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[jjkamochoso]

How You React To JJK Characters Describing You as Their Type When Todo Asks

Fluff

Request from anon! This was a super fun one, thanks again for the request!! Also, I didn't do Mai, Miwa or Momo with this one, but added in Nanami; if you would like me to add the other girls back in, lmk and I absolutely will!! :)

JK Men x gn!reader

Warnings: none

Part 2 to this fic; same premise here, the students are all in a big group when the question was asked! <3

Yuji:

“Yuji! What kind of person is your type?”

“My type? Uh, let’s see,” he said, putting his thumb and forefinger to his chin in thought. After he gave his reply, you noticed everyone glancing between him and you.

“What? Is there something on my face?” you asked, wiping your cheek.

“No, you dummy,” said Nobara, “didn’t you hear what Itadori’s type was?”

“Yeah. So?”

“So? So? He described you perfectly,” she hissed. You thought back to his answer and your eyes went wide, realizing she was right. You looked over at the pink haired boy.

“Is that true? Your type is me?” you asked him, not caring that everyone was deeply invested in your conversation.

“Yeah. Is that… okay?” he asked, nervously ruffling his hand through his hair.

“Only if you ask me on a date,” you said with a playful wink, walking away. Yuji just stared at you, hearts in his eyes, until Nobara smacked him.

“Well? What are you waiting for? Go ask them!”

He hurried after you, eager to ask you out.

Megumi:

“Tell us, Fushiguro, what kind of person is your type?”

Megumi rolled his eyes. “Things like that are so unimportant. It doesn’t matter.”

“It matters more than you think. It tells you everything you need to know is about a person. Like how you’re a wimp for not answering,” said Todo, crossing his arms with a triumphant smirk.

“Fine,” replied Megumi through gritted teeth, tired of Todo’s pestering, “you really wanna know? I’ll tell you.”

As he described his dream person, you felt your face get warmer and warmer.

“That, um, kind of sounds like me, doesn’t it?” you whispered to Yuji.

“There’s no ‘kind of’ about that, y/n,” he whispered back, just as surprised as you were. When Megumi saw you looking at him, he shoved his hands in his pockets and walked away, clearly embarrassed. You ran after him as fast as you could.

“Megumi, wait! I have to talk to you!” you exclaimed, halting him with a grip of his arm.

“I’m sorry, that was a big mistake, I shouldn’t have said anything-”

“I like you. A lot,” you confessed. “You’re my type, too.”

“R-really?” His voice squeaked and he quickly cleared his throat. “I mean, really? That’s good. Great. I’m… relieved.”

You chuckled at his adorable flustered state. “Me too. I guess Todo is good for something after all.”

Nobara:

“Kugisaki! What’s your type?”

“My type? That’s simple,” she answered, her bright bob swinging. As she described the kind of person she found attractive, you couldn’t help the giddiness bubbling up inside; she was describing you!

“Kugusaki? Can I talk to you over here for a second?” you asked, signaling her to follow you away from the group. Yuji, understanding what was happening, gave you a thumbs up.

“Do you have a crush on me?” you questioned. “Because the person you described sounded exactly like me.”

Nobara immediately went into the defensive, crossing her arms defiantly.

“Huh?! Nuh uh, that could be anybody here,” she replied, her face lighting up with a small blush.

“Oh. What a shame, I’ve had a crush on you for a long time,” you said, preparing to walk away. Nobara’s hand darted to your own, prompting you to stop.

“Wait! I… do like you, okay?” she mumbled, not meeting your eyes. “It’s just a crush, though, it’s not like I’m in love or anything stupid.”

You laughed lightly at her attitude. She was a piece of work, but if everything went well, she’d be your piece of work.

Maki:

“Zenin, spill. What kind of person is your type?”

“Do you really have nothing else rolling around in that tiny brain of yours?” Maki asked, obviously annoyed.

“Who would’ve thought someone as fearless as you would be scared by a little question, hmm?” a vicious voice from Mai said.

“I’m not scared, it’s a dumb question,” Maki replied, “but I’ll answer it anyway to get you idiots off my back.”

When she was done describing her type, you felt Yuta nudge you softly.

“Y/n, I think she likes you,” he said in a hushed tone.

“So what if I do, huh?” she said aggressively, overhearing what Yuta told you. The tension that overcame the group was uncomfortable, so much so that everyone left, leaving you and Maki by yourselves. She kept her eyes trained elsewhere, not wanting to meet yours.

“This whole thing was stupid. Forget I said anything,” she snarled.

“Maki,” you said with such softness that she actually looked at you, “I really like you. You’re my type, too.”

She scoffed as she looked away once more, hiding her warmed face. “You’re such a sap, you know that?”

Inumaki:

“Inumaki! What’s your type?”

“He can’t talk, you jerk,” you exclaimed defensively. You turned to Toge. “Just ignore him, okay? You don’t have to answer.”

“Salmon,” he responded, placing a hand on your arm to signal he was alright. He sighed as he approached Todo.

“Salmon salmon,” he told him, earning a confused look from Todo.

“Anyone care to translate?” the tall man asked. Toge rolled his eyes and tried again.

“Salmon salmon,” he said, this time making his pointing toward you more obvious.

“Your type is… L/n?” wondered Todo. Toge nodded meekly as you were overcome with butterflies in your stomach. He turned away from the group as Todo asked the same question to the next victim.

“Toge, I’m your type?” you asked, your voice shaking a little.

He nodded.

“Does that mean you like me?”

He nodded again. You immediately wrapped him in a hug, making him stumble back before wrapping his arms around you as well.

“I’ve liked you for so long now. I never thought I’d have Todo to thank for this, but I guess weirder things have happened.”

Yuta:

“Okkatsu, tell us, what kind of person is your type?”

“I can appreciate all types of people,” Yuta answered happily, making you smile. He was always so kindhearted!

“I don’t believe that,” replied Todo, narrowing his eyes. “You have to have one certain type of person you always find attractive.”

“I mean, I guess so,” he replied, starting to look nervous.

“And that is?” Todo raised an eyebrow.

“Um, let’s see…”

When Yuta was describing that person, you felt a tug on your sleeve. Inumaki was looking at you and you nodded in understanding.

“You picked up on that, too?” you asked, getting an enthusiastic nod in response. Yuta blushed when he noticed you watching him and quickly encouraged Todo to ask the question to someone else to keep him from embarrassing himself more. What he didn’t notice, until it was too late, was who Todo asked next.

“L/n! What’s your type?”

“That’s easy,” you said, your eyes never leaving Yuta’s as you smiled. “It’s Okkatsu.”

He could’ve sworn he died and went to Heaven right there!

Gojo:

“Gojo-sensei! What kind of person is your type?”

“Ooh, are we all playing a little get-to-know-each-other game?” asked Satoru excitedly. “I love it when the students bond like this.”

You were walking by the group when you overheard your fellow teacher getting involved in the kids’ antics so naturally, you stopped to watch.

“My type, hmm?” He was deep in thought, his forefinger to his chin. “Ah! Got it.”

As he was describing the person, the kids started snickering while looking at you. At first you didn’t understand why, but when it clicked, your first instinct was to grab Satoru by the back of his shirt collar and drag him away.

“Thanks for the fun!” he yelled, waving goodbye. When you were far enough away, out of sight and earshot of the students, you punched him in the arm.

“Ouch! Trouble in paradise already?” he teased.

“What the hell, Satoru? Our students aren’t supposed to know about teachers’ crushes on each other,” you reprimanded.

“What happens when we get married? They’ll know when they have to address you as Gojo-sensei. Or address me as L/n-sensei, I don’t care about the whole name situation,” he said airily, waving his hand around.

“You are truly impossible,” you said, rubbing your fingers on your forehead to ease your oncoming headache.

He poked your arm. “But you love me, don’t you?”

“I like you. And that’s trouble as it is,” you groaned, earning a smile and arm slung around your shoulder from the man.

“That’s enough for me, baby.”

“Don’t ever say that again.”

“Noted.”

Noritoshi:

“Kamo! What’s your type?”

“I don’t want to play your nonsense games, Todo,” remarked Noritoshi, frustrated.

“The next head of the Kamo clan refuses to answer such an easy question? That tells me everything I need to know about your character,” smirked Todo.

Noritoshi scowled. “Don’t question my character over my disbelief in your stupid qualifications.”

“Admit it, Kamo. You’re scared,” teased Mai, which sent him over the edge. He explained his type to the group, finishing with, “-don’t ever ask me something so idiotic in the future.”

“So… your type is L/n,” said Todo.

“Yes.” Noritoshi’s eyes widened when he realized what he said. “No! Wait! I don’t…”

He stopped, coming to terms that the damage was already done.

“All of you get on my nerves,” he barked, walking away quickly. You hurried after him.

“Noritoshi,” you said after catching up with him, “I really like you. You’re exactly my type too.”

He studied your eyes for any sign of deceit, but he didn’t find any. Breathing out a sigh of relief, he let a small smile fall upon his lips.

“Maybe the brainless question was useful after all.”

Todo:

“Todo! What’s your type?” you asked the muscled man. He looked surprised at you speaking up, but immediately replaced that expression with a wide smile.

“You.”

You burst into laughter. “No, I’m being serious, Aoi. What kind of person are you into?”

“I am serious, you’re exactly my type. I think you’re really attractive.”

You were about to laugh again when you noticed he was being genuine.

“You’re not… joking?”

“You seriously didn’t know? You’re all he talks about or looks at,” said Noritoshi. “Even I’ve noticed that much.”

“So, what do you say?” Aoi addressed you with another smile. “You want to go on a date with me sometime?”

“Yeah. That would be amazing,” you breathed out, still shocked at the outcome you weren’t expecting but would gladly accept.

Nanami:

“Nanami-sensei! What kind of person is your type?”

Todo’s loud voice made Kento stop abruptly in his tracks.

“I’m not a teacher so don’t address me as such,” he sighed, pushing his glasses up his nose. “Secondly, that’s none of your business. If you’ll excuse me.”

“Nanamin!” Yuji exclaimed, blocking the exasperated man’s path. “It’s a harmless question! We just wanna know more about you.”

Kento observed the shining eyes of the children staring at him and he sighed again, this time more forcefully.

“My type is a person who is smart enough to stay far away from this troublesome group,” he grumbled, making a beeline for your laughing figure as you watched from afar.

“Not a fan of my students’ curiosity, Nanami-sensei?” you teased, causing him to groan.

“They’re much too nosy. I have no interest in delving into my love life with children.”

“How about with another adult, then?” you asked.

He raised an eyebrow. “I’d hardly call you an adult with the way you’re acting right now.”

“I’d be hurt if you weren’t right,” you replied. “C’mon, we trust each other. I’ll tell you mine if you tell me yours.”

“Fine,” he relented, “but this isn’t how I pictured telling you. I was hoping for a more mature environment when confessing my romantic feelings towards you.”

You stood in shock at his sudden confession. You were joking with the man, not expecting him to come up with a real answer, but instead, he admitted he liked you.

“To make myself clear,” he said, noticing your lack of a reaction, “you’re my type.”

You stumbled over your words in your surprised state. “I… wow. I wasn’t expecting that.” You took in a deep breath to calm yourself. “That does make it a lot easier to say my type is overworked blondes named Kento.”

His lips quirked up into a hint of a smile. “You think I’m overworked?”

“I know you are.” You mustered up all your courage before continuing, asking, “How about you take some time off and join me for dinner later?”

Kento’s smile became much more prominent. “That was supposed to be my line, but that would be lovely nonetheless. I’ll pick you up at 7.”

[someonegoood]

THE CORPORATE EQUATION sweet epilouge ✫ jeon jungkook

the company heads out for a corporate retreat, where tensions run high and personal boundaries blur. During a casual evening event, the HR team inadvertently discovers the secret relationship between you and Jungkook.

CONTAINS: corporate!au, ceo!jk, headofhr!reader, grumpy x sunshine, slow burn, accidental vulnerability, mutual pining, emotionally unavailable jk, bickering turned bonding, fluff & angst :)

NOTE: this will be a mini series. thanks so much for reading!! this work is not revised and english is not my first language :)

miiini taglist @haru-jiminn @parapiop7 @radcustoms @minniejim @jeonzll @vantelover1306 @bgfdcvbnjk @mar-lo-pap @lmaothv @jksusawife @thatgirliehan @rayyrayy10 @lovingkoalaface <3

my main masterlist! ❀ the corporate equation masterlist!

The private resort was a picture of luxury—secluded, sprawling, and nestled between mountains and a crystal-clear lake. It was meant to be a “corporate retreat,” a weekend of bonding and strategizing between the HR and PR teams, with the CEOs in attendance to ensure productivity.

In reality, it was an excuse for overworked employees to drink expensive wine on the company’s dime while pretending to network.

And, unfortunately for you, it also meant being stuck in the same space as Jungkook for an entire weekend—with no desks, boardrooms, or email chains to act as a buffer.

The HR and PR teams were already packed onto the large charter bus by the time you arrived, hurrying down the aisle in search of a seat. Unfortunately, it seemed every spot had been taken—except one.

Right next to Jeon Jungkook. Great.

Jungkook, dressed in a black hoodie and ripped jeans, barely spared you a glance as he scrolled through something on his phone.

“Uh… there aren’t any other seats,” you muttered, gripping the headrest beside him.

He exhaled through his nose, then shifted slightly, gesturing to the open space next to him. “Sit.”

You hesitated for half a second before sliding in, careful not to brush against him. But the space between seats was too small, and despite your best efforts, your thigh pressed against his.

Jungkook stiffened but didn’t say anything. You bit the inside of your cheek, trying to ignore the warmth radiating from his body. This was ridiculous. It was just a bus ride.

Minji, sitting a few rows ahead, turned and wiggled her brows at you. You shot her a glare. The bus rumbled to life, and soon, the city blurred into the countryside. Conversations hummed around you, but in your little corner, silence stretched.

Until Jungkook spoke.

“You’re fidgeting.”

You glanced up, caught off guard. “Huh?”

He tapped his thigh. “Your leg. You keep moving it.”

Heat crept up your neck. “I—Sorry.”

You stilled, but then the bus hit a bump, and you really didn’t have a choice but to press into him. Jungkook tensed. His jaw ticked.

“Relax,” he muttered after a beat, voice lower than usual. “It’s not a big deal.”

Not a big deal? Easy for him to say.

You swallowed hard, forcing yourself to stare straight ahead as your heart pounded against your ribs. It was going to be a long ride.

The night was warm, and the resort’s pool was dimly lit, the water reflecting the soft golden glow of the nearby lights. Jungkook leaned against the edge, half-submerged, the cool water doing little to dispel the heat curling in his stomach.

Because you were there. Laughing. Smiling. Completely unaware of the effect you had on him.

You had arrived late, dressed in a sleek black swimsuit that made his throat dry. The HR team had cheered when you finally joined them, and he had tried—really tried—to keep his eyes off you.

It didn’t work.

Especially not when you waded into the pool, water gliding up your body, trailing over your skin in ways that made his fingers twitch.

Jungkook exhaled sharply, forcing himself to look away.

“Bro, you’re staring.”

Taehyung’s voice snapped him out of it. He turned to find his friend floating lazily beside him, a shit-eating grin on his face.

Jungkook scowled. “Shut up.”

Taehyung chuckled, but before he could say more, a splash of water hit them both.

“Oops,” you said, all faux innocence, blinking at Jungkook through your lashes. “Was that too much?”

Jungkook raised a brow. “You did that on purpose.”

You smirked. “Maybe.”

Something hot and dangerous curled in his chest. Oh, so that’s how you wanted to play this?

Without a word, he lunged—water sloshing as he grabbed your wrist and tugged, sending you tumbling toward him with a yelp. The movement was quick, effortless.

Suddenly, you were pressed against his chest, eyes wide, breath hitched.

Jungkook smirked, voice low. “Still feeling playful?”

Your lips parted, but before you could respond, Minho’s voice rang out.

“Hey! No making out in the pool!”

Laughter erupted. You pushed away from Jungkook, face burning, while he merely leaned back against the edge, looking far too pleased with himself.

Yeah. This weekend was dangerous.

The resort’s garden was quiet, the scent of blooming flowers lingering in the cool evening air. You strolled along the path, enjoying the peace—until you spotted Jungkook leaning against a wooden railing, watching the koi pond.

Alone. You smirked, perfect.

“CEO Jeon,” you drawled, stepping beside him. “Brooding again?”

He didn’t look away. “Thinking.”

“About?”

“You.”

You blinked. Heat flooded your face. “What?”

Jungkook finally turned, lips twitching. “You’re easy to fluster.”

Your mouth opened, then closed. "I hate you."

Jungkook smirked, the glow of the lanterns catching the sharp curve of his lips. "No, you don’t."

You huffed, crossing your arms. "I came here for peace, not to be bullied."

He tilted his head slightly, dark eyes gleaming with something unreadable. "Funny. I thought you came here looking for me."

Your stomach flipped. The way he said it—low, teasing, dangerous—made heat creep up your neck.

Before you could retaliate, a voice cut through the still night air.

"Jungkook!"

You stiffened. Eunji.

She walked toward you both, poised and effortless, her form-fitting dress swaying around her thighs. She wasn’t out of breath, wasn’t rushing. No—Eunji never rushed. She moved like she owned every room she entered. And worst of all? Jungkook didn’t immediately tell her to leave.

Your stomach twisted.

“I was looking for you,” she said smoothly, barely sparing you a glance. Then, with a practiced smile, she added, “Didn’t expect to find you here.”

With her.

The unspoken words lingered, thick as smoke in the air.

Your mood soured instantly.

Jungkook, oblivious—or maybe just indifferent—to the sudden shift in energy, raised a brow. “What do you need?”

Eunji stepped closer, closing the space between them. Then, as if it was nothing, she laid a hand on his arm.

Your breath hitched.

“Just a quick chat about the PR strategy,” she murmured, her fingers grazing his sleeve like she had every right to touch him. Like it was normal. Casual. Expected.

Something bitter curled in your chest. Seriously? She couldn’t have waited? You clenched your fists at your sides, willing yourself to stay calm.

Forcing a tight, polite smile, you cleared your throat. “I should go.”

Jungkook’s brows furrowed, his focus snapping back to you. ��You don’t have to—”

But you were already turning away. And when you glanced back, Eunji was still touching him.

Still smiling up at him like she belonged there. Your chest ached.

Jealousy was an ugly thing.

The scent of burning wood curling into the cool evening air as the flames from the bonfire flickered against the dark sky. The corporate retreat had been filled with structured team-building exercises and tedious strategy meetings, but this—this was the first moment that truly felt alive.

People gathered in clusters, some perched on wooden benches, others sprawled out on blankets across the grass. Laughter echoed around the open-air patio, the sound of clinking glasses blending with the low hum of conversation.

You glanced across the bonfire-lit patio, where your HR team—Soojin, Dohyun, Minji, and Minho—were deep in conversation, laughing over something Minho had said. Further down, Hajun, Jungkook’s ever-efficient assistant, was nursing a glass of whiskey while keeping a watchful eye on his boss.

Jungkook, for his part, had claimed one of the large wooden logs arranged in a circle around the fire, lounging with an effortless kind of ease that contrasted sharply with the tension you felt coiling in your stomach. He was surrounded by his cousins, Seokjin and Yoongi, both looking equally relaxed.

Seokjin, as usual, had taken up the role of storyteller, gesturing wildly as he spun some exaggerated tale from their childhood, much to Yoongi’s quiet amusement.

And then, of course, there was Taehyung. How he had ended up at a corporate retreat when he didn’t even work at the company was beyond you. But when you’d asked, he’d merely smirked, claiming he was an “unofficial consultant” before pouring himself a generous glass of whatever expensive liquor had been set out.

“Someone had to make sure this trip wasn’t completely boring,” he had added with a wink.

The fire crackled, sparks dancing into the night as the alcohol flowed and inhibitions loosened. Someone had brought out a speaker, soft music blending into the conversations. The warmth of the flames mixed with the lingering buzz of the drinks, and for a moment, the lines between colleagues and friends blurred.

But as you watched Jungkook from across the fire, his jaw tight as he laughed at something Seokjin said, his gaze flickering to you for the briefest second—something told you tonight was going to be different.

Then there was Eunji—your not-so-subtle rival from PR—who had been eyeing you all evening with barely veiled suspicion.

"You're being weird," Soojin murmured beside you, nudging your arm.

You blinked. "What?"

"You keep sneaking glances at CEO Jeon." She wiggled her brows. "Got something to confess?"

Minji, overhearing, gasped. "Wait—no way. Do you have a thing for Jungkook?"

You opened your mouth to protest, but before you could, an all-too-familiar voice cut through the conversation.

"She better, considering they’ve been secretly dating for months."

Every head at your table snapped toward the source—none other than Seokjin, who had the smuggest expression imaginable as he leaned back in his chair.

You choked on air. Jungkook, seated beside him, tensed but said nothing, his gaze flicking toward you as the words registered across the firelit patio.

Silence. Then—

"WHAT?!"

Chaos erupted.

Soojin nearly spilled her drink. Minho swore. Dohyun clapped a hand over his mouth. Minji, ever the dramatist, gasped so hard she nearly lost consciousness. Hajun, sipping his whiskey, merely raised an eyebrow, completely unsurprised.

Eunji, on the other hand, looked delighted. "You and Jungkook?" She leaned forward, eyes glinting. "So that's why you've been so smug lately."

"I— No, we-" You turned to Jungkook, expecting him to deny it, but instead, he sighed, pinched the bridge of his nose, and muttered something under his breath.

That was all the confirmation anyone needed.

"OH MY GOD, IT'S TRUE!" Soojin shrieked.

"Wait, wait, wait," Minho interjected. "Since when?!"

Yoongi, who had been silently sipping his drink, finally spoke up, deadpan. "Since forever."

"Why are we just now finding out?" Dohyun demanded, looking genuinely offended.

Jungkook sighed. "Because it was none of your business? We're not dating."

"Wrong answer." Minji shook her head. "The correct answer was, ��Because we were waiting for the right time to tell you, our dear and beloved friends whom we trust deeply.’ But no, you went with ‘None of your business.’ Unbelievable."

Soojin turned to you, still in shock. "Are you seriously dating Jungkook? As in, our CEO Jungkook? Grumpy CEO Jungkook? Will-fire-you-with-one-look Jungkook?"

Your face was on fire. "Yes."

The reaction was instant—cheers, dramatic gasps, and a round of mock applause. Even Taehyung looked impressed.

"I'm actually kind of proud of you," he told Jungkook, nudging his arm. "I thought you'd die alone."

Jungkook shot him a glare. "Thanks, Taehyung."

But before the conversation could spiral further, Hajun finally spoke, his voice calm and steady as always. "Alright, enough with the theatrics," he said, setting his glass down. "What matters is that they're happy. And if they wanted to keep it private, we should respect that."

A pause. Then—

"You knew, didn't you?" Minho narrowed his eyes at Hajun.

Hajun smirked, taking another sip of whiskey. "I know everything."

Jungkook groaned. You buried your face in your hands. This retreat was not going as planned.

The fire had burned low, embers glowing faintly against the darkened sky. Most of the group had dispersed—some retreating to their rooms, others lingering near the patio, finishing off bottles of wine and whiskey. But you had wandered away, needing space, needing air. The cool night breeze off the lake did little to calm the turmoil in your chest.

You were still thinking about earlier. Jungkook and Eunji.

Eunji’s hand on his arm. Her effortless smile. The way she had looked at him—like she had a right to be there. Like she had a right to him. And worst of all? The way he hadn’t immediately pushed her away.

You exhaled sharply, arms crossed as you stared at the water, your reflection rippling under the moonlight.

Then, footsteps. Jungkook.

He approached quietly, hands shoved into his pockets, his usual confidence tempered by something softer. Something cautious. "You okay?" His voice was low, just for you.

You let out a breathy laugh, but it lacked humor. "I mean… our secret kind of... relationship just got very public, so I’d say I’m still processing."

