#bts chapter 3

[beautifulpersonpeach]

What do you think is gonna happen with BTS after military? Group longevity, I mean. Will they last? Because I get the feeling that after the mandatory comeback and tour things will get… tricky.

***

The members say they want to last until they're all well past retirement age, so who am I to say otherwise?

It's not like it's not possible, after all. Bands like U2, Coldplay, and Radiohead are still together and touring 20+ years later with most/all of the original line-up. Within k-pop, Shinhwa is technically still active 26 years later even if their performances have long downtime intervals these days.

Think I've said this before, but again, Chapter 3 will be everything we've seen in Chapter 2, supercharged. I assume the first thing on the agenda when BTS returns is an OT7 tour plus one or two OT7 albums. Concurrently or subsequently, solo projects (features, singles, EPs) for the members will continue within two years of BTS returning so they build on the momentum set up in Chap 2. I think its fair to assume a few years dedicated to group work, interspersed with solo projects in music, acting, design, producing etc, every seven years or so. I see things being intense for ~4 years immediately after their military service, before a more sustainable rhythm is set by the company/group.

Reading between the lines in HYBE's quarterly investor calls, the company (1) is desperate for cash and BTS is their primary cash cow; (2) intends to ruthlessly destroy their competition while they still have BTS locked up in exclusive contracts for the next 7 years.

It's anybody's guess on if BTS renews their contracts with HYBE in 2030. I'd imagine HYBE will offer any concession to keep the members so we'll see. There's also been some chatter about one or two members starting sub-labels in HYBE, and while that's an interesting possibility, it's still just chatter for now.

In the meantime, the fandom will only become more crazy so buckle up if you intend to be active in fandom spaces.

[jimin-bangtan]

A BTS Chapter 2 (3?) Idea!!

I call the era right after military service Chapter 3, but whatever you call it, an idea just popped into my head that excited me for some reason. I'm not sure if this is a great idea, but it came to me as I was listening to Fly To My Room. I would love if BTS did an album where one member wrote, developed, and/or produced a song for another member. Hear me out.

Suga has said he feels Jimin raps well, but Jimin doesn't fully agree. What if the members agreed to go with the instincts and suggestions of another member for this project? They trust each other, and they wouldn't have any intention of harming or embarrassing each other, right? They would be suggesting things they feel would make the other member shine or that they feel the other member would perform well, but it may not be something the said member would have thought to do or felt was a choice for himself. BTS always strives to put out quality material, so this would be no different. As with the solo era, the artist and the audience might be pleasantly surprised when accepting ideas outside of established comfort zones.

It reminds me of the time they styled each others' outfits. The whole album could be a mixture of songs like that, and not just solos but even subunits. The 'managing' member would pick the genre or style and even produce, or be involved in the production of, the song. The involved members could even write the song together. I think it would stretch each of them artistically from both directions: the creator and the performer. And it doesn't just mean rappers do vocals, and vocalists do rap. It could be simply a style of music, still within their vocal comfort. Picture Jimin doing a Reggae-styled song or V doing a Latin-themed song or Suga doing some Blues. I'm not good at this, but you get the idea, right?

I'm also not saying the artist would have no veto power. In my scenario, it would be somewhat collaborative but leaning more to the decisions of the managing member. Would it be too much to say the manager would also get to design the stage for said venture? Ok, maybe I'm getting carried away, but I told you it kind of excited me. 🙂

I'm not saying this would be a good first product right after military, but I have written before that I hope in this next chapter they do use the diversity shown and/or discovered during the solo era to do more varied solo work within the BTS song catalog , different genres, more diverse subunits, etc. [See my BTS's Solo Chapter, 4-part series for more.]

What do you think? Do you have other ideas for BTS?

