#citrustan

The following morning, you feel awful. And you blame it all on Namjoon. 

Had he not brought you to this fuckass island, you wouldn't have sat on a beach for a picnic. Had you not sat for a picnic on the beach, you wouldn't have been coerced into trying scallops. Had you not been forced into tasting scallops, you wouldn't have known how much you loved them, and you wouldn't have discovered how horribly allergic you were to (certain) shellfish (yet another thing you can’t have, no matter how much you crave it.) 

During the dinner by the ocean, you began feeling lightheaded. You thought it was because of all the alcohol you'd consumed (after that mixology session.) Then you threw up bitter stomach acid in the sand, which Yoongi did flag as a tad concerning but nothing a good night’s sleep couldn’t fix.

However, while walking back to the resort, you suddenly collapsed. 

You were told Jungkook was the one who first sprung into action and carried you all the way into the doctor's chambers. 

You make a mental note to ask Namjoon for more details.

Since the resort was pretty secluded on a little island, they had a little clinic and a full-time medical staff for emergencies like yours. For more serious cases, they had the facilities to have patients airlifted to a hospital. Luckily, you weren’t in that much trouble.

Kinda sucks that you were unconscious when you were (physically) closest to Jungkook though. You can't believe you missed this good of an opportunity to feel him up. 

You know he's got abs, you saw during dinner when Hyewon flashed everyone with them. 

Sigh.

Soon, you think.

Namjoon spent the night by your side in a private hospital room, sleeping on an uncomfortable couch. 

He felt guilty. Even though he couldn't have possibly prevented this, he felt responsible for you. 

He also had to convince your brother to not fly to the island overnight.

Although you'd been told your allergic reaction was severe, it could've been a lot worse. 

You don't seem to have realised how dangerous this could've potentially been because you're currently asking the resident doctor what a safe amount (of scallops) would be to consume. 

The doctor only came up with vegan alternatives. Now, you've lost interest in her professional opinions. 

After the doctor explains your antihistamine schedule to Joon, she leaves to attend to some kid’s jellyfish sting. 

And then you playfully glower at your friend. 

“Oh, you owe me biiiig for this.” You sing-song at Namjoon. 

He doesn't really, you're just bored. 

Namjoon grunts, “Yeah, yeah, I'll nurse you back to health. Need help washing up?” 

You coyly flutter your eyes at him. You consider it because you really do need a good wash. 

The ocean air has frizzed up your once silky hair. And your mouth felt disgusting. You’ve been fed a lot of water and other liquids so you don’t get dehydrated but the meds have left a strange aftertaste on your tongue.

A nurse comes in to take your IV out. 

Namjoon winces as he watches the needle retract from your skin. What a baby.

“What?” You scoff at him, “Never done drip therapy before?” 

He shakes his head. “I’d rather digest all the nutrients I need.” Then thoughtfully, he adds, “But I do enjoy acupuncture.” 

“Oh, I never got the concept of that.” Your mom was big on this stuff though. Chinese medicine, ayurveda, herbs and stuff. Maybe that’s why you don’t care for it. 

“I’ll take you to my guy, you might like it.” Namjoon suggests. 

You think for a second as the nurse finishes cleaning you up. Then you settle, “Mm, nah, I’m not too keen on micro needles in me. If I don’t see the results right away, it’s not going to work for me.” You extend your foot towards him, indirectly asking for a massage. 

As the nurse leaves, you catch her checking Namjoon out. But your friend was too focused on you. 

Sucker. 

“Where’s Yoongi… and stuff?” You wonder out loud. 

Subtle, you think.

Namjoon eyes you suspiciously. “I think they’re at brunch.” - “Why aren’t you with them?” 

“Because I’m here with you. Should I call Yoongi and stuff here instead?” He pulls on your toes. 

“Ow. No.” 

You thought they’d have flown out already. It’s like… half past eleven. 

Hopefully, you’re about to be discharged soon. 

The doctor wanted to monitor you for at least another hour. Then finally, you can head back to the mainland. 

Ugh. 

You really didn’t want to think about flying back though. If the meds don’t make you puke your guts out, flying in that crazy tin machine would definitely do the trick. 

You turn over for a cat nap, patting the empty space behind for Joon to get in with you.

An hour later, when you’re finally out of the hospital room and back in your suite, you make Namjoon recount the events of last night. You know, for your general physician back home and your records and such. 

“You know this doesn’t mean shit, right? He’s just better at navigating emergencies. This could’ve been any one of us and he’d react the same way.” 

“Lalalalala.” You cover your ears with your fingers, refusing to accept it.

“You can’t be serious…” You hear Namjoon mutter something to himself. 

Namjoon sighs to himself. “Fine. This is the last time though.”

Yay! 

“Ok, once again, my knees buckled and I fell on my side and then?” You stare at Joon with big eyes, waiting for him to repeat his account of whatever went down for the- checks notes- fifth time.

“Then Jungkook ran over to you and wasted no time in rushing you to the doctor’s room.” Namjoon purposely skips over what you want to hear.

“No, no---” You whine and nudge him, “Tell me the part about the- you know!” 

Namjoon throws his head back in frustration. “One last time and I’m out. I need to pack-” He takes a look around your messy room, “As do you.” 

You wave a hand dismissively. 

Robotically, he recites, “He crouched down, elevated your head on his knee, moved your hair out of your face, then cradled you supporting your head and neck and lifted you in his arms. And he almost ran to the lobby. He then reprimanded the receptionist later because she had panicked and failed to react as fast as one should’ve. Hopefully he hasn’t gone all Karen on her ass and gotten the managers involved.”  

You bite your finger. Namjoon was a good narrator. He should totally do audiobooks. 

Then frown at your misfortune.

Pfft. But Hyewon’s fucking lucky. Screw her. You still don’t understand how she managed to bag Jeon Jungkook. 

You’re sure Hyewon might’ve had a lot of suitors. But what made Jeon Jungkook pick her? 

You don’t know either of them all that well but you’re leaning to believe that Hyewon must have some God pussy for Jungkook to date her for as long as he has. 

Or maybe he has a micro-penis… 

Even if it is so, you want to find out through primary research. With your own two eyes.

They just don’t look right together. 

This is a new feeling for you. Mild jealousy. No, that’s not right. 

Specifically, mild jealousy over a man. 

Yes.

Well, you've never tried to make a move on someone else’s partner before. Nor have you been even remotely this fixated on any man before. 

This whole issue was uncharted territory for you.

You never had any opinions on women who did go for people’s boyfriends either. It’s on those men to hold their own. Like how in Christian mythology, in the garden of Eden, Eve was tempted by the serpent and then punished for eating the forbidden fruit.

Jungkook = Eve. 

You = The forbidden fruit, hopefully. The serpent.

And Hyewon… You don’t particularly consider her anything. She means nothing to you. If anything, she’s like an annoying gnat. You don’t like or dislike her. 

Or so you say. 

Her presence bothers you. There’s nothing much to it. 

“_____, we’re cutting too close to-” - “Ok, you can go.” You push Namjoon out the door. 

You’re officially relieving him from _____ duty. He had done more than enough for you. 

You hear faint warnings from behind the door about a time constraint till you have to check out. 

You sigh. Right. 

You’ve only just showered and you need to track down all your belongings so you could finally get the hell out of here. 

Also! To your surprise (and delight,) Namjoon informed you that they managed to book a yacht. And instead of a 20-30 minute journey, it’d be a 2-3 hour thing. But at least you wouldn't be flying. 

Honestly, you’d even pick a jetski over a helicopter. 

He kept alluding that Jeon Jungkook did it for you. ‘Someone just had to go that extra mile. Someone just had to please you.’ You don’t know if he was serious or just teasing you. Either way, you apparently owed Jungkook a ‘thank you’--- for kinda saving your life and booking a yacht instead of a chopper even though it’d take way longer. 

You don’t have the energy to dress up like you usually would, sticking to some thick compression socks, slippers, a tank top and some sweatpants instead. These are your sick clothes. Super cute and very comfortable.

You keep a change of clothes in your handbag just in case you somehow soil the getup.

Yoongi arrives at your door to pick you up after a little over an hour.

You’re still in the process of scanning every corner of your room, making sure you have all your belongings. 

Half the time, you zone out. You definitely felt a lot better than the night before though. 

“Hey. Ready to go yet?” His eyes don’t leave his phone. 

Yoongi had been pretty occupied with work all morning. 

You feel a tiny bit guilty for delaying everyone’s weekend. But it’s not your fault you got sick.

Plus, it’s not like they had to stay. You could’ve arranged your own way back home.

You do one final sweep of the suite before stepping out. 

Yoongi power walks to the lobby while you struggle to keep up, dragging your suitcases behind you. 

>:(

Couldn’t you have waited for a bellboy to help? Why did he even come to get you again?

ʚ𖹭ɞ

At the lobby, you reunite with your friend. Jungkook and Hyewon were there too. 

Hyewon smiled at you, leaning in for a hug. “Hi! Are you feeling better?” 

“I am, yeah. Thanks.” Your hands were still gripping the handles of your luggage but you reciprocate her display of affection and lean into her a little, not wanting to seem rude.

“Good! You looked like death last night. We were so worried.” 

Oh! 

Well. That’s always nice to hear.

Yoongi snickered but sported a poker face when you glared at him.

“I’m fine. It was just an allergic reaction...” You mumble, sneaking a peek at Jungkook, who was already watching you. He was back in his work attire. He’s so lucky to look this hot on a random Monday.

You almost felt shy.

Was your hair out of place? Did you still ‘look like death?’ 

More importantly, should you greet him? Thank him? In front of everyone? 

Your cheeks feel warm.

Why’s it kinda hot in here? You blink rapidly, trying to disperse all the goosebumps and daydreams. 

Hyewon offers to grab one of your bags. You don’t object as she helps you to the golf cart with your bigger suitcase. 

Jungkook had both his and hers so… 

You glance at him once again. 

This time, he raises a brow at you. You respond with a slow cat-like blink. 

You should talk to him sooner rather than later. You know, to thank him. Maybe send a gift basket later.

You inquire about Namjoon’s whereabouts and learn he was already on the yacht and trying to catch up on some sleep (all thanks to you) before work. 

Yikes. 

Yet another person whom you owe a gift basket.  

While you waited for Jungkook to finish whatever paperwork for the rental, the chef from last night came out to personally check on you after hearing about the incident. It wasn’t anyone’s fault but you still got a whole tray of tiramisu as an apology. 

You felt awkward accepting it but you assumed it would've been rude not to.

You smile and promise to visit again. And it wasn't a fib. You think you'd have fun here with Somin.

ʚ𖹭ɞ

Even though the trip ended on a weird note, you would very much miss the beach. You’re sad you didn’t go into the water. 

Surprisingly, you hadn’t been on too many island trips. You’re strictly a city girl who prefers bar/club hopping and shopping over… goat puppy yoga classes or whatever Hyewon tried to do with you. 

It wouldn’t hurt to connect with nature once in a while though. You could probably drag Logan someplace. Lately, you've been thinking about fold mountains. You’d like to drive high up to the peak and picture everything underwater. It scares the shit out of you but you can already imagine the crisp, mountain air filling your lungs. The sedimentary rock formations call out to you.

Today, you notice things you missed when you arrived as you’re driven to the dock. 

To be fair, it was nighttime then. But still!

You see a little flea market set up with a bunch of tourists.

Aw, you frown. You could've gone too.

“We went there today!” Hyewon spoke excitedly from across, “Jungkook bought me this.” She flashes you her wrist which was adorned with the most gorgeous seashells charm bracelet. 

Your eyes lit up at the sight, “That is so pretty.” You whisper earnestly. 

“It’s one of a kind too.” Hyewon squeezes her boyfriend’s thigh as a little ‘thank you.’ Jungkook’s bashful when he covers her hand with his in response. 

Eugh. You cross your legs hastily. Jungkook really had good taste. In most things.

On any other day, you’d have stopped the cart and shopped around the market for an hour or so. You caught glimpses of so many things you’d potentially be into; like seashell adorned jute bags, wedge sandals, sun hats, candles, different kinds of jewelry, and all of it looked handmade.

You’re a sucker for art. 

But you already felt like you were at fault for delaying the group’s departure from this island with your sickness. 

So… No flea market for ya.

You pull your sunglasses over your eyes and lean your head back to enjoy the cool wind caressing you all over.

ʚ𖹭ɞ

Honestly, you wouldn’t mind being driven around in a golf cart everywhere permanently.

What is the reason for these not being available to go on the highway? Safety issues? 

Perhaps you could settle on a sexy little cabriolet. Why haven't you bought one already?

Well, you hated getting stuff in your eyes.

Also one time, you lost a lash riding in your friend's convertible. But you suppose you could just get better glue. And sunglasses!

The cart comes to a halt a few feet away from the dock. You hear seagulls screeching all over the place. Whew. They hadn't sounded this crazy near the resort. 

You thank the driver and make your way down to the boat.

It was a pretty large yacht called Miss Toffee. You don't know why you were imagining a speedboat instead.

You wait for your bags to be loaded onto the vessel before being helped on.

You’re the last passenger to get on.

Jungkook extends his hand to you despite the captain of the ship offering you the same (help.) You hand off your handbag to Jungkook and accept the other man’s hand to pivot yourself aboard. “Thanks!” 

You give your tiramisu away to the kitchen staff to serve everyone aboard. Yes, they had a kitchen staff. And two bedrooms, one of which was probably occupied by Joon. Maybe you can hide out there with him for two hours. It seemed doable.

Pre-departure, the captain, who introduced himself as Jamal, conducted a mini safety briefing, informing you about the yacht’s layout and what areas you could and couldn’t be in, emergency floaties and so on. 

Jungkook still held on to your bag.

Six minutes into the briefing, you lose focus. You wanted to pay attention but your body was distracted. If you’d have heard Jamal, you’d have informed him of this funny feeling you’re getting in your tummy. 

Luckily for you, Jeon Jungkook was keeping track of everything.

.

.

“I’m so tired of being sick!” You cry.   

There’s no way Jeon Jungkook would fuck you after this. It just isn’t in the books for you. Or him. You are not in his books. 

And if at all you were (in his books) this morning, you sure as hell aren’t anymore. 

Because you’ve found yourself in yet another unfortunate situation. 

From the way you’ve been throwing up (loudly, might I add) on the side of the yacht from the past twenty minutes, you might as well fling yourself off of it. 

This was beyond humiliating. 

God, why would he ever want to fuck you now that he associates you with VOMIT. 

Urghgrrhh. Your ego is taking a big hit. (citrustan giggles)

Yeah, yeah, it’s natural and you can’t help it and it’s not your fault but it still grosses you out.

You wouldn’t wish this on your worst enemy.

Someone tied your hair back and secured it in a bun with a claw clip as you emptied your stomach for the third time since you got on.

Of course, you’re now battling seasickness. 

Something none of you had considered. 

Why would you? You’d never been seasick before. But the movement of the vessel is making your head spin and tummy hurt.

Actually, you aren’t even sure what triggered your digestive system first: the very faint, fishy smell of freshly prepared seafood that included raw sea urchins, oysters and caviar (which aren’t easy on the eyes either,) or the motion of the boat. Or maybe it was a combination of both. 

Jungkook had been observing you closely from the moment you boarded the boat. Intentional or not, he doesn’t know. But he noticed the shift in your microexpressions the moment you laid your eyes on the little buffet Jamal had personally arranged for. Had he known the details of it, he’d have requested a change. Because only someone like Jeon Jungkook would be prepared enough for literally any circumstance.

It’s as if the man had a seventh sense when it came to you. He offered you his sipper water bottle before anything even started. You even made a quip about a grown man having a sipper bottle: ‘What are you? 12? What man in his 30s needs a sippy cup?’ 

(Uh, hypocritical much? All 15 of your abandoned Stanleys are collectively shaking their heads at you.)

Either way, the joke’s on you because that sippy cup is saving your life a little right now. 

You dragged yourself back to the chairs once you’d calmed down a bit. 

Swallowing little sips of water was soothing your throat. And consuming liquids was easier with Jungkook’s adult sippy bottle. Paper straws just don’t do it for you. Or anyone else, you assume.

Namjoon was still asleep in one of the rooms since he was up most of the night and Yoongi was AWOL because he had to make a few work calls. Both men were lucky enough to not have witnessed any of the mess. 

This left you with Hyewon and Jungkook constantly ‘watching over you’ as you laid on one of the pool chairs on the deck, fanning yourself with a folded newspaper with one hand and sipping water from Jungkook’s adult sippy cup in the other, sweaty and vomit-y. 

Couldn’t Hyewon at least offer to fan you? You may or may not decline but you’d think she’d have the thoughtfulness to at least ask. 

What was she doing here anyway? 

And as if Hyewon’s presence wasn’t reason enough for your annoyance, one of the crewmembers had the audacity to present you with a fucking bucket to throw up in. As if! 

Why would you want to have a bucket of vomit sitting around marinating in the sun?

Plus you only threw up on the side of the boat because you couldn’t hold it in till you reached your room. And now, Mr. Jeon-know-it-all won’t let you retreat into your room because he doesn’t think it’s ventilated enough and thinks you might- no, will throw up in your sleep and choke to death. 

At this point, you’d pick that option over whatever the hell this was. 

You couldn’t even place a hat on your face like you usually would when you lie on a lounge chair to sunbathe any other time, because for some reason, it’s making you feel even more nauseated. 

So now you’re stuck and uneasy with all the close attention you’re getting from the couple.

You notice movement in your peripheral and sneak a peek, believing one of the two might be walking away for a bit. But noooo. PDA. 

Hyewon is on her boyfriend’s lap. Really? Now? 

PDA next to a person on their literal deathbed. 

Ick.

Ugh. 

Here you go again. You swear it wasn’t on purpose. You can’t help it. 

You hastily swing your legs over the chair and stumble off to the side of the boat and begin dry heaving, making the worst sounds to ever have come from a human. Again. 

Not even a hangover had rendered you this ill before. 

Sucks that the couple’s makeout sesh is interrupted though. ;( :( :)

You hear heavy, urgent footsteps in pursuit but pay no heed. 

You were busy getting wrung, sorry. 

A hand rubs your back and another one… your head? 

Why was your head being caressed right now? You smack the one by your head away with a little grumble: ‘Don’t touch me there.’ 

“Ow!” 

I’ll give you a second to guess whose hand you just slapped away. Just go with your gut. 

.

. 

.

You got it.

Now, you don’t know whether it was smart or stupid of Hyewon to pull a move this ridiculous because honestly, you can accept both excuses. 

If she displays a kind of weaponised incompetence that she did by rubbing your head while your entire body was being turned inside out and hung to dry, you’re naturally bound to show your annoyance (as you did by smacking her bony hand away,) which would then give her a reason- or excuse to get away from you without feeling guilty or judged by the overseers. OR she’s just that stupid. 

And you know for a fact that the woman wasn’t an idiot. She might be a little oblivious or even a tad delusional, but she’s def not a total idiot. You think.

The hand, which you now confirm as Jungkook’s, travels down your spine to massage it. You’d been bent over the railing quite a few times, your body was sore. (And not in the way you’d have liked. :/ )

You’ve been such a cunt to Jungkook, you don’t know how you could possibly thank him for all this.  

A small, unreasonable and stubborn part of you still blamed him for booking a yacht when you could’ve just flown for 20 minutes instead. 

But then again, throwing up in a helicopter with no way for anyone to escape without dying would’ve been a lot worse. But also, you wouldn’t be seasick in a chopper.

Jungkook paused his hand for a moment, feeling two, tiny parallelly placed, circular objects on your lower back. 

Fuck. He scrunches his brows. 

Innocently, he runs his fingers over the two little bumps a few more times to make sure he isn’t mistaken. Luckily for him (but sadly for you,) you don’t notice.

Did you have dermal piercings on your back? 

Jeon Jungkook’s trying really hard not to picture you naked back at this moment. Trying really hard not to acknowledge the fact that those were his favourite kind of body accessory. 

Of fucking course, you’d have those. Lower back dermals are so… you.

For fuck’s sake, you were literally sick. And what kind of man would he be if he lost his shit over two innocent little piercings? At the base of your back, no less. They feel like rhinestones too. Not unusual but he wouldn't expect anything less from the princess™. 

… 

Would it be too forward to ask about them? 

A loud retching sound brings his attention back. 

The staff were hosing the side of the ship down simultaneously.

The audio-visuals were making him a tad queasy too but he was committed to taking care of you until the captain (who also happened to be a doctor) could attend to you--- You know, out of respect for his hyungs who were currently preoccupied, of course. Nothing else.

Jungkook gently tucks the loose strands of your hair behind your ears as the salty breeze hits you, messing your hair up in the process. 

“Let it out, let it all out.” He chants while patting your back. 

When Jungkook notices you’ve been fairly still and silent, he leads you back into the inner deck by your shoulders. 

You’re a zombie at this point. He could walk you off the deck, straight into the water and you’d follow.

Whining, you cry to nobody in particular, “Put a muzzle on me, I can’t do this anymore…” 

“That can be arranged for later-” Jungkook entertains you, “You can count on me.” 

You glare at him and he returns it. Though his gaze is more… intense. His lips curved into the faintest smirk. You could almost see the mischief swimming in his irises. 

Normally, you wouldn’t back down from a staring contest but this man was making you blush endlessly. You almost cower under his eye.

Pfft.

You yank yourself away from his grip as hard as you could in your condition and take a seat on one of the couches. 

You clean yourself with wet wipes and clean, hot towels.

Jungkook folds his cuffs back. You eye his sleek grey trousers and his white shirt, tucked in and everything. 

When was this man ever not in business casuals? It wasn’t really casual but you can’t remember the term- oh, formals. 

“Why are you always dressed like that?” You don’t mean to sound as accusatory as you do. 

“Like what?” You hear him scoff. 

You tilt your head, “You’re always suited up.” Hm. Thinks. “It’s hot but I wonder what you look like without ‘em.” Smiling up at him innocently, you lean back. 

Hyewon’s head perks up at this.

Jungkook’s mouth slightly drops agape. But he says nothing. Doesn’t get the opportunity to respond before his girlfriend returns.

You’re fucking bold. 

“He’s hotter without them. I can vouch for it!” 

You discreetly roll your eyes but cover it up with a smile, “Cute.” 

It doesn’t go unnoticed by Jungkook, although he doesn’t acknowledge it. Once again. 

Simply smirking at Hyewon, he asks her if she wants a drink.

You tune them out and try to concentrate on not regurgitating anything else. 

Jungkook makes his way to the bar to request a few drinks. Along with that, he asks the crew to give you space. (i.e. no more vomit buckets or food out in the area you're occupying.)

“Do you want to try to take a nap?” Hyewon asks carefully. 

You learn forward and rest your head in your hands, “Ugh, I wish. But Jungkook’s right, I don’t want to risk suffocation.” He had valid concerns.

“Why don’t you try? It always helps me to sleep it off. Jungkook’s just being anal about it.” 

If you didn’t know any better, you’d think she was asking you to go die in a corner. 

Huh. 

Well. 

Two can play this game, you think.

Right at that moment, Mr. Jeon returns with two teacups and places it on the coffee table in front of you. “I got you ginger and chamomile teas. Hopefully, they’ll settle your stomach and your nerves. Can you drink that for me?” 

For him…?

You bit the corner of your lip, contemplating all the other things you’d do for him.

“_____.” - Hmm,,,. - “_____, while it’s warm, please.” 

You lift your arm to reach one of the ceramic cups and catch Hyewon’s eye. 

:) 

Suddenly frowning, you weakly rub your wrist. “Ow…” 

Oh, no. :( Your wrist is weak and sore. :( Oh, what will you ever do? :( 

“You okay there?” You hear Jungkook closing in. 

“I don’t know… I can’t-” You pout, cutting yourself off, “I’ll drink it in a bit, my arm’s a little…” You trail off.

You sigh, peeking at Jungkook through your peripheral. 

Jungkook settles beside you, teacup now in his hand. 

"Your arm hurts?" He finishes. 

You pout and nod miserably. “Mhm.”

Jungkook parrots you, "The same arm you were using to lift that large handbag of yours just now?" 

…

Rude.

You frown, “Uh, yeah, that’s what I said, genius.” 

Jungkook sighed and glanced at his girlfriend. It didn't sound like a fond sigh. It was a kind of sigh you let out before enabling bad behaviour. 

Hyewon watched the two of you cautiously. 

I mean, she understood you were ill and her boyfriend was sort of a natural caretaker, but she was pissed as hell that they weren’t making out on the top deck right now. 

This was probably the first time ever that she earnestly showed her dislike towards you--- in front of you. (Albeit in her mind but even then, at least she’s facing those feelings honestly and not gaslighting herself.) 

It’s probably irrational or perhaps even an exaggeration, but she feels you’re almost playing your sickness up just to be coddled by everyone. 

No. That's ridiculous. She shakes it off.

Hyewon thinks she should pitch in and help her boyfriend but she’s just unhappy with his choice of making himself this available to you in the first place. 

Hyewon ignores the sting she feels in her chest as she watches her boyfriend cradle the back of your head and guide the teacup to your mouth while you hold on to his wrist. And she certainly ignores that hint of something unexplainable in his eyes as he watches you sip the liquid from the cup.

Jungkook’s fingers gently massage your nape, shooting goosebumps all through your body. It’s so sensual. Yet he does it so casually. 

If things were different, you think you’d have kissed him right there. It’d have been a picture perfect moment. Your thought process rarely heads in this direction. 

You like feeling good. You enjoy attention and validation from people you like. You even crave romance once in a while. And you think a kiss would’ve made this random afternoon quite romantic. That is, if things were different. 

Out of nowhere, Hyewon abruptly walks off. And Jungkook’s attention shifts back to her, eyes instantly glued to her figure as she exits your sights.  

You drop the act and wordlessly grab the little teacup from his hand.

Your cold fingers send a little shiver down his spine. He does a decent job of ignoring it.  

Gee, this thing was weightless. You think about the teacup.

He doesn’t even acknowledge you before following Hyewon into the dining area. 

Hey. :(

Well, there goes your chance at romance? 

A weird sadistic part of you was pleased to have potentially caused a wedge in between the lovebirds. 

Don’t get it wrong, you totally want to hop on Jeon Jungkook, but you hadn’t really given any thought to the aftermath of it if it were to happen.

You guess you just caught a glimpse? Scarily enough, it does not bother you as much as it should. 

Leaning back on the couch, you choose to nurse yourself with the remainder of the teas Jungkook brought you. 

Jungkook spots Hyewon seated at the medium sized dining table. 

It was decorated with a beautiful red, white and purple floral centerpiece, thick, unlit white candles, and plates and utensils clearly prepared for five guests. 

She’s looking down at her phone, not acknowledging Jungkook when he pulls up a seat next to her.

Then Hyewon glances over and smiles a little. “Oh, hey. Whatcha doing here?” 

Jungkook stares at her. “You tell me.” 

“What do you mean?” Hyewon continues to put on an act.

Jungkook sighs.

“Won…” He probed, leaning closer, “What’s going on?” 

“Huh? Nothing.” Hyewon laughs. Nothing was funny. She was just buying herself time to delay this confrontation.

“You practically stormed off, babe.” Jungkook challenges her. 

Hyewon almost got upset all over again. Did he really just throw that in her face? 

“I did not ‘storm off,’ I was hungry.” She couldn’t just stop there, nope. “Watching you feed _____ that tea made me think about food.” 

Ah.

Right…

Jungkook looked down with a hint of embarrassment flooding him. 

Thankfully, Hyewon kept talking so Jungkook didn’t really get the opportunity to explain himself right then. 

“I guess I was just irritated by how much time you were spending together? I know it’s irrational because it’s not like you were having fun or anything. She was sick and you were just,” Hyewon pauses to find the right words, “-being a good person. I don’t know?”

Wow. Jeon Jungkook was the worst boyfriend in the world. 

He almost felt defensive and called out but stopped himself from verbalizing it. 

However, he also understood where Hyewon was coming from. Because he knew he was guilty of things she wasn't even accusing him of.  

Why wouldn’t she be pissed about him practically playing house with you, sick or not.

Still he reasons with her. “We spent all weekend together, Won. I’m just trying to hold the fort down till Jamal can assist _____." Jamal, the captain, was also a doctor. "Yoongi and Namjoon aren't available either. I couldn't just let her fend for herself, you know?”

Hyewon wanted to bring up the part where you smacked her arm and Jungkook didn’t defend her but she decided it was too silly of a reason to be upset. Considering your physical state and all.

It's not like you tried to hurt her on purpose.

“Hold on, let me text Jamal and find out if he’ll be able to come out now.” Jungkook springs into action and ends up calling the ship’s captain to ask for medication. 

Jungkook walks to the edge of the vessel as he speaks to Jamal on call.

He assumed the crew must’ve updated Jamal about your health already. They had indeed. But since Jamal thought Jungkook had it under control, he didn’t interfere. 

