#( starter call will come out. eventually )
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content: gender neutral reader, horror, mildly NSFW; part 1 here
You offer the young man on the sofa a cup of tea, doing your best to ignore the gargantuan shadow looming right behind the unsuspecting guest. The creature is fixated on you, eyes narrowed to slits from the toothy grin spread onto its drained face.
Your imaginary friend hasn't stopped smiling ever since that evening. You were initially hesitant to lose your virginity in such bizarre circumstances; you'd expected, for starters, that it would be a fellow human standing above you, not a nightmarish monster that has haunted you since childhood.
His cold, clawed hands felt like a death grip on your shoulders, and you could almost sense a terrified scream knotting inside your throat. Yet, his hold on you was quick to relax. He could tell you were afraid of his sudden intrusion, so he continued with much gentler pleas.
In truth, you always knew your companion was horrifying. Once or twice, when you were a kid, he'd threatened to eat you up, pulling your little fingers between his razor teeth as you sniffled and apologized for upsetting him. You tried to get rid of him many times, stomping your feet and shouting at him to leave your home forever. Ironically enough, it was always you who called him back. Your days felt empty without his croaking voice, without his eerie, yet comforting presence following behind. Thus, eventually, you'd crawl into the cupboard and whisper his name, awaiting his return.
This was the memory that flooded your mind while his crooked limbs embraced you tightly. Indeed, despite his frightful way of being, it was you who yearned for his affections. With a sigh, you gave in to his touch, and it wasn't long before you clung to his frame with desperate need.
That is to say that ravaging you put him in a rather fantastic mood. So much, in fact, that he gleefully allowed you to bring a coworker over once you expressed your desire for more friends. This was meant to be a casual outing, observed closely by your beloved.
"Say," the acquaintance remarks with a cheeky whistle, "how comes you're single?"
Don't do this, you think, your face turning pale.
"It's just, I know I would date you if I had the chance," he concludes boldly, leaning back in his seat.
Ah, there it is. Your lips curl in a pitiful smile, and you pretend not to notice the grotesque arms wrapping around the man. There's no point in interfering when your monstrous partner is angered.
"I'm afraid you're mistaken," you respond, visibly deflated. "My partner won't appreciate the impertinence."
"I thought you lived alone?"
The coworker's head abruptly tilts back, features twisting into a horrified grimace. Your dearest, you see, is not quite the traditional imaginary friend. It's not a common occurrence, yet something you've noticed throughout the years - that, in exceptional conditions, other people may see him too.
The heavy, silent tension is only broken by the sound of a rumbling stomach, followed by the groan of bones as the jaw opens itself loose. He's hungry.
#yandere imaginary friend#yandere#yandere x reader#yandere scenarios#yandere imagines#yandere monster#monster x reader#monster x human#monster fucker#terato#teratophillia#horror
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[ć°´]
Sheâd be correct in assessing him as a âhimbo,â considering that he didnât always think before he did anything⌠and even if he did think, it sometimes wasnât the most logically sound. It was like most of his IQ points went into sports and athleticism. He had this idea that she could pay for his burgers and heâd pay for hers, but realized the errors of his thought process when she spoke.
âAh! Uh⌠I meant to say Iâll treat next time!â
Nice save, Mizumachi. Totally believable and sound reasoning. Thatâll work, right? She can pay this time around and he can pay for the next time! That way he can return the favor because she also made some breakfast for him that other time. Hm?
âLetâs go! Say, do you like feeding people?â
He keeps pace with her as she walks them to the promised burger land- or rather, truck. If he had a nickle for each time sheâd fed him, heâd have two nickles. It wasnât a lot, but it was interesting how it happened twice already in the time theyâve known each other.
Selling Japanese burgers already would have him sold. Wakwak burger was going to have a new regular customer who was craving a reminiscent taste of home, no doubt. With how hungry he was feeling, somewhere close was definitely for the better, heâll get to eat sooner!
âAh⌠I could eat 5, yeah. Some days I could eat 10. Depends on how hungry I am. I eat a lot after practice.â
Which was to say that he didnât gorge himself on food before practice, because it would only slow him down if he pigged out on food. It was better for him to make up for the calories lost during practice by eating his fill on food afterwards.
âHow about you? 1? 2?â
Seemed like a safe conservative guess for how many burgers she could eat in a single sitting. It seemed pretty fun trying to guess how much she could eat.
    Of course, Vivian waits for him to finish speaking first before blinking, rather dumbfounded. Ah... were her words somehow lost in translation, she wonders? No sooner does she realize this, she'll then subsequently grimace before letting out a weak chuckle, because when it came down to it, she had completely forgotten Mizumachi happened to be quite the himbo... for better or for worse. Why, if it weren't for the fact Vivian already knew English wasn't his first language, she may find herself growing flustered over having the compliment redirected back at her, but coming from his lips, it did not sound the very least bit sexy.

    "Er... listen, when I say 'treat', I meant I'll be the one footing the entire bill; in other words, your burgers will be paid for by me," Vivian finally clarifies while resisting the urge to add 'Capiche?' at the end. Honestly, the whole entire time, she felt stupid for even having to explain it, but considering this was Mizumachi she's talking about... well, perhaps further simplification was necessary. Regardless, she'll soon turn once she figures out the perfect place to take him.
    "Now, come! We have a food truck to go to," Vivian announces, and upon giving Mizumachi one final peek peek over her shoulder, makes a beckoning motion with her hand before setting off. Naturally, she planned on taking him to Wakwak Burger, a food truck in Vancouver that was known to sell Japanese burgers for the very affordable price of $2.85. Granted, after recently selling off her old Miku figurine on eBay, she could afford to take him someplace fancier, but seeing as though Wakwak Burger was way closer to where they were, Vivian concluded Mizumachi would appreciate her choosing a place within walking distance.
    "Oh yeah, that reminds me! How many burgers can your black hole of a stomach manage, Kenny? 5? 10?" came her eventual query, because sure enough, it finally dawned on her she has no idea how much Mizumachi could actually eat.
#Unladielike#(Vivian03)#RPans#((Muse; Vivian))#Mizuqueue#((I'm the same in the sense that I don't think it'll get much attention and bc I'd feel bad if someone feels left out for being late))#((Oh yeah? Ahh... i've been there before. Someone kept liking starter calls would like starters and never reply))#((It was like I made whole ass verses for you and you aren't going to reply? Tell me if something is wrong!))#((Eventually I blocked that person bc they went and talked about me to a person that was smth like a trigger to me at the time))#((That's super fair to get burnt out if you get a lot of starters to write and they all come out quickly. I get overwhelmed quick so FELT))#((That's why I've been working on taking things slower if I can))#((If I have nothing else to work on I may just work on it and let it sit for a bit before posting))#((I somehow haven't really mastered the skill with inbox tho. I try to work through them all in one sitting bc otherwise I forget))#((I will admit i'm more of a thread person than inbox. A lot of memes either don't work for my muses or smth else.))#((I also have bad memories bc the person I mentioned above. I was getting hate bc of them as I found out later))#((So it's still a slow healing process of me learning the inbox is okay. Random asks aren't anon hate OTL))
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TREAT YOU BETTER. ft violet

ŕ§ â§âË vi is the best roommate and friend that you could ask for. however, it's hard to keep your feelings for her a secret, especially after her and her girlfriend break up.
pairings and aus. roommate!vi đĽ fem!reader
warnings. friends to lovers. no verbal confession of feelings, but implied. pining. fluff. some swearing.
gabiâs quick thoughts. hi this was rotting in my drafts for three weeks so...lol, here you go.
word count. 2.5k
masterlist â§âË taglist
ITâS A SUNNY SATURDAY MORNING. the birds call to each other outside your windowsill, the curtains in perfect harmony with the swaying of the wind, the ac blasting and the fan whirring, the same exact sound that had lured you to sleep the previous night.
thereâs a thick sense of tranquility in the air, and you turn over to your side, the covers crinkling as you reach for your phone. you blink the rest of sleep out of your eyes and thumb through your notifications, your eyes catching two missed calls from your best friend and roommate, vi, followed by a couple of text messages.
[vi, 10:48 am]: iâm assuming your ass is still asleep because i literally called you twiceÂ
[vi, 10:48 am]: anyways
[vi, 10:48 am]: iâm at the store, ill bring groceries 4 dinnerÂ
you smile, sending her a quick thank you text, and teasing her for finally paying attention to your list that you specially curate every week, instead of buying things on a whim.
violet was the perfect roommate. before the pair of you moved in together, you were both living in separate apartments, but always spending the night at each otherâs places, so often that you had half of your wardrobe and a toothbrush at viâs place. she had a few of her belongings at yours as well, but you had always preferred violetâs home, due to itâs comfort and larger space.
one early morning while you were sitting in her kitchen, eating up her food and wearing her borrowed clothes, vi had stumbled in to sit with you, half-asleep and hungry, rummaging through her cupboard to find something to snack on before the two of you settled on grabbing brunch together before work.Â
âwe should honestly just move in together,â you had suggested with a laugh, taking a bite of your cereal and dropping the spoon back into the clean bowl. you slid it across the counter, the very one that vi was leaning against, and she grabbed it to place it in the sink, âiâm not against it, honestly,â the red-haired girl spoke, shrugging, âthough, i will have to kick you out when my girls come over, unfortunately.â
âyouâre so disgusting.â you had spoken with a warm laugh, and you assumed that though the idea was out on the table, nothing would ever really come from it.
until not even a week later, vi had showed up to your apartment in a cropped muscle tee and shorts, the kind of wear that she only used to work out or fix her car inâ so you knew she was preparing for something active. at first, you had assumed that she just got back from the gym, until you eyed the literal u-haul that was parked right next to her car.
âwait, violet!â you screeched as she playfully pushed past you into your home, already gathering things in your kitchen and putting them into piles to making the process as quick as possible. literally that same day, your belongings were all transported into viâs home, and just a few short months afterwards, your apartment was back up for rent and you were splitting bills with vi.
she was probably the easiest person to live with. she, for the most part, was very clean, and made sure that neither person was doing more work than the otherâ everything was fair. sometimes, though, sheâd leave her dishes in the sink or clothes on the floor after a shower, but she got it together eventually when she got exhausted from you constantly scolding her.
however, as time went on, things between you and vi gotâŚweirder, at least from your perspective.Â
for starters, she had a brutal staring problem. every time youâd catch her looking at you, it wasnât in a way that was just normal eye contact or attentive listeningâ no, she would look at you like you were the only thing that existed. and vi being vi, she knew that you had caught onto whatever her problem was, but she didnât care. not one bit. her eyes would dart all over you, examining you until she had to say something in response to whatever you were talking about. and often times, it would end in her blinking harshly and murmuring, âhuh? sorry, repeat that?â
vi also found a way to be around you as much as possible. if you were showering, sheâd claim that she needed to brush her teeth before bed or that she was sad and really wanted some companyâ so sheâd take a seat on the toilet and talk to you while you showered. it didnât strike you that it was necessarily abnormal at first, until one day, you had forgotten your towel and told vi to close her eyes so you could step out and grab one, but when you pulled the curtain back, her eyes were wide open.
she had apologized to you for days after that, claiming that she didnât know you were coming out right that second, and she thought that you wouldâve told her when to actually close her eyesâ but you literally did. however, after you assured her that it was fine and she had already seen your body before, it wasnât all that serious to you, and the both of you never talked about it again from that day forward.
stuff died down after the fact. vi had met a girl, and from the bottom of your heart, you genuinely hated her. noâ actually, hate wasnât even a strong enough word to describe how you felt about violetâs girlfriend.Â
it wasnât like you hadnât tried to like the girlâ you had, and had even pushed your immediate thoughts and opinions about her to the side when you met her initially. but as time stretched on, the ability to tolerate her had waned significantly.
the first thing that turned you off from her was her words. she was an overly negative person, and always found something to complain about, whether the situation was even that serious or not. she always pushed her dissatisfaction onto vi, which led to your roommate often coming home to you angry crying or pissed off due to a stupid argument or fiery disagreement.
you knew that actions spoke louder than words, so you tried to give the girl the benefit of the doubt, but those didnât reflect good character either, and you were honestly beginning to grow unsure of what vi even saw in this girl. you didnât strike her as the type to tolerate shitty characteristics, but vi seemed like she was genuinely head over heels for this girl.
her girlfriend was also often touchy with other people, and not in the way that can pass as mere friendliness, but in the way that blurred the lines between a relationship and a friendship.
vi being vi, though, her mind was always focused elsewhere, especially on work. you doubted if she even liked vivienne, but she always got offended when you would ask about anything related to her, so you kept your quiet.
well, for as long as you could.
one day, vi came home so fueled with anger that she nearly toppled you over when trying to grab something from the cabinet next to you in the kitchen, and you finally lost it. all of this bickering and attitude that she was giving youâ yeah, you had plenty of enough of it.
âokay, what the fuck is going on with you?â you asked, tossing the towel in your hand down onto the counter. vi didnât even look at you, pulling the cabinet door open so hard it slapped the adjacent one, and you could tell that whatever happened when she was out was enough to send her over the complete edge.
ânothing,â she had snapped, grabbing a half-full bottle of tequila and setting it on the counter with a loud thud, âjust a long day.â
âiâm calling bullshit.â you crossed your arms, unconvinced, âyouâve been walking around like a firecracker for weeks, i meanâ vi, you practically knocked my shoulder out of its socket just now. youâre not fine.â
vi ignored you and reached for a glassâ though it wasnât really a glass, just the nearest coffee mugâ and poured without saying a word. her jaw was tight and locked, and she looked like she was trying to swallow every emotion down with the liquor that swished in her cup.
you watched her take a long, hard sip, the muscles in her throat worked, her fingers curled tight around the handle, and you swallowed thickly.Â
âitâs vivienne, isnât it?â
that made her pause.
she didnât say anything right away. she just set the mug down gently, which was such a major contrast from her demeanor just seconds ago. she stared at the tiled floor, not saying a word, and you felt yourself burn with guilt from pushing her too hard.
you softened, âviâŚâ
âi caught her flirting with someone else,â she finally said. her voice was low. a little hoarse. âlike, actually flirting. not her usual weird fake-friendly shit. she gave this girl her number.â
your heart cracked. not because of vivienne, but because of the way vi was looking at the floor like she was mad at herself for letting herself finally be vulnerable with someone.
âgosh,â you whispered, âiâmâŚiâm sorry.âÂ
âyeah.â she laughed once, sharp, but it was obvious that she cared. though her mug was still half full, she pushed it into the sink, the clinking of the porcelain not phasing her at all. she turns around and leans up against the counter, her hands gripping the granite so harshly that her knuckles bleed white. âand i still stayed. can you believe that? like a fucking idiot. i trusted her and she threw that away like it was worth nothing.âÂ
you moved toward her slowly, arms uncrossing, âoh, viâŚyouâre not an idiot. you let yourself love, and thatâs a beautiful thing. itâs okay to be upset, but sheâs got some personal issues, ones that have nothing to do with you. iâm sure youâll find someone who will actually appreciate you for all that you are.â
yeah, you.Â
âi feel like one.â she looked up at you, and her eyes were rimmed red. not from tearsâ but you could tell that she was close, âgosh, i just wanted it to work. i wanted something to last. but every time i try, it just ends like this.â
your chest ached and throbbed against your ribs. you knew how deeply vi felt things, even if she pushed out this front of being stoic and heartlessâ it wasnât the real her. you knew how much she craved loyalty, even if she pretended not to care about it, and you knew this was the first time that she didnât leave before she got hurt.Â
âyou deserve more than that,â you said with a light shrug, âi mean, reallyâ youâre an amazing girl, and vivienne didnât deserve even an ounce of what you gave her.âÂ
vi blinked at you, pushing on her palms to prop herself up onto the counter. she then placed her hands in her lap, letting her feet swing naturally, and the room felt quiet for just a few, comfortable moments. she looked up at you with full, teary eyes, âyou think so?âÂ
âi know so,â you affirmed, making your way over to her slowly, positioning yourself between her legs. you avoided eye contact, feeling your heart race as you tried to focus on anything other than her. you bit your tongue, knowing that if you said anything else, it would become more obvious that you had some type of feelings for the redhead.Â
vi raised an eyebrow, but she says nothing. youâre both engulfed in another beat of silence, the only sound present being the faint whirring of the air conditioning and the machines working in the fridge.Â
you attempt to enlighten the moment, âplus, i never liked her.â
vi scoffed, a real laugh breaking through as she wiped her thumb underneath her cheek, âyeah, no shit.â
âbut seriously. she made you cry twice in one week. who the hell does that to you?â
âguess iâm just that lovable,â vi murmured, but the joke didnât quite land. you frowned, your fingers brushing against her wrist, trying to add a comforting touch, but you pulled back when her breath hitched.Â
âiâm sorry,â you said softly, but with quickness, immediately withdrawing your hand and shoving it into your pocket. you stepped behind you and turned to your side, pretending to be interested in whatever was going on in front of you.Â
but truth be told, you were nervous now. you had pushed a little too far, a bit too close for comfort, bad you werenât sure how vi would react to that. sheâs heartbroken and more vulnerable than ever, and now wasnât the time to try to slide hints at her or make moves when she was clearly grieving someone she loved.Â
ââŚcome here,â she whispered out, arms beginning to stretch open. though hesitant, you obliged, stepping into her arms, and she buried her face in your neck. the hug was tightâ a little desperate, her fingers curled into the back of your shirt like she didnât have any intentions on letting you go, and you didnât want her to, either.
you stay like that for a while, buried in viâs arms, your head falling into your shoulder, and hers did the same to you. she smells like smoke and musk and something darkly floral, and it makes your skin tingly. sheâs warm and comfortable, and you wished you could stay in this position forever.Â
all good things come to an end, though, and she pulls back, eyes searching your own. she sighs, âcan iâŚstay in your bed tonight?â
you nodded, âyeah. of course.â
you spend the evening curled on the couch, head fallen onto viâs shoulder as you watch some show thatâs rolling on TV, but youâre not really watching it. you catch her eyeing you a couple of times when she thinks that you arenât looking, but you are. you always are.Â
and that night, she didnât fake flirt or tease or make light of anything at all, she just curled up next to you under the covers like she belonged there, like this was something routine that you guys did on the regular.Â
in the hush of the dark, while you eyes are fluttering close and your mouth is slightly parted out of relaxation, you feel a hand graze yours, a whisper floating through the dark.Â
âi think itâs always been you.âÂ
ââš taglist: @drunkinyourbenz
#gabi's works âšđš#arcane works. ââš#vi x reader#vi x you#vi x y/n#vi x fem reader#vi x fem!reader#vi arcane#violet#violet x reader#violet x fem!reader#violet x you#violet arcane#roommate!vi#arcane fluff#arcane fic#arcane fanfic#arcane
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ANGST LEVELS
Below are a series of sentence starters and actions that vary in levels of angst. Level one being the least angsty, all the way to level five being the most. (TW: Abuse, Violence, Blood)
Level One Sentence Starters â I'm just disappointed. â âI'm scared. â âPlease just trust me. â âWhy don't you trust me? â âWhat do you mean by that? â â...But you never had a problem with it before. â âI shouldn't be here. â âYou shouldn't be here. â âWhy are you so stubborn? â âJust look at me. â âHow long does this have to go on for? â âI can't sleep. â âI hate seeing you like this â âJust hang on, okay? â âIt's okay to cry â âI wanted to apologize. â âNot everyone is going to hurt you. â âPlease don't misunderstand. â âHave you been crying? â âTears? Seriously? â âYou're crying? How pathetic are you? â âIt's okay. Go ahead and cry, I'm right here. â âYou didn't have to be so rude about it ... â âStay away from me! â âWhy would you go back to her? â âWhy would you go back to him? â âWhy would you go back to them? â â Are you even listening to me?â âStop acting like it's not a big deal, you're bleeding! â âYou never take me seriously! â âI don't like you because you always do shit like this! â âI'm just trying to help you! â âLet me clean your wounds ... â âIt's late, why are you calling?â âHow many times have I told you not to go there?â âAre you sure you're okay? â âLiar! â â You think you know me? You donât know anything. â â Why didnât you fight for me? Why didnât you fight for us? â â You were always the golden child. But you know what? I was the one who needed you. â â You never saw me. Not really. â
Level One Actions [APOLOGIZE] - Sender apologizes to receiver before passing out. [STAGGER] - Sender starts to stagger while they walk with receiver and eventually starts to fall. [SHIVER] - Receiver notices Sender won't stop shivering, even though it isn't cold outside. [OUCH] - Receiver notices Sender subtly wince whenever they accidentally touch them somewhere. [PANIC] - Receiver begins to have a severe panic attack. [FEVER] - Sender is visibly feverish, sweating buckets and still denying to Receiver that they are sick and need to rest. [WAITING] â Receiver waits all night for Sender to show. They never do. [NUMBERS] â Receiver notices Sender has been crossing out calendar dates with shaky handsâand something big is circled. [GOODBYE KISS] â Sender kisses Receiver like itâs the last time. Receiver doesnât realize it is. [STUMBLE] â Sender keeps messing up small thingsâdropping keys, forgetting namesâand itâs starting to scare Receiver. [WORN] â Receiver still wears the hoodie Sender left behind. They pretend it doesnât mean anything. [ALMOST KISS] â They get so close to kissingâbut flinch back, remembering who theyâre supposed to be. [ONE LAST TIME] â Sender kisses Receiver mid-fight and says, âJust this once. Then we go back to being enemies.â
Level Two Sentence Starters
âWere you planning that the whole time? â âNo, you listen to me. â âYou think this is easy for me? â âHaven't you done enough already? â âTruth hurts, doesn't it? â âPlease don't do this. â âI know you're scared. â âYou deserve more. â âI swear I'll do things different this time. â âI'm ... I'm trying, I really am. â âI said I'm not jealous. â âI see the way you look at him. â âI see the way you look at her. â âI see the way you look at them. â âI don't know what you're talking about. â âYou're overreacting. â âYou're making a big deal out of nothing. â âWhat the hell was that about?! â âWhat the hell is your problem?! â âNo way you're actually jealous. â âAll you do is whine. â âI can't do this anymore. Not with you. â âHave you been drinking? You look awful. â âWhere did all those bruises come from? â â[Name], they don't care about you! â â[Name], he doesn't care about you! â â[Name], she doesn't care about you! â âI'd rather it be you. â âYou didn't miss me at all? â âAll these years and you decided to break my heart now? â âPlease just stay with me, just for a moment. â âJust admit that you're wrong! â âDon't compare yourself to me! â âThat kiss ... did you really mean it? â âI can't ever trust you again. â âSay you never loved me. Say it! â âDid this mean nothing to you? ...Did I mean nothing to you? â âPlease tell me that at least a part of this was real to you. â âI should've listened when people warned me about you. â âI know what you did. â âDon't. Move. â âWhen I let go, run for your life. â â Youâre not even my sibling anymore. â â Youâre not even my sister anymore. â â Youâre not even my brother anymore. â â Iâm not the one who left first. You did. â â I never asked you to be perfect. I just wanted you to show up. â â Itâs too late for apologies now. You left me to deal with everything on my own. â â I donât care if youâre my siblingâyou hurt me. â â I donât care if youâre my sisterâyou hurt me. â â I donât care if youâre my brotherâyou hurt me. â â You canât just break my heart and expect me to keep forgiving you. â â Maybe I shouldâve let you go the first time you hurt me. â â I kept waiting for you to come back, but you never did. And now I canât wait anymore. â â You were never there when I needed you. Why should I be there for you now? â â I never wanted to hate you⌠but you made it impossible not to. â
Level Two Actions [BETRAYAL] - Receiver learns about Sender's betrayal and confronts them with it. [SLEEP] - Receiver is traumatized by the idea of sleeping with the lights off but won't be honest about this to Sender. [ARGUE] - Sender and Receiver get into a heated argument about something. [BREAKDOWN] - Receiver has a mental breakdown in front of Sender. [FORGOT] - Sender forgot Receiver's name/everything about Receiver. [ABANDON] - Receiver abandons Sender. [REPLACE] â Receiver starts seeing someone new. Sender smiles and says they're happy for them. [FUMBLE] â Receiver goes to hold Senderâs hand, but Sender pulls away like itâs instinct. [MISFIRE] â Sender says âI love youâ mid-conversation, but Receiver thinks theyâre jokingâand laughs. [EAVESDROP] â Sender overhears something they were never meant to hearâand it changes everything.
Level Three Sentence Starters
â I never asked for this. You pushed me into it, and now itâs too late. â âI never meant to fall in love with you, I just did. â âI know you still love me. â âYou know I'm not like that. â âDon't give me space, that's the last thing I want with you. â âI can't think straight with you. â âDo you ever mean the things you say? â âI hope she makes you happy. â âI hope he makes you happy. â âI hope they make you happy. â âDon't do this here. â âIs he really just a friend? â âIs she really just a friend? â âAre they really just a friend? â âYou can't hide forever! â âI just want you to care about me... â âFuck off already! â âYou made me feel weak â âI didn't mean to love you so much. â âI wish I was sorry. â âI wish I loved you. â âYou were the only person I thought I could trust. â âYou promised you wouldn't forget me. â âYou don't remember me? â âIf I see you again, I'll kill you. â âYou couldn't tell I was in love with you because you were too busy loving someone else. â âYou did such a great job convincing other people that you loved me that I almost fell for it. â â It was never going to be me, was it? â â I'm not angry. I'm just tired of hoping youâll change. â â You never cared about meâjust about winning. â â Iâm not your second choice. Iâm not your backup plan. â â I shouldâve known youâd leave, just like everyone else. â â Do you even care about me anymore? Or was I just your second choice? â â You were supposed to protect me, not be the one I needed protection from. â â You always made me feel like I was in your shadow. Now youâve disappeared into it, and Iâm still here. â â Maybe I shouldâve been a better sibling. But you shouldâve been a better person. â â Maybe I shouldâve been a better sister. But you shouldâve been a better person. â â Maybe I shouldâve been a better brother. But you shouldâve been a better person. â
Level Three Actions [RETURNED] - Receiver hasn't seen Sender in months/years since they mysteriously disappeared and now they're suddenly at Receiver's doorstep, but they already recognize Sender. [INTRUDER] - Receiver realizes they aren't alone in their home when Sender accidentally reveals themselves. [BLOOD] - Sender comes home covered in blood and Receiver confronts them about it. [SLEEP TALK] - Sender talks in their sleep and Receiver usually doesn't mind but tonight they say something unsettling that Receiver can't let go. [DISMISS] â Sender tries to open up, but Receiver laughs, thinking it's a jokeâand Sender shuts down completely. [DEADLINE] â Sender and Receiver make future plansâbut Sender knows they wonât be around for them. [MISMATCHED] â They both say âI love youââbut one of them doesnât mean it.
Level Four Sentence Starters
â You never once asked how I feltâonly how I made you look. â â I never asked for you. â â You ruined my life the moment you came into it. â â Why do you always make me feel like Iâm not enough? â â All I wanted was your love, but it feels like Iâll never be good enough for you. â â Iâve spent my whole life trying to earn your approval. Iâm done. â â I wish I had never been born if it meant Iâd never have to live up to your expectations.â â You never loved me. You just wanted someone to control. â â I donât care what you think of me anymore. Youâve already destroyed my worth. â âYou're the one that made this ugly. â âPut the bat down! â âPut the gun down! â âNo one will ever want you. â âYou'd be lucky to have a scar from me. â âNobody's coming to save you, give up. â âI never loved you. â âYou're such a fucking burden. â âGod, you can't possibly be any worse. â âDon't move, you're bleeding! â âAre you bleeding?! â âDon't apologize if you're just gonna keep doing this shit! â âI know you don't really care about me, so thank you for trying to pretend that you do.â âDon't you dare die on me! â âI can't lose you ... I can't lose you. â âDon't close your eyes! â âPlease ... I don't want to lose you again â âI'd much rather die by your side ... â âDon't look at me like that ... a smile better suits you. Let me die seeing you smile. â âIf your smile is the last thing I see, I'll die happy. â âI wish you were dead. â âI wish you would fucking die already! â âWas I a good friend ...? â âWas I a good boyfriend ...? â âWas I a good girlfriend ...? â âWas I a good partner ...? â âAm I finally a hero ...? â â Was I a good sister? Did I do everything right? â â Was I a good brother? Did I do everything right? â â Was I a good partner? Did I do everything right? â â You shouldâve let me die back there. â â You only love me when itâs convenient. â â Please donât make me choose between you and myself. â â I hate that I still want you. After everything youâve done, I still want you. â â Why couldnât you just love me the way I loved you? â â You donât get to act like youâre the victim. Not after everything youâve done. â
Level Four Actions [PROPOSAL] - Sender is about to propose when Receiver reveals they're already engaged. [SACRIFICE] - Sender sacrifices themselves for Receiver. [CURSE] - Every time Sender confesses their love to Receiver, Receiver instantly forgets everything about them. [POISON] - Sender poisons Receiver. [MISTAKE] â Receiver calls Sender by the wrong name during an intimate moment, and the entire atmosphere shifts. [ACCIDENT] â Receiver finds Sender lying unconscious, blood pooling, phone still unlocked with an unsent message: âIâm sorry.â [REGRET] â Receiver finds a letter they were never supposed to see. âI hated you because I couldnât stop loving you.â
#rp memes#ask memes#sentence starters#suggestive meme#ask meme#roleplay meme#rp meme#angst memes#angst meme#angst rp meme#angst rp memes
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Agh! Your eyes open, and your pupils burn from being half asleep still. You shut them tight again, to wait out the burning. You can hear the birds chirping, the wind blowing through the trees, a car passing by the house, and some construction nearby. And then you hear breathing; your mom lies sleeping only inches away.
"Wait, myâ mom??" you think to yourself, confused. And then you remember what happened last night.
You were watching incest porn before bed. Y'know, nothing unusual. Not for you, at least. But unfortunately for you, this was some of the best porn you'd seen in months, and you were pent up from working so much lately. A house doesn't buy itself, after all. So you found yourself lost in the porn, in the fantasy. What's the harm, right?
Well for starters, whimpering "mommy please", "please mommy", "I'm gonna cum", etc repeatedly in the same house you live with your mother in. Because that just invites disaster. And it did. Or at least it would have if you had anyone else as a mother.
She barged into your room at mach 9 with nothing but a nightie on carrying the first aid kit, her phone readied to call 911. She was ready to find you in a bad state. And well, she did, just not how she expected. Of course, you were right about to climax when it happened, and seeing your mommy's face right before it happened? Well, it sent you straight off the cliff, cumming everywhere. Including her face.
The look of complete shock on both of your faces would have made the other keel over laughing, had they not been experiencing the same shock themselves. Eventually, your mom regained a sliver of her composure.
"Dear, I'm gonna go clean up. You should do the same. But we are going to talk about this after."
After she leaves, you panic. "Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck." you whisper to yourself, as you begin cleaning the hell out of everything. Scratch that, there's no way hell is coming out of this after what just happened. You're just going to have to settle for looking ok before cleaning yourself up and looking half-way presentable. Just when you've managed to throw on some boy-shorts and a cami, you hear a faint knock on your bedroom door.
Without waiting, she steps inside. Her lips part as she's going to speak, but no words come out. Instead she falls silent, her eyes searching for the right ones. You remain frozen, wide-eyed and trembling, like a deer caught in headlights, unable to move or respond.
"So aboutâ" she begins, but you cut her off. "imsorry imsorry imsorry imsorry imsorry," spills out in a trembling rush, stumbling over your words as tears streak your face. Without hesitation, she moves to your side, sitting next to you on the bed and wrapping her arms around you, holding you steady as the floodgates open.
"Ssshhhhhhh, it's okay baby. It's not a big deal". At this point you just completely break down and bawl. "Shh, shh, shhâŚ" she murmurs softly, cradling your head against the warmth of her neck. Her hand strokes your hair in steady, soothing motions as you let the tears fall, your sobs muffled against her shoulder.
After you're there for what feels like hours, you've sobbed it all out and you're reduced merely to sniffles. After a moment, though, it dawns on you exactly what situation you're in. You, in nothing but panties and a light cami. Your mother, in nothing but a nightie. Your face is pressed into her neck, able to smell her very well. Given that you're still able to smell yourself, you know there's no chance she can't smell you too, including the event that caused this situation.