Jungkook’s lips twitched. "Seokjin is never going to let me live this down."

You scoffed. "Seokjin? Jungkook, none of them are letting us live this down."

"True." He tilted his head, watching you carefully before adding, "Are you… mad?"

That made you turn to him fully. "Why would I be mad?"

Jungkook hesitated, his jaw tightening for just a moment. "Because of earlier. At the park."

Your stomach twisted. Of course he knew.

You swallowed hard, shifting your gaze back to the lake. "I mean… you didn’t exactly stop her from touching you."

Jungkook exhaled sharply. "You think I wanted that?" His voice was firm now, edged with something frustrated—like the idea of you doubting him genuinely bothered him.

You bit your lip, but before you could speak, he took a step closer, his warmth chasing away the night’s chill. "I only have eyes for you," he said, voice quieter now, more certain.

"I don’t care about Eunji. Or about my ex. I never have. And if I didn’t shut them down fast enough, it’s only because I was too busy watching you and trying to figure out how the hell to make it right."

Your breath hitched.

"So let me make it right now," he murmured, closing the last bit of space between you.

You reached for his hand first, lacing your fingers through his. "I don’t mind," you admitted. "If anything, I think it’s kind of a relief. I hated pretending you weren’t—" You swallowed, cheeks warming. "—important to me."

Jungkook’s grip tightened slightly, his gaze locked onto yours.

"Good," he murmured, tilting his head. "Because I’m done pretending, too."

And then, under the soft glow of the moon, with the sound of the lake lapping against the shore, he kissed you—not in secret, not hidden away, but out in the open.

For the first time, it wasn’t a secret. And for the first time, it didn’t need to be.

previous

[iboozi]

CALL ME YOURS

Genre: black cat! (Ish) reader / golden retriever! Jeongguk, reader is a bookstore owner, jk is just him, strangers to friends to lovers?

Summary: In which your first meeting is full of nerves and a mildly awkward conversation.

Part : 1/(?)

w/c : 2.7k

A/N: Welcome to…. The first part!!! I’m super excited to share this. I hope you like the gentleness of this story!! This may be a slow book, but it’s just to show there’s no rush in life.

Take your time and leave feedback <3

Also! let me know if I should make a taglist??

-Zoobi out 🪩

m.list, intro, part two, part three

✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 .

One.

If you were to be sure of one thing in your life, it was that books had never failed you. At least not yet. Probably to do with the fact that you were so particular with the ones you did end up reading, that hours of meticulous research would be carried out on reviews and backgrounds before you even thought about touching a physical copy. 

Believe it or not, even an oddly written blurb could throw you right off the path of cracking open the pages and entering the world of those characters. Was that an analogy on your drab outlook on life? Perhaps. But it kept you busy, and busy meant you didn’t have to think about anything else.  

The comfort that books provided was unmatched by humans. Souls of artists were most vulnerable in those fluttering pages, and to be granted a partial insight as to what fantasies they could conjure was a great opportunity within itself. 

So, that’s why you opened up a bookstore. It was nothing impressive, just stood on the end corner of what used to be a busy street. Despite living in Seoul, which housed a population of over nine million people, this was one of the streets that never seemed to attract others. 

Two years of owning the bookstore and you had seen more businesses around you close than open. That should be an obvious sign that your pride and joy was in danger of being shut down, but hey – books didn’t fail you.  

Stacking those very books up onto a neatly organised shelf in your tiny store had become your Friday evening routine and there was no other way that you’d rather spend the end of the working week. A new order of books had just arrived, after months of negotiating with your distributor. You promised that you’d really sell the books this time and you were going to make sure of it. 

How? Yet to be decided. But it was going to happen. 

Others definitely wouldn’t have tried this desperately to continue running a shop that had an end date so clear in sight, but there was nothing else you could turn to.

 No one else to turn to as well. 

However, you’d argue that this place was your home. Decorated the way you wanted your childhood bedroom to be, with soft, pastel coloured beanbags and plushies in one corner and large overgrown plants in another. Desks were pushed up against the wall for those who wished to study and the only light available would be either through the large windows at the front or the obnoxiously huge flower lamps dotted around the place – strictly no overhead lighting. 

 It was a minimalist’s nightmare, but after being restrained from expressing yourself for so long, this was your little act of rebellion. It wasn’t much, but it was all you needed. 

The shrill of the bell above the door announced the entrance of a customer. It never failed to disrupt the built up peace of your bookstore. Not only that, but the accompaniment of the splintered door grating against the doorframe procured a melodious tune of despair. 

The door was due to be fixed – and you had been meaning to do so, but you were majorly caught up with the landlord threatening to increase rent, that the idea of spending money faster than you could make it, was harrowing to you. You weren’t made for adult problems, and this one seemed to be looming over you, taunting you as day by day you’d scrabble for even some extra money that just never seemed to show up. 

You could only wince as the door caught on the rug that you had you found at the thrift store down the street- it was on sale, so you didn’t hesitate to snatch it away from the prying eyes of the grandmothers around you.  

It was ugly, for sure- the design faded from before you even purchased it, but it did the job of soaking in the water people seem to dredge in every night. More so this past week, seeing as the heavy rain that was most definitely not forecasted, brought on an array of newcomers. 

How they found the store? No idea. But customers were customers, regardless of if they bought something or not and turning on the heating slightly higher, allowing warmth to seep into their bones after a chilly night out, helped you feel somewhat more accomplished. 

Most visitors were here for shelter from the downpour and crowded around the entrance, making a great deal of noise but others... well there weren’t really others, just the occasional customer popping in to see what books you had, before popping right back out onto the cobbled street, like they were never there. 

But alas, tonight, the rain had subsided to a moderate drizzle, leaving just you and the regulars, Namjoon and Seokjin -  although you were still rather uncertain which one was which. 

The only thing you were sure of was that every Friday, around 5pm, the two of them showed up in their work attire and sat at the desks, overlooking the street, and just talked. There was the occasional laughter, but talking was what they did most. Sometimes there was handholding, and other times they shared the same book, taking turns to read out lines to one another. 

And okay, you would admit there was some jealousy in the way you looked at them, jealousy in the way that they were able to take time out of their days just to feel the comfort of each other. They fit together so naturally that looking at them for too long made your eyes hurt. It was sickening how cute they were. 

At least it was in your store. They also bought books every week, so you couldn’t  complain about them in anyway. 

The final chime of the bell reminded you of this new individual who seemed to have opened the stiff door with such ease, you wondered if you had gaslighted yourself this morning. Even after pressing the entire weight of you and your ancestors, the door only budged slightly. It took a few shoves to get it to fully open, and you had been glad that the streets were empty. 

Was he some kind of body builder? Would it be considered rude to stare?

Clunky boots and a frame swallowed in black entered your peripheral and you slowly peeked over – only to see a man somewhat your age looking right at you. He shuffled his feet, wiping off any remnants of water and stood at the entrance nervously. Dark hair was plastered to his forehead, shielding you from seeing his features, leaving you slightly disappointed. 

Hold on. 

There was no need for disappointment – what was wrong with you? An increasing heart rate only signalled your rising anxiety. New people scared you. And he was quite possibly the newest person you had met in a long time and-

“Uh, is there a restroom in here?” a smooth voice interrupted your thoughts.

You froze, looking around to see if anyone would grace this man with an answer, only realising that he was indeed focused on you. Oh man. 

“Oh! Um, yes! It’s just that way,” you pointed down the low- lit corridor leading towards the back end of the store.

He peered in the direction of your hand, nodded at you and made his way there. Unluckily for him, you had yet to grasp that a man so tall and broad could exist and happened to be standing in his way. So, when he brushed past you, a mix of citrus and rainwater wafted up into your face, so subtle – yet so delicate. 

Unconsciously, your eyes fluttered closed - to anyone else, it looked like you were trying to get a moment of tranquillity after a long shift, but there you were, guiltily trying to ingrain his scent into your memory, into your skin, so you could turn it inside out and wear it as your own.

“Hey, you okay over there?” asked Namjoon – or Seokjin.  

Time stopped. Lightly coughing and unfurling your tightly shut eyes you meekly looked up at the two men stood before you, both with very apparent smiles on their faces. 

“...Yep, all good. Can I help you with anything?” 

“Just wanted to say bye – and have a good weekend. We’re heading out now,” mused Seokjin – you were sure it was him (hopefully) – he did dye his hair often and was sporting a faded purple look (he totally rocked it).

“Oh. Um, thank you. Enjoy your weekend as well. Sorry we didn’t have the books you wanted,” 

They both shrugged – how were they so in sync? And they slowly made their way out, bumping shoulders with one another as one small, yellow umbrella held loosely over their heads did little to protect them from the heavier rain that had started up again. 

You smiled to yourself, basking in the quietness of the store once again when footsteps neared you from behind. Turning around in a slight daze, you underestimated your pivoting abilities and ended up smacking your face into a chest. A firm chest. 

Citrus evoked your nose once more. It’s funny, because you always had associated the smell as bitter and coarse, but in this moment, under the barely functioning lamp that you’d half-heartedly decorated with vines, the smell had never been so saccharine. 

A gentle touch found its way on either side of your waist, barely there, nonetheless it kept you standing straighter than you had in years.

“Woah there, steady now,”

Looking up, a small gasp escaped your lips, realising that you had forgotten the presence of the newcomer. He did look slightly different this time with his hair pushed back so you supposed you could let yourself off this time.

A small bar adorned his right eyebrow and complemented his strong forehead. But that wasn’t what you could focus on. 

No, it was the doe eyed look this stranger possessed. The look that spoke the volume of a million words and simultaneously calmed the thrashing waves of your heart. Artists had tried for years, to capture people’s gaze in paintings, but you knew that any attempt to imitate the stranger clinging on to you, would fall short – nothing would compare to the real thing.

Roaming your eyes down his face, you noticed the multitude of moles scattered across his even skin like a constellation – your very own personal one. Even the faded scar added to the look, the imperfection making him shine brighter. Only when your eyes moved to his mouth did you realise it was moving and this person was actually speaking to you – and you were practically ignoring him. 

“-id I hurt you?”

“What?”

“I asked if I had hurt you. Are you okay?” the mellow tone of his voice soothed you, right before you snapped yourself to attention. 

You pulled away abruptly and cleared your throat,

“Y-yeah, I’m not hurt. Thank you.”

And that’s all there was. Simple conversation.  It’s how you operated – minimal talk, and you couldn’t help it. You were always told that if you had nothing interesting to say, don’t say it. Luckily you learnt that at a young enough age.

You stepped back and brushed the invisible dust on your jean clad legs whilst walking back to the shelf your focus was previously on. Your heart rate was rapidly rising, and you fought to keep it at a level rate. 

Just breathe.

In.

And out. 

If the stranger noticed your odd behaviour, he didn’t mention anything of it, which honestly made you a thankful, considering your not-so-friendly attitude towards him even though you basically ogled him for what seemed like five minutes – it was only half a minute, but time passed differently in this bookstore. 

As you busied yourself with the new collection of books – they were all classics – you heard a low chuckle, and the unmistakeable sound of boots. 

They weren’t closing in on you this time, but moving in the opposite direction, towards the romance section. You stopped, slightly confused and looked back at the man as he browsed the display, eyebrows furrowed in concentration. 

Five minutes passed like this, him walking around the case a few times, picking a book up, reading the blurb and depositing it right back to its original place. You may have glanced back a few times, watching him repeat his actions over and over but, just to make sure there was no funny business going on – nothing else.

Before he could resume his pacing again, you walked yourself right over to him and stopped.

“Are you looking for something?”

This stranger, who towered over you flinched. He flinched and grasped his chest with a tattoo covered hand – which you failed to notice before – and looked towards you, shock evident on his face. 

Shit. You came off rude. Most definitely was not your intention but, it was too late to back out now. 

Looking around, you attempted to rein in the harshness of your voice and stammered out, “I mean you just seemed to be looking for a certain book, so would you like help?”

That seemed to do the trick as he lowered his hand down and sheepishly rubbed a hand against the back of his head. 

“Ah, I was just looking for a romance book. I mean-well not exactly romance, but maybe something with underlying tones of it?” he grinned at the last part, hoping not to sound as awkward as you possibly did. 

“Oh,” you nodded in understanding. Then proceeded to look at the same section of the shelf he was looking at before. 

You paused. Hummed a little to yourself and lapped a circle around the display. Halted in front of him again, and spoke out “Call me by your name,”

Your customer’s eyebrows jerked up suddenly and his mouth parted slightly. 

“You want me to call you Jeongguk?”

Jeongguk. That was his name. It suited him. Variations of nicknames shot through your head, but you ignored the thoughts and-

Wait what did he say?

“What- no, that’s the name of a book, I’m recommending it to you?” you picked the book of said recommendation and handed it right over to him. 

Grasping it in his overly large hands, Jeongguk looked down and inspected the book. Turned it over, read the blurb and flipped it right back to the front. He peeked up at you with an embarrassed smile,

“Well that makes a lot more sense,”

You smiled softly at him and mumbled out,

“It’s not a dramatic love story per se, but it focuses deeply on the emotions that comes with love, no matter how short lived it is. And it also happens to be my favourite book, so lucky you.”

At the end of your sentence, Jeongguk’s smile shot up into a grin. A full blown grin, where his pearly whites were bright on display for you and the crinkling of his eyes almost made you giggle ever so slightly. “Is that all for today?” 

You weren’t sure why you asked him that. You had actually enjoyed his presence, even his silly little pacing - and his face was a bonus that you couldn’t help but stare at. 

“Yes Ma’am,”

Oh God. The nerves were back. Your heart rate was rising. You were distracted. This interaction was going on longer than it needed to. You looked over at the clock and realised it was 30 minutes past closing time. 

You quickly snapped yourself back into the present and grabbed the book, stalked over to the cash register for a spare bag and hastily stuffed the book inside before stalking back to him and holding the bag out in front of you. 

“It’s on the house. From me to you.”

Jeongguk’s grin faltered as he slowly took the paper bag, grazing your fingers and twiddled with the handles. 

He opened his mouth to say something. Thought about it. Closed his mouth. Thought a few more seconds and said,

“I’ll make it up to you. Tomorrow. I-I’ll get you coffee and tell you how much I’ve read,”

You nodded frantically, eager to get the conversation over with and as Jeongguk made his way over to the ancient door, the rush of disappointment flooded back. 

And when the bell chimed again, you whispered your name out. It was enough to have Jeongguk turning back, with a confused look on his face. You said your name out loud once again, ensuring that he heard you correctly,

 “I’ll call you by my name, so call me by yours.”

part two

[orchidyoonkook]

To What We Were Before, And All The Things After | JJK | Ch. 8

Title: Photo Shoots and Blasphemous Discoveries

Pairing: Prince!College Student!JK x Fine Arts Major!(F)!Reader

Series Rating//Genre: (M) | College AU, Mild Royalty AU, Smut, Angst, Fluff, S2F2L, Indiffernce to lovers, sloooowwww ass burn

Summary: You're just there to help JK with his final project, so why are you being doused in water, facepaint and smoke? Art. Art is why.

Warnings: T, language, fluff, angst, honestly this one's kinda wholesome and fun, some photogrpahy jargin in there, but nothing a quick google search can't fix if you really need to <3, it's mostly surface level jargin. Also the smoke machine works cuz JK has great ventilation due to the massive windows being open, so don't worry bout that XD, some light and fun name calling, some world building. Ask if you need clarification on anything. That's all I think!

Word Count: 11,684

Release Date: September 1, 2024. 4:30PM

A/N 1: Surprise! Happy JK Day.

Series: Chapter One | Chapter Two | Chapter Three | Chapter Four | Chapter Five | Chapter Six | Chapter Seven

PJK [7:36pm]: Saturday afternoon. my place. 11am.  PJK [7:36pm]: bring an extra set of clothes, something warm. Sweats if you have them. PJK [7:37pm]: also, Im gunna need your shirt size

The first three weeks of November have flown by and dragged on at the same time.

The weather’s getting colder. You need a thick jacket if you want to be anywhere outside, and all leaves have fallen from the trees, leaving pines the only ones left with their winter coats on. Hot chocolate from greenhouse cafe has become part of your life’s blood so you don’t freeze, and gloves with pocket warmers inside them are once again a part of your everyday. 

But November skies have returned. And you frequently set up camp on the drying grass beside the greenhouse, dressing your canvas with oil paint to their likeness as it’s the only paint that doesn’t dry the second it’s out of the tube in the cold, static air.

Jungkook told you earlier in the week the shoot would most likely be this weekend, and that he just had a few final strings to pull together before being able to confirm. So with that in mind, you intentionally tried to finish all your work before this weekend, knowing the shoot will take a while to complete.

He mentioned it may leak over into Sunday depending on how much you get done on the first day, which is fine with you considering you usually spend Sunday evenings at his place anyway. You’d consider it an extended edition of your regularly scheduled broadcast.

And speaking of regularly scheduled, you haven’t missed a single movie night since Nel left. Granted, it’s only been three weeks, but even missing the two you did because of Nel had made an impact. 

You’d gotten so used to them, having that time to destress and unwind before the week starts. A nice little routine that helps reset you both mentally and physically.

Suddenly not having that was…a weird feeling you try not to remember. 

And you are more than happy to never miss another one ever again.

You aren’t sure what Jungkook tells Adaline he’s doing during movie night, but she’s never interrupted you, not even once. And it’s something you are increasingly grateful for, because she is one of the things you destress from as your unspoken rivalry always amps up the closer to exam season you get.

It’s Thursday evening, and you’re in your room finishing up a Microeconomics 3 assignment while piano music plays on a speaker in the corner. You use it to help you focus, and it’s working its magic as you’re finishing your work in record time. 

Music has always helped you work better, and you credit it largely with how you’ve been able to keep up with everything in your schooling.

Yuri’s in her room, doing homework as well you assume. Or maybe texting Tai—the dreamy, big dicked Ilcalos island Count—you swear she’s only put her phone down for sleep and showering, as she’s constantly checking to see if he’s messaged her. And you hope it turns out well for them, Yuri deserves someone who treats her well. Especially after the whole Jungkook debacle—which you’re not allowed to bring up—and then the poor rebound you aren’t allowed to talk about either. You’re just happy she’s finally found someone worth her time.

Picking up your phone, you shoot Jungkook a text back.

You [7:40pm]: okay! saturday at 11 sounds good. I’ll bring sweats and warm socks

You message him your shirt size too, curious as to what he’ll use it for, but you’re sure you’ll find out in due time. You always do.

Subject to many of his homework assignments, you’ve been posed and lit and adjusted every which way. 

Jungkook is incredibly professional when you’re with him as a model. Light touches to correct posing, always with a ‘may I’ before he does, and he fills the room with kind words, good vibes, and fun music so you never feel awkward. 

At first you were really iffy on the whole idea when he first asked in September, because it would be the prince of your nation photographing little ol’ you. You weren’t anything special—yet—and you’re still never one for being in the spotlight, or for being on camera. At all. But if it was just for homework, and you were helping out a friend…you figured why not? 

It helped that all of your worries immediately faded when you saw the results of that first shoot.

An email from a very non-princely email address found its way into your inbox. The subject was the date of the shoot, and the only message inside being:

 thanks. Hope you like them. 

Let’s do it again sometime.

-J

When you opened the attachments you made a quick dive to catch the phone that fell from your hands in shock. 

You looked…beautiful. Like you never had in pictures before. Not in school, or at graduation, not even in the ones you took of yourself. 

You didn’t know you were capable of looking like that. 

Like how he saw you. Captured you. 

And you’ll never admit you’ve held your chin a little higher with every shoot since.

They make you feel powerful, attractive. More confident, and sure of yourself, as if you were always meant to be in front of a camera. Like you’d been in front of one since before you could walk.

They do that for you.

He…does that for you—with his pictures, of course.

Jungkook is very talented. Very skilled with his camera, and you find yourself looking forward to the concepts he comes up with every time. Trusting him and whatever his vision is wholeheartedly. 

Though a small, immature piece of you is also pleased he still wants you to model, and not Adaline. That he finds you easier to work with over her.

Your competitive streak never fails to come out, even with the smallest, secretive things.

Take that Adaline.

You gladly help him out with his homework, and he does the same for you. 

If you ever need a male reference or a profile study. Anatomy practice, features practice, likeness practice. Anything and almost everything, all you have to do is ask, and he sits still or places whatever you need in front of you while you sketch.

Hands, however, have always been a personal favourite of yours.

They’re one of those things that can be drawn a hundred different ways and never look the same. Always a new position you can put them in. Consistently able to shake things up. And one set is never like the others—like eyes. There’s little differences in all of them and that’s where their magic lies.

You do these studies at the greenhouse, it has the best light to shadow ratio. When you ask him for one, he’ll switch to working with one hand, while the other does whatever you tell it. Normally either placed on your table or if there isn’t enough room, which nine times out of ten there isn’t because of all your supplies, you stick your foot on the lower metal frame of his table and he rests his arm, wrist or palm on your up bent knee. 

Due to this, you’ve unintentionally come to find out that his hands are very strong, very calloused, and very, very warm…

Also! Aside from hand studies, you love loose figure studies because they’re great warm up sketches. And what Jungkook doesn't know is that you have dozens of warm up sketches of him. Doesn’t know you sneak pictures here and there when you can, hiding them in a hidden album on your phone entitled ‘hmwk screenshots.’ And he definitely doesn’t know that when he’s sitting at the cafe, nose deep in assignments, you doodle his features or his outfit in real time.

A nose here, a jacket there. A muscular forearm covered in tattoos also tends to find its way onto your page every so often.

He’s got a good physique. And the ridges make for excellent anatomy practice. So does the intricate line work of tattoos, and fabric rippling. Especially in drastic lighting. Consistency is key in maintaining and improving your work and it’s not like any of these sketches will ever see the light of day anyways. 

They’re just, well…practice. 

A sigh escapes you, and you refocus on finishing your microecon work. You still have two more assignments to get done before Saturday at eleven.

“And why are you working with some random girl when I’m available, again?” Adaline asks. She’s currently sitting on Jungkook's couch in your spot. He’s setting up tomorrow's materials against the big white wall by the floor length windows that showcase his balcony.

It’s why he chose to live here instead of in the dorms or on campus. His place isn’t enormous, like most people would think, it has enough room for everything a regular student needs: bedroom, kitchen, workspace, living room, bathroom, even a guest room. But the one thing he keeps different is the big white wall where a dining room would normally be. 

Jungkook’s place has high ceilings, 10 feet tall, which is higher than the average but not excessive. And the wall that connects his kitchen to the balcony is a perfect mock studio. He can even keep all his equipment there; lights, gels, backgrounds, tubs full of props, camera cases, lenses, and more all stored in neat shelving against another wall. 

“Because students volunteered for extra credit, and she’s who was assigned to me,” a small lie, one he was sure that Adaline wouldn’t dig into too deeply. 

“Why didn’t you tell me I could volunteer?”

“Because you didn’t need the extra credit?”

She pouts, and goes back to her phone.

Adaline also doesn’t know it’s you he’s photographing and that is one hundred percent intentionally planned by him. 

He could sense something between you two after you made that one comment after fall break. He notices now how you stiffen slightly every time he mentions Adaline, and the one time he mentioned you in passing to test the waters, Adaline changed the conversion topic almost immediately. A look of annoyance, or maybe even insecurity in her eyes.

So he’s been lucky that Adaline has never wanted to see any of his schoolwork prior to or after the singular shoot he did with her. 

Lucky she hasn’t seen your face fill up his screen constantly. 

And extremely lucky that she doesn’t know about the hidden folder buried deep in his desktop labeled ‘eqpmt rcpts’ filled with dozens of candid shots of you.

To be fair, you don’t know about them either. They’re random, shots taken every now and then where he thought you looked happy, focused, or just existing. True candids of the most candid person he knew.

It started that day with his first assignment from Professor Hirmer. He’d taken those quick pictures of you painting, and then simply never stopped. 