The crew had been informed of your allergic reaction from the night before, so they had assumed your sickness was shellfish related and left it up to Jungkook, thinking he’d know more. 

Jamal also mistook you for Jungkook’s girlfriend for some reason. Jungkook’s taking this error to the grave. 

Had they called for him earlier, you would’ve been taken care of sooner. 

Huh. 

Why hadn’t Jungkook thought of doing that immediately? 

Hyewon’s back at the table, secretly rolling her eyes.

She knew it was totally idiotic of her to be jealous of the smallest bit of attention and care her boyfriend was giving you. But for some reason, she couldn’t help it. 

I mean. Even when his own girlfriend’s upset and trying to talk to him, Jungkook prioritises you. 

She knows it’s only because you’re seriously ill. Yet that does very little to settle her emotions. 

Jungkook rejoins her, “Alright. Jamal’s gonna check on _____. I’m sure she’ll be fine.”

Hyewon simply stares at her boyfriend before sighing. She was ready to change the topic.

“Babe, what?” Jungkook asks dumbfounded in reference to the huge sigh she just let out. 

“Nothing! It’s the same thing, your attention is still on _____. And here I was, trying to talk to you."

Jungkook grows confused.

What? 

No. 

He did this for Hyewon. Jungkook made sure you were taken care of so he could spend time with his girlfriend instead of indulging you. 

It's what she wanted, isn't it?

“I’m here with you, Won. I just made sure _____ gets proper medical attention. We can do whatever you want now. I’m here, okay?” He was assertive.

Hyewon paused for a few seconds.

He has made Hyewon feel secure enough to move forward with what she had originally planned to do with her boyfriend. 

Hyewon finally smiled satisfactorily. “Okay… I was thinking we could maybe get some dessert and watch an episode of… Orange?” She kisses his neck. Jungkook instantly caves, smiling in relief. 

The pair then sneak off into the vacant room.

You expected Jungkook to return in no less than five to six minutes. Not because you want him to or are waiting for him or anything but because he’d been orbiting around you this entire time. He was refilling your water, checking you for fever, checking your pulse, just whatever, stuff.

So, you know, of course he'd be back soon.

You pout and look around the mostly empty deck, swinging your legs and swaying with the yacht. 

Where was this man?

Wow, there must be a hell of a fight going on now if he’s taking this long. 

Maybe you could try to read a book to pass time before he comes back.

You reach into your giant bag to fish out whatever bullshit book Namjoon made you read. 

“Hey, _____. How are we doing here?” The voice literally comes out of nowhere, startling you.

“Oh! God. Wow. Hey, Jamal. Who’s um steering the boat and stuff?” You’re genuinely concerned. Your question elicits a bright smile from him, “My partner. Ivy. You know her from the chopper.” 

Oh! Wow. 

“Aw, I like Ivy. Also, I’m doing much better,” You giggle, “Thanks to ginger and chamomile.” You show him the empty teacups.

“Ah. Well, good. But I’d still like to take a look at ya. Is that okay?” 

You simply nod. Only then do you notice the little first aid kit thingy Jamal carried with him.

He checks your body temperature, blood pressure, heart rate, blood sugar, and hands you a pill to help control your nausea. You were skeptical but then you learnt that he was a proper doctor with an actual medical degree and everything.

While Jamal ran whatever tests on you, you can’t help but peek at the path leading to the dining room every few seconds, you know, to see if anyone’s gonna show up anytime soon. 

Nobody comes through there though.

After Jamal leaves to put his doctor’s kit back where it belonged, you walk up to the railing to watch the water. It looked glittery under the sun’s rays. 

You then catch a glimpse of a mama sting ray with her baby and excitedly turn to announce it to literally anyone but only spot two girls from the crew. 

Wow, this was pathetic. 

Where the hell is everyone?

Ugh, who cares anyway.

You wave the two women over, in hopes of showing them what you spotted. 

Although, they’ve probably seen a lot more since they’re on yachts, like, multiple hours every day. 

ʚ𖹭ɞ

The girls, Delaney and Adora, turn out to be great company.

They were just as excited to see the sting rays.

Eventually, you get to talking and learn about each other’s jobs and hobbies. 

And oh, this was probably the first time you didn’t have to dodge the job question. It felt strangely cathartic.  

The girls shared your interests in the Real Housewives franchise and fashion. You have an intense discussion to decide who the ultimate housewife was. (There was no single conclusion if you're wondering.)

You've even promised to connect Delaney to a casting agent in New York because you believe she’d make an excellent runway model.

They tell you stories about all the annoying passengers they’ve had aboard to pass time. 

Hint: You don’t even make it to their top 100. So yay!

The ones that really stuck with you involved an emotional support peacock and a billionaire’s son who tipped everyone in cryptocurrency. 

The yacht rocked ever so gently. You watch the ocean stretch endlessly in almost every direction. Jamal and Ivy had lowered the speed so you could spot dolphins. 

Adora and Delaney offered you some fish to use as bait to attract the mammals but you denied. You don’t think you’d be able to stomach the scent. And you think the dolphins are much too smart to be baited by a tin of anchovies anyway.

ʚ𖹭ɞ

Time passes surprisingly fast when you’re having fun. 

Namjoon and Yoongi come out to join you in conversation sometime along the way. 

For a split second, you almost consider asking about Jungkook and Hyewon but stop yourself. They’re probably off doing some boring shit you don’t want to hear about like drawing each other’s portraits or whatever. 

By the time the city comes into view, you're perched on Yoongi’s lap on a lounge chair, chatting away animatedly as though you hadn't spent the past few hours vomiting with biblical enthusiasm. 

Jungkook and Hyewon finally emerge from their hiding spot. 

When they approach your little group on the deck, you just give them a small smile and carry on with your conversation with the girls. 

Despite the couple choosing to sit right beside you, you don’t naturally interact with them. 

It’s totally not because you're feeling strangely abandoned after a certain lawyer vanished for the better part of an hour and never came back. 

Hyewon watches you as she always does. She’s curious. Trying to figure something out. You were so chatty. She watches you freely interact with the two crew members, having an amazing time. You can practically see the moment she realizes you've spent the better part of an hour chatting happily with two strangers while barely sparing a thought for her the entire trip.

She almost scoffs.

What was she doing wrong? Why can’t you be just as pleasant with her? 

Hyewon puts her head on her boyfriend’s shoulder.

Speaking of the boyfriend; as always, like a moth to a flame, Jungkook’s already subconsciously fixated on you.

Unlike Hyewon, he’s noticing the way you’ve grown so close with Yoongi that you feel comfortable enough to sit on his lap, and even touch his face and hair, which is something he hates. Or Jungkook thought he did.

He knew you were absolutely Yoongi’s type. Bratty, pretty, kind of a pain in the ass.

Why did that kinda irritate him? 

His gaze is locked on Yoongi’s large hands: one's caressing your thigh while the other plays with your voluminous, long hair.

Jungkook also notes how you haven’t looked at him or talked to him this whole time. But he gets it, he did just leave you without as much as a word. 

Yeah. 

He knows damn well why you’re giving him the cold shoulder.

He wraps his arm around Hyewon and continues to listen in to your conversations with the two women.

ʚ𖹭ɞ

Deboarding a yacht takes a lot longer than you’d guess. 

You could literally see Logan waiting by the car but you had to wait for all the protocols to pass.  You could literally just jump off and swim to the pier.

The yacht finally docks.

Once you hop off, you sincerely thank the crew for taking care of you and then sincerely apologise for the inconveniences you’d caused them.

They were really nice about it. Especially the girls.

You also end up having to enlist Yoongi and Namjoon’s help to make them tip the whole crew big bucks since they refused to accept yours.  

Logan loads up your bags in the back seat while you bid your goodbyes. 

Yoongi's assistant comes to pick him up and you bid him goodbye with a little kiss on the cheek.

Namjoon leaves with Jungkook and Hyewon.

Before they could get into their vehicle, you meekly approach Hyewon and Jungkook and mutter a little thanks for ‘doing as much as they could.’  

It was subtle snark yet evoked a truly emotional ‘aw, of course’ from Hyewon. 

Jungkook just smirked at your sassiness. You were so infuriating. Such a big baby. It makes him want you even more. 

Then you turn to Namjoon to give him the tightest hug you've ever given.

You eye Jungkook one last time before running off to your car.

Two days later, you're sitting cross-legged on the floor of your TV room, surrounded by a bunch of stuff, three luxury department store catalogues, random fruit, a bonsai, a Yoshitomo Nara coffee table book and a chilled glass of diet Coke. 

Curating gift baskets should not be this difficult. It usually isn’t! This was your most favourite thing to do, yet you were struggling. Consumerism is beating your ass. 

Namjoon’s was easy. You’re giving him a gorgeous little flowering bonsai, exotic fruit and some coffee table books you know he’d love. 

Hyewon is where you’ve hit the first bump.

You’ve settled with fruit and a floral arrangement for her.

But was that too little? Probably.

Maybe if you threw in a bottle of your favourite California rosé? And a few liquor chocolates? Yeah. You’d be satisfied if you got this basket. 

Well, at least those two are finalised.

Jungkook’s was the hardest to arrange. 

You don’t know what to do. You've hit the second bump--- no, you’ve hit a wall. 

What the hell does Jeon Jungkook like? Skincare? Food? You noticed he was pretty knowledgeable about food. Maybe you could bake for- yeah, no you can’t even finish that thought, you’d probably kill him. 

You'd ask Joon but you can't because you want to surprise him with his basket.

You stretch your toes. 

Jeon Jungkook. 

You know he uses... pens. He... wears suits and ties and glasses? Piercings. Tattoos. Okay, now you’re just picturing him in your mind.

He was too hot for his own good.

Shoes?

You can never go wrong with shoes. You’re a total slut for shoes. 

But you don’t want to come off as too… eager. 

You hate that you do gift baskets. But they were your brand. And you can’t just ignore all that Jungkook’s done to make your trip smoother. 

ʚ𖹭ɞ

A few hours later, you’ve arranged Namjoon's basket and ordered a few items for Hyewon's basket.

And you've also finally made up your mind about Jungkook’s basket.

You were keeping it super casual, putting together some vibrant dragon fruit along with chamomile and ginger tea leaves (and the free brewer that came with it.) And a thank you note, of course.

This was personal enough, you think.

next: killah (jjk) [10]

note: this was way shorter than i intended. i'd have liked this one and the next chapter to be one big chapter buuut tbh it's better this way!

i also want to remind everyone that oc is ultimately the main character and i like to write her as the center of everyone's universe :p indulge me

Once again, Jungkook finds himself in a situation where he feels like he needs to apologise to you. 

This time though, he has mixed feelings about it. And those thoughts had to be put on pause for now.

Undoing the silky makeshift blindfold from his girlfriend’s eyes, he gently pulls out of Hyewon, earning a hiss from her. 

He pulled the condom off, tying it at the opening and tossed it in the bin with ease. 

He was tucking himself back in when he heard Hyewon’s shy call, “Kook...” - “Mhm?” Jungkook walked back to her, caressing her hip as she rested in the same position for a few seconds, regaining her composure. 

“I love you…” Hyewon smiles bashfully. 

He hums, smirking at her through the mirror. “I know you do.” 

She giggles then playfully frowns at him. Hyewon always liked to hear it back. 

Words of affirmation was her love language. He liked to have fun with her and withhold it sometimes though. 

Jungkook learnt very early on that Hyewon needed to hear him tell her he loved her. 

By no means was she insecure, but she needed this little thing from him.

At this point in their relationship, it had simply become routine to utter those three magic words. Especially after sex. 

And Jungkook never remembered struggling with that unspoken rule. He was always happy to follow it. 

Until today, that is. 

Although he was able to disguise it as just teasing, the words physically wouldn’t leave his lips. 

Jungkook tugged a few paper towels out of the dispenser and wet it. 

“Stay there,” he directed Hyewon to hold her pose as he squatted to clean her up. 

Pushing her dress back up, he wipes off her slick. 

Hyewon winced at the sensation. 

Jungkook paused, “Sensitive?”

“Cold.” She shook her head, “But it’s fine, I need to use the restroom anyway.”  

He nodded understandingly, continuing to clean her up. 

When he’s done, Hyewon straightens up and limps to the little washroom attached to the powder room. “Babe, you should leave first, I don’t want people suspecting anything.” 

“You sure?” Jungkook asks as he lathers his hands with sandalwood hand soap.

“Yeah, go on. I’ll have to retouch my makeup. It’ll be a while.” Hyewon assures him.

“Alright. I’ve gotta give Joon his tie back anyway.” 

Petrified, Hyewon calls out to him, “Babe!” - “What?” Jungkook’s confused. 

“You can’t return that now! We used it.” Her voice lowers on ‘used.’

Jungkook furrows his brows, “It’s part of his four piece set. He needs to send it to the dry cleaner’s together, Won. It’s no biggie.” 

“Bu-” - Jungkook doesn’t wait for her, “I’m gonna go find Joon now. Don’t take too long!”

Before exiting the room, he stops by the same velvet wall you had clutched. 

You had looked like you were about to burst into tears. 

Had he been too insensitive? Or could you only dish it out but not take it?

In all honesty, Jungkook thought you deserved it. I mean, for fuck’s sake, he’s walked in on you and Namjoon before. And that too in his place of work! And not to mention all the bullshit you pulled earlier just today. 

Shamelessly flirting with him, but then kissing and flirting with Namjoon. 

Not to mention Min Yoongi. Jungkook found it odd for Yoongi and you to get along so soon. 

And for you to call Yoongi ‘Mr. Min?’ 

That did it for him. He understood you were this way with everyone. ‘Mr. Jeon’ wasn’t a little secret nickname for just him. 

Jungkook wasn’t fucking special. He deluded himself into thinking he meant more to you. It pissed him off. He had to get away from you immediately. 

And if that wasn’t enough, you and Yoongi were getting along really well - dancing, clinging on to each other, becoming drinking buddies - it was weird. Neither of you seemed like each other’s types. Nor were either of you that friendly with just anyone. Hyewon’s living proof of it. His girlfriend seemed to want to get closer to you so bad but you were always dismissive of her.

How could he ever think of entertaining you?

So, just like that, he grabbed his girlfriend and fucked off to an empty corner of the hall. 

And the outcome was… you witnessing it. Jungkook would’ve counted it as a win for him had you not looked at him the way you did.

Namjoon had no idea what had gone down in the ten minutes when you walked off to some obscure corner of the hall and returned with tears streaming down your face. You were bawling uncontrollably. 

He couldn't get a word in when you only continuously chant ‘I don't like it.’ 

The man felt utterly guilty for leaving you to fend for yourself half of the night. You were his date after all. 

Witnessing you break down like that, his mind went to the worst places. 

When he’s unable to calm you down with words, he pulls you in a comforting hug, smushing your teary face against his chest. “You’re okay, doll. You’re fine…” Namjoon whispered repeatedly in your ear, rapidly rubbing your back. 

The scene was drawing a lot of attention. No doubt, this would be the second most talked about event at the Eirene this year. Thankfully only half of the crowd stayed so long to have witnessed your crashout.

Seokjin, too, momentarily pulled away from his ‘host duties’ to check up on you. He brought you orange juice and a few pieces of toast in case you needed sobering up. 

After a good few minutes of uncontrollable sobbing and hiccups, you finally settle into Namjoon’s embrace. You still struggled to stabilize your breathing, whimpering from time to time. 

You hate them.

That nasty image was burnt into the back of your eyelids. 

Every time you shut your eyes, you could picture Jungkook ramming into Hyewon from the back. Him smirking at you. It played in your mind in a loop.

You’re fish. Jungkook was dangling bait in front of you, but it felt so out of reach. 

Your drunkenness made it harder for you to control yourself. The only way you could express yourself was through your tears. 

These tears weren’t out of sadness though. 

It was purely frustration. Well, frustration mixed with silly drunken emotions. 

Just when Namjoon and Seokjin walked you back to the table, you spotted Jungkook emerging from the corner, stopping only a few steps away. 

No Hyewon in sight.

This jerk better not try to talk to you. He better not even breathe in your direction. 

“_____, say ahhh.” Seokjin attempts to force-feed you some bread. You scowl at him, eyes still wet with tears. 

No doubt, your entire face was ruined and red now. Certainly not in the way you wanted. 

Jungkook cautiously watched on as Namjoon cleaned your cheeks and nose. 

His heart raced. You were a pretty crier.

When you caught another glimpse of him, you glared hard. 

Oh. Kitty’s got claws.

Though he clearly overestimated you, he still thinks you’re overreacting.

There was another thought swimming around the back of his mind. Have you told them what you saw? And at the off chance you had, how the hell was he going to explain this to anyone? How was he going to explain this to Hyewon? He couldn’t let this affect her negatively.

Lucky for him, you weren’t a gossip, but that’s not why you chose to keep this to yourself. You’d absolutely be up to tattle had you not humiliated yourself by sobbing and breaking down so publicly. 

Obviously, you weren’t about to reveal to people that watching your stupid crush fuck his annoying girlfriend terrorized you to the point of tears. You have a reputation to keep up around here; one that you swore you didn’t care about. 

This would be scandalous for everyone involved. It’d just hurt more people, not that you care about hurting Hyewon or Jungkook. They’d have brought it upon themselves. 

However, you aren’t too proud to admit that you were extremely jealous of Hyewon.

Admitting this to yourself (and to Somin later tonight) is a big step. But you refuse to dig any deeper than that.

ʚ𖹭ɞ

Right around the time you begin to actually lax and reassure Namjoon and Seokjin nothing funny happened to you, Jungkook finally approaches the table.  

Instead of taking his original seat next to you, he saunters to the opposite side. 

Pussy. 

Jungkook would argue he was giving you much needed space. And he didn’t need to rub it in your face anymore by presenting Joon with his tie right now. 

Jungkook discreetly stuffed the silky piece of clothing into his coat pocket as he watched you get coddled by grown men. 

Instinctively, he wants to join in. Technically, he’s the reason you were in this almost inconsolable state. So, it should be him looking after your every need. 

In his defence, he really thought you’d handle it like a champ. Not… reduce into tears. 

Then the guilt begins to set in; the guilt of using his girlfriend to get a reaction out of you, of making you feel this way, of making his hyung worry about you.

It weighed on him, making him doubt all the choices he made in the last twenty minutes.

Should he check on you? Jungkook thinks giving you space would be better for you. And easier for him. 

Just when he was about to leave the table to get a bottle of water, his girlfriend joins him.

Hyewon rests her palm on his shoulder, distracted by the sight of you.

She keeps her eyes on you who looked like you were recovering from something.

She sends Jungkook a questioning look, mouthing ‘What happened?’ to which Jungkook just shook his head. 

Ever so curious, she couldn’t stop herself. “_____, are you okay?” 

When Hyewon’s stupid voice floods your ears, you're instantly taken back to ten minutes ago... When she was a moaning mess under Jungkook. 

Why was this woman out to get you?

You refuse to acknowledge her and pretend not to hear.

Even though she was loud enough that everyone at the table heard her.

So Hyewon tries again, “___-” 

“Oh, my goodness, take a hint!” You snap at Hyewon. 

The table just kind of… stills.

Jungkook looked taken aback.

“Oh,” Hyewon whispers weakly, blinking as though she’s been slapped, looking around at the other patrons to see if anyone saw her get yelled at.

Still, she tries to defend herself, “No, I just wanted to make sure you’re-” - “Can you just not?” You cut her off, having had enough of her ‘concern.’

“You’ve done enough…” You whisper the last part, not loud enough for everyone to hear but Hyewon catches on to it anyway. So does everyone else near you. 

Hyewon’s lips part, ready to ask what that meant, but Jungkook gently catches her wrist on top of the table, whispering something that sounded like ‘let it go.’

Yeah, bitch, listen to your fucking boyfriend. You grind your teeth together at the display.

They’ve got to stop rubbing this in your face. You could probably get that clown kicked off of the face of the Earth if you wanted.

She glances at him, searching his face for answers, then back at you. Finally sighing, she brushes you off, “Okay, I’m sorry.” 

You roll your eyes at the apology. She just has to be the goodie-goodie. Hyewon just has to shove it in everyone's faces that she’s the innocent little fawn who’s getting bullied by the big fat tigress. 

You glare in her direction one last time. 

To her right, you notice Jungkook looking unhappy. There’s a tiny little wrinkle forming on his forehead and he looks like he’s biting at his lip ring. 

Jeon Jungkook was actually pissed off?

At you? 

Please.

You find that really funny. Both literally and… not literally? It genuinely makes you laugh ha-ha that he’s angry at you but also, you aren’t ha-ha laughing because you think he has no right to be mad (and at you of all people.) 

Still, you wanted to fuck the shit out of him.

You are actively fighting thoughts of throwing Hyewon off her chair and mounting her boyfriend. Pushing his face in your ample bosom as you dry hump him in front of the entire hall.

And maybe he’d be as rough as he was with his stupid girlfriend…

Now that broke your lustful daydreaming.

ʚ𖹭ɞ

After an awkward few minutes, Hyewon, throwing on an obviously fake smile, announces to everyone that she and Jungkook were about to call it a night.

Seokjin smiles at Hyewon, attempting to make up for your… unpleasant attitude. “We’re glad you came, Hyewon-ssi.”

She nods, returning the pleasantries.

Then she turns to Namjoon, reaching an arm out, “Good night, Joonie. Congratulations again.”

Namjoon rises halfway from his seat to hug her back, “Thank you, Hyewon. Get some rest, yeah?”

She smiles and nods before facing you. Her smile falters just a little when she sees that you’re still scrolling through your phone. Namjoon nudges you but you refuse to cooperate.

“Right,” She murmurs, mostly to herself.

Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, she announces again, “We’re gonna say bye to the others.” She directs it at Jungkook. 

“Sure, babe. I’ll be right behind you.” He complies, stuffing his hands in his pockets. 

“Allow me to escort you?” Seokjin offers kindly, making Hyewon swoon.

She had been a little starstruck despite whatever just went down with you. It's not everyday that you got Kim Seokjin's attention.

As Hyewon glides away with your step father, Jungkook waits until they’re out of earshot before fishing something from the pocket of his suit jacket. 

He twirls it loosely around his finger before dropping it on the table in front of you and Namjoon.

“Thought I’d return this now before I forget.” He clears his throat. 

Discreetly, you eye the black object. 

Namjoon frowns, picking it up. “My tie?” 

What the fuck. 

Your neck snaps towards him before you can stop yourself. 

Jungkook’s grin tilts into an infuriatingly smug one. “Yeah. We used the hell out of it. Thanks.”

It takes Namjoon a few seconds to make sense of that admission.

And when he does: “Ugh. Dude…” Namjoon recoils, instantly flopping the tie back on the table. Jungkook just laughs, unbothered. 

Namjoon then looks up at his friend to whine a little but he notices that his gaze was trained on you. Waiting. 

Namjoon turns his head to look at you. You were now staring straight ahead, completely ignoring his friend. You were staring at nothing.

The blank expression painted on your face was obviously forced. Internally, you were seething.

But you don’t give Jungkook the satisfaction of a reaction. Not even a little stink eye or an eye-roll. 

Not like he needed that from you anyway.

You continue to mask all of your seventy emotions with an expression of indifference.

This was all Jeon Jungkook would be getting from you from now onwards. 

He pushes himself up from the table with an exaggerated grunt. “I better go find my girl.”

You dig your shoe into the floor, imagining his chest under it. 

Jungkook lingers at your side for a bit, now tilting his head to gauge your reaction closely. 

When he gets nada, he backs off slowly. “Bye, hyungie.” Jungkook smiles at Namjoon victoriously. “Drive safe.” Namjoon spits in exasperation.

Every bit of guilt and regret Jungkook felt for what he did disappeared into thin air when you lashed out at his girlfriend. 

Jeon Jungkook couldn't believe your candour just now.

Yet it put a lot of things into perspective for him: the power he held over you, your feelings toward his girlfriend, and finally, he now knew exactly what you wanted. And he knew what buttons to push. And he finally knows your limits.

His intuition had always been right. You definitely could handle this; you just didn’t want to. 

A curt ‘_____,’ is the last thing you hear from him before Jungkook goes on to find his stupid girlfriend again. 

Namjoon carefully watches the two of you. 

Huh. 

Slowly, he begins to scratch the surface of what potentially may have gotten you in this mood. Definitely something to do with Hyewon and Jungkook. But what happened?

Sadly for him, you weren’t ever going to talk about it. You never got the whole ‘talking about your feelings’ crap. However, you did rant to Somin on the regular to get shit out of your system. 

If only you could talk Jungkook out of your system too…

Hyewon sits stiff in the passenger seat of her boyfriend’s Bentley, arms crossed, eyes lazily following blurred car lights driving past them. She seems deep in thought. 

Jungkook can sense a little something brewing in her mind. Akin to a few days ago, when you were in a similar position. 

It’s an awkward parallel. 

“Okay,” Jungkook says finally, glancing at her before turning back to the road. “What’s on your mind?”

She scoffs under her breath. “What’s going on with me…” She repeated before groaning into her palms, “Ugh. I don’t know.” 

But he knew.

Jungkook hums lowly in response. “You’ve been sighing the entire ride, babe.”

She inhales sharply, then lets it out, as though admitting this was a huge step. “It’s _____.”

Jungkook’s grip tightens on the steering wheel. Even though he expected it, he feels his heart racing,

“She’s- God, she’s such a bitch sometimes,” Hyewon is uncensored, but she backtracks a little. “I mean, I’m sorry, but does she even realize how fucking unwelcoming she is?” 

Jungkook stays quiet, allowing his girlfriend to throw everything out there. Hyewon was breaking. 

“She got lucky. That’s all that girl ever did. Born in the right place, around the right people. She’s goddamn lazy- no, she has the privilege to be lazy. And she is! She doesn’t have to try. And she gets away with treating people like shit because no one ever calls her out on it.” Hyewon’s voice cracks a little. “If I treated anyone the way she acted towards me, I’d have no friends left.”

She glances at her boyfriend for a second.

Jungkook doesn’t know what to say to that because he had noticed some of that too.

Although you didn’t seem like a total bitch, you had a bratty side. Maybe you were a little blunt too.

Still, he had no clue his girlfriend had such intense feelings about that aspect of your personality. Or she just never let it show. 

“I’ve been trying so hard with her...” She scoffs bitterly, “Trying to be her friend, make her feel included."

Throwing her head back against the seat, she exasperates, "But it’s just fruitless. We were so good all night and just now? All I asked was if she was okay. Why the fuck did she lash out on me?”

Sitting up straight, she shakes her head, explaining, “It’s like, I never know which _____ I’m gonna get, you know? I’m just… I don't know. I'm just- I’m done.” Hyewon whispered the last two words. 

Well fuck.

Jungkook was half-responsible for that. He ignited that fire. 

Reaching over, he brushes his hand on her clothed knee gently, “You don’t need her, Won.”

Hyewon covers his hand with hers, grasping it tightly. 

He sighs, a little unclear about your and Hyewon's relationship. “I thought you guys were friends though.” Or friendly, at least.

Hyewon lets out a hollow laugh, “No…”

Then she recalls, “In fact, she only really started acknowledging me after she saw me with you. Before that, I didn’t exist to her.”

That comes as a shock to him. He fully expected her to have feelings about your behaviour earlier that night but not the rest of it.

Jungkook glances at his girlfriend and back at the road ahead, but his mind flashes back to that night - the first time he was introduced to you and Logan properly.

He’d clocked it instantly.

You were rough around the edges, distant, a little disrespectful too. He hadn’t truly cared. If anything, it intrigued him.

Sure, he ranted about you, but secretly, he’s been curious about you ever since. 

Up to this very moment, he’s still curious about you.

Even after the shit you just pulled, he wants to dig deep into you. Every possible implication of that sentence was applicable.

Suddenly, your (overall) conduct with him and his girlfriend made sense to him.

You weren’t friends.

Hyewon was as good as some random woman to you. 

“I feel like she’s never liked me,” Hyewon says, more quietly now. “And honestly, I don’t even know why I keep fucking trying with her.”

“Then don’t,” Jungkook offers bluntly. “You don’t have to go out of your way to appease her. Why try to befriend her at all?” 

She whips her head toward him, eyes narrowing, “So it’s my fault she’s a cunt to me?”

“What? No!” Jungkook stumbles over the words, heat creeping up his neck. “I didn’t-” - He clears his throat, “That’s not what I meant. I’m just saying you don’t owe her any kindness she hasn’t shown you.”

He doesn’t blame her. After all, he too gets your appeal.

Hyewon quiets down for a moment. She turns her gaze back to the road. 

Then she says, sounding defeated, “She likes you, though.” 

Jungkook nearly swerves into the divider. “Hm?”

Yet he’s glad he decided to drive instead of being chauffeured. He doesn’t think he could look his girlfriend in the eye and have this discussion about you.

“_____ likes you.” She repeated, as if she was jealous of Jungkook. 