Realizing what's going on, you gradually start to get a hard-on again. And there's no chance of hiding it while in only your boyshorts. You feel a lurch in your stomach as the guilt returns once more, and your sniffles begin to escalate. But mommy has other plans for you. She just shushes you again. "Don't worry about that sweetie, it's perfectly natural given the circumstances." and you look up at her with big doe eyes.
She pauses, her face settling into an expression you canât quite place. After a beat, she asks, "Would it be easier if I helped you with that?" You nearly fall off the bed. Wait, what??
This is.... well, unprecedented. But, you've never been one to look a gift horse in the mouth, so you just nod your head as much as you can, which is just an couple of centimeters at this point.
"Ok, but this has to be our little secret ok? Nobody, and I mean NOBODY, can know." You nod your head furiously this time. You're resolved not to fuck this up for yourself. "Okay dear, just let mommy take care of it".
Damn, I really wanna finish writing this but I'm falling asleep and would rather post it unfinished than leave it sitting in drafts for an eternity. Sorry folks and folx!
#yuricest#fauxcest#sister x sister#siscon#siscest#sistercest#1cky sister#1cky daughter#mom x daughter#momcon#momcest#mommycest#1cky mommy#mommy k!nk#daughter posting#mommy x daughter#daughtercest#mother x daughter#wlw nsft#sapphic nsft
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I Want You to Stay (10) | JJK
Pairing:Â Jungkook x (f.) Reader
Genre/Tags: boss!JK x assistant!reader; idiot strangers to lovers; slow slow burn; k-drama feels; angst, drama, fluff, smut
Chapter (Series) Warnings: foul/explicit language; alcohol consumption & passing out, unhealthy coping mechanisms; family drama; minor injuries; power dynamics (JK starts off as a jerk); work-related anxiety, feelings of helplessness, insecurities; mentions of childhood traumatic experiences, nightmares; sexual harassment, attempted assault; mention of implied of domestic violence (PLS BE CAREFUL WHEN READING); arts and business/property devt talk thatâs probably inaccurate; commitment issues & emotionally constipated characters; cold and detached JK; eventual explicit sexual content (specific warnings stated per chapter) (18+)
Chapter Word count:Â 20.6k
Series Masterlist
Status:Â Ongoing
Series summary: Working for Jungkook isnât the same as working for Hoseok. For starters, Jungkook doesnât smile, he doesnât appreciate you, and he gives you too much work. It doesnât help that heâs incredibly handsome and has women at his beck and call. But as the tension grows, it becomes impossible to resist him. Youâve dedicated yourself to your job for 8 years so when you finally decide to put yourself first, he asks you to reconsider. And while you know that leaving is difficult, you learn that when it comes to Jungkook, staying is always so much harder.
Playlist đś: on the way home
A/N: Hiii we're close to the end! I've been enjoying this journey with all of you; thank you for being patient, and again for all your love and appreciation for this story. 𼰠Updates will continue to take longer as I continue to work and study. On another note, pls savour this! Hehe
And as always, my biggest thanks to @wonwoonlight đĽ°
PS. If I canât tag you, pls fix your settings!
The weekend after your site visits passes by excruciatingly slowly.Â
You zone out while watching your variety shows the rest of Saturday. On Sunday, you do errands and clean your apartment. Whether youâre lying on the couch or moving about, you find yourself constantly stopping, wondering how Jungkook is doing.Â
You could say that the trip ended on a good note. The drive back home had you sharing both the silence and conversations about growing up with your friends and finding refuge in your favorite places. He was smiling as you narrated your stories and while he told his. He was engaged most of the time, drifting away for only some short moments before coming back to you.Â
There was a different emotion in his eyes when you said your goodbye after he dropped you off, though. You could see gratitude in them but also sadness, as if the memories from the night before and from 20 years ago lingered. You know enough about that, too. Good memories can override bad ones sometimes, but in some cases, they only do so for a while, and they can only do so much.Â
The image of him of looking afraid from that Friday night is etched in your mind. The way he heaved, how he gripped your wrists as if in desperation for the sounds to stop, and the emptiness in his eyes as the thunder continued to roar keep you up at night.
You felt so constrained at that moment. There wasnât much you could do that would be appropriate, but it doesnât mean that you didnât wish you couldâve done something more to comfort him, to tell him that no matter how scared he was, he wasnât alone. That night and the morning after, you saw the most human side of Jungkook - the one that buries a lot of memories, that deals with pain and loneliness, the part thatâs fearful of others seeing him stripped bare, that cowers in his own corner until the storm has passed. You saw him as someone who needs a companion but is too scared, maybe too stubborn to reach out. He looked familiar because he looked like you.Â
All you could do was hold him in any way, protect him from the monsters outside and maybe within, and show him that whatever hurt, gentleness could make it hurt less; hopefully it could slowly heal the ache, too.Â
Thatâs what you learned all these years - all the fear and pain you experienced as a child slowly turned into scars because of your motherâs grace and your best friendsâ kindness. You donât know who gives any of that to Jungkook, and you hoped that during that moment, you were able to give even just a fraction of what you received.Â
Even if he kept his distance, you stayed close because you knew that thatâs when he needed you the most. And you wonât ever forget the way his eyes softened during that ride home; you wonât forget the smile tinged with apology and gratitude that accompanied the silence. You knew it was his way of expressing emotions he couldnât verbalize and you could only wish that he knew that you accept them, that you understand.Â
You stop yourself from sending him messages a few times, not wanting to invade his space if he prefers to be alone. Maybe heâs figured out a way to cope. Maybe heâs moved on from the incident and wants to just forget about it. Regardless, the last thing you want is to push him away by being too close, so you do the hard thing and wait for the start of the week to see him again.
You enter the car that Monday morning with Mr. Riâs soft eyes greeting you. You ask if heâs feeling better and he says he is, expressing his disappointment at not being there to drive you and Jungkook last week.Â
âHow was he?â He asks, knowing that the weather was pretty bad.
âHe wasnât good,â you answer dejectedly. âI think he had a nightmare. I had to calm him down. And he⌠he told me what happened at that cabin when he was young. I didnât know it was that bad.â
âIt was. He was just a kid. He was only excited about the trip because he thought his parents were joining him and his brother,â the elder man says. âAnd well, that was when they had to be separated for safety reasons. Then that incident happened. I think heâs carried that resentment towards them ever since.â
âWere you there?âÂ
âI was the one who found him,â Mr. Ri answers, baring his own pain at having witnessed a young Jungkook being so scared. âI noticed he was missing and I searched for over an hour. It was a big area and the ground was wet and I couldnât hear him because of the rain. When I finally found him, I carried him back and stayed with him until he woke up. He was so frightened and he⌠he wasnât the same after. There was this constant fear and this desire to just be left on his own.â
You force the scene of a young Jungkook yelling for someone under the rain out of your mind. Perhaps the detachment in his eyes that you always see is a remnant from that time when heâd felt so helpless and alone. You donât know how someone can carry that with them for 20 years. You donât know how someone heals from that either.
âI know heâs not your responsibility, ___. Youâve done so much for him already,â Mr. Ri continues in your silence. âBut no one has shown him kindness the way you have and he's learned to accept that now. He needs it the most during those times. If itâs not too much, I hope you can continue doing that.â
âI intend to,â you respond. It had been natural for you to be gentle, to be patient, and reluctant he may have been at the start, you know your persistence helped him as well. âHeâs done so much for me and I donât think Iâll ever get to thank him for that.â
âIs that why, then?â He wonders. âIs all this just to repay him for the times he was there for you? Or is there another reason?â
You meet his eyes in the rear view mirror and the sullen, almost guilty look in yours tells him that there's more. When you look away, he learns itâs something you donât want to accept, something you donât want to acknowledge.Â
âItâs okay, you know?â He says, as if he knows exactly what youâre thinking and maybe he does. âWe canât help what we feel sometimes.â
âIt doesnât mean itâs right.â
âIt doesnât mean itâs always wrong.â
âYou know itâs not that simple,â you sigh.Â
âI know it isnât. But I just think that being honest about what you feel helps. It may not be easy but you owe it to yourself to find the happiness you deserve.â
âBut I donât know what that looks like.â
âYou do,â he insists. âMaybe youâre just scared of what chasing it would mean. But if you allow yourself to truly feel what you feel, then it would be clear what youâd need to do. Just remember that whatever decision you make, youâre gonna have to stand by it, okay? You canât regret any of it.â
You let his words settle, knowing that they come from a place of pain. But still, you ask a question youâve been meaning to for a while now.
âDo you regret the decision you made back then?â
Mr. Ri prolongs the silence. He doesnât meet your eyes when he answers.
âEveryday.â
Your heart breaks for him. You know what he did all those years ago, and knowing that it continues to haunt him pains you. You donât want that burden. You donât want one decision to determine how the rest of your life is gonna go with no way to make up for it. You suppose thatâs what will happen to you, but youâve got time to change all that. Maybe you just need the courage to do it.
âThe debt I owed kept me from chasing my happiness,â he continues. âYouâve paid yours so donât let it stop you. You just have to be brave enough for it.â
You nod, meeting his eyes through the mirror this time in understanding and gratitude, letting his words comfort you as you exit the car.Â
You walk towards Jungkookâs penthouse in anticipation, as the worry of how heâs been creeps in again. The moment you enter, you get your answer, as you hear the sound of leather hitting leather, the loudest itâs ever been. You could hear him heaving, almost breathless with every movement, but he grunts in between, and you hear the frustration in his every breath.Â
From your position in the kitchen, you can see him in the far right corner of his gym, throwing one punch after another, his face wincing in pain, his body gradually giving in as he slows down. He hugs the punching bag with one arm while his free hand continues to jab at it until eventually, that stops, too. He releases it then spreads his body out on the floor as he tries to catch his breath now. You can feel his exhaustion; thereâs desperation, too.
He stays there for a while, and you wonder if heâs releasing whatever negative emotions heâs had these past days just now, or if this is what heâs been doing everyday since he got back.Â
He sits up, and you look away the moment he glances at your direction. He heads your way, nods at you in acknowledgment, then gulps down the energy drink that he takes from the fridge. His drenched white shirt sticks to his body, but itâs his bruised knuckles that catch your attention. You donât know if these wounds are from this morning or from the days before but regardless, he acts as if theyâre not there. You doubt if he even feels them sting.
Perhaps this is how he copes with anything - tiring himself out, expending all his energy until heâs numb, releasing his emotions in a way that doesnât require him to be honest or to even say anything. Maybe this is how he accepts; maybe itâs how he moves on and forgets.
He drags himself towards his bedroom then you make your way to his closet to prepare his clothes. You return to the kitchen soon after and decide to make some fried rice. Itâs the one dish you make that might make a difference to his mood this morning, so you get to work and cook with what you can, deciding that itâs definitely one of the most delicious ones youâve ever made.
He finishes his morning routine later than usual. When you walk towards him to fix his tie, you try to hold his gaze, wanting to tell him in your own way that youâre there if he ever wants to talk, but he only glances at you before looking away. Youâre unsure of the cause of his somber disposition but the sadness in his eyes causes a crack in your heart. Itâs different, you think, and you donât know how else you can comfort him.
âI made some fried rice,â you tell him as you walk to the dining table.Â
He follows, taking his seat then quietly eating his meal as you go through his schedule. He merely hums and doesnât ask questions, only speaking up when you bring up last weekâs site visits, with him saying that thereâs no rush for that, and that youâll talk about it some other time. Itâs what tells you that what happened last Friday isnât something heâs really gotten over. Maybe there are still remnants from that night - of fear, of discomfort; perhaps a bit of shame. And you donât blame him. Theyâre what you felt after the incident at the restaurant and after your injury. Being helpless in front of someone is confronting; thereâs so much of yourself that gets exposed, and you suppose itâs not something that Jungkook is used to.
You share in the silence, glancing at him to see if what youâve prepared is affecting him in any way, and you donât miss the subtle satisfied look he makes once he finishes his meal. Itâs what prompts you to push it a little. You stand up, take an ice pack from the fridge, then retrieve the first-aid kit from the drawer. Taking a seat next to him, you lay your palm out on the table, gesturing for him to give you his hands to treat.
âThereâs no need,â he says, turning away again.
âI let you push my wheelchair,â you remind him. âAnd I let you dress my foot.â
âYou were injured.â
âAnd you have gashes on your hands,â you point out. âWhich means youâre wounded and you canât leave those exposed. So please, would you let me do this for you?â
Thereâs a hint of desperation in your voice, as if all you want is for him to give in and let you help him. Youâve been trying to meet his eyes since you arrived and heâs been the coward who avoids it every time. But the last thing he wants is for you to think that he wants to push you away because he doesnât; he just doesnât know how to act around you after what happened last Friday. It may have ended with your unspoken forgiveness and your smile telling him that heâll be alright, that youâll be alright, but the past days havenât been good to him.
In an effort to show you that heâs not angry, he moves his hand towards yours ever so slightly. He doesnât look at you when you take his left hand and put it over your palm, but he does feel his heart skip a beat at your touch. You place the ice pack over his knuckles, then you move it over to his other hand so you can put antiseptic cream on the one thatâs free.
Youâre so gentle with him even when tending to his wounds. But that shouldnât come as a surprise, especially now, as he sees you make an effort in letting him know that everythingâs okay and that youâre around in case he needs anything.
The thing is, he doesnât know what he needs right now. After last weekâs incident when he blamed you for not checking the weather, he felt ashamed. Heâd apologized for how he used to treat you right before that, and then he went ahead and did all that again over a fear of his that he couldnât get over, one that came to light that night.Â
You saw it all - that part of him that he despises, that he keeps hidden, that heâs burdened by.
That was another thing - you were the one who woke him up and kept him steady. Perhaps it was a nightmare he was having, but itâs also always been the way his body reacted to the rain and the thunder because of what happened when he was a child. But you saw him bare and terrified, a side of him he wasnât sure youâd want to see or be around for. You saw him weak and helpless, things he never wants to be in front of other people. You experienced him being honest and not in control, and that made him feel unguarded.
You held him steady though, grounding him when he was slowly losing himself to the fear. Your hands on his head kept him in the present, pulling him back when his mind would travel to that fateful rainy evening in the woods. Your calm and soft voice sounded like a lullaby to him, fighting away the loud sounds that have haunted him for years. It soothed parts of him that were hurting, and youâd done it so naturally, so easily.Â
Itâs what prompted him to share with you the memory he just canât erase. And you told him that he could call you when it happened again so you can both replace the bad memories with good ones. Maybe you want him to be brave; he thinks thatâs not something that he is.Â
Maybe thatâs why heâs been this way since he got home that day. Thereâs a lot of emotion he doesnât know how to express nor even properly name. Heâs sure theyâre negative though, and somehow that makes him even more ashamed. He doesnât like not being in control. He doesnât like being that bare and uninhibited, especially in front of you, the only person he doesnât want to scare away.Â
He spent the entire weekend boxing and running around the Han River parks in hopes that all the tiredness would help keep his mind off things. But somehow, it always ended up thinking of you. It wanted to hear your voice once more; it wanted your touch.
He has them again today and he feels undeserving. Yet youâre here, healing his physical wounds and everything else thatâs hurting within in the ways only you know how to. And he just wants to pull you close. He realizes now that even on days when he hates himself, youâre the one he wants to be around. Somehow you make that hate a little less than before.Â
âAll done,â you say after placing the fabric bandage on his knuckles. âMinimal movements, okay? And ice them when you can in case somethingâs swollen.â
âI will,â he says softly, retrieving his hand and feeling your touch still linger, knowing he wants more of it.
You proceed to discuss some events he needs to attend all the way to the office with no mentions of how either of your weekends went. He wonders how you spent yours, hoping it was better than his. He wonders, too, if you thought about him the way he thought about you. But you seem focused on work matters for today, perhaps thinking he doesnât want to talk about anything else. And you wouldnât be wrong.Â
He gets to his room where he sighs in relief once he sits on his desk chair. Itâs now that he feels the soreness and fatigue, as all he wants is to go home and lay in bed for the rest of the day. But he canât afford that, so he pushes on, surviving a morning meeting and slowly going through each of his emails. Heâs surprised when you serve him his favorite beef brisket for lunch, and your soft smile as he thanks you is his bright spot for the rest of the afternoon.Â
He powers through reviewing documents right after but his eyes start falling, prompting him to just lean back on his chair for a good few seconds before getting back to work. You knock on the door not long after, and then you place a cup of chamomile tea on his desk.
âI need about five espresso shots, Ms. Cho, not this,â he sighs, the tiredness in his voice evident. But you donât seem taken aback by his words.
âI disagree, sir,â you reply. âThis is to help you calm down. Thereâs also a couch right there. Thereâs a reason why itâs big and comfortable.â
He picks up on what youâre suggesting, and he shakes his head in response.Â
âIâm not gonna sleep here.â
âNo one will know,â you shrug. âBut you know itâs okay, right? I canât imagine how tired you must be. Youâre not Superman, Mr. Jeon. Plus, Mr. Jung would take naps here after long nights or during hectic days. Itâs normal. And it might just be what you need.â
âIâll decide what I need, Ms. Cho,â he says defensively. âI wouldnât want my staff sleeping on the job so why should I?â
Jungkook regrets the words right as he says them, especially when he sees your face fall the tiniest bit. But you recover, saying that you understand then turning to head out. But you fix the pillow on the couch and place the blanket on the armrest before leaving, and he knows that your stubbornness is often a reflection of how you care.Â
So he takes a sip of the tea and eventually finishes it, indulging you in this way, but given the morning heâs had, his body gives in. He decides, like you said, that he needs a nap, and he doesnât miss the victorious smile on your face that he sees from inside when he calls to instruct you not to disturb him for the next half hour.Â
With the dim lights and air purifier, he falls asleep right as his body hits the couch. When he wakes up 30 minutes later, he feels infinitely better; now he can focus and be productive.
You see the lights turn back on from outside and itâs your signal that heâs woken up from his nap. You wait a while before asking to enter his room to say that his father requested a meeting due to start in an hour. Jungkookâs putting his coat back on and you walk towards him to help.
âWas it good?â You ask, fixing the creases and aligning his necktie.
âYeah,â he hums, not meeting your eyes again. âYou were right, I needed that. And the couch really is comfortable.â
âThatâs good. You should listen to your assistant more often,â you tease.Â
âI really should,â he smiles now, soft and reserved. âBut I do feel better. Thank you.â
You exit his room and feel accomplished. You believe, like what others have told you, that showing him a bit of gentleness will prompt him to be a little gentler to himself, too. He works too hard sometimes, and taking a break when he needs it is one thing, but of course, itâs not everything.
The rest of the week goes by fairly similarly. Jungkook always looks tired, and it makes you wonder if heâs able to sleep properly at night or if he just overexerts himself during his morning workouts. Heâs quiet when youâre not discussing work matters, making you miss your casual conversations. And though he acknowledges your occasional teasing remark, he doesnât tease back like heâs been doing recently.Â
He has his moments of frustration but heâs mostly serious when you glance at him. Heâs less engaging, too, and you suppose thatâs what bothers you the most, as you realize that you enjoy talking with him, you enjoy getting to know him through your exchanges, allowing you a peek into his world that you know is reserved for very, very few people.Â
You suppose that whatever heâs dealing with is something he wants to go through on his own. Accepting your fears is one thing; accepting that you exposed all those to someone else is another. Itâs why you try, in your own ways, to lift his spirits, wanting to let him know that he has nothing to be ashamed of when it comes to you.Â
You get him lunch from his favorite restaurants everyday, you add sweets to his servings of coffee or chocolate milk, you smile at him more, encourage him frequently, and during the times when he seems distant, you donât completely move away. You reach out just a little bit, hoping that heâll know that youâre around even when he doesnât feel much like himself. You donât want to match his detachment with your own.
It seems that you got your point across. On Friday, he dismisses you after he insists that he wants to stay back to work on a few things.
â___,â he calls out as youâre about to exit his room. âThank you for being patient with me this week. I⌠I needed that.â
You turn around and Jungkook doesnât shy away from meeting your eyes this time. Heâs noticed you try to hold his gaze all week; you always lingered, too. Maybe itâs your way of comforting him or saying that you understand him. He felt both of those but he couldnât find it in him to acknowledge them. There was a lot on his mind as he dealt with the frustration and shame of what happened, of how exposed and unguarded he was in front of you.
But you didnât complain; you didnât push him to engage or share anything. Even his moments of frustration were met with kindness and his silence was received with assurance. You tried to cheer him up in whatever way you could, and he could feel you just giving him time to be on his own.Â
He hopes he didnât push you away. There were so many times when he just wanted you around so he could see more of your smile and hear the calmness of your voice; those always made him feel better. Whatever fears he had about how you would think of him after the incident have dissipated, as you look softly at him in understanding. He doesnât need to say anything more, as you seem to know exactly what he means because this whole time, you seemed to also know exactly what he needed.
âI hope youâre feeling better, Jungkook,â you smile. âIâll see you on Monday.â
Jungkook returns to his usual self the week after. He says he went to one of their properties in Gwangju over the weekend where the weather was good and the long drive helped him stay focused and rejuvenated. He doesnât say much of what heâs feeling and you expect that, but youâre glad his little trip gave him some peace somehow.Â
You, on the other hand, were left to deal with your growing feelings for him while downplaying them to your best friends. They came over for their regular visit on Saturday and while they were sympathetic with Jungkook over what happened, they still reminded you to be cautious. Once you cross a line, thereâs no going back, and once you fully admit to what you feel, you canât unfeel it; not acting on it becomes too hard and in your case, complicated.
The week is like any other but with much anticipation, given the upcoming annual team building that everyoneâs excited about. This is one of the things that the support team was worried wouldnât happen under Jungkookâs leadership, but you assured them early on that it was mandatory. And with him having loosened up and feeling more comfortable around them, you have high hopes that heâll enjoy it as much as everyone will.Â
Itâs why on that Saturday, you find yourself in the mall to buy the things that youâll be needing for those three days that youâll be spending in one of the Jeon properties in Gangwon. The venue changes every year and the villas by the lake are perfect for spring this time. Your shopping list includes all the materials for the activities and some other things Jungkook requested, like a certain book that he doesnât have time to buy.
You enter a bookstore and as you try to find what youâre looking for, something else catches your eye. You may love the library for the space more than the books, but there will always be those that pull you in and make you curious. Even if you only read picture books when you were younger, there were a few short stories and poems that piqued your interest. You never finished them but you did manage to get through several pages.
The one right in front of you - with its pastel colored cover and simple yet intriguing design - feels like one of those. To your delight, itâs a short story collection, and your smile is immediate as you go through the pages, with each story being accompanied by illustrations that feel so personal. This would be a nice read while youâre lounging at the villaâs deck or even on your balcony, you think.
Another book catches your attention. The title is familiar, and you realize itâs one of the classics that you were required to read in high school. It has a new cover, and you see that itâs a new edition to celebrate its 30th year. You go through the pages as well, thinking back to when you had to force yourself to finish this some 15 years ago. It looks more fresh now, and definitely more enticing.
âDid you find what youâre looking for?â
You look up to find a tall man with deep-set eyes as the owner of the voice whoâd interrupted your moment of book appreciation.Â
âIâm okay,â you dismiss him. âI donât need assistance.â
You politely smile then return the books in their respective spots, ready to head out and search for what you came here to buy.Â
âAre you not going to get those?â The man presses. âYou seemed to be interested in them andââ
âWere you watching me?â You ask, taken aback.
âUh, no. I mean, not in the way you think,â he answers in panic, seemingly nervous at how it looks. âI wasnât being creepy or anything I just⌠IâŚâ
âDo you even work here?â You interrogate him, your alarm bells ringing at this manâs odd behavior and the absence of a nameplate that the other staff have on.
âI actually work for the company that published those books,â he says, his head down as if in embarrassment. âAnd we just put those out this week and Iâm checking around to see peopleâs reaction and I realize now that itâs incredibly foolish of me to stand around and observe customers because itâs not only creepy, itâs also terribly disrespectful. Iâm so sorry.â
Thereâs guilt in his eyes and itâs something you can recognize. You decide heâs being sincere and engage him a little.
âSo⌠you work at Rkive Publishing?â You ask as you glance at the books. âAs what?â
âIâm an editor, actually,â he answers, revealing his shy smile and dimples. âIâve spent months on these books and thought, what better way to know peopleâs impression than to see them for myself? It seemed better in my head. I guess I wasnât being subtle.â
âNo, not really. I was kinda having a moment but then you popped out of nowhere,â you say, laughing to ease the tension. âBut uh, the covers are stunning. I liked the personal touch of the short story collection and this classic looks a lot more interesting than I remember.â
âThatâs uh, thatâs good,â he grins, mostly to himself. âOur production team did really well in putting them together and to see the final products is incredibly satisfying, even more so when customers feel the same.â
âI donât really read books but these just caught my eye. Itâs a good way to pull people in,â you admit.Â
âThatâs nice to know,â he smiles again. âI feel pretty fulfilled just knowing they got your attention. Even if you wonât buy them.â
He doesnât seem like heâs guilt-tripping you but he still apologizes for how it sounds.Â
âI just⌠feel really strongly about how these pieces connect with people, even if itâs fleeting,â the man continues. âI just got over excited but thank you for not shunning me away.â
âI donât think connections are fleeting, though,â you remark, surprising him and even yourself. âEven if itâs a thought or a memory or an impression⌠they stay with you in one way or another. I mean, every time I enter a bookstore, Iâll probably think about those covers and remember these books and maybe the excitement I felt. Thatâs still something, isnât it?â
Thereâs appreciation in the manâs eyes as he takes in your words.Â
You may not be a book nerd nor an artsy person but youâve been more introspective lately about the things around you. You donât know if itâs the desperation to relate with anything and everything but if thereâs one thing that working on the Arts Center has pushed you to do, itâs that pursuit of connection - with your surroundings, with people, and with yourself. You suppose thatâs where all this is coming from, and the stranger in front of you whom youâre somehow connecting with right now understands that.Â
âIt is something,â he flashes a smile again, the joy in it radiating and softening his very manly features. âThatâs very reassuring, thank you.â
He steps aside and nods, perhaps giving you the space that he thinks he invaded, which in hindsight, youâre glad he did.
You bow in acknowledgment and head towards another aisle to look for that leadership book that Jungkook asked you to get. You immediately find it then make your way home, all the while thinking about your earlier encounter and how the briefest conversations can make you reflect about things and as you learn, lead you down a path you didnât expect.
To appease your curiosity, you research about Rkive Publishing and learn that itâs a ten-year old company that works with up-and-coming local authors. It has also taken on special projects such as publishing classics for their milestone releases and some translated works. The man you met, who happens to be the editorial director, is a poet as well but apparently finds as much happiness in putting pieces out for people to enjoy as he does in writing them himself. He doesnât seem that much older than you but heâs seen the world and in the eyes of an artist, you canât imagine how beautiful and heartbreaking that must be.
You go down a rabbit hole of reading some of his poems and even some interviews heâd done when he set up the company years ago. You learn that he loves to write about the complexity of relationships, the fragility of human emotions, and the search for permanence in an impermanent world.Â
His words are captivating. You want to pick apart his brain to know more about what he thinks about humansâ need for connection despite our fear of them. You want to know what makes love the way it is, why it creates and sustains and ruins those who feel and have them. You want to know if he thinks that each person is capable of love, if thatâs what makes us human, or if our humanness derives from the inadequacy of love - of what we give and what we receive.Â
You read a bit more about the books theyâve published and the authors theyâve worked with over the years. Itâs midnight by the time you finish, and other than deciding that youâll go back tomorrow to buy that short story book collection, one other thing fills your mind - the thought that thereâs a reason for that encounter earlier, and itâs probably to lead you to finding this company and the production officer position that happens to be currently vacant.Â
The soft eyes that greet you from across the table where the books are placed is a welcome sight this time. The man from yesterday flashes you a shy smile and you greet him with your own.
âI didnât expect to see you so soon but Iâm glad that youâre here,â he says as he approaches you.
You raise the book you intend to buy. âConnections arenât fleeting,â you remind him. âI couldnât really stop thinking about this since yesterday. And uh, curiosity got to me and I looked up Rkive Publishing. Youâre doing great work. I read that youâre working on translations of several books, too.â
His eyes light up as he talks about wanting to attract a wider audience, given the increasing interest in Korean culture. The story of your people appeals to many because itâs shared, and he says thatâs one beauty of art in whatever form - the meanings are endless, and they weave together to form something enduring and constant. Thatâs what he and his mother hoped for the company when they founded it a decade ago, he narrates, and he has the tough task of creating that avenue for such art to affect more people without diluting its meaning.
âIâm sorry, Iâm rambling again,â he shakes his head. âI just get so⌠yeah. Iâve just never met a buyer who actually searched us up after seeing our books on the shelf. Iâm trying to engage more people. Our sales team said thatâs one way to establish our presence.â
âYou donât have to apologize,â you assure him. âI may not be as passionate about anything as you but I understand feeling strongly about something. And if Iâm being honest⌠thereâs another thing that caught my eye about your company.â
âWhat is it?â
âYou have an opening for the production officer position. I⌠I was impressed and looked up career options.â
âAh, so youâre interested then?â He asks excitedly.Â
âI am. Although I donât have any experience in publishing or anything related to books or literature for that matter.â
âRelevant experience is the qualification,â he hums. âIâd ask more but I can do so during the interview. What do you say?â
âThatâs if Iâll make the shortlist,â you laugh. âAlthough I suppose my executive assistant experience is relevant enough.â
âOh, it definitely is. That is no easy task.â
âWell, I hope meeting you like this wonât make any future application inappropriate,â you say.Â
âNot at all. That position has been vacant for a while. And weâre looking for two. Itâs not always the role that those in the industry go for. I suppose itâs made for those looking for a career change,â he playfully winks. âBut seriously though, think of this encounter as part of the process. Youâve done your research about us anyway, which kind of means youâre already a step ahead. Itâs only a matter of actually applying, which I hope you do.â
âItâs an option,â you hum. âThis wasnât something I initially considered but itâs amazing how certain moments shape our decisions, isnât it? I mean, theyâre not really fleeting.â
âOf course,â he nods, thinking back to your comment from yesterday. âItâs all about being open, so please think about it. I may not know anything about your credentials but talking with you has already given me insight into what you think about our work and the power of stories. And thatâs very important to me.â
âI still have a lot going on but Iâll definitely keep you in mind. I hope the position is still open when the time comes.â
âIf itâs meant to be then it will be,â he assures you. âIâm Namjoon, by the way.â
âI know,â you giggle, taking the business card that he hands out. âAnd Iâm ___. Iâll see you around.â
His smile is the last thing you see before you head out the store with your purchased book in hand. And as you lay in bed that night, the possibilities of taking on a new journey play in your mind.Â
Thereâs the connection to the good memories of your childhood and the unloading of the burdens you carry. Thereâs being around people youâre not tied or indebted to and thereâs forging your own way towards a path that you deliberately chose.
But thereâs also Jungkook, whom you canât stop thinking about and who happens to be a hindrance when it comes to pursuing your own goals in life. Those goals include happiness and freedom even if ironically, those are the things he also gives you. Thereâs the new emotions he makes you feel, the connection you canât deny you have with him, and the desire that constantly eats you up inside.Â
Youâve always had your feet inside your walls with your hand on the door, just waiting for the courage to finally step out. The only thing stopping you is Jungkook and all the other possibilities with him. They may remain unrealized but theyâre there. You just hope that one day youâll convince yourself that walking away from him was exactly the thing you had to do.
You watch in awe as Yohan loads the last crate of food in the rented van youâll be using for this weekendâs team building in some lakeside property in Gangwon. The trunk is filled with all sorts of meat and vegetables, chips, and alcohol that seem to be good for a tribe of more than 10, way more than your team of seven.