He has pictures of you in the courtyard, walking and talking to Yuri, you smiling. He has some he took on his phone when you’re over for movie night, invested in the film or talking to him. And a bunch of you painting at the greenhouse. It’s hard to take secret candids when he’s right beside you, but he manages seeing as you haven't caught him yet.

He even has a few of you and Nel, love clearly written on your face in every single one of them.

Whenever he spots you before you spot him, and he has his camera on him, he takes a couple. 

They’ve amassed into a healthy sum, but he thinks of it as a harmless habit as no one will ever know. And it’s not like he’s following you around to take them or using them for anything nefarious. 

He just likes taking your picture. Capturing your spirit, your candor. 

Your realness. 

You are wholly yourself, always, no holding back, all of the time. 

And to him, it feels like coming up for a breath of fresh air.

“Hey!” you say as you let yourself into Jungkook’s apartment. You’d knocked but no one answered and it was currently 10:56am on Saturday, so you knew he was here. Plus, his door was unlocked.

“Jungkook?” you call. 

No answer.

You take your shoes off after closing the door and locking it. He should really keep his door locked. 

Very quickly become best friends with the couch, you toss your backpack of warm clothes on the floor while you wait for him to make an appearance. 

There’s shoot equipment everywhere; lights in the corner, some with soft boxes on them, gels laid out on the coffee table, and what you’ve come to learn is a lens case sits on the couch beside you in Jungkook's usual spot. 

Jungkook has also somehow managed to find some small trees in blue ceramic pots and what you’re pretty sure is a smoke machine. 

But the most peculiar thing is what looks to be a kiddie pool up against the wall with a folded tarp at its base. 

Well that's…interesting…

You hear a door open somewhere in the apartment and running water. 

“Jungkook? That you?”

“Hey! Yep. Just give me a sec, I’m almost done.”

The water sounds cease and Jungkook makes his grand entrance as he turns the corner holding a large watering can. Your eyebrow raises.

“For the trees?” you ask.

“What?” 

You point to the watering can currently making his veins pop. 

He laughs, “Oh! No. This is for later. You’ll see,” and walks to the other side of the room by the pool. 

“Aren’t we mysterious today,” you say, following him with your eyes. He’s in ripped black jeans that accentuate the muscle definition of his thighs, and a matching baggy shirt. When his back is turned you snap a quick picture. The fabric folds on his baggy shirts are some of your favourite mindless things to cool down sketch.

“Nah, just focused. We have a lot to get through today.”  He sets down the watering can and you can see the moment the switch flips from friend to photographer. “The guest room is ready for you. There’s a clothing rack inside with each look labeled. There’s also makeup and face paint, if you could bring out the make up after you're done changing, that would be great. We’re gonna start with ‘Bright and Bold’, okay?” 

You usually use the spare room as a change room when you have to switch clothes for a shoot. But they were always from your own closet. He’d tell you the concept he was going for and you’d bring a few options to choose from.

Makeup you were used to, though. Jungkook loves abusing your artistic abilities for his shoots in the way you decorate your face or body, saying they make his works a level up from the rest of his classmates. 

They also usually make for some of the coolest pictures you have of yourself.

This is the first time he’s ever bought clothing, though.

You shouldn’t be as surprised as you are, this being his final assignment for an important class, and him being as serious as he is about his work and the final product. But you can't help it, you’re excited to see everything he’s chosen for the shoot. 

For you.

For the shoot.

“Yep, sounds good. Be out in a few,” you reply. He nods in acknowledgement before moving to set something up and you don’t stick around to find out, grabbing your bag and heading towards the door lined hall. 

The guest room is modest and clean. White sheets and gray comforter with, surprisingly, two throw pillows to spruce it up. The walls are white too, but you’re pretty sure that’s because Jungkook’s not allowed to paint the apartment per his landlord's wishes—a thought that still makes you laugh.

He could buy any place he wanted, but chose to rent. ‘To get the real university experience,’ he explained when you asked him the first time you went over.

Black furniture accents the room. A comfortable looking leather chair sits in the corner by a glass door that leads to the balcony. It has a small table beside it. There’s a dresser with a mirror in the other corner and of course, in the center of the room, is the bed. It’s a nice room. However, the newest edition is what’s keeping your eye.

Four shirts hang from the rack at the foot of the bed. The first is vibrant and colourful, the second a light neutral short sleeved V neck, third is strapless and skin coloured, and the last is made from thin black fabric you assume will be skin tight by the looks of it. 

As promised, they’re all labeled with a sticker. 

You throw your bag on the bed and grab the colourful one first. Its sticker says ‘bright and bold,’ and you put it on after removing the shirt you came in, then zip it up. The material feels heavy, durable and expensive. You check the tag on the inside seam and see it’s from Ilkaya, one of the biggest and most expensive fashion designers on this side of the realm. 

Your eyes bug out of your head, and you try not to breathe too hard for fear of ruining it. Your routine of thrifting all your clothes makes you pretty damn sure you can’t even imagine how much this cost. 

It feels good though, comfortable, not itchy. Really freaking expensive.

You look at yourself in the mirror, and you have to admit you look amazing. It fits perfectly in all the right places, compliments your skin tone, and even brings out your eyes. Begrudgingly, you admit to yourself that maybe there’s some sense in what the price tag could be. But it would still be a ridiculous sum for a jacket.

With one last look in the mirror, you grab the palettes, brushes and other tools off the dresser, and leave your designated dressing room for the day in favour of returning to the living room. 

Jungkook’s got music going from your shared playlist. Insisting on making one after your second shoot together, when he decided you both agreed to the arrangement becoming a regular thing. It’s a good mix of both of your musical tastes, even though you guys figured out quickly that you liked pretty similar stuff anyway. 

“What do you think? Does it work?” You ask as you turn the corner. 

Jungkook fiddles with this camera before looking and pausing for a moment to take you in. You hope you look okay, but the weird look he has on his face makes you backtrack a bit. 

“Is this not the one you wanted? It had the label on it. But I can go back and double che- ”

“You look amazing,” is all he says, and your worry slides off you instantly. He smiles wide, the one you’ve come to recognize as genuine. 

“Thanks. But the colour’s doing most of the work for me,” you say, smiling back shyly.

He has a white background set up, and two differently coloured gel’d lights sit on opposite one another, a third, smaller floor light faces the background. A backlight, he’d call it. 

Bright and Bold indeed, though there is the matter of-

“What do you want me to do for my make up?”

“Actually,” he sets down his camera gently on a table, “Is it okay if I do it? I want it to be a little more on the amateur side and I don’t think your years of refined talent would let you get the exact look I want.” 

That’s new. But you're here to stand and look however he wants you too, so you allow him with a nod. 

“Sure, where do you want me to sit?”

“Here’s fine,” he says as he pulls a stool that was off to one side close to one of the windows. “As long as you don’t mind holding the make up. I don’t have a table to set them down on.  Should’ve thought of that, sorry.” 

You can tell he’s mentally scolding himself for forgetting something.

“No no, it’s fine,” you say, taking your seat, “I don’t mind, really.” 

Placing the balls of your feet on the bar that holds the chair legs together, you make your lap even enough to set the palettes out, and use a hand to hold all the brushes. 

Jungkook laughs, noticing your feet as you sit, “Cute socks.”

They’re light blue with a fox face on them, and little ears stick up from the elastic around the ankle. 

“Thanks,” you laugh too, they’re your favourite pair. “I call them my fox socks. They’re lucky.”

“Let’s hope so. Wish me luck fox socks,” he calls to your toes, and you wiggle them in response.

He picks a brush and chooses a colour. “Close your eyes and let me know if I’m pressing too hard. If it isn’t obvious, I’ve never done this before.”

You close your eyes and whisper, “Will do.”

It's a uniquely intimate experience having your makeup done. Willingly letting someone get up close and personal with you, allowing them to see every potential scar, blemish and pore in the name of beauty and for the sake of creativity. 

In this case, it’s also a little questionable considering where you feel the brush putting down colour: cheeks, lids, temple, nose. However, you’re simply a pawn in a well thought out plan, so you sit and wait for him to finish.

“Annnd done,” he says, making a final swipe with the brush on your cheek. “You look great! I didn’t hurt you, right?” he asks, showing you the makeup in a palettes mirror. Your face looks like it’s been attacked by a rainbow in the best way. You smile, taking the mirror from him and looking at all the little details. 

For a first timer, Jungkook did a really good job. 

“Nope, I’m good. How do you want me?”

Jungkook leads you to the backdrop, placing you in front. 

“One second,” he says, grabbing a remote and clicking a button to lower the black out curtains on the windows, and then another that turns off the apartment lights. He also clicks on all the lights he’s set up and you’re quickly illuminated by a bright red and purple as well as the back light.

“I’m good to pose?” he asks. 

“Yep.” 

You love that he always asks first. It makes you feel safe and considered, consenting to every touch prior to its occurrence. 

Jungkook instructs the first pose to have your hands on the sides of your face, making slight adjustments so that you don’t cover any of the makeup. And for the first time, his touches leave little sparks where they land. 

You’re sure it’s just because of the lights or that the shirt is thick and makes you warm. 

Or maybe you’re just nervous and need to get the first photo jitters out of your system.

Soon enough, the camera’s pointing at you and you smile the brightest you can. He’s given you the prompt of ‘you’re so excited and happy you can’t hold it in,’ and you work with it the best you can, taking the first few with the pose he gave before being given full reign. 

It’s a decent way into the first shoot when Jungkook says, “Hmm…we’re not quite there yet, I need a bit more,” and follows up with, “How about ‘you’ve just been commissioned by the Modern Art Museum to have the leading showcase for next year’.” 

You smile the biggest you think you ever have at the thought. Because that’s the dream, that is the biggest goal you could achieve. An entire gallery of your work as the primary exhibition in the Western Shores Modern Art Museum? You couldn’t go any higher. It’s every artist's dream.

“There you go! That’s it!” The camera’s capturing quickly as you imagine what it would be like to have your own showcase at the WS-MAM. Incredible is the first word that comes to mind, your work in the biggest museum on the continent? You can’t even imagine, but you want to. 

One day, you promise yourself. You’ll do it one day.

“Okay,” Jungkook says, breaking your daydream, “Let me switch out the gels for new colours and go again. These are great so far though, you're doing amazing.” 

You hold your hand out for a high five and he smacks it. “Go team!” you say, and he laughs.

An hour and a half, a makeup fix and three lighting changes later, the first shoot finishes. You collapse on the couch and rub the muscles on your thighs. 

Jungkook plops down beside you, nose deep in the pictures he’s just taken, double checking everythings good.

“This is a fantastic start, I hope we can keep it up all day and finish before tomorrow.”

“Me too,” you say, and you mean it. Shoots with him are always fun, but inevitably tiring. “I’m gonna to grab a water, want one?” 

“Yes please,” he replies without looking up.

In the kitchen, you open the fridge to grab the two bottles and notice a box, stamped with a coffee mug that has a greenhouse inside of it, on top. The greenhouse cafe’s logo. 

“Can I ask what’s inside the cafe box?” you ask as you sit back on the couch and pass him a bottle.

“Ah, caught red handed,” he says, setting his camera on the table and taking a swig. “I may have asked Vivan earlier this week to make sure there was an overstock of tarts so I could grab them for you as a thank you for today.”

...Oh

That’s so sweet. He’s never gotten you a thank you gift before, especially not in the form of the most delicious pastry to ever exist. Maybe you should get him something for all the times he’s helped you with homework? A solstice gift maybe?

There’s heat forming in your chest and you really hope it’s not the beginning stages of heartburn. Maybe Jungkook has antacids. 

“You didn’t have to do that, I’m happy to help.”

“So you don’t want them then?” his shit eating grin making a glorious comeback because he knows what your answer’s going to be.

“No! I want them. I most definitely want them.”

He chuckles and puts his water down.

“Okay Donatello, glad you accept. Let's move on to the next set up. There’s makeup remover and cotton pads in the room, and some moisturizer too if you need it.”

The next shoot is called ‘Regality,’ and it has you in the strapless shirt. You find out it’s quite a low cut when you put it on. There’s enough to cover you, but there’s definitely a lot of your chest showing. However, under the shirt on the hanger is a scarf to cover yourself with, which you think is very considerate.

“Makeup?” you ask as you come out again, scarf covering you.

“Neutral, but strong. Kind of like how my mother does,” the background is still white, but you have a hunch that it will remain white in this picture, unlike the last one. “This one is going to be black and white, so try to emphasize your natural beauty.”

You ignore that he essentially just said you're beautiful, surely he’s just being kind and professional. Making sure his model feels good about herself. 

Right?

Right.

You put on a coat of mascara and go light on the shadow so it won't be too dramatic on film. You also use a shade of lipstick that adds just a tint to your lips and a blush that makes your eyes pop.

Jungkook has you sit on the stool from earlier and faces your body three quarters of the way towards the camera, but keeps your head turned in profile. 

“Oh! Almost forgot, one second,” Jungkook jogs to his room, coming back with a palm sized velvet box. “I had my mother send these over for this shoot. She has better taste than me, so I let her pick them out.”

Your stomach plummets to the floor when he opens the box. 

Inside are two dangling diamond earrings, and quite possibly the most beautiful things you’ve ever seen.

And now you’re terrified. 

“Jungkook, I can't wear those. They look like they’re worth more than my house, my car and my tuition combined.”

He takes one out and places it in your hand for you to put in, it’s the length of your index finger. And all you can think about is the potential houses you’re holding as you look at it. 

It’s a semi-rectangular earring, encrusted with four columns of diamonds that cascade down, each column longer than the previous. Like a sparkling waterfall you can attach to your ear.

“Don’t worry about it, mum said she never wears them anyway because they’re part of a set that the necklace was lost to years ago. Please,” his face is nothing but reassurance and small smiles, “You’re giving them a chance to live again.”

You couldn't say no to those eyes even if you wanted to.

So you reply, almost breathless and still against your better judgment, “Okay.”

Placing them in one after the other, they have a significant, understandable weight to them. You take a couple deep breaths so you don't freak out, and then you return to your previously designated pose, profile set, body facing the camera.

“Can I adjust?” Jungkook asks, after taking a step back and getting a wider view. 

You nod gently, still terrified of the earrings.

He makes sure the earring is visible and untangled first, before a finger gently comes beneath your chin, and lifts it a bit higher. 

The feeling they leave behind is all you can think about as you stare at your place on the wall, Jungkook snapping away. Not even the soft light illuminating your profile is enough to make you blink.

This shoot goes by quickly, and you’re relieved to get the earrings back safely inside their box.

“It’s like 2:45, wanna break for a late lunch?” Jungkook asks. 

“Please, I’m starved,” you say, returning from the guest room after tossing on the sweater you brought. “What's on the menu?”

“Well, we have two options,” he says, looking very faux serious, “1. We order out from wherever you want and awkwardly wait for it to arrive because the next shoot is not one we can’t prep for, then eat, then shoot.  Or 2. I make use of the ingredients I bought to make Bulgogi Kimchi Fried Rice and you get lunch and a show.”

You're shocked. 

Jungkook…cooks? Oh this you absolutely must see.

“Hmm….” you say, pretending to really mull it over in the same ‘serious’ tone, “I’m thinking I’ll have to go with option two, Chef. But I’ll lend a hand where I can, no use in standing around doing nothing.”

“Every chef needs a sous.”

With both of you on task, lunch is getting made quickly. Jungkook has all the ingredients to make ‘my buddy’s famous family recipe,’ a man who you assume is a chef back at the palace. The island countertop is currently covered in them; onion, kimchi, marinated bulgogi, gochujang, cooked rice, eggs and more. 

You’re surprised at how skilled Jungkook is in the kitchen. He’s cutting the ingredients like he’s been doing it his whole life and working the pan over the stove like the proper technique has been drilled into him since birth. 

Thirty minutes pass, and after both of you shed a tear at the cut onions and evenly split the remaining tasks, you’re sitting on the couch about to take your first bite. It smells delicious. Your mouth is watering and you can’t wait to dig in, stomach painfully empty by this point.

Finally taking that first bite, you nearly die of euphoria.

“Ouhmahgaud,” you say, mouth half full. Jungkooks on the other side of the couch, trying not to cough out his own food from laughing at your reaction. His eyes are nearly shut with how wide he’s smiling.

“Good?” he asks after swallowing his food first, like a civilized person.

You’re vigorously nodding as you swallow your own helping in hopes you’re understood.

“You’re giving me this recipe. I need it. I don’t think I will survive if this is the only time I ever get to eat it.” Your bowl is almost half gone already. Thank god there’s leftovers, you will be having more.

Plus, you want to make it for your mom when you go home, she’ll love it. 

“I’ll text it to you later, don’t worry.”

You’re very sure the look on your face conveys the gratitude you feel and the rest of the meal passes in a very comfortable and satisfied silence. 

Twenty-ish minutes later, after letting your seconds settle for a couple minutes, Jungkook gets back to business. 

“Next look is the most adventurous, it uses the facepaint. Are you okay with contacts?”

“I think so, never tried them before though. Just give me a few before we start so I don’t explode when I stand up.”

“All good,” he says, before quirking a lip and adding, “I really don’t feel like explaining why there’s kimchi and bits of you all over my walls to either of our parents, so take all the time you need.”

You laugh, firstly at the visual, then at the idea of Jungkook meeting your mother. That would be something you needed on record, paper and film.

After a minute, you get up, the guest room making your acquaintance once more. 

“This one is called Enigmatic,” Jungkook calls.

“Got it!”

You take longer than normal to change, maybe eating before putting on the skin tight shirt wasn’t a great idea. But at least it was stretchy. 

It has long sleeves, a high neck, and is a very dark midnight black. There’s a matching black scarf for this one too, and a safety pin attached to the corner.

“Okay, what's the plan for this one? I hear facepaint is involved,” you say, back for round three, scarf in hand.

The background of the set is black now, a close match to your shirt. Jungkook is by the smoke machine, currently set up on the stool and plugged into a nearby outlet. 

You hold up the scarf, questioningly.

“That’s to go over your head after the paint, but let’s see if you can do contacts first, they’re in the washroom. Need help?”

“No, I'm good.”

You don’t succeed at first, but after a couple attempts you look in the mirror and see purple eyes staring back at you. You love them.

“I look like a badass,” you say, returning. The smoke machine’s been turned on and it’s created a completely different atmosphere. At your reemergence, Jungkook shuts it off and comes close to give you a look. You freeze a little at the eye contact, his browns meeting your currently violets for a prolonged moment.

“They look better than I’d hoped, this is going to be great.” 

He reaches under the gels on the table for a piece of paper. It’s a makeup model face with the look he wants drawn on. “Are you able to do something like this?”

The diagram shows the cheeks, bottom half of the nose and down all the way to the neck as black, and the eyes and up as white, bleeding down into the black like smoke. You’re going to need eyeshadow for that part. If you did that with the face paint it would just become a gray mess.

“Yep, but it’s going to take some time to get it right.”

“That’s okay, I’ll use it to get the smoke machine properly set up.”

You use one of the palette mirrors and start with the white, covering the top of your face and making a good base layer for the eyeshadow. Then fill the bottom of your face and neck with the black. Carefully, so as to not make gray, you use a large brush to cover both sides with their respective eyeshadow shades, before blending them together like the reference. Your skin starts to feel like it’s on fire by the time you're satisfied and you check your phone for the time when you finally finish. 

4:37pm. 

Not bad. You put the scarf over your head and cover your ears with it, using the safety pin to hold it in place. 

“Done.”

Jungkook takes one look at you and lights up. 

“Have I ever mentioned how talented you are, and that you make my schoolwork so much more fun? Because I feel like I should again even if I already have.” Your cheeks heat, glad he’s excited you’re able to help. “How did you manage to make it look even better?”

“I do vaguely remember mentioning something about a deal with a semi-suspicious genie,” you joke. And both of you break out in giggle fits after a second, recalling the conversation from forever ago. 

Running through the same steps of lighting, posing, and adjustments, Jungkook then flips on the smoke machine and lets it fill the room heavily before starting to take pictures. 

You’re sitting on a small box this time, so that you’re slightly lower than the camera. Jungkook tells you to keep your hands at your sides and look up, just above the rim of the camera lens. It creates a very interesting look, and you're excited to see the results. 

He has you do a couple more poses before allowing you to do your own thing once more, trying to think of what would look mysterious and enigmatic.

You try to let the music inspire you. This is a look you’ve never done before, so you’re finding it a bit difficult to get into it despite Jungkook's helpful prompts and suggestions. But you flow a bit better with it as time goes on and you become more comfortable.

An idea pops up out of nowhere and you have him do a close up from the middle of your chin to the middle of your forehead. You stare straight into the lens to really showcase the purple contacts and makeup.

“This’s the one for sure,” he says, taking a few more. “Great idea, why didn’t I think of a close up in the first place?” You know he's talking to himself at this point. 

It’s close to 6:15pm when Jungkook decides he has enough pictures for this look. You don’t mind the longer shoot seeing as you set aside the day for this, and you can’t wait to see how these ones turn out in particular.  

You’re halfway through getting the face paint off, a mountain of gray stained cotton pads beside you, when Jungkook turns the music down.

“Let’s do a light, early dinner and then shoot the last one?” he asks. “I kept this one at the end because it’s going to create the most mess and it’ll be nice to have dinner out of the way for when I have to clean up.”

“More mess than this?” you point to the cotton pad mountain.

“Much more.”

“Light, early dinner it is,” you confirm, not wanting to have to wait till late to eat. “But can we order out so I have time to get the rest of this off?”

“Sure, what’ll it be?”

Clean faced, moisturized and ramyeon filled, you and Jungkook are preparing for the last shoot. Or well, lightly arguing.

“Water?”

“Mhm.”

“On me?”

“Yep.”

“From that thing,” you point to the contraption he calls a c-stand that will be holding the very full, very large watering can over your head for an extended amount of time, “And into there?” you point again to the kitty pool on top of the tarp that’s underneath the watering can c-stand. 

“That is the plan,” he looks amused at your slight distress.

“Are you nuts? What if it falls on me? How do I know it won’t unhinge and I’ll have a nicely cracked open skull to explain to my mother on Solstice break?”

“It won’t fall and you know it won't because you trust me and trust I wouldn’t put you in unnecessary danger. But if it does, tell your mom I say hi and sorry.”

You scoff at him, unbelievable. “So you admit there’s a bit of danger!”

Jungkook sighs, and looks to the ceiling. “Yes, YN. There is a touch of danger. But that’s only if, somehow, the c-stand I have triple safety checked, duct taped twice, and quadruple secured with four fifteen pound sandbags, decides that you deserve a watering can to the head.”

You side eye his tone. This wasn’t an unrealistic worry. But you do trust him. And trust he would never intentionally put you in any danger.

The trees are set up near the backdrop that looks like a row of brick houses. The shot is supposed to be ‘The Calm after Before the Storm,’ where you look relieved and happy in an ‘outside’ setting while ‘rain’ falls over you, also in black and white.

“Fine, but if I hear one peep from that thing,” c-stand staring down the tip of your finger once more, “I’m tuck and rolling and taking you out while I do it.”

“Very fair!” he says relieved, and goes to set up the stand with the watering can. 

You’d changed into the neutral V neck after dinner, and he’s asked for no makeup. So all you have to do now is stand and pose while trying not to die from foreign objects falling from the sky while you get wet.

Easy, right?

Wrong.

It is incredibly difficult, and you’re glad he made this one last because you’re at best; slightly miserable. Only the promise of a hot shower, hot chocolate with whip cream and marshmallows and your pick of whatever you watch afterward is keeping you going.

You started this one just shy of 8pm after waiting 45 minutes for the food. And it’s nearing 9:30 now. Jungkook has had to refill the watering can four times, dump the kiddie pool twice,  and you swear if you don’t finish within the next twenty minutes, you’re going to collapse from shivering.

To be fair, he does fill the watering can with warm water, but it only stays warm for so long before freezing water is pouring on you for the millionth time tonight. 