[namchyoon]

day 325/547 until joon returns cr. jung-koook

[taestefully-in-luv]

Our Time | JJK (Three)

Summary: After an accident and being in a coma for three months, you finally wake. But the last nine years of your life have been completely erased. You rely on none other than your best friend, Jungkook, to help regain your memories and yourself. But what happens when the truth of your missing time starts unraveling and it isn’t all it’s made out to be?

Pairing: Jungkook x Fem Reader (Detective!Jk x Graphic Designer!OC) side pairing: Seokjin x Reader

Genre: crime au, fluff, heavy angst, smut, romance, darker themes, amnesia au. Best friends to ???

Word Count: 12.8k

Warnings: swearing, frustrations of amnesia, mentions of sex dream, mentions of alcohol

a/n: an important chapter 🤭 please let me know what you think! Send an ask if you want to be added to the taglist or just want to chat :]

© taestefully-in-luv

Previous --- Next

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You are aware that everyone has something like a telltale tic that gives them away when they lie. Body language speaks louder than we think. Whole conversations happen with just the body alone. Arguments, comfort, affection, sex and even a fist to the face. The body speaks even when our mouths refuse. 

You’ve been told all your life that when you lie you always avoid eye contact and shrug awkwardly. Even with knowing that information, you still do it. Because your body speaks for you. Just like how you’ve told Jungkook for years that when he lies he always, without realization, touches or tugs at the skin of his neck while he speaks. His body moves on its own to speak without him having to do it himself. 

Of course there are times you don’t catch it. Heat of the moment, you can’t always observe every little detail and pick up on someone’s body language. But there are times when you do.

Jungkook has been quiet with you since he practically dragged you out of his apartment. No matter how gently he pulled you away from that place, you know when you’re not welcomed somewhere. The drive to your house is only five minutes—if that—but it feels like an eternity of dreaded silence. But his body is speaking. And it’s asking you not to ask any questions. 

It’s too bad that don’t have the patience for that. 

Having patience has never been a trait you’ve had and you doubt that’s changed in nine years either. 

“Jungkook.” You say his name as softly as you can but he still flinches, knuckles turning white from his grip on the steering wheel.

He lightly clears his throat before glancing your way, though his eyes never meet yours. “What’s up?” 

“Do you…” You keep your gaze on him, determined to get at least some answers to what you just saw. “Do you really live there?”

Jungkook’s grip stays the same, his body not tensing more nor tensing less. He expected this question. He keeps his eyes on the road as he answers you, “Yeah.” 

Truth.

“Oh.” You nod slowly, his answer almost throwing you off guard. You didn’t really plan what to say if he answered with ‘yes’. “I’m surprised.” You say honestly, “It barely looks lived in.” 

You watch Jungkook carefully but he stays the same. Tense, expectant, worried. 

You keep going, “Ah, but you are mostly having meals with me at my house so I guess that makes sense. You’re more at my place than yours, huh?” You tilt your head cutely, giving him the indication that you’re trying to lighten the mood and make him more comfortable. 

It works. Your eyes go to his hands and you see how his grip loosens and he’s nodding his head, though it looks hesitant. “Yeah, exactly.” He tells you but his eyes stay on the road still.

You nod, smile appearing on your face. “Exactly.” You repeat. 

He relaxes more as he turns into your neighborhood and he finally glances at you, eyes on yours for the first time since the apartment and he actually gives you a timid smile. 

You’ll take it. For now. But your curiosity is only growing. You know so much is being kept from you and it feels deeper than you first assumed. Jungkook is proving that. You have questions but you’ll have to be smart about how to get your answers.

“Hey,” You start conversation again, gently speaking once more and thankfully, Jungkook doesn’t flinch this time. He only turns his head to look at you for a second, raising his brows before his eyes go back to the road ahead. “Why don’t we still go to the park for ice cream?”

“Oh?” He looks a little surprised. You wonder if he’s surprised because you’re letting this entire apartment thing go. “You want to?”

“Mhm.” You lean back in the seat, legs stretching in front of you. “I read doing as many things as possible could help with this amnesia thing.” You didn’t actually read that but it sounds believable. “Let’s go or what?” You just want him to relax and smile again. 