âYou do know weâre only there for three days, right?â You remind the younger man. âI donât think we eat this much.â
âDonât you know Do-hyun?â Yohan says. âSheâs half my size but she eats twice as much as I do. And I eat a lot. Plus, the guy she was seeing ghosted her so sheâs probably gonna eat even more. Heartbreak shit, you know?â
âI donât,â you chuckle, although you canât help but feel bad again for Do-hyun whom you had to comfort not long ago because of her boy problems. âBut are you sure these are all within budget?â
âYes. Chin-sun is a master at bargaining. And, because weâre such a good team, Mr. Min and Mr. Jung gave us some of their favorite liquor,â Yohan hums satisfyingly. âThose smell expensive. So yeah, we didnât have to spend much on alcohol since Mr. Jeon brought some, too, which is why we got to buy all this food.â
âFine, but we canât have drunken shenanigans, okay? I donât have the energy to babysit you guys. And Mr. Jeon is no weakling; heâll be awake to see you misbehave if you do.â
âWeâll go as far as incredibly out-of-tune karaoke singing, we promise,â Yohan laughs, learning his lesson after last yearâs midnight swim in the freezing cold river where he almost got swept away.Â
Hoseok was thankfully passed out and did not witness the almost-emergency. You had to remind your team that though youâll be going on a team-building - which is really just an excuse for the staff to eat and drink in some scenic venue - there are still rules in place, and it would be best not to give Jungkook any problem, given the progress that youâve all made.
You enter the car then leave the office - your meet up place - to take the long drive to your destination. You just got the message from Mr. Ri that theyâre almost there; they left much earlier so that Jungkook could make it to a virtual meeting with Hoseok and his father.Â
The ride starts off peaceful, as everyone is still slowly waking up. Halfway through, it becomes chaotic, with Do-hyun and Yohan arguing about whoâll be on cleaning duties on which days as the youngest ones on the team. You laugh along, knowing youâll end up helping them anyway, but you look out the window and wonder how Jungkook is doing.
Heâs been incredibly busy leading to today, with several site visits to the Arts Center and meetings with the project teams multiple times the past two weeks. Heâs been staying late in the office, too, and working on the weekends. You know, because you get the odd-hour emails and find portfolios on your desk in the morning. Despite the work that he still has to squeeze in during this weekend, you hope he gets a bit of rest. More than that, you hope he finds time to be with the team and bond with them. Only you know this may be your last, and you want to keep the memories of these three days and make sure theyâre good ones.
You arrive at the place and look around, amazed at every corner and every space you set your eyes on. You know that the Jeon family has dozens of properties in scenic locations that they escape to or put out for rent. This lakeside estate is one of a few you havenât been to yet, and thereâs a reason why Jungkook wanted this to be your venue this year. Itâs spacious with lots of things to do and the view is absolutely stunning. Lush mountains frame the sparkling body of water, and with the breeze of spring, itâs every bit relaxing as you hoped.Â
Itâs quiet as the rest of the team walks around in awe. The main house boasts of a large kitchen and living space and itâs surrounded by four two-bedroom villas with their own decks. You, Chin-sun, and Do-hyun head to one while Yohan and Manager Lee head to another. You give yourselves half an hour to fix up before reconvening and when you do, you immediately smile upon seeing Jungkook already waiting.Â
He greets the team, formally welcomes you all, then talks about the property and all its amenities. He discusses whatâs in store for these next three days, then he proceeds with the first activity, which is really the only work-related thing youâre all required to do.Â
Jungkook facilitates the session, and he starts by asking everyone to reflect on all the gains and challenges this past year. He instructs each of you to share your team highs and lows, what enabled you to achieve the successes and overcome the difficulties, what caused you the most stress, and what youâre most thankful for. Every answer is met with confirming nods and statements, and it seems that everyone is on the same page about how the year went.Â
The session highlights your team dynamics - youâre all very encouraging of each other, but it doesnât stop the young ones from bickering and teasing the rest of you. Itâs fun though, as you end the hour with laughter and more memories to take with you. You glance at Jungkook who seems satisfied with every response; you hope heâs proud of how he managed everything, too, and you make sure you mention it during your turn. The smile he makes when everyone agrees warms your heart in a way you donât expect, even more so when he holds your gaze when he thanks the team in return.
Youâre rewarded with a hearty lunch an hour later, and not long after, you find yourselves near the deck of the lake, discussing how to spend your two hours of free time before the next activity.
Chin-sun and Manager Lee decide on just laying on the lounge chairs to soak up the sun. Yohan gets on a jet-ski while Do-hyun flounders about in the lake. Sipping your beer, you lean on one of the tables and savor the fresh air.Â
Thereâs not much of this in the city, and the silence - save for the young onesâ laughter in the background - is definitely worth the long ride and the backlog youâll be having once the weekend is over. Youâre not really one to stay outdoors. Youâd much rather stay inside, under the covers where you could watch movies or variety shows. That was always how you preserved your peace. Being outside always intimidated you, and you think now itâs probably because you just havenât seen that many beautiful views like this in your life. If this is whatâs outside your window everyday, youâd probably be out all the time.Â
â___, are you just gonna stay there? The waterâs amazing,â Do-hyun whines as she approaches you. âOr sunbathe if you donât want to get wet. Just get out there.â
âIâm content just watching you enjoy yourselves,â you say. âI can see the view just fine from here.â
âItâs much better up close,â she counters, standing next to you now. âCome on, this is your time to let loose since you have the permission to do so. Mr. Jeon isnât gonna be a killjoy and watch your every move, you know? If he will, then I willâŚâ
âYou will what?â You laugh.
âI will tell him heâs being a killjoy. How often can we be in a place as beautiful as this?â
âDo-hyunâs right,â Jungkook says as he appears to your left, catching both of you off guard and prompting Do-hyun to sweetly smile at him. Heâs in shorts and a loose long-sleeve shirt, perhaps ready to enjoy the outdoors as well. âThe place is too beautiful for you to just sit back and watch.â
âAnd what will you do?â You raise an eyebrow at him.
âSit back and watch,â he shrugs, earning him a laugh from you and Do-hyun. âAnd enjoy my beer. Thatâs how I relax.â
âPlease donât be boring,â Do-hyun pouts at him, embracing that little sister energy that youâve all come to love. âYou should know, Mr. Jeon, Yohan is being all cocky, saying that heâs the best jet ski rider among all of us here. I have a feeling that heâs wrong, so please show him whoâs boss. I mean, you are, obviously. But, you know what I mean.â
âI think I do,â Jungkook chuckles, putting down his drink and looking out into the lake. âBut sure. I havenât ridden one in a while but letâs see how I go.â
Jungkook walks towards the water then unknots the other jet ski. He removes his shirt and wears the life vest before riding towards where Yohan is. The view of him half-naked triggers memories of all the times youâve seen him like that, times when youâd look away and keep yourself from thinking inappropriate thoughts. Itâs no different this time, but somehow, itâs much harder to keep your heart from racing this fast.
âHoly fuck,â Do-hyun gasps next to you. âPlease donât report me but shit, ___. Whoeverâs doing Mr. Jeon is one lucky woman. I mean, look at that. And who knew he had a full sleeve of tattoo? That is so freaking hot.â
From your periphery, you could see her shocked face but you merely hum in response. You donât want to get carried away by your own expletives because there really arenât enough curses in the dictionary when it comes to describing Jungkookâs body.Â
âYou donât seem surprised,â she looks at you curiously. âAnd youâre not affected. Youâve seen it before, havenât you?â
âOf course I have. Iâm with him everyday,â you say nonchalantly.Â
âIn clothes, I would assume.â
âHe works out every morning and heâs in sleeveless tops sometimes,â you clarify. âObviously Iâve seen his arm.â
She furrows her brows as if she doesnât believe you, even if youâre telling the truth. There are just other parts of that story that you donât want to share.
âHmm, fair enough,â she gives in. âBut Iâd probably be constantly flustered or even crushing on him if I were you. So how have you managed being around him and not being attracted all this time knowing he looks like that?â
Youâre forced to look at Do-hyun, as you try to find the words to say, when she answers her own question.
âRight, he can be quite detached and too serious and heâs a playboy andââ
âYou also forget that I am his assistant and he is my boss,â you remind her. âThoughts like thatââ
âAre perfectly normal,â she interjects. âAnd totally understandable. Heâs a hot bachelor, ____. I wouldnât be able to function professionally if I were in your shoes. Which is why itâs great that Iâm here and youâre the one in that position.â
âAnd why is that?â
âBecause I might lose this job if I lose my shit every time because my boss is so hot,â she reasons. âAnd itâs not just me. Iâve seen the female staff lose their cool around him just because he spoke to them or looked their way. Itâs kind of embarrassing. But I guess the broody, asshole-y vibes add to that. And then thereâs you whoâs in his apartment every morning and heavens know what youâve seen or heard since we all know that the rumors about his dating life are true and you seem fine and totally unbothered.â
You want to laugh at how completely off Do-hyun is with her observations. Sure, you tried to be cool about it at the beginning and you mostly succeeded in being calm whenever you came close or saw any part of his body exposed.Â
But somewhere along the way, things changed. When you saw the layers underneath, he wasnât just attractive physically; he was suddenly so much more. That somehow made it harder but it also made all the restraint worth it. But thatâs not something you want to divulge to Do-hyun. No matter how difficult, you know you need to keep yourself together and stop the feelings from going any deeper.Â
âWell, just like you, I canât lose my job and I will if I let it affect me,â you say. âBut if I may say so⌠thereâs definitely more to the broody, serious man we met almost a year ago.â
âHmm, I guess thatâs true. Heâs definitely more thoughtful than I expected. Maybe a little funny, too. But thatâs really all I know. He just seems too reserved, you know? Seeing him do something like ride a jet ski or laugh with us feels like such a luxury for a man like him,â Do-hyun adds. âIt must be hard to get to know him beyond all this. I know it sure is hard to love someone like that.â
You know that Do-hyunâs merely projecting. The recent guy she was seeing was a lot more shy and private than the ones sheâs dated before. But she got him to open up and she thought that was it, that sheâd broken through his walls and theyâd be permanently down for her, only to realize it wasnât the case. He was distant for a few days and she tried to get through again only for him to completely shut her out; she hasnât heard from him in weeks.Â
Itâs probably why you agree. People who keep their distance and disengage whenever they want are hard to love. Youâd know because youâre like that. It hits you hard knowing that Jungkook is probably the same.Â
Snapping out of your thoughts, you and Do-hyun watch Jungkook and Yohan outride one another, splashing each other with water and screaming in excitement when they speed up. Seeing this other side of Jungkook does something to you again, and the sight of his smile as he dries his hair while teasing Yohan triggers the butterflies in your belly.Â
He approaches you - thankfully with his shirt on this time - and you suddenly feel too hot. He tells you that the waterâs nice and you should get in, but youâre too self-conscious now, so you compromise and say youâll just dip your feet in the water while you sit on the steps that lead down to the lake.Â
Thatâs how you spend the rest of the hour, as Chin-sun, Manager Lee, and Do-hyun join Yohan in swimming while Jungkook stays back, watching you all from afar. You glance at him a few times and he catches your eyes. He lifts his can in cheers and you do the same. He heads to where you are some time after with five cans of beer then walks back to his room, and you suddenly miss his presence. You wish he was next to you, perhaps laughing or talking about something random or just sitting with you in silence. Youâve learned that last bit brings you a lot of comfort and peace; the view somehow isnât as beautiful when you arenât sharing it with him.Â
Itâs an hour later, after having dried and fixed up, when youâre all on the basketball court to start the next activity that Mr. Ri prepared. Divided into teams of two, each pair is assigned a path that leads to either the mountain, the woods, or the stream to find bags of coins needed to âpurchaseâ materials to create a science experiment-type water rocket. Itâs meant to practice your communication and problem-solving skills with those you work most closely with, which is why Chin-sun and Do-hyun, and Manager Lee and Yohan are paired up respectively while you, of course, end up with Jungkook.Â
âThe caretakers and I spent all morning preparing this game, so please take it seriously,â Mr Ri says. âAnd bond with each other while youâre at it.â
You see the competitiveness in the young onesâ eyes, especially when itâs announced that thereâs a prize for the winners, and you like the energy. Being Jungkookâs partner, you know itâs just about completing the task and somehow, itâs the bonding bit that makes you nervous. You already know youâre going to like it, which is precisely why it terrifies you.Â
âThere are ATVs for each team which you will ride to the start of the path. Youâll have to go by foot when you get there or else youâll miss the bags of coins,â Mr. Ri instructs. âYou have walkie-talkies to reach me in case you get lost but please donât. And try to be back here in an hour. All clear?â
You all express your acknowledgement and he signals the start. The other teams rush to their rides and quickly drive off while you and Jungkook stroll to yours.Â
He takes the helmet and puts it on you, and he laughs again like he did at the Arts Center months ago before riding the vehicle.Â
âI shouldâve expected that,â you pout.Â
âWhich?â
âThat youâll laugh at me again.â
âIt looks cute on you,â he says casually before riding the vehicle.
Your eyes widen at his words and youâre glad he has his back turned on you. That way he canât see the way youâre trying to hold your smile and suppress the giddy feeling at his remark. It makes it that much harder for you to climb up behind him though, but you manage, and you ensure thereâs some distance between you and him, knowing how you tend to be when you get close.Â
Jungkook, on the other hand, internally smacks himself after he says the words. He didnât mean for the thoughts in his head to actually come out. Heâs glad he didnât see your probably awkward expression, and that right now, he needs to focus on the road. That way, he can preoccupy himself with your safety and not his embarrassment.Â
He means it though. Thereâs something about you in a helmet that gets him, or even in anything oversized, like his jacket that he made you wear once. Thereâs also something about you wading in the water and laughing so freely that make his insides melt. Anything you do actually triggers something in him - a protective side, a care-free side; a side that wants to take a pause and bask in the scenery that includes you.Â
Now he has to act like heâs not affected with you sitting behind him as he drives the ATV down the rugged path. He feels you far from him, sitting close to the edge and holding onto the handles behind you. But as the road gets rockier, he starts to get worried.Â
âYou should hold onto me,â he says, turning his head to the side so you could hear him before slowing down. âItâs safer that way.â
It takes a few seconds but he feels you move closer to him, your arms slowly wrapping around his torso. Itâs a bit loose but itâs enough for his breathing to quicken.
âIs⌠is this okay?â You softly ask.
âYeah,â he manages to say. âItâs a bit rocky out here so be careful. You can, uh, you can hold on tighter if you feel unstable.â
You hum in response but you maintain your position. He supposes you donât know how bumpy it could be. It makes him worry and he wishes youâd grab onto him more only because heâs afraid youâd fall, and thatâs exactly what happens after the first big bump.Â
You yelp, tightening your grip around him immediately. He feels his heart stop, unprepared to have your arms around his waist and your chest flushed against his back even if thatâs what heâd suggested you do. Heâs felt you close in several instances already, but each time feels different. It affects him the same way though - all he wants is to have you even closer.
But thatâs not something he can think of right now, especially when youâre both alone, in a place thatâs conducive to letting his inhibitions go.Â
Itâs calm and peaceful out here. Thereâs a lot of open space but he enjoys it more when heâs looking at it from the comforts of the balcony or the deck. He always prefers to stay indoors because the outdoors somehow make him feel more constricted; he supposes that being trapped in the woods as a child would do that to anyone. Heâs always just been a spectator, watching everything from behind the safety of his walls, knowing that he could feel a bit unsteady out there.
But ever since you got here and heâd seen you enjoy the surroundings, all heâs felt was the stability of having you near him. That, ironically, scares him, too. The more heâs comfortable with you, the more worried he becomes. So he settles on what he knows how to do - keeping you at a fair distance but creating moments here and there, only so you donât think heâs pushing you away or detaching himself.Â
You decide to just hold onto Jungkook for safety purposes. You didnât realize that the path towards the stream is this rocky, but you suppose it should be since youâre in the undeveloped part of the property. It's probably why he asked you to hold onto him; heâs your safety precaution and you know enough that he wouldnât want anything bad to happen to you.
Heâs steady and skilled in navigating the ATV, avoiding the big bumps and alerting you when thereâs going to be one. Itâs actually quite attractive. He feels so nice like this, with his soft hoodie and natural scent, and you have to pull away every once in a while so as not to get too comfortable. You canât let yourself imagine this to be a possibility beyond today, you remind yourself. He canât be someone you constantly seek, that you could fall into, even if thatâs pretty much where youâre at at this point.Â
You reach the end of the road and Jungkook lets you get down first, instructing you to hold his arm for support, before following right after. You walk towards the mark that signifies the start of the path where youâre supposed to find the bags of coins, and you look around to see that there are more shrubs than trees. It feels a little less constricting compared to if you were in the mountains or the woods, which is why you think Mr. Ri assigned this to both of you.
You and Jungkook start searching, and with the topography of the place, itâs easy to spot the bags that are hanging from the tree branches. You point one out and Jungkook steps on the hollowed out trunk to retrieve it. You stand by watching, reminding him to be careful. And though you tell yourself to focus on the bag, you canât help but glance at the sight of him - in his light gray sweatpants and hooded sweatshirt, looking casual and comfortable and even more attractive.Â
It doesnât help when he reaches out towards the branch while you stay on a spot below him, and the view of him from this angle leaves you quite breathless. Not only does his hoodie rise up to reveal his waist and that lower half of his torso that youâd held onto earlier, but you also get a peek of the band of his underwear, too. Your mind short-circuits for the briefest moment, even more when he stretches even more to pull the bag towards him, and youâre able to snap out of it in time, as you watch him slowly make his way down.
âWatch your step, watch your step!â You call out.
He easily descends, and with his smug face, he lifts the bag for you to see.Â
âDo you not have faith in my tree-climbing capabilities?â he asks you.  Â
âItâs just not something Iâve seen you do before,â you shrug, acting nonchalantly as you return to walking down the path.
âSo, were you worried?â
âUhm, yes? I canât have an injured Vice President on my watch,â you exclaim, earning you a laugh. âHow am I gonna transport you out of this dirt road and back to the house? I can barely keep still as a passenger on the ATV.â
âWell, I could get hurt but I definitely wonât be immobile,â he points out. âI wonât be a hard person to help.â
âRight⌠Iâm the one who gets injured and then canât walk.â
He frowns at you at the reminder, and you counter that itâs okay for you to make fun of your injury but that heâs right, he probably wonât be as injured as you. You wave him off, hoping that you donât have to deal with an incapacitated version of him during this game. You also wonât be able to handle worrying about him without giving too much away.Â
You return your focus on finding the other bags. There are those hidden behind rocks and in shallow holes; you know because of the shovel next to them. Thereâs another one tied around the trunk of the tree, and you have to hold your breath again when Jungkook climbs up to get it.
As expected, you have good teamwork. You section off areas to search at and quickly find what youâre looking for. You go for the ones you can get and then ask him to reach for the ones you canât. Thereâs some bickering in between, with him pretending that heâs stuck or caught on something while you panic and then pout at him for scaring you. But there are some moments of silence, too, where you walk side by side and bask in the scent of your surroundings. Either way, itâs time that you enjoy just being around him, taking in the environment that you often stayed away from. With him, itâs a lot less scary and definitely more freeing.
When youâre down to your last one, you and Jungkook think that Mr. Ri would hide it somewhere near the end of the path, so you both decide to just take in your surroundings as you stroll towards the stream. Â
âSo, nature smells like this, huh?â you hum. âItâs quite comforting.â
âIt is,â he says. âI forget sometimes. Itâs nice to remember.â
âDonât you spend a lot of time outdoors?â You wonder. âYouâve mentioned driving out to some of your properties with views like this. Iâd assume you stay out and enjoy the scenery.â
âI do enjoy the scenery⌠just from inside,â he chuckles, knowing the irony of his words. âItâs just more comfortable that way, I guess. So I appreciate being forced to go outside this weekend.â
âAt least youâre not alone, right?â
âThatâs true.â
âIâm the same,â you say. âI donât go out much. I mean, Iâm often on my own so I just stay indoors but I do enjoy the scenery when Iâm with others. It feels too lonely when youâre by yourself. To be something so small in a world so big⌠It's kind of scary.â
âWell, Iâm here with you. Thereâs nothing to be afraid of.â
You donât think Jungkook will ever know the weight of his words and just how wrong he is. To be in a place so beautiful with him next to you⌠itâs everything youâre scared of. Youâve come to appreciate a lot of things because of him. Youâve come to want more when you shouldnât because of him. You always find yourself in a state of push-and-pull with your emotions when it comes to him, knowing that heâs someone you canât have. Heâll always be out of reach no matter how close he is. Heâll always hinder you from the kind of life you want to have even if that includes him.Â
The logical part of you wants to keep your distance, to not create any more memories that will haunt you and that youâll miss. But the stubborn part of you wants you to hold onto this to remind you that beautiful things are tangible and heâs the one thing you can see and hear; maybe heâs something you can touch, too.Â
The latter one wins, so you slow your pace, take in the sight before you, and decide that this is a memory youâll want to keep. You take the disposable camera from your pouch, something you bought the other week specifically for this trip, knowing it might be your last. You take a photo of the sky, then of the path ahead of you, then of the stream, making sure thereâs a bit of him in there - a mop of hair, a portion of his arm, his shadow.Â
Itâs then that you see the last bright red bag on one of the big rocks near the waterâs edge.Â
âOh, there it is,â you say, immediately walking towards it.Â
You look around and strategize how youâll get to the rock safely but Jungkook insists that heâll be the one to get it.
âYouâve gotten all the tricky ones,â you argue, given that heâd climbed the tree and crawled under the shrub because your leggings were too thin and wouldnât be able to protect you from the thorny branches. âI can get this.â
âIt might be slippery.â
âI have good balance,â you lie.
âUh, I clearly remember that you donât.â
âHey,â you pout at him, knowing heâs referring to that time you tripped on yourself during one of your Arts Center visits. âIt was the heels. Thatâs clearly not a problem this time.â
You step on the wet stones and balance your way as they lead towards the big rock, with Jungkook repeatedly telling you to be careful. His voice just gets louder and louder, but you turn around and see that heâs actually just following you. Itâs your mistake, as your loss of focus causes you to slip on one of the rocks and almost lose your balance. Fortunately, it doesnât make you fall on your ass. Your foot merely slides to the side, barely missing the water, which is really fine, but Jungkook doesnât think so.
âDonât move until youâre stable,â he instructs, holding out his hand for you to take, prompting you to look at him questioningly. âThatâs the foot you injured. You canât risk spraining it again. Just take my hand or hold my wrist so you can safely get the bag.â
You do as he says, grabbing his forearm so you can stabilize yourself. You let him go once you do, then you turn and take a few small steps to get what you need. He stays close to you though, and once you retrieve the bag, you turn towards him with a proud smile and announce that half of your task has been completed.Â
âYouâre incredibly stubborn, you know that?â He says instead, his firm voice a contrast to his playful frown.
âAnd you are quite the nagger,â you hit back. âI wouldnât have slipped if I hadnât turned and I wouldnât have done that if you werenât so noisy.â
âSure, itâs my fault. Sorry for caring about your safety,â he shakes his head.Â
âWell, you were underestimating me,â you frown now. âI couldâve done all this without your help.â
âReally?â He challenges.
âYes,â you stand your ground. âAlthough I would still need your help to get back to land.â
Itâs what makes him laugh, and the way his eyes light up and crinkle makes your heart race. He has such a sweet sound, and you wish you could hear more of it.Â
âI figured. Letâs go, then.â
âWait,â you stop him and check your watch. âWe still have time. Can we stay for a bit? The waterâs quite nice and the view of the mountains is prettier from here.â
Jungkook looks around. The mountain range from far away looks majestic from this angle, and with the sun about to set soon, the way the light shines on the water is just as beautiful.Â
âOkay then,â he says, wanting to savor this as well.Â
You just said you donât go out much, and maybe like what he feels, being with him makes you want to take it all in; maybe it makes you feel less scared.
You both find dry rocks to sit at and itâs the perfect spot for you to take more photos, so you take out your camera and see which angles look best.
âDid you buy that for this trip?â he asks.
âYeah. I knew the sights would be beautiful. I just wanted to keep something from here,â you explain.
âGive it to me then,â he says, reaching out his hand and gesturing towards your camera. âLet me take one of you so youâll always remember.â
You hand it over to him then suddenly feel awkward at how youâre supposed to pose. You stay seated with your legs just slightly bent but are unsure of where youâre supposed to look. It feels a little too tense if you look at his direction, even if thatâs what you should be doing.
âItâs free to smile, you know? Thatâs what people usually do for photos,â he says, causing you to giggle. He takes the photo right then, and you have an idea he caught your smile at the right time.
âWas that a trick?â You ask.
âSort of. I knew you were gonna think of how bold it was of me to say that, considering that I barely even smile.â
âWow, I canât even tease you anymore because you already know what Iâm gonna say.â
âI know sometimes you canât help but just tease me like that. I know you too well,â he smugly says. âBut I think I got a good photo. Youâre welcome.â
You laugh at his playfulness, knowing itâs rare for him to show that side of him. So you ask for your camera back and decide you want him to be part of this particular memory. You hold it out and turn towards him.
âMay I?â You ask.
âUh, yeah, I guess,â he hums. âI just donât know how to smile.â
You giggle again and youâre quick enough to catch the brief moment when he lets out a short laugh.Â
You look at him softly, as if thereâs more you want to say - that youâll keep this close to you so youâll remember what his smile looks like, that heâs something beautiful you can hear and see, that you feel so safe out here with him, and that you hope heâll remember this, too.
But you look away before any of the words make it out.Â
You think to just quietly savor this, as you bask in the sounds of the cicadas and the flow of the water and the rustling of the leaves. Youâre so small in this big world, but being with Jungkook makes things a little less scary. With him, you donât feel so alone.
A bit more time passes before you both decide to head back. He reaches out his hand which you mindlessly take, your fingers instinctively wrapping around his palm. Youâre too focused on your steps that you only realize youâre still holding him once you both safely make it to dry land. But itâs also at that moment when he lets go. Though a part of you wishes heâd drag the illusion a bit more, youâre also glad he didnât; you wouldâve probably held on longer if he didnât pull away.Â
The silence continues as you both walk back to the start of the path, but he stays near you, occasionally asking if youâre tired or cold. You make it to the ATV and you hold onto his waist again with no instructions needed this time. He drives a bit faster than earlier but you feel safe and steady, and thereâs something natural about the way youâre clinging to him for support. Part of the illusion as well, you think, but that ends, too.
Youâre the last one back to the villas but you and Jungkook quickly make up some ground in assembling the water rocket. It was mostly him, though, as he says that he tinkers around and easily figures these things out. Do-hyun and Chin-sun feel the pressure as you catch up, and they shriek as they slowly feel the win slipping away from them. But then Jungkook holds onto the last piece and lets them win instead. The way they celebrate after their rocket successfully launches makes it feel worth it; you donât feel bad about it at all. If anything, you expected heâd let either of the other two teams finish first.Â
After the winners are handed out hotel accommodation gift cards, Jungkook excuses himself to get a bit of work done while the rest of the team prepares for dinner. The team works on your assigned tasks of preparing the grill and slicing the vegetables, while you cook your famed fried rice after Do-hyun convinced you that it would heal her broken heart. Seated outside with the cool evening air, you all wait for Jungkook before starting.
âMr. Jeon said heâll just message me once heâs ready to eat,â Mr. Ri says as he takes his seat. âWe can start without him.â
âBut itâs not a team dinner without him,â Do-hyun whines. âHe should take a break from working and spend time with us.â
âIâm sure he wants that, too,â you say. âLetâs just give him some time, maybe thereâs something urgent he needs to do. Letâs just enjoy our meal and leave some food for him.â
Everyone dives in once the meat is cooked, and thereâs a consensus that your fried rice is definitely worth all the hype. The laughter and teasing immediately start, and you wish Jungkook was here to enjoy it with you. You constantly glance at his villa, noting the dim lights, and you wonder what has him holed up inside this time, knowing he didnât plan on working too much while heâs here.Â
Itâs one hour later when you decide that heâs gone too long without having dinner, so you take portions of everything and set them on a tray.Â
âWait, let me make him a drink. Hopefully thatâll convince him to come out,â Yohan says.Â
Managing to carry everything, you head towards Jungkookâs villa, and when he opens the door after your constant bell-ringing, he looks at you in surprise.Â
âThe teamâs been wondering when you were coming out,â you say. âYou might be in there because of work, but Iâm not fully convinced. Whatever it is, the foodâs too delicious for you to not have a taste, so I brought you some.âÂ
You raise the tray that you placed on the small table outside and flash him a smile. He nods in acknowledgement and takes it from you but you donât leave just yet.Â
âI hope youâre not working anymore,â you say.Â
âI only did for a while,â he replies. âI⌠got a bit tired.â
âIâve seen you workout in the morning and work all day after only having three hours of sleep, Jungkook. You wouldnât get tired from just a jet ski ride and some scavenger hunt,â you raise an eyebrow.Â
He lets out a dry laugh before heading to the dining room. He leaves the door open so you follow him inside.
âI mean Iâm socially tired. Isnât that a thing?âÂ
âGee, I didnât think that spending time with me outdoors drained your energy so much,â you frown.Â
Your playful pout tells him youâre teasing. He sure hopes itâs not what you really feel. Itâs the opposite, in fact. He felt relieved of a lot of things during that hour that he walked around and breathed in the fresh air with you. And you both had moments - comforting glances, the shared silence⌠the fleeting touches that made him want more. Youâre everything new and familiar and he wants to know how itâs like to have you close to him.Â
He knows itâs a desire he canât act on, not just because heâs your superior but also because he canât imagine you feeling a fraction of what he feels. Itâs tempting to mistake your kindness for something more, and heâd fall into it if only hoping didnât lead to disappointment. But like what Yoongi had said before, itâs how you naturally are, even as someone who prefers to be alone. Whatever type of friendship you offer is all that it is - friendship.Â
Jungkook clearly doesnât deserve you. Itâs not just because of the way he treated you at the beginning but because even until now, whenever he pulls away, youâre always the first one who reaches out. Heâs scared that anything he does might push you away, and thatâs the last thing he wants. Heâll keep you at a distance for as much as he can and for as long as youâre around. He can handle that, but losing you in any way has become his biggest fear.Â
Thatâs why he needed to be on his own after your time together in such a casual and comfortable environment. Itâs easy to want that with you and to think that he can have it. Pulling away has always been his default when dealing with things he canât control, and earlier, he just couldnât control his mind and his heart.Â
But youâre here now, having knocked on his door like you always do, wondering if heâll come out.
âI brought you dinner but I purposely gave you small servings so youâll want more and leave your villa,â you explain.Â
âHalf a cup of your fried rice?â He scowls. âThatâs a crime.â
âI know. And youâll run out if you donât go outside,â you warn. âAre you planning on just staying here? Do-hyunâs right. Itâs not a team dinner without you there.â
âI⌠I was planning to go out a bit later. Itâs a different setting and Iâm a little anxious,â he admits.
He looks away and you feel for him. You were the same in the beginning, too. Itâs one thing to share meals with people in a work environment but itâs another when itâs more casual, where people are less filtered and guarded. But you had to try, and after spending time getting to know your colleagues, things got easier.
The team has adjusted to Jungkook but you suppose Jungkook hasnât fully adjusted to them. Perhaps he was planning on sneaking in much later in the evening or using work as an excuse. But this is part of his function, and like you promised him early on, you want to help him with this aspect of his role.
âIâll help you loosen up a bit,â you suggest. âI can have dinner with you here first and then we can go out once youâre ready.â
âSounds good,â he agrees, even if heâd decided earlier that heâd keep his distance. âYou can get your food outside. Iâm not sharing mine.â
You laugh at how seriously he says the words.
âI know,â you say. âAnd by the way, Yohan made you that drink.â
âHowâd he know I like highball?â
âA little birdie told him,â you shrug, feigning innocence.Â
You smile before walking out, with Jungkook reminding you to set aside some fried rice for him.
You take your plate and reason to the team that you and Jungkook will just discuss some work stuff and they buy it, saying they won't get drunk until youâre both back outside.
You return to the villa with your dish and a bottle of beer, immediately realizing that itâs new territory for you and Jungkook, too. Sure, youâve spent some time together out of work, but not in a place and situation like this.Â
But you want to be there for him. You like that he looks to you for energy and support. On days when heâs distant, you want moments like right now to remind you of the times he needed you, that he wanted you around, even if itâs for a different reason.