And maybe she was, a little. 

Hyewon looks at him incredulously. “Babe. _____ clearly likes you. She wants to hang out with you and Joon. She engages with you. She doesn’t give a shit about me, whom she met first, but with you and Namjoon? Even Yoongi and Seowoo! Seowoo?” Hyewon gestures loosely, “Totally different person.”

His heart is, once again, pounding too loud in his chest. “Is that… bad?” He asked, referring to her first claim.

She thinks for a second before sighing.

“No…” Hyewon admits.

Letting out a short, bitter laugh, she admits, “I thought I could take advantage of it. You know, worm my way into her little world through you. But she clearly doesn’t… want that.”

Jungkook feels the guilt like a punch in the neck.

Once again, he thinks about how he had noticed your attitude towards Hyewon. He even brought it up with her. But, he never addressed it with you like he should’ve. 

Instead, he flirted with you, touched you, dreamt of you, fantasized about you, crossed every fucking line with you except for actually, officially, crossing the line with you.

Even now, your pretty, teary, flushed face is permanently embedded in the back of his mind. 

Jungkook doesn’t have a plan but he asks anyway. “Do you want me to talk to her?” It’s instinctual for him to want to help Hyewon. 

Hyewon’s reply comes just as fast, “No! God, can you imagine that? I don’t need daddy to fight my battles for me.” 

He glances sideways at her, a pierced brow lifting.

She finally cracks a small smile, “Shut up. You’re fifteen.” Jungkook throws a hand up in defence and maybe slight confusion. They weren’t that kind of couple.

“I said nothing.” Jungkook feels a little victorious to have been able to slightly lighten the mood.

“But now that I think about it,” Hyewon’s smile fades just as quickly, “I… kinda don’t want you talking to her at all.”

“What?”

“I know, I know,” Hyewon rushes. “I’m not trying to be that girl. It’s not like I don’t want you to have female friends. You know I’m not like that. It’s just…”

“I know,” Jungkook nods along.

Hyewon groans and exhales, clearly frustrated, “It’s just her. _____. She’s been so fucking weird with me, I just… I don’t want her to have the satisfaction of being close to you.” At latest not before she herself has that pleasure.

Jungkook blinks, surprised.

“Man, I feel like I’m in high school again.” Hyewon lets out another helpless laugh, “I only had one friend who’d defend me from those rich, mean girls. I’m just so tired of feeling like I don’t belong.” She shakes her head, “Ugh, babe, don’t listen to me. I’m just tired and emotional now…”

Jungkook watched on sympathetically, “Won…” He was familiar with Hyewon’s past experiences with those classmates.

As much as he understood it, he couldn’t relate to it entirely. He never had it quite as bad as Hyewon. Male privilege and what not.

Stupidly, Jungkook indulges her insecurities, playing the supportive boyfriend role well. “It’s okay, Won. It-” He sighs, practically forcing the next few words out. “It’s not as if I’m that close with _____. Joon is. It might get awkward. But, if this is what you need from me, then so be it.” 

He’s just shooting himself in the foot at this point. 

“Gaah, I don’t know! You’re sweet, baby.” Hyewon runs her hand through his hair. “God. Why does some random woman have such a strong hold on me?” 

Jungkook doesn’t say it but it echoes in his head: you and me, both.

Just in time, he turns into his street. 

Desperate to move on to another topic, Hyewon forces a weird smile, “Remember when Jiah tried to hit on you all night? And then you blatantly ignored her the entire time and then made out with me in front of her?” 

That was oddly specific. How could he not remember? 

“I remember…” Jungkook blinked, a little confused. They were now parked in Jungkook’s garage.

She reaches over him to push his seat back. “I’m just reminiscing.” Hyewon smiles at her boyfriend before leaning in to kiss him. 

Jungkook can’t help but wonder if she wanted him to read between the lines.

It takes you almost a week to (partially) recover from that day.

It wasn’t really about what you saw that night, it was what you did after you saw it.

Namjoon dropped you home and offered to stay. You refused because you weren’t in the mood for anything funny, or anything at all.

The first thing you did after walking through the threshold of your room was dump those flowers in your fireplace.

You only felt a tiny bit bad for it. Those flowers did nothing to you, but you hated who they came from and what it now signified. You didn’t want to keep apology flowers from fucking Kang Hyewon.

Otherwise, they'd have driven you nuts, just sitting on your bedside table.

Not a day had gone by when you didn’t excessively obsess over every reactive thing you did (that you could remember) that night.

Logan wasn't allowed to utter the words 'gala' or 'night' around you.

The one thing you did not regret was putting Hyewon in her place for overstepping your boundaries.

You aren’t sure whether or not it got through to her, but you aren't afraid of reminding her of it if you had to. 

But, when it comes to Jeon Jungkook… 

You fought the urge to look at news articles about him and needless to say, any photos or clips from the gala too.

Even your own! It was so unlike you to not find cute photos for your Instagram.

You’d been sent countless of them by all your friends (and Seokjin) but you don’t even want to acknowledge you were ever there. At least not yet.

Speaking of Seokjin; he had really surprised you.

He didn’t go running to mommy and tattle on you (so you assume since your mother never sent you paragraphs about your family’s legacy and image.)

Vague accounts of your outburst made its way to some snark subreddits but apart from that--- nothing major.

You suspect either Logan or Seokjin to have meddled. Either way, you’re grateful. 

Even after all that effort of nothing ever making it to the big news channels or any remotely reputable online magazines, word of your little temper tantrum still got out in the office building and some social circles (through word of mouth, i.e gossip) but that was expected.

You have no way of confirming but it was most probably one of Hyewon’s little friends.

You just had to continue to keep a low profile, as you do normally.

Logan had graciously moved some things around and allowed you to work from home for a few (3) days after you sobbed to him about the incident. 

Those three days flew by faster than you were ready.

Thursday morning comes for your throat.

You desperately wanted to skip some more but Logan demanded that you make an appearance at work. It was about time you returned. 

The night before, you had the most vivid dream where you and Hyewon reversed roles.

But it wasn’t the kind of dream you’re thinking about. You were literally in her shoes, going to a new office, doing lawyer stuff you didn’t understand. And you tanked. 

This is the mindset you woke up in: simply filled with dread.

You hope everyone goes easy on you. 

Sua had checked on you which was sweet. You ranted to her about the gala in a conference call with Somin and Soobin, just not about what you saw though. That info was reserved for Somin only. 

Apart from Sua, Namjoon and Yoongi had also called to check in. 

Yoongi just gave you shit for acting like the typical Scarlet Hills socialite he thought you were. He really was a meanie panini. 

And Namjoon… got the complete inside scoop from Jungkook before he ever tried with you, so you could not not talk to him.

While your first instinct was to ignore Namjoon, Yoongi gave you more shit for that, so, yeah, you spilled the beans for them. Not all your beans but enough.

It's so fun to be friends with men! Really! 

No, but on a more serious note, Yoongi sorta kinda turned out to be the yin to your yang.

He didn’t always give in to you (like Jungkook had done so many times in the past.) For example, he proposed a friendly date. While you agreed, the only place you were willing to meet Yoongi at was this vegan Indian restaurant an hour away from town. Yoongi opposed it a lot. And somehow, he tricked you into joining him at some stupid country club under the guise of ‘picking up his golf bag.’ And he made you drive! 

That was when you realised; you and Yoongi would not work romantically.

You needed a sucker like Mr. Jeon to cater to your every need. 

Not that that was your goal or anything. You still only want to fuck him and dump him. That’s all.

But that didn’t mean you didn’t have a little fun with the cat-faced man. :p

If anyone’s curious, you’ve discovered that Yoongi’s really good with his mouth. He almost made you cum from only sucking and nibbling on your tits. Almost.

But you haven’t gone beyond that. You don't even know why.

At this point, you fully believe you’re cursed by the sex gods. 

To solve this little mishap, you came to the most obvious conclusion. Since two negatives make a positive, you proposed a threesome with Namjoon and Yoongi. One that they both rejected. 

They really needed to be inside your head to understand your logic.

It’d been MONTHS since a man made you orgasm. Doing it yourself just doesn’t feel the same. Believe it or not, you love the concept of giving up control during sex just for the thrills. You just can’t do that alone.

All this sex talk right before work was really killing your mood.

When you finally returned to the office, you were surprised by how… normal it all was.

Nobody stared or whispered about you. The world hadn’t ended because you’d cried and then snapped at a little bitch at a gala.

It was business as usual. You went on coffee runs for the office, updated everyone’s calendars, made survey forms for your coworkers as per Logan’s orders, etcetera etcetera. 

If at all anyone was gossiping about you, they were at least decent enough to wait until you left the room. But according to Sua, nobody actually gave a shit anymore. Especially not the people in your office. They had come to know you and were already sort of endeared by you at this point, which was good to hear and a much needed ego-boost.

It’d be a blatant lie to say you weren’t a little worried about all of this. 

Besides it wasn’t until lunchtime that you actually felt the slightest bit panicked. 

You had to go down to J, K & K to see Joon.

Well, you didn’t have to do anything but the more you put this off, the worse your anxiety would get.

Also, he invited you. He had something to ask you. You were dying to know what the hell that was all about. He wouldn't answer your texts or calls either. He went to Yoongi school of manipulation.

So, you just had to suck it up and take your ass over there.

The anxiety stemmed from not having been around Jungkook in a while and the fact that he must know you've deliberately been trying to keep away from him, along with rumours.

Dare you say, you were a tiny bit embarrassed about it all. 

But you know what? Enough of that. 

Returning to work wasn't as humiliating as you had built it up to be.

Adjusting the straps of your heels, you strutted down to Namjoon’s office.

And you told yourself you weren’t about to look for him. 

You pace around in the elevator a little.

Then it dinged.

And the elevator doors opened.

Directly to the one person you were hoping not to run into. 

His hair looked slightly out of place, like he had just run his hands through it.

But that’s not the thing you’re focused on.

There was something on his body you hadn't ever imagined to see. It isn’t, like, something absolutely bonkers. It’s so normal. But not on Jeon Jungkook. 

Glasses.

On him. Face. 

But without wasting any more precious seconds, you flip your hair back and glide past him into the office, leaving behind a trail of your sweet scent. 

Jungkook was dumbfounded.

So much so that the elevator he had been waiting for left without him in it.

Maybe he would’ve done something about the way you just… dismissed him had he not made important shopping plans with his other gir- his girlfriend. 

You had only gotten one look at the man, yet you had every. single. detail. stuck in your head: his magenta tie, the grey coat hanging off his arm, his lip and brow piercings, the glasses… Oh, the glasses!

You didn’t know he needed them. You didn’t know you needed that.

They made him look maddeningly mature. Normally, that would turn you off but he just looked even hotter. 

Very briefly, you pictured yourself stealing them, wearing them yourself as you rode his cock in his office chair. You let out a shaky sigh. 

You were not built for crushing on unavailable men.

Then Namjoon’s voice broke your train of thought, “There you are, I was about to come looking for you.”

You tightly smile at him and slip into his office, not trusting yourself to speak just yet.

ʚ𖹭ɞ

Long story short, you’re going to a little retreat on a private island, courtesy of Namjoon’s father.

Initially, you weren’t part of the plan.

It was supposed to be just the winners of the Eirene, Seowoo and Hyewon by extension. But Yoongi’s assistant had to back out at the last minute because… well, you hadn’t paid attention to the reason.

The point was that they had room.

So, naturally, Namjoon invited you.

Since you’d been cooped up in your apartment all week, working from home and (unintentionally or not) avoiding people since the gala incident, he figured a few days away from the city might do you some good.

Maybe give you and Jungkook a fresh start.

However, when he mentioned the idea to Jungkook, it didn’t exactly go smoothly. Jungkook’s reaction was… less than enthusiastic?

“Why though?” He’d complained immediately, brows furrowed. “What’s the point of bringing her?”

Namjoon had rolled his eyes, “She’s my friend. And she could really use a break.”

“Do you like her?” Jungkook had pressed, half-serious, half-mocking. “Because if you’re interested in dating her, maybe take her somewhere else. On your own time.”

Hyewon had been the one to intervene, hugging Jungkook’s arm to calm him. “Kook, relax. It might actually be good for everyone. You, me, her. Maybe it’ll help… smooth things over.” 

Translation: This is yet another opportunity for her to get to know you. Fuck whatever she felt or said about you.

With that, the decision was made.

Namjoon promised you that you wouldn’t have to spend more than a dinner or two around the lovebirds anyway.

You tried to wriggle out of it, claiming that Logan would never approve of you skipping out on work again, but Namjoon had a solution ready: “We’re all working, _____. We’ll leave after office hours,” He’d said matter-of-factly.

You gave it a thought.

Namjoon went on talking up the island.

You hummed, already picturing the gorgeous tan lines you’d wear after said retreat.

You weren’t entirely convinced, however, the idea of a natural tan, and maybe collecting seashells for your next art project, sounded good enough to sway you.

Because it’d be more meaningful if you found the shells yourself instead of order them off Amazon or an overpriced Etsy shop.

Of course, the fact that Jungkook would be there was…. not the reason, obviously. But a nice little bonus. Emphasis on ‘little.’

The next day, Namjoon came by your office just as you were wrapping things up for the day.

He waited, leaning against the doorframe, refusing to come in and help you finish because he knew that would take way longer.

After finishing off your final task, you reapplied your gloss and cleaned up any traces of tiredness.

“Ready to go?” Joon finally looks up from his phone.

You nodded once.

After saying goodbye to Logan - who gave you a pointed look that said be good - you followed Namjoon down to the parking lot.

You made him carry all of your luggage; two silver, hard shelled suitcases, one smaller than the other.

One contained all your toiletries and shoes, and the other packed your clothes and makeup. You had stayed up all night, washing and steaming your outfits.

Most of them didn't even make the cut.

You even chose more comfortable shoes today: platform, peep toed heels.

Your steps slowed when you spotted them.

Hyewon, standing near the back of the vehicle, chatting softly with someone you didn't recognise. And you could see Jungkook was already seated inside. 

“Please tell me we’re not driving together…” You muttered to Namjoon under your breath. 

He only hushed you. “It’s Kook’s car. And it’ll only be a forty-minute ride. You’ll survive.”

Forty minutes? You had no idea what kind of island existed forty minutes away, but okay.

When you neared the vehicle, you greeted Hyewon with a strained smile, which she returned sweetly. 

“Need help with that?” Hyeown pointed at the little bags by your feet. You dumbly nod.

Whatever, she’s a better woman than you, blah blah. 

She smiled at you once again before helping you load the suitcases in the trunk.

‘Helping’ was generous. She basically did it for you while you watched. 

The car, you noticed, was a cherry red Jeep. Not exactly the vehicle you’d ever imagined Jungkook in. He struck you more as a sleek black coupe type of dude.

Cherry red was more your thing though.

You’d have liked to take the front passenger seat, but you assumed Hyewon had dibs on it.

So, you climbed into the back. Only to have Hyewon follow you in. 

Great!

Whatever.

You pressed yourself against the window silently, determined not to look at Jungkook or acknowledge him at all.

That’s how you spent the first thirty minutes of the ride.

You had to listen to Hyewon yap about something or the other. About her mom, Jungkook’s mom, their family trip together, just relationship stuff.

She kept trying to ask you about your mother and Seokjin too. You assume it was in hopes of getting more intel on your family situation. But you couldn’t be bothered to give her more than a ‘I haven’t seen them all week.’ 

You were told Yoongi was already waiting at the resort.

You text him asking him to claim a good room for you but he wasn’t a good sport. He insisted all the rooms were ‘good.’

Boring.

Another thirty minutes passed and traffic had brought the car to a crawl.

Forty minutes, my ass.

Both Namjoon and Hyewon had dozed off, leaving you in near-silence with only the sound of Hyewon’s boring Spotify playlist blaring through the speakers lowly.

It only consisted of Taylor Swift’s last two albums. Or so you assume. They all sounded the fucking same to you. Like, are we kidding? You’d rather eat Hyewon’s shoe.

You’re kicking yourself for not charging your devices well. 

You were dangerously close to passing out too but resisted.

You could sleep once you got to the place; on a comfy bed after a nice hot shower.

Shifting restlessly in your seat, you adjust your neck, trying to find a comfortable angle to rest in.

Jungkook’s eyes flicked toward you in the rearview mirror once.

Twice.

Then once again.

Finally, without saying a word, he reached over and held something out toward you.

A forest green neck pillow.

You stared at it, blinking.

He sighed. “Just take it. All that moving around is distracting.”

You glared at him, curling your lips into a childish pout.

He rolled his eyes and pushed the pillow further back at you until you reluctantly accepted it. 

The moment your fingers sank into the plush memory foam, your resolve cracked. Memory foam. Your favourite.

You looped it around your neck, muttering a quiet thanks he probably didn’t hear. You barely even heard it yourself. 

The pillow even smelt like him. It was oud-y and musky. It made you squeeze your thighs together. 

Fuck me.

Why did Jeon Jungkook have to be hot?

You glanced at him once. He didn’t have his hot glasses anymore. Hm…

The memory of a specs-clad Jungkook would suffice for now, you think.

You sank back against the seat, staring out the window.

Thankfully, Jungkook switched Hyewon’s playlist to something he thought you’d enjoy: J-Hope’s latest singles. 

And he’s right again.

When the car finally rolled to a stop, you blinked away the haze of near-sleep and looked out the window - only to frown.

You were at an ominous location. You could smell that ocean air, but you couldn't figure out where you were.

You straightened up a little, “Where are we?” You were already wary.

Namjoon only smiled, that kind of weird ‘trust me’ smile that only made you not trust him. “You’ll see.”

Carefully, you followed the group out, heels clicking softly against the ground until the realization hit you. 

You were nearing a helipad.

That makes you stop dead in your tracks. “Namjoon, no.”

Namjoon grinned, glancing back, “_____, yes.” He continued on towards the ground staff.

Ugh, this idiot thinks you’re thrilled.

“No, Namjoon. You didn’t say anything about a helicopter.” You end with an unexpected whine. 

Meanwhile, Hyewon was clutching Jungkook’s arm dramatically, squealing something about being scared too. “You’ll hold my hand, right?”

Jungkook smiled, tucking her closer. “I’ll hold it the whole way.”

Eugh. 

Yeah, no. You’re going home. 

“Joon…” You begin to build up your case but he doesn’t let you finish. 

“Doll, it’s a very short ride.” He reassures. Hyewon jumps in too, “Yeah, _____, it’ll be fine! If we go down, we all go down together.” She giggled. 

?!

Does she think she’s being funny? What is there to laugh about falling seven thousand feet to your death?

You make a strange face at her and her boyfriend who was leading her to the pick-up spot.

Just the idea of flying in a tin can with blades is… not fun. You’d like to live, please, thank you.

Namjoon turned 180 degrees, making his way back to you to drag you along to the front with him.

And he had to literally drag your weight because you’d forced yourself to go limp in his grasp.

Finally, he just decides to throw you over his shoulders making you yelp in horror. “Come on, drama queen.”

You flail around a little, watching Jungkook’s car get smaller and smaller.

When it's only a little red dot, you give up. 

 Then you hear a new voice.

“Hi, I’m Ivy. I’ll be flying you today.”

A female pilot.

For some reason, that helped settle your tummy.

Namjoon clumsily placed you back on your feet. You stumble a little but Jungkook holds you up.

You dramatically dust yourself off where he touched you. 

He scoffed. Brat.

Ivy smiled warmly at you specifically, “It’ll only be twenty minutes, I promise. The weather’s perfect. It’s so comfortable up there even you could easily take a cat nap.”

You believe her. You nodded slowly.

Okay. Maybe you weren’t gonna die.

Even a person you've never met before can see how worried you were.

You unclenched your fist. 

Some of the ground staff was loading your bags into a compartment on the side of the helicopter. Everyone was traveling light so it was all well under the weight limit. 

Ivy lets you choose your seat first. You chose the middle one so you wouldn’t have to stare at the world below you. 

Even though Hyewon was whining about being afraid, she goes for a window seat, so does Namjoon. 

That left Jungkook only one choice: pressed to your side for twenty whole minutes. Plus the few minutes it takes for the safety instructions to be explained and getting buckled in. 

You were all given headsets to communicate better. You skipped out on it because it’d have messed up your hair.

You swear you heard Jungkook scoff at you again. 

Take-off was the most daunting part.

When you heard the blades whirling faster, you instinctively reached out to grab Namjoon’s arm. He hissed under his breath. 

A few minutes in, you still held a death grip on his arm.

He just laughed softly, prying your fingers off. “Jesus, you’re cutting off my circulation.” 

You couldn’t hear shit because you chose to forego the headphones.

So you just frown at him and cross your arms like a petulant child. But it wasn’t comfortable to keep knocking your elbows into the two gigantic boulders sitting on either of your sides.

If this was anywhere else, you’d have been very satisfied. But four thousand feet off the ground? Over an ocean?

Nuh uh. 

You then press your palms to your exposed knees, holding onto them instead. It was a tad more comfy.

Jungkook’s watching you through the periphery. He realises you’re genuinely scared. 

He gazes at Hyewon whose eyes were glued to the window. She occasionally smacked his boyfriend’s thigh to show him whatever she was marveling at: migratory birds flying alongside them, a random skyscraper, a horse? Everything.

She contrasted you who were staring down at your lap.

Your hair fell over your face, barring your vision from accidentally catching glimpses of the environment around you.

Your knuckles were turning white around your knees.

With a deep sigh, Jungkook placed his large, tattooed hand over both of yours. You jump. It scares the shit out of you.

Only for a second though. 

You lax a bit and peek at him through your hair.

He’s looking at you.

With his free hand, he places the headphones over your ears and you let him. 

In your defence, you were… still processing.

You also learn that the headphones did more than just allow everyone to speak to each other. They were also noise cancelling.

And you don’t want to admit it but you felt a lot better this way. 

You blush a deep shade of red as you feel his heavy hand rub yours. You felt his fingers brush against your bare knees, making you squeeze your thighs together involuntarily.

…

You never wanted the ride to end.

By all means, screw that fucker, but Jungkook comforting you through a scary helicopter ride even after you’ve been rather unkind to him is… admirable.

Internally, you groan, wishing you had packed your new thrusting, rabbit vibrator.

The landing was smooth enough to make you feel stupid for ever doubting Ivy’s flying skills but not enough to make you feel neutral these kill machines. You still very much hated them.

Wobbly legged, you stumbled out after Jungkook.

This time, he doesn’t catch you.

Just like that, your brief admiration for him ended right there.

Jerk.

You vowed you’d never let Namjoon trick you into bullshit like this ever again.

By the helipad, two golf carts waited to take you to the resort.

You climbed into one with Namjoon, Hyewon, and Jungkook while your suitcases were loaded onto the other.

The ride was short and breezy. Even a little healing.

The cool night island air hits your face from all directions and the scent of salt and flowers curl in through the open sides; it’d put anyone in a good mood.

The villa, well, resort, technically- it was stunning. 

Thank you, Mr. Kim.

It was a Tuscan style villa with creamy stone walls, cobblestone walkways lined with beautiful flower bearing bushes and warm amber lighting that made everything look and feel like it was the early 2000s. 

Like any typical resort, staff members greeted you at the entrance, handing out chilled towels and colourful welcome drinks.

You accepted both, immediately taking a long sip from your orange and pink drink. Yum, yum. 

As you were being led inside, someone began explaining the amenities; a quick list of spa treatments, private cabanas, infinity pools, yadda yadda, but your brain only half-registered any of it.

Until one particular phrase caught your attention.

“…and we have a two-Michelin-star pastry chef visiting us for the weekend.”

Ooh, bingo.

You knew exactly what your plans for the night were: a warm bubble bath, maybe a quick nap, and then room service from that dessert menu that you just know is about to be scrumptious, as you watch Gilmore Girls for, like, the eleventh time.

You almost moan out loud, thinking about all the tiramisu you’re about to gobble.

As everyone slowly began dispersing toward the suites, you felt a presence behind you. Then a light arm slipped around your waist from the side, startling you.

You peer at the figure. “Yoongi?” You blinked.

He grinned lazily, doing the same to Namjoon who stood beside you, before moving on to greet Hyewon and Jungkook with a similar warmth. He seems a bit dazed.

“Just came to say hi,” He pointed to your left with his chin, “In case I don’t see you guys later tonight…”

You all follow his gaze which lands on a gorgeous woman in a tiny black dress. She smiles and waves.

Ohhhh. Cute! You giggle and wave back at her. 

Yoongi was tipsy. 

“Ah, I see why you were in such a hurry,” Namjoon teased. Yoongi just shrugged. 

Before you could even comment, Hyewon clapped her hands together. “Okay! Since we’re all in a hurry right now,” Nobody’s in a hurry for anything… “You’re all invited to our suite in exactly two hours. We’re hosting a casual dinner! Yoongi, you can bring your date!” 

Jungkook nodded along as she spoke, with his arm looped around her shoulders.

Namjoon smiled politely. Even Yoongi gave her a little thumbs up in agreement.

Crickets.

As the silence stretched for a second too long, you realized they were all looking at you.

Oh, they wanted an answer this instant.

You blinked. “Oh. I’m okay. I think I’ll just sleep.”

Hyewon’s smile faltered for a second, barely noticeable, but you still caught it. As did everyone else. 

Still, she rallied fast. “Oh! That’s totally fine. Feel better, okay?”

Okay?

You scrunched your brows in confusion. “Ok...”

You could tell she didn’t want to believe you’d turned her down for no reason. It was easier for her to assume you were unwell than to accept you just didn’t want to go.

Namjoon shot you a vague ‘I’m disappointed in you’ look. Jungkook’s sported more of a… frown? Like you'd kicked his dog or something. Well, you suppose you kinda did. 

Okay then. Can't please everyone now, can ya?

Not wasting a moment longer, you smile. “Good night!” You chirp and follow one of the concierges down a hallway toward your room. Your luggage follows you. 

ʚ𖹭ɞ

As soon as the door clicked shut behind you, you exhaled, rolling your shoulders back. 

Why the hell was this your fault again? You toss your handbag on the floor. 

You don’t understand why Hyewon wants to play host when everything is paid for by Namjoon’s dad. You aren’t trying to be… bitchy? A snob? Whatever the word is, you weren’t it. Your confusion is genuine. She ‘expected’ everyone in her and Jungkook’s suite for dinner. 

Sucks to be her because you have big plans to pig out in your little room tonight. 

After that hell of a car ride? Having to sit with the couple, forced to listen to their vacation plans for December. Renting a ski chalet with Jungkook’s family. Super original. And who plans trips more than half a year ahead? 

And then the godforsaken chopper- you don’t even want to think about it and accidentally relive it. 

You’d rather be able to pick your own dinner rather than force yourself to eat whatever crap Hyewon selected.

I mean, she never asked you if you had any allergies or for anyone’s preferences. You can’t eat gluten this week. Or corn, because it sucks. 

It’s better than showing up and being rude to the host (because of the host’s own neglectfulness.) 

There’s zero reason for you to feel bad about it. It’s not as if all their efforts will go to waste if one person skips. The others were still going to be there to enjoy it and praise her.

Ugh. You groan before peeling your clothes off your body. You slip into the bathrobe provided by the Brando. Mm, soft. 

You call room service to set up a relaxing, much needed bath for yourself.

While it gets ready for you, you facetime Somin.

You reiterate your plans for the night to her. To nobody’s surprise, she supports your right to stay in rather than show up at Hyewon and Jungkook’s.

You end up staying on call with her (briefly adding Logan later,) all night long while still doing everything else you planned to.

The next morning, Jungkook spots you strutting into the restaurant in Prada SS 2009 heels and an itsy bitsy striped bikini top and skirt with something that looks an awful lot like a Hannah Montana beach towel lazily draped over you.

You only threw the towel on because the restaurant wouldn’t let you in without a cover-up. It didn’t do much covering anyway which was just the way you liked it. 

With his eyes glued to your body, Jungkook didn’t even notice Yoongi in pursuit. 

Hyewon was still explaining to the waitress how she wanted her guacamole prepared, too occupied to notice whatever was going on there. 

You and Yoongi were the last ones there. 

Since Namjoon was off snorkeling with the dolphins or whatever, it was just the four of you. 

You were preparing to skip out on this breakfast date but Yoongi came barging into your room and threatened you to show up because Namjoon put him on _____ responsibility.

It’d have been rude to bail a second time.

Not that you care. You sincerely could not be bothered about how Hyewon felt.

You’d like to point out once again that she was not the host, and nor was she the person whose invite you accepted. Namjoon was. 

Anyway, Yoongi ate you out: first, through your panties for five whole minutes before discarding them completely, then he only cleaned you up with his tongue. He hadn’t let you finish.

Instead, he held your orgasm over your head and made you attend breakfast. 

What were you gonna do? Say no? You tried but he was very persuasive.

“Oh, hello!” Hyewon cheerfully greeted you and Yoongi.