Jungkook is quiet for a moment, his teeth lazily chewing his lips before he nods. “Yeah, that sounds good.” And then he releases a long breath and you swear you can see his nerves releasing as well. 

You study him for a moment longer, mind whirling in questions and assumptions. But you won’t allow yourself to come to any conclusions.

Not yet.

~

“I can’t believe I’m not friends with Jaewon anymore. I really thought we would be tight forever.” You say right before licking your double scoop ice cream. “Did we have a falling out?”

Jungkook chuckles, “Not at all. He got a girlfriend, moved to France and I think he’s been married for a while. I know they have two kids together.”

“Jaewon has children?!” You look at Jungkook, expressing your disbelief. “I remember when he and I went around looking for these adorable stickers that came with some snack to finish his impressive collection and,” You pause to lick your ice cream again. “He found only one cake left at the same time as these two kids. They were clearly wanting the stickers too. So I said, ‘hey why don’t we just give it to them?’ you know, because they’re just little kids. But he looked me dead in the eye and said ‘fuck them kids.’ And now he’s a father.” You snort, “Truly amazing.”

Jungkook laughs with you, “Isn’t it?”

“I’ll have to stalk him on Instagram when I remember.” You say while mindlessly licking your ice cream again before you remember another old friend. “What about Seri? Are we still friends with her?”

“Seri?” Jungkook tries to hide a peculiar smile. “Were you ever really friends with her?”

“I mean, kind of?” You shrug. “I’m guessing we aren’t close then?”

“y/n,” Jungkook hides his teasing smile behind his ice cream cone. “You never liked her.”

“What? Yes I do. She just annoyed me sometimes.” You quietly huff out, looking defensive.

“Why is that?”

“You know why,” You roll your eyes, bumping into his side. “Sometimes she took her crush on you too far. Like, it’s cool that she likes you—well, liked—but sometimes she made it her entire personality.”

“Uh huh.”

“I’m serious! She is great other than that.”

“Uh huh.”

“Okay, wouldn’t you get annoyed too? I remember one time I was sick and instead of asking me if I was okay she asked if you were free to hang out then?!” 

Jungkook laughs at this, head thrown back before he shakes it. “That’s hilarious.”

“Sure.” You look displeased. “She has other good qualities though.” 

“Oh, y/n, y/n, y/n.” Jungkook puts a hand on your shoulder and he spills a little secret. “It’s okay, you don’t need to pretend. One time you admitted to me how you truly feel about her.”

You stop walking and he stops too, blinking at him in surprise. “I did?”

“Mhm,” He drops his hand and starts walking again, urging you to follow. “Years ago.”

“Oh.” You nod your head, feet moving again. “In that case, yeah, she also chewed with her mouth open all the freaking time. She talked way too much during movies and not to mention, she tried hooking me up with her brother! And we all knew he was trash.”

“Wait, Seri tried hooking you up with her brother?! He is literally in jail now.” Jungkook looks peeved, “You never told me that. Why didn’t you tell me that?”

“I don’t know.” You shrug. “I think I planned on it. But wait, why is he in jail?”

“He’s a fucking creep.” Jungkook says, annoyed. “He paid for prostitution, got mixed up in drugs…honestly, the list goes on.” 

“Well, not surprised.” 

“None of us were.” Jungkook agrees, “But anyway, back to Seri.”

“You know she told me that you two made out at Misuk’s 22nd birthday party. I always meant to ask you about it.” You mention this as easygoing as possible. “So did you guys? If so, you definitely made her dreams come—”

“—You definitely did ask me about this,” Jungkook cuts you off, his tone is lighthearted. “Much later, but yeah, you asked.”

“Oh.”

He glances at you and smiles, “I was never interested in Seri. You know me, I didn’t hook up with anyone I wasn’t seriously interested in.”

