as you're about to heat up your lunch, even in the unopened bags of dirt and mulch delivered to your shop. You read them all, a little curious as to why you were receiving them. Each of them held a similar theme to the first. The seal on the back of the envelope never changed, but the words on the card did. Yet, they all had to deal with plants, mostly flowers. The first few times, you play it off as a joke. Hoseok must have wanted to play tricks on you. Though, when they start to show up in places you know he can’t get to, it starts worrying you. A week after the first note, you found one in your home, in your bathroom after finishing in the shower. You know it wasn’t Hoseok, seeing how he had stepped out of your house for a while to pick up some food for your weekly movie night. And even if he had returned quickly, there was no way he could have made it past your locked bathroom door to set the envelope on your counter without your knowledge.

Since then, you feel uneasy. If someone is playing a trick on you, they have taken it too far by intruding your home. Intruding on you in the shower. You can defend yourself just fine, but when you live in a home with squeaky floorboards, someone entering without stepping on the wrong spot is worrying. To you, there isn’t a logical explanation to any of it.

Hoseok was quick to pick up on your strange behavior. During your movie night that night, he could feel the thick tension in the air. With careful pushing, he was able to get a confession as to why you were sitting so stiffly beside him. You told him about the first note, about how you thought it was a prank. How you thought that he was the one behind it all. You brought up the other occurrences, mentioning the weird placements. That was when Hoseok started to become worried. Of course, the first time you received a note, it was out of the ordinary especially in your monotonous schedule. But now that it has happened more than a handful of times, you’re not sure what else will happen. You were hesitant in telling Hoseok of the most recent encounter; One, because it had only been an hour and a half since you found it, and two, because of where you found it. How would he react to knowing that someone entered your personal space in your most vulnerable state? But with Hoseok looking at you, anticipating more from you, you gave in. It was safe to say you didn’t sleep alone that night.

You can feel the concerned stare the boy is giving you from across the shop. It doesn’t affect you much as you prepare to close for the day, but the nagging voice in your head won’t let you forgo telling him that you received another note in your house. So you sigh and turn to face him.

“It happened again,” you whisper out towards Hoseok.

In a split second, he is in front of you. His soft hands cup your cheeks gently. He guides your face side to side, moving it to find any possible injuries.

“Are you okay? Are you hurt?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just a little shaken up. It was a few days ago anyways.”

Hoseok’s face hardens. You’ve never seen him as serious as he is in the moment. His brows furrow slightly, he squints his eyes at you, and his mouth is set in a straight line. It is intimidating.

“A few days ago? And you didn’t think to tell me? You know how worried I was for you that night!”

A heavy silence falls between the two of you. Hoseok rubs his face in his hands, clearly fed up with how badly these notes are affecting you. You drop your gaze to the ground. What is he thinking?

“I’m staying with you.”

Your head shoots up at his words. Throwing your hands in front of you, you quickly rebut.

“No, it’s fine. I’ll be okay.”

“Y/N, no, it’s not fine. I’m staying with you at least until this dies down. I don’t want to see that you get hurt from whoever’s doing this. And if I’m not there, I won’t be able to sleep knowing you might not be okay.”

Hoseok’s hands return to your face as he speaks. Gently, his thumbs rub across your cheekbones, making your skin tingle. You sigh, closing your eyes. Your hands meet his, holding them against your face. When you open your eyes, Hoseok is gazing at you with something you can’t describe. Though, whatever it is, you feel warm. With a deep breath, you smile softly at him.

“Alright. Let’s just close, yeah?”

He returns your smile.

The two of you work in tandem to clean up the shop. You sweep up any excess dirt that fell to the ground throughout the day as Hoseok is right behind you with a mop. After, you both spritz the plants that need water. It results in a small water fight, Hoseok spraying you with a small stream of water from the spray bottle in his hand. You quickly retaliate. With the echoes of giggles bouncing off the walls of the shop, you and Hoseok fight until your bottles are empty. It doesn’t take long for either of your shirts and hair to be drenched from the attacks. Luckily you had chosen to wear black for the day. It becomes worse when Hoseok rushes towards you, embracing you in a tight hug. You plead with him, struggling to get him off of you, though he doesn’t relent as the giggles you toss into your words tell him that you don’t hate the affection. When you mention the need to finish closing, he pouts but complies anyway. Hoseok takes the spray bottle from your hand. Without another word, he takes both bottles towards the backroom with the intention of putting them away.

You take the moment to walk around the shop. A few of the flowers are starting to bud and it makes you excited. Soon enough, your shop will be even more colorful than it already is. You saunter past the roses, stopping when you notice a single red bud yet to bloom. You take it into your hands, the stem sliding between your index and middle fingers. Your thumb brushes over the bud carefully, not wanting to open it prematurely. Though, that hope flies out the window when the flower bursts open as you're about to let it go.

“You just made that flower bloom!”

Hoseok’s voice startles you. His finger points at the flower, jaw dropped in surprise. You glance between him and the now fully bloomed flower.

“No…”

You’re in denial. Who wouldn’t be? Clearly it is a coincidence that it opened after you had touched it. Maybe you triggered it into blooming. But then again, there is no way that you could have. Roses aren’t that fragile.

“Y-yes, I saw it! I’m not crazy! Are you a sun goddess or something?”

You don’t answer him. You can’t answer him. Whatever happened a moment ago, you’re not sure that it was real. So you pinch yourself. Nothing. This is not a dream. You glance at Hoseok in fear before everything grows dark.

Everything is dark. Your hands fly out from your sides, searching for anything in arms reach; a lightswitch, perhaps. There is nothing but empty air. You hesitate to move, knowing that you can’t see ahead of you. Where am I? A cold breeze brushes past you. Your hands fly to your arms, quickly rubbing at them to keep yourself warm. But the movement does nothing as the breeze is relentless. I have to move. You carefully drag a foot forward. Nothing is blocking you from moving further. Your other foot slowly follows. Your hands fall from your arms, stretching out in front of you to guide you. Another slow step. The only sound you can hear is your own teeth chattering as the breeze grows stronger.

SNAP.

You stop. Somewhere in the distance, the sound of a twig snapping under the weight of something catches your attention. Your breathing grows heavy. Could it be an animal? A human? Or is it a figment of your imagination? You’ve been in the dark for too long.

As if there is something listening to your worrying thoughts, light starts to filter into the scene. You can barely make out the shapes of tall, bending trees, and large-leaved plants. The cold wind continues to rush by. The sound of fluttering leaves takes your attention away from the imminent danger lurking around you. Finally, it is almost as bright as day. The trees appear far beyond what you can see, pockets of sunlight seeping through the thick canopy treetops. You quickly search around you for the source of the noise. A small deer stands several feet ahead of you. It hasn’t noticed you. You watch it quietly as it feeds on the vegetation around it. Something catches it’s attention as the deer’s head snaps up from the ground. It’s still for a moment before it turns to run in the direction opposite of you. You step forward, following after the deer. You round another tree until you hear it.

Humming.

Your head turns in the direction of the sound. Beside you, a large open meadow basks in sunlight. Even from the distance you’re at, you can feel the warmth emanating from the space. You’re drawn to it. Changing your course, you step towards the meadow only to stop in your tracks once more. A tall figure stands near the middle of the glade. They seem to glow under the light, their long flowing gown a bright white. The figure turns their head, almost as if in search of something. Your eyes connect. She smiles, gently gesturing for you to walk closer. Your feet move on their own accord, and soon enough you are standing a mere step away from her. The humming is louder now and you realize it’s the woman in front of you. The tune is unfamiliar to you, but it’s soothing nonetheless. You unconsciously smile at the sound. The forest seems to like it too as the flowers and long grass dance to the rhythm.

The woman holds out her hand. You stare at it for a moment, afraid of what will happen, then slowly reach out to grasp it in yours. She gently pulls you towards the edge of the meadow. With curious eyes, you glance around the area. The grass grows longer around the tree line. Most flowers stay out of the direct sunlight, though the plant you are headed directly to is basking in as much light as it can get. Its turquoise color seems to glow under the sun. You’re mesmerized.

The woman stops you just before the plant, barely too far for you to reach out and brush your fingertips against it. It takes everything in you to keep yourself from moving any closer as you wait for the woman to do something more. For a moment, the two of you gaze at the plant. Long claw-like flowers hang from a dark vine, suspended from the trees above. When you look around once more, you realise there is no other plant like this anywhere near. You furrow your eyebrows and turn back towards the plant. As if it had been waiting for you, the flowers lose their glow quickly. You gasp. The woman places her arm in front of you to keep you from moving closer. You watch in stunned silence as the flowers droop, shrivel, and fall from the vine.

“In the spring of their twenty-fifth year, a descendant of the spring goddess shall come and save the last flower. When the last seed shall fall from the vine will the plant be no more. The disasters shall rise, and the world shall decay.”

Your eyes snap open. Your chest is heavy, weighed down by something you can’t see. What is happening?

“Y/N? You okay?”

Hoseok lays beside you, his upper body raised by his arm as he hovers over you slightly. His eyes are wrought with worry. You look around. When did you get back home? You don’t remember leaving the flower shop, but you're now lying on your bed.

“When did we-”

“Don’t you remember? You passed out at the shop. I took you home.”

Passing out. It’s a vague memory, but you recall being in shock, succumbing to the darkness as an after effect. Your hand tingles as you try to think harder about what happened. The rose bud, the way it bloomed under your touch. It’s still a lot to process, but you remember.

You can feel the warmth of Hoseok’s hand as he pushes it towards your arm. You turn to him, a questioning look flashing across your face.

“Are you okay? You seemed like you had a bad dream.”

A bad dream? What did I dream about? You woke up breathing heavily like you usually do after a bad dream, but you can’t remember what it was about. Maybe it’s better that I don’t remember.

“Uh, yeah. Yeah, I’m fine. Just a bad dream.”

You stand to move to your closet to find something to change into, seeing as you are still in your clothes from the day. Luckily they had dried by the time you woke up. You can hear Hoseok shuffling on your bed behind you.

“We can talk about it if you like,” he suggests.

You shake your head. There’s nothing to talk about if you don’t remember what happened.

“I’ll be fine.”

After finding what you are looking for, you step into your bathroom to change out of Hoseok’s sight. More shuffling from the other side of the door reaches your ears. He must have gotten changed and made himself more comfortable on your bed. You smile at the domestic thought.

When you leave the bathroom, Hoseok is laying towards the center of your bed, watching as you toss your dirty clothes in your hamper before making your way back to your bed. He opens your blanket for you, showcasing his boxer briefs and tee shirt as he invites you to lay against him. You are hesitant for a moment. It’s not like you haven’t cuddled before, but the view of him in the moment is enough to have you faltering in your steps. You’re glad it’s as dim as it is when the heat rushes to your cheeks. When Hoseok smiles softly at you, you finally give in. You crawl onto your bed, aiming straight for him. He holds out his arms for you patiently. You lean against his side, resting your head against his chest, and throwing a leg over the both of his. He hums in content before wrapping both his arms and the blanket around you. Hoseok places a soft kiss against the crown of your head. He hums quietly, letting you hear the rumble of his voice through his chest. It doesn’t take long for either of you to fall asleep in each other’s warmth.

For the past week, you’ve been trying to rack your brain for any detail of the dream. You spend countless hours after work—and sometimes during your break—pushing yourself to remember any little thing from the dream. You know there was something, you can feel it, but you come up empty with ideas on what it could have been.

That is until you were researching more plants to bring into your shop. After scrolling through several identical pages, you got curious, wondering what the rarest flowers in the world are. A bright turquoise plant catches your eye as you scroll through an article. You gasp at the magnificent color. You stare at it a moment longer, your brows beginning to furrow. Have I seen this plant before? You couldn’t have. At least in real life you couldn’t. You would remember seeing such bright flowers before. Your eyes widen as it hits you. My dream. This was in my dream. The chair screeches against the floor as you abruptly stand from the table in the backroom. You quickly make your way out of the room, searching for Hoseok in the storefront. He glances up from the arrangement of hyacinth at your entrance.

“I need your help.”

Hoseok’s face scrunches in confusion.

“What is it? What’s wrong?”

“You remember that bad dream I had?”

With the confusion still written on his face, he nods slowly. He remembers, clearly. The fear in your face when you woke up hasn’t left his mind since it happened. You looked terrified, to say the least.

“I lied. I never had a bad dream. Well, more like I couldn’t remember what I dreamed.”

“How do you need my help, then?” Hoseok asked.

“Strongylodon macrobotrys.”

Hoseok stares at you as if you are from another planet. His eyebrows drew together, a small frown making its way to his lips.

“Come again?”

You flip your phone around, showing the screen to him. A picture of the plant sits on the middle of the page.

“The Jade Vine. Bright turquoise color, native to the Philippines. It was in my dream, but I don’t know why. There has to be something that connects to the rose incident.”

“So is it true? You are some kind of goddess?”

His eyes sparkle with some kind of amusement. You’re taken aback slightly, surprised at the sudden change in his attitude. Is he excited at the possibility? Composing yourself, you shake your head.

“I don’t know. I just- I can’t figure this out on my own.”

It was no surprise that Hoseok took your plea for help to heart. Day in and day out, he searched for any kind of answer to your questions. On his days off from working at the shop, he took the liberty of browsing through the city library. With how much time he spent on his research, you became concerned. Is he taking breaks? Eating properly? Is he getting enough sleep? There were a few times over the course of the next couple of weeks that Hoseok had arrived at work with half the energy he normally has. You had eventually noticed that he would wait until you fell asleep each night—seeing how he is still staying with you with the excuse of your house being much closer to the shop than his—to continue looking for any information he can to help you. You were happy to have the extra hand, but there were times you wish you could find a way to distract him from it all.

After researching any little part of your dream that you could, you started to lose hope. Maybe there isn’t any connection between your dream and the flower. Maybe the rose that bloomed was all a coincidence; just an early bloomer and your gentle touch somehow set it in motion quicker.

Your front door rattles against the frame as Hoseok barges into your home. He must have come back from the library.

“Y/N!”

The shout of your name has you frantically standing from the couch in your living room.

“What? Is there a fire?” you hurriedly ask.

“No! I found something.”

Hoseok appears through the doorway from the hall, a bright grin plastered on his cheeks. You turn to grab the remote, pausing the show you had started merely minutes before. A book is shoved into your chest as you shift back towards the boy. You let out a short breath of air at the force, your hands grasping at the object to keep it from falling. He tosses a small apology in the air, more focused on the passage his finger is immediately pointing at.

“Look here. There’s a myth that sometime in the future someone will save the plant from dying. A descendant of the Greek goddess, Persephone. Do you think that that's you?”

In the spring of their twenty-fifth year, a descendant of the spring goddess shall come and save the last flower. When the last seed shall fall from the vine will the plant be no more. The disasters shall rise, and the world shall decay.

You look at Hoseok with wide eyes.

“I think it is.”