Her eyes flitted over to Yoongi’s arm behind your lower back. He was helping you into your chair. “Oh, when did this happen?” 

You followed her gaze, looking down at yourself, and then blinked up at her. “When did what happen?”

“Thiiiss,” she said with a teasing little grin, gesturing between you and Yoongi. “I just didn’t know you two were close. You were with Namjoon before.” 

Yoongi hummed, “We’ve become close over the week.” He thought nothing of it. But you knew what was brewing in her head. It’s always about relationships with this woman.

Hyewon’s eyes widened slightly at his tone. She looked back at Jungkook who was now fully focused on your conversation too.

They hadn’t necessarily heard Yoongi speak of anyone like that before. And since you're a woman and he’s a man and men can never be friends with women, they were understandably taken aback. Note the sarcasm.

Hyewon laughed delicately, a little in disbelief, “Wow, really?” Then she goes on to say, “Oh, my god, this reminds me-” She waves her hands around to express her disagreement, “-you know, I’ve always detested that term: homie hopper.” She uses air quotes.

Yoongi and Jungkook’s eyes snap to Hyewon. 

Hyewon cringes. “It’s such an unnecessary misogynistic term. Like, people can do whatever they want.” 

Then why bring it up in the first place? 

You almost laugh in her face because of how bad she was at shading people. Though, that didn’t stop you from feeling a bit of discomfort because everyone at the table understood what she was hinting at.

As much as you’d like to say you weren’t hurt, it stung a tiny bit. Which was crazy because you never cared what most people thought of you, let alone someone like Hyewon, whom you don’t even have a real opinion on. 

Jungkook’s brow raised, still processing the words that just exited his girlfriend’s mouth. 

On the other hand, Yoongi was quick with his defense. “Why say it then?” His tone wasn’t accusatory or sharp, but he feigned confusion. 

“I wasn’t, I mean, I didn’t mean it in that way. God, I’d never.” Hyewon explained smoothly. 

Yoongi wasn’t having it, “We’re not stupid, Hyewon.” He copied her nonchalant tone.

Before Hyewon could respond, her boyfriend jumps in, “Yah, let’s not go there? It’s nine in the morning.” It was directed towards Yoongi.

Yoongi? 

Hyewon’s the one who started it. But ok, Yoongi shouldn’t go there. 

Fuck that. You frown at him before picking out a menu to peruse through.

“She did not mean anything by it.” Jungkook looked at his girlfriend to confirm. “Right?” His hand slipped under the table--- you just knew it was to squeeze Hyewon’s thigh. 

Ew...

“Of course not! I was only sharing an opinion!” Hyewon rushed to reassure her boyfriend.

She looks at you with this shocked look. You don’t know how to describe it.

“I am so sorry it came out that way.” It was as if she suddenly regretted trying to drag you. Or pretended to. 

When you don’t acknowledge her, she reaches out to grab your hand, “_____, I’m sorry. Let’s just start over?” 

If she doesn’t let go of you in the next five seconds, she is about to be wearing her breakfast eggs on her head.

“I don’t care,” you smile awkwardly, “We’re fine.” 

Maybe Hyewon was still upset that you rejected her for dinner the night before. And maybe this was her way of showing it or lashing out. 

An awkward silence ensued after.

You then placed an order for a breakfast tiramisu and an espresso martini. Not even Yoongi interfered with your unhealthy choices. 

It wasn’t until Jungkook decided to break the ice (mainly addressing Yoongi and Hyewon) that things went back to somewhat normal.

You didn’t engage too much in any of their conversations.

Jungkook took note of it. He’d occasionally look your way, and you don’t know if it was to get you to join in or simply to admire.

You had half a mind to unwrap your purple towel and really give him something to look at, momentarily forgetting that you were supposed to be mad at him. 

Little things like this never bothered you before. So many of your past dates have pulled these tricks to get you to feel or act on jealousy. But it never worked. You weren’t the type of person who felt possessive over people nor the type to hold grudges. 

Until Jungkook, maybe? 

You’ve had hours to contemplate if your feelings were even worth entertaining.

It was silly to be mad at Jungkook. He was only teasing. You have half-forgiven him.

That’s a concept you’d like to introduce: choosing forgiveness until he ruins it for you with any more of his shenanigans. 

Your heart felt lighter when you came to this conclusion with yourself. 

Somin thought you needed to slow down on your attempts with Jungkook, refrain from acting out and getting rage-baited by him. And you agreed.

Besides, it takes a lot of effort to be mad at someone. But you can’t help feeling a tad annoyed by the couple sitting across from you with all their… together-ness. 

Around twenty excruciating minutes later, you and Yoongi excused yourself to go get a dry massage session before you sunbathed. 

Hyewon invited you to a private couples yoga class she had pre-booked for herself and Jungkook.

It wouldn't have been private with you and Yoongi there though.

While you had time, you did not care for it.

Yoga was a regular thing for you, so it wasn’t as if you’d learn something new. If anything, you’d be forced to watch Jungkook stretch Hyewon out for a second time.

And you didn’t like the way she proposed it either: ‘Oh! You don’t seem to have anything special planned then? Come join us!’

Getting a little massage and sunbathing weren’t ‘plans?’ Fuck that. 

Thankfully, Yoongi politely declined before you could protest. He also paid before Jungkook could.

This restaurant wasn’t part of the resort so breakfast wasn’t paid for in advance. Jungkook had called for the bill but, like, Yoongi sniped and gave the waitress his card before she could accept Jungkook’s. And you found that pretty hot.

Jungkook thought yoga was supposed to be relaxing and soothing, something you practiced to get your mind off things.

Yet, in the silence, he couldn’t stop wondering about you and his hyung.

He absolutely didn’t deem Min Yoongi to be your kind of guy in general, let alone something more. But after seeing him dancing with you the other night and after Hyewon’s inquisitiveness, he doubts his own intuition.

It was none of his business but he didn’t love the idea of you and Yoongi. Even Namjoon seemed a more likely option. 

Either way, he didn't plan on driving himself nuts over your (possible) dating life.

The yoga class was held under a white canopy by the villa, facing the sea.

The instructor, Ria, spoke in a soft and measured tone, gracefully demonstrating each pose. As expected, Jungkook and Hyewon were the ideal students. 

Then, when they get more comfortable between poses, Ria goes off to bring a sound healing instrument.

Then Jungkook suddenly lets out an exhale. “Won, what was that earlier?”

Hyewon looks over questioningly, mid–warrior pose. “What was....?”

“At breakfast.” He straightens, fixing his sweats a little. “The thing you said about _____.”

Hyewon’s face tightens briefly. “It wasn’t about her. I mean-” She sighs, adjusting herself. “It came out wrong. I just opened my mouth before I thought. I feel horrible, okay?”

He hopes she’s being truthful. Jungkook just nods along. “It didn’t sound great.”

“Jungkook, I know,” she says, voice a little strained now. “I mean I even apologised right then. Why are you bringing it up now?”

“Alright, alright. I just wanted to clear it up.” Jungkook backs off. Then he adds, “Yo- we should probably just… leave her alone for now.”

Hyewon doesn’t understand what he meant by that but she chooses to stay quiet, ignoring his suggestion.

There’s an awkward silence when Ria returns and calls for the next pose - downward dog.

Hyewon turns away from her boyfriend, getting into position, focusing on the sounds of the wind chimes and the soothing music instead.

However, as the session goes on, the atmosphere subtly shifts.

Hyewon’s focus wavers. She didn’t love the fact that her own boyfriend questioned her motives in your defense. She suddenly momentarily hated the fact that you tagged along, contrary to how she had felt when she first found this out. 

Jungkook doesn’t really notice the shift in his girlfriend’s mood, too busy getting the yoga right. He doesn’t try to engage her how he had tried with you earlier today. (Yeah, she noticed.)

And understandably so, Hyewon hates that even more.

Meanwhile at the spa, you and Yoongi were led into separate adjoining rooms for your dry massages.

The rooms smelt like essential oils and smoky sage.

It looked like a typical Thai spa, nothing outstanding but it was beautiful regardless.

There was a koi pond at the entrance too. You wish you had brought your phone along to show Somin to give her ideas for her indoor pond. Somin had one in her backyard but the birds kept stealing the poor fishies. She would get new ones but the birds kept returning. Soon she realised that she was feeding the birds that way. Ever since, she has been looking for inspo to build a little pond in her living room instead. 

The massage was as relaxing as you expected. No oils or lotions were used; it was a dry massage because you didn’t want to get cooked in the sun later.

Your masseuse wouldn’t stop complimenting your soft skin. You assumed she was fishing for tips but she wouldn’t accept any when you tried.

So, yay. :) It doesn’t take too much to make you happy. 

You hoped to remain uplifted all day today. Or at least until dinner when you’d have to see Hyewon and Jungkook again. 

After your massage, you find Yoongi waiting for you by the sun deck. He was staring into the endless ocean.

The sun made him look almost translucent.

He looked too serene to disturb but you were in a rush. “I’m still a bit hazy from the massage, and I wanna keep feeling so I can nap on that beach!!” With that, you run off to the beach.

Yoongi stays on the deck for a few minutes before heading back to the villas from where he grabs your phone, a tube of sunscreen, and two books to pass time with. 

When he gets to the beach, he sees you’ve already set yourself up on a lounge chair, basking in the warm sunlight.  

An employee had installed an umbrella for Yoongi. 

“Need sunscreen?” He asks, already reaching for the tube before you can answer. You squeak in assent, sprawling out on the chair for him. He kneels beside you, squeezing a generous amount into his palm. The lotion feels cool against your warm skin. 

Yoongi spreads it slowly, over your shoulders, your tummy, the tops of your thighs and your legs. “How do you walk on sand with those heels? Flip.” - “Hm? Oh…” You look at your feet before turning over for him, “I dunno, I just do.” 

Uh, you weren’t about to take your shoes off to lie on a chair - they’re part of your outfit. And last time you checked, this wasn’t a nude beach. I mean, it was a private one so you could probably get away with some nudity but you’ve been really into tan lines lately. So, you know. The bikini stays on.

Also, you doubt the employees would be pleased if you tried.

Yoongi massages the cream deeply into your skin.

He begins to help himself before you could offer to do it for him, so you don’t bother. 

You stay on your stomach, resting your cheek on the back of your palm, leaving your hair cascading down your back.

You hear the roar of the ocean and the screeching of the seagulls. There weren’t too many of those there though. You could maintain your peace.

You sigh dreamily.

A few minutes of silence prompt you to check on Yoongi. 

He was settled in next to you with a fat book on… music therapy? 

Huh. 

You turn the other way and close your eyes, breathing in the fresh, salty ocean air.

It’s peaceful.

For the first time probably all week, you’re content to just exist. Just you, the warm sun, the cool wind, and the sounds of the water. And Yoongi.

Perhaps Namjoon was onto something bringing you here.

ʚ𖹭ɞ

The next time you open your eyes, you see a blond lying on the chair to your left: “Oh,” a familiar voice exclaims, “You’re up!” 

You squint a little, and there’s Namjoon, reclined on the seat. His hair was still damp and slicked back and his sunglasses were perched low on his nose. And he’s already got a beautiful tan on. 

Still sleepy, you mumble. “How long have you been sitting there?” 

He shrugs, “A little less than an hour.” 

Damn. You'd been knocked out for a while.

You glance to your right. Yoongi was on to a new book now. “Oh… Should’ve woken me…”

There was a slight imprint of your own hand on your face. It was a good nap.

“I tried.” Namjoon snorted, “Snorkeling was amazing. You should’ve come.” 

“Was it?” You ask, flipping on your back and stretching your arms over your head.

“Yeah. There was this one dolphin that kept following me - probably because I dropped my snorkel multiple times,” he laughs. “Embarrassing as hell, but so worth it.” 

He was way too chill about losing important equipment more than once… “Good for you.” You hum, blinking against the light, “At least one of us is having fun.” 

You put your palm out, asking Joon for his sunglasses. He obliges. 

“Yeah, okay. You woke up at the perfect time though.”

“I did?”

“Yep.” He sits up, brushing some sand off his shorts. “Next activity’s at one.” 

You ogle his thighs for a few seconds. “Define activity…” 

Namjoon opens his mouth to answer but then decides against it: “It’s a surprise.” 

Dramatically shaking your head, you whine, “Nuh uh, no more of those.” 

“You’ll have fun, I promise.” Namjoon pulls you off your resting place. 

You let out a faint ‘Noooo’ before complying with his requests. 

Namjoon knew you’d take a while to dress up so he sent you off early. Knowing how much the group enjoyed drinking, he had booked a little mixology class. Initially it was supposed to be just the three of you but during dinner last night, it turned into a group activity. 

And maybe this would help you bond with Hyewon and… well, he hopes you wouldn’t ‘bond’ with Jungkook any more than you have currently. For Hyewon’s sake.

All this while, Namjoon had been confident that Jungkook wouldn’t pay you any heed and he had been proven wrong.

In his opinion, Hyewon and Jungkook belonged together.

It’s not that he doesn’t like you. He loves you. But he doesn’t love you for his buddy. He thinks you would stomp on Jungkook’s heart with your sexy little stilettos and crush it.

He could just talk to you and ask you to back away but it’s a bit too late for that anyway.

That being said, he still hopes you and Jungkook are able to build a friendship. If not now, sometime in the future.

It was nearing one in the afternoon by the time you finally emerged from your room - ten minutes later than Namjoon’s text had instructed, but who was counting? 

You’d taken your sweet time getting dolled-up, abandoning your bikini for a mini slip dress with black lace detailing along the neckline. It paired beautifully with your diamond necklace (all lab grown because you’re not a monster.) 

What took long was the hair. You worked your hair into waves and added little braids here and there. Like at the night of the gala. 

Namjoon had only told you to change into something comfortable for an ‘activity.’ No further hints.

You were hoping it wasn’t anything involving hiking, sand, or god forbid, group sports.

The sun was high and hot, you doubt it was any of those options anyway.

You followed the winding stone path down toward the villa deck, where Namjoon’s text had told you to meet him.

You spotted Joon first, leaning leisurely against a railing in a linen shirt and khakis, with a different pair of sunglasses perched on his head.

Yoongi stood beside him, holding a glass of something brown and on the rocks. 

They were discussing the layout of the place and how inconvenient it must be for employees on this island to travel from work to home. 

“About time,” Yoongi said, glancing at you as you carefully stumble onto the deck in your ladybug kitten heels.

“You boys are lucky I showed up at all.” You shot back, and his mouth twitched in a half smile.

Namjoon stepped forward, clapping his hands once. “Alright, now that we’re all here…” He gestured to the open-air setup behind him: a long wooden counter stood in a corner, shaded by palm fronds. Shakers were stacked neatly atop it along with bowls of citrus, berries and jars of other edibles, bottles of liquor, and rows of gleaming glasses. “…Surprise.”

You froze for half a second before letting out a delighted squeak. “A mixology sesh?”

Namjoon grinned. “You’ve mentioned wanting to try it before, so…” 

He listens to you! 

“Ooh, oh, my God,” You’re practically bouncing in place, “I’m so excited!” 

Right then, a figure exited a gorgeous little shed nearby and introduced themselves as the instructor, Kyle.

Then Kyle began running through the basics. “We’ll start by prepping some ingredients, washing and cutting fruit, muddling herbs, that sort of thing. Then we’ll get into building flavor profiles.” 

You weren’t too keen on the grunt work but if the end result is a drunk _____, you’re doing ittt.

You, Namjoon, and Yoongi each gave your introductions in turn before diving into the setup.

Kyle handed you and Joon some of the citrus fruits and a grater and asked you to zest them into separate bowls. 

Yoongi, being more experienced with knives, was asked to slice the fruits into thin wedges for the plating.

Everything was going just fine. 

And then- 

“Oh, you guys started without us?”

You froze mid-smile. 

Turning, you saw Hyewon approaching, one arm looping through Jungkook’s. They both looked freshly showered and far too put-together for a lazy beach afternoon (as did you.) 

Hyewon was in a coral halter sundress, hair glossy and tied with a silk scarf. Jungkook wore a Hawaiian button-down with the sleeves rolled to the elbows and exposing his tats. His sunglasses were hooked in the center of his shirt and his capri shorts were... weirdly hot.

Your heart did something stupid at the sight of him. His hair was a tad tousled by the wind. You almost want to reach out and fix it. 

Namjoon straightened a little, smiling welcomingly. “Hey, you guys made it.”

Hyewon smiled, “Yeah! We were gonna go snorkeling because you made it sound so good but we figured we could just do that tomorrow.”

We, we, we. Blegh.

You forced a polite little smile, trying not to show the flicker of irritation. Or the heat that rose to your cheeks when Jungkook’s eyes flicked to you before dropping to your bare shoulder where one of your straps had slipped off of. Then to your hands that daintily grasped the half peeled lime, and then down to your legs.

“Alright!” Kyle smiled brightly at the couple, “You guys ready to catch up?”

They both nodded. Hyewon offered an apologetic smile while Jungkook looked only mildly interested.

“Great! Since your friends have already started…” Kyle gestured at the small array of half-prepped fruits, bottles, and herbs on the long wooden counter, “I’ll give you two some tasks too.” 

He points at Hyewon, “You can help wash and prep the berries.” Then turning to Jungkook, “You can take over the herbs. You’re going to use that muddler and gently press it down on the herbs. Make sure to bruise, not murder them.” 

Jungkook already disliked Kyle. 

As everyone settled into their given roles, Kyle began to talk about mixing alcohols.

The do’s, the don’t’s, what kind of alcohol mixes with what liquid, different flavour profiles, hot and cold drinks, and so much more that you’re sure you won’t remember after today. 

Then, Kyle began demonstrating mixing colours.

You actually found yourself fascinated, leaning a little closer as they poured a splash of liqueur into a shaker and swirled it to show contrast.

Kyle had everyone taste different types of liqueurs. Though they controlled the portion, you and Yoongi snuck some extra shots in.

But you spat bitter whiskey into a paper towel. You never understood how anyone could enjoy this.

After your fourth shot of vanilla vodka, you were beginning to... feel things.

“Now,” Kyle clapped his hands once, smiling mischievously, “time for something fun. I’ve got a little game for you all. It’ll be a test of your creativity and teamwork.”

Yoongi groaned, already sensing some shit-stirring.

These were grown adults with full-time jobs, they didn’t need any more intrapersonal skill assessments. 

“I’m gonna divide you into two teams,” Kyle continued, “Each group gets twenty minutes to create an original cocktail. You’ll present it to me, I’ll taste both, and we’ll have a winner.”

Before anyone could voice their opinion, Kyle was already dividing you up, “Yoongi and Namjoon are Team One.”

Now Yoongi’s face lit up in glee. It took you a bit longer to register though.

That meant…. 

“_____, Hyewon and the hot one whose name I cannot remember,” Kyle winked, “You’re Team Two.” 

You exhaled sharply through your nose, turning back to the counter.

The tension was palpable. 

Jungkook stood on one side of Hyewon, cutting ice cubes down to little cubes. And you stood on the other, minding your own beeswax.

You have no clue what Hyewon was doing either.

You didn’t bother communicating your idea to the couple. You just started building it.

A sparkling, glittery pink drink with hints of passionfruit and raspberry. The fizz comes from champagne and tonic, and the glitter is a dusting of white edible shimmer you’d found in one of the tiny jars Kyle had set out.

You crushed some berries, mixed them in with the wine and drained the liquid. You ignored whatever conversation was happening beside you.

It wasn’t until you reached for the pink passionfruit that things went sideways.

You wanted to cut the fruit up into tinier pieces to mush together with the raspberries for a deeper tint with lesser berry flavour.

As if he had a sixth sense of some kind, Jungkook narrows in on you reaching out for the sharpest knife designed to cut ice: you were about to pick it up by the damn blade.

You were totally distracted, staring at the pink pigment stained on your other fingers instead of watching what you're doing with a sharp object.

Within a second, Jungkook nearly lunges over his girlfriend. His hand shoots out to grab your wrist and knock the knife away from your palm before you could cut yourself.

Hyewon shuffled backwards, startled, as her boyfriend grabs hold of you.

The tool clattered to the ground.

You were still staring at your pink fingertips.

What just happened? 

Your eyes snap up to his.

“You can’t be picking up knives by the sharp end, _____.” Jungkook scolded you, dropping your hand.

The entire deck was now watching on in curiosity. Employees and all.

You pout at him, still a little dazed, “Geez, okay…” 

Jungkook exhaled, rubbing a hand down his face. Then, quieter, “Just- tell me what you want to do. I’ll do it.”

You hesitated, but eventually pointed at the fruit. “I want to cut it into smaller pieces to mash.” 

“And?” Jungkook was already on it. 

You hum rubbing up and down your arm, “Mmm, mix it with tonic and white wine and strain it. Add a little sweetener, then glitter…” 

Hyewon smiled, suddenly jumping in, “I’ll mash and strain then!” 

Ok, so this was going to be a group activity now.

You happily pass the little muddler off to her. You wanted to be on glitter duty anyway.

Jungkook passed on the little cubes to Hyewon who mashed them. Then she stirs it in with the two liquids, as per your direction.

Finally, you dust in a good amount of the shimmery powder and stir before equally pouring the concoction into six different glasses.

Hyewon even sliced a little piece of a tangerine to stick on the rims of each glass. It looked pretty cute.

When the drinks were done, Kyle went around tasting each. They gave feedback on everything. 

Finally, Yoongi and Namjoon’s smokey citrussy drink won. But that was expected since Yoongi knew a lot about alcohol and drinking anyway. 

Kyle lingered by your side, swirling a glass of the _____ (that’s what you called your drink) in their hand. “This,” they said, admiring the shimmer under the sun, “is fun. Needs a little more acidity, but the presentation is gorgeous.”

Yay! You smiled, ducking your head shyly. “Thanks.” 

Jungkook, standing behind you, watched the way you bit back your grin. You tried not to look too pleased. And for some reason, it made something tighten in his chest. 

It’s so easy to make you happy. So easy to want to.

Kyle clapped once more. “Alright, mixologists, you’ve earned a break. There’s a beautiful picnic set up for you on the beach. Follow me, allons-y!”

They led you down the wooden path towards the sand. 

You walked ahead with Yoongi, talking about how much you loved your sparkly drink idea.

When Yoongi tells you to turn it into a business plan, you immediately lose interest in discussing your drink with him.

Why did men do that? 

Behind you, Jungkook fell back beside Namjoon, lowering his voice so only his hyung could hear, “Listen,” He cleared his throat. “I booked a yacht for tomorrow to get back to the city.”

Namjoon frowned. He had checked for yachts the day before but none were available for a few weeks now. Plus, he discovered a helicopter to be faster and, surprisingly, cheaper. The port was farther away than the helipad. And with a chopper, they could directly land on top of their office building if they wanted.

“How come?” Namjoon chose to ask before hounding him with all this info. 

Wasn't it apparent?

“She’s terrified of flying, man.” Jungkook said it as if it was the most obvious response. 

Namjoon blinked, following Jungkook’s gaze up ahead - stopping on you as you walked barefoot beside Yoongi, violently shaking your head at something Yoongi said. 

Huh. Maybe Namjoon’s better off not meddling.

next: killah (jjk) [9]

note: firstly, everything i wrote for the mixology class scene is from my own head. i did not feel like researching anything so i just made stuff up. if anything is accurate, it's a coincidence. still, pleek don't attempt to recreate anything from that scene irl

secondly, slut shaming of any of the characters will not be tolerated! be normal ok

finally, these two months are going to be super busy for me (shocker ik.) sooo, if you ask me for an update anytime before december 30, i won't be able to give you any answers 😖

Clearly, Jungkook’s anger was misdirected. He knew the moment his eyes found you that he was about to make an ass out of himself. But he couldn’t think fast enough and ended up losing his shit on you. 

Although…

If we were to be brutally honest, you sort of had some of it coming. Maybe not in this manner, but you definitely weren't supposed to be in their office for as long as you had been spending your time there.

You didn't work there!

However, there’s no way he could justify this to anyone. 

Click click click click. The echo of your retreating footsteps still rang in his ears long after you disappeared from his view. 

A few seconds passed. Jungkook still held his composure. The room was still.

No one in the open office dared to breathe too loudly.

Then a phone rang - prompting an employee to switch to professional mode and resume their work.

Someone sniffled.

The clack of someone’s keyboard filled the room, and slowly people went on about their day, hopefully pretending Jungkook’s outburst wasn’t about to be the talk of the building that day.

Only Habin was still sat there motionless, face blotched red with mortification. 

At least Jungkook wasn’t the only one.

Jungkook sighed deeply, “Come to me with your lunch later,” he said low enough that it was meant for Habin alone. “We’re going to fix this.”

Habin, slightly relieved that his boss wasn't about to fire him, returned a stiff nod. 

Jungkook expected a verbal response, but he didn’t bother disputing.

He already had his next task lined up in his head.

Find _____.

Without another word, Jungkook turned on his heel and followed the trail of Dior’s Poison Girl you left behind. It made him dizzy. Once again, he had to actively stop his brain from returning to the state he was in earlier that morning in his car.

Not now.

They really needed to hire someone to fix this disaster. How did anyone find anything here?

Namjoon was halfway through filtering out their boxes and mail, while showing you the mess of parcels to search through when the door creaked open.

You straighten up, game face on and all. 

Inside the mail slash storage room, Jungkook found you leaning against one of the racks, watching Namjoon balance four mid-sized boxes of documents in his arms. You showed no indication of even attempting to help the man. 

He raises a brow at the scene.

Wow. You really weren’t too handy, were you?

In your defense, you did come all the way down (two floors...) to their office for the exchange. They should’ve had Logan’s thingy ready before being asked. 

Also, you weren’t ‘authorized’ to sort through Jeon, Kim & Kim’s files either. It’s against the law or whatever. So, tough luck.

You don’t even notice You pretend not to notice when he practically storms into the little room. It suddenly got really stuffy there. 

Jungkook’s cologne was overwhelmingly attractive. If it were up to you, you’d be nuzzling your head into his neck, trying to drown in his scent.

But now's not the time.

“I need a minute.” Jungkook suddenly said; to Namjoon, not you. 

Something about the way he doesn't address you is so hot. Makes you wonder.

Namjoon simply arched a brow, “I’m busy. Whatever it is, just say it here.” 

There was no way Namjoon was about to miss out on this. Even if he did, it would make its way to him anyway. But he'd rather witness it, whatever this was about to be, first hand. 

At this, Jungkook’s gaze was already on you. He doesn’t expect you to oblige but he tries anyway, “Could I speak to you for a moment?”

Yes, please! 

On the inside, you’re all giddy but of course, you don’t let that seep through to your exterior. 

You make a show of turning slowly and blink at him as if you were inconvenienced. “We’re kind of doing something.” 

Doing what? You were watching Namjoon work by himself. Jungkook wanted to roll his eyes but he kept his cool, instead replying, “It won’t take long.”

Well, that's a shame. You wouldn't have minded sparing him an hour or two. 

You exchanged a look with Namjoon, who gave you a small shrug and stepped somewhere to the back towards some other shelves. 

Don't get him wrong, he just wants to give you two the illusion of privacy. 

Namjoon is absolutely eavesdropping as he ‘searches’ for Logan’s parcel. The same one he found two whole minutes before Jungkook even came in. 

Now that you were ‘alone,’ Jungkook realised he hadn’t really rehearsed for this. He couldn’t just turn his professional voice on here. That won’t mean shit to you. But he had to start with something.

Jungkook cleared his throat. “I owe you an apology,” he began, “I was in no position to raise my voice at you. That too, so… publicly.” He chooses his words carefully.

Slowly spinning to face him, you tilt your head, sort of sizing him up. 

Jungkook’s mouth slightly opens once more, as if he was about to speak, but nothing comes out. 

But, he’s… unintentionally checking you out.

Did you have a makeup artist at your beck and call? A glam squad? How were you so… decked up every time he saw you? That was a talent. 

Even hours into what he can only assume is a busy day, you still look… flawless. Not a single lash was out of place. Even your lips were perfectly painted. 

Jungkook didn't think he'd be attracted by this level of, dare he say, perfection. He finds it phony. But for you, it makes sense.

And he means that in the best way possible.  

While Jungkook’s mind wandered, you were getting more impatient by the second.

Your glossy lips form a little pout and your brows furrow just the slightest, a bit disappointed by his apology. I mean, he hadn’t even apologised. Just acknowledged he owed you one.

You thought you deserved more than that. But if this is all you were going to get… - “‘S okay, Mr. Jeon.” With that, you harshly turn toward wherever Namjoon had ventured off to, ready to follow him.

That fucking nickname again. He didn’t know if you were being playful anymore. 

Jungkook wasn’t finished, “I was mad at someone and I let it out on you. I’m sorry.” 

Yeaahh, you guessed so.

Simply you shrug, “I get it. It’s whatever.” You glance back at him, offering him a quick, tight lipped smile and toss your hair over your shoulder. 