“I guess.” Your eyes trail across the park, landing on a pond nearby. “Oh! Let’s go over there.” You point at the small body of water before continuing your conversation, “Anyway, what’s Seri up to now?”

“No clue. I don’t follow her on anything.” He hums, “But do you remember her friend Mijoo?”

“Mijoo…wait, the girl who was dating the guy that Subin is into? Wait, I mean was into since she clearly isn’t anymore. You know, with a whole marriage coming up.” 

“Yeah!” Jungkook’s fingers wrap around your wrist to lead you to the pond, “You like this side of the pond better.” He tells you as he guides to the other side where some trees are. “Anyway, Mijoo ended up marrying that guy. But the point is, she works at the company you work at. You two aren’t close but I think you were acquaintances before you started working from home.”

“Oh.” You nod in understanding, “That’s cool!”

Jungkook is offering information about your life. Maybe because he believes it’s harmless.

You two stroll through tall grass that sways left to right, completely abandoning the concrete path. The sun is setting now, the sky a mix of pinks and purples while the sun is a deep, glowing orange. You and Jungkook finish off your ice creams before getting closer to the water.

“It’s pretty, right?” Jungkook stares out over the calm water. “We can see the sun set here.”

“Do we come here often? It kind of feels familiar.” You admit to him, heart picking up but you can’t place why.

Jungkook doesn’t tear his eyes off the sky or the water, his mind figuring out an answer when he settles for, “Sometimes.”

Truth.

“Do you…” You focus on the feeling in your chest. You can’t tell if it’s discomfort or if it just feels unknown. “Do you like it here?” You ask, voice quieter than before. You aren’t sure why you even asked that, really.

Jungkook’s chest stops moving. Like he is suddenly holding his breath and it doesn’t go unseen by you. “I don’t know.” He finally answers. Tongue pushing against his cheek and you know, like usual, it means he doesn’t intend to elaborate. 

“Then—”

Suddenly, Jungkook chuckles to himself. “—By the way, when you were like 27 you got us kicked out of a bar.”

“Huh?” You stare at him, his eyes still on the water. “Why did I get us kicked out?” And why is he bringing it up?

“Some random guy tried to fight me.” He shrugs like it’s no big deal. “I didn’t even notice that he had beef with me. Anyway, you noticed.” He cracks a smile. “And you tried to fight him in my honor or something.”

You stare at him, bewildered. “No way.”

“I’m serious,” He turns his head to face you, big smile growing on his lips. “You hated the way he talked to me, I guess. And before I knew it you were pushing him and claiming he was going to hit me.” He starts cracking up. “I had no idea, seriously.”

“Wow, I am so cool.” You nod subtly, “Best friend of the century.”

Jungkook’s smile goes from big and wide to soft and shy. “You are.” Then he rolls his eyes. “But the guy was friends with the staff so they kicked us out instead of him.”

“Of course.” You roll your eyes too, giggling. 

You realize he isn’t just telling you things he believes would be harmless. No, that’s not it. He’s telling you things to compensate for the fact he’s not really telling you anything. He’s feeding you stories to distract from his own story. The one you’re more curious about and you know he knows that.

You both share a moment looking out at the pond. Water as calm and still as can be. The complete opposite of whatever is going on with your heart. There’s something about this place that feels so familiar but you can’t place it and it drives you crazy.

You only see the top half of the sun now, the bottom half dipped into the horizon and the sky is lacking as many colors as a dark and deep blue starts taking over and a few stars start to shine.

“This looks like the perfect place to share secrets.” The words spill mindlessly from your mouth before you feel your entire body go as still as the water. 

‘Doesn’t this place make you want to share secrets?’ ‘Oh? What secret should I share with you?’ ‘Something juicy.’ ‘How about the first time I—’ 

“y/n?” Jungkook’s voice interrupts your thoughts. “y/n…” His hand comes to your shoulder and you feel his worried gaze on you. But you can’t focus on that.