After a long day from work, you finally arrive home. You had managed to get Hoseok to agree to go back to his own apartment, assuring him that you’d be fine on your own for the night. Spending the last month with Hoseok was nice, but it was time for a much needed ‘you’ night. Nothing else has happened after your research; no notes, no dreams, nothing. So having him around you practically twenty-four-seven was not necessary. With grocery bags in hand, all from an impromptu run to the store, you file through your keys to unlock your front door.

In the midst of the shuffling, a light colored object seems to glow out of the corner of your eye. You pause, turning your head towards the row of small bushes near your door. Tucked away in the center of the one closest to you, the corner of a white envelope sticks out from the dark greenery.

“Where did you come from?”

You shift the weight of the bags onto your arm as you reach out for the object. Although the sun has already set, and the moon has yet to show her face, the dark pomegranate seal stands bright against your surroundings. You glance around you carefully before looking back at the envelope in your hand. You tear into it slightly, pulling out the card.

Gasping, you waste no more time entering your home. It’s time.

A knock on your bedroom door sounds before it opens. Hoseok stands in the entrance, gazing over your shoulder to the mess of clothes strewn about your bed. You can hear his footsteps grow closer as you roll up a shirt, tucking it into the backpack sat in front of you.

“What are you doing?”

“Packing,” you mumble distractedly.

“For what? Since when were you going on a trip?”

You stay silent, focusing on the task at hand. Your eyes scan your bed in search of the right items you need. When Hoseok realizes he won’t get an answer, he glances around your room. A couple drawers to your dresser are still haphazardly open; you are too busy to worry about organizing them as you go. But what catches his eye is not the brightly colored underwear hanging out from the top drawer. Rather, his eyes fix on the rectangular white card laying on top of your dresser. He walks towards it, a curious gaze on his face. When he picks it up, Hoseok is quick to turn towards your figure.

“When did you get this?”

You still don’t give him much of your attention. You want to make sure you have everything you might need for what’s ahead of you. A quick glance his way makes you sigh. You should have placed it where he wouldn’t have seen.

“Showed up yesterday,” you shrug lightly.

“When were you going to tell me?”

Tucking the last pair of socks into your bag, you finally face the boy. His eyebrow is raised in question as he frowns at you slightly.

“I didn’t think I’d need to tell you everything,” you explain.

Hoseok sighs. He steps towards you, his empty hand reaching for your arm. 

“You know how much I worry about you.”

“Yes, and I think you’ve been worrying too much!” You push his hand away roughly. “I’m twenty-five! I know how to handle myself just fine.”

Eyes wide, Hoseok stares at you in shock. In the four years you’ve known each other, not once had you raised your voice at him like you just had. You love him, of course, but ever since you had told him about the notes, he has been latched to your side like a koala. Constantly, he was right beside you making sure that harm wouldn’t come your way. For the first few weeks, it was nice. The butterflies in your stomach fluttered each time you cuddled, each time he voiced his concern, each time he was there to calm you from a bad dream. Though, after a while it became monotonous. It was the same schedule over and over again; wake up, check the house, go to work, check the shop, come home, check the house, go to sleep. To you, it almost seemed as if he thought you couldn’t protect yourself. Sure, the first few times the notes showed up in your house were a bit frightening, but soon enough you realised that it couldn’t have been any kind of physical being leaving them without a trace. Hoseok’s actions—albeit caring—eventually got on your nerves. It was only a matter of time that he would pull the final straw of your patience.

“I-”

“Don’t worry about me. Just take over the shop until I get back.”

You don’t spare him another glance, walking into your bathroom to start cleaning up. The sound of Hoseok’s footsteps leaving your room makes your shoulders relax. When you step out of the bathroom, there is no sign of him anywhere in the house.

The next morning, you find yourself in line in front of a service desk in the airport. Hoseok hadn’t spoken a word to you since you had seen him the night before. Maybe I deserve that. I did yell at him kinda suddenly. You shake away the thoughts as the person in line ahead of you steps away from the desk. The employee greets you kindly, a smile on his face.

“One ticket to the Philippines, please.”

The employee nods, turning to the computer to his side.

“Wait! Make that two!”

A voice calls out, startling you and the poor man behind the counter. Your eyes widen. You can recognize that voice anywhere. Swiftly, you turn on your heel to face the approaching figure with a look of irritation.

“Hoseok?”

He flinches slightly at the use of his full name. You haven’t used his full name since you became friends. Paying no mind to the angry stare you give him, he walks up beside you, handing the man a card. He paid for your tickets.

“Thank you,” Hoseok smiles.

When he turns to you with the tickets in his hand, you huff, rolling your eyes. You snatch one of the pieces of paper from his hand without regard. You hike the backpack on your back higher, walking faster to keep him behind you.

“I told you to take care of the shop,” you grumble.

“I did. There’s a note on the door saying that we’ll be gone for a while. I’ve already postponed appointments, made changes to the website, and I even have a friend set to water the plants and receive shipments.”

“That’s not-” You pinch the bridge of your nose. “Whatever. Just give me some space.”

You step faster, leaving him behind as you make your way through the airport. You only hope that you can find some peace away from him for part of the plane ride.

“Thank you.”

You bow politely to the older woman, a gentle smile on your face. For the past few minutes, she has given you all the information you needed for your journey. Most of the things she warned you about are the habitats you could encounter; Jaguars, ocelots, the various snake species. If you aren’t careful, you’ll become one of their next meals. Even from the distance he is at, you can see the color drain from Hoseok’s face as he gazes at the large forest that sits at the edge of the woman’s farm. You both knew the danger that lurks beyond the treeline. Hoseok had even opted to read up on the forest on your flight, telling you any bit of new information he could find—much to your annoyance. Everything seems much more real as she tells you what you need to know.

As you turn back toward the awaiting line of trees, the woman speaks up again. The shakiness in her voice makes you slightly unsettled.

“Beware. The forest has many secrets.”

Secrets? The way she speaks with fear has your brows furrowing. Clearly, she meant there is much more than what she has told you. But what that is, you hope you’ll never have to find out. You shake your head slightly, pushing away the frightening possibilities as you make your way back to Hoseok’s side. What am I getting myself into?

It doesn’t take you much longer to reach the edge of the forest. The driver that takes you there stops well before the road ends, explaining that it is as far as he goes. Most people don’t dare come near this side of the forest. It is safe to say that the driver thinks the two of you are crazy; two foreigners looking to enter the forest, the complete opposite side of where everyone else hikes safely. The moment you exit the car, he takes off, leaving you and Hoseok to watch the vehicle become smaller and smaller until you can’t see it anymore.

Without a word, you turn to the trees. You knew the trees were tall, but standing near them physically makes you realise how small you actually are compared to the world. They hover ominously over the wetlands they protect, little sunlight breaking through the canopy. Your hands reach around to your side. You pull out the map you snatched in the airport, unfolding it without much care. Staring at it quizzically, you flip it around, making sure it is oriented in the right direction. Hoseok brushes against your arm, reaching out to grab the paper from you. You quickly take the time to pull out the note you received two nights ago. The vague directions it gives you makes you sigh. It won’t be much use until farther into the depths of the forest, but at least you have an idea on where you need to start.

“According to the map, and the note, we should head this way.”

You point over to a patch of trees not too far off the road. Hoseok follows your hand, pouting at the sight of the darker area. 

“Why couldn’t it have been on one of the hiking trails?” he whines.

The forest is alive with the sounds of the animals making home inside. At first, you thought that there would be some sense of peace; the squawking of a bird echoing through the humid air every once in a while. But the more you venture into it, the more you realise how much noise the world makes. Frogs croak in the distance, the different songs of birds pass through the trees. You can hear the faint sounds of rushing water, possibly a river or waterfall.

You can see why the locals never want to come near this part of the forest. The trees cover almost any view of the blue sky above, making the forest floor eerily dark. The large plants around you don’t make it any better. Leaves at least as big as your head lay an arms length away, waiting to reach out and grab you if you aren’t careful enough. Smaller trees bend and twist their way around their fellow friends. The atmosphere the plants create make you feel like you are in a movie; too surreal.

You take a glance at Hoseok. If your surroundings are making you this uncomfortable already, you can’t imagine what he must be feeling. His eyes travel between the ground and the area ahead of you. He doesn’t look too frightened, though he could be putting on a tough persona to keep you both level headed. You hesitate to take a hold of his hand. After the long cold shoulder you gave him since the night before, you’re not sure if you can take being angry at him any longer. You bite your bottom lip, finally reaching out to gently touch his knuckles. Hoseok turns his head toward you, giving you a warm smile before lacing your fingers together. Your heart skips a beat as he squeezes your hand. Smiling in return, you turn back to watch the ground in front of you. The immediate warmth you feel makes you feel at ease as you continue through the forest.

Soon enough, it becomes darker. The plants have grown larger, the trees even taller,  and the threat of carnivorous animals finding you looms heavier over your heads. You can tell the sun is starting to set, even without the view of the sky, as the ground becomes harder to see and the noises of the wildlife amplify. Hoseok is the first to reach for a flashlight. He shines it over the map, trying to read it better. You quickly follow. Taking another look at the note in your pocket, you glance at the map in his hand. You should be approaching a waterfall soon, you note.

The moment you hear the sound of rushing water grow louder, you quicken your pace. A small waterfall lies past a handful of bushes. Your eyes grow wide, admiring the beauty of the falls. It’s not everyday that you are able to go out and explore the world. Hoseok stands beside you, humming softly at the sight of the water. Though the view is short lived as a twig snapping in your proximity startles you. Hoseok tugs on your arm slightly. When you turn to him, he tilts his head in the direction opposite of the noise.

“This way.”

You and Hoseok travel away from the noise for quite some time. Neither of you dare to look back. For a while, there was nothing of interest. You brush by the same trees and the same plants for who knows how long. All you wanted to do was get as far away from whatever animal lurked near you.

The air suddenly grows colder. A light breeze nips at any exposed skin, leaving you in goosebumps. You stop to pull out the jacket you packed from your backpack, Hoseok doing the same. The two of you take a moment to try to heat yourselves up long enough to push forward a little bit more. You had made it a goal to make it to the next hiding spot you can find to stop for the night. You’re so close. You can feel it. Taking a glance at the map, there should be somewhere up ahead that you can take refuge in. Though, the further the two of you move, the colder the air becomes. You furrow your brows, pulling your arms tighter around your body.

The wind pushes harder through the trees. You lift your arm, moving a large fern out of your way before gasping. Where are we? A large ravine stands before you. You have to throw your arm out to stop Hoseok from moving any closer as he pays no mind to why you become still. A sigh of relief escapes your lips when Hoseok turns to you with wide eyes.

“Whoa.”

You take a moment to collect yourself after the slight heart attack the boy gave you. Finally, you take the time to look over the ravine. It’s too dark for you to see how deep it is, but from the faint sight of rolling fog part way down, you can only assume that you would not survive if you fell into it. Off to the side, a lonely bridge hangs across the ravine. A simple rope bridge with large pieces of wood acting as flooring. It looks old. How long it has been there, you’re not sure if you want to find out. You quickly point it out to Hoseok. He looks at it apprehensively, clearly worried for both yours and his safety. You notice that he glances around, possibly looking for another way over the ravine. When his search comes up empty, he turns back to you with worry in his eyes.

“Are you sure you have to do this?”

You sigh quietly. He has a right to be worried. How safe is the bridge? Though, you mostly knew what you were getting into with accepting the fate your future holds. And if that meant that you had to cross a rickety rope bridge, so be it.

“I never asked you to come with me. You can turn back.”

“N-no. No.” He clears his throat. “It’s fine. I’ll be fine.”

You nod your head. With a shaky breath, you place your foot on the first wooden plank. The bridge creaks slightly as you press your weight onto it.

“Wait until I cross to follow,” you caution.

Step by step, you carefully walk across the planks. Both of your hands firmly grasp the ropes on either side of you, holding on as your life depends on it. The ravine isn’t as wide as it most likely is deep, so it doesn’t take you very long to finally make it to the other side safely. Letting out the breath you didn’t realise you were holding, you turn back to watch as Hoseok takes his first step. The bridge creaks under his weight in the same place as before. Every step he takes, you grow more anxious. Of course, you made it just fine, but what if the bridge could only hold out for so long? Don’t think like that, Y/N. He’ll be okay.

A snap brings you back to the sight in front of you. The board Hoseok tried to step on cracks under the pressure. Your eyes widen, watching as he lifts his foot off the board to skip over it. Just a few more steps. When he reaches the other side, he walks away from the ravine before collapsing in a heap of shaky pants. You hastily make your way to him, throwing your arms around his neck. He doesn’t wait to pull you closer.

“Do you see a rock that looks like a turtle?”

Though the forest is much brighter in the daylight, it’s hard to pick out identifiable landmarks through the shrubbery. You twist your head every which way, searching for the rock. Hoseok isn’t being much help. For the past couple of minutes, he has been oddly silent. You stop walking with a sigh and turn to the boy beside you. Or at least you would if he hadn’t disappeared from your sight.

“Hoseok?”

You call out to him quietly at first. Who knows what danger is just beyond your vision. But when he doesn’t answer you, you raise your voice a little more.

“Hobi?”

Nothing but the sound of squabbling can be heard around you. Did he take a bathroom break without telling you? Or is he trying to make the journey a little more bearable, playing a trick on you; see how long you can go without realising he is stopped well behind you. You tuck the map into your pocket.

“If you’re trying to joke around, I’m not having it,” you grumble.

When he doesn’t answer you again, you have to push back the worrying thoughts. He should know that you don’t take pranks too well. Especially in a place like this. You try to look around you, walk back the way you came from a bit—at least you think it is the way you came from. No matter where you go, you can’t see the tall brunette anywhere.

“I’m serious!”

Where is he? You spend a couple more minutes searching the immediate area. When he still comes up missing you can’t help but let out a cry.

“Hoseok?”

You’re alone in a tropical forest, surrounded by animals that you would have never risked encountering if it weren’t for the stupid legend that you are a part of. And you still aren’t completely sure that it’s real. Your best friend, the person you love most, is missing without a trace, and now you're lost because you don’t remember which way you are supposed to go. You can feel the anxiety bubbling inside you. It’s only a matter of time until you won’t be able to force yourself to move. So you keep walking.

You don’t know how long you’ve been walking. Ten minutes? An hour? It’s all a blur as you cry quietly to yourself. Hoseok could be long gone by now. Did he wait until you were so far in to ditch you? No. Don’t think about that. He wouldn’t do that, would he? The snapping of something on the ground takes your attention. You still. Is that Hobi? A loud huff, just beyond the large fern in front of you, makes your eyes widen. There is no way that it could be your friend. You take careful steps closer to the plant and brush away one of the large leaves.

“What is that?”

The animal—or rather creature—before you is unlike anything you have ever seen. Standing at least twice your height, the creature looks as if it had been experimented with. It’s head and body take the image of a large lion. On its back, the head of a goat protrudes. The tail of the lion morphs quickly into a snake. It scours the area for a moment only to turn all three heads towards you. It must have heard you.

“Shit!”

You run. The creature is gigantic, and can definitely reach you in two steps, but you can hear it prancing behind you. It likes the chase. You dodge the trees and their roots, jumping over fallen branches. Still, the creature keeps its distance. Everything looks the same no matter what direction you take. Are you running in circles?