“I have one last idea, and by the way, I’m never doing this concept again so don’t worry about that, but also… don’t shut down the idea immediately okay?” Jungkook says. 

The watering can is almost empty again and you’re relieved that your time is almost up. That in itself should make for a good picture. He snaps it.

But his tone makes you a little wary, “Okay… what is it?”

“Pretend I’m Nel and you’re seeing me for the first time in six months, like you do at the end of April.”

Well, you didn’t have that down on your photo shoot prompt bingo card. 

Are you okay with the idea? You aren’t sure, but aren’t not sure either.

“I mean, I’ll try. Maybe you could give vocal cues to try and help? But don’t make it weird.”

“I won’t, promise,” Jungkook pauses for a second before adding, “Does he call you baby?”

You nod, and you distantly hear and ‘okay’ as you slowly allow yourself to get into that headspace.

You start, and the camera starts going.

You’re in the airport, waiting for Nel, ‘smoosh’ paper in hand. The gate opens, and through all the other passengers you see him, see that he’s in one piece, see that he’s safe. 

Your face illuminates with relief at that so much so that you don’t even notice the water that starts running down your face. 

You hear a ‘hi baby’ and in your head, it’s coming from Nel’s mouth as he nears you. You smile impossibly wider at the thought of seeing him, feeling him. Having him here with you. 

You look happy to see me, ‘Nel’ says.

“I am,” you reply. 

There’s repetitive clicking in the distance, but you ignore it. It’s probably just a flight attendant's heels on the floor.

“I missed you.”

There’s a long moment of silence before Nel speaks again.

I missed you too, baby.

You’re shivering hard now, lost in thought, unaware of reality. 

YN, Nel calls.

“Yes, love?”

“YN.”

“Babe, what is it?”

“YN, hey,” you're being shaken gently.

“Hmm? What?” you slowly arrive back to the present. Strong hands grip your shoulders. They feel nice. Solid. Deliciously warm. 

A very concerned looking Jungkook comes into focus, camera dangling around his neck and reaching for you.

Oh.

He’s the one holding your shoulders, trying to get you to come back to reality.

“There she is, welcome back,” he lets go and grabs a blanket from somewhere and wraps it around you. “We got the shot, go take a shower and warm up okay?”

“Okay,” you say, still a little dazed, but present enough to function.

You step out of the pool, holding on to the hand Jungkook offers to balance—Warm. Solid. Strong—and head straight for the bathroom, making a pit stop in the guest room to grab your bag with fresh clothes. 

The hot water cements your place back in reality, letting it warm you up and cleanse you of the day. 

You have no idea what just happened with that whole Nel thing, but it was a new feeling and a new headspace and you really aren’t in the mood to analyze or acknowledge, so it’s shoved onto a top shelf in the back of your mind for a later date.  

Once you're able to return to the directory of your mind, you don’t know how long you’ve been in the shower. But you know you’re clean, no longer cold, and in the mood for hot chocolate, so you step out and dry yourself with the towels Jungkook laid out for you on the toilet seat.

They’re soft. So soft in fact you consider only for a second shoving one in your now less full bag to take home with you. However, you do rather enjoy your friendship with the prince, so you think better of it upon second thought. 

Dressing in your sweats, you exit, tossing the towels in the hamper and your bag of the clothes you arrived in back into the spare room.

“Better?” Jungkook asks as you sit down in your spot on the couch for the last time tonight, wrapping up in the blanket he left for you. He’s in the kitchen but heard you coming.

“Much, thanks,” you sniff, “Is that hot chocolate I smell?”

Jungkook returns from the kitchen, two mugs in hand. “With extra whip cream and marshmallows, as ordered.”

You carefully take it from him, giving your thanks and happily slurping away the second it’s in your grasp. 

“Alright Caravaggio, what are we watching?” he asks, sitting down on his side, sipping away on his own. 

Sometime between you leaving for the shower and coming back out Jungkook changed into his own comfy attire, and tidied up the studio space as the pool and tarp are nowhere to be seen.

“I’ve thought really hard about this, all of however long I was in the shower,” Jungkook mutters something about 35 minutes; you ignore him, “And have settled on ‘A Miser Brothers Solstice’.”

He whines just a little when he says, “But it’s November.”

“So?”

“So, Solstice isn’t until the third week of December,” he’s saying this like his point is the most obvious thing in the world. 

It’s not.

“Your point?”

“That it’s November, and you want to watch a Solstice movie.”

You’re mockingly outraged.

“Who made you town grinch? I didn’t realize we had a holiday hater in our midst.” 

You loved the holidays, all the big ones, and the small ones, but Solstice was special. 

“I’m not a grinch, I’m just not there yet, mentally.”

“Then get ready to dive in head first, because you said I could pick the movie for risking my life for you and I pick ‘A Miser Brothers Solstice’.”

Jungkook doesn’t argue further, but he does roll his eyes as he puts on your movie with a small smile hidden behind his drink.

It’s sometime during the first act, you’re lying back against your corner of the couch, feet up and under the blanket when you ask, “What are your solstice break plans?” 

Jungkook takes a moment to part from the TV, very invested for someone who was so against it half an hour ago. “I have a lot of ‘princely duties’ to do for Solstice, like standing and looking thoughtful while my dad gives his annual Solstice speech,” you snort. “Then there’s the palace dinner, the parade through the capital, and the live televised event,” he says in a tv announcer's voice, “Where my family and I light the Solstice Star. And then there’s the new year and that in itself has another long list of things I have to do. Besides things like that though? Not much, and then it’s back here.”

Right.

You often forget who he is. 

That behind those kind eyes, and small smiles, behind the greenhouse study dates, and movie nights, and photoshoots, Jungkook has an enormous responsibility constantly looming over his head, counting down the days until he finishes his schooling. One that’s just waiting to drop onto his shoulders forever. 

You often forget that Jungkook is the Prince, first in line to the biggest throne in the realm. That you spend your time with not only Jeon Jungkook, friend and photography student, but also, His Royal Highness, Prince Jeon Jungkook, Heir Apparent and Future King of The Western Shores.

He just makes it so damn easy to forget.

You only asked because you thought maybe he had plans with friends or family, completely forgetting about all of the things the royal family does during the holiday season to celebrate with the nation, their people, and now you feel like an ass for even bringing it up.

But there’s something in his answer, or lack thereof, that snags your attention. 

“What about celebrating with your family and friends in private?”

“No time,” Jungkook’s stare goes distant as he brings his knees up and puts his arms around them, resting his chin. “Friends are always busy with palace preparations and dad’s not really the sentimental type. We celebrated when I was younger; big family breakfast, presents, tree decorating, whole thing. But after I turned about 13 or so, it started dwindling pretty quickly. Now it’s just me and my mom exchanging a gift with each other at midnight under the palace tree.” 

You don’t think you’ve ever heard something so heartbreaking yet beautiful in your life. 

“Your mum sounds wonderful, I’m really happy you two get that time together.” 

He looks at you, and you can tell by the look in his eyes he loves that time with her more than anything else. 

Solstice is supposed to be the time you spend with your family, blood or chosen. The time where you all gather to cook and bake, and exchange thoughtful gifts with the ones you love. The time where you truly cherish one another and count yourself lucky for all that you have. 

Solstice is your favourite time of the year.

To not spend it like that just seems…wrong. Horribly, painfully, awfully wrong.

“What about you?” he asks.

You don’t want to make him feel bad, so you tone down your answer, taking away the meat and giving the bones.

“My mum and I cut down our own tree and decorate it with the ornaments we’ve collected over the years,” you have them from every place you’ve ever visited, and your mum kept all the ones you ever made as a kid. You even get a new one every solstice to take a picture for and label with the year.  

“Then we bake solstice cookies until our hands cramp and survive off only them until solstice dinner; a turkey, honey glazed carrots, mashed potatoes with gravy, essentially if it waters your mouth, it’s there,” he chuckles at that. “We do gifts for each other too, opening them on solstice morning before making hot drinks and reading in the breakfast nook until the sun sets or till we get hungry, whichever comes first.”

Jungkook's eyes glow, radiating warmth, a lazy smile on his face as he listens to you. 

“That sounds really nice, YN.”

“It is,” you reply, looking him in those radiant eyes as you do. He looks… happy. Happy for you, that you get to have something like this that’s so special. It breaks your heart a little…maybe you can help.

“You wanna make some solstice cookies with me before break?”

His look of happy shifts to one of slight panic.

“What?” you question, and comically ask, “Have you never made solstice cookies before?”

He hesitates before answering a very quiet, “Uh…N-no.”

Your shock must be incredibly evident in the way he almost flinches at your reaction.

So you try your best to keep your voice level when you ask, “What do you mean, no?”

“I mean no. I’ve never made solstice cookies.”

That’s it. You can’t hold back any more, you’ve never heard anything so blasphemous in all your life.

“You’ve never what?  How is that even possible?”

He shrinks into himself a little more.

“The palace pastry chef always makes them because that’s kind of his job,” you stare at him in disbelief. “Is this really that big a deal?”

You swear there’s cog’s and smoke flying out of your ears. Solstice cookies are a religion in your household. You know dozens of recipes by heart, always finding a new one each year to try and up your game. You cannot imagine a solstice without making them. Wait no, actually you can, but it would be because you’re dead.

You held back in your answer earlier, for his sake, but you and your mom’s hands cramp up because you make enough cookies to give a box to everyone in the neighborhood. It’s one of your favourite traditions, and your neighbours even look forward to it every year, going so far as sending you both recipes to try out.

“Big dea—you’ve never fucking mad—not even when you were little? No one brought you to the kitchen and let you help? Aren't all your friends back home the pastry chefs' kids or something?” You don’t mean to sound harsh, but your tone is a little more passionate than you were intending. 

But Jungkook knows you, knows you occasionally get that passionate about things, and takes your outburst in stride. 

“Yeah, one of them is, but we don't sit around the oven and make cookies all break long. And his dad is always too busy to teach us even if we wanted to.”

You decide something. Right then and there.

“This year you are.”

“What?”

“Mark your last Saturday off because I'm going to show up here, ingredients-a-plenty and teach you how to make solstice cookies. I have a million recipes up here,” you tap your head with a finger, “But I'll choose the easiest ones. And I’ll come over early so we can spend the day making all of them. I can’t in good conscience leave for the break knowing you’ve never made them.”

He sighs. “Do I have any say in the matter?”

“Absolutely not.”

Jungkook stares at you and you can’t figure out what he’s thinking. You’re worried he’s going to say no anyway. To say you’re crazy and that they’re just cookies and that he has more important things he has to do on his Saturday before leaving for home.

But he doesn’t. And you should’ve known he wouldn’t, not after all the time you’ve spent together. 

You know better. Know him better.

“Alright Picasso. Sounds like a plan. I’m looking forward to it,” he decides, and goes back to watching the movie. 

It’s the first time he’s ever repeated a nickname.

“Wait! The wind guy wants to replace who?!” Jungkook shouts. 

You laugh at his confusion, and rewind the movie.

Jungkook wakes up sore.

His back is killing him, which makes sense since he’s half lying on the couch, half on the ground. 

The TV’s silently playing some slideshow of movie recommendations based on recent watches. 

He checks his phone, reaching for it on the coffee tale. 

14% battery. 

4:07am. 

Shit, he fell asleep. 

After the solstice movie he wanted to watch its predecessor. You had no qualms and so on it went, but he doesn’t remember much after the brothers started fighting.

Hearing soft, even breathing next to him he turns to see you, hunched over in your spot asleep, no doubt in the process of ruining your own back.

He should go to bed.

You should go to bed. 

But you’ve never stayed the night.

What should he do? Should he wake you? 

But you look so peaceful. And it’s nearing exams. You barely sleep when it’s exams season. 

Instead, Jungkook goes to check the guest room, but it’s a mess with yesterday's comings and goings. Make-up and clothes and hangers strewn everywhere.

Quietly, making a decision he hopes you won’t kill him for in the morning, he pads back to your sleeping form. 

It’s for your back, he tells himself. No other reason.

Deja vu sets in as he scoops you up from the couch, blanket and all. Just like last time, you gain enough consciousness to know to wrap your arms around his neck, but not enough to wake up. Your head rests on his shoulder and he selfishly savours the feeling as he walks down the short hallway to his room.  

Jungkook sets you down gently on one side of the bed, and your arms release, slumber undisturbed as he tucks you in.

He goes back to the living room to retrieve your phones. Yours is still at 56%, and he places it on the table beside you when he returns.

Climbing into his side of the bed, he’s careful not to touch you.

Though he wants to. 

Desperately. 

His sleep deprived brain is too slow to block out the thoughts that start to race. Thoughts of how he wants to turn around and pull you into his chest, slide an arm around your waist, and kiss you goodnight. How he wants to wake up in the same position, you still in his arms. 

But he’s also awake enough to know that will never happen. That you’re with Nel, and happy with him. That he’s drawn that nice, big line.

He’s awake enough to know you being in his bed is a fluke, unintentional.

A one time thing.

Plugging his phone into its charger, he sets it down on his own bedside table and pulls the covers up, falling back asleep.

His back facing you. 

An exhale wakes you.

Warm and cozy, you take a deep breath and roll to your left side, stretching on the way over. The scents of clean linen and something familiar find you. It’s comforting, that smell, but you can’t place it.

Another exhale, but this time you feel it as well as hear it.

You open your eyes to see a sleeping Jungkook face not a foot from your own and you jolt in shock, falling off the bed in the process. 

You look up from your new seat on the floor, ignoring the pain in your side from landing, and peer over the covers to check on Jungkook, who, miraculously, hasn’t woken up from your tumble. 

Relieved, your mind focuses on more pressing questions like ‘how did you get here?’ And ‘why were you in his bed?’ 

The last thing you remember was being halfway through the prequel to A Miser Brothers Solstice on the couch, watching Jungkook more than the movie because of how invested he’d become in the story. 

But you aren’t on the couch now. You were in his bed. 

The bed of the Prince of the Western Shores. 

The Prince who has a girlfriend, and you, who has a very long term, very serious boyfriend.

You hear a vibration, and following the sound, you find your phone on the bedside table. 

You quickly grab it quickly and go to the living room as quietly as you can manage. 

There’s a large number of unread texts. 

SlurryYuri [11:08pm]: hey, just checking in. You didn’t get home when you said you’d try for SlurryYuri [11:31pm]: Helloooooooo? YN? You there? SlurryYuri [12:14am]: it’s getting late YN, when are you coming home? Are you on your way?

Missed Calls: (3)

SlurryYuri [2:43am]: it’s been hours, so you better be dead or have crashed in the school somewhere. Either way I’m kicking your ass when you get home

Missed Calls: (2)

(Recent)

SlurryYuri [9:36am]: you’re still not home?? YN seriously, where are you SlurryYuri [10:23am]: If you don’t message me back in an hour I’m calling the police and filing a missing persons

Shit. 

Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit. You crashed hard, the shoot must have taken more out of you than you thought, so you never texted Yuri you were going to crash in a sleep pod at school like you’d planned too. 

You make quick work of messaging her back, glad she unintentionally gave you just the excuse you needed. 

YN [10:25am]: ohmygod I’m soooooo sorry, it was the school one. I fell asleep in the school. I’m sorry for worrying you. I’ll be home soon, promise. I’m just going to grab breakfast first. Again im sorry

SlurryYuri [10:27am]: thank the gods youre okay!! Don’t ever do that to me again YN! I don’t wanna be the one who has to break news to your mom!! She’s too nice.  SlurryYuri [10:27am]: and take your time getting back if your rushing for me, I’m not at the dorm SlurryYuri [10:27am]: Tai showed up yesterday out of the blue and took me dancing. We’re out getting brunch right now, and he has plans for the rest of the day SlurryYuri [10:28am]: Im just glad you’re not dead in a ditch somewhere

YN [10:29am]: me too, and okay I will. Thanks for checking up on me and making sure im safe, youre my favourite

SlurryYuri [10:30am]: damn right I am, see you tn <3

YN [10:30am]: see you <3

You exhale deeply, that was fucking close. 

Your stomach rumbles and it reminds you that you actually need to get breakfast. 

What could you have? You could order in again, but that means a wait time and you are hungry now. You could raid Jungkook's pantry, or see if he has any fruit, but then you think that’s a gross invasion of privacy when it’s not movie night and you haven’t asked if it’s okay. 

Wait.

The egg tarts!

You dash to the fridge, the marvellous sight of a greenhouse inside a coffee mug comes into view. Stuffing one down before you even get the box from the fridge, you exit the kitchen, sit down on the couch, setting the box on the coffee table. Once opened in front of you, you realize there is a healthy amount of tarts inside. 

How many did Jungkook ask for?

Speaking of, a bed-headed, yawning Jungkook makes his morning debut, still in last night's clothes.

“Hey,” he says groggily, walking over and stealing a tart.

“Hey!” you say back, not nearly as friendly. 

“Overnight tax, Picasso. Room isn’t free.” He chuckles at your faux outrage, popping half the tart in his mouth as he walks to the kitchen and grabs something from the fridge. Returning, you see it’s a morning protein shake. 

Gross. 

“So is that name the one you’re sticking to now?” you ask, picking up another tart. At this rate they won’t last until lunch.

“Yeah, that okay with you? It’s your name in my phone after all.”

“It is?” You didn’t know that.

“Yeah, has been since the start.” 

You’re quickly learning that sleepy morning Jungkook is very different from morning post work-out Jungkook, friend Jungkook and photographer Jungkook. His voice is deeper, he’s a lot more relaxed, and maybe even harmlessly borderline flirty, like he’s not all there yet. Softer. 

“Picasso’s just fine. A compliment really.”

“Oh? And what am I in your’s then? Hopefully something just as nice?”

You tell him like it is.

“PJK.”

“PJK?” he asks, incredulous.

“Yeah? It’s obscure enough to not be recognizable if someone were to see it, but enough for me to know who it is.”

“Nah, you need something better, PJK is boring.”

“It’s your initials.”

“And boring,” he’s really not letting up on this. 

“Well...what would you save yourself as?”

He mulls it over for a minute before deflating. “Okay, fair point, but I seriously want a new one. Something that can rival Picasso.”

“Do you have any nicknames? Something not completely obvious?”

For a morning person, Jungkook sure is taking his time. Maybe he was only a morning person before 8am, and then if he got up anytime after that he became a normal person who despised mornings like everyone else.

“Uhh…Vivian calls me JK, but that’s essentially the same thing as PJK. My buddies back home sometimes call me Kook, but I don’t think that works either. My mum has one for me that I will not disclose to anyone so long as I am breathing. So I guess not.”

A lightbulb dings over your head. “What about your security? Don’t they have special code names for you when they detail you? Like bear or eagle?” 

“Yeah, but it’s not nearly as badass as either of those.”

“Fess up,” you say. Now you have to know.

“Hare.”

“Hare?” Now it’s your turn to be incredulous. “Like a rabbit?”

“Yep.”

An idea pops into your head and an evil grin spreads across your face, one you know is already setting worry into Jungkook’s still awakening brain as you change his name.

“I don’t like that look,” he confirms. “What’d you change it to?”

You flip your phone around and hold it up to him.

“Bunny?” he says incredulously once again.

“Yes.”

“I give you Picasso, one of the greatest painters of all time, and you think giving me bunny is anywhere near on par with that?”

Teasing him is far too fun, especially when he makes it this easy for you.

“Oh absolutely. In fact, I think it’s the best name I could possibly set it as.”

Jungkook disagrees, vehemently. “No, change it back. PJK is fine.”

“Too late. You dug your grave, now lie in it.”

Jungkook brings a hand to his face, pinching the crease between his brows and takes a very long, deep breath, exhaling just as dramatically. 

You take that as your victory. But you’re sorely mistaken.

He launches at you, reaching for your phone and you scream, reaching your arm to keep it away from him. You have a fox socked foot on his chest to try and keep him back. His right arm is holding him up near your hip on the couches edge and he’s reaching with his left as far as he can without breaking his sternum on your heel. 

“Give it!”

“Never!”

You try to bring up your other foot to push him away, but Jungkook is strong, and forces both it and the one on his chest down with the arm that was supporting him, temporarily keeping himself up with his left hand on the back of the couch. 

With your legs out of the way he can almost reach his phone. But in his distracted state, misses the couch when he goes to put his supporting arm down again, and flips onto the ground, taking you with him. You scream, but his arms wrap around you as he makes sure to take the brunt of the impact, landing on his back, you safely secured to his chest. 

There’s a moment of pure stunned silence, you resting your forhead on his chest while you process, him not letting go of your waist as he gets a breath into his winded self, before you’re both laughing as you take in what happened.

“You okay?” he asks.

“Yeah, you?”

He takes a second to respond. “I’m great.” 

You push to sit up, and he releases you from his hold, but that was a mistake. Because now you’re sitting on his lap. 

It takes an entire three seconds of you staring at him and him staring right back before you jump and scramble off him as fast as you can. 

“Sorry.” you say in unison, you standing and him from the ground. It’s a painfully awkward 8 seconds before you break, cackling at the whole situation, and he joins in with you again. 

Jungkook brushes off his pants as he gets up too. “Got any plans before tonight,” he asks, business as usual.

“Nope, cleared my schedule in case this went long, I’ve got the whole day.”

You swear his smile grows two sizes.

“Well in that case,” he looks to the TV, then back to you, “Wanna start movie night early?”

An entire day to relax and chill out before the hell that is exams season takes your every free second? 

Yes please.

“Solstice movie marathon?” you propose slyly, near devious.

“I’ll get the popcorn,” he confirms, already halfway to the kitchen.

You spend the day like that, on the couch watching movie after movie, both pretending the little incident never even happened. 

But you make sure to go home after movie night this time. 

Chapter Nine: Sugar Cookies and Devious Confessions

A/N 2: This chapter kicked my ass but it's here and I couldn't be more thrilled. I really like how it's ended so I hope you guys do too.

A/N 3: As always, Thank you for reading, loves. Xoxo - Yoon <3

<- Back

[sglossmin]

Muse | MYG pt. 6

Plot: What happens when the man you practically simp over in high school, is right now, sitting across you after almost 10 years of not seeing him? Worse? You’re here for an appointment for therapy and he’s your psychologist.

Pairing: SeniorStudent!Yoongi x JuniorStudent!Reader —> Psychologist! Yoongi x Artist!Reader

Genre: Fluff, slight age gap, slice of life, a bit of angst, schoolmates to lovers(?) SWITCH POV

Warnings: matured themes

Word count: it's many i think

A/N: I honestly dunno when this will end.. Also there's this JK FF I've been working on (for like a year lmaooo I think I edited every chapter for about 10 times but the thing is I only managed to write 4 chaps? yeah oh gosh...) I might post it here too (but originally on wattpad) after this or... this another FF (still dunno which member)... kinda fantasy? yeah, I just thought of the storyline a couple of days ago. GOSHHH I WANNA WRITE THEM AND FINISH THEM ALL SO BADDDD

Comment your @ if u wanna be added to the taglist^^

part 1 part 2 part 3 part 4 part 5

When I was a kid, I never dreamed. Growing up, I felt different from the others.

Adults would always ask "What is your dream? What do you wanna be?" and people in my age would say a doctor because they wanna help people with illness, a teacher because they want to help and teach the others or a lawyer to bring justice.

Everyone had their reasons. Reasons that I never find myself fond of.

I was always amused by these kids because they really find themselves helping people, meanwhile I—never thought of that.

I was a kid.

Growing up, every time I hear the phrase "What do you want to be?", my mind goes blank. To the point where I'll just say what most people want to hear. Any job at that point, really.

As long as it lives up to our name—Jeon.

High school were a different stage though. That's when you'll feel the rush, the pressure, the need of wanting to know what do you want to do with your life.

Be a government slave?

That's why most of the time, I would jokingly answer, "I wanna be a good person. That's what I aim to be."