You’re trying to focus on breathing again.

What was that?

Sunset. Another sunset. Water. Ducks. Rain. Sunshine. You. Jungkook. Tree. 

You try to make sense of what you’re seeing in your head. The voices. Your voice. Jungkook’s voice. You and him. Here. 

You stare at the water, blinking fast now as you try to make sense of the images in your head. Suddenly, you’re breathing. But you’re breathing too much.

“Hey,” Jungkook steps in front of you, both hands on your shoulders. You find his eyes and you find comfort immediately. 

Was that your imagination? Did you remember something? Did you brain make that up? You swear that felt real…felt like it’s happened.

“J-Jungkook.” You feel the panic set in. Your lips tingle and your hands are growing sweaty. “I think I kind of…” You pause, mouth going so dry it feels impossible to speak. You urge yourself to calm down but you only feel anxious. This feels new—brand new—unknown and scary. 

“Hey, hey.” Jungkook rubs his fingers into your shoulders, “Okay, it’s okay.” He remains calm, his voice smooth and steady but the concern is evident in his eyes. “I’m here.”

You nod your head quickly, trying to let him know you understand but you feel lightheaded. “Please hug me.” You request almost silently. “Plea—”

Jungkook brings you close to him, your body melting against his. You inhale him as you breathe and his scent automatically gives you a sense of comfort but almost instantly it feels like ten different images start shooting through your brain. All hugs with Jungkook. All ten images are different scenarios of Jungkook’s arms wrapped around you. Even some you recognize…like the hug he gave you the day he thanked you for coming to his police academy graduation. And one hug you don’t recognize at all.

Overwhelmed, you push Jungkook away.

“Sorry, I just…” You mumble, eyes darting around the park. “I think I know this place.”

Jungkook tries his hardest not to frown but he does. “You’ve been here a lot.” He says, almost nervously. “I thought it would be a place to…” He stops, eyes falling to his empty hands. “There’s a lot of memories here so I thought—”

“—Are some of those memories not good?” You ask him, trying to keep your voice calm.

“Not every memory that lives lost in your head is a good one.” He says, his voice just as calm. “But I am here with you for every single one.” He lifts his eyes back to you. “I promise.”

For the first time, you don’t want to avoid a memory because it could be overwhelming. You’re suddenly wanting to stay away because you’re starting to gather that not everything is rainbows and sunshine. Not just your life but other’s lives as well. Your best friend for instance.

“Hey,” Jungkook walks closer to you again, his hands finding your hands. His fingers playing with your fingers and the touch feels like how you yearn for. You don’t remember it ever feeling this way. “I didn’t mean to scare you.” He says quietly, his voice only for you. “There are so many good things running around in your brain and I can’t wait for you to know them.”

You might be curious about a million things right now. But 24 year old you, with a huge crush on this man before you, has something else to be curious about.

What exactly is your relationship with Jeon Jungkook? Because this feels like something you know, you just don’t know it yet.

~

You know it has to be around 9pm by now. The sun has long set and the night sky is dark and cloudy but it feels nice. Jungkook parks in front of your house and you know his intention is to just drop you off because he doesn’t make a move to turn off the engine or take his seatbelt off. Usually it would be fine—going home by yourself for the night—but you imagine your best friend returning to his apartment and the thought makes your heart pinch.

“Want to stay the night?” You throw out the idea with obvious enthusiasm. “It’s Friday!”

“Stay the night?” He repeats your question quietly, eyes looking ahead. 

“Yeah.” You finally reach to unbuckle the seat belt that feels tight against your chest. “I don’t really want to hang out by myself. I’m still wide awake.” You try to give a solid reason. “You don’t want to keep being with me?”

Jungkook’s head immediately turns in your direction and his eyes are big and guilty on you. “No, no.” He shakes his head now, “That’s not…of course,” He pauses, gulping down his spit before continuing. “Of course I’d still love to be with you, y/n.” He tells you, eyes still looking guilty. “Is that what you want?”