You run until your lungs give out. You quickly tumble to the ground, legs like jello. You close your eyes waiting for the moment the creature will swallow you whole. But it never comes. Slowly, you peak open an eye. Nothing. There is no sign of the creature anywhere.

“Y/N!”

Hoseok? You must be dreaming. The chase has worn down your ability to process reality. Maybe the creature did get you. That’s it. You’re only hearing his voice because you are dead. Though, you still look around with the hope that he is actually there. Everything looks the same; the large green plants, the tall canopying trees. And the boy you fell in love with. You let out a gasp.

“Hobi?!”

You can see him. In the distance, just across the small creek you ended up near. You can see the relief on his face when you catch his gaze. A weak smile flashes across your face. He didn’t leave you alone. But when you notice the movement behind him, your smile drops.

“Look out!”

Before he can cross the creek, another creature lurks up behind him. A woman stands behind him, long horns twisted in the shape of the surrounding trees flow from her head, and a crooked smile is plastered on her face. She is dressed in the large leaves around you. The tall figure reaches out to grab his arm, long spindly green fingers inching out towards him.

“Don’t you dare touch him!” you scream.

You smack your hands against the dirt underneath you. You can’t get to him in time. In your fury, the ground ripples underneath your touch. It rolls the earth, bending whatever lies in its wake. Before the creature can lay her hands on Hoseok, the ground knocks her off her feet, giving him enough time to move away. You finally find the strength in you to stand. Throwing your backpack off, you approach the creek. The creature gets back up quickly, locking her gaze on you. With a silent snicker, she rushes toward you. You stand your ground. She thrusts her hand out to her side as she steps over the small stepping stones in the water. Something creaks off to your side, but you keep your focus on the woman before you. She smirks, throwing her hand back in your direction. A thick vine latches onto your body. It pulls your arms against your sides, and you struggle in its grasp.

You can hear Hoseok’ worrying cries as he watches the vine grow tighter around you. You close your eyes, wanting to succumb to the pain you can feel as it pushes harder against your chest. Though, just as you are about to lose consciousness, something snaps inside you. As if the vine has let you go, you feel free. The tightness against your body quickly dissipates. You feel powerful. Your eyes land on the creature a couple steps in front of you. With a warm feeling rising in your chest, you focus on moving the energy to your hands. Your hands tingle lightly as you raise them above your head. Another moment passes without movement and you swiftly drop your arms. The trees above you crack from your action. The roots and branches of the trees beside the creature grow, grasping onto her limbs and everywhere in between. She struggles under the pressure, facing the same fate you almost had moments ago. With another flick of your wrist, the trees pull. The creature no longer stands in one piece. When the trees have finished their duty, they return to their original state, letting the creek take the creature away.

Hoseok runs up to you as you collapse to your knees. What just happened? You can feel his hands pull you into him. His arms tighten around you, more welcoming than the vines that you had escaped. Happily, you sob, digging your face into his shoulder. Your own arms wrap around his torso. Neither of you want to let go. Though after a minute, Hoseok pulls back. The smile on his face is contagious. You find yourself mirroring his expression despite the warm tears still rolling down your face. His hand lifts to your face, brushing his thumb against your cheek before his fingers tenderly tuck your slightly disheveled hair behind your ear.

“Look at you. You’re so beautiful.”

You hadn’t even realised it. You had almost completely changed from the attire you entered the forest in. Gazing down, the dirtied fabric of your shirt and pants are now completely clean. You unwrap yourself from Hoseok, taking note of the way your skin seems to glow. Your head feels a little heavier. Reaching up to feel for whatever it is, you gasp. A crown of flowers sits gently atop your head. You meet Hoseok’s eyes again. You can’t tell what his gaze means, but you can tell that nothing has changed for the worse between the two of you.

As if the forest knows the time is quickly approaching, the wind picks up. You wish you could stay longer under his soft gaze, but knowing that the fate of the world rests in your hands now, you push yourself to stand. You hold out your hand for Hoseok to take and he doesn’t hesitate to grab on to you.

“Come on. We have to keep moving,” you voice.

The two of you have given up on using the map. You deem yourselves too far off the path you originally were taking. So you move with the flow of the forest. Soon enough you stumble into a denser part of the forest. The trees become thicker and multiply in count. All of the plants surrounding you have grown even larger, making you feel smaller than before. Something is waiting for you beyond what you can see. You can feel it.

The cold wind continues to rush by. The sound of fluttering leaves takes your attention away from the imminent danger lurking around you. Pockets of sunlight seep through the thick canopy treetops. A snapping of a twig startles the two of you. You quickly search around you for the source of the noise. A small deer stands several feet ahead of you. It hasn’t noticed either of you. You watch it quietly as it feeds on the vegetation around it. Something catches it’s attention as the deer’s head snaps up from the ground. It’s still for a moment before it turns to run in the direction opposite of you. Your head hurts slightly, but the pain immediately goes away as you realise your surroundings.

“This place. I recognise it.”

Somewhere in the distance, high above your head, a bird sings out a simple melody. Your head turns in the direction of the sound. The tune is familiar. She was humming it in my dream. You take Hoseok’s hand, running forward to pass around another tree. Beside you, a large open meadow basks in sunlight. Even from the distance you’re at, you can feel the warmth emanating from the space. 

“There,” you point out.

Across the way, the jade vine hangs from a branch extending out into the sunlight. Only a couple of the bright flowers remain hanging. It hurts to see the plant so bare, seeing the dark purple pile on the ground underneath it. You and Hoseok walk to the center of the opening and you let his hand go, leaving him to bask in the sunlight with the rest of the greenery. He watches as you continue towards the plant.

You’re not sure what to do when you reach the jade vine. Do you touch it? Do you try to use whatever powers you obtained? As another flower falls from the vine, your hands become shaky. If you do anything wrong, the world as you know it will cease to exist. No more floral shop. No more late night trips to the convenient store. No more Hoseok. The thought of either of you leaving the other makes you feel uneasy. Come on, Y/N. You can do this.

You decide with your first instinct. With careful hands, you reach out to touch the last remaining flower. Nothing happens. You’re scared to let it go, afraid that it’ll fall with the rest of them. But just as you are about to move your hands away, the flower seems to become brighter. Your hands tingle as it glows. You close your eyes, letting fate do its work. Behind your eyelids, you can tell that the vine becomes brighter; brighter than the sun above you. With a bright flash, the glow dies down. You slowly open your eyes. In your hands, the bright turquoise color has returned to the plant. You stare in awe at the sight of the fully bloomed flowers. You saved it.

You let go of the vine carefully, turning back towards Hoseok. His eyes gleam with the same brightness the jade vine gives. He grins at you widely as you catch his gaze. You quickly close the distance between the two of you. You run, jumping into his arms and hooking your ankles together behind his back. Hoseok catches you with a loud laugh, pulling you as close to him as he can.

“We did it,” you murmur as you look into his eyes again.

Leaning forward, you can’t hold it in anymore. You get rid of the space between your faces. Your lips crash against his. Hoseok is still for a moment and you want to push yourself off of him, reprimanding yourself for even thinking that he is into you. But he melts into your kiss before you can move. Teeth clash together as the two of you smile against each other’s lips, happy to know that your feelings are mutual.

When neither of you can feel your lungs, you break from the kiss. You both pant loudly as you try to catch your breath, giggling lightly at the view of the other. Hoseok leans back in, planting a kiss to the apple of your cheek. His thumbs stroke your sides as he sighs happily.

“You did it.”

The two of you stay like that for a while. Gazing into each other’s eyes, peppering the other with kisses every once in a while.

Out of the corner of your eye, you notice a bright figure facing your direction. You and Hoseok turn to see who or what stood at the edge of the meadow. A woman, with a long flowing white gown and a crown of flowers atop her head, smiles warmly at the two of you. Persephone. She turns toward you slightly, bowing her head before mouthing the words ‘thank you’. Like an apparition, she is gone in the blink of an eye. You look at Hoseok in surprise. He laughs lightly, bringing you back into another kiss.

“Are you sure you both have to leave?” you whine, flopping onto Taehyung’s bed.

“For the tenth time Y/n, yes. My grandparents really need my help on the farm.” Taehyung says, reaching for one of his folded shirts that lay beside you.

“And you know if I skip going home for the second year in a row, my mom’ll show up on campus and literally drag me home,” Jimin adds, zipping up his suitcase. “Besides, I still don’t know why you’re being so dramatic about going home with Jungkook. You’d think you’d be excited to pretend to be his fake girlfriend with how whipped you are for him.”

In response, you fling the nearest article of clothing at him, which just so happens to be a pair of Taehyung’s underwear. “Shut up, don’t be an ass! I’d be more excited if he didn’t react the way he did when I asked.”

“He told you he was just nervous he’d fuck it up, remember?” Taehyung reminds you.

“Yeah, but still. I don’t know how the hell I’m going to last a week pretending to date someone I wish was actually my boyfriend.” Jimin and Taehyung share a knowing look when you’re not watching, but don’t say anything more.

With one of your cousins getting married at the same time as your university’s spring break, your family is ecstatic. They’re looking forward to seeing you after being so far from home. Being a student from another country meant that when you moved to South Korea for school, you would be leaving behind your large, close-knit family. You use any opportunity you have to see them.

The problem, though, is that you know as soon as you show up, you’ll get question after question thrown at you. You’ll be asked where your significant other was and when you were going to settle down. As the oldest cousin in your family, you’re used to the interrogation, but that doesn’t make it any less grating.

That’s why when your mom brought the wedding up and asked if you were bringing your partner, you said yes, but intentionally avoided saying who it was.

You’ve asked every member of your friend group. Unfortunately, with Taehyung, Jimin, Seokjin, and your roommate Sana all going home for the break, that left your closest friend out of the group: Jungkook.

Jungkook, who you have also been in love with since you met two years ago and whom you’ve been pining over for just as long. You didn’t intend on asking him, but after Jimin threatened to tell Jungkook that you wanted to ‘suck the soul of him’, you caved and asked him when the two of you were in the library studying for a quiz.

“You know how last month, I mentioned that my cousin’s wedding is coming up during spring break?” you asked suddenly.

“Yeah.”

“And you know how I told you the other day that I had plans for us to go abroad on vacation together for spring break?”

This caught Jungkook’s attention. He looked up from his textbook, eyes narrowed in suspicion.

“Mmhmm…”

“Well, I need you to come with me and pretend to be my boyfriend.”

“What?!” he said a little too loudly, earning a dirty look from a student at another table.

“Oh, come on, you know how my family is. Always up my ass about dating and settling down. They’re all going to give me so much shit if I show up alone, so I told them that I’m in a relationship.”

"And now you're asking me to do what? Be your plus one in a fake dating AU?"

This wasn’t the reaction you expected, so you tried to ignore the hurt you felt at Jungkook being so against the idea of dating you.

“Please? I’ll still pay for your ticket like I said I would. I’ll make sure not to be all sappy in public and make you uncomfortable.”

You watched as multiple unreadable expressions flashed across Jungkook’s face. Every second of silence had you regretting asking him more and more.

“Alright,” Jungkook finally sighed. “I’ll do it. And you won’t make me uncomfortable. I just don’t want to blow your cover, is all.” He scratched the back of his neck, nervously looking away.

Relieved that Jungkook didn’t seem as turned off as he did with being your fake boyfriend, you brushed off his hesitance. “Is that what you’re worried about? Don’t be silly. It’ll be fine. We’ll just need to work on our story, is all.”

You went back to your textbook, feeling less stressed than you had going into this conversation.

Next to you, Jungkook sent a panicked text to Jimin and Taehyung, telling them he won’t be able to survive pretending to be your boyfriend because he knows it’ll never be true. He wanted more than anything to tell you how much he loves you, but you don’t feel the same, so he’ll keep it to himself.

The flight home is a long one and has both you and Jungkook feeling restless in your seats. You’ve gone through the account of how you got together at least every four hours of the sixteen-hour flight to make sure it’s solid. Since your mom and siblings already know who Jungkook is, having met him multiple times over video calls, you luckily didn’t need to fabricate too much.

When asked how you got together, the story is that Jungkook confessed to you three months ago when you were hanging out studying one night. You’re going to say you’ve always had feelings for him, so you said yes, and so far, it has been a fantastic time together.

Even though you’re an expert at hiding any reaction about your true feelings towards Jungkook, saying it out loud made you ache. More than anything, you wanted it to be real, but you had long since made peace with the idea that you and Jungkook would likely never get together.

He isn’t the first person you’ve been friends with that you had developed feelings for. There have been a few other occasions, but the first was in your first year of middle school. You had developed a crush on a boy you’d known all year and told him during a school dance, thinking it would be the perfect scenario to confess how you felt. Unfortunately, you had misread some supposed signals from him because he flat out rejected you and wasn’t too kind about it. You still remember the harsh words about how you would “never be his type,” and the laughter that followed.

Soon after, word had spread to your friend group, and he, along with a few others, stopped speaking with you. Just like that, you had lost some of your close friends because of a silly crush. You know Jungkook isn’t comparable to a childish teenage boy and that your current friends won’t abandon you (seeing how they all know how you feel). However, the fear and the hurt still lingers like a sour taste at the back of your mouth. The thought of ruining your friendship with Jungkook terrifies you. If that means you have to pine over him for the remainder of college and into adulthood, then so be it.

Upon finally landing and collecting your bags, your mind is still swirling with what-ifs around if you should admit your feelings to Jungkook, but you’re finally stopped when you hear your name being called across the airport.

Turning with your bags still in hand, you see your mom, brother, and sister waving you down as they rush over to you. Before you can properly greet them, your mom pulls you into a tight hug.

“Y/n! Oh my god, you’re here!” She sounds like she’s going to cry as she rocks you back and forth. “You’re finally here!”

“Yes, I’m here. I missed you.” You hug her back, getting misty-eyed yourself.

“Alright, mom, can we hug her too?” your brother calls from behind her. Reluctantly, she releases her grip on you so your siblings can each give you hugs of their own.

The four of you fall into chatter before you remember Jungkook standing awkwardly beside you.

“Ah, right! Jungkook, you’ve already met them on video chat, but this is my mom, my sister Kayla, and my brother Ray. Guys, this is my boyfriend, Jungkook.”

“Hi,” he chirps out, offering a small wave. Your mom immediately pulls Jungkook into a hug.

“It’s so nice to finally meet you in person!” He looks taken aback but returns the hug anyway.

After all the greetings are done, your brother leads everyone through the airport and into the parking lot. Your sister lags behind to walk next to you as Jungkook, your brother, and mom walk ahead of you, making conversation with him.

“Wow. He’s even hotter in person,” Kayla comments, eyes very clearly fixated on Jungkook’s ass in his favorite pair of ripped jeans.

“Um, can you not?!” You push her half-jokingly, but she barely notices.

“Oh, chill out. I’m not going to steal your boyfriend from you. I’m just admiring the scenery, is all.” You shoot her another look. “Fine, I’ll stop.” She loops her arm through yours as you continue outside to your brother’s parked SUV.