Jungkook could only stare. 

He has… said whatever he could. What else is he supposed to do? 

Were you vindictive? Was this something that would come back up later to bite him in the ass? God knows he deserves it, but still. 

When Namjoon hears nothing but silence, he assumes you're done. He reemerges from the back, “This is yours. Sign here.” Namjoon pulled a clipboard out of thin air and presented it in front of your face.

“Ok.” You frown, grabbing at the air.

There’s no pen. 

“I don’t have a pen.” You announce and just stand still, waiting for Joon to find one. 

Before Namjoon could take action, Jungkook was already fishing for one from the inside pocket of his blazer or somewhere from in there. He held it out, clipped neatly between three fingers.

You give the man another bored glance, plucking the sleek black object from him. You were careful not to accidentally touch him. 

However, Jungkook was fully prepared for you to graze your fingers across his. Dare he say, he was anticipating it.

But when you don't pull that move on him, he understands it.

Huh. You were mad at him.

Carefully, you play around with Jungkook’s pen, figuring out how it worked. Jungkook’s reaching across to do it for you when you finally get it. The cap thingy had to be twisted. 

Not wanting to waste any more time than you already had, you doodle your name and add a little heart at the end out of habit then tuck the pen into your jeans' pocket.

“Thanks,” you say to nobody in particular and scramble away with Logan’s mail before Jungkook could say anything.

It’s your pen now. 

Jungkook’s (and Namjoon’s) eyes followed you until the door clicked shut.

For a moment, Jungkook just stood there with his jaw tight. Involuntarily so. Then, taking a short breath, he turns to his partner. “By the way, I need you to take over mentoring Habin during lunch today.”

Namjoon pressed his lips together, immediately shaking his head, “Sorry. Can’t today. I’m seeing _____ for lunch. Haven’t seen her in a while.”

?

They went out two days ago? He was a bit peeved.

Something about this made his eye twitch, but he smoothened out almost just as fast.

Jungkook had been planning to use that time to catch you, maybe bring you something sweet as a peace offering.

But, it’s okay. Jungkook could see you literally any time.

He exhaled sharply through his nose. “When does _____ get off work?”

Namjoon arched his brow suspiciously, “...Why?”

...

Jungkook hesitated, then muttered - “…She took my pen.”

Namjoon returned a flat look.

Realising how silly he had sounded, Jungkook coughs. “I just want to apologise again. Properly.”

By the end of the day, you’d shrugged off Jungkook’s little outburst out of your mind, though you couldn’t resist milking it a bit longer.

It was out of your system but, you know, you had to mess with him a little.

Today, at work, you met quite a few new potential clients or pre-existing clients, you don’t remember anymore.

Nobody caught your eye though.

Well, there was this one dude who kind of looked like a cat but he seems even more reserved than Jeon Jungkook so you’re not touching that. At least not anytime soon. And not until you’ve got this man out of your system. 

Also, Logan said you weren’t allowed to mix business and pleasure anyway. 

So meh. 

Too tired to drive, you text Logan to get you someone to drive you home instead.

He really wore you out today. In a way, the reason you had forgiven Jungkook was because you didn’t have the time to really sit and let the situation marinate. On one hand, it felt good to be busy but on the other, it was simply exhausting beyond belief.

Once again, you reiterate, you weren't built for this.

You wondered if these bitches at work made you run around on purpose just because they could. 

‘_____, go fetch the bla bla files.’

‘Make sure the waters are filled.’

‘Bring us the good champagne.’

‘_____, take notes, don’t snooze.’

And good luck to whoever has to decipher your notes because you have no idea what half of the words spoken in these meetings meant. You didn’t know they even existed.

What is *feedoucheairy? And there was brief talk about executions? What kind of business was your brother running? 

Jeon Jungkook better be worth it.

You know what though? You’re close, you can feel it. It’s going to be tricky how you’re going to go about it but it’s going to happen for you. You're a lucky girl.

Speaking of it… 

As soon as the elevator doors open, your sights fall on a certain man. 

Jeon Jungkook stood up tall with a thingy in his hand. 

Your steps halter and your fingers automatically inch toward your pocket where you had stuffed his pen back in. You had used it to write your notes earlier at the office.

That’s also when you noticed his name engraved on it.

Must’ve been a special pen or whatever. You suppose you should return it. 

You sort of drag your feet to him. These boots were killing you. You thought you chose a sensible pair today but apparently not. You were not Bella Hadid.

Unlike literally every other time you’ve been in the building, you weren’t planning on running into him today. Working has genuinely worn you out. You’re practically sleepwalking out of here.

Jeon Jungkook had his back turned to you. A cup of something pink in one hand, his suit jacket draped over his arm and his feet shifting weight like he had been standing there a while.

Pfft. Dude was probably waiting for his girlfriend. Stupid Hyewon.

Your steps slowed near him. “...Are you lost?”

Jeon Jungkook almost jerked, facing you. “Oh!”

A bit jumpy today, are we? Bit loud too.

At your incredulous expression, Jungkook apologises once again, “I’m sorry.”

Moving closer, you tilted your head, forcing yourself to look up at the man. “You already said that.” The tone was very soft and pouty.

Jungkook instantly recognised drowsy look in your eyes. He sympathised with you.

This time, your face was completely devoid of any makeup. Just a hint of your natural flush. It’s almost alluring. The sleepy eyes, thinner lashes, two loose braids framing your face; something that was different from your hair earlier that day, your lips were also just… clean. Still pretty.

Jungkook, however, looked new as ever. Still sharp and, you know, hot. You eyed his lip piercing for a moment too long and felt your own mouth slowly parting open. 

How does he kiss with the lip ring?

Ugh, you hope you still smell good.

After you scrubbed and washed your face and neck in Logan's personal office bathroom, you forgot to reapply any makeup or perfume. 

This was too stressful, you bit your lip in annoyance.

Your eyes fall to his tattooed hand clutching a seemingly untouched drink. You point at it. “What’s that?” You wonder out loud, voice still gentle and weary.

Yeah, no, Jungkook is absolutely not used to this version of you. Docile and sweet. 

He smirked slightly, “It's strawberry vanilla boba. I got it for you. I know you're upset about today.” 

You look down at your feet, faking mulling over his words. Jungkook, too, tilted his head lower to catch your expression.

Oh, you really enjoyed the attention. 

It wouldn't hurt to tell a little white lie now, would it? 

You refrain from responding.

“I asked Joon what you liked and while he suggested matcha boba, I thought you’d be more of a berry girl.” Quickly, he adds, “But I can go get you matcha one if this isn't your thing.”

That surprised you, though you covered it quickly with a few small nods, unintentionally looking down at the boba like it wasn’t really going to hit the spot.

Namjoon was right. You're a matcha girl. But you're actually quite touched he did this for you and weren't in the mood to ‘fight.’

He ripped the little plastic packaging containing the straw with his teeth, unwrapping it pretty smoothly, and jammed it into the cup on the first try. You were in awe.

Hot… A bit rough too.

“Oh. Thanks…” Then you looked down at your hands. They were already occupied, one with a giant folder that obviously wouldn't fit into your handbag and the other held your delicate flip phone. 

You could just put your phone away but you were waiting for an important text from your brother.

Oh, his pen!

“Oh, um. I have something for you as well. Hold this.” - You hand him your phone, dig into your pocket and pull his pen out. 

A look of recollection flashes across his features. The pen had completely slipped his mind.  

“Here,” you extend the sleek object towards him, “I used it a lot today.” 

“You did?” Jungkook glanced down at it, then back at you. “You could keep it if you liked it.”

Huh… Your fingers tightened around it.

It was just a pen. But, coming from him, it felt like something else entirely. You almost consider it-

“Hyewon got it for me. She had ‘couple’ pens made.” Jungkook smiled at the memory.

-until he said that. No, thank you!

The moment soured instantly.

Your grip loosened before you set it into his pocket clumsily. “Then you should keep it,” you squeak the last two words out. “‘Kay?”

Ok, you have no idea where bitch _____ came from. You swear you didn’t intend to sound that mean. It didn’t seem like he had any objections to this though, so you’re good. 

At this point, you just wanna get to your penthouse and submerge yourself in nearly boiling hot water. Just soak for a while. Maybe you just needed a hug.

Ugh, you wish you had a hot tub. 

Your phone suddenly vibrates in his hand. It must be Logan.

“One second please.” You excuse yourself as you grab your phone and turn your back to Jungkook. 

Jungkook’s just left surprised about the fact that you knew how to use the magic word. He just nods once. 

Lo(ser): everyones tired _____. youve gotta jus call an uber soz

Lo(ser): im coming down tho dw

Lo(ser): just ride with me tomorrow, let ur car stay here

Tomorrow? There won’t be a ‘tomorrow’ because you’re taking tomorrow off. 

What’s the point of knowing the boss if you can’t pull shit like this from time to time? You don’t think Logan even asked if anyone was available. You should’ve just done it yourself. 

Argh! You could’ve had Namjoon drive you, but you encouraged him to go on a date tonight. So he left early.

At least one of you should get some. 

Fuck, whatever. Uber it is. On the company card too. You might even make a few stops just because.

Would you get into trouble for buying Prada on the company card?

“_____!” A masculine voice pulls your attention away from your phone. God, did he have to be so loud? This is his workplace. 

Logan jogs to where you stood, “Are you leaving now?” 

“No, I’m standing in the lobby with all my shit for no reaso- yes, I’m leaving now, what kind of question is that?” 

Logan chooses not to engage, putting his hands up in defense instead. 

Then he notices Jeon Jungkook watching the two of you. - “Oh, hey man.” 

Jeon Jungkook just gives him a stiff smile and a nod. A bit reserved as compared to a few minutes ago when it was just you and him.

Logan eyes the pair suspiciously. What was going on here? 

Slowly, you gravitate back to your original position near Jungkook. You’re yet to accept his apology. And the boba. 

In all honesty, you weren’t in the mood to put anything in your mouth just yet. You wanted to be clean and at peace, not in pain, when you finally filled your stomach. 

“You know what? Thank you for this, but I really don’t think I can digest anything now,” you start off, hoping it doesn’t come off as an excuse, “I just need to focus on getting home…” You were just too drained to mess around with him. 

Seeing him did brighten you a tad though. You wish you could've hung around for longer.

Jungkook felt the slightest hint of disappointment on hearing your words, but didn’t let it show. He was stoic as ever. To him, it was apparent that you were still unhappy with him. Or maybe strawberry vanilla was indeed a bad choice. Next time, he’d stick to what he knows you’ll like for sure. 

Next time…

Jungkook doesn’t get to dwell on that thought. He’s brought out of it when he hears Logan asking you to download the Uber app on your phone and then dog you about 'never having what you really need on time.'

And Jungkook couldn’t help but ask - “Didn’t you drive today?” 

Both heads turn to Jungkook. 

“I did…” How did he know that? 

“Is something wrong with your car?” Jungkook presses. 

“No, I’m just too exhausted to drive…” You whine, “Might fall asleep a few-”

Before you could finish, Logan cut you off, “It’s okay, just delete your stupid games and make space for the important stuff.” He was exasperated. 

Jungkook noticed your and your brother’s energies seemed to bounce off of each other, creating an uncomfortable situation for both of you. 

Jeon Jungkook wanted to help you. And possibly make up for insulting you once and for all. 

So he comes up with the most random solution. “I could drive you.”

You cock your head. Oh?

Logan answers for you, “Oh, there’s no need for that. She needs to get rid of all those silly games anyway. Most of it is probably malware too.” 

You frown at Logan, hating how stupid he’s made you look in front of Jungkook, acting like you couldn’t make your own decisions.

“It’s literally just Candy Crush and Project Makeover.” You lie. You had way more, totally stupid, brain-rotting games downloaded. Although, more than half of your storage is occupied by photos and videos of yourself and screenshots of cute clothes and shoes you intended to buy eventually. So, there’s that. 

“But it’s… okay, I’ll Uber home.” You faintly accept defeat.

Jungkook wouldn’t allow it. “_____, you won’t be putting me out. I’m already here. I’ll get you home safely.” He can see the discomfort flashing across your face.

Momentarily, he deliberates if he was too forward with his offer. 

Logan knew of your thing for Jungkook, not about your actual plan, but he knew you wanted him. He was protective of you, as any brother would be his sister. Now, he felt uncomfortable by the idea of you and Jeon Jungkook alone in his car, and possibly in your home, or even your room.

However, Logan also knew Jeon Jungkook was a respectable man. And in a relationship with a gorgeous woman. Not that that ever stopped anyone from cheating, but he thinks Jungkook wouldn’t go for… Pfft, he doesn’t know shit about Jeon Jungkook.

But Logan knows that you always get what you want. So, what the hell. 

Sighing deeply, your brother gingerly nudged you with his knee, “Go.” He motioned towards Jungkook with his head. You almost squeal in celebration.

You carefully shot Jungkook a questioning glance. Final offer.

In response, Jungkook extended his hand in your direction. 

Freezing for just a second, you almost put your hand in his before realising it was aimed at the giant file you were struggling to carry. 

Oh, phew. 

That could’ve turned into a potentially embarrassing situation. 

“Thanks, Mr. Jeon,” You gladly dump the file on him and waddle off towards the exit and cry, “Toodles!” 

“Charge your phone!” Logan screams after you. 

He then turns to Jeon Jungkook, “Thanks, man, this was really nice of you. Let me input our address on your phone?” 

“Oh, you guys live together?” Jungkook completely expected you to have your own place.

“We do. I’ve been wanting to move out for a while now but _____ can’t really… hold on her own,” Logan laughed awkwardly at the oversharing, adding, “It’s not bad, just can’t bring guests home, you know?”

Jungkook’s mouth opened in realization, “Ah. I see.” He hands the blond his phone unlocked. 

Interesting.

“Yeah.” Logan sighed, adding the necessary details. “I’m going to add my number too, just in case. It’ll be saved under _____, Logan.”

Jungkook nodded, “Great.” Your brother was very professional and respectful. A total opposite of you. You're probably the younger sibling.

“Thanks again, man. This really is a big help. You’re taking your car?” He hands him his phone back.

Jungkook takes a quick look at the address, “I am, yeah. Should I take _____’s instead?” 

Logan quickly shook his head, “Oh, no, no. I’ll take it today.” That's his problem now. “Go on, though! Don’t wanna keep the princess waiting for too long.” Your brother cringed the moment the nickname left his lips. 

Jungkook simply smiles kindly before waving him off and following after you. He’s glad to know he had the right idea of you. You were a prissy little princess. 

And immediately, he wishes he never thought of that. 

Up until now, Jungkook was doing an excellent job not thinking about your little game of footsie from Saturday. But when he realised you’d both be in his car alone; in the same space where he had to stifle a hard-on with his coat earlier today, he almost regretted his proposal. 

He wasn’t a religious man but as he speed-walked to the basement, Jungkook’s praying to three Gods and ten apostles that a repeat of it doesn’t occur again. Not now.

You don’t know how you managed to almost sprint out of there while your feet were slowly getting stabbed into disrepair. Perhaps, you didn’t want to give Jungkook a chance to rescind his offer.

You waited for him by his humble Maybach; the parking attendant pointed you to its direction. 

Jeon Jungkook’s car was so… Jungkook. It’s all black and looks like it's got an all black interior too. You never thought you’d be into this. But here you are. You attempt to sneak a little peek through the tinted windows, it looks real cozy in there too. You wonder if the seats reclined all the way back.

“You’re gonna see it anyway, you know?” Jungkook’s voice startles you, making you yelp and stumble just a little.

You steady yourself against his car and gracefully turn to him, flashing him a condescending smile, “No way.” You feign disbelief. 

Jungkook raises his brow at you. Brat.

He unlocks the car and holds the door to the backseat open for you. 

The back seat? 

Unconsciously, you pout, “But I wanna sit up front.” 

Jungkook affirms warily, “Okay.”

He hadn’t expected this either, assuming you’d like to feel like you were being chauffeured around by your own personal… chauffeur. Well, technically, that was the case indeed. 

Not giving it too much thought, he notes how you simply wait next to the passenger seat. 

You knew the car was unlocked and you observed how the door’s opened. Yet, you just… stood there. Waiting for Jungkook to do it for you. 

On any other day, he would do it for you. Today, he couldn't help but push your limits.

Jungkook hastily places your file and his coat in the back and slams the door shut.

Then he walks around you, to the driver’s side. 

What the hell? 

You eye him as he stands on the other side of the car. 

Smirking at you, he swung the door open and slid into the driver’s seat, and then you hear the dull thud of the door sealing him in. 

Gasp. Rude! 

A little sulky, you attempt to open your side. The handle was, like, flat against the door. Jungkook had clicked on some button or lever or whatever to pull it out and then actually yank it open. 

Where the hell was that damn button?

Screw Jeon Jungkook. He was teasing you. 

Had your feet not been killing you, you’d have strutted your ass back to the main building because you are Miss Petty. 

You were too exhausted for this! And you don’t want to cry. 

Jungkook finally leaned over and opened the passenger door for you from the inside, flashing you a challenging look, “I thought you knew how to work the door.”

Asshole. Did he not want to make up for losing it on you like a lunatic? Is he done apologising?

Wasting no time, you hop in. “Just drive, Mr. Jeon.”

Jungkook hums lowly, pulling out of the lot. 

Soon you were on the highway, wordlessly watching the vehicles zoom past. 

The two loose braids begin to bother you, prompting you to impatiently pull them out. 

Jungkook eyes the movement next to him. Immediately noticing something, he sternly calls out, “_____. Seatbelt.” He points that you’re yet to buckle in. 

So demanding… You let out an exasperated sigh. 

Locating the belt, you tug at it. But the strap snagged stubbornly in place. “Ow. It’s stuck,” you muttered, giving it another yank. 

Helplessly, you frown at him.

“Okay, I’m going to just...” Jungkook’s hand reached across, still focusing on the road, repeatedly tugging sharply at the strap until it freed. 

For a split second, he was impossibly close--- his arm brushing you, his face hovering near your cheek. You could smell his shampoo. So good.

It was almost a hug in a way. Like a half hug. A one-handed, side hug. You held your breath. Jungkook’s cologne floods your mind.

This was divine intervention. You were convinced this was a sign from the universe. It wants you and Jungkook to happen. 

No thoughts, just Mr. Jeon. 

You swear he takes a second too long to move away even after he manages to get the belt unstuck. His hand faintly brushes against your arm, which was in the way, as he buckles you in himself. Just the way you’d like it. 

:)

Unfortunately, you don’t quite get to revel in that moment or fangirl over him as you see a certain woman’s name flashing on his car’s dashboard. 

Hyewon 🩷

Instantly, his heart rate increases. He suddenly remembers something. Jungkook felt guilty instantly. 

He tapped the screen, and her voice immediately filled the car. 

“Babe, where are you? I’ve been waiting in your office for ten minutes now. Your assistant said you were out on some errand? Will it take long?” Hyewon’s voice carried a sense of urgency. 

Jungkook’s knuckles tightened on the wheel. “Ah… yeah, love. I’m driving _____ home.”

Love?? Gag. You secretly roll your eyes.

Silence. A long, awkward silence.

Then a confused, “Wh–huh? Why? I mean, is everything ok?”

“It’s… a long story,” - It really was not but it is complicated. - “But she’s too tired and drowsy to drive herself, so… I offered. It’d be unsafe otherwise, you know?” 

No, Hyewon didn’t know. Jungkook didn’t exactly give her any clear answers about anything. 

After a second, she asks, “Have you already left?”

Jungkook winced, “Yeah, we’re nearing the freeway by the big mall.” 

He feels awful, he really does. He was going to take Hyewon to her favourite pie shop and it was a long drive. But, now, he doubts that’ll be happening. 

Hyewon doesn’t mention it though. 

Then, a careful, “Oh. Is _____… hearing this?”

“She is, yeah,” he replied flatly, glancing at you whose eyes were trained straight ahead.

“Oh!” Hyewon’s voice suddenly brightened, it sounded forced and a little too cheerful. “Hi, _____!”

You don’t answer. 

You stare at the glowing display with her name, blinking slowly, then turn to him sporting a bored look, and finally look away with a long blink.

What the fuck? 

Jungkook’s jaw twitched. “…I think she might’ve… fallen asleep already,” he lied smoothly, sparing his girlfriend the humiliation.

“Oh! Okay then. Um… I’ll see you back at the office?”

“Yep,” Jungkook nodded, “I’ll be back soon.”

“Okay! Drive safe. I love you!”

“Love you too.” Jungkook shoots you another glance as he ends the call. He’d have scolded you for blatantly ignoring someone’s greeting but he probably isn’t on that level of friendship (or anything really) with you yet.

You were staring out the window, twirling the ends of your hair. 

Couples were so gross.

Slowly, without realising or fighting it, you somehow drift off to sleep. With a head full of thoughts about Jungkook's tattoos.

Jungkook drove in silence, choosing not to disrupt your slumber.

By the time he pulled up outside your building, your head was tipped against the window and your breathing steady and slow. Jungkook lingered for a moment, debating whether to wake you. But he decided against it and let you nap as you looked pretty peaceful. Something he wasn’t used to seeing.

Jungkook pulled his phone out, deciding to get in touch with Pieradise. He’d better order his girlfriend some pies for tomorrow at the latest because they’d never make it to her tonight. And that’s his fault. This was the least he could do for picking taking you home over going on a date with his girlfriend.

His thumb tapped across the screen as he successfully placed the order. Even requesting a cute little message to be written in icing on a chocolate mud pie for his girlfriend.

Around ten minutes later, you stir a little, mumbling incoherently, catching his attention.

A soft moan escapes you as you blink yourself awake, “Mh…?” You rub your eyes. “Home?” You don't feel the car in motion.

A tiny smile threatens to tug at Jugkook’s lips as he watches you. “Ahh, you’re up. Yeah, we’ve been here a while. Tried to wake you, but you didn’t budge.”

You scrunch your brows at his response and yawn, “Sorry,” you murmur, softer than Jungkook’s used to hearing you. 

You were a little delirious. And parched. You needed to wet your dry mouth. 

Without thinking, your hand went for the untouched boba in the cupholder. You slurped, making sure to draw up a few pearls--- only to gak in discomfort, pulling a face. 

Bad drink. So bad.

You shoved it back into place like it hurt you.

A second later, you turn to Jungkook with another half-asleep, polite ‘Thanks, Mr. Jeon.’ and a little ‘I like your car.’

Grabbing your bag, you pushed the door open and shuffled out. Jungkook got out too, circling to the backseat to retrieve your file. “You almost forgot this.”

You took it from him with a little hum, smiling faintly. “Thanks again.” You said for what felt like the tenth time that day, before waddling toward the lobby, waving lazily over your shoulder.

Jungkook watched until you disappeared inside the building. Then he slid back into the driver’s seat, shooting Logan a quick message: 

We’ve reached.

A reply came only seconds later: 

👍 Thank you.

His gaze dropped to the abandoned boba. The straw still carried a faint imprint of your lips.

Without even a second of hesitation, he grabs it and takes a long sip. 

The taste hit him instantly. He grimaced hard, pulling the straw away. “Fuck, that’s awful.”

It was as if someone added milk and pink dye to simple syrup. Sickly sweet. He had to wait a minute or two for his stomach to settle. Whether that was out of excitement or disgust is… debatable.

All morning, you'd been feeling chilly and warm at the same time. You're afraid you might be catching something.

So of course, you've stayed back at home.

Perhaps you need to pop an ibuprofen just in case. That’s probably not how they’re meant to be used but, I mean, they’ve worked every time.

Logan left for work later than usual. You believe most of your coworkers have chosen to work from home today. You do feel slightly guilty for bailing on your brother. But also, what use would you really be? 

A sudden, loud chime of the doorbell pulled you away from your thoughts.

You hope it’s that replacement vibrator you ordered last night.

Rushing to fetch the delivery, you skid on the wooden floor.

You open the door without checking and are immediately met with a massive bouquet of blush-pink peonies, fresh and fragrant. 

Oh?

They were wrapped in the prettiest white lace cloth. 

You’ve never really seen a bouquet quite like this before. Shocking, I know. It was gigantic. The burly dude holding it struggled to.

The delivery agent handed them over with a polite grin. “For Miss _____. From JK&K.”

Your heart skipped. 

Jungkook?

The man carefully places the arrangement in your arms and closes your door for you. 

“Thanks!” You thank the delivery guy and yell wishing him a good rest of the day over the door.

The flowers were impossibly pretty. They were so… delicate and lush. Not a single bruised petal in sight.

A little folded note sticks out from the bunch. Oh, and there’s your confirmation.

Hastily resting the bouquet on your kitchen counter, you reach for the little piece of paper. 

‘Pretty flowers for a pretty girl. :-)’ 

And it was JK&K stationery. 

You blush at the thought of Jungkook picking out flowers for you.

Oh, but wait.

There’s another clown you know who speaks like this and has access to JK&K. 

You were about to text Namjoon about it but then noticed how lovely the lighting was in your kitchen. 

And that warranted for a selfie thirst trap! You were in your element. Au naturel. Just a sweet little lace cami top and cute sweat shorts. 

You positioned the flowers on your lap and snapped a few photos of yourself. 

Those were going straight to your Instagram story.

You then directly send your story post to Namjoon asking him whether the flowers were from him. 

_____: did you get me these

There probably wasn’t going to be a response until lunch time.

If you think about it, it’s very likely to be Joon. Because only yesterday, he invited you to some charity gala as his plus one. It’s sort of a last minute ask because the event is in three days; on a Friday evening. 

He was planning to take his date from last night but it turned out to be a dud. So, you’re up.

You told him that you’d get back to him later. 

There was so much shit you needed to figure out before you agreed.

What would you be wearing? Could you source something appropriate in time without compromising on the _____-ness of it? And after the outfit’s ready, you’d need to get the shoes. Then find the perfect jewelry. Who’d be doing your hair and makeup? You like to have a trial run at least two days before any event.

This wasn’t only big but genuinely important too.

I mean, yeah, it's a big charity thingy but you meant important like Jungkook would be there important. With his girlfriend but, you know, he's there.

No doubt, you’ll have many opportunities to flirt with him. - That’s what Namjoon tried to bribe you with.

Honestly, you believe you could pull it off if Logan gives you the rest of the week off. 

Oh! You’d also need to get your vitamin drips in order. No space for any sort of sickness if you're going to be doing this.

There’s just… a lot that goes on when you’re preparing to make a public appearance of this sort. A fancy gala. And this would be your first one in a while.

You’d probably be faced with rude, older people and rich creeps. This warrants for a lot of mental prep.

The vibrations of your phone bring you back to reality. 

rkive:  no 🤨 

rkive: i’d never send you something that basic, you know that

rkive: who are you fucking?

You only respond with a winky face with its tongue sticking out. ;p

Alright...

So, it was Jungkook? 

This was certainly… a bold move. Especially with that note. He’s got pretty handwriting too.

Pretty flowers for a pretty girl?

You lean back on your couch, hugging the flowers close. Interesting.

Well, now you’ve got to go for sure.

ʚ𖹭ɞ

Later that night, out of respect for Logan, you put in an official request for a few sick day leaves. 

Of course, you made Namjoon write it for you.

Your brother didn’t want to deal with your shit, and ended up caving instantly. 

So, yay.

Since there’s quite a lot to accomplish before the gala, you solicit his help unashamingly. 

Logan knew people.

“So, I need to get in contact with your ex...” Logan’s ex-girlfriend is an incredible hair and makeup artist. She never liked you because you kept calling her Camelia instead of Amelia. You could never remember the chick’s name. But for some reason, you trust her with your hair. 

"I'm not doing that."

“I want to hire her for my hair and makeup for Friday. It’s short notice but she likes you so, you know, just do this for me.” You explain as you go through your shoe inventory because you think you’ve just found the perfect outfit to wear.

Lucky for you, it was already lying in your closet. 

It was a two-piece, beaded chiffon dress in the prettiest shade of butter yellow. 

The almost-sheer, halter top had a high neckline with extended ties that can be tied at the back of the neck, leaving your shoulders bare. The front was adorned with intricate beadwork and sequins forming a floral design with trailing leaf-like embellishments. It glimmered in the light whenever you shifted. There was a slit on the front of the top only a few centimeters above your navel, leaving your belly piercing jewelry on display. It's just what you needed.

You even had the perfect butterfly piercing that matched the dress.

The skirt flowed slightly below your knee and contained a similar floral beadwork as the top. It also had an asymmetrical hem. 

It's very feminine and summer-y. You're giving garden.

The moment you finalised the yellow outfit, everything sorta fell into place. Dangling, crystal teardrop earrings with a diamond tennis bracelet, pink shimmery eye makeup and a nude lip, maybe even a fake glitter tattoo? Your look was coming together really quickly. And it was beautiful.

Your nails would be stiletto-shaped and sparkly. Always a crowd pleaser. 

After twenty minutes of browsing, you settle for strappy silver heels. 