It takes half an hour for Jungkook to ease his nerves. In that time, you talk about random things, like his favorite hawker centers in Singapore and the variety shows you watch on which days. You both tease each other, then compete on who gets less affected. You tell him itâs good preparation for when the team, in their drunken states, does the same. You assure him, though, that they wonât go below the belt but he also assures you that heâs a big boy and can handle it.Â
When he says he wants more fried rice, it becomes your cue to head outside. Youâre thankful that other than Mr. Ri subtly smirking at you, no one else reacts uncomfortably. You and Jungkook just came from his villa alone, after all, but you suppose everyoneâs too tired or too careful to say anything.Â
âI hope no oneâs eaten my share of the fried rice,â Jungkook says as he sits across from you. âI was really looking forward to it.â
âHere, all yours, Mr. Jeon,â Yohan says as he hands him a bowl. âIf it isnât enough, just know that Do-hyun took one last scoop before we set this aside.â
âTraitor,â Do-hyun scowls at the younger man. âI couldnât help it. Itâs so good, right?â She turns to Jungkook now. â___ gatekeeps this! She says sheâs too busy to make it and I only got her to do it now because Iâm heartbroken.â
Jungkook smiles internally. Youâve made this for him a few times and itâs heartwarming to think that you had your reasons for doing so, knowing now that itâs not something you easily share.Â
âItâs way better than the one I make,â Jungkook says, glancing at you. âI can have this everyday.â
âYou cook?!â Do-hyun basically yells.Â
âUh, yeah. I lived on my own for years. How do you think I survived?â Jungkook asks.
âPaying people to do things for you,â Do-hyun shrugs.Â
Itâs a line heâs heard you say before and neither of you are wrong. Itâs normal to make that assumption and itâs also true. He had people to do pretty much everything for him when he was in Singapore. He has that option here in Seoul, too, but heâs found himself wanting less people in his space for long periods of time. Youâre really the only one he doesnât mind being around him.
The conversation shifts to what happened in the afternoon, and you all end up talking about each teamâs scavenger hunt experience and the anticipation for the next dayâs obstacle course and relay games. A few more shots and bottles of beer later, the vibe turns more serious, as Manager Leeâs question to Do-hyun about how sheâs feeling turns into an emotional session where she asks what sheâs supposed to do about the man she was seeing, wondering if itâs worth reaching out or just moving on from him.
Chin-sun shares a piece of her mind and so does Yohan. Manager Lee says that sometimes, people donât know what they want and isolate themselves in response. The pieces of advice are a mix of being patient and forgetting about the man, and you choose to observe rather than give an opinion. Itâs always easy to say something but things could be totally different once youâre the one experiencing it. You think Jungkook feels the same, as he stays quiet but listens earnestly.
âWhat do you think, Mr. Ri?â Do-hyun asks. âYouâre the oldest one here and would probably have a lot to say.â
âI wish I did but I wouldnât say Iâve made the best decisions when it comes to my love life,â Mr. Ri laughs. âI mean, Iâve only ever loved one woman but I let her go. And that was over 20 years ago; I havenât loved anyone that way since. I donât think I ever really stopped.â
You watch everyoneâs faces turn from shocked to somber. Mr. Ri, having been CEO Jeonâs right-hand man for a long time, has a stable and commanding presence. Everyone knows him to be loyal and firm, yet thereâs a warmth about him with how protective and dependable he is. They all know about his commitment to his job, but his faithfulness to one person is perhaps surprising; he was never one to show much emotion, after all. But then again, people make sacrifices in the name of love - sometimes they give everything up for it, sometimes itâs what they let go of.
âTwenty years is a long time,â Do-hyun sighs. âAnd you never stopped. Where does all that love go?â
âI have people I care about,â Mr. Ri answers. âIt goes to them. Obviously itâs different but I learned that if I keep all that love to myself, it hurts even more. Thatâs how I learned to live with the decision I made. Itâs how I learned to let her go.â
âThatâs so sad,â Do-hyun sniffles. âHere I am, heartbroken about a guy I was dating for only a few months while youâve been harboring these feelings for decades.â
âItâs not about the length of time you were together or apart,â Mr. Ri shakes his head. âWhen you give a part of yourself to someone, losing them always hurts. That part of you is gone because they took it with them and you canât take it back. So your pain is valid. We all love and grieve and move forward differently,â he says. âItâs all terrifying but thatâs the irony of life, Iâve learned. The thing we all want and canât live without is the same thing that hurts us the most, whether we have it or not.â
Thereâs a beat of silence as everyone takes in the elder manâs words. They cut deep, as you know they come from a place of deep pain. You donât want to ever go through something that hurts that much.Â
âIâm too emotional,â Do-hyun sighs, not wanting to spend the rest of the evening crying and having everyone feel bad for her, so she shifts her attention to something else. âI want something juicy.â She briefly looks at Jungkook, who looks blankly at her, so she turns to you instead. âI donât know much about your love life, ___.â
âYes, because I donât have one,â you chuckle, masking the nervousness you feel because talking about its inexistence in front of the man plaguing your mind was not something you planned for this trip.Â
âBut I know you did,â she insists. âI mean, why wouldnât you?â
âI think what Do-hyun means is that youâre a highly capable, kind, and attractive woman,â Chin-sun chimes in. âSurely there have been prospects for a relationship, yes?â
âLike Mr. Min!â Yohan says now. âI always thought you two were cute together. Do-hyun and I would bet on it since she says youâre not the type to date co-workers.â
âAnd sheâs right,â you say, glancing at Jungkook whose face you canât read. âYoongi and I are good friends. Thatâs all we ever were.â
âWell, I think heâs very nice and heâd treat you well,â Yohan sighs. âBut I guess it might be weird to date someone you work with. I have friends I can match you with!â
âThatâs not necessary,â you laugh. âI donât think relationships are for everyone.â
âWhy not?â Do-hyun asks.
You contemplate on whether or not youâre ready for this conversation, especially since itâs the type you usually just have with your best friends. You suppose itâs why your colleagues claim they donât know much about you other than the way you work because you donât really share much about your life, your dreams, or the things you wonder about. Youâve always preferred to keep things to yourself, always worried about how they will be received.
But everyoneâs allowed themselves to be vulnerable tonight, and given the distance youâve created between you and them all these years, you think the least you could do is be honest. Itâs a team building thing anyway, and people bond over shared experiences during these times.
âIâve⌠dated people but it was never serious,â you start. âI never really saw myself committing to them. Sure, Iâd give my time and energy but nothing more. Thereâs so much courage in loving another person. I just donât think Iâll ever be brave enough for that. I mean, itâs just hard to control. Once you start, you canât stop; once you do it too much, you canât pull back.â
âSounds to me like youâre afraid that you wonât receive as much as you give,â Manager Lee states. âItâs how love is, though. Itâs not always equal. But thatâs the risk you take, thatâs the trust you build. That even when whatâs given isnât the same, thereâs still love there.â
âBut isnât that the scary part of it all?â You counter. âLike what Mr. Ri said, you give a part of yourself to someone when you love them but what if they donât want that specific part of you? Or they did then one day they decide they donât anymore? So they just retreat and leave you out in the open. Theyâre safe but youâre not, because you broke down your walls for them but they didnât do the same.â
âThatâs the thing about finding the right person, ___,â Manager Lee says, with all the wisdom of a man whoâs loved and lost and loved again. âYou either trust that they wonât do that, or you accept that they could and youâd still think that loving them is worth all the pain that losing them would cost. In the end, you get to decide. If you keep yourself from feeling it, how are you to know whatâs worth it and what isnât?â
Youâve heard versions of these words before, too. Soomin and Jimin, whose respective relationship ups and downs youâve witnessed, have said themselves that committing yourself to someone takes a whole lot of faith in the person and in yourself. Itâs because youâre giving them an opportunity to hurt you but you have to trust that they wonât. A lot of times, they do, so you then have to trust in your own ability to get over them.Â
The thoughts swim in your head and with your silence, Chin-sun gives you an encouraging smile. Sheâs a few years older than you and has experienced a lot when it comes to relationships, and you can sense that she understands your hesitation and your fear.
âItâs scary but when you find someone who makes you feel brave, that can make all the difference,â she says.Â
Admitting all this makes you feel exposed, especially when your eyes flit to Jungkook and you find him gazing at you, as if heâs trying to figure you out. Youâre worried that any other move you make or things you say will lead him to uncovering your feelings that you acknowledge is beyond just physical attraction at this point.Â
You find yourself worrying about him constantly, wondering what heâs doing or if heâs getting proper rest. Youâre always thinking about his smile and the sound of his laugh, and you imagine how much sweeter and softer they could get. You want him to be happy, to find his peace, to have something to look forward to. And you want to know what his touch feels and how itâs like to have him close.Â
You know all this is wrong because of who you are and who he is in this world, especially as you realize that youâve never felt anything quite like this before. The fear makes itself even more known as it is embodied in the man across from you - so palpable and overwhelming that you canât help but want more, and the more his eyes bore into you, the closer you are to giving in.Â
How are you to know whatâs worth it and what isnât if you donât let yourself feel all of it? And if Jungkook makes you feel brave, then what if heâs the person youâre willing to break down your walls for?
You shake your head, knowing you canât fall into the trap of your own mind. You need to be logical about this, but you also think that youâve been that way all your life and it hasnât brought you much happiness. At this point, you question what that looks like.Â
Maybe it looks like him. Maybe itâs also life without him.Â
How do people make decisions like this? You wonder. How do they know how much pain they can bear? And when does it become worth it?
âWise words,â you manage to say after a tense silence. âYou make it sound simple.â
âSometimes it is, sometimes it isnât,â Chin-sun says. âHuman beings are complicated, ___, so are our emotions. Love makes people stupid. But it also makes us brave and happy and complete. And when itâs shared with the right person, god it feels so good.â
Youâre able to get her to share about her own experience and remove the spotlight away from you. Manager Lee narrates his serendipitous love story as well, and the serious tone of the conversation turns into a giddy, enjoyable one. You find yourself constantly glancing at Jungkook, liking his soft smiles and giggles as the stories are told. He briefly meets your eyes during some moments though, and thatâs when you look away.Â
The night ends when he announces that everyone should get some rest and prepare for tomorrowâs activities, so you all clean up and wish each other a good night. Your eyes linger on Jungkook as he walks back to his villa, and you turn away before he does the same, the yearning for him getting stronger as each day passes.
The sun shines beautifully over the lake as you lean on the railing overlooking the water. The clouds over the mountains look like the fog that cleared earlier, and the majestic way that the scenery is framed by the blue skies is absolutely stunning.
âItâs pretty, isnât it?â Jungkook hums from several meters next to you. âI never really bothered to appreciate this view before.â
âIt is,â you say, turning to him as he continues to gaze at the scene before you while you gaze at him. If he notices from his periphery, he doesnât say anything. âItâs breathtaking. I could take a picture but that wouldnât give this justice.â
âI can try,â he says, reaching out to ask for your phone. âIâm good at this.â
You indulge him and watch as he finds the right angle to beautifully capture the surroundings. He asks if you want him to take another photo with you in it this time, and though youâre a little shy, you let him.Â
You warm at how natural your smile looks, realizing that you were focusing on his smile while he was taking the picture. The view looks surreal but youâre in there, and itâs a reminder of where you are and who youâre with. Jungkook remarks that itâs a nice shot before turning back to the water, and while you wish you were braver and had asked to take one with him so you could hold onto this memory, you know youâll look at this photo of you and also remember what youâre feeling. Thereâs so much calm and clarity, and you know itâs not just because of the mountains.Â
The tension and fear that filled you up last night have slowly turned into a sense of relief. The distance that once bothered you about Jungkook now gives you comfort. No matter how far or unattainable he may be, you still feel his presence - his warmth is in the peacefulness of a park at night, or in the calmness of the lake, or in the safety of your neighborhood library. You never imagined that one Jeon Jungkook would ever make you feel this way, and if heâs someone who makes you be brave to feel something new, maybe you owe it to him and to yourself to be brave to pursue that, too.
Your thoughts are disrupted when Yohan yells that breakfast is ready. You all gather in the common dining room for some dumpling soup before a short planning session to give you time to digest. At 9:30, the first activity begins, with all six of you divided into two teams to finish an obstacle course.
It gets competitive when youâre teamed up with the younger ones, as Do-hyun and Yohan attempt to trash talk the others. They give it their all, especially when they see Jungkook dominating the kayaking part of the course, but the three of you manage in the end. A part of you feels that the other team just wanted to make the younger ones win only to use it against them later on, but the fun and excitement are what matter.
You enjoy some meat and stew for lunch and have another planning session before doing the afternoon games, which has Jungkook on the losing team again. He comes up with a last minute individual game that gives Manager Lee the chance to win this time, and the afternoon ends with all of you, excluding him, winning prizes you can enjoy after this.
The free time before dinner has you reading your book by the lake and then talking with Chin-sun in the hammock while the rest of the team enjoy the sunset and some beer. Youâre thankful that this time, Mr. Ri was tasked to handle all the activities instead of you, and so youâre able to focus on spending time with your colleagues.Â
You grill meat again for dinner, roast marshmallows over the campfire, and passionately sing off-key in the karaoke. But unlike last night, people decide to go to bed early, definitely tired from todayâs physical activities.Â
Youâre exhausted as well but somehow, the pull of the cold evening air is too strong, so you decide to walk to the main house and grab a bottle of beer. When you walk out to the deck, youâre surprised to find Jungkook seated on a lounge chair outside of his villa, glass in hand as he looks up at the sky.Â
Jungkook savors the crisp breeze, knowing that once he gets back to Seoul, all heâll have is the musty air and the buzzing sounds of the city. He wants to remember this weekend and the peace he felt. Maybe he shouldâve taken a photo of the view this morning like he did for you; he at least has the one of you in it that he took ingrained in his mind. You looked so calm and happy; he couldnât help the smile that formed on his face then.Â
Heâs trying to keep as much of today in his memory as he can, knowing how hectic itâs going to be when you all get back. Other than the amount of fun he didnât expect to have with the team, he enjoyed seeing a different side of you.Â
You were competitive but encouraging, probably not the most athletic but definitely capable. He could pick out your squeals and laughter and he thought they were sweet and hypnotic, and he appreciated how thoughtful you were during dinner, making sure everyone had enough to eat, especially him. You would catch his attention to ask if his meat is okay or if heâs feeling comfortable; he hated that it all ended so soon. Though he shouldnât, he wanted more time with you. Itâs different being out here than it is in the office or even in his home. Here, heâs unguarded and a lot more free, and heâs able to make more sense of how you affect him; in a way, heâs able to truly feel all that you make him feel.
Thereâs so much of you in his mind but youâre not around, so he stands up to head to bed already, hoping heâd at least see you in his dreams. But when he turns towards the door, he sees a silhouette in the main houseâs deck. And as if the universe is giving him some sign, he finds you there, standing by the post with a beer in hand. You lift the bottle in cheers and he lifts his drink in return, sipping every last drop he could.
He sees you grab another bottle from the outdoor fridge then place it on the coffee table, an invitation to join you that heâs glad you make. He wouldâve been too hesitant to make the move, unsure of your willingness to be in his presence.Â
âCanât sleep?â You ask as he nears the couch.Â
He sits next to you, the short distance a little too tempting to close.Â
âSort of,â he hums. âAnd you?â
âNot really. I donât get much of the outdoors back in my tiny apartment,â you chuckle.
âFair enough. The weatherâs been nice, fortunately. Not like the last time we were out of town, yeah?â
âYeah, fortunately,â you shyly look at him, not saying more, perhaps unsure if itâs something heâs ready to talk about.
âItâs okay,â he assures you. âIâve accepted you having witnessed my extreme moment of weakness. You were patient and understanding even when I was angry and I⌠I donât know if Iâve thanked you enough for that.â
âYou have, and I understand it all. But Jungkook, what happened at that guest house is not weakness,â you insist. âThatâs⌠dealing with a painful memory.â
âThat wasnât dealing, ___. I was suffering. That's⌠thatâs what happens when someone doesnât know how to move on from something.â
âDoes it happen a lot?â You wonder.Â
âWell, the nightmares tend to happen when the thunder is really loud,â he says. âOtherwise I just get really anxious, like when it rains, my brain just expects things to get bad.â
âWhat do you do when it does?â
âI donât know how I manage, actually,â he answers. âI usually forget and just remember that I wake up dry in my bed. I mean, Iâd be sweating but not soaked. I guess that night, I was just too nervous because the rain was so strong, we were on the road. And I was somewhere completely unfamiliar with you. I⌠I think that made it worse.â
Your silence prompts him to clarify. âI mean, I didnât want you to see me that way, thatâs why it was worse,â he states. âItâs not a side of me Iâm proud of. Which is silly thinking about it now because youâve seen a lot of sides of me that Iâm not proud of. All of them, actually.â
âSo youâre not proud of the side of you that protected me? That made sure I was safe? That rushed to find me when I was stuck in the rain?â You ask.Â
âItâs what any decent human being would do,â he dismisses. âThose just probably stand out because I wasnât exactly one in the beginning.â
âWell, you had Mr. Ri drive me. Youâd make me go home early sometimes, too.â
â___, again, thatâs what a decent boss should be doing. Itâs the bare minimum. You deserve more kindness than youâre receiving. I⌠I should have been that to you from the start.â
âWeâve moved past that, remember? Itâs all okay. I managed, I stayed. And Iâm glad I did. I got to learn so much from you,â you assure him. âAnd you deserve more kindness than youâre receiving, too.â
Jungkook hums. He wouldnât have thought that heâd be able to freely talk to you about all this - about how he was before and how heâs been recently. And like always, youâre gentle with him. He could only hope youâre as gentle as you are with yourself, something he doesnât know how to do.Â
âI⌠I hope youâve found ways to cope with all that you went through,â he says, turning away from you in shame. âI�� Iâm still learning.â
âItâs a process, and itâs not an easy one. No one really tells you how to do it. You kind of just⌠find your way,â you share. âBut just think that the thunder doesnât last long. Itâs going to pass. So maybe when it starts raining, you can do what I did. Just cover your ears to block out the sounds. All we can do sometimes is shield ourselves from it, you know? It would scare us a little less.â
âI donât even remember how you did it,â he admits. âI felt so out of it that night.â
âBut did it help?â You ask.Â
He nods in response. âI wasnât alone. I think that was the first time in a long time.â
âWhen you are, just do what I do,â you say, turning towards him and closing the distance to cover his ears with your hands. âEdge of the palms or your fingers then press tightly. The hollowness will drown out the sounds until they stop.âÂ
Jungkookâs eyes swim in yours. He canât tell you that he doubts itâd work without you, since your comforting look and your calm voice are what made him pull through. But still, he knows that imagining youâre there would definitely help.
âEdge of the palms or your fingers then press tightly,â he repeats, almost like a whisper. âGot it.â
You smile and itâs like a spell for him, as he mindlessly puts his hands over yours and slowly brings them down. Heâs so lost in you that he only realizes heâs still holding your hands when you look down, so he immediately pulls away.
âWho taught you how to do that?â He asks, masking his embarrassment.
âMy mom,â you answer, shifting back on your seat and looking out at the horizon. âMy dad copped out before he knew I existed and she was too heartbroken to ask for him back. It took a while but she eventually found another man. I was pretty young then. He was okay, but then he lost his job and things went downhill from there.â
Jungkook sees the way your face falls and he already knows his heart is going to break for you.
âHe would drink a lot and theyâd fight all the time. Heâd yell and yell, and then yell some more,â you narrate. âMom would make me hide in the closet or under the bed just so Iâd hear less of it. Thunder used to scare me, too; it sounded like his banging on the wall when heâd scream at her but eventually, I realized the roar drowns him out so I welcomed it. But I would just cover my ears and think of happy thoughts like she said. Sometimes sheâd come to me and do it like I did with you. I always liked that better.â
âIâm sorry,â he says, wanting to take your hand back and comfort you in any way. âYou shouldnât have experienced that.â
âLife isnât fair sometimes,â you sigh, having accepted the hand you were dealt. âMy mom and I got out and she found someone who loves and respects her. And we just found ways to deal with the pain, you know? We could only bury it for so long. And so covering my ears just became a habit as I grew up. It was a way to battle all that.â
âIâve seen you do that a few times.â
âItâs like a general coping mechanism of some sort,â you explain. âSometimes the loud sounds come from inside, too. Thoughts of not being good enough, of being selfish, of not deserving of happiness⌠I mean, they come from others but they stay in my head. I have to cover my ears to stop them from overwhelming me.â
âIâm sorry,â he says again, looking away in shame when you turn to him questioningly. âYou did that several times during my first weeks. I know I⌠I said things that hurt you.â
âHey, itâs okay. It was hard for everyone and like I said, I forgive you. But I've been told worse things,â you shake your head. âYouâve heard some of them.â
âYou didnât deserve those either.â
âI know. Thatâs why I walked away. Itâs easy to do that when you donât give much of yourself to them. And I do it all the time,â you say. âI never really stay.â
âWould you stay if you found the right person?â
You remember a conversation with him months ago, about people being temporary and how theyâd only stay if they had a reason to. Itâs safe to say that finding the right person would be your reason, but that also makes it harder.Â
âI probably would,â you respond. âAnd I think that scares me, too.â
âWhy?â He asks.
âWhat if I would stay for them? But they wonât stay for me?â
Jungkook leaves your question unanswered, knowing thereâs nothing he can say that would sufficiently validate your fear nor comfort you about it. His own past relationship doesnât give him any right - Chaerin left him but he gave her all the reasons to; she walked away and he did the same. Sometimes he wonders if sheâd lost him before he lost her. He also doesnât know if he loved her so much that he let her go, or if he didnât love her enough to make her stay. Maybe it was neither. Or maybe he was just too scared - that sheâd reject him, or that he wouldnât be able to love her better if he she came back, he doesnât know. He was never brave enough to find out.
He lets the silence linger, prompting you to remark that the conversation is too sad for a night as pretty as tonight.
âWe should probably head to bed, though,â he suggests. âWe still have stuff in the morning then a long ride home. I donât have to remind you how hectic this next week is gonna be.â
âYou just did,â you frown, earning you a laugh. âBut I agree. Thank you for keeping me company tonight.â
Your shy smile makes his breath hitch. He wants this to go on for longer but he knows he might just let his guard down even more, maybe share about his other pains and frustrations and worries about life. Maybe heâll end up moving closer to you, close enough that heâd smell your classic rose scent that makes his mind feel hazy. Maybe heâll want more, and he reminds himself of all the boundaries he shouldnât cross, and that crossing them may push you away.Â
So he says goodnight and you both walk towards your respective villas, looking back one more time before heading inside.Â
Youâre all he thinks about for the rest of the night. His gaze follows you all through the next morning, too. He misses your presence when he leaves for Seoul in his own car, and heâs back to being a giddy mess when you message him, saying you hope he got home safely.Â
It almost feels like the weekend was a dream and when Monday comes, he has to remind himself that heâs back to reality and that includes how he should be when it comes to you. Those days remain in his memory, but when you enter his apartment that morning with the softest smile, and when you meet his eyes as you fix his necktie, he knows it wasnât a dream. And that somehow, just like him, you wish it didnât have to end.
Itâs been over a week since the team building and you havenât really moved on from all that happened during those three days. There was the joy of being with your colleagues and the companionship you felt thankful to have. There was also the tranquility of the lake and the refreshing environment that rejuvenated you, making you wish you were back there, especially as you sort through the printed photos from your disposable camera and see the pretty views that you already miss.Â
Thereâs that photo you took of Jungkook by the stream that youâve been staring at, another reason why you want to go back to that time. His eyes are warm and his smile is soft and subtle, unforced and just as captivating. Itâs quite calming, and itâs the image that you hold onto later that Thursday evening when youâre piled under loads of paperwork. Itâs past 6PM but you canât afford to leave yet, and the only good thing about it is that heâs still around, and you get to sneak in some glances through the window.
Youâve become that person, smitten by her attractive boss and definitely stupid enough to be overwhelmed by her emotions. You havenât stopped thinking about him. Everyday that you enter his space, the desire to know him more gets stronger; with every common place you step into, you keep wishing heâd ask you to stay close, that heâd invite you to somewhere reserved for those he lets in. Every time your fingers brush, youâre reminded of the way his hands felt on top of yours and how you wanted him to keep them there, and every look you share makes you hope that youâre not the only one in this mess of emotions. And that if youâll give in, so would he.
Youâre not quite sure what he feels, but if his shy smiles and the way he intensely looks at you before looking away mean anything, then you could at least say that thereâs definitely something there. You just donât know if he would acknowledge it or if like you, itâs gotten too strong that youâre unable to think clearly or act rationally.
Finally done with the last item on your task list for today, you start to pack up. Itâs at the same time that Jungkook exits from his room to return a portfolio he took earlier and place it on your desk. Youâre about to pick it up but he says you should just leave it there and fix it tomorrow.
But you disregard him. You retrieve the stool and attempt to return the portfolio on the top shelf. Itâs a little heavy but you manage; you even start fixing the others that moved because Jungkookâs been getting them these past days. Youâre about to step down when you hear his heavy sigh.
âI told you to do that tomorrow,â he groans, walking towards you.Â
With your back turned, you reply, âI like starting my days with a tidy desk, okay?â
âItâs just one portfolio,â he points out.
âIt still takes up so much space. It makes my table look messy.â
âYou still couldâve waited. Or you couldâve asked me to help,â he insists, continuing to reprimand you as you try to step down the stool.Â
Heâs a little close, blocking your view of the floor, and thatâs why you miss a step and trip again, your squeal echoing throughout the empty floor. You think your heart racing is about to join in on the sounds, too, as it quickens when you realize that Jungkook has caught you by your waist, his tight grip on you sending shivers down your spine.Â
Heâs gotten even closer, as you look up and find his scrunched eyebrows and worried eyes staring back at you. The tension starts to rise but you manage to tell him that youâre fine after he asks if youâre hurt.Â
âIâm sure,â you tell him. âYou caught my fall. Again.â
You giggle and thatâs what makes him let out a laugh as well. Your left hand holds onto the shelf but his hands remain on you. Heâs still a breath away but you suddenly donât mind, as your right hand mindlessly makes its way to rest on his arm. At this moment, this feels right. Youâre all alone in your little bubble with him where youâre all he sees and heâs all you can breathe in.Â
His bergamot scent wafts through your nose. You can count his eyelashes and see the scar on his cheek that you never noticed. Heâs even more breathtaking up close, and as if all reason evaporates from your body, you donât pull away. You want him just like this.
On second thought, you want him even closer.
âYouâre a clumsy woman, arenât you?â He says, his voice low and deep. âThis isnât the first time that Iâm breaking your fall.â
âWell, if you would just be quiet while Iâm attempting to go down, then that wouldnât be a problem,â you breathily giggle, inching the tiniest bit forward.Â
âWell, if you just listened to me the first time, then you wouldn't have to climb up there,â he responds, earning him a playful roll of your eyes. âYouâre a stubborn one, too.â
âSo Iâve heard,â you match his teasing. âCan't help it sometimes.â
âSo you acknowledge it?â He raises an eyebrow in intrigue.Â
âYeah, I guess,â you say much more nervously now, meeting his eyes. Itâs like youâre hypnotized again, caught in some spell where being in his presence makes you honest and uninhibited. âI mean, I feel things I shouldnât feel and want people I shouldnât want,â you add. âDoesnât that make me stubborn?â
âWhatâs stopping you from feeling them? From having them?â He asks, his voice remaining low and his eyes, even more piercing and desperate now as they stare back at you.
His thumbs lightly caress your waist and his touch electrifies you through the thin material of your blouse. Thereâs so much to say and itâs way more complicated, just as your feelings for him are. You canât help but eye his lips, soft and pink, and the desire to know what they taste like intensifies, prompting you to nibble your own. Â
âWhatâs stopping me?â You pant now, your gaze flitting from his eyes back to his lips, with him doing the same. âThe ways of the world. And some⌠boundary that pulls me back, a line that I donât know heâs ready to cross for me.â
The words actualize your fears the moment you say them. You know all the reasons why wanting him is wrong. But thereâs a small part of you that wants to give in, and itâs terrified that he wouldnât, that heâd dismiss what you feel and pull away. The way heâs been with you and the way heâs holding you right now spark that sliver of hope you have that he feels the same way, but itâs also the same moment that he lets you go, perhaps realizing that heâs not willing to take the risk the way you are.Â
He releases you from his hold and steps back, creating distance, and you suddenly feel bare - exposed and unguarded without his touch. He looks at you in panic, in apology, in fear, as if heâd had some sense knocked into him, as if he awakened from some spell that pushed him close to you, only to realize that thatâs a place he canât go.Â
âIââ
âI should go,â you interject, turning away so as not to see any more of the rejection in his eyes. âHave a good evening, Mr. Jeon.â
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Hey girl! Can I request some fluffy Vi headcannons? <3
Absolutely! I'm finally writing on my laptop, partially because I have the live UConn feed on my phone. They 're playing Tennessee and I'm STRESSING, they're down four points in the last quarter. I hope you love this but I'm sorry if it seems rushed. This kind of turned into general relationship hcs but itâs all very fluffy. X

Fluffy Vi headcanons
For starters, Vi has had anything but an easy like and it really shows through the way that she acts around people.
Originally I think she would be a bit standoffish, especially right after leaving Stillwater.
It might take a while but she would get used to having you around. Her body would definitely take a while for her body to catch up to her mind. Any time you reach out to touch her she might tense up or flinch back, but she knows you wouldn't hurt her. She'd get there eventually it just might take some time and patience.
On the other hand she would love to be touching you.
I wholeheartedly believe that one of her love languages is physical touch.
She can convey feelings through contact that she can't with words.
She would constantly have a hand on you, whether shes holding yours, keeping it on your thigh, or just a hand on the small of your back as you walk.
She likes to have a physical reminder that you're safe and right there.
She'd love it when you lay in her lap, doing your own thing while she reads a book.
When they robbed Jayce's apartment the first place she went was the bookshelf. You can't convince me this girl isn't the biggest bookworm.
I feel like she would run a hand through your hair while you traced patterns on one of her legs.
I also think she would love to read your own copies of the same book and later discuss. I saw someone else mention this and I loved it.
Vi definitely sees herself as a protector so she would love being the big spoon.
The feeling of holding you against her, covering your body with her own.
Especially with how big she is.
She's like 5'10, BROAD shoulder, MUSCLES!!! She'd for sure cover most of your body.
She would not care how much you weigh or if you have some chub, she would pick you up and throw you around in her arms. Argue with the wall.
But despite all of this, sometimes she would need to be held and babied.
She wouldn't ask for it outright, at least not at first.
She would have this look on her face, her brows slightly furrowed and an almost undetectable frown.
But you see it of course.
So you would pull her into your lap, or on your chest, and just lay with you for a while.
Vi seems like the person to LOVE having her hair played with and her back rubbed.
I mean borderline purring because sheâs so relaxed.
But who can blame her. With all the work and fighting she does I know her back is full of knots.
Our girl does NOT get a break.
Other than physical touch I think sheâd be big on acts of service.
I mean come one her whole life her purpose has been to protect people so you canât convince me she doesnât like doing things for you.
Itâs a whole range of things. From grabbing something off the top shelf to beating up a guy who made you uncomfortable when you went out for drinks.
Sometimes you have to force her to relax.
But itâs all worth it to her if sheâs making your life easier.
I can see you patching her up quite frequently.
Even though she doesnât fight in the pits anymore she does fight a lot of people for you.
There are a lot of bruised knuckles in your future.
After a while though sheâll settle down, more focused on making you happy than beating up a guy for looking at you.
She loves you very much. It may take her a bit to say it but she does.
Sheâs shows you her love everyday too through her actions.
Youâre by far her favorite person.
She definitely calls you cupcake, among other things.
Other than cupcake, her favorites are probably babe, baby, and princess in a playful way.
HEAVY on Princess if youâre from Piltover.
But she says it with so much love that you donât mind the playful jab.
I think sheâd be addicted to you tracing her tattoo.
Plus youâd never get bored because itâs so big and intricate.
Itâs another thing that would knock her out in like five minutes.