Ray and Jungkook pack both of your suitcases into the trunk as you pile in, your mom taking shotgun and Kayla sitting to one side, leaving you to sit between her and Jungkook.

The ride through traffic takes a little time, but your mother fills the silence with talk of your cousin's wedding even though you’ve already talked about the whole thing at least twenty times.

Your cousin and her soon-to-be wife had asked your mom to hold the wedding in the backyard of your childhood home. Your house was always where your family would convene for reunions, birthday parties, and barbeques, simply because it was the biggest, so naturally, this was your cousin's first choice.

Even though you already know this, and all of the other small details of the wedding, it doesn’t stop your mom from pulling up pictures on her phone. She shows Jungkook all of the centerpieces and goody bags they’ve already made. She gushes about how excited she is to see one of her nieces finally get married and says it while giving you a look that you know all too well. “And you’ll be next, right?” you can practically hear her asking you.

As if sensing your discomfort rising, your brother pipes up, launching into a story about a new client he’s building a house for and how hard it is being an architect. He shoots you a look through the rearview mirror, and you nod, letting him know how grateful you are at the conversation rescue.

“Wow,” you breathe out once the car is parked and everyone is standing in the driveway. Even after all these years, your childhood home has stayed the same. Pale blue paint on the outside with the same white shutters and white door. The lawn is slightly unruly, but the tree you’ve fallen out of plenty of times still stands tall and proud.

“It’s good to have you home,” your mother says from behind you, squeezing your arm before heading up the walkway.

Once inside, the all too familiar scent that smells like cleaning supplies and freshly cooked food surrounds you as you lead Jungkook upstairs. The two of you would be staying in your childhood bedroom, which your mother has, surprisingly, left untouched.

Upon entering, you can’t help but laugh as you plop onto your bed. It’s truly the same, you think, as you take in your My Chemical Romance and Fall Out Boy posters that line the walls and your desk that still holds a stack of Twilight books. Your queen bed even has the same pale pink comforter you left on it when you went away for college - clean and freshly washed, of course.

Jungkook eyes a few pictures you have hanging up on a corkboard above your desk with some of your high school friends and can’t help but smile at the sight of you in braces and mid-2000s fashion. Even if he had been in the same country as you in high school and met you then, he’d still love you the way he does now.

“So…” you speak, breaking the silence that had taken over the two of you. “This isn’t too weird, right?”

“What do you mean?”

“This.” You gesture between the two of you and your bedroom. “All of this. Lying to my family and being in my bedroom.”

“You act like I don’t hang out in your bedroom back at school.”

“Jungkook, you know what I mean. We’ve never shared a bed.” You shrug, playing it off as a casual observation as if your hand isn’t trembling at the thought.

As if the realization hits him at the same time, Jungkook’s eyes widen slightly as his gaze darts to the bed. “Oh, right. Well, I mean, I can always just sleep on the floor when everyone else goes to bed so they won’t know. I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.”

“You don’t need to do that. It’s not that big of a deal. I was just saying.” Kicking yourself for even bringing it up, you try to think of a way to steer the conversation away from sleeping arrangements. You feel relief when there’s a knock on your door, interrupting the awkward atmosphere. “Come in!”

Your sister pokes her head in, eyes taking in your body still sprawled on the bed with Jungkook standing close by, not having moved from where he was observing your photos.

“Aunt Cora and Aunt Tia are here,” she informs you.

“Okay, we’ll be right behind you.” You jump up, anxious to leave the awkwardness behind, and follow her out of the room, Jungkook in tow.

“Did I interrupt?” Kayla mumbles in your ear, her eyebrow wiggling.

“No. We were just talking.” You clear your throat, hoping Jungkook isn’t listening.

“Mmhmm. Talking. Whatever you say. Tonight, can you just please remember that we share a wall? I can put my headphones on when I sleep. I just ask that you give a girl a heads up.”

“Kayla!” You nearly trip down the stairs at her words, your cheeks instantly heating up as she speaks to both you and Jungkook.

Thankfully, none of you can come up with anything else to say before your Aunt Cora spots you and immediately rushes over to pull you into a hug.

You spend the rest of the evening greeting your aunts and cousins, including your cousin Nikki and her fianceé Diana. All embarrassment about your arrangement with Jungkook is forgotten as you bond with your family. You haven’t seen your family since you left for school, so you prioritize getting caught up in everyone’s lives.

Jungkook himself also spends plenty of time bonding with the family. Once you play 20 questions with your family, they begin to question him about his family, how he grew up, and Korea in general. He graciously answers all of their questions, his figure visibly relaxing, and he even eventually falls into a more casual conversation with your cousin Jason.

At some point, your five-year-old cousin Gina decides that she likes Jungkook the most and proceeds to mold herself to his side for the rest of the night. Seeing how comfortable he is holding and playing with her makes your heart clench, and your cheeks hurt from how much you smile as you watch him.

“Looks like he’s good with kids,” your mom muses from next to you as you help her prepare some ears of corn for boiling. You both watch Jungkook at the kitchen table with Gina in his lap, reading her one of her books that she shoved in his face.

“Yeah, he is.” You hand her a corn cob as you hear Jungkook over the chatter of the rest of the family, making his voice a pitch higher while reading.

“Does this mean grandbabies are in the future?” This question jolts you out of your trance and you turn to meet her smirk.

“Mom!”

“Oh come on, don’t ‘mom’ me. He’s cute, polite, he’s good with kids, and it’s obvious you really like him. You haven’t even been here an entire day, but I see the way you look at him.”

“I-I don’t-”

“There’s no need to be embarrassed. The way you both ogle each other is cute.” She shrugs and puts the last ear of corn into the boiling pot.

“What do you mean we ‘both ogle each other?’” You’d been ready to abandon the conversation until she mentioned that.

“Just like I said, honey. You’ve been doing it all evening. When one of you isn’t looking, the other is making lovey eyes at the other. It’s obvious you love each other.”

“Aunty! We lost the remote!” One of your cousins interrupts the conversation, running over to your mom and tugging at her shirt.

She tsks at the child but nods. “I’ll come and help you find it. Y/n, keep an eye on the stove, please. The macaroni and cheese should be done any minute now, just make sure no one comes over to pick at anything before it’s done.”

As much as you want to question her more on the looks she claims are mutual, your little cousin grabs her hand and all but yanks her away from you. She has to be imagining things. You’re sure the only looks Jungkook gives you when you aren’t looking are ones of exhaustion at having to pretend like this. It’s only day one, and you still have an entire week like this to go.

Dinner goes off without a hitch. Being surrounded by your family with your mom’s cooking makes you miss being back home with everyone. Still, having Jungkook at the table reminds you of the new life you’ve built in Korea, and you tell yourself that you could never abandon all of that.

After dinner and watching a movie, where half the room ends up talking through it, your family members begin to file out, saying their goodbyes and that they’ll be by tomorrow. You, Jungkook, and your siblings clean up and do the dishes before you all head upstairs into your separate bedrooms for the night.

Once all of the commotion has died down, and it’s just you and Jungkook again, the awkwardness from earlier returns. Only this time, you’re lying in the quiet dark of your bedroom with Jungkook in bed next to you.

Your mind is racing as you try and sleep. You’re distracted by the even sounds of Jungkook breathing next to you and the way heat radiates off of his body and onto you. You’re not sure if he’s actually asleep or if he’s also suffocating in the tense air of the room, but you’re too scared to ask. Eventually, you turn away from him, shutting your eyes and trying to count sheep to see if sleep will find you. The harder you force yourself, though, the tougher rest is to come by.

That’s why when you wake up the following morning, you can practically feel the bags underneath your eyes weighing you down as you get ready for the day. Your sister demands that you go with her to get a dress for the wedding since she, as is typical of her, waited until the last minute to get something to wear.

Jungkook stays behind at Kayla’s request, stating she wants sister time. You have an inkling that she actually wants to use this time to grill you about your relationship. Your suspicions are confirmed as you recline in the chair outside of the fitting room she’s in.

“So...you look pretty tired this morning, Y/n. Long night?” Her suggestive tone clues you in almost immediately.

“Yeah, the time difference is really fucking me up. I’m way too used to Korea time now,” you answer smoothly. This is partially true. You’ve been in Korea for nearly three years now, and your body quickly got acclimated to the different time zone.

You keep your unrequited love anguish to yourself.

“Mmhmm,” Kayla hums. She throws open the dressing room door, sporting a pale yellow spaghetti strap dress.

“Yep. And no on the dress. That color does you no justice whatsoever.” Waving her back into the room, you glance at your phone, not missing the huff she lets out.

“Oh, come on, Y/n! Give me something. I’ll accept mere crumbs even! You don’t have to tell me how big his dick is or anything. Just tell me he’s at least making you cum more than once!” Her loud tone echoes off her dressing room walls and catches the attention of an older woman walking by. She gives you a dirty look which you return with just as much malice, and she picks up the pace and leaves the area.

“Keep it down, okay? But, yes, he does.” Or rather you wish, but again, this is something you think and not vocalize.

“Thank you. If you told me he wasn’t doing it for you, I would’ve lost it. Remember that guy you tried to hook up with at that one party who couldn’t even stay hard and-”

“Anyways, any more questions?!” you interrupt, not wanting to revisit that chapter of your life.

“Yes,” Kayla starts as she steps out to showcase the next dress: a flowy black, strapless number. “Tell me more about him! I know the bare minimum from you talking about him when you were just friends, and I know last night you told everyone how you got together, but what’s he like? What do you like about him so much?”

“First of all, put that dress in the maybe pile. I know you have one more, but this is a strong contender.” You wait for your sister to disappear back into the dressing room and sit back in your chair. “What do I like about him? Well, he has an amazing sense of humor. He’s one of the funniest people I know, other than Seokjin, who you’ve also virtually met, but Jungkook always knows how to make me laugh no matter what. Last year, in our public speaking course, he made this joke while this girl was presenting, and I laughed so hard we got kicked out of class, but I was still laughing in the hall, so much that I got lightheaded and fainted.” You chuckle at the memory and remember waking up in Jungkook’s arms while he ran for his life to the infirmary with you.

“He’s also extremely supportive. I think it’s because he’s so hardworking and passionate about what he loves himself, which is also admirable. Still, because of that, he’ll back you on anything that he knows you care about. The number of times he’s let me ramble to him about Animal Crossing, even though he doesn’t play, is truly a blessing. He’s also crazy considerate and will literally give his all for people he loves. Oh, and the way he remembers things that I’ve mentioned to him maybe one time a year ago is beyond sweet.

“Also, did you know he can sing? The boy has the voice of a literal angel. Oh! And did I tell you he wrote me a short song for my birthday last year? I sobbed like a fucking baby. He kept saying it wasn’t much because it was only a chorus and a verse, but he’s also weirdly modest for someone who’s so perfect at everything, which he is, and he knows it but he isn’t a cocky asshole about it, you know?”

You didn’t realize you’d gone on a tangent until your sister’s knowing smile is staring straight at you. When had she even come out in a new dress?

“So, what you’re saying is, you're so utterly in love with Jungkook?” She chuckles, admiring herself in the nearest mirror.

“I-fuck, I love him so much.” Your friends know how you feel about Jungkook, but being able to say it all to someone else makes you feel lighter somehow. You let out a long sigh of relief at finally being able to say out loud the reasons you’re in love with your best friend.

“Well, I’m glad you’re in love and that you’re happy. Now, yes or no to the dress?” She gestures to the knee-length, red wrap dress she’s currently wearing, and you flash her a thumbs up, genuinely loving this dress the most. “Perfect! Let me go buy this, then we can get lunch, and you can listen to me complain about my lack of any sort of love life!” Kayla smirks at you before disappearing to change back into her clothes.

Your mind immediately goes back to Jungkook and stays on him through the rest of the day. Even when you’re on the way back home, he’s all that fills your mind. When you see him standing outside next to your brother as he works on his car, handing him tools as they laugh about something, your heart swells even more than you think it can.

Maybe, just maybe, you’d tell him how you feel soon. The brilliant smile he gives you when you get out of the car and walk over to him has you hoping that you’d get a similar one if you ever confess your feelings.

That night is spent similar to the one before. Your family arrives soon after you and your sister get back, and you help your mom cook dinner again. She even has Jungkook help, which he makes no fuss about as he chops and preps what she directs him to.

It’s after dinner, while you’re all crammed in the living room, again barely watching a movie, that the doorbell rings.

“Got it!” your brother calls as he hops up from his spot on the floor. Curious as to who it is, you watch from across the room as he opens the door and breaks into a smile. “Hey, man! Long time no see!” Ray’s outburst has everyone turning to look, and your heart nearly stops beating as Ray tugs your ex-boyfriend into the house.

“Hey, Namjoon is here!” Ray announces as he gives the room a wave. Your mom, sister, and cousin Nikki are up next, rushing over to hug Namjoon, followed by a few of your cousins that know him pretty well too.

Your mom leads Namjoon over to everyone else and introduces him as a refresher. When his eyes land on yours, your skin heats up under his gaze, and you want more than anything to bolt out of the room.

“And this is Y/n’s boyfriend, Jungkook. Jungkook, Namjoon’s family, has been our next-door neighbors since they were both babies. He and Y/n were attached at the hip the entire time they were growing up, and they even dated in high school.” She gives Namjoon a fond look as she continues, this time directing her comments at him and ignoring the way you choke on your drink at her words. “Jungkook and Y/n met while she’s been away at school. He’s Korean too,” your mom supplies as both men study one another. Namjoon makes a move to shake Jungkook’s hand, but the younger man doesn’t reciprocate and simply gives him a half-hearted wave.

There’s a beat of silence from the adults in the room as an uncomfortable aura takes over. Wanting out of the situation, you shoot up from the couch and beeline for the kitchen without another word. Behind you, the conversation slowly picks back up, and you do your best to tune it out.

It’s been nearly four years since you’ve seen Namjoon, and the sight of him has you in a tailspin. The last time the two of you spoke was when he broke up with you over Skype while he was away at college on the West Coast and you were about to graduate high school.

Namjoon always finished at the top of his classes the entire time you’ve known him, so the fact that he graduated early, a year before you, wasn’t surprising. It put a strain on your relationship with him, though, as long-distance wasn’t easy. The two of you had been dating since your freshman year of high school, and he was your first everything. Your first love, your first actual date, and the first person you’d ever slept with. Both his parents and your mom just knew that you’d get married and live happily ever after.

You were under the impression that it would be the case, too, until he threw a wrench in the plans you were building together. You were going to leave the East Coast and move to California to go to a nearby school so that you could be together once more, but all it took was a video call, a few months before your high school graduation, for him to tell you that he’s realized how hard medical school is. He couldn’t balance a relationship on top of it and suggested you not come and just apply to wherever you want to go.

The heartbreak of your first love hurt just as much as most songs say it does. You were a mess after the breakup, shutting yourself off from friends and losing interest in doing anything other than sitting in your room and lamenting over what you and Namjoon were. He, of course, had given you the classic “let’s be friends,” but aside from Instagram and being friends with his parents on Facebook, you more or less stopped talking to and about Kim Namjoon.