You feel it’s a bit easier to breathe. Because the seatbelt is no longer caging you in? Or because he still wants to be with you? Either way, you’re content. “Yeah.” You say, nodding in the direction of your house. “Let’s go inside and have tea or something. We can watch a movie.”

Jungkook nods slowly, his fingers messing with the buckle of the seatbelt before he’s getting out of his own restraint. “Okay.” And then he’s turning off the car.

You both walk to your front door in silence, side by side and you feel a mix of emotions swirling inside your belly. You cringe at yourself and laugh internally because why does it feel like the kind of nerves you have after a first date? 

You walk slowly and so does he. He’s right next to you and you feel fucking nervous. And you know what doesn’t help? When his knuckles barely brush against yours on fucking accident and you both quickly bring your hands to yourselves. How strange. How awkward. But also, how interesting.

Once inside your home, you head to the kitchen to make some tea. Jungkook accompanies you but he’s only sitting at the counter, fingers laced on top as he stares down at his hands in silence. Since waking up from the coma, you have felt a strong, lingering sadness inside of Jungkook but lately, especially after today, you feel it’s only gotten stronger.

You blame yourself, of course. He’s your best friend and you know with everything that has happened that he’s taken it hard. You don’t blame him, you have lost nine years of your important friendship with him and you imagine that must be tough for him to live with. But what really worries you is that he lives alone in an apartment that feels like the furthest thing from a ‘home’ and he isn’t able to talk to you about it. Is he afraid he would overwhelm you?

“Here.” You slide a cup of tea across the granite countertop. “It’s hot, though.”

“Thanks.” He murmurs, eyes lifting to yours and you wish you could make the apparent sadness in them go away. 

You decide to lighten the mood with a small, teasing grin. “See? I can do things for you too!”

Jungkook’s big eyes only look more sad as he responds, “You always do things for me, y/n.”

“Ah really?” You keep your gaze on him, grin falling into a tender smile. “Like what? What’s something that I’ve done for you that I have no idea?”

Jungkook cracks a half smile, “You’re trying to get things out of me, huh?”

You respond with a smirk, “Tell me something harmless, Jungkook.” 

Jungkook hums out cutely, eyes narrowing before he reaches for the cup of tea and blowing on it, eyes locking with yours, taking his sweet time as you wait. 

“Oh, come on.” You place your elbows to the counter and lean your chin into your palms, “I can handle it.” 

“Okay.” He says before taking a small sip of the tea. “I was working really late one night…on a really important case.” Jungkook stares down at the cup of tea in his hands before setting it back down. A certain look flashes across his face but he shakes it off. “I was so stressed and you showed up out of nowhere. I swear, the only times Jimin smiled at work is when you’d show up.” He rolls his eyes at this, “But anyway, you showed up with takeout and homemade cookies. And you hung out with me for a while to kind of,” He pauses to think about it. “I don’t know, I think you just wanted to distract me from the stress for a while before I got back into work.”

“Homemade cookies?” You tilt your head, “Since when do I bake?”

He chuckles, “You got pretty good at baking.”

“Oh wow.”

“Anyway, I remember when I thought I finally got a good idea on how to crack the particular case and I didn’t even have to tell you anything.” He bites down onto his bottom lip, perhaps suppressing a smile. “I swear you saw the look on my face and you knew immediately. You left me to it and I got the furthest I had ever gotten. Anyway, I swear I wouldn’t have without you showing up that night to kind of get me out of my head so I could have fresh thoughts, I guess.”

“Wow, I’m amazing. I’m like your support detective.” You soften, dopey smile growing on your lips. “I should have become one too.” You say, obviously joking.

“Well, you’d be good at it.” He tells you, fingers wrapping around the warm tea cup again. “You’re the whole reason I wanted to become a detective, anyway.”