Moral of the story sheâs addicted to you and wants to spend the rest of her life with you.
#vi arcane#vi x reader#violet x reader#headcanon#fluff#hurt/comfort#reverse comfort#lovesick!vi#love language#relationship headcanons#vi x you#soft!vi
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Unions and the Defence of Supergiant Games
Hey, so I'm pretty sure everyone and their mom has seen takes on Hades 2 rn bc of what one of the VAs said. This is causing a lot more harm then good rn and, while I don't claim to be an expert on unions, but even just basic research shows Supergiant is largely innocent and this is a misunderstanding.
Supergiant stated they will not be recasting and also they don't fall under the companies that can not be working or supported during the SAG- AFTRA strike.
Being an indie development company, they do not fall under the issues SAG is striking and possibly can not even sign said agreement because they are an indie company (i'd have to fact-check that). This strike is supposed to affect larger companies like EA, Sony, X-Box, etc who are pushing for AI. Below is a statement from Supergiant about the statement made by the VA.
When similar strikes happened for both SAG and the WGA, other smaller companies did not have to halt production because their work did not meet the guidelines that the strike fell under. Spindel Horse and GLITCH are both indie animation companies that did not have to halt production.
One other example is Dropout.TV where they did not need to stop under SAG rules and guidelines, they did so out of respect. While Supergiant could, they don't have too and why would they? Fans have been waiting for almost three years now and they are polishing at a record speed.
Secondly is the term "Scab" being thrown around when it comes to who Supergiant hires, which largely comes from people not knowing what a true scab is.
A Scab ISN'T any person working in a given position when a strike is happening. It's a member of SAID UNION who crosses the picket line or does work for lower pay then the Union states.
Unions have several levels of entry that not all people meet. Being under smaller workers unions for starters along with proof of employment and others.
Supergiant, being smaller and indie makes it so it can hire people who aren't SAG members and help promote them to be bigger names in the industry along with eventually becoming possible members of the unions.
For example, Michael Kovach (famous VA for Jax from TADC, Several characters from Poppy Playtime, One character in Billie Bust Up (IDK), and most famously the original pilot VA for Angeldust from Hazbin Hotel) is not a member of SAG but supports the union and has been in multiple roles since the SAG strikes began.
While I have not done research into who exactly is being called a "Scab" in terms of the Supergiant controversy, please keep yourself educated about the term because it is super derogatory and may cause these people to never be able to join the unions. Being labeled a "scab", even incorrectly, makes it nearly impossible for people to join unions.
A lot of the "If you don't join a union then your against unions" mentality I've seen from people creates a harmful, uneducated stereotype that large corporations want. They want normal consumers to see Union Supporters as aggressive and hopping down your throat to deny you money. This villainizes unions in the long run.
Overall, Supergiant is not doing anything wrong and the mob mentality jump on them comes from a lack of educated perspectives (esp since a large portion of this community is the younger demographic with not much union knowlege).
While I don't see it happening, the large explosion of this on social media along with the VA's lack of understanding may cause Supergiant (or even other companies) to not work with them again after Hades 2 is complete. This is a huge liability that is harming their company and, if they do proceed to go this route I do not blame them, and neither should you. This is safety and security in their brand so more games we appreciate can come out in the future. The VA is a grown adult who has made decisions and will deal with the consequences when/if they happen. Please send no hate to Supergiant or the VA who I have intentionally left nameless so nobody can attack them. Thank you.
#hades supergiant#supergiant games#hades ii#zagreus#zagreus hades#melinoe hades#melinoe#hades melinoe#hades 2#hades game
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1969 Ford Mustang Mach 1
World's Only 1969 Ford Mustang Mach 1 390 With a Factory Sunroof Comes out of Hiding
Introduced for the 1969 model year, the Mach 1 was one of no fewer than six performance Mustangs available at the time. Sold alongside the GT, the Boss 429 and 302, and a pair of Shelby models, the Mach 1 became hugely popular. Specifically, Ford sold a whopping 72,458 units, almost a quarter of all Mustang production that year.
What made the Mach 1 such a big hit? Well, for starters, the package included more goodies than the GT. It came with a matte black hood with racing-style pins, a scoop, a unique stripe package, and an upgraded suspension. And unlike the Boss and Shelby models, it wasn't restricted to a specific engine.
Ford offered a more affordable version equipped with the two-barrel 351-cubic-inch (5.8-liter) Windsor V8. Customers who wanted more than 250 horsepower had access to the four-barrel variant, which delivered 290 horses. The options list also included the FE-type 390-cubic-inch (6.4-liter) unit good for 320 horsepower.
But unlike the GT, the Mach 1 was also available with the mighty 428-cubic-inch (7.0-liter) Cobra Jet V8. Offered in both Ram Air and non-Ram setups (Q- or R-code), the Cobra Jet mill generated 335 horsepower. While not quite as potent as the NASCAR-spec V8 in the Boss 429, it was the most potent mill customers had access to in the regular-production 'Stang.
High sales numbers also mean that first-year Mach 1 is quite the common classic nowadays. Sure, the Cobra Jet version is rarer at around 13,000 units, but it's a model you won't have issues finding. And it's not awfully expensive either.
That's not to say that some Mach 1s aren't very rare or unique. But that depends on features and the color combo. Sometimes, it takes a tiny item like air conditioning combined with an unlikely exterior/upholstery color match-up to turn a Mach 1 into a rare gem. This 1969 example in Gulfstream Aqua blue is a tad different because it flexes an option you won't find on any other Mach 1.
You won't notice it at first glance, but look closer, and you'll eventually see that this Mustang rocks a sunroof. Wait, what? A first-generation Mustang with a sunroof? You bet that's a weird feature because Ford did not offer such an option on the Mustang at the time. But a sunroof was available on the Mercury Cougar, and apparently, someone convinced Ford to put it on a Mach 1.
That someone is none other than Carroll Shelby, the man responsible for the cool GT350 and GT500 that turned the first-gen Mustang into a proper muscle car. And the story goes it's one of only two 1969 Mach 1s with a factory sunroof, so it's pretty much a one-of-one if we also factor in the options and the paint.
So what is the story behind this 'Stang? Did Carroll order it for his personal collection? Well, not exactly. Apparently, the car was specified for a doctor who took care of Shelby's mother. He asked if there was anything he could do for him in return, and the doctor requested a Mach 1 with a sunroof. Still working with Ford at the time, Carroll made some calls and turned the doctor's request into reality.
More than 50 years later, this unique Mach 1 is still around. And based on the way it looks, it went through a rotisserie restoration. It's spotless from every angle, and the Gulfstream Aqua color shines better than when this muscle car was new.
The blacked-out hood hides a 390 FE V8, so this Mustang wouldn't normally be as desirable and valuable as a Cobra Jet. However, that factory sunroof gives one-of-one status and puts it into six-figure territory. Hit the play button below to watch it sitting pretty at the MCACN show.
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From Grian's Double Life pov, Scar's behavior in episode one feels like such a strong rejection I think.
(disclaimer that this is all speaking from grian's pov, not necessarily objective view on the situation.)
For starters we really do gloss over "Scar I think we're soulmates and you're too busy chasing fairies!" a lot. Grian very explicitly told Scar that he thinks they're soulmates (and in the same sentence is already expressing frustration with feeling like scar isn't paying attention or prioritizing grian's feelings like five minutes into them running into each other). Grian said it out loud. Scar heard him, which we know because Scar responded with "My real soulmate is flying away from me", which not only indicates Scar heard Grian, but also that he understood what Grian said on some level. And Scar walked away.
Grian has reason to feel rejected or devalued here. I mean, it seems like, from Grian's perspective, Scar thought whatever Grian was saying to him was so unimportant he instantly brushed Grian off and disregarded the conversation completely (despite grian being clearly distressed). Grian tried to express something extremely important, in a moment of obvious emotion, and he ended up feeling like Scar didn't care to listen, even when Grian said it plainly to Scar.
So then Scar and Grian go around the server, and Grian decides not to tell Scar yet (although to be fair grian already told him) and Scar..doesn't notice. They take damage multiple times while together but Scar never seems to notice when they do, or catch on to the fact that they're soulmates, even when practically everyone else they run into does in fact know, sometimes just from watching them take damage together. (oorp this was obviously for the bit, but from a character perspective i can't help but wonder if grian was 'testing' in a way, not trying to tell scar again because he's hoping scar will eventually care enough to notice himself)
And again, it's very easy for Grian to feel like Scar is rejecting or doesn't care about him. Grian feels like Scar isn't noticing him, like Scar doesn't even see him, because if Scar was paying attention, surely at some point he'd see something Grian sees as so obvious. I think this is an especially big blow to Grian specifically, because Grian often expresses love through fussing over people and making sure they're safe and healthy. So the fact that Scar apparently never once really looked at him specifically when either of them were in danger or taking damage was probably more hurtful for Grian than it would for many people.
Eventually Grian ends up going off on his own for a little bit, just to set up a little bit of a base and starting resources for them. Scar stops by, and Grian tries to tell him. "I have something to tell you!" Grian says. Scar waves him off and walks away. "I have something to tell you!" Grian calls again. Scar doesn't turn around.
Again, the running theme of Grian feeling like Scar isn't really noticing him. Another time where Grian tried to speak to Scar, to tell him they're soulmates no less, and Scar waves him off and walks away, like whatever Grian has to say isn't important, like it's something that can just be glossed over and disregarded.
And then Grian comes to Scar, marches over to Scar and his pandas, and tells Scar he has something important to tell him. Grian tells Scar to look at him, and drops dripstone on their heads. Scar isn't paying attention, laughing over the pandas. Grian presses- no, look, actually look this time!- and only after Grian demands Scar look at him can he drop another piece of dripstone on their heads and have Scar realize they're soulmates.
"Do we have to live together?" Scar asks almost immediately.
"It would be nice..."
Grian has to drag Scar to the base he's started.
And like. Obviously it isn't bad of Scar to not care about soulmates very much or to be distracted or unobservant. But all of this adds up to Grian, I think, feeling very deeply rejected, unheard, and devalued. Adds up to Grian getting this impression that Scar isn't interested in actively listening to him when he talks, or checking on him when they're in danger, or paying attention when something's important to Grian, or even just looking at him unless Grian begs him to. Which very naturally leads into Grian's arc of pulling back from Scar in following episodes.
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How I would have made "False Zelda" land more effectively in Tears of the Kingdom:
Important context, Rauru and Sonia, canonically, HAVE to have had a kid. That's how descendants work. In my vague overarching rewrite, I made this kid the one that leads you around the Sky Isles.
TLDR: To protect her while the gloom evaporated and the monsters died off, Zelda sent Rauru and Sonia's kid up with the isles before going dragon. For the sake of simplicity, I'm calling her Little Princess.
Anyways.
TotK, as canon has it, likes to have its cake and eat it, too. We blatantly SEE Zelda in these cutscenes with the sages
But the new sages go "hey, that looked like Zelda, even though that can't happen!" And the whole "the Sage of Time is Zelda" is treated like a big reveal-
-when we already KNOW she's gone back in time.
And that's doubled up on with how Puppet Zelda looks. Clearly, this is the same girl. Come on now.
I think we can compound this more, make all the beats knit together a little better.
For starters, the Yiga traps are the same. It's still Zelda, exactly how Link remembers her. I'd add more instances of her, personally, to increase the chance that Link finds her BEFORE figuring out the back-in-time fake-princess mess that's going on.
Recall Zel and Final Memory Zel are also the same. The ceremonial dress suits her for this beat in time, and her dress being like Sonia's is a good homage to Dead Mom 2.
Puppet Zel is where we start changing things. It's easy to say that Ganondorf made her look like Zonai Zel because that's how he best remembers her, but he SAW her in modern Hyrulean getup. He knows that's how Link sees her. Puppet Zel, for maximum confusion, should look like Modern Zel. I think that would make the Yiga traps a bit more convincing, too.
Memory Zel should NOT have gone full-ceremonial-Zonai so quickly. I mean, it's fine that she did, in canon, because there isn't as much stake in recognizing her there, but for this setup? She stays in her Hyrulean gear up until at least Memory #7.
This is a good place to break out Zonai-style regalia. There's an in-universe reason for her to dress up so fancily, and to match the other two. Personally, I'd give her a more casual, less-fancy Zonai outfit AFTER Memory #7, but it's not technically necessary.
But she changes her clothes again following Memory #10, gearing up for war.
This is where we bring in the next big change to this setup.
Sage of Time Zelda should be completely different here. Nintendo wanted us to buy into the "oh, she looks like Zelda, what ifâŚ" but it's just transparently Zelda.
First off, the sages all had masks. We should give her one.
Not THIS one, but similar-ish shape. She wears a mask that looks like a Zonai face, and does her hair up differently. Her sleeves are long, maybe with a long skirt, and you can find clues (similar to the flower-shaped sky isles that give history) that say she was designing an outfit to protect from gloom. Maybe with Sheikah blue accents for flavor. You can get this outfit eventually, and a full upgrade renders you immune to gloom from enemy strikes specifically.
Most importantly, though, her hair is done up identically to Little Princess. The big "who could it be" is torn between Zelda, who you haven't seen in that outfit before, and Little Princess, who you don't know much about yet.
During the sages' flashbacks, she doesn't speak, you just see her head nodding and her hands moving the way Link does in dialogue as the sage talks over her, and that lends more credit to the "maybe it's NOT Zelda" thread the game was going for.
And then, when you find Mineru, you see the full scene of the final battle
And it's very clearly Zelda at that point. She's still dressed up in her anti-gloom gear (which is how she survived the attack while the other sages didn't), but the mask has fallen off and you can see it's her.
She goes back to the ceremonial regalia for the Master Sword and draconification scenes. I would tuck a Sundelion into her hair during the Master Sword scene to hammer home even more that she's in mourning. Even better, she puts it down on the altar before she swallows the Secret Stone, and around that altar is one of the few places it grows.
Bonus round: The Zonai mask is what helps you find Draconified Zel's location in the sky, and it's part of the reward for Mineru's questline. Zelda left it on the ground next to the Secret Stone pedestal.
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tis the season
lea schuller x nwsl!reader
summary: surprises are apart of the christmas holiday
for @katelynnwrites
itâs two weeks before christmas when you make the final arrangements to fly back to munich. Â
the lie comes easily when youâre on the phone with lea, her voice soft and slightly tired after a long training day.
âi wish i could come,â you say, shifting on your couch as you stare at the tickets on your coffee table.Â
âbut the pride has me doing all this promotional stuff⌠media shoots, a kidâs camp, the whole thing. you know how the off-season is over here in america.â
lea hums on the other end, a pause where you can tell sheâs disappointed but trying to understand. âitâs okay,â she replies, though her voice says otherwise. âi know youâre busy.â
âyouâre mad,â you tease lightly, trying to keep things playful so she doesnât linger on it too much.
âiâm not mad,â she sighs, but you can practically see the pout on her face through the phone.Â
âi just miss you. christmas is better with you here.â
its time likes this when you regret leaving germany to pursue the more competitive league. yes, you weren't getting much play time at bayern (now being a starter for orlando and winning the league and championship) but at least you had your lea there with you.
âi miss you too, sonnenschein,â you reply softly, a pang of guilt settling in your chest.Â
youâre lying to lea, but for a good reasonâone sheâll never see coming.
getting obi on board with your plan was surprisingly easy.
âso youâre telling me youâre flying back to propose to lea,â she says when you call her later that evening. you can practically hear the grin on her face.
âyeah,â you laugh nervously. âshe has no idea. iâm gonna need your help sneaking around though⌠like a lot of help. can i stay at yours when i get in? i just need her to not know iâm there until christmas eve.â
âobviously,â obi replies immediately.Â
âthis is gonna be so fun. sheâs gonna kill me when she finds out i knew, but itâll be worth it.â
âsheâll forgive you,â you grin.
obi laughs. âmaybe. just donât mess up the proposal, y/n.â
ânot a chance,â you say confidently, though your heart starts pounding at the thought of the big moment.
when you arrive in munich two days before christmas eve, obi picks you up from the airport. the cold air hits you immediately, a stark contrast to floridaâs weather, but it doesnât bother you.Â
the city feels like home, even though you left for the opportunities in the nwsl. your chest tightens a little as you pass familiar streets and shops on the way to obiâs apartment.
âshe thinks youâre still in orlando, right?â obi asks as she pulls your suitcase into her buildingâs elevator.
âyep,â you confirm, stretching your arms after the long flight.Â
âwe talked last night. she said sheâs just decorating and baking for her christmas party. apparently she invited half the bayern team.â
obi grins. âyouâll have quite the audience, then.â
âiâm not nervous about the crowd,â you lie, though your stomach flips just thinking about it.
âiâll believe that when i see it,â obi teases, unlocking her apartment door.Â
âjust keep quiet while weâre here. sheâll come looking for me eventually, and iâm a terrible liar.â
âgot it,â you reply, plopping onto her couch. âand thanks again for this.â
âanything for my bestfriend and her lover,â obi says dramatically, earning an eye roll from you. but you smile anyway.
itâs christmas eve, two hours into leaâs party, when you arrive at the building you once called home. obiâs beside you, grinning like an accomplice in a heist. you take a deep breath as you stare up at the lit windows of leaâs apartment.Â
inside, you can hear music playing and faint bursts of laughterâprobably giulia or sydney causing chaos.
âready?â obi asks, handing you a santa hat to wear.
âready,â you exhale.
obi opens the door, and the warmth hits you immediately as you step inside. for a moment, youâre frozen in place. the room is full of peopleâsome of your old teammates, like tuva and giulia, as well as other familiar faces from bayern.Â
sydney spots you first, her face lighting up in pure shock as she nudges giulia beside her.
ây/n?!â sydney shouts, grabbing everyoneâs attention. all at once, heads turn your way, and chaos ensues.
âare you kidding me?â giulia shrieks, pulling you into a hug that nearly knocks you over.
âwhat are you doing here?!â sydney adds, squeezing your arm as she laughs.
âmerry christmas?â you offer, grinning as tuva joins the dogpile of hugs. youâre swarmed by familiar faces, everyone excited and surprised to see you back in munich.
across the room, by the tv, you finally spot lea. sheâs standing there frozen, eyes wide, her lips slightly parted in disbelief. you canât help but laugh at her stunned expression.
âdid you know about this?â lea asks obi, her voice loud enough to carry over the chatter.
obi raises her hands defensively. âmaybe,â she replies with a smirk.
lea gives her a light punch on the shoulder, shaking her head with a small smile.
when youâre finally done greeting everyone, you turn your focus to her. the room seems to blur as you make your way over, her eyes never leaving yours.
âhi,â you say softly, pulling her into a hug. she holds you tightly, her face buried in your shoulder as she exhales shakily.
âyou lied to me,â she murmurs into your ear, though her voice holds no angerâjust relief.
âi did,â you admit, kissing her temple.Â
âbut it was for a good reason.â
she pulls back slightly to look at you, eyes narrowed playfully.Â
âyouâre lucky i love you.â
âi know,â you grin, pressing a quick kiss to her lips before leading her toward the couch.
the evening feels like stepping back into a life you still hold close to your heart. you sit beside lea, your legs tangled as the two of you share cookies from a festive tray. her hand rests lazily on your knee as sam and georgia argue over which holiday movie to put on.Â
the room smells like cinnamon and pine, the soft hum of laughter filling the spaces between conversations.
itâs like you never left.
after a while, when the last of leaâs guests filter out just after midnight, you watch as she shuts the door, her movements slow as if the weight of the evening is finally catching up with her.
you finally got to say goodbye to obi, who gave you a hidden smirk before walking about the door.Â
âi didnât think iâd see you this christmas,â she says softly, turning to face you. her smile is small but filled with warmth.
âi didnât want to miss it,â you reply, standing up to meet her in the center of the living room. the apartment feels quiet now, the twinkle lights casting a soft glow across the space.
she steps closer, her arms wrapping around your waist.Â
âwell, iâm glad youâre here.â
you take a deep breath, your heart pounding as you reach for her hands, gently pulling them away so you can hold them in yours. she frowns slightly, confused by the sudden seriousness in your expression.
âi need to talk to you about something,â you say quietly, meeting her gaze.
âgo ahead,â lea swallows nervously.
âlea⌠ever since i met you back in 2020, i knew youâd be someone important to me,â you begin, your voice steady but soft.Â
âat first, it was just your smileâyou were so confident, so full of life when you came from essen while I came from freiburg. then i got to know you a bit more as the first season together went on, and i realized just how special you are. youâre strong, lea. not just on the pitch, but as a person. you always take care of everyone else, even when you donât have to. you have the biggest heart, and you love so deeply⌠being with you has made me better in every way.â
you pause to take a breath, feeling the emotion swell in your chest. leaâs eyes are wide, her hands squeezing yours tightly. you can see the tears already gathering at the edges of her lashes, but she doesnât say anythingâshe just lets you speak.
âeven after i left for orlando, even with the distance, weâve stayed strong. youâve been my home, no matter where i am. and i want to make that official. i want to spend the rest of my life with you, lea.â
you release one of her hands to reach behind you, pulling the small velvet box from your pocket. your heart pounds as you slowly drop to one knee, your gaze never leaving hers.
lea gasps softly, her hands covering her mouth. you smile up at her, your typical confident smirk softening into something far more tender.
âso,â you say, voice light but full of emotion, âwill you marry me, sonnenschein?â
âyouâre⌠youâre insane,â she breathes, reaching into her jogger pocket. your eyes widen as she pulls out her own velvet box, and suddenly sheâs dropping to one knee as well.
you freeze, blinking at her in disbelief.Â
âlea, whatâŚ?â
she laughs softly, tears brimming in her eyes as she mirrors your position.Â
âyou think youâre the only one who plans things, liebe?â her voice is shaky, her smile trembling as she opens the box in her hands, revealing a ring that catches the warm glow of the twinkle lights.
âiâve been carrying this for weeks,â she admits, her cheeks flushed.Â
âi thought about waiting until you came back to munich for the next international break⌠but now youâre here. and i donât want to wait anymore.â
thereâs a moment where neither of you say anything, both of you kneeling on the living room floor, tears streaming down your faces as you stare at each other. your heart is pounding so hard you think she can hear it.
âso,â she continues, her voice soft, steady despite her shaking hands,Â
âif youâll marry me⌠then yes, y/n, iâll marry you.â
âyouâre proposing to me while iâm proposing to you?â you choke out, a watery laugh escaping as you wipe at your face.
âlooks like it,â she grins through her tears.
you donât know who moves first, but suddenly youâre both laughing and crying, holding each other as the rings sit forgotten between you. you pull back just enough to look at her, cupping her face as you whisper, âyes, sonnenschein. a thousand times yes.â
âand yes to you, liebe,â she replies, leaning in to press her forehead against yours.
your hands are trembling as you both reach for the rings, and you canât help but laugh when neither of you can slide them on properly at first. âstop shaking!â you tease, though youâre no better, fumbling with her finger as you finally slide the ring into place.
âyouâre shaking too,â she fires back, laughing as she slips the band onto your hand with care. for a moment, you both just stare at each otherâs hands, the weight of the moment settling in.
âweâre really doing this,â you whisper.
âwe are,â she murmurs, smiling softly.
you donât know who leans in first, but the kiss that follows is deep, filled with every unspoken word, every long mile youâve spent apart, and every promise of the future youâre now building together.Â
when you finally pull away, your cheeks are wet, her eyes shining as she looks at you like you hung the stars in the sky.
âmerry christmas, y/n,â she whispers.
âmerry christmas, lea,â you reply, your voice soft, steady, and full of love.
masterlist
#lea schuller x reader#lea schuller#woso fanfics#woso community#woso x reader#gerwnt#bayern frauen#lena oberdorf#sydney lohmann#sam kerr the scottish one#giulia gwinn
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love and power


â§ â§ â§ â§ â§ â§ Â Â â§ Â Â â§ â§ â§ â§ â§ â§
chapter one
âdonât call me by my name.â
Alastor x Fem!Reader ; MDNI 18+ ; [y/n] used sparingly ; Alias in Hell is Sylvie
tags/warnings: descriptions of readerâs demon form, Alastor uses the chain and withholding your breakfast as punishment, Alastor takes pleasure in your fear, power dynamics, reader worries over being punished, lecherous demons in an alley, non-consensual grab and lick of the face, graphic violence, murder, blood, teeth as a weapon, slow burn eventual: smut
word count: 2.5k
prelude ; chapter one ; chapter two ; chapter three ; chapter four ; chapter five ; chapter six ; chapter seven ; chapter eight ; chapter nine ; chapter ten: part one ; chapter ten: part two
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âWhy didnât you bring me a boy to play with?â Niffty pouted, her little foot stomping the carpet.Â
She hadnât been pleased when Alastor broke the news that he had acquired a new maid to help her out around the hotel, and glared at you past his legs. He laughed, seeming to enjoy her tantrum. You still werenât sure how to feel about this Demon who had taken over your contract. While he had been pleasant enough at the Emporium after Rosie signed you over, he hadnât spoken a word to you while leading you through the streets of Hell to bring you here.Â
âIâm afraid youâve answered your own question, Niffty dear. Had I brought you a toy, Iâm not so sure youâd sustain your productivity. Which is precisely why I brought help.â He turned to look back at you for the first time then, your chest tightening from the eye contact. Alastor maintained contact as he continued, âSylvie will maintain my quarters for now so as not to take away from your duties, but once the hotel gets busier I expect you to play nice and share. Besides, sheâll need training before we just let her loose around the hotel! We have a reputation to uphold, after all.â
He smirked at you and broke his gaze, pivoting to make his way up the stairs. Before the others could get a chance to come talk to you, an invisible tug was at your neck and you hurried to catch up with Alastor.
âIâll show Sylvie to her room so she can settle in,â Alastor said loud enough for everyone, still facing forward as he continued up the staircase.
â§ â§ â§ â§ â§ â§
That had been a week ago.
Everyone else had been fairly welcoming, Charlie being the kindest. She and her girlfriend Vaggie had made the most effort getting to know you, which made sense being they were in charge of the hotel. Though he wasnât rude, Husker only spoke to you in short quips. You tried not to dwell on the pity in his eyes any time you crossed by the bar in the lobby.
Angel Dust had been nice too, the few times you had managed to see him and always at the bar, joking amicably that you could almost pass as twins despite quite obvious differences. He was a decent amount taller and slimmer than you for starters. Hell seemed to have turned him into a spider of sorts, and if you had to take a guess, you had spawned here as some kind of milky-colored reptile. No scales, but there was a faint pearlescent pattern of something close to that covering your neck, back, and extremities.Â
It was still jarring to see your reflection in the mirror. There were parts you still recognized, though even those features had felt Hellâs touch. To your relief, your face still looked more or less the same. Nearly Human passing, until your newly-added nictitating membrane blinked right-to-left. Though your red pupils and pink sclera were also a dead giveaway (haha, get it?). Something you werenât sure youâd ever adjust to, but hey, you earned it right?
You had just finished getting into the black collared dress Alastor demanded you wore for work when a dark shadow pooled under your feet. Complete darkness and seconds later, you were standing in the parlor of Alastorâs suite.Â
â[Y/N],â Alastorâs low, static voice lingered on it, red eyes boring into you. Something he had gleaned very quickly in the week was how unsettled you got when he used your real name, and enjoyed the opportunities to use it. âI find tardiness to be an irksome trait. Do not make it a habit. Am I understood?â
You fought a grimace, loathing his condescension. The Radio Demonâs smile threatened to tear as he watched you struggle to maintain composure. You hadnât succeeded completely, but you were making some progress.
âWell?â he goaded.
âYes, sir,â you managed to say evenly, hands fidgeting behind your back.
You knew better now than to play into his tricks. He was trying to get you to react, a sport he took great pleasure in succeeding at. So when he wasnât ordering you around, he was complaining about the look on your face. Sullen, petulant, ghastly, he had used all kinds of names. And when you had gotten cheeky with him about it on your second day after hours of scrubbing the area rug in his room that he had dirtied on purposeâŚ
The slight ache in the back of your neck served as a reminder of that. Sadistically, the chain was the only true cold youâve felt since spawning in Hell and it seemed to burn more than acid rain. It wasnât hard to remember the weight of it, the sweaty feeling of it on your skin. Alastor had enjoyed it all immensely.Â
Denying him his fun in pissing you off probably wasnât good in the long term, but you had to toe the line in order to find the limit. You wanted to learn as much as you could about the creature who owned you. Eternity was never-ending, but learning how to cope was all you could try to do. Being moved to this hotel had turned out to be a true blessing all things considered, so if navigating Alastorâs moods and demands was the price, you would have to pay it.
âGood!â The expression on Alastorâs face quickly relaxed into a more pleasant one. âNow hurry up and run into town to fetch my dry cleaning, and bring me something from that new butcher shop. Iâll leave it to you to decide, I so love surprises! Skipping breakfast will serve as your warning for being tardy. See you in an hour, dear.â
With that, he disappeared before you in a quick melt of shadow.
He was so. Fucking. Annoying. But you wouldnât risk throwing a tantrum. For all you knew, he was still somewhere in the room, and honestly, you didnât have time to waste. The walk from here to Cannibal Town was about twenty minutes and Alastor had summoned you before you had been able to put on your shoes, a five-minute setback at least. He had also made no mention of how you were expected to pay for any of thisâŚÂ
Time to perform a fucking miracle, you thought to yourself, and made your way for the door.
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Alastor watched as you took a deep breath and smoothed your pale pink hair before leaving his room. The small click of the door locking echoed in the silence. He re-materialized near the large window that faced the city, grinning when he finally saw you walking off the premises at a hurried pace. You were so close to coming loose, so close to breaking that unbecoming pout. How he loathed it. He would rid you of the self-pity you wallowed in, even if it drove you to madness. A chuckle escaped him at the thought.
When you spoke back to him last week it had been such a thrill. Alastor closed his eyes, reliving the memory. He had allowed himself a moment to enjoy your insolence before inverting it to fear. Now that was a face he could get used to. The cold sweat on your skin, your red-pink eyes wide with shock. The sound of your hands and knees hitting the floor was music to his ears! Though he would never forget the gasp that caught in your throat from the shock.
He didnât even need to raise his voice when he told you never to speak to him that way again, a direction you had perhaps taken too much to heart. Then again, you didnât come across as a fighter. No, you were much too apathetic for that, at least for now.
And you had smelled so lovely in your fear. The usual floral sweetness of your scent had turned warm and nutty. For a moment he was certain he had picked up a hint of bitterness before you had mouthed off, but it disappeared so quickly once you were frightened that he couldnât be sure. All he knew was that he wanted to smell it again.
With some luck, that would be quite soon; a little over an hour now if all goes according to plan. The Radio Demon had never expected you to return within the given timeframe.
Setting you up to fail wasnât fair, but it was certainly fun.
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Donnerâs Butchery had been absolutely packed, but you managed to purchase the last available pound of liver. Their selection had been so low that you were more concerned with walking out of there without anything at all. Whether or not Alastor would enjoy it was a matter reserved for your return, though you hoped he would since you had to open a tab to get it.Â
Thankfully, the dry cleaning had been settled upfront so you were actually starting to feel a little optimistic about making it back in time. In fact, you were now determined to be back in time out of spite. Imagining the veiled irritation on Alastorâs face when you arrived within the hour kept you distracted from the hunger pain in your stomach, and your pace subconsciously picked up. The high was short-lived though once your mind wandered to what other tasks Alastor would surely have lined up once you handed him his clothes and liver.
And what if he hated liver? You were in such a hurry that you didnât even know what kind it was if he asked about it, which he probably would if only to watch you squirm trying to answer. The hotel wasnât too far off now and you stepped into an alley to search the bag for a receipt, hoping that the butcher had been thorough enough to write it down. You found the receipt taped to the butcher paper, the words DEER LIVER scribbled with thick, black marker.Â
âThank god,â you sighed quietly, relieved to have peace of mind and placed it back in the bag. You were just about to step back onto the sidewalk when you heard laughter behind you.
âGod ainât here, sweetheart. Havenât you noticed?â
You turned to see two demons, already standing much closer to you than youâd like. In your desperation to check the bag, you hadnât heard them approaching. Something that should have embarrassed you, given the sour smell wafting off their clothes, but there wasnât time for that. You took a quick glance at the clocktower.