If people asked, you told them that you went to school in South Korea because you wanted a change—a fresh start—which was true, but you really wanted to get away and escape to a place where people didn’t know you as Namjoon’s ex-girlfriend, but as your own person.

You’ve grown and healed from your heartbreak and have gotten over it. For the most part, at least, because upon seeing him just now, just as tall, tan, and gorgeous as he’s always been, leaves you feeling a flurry of different things.

“Hey,” Jungkook’s sudden voice from behind you has you nearly jumping out of your skin at the kitchen sink. You’d gotten so lost in your memories that you didn’t realize you were standing motionless for as long as you have been.

“Hey! Sorry, I got distracted.”

“Are you okay? You seem off.” He looks concerned as he studies your face, making you more nervous.

“I’m okay. I’m just tired. I’m going to go shower and go to bed.”

Jungkook nods, “I’ll come with you.”

“Oh, you don’t have to do-” Jungkook doesn’t give you a chance to protest as he heads back towards the living room.

“Y/n and I are gonna call it a night,” he calls out to your family. You wave off various shouts of protest, telling everyone you’ll see them tomorrow.

Ignoring the almond-shaped brown eyes that you feel watching your every move, you walk as quickly as your legs will take you up the stairs and into your room. Jungkook follows behind, not saying anything as you grab your pajamas from your suitcase and declare that you’re off to take a shower. You needed to be alone as soon as possible to arrange your frantic thoughts.

Jungkook nods and watches you go, saying he’ll shower after you. As soon as he hears the water running, he digs his phone from his pocket and calls Seokjin.

“Hello?” he answers on the 3rd ring.

“Did you know her ex would be here?”

“Jungkook? What are you talking about?”

“Y/n’s ex-boyfriend is here. He’s a family friend, and they dated all through high school, and now he’s here, and he’ll be at the wedding.”

“Oh wow. Are you worried about him? Like, do you think he’ll try and get back together with her or something?”

“Fuck, I don’t know! He came in, and he said hi to everyone, but he looked straight at her. Even when he said hi to me he was only looking at her.”

“And Y/n? How’d she react?”

Jungkook frowns, recalling how scared you looked when you saw Namjoon. “Bad. She bolted out of the room, and then we came upstairs to get ready for bed.”

“Hmm,” Seokjin hums, “sounds like she isn’t too thrilled to see him. That could be a good sign. If she isn’t looking forward to seeing him, then it doesn’t sound like you have too much to worry about.”

“I guess,” the younger man mumbles, “but I don’t trust him. I can’t let him be alone with her.” Jungkook paces as he talks, doing his best not to yell his frustrations too loudly the more he thinks about Namjoon and the possibility of him trying to win you back.

“Well, if you would just tell her you’re in love with her, then this wouldn’t be an issue, now would it?” Seokjin says, sounding exasperated. To be fair, he has reason to. All of their friends know how in love Jungkook is with you, but being his roommate, Seokjin has had to hear it the most.

“Hyung...”

“Yeah, yeah. She’ll never love you back and all that shit. All I know is that Jimin, Tae, Sana, and I have a bet going on whether or not you two will get together during this trip. Don’t make me lose money. I have a shopping list I need to go through.”

Jungkook sucks his teeth in response. “Alright, I’m hanging up,” Seokjin calls out a goodbye as Jungkook ends the call. He tosses his phone aside and flops onto the bed.

When he agreed to be your fake boyfriend for this trip, he initially didn’t want to, not being confident in himself that he wouldn’t blow his cover, but then he told himself it wouldn’t be so bad.

He was wrong.

Seeing you so comfortable and happy with your family these last two days only makes him ache for you even more. The glow that you have just from talking to your sister or playing with your cousins is one he’s never seen before, and seeing you genuinely happy, quickly becomes his favorite sight. The way your eyes sparkle and the musical laughter that comes out of your mouth only serves to make Jungkook fall harder and faster.

Knowing there’s someone else here that you have a history with makes him more anxious than he’s ever been. Back at school, Jungkook only had to fend off a few guys a handful of times. Most people on campus saw how you and Jungkook were practically inseparable, which tended to ward away potential suitors. This is different. This is someone who hasn’t seen you and Jungkook together, and most likely won’t be intimidated by your relationship. This guy knows you in a different way than Jungkook does—has experienced being with you in a different way than Jungkook.

This fucking sucks. He’s going to have to do a better job of making it clear that you’re together, even if you aren’t together, together.

At some point, he gets lost in his thoughts because he doesn’t even hear you come into the room.

“Jungkook?” He jumps at your voice and sits up so fast that he gets a little dizzy. “You okay?”

As his eyes focus, he watches you toss your clothes from the day into the hamper by your door. His eyes immediately lock onto your notably short sleep shorts, admiring how soft your legs look.

He gulps when you bend over to dig through your suitcase, and the tiniest bit of your asscheeks peek out from said shorts.

“I’m going to go shower now!” He almost yells as he trips over his own feet to leave the room. You watch him go, not thinking much of it since you’ve been wrapped up in your head since you got into the shower.

Once you’re ready for bed, you climb under the sheets before Jungkook and check your phone to see you’ve missed a few text messages from your sister.

Kayla: Hey, you ok? I saw your face when Namjoon walked in

Of course, if anyone is going to notice your reaction, it’s your sister.

Y/n: Idk. I didn’t think I’d just see him suddenly, you know?

She replies almost instantly.

Kayla: I know. I didn’t even know Nikki invited him. He told everyone he initially wasn’t going to be here until tomorrow but he wanted to come earlier to surprise his parents apparently

Y/n: Well I wish he hadn’t come at all. Now my head’s all fucked up

Kayla: Just focus on Jungkook. I know exes can be messy but remember your boyfriend

You let out a cynical laugh and barely even flinch when your phone falls on your face. It would be much easier to remember your boyfriend if you actually had one.

Surprisingly, you fall asleep soon after that text exchange, waking back up when Jungkook gets into bed. You peek an eye open and watch as he ruffles his towel-dried hair and turns off the lamp on the nightstand before lying down. He smells like his favorite soap that he packed for the trip, and your earlier stress melts away as you take in the familiar scent.

Feeling more at ease, you begin to drift off again until the feeling of Jungkook shifting and tossing an arm around your waist has you jolting. His breathing is even, and he makes no other movements or sounds. Did he fall asleep that fast? You know he can fall asleep quicker than anyone in your friend group, but it was barely ten minutes since he laid down.

Whether or not he’s asleep, you decide not to question it. You’d give more than anything to have Jungkook hold you the way he is right now, so you close your eyes and drift off back to sleep, enjoying the weight of his arm on your body.

Waking up with Jungkook’s arms still securely around you is in no way the worst way to be. You stay in this position as long as you can, but eventually, he pulls himself away and drowsily stumbles out of the room. As you’re listening to him shuffle down the hall and into the bathroom, Ray pops his head into the room.

“Hey, morning. You and Jungkook should get ready soon. Mom invited the Kims over for breakfast, and they should be over in an hour or so.” He flashes you a sympathetic look at the groan that comes out. “I know, I’m sorry. I tried to nicely hint that she shouldn’t, but you know how mom gets.”

“Yeah, believe me, I know.” You grumble from under the blanket you pulled over your head.

“Kayla and I will do our best to deflect any awkward questions or topics that come up.”

“Y’all are the best.”

“I know!” your brother calls, already halfway down the hall.

Jungkook comes back from the bathroom soon after, toothbrush in hand. His hair is still ruffled from sleep, and his eyes still look a little droopy. The way your heart races at the sight of him in the morning is all you need to know about your still very relevant crush on him.

When you tell him about the company you’re having over, you see a visible frown etch itself onto his face. He nods but doesn’t say anything and instead moves to his suitcase to get his clothes.

The two of you get ready for the day in silence, though you barely make note as to why Jungkook may be silent, as all you can think about is being so close to Namjoon again and talking to him after literally years.

As fate would have it, you’re the one that has to answer the door for Namjoon and his parents when they show up. With your mom monitoring the hot stove, your brother at the store for more juice, and Kayla in the bathroom, that just leaves you while Jungkook sets the table.

“Y/n! Oh my goodness, look at you!” Namjoon’s mom sweeps you up into her arms first, cooing in your ear about how good it is to see you after so long.

“It’s great to see you too, Mrs. Kim.” You can’t help but smile back at her. Your feelings and romantic history with Namjoon aside, his parents, his mom especially, have always been nothing but sweet and supportive, and you are genuinely happy to see them again.

When she finally lets you go, Mr. Kim pulls you into a much quicker, but still affectionate hug. Namjoon attempts to reach for you next, but you expertly evade his incoming embrace, and once his parents slip their shoes off, you follow them to the kitchen where your mom is calling out a greeting.

You take the empty seat between Jungkook and Kayla, fixing your attention on the food in front of you as everyone takes their seats. Ray and your mom are on either end of the table while the Kims sit across from you. Predictably, Namjoon sits between his parents so that he’s directly in front of you.

As waffles and scrambled eggs are passed around, your mom asks the Kims about their most recent vacation to Malta that they just returned from. During a story about Mrs. Kim and a stray cat outside of their hotel, you feel a socked foot give your calf a tap. Glancing up, your eyes meet Namjoon’s, and he smiles at you, small enough that no one notices, but enough that you see the way his dimples pop into his cheeks.

He gets a frown in response from you, but you do find yourself biting your lip to stop any traces of a smile. He can’t just waltz in here, looking as handsome as he always has, and expect you to just play nice with him. Seeing how your last real conversation was him breaking up with you, you couldn’t just pick up as best friend’s after he broke your heart.

“Y/n?” You look up suddenly and make eye contact with Mrs. Kim, who’s looking at you expectantly.

“I’m sorry?”

“I asked how you and Jungkook met.”

“Oh. I met him through our mutual friend Jimin. Jungkook transferred to our college halfway through his first year and shared a class with Jimin, who I had become friends with pretty much on the first day of school.”

“Aw, how sweet. Did you begin dating right away?” She prods. Everyone else had some form of interest in hearing your story, including Namjoon, who was staring at you, almost unblinking.

“Uh, no. We only started dating three months ago. We were friends until then.”

“How cute! Namjoon’s father and I were friends before we began dating too. Now look at us,” she sighs wistfully, giving her husband a loving look over Namjoon’s head which he returns.

“Well, you know, only about 28% of college students end up marrying their significant other after graduation.” Namjoon shrugs focused on cutting into his pancakes. “Not everyone is so lucky.”

“Oh, stop it, Joon!” His mom chastises with a smack on his arm.

“I’m just being realistic, I mean when you think about it-”

“Hey, mom! Why don’t you tell the Kims about the caterer for the wedding?” Kayla cut in, stopping Namjoon in his tracks and allowing your mom to chime in happily.

You whisper a thank you under your breath to your sister, who nods in return. When your eyes meet Namjoon’s across the table, he’s wearing an unreadable expression and continues to do so for the remainder of the morning.

Throughout breakfast, very few questions about you and your relationship with Jungkook are asked. Any that do come up, Kayla and Ray do their best to ward them off, including any other comments Namjoon could make. You barely remember any of the stories that get swapped due to how preoccupied your thoughts are.

At the end of breakfast, you quickly volunteer to clean up and carry as many plates as your hands can take to the kitchen.

You’re in the middle of rinsing them and loading the dishwasher when Namjoon comes in, startling you.

“Sorry. Came to bring you the rest of the dishes.” You wordlessly take the plates and cups as he hands them to you, trying to do your best and ignore the palpable feeling in the room. Namjoon’s presence unnerves you as you finish and when you turn around after starting the dishwasher, he’s still there leaning against the counter.

“Um, did you need something?” The kitchen feels so much smaller with how close he’s standing to you.

“Y/n, I think we should talk.”

“About what?”

“About the fact that we haven’t spoken to each other in so long.”

You go from nervous to annoyed in no time at his words. “And whose fault is that? You’re the one who dumped me, remember?”

“Yeah, and I shouldn’t have done that, but we agreed we’d stay friends.”

“We did, but it’s kind of hard to do that, when the man you loved rips your heart out, and just the idea of him causes you pain.” You hate the way your voice cracks at the end of your sentence. The last thing you want is to cry in front of him over your past relationship.

“Y/n, I’m truly, really sorry. But you weren’t the only one who was hurt. It wasn’t exactly easy to just end things the way I did.”

“Well, you could’ve fooled me. You dumped me in less than five minutes!” Tears are now brimming in your eyes, and you know he sees it.

“Y/n, please.” He reaches for your arm, and you snatch it away.

“I don’t need you to comfort me.”

“Yeah, your little boyfriend will do that for you, huh?” The attitude in his voice only serves to make you angrier.

“You know what? You have no right to be mad that I’m with someone right now, and I don’t need to stand here and talk to you.” Before you can leave, Namjoon’s hand wraps around your wrist to keep you.

“Wait, I-”

“Y/n?” Jungkook appears in the doorway, eyes locked to Namjoon touching you. “You okay?”

“Yes, but I’m going upstairs to lay down. I’m still tired.” Namjoon doesn’t put up a fight when you yank out of his grasp again and stomp out of the room. You say your goodbyes to the Kims, telling them that you don’t feel well, and they immediately fuss over you, saying they’ll bring you soup later and to get some rest.

After your mom says she’ll bring you some ginger ale soon, you’re ascending the stairs with Jungkook trailing behind, who commented that he’d make sure you lay down and rest.

You barely make it into the room before the tears that you’ve been holding back since you saw Namjoon spill. Jungkook closes the bedroom door and crosses the room instantly to scoop you into his arms.

He stands there holding you, letting you cry on his shirt for as long as you need. The sound of your muffled cries in the fabric of his shirt is all that’s heard. Once you’re only sniffling and wiping your tears with your hands, Jungkook leads you to the bed to sit down with you. He waits until the room is completely silent before he asks anything.

“So, are you going to tell me about him?” You already know that the ‘him’ he’s referring to is Namjoon. You’ve admittedly never told your friends about him because you really just wanted to forget. It was something you hoped you’d never have to bring up if you could help it. In retrospect, this was a foolish thing to think, and that was obvious now.

You let out a loud sigh and finally decide to be honest.

“Like my mom said yesterday, we’ve been friends since we were single-digit aged. We grew up together, and in my freshman year of high school, he asked me out, and I said yes. We dated all through high school until the year that I was graduating. He graduated a year before me because he’s basically a genius and went to Stanford for medical school because he didn’t want to stay on the East Coast.

“The plan was for me to follow him to California and go to school near him, but he decided to break up with me over Skype when I was months away from graduating. He said medical school was hard enough, and he couldn’t handle maintaining a relationship at the same time. He claimed he wanted to do it earlier than when he did, but he couldn’t talk himself into doing it until it was last minute. From there, we just stopped talking all the time except the occasional holiday or birthday text, and then we stopped talking altogether, and I ran away to South Korea, and here we are.”

Jungkook pulls you into another hug halfway through your story because you started to cry again. He hates seeing you like this; sad, defeated, and still so clearly in pain. Listening to you cry is breaking his heart alone, and he wants more than anything to make it go away. He doesn’t know how to help you, but if it starts with holding you as tight as he can, he will.