Your eyebrows climb up your forehead in genuine shock, “W-What?”

“Oh, right.” Jungkook’s eyes stay on the tea. “I didn’t tell you that until years later, huh?”

 You straighten your posture and point at yourself, “I’m the reason?”

Jungkook’s eyes stay lingering on the cup in his hands, “Yeah.”

“Can I ask why?”

He finally tears his eyes off the cup and looks at you with a smile, “I’d expect you to.”

You stare at him in complete awe, your dopey smile returning to your face. “Okay then—”

Suddenly, your phone is ringing in your pocket. You’re quick to slide it out and see who is calling you and you glance at Jungkook in apology when you show him the screen to show Misuk is calling. 

“Hello?” You answer on the fifth ring.

“Hey!” Misuk sings out, “Sorry it’s kind of late but Subin and I were thinking of having breakfast at that café she likes. Want to come? Like 10ish?”

“Oh,” You look at Jungkook again, his attention on the tea. “Yeah, that sounds nice. Can Jungkook come too?” You ask, innocence in your voice but Jungkook looks up at you immediately, worry in his eyes before he’s shaking his head. 

“Umm,” Misuk is quiet on the other end for a moment before continuing, “I was thinking it could be a girls thing?”

“Since when did we only do girls stuff and exclude—”

“It’s okay.” Jungkook whispers to you, head still shaking. 

“Fine,” You keep your eyes on him, “Girls thing it is.”

“It’ll be fun! The three of us!” Misuk tells you, “I’ll text when I’m on the way in the morning. See you then.”

“Okay, see you. Bye.” You lower the phone from your ear, pressing the ‘end’ button before placing your phone on the counter. “Sorry, it’s a girls thing.”

“It’s okay!” Jungkook gives you a trying smile. “You should spend time, just you three. They’ve missed you, too.”

“Yeah,” You nod at him. “I guess you’re right.”

“Should we watch a movie now?” Jungkook stands from the stool, taking his cup of tea with him. 

“Ugh, another movie to spark a memory, huh?” You watch as he makes his way to the living room, your feet dragging behind him. 

Jungkook turns only for a moment, “No. An old movie we both love. A movie you already know.”