Five minutes.
Of course it was⌠Even if you ran, youâd probably only get to the gate at best and knowing Alastor, that wouldnât count.
âYou got somewhere to be? Hand over the bag and maybe weâll let you go,â the taller one continued, his plump sidekick snickering, both moving to cage you in.
God damn it⌠You were so close. So fucking close. Not only that, but were you were hungry and exhausted. All you had done this week was try your best to manage Alastorâs impossible expectations for what? An easier eternity? The creeps standing near you were right, God wasnât here. This is Hell. Suffering eternal.Â
The sanctuary you thought youâd found at the hotel was anything but. Its promise of redemption was the dangling carrot, always just out of reach. A sick joke, just like everything else here. Not that you had ever planned to be redeemed, you knew why you were here, but living in the hotel had lulled you into a false sense of security. Hell wasnât clean and filled with mild-mannered sinners.
âLook at that, sheâs fucking crying!â the plump demon laughed, bringing you back to the moment. âYouâve always liked âem scared, Donny.â
The tall one, apparently called Donny, shot his arm out to block you from leaving, a lecherous grin spreading across his face. âIs he right, baby? You scared?â
You could feel your heart in your throat. Scared? You were pissed. And when Donny grabbed your face and boldly licked a tear off your cheek, you snapped.
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The Radio Demon had been hard at work tuning Vaggie out for the last few minutes. He was aimlessly wandering the lobby when she cornered him, seeming to have finally found her opportunity to interrogate him over acquiring your soul. It would have been easy enough to tell the disgraced Angel that it was the least he could do considering the help Rosie had provided them, but upsetting Vaggie was simply too much fun.
She was droning on about how she and Charlie would be taking over the onboarding of any more new employees when Alastor felt a chain rattle, ear flicking in response. Some fool was messing with his property. He reached out mentally to follow the chain and soon caught the scent of almond. He grimaced. Of course it was yours.
âAs much as I cherish our conversations, Iâll need to cut this short Vaggie. Iâm afraid duty calls,â Alastor said smugly, grinning at the rage on her face from being so casually brushed off before slipping into shadow.
When Alastor materialized in an alley he was met with piercing screams, and it took him a moment to register what he was seeing. You were on the ground straddling the waist of some poor soul, your face covered in blood as you tore out your victimâs neck with your teeth. The creature in question no longer seemed to have much left of the lower half of his face, the remnants of it no doubt lying somewhere in the gore. His death rattle was nothing more than a gurgle and spurt of blood, but it seemed you were too lost in your rampage to notice he was now motionless beneath you.
Alastor didnât bother with the pudgy creature that had no doubt been your victimâs friend. Well, perhaps not a very good friend, seeing as the coward ran away once he regained his footing. Besides, it wouldnât be difficult to track the cretin down if Alastor changed his mind about it later.
For now, his focus was on you and what a glorious sight it was. He wished for a moment that your dress had been a different color, just to see how much blood and scraps of flesh had soaked into it. Judging from the mess on your face, it had to be quite a lot.
The sounds coming from you were savage, nearly carnal, and you were relentless in your attack despite the damage already done. When would you stop, he wondered. When there was nothing but bone? The aspect thrilled him to the core and he sniffed deeply, taking in the scent of blood and almond. There it was â that delicious, bitter, nutty warmth. He had been right. Letting out a satisfied, pleasured sigh, he waited patiently for you to finish. After a minute or so you succeeded in decapitating the fool, and Alastor made his approach as you struggled to catch your breath.Â
Gingerly tapping you once with his foot, you startled with a growl and snapped your teeth. Alastor let out a low chuckle, taking in the wild look of your face, eyes glowing pink.
âI believe heâs had enough for now, dear. You made good work of him, Iâm quite impressed,â he said, giving you a proud smile. âNow letâs get you home before you cause a scene.â
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#hazbin hotel#hazbin hotel fan fiction#alastor hazbin hotel#alastor x reader#alastor x female reader#alastor smut#hazbin hotel smut#song fic#if i canât have love i want power#love and power#x reader#slow burn#alastor the radio demon#the radio demon#hazbin hotel slow burn
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//Starter for @toranoya's inuyasha and (eventually) kohaku cuz of what we talked about lol ENJOY!
The days were getting colder as summer came to an end, leaves began to change color and flowers started to wilt. People began to bundle up more and more, combating the colder weather outside. Gloves, scarves, coats, even earmuffs and hats for those who really couldn't stand the cold. Everyone outside was thankful for the modern times as they made their way indoors to turn on the heater and go about their day as the sun lowered into the sky, not quite setting yet but it was getting darker.
The sky now painted with darker blue hues that were joined by golds and oranges from the sun reaching it's end for the day. Children scurried in doors to join their families from a long day of school and play, eventually snuggling up under some heated blankets if they had them or just a warm blanket.
One such child did not have a family to return to not a proper home to warm up in. No, this child was alone with no one to call her family. No mother or father, just a bag of random items she had with her, a plush rabbit that was falling apart, some torn old clothes on her body, and a scarf that she never parted with. She never even tried to take the silver cloth off from around her neck, never wanting to lose it. This poor girl was on her own with no permanent home, going from one place to another the moment she was found.
As the sun set and the moon rose the child walked the streets, gripping her plush rabbit close to her person in her right arm while gripping the strap of her backpack filled with items she either found or stole tight with her left hand. Her posture was guarded as she just walked onward, her gaze shifting at every noise as she hopped into a dumpster, grabbing some food she found and eating whatever she could, this time it was some left over fried and a half eaten hamburger. Admittedly not the best, there might have been some mold on it or maybe it was something else. Was mold white and a weird thick liquid? She didn't know or care, as long as it didn't kill her. It did taste gross and the noises from the building near by were weird and gross too, she wouldn't be coming back here again if she could help it.
The child hopped out of the dumpster, still hungry when she heard the sound of a bell. It was distant, or was it in her head? Had she finally lost her mind from hunger? Confused, the seven year old decided to walk off, her legs acting of their own accord. It took an hour of walking, stepping onto sharp stones and tripping over tree roots, wait she was in a run down city earlier had she really walked so far? Regardless she had injured herself from walking so much, bleeding from scrapes and punctures that littered her legs and feet. That is until she finally was able to snap back to reality and look around. A clearing with an old tree, decorated in talismans and odd carvings that looked to have been there for a very long time. A circle made out of old rope surrounded the tree's roots and a small spherical silver bell waved in the wind, letting out a tiny chime just a bit, it was tied to some kind of post just inside the circle of rope.
Intrigued the seven year old went to take a closer look, however the moment her foot crossed over the rope she felt uneasy. The wind grew more intense and the tiny bell rang out in response. The violent wind smacked the child into the tree, which now gave off a glow from the carvings in it. The child passed out from such an intense hit and fell backward with a groan.
Hours passed, or maybe it was longer. The child couldn't tell, but she knew she was alive since she opened her eyes to birds chirping and the sun light pouring into her eyes. She hissed. "Ow." Her voice was soft and weak as she spoke, feeling her forehead a bit. No bump thankfully but she was still sore. Slowly the child stood, faltering a bit from her still cut up feet but she managed to stand and limp away, noticing that the rope that was once clearly old and faded, even fraying a bit, was now a vibrant red. The bell post and bell looked like new too. Turning she noticed that even the tree looked different. The talismans and carvings also looked newer. It weirded the child out so she just turned and limped away.
Eventually the child saw someone, a woman in feudal era clothing. She went up with a whimper. "E-excuse me." She managed weakly only for the woman to look at the child and give a horrified expression. "I... I don't know where I am. My head and feet hurt a lot. M-may I have some help." The child asked, her voice faltering a bit. The woman took a step back, looking at the child.
"You... Look human enough." The young woman muttered. "But you're dressed in such..." Then something seemed to click for the woman. "Wait! Are you from the present like Miss Kagome?"
"Wait... What?" The child blinked, a bit confused. "I... Wait..." She had to wrap her mind around this really quick but before she could, the young woman seemed to grow relieved, happily approaching the child and taking her tiny hands gently.
"Your clothes silly girl! Lady Kagome has similar clothes. Though yours are very different I can tell you are from the present! Come! I'll take you to Kaede's Village. You can get help there." Before the child could even protest the young woman easily picked the child up, noting how light she was. "Oh my, your feet and legs look awful and you could use a good meal. No time to waste! Oh, my name is Chiyo. What is your name?"
"Kari Kana Lee Himura. And this--" Kari held up her rabbit plush. "Is Tsuki." Chiyo smiled at the child in her arms and began to walk.
"Well it is nice to meet you both. Now let's get going, the sooner you meet Lady Kaede and Lady Kagome the sooner you can get help." Chiyo walked for a while, eventually coming across the village as the sun began to set, going to a specific house while greeting the villagers who were very kind to her and the child in her arms. Kari just curled up and tried to hide a bit. "Lady Kaede? Are Lady Kagome and her friends here? I saw Shippo and Kirara playing outside so I know they're all in the village or will return but I haven't seen any-- oh, hello everyone." The woman smile, holding up Kari a bit who hid. "I found this child and thought she came from where Lady Kagome is from. Is there anyway we can help her?"
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hey sweetheart
prompt: meetcute at work (@steddieholidaydrabbles) rated: e (18+) word count: 896 words tags: modern au, line cook eddie/waiter steve, hooking up
welcome to Day 4 of the fic advent calendar â bite-sized fics posting every day during the month of december. enjoy!
Steve is halfway through his first week when he meets him: the line cook with the long hair pulled back in a bun, the stark black lines of tattoos snaking up his arms, the flirty little smile that he flashes in Steveâs direction when Steve comes back to pick up Table 6âs starters.
Itâs a hell of a time to start a job in the first place: mid-holiday season, no one around to train him except Robin whoâs only worked there a couple weeks longer than he has and knows next to nothing about The Way Things Work.
But sheâs Robin, and sheâs familiar, and she knows him well enough to warn him to avoid the flirty long-haired line cook with the big brown eyes and the dimples and the million watt smile directed right at him and âÂ
Fuck.
âSweetheart, you rang in Table Twelve wrong,â the guy says, leaning forward over the pass with a ticket in his hand. âThis says no onions, but the special isnât made with onions.â
Steve stares at him as he loads Table Sixâs plates onto a tray. He resists the urge to roll his eyes, but only barely.
âMy name isnât Sweetheart,â he says eventually. âAnd so â just extra donât put onions on it. Who cares?â
The cook raises his eyebrows, tilting his head to the side. âThought it sounded nicer than âhey new guyâ, but if youâd prefer that ââ
âSteve,â he says. He shoulders his tray. âMy name is Steve.â
The cook gives him a little smile, eyes flashing in the bright fluorescents of the kitchen.
âAlright, Sweetheart.â He tilts his chin up. âExtra no onions for Table Twelve, and you can call me Eddie.â
---
It continues on like that for a week or two: Eddie flirting, finding any excuse to ask a question about his ticket.Â
Steve knows what heâs doing; heâs worked in restaurants before, and heâs fucked enough hot line cooks in his time that he should know better than to fall into the trap, but still, he finds himself drawn in, entertaining Eddieâs endless teasing and prodding and poking until he starts doing it back â little digs about his shift meal, questions about a menu item that he already knows the answer to.
âDude,â Robin says, halfway through his first month.Â
Itâs rounding up on Christmas, and the place is packed, corporate groups out for holiday parties and couples on dates.Â
âIf you donât stop flirting, Iâm going to cut your fucking dick off,â she says. âSeriously.â
And â okay. Thatâs fair.Â
Steve pulls himself away from where heâd been leaning over the pass, asking Eddie a question about the catch of the day that heâs already asked three times tonight. Clears his throat and straightens up. He tugs his tie back into place, claims the braised oxtail thatâs destined for Table Two and clears his throat.
âSorry.â
Eddie sends him a wink, and Steve feels himself flush.
âPlease tell me youâre not going to fuck him,â Robin says as they exit the kitchen.
Steve sighs. âIâm not going to fuck him.â
---
And of course, heâs lying through his teeth.
The very next night, theyâre both off work, and he gets a text from an unfamiliar number, just â
hey sweetheartÂ
Steve flushes as he stares down at his phone, scratching a hand back through his hair. He takes a breath.
Wonder who this could be , he texts back.
All he gets in response is a simple,
đÂ
---
Two hours later, heâs flat on his back in Eddieâs bed, clinging to his shoulders and whining as Eddie fucks him so hard he loses his breath, so hard he feels like his brain is rattling around in his skull. He digs his teeth into Eddieâs skin, ankles locked around his back and not even bothering to hold back the noises that Eddieâs punching out of his chest, just â
âFuck,â he gasps, voice coming high in the back of his throat. âHoly shit, I ââ
Eddieâs mouth runs up the column of his neck, hands trailing over his skin, nails dragging sharp lines down his sides.
âYou going to come for me, sweetheart?â he asks, voice low in his ear. âShow me how pretty you can be?â
And thatâs â for some reason that sets Steve off, turns his skin over to fire as he grips tighter to Eddieâs shoulders, nails digging in, back arching off the bed, coming so hard he sees stars.
---
And then later, when theyâre both fucked out and exhausted and Steve is preparing to take his cue to gather his clothes and make a graceful exit, he feels Eddieâs mouth skimming up the side of his neck, hand tangling in his hair, dragging him into another kiss.
A real one, with teeth and tongue and lips, a kiss that isnât intended to go anywhere other than just to be , and his breath catches a little in his chest, hand skittering over Eddieâs back as he rolls over on top of him.
âStay?â Eddie asks, voice quiet and hopeful and muffled where their mouths are still pressed together. He smiles, lips quirking up and drawing Steve along with him. âYou know I know how to make breakfast.â
And Steve breathes out a quiet laugh, bumping their noses together. He sighs.
âAs long as thereâs bacon.â
[also on ao3]
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I Want You to Stay (09) | JJK
Pairing:Â Jungkook x (f.) Reader
Genre/Tags: boss!JK x assistant!reader; idiot strangers to lovers; slow slow burn; k-drama feels; angst, drama, fluff, smut
Chapter (Series) Warnings: foul/explicit language; alcohol consumption & passing out, unhealthy coping mechanisms; family drama; minor injuries; power dynamics (JK starts off as a jerk); work-related anxiety, feelings of helplessness, insecurities; childhood traumatic experiences, nightmares; sexual harassment, attempted assault; use of the term slut in a derogatory way, prior incidence of domestic violence (PLS PLS BE CAREFUL WHEN READING); arts and business/property devt talk thatâs probably inaccurate; commitment issues & emotionally constipated characters; cold and detached JK; eventual explicit sexual content (specific warnings stated per chapter) (18+)
Chapter Word count:Â 18.4k
Series Masterlist
Status:Â Ongoing
Series summary: Working for Jungkook isnât the same as working for Hoseok. For starters, Jungkook doesnât smile, he doesnât appreciate you, and he gives you too much work. It doesnât help that heâs incredibly handsome and has women at his beck and call. But as the tension grows, it becomes impossible to resist him. Youâve dedicated yourself to your job for 8 years so when you finally decide to put yourself first, he asks you to reconsider. And while you know that leaving is difficult, you learn that when it comes to Jungkook, staying is always so much harder.
Playlist đś: on the way home
A/N: Hiii thank you for being patient, and again for all your love and appreciation for this story. 𼰠Updates will continue to take longer as I return to uni. On another note, I hope you enjoy this!
And as always, my biggest thanks to @wonwoonlight đĽ°
PS. If I canât tag you, pls fix your settings!
Seeing you standing in his kitchen donned in that pastel-colored blouse makes Jungkook stop in his tracks; youâre exactly who he needs to wake him up.Â
Itâs been weeks of vacation, which also means weeks without his usual routine. Itâs striking how being absorbed in his work has altered him in that sense - he looks for the stress, for the long hours, for the isolation thatâs demanded of his job. Perhaps there was just really nothing to look forward to, and work was an excuse for all those things because there wasnât much else going for him. Ironic, considering everything he can do with what he has, yet nothing seems to be what heâs looking for, even if deep down, he knows what it is.
This is something that Hoseok and A-yeong made him realize during the trip as he watched them gush about the pretty streets and marvel at the fjords and immerse themselves in the view of the northern lights.Â
His cousin, the President of the company who makes decisive decisions and conducts press conferences and signs off on billion won projects, is the same man who squealed during a husky ride in Finland, laughed his butt off when he slipped on a glacier, and muttered words of love to his wife as they all watched the bright evening sky over the lake in Norway. There was so much passion in him, something A-yeong mirrored, whether it was about work or his relationships or just about everything in life. Hoseok looked forward to that trip, to that time with his wife, to that break, to seeing the scenery and feeling peace.Â
While Jungkook found himself constantly thinking about the Arts Center and upcoming projects and new design ideas⌠and the one person who connected him to all those - you. It felt like he was rushing towards something because the achievement was the goal, and while he stopped by the mountains and marveled at the water as he sat on the cliffs, his mind was racing, chasing something that he couldnât even grasp.Â
Thatâs how the past six years have been. Perhaps more, he thinks. Maybe 20. Heâs never allowed himself to just be. Quite frankly, he doesnât know who he is outside of what he does; he doesnât know much of how he is outside of being an executive and heir, and so during the moments when he isnât functioning as such, heâs a bit lost, just existing in a place heâs visiting, not knowing how to interact, how to breathe; not knowing how to connect or to be free.
Youâre the bright spot amidst it all. With you around, he still seems to be wandering while stuck in a certain spot, but heâs not alone because youâre there. With you around, thereâs a sense of calmness somehow, with your smile and your presence warming the coldest parts of him that heâs left untouched and unfeeling for years.
So when he walks towards you, his eyes fully opening now to see you better, he hums in satisfaction.Â
âItâs nice to see you again,â he says, prompting you to turn around. âIt feels like itâs been so long.â
âReally, Mr. Jeon? I thought the three weeks felt fast,â you giggle. âBut itâs nice to see you, too. Were you able to rest out there?â
âSomehow,â he replies, taking the glass of water you give him.
âIs that why you passed on your morning workout to sleep in?â You raise an eyebrow, thinking that heâd slept in when you walked into his penthouse earlier without the usual sounds from the gym that youâd gotten used to.
âI was pretty jet lagged,â he groans. âCouldnât sleep so I did it last night to tire myself out and then I finally fell asleep three hours ago. Itâs a miracle I woke up after the tenth snooze of my alarm.â
âOoh, that is not good, considering all the documents on your desks and messages on your inbox,â you shake your head. âWhat if I move the team meeting to tomorrow so you donât push yourself too hard today? You couldâve taken the day off.â
âAnd have a worse day tomorrow? No thanks,â he chuckles. âIâm fine, but I agree with moving the meeting.â
âJust take it slow,â you advise. âI brought some pastries because I know your fridge and pantry are empty. Iâll get them ready shortly.â
âIâll wash up then.â
You follow not long after, preparing his outfits for the second half of the week, then setting out the breakfast for both of you. He returns to the kitchen wearing the brown suit you chose for today, looking just as handsome as you remember. You fix his tie like you always do and meet his eyes like itâs reflex, the warmth bubbling within you when he returns your soft smile. You take your seat a chair away, taking your iPad after to start going through updates when he stops you.
âNot yet, please. My mindâs still half asleep.â
âOkay, sir,â you respond. âWe can talk about your trip instead. How was it?â
Jungkook finds himself more engaged in telling you about it, not like how he was when his best friends met him for dinner last night and he was too tired to narrate how it went. But you ask with such excitement that he ends up sharing more than what he planned.
He talks about the Vikings museum and historical tours, the bike rides and coastal walks, the calm but lively cities and the breathtaking waterfalls. He even mentions the things heâd only kept to himself - like that one evening when the sky looked like one of Lee Jaeminâs paintings that had him staying at the balcony with a glass of wine while basking in its beauty, and when they were in Hans Christian Andersenâs hometown and he wondered what kind of fairytale character he would be, and that he learned he really enjoys hot springs during the winter. Theyâre random thoughts that he just ended up saying, somehow feeling natural and comfortable in sharing them with you.Â
You indulge him, asking more and sharing your thoughts, too. You even throw in the occasional teasing remark and playful laughter. You ask about the scenery, expressing your yearning for the outdoors that you said you never really appreciated before, as the open space always overwhelmed you.
He passes you his iPad where heâs opened the folder of the photos that he took with his camera, a gift from Taehyung whoâd said that Jungkook needed to go out more and âfeel the sun.â He rarely used it but a Northern Europe trip seemed like the perfect excuse. Heâs used to assessing interiors and marveling at structures from afar, but this time he got to appreciate what lies beyond his walls, beyond the little world heâs been burrowing himself in.
âThese are stunning, Jungkook,â you gush, dropping the formalities as he shares something that feels so personal. âI didnât know you had the talent for photography, too.â
âI wouldnât call it a talent,â he shakes his head. âI took it as an elective during university and it helps with design ideas. I should at least take nice photos if I need inspiration or a basis. I donât really do it much, though.âÂ
âDid it make you feel good, at least?â You ask, wondering what else gives him satisfaction.
âSomehow. It makes me feel good when Iâm looking at the pictures. Iâm transported to that day and that place again, like a holder of memories and desire for the good things.â
You go through the photos - dozens of them. He didnât take too many, just one or two shots of every scenery. Beyond the majestic landscape, there are the everyday scenes - people talking at a cafe, strangers enjoying the park. Thereâs a couple holding hands, laughing at each other; from the silhouettes, you can tell theyâre Hoseok and A-yeong, a moment that Jungkook probably thought too precious to not capture.Â
Something in you stirs, as the photos elicit a mix of awe and yearning. You look at Jungkook and you think itâs what he felt, too.Â
Thereâs a saying you heard about watching what people photograph to learn what they fear losing. With Jungkook, it seems as if these - freedom, tranquility, connection, intimacy - are things he wants; somehow they seem to be what he fears having.Â
âItâs nice to have a keeper of good memories, isnât it? Of that reminder that beautiful things exist and that theyâre tangible, you know?â You say, returning his gadget.Â
âIt is,â he responds after a beat of silence, seemingly processing your words. âWe forget sometimes. Or maybe, we just donât know what thatâs like. In that case itâs like an illusion. But itâs still good to have that, I guess. Itâs still something.â
You donât know what more could be said. It feels too personal or even intimate of a conversation to have with your boss on a Wednesday morning as you eat breakfast in his apartment. So you let it go, smiling as you say youâre glad he got to have some rest.Â
He says that so does he and then asks about how your holiday was as you both head to the car. You talk about it during the ride, how you spent a week in Wando with your motherâs partnerâs family and then drove to Jeonju, how the entirety of your break had you stuffing your face with food and bonding with them, and how they drove you back to Seoul last weekend, thankful that for those two weeks, they had you around.
You donât tell Jungkook that some days, youâd think of him, wondering how heâs doing. You donât tell him that youâd seen A-yeongâs posts and that he looked at peace in them, that there was a softness in his eyes that youâve rarely seen on him. You donât tell him that despite the vacation that you said you were looking forward to, you were also looking forward to this - having him back, sharing stories, and living in the silence alongside him.
You wonder, as you glance at him looking out the window, if this is what you meant about savoring the moment, enjoying whatâs in front of you, and feeling less alone. Because right now, those are exactly what you feel.Â
Jungkook wanted to wait to get to the office before proceeding to work matters, something that surprises you because he always gets down to business immediately, not unless heâs recovering from a hangover. But he blew you off even in the car, wanting instead to listen to your stories and then doodle on his leather notebook again for the rest of the ride. You end up meeting with him for an hour before he settles in, then he goes to lunch with his father, meets with your team, and then decides to visit the Arts Center mid-afternoon.Â
Work is back in full-swing just like that, and you pull the energy from within you to manage the crazy week. There are start-of-the-year events to attend and organize, a board report and meeting to prepare for, new projects to initiate, and a major one to monitor.Â
Youâre glad that despite all that, Jungkook allows you to have a four-day off on the succeeding week so you can celebrate your birthday with a road trip down coastal towns with Jimin and Soomin. Itâs a silly thing to do in the middle of winter, but they insist that warmth is most satisfying when itâs cold outside, and you donât disagree. Youâll definitely be sighing in relief when you hold the steaming hot hotteok in between your hands, and itâll be the best one youâll have.Â
Itâs Thursday and youâll be back in a week. Youâve just finished briefing Do-hyun, whoâll be covering for you while youâre away, and you get off your chair to grab tea in the pantry. Jungkookâs voice stops as you, as he stands by his door and asks if youâre already leaving.
âIn an hour, Mr. Jeon,â you reply. âIs there anything I can help you with until then?â
âNo, nothing,â he says. âIâm actually about to leave for dinner with Taehyung and Seokjin.â
âOh, alright, sir,â you hum. âGoodbye, then. And Iâll see you next week. Just know that youâre the only one who can disturb me.â
He laughs in response. âCome on, I wonât be badgering you, especially on your birthday. Itâs your one week away from me. You have to savor it.â
âSo should you,â you counter. âBut okay. I will.â
âGood,â he nods. âIâll just fix up and go ahead then.â
He returns to his room and youâre just the tiniest bit disappointed that he didnât properly greet you but you suppose thatâs good for you. So you go to the pantry and end up chit-chatting with the team, finding yourself smiling when you look up and see Jungkook by the door, who tells everyone not to stay too late before he heads out.Â
You arrive back at your desk, your heart beating fast at the sight of a small brown bag on your table.Â
For your trip. Something to help remind you that beautiful things exist and theyâre tangible, the note reads. Happy birthday.Â
Your mind goes to a conversation you had not long ago, about how photos can elicit certain emotions and be a keeper of memories, especially of good ones. You know this is from Jungkook, and you also have an idea of what this might be, which is why you open the package right away.
Still, it catches you by surprise, especially when you find two disposable film cameras inside. Theyâll definitely be enough for your upcoming trip and you know the photos will come out amazingly. Youâre ecstatic.Â
Perhaps this is why he wanted to leave before you did - youâd thank him and heâd be terrible at accepting it again, then youâll call him out for it. Maybe it was good he hadnât stuck around to see you act this way. At least he didnât see you with that silly smile on your face.
But Yoongi does as you head down the elevator, smirking at you when he sees the bag youâre holding and the familiar handwriting on the card.
âIâm guessing youâre not fighting it anymore, huh?â He says, teasing yet somehow still comforting.Â
âIâm trying not to, even if I know Iâm being stupid,â you admit. âI can at least have these fleeting moments of joy after I walk away from this.â
âRetain the good memories. Thatâs one way to let things go,â Yoongi advises, as he exits the carriage on the parking lot floor.
The doors close on your smiling face, and he chuckles to himself at the irony of things. Thatâs how he learned to let you go, after all.
You return to work the following week with a spring in your step, with Jungkook noticing as you heat up the fried rice that you told him youâd be preparing for breakfast. You hum as you go about in the kitchen, feeling energized after the last few days youâve had.Â
It was freezing, but you, Soomin, and Jimin went a little crazy and ran down the beach whenever you drove by one, something you all did as kids living in Busan. The drives from town to town were slow but they had you all singing to your favorite songs, munching on chestnuts and bungeoppang, and stopping over viewing sites for fresh air and photos.Â
You used Jungkookâs gift a lot, taking pictures of things that elicited strong emotions and good memories - purple and orange skies, snow melting on the pavement, the crashing ocean waves turning white at the tip, an empty playground in the park, Soominâs infectious laughter, Jiminâs angelic smile.Â
The cold was an excuse to seek your best friendsâ warmth and they took advantage of it. It reminded you of those few years growing up with them before you returned to Daegu for college, something you and Jimin reminisced about, and something that you thanked him for after what seemed like ages. You recalled how he approached you first as the new girl who entered school in the middle of the school year, how he followed you around because you were always alone and was scared of loud noises, and how heâs never left your side since then.Â
Every night during that trip, he hugged you as you tried to fall asleep, knowing you needed it for the cold you felt inside and out. He was next to you when you talked about Jungkook gifting you the cameras and admitted that it made you feel good, that it made you happy.
âIâm glad heâs showing you kindness,â Jimin had said. âBut⌠just be careful, okay? Your heart is capable of a lot of good things. Pain is the last thing it deserves.â
âI donât really know what my heart is capable of,â you replied. âMy brain does the hurting but my heart⌠I donât know what it does. I donât know how it works.âÂ
It left him speechless then and somehow, you were glad that he just held you tighter, only because it was the only way you wanted to be comforted at that moment. But you also knew that whatever your heart ended up doing or experiencing, Jimin and Soomin would be there to help you make sense of it, to pick up the pieces should they need to.
âIt seems as though your birthday rejuvenated you, ___,â Jungkook disrupts your thoughts. âYou look much lighter and relaxed.â
âOnly because I havenât checked my emails nor taken new instructions from you,â you laugh as you serve the fried rice in bowls then head towards him. You fix his suit again and speak casually like youâve gotten used to. âOnce I open that iPad and see what I have to deal with, relaxed would be the last thing Iâll be.â
âFair enough,â he chuckles. âLet me savor this then.â
His words catch you off guard and they prompt you to meet his eyes - soft yet piercing, then he turns shy and turns away from you. Perhaps heâs surprised at what heâd said, too.
âWork is stressful and your calmness rubs off on me most times,â he says nonchalantly. âWeâve got a busy few days ahead and I want that calmness to linger.â
âIt will,â you assure him. âAnd yes, I feel rejuvenated, and thatâll probably last me for days so that will linger, even if Iâm stressed, so don't worry. Youâre gonna do well. I donât doubt it one bit.â
Jungkookâs meeting the Culture Minister next week to present the Arts Centerâs plans and activities leading to its opening to the public, which is why you think he needs that calmness as well. The team has been helping him with the preparations and while you felt bad that you didnât get to contribute as much, he assured you that all the notes you left him have been instrumental.Â
But still, his words affect you. Is this calm and relaxed version of you all he wants to savor? Does it mean anything more?Â
The thoughts wander away as you have breakfast with him, and he asks if you wish to talk about work later on but you insist that youâre mentally ready for it all. Heâs the one who gives you updates this time, and just like that, youâre back to your usual routine.
You glance at his plate, all clean right after because even this dish, he savors. And you realize that doing things for him, no matter how simple, makes you happy, too, especially when his lips turn up in a small smile and he nods in satisfaction.
âGood, huh?â You wiggle your eyebrows.Â
âItâs infinitely better than mine,â he hums.
âSo, itâs really, really, really good then?â
âYou donât even know how mine tastes like.â
âTrue. But Taehyung said once that yours was really delicious and Iâll take his word for it. Seokjin agreed and I believe them.â
âWow, really? Thatâs a rare moment where they praise me,â Jungkook laughs.Â
âYou should savor that, too.â
âI should. Heavens know the last time that happened. And when itâll happen again.â
âThatâs kind of hard though, isnât it?â You say, being a bit reflective as you go back to your daily routine after a trip that you wholly enjoyed. âSavoring things⌠capturing them, appreciating them. Like, you have to be in the moment, you have to be present, and thatâs not easy to do.â
âIt isnât,â he responds after a while. âYou have to care enough for something to be worth savoring, I guess.â
âExactly. But how do you do that when everything is temporary - things, feelings⌠people. Not all of them are meant to stay,â you reply, meeting his eyes as they seem to be in deep thought.
âMaybe they will⌠if you ask them to,â he softly says.
âThat depends.â
âOn what?â He asks.
âIf they have a reason to,â you shrug.Â
Your faraway eyes tell him that youâre in deep thought, perhaps processing the exchange that even Jungkook canât fully wrap his head around. But you turn to him not long after, smiling as you take the plates to clean up, as if youâd just snapped out of a trance, of a moment of honesty.Â
He watches you from his seat. Thereâs an aura about you that truly feels more relaxed, yet there seems to be an added layer of pensiveness, of deep thinking that could easily be mistaken for savoring the moment when you might be questioning it, perhaps wondering if itâs real⌠or worth caring about in the first place.