The rest of the morning and afternoon is spent with you and Jungkook lying in bed, talking more than you have since you’ve been friends. You tell him more about your family and who you were when you grew up in this house. You talk about him and growing up in Busan, and he says how badly he wants to take you to his hometown (which you will be doing during the next break, according to him).

At some point, your mom comes to check on the two of you and tells you dinner is ready, but she lets you eat dinner in your room, sensing you and Jungkook are having time to yourselves. When you go to bed that night, Jungkook lies closer to you and neither of you mind very much.

The day may have started as something you were dreading, but now the only thing you feel is the immense love you have for Jungkook.

Unbeknownst to you, Jungkook feels the same way as he lays behind you, relishing this time with you and pretending that you feel the same as he does.

The rest of the week goes by in a blur after that. While you’re not directly in the wedding party, you love your cousin, so you’re willing to help your mom and aunts prepare for the rehearsal dinner and the wedding itself. You spend the week making phone calls to the photographer and the videographer and making sure the cake will be ready for pick up the morning of. Jungkook stays busy too, helping your brother and a few of your cousins make sure all of the tables and chairs are probably set up in the backyard.

Even though you’re on the trip together, you and Jungkook barely get to socialize as much as you’d like after that day spent in your room, given how quickly the days pass and how busy you find yourselves. Luckily, this also means that you don’t have to see much of Namjoon, but that doesn’t stop him from texting you nearly every day.

At first, he apologized for making you feel uncomfortable at breakfast the other morning. Then he began to ask questions about what you’re doing during the day, if you’ve seen any good movies lately, what your favorite classes are, and asking you to share some songs you’ve been listening to recently. The conversation stays very surface level, and it's clear he’s trying to re-establish some semblance of a relationship, but you’re not sure how you feel about it. Just last week, you had given Namjoon no thoughts, but now you’re thinking about him more than you have in years.

By the time the rehearsal dinner rolls around, you feel both emotionally and physically exhausted and can’t wait for tomorrow, when the wedding will finally be here. You’ll be glad to see your cousin get married to the love of her life, but between your current feelings for Jungkook and your dormant feelings for Namjoon, you feel as though you’ve been through hell and back.

The backyard is set up in anticipation for tomorrow, with a few round tables positioned on either side of the yard and a clear path in between that leads to the large tree in your yard where the ceremony itself would take place.

You’re sitting at the same table as your mom, grandma, siblings, and Jungkook. Namjoon and his parents are at the table directly behind you, close enough that Namjoon simply needs to turn in his chair to talk face-to-face with you. During dinner, conversation among everyone is light, and you even put up with Namjoon asking you questions about school and some of your other friends back in Korea. Admittedly, you’ve had a few glasses of champagne to deal with the emotions swirling in your mind, and they’re catching up with you the more the night goes on.

While various family members offer toasts to your cousin, you’ve had at least three more drinks, and you’re feeling a heavy buzz settle over you. At some point, Namjoon turns his chair all the way around and is reminiscing about your high school days with you. It feels nice to talk to him freely once again and share jokes and stories that only the two of you know. Of course, you do have alcohol swimming through your veins, so you can’t say it’s just because you’re finally able to be completely comfortable with him again.

When your aunt brings out cupcakes for dessert, you’re on what you know should be your last glass of champagne. You’re so wrapped in laughing at everything Namjoon says and letting him occupy your attention, that you don’t even notice the way Jungkook is frowning from next to you.

He himself has been throwing back drink after drink since Namjoon first decided to strike up a conversation with you. He noticed that you started drinking as soon as you all sat down at the table at the start of dinner tonight and lost count of how many he saw you down.

Instead of stopping you as he should’ve, he wallowed in silent self-pity next to you while Namjoon got closer and closer to you and did his damndest to ice Jungkook out of the conversation, even though you attempted to include him when you could.

Jungkook isn’t sure how many drinks he had, but he was sober enough to notate every time Namjoon’s hand brushed against your knee or grazed your exposed shoulders. When Jungkook saw you come out of your bedroom in the form-fitting sundress that hugged your body, he could barely keep his eyes off you, but now, knowing another man other than him was enjoying seeing so much of your shape, it made him want to shield you and hide you away back inside the house.

You, on the other hand, think nothing of the subtle touches from Namjoon. It seems almost natural when his hand rests on your thigh or your hand.

“So,” Namjoon says, loud enough for Jungkook to hear from beside you. “How long have you been with him again?” He jerks his head in Jungkook’s direction, and it takes a few seconds for your mind to catch up.

“Nearly four months?” Your response comes out as more of a question than a definitive answer.

“Yeah,” Jungkook backs you up, listening intently.

“That’s a pretty young relationship. That would explain why you don’t seem very couple-y.”

“What?” Jungkook hisses, sitting up straighter in his chair and ignoring how the bistro lights above him spin.

“I’m just saying, the handful of times I’ve seen you two interact, you don’t hold hands or hug or anything. It’s a little weird.” Namjoon shrugs.

“Maybe we don’t like PDA,” Jungkook supplies through gritted teeth. You nod in agreement.

“Really? That’s funny. When Y/n and I were together, she was all about PDA.” Your former boyfriend sends you a wink that has heat creeping up the back of your neck.

“Joon, we were teenagers.” Your eyes dart to Jungkook, who’s frowning deeper than you think you’ve ever seen him.

“Yeah, but still. You could barely keep your hands off me, not that I’m complaining. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t miss it.” Your eyes are transfixed on his plush lips as he speaks, and he must know because you watch as his tongue swipes slowly across his bottom lip.

Jungkook scoffs and takes a deep breath before grabbing your shoulders and turns you towards him from beside you.

“Jungkoo—” Your sentence is cut off by Jungkook’s lips smashing against yours.

Your eyes slip shut as you very quickly give into the kiss. This is the moment you’ve been waiting for since you first came to terms with the fact that you were head over heels in love with your best friend.

As if the kiss is written into a cheesy romantic comedy, everyone around you melts away. The voices of your family become dull and nondescript as the lights above your head become fuzzy. You know this isn’t the alcohol making you feel like this; this is what it feels like to kiss the man you’ve been aching for all this time. Your eyes start to mist at some point, but that’s also when he pulls away.

You gasp for breath, eyes still glazed over and fixed on Jungkook. His cheeks are flush, and he’s staring right back at you.

Namjoon lets out a scoff and excuses himself. Jungkook breaks your gaze to watch the older man go, a chuckle leaving his lips.

“Serves him right,” he murmurs.

Logically, you know Jungkook only kissed you the way he did to prove Namjoon wrong. It was to make your fake relationship appear genuine, and it seems to have worked, but all you can think about is his lips.

It’s why you lean forward again, catching him off guard with another kiss, but he doesn’t pull away. Instead, his large hands grasp your hips, drawing you closer to him. Your own hands are reaching up, intending to grip his brunette locks, but before you can get there, Kayla’s voice has you snap out of it.

“Ay, y’all are drunk, which I get, but take this upstairs, please. There are children, you know!” Sheepishly, you meet her eyes, along with the looks from a few other family members at neighboring tables.

“Sorry,” you and Jungkook say together, turning back to the table, both of you down the glasses of water next to your empty dessert plates.

Your visiting family members only stay for an hour or so longer, calling it an early night to get as well-rested as they can for the big morning. You and Jungkook offer to help clean up, but your mom makes your brother and sister take you both upstairs, declaring you both too drunk to be useful.

“We helped you upstairs, but we’re not helping with anything else. Figure it out yourselves.” Kayla says as she dumps you onto your bed. She and Ray both leave you bottles of water before leaving you alone. You and Jungkook are lying next to each other, still fully clothed with only the lamp on your side of the bed turned on.

You’re not as drunk as you were earlier, thanks to the copious amount of water you drank throughout the remainder of the night, but you’re still tingly and can feel a headache trying to creep in. As much as you’d like to get up and change into your pajamas, the desire to lay here and dream about Jungkook’s lips on yours is much stronger.

“Can I tell you something?” Jungkook speaks, making you jump at the sound of his voice.

“Huh? Yeah.”

He doesn’t answer immediately. A few seconds of silence go by before he speaks.

“I liked kissing you.”

“What?” You sit up too fast and instantly regret it, but you’re more focused on wrapping your mind around what you just heard.

“Sorry, was that weird? Did I just make this weird?” Jungkook jolts up too, visibly trying to steady himself.

“No! I, uh, I liked kissing you too.” His espresso-colored eyes crinkle in the corners when he gives you a genuine smile that has his front teeth poking out. The smile is gone as quickly as it appears, his face scrunching in concentration as he zeroes in on your lips.

He’s moving slow, but you know he’s coming towards you, his lips approaching yours again, and you make no move to stop him.

This time the kiss starts fast as he pulls your body close to his. Making up for the missed chance you didn’t get outside, you finally get a good handful of his hair between your fingers, and he groans in response. The gruff sound is felt in the pit of your stomach, shooting straight from there to your core.

You may not be sober, but there is still a voice in the back of your mind screaming at you, telling you that you’re kissing your best friend. Your best friend is running his warm hands over your shoulders and down to the front of your dress. Your best friend’s fingers are scrunching the fabric of your dress until it’s pulled high enough to expose the skin of your thighs.

“J-Jungkook,” you manage to say as his lips move to your neck. Your thoughts waver slightly at the sensation, nearly forgetting what you want to say.

“Hmm?” he questions, teeth now nibbling on the spot he was kissing.

“You’re drunk. Are you—do you know what you’re doing?”

“Of course I do. I want you so bad.” Jungkook pulls back, meeting your eyes. “Do you know what you’re doing?”

“Yes,” you breathe out.

“Good.” Jungkook helps you stand then, pulling your dress up and completely off of your body, tossing the fabric to the side of the room. His nimble fingers reach around you to unhook your bra, and that’s next to fall aside. You had forgone panties tonight, thinking nothing of it with the dress being so long, so you get to watch as his pupils dilate as they take in your completely naked body.

Feeling self-conscious under his scrutiny, you move you cover yourself, but he reaches out to stop you.

“Don’t hide from me.”

You answer him by leaning forward and kissing him, catching him off guard, and he trips, falling backward onto the bed. This new position doesn’t stop you from crashing your mouths together, savoring the taste of him again. His hands find your breasts, cupping them roughly and pulling on your nipples, which has you dry humping his muscular thighs.

Jungkook doesn’t stay on his back for long and quickly flips you over, his frame hovering over you. Your eyes follow his every move as he unbuttons his shirt, devouring the sight of him. His smooth skin, his built torso, and his tattoos that creep up his arm to his shoulder all have you clenching your thighs.

“Like what you see?” he teases, hands playing with his belt buckle.

“Jungkook, please take the rest of your clothes off.” Jungkook hesitates at your begging tone, only for a second, but recovers soon after and does as you ask. He leaves your body long enough to pull his slacks and boxers down, and you let out an actual whimper at how breathtaking he looks completely bare. His hard cock stands proud, just waiting to fill you up.

“Shh,” he motions behind him to your bedroom door as he repositions himself lower, on his belly between your thighs. “Your family’s outside. You have to be quiet.”

“Sorry, I-oh shit,” Jungkook is only between your thighs for what feels like a millisecond before his wonderful lips latch onto your clit, sucking hard enough to have your back bowing off of the bed.

You’re plenty wet enough for him to slide a finger into you, pumping it in time with his mouth as it moves against you. Your fingers tangle in his hair again as you hold him in place, bucking your hips up softly into his mouth. Soft slurping sounds fill the room as Jungkook eats you out better than anyone ever has. Not that you’ve had too many other partners, but the urgency as to which he moves and the skilled way his second finger slips in and crooks at just the right angle automatically put him at the top of the list.

Jungkook’s fingers move at a faster pace as he works you open, your breath coming out in frantic exhales as you get embarrassingly closer to an orgasm. Both hands find his head, fingers combing through the strands before gripping tight. Jungkook lets out a moan against you, the sound sending tremors through your body, and that’s all you need before you begin to unravel.

“Jungkook, I’m cumming, I’m cumming,” you pant out. The hand that isn’t knuckles deep in you comes up to cover your mouth just in time for you to let out a high-pitched moan. Your body shakes as you cum, squeezing your thighs around Jungkook’s head, and he stays exactly where he is.

You’re still shaking when he pulls his face away and obscenely licks his lips in front of you.

“That was—I mean—you—oh my fuck.” you babble out, mind still reeling from the feeling of his lips.

“If you thought that was good, I’ve got something else for you.” Jungkook motions to his cock, hard and red, and you open your legs impossibly wider. He scooches himself up, lining up with your wet lips. “Oh, I don’t have a condom if you—”

“Fuck a condom, I need you in me now, Jungkook.” His eyes widen momentarily at the commanding tone in your voice, but he doesn’t say anything else. Instead, he enters you in one slow motion, the two of you moaning in unison once he’s buried to the hilt.

“Holy shit, Y/n. You feel so fucking good.” He closes his eyes, taking a few deep breaths at the sensation of you. He knew you’d feel amazing if the day ever came to be with you like this, but he didn’t expect to be so eager to burst at the first feeling of your silken walls around him.

“Please move. Please,” you beg. Jungkook counts to three in his head before beginning to rock his hips; the shallow motion alone has you panting. “Faster.” you plead through gritted teeth as you attempt to move your hips quicker.

As much as he doesn’t want to cum quickly, your desperation spurs him on, firmly grasping your hips and sitting up for better leverage. His eyes drink in the sight of you with your flushed, damp skin and needy pout. Your bottom lip is between your lips, and your hands desperately grab for any part of him that you can reach. This alone is all Jungkook needs to start thrusting into you faster; quick nut be damned.

You do your best not to make too much noise, but the way that Jungkook’s cock is stretching you out makes it difficult. You’re aware of how the bed begins to shake with the force of his thrusts, but you don’t care. He leans down while his hips are working to attach his lips to your neck, nibbling and biting at the skin which has your eyes rolling to the back of your head.

“So good, so good,” Jungkook chants into your moist skin, hands clutching your soft thighs.

“Fuck, don’t stop,” you whine. Your hands move up to clutch his shoulders, your nails digging into the thick skin there, but he doesn’t feel it. All Jungkook feels is you, and all Jungkook thinks about is you.

“Y/n,  I’m going to cum. I can’t hold it.” He’s panting as his thrusts become frantic, his hand fumbling to find your clit between your sweaty bodies.

The way in which you squeal lets him know he’s found the hard bud as he begins rubbing in rough circles. Your breathing becomes more erratic as you feel tears prick the back of your eyes at the pleasure.

“M-me too. I’m cumming. Jungkook!” Your body shakes violently as your second orgasm hits you and your mouth opens in a silent scream. Your cunt squeezing him impossibly tighter is what causes Jungkook to unravel as he cums right after you, his hot seed filling you, quickly dripping out around him.