Maturing is realizing that anyone can be great at their occupation, but not everyone can be a good person. Everyone has their own flaw—their own suffering that shapes them for who they are today. But there's no such thing as Be-A-Good-Person Course and people would definitely not pay me just because of my manners. So, I still have to find a job that would suit me.

One thing I always hear from the adults were "Follow your dreams." which obviously isn't possible because I don't have a dream in the first place and "Do what you are passionate about."

Passion?

Every time I hear those words, I felt helpless. My mind always wonder that how come people just randomly have and know their dreams and passions. I was never taught how to do that.

I was a smart and talented kid. Everyone envies my talent and sure, their words really boost my ego, but not enough to make my head big. Once, my teacher in English when I was in 8th grade, asked me about my dream and I said I was still thinking. She then told me that I should definitely be a lawyer.

It was my first time hearing that and it felt odd. She said it'll be a waste if I won't be, since I'm "smart." I never even ranked first in class that's why hearing that from her made it even more weird.

A lawyer? Really? What made her thought I'll be great in that field? Just because I'm "smart"?

She said that to me for like 3 times but never once I had the courage to ask why. What did she saw in me that I never see?

Being "smart" and "talented" as a kid had it's downside too. It only made me more confused on what field I would go. Sure—I can do anything, but what scared me are the "What if's".

What if I was being too bold on that decision? What if the payment is too low to pursue? What if I get sick of something that used to be my hobby? What if I never become happy with it?

Pursuing a dream is harder than I thought. It could shape my future. One failure and everything could crumble down before it even get to soar.

There was a time when Jungkook and I were kids, he would always whine on how I shouldn't be too good and that he can't keep up with my pace. Even though he said it more as a joke, it broke my heart. He must've been pressured too. The only good thing is that we never heard them compare us to each other.

Or at least they never compared Jungkook to others.

Whenever I get home with a certificate in my hand, a proof that I'm one of the top student in our class—is exhausting. Of course, I was happy too that I managed to be on the top but it didn't feel like a reward. I was just relieved that it's done.

Their happy faces when they see that I did well, but what always crushed me was their question after congratulating me—"Who got the first? What did she do that you can't do to be on top? " Those were the lines I would always remember.

Right... It was never enough. No matter how high I achieved, if I'm not the first, it means nothing.

There was a lot of things my parents forced me to learn, and honestly, I was thankful for that. I am who I am now because of them.

One of the things that my parents forced me to learn was to play piano.

I hated it. Despised it even. Wishing how my hands would just snap or the piano would just break every time I practiced. I would always make a mistake and every time I do, I felt frustrated—wanting to break the keys.

Just to clarify, I didn't hate the piano itself, it was more like practicing it.

I was a child. The only things that I wanted to do was play and watch the goofy cartoons that were playing in our TV. Why am I suddenly stuck in a room playing a note over and over again?

It was a good thing my tutor was patient on me. He saw how uninterested and frustrated I am with the instrument but regardless of that, he did his job. Nevertheless, I only learned the basics because soon, I told them that I didn't wanna learn. Pleaded them to stop the lessons and after hours of convincing, they let me.

Surprisingly, they were gentle about it. Asking me if I'm sure I don't want it. But little did I know, soon, I would realize that it was a waste that I threw a tantrum and didn't learn the instrument.

Spring 2011

"Girl, have you heard the news?!" Chaeyoung squealed as she beamed me a grin when she walked in to the classroom.

It was early in the morning and I just arrived in the classroom as well. I wasn't supposed to attend the class today but I knew that even if I were to be excuse for a day, doesn't mean I won't have to do the things they did. I would only be more stressed on my missed activities and quizzes.

I'm practically a study maniac.

That is why even if I have a cold today, I still managed to convince my mother to let me attend the classes—after hours of nagging me, of course.

Sat on my chair with my head rested against my arms on the table, I looked up at her. "What is it that you're so thrilled early in the morning?" I grumbled and lazily rubbed my nose.

"Whoa, are you okay? You look sick." Chaeyoung eyed me as she took her seat in front of me.

"She got cold because she had been pulling all nighters to finish her painting. Her system couldn't take it so... yeah." Sana chimed in. She was a couple of tables away from us yet she still managed to be involved in our conversation.

I mustered to let out a chuckle as I nod—admitting all she said was right.

We had a week of school break and I impulsively wanted to paint some of my sketches using watercolor. It was my first time using it but it turned out fine.

But to be more specific, I wasn't just busy painting random stuffs. I was trying to learn how to draw him perfectly—accurately. Never have I ever thought his face will be the hardest to draw. Something wasn't just right. In my sight, he just looks like a boiled dumpling—must be easy, right? But by the time I draw him, something's always off.

Chaeyoung felt sorry for me but beams up again when she remembered what she was supposed to say in the first place. "Guys, have you seen the posters?? The seniors were having a little talent show and one of the performers is Neko!!" She giggled and Sana's face lit up too.

"Looks like Y/n's remedy is on his way," Sana teased.

I groaned, feeling the exhaustion creep up to me.

Does this people think my world revolves around him? It's just a silly crush, not like I would do stuffs for him.

"I won't go. He's not that special for me to go." I smugly said as I ignored the girls laugh and confusion.

After class, I rushed outside, telling them that I needed to go home early. On my way, I unintentionally saw the poster of the list of the participants on the show.

Class 11- A Min Yoongi.

"He would probably just dance... or sing. Like everybody. Not that interesting to waste my time on it." I muttered as I looked for the details more. "Tomorrow at 5:30 pm? What's with the late announcement..."

"Apologies about that. The council got too busy that we forgot to post it," Jin—the president of student council—chimed in beside me.

I was caught off guard when he spoke. It was my first time to see him up-close and seems like the rumors were true. His laid back attitude, looks and good courtesy made him win. He's way even prettier and taller up-close.

Jin smiled at me as I stared at him in fascination. "The show was mainly for seniors but juniors are welcome there too. It was actually a good thing that we showed it on such short notice, in this case students won't cram together."

I only nodded and shyly smiled. My head tilt up again when he spoke, "Are you going to watch? The audience that our auditorium can hold is limited, which is why there's only a few tickets left. So... here." Jin handed me a purple ticket.

"I-i don't... I'm not sure... Is this..erm..." I bit my lip after I stuttered so much. I wasn't even sure if I'm going in the first place—I mean, I literally told my friends that I'm not going. However, how can I say no when the cutie president handed me the ticket himself?

"You're the girl who gave Yoongi that drawing, right? He was practically bragging about it." He paused before leaning down—closer to me. "You think you can draw me too?"

My eyes widen and I felt my cheeks getting flushed. Lost in his eyes, by the way he tilts his head and the way the curve of his mouth lift in mischievousness.

He's such a charmer...

As much as I know from the information I gathered, he and Yoongi are friends. Jin is a year older than him—soon to graduate too. They get to know each other because Yoongi was a council member when he was still a junior.

Jin took my hand and I felt him placed the ticket on it. He shook his head and let out a soft chuckle before fixing his composure. "I was just kidding. Good drawing though. See you tomorrow, I hope." He smiled and waved a good bye to me before his figure disappears and blends with the other students.

I looked at the ticket in my hand. I'm not that sick to be unable to go for tomorrow but pretty sure that my parents won't allow me to go out that late.

"If it'll start at five then it'll end about seven or eight. They will sure beat us up if they find out that you sneaked out." Jungkook argued as he munched my chips on my bed. He knew I hate it when someone does that. He was literally testing how far I can go with this.

I huffed and took out the nice clothes and placed it on my bed. "Come on, Kook. Help me out for this one." I pleaded as I laid beside him and playfully squish his cheeks.

Jungkook grumbled something before he gave in. "Fine... And please, stopping doing that to my cheeks. It's not cool."

I rolled my eyes at him. I can't believe that he's starting to feel self conscious. Jungkook just used to be my slave, but now, he's getting older and still my slave.

"What am I even gonna get from helping you out this time?" Jungkook pouted as he munched like a pig.

"My PSP. All yours." I smirked as I took it out from the bedside table. "But only, if we won't get caught."

Jungkook sighed as he nodded. We pinky promised each other and went to discuss our foolproof plan.

I prepared my stuffs into my bag like my tissue, VapoRub, lip balm, camera, phone and wallet. I decided to take my old scooter that my parents never noticed that it was still there. It's way safer than taking a bus—less interaction with people whom my parents might know.

For tonight, I dressed up in my casual clothes— black camisole tank top, plaid flannel shirt—to cover me, and flared jeans that pairs my converse. Kind of a grunge style that I've been seeing on tumblr.

It wasn't really the ideal clothes but my parent can caught me if I'm wearing my usual cute clothes since it'll be easier for them to identify me, if we ever somehow cross paths.

I even put some hair extensions for highlights, just so I could look different. A gradient of black-to-red to match my look.

While I was getting ready, Jungkook informed me that everything is set. I smiled at him and nodded. It wasn't my first time to sneak out and asked Jungkook for help so I already knew this is going to work.

"Noona...take care, okay? Don't do drugs." Jungkook said in a rather more genuine tone.

Rolling my eyes, I playfully smacked his arm, "I'm just going to school, doofus."

"Well, who knows... You already look like you're using it..." he muttered.

Ignoring his words, I took another look at myself in the mirror, fixing a bit my hair, adjusting my makeup a little...and I'm all good.

Jungkook went downstairs first, checking if any of our parents were on the living room, if they are, I have to take the back door, but if they are on the kitchen, I will have to use the front door.

After checking, he went upstairs again to my room.

"So?"

"Eomma is on the kitchen and Appa still hasn't arrived from work." Jungkook confirmed.

It would be a big risk if I'm going to ride my scooter on the main road since we could cross paths, so I decided to take my secret route to go to the school.

The sun was still bright when I left the house. It wasn't really a surprise since it's Spring season. The days are longer and warmer than usual. The trees started to regrow and the flowers started to bloom too.

Most of the people symbolizes Spring as rebirth or a new beginning. I didn't really understand what they meant since I've never relate to that.

Fresh start to what? How do people even restarts their life?

On my way to school, my mind kept recalling the conversation I had with Jin. Aside from the way he looks and being a smooth talker, it made me wonder if what he said about Yoongi was true.

Did Neko really bragged about the drawing? I mean, that drawing was perfect. Out of all the drawings I made based on him, that one was the one...

I giggled like a moron while scooting in nowhere. Imagining the ways on how he bragged about it.

Despite of that, a doubt came over to me. "Or maybe Jin was just exaggerating..." I mumbled, still focused on my trail while riding my scooter.

It was just about time when I arrived at school. I went straight to the auditorium and so far, I haven't seen my friends—which is good. I already told them yesterday that I have no interest on going. They would laugh at me if they see me here.

What am I even doing here? I could've just ditch it...

I glanced at the ticket on my hand, looking for the seat number.

"Row G Seat 7?" I murmured as I searched for it.

While searching I felt a hand tap my shoulder, which made my attention turned to it. It was Jin. He was wearing a retro button-up—left unbuttoned—over his tee, loose jeans and sneakers.

"Need a help?" Jin smiled at me as he asked me if he could take a look at my ticket. "Oh, you're seat is on the middle row." He pointed where my seat is.

Great...middle seat. A perfect view for Neko to see me... pfft

"Oh... thank you." I smiled back and was about to go when he spoke again.

"Glad you came. Enjoy the show." Just as he was about to walk away, he glanced back, as if he had forgotten something. "Oh– Also, nice highlights." He snickered and went on his way.

After he said that, I just stand there—mind blank. Contemplating whether it was supposed to be a compliment or an insult.

Or it could be both.

Regardless, I felt my blood rush to my cheeks. After all, I'm still a teenager who likes to romanticize the life.

I sat on my seat and thankful that I knew none of the students near me. The show was about to start. Turns out that this is the program that was held every year for fundraising.

With that knowledge in mind, it made me wonder why the president gave the ticket to me for free.

He's not hitting on a kid, is he?

After a few more moments, the show started. The MCs were Jin—the president and Sandeul—his classmate. He wasn't member of the council but his skill being the MC and chemistry with Jin makes the show better than ever.

The performers really did great. Some danced meanwhile the others sang. It made me wonder what will Yoongi perform. There were some rumors that I've heard before that he likes to compose his own songs—mostly rap. With his quiet and calm demeanor, I've never thought he's the type to listen to hip-hop.

Maybe he'll rap one of the songs of Snoopy Dogg— whatever he's called.

After another set of performers, it was Yoongi's turn. Going up on stage, the other staffs helped him to lift and set his keyboard. My eyes widened at the sight, not fully expecting him to play a keyboard.

He was dressed in an oversize Nirvana shirt, black hoodie draped over his body, loose cargo jeans, and sneakers completed his whole look. His bangs falls on his brow making it look like it was newly trimmed.

Yoongi cleared his throat before speaking, "I made this song a couple of weeks ago so, it might still sound kinda bad." He chuckled and turned to look at his side. It seems like him and Jin were having a duet.

Yoongi started playing a few notes, his eyes were close—feeling every emotions as he played every keys. The way his fingers glides smoothly, hitting every note and the sound was so melancholic. He looks like a professional, his muscle memory working all throughout.

"It sucks when you don’t have anything you want to do

I know it’s pathetic to not have something as common as a dream, I know

You said to do as I’m told, that it would all be fine when I go to university

I’m the asshole for believing those words

I live because I can’t die"

He only rapped a few lines, yet I could feel it. The uncertainty, fear—the emotions I've been feeling every night before I fall asleep. It was just a few lines and I'm already relating to it.

"So far away if I have a dream, if I have a dream that flies away

Don’t fall away if I have a dream, if I have a dream that flies away," Jin sang his heart out with every lyric.

"The only thing everyone around me says is to come to my senses

I try to take out my anger but the only one here with me is me so what’s the point of venting" Yoongi rapped as he played the keyboard.

Every lyrics of his, stabbed me like a sharp knife. As the song goes on, I could feel my tears threatening me to fall.

"Dream, may all of creation be with you til the end of your life

Dream, wherever you are, will welcome you

Dream, may your trials end in full bloom

Dream, though your beginnings might be humble, may the end be prosperous," he sounded like he was whispering a thousand promises.

"So far away,

First love"

Yoongi's repetitive lyrics with Jin's melodic voice creates a harmonious sound that echoes across the auditorium. The sound was so melancholic, I could feel my heart ripping itself. While watching their performance and listening to his heart reckoning song, I couldn't help but to let my tears flow.

Our eye met.

His brow twitched—might've been confused on why I was crying.

I quickly looked away, looking everywhere but him. As I did, I saw everyone. They all somehow look... sad? To my surprise most of them could relate to the song. It seems like I wasn't the only one who is lost in this life. Everyone was going through it.

"I still can't believe I self-taught myself to learn one song to play on the piano just to impress him." I scoffed as I stared at the old piano on the corner of the house. "I didn't even get to show it off on him..."

I gently played the keys of the only song I know to play. Using my muscle memory so hard to remember every key of it.

A sudden tap from behind made me flinch a bit. I turned and was faced by my younger brother.

"Noona, let's eat," Jungkook smiled—a rather forced and bittersweet one. Every year, he's like this. Acting so awkward.

I nodded and followed him to the kitchen. As usual, my mom made my father's favorite food. A subtle reminder of what was this table used to be.

But all I see is poison.

A tight knot forms in my chest every time I'm in this house. I was the one who broke it, that's why I can't really blame my mom that she couldn't even spare me a glance.

It's already Spring. A new beginnings for the others—another season to continue this suffocating life for us. A constant reminder of what we lost. We never really had that "fresh start"—not even when I left for States.

Everyone told us to move on, but how can I when every time I close my eyes, I could see it—feel it. It was so vivid, it made my skin crawl.

I hate spring. Despise it even.

Why is everyone having the "restart" and "new life" while I'm still stuck on the past and it keeps dragging me back. Dragging me to its black hole until I feel nothing but agony.

We all gave our respect to the deceased before we ate in silence. The silence was so deafening, the tension was so thick—it could slice anything. Anyways, it was only normal. It happens every time in this day of the year. The only time when we all get to eat together is during our late father's death anniversary yet, none bothers to speak.

In the middle of our lunch, my phone rang. I peeked at my phone and saw Yoongi's number. I heard my mom sigh and turned it off immediately. We're already not on good terms and I don't want it to worsen.

I put it on mute for a while so we won't get disrupted. It might be just me but, I could still remember how my dad would always tell us to turn off our phones when we all eat.

Part of me wishes the he's still here to scold me... A big part.

After eating, I helped Jungkook on washing the dishes. We practically just spent the time on each other as our mom, as usual, too busy mourning.

The sun was about to set and I already planned to go home. I knocked on her door and went inside to bid a goodbye. After all, she's my mom.

"Eomma, I'll go now–"

"It's your father's anniversary and you can't even spend the rest of the day in your family's house?" She cut me off, still refusing to look at me.

Ignoring her words, I forced a smile and pecked her head. "Take care." With that, I just left.

There's no point of staying nor arguing. I'm already exhausted and pretty sure close on snapping. I have to breathe. Distract myself. I tried to recall what Yoongi told me to do whenever I feel frustrated.

Think of happy thoughts.

I tried to think—hard. But my mind was too occupied by the negative ones.

"Breathe... Inhale... Exhale... Just happy thoughts... Happy... Happy... HAPPY. FUCKING. THOUGHTS– UGH!" I groaned as I drove off with my radio blasting Happy by Pharrell Williams.

The song was on loop until I reached my house. It sure didn't help and only made me a thousand times more mad.

When I get inside, I went straightly to my room and threw myself on the bed. Too exhausted by today's event. After a long moment of silence and almost falling asleep, I remembered that Yoongi called.

I took out my phone from my pocket and mindlessly dialed his number. After a couple of rings, he answered.

"Hey." Yoongi greeted me in his oh so soft but deep voice.

"I just called back 'cause I didn't get to answer your call earlier. You okay?" I replied.

"I'm fine... What about you?"

"Just tired..." I mumbled in reply.

"I bought too many tangerines earlier and I knocked on your door to give it and I didn't know you left so... I'll just give it to you later."

I chuckled after hearing his reason. "Thanks. That's really thoughtful. You're being too good on this "good neighbor" stuff, huh?" I teased and I heard a soft chuckle on the other line.

"The sunset looks so beautiful right now." Yoongi randomly uttered which made me confused. "Go to your balcony. Promise, the view will help boost your endorphins"

I opened my window to the balcony and stepped outside. Across me, is a grinning Yoongi with his phone on his ear.

"Look at the sunset, not to me," he chuckled.

I rolled my eyes before replying, "You're house is literally right in front of mine. Not that I intended to look at you."

Another chuckle from the other side. His soft giggles are enough to boost my endorphins.

I then turned my head to look at the sunset. Yoongi was right, it's beautiful. The colors of the sky start to mix in beautiful hues of blue and red.

"If you were to choose, sunrise or sunset?" I asked Yoongi while my attention was still focused on the view.

There was a long silence before Yoongi spoke again, "I prefer sunsets. In contrast of sunrise being the symbol of new day, the sunset tend to symbolize that the day has come to an end. Everything's done already. Leaving nothing but serenity."

I hummed in agreement while appreciating the beauty in front of me. "You could be a poet."

Yoongi chuckled in response, "What about you? Sunrise or sunset?"

"Hmm... I dunno, both looks like an egg yolk..." I said in a rather genuine tone. And in my defense, it really does look like that. I turned to look at him and he was laughing—gummy smile beaming at me.

His laugh echoed through my phone. "Are you too hungry, Ms Jeon, to be unable to have a poetic conversation?" Yoongi teased.

"Ha ha, I'm no poet like you." Sarcasm filling my voice as I frowned at him.

On the other side, Yoongi raised his arms on surrender—in attempt to annoy me more. Then he composed himself first before speaking again, "Do you want to eat dinner together?"

I gave it a thought for a while. I'm not actually hungry and I don't think I have the appetite. However, Yoongi was looking at me—with hope? Hope that I would agree.

He must've been feeling lonely when he eats alone...

I was never really the type to eat every meal since I get too busy and not the type to eat while working. But with him—occasionally asking me if we want to eat together, I couldn't help but find myself enjoying those meals. I've always been a glutton ever since I was a kid, something that Jungkook and I have really in common. That's why in every meal, our parents would cook a lot. We eat at least five times a day in those times. But ever since it happened, every meal I had felt cold and sickening.

I smiled at him, "Sure, only if you'll cook."

Yoongi smiled back and nodded.

"You know what, we're like in that one music video of Taylor Swift, execpt that we're in the balcony and we use phones." I joked before hanging up my phone to change my clothes first before going to his house.

Once I changed into more comfortable clothes, I went straight and knocked on his door. Seconds after, Yoongi opened the door with a bowl in his hand.

"I was thinking whether to cook korean or western food. What do you think?" He said as he let me in.

We both went to the kitchen while still contemplating what to eat.

"I think I could use some western. I've been eating k-food since early in the morning. I just took a bite of every meal my mom made and it already made me full. That's how much she cooked." I groaned as I sat on the stool. "I think I've tasted every part of korea."

Slowly, I'm starting to open up on him more even if we don't have an appointment. But I still left out some parts that are just not meant to be told. Like for this one, I didn't tell him that it's my father's death anniversary and that is why I was at my parent's house.

Yoongi chuckled, "But I don't think you've tasted Daegu yet." He propped himself up on the table, leaning a bit before speaking in a teasing tone. "Do you know what's tasty in Daegu?"

Uh... You?... AHHHH FUCK FUCK FUCK WHY THE FUCK THAT WAS HOT AHHH FUCK FUCKKKK ME(?) KNOWING THE FACT THAT HE'S BORN THERE DOESN'T HELP AHHHH SHIT SHIT I'M GONNA SHIT AHHHHH

I kept a straight face in contrast of my mind that's going wild. "Enlighten me..?"

Yoongi shook his head and leaned back. Softly giggling, he took out some ingredients. "Maybe some other time. You want western then we'll eat western. You're my guest after all."

"Hmm... I'm surprised you still consider me as a guest."

He raised a brow and nodded—as if realizing something. "You know what? I should be actually charging you now."

I rolled my eye and pretended to attempt to leave. "I could always just go..."

Yoongi grabbed my shoulder and chuckled. "I was just kidding. You know you're my VIP"

I faced him and raised a brow.

"Very important problem," he shrugged and went back on finding ingredients.

For tonight, we planned to make a creamy pasta and steak. While making the meals, our laughs and giggles echoed through the kitchen. We tried so hard not to mess while cooking—refraining ourselves to start a food fight.

And for a moment, I felt at ease. The pain was still lingering but with him by my side, it's bearable.

The meal was served. We're sat on the stools beside each other, with wines on our hand, we cheered.

Yoongi raised his glass to clink his to mine, "To our..." he paused. "What should we dedicate this to?"

"Erm... future?" I shook my head, letting out a chuckle. "I dunno... anything's fine."

He nodded and raised his glass one more time, "To our friendship."

Before I could even react, he already clinked his glass to mine. Sipping the red wine, I only stared at him out of confusion. My mind was slowly processing his words. Too slow to my liking.

Friend? He's now considering me a friend??

A bright tint of pink creeps my face and when he noticed, I just blamed it to the alcohol. Yoongi was probably confused since the wine has a really low alcohol content.

"Uh... What's your thought about the taped banana on canvas?"

His question amused me. Pretending to think, I replied, "That it sucks. Honestly, I know that if I'll sell a blank canvas, some moron would buy it and the "experts" would interpret it as someone's life. Like how it reflects their mind—just blank. Your question is kinda interesting but also random," I chuckled and took a bite of the steak.

Yoongi rubbed his nape, "Sorry, I just don't know what topic we should talk about..."

It was still a wonder to me how this man is a psychologist, he could've thought of any subject yet, he wanted me to lead. Like he's playing safe.

Does he remember? Does he not want to say anything that could lead to that topic?

I placed my utensils down and thought for a bit on what we should talk about. "Well, uhm... What are you up these days? We haven't really talk that much ever since..."

My memory came back just a few hours after we came back from Mr Juanito's that day. Shame washed over me that I couldn't look at him for days—practically hiding from him at any cost.