Even until now, he doesnât know what it is about you that has him hanging on to every word you say, like itâs some secret message or code to learning who you are and what your fears and pains and hopes and dreams might be.Â
In the past months, his moments with you have allowed him a peek inside - thereâs this yearning for something that youâre not ready for; thereâs this knowledge of the fleeting nature of the world that you want to capture as memories because thatâs the only way you can make them stay; thereâs this desire for companionship that terrifies you more than anything. Â
But then again, as he sees that soft courage in your eyes, maybe he knows why - he has the same fears as you, and perhaps thatâs terrifying, too, as he realizes that much of what heâs scared of is tangible.Â
He fears the emptiness left in your absence and the silence surrounding him when youâre gone. His trip over the holidays made him think so; this past week when you were away solidified it. Thereâs a lot of you to miss. Heâs unsure how to deal with these thoughts and feelings; he doesnât know how to move forward and be professional when you affect him this way. All he can hope for is that youâll always find a reason to stay close to him, that youâll always find a reason to want him around, and that every moment you share is something worth it enough for you to savor but that you both never have to let go.
You think about the conversation with Jungkook later that night on your way home. Thereâs something about the impermanence of the world thatâs always scared you; things break and wither away all the time and you fear the loss in their absence. Perhaps itâs because youâve experienced various types of losses throughout your years of living.Â
You lost that childhood innocence the first time you saw your mother cry, then when her smile that finally returned was wiped off, and then when her hopeful eyes became filled with tears out of fear. You lost that comfort of a routine when you left Seoul at 10 years old, and then that stability when you said goodbye to your life in Busan. You lost that security when you decided to come back here with a dream tucked away, burdened with a debt and a past that you couldnât escape. You lost that feeling of freedom when your favorite library closed, and then of safety during that night at the restaurant when you were hurt and exposed.Â
Itâs hard to savor things when you know youâll lose them one day. But thatâs also precisely why you should, as what these past months have been showing you, you think now. The absence reminds you that something good was in its place, and that at one point in time, it made you hope that you deserved it, that you were worthy of having it.Â
But as you lay in bed that night and think of how much of Jungkook you thought about while you were away, you start to think that maybe things arenât as temporary as you once believed. He was in the icy streets that you walked on and the warmth of the hot chocolate drink you had. He was in the drizzle on the playground that you wiped off and the touch of the leather notebook you saw at one of the shops.Â
And perhaps that was the difference - you didnât just stand by; somehow it felt like you connected with them - they were tangible, within your grasp, and that made them linger, that made them feel real. In your mind, thatâs where they stayed.
The tail-end of winter marks the time when youâve settled in the new year. All your backlog from the holidays and your short birthday break have been worked on. Operational plans and goals for the year have been finalized. The Board report and meeting are over and major events have been scheduled. Things are picking up now as the Arts Center is near its completion, with the consequent promotions and marketing on full speed. That last bit has been contracted to a subsidiary company but Jungkook is still on top of most things, which means that so are you.Â
You accompany him to meetings with different departments regularly, and thatâs on top of monitoring the other small projects that the VP office is working on, which is also on top of supporting Jungkookâs executive functions. In a blink of an eye, youâre back to the hustle and bustle nature of your job, and youâre reminded of why itâs been so hard to get out of it, and also why you canât wait to do so.Â
Thereâs just so much going on all at once, and given how you are, you give all of yourself to it because itâs the only way to get things done; itâs the only way to get through it without feeling like youâre taking for granted all that youâve been given and achieved. But it also means youâve lost the sense of meaning of most other things, and you wanna be able to do something that means something to you, something of good memories, of beautiful things that are tangible that you can touch and feel.Â
You let go of the thoughts when Do-hyun and Yohan pop in your area to say goodbye. Itâs another long night for everyone and youâre glad that they finally listened to you and decided to go home. You say that you still have a couple of things to work on when they insist that they walk you to the bus stop, telling them once more that youâll be fine.Â
âItâs forecasted to rain soon,â Do-hyun informs you.Â
âIâll get a cab, donât worry,â you assure them. âFinance needs these files first thing tomorrow morning and weâve got that ocular at 8. Thank you though.âÂ
âFine, but let us know when youâre home, okay?â She says.
âI will. Get home safely, you two.â
You get back to work, and with the peace and quiet in the office with you being the last one here, you manage to finish what you need to in an hour and then finally call it a night. You head out and sigh to yourself once you see the lightning strike, knowing that it wouldnât be long before the rain will begin to pour. You manage to bring out your umbrella by the time it does, then turn at the corner to look for a cab so you can avoid those whoâll be hailing from the main road.Â
There are a few people who have the same idea as you, and itâs after some time before you spot one, with the driver slowing down once he sees you. But right as you start speed walking towards it, some man decides to get ahead, running past you and bumping you in the process, causing you to lose your balance. The wet pavement doesnât help, as you slip on your foot and fall to the ground. You try to get up but jerk in pain when you do, realizing that youâd hurt your ankle, a foreign feeling that has you immediately worrying.Â
After all the times youâd found yourself under the rain, this is the worst moment of all - youâre hurting, all alone, and completely worn out. Youâve had a really long day and you donât have the energy for this; all you want is to go home and have some rest. But you know thereâs no other way, so you shift on your bum, manage to get up and strain your arms in the process, then you limp to the nearest post you can find using your umbrella as a walking stick then stand on one foot.
The rain has weakened a little, so youâre at least not getting even more wet, but itâs still winter and youâve started to freeze. There are no other cabs in sight and all ride-hailing apps have been such a pain to book. Knowing that itâll be tough to get home in any way at this stage and that you wonât be able to manage on your own, you decide to call Mr. Ri. Heâs always told you that if you need help for anything, heâs another person that you could call.
Itâs half past 8 in the evening. Youâre banking on him being on the way home after having dropped Jungkook off at his building after a dinner meeting at 5:30.
âHey, ___. Is everything alright?â Mr. Ri asks, knowing you rarely call at this hour.Â
âNot really,â you sigh, the shiver in your voice evident. âHave you dropped Jungkook off?â
âNot yet. But what do you mean, not really? What happened?â
âAre you driving?â
âNo. Iâm still waiting for him to finish. Tell me, are you in danger?â He presses, and you hear the worry in his voice.Â
You told him about Chi-won some weeks after it happened, and Mr. Ri, having known you for many years, knows youâre not one to usually reach out. Heâs made it a point to check on you regularly, and calls like this would definitely ring some alarm bells.Â
âIâm not in danger but I hurt myself,â you say, quickly appeasing him that itâs probably just a sprained ankle and not that serious. âI just canât get any ride and I can barely walk. I was hoping you were on the way home.â
âIâm not but Iâll go get you, okay? Iâll tell Jungkook and weâll drive to you right away.â
âMr. Ri, heâs in a meeting!âÂ
âThatâs most likely over and now theyâre just chatting over drinks,â he reasons. âIâll get him. You know heâll want me to.â
âYou donât know that,â you stammer.
âYou werenât there with him the days after what happened that night at the restaurant, ___,â he huffs. âI just knew it was really bad because of how worried he was, and heâs never been that way. So yes, I know heâll want me to get his ass out of there and be on the way to you. Plus, Iâm sure heâll fire me if I donât.â
âFine,â you concede. âJust donât make it sound so bad because it really isnât.â
âYou know I canât control how that kid reacts,â he hums. âJust send me your location.â
Mr. Ri heads out of the driverâs lounge and rushes to the restaurant where he manages to send a message to Jungkook that youâre stranded somewhere with possibly a sprained ankle. He says it as it is, knowing that Jungkook wonât need much to decide on ending the meeting and go to you, which he does right away.
âWhat happened?â He asks the older man as they both walk towards the basement parking.
âI donât know. I didnât ask any more questions,â Mr. Ri responds. âSheâs somewhere near the office. Weâll be there in 20 minutes.â
âTry for 15,â Jungkook instructs.
He calls you right after and he immediately picks up on your chattering teeth.
âHey, ___. How are you feeling?â
Youâre a little surprised when Jungkook calls this soon, and with how youâre trying to move past whatever attraction you have towards the man, this really isnât helping.
âJust⌠cold. My umbrella flew away,â you laugh. âThe windâs picked up and I think itâs gonna rain again.â
Just as you say so, it starts, and you pick up on the change in Jungkookâs voice. Youâve since learned that heâs not fond of it, always closing his eyes and trying to tune everything out with even just a drizzle. But he continues talking and asks what happened, trying to keep you company. You narrate the incident and attempt to play it off as something minor, although the longer you stay leaning against the post, the more pain youâre starting to feel.Â
âWeâre five minutes away. Weâll be there soon,â he assures you then drops the call.
Jungkook clenches his fist and closes his eyes as the rain continues to pour. With the sound of the thunder, he jerks in his seat like he always does, but he pushes forward, knowing you need his help. He takes deep breaths just as heâs learned to do, and not long after, Mr. Ri informs him that he sees you just meters away.
The car slows down and Jungkook looks outside the window. He can see you leaning against a pole on one foot, drenched and shivering, your eyes closed as you wait for them to arrive. He meets Mr. Riâs eyes in the rear view mirror as they halt, and with the rain just barely stopping, the older man nods and exits the car.
Jungkook watches from inside as Mr. Ri runs to you. He sees the smile on your face despite the droplets on the window. The older man takes your bag then helps you walk, leading you to the car where Jungkook manages to push the door open.Â
You slowly enter with as much energy you can muster, wincing in pain when you have to adjust your foot inside. You sigh in relief as you feel the warmth and dryness of the car, prompting you to apologize for getting it all wet.
âDonât worry about it,â Jungkook shakes his head. âWeâll take you to the hospital, okay? And I wonât accept no for an answer.â
You nod in agreement, knowing that much as youâre causing him inconvenience right now, youâre too tired to argue. You lean your head by the window and try to catch your breath.Â
âHave you had dinner? He asks.
âNot yet. I was supposed to grab it on the way home.â
âWeâll pass by somewhere after the hospital.â
âOkay,â you look at him and smile.Â
Jungkook isnât surprised when you donât counter him. Perhaps itâs the exhaustion, as he sees it in how your smile isnât as bright as what heâs used to, with it fading as you turn away. Youâre still shivering though, despite the car heater being turned up. He doesnât have a towel to dry you up, though, so he instead removes his coat and instructs you to lean forward so he can place it over your shoulders to warm your back. He takes his puffer jacket from the front seat and puts it over your lap right after, giving you warmth there, too.Â
âIs that better?â He asks.
âYeah,â you mouth. âThank you.â
His scent wafts through your senses, allowing you to breathe and feel all of him at once. Itâs the closest thing to tangible comfort youâve gotten from him, and you hate how good it feels.
Youâre just about to fall asleep when the car comes to a stop. The rain has subsided and perhaps thatâs why soon after, you hear Jungkook open his door and then your door, too. He removes his coat over your back, placing it back inside, then he holds onto your forearms to help you climb out. He takes his jacket and instructs you to wear it, giggling at how youâre being swallowed in it.
âI look ridiculous,â you pout as you sit on the wheelchair that heâs asked the nurse to get.
âJust a little,â he teases.
He walks next to you as youâre wheeled inside the hospital, staying close by when you explain to the ER doctor what happened. She assesses your foot and lower leg, diagnosing you with a sprained ankle like you expected, and proceeds to wrap it in elastic bandage.Â
She treats the minor scratches on your palms you got from the fall then writes you a prescription for painkillers. Jungkook takes it so he can buy them for you after, then he helps you settle the bill with your insurance.Â
Youâre quite uncomfortable - youâre still a little wet and the bandage feels foreign around your foot. But youâre also feeling a bit shy, now that Jungkook is the one pushing the wheelchair towards the pharmacy nearby. He parks you at the side while he buys the medicine, and as you look on, you canât help the relief mixed with giddiness that you feel despite the pain thatâs close to overtaking you.
He stands by the counter with his white dress shirt slightly untucked and the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. His hands are in his pockets while he waits for the pharmacist to return, and amidst everything thatâs going on, youâre still able to admire how overwhelmingly handsome he looks, especially given what heâs doing right now for you. His side view is quite blinding, so youâre slightly embarrassed when he turns around and calls your name again after you missed it the first few times.
âDazed and tired?â He asks as he walks back to you with a pack of medicines.
âDefinitely,â you say, which isnât a lie; itâs just not the whole truth. âI just want to eat and have a nice bath and then sleep.â
âAnd youâll do all that soon,â he assures you. âWeâll pass by whateverâs open on the way to your place. Just make sure you donât have the hot water on, okay? And then elevate your foot when you sleep.â
âYes, I heard everything she said,â you playfully roll your eyes.Â
âIncluding the full-on rest thatâs required of you for the next few days?â He raises an eyebrow. âBecause thatâs what youâre gonna have. Youâre on leave until youâre able to walk properly again, Ms. Cho.â
âSo now youâre being formal,â you tease, flashing him a playful smile. âBut yes, Mr. Jeon. The instructions are understood.â
âGood,â he laughs softly. âGlad youâre not being stubborn about it.â
âOh, not with this one, not when Iâm this tired and in this much pain.â
His look turns sullen at the admission of what youâre feeling and you wish he didnât feel this bad. But you canât deny the way itâs giving you butterflies, prompting you to scold yourself internally because learning how caring he is isnât exactly what you need to get over a crush. This is definitely the worst part about being injured, you decide.Â
You make it out of the hospital and he helps you again as you enter the car, sliding in next to you as he ensures that youâre warm.Â
You pass by a noodle house on the way, and he buys you some more food for the next day despite your insistence that he didnât have to. But youâre too tired to argue some more, and you doze off a little during the drive to your apartment, with your half-awake self mumbling your apology about taking up his time.
Jungkook playfully shakes his head. Knowing youâre probably shallow sleep-talking, he disregards your words. He just gets glimpses of you, comforted to know that youâre at least getting the most rest you can have, given your current state. The painkillers will kick in soon and thatâll help you sleep better, but right now, he wishes he could do more for you.Â
In the deepest crevices of his heart, he wants to hold your still shivering hands and maybe hug your trembling body. He wants to stay with you until youâre warm and comfortable in your bed, perhaps assure you in whatever way that youâre not alone, that thereâs help whenever you need it. He canât imagine how it wouldâve been like for you being under the rain, cold and hurt with no one around.Â
On second thought, he can, and thatâs the thing about it. Even if you get out of it with just a sprained ankle - considering how much worse it couldâve been - itâs still terrifying being alone and powerless, paralyzed on the spot and not knowing if anyone will show up. He wants nothing more than for you to get over that and be able to move past it because he knows how haunting it could be; he knows how restraining such memories are.
But he also knows that thereâs not much he could do - not with the unnamed feelings he canât express, and not with the line he still believes he shouldnât cross.
So he settles for glances and soft smiles at your fluttering eyes and slightly parted mouth. You look tired but peaceful; he thinks itâs quite endearing. It also feels intrusive so he looks away, out into the streets that heâs able to somehow see now. He thinks about the timing of it all - your late night and his dinner out, your injury and the bad weather. Heâs thankful that the rain subsided and that allowed him to help you as much as he was able to, and that he got to you in the first place.
You arrive at your apartment with you now fully awake, and Jungkook heads to your side right away. Pulling you out of the car requires more strength from him, and despite your terrible condition, the butterflies appear once more when he instructs you to hold onto him for support. You have to act unaffected when you feel his broad shoulders and taut arms, with your hands gingerly laying on them; you wonder if he feels anything, too, under the thin material of his dress shirt.Â
His left hand only grazes your waist but his hold tightens after you grant him permission, perhaps knowing that it would be harder for you if he holds you that loose, he asked you to put your weight on him after all. Despite your agreement, you still hold in your breath, a silly attempt at slowing down your quickening heartbeat. Heâs never been this close, and youâre unsure if you want him to be anywhere else.
You suspend your thoughts for the shortest of seconds until you both manage to get up the few steps to your door. Mr. Ri helps in unlocking it, and you settle on the dining chair that Jungkook pulls out for you after you both enter.
As you release a breath and watch him look around, itâs then you realize that your boss - the Jeon Corporation Vice President who lives in a penthouse in an exclusive district in Seoul - is in your tiny studio apartment thatâs literally just the size of his bedroom. Youâre not ashamed one bit but you are a little shy, so you jokingly welcome him to your âlittle mansion.â
âItâs nice,â he hums, looking around some more, which he doesnât need to move to do.Â
The small round dining table, the off-the-wall kitchen, and the three-seater couch are all in the open living space. Thereâs a half-wall that separates your sleeping area, with your double bed against it and the tiniest of balconies just off of it.Â
Youâre quite proud of what youâve made of the place, with the plants in the corners, some chic art pieces on the walls, and photos with your friends and family on stick-on frames resting on the shelves. Itâs cozy and comfortable for you, and you feel quite proud when Jungkookâs lips turn up when you respond that youâre happy here when he asks.
âItâs everything I need,â you hum. âAnd itâs in a safe part of town. My neighbors are older couples who are all kind.â
âThatâs good,â he says, turning to you. âWill they be much help to you while you recover?â
âIâll be okay,â you insist. âI have a crutch. Iâve got food to heat up, and my place is so small that I donât have to move around to get things done. I donât really need help, you know?â
He scrunches his eyebrows, seemingly unconvinced.Â
âWatch,â you say, your shallow confidence pushing you to grab the crutch next to you then using it to walk towards him so you could prove that youâre capable enough to look after yourself.Â
But your unfamiliarity with it leads you to mistime your step. Before you know it, youâre tripping on your foot and losing your balance, and as your life is about to flash before your eyes thinking that youâre gonna fall once again and make your injury worse, Jungkookâs reflex kicks in and he steps forward to catch you. You feel his grip on your waist gradually tighten as if to keep you steady, as if to make sure youâre alright. Heâs so close, you can feel his breath as he pants, the worried look on his face something youâre familiar with by now. But he stays there, inches away, and so do you.Â
Heâs bending, so he stays leveled with you. You can see his long eyelashes resting on his honeyed skin and the endearing curve of his nose. He looks so soft like this, comfortable even, with his big round eyes looking like the most innocent ones youâve ever seen.
The voice in your head suddenly becomes loud enough and you break his gaze, realizing then that youâre also clutching onto his shoulder for support. You give him a look of apology but he just laughs, something youâre thankful for because the last thing you want is for the tension to thicken.
âYouâre stubborn, arenât you? You think itâs that easy?â He shakes his head, his tone sounding like heâs both teasing and reprimanding you.
âIt seemed like it,â you shrug, allowing him to help you back on the seat, disregarding the slightest bit of giddiness you feel as he has one hand on your free arm while the other ghosts over your waist in case you fall again.
âItâs not. And I know this because Iâve used this before,â he says. âSo since youâll be by yourself, we have to make sure you can at least use the crutch without falling, okay?â
âFine,â you concede, listening to his instructions carefully then trying to do it on your own.Â
It takes some getting used to, but after a few tries, you manage to at least walk without tripping. You plan on just staying in bed or on the couch tomorrow anyway so youâre not that worried. Even if Jungkook still seems to be.
âIâm okay,â you insist. âIâm gonna survive. But you should head home. Itâs getting late and you have that ocular in the morning. Iâll just have to email Chin-sun about accompanying you andââ
âNone of that,â he interjects. âIâll be the one to tell her and I donât want you worrying about work tomorrow, okay? Youâre gonna take your medicine and just rest.â
âYouâre demanding, arenât you?â You raise an eyebrow.
âOnly when Iâm dealing with someone as stubborn as you,â he counters.Â
You just laugh at him answering back, enjoying your banter more than you should, then he says that heâll go ahead, for as long as youâre sure you can manage. It takes another five minutes until he makes it out the door. But before he disappears, you call his name, your heart skipping a beat when he turns around, as if heâs just hanging onto your every word.
âThank you,â you say. âI know it was a long day and it was raining but⌠you still came for me.â
âJust recover quickly, okay? Iâll check on you in the morning.â
You nod and he leaves. And just like that, youâre once again on your own - damp, injured, and extremely tired. Jungkookâs presence remains in your apartment though, and there he is again, making you smile and making you feel things you shouldnât.
You donât mind being alone. In fact, you enjoy it. But during the times when you donât want to be, he just happens to be there. And being the stubborn woman that you are, deep down, you like it that he is, that in your own little world with the walls up so high, heâs become a frequent visitor. Youâre just not sure if you want him to stay just yet.Â
You wake up the next morning feeling faint and sore, and itâs probably the painkillers having lost their effect. And thereâs a reason why, seeing that itâs close to midday when you finally get out of bed. You manage to stand and walk to the kitchen with no issues, and you take your medication and heat up the food that Jungkook bought for you last night. Itâs when youâre seated that he calls, bringing that smile to your otherwise uneventful day.
âHello?â
âHey, ___. How are you feeling?â He asks.
âJust fine. I took my medicines for the day and Iâm about to eat lunch,â you reply. âAnd you? How was the ocular?â
âIt was good. It has a lot of potential so Iâll run down the details with the teams and propose it. But speaking of sites, remember what I said about Hoseok and I thinking of a Scandinavian-inspired mid-rise in the mountains?â
âYeah, the one you came up with during your trip. Are you gonna push through with it soon?â
âPerhaps. Iâve gotten emails of proposed sites for some other projects but Iâve seen a few that could work with this idea,â he shares. âThereâs one in Gangwon thatâs near the town center so it would be practical for many. Thereâs evenâ ah, why am I saying this to you now? Youâre off the clock.â
âItâs okay,â you assure him. Jungkook doesnât always show this much excitement with the projects he has to manage so when he does, you encourage him. Itâs also an excuse to hear more of his voice. âMy mindâs not prepared for being home today anyway so Iâm a little disoriented. But thatâs good. I can look into the sites and we can do an ocular whenever you prefer.â
âAlright, thatâs something to schedule for next month. But uh, you sure youâre fine? Does your ankle still hurt? Did you get proper sleep?â
âWell, I slept like a baby,â you giggle. âAnd I at least remained in one position. It still hurts a bit but it should be okay in the next few days. Iâm just gonna have to replace the bandage tomorrow morning.â
âOkay. Just make sure to ice it and keep it elevated.â
âYes, boss,â you tease, earning you a groan. âBut uh, thank you for checking up on me. I know youâve got a busy day ahead.â
Heâs silent, and you suppose itâs him again not knowing how to respond to gratitude, so you follow it up by saying that youâll eat your meal now and reminding him of his meeting at 2PM.
âYou better not be checking your emails and my calendar right now,â he warns.
âIâm not. I just memorize your schedule,â you defend.
âOkay then, Iâll go ahead.â
Jungkook drops the call and sinking in his seat, he sighs in relief. He managed to get through that conversation without sounding extremely worried, which is what heâs been since last night. His busy day today actually includes constantly worrying about how youâre doing, but he supposes itâs too much to let you know. Sure itâs just a sprained ankle, but knowing how you tend to move about, anything can happen. You were all alone for some time last night, too, just waiting for a way to get home. And thatâs another thing he worries about - that fear latching onto you, that helplessness weighing you down.
He asks Mr. Ri if heâs heard from you, thinking that youâd probably be more honest with him, but the older man says you told him the same thing.
âDonât you believe her?â Mr. Ri wonders.
âI do, but sheâs quite stubborn though,â Jungkook laments.Â
âWell, Iâve known her for a while and she tends to just deal with things on her own,â Mr. Ri says.
âBut she shouldnât. Sheâs injured.â
âI think itâs natural for people whoâve been alone for many years to be that way,â the older man shrugs. âI mean, youâre the same.â
Jungkook doesnât disagree. And if youâre truly anything like him, then youâd just push through the pain and force it to stop hurting so you can go back to your normal busy life because doing so keeps you from thinking of how lonely it feels when youâre sick or hurt and thereâs no one around. Itâs how heâs always been, too, he admits to himself.
The thought disturbs him, which is why he messages you three more times during the day and then again the next morning, asking if he could drop by. Heâs expecting you to insist that youâre fine and he doesnât need to, so it surprises him when you say that he could.Â
Youâre pacing back and forth in your mind since youâre unable to physically do so, but the thought of Jungkook visiting you this Saturday morning is a lot for you to handle, even if you did say it was alright for him to come. The truth is, you wanted him to, only because selfishly, seeing someone be that worried about you gives you some form of comfort.
You called your family yesterday and told them about the injury, which they obviously panicked about. Your mom asked if you needed her to come to you but like always, you said she didnât need to. You told Yoongi about it, too, and he was worried as well, in the classic way that he often is; he had food delivered to you for dinner last night so you didnât have to think about it. You only told your best friends about it this morning and they were furious you waited so long to let them know; they were packing their stuff right as you were speaking to them two hours ago.Â
You know you have people to depend on and would be at your doorstep anytime you ask. These are the same people whoâve done that for years and you fully accept their care and attention; itâs become a part of you and your healing process. But when someone like Jungkook who, for whatever reason he has, shows you the same, it feels different; he goes out of his way to show it to you, and heâs not even someone who normally does it. Itâs a new kind of comfort, one that you find yourself seeking. So when he called earlier and asked if he could drop by, there was an internal sigh of relief.Â
Over half an hour later, your doorbell rings, and you limp your way towards the door to open it.Â
Other than being in suits, youâve only ever seen Jungkook in his gym clothes - half naked as well - and in night out wear. You realize that this is the first time youâre seeing him in a casual outfit, and with a jacket over a sweatshirt and a brown beanie, he looks different - thereâs that boyish charm that youâve never seen; he looks softer, kinder, still reserved but a lot more comfortable.
You let him in after your greetings, then you turn to him and smile.Â
âItâs really the suit, I know it now,â you tease. âItâs what makes you look intimidating.â
He looks at his attire then frowns at you. âSo how do I look now?â
âNot intimidating.â
âWow, what a surprise,â he playfully rolls his eyes. âWhereas youâŚâ He eyes you in gray leggings and a blush jumper, looking soft and comfortable and even more like the bright spot heâs realized you are, but heâd never tell you that. âYou look injured.â
âGee, what a surprise. I feel injured, too,â you laugh. âBut uhm, itâs nice of you to visit my humble mansion once again.â
âI just wanted to make sure youâre doing better,â he hums. âAnd bring some more food so you donât have to worry about it.â
You eye the beef brisket with rice and say that you know what youâll be having for lunch. He responds that he might just go back to the restaurant and meet his best friends there, too. You return to your seat on the couch, realizing thereâs not much room for him to sit on, but he gets to you first, standing in front of you and eyeing the elastic bandage on the table.
âArenât you due for a redress?â He asks.
âYes but uh, I canât actually reach my foot,â you say with an embarrassed smile. âIâm not really flexible so Iâll just wait until Soomin and Jimin arrive.â
âI can do it,â he offers, thinking that the bandage isnât serving its purpose if it remains loose. âI mean, Iâve dressed myself on my own before so Iâm familiar with it.â
Itâs probably the painkillers but something possesses you and you agree, your mind too out of it to take the words back. A part of you wishes you had, especially when your heart does a thing when he kneels on the floor and slowly takes your injured foot. You wiggle your toes in reflex, as if theyâre shy, too, and Jungkook laughs at your silly antics, especially when you admit that youâre a little ticklish.Â
But he softly looks at you right after and asks if heâs hurting you, and you shake your head, unable to say anything else and process that you really allowed this man - your boss and in-denial crush - to do this.Â
You sit there, charmed by the way he looks determined to get this done. He removes the old bandage and wipes your ankle before wrapping it with a new one. His hands are large and quite rough but heâs very gentle, making sure to not lift your foot too high and that the bandage isnât wrapped too tightly. Once heâs finished, he lays it on the table and looks up at you to ask if it feels okay.
âYes,â you shyly smile. âThank you. That was, uh, that was really nice of you.â
He nods and stands up to throw the trash in the bin, wanting to quickly hide his smile at how wholesome you looked in thanking him.Â
He proceeds to look around, taking more of your home in. Thereâs something very calming about it, and itâs more than just the plants that you have and the right amount of sunlight coming from the balcony door and kitchen window. Thereâs also something familiar, as he looks through your shelf of photos, seeing your mom and her partner for the first time. She looks a lot like you. She has a nice smile like yours, and she sees that same joy on her face as heâd seen on you, as she hugs you tightly in one of the pictures.Â
The familiarity is similar to when he first had a whiff of your scent - old rose like the one his mother used to wear, one he remembers as a child when he still clung to her. There are those memories that stick with him. Others he doesnât have anymore but thatâs good, he supposes. Seeing your shelf, he sees all the good and tangible things you hold dear.Â
âThe photo on the far right, the one with Soomin and Jimin. We took that during my birthday trip using your gift,â you tell him. âIt came out really nicely.â
âIt did. Did you finish the film? What else did you take photos of?â
âWe used it all up,â you smile. âAnd just a lot of the scenery and the three of us. We all divided them so we could have copies and just remember how fun that week was.â
âGood, thatâs what I hoped.â
Jungkook stands there, his jacket now off so his sleeves are rolled up to his elbows and his hands are in his pockets as he looks through your shelf. You wonder what heâs thinking, what heâs seeing, if any of this makes him curious. Itâs as if heâs taking in all the small parts of who you are that he can see displayed before him. He turns to you and your eyes meet again, and for a moment, it feels like youâre really seeing him and heâs really seeing you, like thereâs something only both of you share and understand and want and can give.
But the doorbell ringing disrupts it, with you wondering who it could be since your best friends wonât arrive until an hour from now. Jungkook walks to the door and opens it, surprised to see Yoongi whoâs just as surprised to see his friend in your apartment.
âHey, youâre back. And⌠here,â you smile, attempting to stand up but Yoongi tells you to stay put.Â
âI flew home last night and thought Iâd visit and get you some food, but it seems like Iâm second in line,â he says, his smug face causing you to glare at him.Â
âI just wanted to make sure she was okay,â Jungkook defends. âI wonât stay long.â
âOf course you do. And I wonât stay long either. I donât wanna disturb anything.âÂ
He smirks at his friend, prompting Jungkook to glare at him as well.Â
âYah, chill, you two. Iâm really just passing by,â Yoongi reiterates, making his way now to sit on the arm of your sofa. âJust wanted to check on ___ and make sure sheâs well-fed.â
âIâm injured, not starving, okay?â You groan. âBut thanks. What have you got there?â
âNoodles, custard buns, and some tarts. Wasnât sure what youâre into when youâre incapacitated,â Yoongi shrugs.Â
âIâm very much mobile,â you correct him. âJust⌠slow and limping.â
Jungkook pulls your dining chair and sits in front of you, and the three of you talk as if this isnât weird at all. Youâre all colleagues - you and Jungkook consider Yoongi as your friend, but you donât know if you should consider your boss as such, and you donât know if he considers you the same. Youâve definitely experienced a lot of things that could qualify what you have as friendship, but even then, thereâs something more about it, something a little more intimate, different, terrifying.
You brave through this dynamic and learn that Yoongi likes to tell Jungkook off a lot. Itâs the kind of bluntness you expect from Yoongiâs no-nonsense attitude but itâs refreshing to see him be more straightforward towards someone like Jungkook who youâre used to seeing as commanding and serious. Jungkook takes the hits, seemingly unbothered as they bicker, and itâs another side of him you enjoy seeing - the smiles and laughter are natural, and thereâs this comfort about him that you suddenly want more of.
The time passes quickly, with the doorbell ringing again signaling that your friends have arrived. Yoongi gets up first to open the door, greeting them who do the same. You manage to stand up with Jungkook telling you to be careful, and when it dawns on them who else is in your apartment, Jiminâs face turns sour and Soominâs goes from confused to amused.Â
Jungkook looks taken aback by the cold welcome, but he manages to introduce himself to them.
âOh, we know,â Jimin says dryly. âYouâre the one who gives her so much work that she had to do overtime again and thatâs why she got hurt.â
You feel the tension come like a strong wave and you try to lower the level a little bit.Â
âHe also brought me to the hospital and got me some food,â you tell Jimin, whose bitterness isnât unfounded. He did listen to you complain about this very man all those months ago. âHeâs just checking up on me, making sure Iâm alright, the way you guys are.â
âAs we should,â Jimin huffs. âAt least we donât cause you any injury or pain.â
âYou donât. But you do make things better so could you do that, please?â You say, opening your arms for a hug, something to appease him before it gets even more tense.Â
Jimin has the sweetest smile but wouldnât be afraid to burn anyone down with his looks if they deserve it. Jungkook did at one point, but you obviously feel very differently about that now. But still, you glance at the man, hoping this encounter isnât putting him off too much, and with the slight tinge of guilt in his eyes, you suppose it hasnât.