The only sound in the room for a few seconds is of the two of you breathing heavily. Jungkook’s cock begins to soften, so he slowly pulls out, both of you hissing at the sensation. Your thighs are sticky with cum, and the rest of your body is covered in sweat, but be it the alcohol or the post-orgasm bliss, you don’t care at all. You feel better than you have this entire trip, and when you glance over at Jungkook, he’s on his back, a goofy smile on his face.

“Wow,” you say to him, and he looks over to meet your eyes.

“Yeah. Wow,” he breathes, echoing your sentiments.

You giggle, which is quickly followed by a yawn, the alcohol still swirling in your veins and making you feel both giddy and spent. Seeing your exhaustion, Jungkook reaches over the side of the bed and hands you his button-up shirt to clean up with.

You wipe yourself with as much energy as you can muster before flopping onto your side, facing Jungkook. He turns as well, the two of you facing each other with drunken smiles. Just as your eyes close, you feel Jungkook’s lips place a quick kiss on the tip of your nose, and that familiar tug on your heart that he causes is back and is all you think about as you fall asleep, Jungkook following immediately after.

“Hello! Get your asses up, lovebirds!” Kayla’s voice jolts you out of your sleep. When you sit up, feeling groggy from the night before, you see your sister’s head poking in your bedroom.

“What?” You reach for your phone on the side table to glance at the time. “Oh fuck!” The wedding starts in three hours, and you’re not ready in the slightest.

“Yep. You’re lucky Nikki and Diana are late too! Their car got a flat, so they’re waiting on AAA.  Get moving!” When she leaves the room, Jungkook stirs next to you. When he moves to stretch his arms above his head, the quilt covering him shifts down, and the sight of his bare chest reminds you very quickly of the night before.

You fucked Jungkook.

You and your best friend that you are in love with got drunk and had sex.

“What time is it?” Jungkook grumbles, fingers ruffling his messy hair. You’re reminded of just how soft the strands felt in your hand as he ate you out.

“We’re late. We need to get ready now.” You say in a rush as you climb out of bed. The cool air of your bedroom serves as a reminder that you’re completely naked. You catch Jungkook’s eyes as he turns towards you and watch how the brown orbs widen as he scans your body in the daylight.

Grabbing your pillow, you cover yourself and shuffle backward to your suitcase. “I’m going to go shower in my mom’s room. You can take the main shower.” Jungkook clamors out of bed with his pillow covering his crotch.

“Y-yeah, okay.” When he’s turned to his suitcase, you do the same, pillow now covering your ass while you search for your robe. Once it’s on and cinched tight, you grab your underwear and dart out of the bedroom without another word.

Your mom is in her room when you enter, coming out of her closet with the dress she’ll be wearing.

“Hey, morning, baby. You’re late!”

“I know. I’m showering in your bathroom.”

Your mom hums in response but thankfully doesn’t try to continue a conversation as she continues getting ready. You already know the rest of the day will be difficult, as you keep replaying last night with Jungkook. Still, you do your best to remind yourself that today is about your cousin and her special day and not your drunken decisions that could very well lead to the destruction of your friendship.

Luckily, once you’re out of the shower, your sister barges in to start on your hair and makeup together which helps distract you. It’s easy for you to take your mind off last night between her and your other cousins, who arrive shortly after, followed by Nikki and Diana.

On the other side of the house, Jungkook is in a similar situation. He spends his entire shower cursing himself for not being able to keep it in his pants last night. He was drunk, but he still knew what was going on. He knew he was having sex with you and what this could mean for the two of you, but he did it anyway. His biggest fear that he’d somehow fuck up your friendship due to his feelings for you was coming true as far as he’s concerned.

He was thankful that your brother had come to find him when he was out of the shower and dressed to help make sure everything in the backyard is up to par for the wedding. He busies himself, helping to rearrange tables and placing decorations where they should be.

In between saying hello to the rest of your family as they pile into the house and finishing getting ready, he sends a text to the group chat of Seokjin, Taehyung, and Jimin.

Jungkook: In case anyone is wondering, I’m a fucking dumbass

Jimin: Silly Jungkookie, we knew that already

Seokjin: *pretends to be surprised*

Taehyung: What’d you do this time

Jungkook: Y/n and I had sex last night

Jimin: WHAT

Seokjin: WHAT

Taehyung: WHAT

Jungkook: I don’t have a lot of time but long story short we got drunk and fucked last night

Jimin: Wow

Seokjin: You bastards owe me ₩22000!

Taehyung: No! You said you bet they’d get together by the end of the trip. It’s not the end

Seokjin: End of the trip, almost the end, same shit. PAY ME

Jungkook: We’re not together

Jimin: WHAT

Seokjin: WHAT

Taehyung: WHAT

Jungkook: We fucked, fell asleep, now we’re getting ready for the wedding. We didn’t talk about it all. She covered herself and ran out to get ready. I screwed up

Taehyung: Why do you think that? Maybe she was just nervous

Jimin: Yeah I mean it’s a lot you know. Like surprise I fucked my best friend

Jungkook: Idk like I said we were both drunk and horny so it just happened. She’s probably scared that I thought it was something other than a hookup

Seokjin: C’mon JK, do you really think Y/n is like that?

Jungkook: Hyung idk ok. It wasn’t a great post-hookup reaction

Taehyung: Talk to her after the wedding. You can’t just leave it

Jungkook: We’ll see

Jimin: Jungkook! Talk to her!

Jungkook: Gotta go. Everyone is about to go take their seats

Seokjin: Jungkook come on

“Hey.” The sound of your voice on the other side of your bedroom door has Jungkook quickly tucking his phone away. You step into the room when he calls back a hey in response, and Jungkook feels himself sputter. He had seen the dress you’d be wearing before you left school, but seeing it on you is entirely different.

The strapless light pink dress hugs your form better than anything Jungkook has ever seen on you. The fabric looks as soft as he knows your skin is and stops a few inches above your knees, giving him a fantastic view of your legs. Your hair is styled, your makeup is done, and Jungkook wants nothing more than to close the gap between the two of you and take you into his arms. The clear gloss you wear has your lips shining under the lights of your bedroom, and he aches to kiss you again, if even only for a few seconds.

“Ready to head downstairs? They’re starting the ceremony soon.” He nods dumbly back at you and follows you down to the backyard. The two of you greet family members you hadn’t seen earlier on the way and take your spot at the table you were seated at last night.

Jungkook’s eyes narrow in Namjoon’s direction, and he receives a smirk in response from the older man. Jungkook wants to smack it right off of his face. He can’t wait for this day to be over so he can potentially never see Kim Namjoon again if he can help it.

You have similar thoughts as you greet Namjoon and his parents, him giving you a soft smile in return. You make a mental note to have a proper conversation with Namjoon before your trip is over. You need to talk about everything that’s happened this week and decide what’s next for the two of you if anything at all. But for now, you push that away as the signaling of the start of the ceremony begins to play.

Everyone watches as your cousin’s two sisters and three brothers in her wedding party make the short trip from the backdoor to the large tree in your backyard. Diana’s wedding party follows after them, and they all join your uncle, who is ordained and will be conducting the marriage.

When the music switches to “Here Comes the Bride,” all eyes are on your cousin as her step-dad walks her down the aisle, followed by Diana and her dad. Your eyes mist over as you watch your cousin, whom you grew up with as if she was your sister, take her spot in front of her wife-to-be as your uncle begins his speech.

You’re not one to cry at romance and weddings, but something about seeing someone so important to you making such a huge life decision has your already fragile emotions even more sensitive. You wipe away a few tears with your napkin and feel Jungkook’s hand slowly tuck into yours, giving you a squeeze. It catches you off guard, and when you glance over at him, his cheeks have a dark red blush dusting his skin. You squeeze his hand in response and a small smile tugs at the corner of his mouth.

The reception starts with everyone sharing hugs and tears, then transitions into the party part as the hired bartender begins mixing drinks. The catering team your family hired begins bringing out food, and the DJ (who is another cousin) starts playing a surprisingly well-put-together playlist.

Intending not to have another incident like last night, you only nurse two drinks and spend most of the afternoon dancing with your sister. Even though it’s evident to you that you and Jungkook still have something uncomfortable hanging between the two of you, your family is none the wiser, and your sister makes him dance with all of you anyway.

You end up enjoying your time and all thoughts of the night before, and your general drama is forgotten until you’re going back outside from a quick bathroom break.

Namjoon is in the kitchen leaning against the fridge by the backdoor, and stops you with a hand on your arm before both feet can step outside.

“Hey, Y/n, can I talk to you?”

“Uh, yeah, sure.” You hesitate only for a second, eyes glancing outside. Everyone else is preoccupied, so no one pays attention to you backing up into the house.

“Look, I’m not going to beat around the bush. I miss you.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah. I miss talking to you. This week has shown me just how much we’ve grown apart and how awkward it is with us right now, and I hate it. I want us to be friends again.”

“I guess you should’ve thought about that before you dumped me over Skype, then stopped texting me.” You hadn’t thought before you blurted it out, but it feels good to say it.

“You’re right. I shouldn’t have ended things the way that I did. That was shitty of me. And I truly didn’t mean to stop talking to you. School just took over and occupied all my time, and by the time I had room to breathe, it just felt like it was too late to reach out.”

“You didn’t even try, though, Namjoon! All I got at first was obligatory holiday texts, then even that stopped. And yeah, I know, phones work both ways, but for fuck sake, I flew to the other side of the planet to start over and not think about how you literally ripped my heart out. I wasn't really feeling up to just giving you a casual call.” You do your best not to raise your voice, but your emotions are working to quickly get the better of you.

“I know, I know. I’m sorry, and I can’t even begin to describe how shitty I felt when I did it; how shitty I still feel! Breaking up with you was one of the worst decisions I’ve ever made in my life. I missed hearing your voice and seeing your face, even over a video. I missed sending you dumb memes and getting good morning and goodnight texts from you. I missed knowing that when I came home, you’d be here to see me.” Namjoon moves closer to you, taking your hands in his. “Please forgive me. I want to get to know you again. I know the romance ship has sailed, and that’s not an option anymore, but can we rebuild our friendship?”

His words are promising and sweet and make you feel warm inside. The idea of having your best friend back nearly makes you sob in relief. You can’t lie and say that underneath the hurt that you don’t miss Namjoon too. You grew up together, and he was your first everything. Those feelings don’t just go away.

“Namjoon-”

“Please? Do you want me to beg? I’ll get down on my knees and beg you, but Y/n, you’re one of the most important people in my life. I can’t let you go back across the world and think I’ve lost you for a second time.”

You sigh, gripping Namjoon’s hands. “Listen, I’m not about to tell you we’ll be best friends again who stay up on FaceTime all night or text all day every day, but we can work on it.” Namjoon smiles at you, relief visibly washing over him. You feel a weight of your own lift off your shoulders. Things won’t be the same as they were, and your friendship will need a lot of work and time, but you have to start somewhere, right?

“Thank you, thank you, thank you. Y/n, you have no idea how-” Namjoon’s sentence is cut off when Jungkook bursts into the kitchen and grabs him by the collar of his shirt, yanking him away from you.

“Leave her the fuck alone!” Jungkook pulls Namjoon outside and shoves him, the older man nearly tripping backward. “I’m sick of watching you hit on Y/n all goddamn week! You’ve been bothering her since you showed up, and it pisses me off!”

Everyone at the wedding stops what they’re doing at this point. The backyard is only so big, so it’s not hard to miss the commotion.

“Jungkook, you don’t need to—” You attempt to diffuse the situation, but Jungkook shakes you off.

“No, Y/n, I’ve tried not to say anything and to be as nice to him as I can since your family is here, but I’m done letting him hit on you when I’m standing right fucking here!” Red in the face and scowling intensely, Jungkook approaches Namjoon, the older man standing up tall to face him.

“Nice?” Namjoon scoffs. “You’ve been shooting daggers at me since I walked through the front door. It’s pretty obvious you don’t like me.”

“Because I don’t! I’m not going to tell you again, leave Y/n alone.” Your entire family is watching the heated exchange now. Your brother and a few of your male cousins step forward, poised to intervene.

“Sounds like you’re feeling insecure, little boy.” You watch Jungkook’s fists clench at Namjoon’s taunting words.

“Joon, please don’t provoke him,” you beg.

Namjoon throws his hands up, shoulders shrugging.

“Hey, I’m just saying. If your little college fling can’t handle you talking to other men, maybe there’s something wrong with him.” Eyes going back to Jungkook, Namjoon lets out a laugh. “If you’re not careful, someone may just come along and steal her from you, little boy.” Namjoon pokes Jungkook in the chest, and it’s almost in slow motion that you watch Jungkook draw his arm back to punch Namjoon directly in the cheek.

The older man stumbles, falling on his ass onto the concrete of the back patio. A beat of silence goes by as no one moves, until all at once, you’re launching yourself forward to grab Jungkook, and your brother and a cousin are rushing over to help Namjoon up.

“Jungkook, let’s go!” You pull him away from the scene, Jungkook staring Namjoon down angrily as Namjoon’s mom rushes over to him. Once you’re both in the living room, away from the rest of the wedding, you shove him onto the couch and glare down at him. “Are you serious right now?! I can’t believe you just did that!”

“He deserved it! He’s been up your ass since he showed up!” Jungkook argues, adrenaline still coursing through him.

“That was so inappropriate! This is my cousin’s wedding, Jungkook!”

“So then he should keep his fucking hands off of you!”

“He wasn’t doing anything today! We were just talking when you barged in like a lunatic!”

“He can talk to you without holding your hand and getting all in your face!”

“It’s not that big of a deal, Jungkook! Fuck, why do you even care!?”

“Because I love you, Y/n!” Jungkook screams, jumping up from the couch.

“What?” You freeze.

“You heard me!” Jungkook runs his fingers through his hair, tugging on the strands in frustration. Now that the rush of the moment has subsided, embarrassment and guilt at what he did make him feel tired. “It’s so exhausting trying to hide it. This trip has been so fucking hard. I have to walk around and kiss you and hold your hand and sleep in the same bed as you, and none of it is real! It sucks, and I feel like shit, and then to have to see some prick who blew his chances with you just show up and be all over you makes me so crazy. I’m sorry to you and your family that I punched him, but I’m not sorry to him.”

“So you’re in love with me.” You blink at him, your mind catching up to process his words.

“That’s literally what I just said.”

“And you were in love with me last night when we had sex?”

“Duh.”

“It wasn’t just the alcohol that made you horny?”

“Hell no. I’d do any and everything to you whether I was sober, drunk, high, tripping on shrooms or otherwise… also that sounded more romantic in my head.” he winces.

“Wow. And so you know I’m in love with you too, right?”

“Come on, you don’t have to just say shit to me to make me feel better.”

“Jungkook, I’m serious. I’ve loved you since what feels like the day we met, and this whole trip has been hell for me too. I spent all day today thinking yesterday meant nothing to you.”

Your best friend steps forward, his hands moving to cradle your face. “Yesterday meant everything to me, and you have no clue how relieved I am right now that you felt the same.” The two of you share a chuckle, any lingering tension now gone.

“So basically, what you’re saying is we aren’t just a ‘fake dating’ au, but we’re also an ‘idiots to lovers’ au. Got it.”