You send Namjoon a picture of your whole look just in case he wanted to match. 

Although… You didn’t want people getting any ideas. 

Four days have passed since you agreed to escort Namjoon to this charity event that he hasn't given you much info about. You didn’t bother asking around either because, well, you just didn’t.

Now you wish you had dug a little deeper. 

At the very last moment, only minutes before you were set to enter the venue, Namjoon reveals where exactly he was taking you.

It was The Eirene. Only open (by invitation) to Fortune 500 company owners and top level execs. So, you’d certainly never been. It was the most legit and the biggest charity event in the country.

Apparently, they did a feature story on JK&K sometime that year.

According to Namjoon, it was a huge deal to even be acknowledged by them, let alone receive an invite to the actual event.

You don’t doubt it.

The second you step foot into the hall, the view blew you away. It was dreamy.

Neutral warm light spilled from mini crystal chandeliers, scattering across the polished Calacatta marble floors like twinkling stars. Not too harsh or too dim. It’s just right.

But the main attraction was the gorgeous centerpiece. 

At the very center stood a Chinese magnolia tree, its branches carefully cultivated so that pale pink blossoms unfurled all over. It’s grandiose. 

You wonder how they got a tree that size inside here.

Circular tables radiated outward from it in a perfect symmetrical order. Each table was dressed in an ivory linen and decorated beautifully with floral arrangements you can’t quite make out from so far away, and candles of varying heights and widths. 

You spot orchids, roses, dahlias and maybe zinnias? A combo you find very fascinating. They’re colourful yet muted. Pastel. Not too hard on the eyes. 

The silverware looked exquisite too. 

Ugh. You didn’t think it'd be this sort of event.

You spend a good five minutes just looking around, admiring and judging the details. The wooden chairs with pale pink cushions were an interesting choice.

The guests looked like they belonged here for sure. Like ninety nine percent of the women wore long flowy gowns. You were the one percent that did not get the memo.

Unable to shake the thought that you were absolutely underdressed, you smack Namjoon on the arm. “Ow!” 

He should’ve told you about this! You bet there’s a strict dress code. Otherwise, you don't believe that people wouldn't experiment with their looks. Or maybe this just wasn't a fashion forward event.

No... You've seen women draped in vintage Cavalli and dripping in diamonds.

Fuck.

You like to stand out but not to this degree. This made you feel as though you’d stumbled into a masquerade without a mask, exposed and stuff. 

Hell, you weren’t even wearing a bra for fuck's sake. Literally no protection. Thank goodness for seamless underwear. Without them, you'd have ended up panties-less.

You even had to do your own hair and makeup because Camelia's bitchass showed up late. She helped with hairspray and some final touches: little diamond pins for the thin braids scattered in between your beachy waves.

You allow Namjoon to lead you to your designated table. It was at the front, kinda. Near the stunning tree. You also notice a mic stand close to the tree. 

Jungkook and Hyewon were already seated, chatting with another couple at the table. Your table. 

You kept your posture upright and confident. 

Hyewon spots you two first, grinning, “Oh, my! Hi, you two!” She leaves her chair to envelop you in an unwanted hug. “I had no idea you’d be here, _____!” 

Your arms stay rooted to your sides, but you smile at her. “Hi, Wony. I didn’t know I’d be here until three days ago either.” 

Jungkook and the other two patrons stand to greet you and Namjoon too. Jungkook and Namjoon share a bro hug and begin prodding and poking at each other.

You want to be next. Oh, you hope you’re up next.

“_____, you look so good. I almost didn’t recognise you.” Hyewon demands your attention. 

“Thank you, you’re kind…” You look her up and down. 

Of course, she too was dressed in a gorgeous black gown with a sweetheart neckline and a… Cartier diamond necklace? 

So, she does have taste.

Hyewon notices you eyeing her necklace in awe. “Sexy, right?” She touches it gently, “Do you like it?”

“Very sexy...” Your pupils gleam. Those are some gorgeous stones. 

Hyewon blushes, “You could borrow it whenever.” 

Borrow?!

Airily, you laugh, “Oh, no, I might have to get one for myself now.”

Hyewon giggles, “Yes! Maybe your boyfriend here could get you one.” She nods at Namjoon, who was engaged in a conversation with Jungkook and the other two guests. “Kookie bought me this, you know.” 

Ohhhhh. 

Oh, wow. 

You force yourself to not look bitter. You don’t even bother to address the Namjoon thing. 

Why does she think you’re dating?

“Maybe,” you faintly giggle. “You look pretty, Hyewon.” 

At least the necklace suited her. 

“Thank you! I wish I had the balls to dress like you though!” She rubbed your arm.

Whatever that meant. 

You simply scoff playfully and move away from her to join Namjoon. 

“Hi, doll.” Joon grabs you by the shoulder, “Come say hello to my friends.” 

The one with the cat face speaks first, “Min Yoongi. Hello again.”

He looked very familiar. You squint your eyes at Min Yoongi.

Where had you seen him? 

You tilt your head, returning the greeting, “I’m _____.” 

The other woman introduced herself as Seowoo. She was Yoongi’s assistant. You found it cool that she wore a pantsuit, but you don’t think you’d have too much in common with her.

Finally you turn to Jungkook. He looked like he had been anticipating a greeting with the faintest shadow of a smirk. 

“Mr. Jeon.” - “_____.” 

Once again, you take note of his piercings. The hoop earrings lined along his earlobe… Oh, how you love men with piercings.

How lovely would it be if you could see his tattoos again. Just a glimpse. You miss them already. 

You remember how they peeked from under his sleeve the day he drove you home. Ugh. Dumb bitch.

You had the perfect opportunity to make a move then but you were sulky after that fuckass phone call. And tired. 

“Thank you,” you said suddenly remembering, “for the flowers.” You smile up at him sweetly.

But Jungkook’s brows only raise and his head tilts in question. 

Um.

“The… peonies?” You prod, awkwardly glancing at Namjoon. Did this fool lie to you? 

But then an annoying voice chimes in--- “Oh, that was me!” 

Your neck nearly cracks by the sheer force you apply turning it to look at that woman.

.

She better be lying. 

Putting her hand on her boyfriend's bicep, she explains, “Kook told me about the little incident and I felt bad.” Hyewon’s face flushed a delicate pink, and she ducked her head with a small laugh. “I couldn’t decide between roses and peonies, but I thought the peonies suited you better.”

The words landed like a punch in your gut.

Oh! Okay!

Of course it had been her. Of course.

You glanced at Jungkook. His expression showed confusion, and that stung even more. 

So, he really had zero clue about the flowers.

Why the motherfuck did she have to use JK&K stationery?

Fuck.

‘Embarrassed’ doesn't even begin to describe how you feel right now. You can’t believe it.

Another humiliating experience. It'd only been five minutes since you got there.  

Realising you’ve been looking like a fish out of water this whole time, you finally regain your voice, “You know what? That makes so much sense! Oh, thank you, I absolutely loved the peonies!” You grab hold of her hand with both of yours. “They were the perfect choice.” 

Ok, tone it down, you look crazy.

Everyone but Namjoon buys this. 

Kim Namjoon can read your cues. He knows you're about to trash those flowers the moment you get out of here. 

Honestly, even Jungkook could tell you weren’t being sincere. And it makes his heart beat faster. You thought he sent you flowers. 

Before anyone could utter another word, a little announcement blasts across the venue, requesting people to find their seats. 

Namjoon excuses himself from the group, briskly walking off to find his father while the others take their seats. Yoongi and his assistant sat across from you. 

You just awkwardly linger. Though the tables were assigned, seats weren’t. You were just going to wait for Namjoon to see where he wanted you. 

However, in his absence, Jungkook pulls a chair out for you. Right next to him.

He knew Miss Princess wasn't about to do it herself.

You stare at him for a second and wordlessly slide in. I mean, it’s whatever. He was already here, it was convenient. Hyewon was already in the chair on his other side. 

“Hey!” You yelp as Jungkook suddenly pulls your chair in closer to the table while you're in it. “I can help myself, thank you!”

“Can you?” Jungkook teased. You don’t reply, rolling your eyes instead.

You want to poke him with your claw.

Soon Namjoon and Mr. Kim join the table and everyone resumed conversing with one another.

You hadn’t seen Mr. Kim since he and his wife walked in on you and Namjoon naked. But he was very kind to you. You’re grateful for that because you had been nervous about meeting him again.

Every year, The Eirene Foundation picks a cause or issue to focus on solving. This year it was the housing crisis. 

Tonight marked the final night for donations to be collected specifically for this cause. And they also have two main awards for individuals and/or businesses who contributed the most, in every way possible. The first kind is for solely monetary support. The second kind includes both monetary and personal involvement. All this you learnt just now from Seowoo and the others.

You knew nothing about the business world and whatever went on within. You were told that your mother was invited too but she was away for work in Croatia. But her husband was present.

Kim Seokjin, your stepfather, was one of the two hosts… You don’t think he spotted you yet.

The three of you really needed to work on your communication skills.

Either way, in case of an auction or whatever, (which you now know is going to happen) you were fully prepared to donate. You carried your (and Logan’s signed) cheque books with you in your iridescent mini Chanel flap.

A sixteenth century gong rang throughout the hall signifying the beginning of the auction.

At the same time, servers in white gloves wove through the maze of circular tables carrying trays of appetizers.

The aroma made you salivate. You couldn’t remember the last time you ate something yummy.

Everyone’s attention was razor focused on the auctioneer and the whole process. First up was a three-day trip to Hong Kong. In only two minutes, it was going for fifty thousand. 

You, on the other hand, were more focused on the small dish placed in front of you--- a delish shrimp cocktail. It was everything you needed. Spicy and fresh.

Except the shrimp weren’t peeled.

You stared at them, then at your hands, then back at them again with mild despair.

Who the hell decided this would be a good idea? 

Leaning subtly toward Namjoon who was ultra focused on the auction, you whisper, “Peel these for me.” 

Namjoon absentmindedly glanced down at the dish, then shook his head vehemently, “Sea creatures are friends, not food.” 

Oh, give me a break. 

Namjoon grinned at you and went back to sipping his champagne and bidding, "Seventy-five!"

What a dick. 

You let out a soft groan and slump your shoulders. 

You stabbed one shrimp halfheartedly with your fork and frowned at it like it had personally wronged you. 

Hyewon had been watching you and kindly offered help, “_____, I can show you how to do it. It’s really easy, if you’d like-”

But before she could finish, you waved a hand. “No, no. I don’t want to learn. I just want them ready to eat.” Your tone skated the edge of petulance, and you realise it. You were just hungry!

Your mini outburst caught the entire’s attention. 

Lovely.

Min Yoongi looked at you flabbergasted, “How old are you? Why don’t you know how to peel a shrimp at this age?” 

Even though it came out harsh, it was a genuine question. 

And you were ready to hide yourself under the table. 

“Who peels them for you usually?” Yoongi doesn’t stop. “What if there was nobody around?”

You flip your hair over your shoulder, ignoring Yoongi’s stupid questions. 

None of your business, grandpa.

“Aish. It’s okay, _____, there’s always an opportunity to learn.” Mr. Kim shook his head at Yoongi and motioned him to drop the topic.  

This was so embarrassing. What the fuck was that woman’s problem? Why does she always want to talk to you and engage with you?

You empty your champagne and slouch back in your seat. 

Hyewon winced, “Sorry, _____.” 

Secretly, you roll your eyes at her but smile tightly in her face. 

Jungkook, of course, caught it. He let out a scoff, low enough that only you and Hyewon could hear. 

He shook his head like he couldn’t believe you. “You're unbelievable,” he muttered, but before you could bristle, his large fingers reached over, deftly peeling the shrimp one by one.

The whole table snuck glances at the scene. 

Jungkook didn’t look at you while he did it, only pushed the plate back in front of you when he was done and cleaned his hands with a wet wipe. 

“Thanks!” You lit up immediately. 

Spearing a shrimp, you dip it in the sauce and pop it into your mouth with zero shame. “Mmm, yummy,” you moan in satisfaction with your eyes shut.

Jungkook shot you a sideways glance, still sorta annoyed with the way you treated his girlfriend. Yet, a wave of something softer flows over him when he sees how happy you got when he peeled your shrimps for you.

ʚ𖹭ɞ

Ten minutes later, you finally hear something worth bidding on. A private editorial shoot with renowned photographer and art director, Kim Taehyung. 

It better be worth the two fifty grand you just dropped.

Evidently, he was very sought after by the ladies. You had to sit through, like, twenty women giving you the stink eye for winning.

Jungkook just sat back observing you as you kept upping the ante for Kim Taehyung's service. It was weird for him. Did you know Kim Taehyung?

More importantly, did you know Kim Taehyung was Jungkook's best friend?

He isn't trying to diminish his friend's craft but he can't help but wonder if you're doing this to trouble him.

Not that it'd work or anything...

ʚ𖹭ɞ

An hour went by unbelievably fast. You were actually having fun. Your favourite part was when the adorable CEO of BigHit Ent somehow fell off of his chair.

As the auctioning comes to an end, the gong rings once again and Seokjin takes the center ‘stage.’ 

Award ceremony time! You were actually curious to know who won. People were dropping hundreds of thousands today.

“Good evening once again.” Seokjin's voice carried smoothly across the hall. “On behalf of The Eirene Foundation, it is my great honor to present our annual awards tonight. As you know, every year we recognize those who went above and beyond to support the cause we’ve dedicated ourselves to. This year, that cause is ‘Housing for All’--- ensuring disadvantaged families, individuals, and children have roofs over their heads, stability, and protection.”

Applause, applause.

Seokjin basks in it. "Yeah, I know."

“The first award, the Pillar,” Seokjin continued, “is for outstanding monetary contributions. This goes to an individual whose commitment has been both generous and consistent. She is someone who truly believes in our ability to make a change, and whose passion for this cause is unwavering.”

He takes a breath, “This year’s recipient of the Pillar is…. Mrs. _____ Lia!” 

Your head snapped up. That was your mother’s name??

The audience broke into applause once again, louder this time.

“She could not be here tonight due to prior work obligations, but I have the honor of accepting this award on her behalf.” Seokjin said as one of the Foundation directors handed him the crystal plaque. 

He smiled and held it with pride, speaking into the mic again. “My wife has always believed that a home is more than brick and mortar. To her, it is dignity, it is safety, it is the foundation on which dreams are built. She often says that when people don’t have to worry about where they’ll sleep at night, they finally have the freedom to imagine tomorrow.” It’s like you don’t know your mother at all. “I know she would be deeply moved to see how her contributions have been recognized here tonight.”

And then, to your utter horror, his eyes landed on you. 

“And of course,” Seokjin added warmly, “our family’s future is right here in this room! My stepdaughter, who joined us tonight--- would you stand, pretty angel? Give everyone a wave.”

Oh, he’s soooo dead. You know he only did this to irritate you. He's like barely TEN years older than you. Stepdaughter? He was like... uncle at best.

The spotlight swerved to you, blinding you instantly. 

Seokjin’s a dead man walking.

Namjoon had a great laugh at your expense though. 

Slowly, stiffly, you rose from your chair, forcing a small wave. 

Oh, God, you hope your nips aren't on display. You bring your hair to the front.

The crowd responded with another round of cheers and applause that made your face burn. You sat back down quickly, pressing your lips tight.

Ass.

“I had no idea Kim Seokjin was your stepdad!” Hyewon excitedly whispers to you. 

Never say that again ever.

You simply bury your face in your hands. You were a bit tipsy too. Four glasses of champagne does that to a chick.

Unfazed, Seokjin continued smoothly. “Now, on to the second award, the Steward of Hope. This award recognizes those who not only offered monetary support, but who also committed their time, their energy, and their personal efforts into making our cause successful this year.”

Seokjin looked across the hall. “These individuals brought not just resources, but also their personal vision and goals, and made tangible impacts in our communities.”

A pause. The hall quieted in anticipation.

“This year, the Steward of Hope goes to... Jeon, Kim & Kim and Genius Labs Design Studio.”

You blinked, stunned. JK&K? 

Your head snapped sharply towards Namjoon and then Jungkook, both seated beside you as though nothing was out of the ordinary. Namjoon’s lips curved into a shy smile, while Jungkook ducked his head a little, modest as the claps thundered around you. 

On Jungkook’s other side, Hyewon let out an excited cheer and leaned in to kiss him. 

You didn’t even feel a tinge of jealousy; you were too overwhelmed with shock.

Namjoon rose first, and you automatically stood with him and hugged him, congratulating him warmly before shaking his father’s hand.

By the time you got to Jungkook, he was already heading for the stage with Min Yoongi. 

You try to push the disappointment away. This wasn’t about you. It’s their moment. 

Jungkook stood there, eyes sweeping briefly over the crowd before he began.

“Thank you,” he said simply at first, then smiled. “I’m truly honored to be here tonight. When Namjoon and I decided to support The Eirene Foundation’s efforts, we didn’t expect recognition. We only hoped to make a real impact.”

You could see hesitation on his face.

His tone softens, “Growing up, I didn’t always have a stable home. I moved around a lot as a kid, and there were times when stability felt… impossible. That experience is something I carry with me, and it’s why this cause resonated so strongly. To be able to help others find a place of security and belonging… It means more than I can ever put into words.”

You unintentionally glance at Hyewon who stared on at her boyfriend, all starry eyed.

“Of course, none of this was just me,” Jungkook added, glancing at his partners standing next to him. “Yoongi-hyung and his team at Genius Labs brought the vision to life. Namjoon-hyung worked endlessly, personally meeting with the communities and pushing us to aim bigger, reminding us this was about people, not numbers. And Mr. Kim-” he paused, bowing his head respectfully toward Namjoon’s father, “-made sure those ideas didn’t just stay on paper. His influence and networks opened doors the rest of us could never have reached. Had it not been for this man right here, we would have never been introduced to the Eirene Foundation.”

Jungkook smiled once again, "Once again, thank you. for this opportunity"

He then turned to Seokjin, who finally presented them with their crystal plaque. The men congratulated each other before returning to the table.

The applause that followed was deafening. People… really liked them.

Before the men returned to the table, you lean over to Hyewon and Seowoo, “Did you know about this?” - They both nodded. 

Hyewon’s lips curled into a satisfied smile, “Of course. I helped with the speeches, actually.”

Did you ask?

You sat back, trying to process that, only to 'yell' at Namjoon as he pulled out his chair. “Why didn’t you tell me?” 

Namjoon blinked, a half-smile tugging at his mouth, “Would you have come if I gave you all those details?” 

What sort of question was that?

“Uh, duh.” You shot back without hesitation. “Of course I would’ve come. To support you.” You exhaled, suddenly self-conscious. “I couldn’t even bring you guys presents. I feel so bad.”

Namjoon shook his head as he settles back down, “It’s okay. You being here means a lot to us.” He places a chaste kiss on your lips. “Trust me.” 

Aw. You smile at him, leaning back in to place another kiss near his lips and then wiping your lipstick mark off of his skin.

Finally, you face Jungkook who was watching you and Joon. 

It was awkward--- like you were both aware of something lingering. But then you smile. It was a real smile. No undertones of anything. “Congratulations. Really.” 

Something in his expression shifted. He eased at your sincerity. “Thanks, princess.” 

Oh, fuck. 

It just slipped out. Jungkook fucking slipped. 

He wishes he could erase your memories. He wants to bang his skull on the table. 

Your doll eyes widen and your mouth forms a pretty little teasing pout. You lean closer, “Of course, Mr. Jeon.” 

You’re positively giddy. And you swear you feel your nipples harden. Because Jungkook’s glanced down at your tits like fifteen times in the last two minutes. 

Thankfully for you, nobody saw, heard or paid any heed to this exchange. 

Someone announces for the desserts to be circulated. There was a variety of mini sweet delicacies you can eat in like two bites.

There’s like a band or a DJ or something somewhere. You can’t see them but you hear the music begin. 

Some people gravitate to the dance floor, others mingle. 

Namjoon has vanished once again, leaving you with Jungkook, Hyewon, Seowoo and Yoongi. The four are immersed in their own conversation. 

You sneak little glances at Jungkook, dreaming about sitting on his lap. He was sexy. 

People in turtlenecks are always hot. But a turtleneck and a suit jacket? Stunning!

You’re so fucking jealous of Hyewon you wanna eat glass. 

You nibbled on the little earl grey macaron, lost in la-la land, thinking about Jungkook’s tattoos, ring-clad fingers fondling you. Especially after he called you princess?

He wants you sooo bad. You accidentally snort-giggle out loud. And the entire table has your attention. 

“What are you giggling about?” Yoongi asks bluntly. 

This dude had issues.

“None ya.” You spit back, scowling.

Yoongi clicked his tongue, “You were a lot nicer at work.” 

??

Yoongi could see the wheels turning in your head. The hamster inside your brain was finally running again. 

“Ohh riight, that’s where we met.” Yoongi is the cat-faced man from work. The one you swore you wouldn’t flirt with because of Logan. 

Wow, Yoongi was a meanie. Kinda like Jungkook. Birds of a feather, you suppose. 

“How did you not realise that? We sat across from each other for hours that day.” Yoongi wondered.

“I dunno, Mr. Min.” You really don’t. 

Jungkook then abruptly excused himself from the table, taking Hyewon along, to meet people or whatever. You pout when he leaves, whispering a faint ‘Bye-bye.’

Lovely. Now what?

Why would he just leave?

Not even a minute later, Yoongi and Seowoo rise from their seats. “Come dance with me.” 

You had to do a double take to make sure you had heard and seen this person right. 

Yoongi’s asking you to dance? Mean Yoongi? The man who’s been lowkey taking jabs at you all night.

No, thank you.

You look at his assistant, “Dance with Seowoo.” 

His assistant holds her palm up, “Seowoo is heading home. You two kids have fun.” 

Yoongi didn’t look particularly eager. So you don’t know what that’s all about. He made his way to your side of the table, “C’mon. Don’t just sit here all night. You’ll doze off again.” 

“Hey! What does that mean?” - Oh, you know exactly what that meant. You kinda nodded off during the meeting on Monday but nobody seemed to notice during that particular meeting. Apart from Min Yoongi, of course. 

After a little huffing and puffing, he manages to pull you up and leads you to the makeshift dance floor. His hands were fucking huge. Bigger than Jungkook’s. And cold. You shivered when his fingers touched your bare back.

Logan and his stupid rules, ughfhsg.

“Can you even dance, gramps? Aren’t your bones too fragile?” - “Somebody really needs to shut you up.” 

And shut you up he did.

The man can move… He led you, twirled you, swayed with you, spun you some more, and dipped you. You even caught Namjoon, Jungkook and Hyewon’s eyes a few times, waving excitedly at them. 

Yes, at Hyewon too. Because you were miss drunky. You had downed a few too many bellinis. 

You think Namjoon and Hyewon filmed you and Yoongi too.

You were still sorta drunk, and bummed out as night neared its end because Yoongi had to go.

You were super grateful for him keeping you company all this time while Namjoon was busy networking with his partner and his partner. 

Yoongi gave you a little smile, “See you later, _____.” 

You hugged him tight, “Kitty, don’t gooo…” 

He pried your claws off him, “Namjoon’s right there. Let’s go.” Understanding you were a little drunk, he deposited you in Namjoon’s care instead of leaving you alone. Like Jeon Jungkook did. That jerk.

Namjoon allowed you to latch onto him as he chatted with his… friends? You don’t know who any of these people are to him. All of them tried to make conversation with you too which was nice until you got sick of answering the same questions about where you worked and your mom’s marriage and Logan and bla bla and bla bla.

You were bored.

At some point, you sobered up a little.

Where was Jungkook? Did he leave? Without saying bye? :( 

_____ sad. :(

You found yourself wandering alone. You’ve forgotten your compact mirror and were desperate for a retouch. You have no idea of the physical state you’re in right now. Mentally? You were going through it.

Yes, you could’ve used your phone’s front camera but you were a little too tipsy to think of that.

A sweet waitress found you swaying and pointed you towards a secluded powder room. She described it as cozy and warm. And containing mirror. 

So, off you went.

You followed her directions to the best of your ability. Your feet were surprisingly OK. Even after all that dancing. Oh, you think you even did a split. With no pain.

Your heels click softly against the marble as you look for a brown door with a gold handle as per the waitress' instructions.

There it is! You finally spot it. 

But as you drew closer, strange sounds floated into the corridor. Like low grunts and stifled voices. Moans. 

The door was ajar. But you’re certain the sounds were coming from within.

Maybe there were multiple rooms inside? Yeah, probably. It’s ok. All you need to do is fix your makeup and zoom, you’re outies. 

Still, you cautiously push the door open. 

.

The moment you did, your entire body went cold. Your brows knit together and blood rushes to your ears.

Hyewon was bent over the vanity, blindfolded with what looked horribly like a man’s tie, with her dress hiked indecently high over her ass. 

Behind her--- Jungkook. Fucking her. Covering her mouth with his hand. He was still fully dressed. At least that's how it looked to you from the back.

You wish you had died before walking into this. No, you wish SHE had died. 

Breath caught in your throat, you internally sob, you hate him so much. He’s so confusing.

You shook your head.

Jungkook’s gaze suddenly flicked up to the mirror, meeting yours instantly. 

Oh, my goodness.

Yet another icy feeling spread across your body. You gulp and scrunch your toes to warm them up.

You couldn’t tear your eyes away from Jungkook. And he held eye contact with you through the mirror. 

Then his mouth curved into this… dark smirk. He’s still fucking Hyewon and she’s still moaning his name.

You froze. Your brows furrowed even more, lips trembling, forming an angry pout before you could control it.

Jungkook closed his eyes and rolled his head back in pleasure. This time he turned around to watch your expression first hand. Not through the mirror. So pretty when you’re mad. 

No...

Your mouth parts as you stare at him with the angriest look he's ever seen you give anyone.

Amused by your unamused face, he smiles at you again, groaning too this time. 

OK! That was it.

It's like your head's spinning. As though the room tilts, you reach out to hold the velvet wall to steady yourself.

This was a nightmare. You’re not awake. This is not even happening. 

You sniffle, turn on your heel sharply and storm away with hot tears prickling in your eyes.

You hate Hyewon so much. That should’ve been you tonight. 

_____ really sad. :'((

next: killah (jjk) [8]

*feedoucheairy: fiduciary. and execution is yk, performance or the completion of a task, and not killing.

note: *scratches head* so this was long. im sure there will be little errors that i may have skimmed over. if you spot any, dont hesitate to bring them to my attention :)

and do not bite me ok ofc i had to fuck with our oc (u guys) a little

and please tell me what you think!!! your asks and comments motivated me to complete this chapter :)

what do we think of yoongi? 👁️👁️

Morning comes quickly.

You’re awake before your alarm, staring blankly at the ceiling. 

Well, there wasn’t much sleeping going on anyway. How could you fall asleep knowing your ex boyfriend whom you hadn’t seen in four years was across the hall with your roommate? 

It just didn’t feel right. 

It’s not like you’re pining after him or dying to know what he’s been up to. You’re positive you’ve moved on. 

You just feel… uneasy. What are the chances the two of you end up in the same city again? In such close proximity too. 

Does Chaerin know? Was it on purpose? There’s no way he couldn’t have known, right? If he’s seeing your roommate, you must’ve come up in conversation. 

Not that you mention Chaerin to your dates, so maybe not? 

Gaah. This was driving you a little nuts. 

There’s some light commotion out in the living room that you had managed to tune out. 

And then you hear Yoongi speaking. 

He’s still here?

Oh, you pray you’re being punked right now. 

Why was he here still? 

You check the time on your phone. It’s like nine. Chaerin’s usually gone by this time.  

Just over an hour before you’re supposed to meet your potential students. You grimace. 

You showered last night but you were hoping to wash your hair today. 

There’s no plan. Should you ignore Min Yoongi? Or should you greet him? Does Chaerin know he was your boyfriend once? Does he want her to know? Do you want her to be privy of that info? 

You’re driving yourself a little nuts and it wasn’t early enough for it.

Why did today have to be any different anyway? You could be normal and casual about this. 

You should. 

It’s been years since the break up. Evidently, he’s clearly completely moved on. As have you. Actually... if you left in the next fifteen minutes, you could probably just get a blow-dry at your friend's salon, grab a bite and directly meet your new clients soon after. 

Yes. That sounded like a plan. Ugh. You pat yourself on the back. 

Halfheartedly, you change out of Yoongi's old shirt and into something presentable: you find your cutest yellow sundress and pair it with a pink cardigan. You pop a few too many breath mints, clean your face with makeup wipes and continue with your makeup routine.

Before exiting your room, you hurriedly pull some long socks on. They keep slipping down. 

You needed a new pair but you just can't find these ribbed ones with the lace lining anymore. At least not for cheap.

You smell something delicious. It's most definitely Yoongi's cooking. You could recognise his signature breakfast anytime, any place.

You slow your pace as you approach the living room. 