Jungkook turns away, partly because a reminder of how heâd treated you before makes him regret even more how you both started, and partly because seeing you affectionate with any man - even if itâs your best friend - makes him a tiny bit jealous, only because itâs something he canât be with you. Seeing you that way with Hajoon months ago was different; Jungkook had been more shocked than anything. But this time, given that his attraction towards you seems to grow every second, and that heâs been wanting nothing more than to comfort you, thereâs more of that feeling of loss, of hope that it could be him one day, even if thatâs something thatâll probably never happen.
âI know you dislike him but tone it down for now, okay?â You whisper to Jimin. âMy place is too small to contain all this tension.â
âI know, Iâm sorry. Seeing him just reminds me of what you had to go through because of him,â he says before pulling away. âBut he did help. And well, Soo and I are still upset that you didnât tell us sooner. You know we wouldâve driven here on Thursday night.â
âI know, and thatâs exactly why. You both had something big going on and I could wait,â you reply, a reason you give them everytime.Â
Wanting a short breather from all this, you excuse yourself and ask Soomin to help you with something in the bathroom, and she heads there right away.
âCan you make sure that those two donât murder each other?â You whisper to Yoongi as you gesture towards Jimin and Jungkook.
âIt would be entertaining if they did, but yes, Iâll try,â he chuckles.
You walk to where Soomin is and after closing the door, she looks at you with the same amusement that sheâs had since she arrived.
âWhat in the romance drama is this!â She exclaims, lowering her voice when you scold at her to keep it down. âAll your three men coming to your home to make sure youâre okay? Talk about making an impression.â
âThey arenât my men, okay!â You scowl at her. âThey all just happened to have the same thought. And no, Jimin doesnât count.â
âWhatever,â Soomin laughs. âItâs just⌠I know youâre hurt and that youâll be okay but itâs just amusing to see them show up for you like this. Especially the big boss. Heâs way hotter up close, I can tell you that.â
âPlease donât remind me,â you frown. âI wish there was a potion I could take to make him look unattractive to me so that Iâd stop being so giddy at everything he does. And fuck, Soo, I havenât been like this in ages. Or ever.â
âWell, you havenât been this accepting of someoneâs attention, thatâs for sure.â
âYeah, and Iâm being silly. I might just be putting myself up for disappointment here,â you groan. âI mean, I donât even know what Iâm feeling, but I know what Iâm not supposed to feel. And heâs not making it any easier.â
âYour situation isnât easy in the first place, hun. And there are many reasons why,â she sighs, wishing there was a way to uncomplicate this very complicated relationship you have with Jungkook. âBut whatever it is you think you shouldnât feel, think about what he may be feeling, too. He wouldnât be making all this effort since Thursday night for this to just be nothing.â
âI wish none of that means anything. Thatâs probably gonna be easier, right? That he doesnât feel anything remotely close to what I do? Thatâs probably better than dealing with all the complications.â
âMaybe, but we donât really know,â Soomin says, pulling you in for a hug. âBut also think about how new and different this feels. It might be worth it in the long run.â
You fall into her embrace, knowing that during the toughest times of your life, this was your saving grace. Itâs no different when youâre confused and in need of guidance, and though youâve always made decisions for yourself with knowledge of the consequences, Soomin was there to back you up during the times when you were going in somewhat blindly. She wants you to be happy, and you wonât really know if continuing to feel what you do about Jungkook will make you so. If all else fails, well, you could always go back home, or maybe return to Busan and start a life there. Jungkook will just be a memory; you hope to the heavens itâll be a good one.
You shake away the thoughts and finally go back out and are relieved to find some peace. Jiminâs washing your dishes while talking to Yoongi who wipes them dry. Jungkook sits on your sofa, looking around quietly, but he stands when he sees you approach him.Â
âIâll go ahead,â he says, gesturing towards the door. âI⌠I think youâve got everything you need.â
âLet me walk you there,â you smile.Â
Heâs outside the door when you thank him again then apologize if Jimin made him uncomfortable.
âItâs okay. Iâd be protective of my best friend, too, if I learned how their boss treated them,â he responds.
âI, uh⌠those were hard times and I may have complained quite a bit about you,â you pout. âIâm so sorry.â
âIâm sure I deserved it,â he chuckles. âYouâre lucky you have them. I mean, my best friends tease me a lot and say shit about me to my face and behind my back.â
âOh come on, Seokjin and Taehyung love you,â you laugh. âIâve seen it, but you all also said youâre like that to each other; itâs how you guys grew up. I mean, I was the new girl in school and Jimin and Soomin have been protective since day one, whereas your best friends have shown you tough love since you were kids. They said you never accepted their affection so they switched tactics.â
âThatâs fair. I was always shy and then turned into a bitter, introverted child. There was no transition, I guess. Now weâre adults and have just stuck with each other because weâre all weâve ever known.â
âWell, you make decisions to stand by people, Jungkook. They do with you and you do the same with them. Plus, youâre not that insufferable,â you tease.Â
âAt least you donât think so. Not anymore, I hope,â he says softly, looking away.Â
âPeople deserve second chances. You gave me some and more and I⌠Iâm glad you did. I at least get to see this side of you thatâs helped me a lot these past months. Iâm thankful. And I hope you know that.â
Jungkook just nods, unable to reply through words again. You let him, knowing itâs his default response. He walks to his car and turns around for a final goodbye, leaving you in anticipation for when youâd be with him again.
âWell, that was a long goodbye,â Yoongi says, surprising you as he stands behind you. âAnd no, I didnât hear anything.â
You turn to him with a playful frown. âI was just making sure that Jimin didnât make him feel too bad. I mean, I know I complained a lot but still. I didnât want Jungkook to think I cursed his existence or something.â
âYou did at one point though,â Yoongi laughs. âBut itâs acceptable. Jungkook was rude, and heavens know how much shit I gave him for treating you the way he did.â
âYou did, huh?â
âI always told you Iâd look out for you, ___. Whatever happened or didnât happen between us, I was always going to have your back.â
âYouâre heaven-sent, Min Yoongi,â you smile. âI wish I could do half as much as you do for me.â
âYou do more. I hope you donât ever doubt the comfort that your presence gives to people. Maybe thatâs what itâs done to Jungkook. And I know he hasnât felt much of that in years.â
Itâs Yoongiâs last words before he says goodbye, and they stay in your head for the next few days. Maybe Soominâs right - all that Jungkook has been doing might mean something, and you hope that finding out what it is will all be worth it.
Jungkook decides to meet with his friends at one of his favorite restaurants for lunch. All he planned on doing today was visit you and he has nothing else going on for the rest of it. The club scene has become boring for him, and going to one only to bring home a woman to hook up with is no longer appealing, not when you invade his mind all the time.
Being welcomed in your home was refreshing. And even if it was awkward, meeting your friends allowed him another peak into your world. You choose the people you allow in, and you donât choose many of them. The ones you do stay for a long time, and thatâs the kind of person you seem to be. You value relationships so much thatâs why you donât have many of them, and with all that you went through and the vulnerability youâve both shown each other, heâs started to hope that one day, heâd be deserving of that, too.Â
âSo did you feel like a fish out of water being there with her actual friends?â Seokjin asks. âBecause I donât know what youâd consider your relationship with her is. Boss-assistant feels too simplistic at this point. Are you friends? Are you more? Or is that all too ambiguous?â
âI donât⌠know,â Jungkook sighs. âWeâre all that but we also arenât. Weâve gone through so much that it doesnât seem like thereâs a way to define what we are. But I feel like Iâve seen her at her most vulnerable and weâve connected because of that.â
âAnd what about you? Have you been vulnerable in front of her?â Seokjin asks.
Has he? Jungkook thinks. Maybe that first time he asked for your help with his new role but he supposes itâs nothing compared to what youâve shown him, intentional or not.
âNot really. I⌠I donât let myself be. Thatâs still distance I need to establish,â Jungkook reasons.
âMore like, because you know that if you do show that side of you, youâre scared youâll find out that sheâll understand, and that having her next to you is what you need to heal whatever parts of you that are still hurting?â Seokjin counters.Â
âI donât want to need her, you know that. Thereâs a boundary I shouldnât cross. Sheâs my assistant andââ
âYouâve been treating her like the most important person and itâs not hard to miss,â Taehyung interjects. âYou were never like this, not since Chaerin.â
âI donât even know what it is about ___ that just makes me consider risking things, you know?â Jungkook sighs. âIâm always torn with what our reality is and what we could be but Iâm afraid that if we cross that line, weâll have to make sacrifices. I⌠Iâm finding myself wanting her around all the time. When she leaves, I want her to stay. When sheâs not there, I want her to come. But at the same time, I donât want her too close because I donât know if I can have her or if I can want her. Because I donât know what of me I can give that wonât hurt her,â he admits, with a bit of help from some whiskey.
âMaybe if you let yourself be vulnerable, youâd know,â Seokjin advises. âSome people would run and hide but thereâs always that one person who wouldnât. That might just be her. And then youâll learn what you can give, too.â
Jungkook lets his friendsâ words settle and then thinks about them throughout the night that he spends all alone in his penthouse, with another glass of whiskey in his hand as he looks out the balcony. A part of him wants you to run and hide when you see who he really is, what he hides and what heâs ashamed of. Maybe that would be easier, he thinks; maybe that would hurt less.
You return to work the next Tuesday, having gone to the hospital the day before and being cleared to return to your usual routine. Jimin and Soomin stayed with you until that evening, with you rejecting their insistence to stay another day. You can manage, you assure them. Youâre able to walk properly now and would just need to do daily exercises, wear the elastic bandage for another week, and forego the heels.Â
Jungkookâs pleased to know that youâre doing better and makes sure you donât walk around if you donât need to, so heâs been the one going to see you when he needs something. He also postponed some potential site visits for the project that he and Hoseok are working on until youâre fully capable, which is why itâs three weeks later when you find yourself in the car with him, on the way to some towns in nearby provinces on an early Friday morning.Â
Mr. Ri called in sick today and Jungkook didnât want to deal with a chauffeur he doesnât know, so he decided to drive instead, thinking itâs more efficient that way. These are all initial checks and being that youâre the only one from his team whoâs privy to the details, he wanted you to join him as a sounding board and also to get your own thoughts about what youâll be seeing. He has a vision in mind and he needs to translate it properly; youâve been helpful these past months in making sure heâs able to do that.
Disregarding what this time alone with you would do to him, Jungkook meets you in his penthouse, telling himself to focus on only one thing today, and thatâs finding the right place for his planned project.Â
You leave early for a quick stop at a cafe and then head north to some towns in Gyeonggi province. There are some properties and land that are up for sale, and you prepared the information about them beforehand, allowing Jungkook to play around with the timeline and budget in his mind, even drawing rough drafts on his iPad as he assesses them. Youâre both in work-mode, discussing each site on the way to the next one, with you searching for more details along the way and him, stopping on the side of the road to add an idea that he comes up with on the spot.Â
Itâs a little chaotic, as his mind goes from one thing to another, but you suppose this is how Jungkook naturally is. Youâve seen him perform his duties in various ways, but this is when you see the most raw side of him, and itâs quite the privilege to see. He always said he preferred the creative aspect of the job, which is why he enjoyed his time in Singapore, handling the design department. You contend that heâs grown tremendously in his executive role. As Hoseok has said, Jungkook relates to his staff better now, and has even engaged and attracted more partners with his great ideas.
Youâre quite sentimental going on this trip with him. It wasnât long ago when you were going to work with anxiety, anticipating his next criticism so you can prepare yourself, and then going home feeling like a failure. So much has happened since then, and you could even say that youâve found comfort in your daily routines; doing something different like this is now exciting and something you look forward to, especially since it allows you to go outside, see the sights, and breathe the cool air.Â
âYou okay there?â He asks, noticing your silence.
âYeah. I was just thinking how 10 months ago, this wouldâve stressed me out so much.â
âWhat? Going on a road trip?â
âPretty much going anywhere with you,â you laugh. âCar rides even with Mr. Ri made me freak out, and I was so scared to make a mistake or make you wait for information that I couldnât find. And now here we are - I survived the last five hours with you and not once did you groan at me.â
âWow, I mustâve been a really terrible boss to make your standard for a non-stressful day to be that low,â he laughs before turning serious. âBut I⌠Iâm⌠Iâm sorry, for all the stress and anxiety that I caused you. I was being selfish and irrational about it. I hate change and you were the biggest one, even with my new role. I took out all the frustration on you and I shouldnât have.â
He says more than he expected, but itâs also the apology that he shouldâve givenâthat you deserved âmonths ago.Â
âI forgive you,â you say softly, glancing at him before returning your eyes towards the road. âI always knew my limits and I guess I let you push it and that was on me. I couldâve stood up to you, too.â
âYou did though, more than once. And that knocked some sense into me.â
âI guess,â you hum. âAnd then things improved and Iâm just glad they did.â
Thereâs a prolonged silence after, as you both opt to bask in the scenery around you. Thereâs that understanding and acceptance of how things were and that regardless of whatâs going on in your own minds, you at least have this. You think to yourself that this just makes leaving that much harder, but at least this is one more memory you could take with you.
You make it to Hwacheon in Gangwon past noon, and this is where you spend most of your time in, as the sites are spread out around the county. There are areas tucked away in the mountains while there are those closer to town with grand views. Itâs in the latter where you grab some lunch and go through some of his plans, and you take in his ideas, learning from him in the process.Â
Itâs late in the afternoon when you inspect the final site, which is in an area in the neighboring Chuncheon county. Itâs got potential for another project that CEO Jeon is looking to do, and with your notes completed, you and Jungkook start the trip back home. You would reach the tail-end of the Friday night traffic by the time you return to Seoul, the GPS says, and so both of you savor the skyâs changing colors as it transitions to the evening, letting the soft sounds of the radio replace the silence.
Barely 30 minutes in, the rain starts to pour, and itâs seconds later when it dawns on you what that means, as you hear heavy breathing next to you. You turn to Jungkook whose hands are tightly gripping the wheel, with sweat lining his eyebrows despite the cool temperature.
âDid the forecast say it was gonna rain?â He asks, the mix of panic and frustration evident in his voice.Â
âYes, but not until late in the evening,â you say, checking your phone to make sure you got the correct information.Â
Your heart breaks upon realizing that at midday, the weather station warned that there was going to be a thunderstorm, with rainfall coming in around this time. You inform Jungkook, and despite all the progress in your relationship, your heart breaks a second time when he says that you shouldâve constantly checked, that the weather changes all the time and you shouldâve been mindful, and that now youâre both gonna be stuck on the road because heâs unable to drive and you donât know how to. His tone is harsh, accusatory, as if it was something you could control, as if everything was your fault, just like how it was before.
Jungkook stops on the side of the road as the downpour continues, and he leans his head on the steering wheel now as he takes deep breaths. You tell him he could breathe better if he sits straight up, but he ignores you.Â
A part of you wants to remark how itâs ironic that just earlier, he was apologizing for the way he treated you, and now itâs like youâve both taken a few steps back. You want to say itâs not your fault, that you wouldnât even have known that the rain affected him this way if you hadnât seen him be nervous about it when you went home from the gala last year. But you think about the way his eyes looked earlier, how they filled with worry and fear, like there was a sense of powerlessness that you know a little about.Â
So you settle for a bit of grace and understanding, thinking theyâre what he needs.
âI donât know why this is on me,â you say softly. âI didnât know how bad it was but if I did, I wouldâve checked constantly and I wouldâve had us turn back the second I saw that forecast. And if I could drive, Iâd drive us back as fast as I could. Iâm sorry.â
He slows his breathing and sits up. His hands still tightly gripping the wheel but his eyes are downcast, and you suppose thereâs more sadness than anger, so you stop pressing your nails on your skin, which youâd started doing in anticipation of him arguing with you about it.
âI donât like the rain,â he shares, his voice low. âI⌠I have a bad memory of it as a kid and I just get reminded whenever it starts. I panic when it gets louder and I just⌠I canât stay out here when that's all I can hear.â
His honesty surprises you. You canât imagine how it mustâve been like for him, even more that he has to suffer through this right now in front of you, considering how hard it is for him to express how he feels. You donât know how bad this weather is gonna go, and at this pace, the thunderstorm will probably reach you by the time you make it back to Seoul. So you do what you do best, and thatâs to come up with options.Â
âThereâs a guesthouse not far from here,â you say after checking the map. âItâs the closest one. We could spend the night there and wait out the rain. Thatâs better than being stuck here or continuing the drive back to the city.â
He nods in agreement, knowing thereâs not much he could do. He doesnât want to be stuck here; even more, he doesnât want to unload on you nor have you witness how much worse it could be.Â
He keys in the address you give him while you call the property and ask if they still have available rooms. They do, so you reserve two and sigh in relief that thatâs one problem solved.
You make it there in 15 minutes. Jungkook heads out the car first with the rain having eased up a bit, and you retrieve his luggage from the trunk, the one he keeps there for emergency trips and instances like this one. It has enough clothes for a day, and youâre glad that at least he has something to change into.
You make it inside and meet the owners then introduce yourself, stating that you reserved two rooms.Â
âIâm so sorry but we had to give up one of them,â the woman says. âA family came in with a baby and we couldnât turn them away. The weatherâs going to get worse tonight and we try to accommodate as many people as we can. I hope you understand.â
âThatâs⌠thatâs okay,â you say, knowing you wouldâve done the same.Â
The thought of sharing a room with Jungkook feels too intimate and definitely not good for your heart, added to the fact that youâre probably not his favorite person right now, so you try to find a way out. You turn to the living room and see the sofa thatâs big enough for you, so you ask if you can just stay there instead.
âOur cleaners will be using that space since they canât go home due to the rain. Iâm sorry again, Miss. Your room has twin beds so I hope that eases your worry somehow.â
âItâs fine, weâll manage,â Jungkook says from behind you, hoping to the heavens that he will. He has one fear, and thatâs you seeing how he really is during times like this.
He takes the key and walks up the stairs to the room youâre given. Itâs spacious with a fair enough distance between both beds. He takes the one farther from the window then gets his clothes from his bag. It dawns on him that you donât have your own with you, so he offers you his sweatshirt.Â
âItâs okay,â you shake your head. âItâs gonna be cold and youâre gonna need it.â
âSo will you. You canât be in wet clothes, not in this weather.â
âItâs happened before,â you shrug.
â___, just take it,â he insists, placing the item on your bed. âI have a top here that I can wear and the blankets will be enough. This is loose but itâs at least better than damp clothing. And you can go ahead in the bathroom. Iâll just give Mr. Ri a call.â
You nod and head out, taking his jumper and the towel with you. Youâre given some basic toiletries, and the warm shower is just what you need for that bit of comfort after a stressful evening. As youâre about to dress up inside, you hear a knock on the door.
âI asked the lady if they had spare pajamas for you and she gave me a set,â Jungkook says from outside. âIâll leave them on a stool by the door.â
You wait for him to leave before getting them and putting them on. Itâs a plain set of shorts and shirt thatâs a little big but itâs way better than your damp skirt and blouse, which the owners offered to wash and dry for you for tomorrow.
You return to the room with Jungkook sitting on the floor, and you give him back his sweatshirt that he turns down.Â
âIâm fine,â he insists. âDonât you get cold easily? Youâll need that.âÂ
He walks out, barely meeting your eyes. Youâre sitting on the edge of your bed when he returns half an hour later, the sight of him with damp hair in black sweatpants and a white sleeveless top doing things to you. But you shake the thoughts away, especially as he once again creates that distance. He doesnât look at you when he settles in bed, nor when he switches off his bedside light, and definitely not when he turns around to face the other way. You sigh to yourself, feeling even more alone now with him acting like this.
You canât really blame him though. Dealing with something that elicits painful memories is difficult, and you understand the tendency to isolate yourself and push people away when that happens. Itâs what you do sometimes, but still, it doesnât mean it doesnât hurt you a little when Jungkook does this to you, considering how good your relationship has become, regardless of your stupid attraction.
Settling in your bed, you decide to turn around and face the window. You focus on the droplets creating their own artwork on the glass, in hopes that itâll help you take your mind off Jungkook, even if heâs literally just a few feet away from you. The last thing you want is a strained relationship, and you hope that this doesnât make him fall back into his old ways. Although heâs experienced a few stressful moments these past months, they werenât personal, and you suppose situations like this are when his emotions truly come out.
The rain has gotten stronger again and youâre pleased that Jungkook isnât awake for this, based on the soft snores you hear. Youâre about to fall asleep, the sound hypnotizing you a little, but thatâs when the first blare of thunder strikes, causing you to jerk in bed in surprise. It used to scare you because of what it reminded you of, but you learned how to manage it after the first hit; the succeeding ones are no longer triggering. In fact, you just think of how it used to drown out the sounds of what you were truly afraid of.
Just then, you hear distressed moans. The sounds of frantic breathing and shifts on the bed follow right after. And then thereâs a restrained groan, like a call for help that doesnât fully come out, and thatâs what alarms you. You immediately get off the bed and rush to Jungkookâs side. You see that heâs still asleep, his body - now uncovered by the blanket - is tense, despite his efforts of turning about. The low sounds of almost-cries convince you that heâs having a nightmare.Â
Thunder hits once again and itâs much louder this time, eliciting another frantic response from Jungkook. Heâs kicking the covers while gripping the sheets, and with another roar of thunder that causes him to scream, thatâs when you decide to wake him up.Â
âJungkook, hey, listen to me,â you say, sitting on the edge of the bed and keeping his head still with your hands. Youâre able to control him as he continues tossing and turning, repeating his name until he slowly opens his eyes. âHey, youâre safe with me, okay? Just focus on my voice.â
Heâs awake now and you see the worry in his eyes, but you talk to him calmly, wanting him to trust you. It works, as he nods and slows down his movements. But heâs still breathing heavily, his lips chattering and the rest of his body shivering.Â
You anticipate another hit of thunder, and youâre able to shield him from it, pressing your palms on his ears, trying to drown out the sound. You stay that way, thumbing his temples as you tell him itâs okay, that youâve got him, and that itâll be over soon. You hold his gaze to let him know that youâre not going anywhere, and his pretty eyes that often look so far away are now overtaken with fear.Â
âJust look at me, alright? And follow my breathing,â you instruct him, your voice as gentle as you can make it despite your own worries for him.
He does as you say, his hands gripping your wrists as if to keep them there, and you assure him that you wonât let go until he says so.
âYouâre doing good, just keep breathing,â you repeat, pacing your breathing with his until youâre doing it together.Â
You donât know how long you stay that way, with his head between your hands and your eyes locked on his. It takes a while, but the thunder eventually stops and the rain eases. Jungkook finally calms down and you slowly release him from your hold. You watch him shut his eyes, as if in desperation to let everything go, before he opens them again.Â
âIs that better?â You ask, moving just a bit farther from him to give him space, but you remain close, wanting to be next to him in case something happens again.
âYeah, that was, uh⌠that was tiring,â he huffs.
âI think the thunder has passed but if it happens again, Iâll be here, okay?â
He nods, his soft and desperate eyes now looking at you to express his gratitude. You want so badly to hug him, to hold his still-shaking hands and assure him that heâs not alone, that you wonât let anything hurt him for the rest of the night, and that you understand it all - whatever it is heâs afraid of, and why he keeps it all to himself.
But you suppose thatâs going too far. Youâre afraid that youâd want to stay there, even more if he doesnât want you to. So you nod as well and think that he at least has this to comfort him, that he at least knows youâre just there.
You walk back to your bed and lie down, facing him this time. You smile, wanting that assurance to be the last thing he sees before he falls asleep again. Jungkook does the same as he settles under the covers, patting it down so he could see you better. You both stay there, safe in your corners, your eyes telling each other things you canât say.
Whatever distance you felt earlier has shortened. Right now, with both of you falling asleep to each otherâs view, heâs never felt so close.
The morning after heavy rain is always bittersweet. Thereâs the reality of the damage it caused but you also canât deny that it gives life to other living things. What it also does is make way for clear skies and give you that fresh, rainwater scent of the grass and the trees. Itâs what you see and smell when you open the bedroom windows, reminding you that the evening has passed and the worst is over.Â
You spot Jungkook seated on one of the chairs in the garden, and you hope that the view is making him feel better, with the nightmare from last night slowly drifting away from his mind. You dress up in the dry clothes you find hanging on the doorknob of the room then head downstairs, surprised to see food prepared in the dining area. The tofu stew and grilled mackerel are so appetizing, and the loud rumbling of your stomach reminds you that you didnât eat last night, with all the stress making dinner your last priority.
âHello, dear. It was a pretty hard evening so we prepared something for our guests,â the owner says, her radiant smile reflecting the brightness of the day. âYou may call your friend outside so you can both eat and get ready for a long drive home.â
You thank her then call Jungkook, his eyes brightening when he walks back inside and sees the food. He engages in conversation with the owners, asking about this town and the surrounding ones, and what their appeal is to non-residents. You gauge that heâs doing a bit of research himself, and you think heâs at least not too out of it to still do so.
âYouâre free to stay until noon,â the owner informs you. âYou can enjoy the view outside; itâs really pretty now that the sky has cleared. Iâll be making tea shortly as well.â
Jungkook says heâll return to the garden and you wait for the hot drinks before following him. Youâre unsure if he wants you around but you try, sitting next to him then sighing in relief when he doesnât move away.
âI was 10 years old when my parents sent me and my brother to a cabin somewhere in Hwasun,â he starts. âI thought they were coming with us but it was just me and Jeong-sik and some staff. He and I never got along. If he wasnât ignoring me, he was teasing me. But that day, he convinced me to play hide-and-seek, saying that by the time he finds me, our parents would be back. We were outdoors and I ended up wandering too far, so close to the woods that I couldnât find my way back. My brother hadnât come and I was getting scared. And then it started to rain.â
âJungkook, you donât have toââ
âIt started getting stronger and the skies had become so dark, I could barely see anything,â he continues, his eyes fixed towards the mountains faraway. âThe rain made the ground slippery so I decided to just sit by a large tree and hope someone would find me. It felt like hours and maybe it was. The thunder was so loud then and it kept going and going and going. And I was drenched and all alone, and no matter how hard I screamed, no one could hear me.â
âIâm so sorry, Jungkook,â you say, feeling your heart break as he narrates a painful memory that you can relate with.Â
Itâs only close to what you experienced yet it feels so real to you. You can feel his fear and his pain in the tremble of his voice, in the way he grips on the edges of the bench, in the way his jaw clenches at the memory, like itâs one heâs tried hard to bury yet canât get rid of, no matter how hard he tries.Â
But this feels so personal, and you donât want him to feel like he needs to share it with you.
âYou donât have to explain,â you add. âI know itâs difficult to share something like that.â
âBut I want to,â he responds, turning to you now. âBecause Iâve carried the memory with me for 20 years and Iâve been dealing with it all on my own. But thatâs not an excuse to treat you the way I did last night. Thatâs not a reason for me to take it out on you and especially to blame you. That was wrong of me and Iâm sorry, ___. IâŚâ
He looks down, perhaps trying to gather the courage he needs to be honest with you, to be vulnerable with you.
âI donât want you to think that I didnât need you because I did,â he adds. âI was scared and I didnât think I needed you but you were there and Iâm so sorry.â
You sit there and watch him cower onto himself, and somehow you see the little boy who was scared, who was wondering why heâd been left alone, who was waiting for someone to come find him or perhaps⌠someone to sit there and be with him until the rain stopped. Thereâs a lot he carries; thereâs also a lot he buries, as if thereâs a bottomless hole within him where he keeps everything hidden but it still feels too heavy, too much, taking from him every time he hides something new.Â
You donât say anything for a while, as you start to see Jungkook for who he really is. You feel the weight of his words and how much it took for him to say them. Itâs not that his experience makes him different, but now that you know the pain heâs been carrying with him, youâre able to see the other parts of him that heâs unable to show, perhaps too afraid that someone wouldnât understand, or that they wouldnât stay if they found out why he keeps his distance and why he pushes people away.
Your silence prompts him to look up. You meet his eyes and see the sadness in them and it feels like he needs more than just forgiveness.
âWe do things we donât mean to when weâre afraid,â you tell him. âIt doesnât always mean we intend on hurting them. And I understand that, more than you know. Iâll never take that against you.â
Jungkook nods, shifting again towards the view as he lets your words sink in. He was hoping for forgiveness, but he got so much more. Maybe thereâs a reason why youâve been patient and gentle with him ever since the beginning. Perhaps youâre carrying your own burden and painful memories that youâre unable to share and deal with, too, and though heâs nothing like you, thereâs comfort in knowing that youâre the same somehow.
He senses you turn back to look at the mountains, and the silence prompts him to continue the story of an experience heâs only shared twice before - once to his best friends and another time with Chaerin, all of whom have seen this side of him - the scared and vulnerable side. They were understanding and supportive as well, trying to find ways to comfort and help him deal with it. Youâre the third and the one heâs known the shortest time, yet he feels more comfort with you than anyone whoâs ever tried.
âI fell asleep at that tree while waiting,â he recalls. âThe next thing I know, I was being carried back to the cabin. The rain had stopped but it was still dark, and I was tended to until I fell asleep again. I was sick for days and I didnât see my parents until we were back in Seoul. Itâs just a hard thing to remember. I know we have selective memories and I always wish thatâs one thing that I donât ever have to remember but life isnât that kind, I guess.â
âIt isnât. But we learn to face those fears though, and manage them. Itâs the only way we can get through it,â you say.
âHave you?â He asks, wondering if thatâs another similarity he shares with you.Â
âNot really. I wouldnât be alone and where I am if I have,â you say. âBut Iâm trying. And Iâll continue to.â
âThat makes one of us,â he sighs.Â
âWell, itâs not always easy if youâre not quite sure what youâre really afraid of,â you respond. âIs it just thunder?â
âYeah⌠but once the rain starts, it tells me that thunder could come. It doesnât always but itâs what my brain tells me. Then I get anxious and I⌠I donât know what to do. Like Iâm paralyzed and unable to think or move. I just⌠stay there and sometimes, I donât even know whatâs happening.â
âWell, it rained when I got injured,â you remind him. âBut you managed to get me to the hospital. And you stayed with me. Thatâs definitely something.â
âYou were hurt and it was more important that you got treated,â he reasons. âThat was scary and I guess my brain told me to get shit done that moment.â
âSo⌠do I always have to be hurt for you to get through the rain when it starts getting bad?â You ask.
âDonât talk like that. I canât have you going through that again,â he frowns at you.Â
The way he reacts to the thought of you being hurt gives you that warm feeling again. But it reminds you that you feel the same. You donât want him to be scared, you donât want him hurt, too.
âFine. But when it starts to rain and youâre all alone and you feel like you canât manage, you call me, okay?â You tell him.
âAnd what would that do?â
âThat way I can talk you through it. Maybe go to you if you want me to.â
âWhy would you do that?â
âBecause during the times I was afraid and alone, you were there,â you bravely say, turning to him and prompting him to do the same. âSometimes something triggers those memories but then I think of how you stayed with me in the alley and in the playground and in my apartment. I think of you and I stop feeling scared. Maybe you can think of last night when it starts to get bad, too. And we can just create more of those memories to override the bad ones. Wouldnât that be better?â
He savors your words, not realizing how much youâve held onto your moments together. And he understands that now. The way you held him together last night is ingrained in his mind, and if thatâs how it feels to be with you during his darkest moments, he starts to wonder how good it would feel during the good ones.
Maybe heâll start with this, as you both sip citrus tea while looking at the lush mountains out on the horizon. Heâll continue with the scenic drive back to Seoul and a stopover at a cafe for some iced coffee and conversations about good memories. And at least for today, heâll end with the sight of you walking to your apartment and then turning around to wave him goodbye, and then your smile giving him warmth on this cold afternoon.
The door shuts and he starts the trip back to his place - empty, lonely, just like how itâs been for years, all his pent up emotions bringing him to this point of isolation. But thereâs you - the feel of your touch, the soothing sound of your voice, and the gentleness that got him through the night.
He misses you already. And much as he knows heâs in big trouble, thinking about you and wanting you is all he could do.
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