You let out a loud laugh at his words, smiling. Jungkook moves in to kiss you once your laughter subsides, catching you off guard, but you quickly kiss him back, the feeling of his lips on yours washing over you. Your body buzzes the same way it did the night before, and you momentarily forget where you are. You let Jungkook wrap his arms around you and deepen the kiss, the sound of a throat clearing behind you cutting through the atmosphere and stopping anything else from happening.

Kayla is leaning against the doorway, arms folded and a smirk on her face. “So, I won’t tell mom or anyone else that you’ve both been lying to us if you come back outside now. Nikki wants to do the bouquet toss, and Namjoon’s mom wants an apology.”

Jungkook winces from next to you, face flushing at the thought of someone’s mom being mad at him. You take his hand and lead him behind you as you follow Kayla outside. You decide to address the fact that she heard you and Jungkook confess to one another later, and focus on the wedding instead.

Back outside, everyone has gone back to doing their own thing, but you feel them all slyly watching you and Jungkook as you make your way over to Namjoon, who’s sitting next to his mom, holding an ice pack on his cheek. Namjoon catches your eye and waves his mom away before getting up and meeting the two of you halfway.

“So,” Namjoon starts, “to not prolong this and make this any more awkward than it is, Jungkook, I’m sorry for what I said. I was just being petty and wanted to piss you off. I’m not going to steal Y/n from you. I truly just want to rebuild my friendship with her.” He offers Jungkook a slight bow, and surprisingly, Jungkook gives one in return.

“I uh, I’m sorry too. I’m sorry I hit you. I overreacted, and it was childish.”

Namjoon shrugs and waves his hand dismissively. “It’s okay. Like I said, I was purposely petty. And besides, I was pretty impressed with the force behind that punch. It knocked me on my ass.” He chuckles, and Jungkook does the same.

It only takes this single exchange to have the tension between both men broken. Both Jungkook and Namjoon go back to their seats while you gather with the rest of the women for the bouquet toss. Glancing over at them, you see them chatting idly. Jungkook of thirty minutes ago would never.

“Okay, everyone ready?!” Nikki calls, bringing your attention back to why you’re gathered behind her and Diana. After counting to three, they toss their matching bouquet of roses over their shoulders. You watch the flowers soar through the sky momentarily as one lands in the hands of one of your aunts. You barely try, but by some bizarre stroke of luck, the second plops right in your barely outstretched hands.

Voices whistling and cheering from around you, flustered,  you speed walk to the table where Jungkook is also getting teased by your family sitting with him. He gives you a sheepish smile but still doesn’t hesitate to take your hand.

The remainder of the wedding continues without any further incident, which you’re thankful for. Jungkook seems much more at ease when holding your hand or giving you the occasional kiss on your cheek or forehead. Kayla spends the rest of the night shooting you knowing glances whenever you look her way, and you already know you won’t be leaving home without giving her all the details.

That doesn’t happen tonight, though. After the wedding is over, and after you say your goodbyes to your family members, Jungkook fucks you better than he did the night before. This time, you can feel how different it is now that you’ve admitted your feelings for one another. Each thrust of his hips is punctuated with a soft ‘I love you,’ and this time, when you feel tears prick your eyes, it’s because you know the man you’ve loved feels the same.

With the next day being your last full day at home, you spend it just you, Jungkook, your mom, and your siblings. The past week has been busier than anticipated with everything that went on, so you’re thankful for a final calm day to simply enjoy the ease of being home.

You admit to Kayla, Ray, and your mom the truth about you and Jungkook, and their only response is to laugh at you. It’s not as though you thought they’d shame you or make you feel bad, but you didn’t expect them to tease you.

“Oh, baby, I’m sorry that you thought we’d pressure you to get married.” Your mom snickers, having finally calmed down from the initial laugh attack.

“You and aunties do it every time I talk to you! And with Nikki’s wedding, I just knew you’d be all over me.”

“Well, I’m sorry that we make you stress out about that. Look on the bright side; now we won’t ask you when you’ll settle down with someone. We’ll only ask when you and Jungkook are settling down.” She gives you both what you assume is her attempt at a reassuring smile, but it only makes you and Jungkook share a nervous look at the possibility of this upcoming interrogation.

The rest of the day is spent watching movies together, and your heart swells at the love that you feel being surrounded by your closest immediate family and your best friend turned boyfriend. As the day wears on, a few of your other family members stop by to say their goodbyes to you and Jungkook before you're off tomorrow morning. Everyone makes it clear to Jungkook that he’s welcome with you anytime and that he’s basically part of the family now. This only serves to have you even more emotional for the rest of the day.

That night, on your last night sleeping in your bed at home, you tear up while you and Jungkook cuddle together watching TikToks on his phone. He notices your sniffles and hurries to wrap you in his embrace, asking what’s wrong.

“S-sorry, I just- I’m really happy right now. I got to see my family, got to see one of my favorite cousins get married, and on top of that, I got you. I never thought I’d get to be with you like this.” You bury your face in his chest, feeling shy.

Jungkook lightly grabs your chin, bringing your face up to meet his. “Hey, I want you to know how happy I am right now too. I keep thinking I’m going to wake up from a dream any minute now and realize that I’m not actually holding you.” Jungkook’s words make the butterflies in your stomach flutter and your skin flush. He leans down to kiss you before you can hide again, his lips causing you to melt on the spot.

“I love you, Y/n.” he whispers against you when he pulls away for air. You smile back at him so hard your cheeks start to hurt.

“I love you too, Jungkook. So much.” You kiss him again as you feel your happy tears threaten to fall.

“You need to text me when you land.”

“I will.”

“And let me know when you’re on your way back to school.”

“Yes, mom.”

“And let me know when you get to school—”

“Mom! You know I’ll let you know.”

Your mom laughs at your interruption, then her face falls into a frown.

“Sorry, sorry. I’m just going to miss you.” Tightening her grip on your shoulders, she pulls you into yet another hug. She and your siblings had driven you and Jungkook back to the airport, and she’s been holding you in a hug for the past five minutes.

“I know. I’ll miss you all too, but I promise I’ll come back soon.” She gives you a final squeeze before letting you go, allowing you to hug your brother and sister. They both say their goodbyes, making you promise to be back soon. Jungkook gets his own hugs from your family, all of them telling him to come back with you.

Your family watches you go as you finally head away through security to your plane.

When you and Jungkook are finally seated on the plane, ready for take-off, Jungkook checks his phone to text the group chat he has with the guys to let them know you’ll be home soon.

Taehyung: Can’t wait for you guys to get back! I’m bringing a bunch of food from my grandmother. You guys will love it.

Seokjin: More importantly, bring me my money! I won the bet for Y/n and Jungkook to hook up so bring me my wins

Jimin: Yeah, me too! I’ll even accept a digital transfer to my account please

Jungkook: Y’all know I can literally see this chat right

Taehyung: Oh chill out you already knew about the bet. And anyway what if Jungkook lied about them getting together? Like what if he just wants us to think he finally confessed when he didn’t because he doesn’t want us to clown him

Jimin: Hmmmmmm. Jungkook is it true???????

Seokjin: Ugh Tae makes sense he’s probably lying

Seokjin: YOU owe me then JK!

“Bunch of losers,” you grumble from next to Jungkook as you catch sight of the messages. “Here, give me your phone.” You give Jungkook a smirk, and he does as you say. You pull him closer to you and open the front-facing camera on his phone. “Kiss me.”

He doesn’t hesitate to bring his mouth to yours, and you give him the sloppiest kiss you can muster. It’s all open mouth and tongue, and you snap a picture of it. You pull away quickly, leaving Jungkook in a daze as he watches you send the picture to the group chat and turn his phone off once it successfully delivers.

“We’re about to take off. Phone off for safety,” you smile, sending him a wink. Your own phone begins to buzz over and over before you cut yours off as well.

“They’re going to be so pissed at us when we get back to school.” You laugh at the thought, already hearing Jin’s boisterous voice screaming about the picture and Sana grilling you for details.

You decide to worry about that later and instead loop your arm through Jungkook’s on the armrest. He immediately makes space for you and kisses your forehead, the heat from his lips spreading throughout your entire body. Your eyes close as you relish in the feeling of Jungkook and focus on being with him and only him for the next sixteen hours.

You wished you could but you were too decent of a human being, so you made space for him to come in with the small luggage he managed to bring out in time. 

You looked at his trembling body with what people would depict as a disgusted look but to be exact you were just disappointed and kinda annoyed. 

But as mentioned earlier, you were too decent of a human being, so bringing out an extra towel out of your haversack you handed out to his busy-being-an-aftershower-dog self, "Yah! Jung Hoseok! Stop splashing water everywhere, you idiot! Here take this towel! Dry yourself quickly and change into whatever clothes you brought!" 

Surprised by the sudden generosity Hoseok looked at you and then at your hand holding the towel with a can't-believe-it smile. 

"What is happening? The cold y/n y/l/n is melting? What am I seeing?" 

Embarrassed and annoyed by his teasing you turned around and began to put the towel back in its place, "Whether I am melting or not that can be your next assignment but right now I think you should be more concerned about something else, like not freezing to death!" 

And as if nodding to you a wave of cold air hit your tent and Hoseok jumped to snatch that towel from you resulting in him toppling you over. Both of you looked into each other's eyes and you thought, "Why isn't he getting up?" Then you asked yourself, "Why am I not pushing him away?"

A cold drop of water fell from his hair on your forehead bringing you into reality and you practically shoved him away shouting, "Yah! This isn't some kdrama! Geez! Why didn't you move?" 

"My brain froze, okay? Along with my body! All because you took away the towel!" He shouted back. 

You let out a sigh and gave him the towel, "Okay okay! I get it! Here take it." 

He took the towel and turned around while drying his hair. After a few seconds of grumbling that he should have brought a hair dryer with him he began to undress himself. 

You scoffed mumbling, "Yeah! As well have brought the entire washroom with you to camping!" 

"Hey! I heard that!" He exclaimed turning to you. 

You turned around to face him and retorted, "I said so that you could hear me!" 

He was going to counter you when your eyes shifted from his face to his almost bare chest visible through his half unbuttoned shirt. 

Hoseok's gaze followed yours and a smirk took place on his lips, "What? Do you wanna see Hoseok's hot body?" 

That was totally not the reason you were looking at his chest and his remark brought out the disgusted expression you often held back from expressing, "Ew! I am in no way interested in that pale rib cage cover!" 

"Whoa!" Hoseok gasped dramatically. He was going to say something back instead he wrapped the shirt closer to his chest, covering it, and then said while turning around, "I am not interested in showing you either! Can you please go outside? It's awkward to change while a girl is there." 

Surprised? No, it was utter disbelief for you. You couldn't believe the level of stupidity or ignorance you had to come across in one day. 

"Yeah! Sure! I'll wait for you outside in the rain while you comfortably change your attire, your majesty." You smiled at him. 

Hoseok stuttered before replying and realised his mistake, "Okay okay! I get it. I am sorry. I'll just change here. BUT don't peek! Okay?" 

"As if!" You scoffed. "You made my shirt wet too! So don't you dare peek!" 

After changing into dry clothes you put a scarf in the middle of the tent floor and prepared your sleeping bag to sleep. While doing so you noticed Hoseok watching you doing everything with big puppy eyes and a pout permanent on his lips. 

You looked at him questioningly and raised one eyebrow. 

The pout on his lips became even more distinct as if he was on the verge of crying. 

You almost found him cute but you were concerned more. The last thing you wanted in this cold rainstorm was to babysit a crybaby. 

You were going to ask him what was the matter but he replied before you could ask, "I couldn't grab my sleeping bag from the tent! What will I do now?" Tears were almost ready to fall from his eyes as he looked at you helplessly. 

You sighed. You hated it. You were almost as helpless as him when it comes to someone crying in front of you so you sighed, again, and asked, "What do you mean by you couldn't grab your sleeping bag from the tent? Your stuff sack wasn't attached to your haversack?" 

This time the sigh was his, "It was! But as soon as I completed setting up my camp I unpacked it… to sleep.." 

You facepalmed and after a second's pause you asked, "What's in it for me if I help you out?" 

"Really? You'll help me out? But how?" Hoseok's eyes became big in disbelief. 

You smiled smugly and said, "First, answer to my question!" 

"A-anything you want!" 

"Is that a promise?" 

"Yes! Crossing my heart!" 

"That's more like it. I'll keep that promise in the attic now and use it later." 

Saying that you reached out to your big haversack and brought out another sleeping bag. 

It was a FIFA winning moment for Hoseok. He took the sleeping bag and held it as if it was his baby. 

"Yah! Yah! Stop being so dramatic! It's just a sleeping bag!" Your disgusted face had made a comeback. 

"You wouldn't understand! I am saved! It's literally freezing in here!" Hoseok shivered. 

"It's not that bad." You rolled your eyes. 

After you both settled in your respective mummy sleeping bags Hoseok asked, "Why did you bring two sleeping bags?" 

If it was any other time, outside this mountain forest, you would have surely been annoyed at him without a particular reason and retorted something gibberish instead of answering him. But tonight, as if the storm had calmed you down, it was different. But not so much as to totally turn you into a softie towards him. 

You replied, "So that I don't have to see idiots like you cry in the rain!" 

Hoseok pouted, "Hey! How would I know it would come down to this?" 

"Why do you pout so much?" 

"I don't have any control over it, okay? What can I do if I am cute?" 

"Yeah right! Jung Hoseok, the cutie! What a joke!" 

"Before you get distracted and begin to diss me more, tell me why did you bring two sleeping bags! I am curious." 

You sighed and after wiggling a little bit in your bag you replied, "Well, initially it was because I was sceptical of the chilly weather up here so I wanted some extra heat. But also because since many of my batchmates are new to camping so I thought someone might need it. So I was willing to give it to them. I just didn't expect it to be you!" 

"Just my bad luck I guess." Hoseok said. 

"Bad luck? Come on! I already warned you when you were setting your tent in that ditch that you are gonna get in trouble if it rains!" 

"How am I supposed to know that it's gonna rain when the weather report clearly said the opposite! Plus how would I have known that it will storm this hard in spring?" 

"Yeah! That's why you are an idiot! When you are going camping you should always be prepared for the worst! And the very least you could do is not set up your tent in a low area!" You grumbled. 

"Yeah yeah mom! I am sorry! But now that I am full and warm, my sleep cells are fully charged. So good night. Have sweet dreams!" Hoseok wiggled in his bag while complaining about how one can sleep in a mummy sleeping bag. 

You stared at the ceiling of your tent and your mind asked you the same question that it did after first seeing Hoseok outside your tent. 

You stare at him blankly, wondering if he's perhaps having some kind of stroke and considering whether or not you should call an ambulance. He comes over to your rooted feet by the door, and before you can say anything, his arm winds around your waist and guides you over to his desk. You're hyper  aware of his hand on you in such an intimate manner and it infuriates you, boiling your blood liquid hot in your veins. It feels like everything's moving in slow motion while you attempt to piece together all the chaotic thoughts happening in your mind, but nothing makes any sense.