You curse your past self. You just had to go for an open kitchen. You thought you’d have started cooking by now, maybe host luncheons and dinner parties, you know, working in a restaurant and all. Yeah, none of that happened. Who has the time? Or maybe, you just aren’t good at scheduling. You should really get help for that. Huh.

Maybe if you were quiet enough, you could just grab your bottle and keys and make a run for it. 

The keys and bottle that were on the kitchen island. Damn.

The open-plan living room comes into view.

Chaerin's perched on one of the bar stools, dressed in purple scrubs and scrolling through her phone. A yellow mug sits in front of her. It makes you smile. You’d bought a set of pink and yellow mugs for the two of you. 

Well, it’s not news or anything. You knew she used the mug daily but it still feels good for some reason. 

Your eyes dart to the other figure in your apartment. 

Yoongi. 

He stood by the stove, still dressed in yesterday’s clothes. Black dress pants and a beige button down. 

So, it really is him… 

Somewhere deep inside, you prayed this was just a colossal misunderstanding. Maybe you happened to see a man who happened to be named Yoongi and resemble your Yoongi and maybe that Yoongi had an ex who looked like you and was called _____.  

That would’ve been funny.

But your God doesn’t like to see you smile, so, here you were.

Your stomach begins to grumble. Ugh. Yoongi makes the best cheesy bread. Super garlicy and delicious. 

Looking down at your feet, you notice you were frozen at the spot just before the couch. 

Must walk, you think. 

Then you force your feet to keep moving. Your socks made the floor slippery. 

Chaerin notices you first. “Morning! You look cute today!” She’s so bright so early.

“Hello. Thanks!” You try to match her energy but end up sounding a bit awkward. 

Yoongi’s attention is already on you when you peek at him. 

Goddamn. It really, really is Min Yoongi. 

You reckon he’s a resident (doctor) now. Ohhhhh, that’s probably how Chaerin met him. 

“Hi, _____.” His voice drops an octave. It’s always rougher in the mornings. You remember it well. 

“Hi.” Your voice comes out surprisingly stable. 

“Sleep well?” Yoongi smirks. 

SLEEP WELL? 

“Like a baby!” You squeak out. 

Chaerin watches the two of you questioningly. “Um… Min Yoongi, this is my roomie, _____.”

Oh. You guess he hasn’t told her. Are you going to tell her?

Chaein continues, “And _____, this is Min Yoongi. He’s one of the resident paediatricians at St. Jude.”

“Paediatrics?” You gleam a little. That’s exactly what he’d aimed for. “That’s lovely, Yoongi.”

You swear you catch the man blush at your comment. “Thank you, _____.” 

His face forms a :].

An awkward silence ensues.

You don’t know if it’s awkward for everyone else too. 

Restlessly, you rub the back of your neck and quietly scurry to your fridge. 

You open it and stare inside, not remembering what you opened it for. 

Painstakingly, you close it. 

Oh, right. Milk and ice for your iced coffee. 

And then you open it again, grabbing the ingredients you needed. 

Yoongi watches you from the corner of his eye. He wants to talk to you so badly but he made a hasty decision and didn’t tell Chaerin about how he knew you. And just a few seconds ago, he expected you to come clean but you didn’t either. 

Yoongi has not been able to get you out of his mind all night. He barely slept. How could he? You were right across the hall. 

In reality, he approached your room at least five different times during the night but shied away before he could knock. 

But then he thought he should let you come to him. 

However, knowing you, he realised that would take a while. But he doesn’t want to wait. 

You hadn’t changed much. You looked the same as you did four years ago. Just as beautiful and avoidant. 

You hover by Yoongi, looking for your high-speed blender. You check the cabinets, the countertops and the shelves. 

Nothing. 

Yoongi was still manning the stove. 

“Are you doing something fun today?” Chaerin broke the somewhat uneasy silence. 

You spin to face her. “Oh, me? Noo, no. I’m going to meet new students.” 

“Oh, that’s nice though! I thought you took the weekend off.” 

“I did, from the other place.” You didn’t want to go into specifics in front of Yoongi. Almost like you were embarrassed of our two jobs. Even though you know there’s absolutely nothing wrong with them. They’re both pretty social jobs that push you out of your comfort zone. If anything, Yoongi would be proud. 

Not that you want to make him proud or anything. God. 

This was too weird. 

“Meeting with students? Are you a teacher, _____?” Yoongi asked.

“No. I just tutor some kids on my days off.” Like you tutored me. “I’m a waitress at, um, the Ivory Room.” It came out sounding like a question more than a piece of information about yourself.

“That’s nice. You must meet so many people daily.” Yoongi nodded. 

“As would you, Doc.” 

That made Yoongi grin, “I sure do, _____.” 

“Also, breakfast’s ready. I made cheese toast.” Yoongi added. 

“Oh, Yoongs, you know I don’t do carbs in the morning.” Chaerin whined. 

“Yeah, well, this isn’t for you.” Yoongi smirks at her. “You get a special green juice and eggs.” He points the spatula at the blender placed on the other side of the stove. 

Oh, mystery solved. Your coffee blender has healthy stuff in it. 

“Yoongi! That’s _____’s blender.” Chaerin reprimands him, kinda. “_____, I’m sorry! Would you like to use mine? I don’t think it’s as good as yours but I’m sure it can crush ice well.” She was already halfway through setting it up for you. 

“How could you miss her name on the blender, Yoongs, seriously,” You hear Chaerin playfully whisper and swat at his ass.

Ok!

Chaerin and Yoongi were weirdly domestic.

You don’t know how to feel about it. 

You’re so out of place. In your own home too! 

They bicker like a married couple. Like how you and Yoongi used to. 

A strange feeling settles in the bottom of your stomach. 

“_____? Cheesy bread?” Yoongi extends a place of his mouthwatering, garlicky cheesy bread toward you. 

Ok, your OG plan was to get your hair done and then get breakfast but hey, shouldn’t you be saving money? Eating at home is way better. And it’s not like it’d cut into your time or anything. 

All you have to worry about is Yoongi. 

But you’ve missed his cooking. You know he made cheesy bread on purpose. You heard him! It wasn’t for Chaerin. Because, somehow, he knows Chaerin prefers protein and fibre for breakfast. 

:/

“I want cheesy bread.” You affirm, mostly to yourself. 

Yoongi smiles at you endearingly, “Attagirl.” 

You shuffle over to the other end where Chaerin plugged the blender in for you, prepare your sugary drink and retreat to the dining area.

When you turn, you see Yoongi plating Chaerin’s eggs for her as she watches on dreamily. 

It almost feels too intimate of a scene for someone else to witness. 

The weird feeling in your belly returns. 

No, it’s not what you’re thinking. You’re not still in love with your ex, or hung up on him. 

The situation is just… weird.

You’ve never seen Yoongi with another partner before. And he’s just suddenly all in your space, sharing his space with another girl. You just aren’t used to not holding 99% of his attention. 

A smile tugs at Yoongi’s mouth as he listens to something Chaerin says. 

And a familiar feeling takes over you. It spreads through your epidermis. (Just some doctor-y jargon for ya.)

Because there it was. His gummy little smile. The exact one from four years ago. 

You think Yoongi’s changed so much. His hair’s indeed longer, and he’s actually kinda buff and lean at the same time. He’s definitely hotter somehow. But some things never change. 

As if they felt the weight of your eyes, Yoongi and Chaerin both look at you. You almost stumble.

“Come on over, _____!” Chaerin giggles. 

Five minutes later, you’re down two out of three slices of cheesy bread. 

Despite Yoongi’s numerous warnings about slowing down, you gobble the final piece down in record time. 

Yoongi’s mildly amused. 

A sadistic part of him enjoyed watching you panic in front of him. 

At least he knew he had just as much of an effect on you as you did him; even after all these years.

The whole time, your participation in the conversations between the couple was minimal. 

Not wanting to torture you any longer, Yoongi tells you about the leftover bread and gives you a thorough run-down of how to reheat it in the oven for the best results.

He also knew you weren’t about to follow through with any of it. He just wanted to talk with you a bit longer. 

Chaerin glances at the clock mounted above the microwave. Her eyes widen, “We’re late!” 

Yoongi has to tear his eyes off you to follow Chaerin’s gaze. His expression immediately sours, “Aish, we’re not late late.”  

“We’re late by our standards.” Chaerin taps her wrist. “C’mon, chop chop.” She hurriedly dumps all the dirty utensils in the sink. 

“_____, do not lift a finger. I’ll clean everything up when I’m back!” 

“Ok.” That’s easy. You do not have to be told twice. 

Chaerin runs to her room to pack her handbag. 

Across the room, Yoongi shrugs into his jacket. The one from last night. 

Sigh. Last night. 

Yoongi clears his throat, “Hey. How are you getting to your thing?” 

You pretend not to know what he means, “Hm?” 

“The tutoring thing. Let me drop you off.” Yoongi insists.

“Ohh, no, that’s okay. I take the bus.” And you’re off to a salon first. “Thanks though.”

“You sure?” Yoongi remembers how much you loved being his passenger princess. 

“I’m okay.” You give him a small smile. 

Yoongi grabs his car keys from the bowl. You don’t miss the keychain on it. A worn out, cat plushie. Handmade by you. 

Well, isn’t that sweet. 

You feel better about the shirt thing now.  

Yoongi lingers by the threshold. You assume he’s waiting for Chaerin. Or checking for his phone or literally anything else. 

Then he turns to you. 

The look on Yoongi’s face catches you off guard. 

His expression had softened and displayed a hint of a smile, but not an actual smile. 

Before you decipher what it all means, he’s stepping closer. 

And then you step closer.

“Yoon-” You inhale, feeling his strong arms wrap around you. 

You freeze.

The hug lasts barely three seconds. Maybe four. 

It was long enough to register his warmth, to take in his natural scent, to feel the weight of his chest on you. It was long enough to toss your mind for a spin. You place your arms around his waist.

Then he’s pulling away gently. You almost whine at the loss of closeness. 

Yoongi’s gigantic palm covers the top of your head, pushing it back ever so slightly to make you lock eyes with him. He caresses your head. 

And before you can react, he presses a quick kiss to your forehead. 

Your mouth falls open just a little, arms dropping by your side. 

“I’m glad to see you, _____.” 

Then he steps backwards. “Good luck with your thing today.” 

And just like that, he's gone. 

The front door shuts.

You don’t have long till Chaerin comes out to find you in a trance in the middle of the doorway like this. 

Shaking it off, literally, you clear your throat. Your heart’s doing something deeply unhelpful in your chest.

Okay…

You’re not about to overthink it. 

Yeah.

next installment: love hangover (myg) #3

Sunday had been completely blocked out for relaxation and self care. Emphasis on self care. 

You had locked yourself in your room all day. Masturbating. 

Yeah, you read that right.

Miss Pink was no more. The bunny vibrator slash thrusting dildo you bought when you were 17 had finally vibrated for the last time.

She died from excessive use. 

For seven long years, Miss Pink had served you well. Not once did she falter or fail at her job.

She was your only go-to gal. (Because Somin still didn’t want to experiment with you but whatever.)

And you couldn’t believe all it took was Jeon Jungkook holding your foot for your sex drive to accelerate to one hundred.

All. Day. Long. 

It’s ridiculous.

You only stepped out of your enclosure for a sweet treat. Half a tray of tiramisu.

And you’re embarrassed to admit; you imagined eating it off Jeon Jungkook.

Was this… okay?

Men have always been disposable to you. (Both meanings of the word apply here.) Yet you couldn’t bother hitting someone up to satisfy your hunger.

It just wouldn’t have worked. 

Only Jeon Jungkook could fix you. Your mind was adamant.

You couldn’t go even five minutes without thinking about the man.

You were nowhere near actually having sex with him. 

The longest conversation you had with him was… What was it?

You couldn’t even remember.

Maybe it happened on the day you dropped off lunch for Logan? 

And the only thing you knew about his personal life was about when he got his first tattoos and piercings. 

At least, in terms of first hand information, that was all you were told.

I mean, not that you cared.

Right?

You paused. 

It didn’t matter what his life story was. That was none of your business. 

All you wanted was for him to fold you in half.

Anyway! 

You couldn’t wait to see him on Monday. 

Namjoon had begun to catch on to your lowkey obsession with Jeon Jungkook. 

On the way back home after yesterday’s brunch, Namjoon sorta grilled you about the way you had been gawking at his partner. His taken partner, he had highlighted.

He started off by asking you where you met the couple, and what you thought of them.

You had claimed you didn't think of them. 

If Namjoon had caught on to this, Hyewon would definitely have noticed too.

Though, that doesn’t quite bother or worry you the way it should.  

Then he told you that Hyewon had been asking him to introduce you two properly. Whatever that meant. He didn't understand. Didn't you already know each other? 

You don't know if this should bother you.

You hated when people tried to force friendships with you.

This is something you're quite familiar with. 

As a young teen, people would befriend you and then drop you when they'd get to know you. 

It's no secret that you were the black sheep of the family. Maybe this is something people find cool now, but it wasn't always like that. 

You aren't as smart or ambitious as your brother. You were different. Difficult. Hard to figure out. You ‘couldn't be helped.’ 

All your cousins had everything figured out--- they were all straight A students somehow.

But you struggled a lot.

There had not been a single failure in your family before you. These were your mother's words. 

Logan had everything going for him too. Sometimes you wondered if he was ever embarrassed of having you for a sister. 

People said the only thing you had going for you was your face and body. And you worked hard to keep it pretty. 

No one ever asked you anything about yourself anymore. No questions about what you're up to. Because they already knew the answer. 'Nothing really.'

But that was the truth. 

What were you doing? What are you working towards? Where did you see yourself in the next five years? 

You never had a response to any of these questions.

Nor did you care anymore. 

You had figured you'd cross that bridge when you got to it. But that time never came.

You were still pretty clueless about life. 

So you kept doing random things.

Temporary hobbies and activities that gave your existence a little meaning.

Three months ago, it was Japanese. You watched Nana and wanted to learn Japanese. You joined a class, bought new stationery, made lists of animes and movies to watch, and even practiced writing hiragana on your mirror with lipstick to keep it fun and interesting.

That lasted two months.

Then you tried your hand at jewellery making.

You bought pretty pliers with glittery pink handles, three different coloured wires and chains, thick gloves, fifty pounds of metal, gemstones and other beads. Then you found an interactive online class for beginners. 

You made your first pendant necklace and matching earrings and got bored. 

It was too time consuming and hard. You still had blocks of metal sitting in your closet. You almost burned your room down trying to melt them too. The rest of the items, you gave away to random people through Instagram stories.

You were never touching this shit again. 

This is why your mother had been thrilled to find out about your internship at Logan’s company. 

Finally, her useless daughter had found some purpose in life. 

It was wishful thinking. 

Right now, your interest was Jeon Jungkook.

You wish he wasn’t.

It would be easier if it were something else. Something you could buy tools for, start and end and forget when the dopamine ran out.

He’s not even someone you like, exactly. Not in any way that makes sense. He’s cold. Doesn't smile enough. And most importantly, he doesn't pay you any attention. 

You weren't used to that. 

Yet, you craved him in ways you had never craved a man before. 

Falling back on your bed, you sigh deeply. 

All the energy had been drained out of you by the end of the day. 

You checked Hyewon’s Instagram for any updates on Jeon Jungkook.

Nothing. 

It left a bitter taste in your mouth, looking her name up on your following list.

Ugh. What have you become? 

You even made a LinkedIn account to keep tabs on Jungkook but obviously, he didn’t exactly post anything there either. Just a few blog posts you didn't understand anything about. The last one was made months ago.

However, he had over a million followers. 

What the hell?

Was that normal? 

That's crazy.

Since you were a total newbie, you didn’t know jackshit about what LinkedIn was really for. 

Somehow, in the first hour of its creation, your LinkedIn already garnered a little over two hundred followers.

You couldn’t recognise a single name other than Logan’s and Seokjin’s. 

And people kept trying to 'connect' with you.

This was so annoying.

Your profile photo was a cutesy photo Somin took of you mid-pose.

You even put your entire government name on your profile. 

So, you can imagine Jungkook's surprise when his eyes fell on a notification that read ‘_____ _____ viewed your profile.'

Jungkook stopped functioning for two minutes.

What the hell were you up to now? He thought. 

Jungkook even contemplated connecting with you to spook you a little. But decided against it in the end. 

Judging from your little game of footsie yesterday, Jungkook had sort of… taken the hint. 

You were screwing with him. 

I mean, you were his girlfriend’s friend. 

Though he thinks he might’ve taken it a bit far, grabbing your foot the way he did. But otherwise, he’d just be egging you on. 

Well, that wasn’t true. He could’ve stood up, or asked you to knock it off. But for some reason, he didn’t want to.

Jungkook didn’t think it was worth mentioning to Hyewon either. Maybe you were just being playful. 

The man was in denial. 

Somewhere deep, deep down, he knew exactly what you were trying to do. But he didn’t want to address it, or make any sudden moves. He practiced restraint. 

Jungkook lowkey wanted to see how far you were willing to go. 

He’d never admit it but he enjoyed your attention. 

Attention wasn’t a foreign concept to him. He has always been the center of it.

Everyone wanted a piece of the golden boy. 

Jeon Jungkook wasn’t born into your world. He carved his way into it.

He didn’t have a trust fund. In fact, all he had was debt. His name got him nowhere.

No one would open any doors for him--- he had to break them down himself.

Even now, people saw him and assumed things.

That life must have been easy for him because he was handsome and ‘gifted.’ As if he hadn’t worked his ass off for that title. That maybe his pretty privilege got him to where he is now, but that was far from reality.

He worked hard; he worked harder than anyone. Because he knew that one little mistake could take everything away from him.

So, he had always been very methodical and realistic. 

Law hadn’t been his dream, but comfort was. So he followed the money.

Jungkook wanted stability. Safety. The promise of never having to depend on anyone ever again for anything. 

That’s why Kang Hyewon made sense.

She wasn’t like the others. Others like you. Those superficial, materialistic, name-dropping daughters that came from generations of money.

They always wanted more than he was ready to give. 

Most of them knew nothing about life on *the other side of the river. 

Hyewon came from something closer to him. She understood the hustle.

They’d known each other since law school. They weren’t serious back then--- just casual hook up buddies.

Neither were interested in pursuing anything more. 

Hyewon never expected anything from him. She never demanded to be a part of his life. There was never any pressure from her for anything, not even a friendship. And Jungkook could relate to that.

They had been too focused on uni to care about the more frivolous aspects of their early twenties. 

When he ran into her again last Halloween, at some ridiculous party his friend Taehyung had dragged him to--- he noticed Hyewon hadn’t changed at all. 

And maybe that’s why, even years later, she still stood out. 

Hyewon looked more put together. As did Jungkook.

Her hair was longer and bleached lighter. She had grown more beautiful, her face had lost the baby fat and her makeup style had changed. It was less intense now and she made it work very well. 

They clicked immediately. 

Hyewon had obviously followed his career--- it was hard not to when he was literally everywhere. She was so proud of him. She had wanted to contact him multiple times over the years but never felt like she had a good enough reason to reach out.

Jungkook even found himself missing her after the party.

(Sort of how he feels with you now but he’ll cross that bridge when he gets to it. Let a man stay in denial a while longer.)

It was easy with her. Familiar. 

She understood the long hours, the stress, the need to be better than everyone else in the room, the perfectionism.

She never made him feel guilty for choosing work over dates.

In fact, she admired his dedication.

Hyewon never crowded him. 

So they started seeing each other again. Slowly, at first. And then suddenly, only a month later, they were official. Public. A real couple. 

Somewhere along the line, Jeon Jungkook had also caught the media’s attention. Being the golden boy and everything. 

People loved a success story. 

He had sort of turned into a celebrity. Not in the conventional sense though. But enough for the articles and posts mentioning him to gain way more traction.

People who had no business following corporate law knew of Jeon Jungkook. 

Apart from his journey, it was obviously because of the looks.

That infuriating, absurdly symmetrical face; the gorgeous, muscular bod; the full sleeve of tattoos and the piercings.

Jeon Jungkook was a handsome motherfucker. 

When one imagines a corporate lawyer slash managing partner, they’d often think of a fat, balding white man. Not a sexy, thirty something year old Korean dude with tattoos and piercings. It was fascinating.

Another time, someone made a TikTok edit of him using clips from a courtroom trial.

It went viral overnight. 

Jungkook had to hire a separate legal team to persuade the original poster to take it down.

They obliged immediately, of course.

But it was too late.

His fan following had doubled. He now had not only the corporate and finance bros, but also the girls and the gays. 

It wasn’t like he wasn’t used to this. But the scale was much smaller. 

He had to then private all his personal social media accounts.

Hyewon and Jungkook had been approached by the media for interviews numerous times. Everyone was dying to know who caught Jeon Jungkook’s eye. But Jungkook would never subject his personal life and Hyewon to the public's scrutiny.

This was nobody’s business. 

He was able to slowly disappear from the mainstream over the last few months. 

They had to hire extra security briefly because people would keep trying to sneak into the building just to get a glimpse of him. 

Those days were behind him now. Hopefully. 

Well.

Now, he had you to stalk him. It was definitely cuter when you did it though. 

If you ever caught wind of him classifying you as a stalker, you’d have lost your shit.

_____ never chased anyone.

Other than Jeon Jungkook, evidently.

Back in your room, you were nestled between your sheets comfortably.

Forcing yourself to set your phone down, you did a full-body, cat-like stretch, extending your arms and legs at the same time, and drifted off to sleep.

Monday morning arrived sooner than you were ready for it. 

You’d barely slept the night before too, tossing and turning, feeling restless instead. 

Logan stormed your room and physically pulled you out of bed, not allowing you to slack off for even a few minutes. He even went as far as to commence brushing your teeth for you. 

You hated having the taste of toothpaste and foam in your mouth, so he knew you’d take care of the rest by yourself. 

After your hour-long bath, you dragged your feet to the walk-in closet.

It was such a mess. You regretted not picking out an outfit beforehand. 

Pulling your iPad out, you scroll through your image gallery for some inspiration. 

Suddenly, nothing seemed good enough.

You force your mind to make a decision and stick to it.

Then you come across some random paparazzi photo of Bella Hadid.

Huh.

That'll do!

Finally settling on a full-sleeved, cropped, button down shirt, basic bootcut jeans and some comfortable stiletto-heeled boots, you scoured through mountains of clothes. 

One of these days, you ought to organise the area.  

You bend over to make sure there was no accidental flashing. 

Nope. All good.

You grab a few necklaces, earrings and rings from your accessory drawers and toss them into your bag. Just in case anyone else needed to pretty themselves for today.

Logan told you he needed you to ‘lock in today’ because you were going to be meeting a lot of important clients that day. 

So, that’s exactly what you’re going to do.

You were going to force yourself to not get swayed by Kim Namjoon or anyone else for that matter.

Today would be all work. You owed your brother this much. 

As Jungkook’s car neared the basement parking, his heart started beating faster.

He grips the wheel tighter and mutters a curse under his breath, trying to calm down and think of literally anything else, but it’s too late.

He was already ridden by thoughts of a certain woman. 

For some reason, the picture of your sock clad foot pressed on his thigh kept popping up in his mind. 

It’s so stupid.

He could still feel the weight of your foot on his leg.

He shifts in his seat, jaw tight, flicking his eyes down at the front of his trousers. 

Motherfucker. There was no way this was happening to him.

His pants had tightened around his crotch. 

Great. 

Driving up to the drop-off, he adjusts himself quickly before he gets out and before the valet can get too close to him.

Jungkook had been a little later than usual and hadn’t properly packed his files and laptop in. 

He was gathering the items sprawled across his passenger seat when he saw a very familiar, cherry red car pull up behind him through his sideview mirror.

Jungkook froze.

His eyes momentarily stopped working, not knowing where to focus.

He’s aware he’s keeping the valet waiting, still clutching his keys and a multitude of items.

Leaning forward, he continues to monitor the car- your car, through his mirror.

A beat later, someone steps out of your car.

Jungkook's eyes narrow in anticipation.

His head tilts forward.

.

.

It was just the parking attendant. 

Fuck.

Jungkook slowly leaned back and breathed a sigh of relief. 

You must already be inside, he thinks. 

Good, he sighs to himself.

Jungkook exits his car and takes one discreet look at his pants, praying nothing showed. Hopefully, his suit jacket would do a good job covering up. 

With a small smile and nod toward a very patient valet girl who helped him pack up, he hands over his keys to her. 

He shimmies his sleeve back to take a look at his watch.

He was more or less on time.

Today was a chill day for him either way.

Jungkook didn’t actually have to come in either. He could've stayed home if he wanted to. Hyewon wanted to spend the day with him too. She was going to call in sick but Jungkook stopped her, promising to make it up to her later.

He felt an urgency to get to the office.

Whether it was his workaholic tendency or something else entirely, he didn't know.

As if they had a mind of their own, his legs start moving faster than they usually do.

With long, purposeful strides, he hurries past the main entrance and the lobby, ignoring almost every greeting thrown at him. 

Walks right past the security guard who usually gets a nod.

Skips past the front desk employees who smile and wave. 

He was almost sprinting.

Jungkook heads straight to the elevators with his mind still racing. 

The only VIP elevator was still on the ground floor.

Which meant you were most likely in there. 

He wastes no time and presses the button.

Jungkook fixed his face, un-furrowed his brows and unclenched his teeth.

When the doors opened, he expected to come face to face with the little minx that hadn’t left his mind all morning. 

Empty.

There were no signs of you.

Or anyone else in that case.

Oh. Well, this was good, he thought.

Still a little disoriented, he steps in.

The chrome doors shut, sealing him inside. 

Jungkook presses a button and the elevator starts to move. 

He stands still.

And then he lets out yet another slow breath, feeling the slightest bit of disappointment. Just the faintest shred. 

Immediately, he masks it as the Monday blues and brushes it off.

.

Back in the lobby downstairs, you were crouched under the receptionist's table like a total fucking idiot.

You don’t even know why.

The second you saw him walking in, your body had moved before your brain could catch up.

You jumped, like a startled cat, and dropped to the floor, crawling underneath the receptionist’s desk. 

And you stayed there for five long minutes, until you were sure Jeon Jungkook had left the lobby. 

With wide eyes, you sneak a peek through the side, scanning the area for any signs of the man.

All clear. 

Dahye, the receptionist working that day, helped you up, wordlessly. She didn’t expect an explanation from you anyway.

Convincing yourself, it was just the nerves, you reemerge cautiously.

But deep down, like, deep deep down, you knew what it was.

You felt shy. 

You were too shy to face him alone after Saturday.

Too embarrassed after Sunday.

I mean… A whole day wasted humping random objects in your room--- including your darling Fluttershy stuffed toy from your childhood. The poor thing now lives under your bed in shame. 

All because of Jeon Jungkook’s hands. 

And his voice. 

And his stupid perfect face.

You run your hands through your hair in frustration and storm off to the normal people elevators.

Not taking any chances today, no way.

Way.

Apparently, the mail guy fucked up and Logan’s package got delivered to JK&K, while theirs ended up two floors up in your brother’s office.

Only an hour into the day, Logan tossed you the sealed envelope and said some shit like, “Be a darling and fix their mix-up.”

And he wouldn't accept a ‘no.’ 

Everyone else was preoccupied by their own tasks in preparation for the long list of important meetings they had today.

And it was apparently some confidential shit, so they couldn't send just anybody to carry out the file exchange.

It was hard to believe you were their best bet but ok.

Sooo yeah.

Here you were. 

So much for completely avoiding Jeon Jungkook.

The receptionist--- a lovely girl, always with perfectly curled hair--- gave you the all-clear to head on in. She knew you as Namjoon’s girl anyway and told you where to find him. 

He could walk you over to whoever was in charge of their parcel system. Probably better than wandering around. 

But you don’t even get to Namjoon’s office.

Because before you can turn the corner, you hear this.... Yelling. Loud, sharp, male. 

You freeze mid-step. 

And, well, you’re nosy. So naturally, you follow the voice.

What you find is not what you expect.

Jeon Jungkook.

Woah.

He’s standing in some poor junior associate’s cubicle, jaw tight, voice cutting through the glass like a knife.

“Habin,” Jungkook snaps, eyes boring into the guy in front of him, “was it really that hard to review the fucking closing terms before forwarding them?”

The junior stammers something weak, barely audible. He looked pale.

But Jungkook’s not done. “Is that difficult for you?”

It lands a little too harshly.

Jungkook must’ve registered it because he blinks, tries again, though his voice is still sharp-edged. “No seriously, tell me. So I can call my girlfriend and let her know I won’t be making lunch today, because I’ll be too busy holding your hand and fixing your mistakes.”

Jungkook was beyond pissed but he was also a mentor.

The junior looked like he was about to cry. Unable to respond vocally, he just shakes his head.

Poor kid, oh em gee.

The whole floor is dead quiet. People pretending to read and type away on their devices but lowkey eavesdropping.

You don’t say a word.