"Just my usual stuff. Met some patients, spent my time on the clinic... Oh- That reminds me of something." Yoongi stopped eating as well for the meantime. "I didn't know you and Hobi were friends." He smiled cheekily.

"Sorry— who?" I tilt my head in confusion.

"Hobi. Uh... Hoseok."

Then it hits me. He was talking about the client I had a few weeks ago.

I clasped my hands and nodded, "Right... I remember him. Jung Hoseok, right?" I paused for a bit before asking again, "How did you know that we know each other?"

Yoongi gulped the food he took before speaking, "We were at our friend's party and he showed us a picture of you two."

"But we weren't really friends friends. He was more like a client of mine. I mean— he's a nice guy though," I explained. For some reason, I felt the need to explain.

He just made an "Oohh..." sound and didn't press the topic.

In the middle of our dinner, my phone vibrates through my pocket.

Why do people like to disturb me when I'm eating?

I took my phone out and saw the caller's ID. It made me frown upon seeing it.

"Jungkook?" I mumbled and answered the call.

"Noona, where are you? I'm at your house right now... and your car's here too." Jungkook said from the other line. He must've been confused since I always take my car wherever I go, unless I'm meeting a client with Jimin.

"You...Y-you're here??" I stuttered and it only made me sound more suspicious.

Yoongi glanced at me and I just gave him an apologetic look.

"Yeah... Eomma told me to give you the foods she have wrapped." Jungkook clicked his tongue before speaking again. "I can't believe you guys always make me the delivery guy."

"Just leave it there. I'm at my friend's house." I firmly said, wanting to end the call right away.

After a round of arguing with Jungkook since he's interrogating too much, Yoongi chimed in without even thinking, "You can just go to your house right now. It's just across here anyways and it seems like that's urgent." he softly chuckled and my heart fluttered at him being so thoughtful as always.

" "Across here??" Wait- Are you with your neighbor's house right now? Really, noona??" Jungkook laughed his ass out. He might've heard Yoongi's voice through the call.

Before I could even hang up the phone, he already did. It caught me off guard but relief washed over me soon after. Thankful that Jungkook's annoying ass stopped bothering me.

As I was about to take another bite of my food, the door bell rang.

"I'll take it." Yoongi stood up and went to the front door while I'm left in the kitchen—munching the food we made.

Not even a minute after, I heard him call out my name. I quickly rushed over him and immediately stopped my tracks once I saw the figure of the boy I've known ever since.

"Annyeong, noona!" Jungkook grinned. "You didn't tell me that Yoongi hyung is your neighbor." Walking inside and before he could even pass me, I grabbed his wrist.

"And where do you think you're going?" I raised my brow. If only those things in cartoon where characters let out flames through their nose and ears when they're mad are also visible in real life, the house would be burning right now.

"To the kitchen, where else? Hyung invited me over too." Jungkook tried remove my hand but my hold only tightens, "A-ah..!" he yelped.

Once I felt a hand on my shoulder, I released him right away.

"I uh... invited him. Yeah."

With Yoongi's soft response, I went back to the kitchen. Jungkook sat beside Yoongi—obviously avoiding me. Yoongi served him the meal and sat between us.

"So, how's the food?" he asked while slicing his steak.

"We cooked it together, of course I'd say it's great—the best even."

"Nah-uh, he's asking me, noona." Jungkook's remark made me glare even more at him. "But I gotta say, it's pretty good."

This kid is really testing the waters...

Yoongi tried to break the tension by clapping his hand once in enthusiasm. "You're really grown now, Jungkook. It's been years since we met. I'm surprised that you still remember me."

"Hyung, how can I forget you when noona have her drawings pinned to her wall. That time when I saw you, I was surprised that the guy on her drawings actually exist." Jungkook snickered as he subtly eyed me.

He should be thankful that Yoongi is between us so there's only a little chance that I'll rip his hair. If there's one thing I hate so much about Jungkook, that's his big mouth.

The dinner went great. Filled with laughter, sassy remarks, and telling each others stories. It was a fun night, even if it wasn't supposed to be, knowing what day it is today.

After having dinner, we helped Yoongi clean the dishes, thanked him for the night, and went straight home—which is literally just across us.

"Did I ruined your date with him?" Jungkook teased as he plopped himself on the couch.

"Date? It wasn't a date—just a simple dinner." I clarified, plopping on the couch beside him.

Jungkook clicked his tongue—frowning at me. "You guys aren't..?" I shook my head which made him frown more, as if he was deep in his thoughts. "That's... weird. I mean—I saw it. The way he looks at you, the way he smiles-- I uh... Noona, did you know how many times I tried to get all of his attention to test him?"

"Yeah I saw you how you were such an attention seeker—but test him? Wha-"

Jungkook cut me off by exclaiming, "Exactly! Yet he always finds his way to look after you. Most guys wouldn't do that unless they're interested with the girl."

"He probably just didn't want me to feel left out since I was the first one he invited in the first place."

He groaned and grasped my shoulders, "Noona, he was giving you the looks!! I saw it!" Then he exasperatedly sigh. "Gosh how are you so oblivious?? I'm a man now and well, I uh.. sometimes, does that too."

I shook my head, not wanting to be deep in delusions. "Well, whatever you saw, you saw it wrong. Should I gift you some glasses?" I mocked, not playing with his games. Even I was surprised to hear these things from him.

Jungkook sighed and stood up, walking somewhere that leads to my room. "I'll sleep here for tonight. G' night."

"Stop right there, kid. You're leaving eomma alone tonight?"

He stopped his tracks. Turning back to face me, he pouted like a sulky child. It was one of his habits that he never realize he had. "As usual, eomma would just stay in their room. Besides, I already told her. If you're so worried, why don't you go to her?"

I threw a cushion at him, not expecting that he would say such thing. Especially that he knows my relation with my mother.

"Ouch-" Jungkook yelped when the cushion hit him. "It's been years, Noona. Don't tell me you still blame yourself. It wasn't your fault," he uttered and left to go to my room.

"I can't believe I still let this big guy share a bed with me..." I mumbled but my thoughts were still lingering on his words.

Is it really okay to accept that? Was I really not the one to blame?

part 7 read here^^

Taglist: @choijay-07 @sanarin @yooforeaa @this-most-assuredly-counts @minniejim @amarawayne @peacenpigeons @take-u-2-an0ther-w0r1d @rottingbedpost @emirawht

[m4rs-ex3]

ok i'm so terribly sorry to be saying this but i'm kind of ok with sorvus not becoming canon canon

i know we were pretty much all expecting something but it doesn't feel like we were robbed; it doesn't feel like we were teased or led along or, ahem, baited. the show absolutely knows what it has but it's not a case where they choose to ignore it and it's incredibly frustrating. something tdp is very good about is not fully committing to something big (ie rayllum proposal) but gives you enough to satisfy + enough to allow for more future exploration (ie rayllum in episode 5 [sorry i have to make everything about rayllum jk im not sorry]). they take every opportunity to show how much soren and corvus care about each other and their chemistry is an unstoppable force.

in addition to the fact that it is by zero means not not canon even if they're not exactly canon, i think it works with the story. even being the world's biggest shipper who cares about a show's relationships pretty much more than anything else, i low-key hate it when a million couples are thrown in your face at once, especially in finales where it's like "ok the day is saved everyone's found love!!! isn't that so great!!!!!! happy ending!!!!!!!!!!!!!" this was part of the reason i was a little put off by terry's existence in the very beginning because it was just like.... do we really need another couple? even if i didn't dislike their relationship. and that's also why i'm so happy with the way they turned out because i love it when there are relationships that just don't work out (unless i have any sort of attachment to the ship in that case fuck you they should have been together forever [but then again if it feels like the only reason a relationship ends is because the writers said so then i kind of consider that bad writing anyway]). in the case of sorvus, i certainly wouldn't have been opposed if they'd gotten together near the end (especially since rayllum, yk, were already together so it wouldn't have felt they were fighting for attention), but it feels kinda right that they didn't. rayllum is the main event whether you like it or not and i'm very glad that they stuck with that. it wouldn't have exactly been fair to sorvus either, would it?

and, of course, this leaves so much more opportunity for them. especially if we get arc 3, but either way there's no way we won't get something of their quest. so this way they get their own spotlight, and they get way more time to develop to that point (which is another reason i don't believe they should've gotten together in s7 because there was just too much going on and even though their relationship has gotten lots of time it still would've been like "oh! ok! they're together! ok! what's happening!")

at the end of the day they are 110% in love - we know that, tdp knows that, and we don't need to see them make out for it to click (just like s5-early s6 rayllum to harken back to that unavoidable comparison), even if it might've been nice

[mercurygguk]

head over skates · jjk ; part iv.

··· SUMMARY; jeon jungkook is the captain of the hockey team and one of the biggest fuckboys on campus. you happen to have known him for as long as you can remember but he is not who he used to be and you simply can’t stand it.

so what happens when you’re suddenly stuck doing a project with him for three weeks?

SERIES MASTERLIST · # TAG · MOOD BOARDS · PLAYLIST

PAIRING; hockey player!jungkook x f. reader

GENRE; fwb au, childhood friends to enemies to lovers au, college au

WORDCOUNT; 1,098

RATING; 18+

WARNINGS; swearing, mentions of sex, jk being nice and getting shit for it lol

a/n; part 4 and ohmygodddd the angst is coming y'all !! i hope you enjoy reading this one – lmk what you think and tysm for reading <3

It’s a nice day today.

The sun is shining, it’s getting warmer due to spring, there’s not a single hint of a breeze in the air, and everyone seems to be in a great mood. It’s amazing what the changing seasons do to people and their mood – yourself included.

You’re working on the project for your photography class while sitting on your jacket on the grass quad on campus. You’ve almost finished the introduction and made sure to note down the plans for the project as well as set up the whole layout. The need to be organized has taken over but you always see it as a good thing; it keeps you focused and it makes school work seem less overwhelming.

It’s peaceful here on the quad, the faint sound of other students talking and laughing fills the atmosphere around you. There’s even a guy playing the guitar not too far away from you.

It’s nice, you think to yourself as a small smile spreads across your lips.

Until it isn’t anymore.

The evil spawn, also known as Jeon Jungkook, suddenly appears in front of you and blocks the sun as he grins at you, looking cheerful and happy for some reason you don’t care to know about.

Your smile has now turned into a scowl as you stare at him, ignoring the fact that he’s once again holding two americanos in his hands, “is this gonna be a thing now?”

Jungkook nods instantly, not noticing or simply just ignoring the glare you shoot at him.

“Yeah, it’s a tradition now, ____ – I bring iced Americano and you bring your moody attitude and then we work on the project together,” he says, his grin now a smirk that you suddenly feel the urge to slap off his face.

God, why is he so persistent on doing this project with you? Why can’t he just leave you to do it on your own? Why can’t he go do what he usually does – being a fuckboy and play hockey – instead of bothering you with his presence?

You can’t help but scoff and roll your eyes at his words, choosing to ignore the comment he so casually dropped about you being ‘moody’.

“I can get my own iced americano, thank you very much,” you pointedly say.

“Oh, really? Where is it?” He asks, looking around on the grass surrounding you, “did you chug it?”

His quick retort circuits your brain as you’re left gaping at him. You then shake your head as if to clear your head and ask another question.

You’re not quite sure why you haven’t told him to leave yet…

“So what? Are you stalking me now?”

Jungkook snorts as you quirk an eyebrow at him in question, shooting you a look of amusement as he glances around at all the people surrounding you and him.

“____, you’re literally on the campus quad. Anyone with eyes in their head could find you here.”

You blink at him for a second, causing Jungkook to flash you a knowing smirk and offer you one of the beverages he so kindly brought along once again. You decide to ignore his smart retort and take the iced americano he’s holding out, instantly taking a sip and withholding the moan of satisfaction that was threatening to escape just now.

Jungkook huffs out a chuckle to himself as he sits down next to you and slips off his backpack, pulling out his laptop. You stare at him in bewilderment as if he has three heads when he sits down, wondering how he’s taking your hostility as an invite to sit down with you.

“Jungkook, what are you doing here?” You can’t help but ask, confused as to why he’s sitting here next to you for the second time within just two days.

“To work on the project?”

There’s a look of confusion on his face as he looks at you, eyebrows pulled together in question.

“No, seriously – I told you, I’m doing this project by myself. What are you really doing here?”

Jungkook’s face twists in slight annoyance at your determination to work on the project by yourself, “you’re not the only one who cares about their grades, you know?”

He doesn’t care about his grades – there’s just no way that a stereotypical jock like him could care about anything but frat parties, getting laid and his sport. Old Jungkook might’ve cared but this Jungkook right here? He hasn’t given a single fuck about anything but hockey and his image since he became the popular and hot hockey player.

“Are you saying that me doing the project on my own will give us a bad grade? If anything, you working with me on the project will make it even worse!”

The tone of your voice has turned defensive as you cross your arms over your chest and stare at him. Jungkook scoffs, a hint of amusement within the sound. If he’s offended by your words, he doesn’t show it. Why would he be? He doesn’t care what anyone thinks.

“Excuse me, I have a 94 in this class right now!”

You fall silent.

A score of 94%.

You can’t help but let out a laugh, wondering how he managed to score a 94 in photography when all he ever does with his spare time is hooking up with girls around campus or spending it in the hockey arena with his teammates. 

“And how did you manage to do that? Did you flirt with Mrs. Kim or something?” You huff out a mocking chuckle.

Just for a split second, you swear you see a flicker of hurt flash across his eyes before it’s replaced by his usual smirk.

“And if I did?” He taunts.

Your eyes roll before you have a chance to stop them from doing so, causing Jungkook’s smirk to turn into an almost devilish grin.

“Wow, ____, if I didn’t know better, I’d think you were jealous.”

His words have you scowling at him – something you seem to do a lot when he’s anywhere near you. You then grab the iced coffee and take another sip, turning your attention back to your laptop screen, leaving Jungkook to sit next to you and work on the project in silence. You don’t say another word to him as you share the document with him so he can partake in the process.

His words affected you more than you wish they did because it was once the truth but if there’s anything you’ll never be again, it’s being jealous of something Jeon Jungkook does.

[bts-trans]

240918 Weverse Translations

Jin's Post ❇️

안녕하세요 진이에요 오랜만에 인사 드립니다 다들 추석 잘 즐기고 계신가요!? 저는 음식들도 해먹고 가족들과도 보고 잘 지냈습니다! 지금은 밀라노행 비행기를 타러 공항에 나와 있습니다 이런 자리 참석하는게 처음인거 같아 무척이나 떨립니다(사실 안떨림) 그럼 다녀오겠습니다! (https://weverse.io/bts/artist/2-149342706)

Hi, this is Jin. It's been a while since I've greeted you. Is everyone having a great Chuseok so far!? I spent it well by cooking and spending time with my family! I'm currently at the airport waiting to get on the flight to Milan. I'm really nervous as this is the first time I'm attending something like this (truthfully I'm not nervous) Ok I'll be back!

Trans cr; Annie @ bts-trans © TAKE OUT WITH FULL CREDITS

RM's Comments 💬 on ARMY's Posts ❇️

💜: jk 잘 봤어요~~ bts 군복무중에도 살아있네 ㅋㅋㅋ 내년 6월까지 어떻게 기다리죠? 김남준 김석진 민윤기 정호석 박지민 김태형 전정국 보고싶다~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ RM: 국방부 시계는 거꾸로 매달아도 간다 (https://weverse.io/bts/fanpost/4-179361567)

💜: I enjoyed watching jk~~ bts are really active even when they're in the military hahaha How do I wait until June next year? Kim Namjoon Kim Seokjin Min Yoongi Jung Hoseok Park Jimin Kim Taehyung Jeon Jungkook, I miss you~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

RM: The military clock runs even if you hang it upside down

💜: 군데에서 살 쳤어요? RM: 네.. 78kg임 훈련소 때 69였는데.. (https://weverse.io/bts/fanpost/3-179363817)

💜: Did you gain weight in the military?

RM: Yes.. I'm 78kg I was 69 when I was in the training camp..

💜: How are you doing Mr. Kim namjoon!? You must be working hard!? ....stay healthy ... Love youuu 💜😭 RM: 이제 운동하러 갈려고요 RM: 이게 피곤한 게 잠을 못자서 피곤한건지 운동을 주 6일해서 피곤한건지 (https://weverse.io/bts/fanpost/3-179364211)

💜: How are you doing Mr. Kim namjoon!? You must be working hard!? ….stay healthy … Love youuu 💜😭

RM: I'm going to work out right now

RM: I'm tired and I don't know if it's because I didn't sleep well or because I've been working out 6 days a week

💜: 오빠💜 제대하면 콘서트에서 색소폰을 보여주세요🎷 RM: 다른 악기도 배워야하는데 맨날 귀찮아서 미루는중 RM: 드럼이나 기타도 배워볼까 싶네요 (https://weverse.io/bts/fanpost/4-179363625)

💜: Oppa 💜 When you get out of the military, please pleay the saxophone🎷

RM: I should learn other instruments too but I just get lazy and keep putting it off

RM: I'm considering learning the drums or guitar too

💜: 남준이형 군대는 잘 지내요? 당신이 아주 잘 지내길 바라요 건강하시고 무사히 복귀하세요 많이 보고싶다💜 RM: 그럭저럭.. 그냥 남들처럼 RM: 일기도 다시 쓰기 시작 (https://weverse.io/bts/fanpost/1-149353320)

💜: Namjoonie hyung, are you doing well in the military? I really hope you're doing well. Stay healthy and come back safe. I miss you a lot💜

RM: I'm getting by.. just like everyone else

RM: I started writing a diary again

💜: hi namjoon, what did you eat today? RM: 김치보끔밥 (https://weverse.io/bts/fanpost/4-179364832)

💜: hi namjoon, what did you eat today?

RM: Kimchi fried rice

💜: Don’t lose that beautiful smile of yours Joonie RM: 웃어라 온 세상이 너와 함께 웃을 것이다 울어라 너 혼자 울게 될 것이다 (https://weverse.io/bts/fanpost/1-149353770)

💜: Don't lose that beautiful smile of yours Joonie

RM: Smile, and the whole world will smile with you Cry, and you cry alone

💜: 남준이가 추천하는 음식은? RM: 사회 음식 뭐든.. (https://weverse.io/bts/fanpost/4-179366237)

💜: Food you recommend?

RM: Any kind of non-military food..

💜: 김치보끔밥 만들어먹음? RM: 취사병들의 노고로.. (https://weverse.io/bts/fanpost/4-179366603)

💜: Did you make the kimchi fried rice?

RM: Thanks to the labour of the mess personnel…

💜: 제가 공부하도록 동기를 부여해 주시겠어요?😭 RM: 저도 공부합니다 공부는 평생 하는겁니다 (https://weverse.io/bts/fanpost/4-179367295)

💜: Will you motivate me to study? 😭

RM: I am also studying, studying is something you do your entire life

💜: 회원이 게시하면 모두가 스팸을 시작하는 방식이 마음에 듭니다. 😂😂 RM: 스팸 계란이랑 구워먹으면 꿀맛 (https://weverse.io/bts/fanpost/4-179368543)

💜: I like how everyone starts to spam whenever a member's here. 😂😂

RM: Spam grilled with eggs is delicious

💜: 군대 나오면 24시간 군대 얘기 해줭 RM: 할말 줠라 많지.. RM: 어디까지 할 수 있을까 (https://weverse.io/bts/fanpost/2-149350263)

💜: When you're out of the military, you should do a thing where you talk about it for 24 hours

RM: There's so damn much to say..

RM: How much will I be able to talk

💜:내 사랑하는 매튜, 나는 항상 너의 곁에 있고 싶어요. 너와 함께 시간을 보내면 나의 세상은 훨씬 더 밝고 행복해집니다. 네가 내게 주는 사랑과 행복은 정말 소중해요. 네 미소, 네 눈빛, 네 목소리는 나에게 특별한 의미를 가지고 있어요. 네가 어디에 있던, 나는 항상 너를 생각하고, 네가 행복하길 바랍니다. 우리의 사랑은 특별해요. 나는 너와 함께 있는 모든 순간을 소중히 여기고, 우리가 함께 만들어가는 추억들을 영원히 기억하려고 해요. 항상 네 곁에 있을 거에요. 사랑해, 줄리 💕💕💕 RM: 매튜가 누구야 (https://weverse.io/bts/fanpost/4-179371873)

💜: My dear Matthew, I will always be by your side.

(T/N: *OP goes on to talk about how happy Matthew makes them and how much they love him.)

RM: Who's Matthew

💜: 오빠!!저 머리잘랐눈데 어때염!!?? RM: 오 중단발 RM: 잘 어울려요 (https://weverse.io/bts/fanpost/3-179373916)

💜: Oppa! I cut my hair how does it look!!??

RM: Ooh medium-length hair

RM: It suits you

💜: 남준🐨🩵 추석은 쉴 수 있나요? 책은 읽었습니까? RM: 파스칼 키냐르 은밀한 생 헤르만 헤세 싯다르타 추천 (https://weverse.io/bts/fanpost/3-179375310)

💜: Namjoon🐨🩵 Did you get to rest during Chuseok? Did you read any books?

RM: Pascal Quignard's 'Vie secrète' Herman Hesse's 'Siddhartha' I recommend them

💜: 캡틴, 좋은 드라마 추천 있어요?^o^ RM: 드라마 볼 엄두가 안 나네.. 몰입이 너무 씨게 돼 (https://weverse.io/bts/fanpost/4-179374801)

💜: Captain, do you have any good drama recommendations?^o^

RM: I can't risk watching dramas.. I get too invested

💜: RPWP, 아미가 아닌 친구에게 추천했더니 굉장히 마음에 들어했고, 남씨가 라이브 할 때는 함께 가고 싶다고 말해 주었습니다💜그날이 기다려집니다. RM: 그러게요 하긴 해야할텐데 (https://weverse.io/bts/fanpost/3-179377045)

💜: I recommended RPWP to a friend of mine who isn't ARMY and they really liked it, and said that they'd want to come with me if I went to see you live💜 I'm waiting for that day.

RM: Yeah, I probably should do it live at some point

💜: Namjoon how was your birthday? I also went to you birthday event! RM: 홀리쉿 (https://weverse.io/bts/fanpost/4-179376266)

💜: Namjoon how was your birthday? I also went to you birthday event!

RM: Holy shit

(T/N: *The translation of the words on the photo strip can be found when you click here.)

💜: 남준아보고싶다 RM: 말해뭐해 (https://weverse.io/bts/fanpost/1-149359712)

💜: I miss you Namjoon-ah

RM: What can I even say

💜: 최근에 기뻤던 일은 무엇입니까? RM: 50퍼 넘긴거요... (https://weverse.io/bts/fanpost/3-179378409)

💜: What's something that made you happy recently?

RM: Being more than 50% done*…

(T/N: *50% of his military service.)

💜: 남준! 지금 너의 머리는 얼마나 길어요? RM: 저 빡빡이때보다 조금더 (https://weverse.io/bts/fanpost/4-179377843)

💜: Namjoon! How long is your hair now?

RM: A bit longer than the buzz cut

💜: 남준오빠 군대에서는 잘 지내나요? 당신이 다 치지 않았기를 바랍니다. 지금 가장 좋아하는 노래를 말해주세요😁 RM: mozart piano concerto no.21 (https://weverse.io/bts/fanpost/2-149354094)

💜: Namjoon oppa, are you going well in the military? I hope you don't get injured. Tell me your favourite song right now😁

RM: mozart piano concerto no.21

💜: 남준씨, 언젠가 메건과 함께 라이브 공연할 계획이 있나요?" RM: 메건 너무 바쁜거같애요 (https://weverse.io/bts/fanpost/4-179380333)

💜: Namjoon-ssi, do you have any plans to perform live with Megan?