You should leave. You should keep walking.

But before you can move, he turns.

And his gaze locked onto yours. It was like a sixth sense, like he knew exactly where to look to find you.

And then it’s like something explodes behind his eyes.

“You.”

He storms toward you, voice rising again. “And why the fuck are you everywhere?”

He stopped right in front of you. 

You could see the angry flush on his skin, the way his chest rose and fell fast beneath his tailored shirt. His tie was slightly loose around his collar. 

The silence around you was deafening.

What was going on right now? 

Your brows furrow. 

Was Jeon Jungkook talking to you? 

You look around you, just in case he was directing this at someone else. Maybe someone behind or next to you.

“You don’t work here.” He spits, coming closer. 

Ok, yeah, he was definitely aiming this at you. 

Instinctively, you take a few micro steps back, staring up at him with a doll-like expression.

But he just inches closer, towering over you.

So close....

A hint of a blush forms on your cheeks. You don't even register his words.

Jungkook looked furious though. “You don’t have the authority to just show up whenever you feel like it. Just because mommy owns the fucking building-” He trails off.

You blink, eyes wider this time, sort of breaking out of your trance.

You hadn't realised your existence annoyed him to this extent.

Namjoon is also drawn out of his office when he hears this. Stunned, he doesn’t interfere just yet.

The entire floor seemed to freeze. 

This time, people weren’t even pretending to work. They just shamelessly gawked at their boss screaming at you.

This power play bullshit was not going to work on you.

You feel your throat tighten and your eyes well up with tears. But not of sadness. Not even humiliation. That would probably kick in later. This was just a reflex you’ve had since forever. 

You cried for every little reason. 

Right now, though, you only felt anger.

Pure, unfiltered, very justified anger.

Like how dare he.

How dare he yell at you like that in front of everyone? How dare he try to demean you in front of his employees?

You wanna hit him actually. 

But you don’t give him the satisfaction of a reaction, trying hard to blink your tears away. You’re sure he might’ve noticed anyway though, from how close he was to you. 

His lips parted like he was about to speak, but then his brow creased deeper and his eyes narrowed.

And then you observe something new.

He kept his piercings in. He never had them in at the office. At least, not since you started working.

You glare up at him, half in anger and half in… something else. Something akin to wonder and fascination. Maybe a teeny tiny bit of excitement too. Because how often do you get to have Jeon Jungkook this close to your face? 

No, what the fuck? You slut, were you ovulating? 

Stop getting horny over this man!! He’s literally scolding you as if you were his employee!

“Why are you here, _____?” He repeats.

Answer him, you stupid slut. 

You shake your head, but don’t shrink.

You stare at him through your lashes, lift the sealed envelope in your hand and say, evenly, “We got your package.”

The girl diagonal to you purses her lips, probably trying to hold a laugh in.

Your lips form into a little pout after that, feigning sadness. You wanted him to feel bad for losing it on you.

And then---

“_____.” Namjoon’s voice rang from the side.

He stepped in between the two of you, making Jungkook stumble a little. 

Namjoon’s hand landed gently on your elbow as he glanced down at the parcel you held.

“Come with me.” He asserted. “I’ll make sure it’s returned properly.”

You nodded, wordless, and let him lead you down the hall without looking back.

You were pretty entertained actually. 

Your pout melted into a cheeky smile.

The anger you had felt initially subsided pretty quickly.

It had been a while since a man was able to pull these kinds of emotions out of you. 

That’s when you decided; you wanted Jeon Jungkook to be in your life for a while now.

next: killah (jjk) [7]

*The use of the phrase 'the other side of the river' in my text refers to societal division/inequality where the wealthy reside on one side of the river and the impoverished live on the other, less developed area.

I think i got this from a video I watched about the man who bought land in Gangnam back when it was really cheap and developed it and made it into the affluent area it is now.

note: well! you know the drill. love it? hate it? i wanna hear allll about it :3 don't be a silent reader 👊💥

You're frustrated. Out of ideas.

Jeon Jungkook was impossible to get to. You couldn't just keep delivering lunch to Logan's office in hopes of somehow seeing Jungkook. And you certainly couldn't keep 'accidentally' showing up on his floor.

You zone out, staring at the glow in the dar stickers on your friends ceiling. You needed a better plan.

Something cold on your forehead distracts you. An ice pack.

"You look tense. Relax your brows," Somin coos. "Now, tell mama what's been on your mind lately." She pats your thigh excitedly.

"Ughhsfsh..." You flip over and bury your face in her pillow, "Don't ask..."

Paying you no mind, she continues, "You haven't come to any of my events. People think we've got drama, it's affecting my social standing. You know I need you. People donate when they see you donate."

You peek at her from the corner of your eye, "It's too complicated."

She impatiently waits for you to say more.

"Is everything OK? With Logan and the parents?" She asks, looking concerned.

"Oh, yeah, goodness. That's not it, everyone's fine. Businesses are good. Money's pouring in, I keep spending." You jump up, debating on just revealing everything to her.

You've been friends for years now. Somin has known you throughout all your phases and has loved you always. Like truly loved you. Honestly, she's family at this point. She's like... Logan level. Your twin.

Her intrest peaks, "So what's going on? Seriously. I feel like we haven't talked in forever."

Yet you're reluctant to tell her about Jungkook. But the fact that you drove to her place to whine and frown meant something. You needed help.

Specifically, her help.

By that, you meant you wanted ideas from her to get closer to Jeon Jungkook. Not criticism or her insight on what you're doing.

If Jeon Jungkook doesn't like being pursued by you, he'll say that. And you'll back off.

Painstakingly, you roll off her bed, and plop yourself on her bean bag.

You begin, "There's this man..." - Her eyes widen, "Wait, pause."

Somin had been waiting a long time to hear these words. Had you finally fallen for someone?

You oblige, giving her no clues on the mood of your confession.

"Oh, but wait, which way are we headed towards, like homicide or...?" Somin squints, focusing her thoughts on you don't know what.

Huh?

Vehemently shaking your head, you deny, "What? No. Or, it's or."

You're almost nervous.

"Just let me finish." You extend a pinky towards her, "And promise me you won't speak until I'm done. Nor will you try to discourage me."

She blinks.

Then adding, "I mean, I know you won't but just in case you think of it." You lean closer to her.

She simply stares at your doll-like expression. You had forced your eyes open wider and lips in a smaller pout.

What the hell had you done?

Finally linking her pinky with yours, she sighs, "I promise..."

Still keeping your hands connected, you begin to narrate the recent events of your life.

You describe the day you first met Jungkook, how his girlfriend was the one to introduce you. The lunch thing, the belly button piercing incident. And how you really, really wanted him to destroy you(r pussy.)

A hint of recognition flashes on Somin's face when you mention Hyewon.

Somin just nods for a while. And you allow it. It's a lot to take in.

Jeon Jungkook wasn't some rando.

You wanted to fuck the only man who made managing partner at the country's most cutthroat firm before 30, the youngest self-made millionaire, but more importantly, someone's boyfriend.

Moreover, she has heard through the grapevine that Hyewon and Jungkook are secretly engaged. There isn't much credibility to that source but still fishy.

She knows Kang Hyewon. Just socially though.

Hyewon's a corporate lawyer as well. She's one of those women who quietly climbed up the corporate ladder at Min & Partners. Nothing flashy, but definitely respectable and impressive.

She's also from Jungkook's alma mater. Only a year younger to him. That's probably how they met. Somin doesn't remember.

But she knows people like Hyewon.

Kang Hyewon's the kind of person who has every detail of their lives planned to a T. She likes logic, plays it safe. She's the opposite of you in every way.

Neither Jungkook nor Hyewon come from affluent families (such as yourself or Somin) but they've certainly made space for themselves at the table.

Somin just doesn't want you to get hurt. (Instead be the one doing all the hurting. She supports your rights and wrongs.)

You're beginning to get more nervous when you don't hear anything back from your best friend, then she finally breaks the silence--- "Apply for a job at J, K & K."

Woah.

You stare at her in amazement. You could never have come up with such a brilliant plan.

A smile spreads across your face, "Baby, you're a genius."

Somin smiles back bashfully in response.

Oh, but, only one problem. How...?

And then your smile dims. The thought probably just hit Somin too because you watch her face drop at the same time.

Let alone a job, but how in the world were you even going to get an interview with them?

They only accept students from the top 15 universities with a near perfect GPA, and a proper resume. 

You got the first box checked but your college GPA could be considered a little.... lacking? And your resume...

Was backpacking through Europe (read: flying private and living in the highest rated hotels) an acceptable experience?

You had also been present at all the fashion weeks that have taken place till date. That's certainly something, right?

And you sew.

Hm.

Somin could probably get into J, K & K though. She's brainy. Not a law student, but she could probably clear the bar in one attempt.

"Wait, pause." Somin demands your attention once again. You look at her with hopeful eyes.

"All you need is an excuse to be in the building. You can just 'run into him' whenever he comes in and leaves for lunch and shit." She stares at you with a kind of a 'duh' expression.

You wait for her to explain.

"_____, Logan? Ask your brother to get you a job, you know he'd never deny you."

Oh.

Ohhhh, this was good. And very doable.

Although, you don't know what you could possibly do at a funds office or whatever it is that Logan runs.

But you slowly nod. Yes.

Eeeep, you're so excited!!

"Yeah... That'll do..." You trail off, already planning your outfits to work. Your office siren era, teehee.

This was going to work!

"I can't wait!!!" You squeal, jumping up.

Somin moves her pillows aside and makes space for you in her bed. You begin to bounce on it.

"I wanna, like, ride his shoe," you think out loud, "Somin, he's so hot. I want him to pretzel me."

Somin giggles but internally rolls her eyes and secretly prays you never 'fall' for anyone she's dating.

And that gets her thinking.

What if shit goes sideways?

You don't think so Somin had to do all the thinking for you. But she could also help you think of other possibilities.

Suddenly she speaks, "Devil's advocate."

You scrunch your brows, confused.

"What about Hyewon?"

You tilt your head to your side, "What about her?"

You didn't necessarily want him to drop her. You just wanted him to like... take you too.

Somin scoffs, "_____, that's his girlfriend. Do you think he'd just drop her for you? She's.... More like him. As compared to you." She doesn't explain.

The bouncing stopped.

"What do you mean? You know I hate it when you speak in clues." You whine.

"She's... Hyewon's a lawyer too. They've been dating for nearly a year now. Went to the same uni. Did exceptionally well there too, both were valedictorians. And they have a similar background. It's like... Both of them kinda started from the bottom and built themselves up," she pauses to take a breath. "They're not like us, baby."

She had to throw that 'baby' in otherwise you'd have started tearing up.

Then she points out, "Also, aren't you worried about this getting back to your mother?"

Ok, that, you really weren't. Your mother doesn't try to control you anymore. Because she finally learnt her lesson. She has accepted her destiny to have someone like you in her life because, before you, her life had been way too easy.

Something had to mix it up. You were it for her.

Don't get me wrong, she still loves you endlessly. But she had tried too hard to chain you down, and that didn't do anyone any good. So now, she just let's you be. And you stay out of trouble.

Although... Getting with Jungkook certainly will stir shit up if it reaches literally anyone else.

The more you think about the ramifications of this affair you want to pursue, the more you doubt yourself.

Would Jungkook even want you? I mean, you're pretty and stuff but what if he's into those intellectual, philosophical, scientifical types??

Ugh, screw the devil's advocate.

"My mom won't care. None of this affects her businesses. People will always need places to work in and stay. I think I'm ok." You explain yourself.

Somin nods slowly, "And... What about Hyewon? She always asks me about you."

Wait, what?

Confused, you wonder, "You know her like that?"

Your friend looks at you, partially offended, "Uh, yeah, I know everyone."

That she did.

You nod, "Um...well, I dunno. I don't know her like that. We've met like twice?" You try to think if you've ever had a conversation with her.

You're a few years younger so it really wasn't likely that you two come in contact often enough for her to actually ask your best friend about you. Honestly, it's creepy.

But what you're doing is creepier so who are you to judge?

You're used to having fans for no real reason.

No, seriously, you have a decent fan following. They tag you in their edits and memes. And they get so excited when you acknowledge them. It's cute. You love making people happy like that.

Oh, how blessed you are... :)

All you needed to do was beg Logan for a job. You couldn't believe you were actually going through with this.

"Please, please, please, please, please," you cry, pausing only to take a breather.

Logan doesn't look like he's going to give in easy.

You've got to amp it up. "PLEASE. I'll work, I swear. I'll really work hard. I'll tidy up and do the admin duties. I'll get you food, and make meetings and stuff."

You should've looked up more businessy terms.

Logan pinches the bridge of his nose like he’s praying for strength, "You can't make meetings, _____."

Was that a partial yes?

You blink at him, hopeful. "Ok, I won't. Now is that a yes?"

"It's a no," he says immediately, flat. "Absolutely not."

He stares at you for a long time. "You don’t even know what my company does."

"Why not?" You whine, flopping dramatically onto the couch like you're in a Disney channel original.

"Plus also, you’re always going on about me needing to learn responsibility," You gesture with your arms, "This is me learning responsibility."

Wait, it's actually his company? Why are you always out of the loop?

"I do!" You insist. "You do… hedge stuff. And funds. You’re like a finance bro but risky."

Logan just squints and mutters something under his breath. Well, at least you weren't completely off. He does deal with shady investments.

He groans and gets up, pacing. "I swear to God, if this turns into some scandal-" - "It won’t!" You cut in quickly. "I’ll be invisible. You won’t even know I’m there."

"That... is literally the opposite of what you'd be required to do if I give you a job."

Fuck, there's no way he's gonna risk his business by bringing you in.

You weren't doing this for money.

"You don't have to pay me!"

Now that peaks his interest.

You hop off the sofa and kneel in front of him, clasping your hands in prayer position, "Just give me this. Please."

There’s a beat of silence.

Well, this is a pretty good opportunity for him to boss you around. That's a power he plans to abuse the hell out of.

Logan groans like it’s physically painful, finally giving in, "You screw this up, you’re out. No warnings, no do-overs. I'll perp walk you out myself. Do you understand?"

Yippe!!!!!

You squeal, “YES. YES. THANK YOU.”

He holds up a finger, staring down at you, “I’m serious. You show up late, flirt with any of your coworkers, or vandalise or destroy company property-" - "I know! I'll literally walk myself out."

Logan cusses himself out in his mind. You better be serious about this. He can't have any of his employees not take him seriously.

"Can I just start tomorrow? I already have my look ready, so I'm good to go." You were going to go classic and wear a white button down but the buttons are a bit off-centered, with a somewhat tight black skirt. No compromises on the shoes though. To compensate for the basic outfit, you're wearing five inch stiletto heeled, baby pink pumps.

Still planning, you look up to find Logan. He was already typing away on his phone.

"Uh," Logan's contacting HR to prepare a mini contract. "You can come with me tomorrow, but it won't be your official first day." He informs.

Yay! You do a happy dance.

"Yeah, OK," Logan waves you off before continuing, "So, we can go over the details of what you'll be doing tomorrow. And you can scope the place out. Maybe you'll end up having your own input..." He trails on but you tune him out at some point.

Oh, but your hair! You then cut him off and rush to your room to apply a hair mask so it's super silky the next day.

Logan can only hope you don't wreck anything.

ʚ𖹭ɞ

Across town, Hyewon had gone slightly out of her way to set the mood at her apartment.

She decorated the living room with lit unscented candles because Jungkook's got a sensitive nose.

Having taken the day off, she was able to prepare a fresh meal with fresh ingredients. She made Jungkook's favourites--- grilled pork belly, japchae, and haemul sundubu jjigae.

She even wore this blush silk dress he had complimented in passing once.

She wanted to do something for just the two of them. Something that might gently remind him of what they had, especially lately because he seemed... distracted and busy.

While she cooked and cleaned, she couldn't help but imagine her life if she ever were to marry Jeon Jungkook.

She'd probably move into his mansion. And he'd let her redecorate. Or maybe they'd end up buying a new home entirely.

Dreamily sighing, Hyewon dims the lights to set a more romantic atmosphere.

When Jungkook finally comes over, a little over thirty minutes had passed. And for some reason, Hyewon felt anxious the entire time, wondering if he'd cancel on her at the last minute. But, to her delight, he was here. So she was okay again.

They ate together on the couch. He complimented the candles and her cooking.

Hyewon took a few pictures, laughing as she told him to act normal. Jungkook let her snap as many as she wanted, then tried to swipe the phone from her hand when he saw she was about to post it.

She did so anyway.

"Seriously, Won," he muttered, leaning back, almost feeling shy, "You know I don’t like being seen like that online. Especially now."

Jungkook was under a significant amount of stress because of a new client.

"One little photo won't hurt you, Kookie." She smiles at her screen, already seeing the heart replies pouring in. "Maybe this is good for you. Your clients will see you in a stable relationship and put more trust in you. They'll see you as a person."

Trust was never an issue, he thinks but says nothing, simply nodding, "Maybe."

At the end of their evening, Hyewon offers her boyfriend a massage which he reluctantly accepts. He didn't want to put her out. He should be the one offering her a massage since she prepared all these things for him.

And it ends in... Well, you know.

And for Hyewon, everything felt right again.

Boy, had she been wrong. And it'd only take a day for her to discover that.

Jungkook had spent the night at his girlfriend's place, not realising he didn't have any more back-up suits kept in his car.

He cusses himself out, wishing he had listened to Hyewon when she kept pushing him to keep some of his clothes over at her place.

Hyewon enjoyed waking up next to him. And driving to work together was convenient since their offices were in the same business park.

However, this time, Jungkook had to drive home and then to work. And he was running late by almost an hour.

So, his day was already a bit shitty.

Thank goodness for assigned parking.

At this time of the day, the main lobby is busier than usual as a majority of the employees clocked in at this hour.

It's not like he never came in this late. Jungkook barely noticed any difference most of those times though.

He walked straight, eyes on his phone, mind already halfway inside a courtroom. He's running through his scheduled court appearances in his mind.

He ripped his eyes away from his phone to find the source of that sound.

Until he heard a laugh.

It was an unmistakably familiar sound.

And there you were.

Stood by the reception desk, talking to the only receptionist working that day, holding up a line of angry visitors who awaited clearance.

So fucking typical.

Fucking look at you. Not a care in the world. Taking all the time you need for whatever the hell you were up to.

But what really stood out to him was how ordinary your outfit was. It was so... Unlike you. He resents that he recognises this.

Then he sees something else.

The receptionist handed you a red lanyard; one that's only used by lower level employees in the building.

You fumble with the lanyard as you walk briskly toward the elevators, nearly dropping your ID card in the process.

He stays not too far behind you. Close enough to observe your shenanigans. You really ought to be more vigilant.

The ID keeps slipping out of your grasp, the clasp refusing to cooperate with your freshly done nails. This time, they were a bit more cutesy. You commissioned an up-and-coming artist to create those little 3D decals of Yoshitomo Nara’s art for your nails.

Jungkook thinks about how this was much more like you. He also notices your shoes. Were you going to be in them all day?

That's something he'd like to see, he scoffed.

(He really underestimates you. You were practically born with high heels on.)

He watches you head straight to the private elevator reserved for execs, CEOs and other VIPS.

The doors to the elevator slide open with a soft ding and you step inside. A beat later, you hear sharp steps. You feel a familiar presence slides in beside you.

Jungkook!

He doesn't speak at first. His gaze drops to your hands, still struggling with the lanyard.

Before his brain can stop him, with one hand, he grabs your card and your lanyard. "You're doing it wrong," he mutters.

He thrusts his laptop bag towards you, and you take it from him without being asked.

You startle at his nearness.

How the hell had you not notice him behind you?

That was weirdly obedient of you.

You inhale his cologne. Very... Woody. You love it.

You swallow, maybe a little too audibly, “Thanks." You blush, lips curling into a teasing smile.

It was sensory overload.

Sparks shot straight to your pussy as you watched his skilled fingers easily hooking your lanyard property to your ID.

Watching him handle something of yours was doing things to you.

He hands it to you wordlessly as he steals his bag back.

This time, you make sure to brush your fingers against his.

Before you could even react to the sensation, the elevator doors open.

You blink.

Neither of had pushed a button.

In walked this tall, somewhat muscular looking man. God, were all the men in this building sexy? What the fuck?

His gaze immediately lands on you, then dips to the red lanyard in your hands.

"You're not supposed to be in this one." Tall Man says casually. "This elevator’s for executive-level staff," he trails off, "CEOs, partners..."

You freeze, feeling somewhat scrutinized. "Oh…" You blink up at him with wide, doll-like eyes, embarrassed, "Sorry, I didn’t know."

Uh, you knew. You were considered VIP generally, so.....

Behind you, Jungkook exhales quietly; whether out of disbelief, irritation or a less likely option: amusement, you’re not sure.

Namjoon, however, chuckles. "No worries. You’re new?"

Fufckchshd, he's so hot. He has dimples too!!

But, how dare he humiliate you like that. :D

You tilt your head, smiling sweetly, “Yeah. I just started. At my brother's company on floor 27."

You know damn well what you were doing partially name-dropping. You wanted him to feel embarrassed for not recognising you.

Everyone knows you. At least, they did, in this business district.

On hearing that, his gaze flicks over to Jungkook; recognition dawning not just from the name, but from memory. The memory of you by the elevator at J, K & K a few days ago. He definitely looked twice that day.

You were almost unrecognisable today.

"Oh," he said, voice laced with amused surprise. "_____, it’s you."

C'est toi.

"Mhm!" You wait for him to introduce himself.

"I'm Kim Namjoon." His tone was a bit playful. He glanced at his partner who sported a semi-scowl now.

OHhhhh. He's one of the Kims in Jeon, Kim & Kim.

Without thinking, you blurt, "Wow, is the third Kim as hot as you two?"

Namjoon snorted, "The other Kim’s my father."

You tilt your head and nod. Well, that didn't answer your question but okay.

Namjoon observes as you look back and forth between himself and Jungkook.

(You were thinking about an Eiffel tower.)

Namjoon seemed to catch the flicker of mischief behind your lashes, because he wasted no time to ask you out. "Let me show you around today. I'll take you to the good lunch spots around here."

And you brighten up, yes, please!!

But you couldn't sound this desperate.

"Oh," you said instead, feigning hesitation, "I was just gonna try the cafeteria today."

He didn’t miss a beat, "Alright then, I’ll keep you company."

Behind you, Jungkook looks up sharply. His eye twitches ever so slightly.

Namjoon. At the cafeteria?

He hated the building's cafeteria. Claimed it resembled a prison cafeteria a bit too much, except with better food.

He never went with Jungkook but he'd go for you? That's crazy.

The elevator door opens on the 25th floor. Jungkook immediately zooms past you, but not before catching you ask his partner to pick you up at 1. His jaw tenses a little.

What the hell were you up to?

What was Namjoon going to do with you anyway? He's way too old for you, in his opinion. But whatever.

Why would he care?

ʚ𖹭ɞ

Jungkook had tried to work.

He stares at the words on the paper and sighs for the fiftieth time. They just read like gibberish. He’d read the same sentence four times and still didn’t register what it said.

This was all your fault. You threw him off his routine.

That's what has happened all day.

It took him over an hour to get through the most basic defamation case.

For the fiftieth time; what were you doing here?

You didn’t need the money. That much was common knowledge.

You didn’t even like early mornings and apparently everyone knew you didn’t 'lift a finger for shit,' as one of the junior associates had so eloquently put it earlier that day.

Your presence in the building had stirred up some gossip. So, you technically ruined everyone's day.

So why?

He exhaled sharply, pushing the file away, annoyed with himself.

He should get something to eat. He was just about to text Haewon when he's sudden reminded of something.

He needed to sign-off on Namjoon's Hwa Capital due diligence report and send it before 2.

He rings Namjoon's assistant in. "Is Namjoon still in the cafeteria?" He figured he could go down there himself and get the job done quickly.

The assistant blinked, confused. Why would Namjoon be there? "What? No, he’s in his office. Has been for a while."

That made Jungkook frown. It was fifteen minutes past one. Wasn't he supposed to pick you up?

Jungkook doesn't know what came over him.

It's like a wave of something passed through him when he heard this. His gut twisted.

He walked briskly toward Namjoon’s office, not really knowing what he was about to do, and forced the door open without knocking.

"Hey---" He froze before he could finish.

The first thing he sees is you.

You were on your feet, but barely. Namjoon had your back pressed against his bookshelf, with one of his arms wrapped firmly around your waist, holding you upright, anchoring you to him.

His other arm disappeared under your skirt, behind your thigh.

But that wasn’t the part that made Jungkook’s fist clench.

Your blouse was gaping open, your bra askew, and Namjoon’s mouth was on your tits. Messily licking and sucking on your nipples.

It was this.

Your soft moans fill his ears. Your eyes were tightly shut in pleasure.

You were clinging to Namjoon desperately. One hand tangled in his hair, guiding his head over your breasts. The other... was palming him through his light grey slacks.

Were you trying to make him cum in his pants?

Namjoon's groans were mixed in with a few 'fuck's and praises for you. Your moans and giggles get louder as you hear him talk dirty to you. You responded to him with affirmative moans.

Namjoon brings his thumb to your mouth, making you suck on it, then traces a path down to your nipple, rapidly rubbing your pretty, sensitive bud. Pleasure shoots straight to your clit.

Jungkook just stares. Why the hell hadn't he said anything yet?!

Jungkook attempts to speak but no sound leaves his mouth.

Coincidentally, you open your eyes at that exact moment and gasp, horrified for a second because you thought some perverted stranger had been watching you. But it was just Jungkook. You were truly shocked.

Quickly, you tug on Namjoon's hair, maneuvering him to aim his vision towards the door where his partner stood.

"Shit!" Namjoon jerked away instantly, pulling you flush against him to shield as much of your bare skin as he could, chest heaving as he tries to recover his pace.

Hehe. Hot.

Meanwhile, you only looked a tad flushed and breathless, but not particularly bothered. "Oops," you giggled, eyes fluttering toward Jungkook with a sheepish smile, “I thought latch down meant locked.”

Jungkook blinked hard. His jaw clenched as he finally tore his eyes away from your figures.

Clearing his throat, he addressed Namjoon stiffly, “I need the completed Hwa Capital documents. Preferably now.”

Namjoon, a bit more relaxed now, gave a lopsided grin, still holding you tightly against him. “Right. Ten minutes?”

Jungkook didn’t say another word. His eyes flicked to you one last time, registering new details--- your lipstick was smudged and glossy, or was it wet with spit? Your hair was a little out of place too. A shiny silver pin had slid halfway down the length of your hair.

Your gaze stayed on Jungkook. It was.... Inviting. A little challenging. But mostly just bold.

Your shirt was still open, bra still tugged under your tits, but Namjoon covered you well.

Though you wanna push his arm away, you refrain. That'd be too dirty.

This wasn't how you imagined he'd first see you naked. But honestly? If it gets him thinking about you, then great.

Taking a deep breath, Jungkook finally turned and left. The door stayed open.

Namjoon finally pulled away from you, still holding you close enough to stare down into your eyes. You smile and pull him in for one last make out session before you depart, and, of course, he happily obliges. And you're grateful for him.

UGGHh it felt so good to kiss. It had been a while since you last fucked someone. So, this was good for you.

Namjoon helps you button your shirt up and fix your hair.

What a sweetie.

You bid him goodbye and promise to catch him for dinner sometime.

You cross Jungkook's office on route to the elevators, but don't wait to see if he was in there.

(In case you were wondering, he was.)

Back in Jungkook's office, he had given up on trying to work today.

He sat at his desk, elbow propped against the armrest, thumb pressed to his temple like he could physically will his thoughts into order.

He had to redirect all his energy into not thinking about your bare tits.

Fucking Kim Namjoon, that son of a bitch.

"Fuck..." He groans. He was going to give himself a headache at this rate.

Every time he blinked, he saw your flushed face.

You bother him so bad.

You were such a little brat. Who fucks in an office? Just because you own the building doesn't enable you to move freely through it in this manner.

He pays rent for this space.

And you can just come in and fuck his assosiate? It's disrespectful.

Jungkook dragged in a breath, leaning back in his chair, glaring up at the ceiling like it had answers.

His head wanders back to your flushed face and the moans your pretty mouth released. And then to your pretty perky nipples.

God, get a grip.

Stop it.

He had a fucking girlfriend.

This cold splash of reality brought him back down to Earth: Hyewon. She's grounded, loyal, familiar. A successful, intelligent woman.

On the other hand, you were just a selfish brat with no sense of boundaries.

How was Hyewon friends with someone like you?

Jungkook decided he had had enough that day.

He calls in a sick day and leaves.

Namjoon could handle everything by himself anyway.

next: killah (jjk) [4]

note: idk why i call these drabbles because they're honestly just as long as my regular stories labelled fics, like this one's well over 5k words long like ew

anywhoooo, tell me what you think :3 please don't be a silent reader ok ly