RM: I think Megan is too busy

💜: 거긴 벌써 겨울이야? RM: 제발 그랬으면 좋겠네 RM: 제설하고 싶다 (https://weverse.io/bts/fanpost/3-179382974)

💜: Is it already autumn there?

RM: I really wish it was

RM: I want to clear snow from the road

💜: 추석은 어떻게 지냈어요? RM: 운동하고 유투브보고 책읽고 밥���고 운동하고 유투브보고 책읽고 웹툰보고 밥먹고 (https://weverse.io/bts/fanpost/4-179382275)

💜: How did you spend Chuseok?

RM: I worked out and watched YouTube and read a book and ate and worked out and watched YouTube and read a book and read a Webtoon and ate

💜: 고생 많으셨습니다 RM: 오츠카레사마 (https://weverse.io/bts/fanpost/2-149356766)

💜: You've worked so hard, good job.

RM: You've worked so hard, good job.*

(T/N: *In Japanese.)

💜: 남준이 답장할 때까지 숨을 못 쉬겠어요. RM: 숨쉰 채 발견됩시다 (https://weverse.io/bts/fanpost/4-179384621)

💜: I won't breathe until Namjoon replies

RM: Let's show up breathing

💜: 남준오빠나 오늘 몸이 불편하지만 가야금 연습하고 노래 연습했어!힘들지만 좋아하는 일을 하면 즐거움이 대부분이다 RM: 멋지네 RM: 나도 악기 배울거야 꼭 (https://weverse.io/bts/fanpost/3-179386640)

💜: Namjoon oppa, I'm not feeling well today but I still did gayageum practice and practiced singing too! It's hard but when I do something I like, I enjoy it for the most part

RM: You're so cool

RM: I'm gonna learn an instrument too

💜: 겨울의 김남준: 눈 이 xxxx야 RM: 바보똥개 어서와 (https://weverse.io/bts/fanpost/2-149357957)

💜: Kim Namjoon in the winter: this **** snow

RM: Welcome, fool

💜: 남주나 전역해서 이거 한번 더 가능해? RM: 전역하면 베이비펌 하는게 꿈이야 RM: 근데 뭔들 못하겠어

💜: Namjoon-ah, can you do this again after the military?

RM: My dream is to get a baby perm after the military

RM: But what can't I do

💜: namjoon oppa what are you doing now🥸 RM: 이제 슬 운덩하러 가야지 RM: 근데 식단을 모다게써요 (https://weverse.io/bts/fanpost/4-179391154)

💜: namjoon oppa what are you doing now🥸

RM: I need to start heading off to work out

RM: But I can't do the diet*

(T/N: Said cutely.)

💜: 우리 남준, 군대 끝나면 가장 먼저 무엇을 할 거예요? 가장 하고 싶었던 일은... RM: 베이비펌 하고싶어요.. (https://weverse.io/bts/fanpost/4-179392520)

💜: Our Kim Namjoon, what is the first thing you're going to do after your military service ends? What you wanted to do the most is…

RM: I want a baby perm…

💜: 김남준처럼 반응 빠른 애인 갖고싶다 RM: 나 정도면 훌륭하지 (https://weverse.io/bts/fanpost/3-179394699)

💜: I want to date someone who reacts as fast as Kim Namjoon

RM: Being as fast as me would be impressive

💜: 남주나 왜 이렇게 보고싶냐 RM: 나도 그래 RM: 운동 간다 이제 ! (https://weverse.io/bts/fanpost/3-179395174)

💜: Namjoon-ah why do I miss you so much

RM: It's the same for me

RM: Going to work out now!

Trans cr; Aditi @ bts-trans © TAKE OUT WITH FULL CREDITS

[fruitgummies01]

Vibes for Episode 5 - JUST FOOD!!

Lets Get Into It… Episode 5 of Are You Sure

Gonna try and write down my thoughts as I watch the episode this time and things that stick out to me, since I have time haha.

The episode is only 56 minutes, boooooo!!!

2. Tae saying "It's not just the meat, but the chef that's amazing" and JK giving a sorta half way thumbs up and going back to what he was doing lowkey took me out.

3. Jimin always looks great, but he looks particularly great in these Jeju episodes. His hair is really hair-ing lol.

4. I like that Jimin and Jungkook take care of their staff and make sure that they are also eating. No matter where they are, that always stays the same.

5. Jimin and Jungkook talking about enlisting together. Soooo happy to see their joy in that moment and what it must've meant for both of them, and how they were already imagining what it would be like waking up together and sleeping arrangements and all. Didn't realize it at the moment, but waiting for that finally decision must've weighed heavily on them, which kind of recontextualizes the first two episodes in the US/NY/Connecticut. Also the amount of empty bottles on the table, they both must've been feeling pretty loose at this point lmaoooo. [ Sidenote -- I was slightly annoyed that we finally got to see them having this conversation, and Tae was nose deep in his phone during most of it at the table. Appreciated the editors trying to frame him out of the scene, but still. ]

6. Speaking of, Tae coming in and out of scenes was soooo noticeable, especially in this episode for some reason. Sometimes felt like he was either not there, or when he was, he was on his phone off to the side.

7. Interesting that both Jimin and Tae thought the dish was ham, instead of pink sausage (even though Jimin knew it wasn't he was just supporting Tae), but even though Tae was way more insistent on it being ham, Jungkook only pretended like he was going to "punch" Jimin lol. Kinda felt like he took it personally that Jimin didn't side with him.😂

8. So they took footage from while Jungkook was in New York on a separate schedule, thinking about what to make in Jeju. Cute that he was thinking about what Jimin would love. Head full of Jimin, SAME!

9. I know that Jungkook gets a lot of pushback about how he sometimes treats Jimin (I personally don't get that), but he seemed really focused on him this episode. Like it's super obvious to me that he cares A LOT about him, and not just on a surface level because cameras are there. It's really in the little things that leave an impact on me.

10. Jungkook really loves to cook and watching him figure out recipes is so endearing, and Jimin sitting near him/falling asleep while he works to make the stew he thought Jimin would love days earlier was actually really wholesome and touching.

11. Jimin taking off his shirt mid way through eating the stew JK prepared, while everyone else standing around the table is fully clothed made me laugh so much. And not one explanation in sight. Ok cool Jimin is just here nips out and everything, love that for him lol.😅

12. The wrap up at the end was cute. It was nice that they made Tae feel welcomed, and told him how grateful they were that he was there. It really was such a positive note to end on.

All in all it was an enjoyable episode, that focused mainly on food and driving from spot to spot. Very happy for a change in scenery though.

BRING ON SAPPORO!!!!

My personal rank of episodes so far… 2 -> 1 -> 4 -> 5 -> 3

[heartofbusan]

Is this right? As long as it's with you, it is.

This great blog post got me thinking 🤔...

It got me thinking about timelines.

I'll be extremely curious to see if, at any point in the show, we get to see them react to the news of their buddy enlistment. That might honestly break the internet.

I wonder if the enlistment played any part in the way the trip is framed at the start, middle and end of it. Because, that news could be like a sword of damocles hanging over their heads for 2/3's of it...

*queue dramatic music*

KM started their travel show in NY in July of 2023.

They went to Jejju, either in August or the end of September.

October is allegedly when they found out they got approved for the buddy program.

We got a happy JK TikTok around this time. I'd insert the gif, but it's hella distracting 😔 he's naked, it's bouncing..and well, I'm only human.

OK FOCUS.

They went Japan, Tokyo and Sapporo in November.

If the first two trips are possible 'last time we get to spend free time together' trips, and the Japan trip is a celebratory one, wouldn't that make the experience that much more loaded?? It would be a different vibe in Japan compared to NY, for sure! But will we see that?? Is that part of the dramatic arc of the story..or is that part of what gets censured to spare the guys their real human feelings for the sake of a friendly buddy travel cop show?

I'm fine either way, but it would feel like a lost opportunity in storytelling. The again, IS STORYTELLING EVEN PART OF THE REASON THEY WENT IN THE FIRST PLACE?

Was the 'spontaneous' nature of the trip, as per Disney really what happened? A curious turn of phrase for bangtan. When have they EVER able to be spontaneous when it comes to work? When it comes down to official content we often joke that BPD has been planning things since 1756.

What do we know, aside from the Disney press blurb? JK himself said on Suchwita that the plans for the trip were formulated rather out of the blue.

I wonder if this 'f*ck it, I guess it's now or never' kind of plan was born out of a real fear of missing out on the other for nearly 2 years. After a year in which the two had both been busy AF, and missing eo AF, they pinned one last hope on togetherness on the buddy program, but if that plan failed to materialize, then they would face a challenge unlike any Jikook have had to face before. Living apart for a year was also new, sure. But being able to beg and plead (while nakey in bed) for the other to come over for drinks, chicken or horizontal tango is quite impossible once you're enlisted.

I'd be very curious to see if this conversation, this fear is talked about during their trip. Because applying for the buddy system was a gamble. Traveling together was a wild plan. It's a type of content we've never seen any of the tannies do before. And once they knew they had it in the bag, that's when they get to breathe easy. That's when it goes from being an excuse, to becoming a statement.

[quiet-cabin]

Omamori PostMortem!

Here it is folks! The final Omamori devlog 🥹. In it we'll be taking a look at how everything began, some of the ups and downs we had along the way, including some looks at behind the scenes work, and finally, what's next for the studio!

I'm going to try something a little different here. Normally I link back to the devlog on itch so you can read it there, but I'm wondering if people might be more inclined to read the full thing if they don't have to leave to another tab lol (Although I also worry that tumblr just isn't really great for really long post reading..) But! I shall put the choice in your hands. Here's the link to it on itch.io! Or you can click the read more below to see it here!

I'd be really interested to know what Y'ALL are interested in seeing next 👀

Hello everyone!!

It’s been one month since Omamori released which sounds incredibly fake but here we are! As of posting this, Omamori is sitting at 454 downloads!! Which is really, REALLY exciting and so much more than I ever thought to hope for. Thank you so much!

Today we’re going to be talking a little bit about the process, how things went, what we learned, and what’s next! This is going to be a bit of a longer post but some of you have been with us since the very beginning, and it might be nice to look back, and some of you are new, and have no idea how it all went!

HOW IT STARTED

(The original mock up I made to help Rob visualize what I was thinking for the main menu screen.)

In the beginning of April 2023 I started telling Rob about a 'totally not real' idea I had for a serirei dating sim. It was very much in the 'haha jk wouldn't that be fun, but it'll totally never happen' category. Then I thought, since it won't ever happen, it could be fun to do a little mock-up. Just a fake screenshot of a character and some dialogue. Then I thought, maybe I could try to animate it to show some additional dialogue. THEN I thought, well if I'm going to do all of that, I might as well just put together a slice in a game engine and just do a screen recording.

So I sat down and installed an entire game engine, learned how to navigate its interface and how to use its visual scripting language, how to create & use variables so that you could enter your character name, how to put in a dialogue choice screen, even made a tiny pixel art takoyaki... all to create a 20 second screen recording of a game that was totally not going to exist.

Totally.

I even shared it on Tumblr! It uh, as of typing this, still only has 3 notes lol. You can see the original post here, but here's a screenshot of it.

I won't lie, it was actually really disheartening to see basically no engagement with it. I know there wasn't much info on the concept itself, since the game wasn't going to be real (I thought), and maybe that would have helped, but it definitely did a blow to the ol' self esteem. (Although I can say, looking at it now, I really like this! I'm really insecure about my visual art and style, but y'know what, this is pretty cool! )

I didn't let that deter me though. I was really excited about this game and the story, and at the end of the day, it was a silly little project with my silly little blorbos. So I kept thinking about it and poking the idea and pretty soon the fixation was churning full blast. I was developing the plot, I had snippets of dialogue in mind, I was thinking about GUI elements. And all the while I was yelling all of this at Rob. Eventually I worked up the courage to ask him if he wanted to do the art, only to discover he was working up the nerve to ask if he could help out! After that, it was just a lot of excited yelling about this project.

Looking back at this original mock-up, I think it's really great to see how Rob took my original concepts for layout and design and breathed some actual life into them. At some point I'd done some additional iterations on the dialogue boxes:

And from there we got:

Which ultimately gave us:

HOW IT WENT

There were definitely some ups and down on this, for sure. Getting the demo out was a huge accomplishment and we were both eager to just keep working on it. In fact, the original plan, after releasing the demo October 2023, had been to release the full game by the coming March, for Serizawa's birthday. Ambitious? Without a doubt lol. Obviously that didn't happen, and our next hope was to release it for Reigen's birthday 2024. This way it'd be full circle. Then we hoped to release it for Valentine's day maybe. (This is why we didn't announce a release date until it was well and truly DONE.)

Some of you may remember that Rob injured his hand in early 2024 and so we took quite a bit of time off to let him heal. We're not about that crunch life. Even if this wasn't entirely a passion project, there's absolutely no reason to crunch. So we took a step back so he could heal up. While that was happening.. we had the Great Engine Switch.

The demo for Omamori was originally made in GDevelop. An open-source, no-code engine. And it worked great for the demo! But once I started adding in features that people would come to expect in a visual novel, like saving and loading, or a history of the text, things got a little more complicated. It reached a point where I was essentially building a visual novel engine within the Gdevelop engine. Which, while incredibly fascinating and a great mental challenge, wasn't exactly the best use of my time. Not when there are engines specifically made for creating visual novels, like Ren'py. Which has things like saving & loading, dialogue history, text size options and dyslexic font options, all ready to go out of the box. So, I changed engines.

Changing engines was a long process, partly because it took me some time to finally come to terms with the fact that I just needed to do it, and partly because while some things did come out of the box, I did still have to re-do other things all over again, like entering all of the dialogue and choice options for the prologue and part of chapter one that was used for the demo. I was also learning a whole new engine, which isn't no-code (although it IS really streamlined), and I had to find my way around.

We had a lot of plans for some things that ultimately had to get cut. Early on we planned to have more splash screen images for pivotal moments, which would also be accessible from a Gallery page on the main menu. We even toyed with the idea of reaching out to other artists in the community to see if they would be interested in doing guest art to be featured in the gallery! But as we made progress we had to decide what was essential to the game, to telling the story, and what was a Nice To Have. Learning how to nip that scope creep early is an essential skill in gamedev!

Still, all things considered, as a team of two people we made an entire game in only two years, even with the obstacles we faced. And I think that's pretty damn impressive.

Q&A

What was your favorite part?

ROB:

Getting to work on a passion project with Jace! Getting to see this through to the end with them was very rewarding. Like, did you know you can just make cool things with your friends?? It's awesome and makes for a unique blend of cheerleading, flexing, and teamwork. Definitely recommended.

For the art, I got a kick out of trying to develop a visual identity that was as much our own game as it was a Mob Psycho fangame. The first season opening sequence was my main touchpoint. This poster was a source of inspiration too, notably for the paper cut out look for the sprites. It was fun and a nice way to appreciate the series from a different perspective.

JACE:

This is actually a tough one lol! Part of what I love about being an indie dev are all the different roles you play. Jumping from writing to programming to creating mockups to resource sourcing for background music or sound effects, I think that's the part I enjoy most. It's hard to get bored when you're wearing so many hats and that really appeals to me.

If I had to pick a favorite part, I would say sharing the original drafts of the script with Rob and getting to see his reactions to Reigen's impressive levels of fumbling was a lot of fun. Also, figuring out a piece of code that had me stumped for days is nothing short of euphoric.

What was the most challenging?

ROB:

Mostly mental hurdles. Like, accepting that “good enough” IS actually good enough was sometimes a challenge. On top of wanting to tweak old sprites (we started this two years ago after all!) I had wanted to make more splash art and character poses, and add silly details like giving the face on Reigen’s pj outfit different expressions. But as it turns out, if you want to finish something then at some point you have to stop working on it. Great lessons for battling perfectionism.

JACE:

Changing engines and learning an entire new one was definitely a challenge. I'd dabbled with Ren'py before so I wasn't completely in the dark, but I hadn't done more than dialogue and some choices. With this I had to learn how to navigate Ren'py's screen language so I could build my own screens, I had to learn how to create and manipulate variables in the engine, I watched a LOT of youtube tutorials and got real familiar with the Ren'py subreddit lol.

Something that was really, really challenging for me was learning, and re-learning, how to start. I would work on the game for weeks and be doing great, really have a nice groove, and then Life would happen and  I wouldn't touch it for a little while and suddenly the thought of opening up the code was terrifying. I was convinced I couldn't do it, I had no idea what I was doing, and that I was going to get stuck. And it got harder and harder to just start. Even when all signs pointed to that I maybe DO know what I'm doing!

What helped a lot was that I kept a mini-devlog. Every day that I did gamedev work I journaled about what I worked on, how long I spent on it, and what my next steps were. This helped in SO many ways. For one, it was just really nice to see a calendar view of my productivity. Time is fake and its easy for me to think I haven't been productive "enough". Then I look at my calendar and see this:

Not every month looked like this of course. There's a couple where it's pretty damn barren. But that's where the other data points came to help. It was really helpful to see how long I worked on something as well.  For example:

It took me literally twenty minutes to create all of the idle and hover images for the icons on the corkboard. I remember I did this quickly before running out to work. And this became a point of constant reference for me. Every time I felt myself getting caught in the swirl of, I can't do this, opening the engine feels scary and overwhelming, or I only have .. two hours... three hours... before I have to go to work or go to an appointment or go to bed, what could I get done in that time, I would think of how much I got done in just twenty minutes. Because ultimately, any time spent on the project is productive! But having these little reminders helped a lot. And each mini devlog also had a section for my reflections and what I hoped to work on next. So if it was a few days, or a month or two, before I was able to get back to it, I could reread the most recent devlog to see what Past Me was planning to do!

What might you do differently?

ROB:

Oh man. Organization. I frequently moved the working files between tablet and desktop and ended up with duplicates all over the place. It was a pain after we came back from that long break for my hand injury because I had different expressions and sprites spread over a mess of nearly identical files.

The worst part is this was not the first or last time this happened. Why? Don't live like me.

JACE:

Well, if we're talking about Omamori specifically, knowing what I know now, I'd of course just start working in Ren'py from the start. I'd had the thought that I could learn one engine (to rule them all). Because I have ideas and plans for other games, and had hoped to find one engine that could do everything, and I wouldn't have to jump around, potentially learning a bunch of different coding languages. But, there's something to be said for using the right tool for the job, and in this case it was definitely Ren'py.

If we're talking about future projects and what I might do differently, that's a toughie. I think every project is going to require different set up and preparation. If I were to do another visual novel, I think I'd start tackling any special screens or gameplay mechanics as early as possible. Writing is one of my strengths and I know I can do that. And I'm familiar enough with the engine that I know entering in my writing and dialogue is pretty straightforward. But making those custom screens and troubleshooting them always takes much longer than I think it will.

In terms of organization, I have a Notion template I created for my game projects, and Omamori largely served as the trial run for what I would and wouldn't need. The mini devlog calendar is absolutely a keeper. But the way I organized the programming vs writing task lists definitely got reworked in the final month of Omamori, and I've already started updating my template and other already existing projects to reflect the new workflow!

I think with every new project I'm going to do things a little differently and, for me, that's part of the fun!

Do you think you'd work on a game again?

ROB:

Yes! I'm currently taking time off from commission work, but I really enjoy creative collaboration in general, so I would definitely work on a game again in the future.

JACE:

Oh honey, I already am 😏.

What's next for you?

ROB:

I’m looking forward to diving in to some original work this summer. Not sure where it will take me yet, but I've been itching to get back into making comics, so that might be next! If you'd like to keep up with my work, I update my Tumblr most frequently.

JACE:

I'm so glad you asked! While Rob moves toward exploring comics, Quiet Cabin is also going to shift gears. I'm going to focus on games with original characters and stories. I don't have any plans to make another fangame but I do have a LOT of other ideas! (Some of which were hinted at in Omamori 👀 .)

So what can you expect? Stylistically, I've always had a love for pixel art so there will be some of that going forward. Depending on the project I might seek out another artist to collaborate with for things like backgrounds or character sprites, especially if I do another visual novel. So if you're an artist and have read this far and would be interested in collaborating on a future project, definitely reach out! I have a lot of ideas, a lot of different vibes and genres, so don't worry if your style is different from what you see in Omamori! And who knows, I'm finally reaching a point where I'm happier with my artistic abilities so maybe for one of these projects I'll attempt the art myself!

As far as genres go, I've got more romance, some horror, some fantasy, maybe some monsters you can date.. 👀

I know we all came here for the blorbos but I truly hope you'll stick around for my next projects, I've already started writing one of them and I'm really excited about it!

Up-Coming Projects include (in no particular order):

Garage Sale Skull: A short, in-browser text game where you find a weird skull at a garage sale. It’s fine, it’s not real, it’s just some weird art project. …right? (Romance with a sprinkle of horror.)

Untitled Dating Sim(?): A visual novel dating sim. Maybe. The dating part is up in the air. It's VERY fresh conceptually and I'm still ironing things out so I don't want to say too much but I will say: time loops. Sorry. Wait. Maybe you didn't hear me. Time 👏🏾 Loop 👏🏾 Visual Novel👏🏾

Apartment 102 : There is something wrong with your apartment.. A very short top-down pixel horror game.

Reyna's Remedies: As a young potion and remedy maker, you open up a new shop on the side of a busy road in the kingdom. There's a lot going on, there's a monster in the Deep Woods, a monster the Princess went missing trying to hunt, there's a constant flow of adventurers in need of healing potions and everyday townspeople with mundane needs. With the help of your animal assistant, you have one month to raise enough money to secure another month of rent, to prove you can do this, and in the process help the different people that knock on your door. (A time & resource management game with an overarching plot. Queer romance with a bit of horror.)

My hope is to release Garage Sale Skull this summer. Untitled Dating Sim(?) is new and uncooked, but rattling around my head pretty loudly. Meanwhile Reyna's Remedies and Apt 102 are games I've been brainstorming on for literally years..  Either way, there are two more steam next fests this year and I'd really love to submit a demo for ✨ something ✨for at least one of them. We'll see!

Once a new project launches I will of course be posting devlogs here on its project page. I'll also be sharing quick updates & general gamedev thoughts on ko-fi, bsky, and tumblr. At the end of the day I'm still just one person, and I may forget to crosspost to a platform, but itch.io will always be the first place to get updates. I'm also considering making video devlogs in the future that will showcase more art and gameplay, especially as I shift toward games that have more action, so you can also follow the YouTube channel!

Again, I cannot thank everyone enough for their continued support and enthusiasm!! I'm really grateful to Rob for jumping into the abyss with me on this one. The game wouldn't be what it is without his help! All the cheerleading from followers as we worked on it and now, all of the comments about how the game has touched or inspired folks has been so, so amazing to hear. Thank you everyone!!

Finally, one last Ekubo for the road.

Thank you everyone, see you next time!

[slaaverin]

It doesn't matter who's name is on the deed or the address location or multiple addresses, really if you think about it, Jikook have never not lived together/cohabitated together in some way. They always find a way. From sharing a dorm when they were trainees and even a bed back then, since Jk spent more time in Jimin's than his own, to being the last two to leave the house & growing up and getting "separate" places, but for some reason those two still having sleepovers at each other houses, as nearly 30 year old men and tell us about it. To hotel rooms and staying in each other's room more than with other members, in and out all day, 3 times a day and at 1 am always together where other members joke its Jk's room when its actually Jimin's, to bedroom & bed sharing on personal trips they've taken together, to now Room sharing in the military for almost 18 months now. The location & address may change or differ sometimes, but in the end, the togetherness in one place, is what has remained the same for years. And I think it's something alot of people overlook, when wow that is just so special and really tells you all you need to know about how close they are. We see members doing shows together alone or with friends out of BTS and its Jikook doing a show together. We see members living their separate lives in their separate houses on a documentary and its Jikook together in Jimin's house cooking. It's members enlisting separately and Jikook enlisting together. Jikook even sending joint gifts together from the military. And seems Jk still wants that togetherness for the next 50 years with Jimin, traveling the world. His words. And he has never ever said that about anyone else. I would say at this point, Jikook won't be looking back, no matter what kind of relationship they have, cause they have already overshared so much to go back. They just want normal it seems "hence oversharing" when they don't need too. Who knows, maybe one day they will live together. Maybe as besties, roommates, or more, cause these two can't seem to stay away from each other, no matter how hard they try. Wouldn't be the first time. I kinda don't see them living with other people either tho, cause Jk is out here planning for Jimin to travel with him for 50 plus years. That alone says commitment, when you think about it, even Jimin was taken back lol but he agreed and wants that too. And if they don't do any of that, it still won't change anything. Whatever they have is special and its unbreakable. Good for them. We shall see what happens.

Yes, yes, yes.

They also spent 18 months together yet still manage to spend even more time together during their vacation.

That level of commitment and closeness is completely unheard of. Not only in kpop but in real life. It's very rare and quite astonishing.

But I agree, there will be no going back. They already shared so much, they already reinforced that they would choose each other over and over until they are 50 (and more!) in their heads they appear quite sure of themselves and their relationship.

It's my opinion but this great change that is most likely to come, all those deep discussions they had about how they wanna live, it can all lead to one only conclusion: being themselves even more, letting go of fear, being unapologetic about where their hearts want to lead them.

Because anything else would be going backwards and that's usually not how consciousness works. People can experience setbacks and regress for a while, yes, but usually the direction is up. Everything they've done so far is very gradual and soft in a way. Over the years we got more and more until AYS and enlistement. So the next "natural" thing to happen next would be expansion (but the form will depend, it could mean anything.)

The heart wants what it wants, and to go against it is far more difficult than going with the flow of it. I believe that's why they had "no choice" but to follow their heart for all those years and be this open. The other option would have been way too painful.

I don't know what the future holds, we are not in their heads, but from everything we know from them, I think it's safe to expect a few things most likely to happen.

Whatever the circumstances (living arrangements, schedule) they will find ways to spend time together, that's pretty much a given. And I don't think they will want to repeat a separation like in 2023 if they can avoid it because clearly that year was a bit hard on them both.

So whether with new content such as AYS, collabs, living together, or something else we don't even think of, they will remain intertwined.

Honestly, this service probably did a lot of good to their relationship. They spent 18 months with the other being their one true support system without fame's distractions and they had all the time to have soul-deep discussions about where they are at (10 years of relationship is also a good point to reassess things) what they truly want, what they want their relationship to look like and how they want to include it in their lives, also how much a priority it is for them. I believe all of this must have been discussed and it's a very good thing.

They were also there for each other in an obviously quite challenging environment and it can do nothing else but to bring them even closer.

Perhaps it helped them come to quite enlightening realizations about what they truly want. That's my theory. And depending on this realization, conclusions, and plans that come from it, it could really go in two ways.

First, this will to be intertwined will remain and they will find ways to make it happen, reinforcing for us what we already knew and continuing on this same path of gradual openness and sharing while still remaining careful as they've always done.

OR, and that's my recent theory, perhaps the realization, the will of the heart, the leap in consciousness is bigger than what we imagined, and it spurts them to make a bigger change, something bolder, something we don't even envision and that can truly shake things up in ways we didn't expect. That's also a possibility. I keep in mind the Wheel of fortune in Blue's reading and spirit turning the wheel. It could mean a lot of different things. I don't know what exactly and how it will look like in practicality, but I guess we will find out soon.

The first live will be perhaps the most important thing to look closely to because it will give us A LOT of information, and then we'll be able to speculate further. (Isn't it fun to speculate? It's fun!)

Whatever happens, I'm not too worried, as you said their bond is unbreakable, maybe even more now, so whatever route they decide to take it will all be fine.

Of course I'm still very curious to see what enfolds 👀 I feel like a child at christmas ready to receive presents lmao

It's hard to be patient. But we must 😭

Maybe it's good to have quiet time now, to prepare, because once it will be going there will be no stopping. And trust me its gonna be INTENSE. So let's buckle up.

Thank you and take care anon 💜

[mrspark7777777]

The translation though

https://x.com/cFCKBtshEFcVgx0/status/1821583637718192150

does it make sense? I can’t grasp it, because it almost feels backwards. But really the gist is they weren’t free to meet up at the same time, a bit like what you said before about distractions. I almost felt that last year there was some self imposed ban on seeking each other, especially going to he others promotions, which is why when JK is free he didn’t go to music bank to see JM like Yoongi or on a show with him, or like Hobi to see the mv filmed, like they did it on purpose? I’m probably not making sense, but as in to lay low as best they could with impending enlistment, not that they weren’t seeing each other but not overtly or maybe not enough quality time?

Thanks for the ask my lovely. I've addressed some of this here but sure, let's talk about this too. Just like OP said;

Its been established JK had a hard time during FACE era. His boyfriend was MIA, he didn't see him much, it took a toll. A toll Jimin was very aware of. My friends and I were just talking about this and we agreed AYS could be a result of Jimin's guilt. Him wanting to make it up to JK. I also believe what happened with JK during that time was the reason why they applied to enlist together.

Jimin loves to joke and make fun and he loves to make us happy but he loves to make JK happy even more. Say what you will about him but he priorities JK's needs and always has. This travel show, we will enjoy the hell out of it and have a great time, but Jikook needed this. They needed this escape and if they could only get away but portraying it as work, then thats exactly what they were going to do.

So yes anon, you're correct. The operative word here is enough. They talked of course, but not enough. They spend time together of course, just not enough. They were busy, they needed to behave while waiting to see if they would be approved for the buddy system, and so they didn't get to enjoy eo as much as they would have loved to.

It's as simple as that

During 3D era JK said Jimin kept coming up to him and singing "pweuriri" clearly that means they were spending time together. In a live he talked about Jimin rearranging his lights at his home. Then just recently Jimin told RM him and JK drink alot and talk about music. I mean, these are just 3 examples and they sure as hell didn't happen via osmosis.

They saw eo, they talked, of course they fucking did. Think hickeygate. When it doubt, think hickeygate. They couldn't outright tell us what happened and therefore manipulated the truth or rather didn't give us the whole story. That has and will always be an ongoing theme with Jikook: a gay couple in the closet. Go back to that scene and watch JK during this conversation. At some point he does this thing where he's like scratching his neck but you can tell there is no itch. That to me was a sign that there was more to the story.

So just think hickeygate and go from there. There is more to Jikook than meets the eye...

[peachjagiya]

You know what?

I did it.

Lets find out how much Tae didn't want to be there/was on his phone/was not involved, shall we?

Note 1: y'alls keep saying "Except for episode 1" but no, I'm not going to discount the bit that proves you wrong. You don't get to pick and choose what bits of his expended energy to consider when these episodes happened over 3 consecutive days.

Note 2: I have considered "not involved" to be any time he isn't with JK or Jimin or both.

Note 3: You can't measure "looks like he doesn't want to be there". It's subjective. So I have noted where his energy is dipped or doesn't match the other two.

Note 4: As we're in the business of assuming every word is accurate representation of feelings, I've included where Tae expresses joy and happiness that the trip is happening.

Note 5: These numbers are obviously simply what we saw on screen but that's what we have to go with. You can make logical assumptions but for the purpose of this, I have not.

Note 6: This is ridiculous and I fundamentally don't agree that any of them need to be on screen at all times to prove their interest to us. But asks like this really spurred me on:

The arrogance.

Anyway. Numbers:

Episode 1

🐻 After the intro where he has not yet been introduced, Tae is present in activity for all but 1m17s, just 2%, of the episode run time.

🐻 But those 1m17s are when Jimin is being filmed and we know Tae was in the restaurant with JK and in the pool with JK at those moments. So Tae is actually present in conversation or activity with either JK or Jimin or both for 100% of what the show presents as chronological events.

🐥 Incidentally, those Jimin moments were Jimin choosing to be on his own, first looking at the sea and then not being in the pool with JK and Tae.

🐥 Jimin also sleeps for 4m24s of screentime. In terms of not being involved, Jimin is uninvolved in conversation or activity with another member for 10% of the episode.

🐥 But it's important to remember Jimin was not well. We give him that allowance as a human being with bodily function that sometimes does not align with what is required for their work. Jimin was ill. If we assume he slept because he was not well, he actually only misses 1m17s through choice. That's just 2%.

🐰 JK was either showering or motorbiking any time he wasn't with one or both of the other two. He really pulls double duty these three episodes.

Episode 2

🐻 Taehyung is not involved in activity or conversation with another member for 14m9s or 20% of the episode.

🐻 That 20% comprises:

Being too stuffed to swim.

Going to bed early.

Being on a call at the cafe - organising his training workout for the next morning

While JK and Jimin were diving - he was unwell at this point; kinetic tape visible on his neck.

While JK and Jimin are snorkelling - unwell. See above.

While JK and Jimin are on the net drawing the shark

🐻 That seems a lot! But at 5m36s he first complains of neck pain, then at 26m17s the next morning he says he has a neck cramp.

🐻 So 7m9s or 10% are times when he is too hurt to be involved or is taking/making a call.

🐻 By choice ie; being too stuffed to swim, going to bed early and not laying on the net with them at first, he's not present for 7m or 10% of the screentime.

🐻 At the cafe, they all three look shattered. JK says he wants to sleep, as does Jimin. Tae is chilling in exactly the same manner as them. He also does a little skit as server when he's giving JK his drinks and then he's shown laughing - with JK - at something we don't see happen on screen.

🐻 He says a few things that suggest he's enjoying himself:

At 2m24s he says "It's so great travelling with you guys. Lets do this more often."

After snorkelling while they eat ramyeon, "This is great."

When he joins Jimin and JK on the net, "I love this."

🐻 You can hear Tae singing to himself over the headset as they ride to the boat. There's no numbers attached here, I just thought it was sweet.

🐻 What about "constantly on his phone" though...

At 42m21s he sends a message on his phone and puts it back in his pocket. He talks to Jimin as he does this.

At 42m30s he again sends a message on his phone and again puts it back in his pocket.

He makes a call in the cafe. He's talking to someone about when the workout finishes and that it's an indoor gym. This is probably the workout he booked for the morning.

At 55:49, he is shown on his phone while he's sitting out of snorkelling and then puts it aside and gets up to watch JK and Jimin snorkel.

Approximately 7s of phone time we see though we can guess more on the boat. But we don't see it so we won't assume.

Episode 3

🐻 This is his most detached episode. He spends 25% of it separately at times when the other two are together.

🐻 This includes:

He disappears from the BBQ restaurant for 1m34s. Jimin is also gone for this time. Discounted because all were not together. Any time when Tae is not the only one missing has been discounted.

Tae disappears briefly for 12s

Tae is unaccounted for while Jimin plays with cat and JK plays with dog for 2m11s. He does point the cat out to them but he could well have done it as he walked past.

In bed and then at gym for 5m32s

Napping at house for 6m31s. Jimin is also asleep for 2m16s. Subtracted Jimin's nap from Tae's time.

🐻 Phone time wise, he picks his phone up for 47s or 1% of episode time.

🐰 However JK uses his phone for 2m21s of the episode whilst in back of car. That's contrary to the TKK assertion that JK only used his phone in NYC and Sapporo, for the record. 👍

🐥 Jimin uses his phone as he's laying in the kitchen while JK cooks. He goes from sitting with it to laying on his back with it. Half of this he converses with JK while he's on phone, as Tae did at BBQ place.

🐻 At end of episode, he says he "felt like a kid again."

🐻 His energy does drop for the third episode. It's undeniable. But this guy wakes early and goes to work out - a planned early work out suggests it might have been important for some reason - and then the next time we see him, he's fighting sleep to the point where he drops off in the car.

🐥 Remember that Jimin fought sleep in episode 1 of Jeju and finally gave in for his little terrace nap. In the run up to him dozing, he was a little low energy too.

🐻 Of the seven activities they engaged in - swimming x 3, climbing, go karts, snorkelling, fishing - Tae didn't partake in two of them due to his neck. Jimin missed one. Jimin also doesn't climb as much as Tae and JK but he was not feeling his best either. JK took part in all.

🐻 All told, there is 16% of the whole show where Tae isn't involved. For a "guest", that seems a pretty big contribution.

Well. Do what you will with this information. You might think I'm biased so you're welcome to do your own analysis obviously. But you now know that I personally think you live in a house of lies, anonymous Tae haters.

[milksnake-tea]

Dunno if you've ever answered an ask like this before, but do you mind telling us about your mutuals?

Rather, their writing styles and how they interact (No pressure if this sounds like I'm intruding on a boundary or something, I've noticed that you reblog a lot of works and I'm trying to find more fic writers from HSR and Genshin to support, but sometimes it feels a little scary 😅)

HELP NO IT'S OKAY !!! no fear in asking, we love people like you <333 these are mainly the mutuals that i've read fics from so that i can actually tell you how they write but still. THIS IS GOING TO BE A LONG ONE STRAP IN FOLKS. if i forgot ygs im sorry oops... also sorry for the tag COUGHS (esp to the ppl i keep tagging when i get asked abt my moots BYE kawa skip mhie naru ren im so sorry i love you i swear)

@generalsmemories

NARU !!! ONE OF MY FIRST EVER HSR MOOTS AND ONE OF THE WRITERS I LOOK UP TO THE MOST. her writing style is very scenic?? if i were to describe it, it's very dreamy and whimsical and it's like reading a fantasy book. very descriptive but not so descriptive that you're eating fancy words. she's jing yuan centric but occasionally writes for others such as dan heng and sunday! she's honestly very very silly when it comes to interaction, like in an older sister way <33 she talks like an aesthetic if that makes sense

@inarvii

skip has a very elegant feel to her writing like LORD. it's giving noble/fantasy thriller enemies to lovers but in a writing style i love her prose and how she really makes you feel the vibe of a scene. she's really kind and sweet, gives older sister vibes lowkey

@k9wa

kawa is like me but x497842389 cooler and with a lot better grasp on characters. you want proper characterization? you want big brain ideas? GO TO HIM. his writing feels theatric, like a movie or a play. it's so descriptive and he does an amazing job at describing action and characters and GRGRGRGR

@luvether

lord i dont know if its okay to tag you but uhm. hi waves hand 😭😭 honestly i haven't interacted w kou much but from what i can tell she's really nice!! BUT I HAVE READ HER WRITING. AND LAWRD. her writing feels like little snapshots of life, you feel like you're actually like. THERE. she always has the biggest brain of ideas i swear and i highly recommend her writing. mostly fluff with a touch of angst, one of my favorites fr !!

@emiken-070907

hi emi. bet you didn't expect to get tagged here huh. but you have one hsr fic and that's enough for me to slap you onto here and promo you (it's on ao3 and it's not an x reader, but it is a tragedy yanqing timeskip!!! i beta read for that btw flips hair (i still need to edit im so sorry emi please)). as for interaction, she is silly asf. TO ME PERSONALLY? shes like the ratty little sibling that you want to throw out the window but would also kill for. has great vibes over all, she's so sweet but sometimes shes a lil shit so. yeah. idk how she acts to followers but she is like that to ME. but she is full of whimsy and glee so there's that

@rainswept

edgar allan poe incarnate over here??? HELLO??? crow is. her writing is RAW. like okay this is going to get a bit gorey but they write like a freshly opened wound, it's vulnerable, it's poetic, it's pure imagery and i LOVE it. also another goofy moot. i think like just attracts like atp

@tragedy-of-commons

gwen is an absolute SWEETHEART. very silly. BUT THEY'RE SO SWEET. her writing is literally sunlight put into literary terms, if that makes sense. it's warm, comfy, and cozy (except when she kills you in the arms of your favorite character. which she has done) and i highly recommend her writing for a comfy read <3

@iceunhie

mhie is a HATER OF THE HIGHEST ORDER jk i love her she just bullies me GOODBYE 😭 mhie gives off older sister vibes, a lot of people (including me HELP) see her as intimidating but she's really sweet once you get to know her. or she calls you milk. who knows. ANYWAYS genuinely one of the people i look up to most, she always gives amazing feedback on writing and her own writing??? the prose??? she's a master at it. knows how to really elevate a piece and it's just really easy on the eyes. she's also a research writer, her jiaoqiu fic utilizes chinese proverbs and terminology and i think that's really neat <3

@st6rly

hi bottom beta. okay wait sorry you have a reputation i forgot ANYWAYS. SOL IS SUCH A SILLY GOOSE. i love him. BUT HE IS SO GOOFY AND I MEAN THAT IN A POSITIVE WAY. i haven't read that much about what sol writes unfortunately since i'm no longer interested in genshin that much 😭😭 but i've heard good things !! definitely someone you wanna check out if you like good vibes :D

@lowkeyren

ren my pookiebear my LORD !!! resident aquila favonia haver (she has like 21 as of right now) and she serves every time she writes. always gets slapped onto my rec list because she's one of the few writers that genuinely have me kicking and giggling 😭 really cute, really tension filled, one of my favorite authors :))

@scribs-dibs

SUNNIII true to his name his writing feels just so warm and light, like a slice of life anime. very relaxing reads, at least from what i've seen !! very warm, really really cute <33 like the main one that ive read from him is that alhaitham jealousy fic and??? the characterization was ON POINT. i loved it so much (the switch up made me laugh) as for personality. HES FUNNY. LIKE HES STRAIGHT UP HILARIOUS I LOVE HIM GO CHECK HIM OUT I SWEAR ITS WORTH IT

@akutasoda

q has a very pretty vibe if that makes sense, i haven't read much from them but i can definitely say that their writing style is beautiful, like a meadow full of flowers or a quiet stream. they've always been kind to me in that sort of older sibling way, and they're someone that i would trust as an emergency contact. lots of genshin and hsr from what i've seen on my dash, so definitely go check them out!

@aviiarie

avery's on the more reserved side, at least from my point of view, or maybe that's because when i first met them they had a ferminet pfp. they're pretty chill and casual, and can i just say? their writing is very easy to read, it has great flow and i can just lose myself in the fic. like i don't see the words i see what the words are saying, if that makes sense. avery also focuses on platonic writing, although they have been writing some romance with furina!! my personal favorite work of theirs was that fic of arlecchino comforting her crying child because it made me feel so much better about my life at 9 am when i just woke up.

@vynicity

FELICITYYYY she's a mutual in my heart even tho apparently tumblr thinks i dont follow her. but i do. ANYWAYS. another person that i consider on the more reserved side, but she's been fun whenever we talked. can i just say. SHE IS SO GOOD AT WRITING AVENTURINE. there's this one fic down the line about him being drunk??? i think??? and I ATE THAT UP because the tension and atmosphere that she managed to create. just magnificent. she has an aventurine series up right now iirc (i still need to read the new chapter im so sorry feli) and the prologue was. a roller coaster so definitely go check her out!

@vxnuslogy

vee is literally bursting with ideas and by god does she put them to use. i always see them brainrotting or thinking of new ideas or things to write, literally one of the most creative people ive met. can be a little silly, but still a sweetheart <33 her writing is more formal than what i'm used to i'll admit, but still a delight to read nevertheless <33 very descriptive is how i'd describe it, like it feels like she's looking at the scene as shes writing it

@ughscara

ayame is like. the sweetest person i have ever met. like ill be here being a little shit and she'll still be an absolute sweetheart I ALMOST FEEL BAD BECAUSE SHE HAS TO DEAL WITH MY ASS BYE 😭😭 i just recently reblogged one of her works and it straight up feels like it came out of a fairytale, it was so light and sweet <33

[that-damn-fouth-chaosemerald]

May I request fluffy and romantic headcanons for protective Eclipse (Sun and Moon Show/Lunar and Earth Show) with a clingy female reader with she/her pronouns? <3 please and thank you! Have a lovely day ❤️

×A/N×

Well of course you can! I'm more than happy to write about Eclipse! ^-^

I just adore him! <3

Thank you for requesting and have a wonderful day you too! ❤

×❢ About my work ❢×

fluff, he/they pronouns for Eclipse, fem! Reader, literally no warnings, Eclipse is just being protective about his partner

Requested by: @ssunnybee

Fandom: The Sun and Moon Show

Character(s): Eclipse, You| (Y/N) |The Reader, Dark Sun (mentioned), Bloodmoon (mentioned), Ruin (mentioned), Sun (mentioned), Moon (mentioned), Earth (mentioned)

Ship(s): Eclipse / Reader

Form: Headcanons

[The artwork is not mine! The credit goes to @//kiwi_artz!]

𝑹𝒐𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒄 𝒉𝒄𝒔 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒕𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝑬𝒄𝒍𝒊𝒑𝒔𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒄𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒚 𝒇𝒆𝒎! 𝑹𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒆𝒓

• WAIT- before we begin I just want to congratulate about you managed to brought him into a relationship! Good job homie! Okay, no we can start it:

• There are some times that Eclipse gets jealous, however, your health is more important to him than his stupid feelings. Don't get me wrong, he gives you freedom, he won't overreact and he isn't paranormal. It's nothing toxic.

• However, he can get a little overprotective. I mean- do you blame him? Many people left him and betrayed him. He would be alone again without you. He is so happy and greatful that you're here, he doesn't want to lose you (or you to leave him). He also knows that this dimension has a lot of trouble and danger. He just wants to make sure of your safety...

• He usually doesn't let you go on missions. If he does, then he'll be very stubborn to come with you.

• "Leave this one for Sun and Moon, okay? You don't need to be there, hon."

• Also, I don't really recommend to go missions without telling him. You can lose a lot of his trust for you.

• He's not an outgoing guy. He mostly spends his time in his lab, around Earth or in the house of yours two.

• But when it comes to you, he'll be right beside you. (Dude he is in whole f-cking body guard mod/jk) Ruin and Bloodmoon are currently out somewhere and they already kidnapped and hurt others. Do you think it's safe for you to just walk alone around the pizzaplex? No. And don't forget about Dark Sun.

• He's willing to do everything for you. He'll even die like for the fifth time if he has to.

• He often ignores his feelings and he's sarcastic at times, but honestly this just makes him more entertaining.

• "Why did you came after me, Eclipse? I just went to buy a drink."

"Why? Because you didn't came back in atleast 10 minutes and you didn't answer my calls either! That's why! Now let's go back, I have drinks stored away."

• Also, now that I've mentioned calls, don't forget to check his messages! I think Eclipse would be that kind of boyfriend who needs to know where their partner's at. You got home safely? You're stopping by some shop? You'll hang out with someone? Please send a message to him!

• If you're on a trip, he'll call you often and and he'll probably won't be able to stop himself from saying that how muh he missed you (please say it back to him). Also, he might become a bit cuddly and touchy too! Oh, and he'll be very upset if he can't go with you, but he won't show that.

"Aww, were you worried for me this much? You're cute!" You said as you gave him small kisses. He didn't react anything, however, you couldn't ignore the sounds of his fans made — they're probably turning faster to keep Eclipse cool.

"Yeah?! I would gladly see how you would handle it if I was gone!" Eclipse spoke between the kisses as he wrapped his arms around your hips, pulling you more close to him. He clearly missed you, and he just couldn't live without the feeling of your small body against his anymore.

• He doesn't like socializing that much and he is more than tensed if random strangers start to chat with you. He'll become extremely upset and angry if the person doesn't want to leave you alone and they just keep bothering or start to touch your body without your permission. He'll most likely try to keep you close and frown at the person. *sigh* Why they have to be such a creeps...

(At the end please tell him he did good and you feel safer now!)

• He'll come with you, if you take night walks

• If there's something or someone that makes you uncomfortable to come out, he'll more than happy to take you by your hand and reside you

• Like I said, he usually calls you instead of watching you by cameras wherever you go, but if you're at the pizzaplex, where cameras all around the place, he'll use them. Don't get me wrong, he won't stalk you, however he checks them every now and then.

• Since the reader is clingy, I don't think he would mind your clinginess. He loves you very much and he wants to show it.

• However, do not take it too far! If you become too obsessed with him, he won't like that. He wants to be loved like a person, and not being treated by some occupied creep.

Please respect him, and show him affection and patience!