You can guess why, but the pressure to not try hard to remember something you’re supposed to know suddenly makes you feel so much lighter. And Jungkook probably knows you’ve had enough for the day. “Perfect.” You answer, “That sounds perfect.”

~~~

Waking up drenched in sweat in not how you expected to greet this Saturday morning’s sun. You lay here, eyes wide and on the ceiling trying your hardest to replay the dream you just had. You aren’t laying here trying your best to rewatch a nightmare. No, that’s not why you woke up with sweat gathered at your hairline and a racing heartbeat. You’re trying so hard to replay every little detail of this dream because it was hot. Steamy, sexy hot. Not hot as in heat and that’s why you’re sweating. 

You close your eyes, images of the dream swarming behind your eyelids. Hands. Hands all over you. Lips. Lips all over you. Tongue. Tongue all over you. Your eyes spring open again, your chest still heaving from the dream as you try to dive back into it. But the dream is fading. And it’s fading fast. Suddenly, you can’t remember any of the details anymore. And it pisses you off. 

After showering and getting ready for your breakfast hang out with the girls, you quietly slip out of your bedroom. You walk through the hall and you stop dead in your tracks when you spot Jungkook. He’s innocently sleeping on your sofa, mouth slightly hung open as soft snores escape. He looks peaceful. You swallow hard, your fingers smoothing down your blouse as you keep watching him. 

How would Jungkook feel knowing you just had a very steamy sex dream about him? His hands, his lips, his tongue. Lucky for him—and lucky for you—you don’t remember too much about it anymore. But you know the dream happened. But as much as you wish you could remember every little detail and play it in your mind on repeat to fulfill some delusional fantasy of yours…you’re actually glad that it can’t distract you for the rest of the day.

Because it fucking would.

You check the time on your phone.

9:32am

You need to head out. You take one last look at sleeping Jungkook before turning on your heels to grab your purse, shoes and keys to your car. You have yet to drive your own vehicle so it’ll feel a bit fun—brand new car to you—and Dr. Lee says you can drive short distances now.

You pull into the same café that Subin brought you to that one time, eyes on the lookout for a parking spot but it is Saturday morning and it’s looking busy. Finally, after driving in circles, you see someone pulling out and you rush to take the free spot. 

Inside the café is just as busy as the parking lot. Tons of full tables, servers running around in panic about some wrong order and the hostess remaining calm as customers complain about the long wait. Luckily, Subin and Misuk got here before you and they already have a table. Somewhere near the back again, by the bathrooms. 

You spot Subin, waving her hands around with a huge smile on her face. You return her smile while walking closer to the table that her and Misuk are at. 

But you run into someone—literally.

“Oh sorry!” You apologize quickly, “I—” You stop speaking when the same feeling as last time comes back to haunt you. You glance down at the name tag again.

Nabi.

“Oh…no, no.” She shakes her head, smile on her lips. “It’s okay. Really…it’s okay…” She tells you, her eyes suddenly looking everywhere but you. Her voice is soft and kind. And so fucking familiar. 

“You’re the one who served us last time.” You tell her, trying your best to make eye contact. “You probably don’t remember—”

“—Ah, no. I remember.” Nabi finally looks at you and there is undeniable kindness in her eyes as well but there is also something else. She glances around again, her eyes going to other tables, to the windows, behind her, behind you…before she finally looks at you again. You see concern in her eyes. “Have a lovely meal.” She says quickly, bowing her head before walking off. 

Weird.

You shake off the familiar feeling before approaching the table your friends are at.

“Hey!” You call out, still a feet few away before you’re pulling a free chair out and sitting down. “This place is poppin’, huh?” You say while glancing around. 

“Yeah.” Subin agrees right away, “Crazy, right? It’s only been open for like, what? Two years probably? I saw a Tik Tok about it and had to check it out.”

“Not even going to ask about whatever Tik Tok is.” You mumble, eyes going down to the menu in your hands.

“I told you about it!” Subin whines, “You need to download it!”

“Eh,” You shrug. “33 year old me is off social media apparently. I’m trying to respect her wishes.” You joke, eyes scanning the menu when you see an omelet that catches your eye.

“And how is 24 year old you liking that?” Misuk chuckles, “Are you surviving?”

“Somehow I am.” You laugh as well before your mind thinks of something else…”Hey…do you guys know why I deleted my social media?” You look up from your menu, “I didn’t think much of it but,” You look between your two friends but they don’t have any answers written on their faces. “Well, Jungkook mentioned it was maybe around six months ago…and here’s the crazy thing…I ran into this guy who said I randomly ghosted him around the same time!” 

Misuk’s brows pinch together, “A guy?” She then glances at Subin who looks as confused as her.

“Yeah!” You nod quickly, “I thought maybe he was an ex. So I started connecting the dots! Maybe we broke up and I wanted to lay low after the breakup? And that’s why I del—”

“—A breakup?” Subin asks, her eyes going between you and Misuk. “I don’t think you were…dating anyone…” She says slowly, carefully. Eyes darting between you and Misuk and you can see how she’s silently asking Misuk to help out. And as usual, Misuk doesn’t get the hint.

“Maybe I just didn’t want to make a big deal about it?” You question more to yourself. “Maybe I was trying to be lowkey…”

“Did you tell Jungkook?” Misuk finally contributes. “Did he know who the guy was?”

“Huh?” You finally set the menu down to the table. “No, he wasn’t with me. And when I mentioned it, he had no idea either.” 

“Well, I feel just as clueless.” Subin admits softly. “Maybe the guy got the wrong girl.”

“No,” You look down, teeth nibbling on your lips. “I think he knew me.”

“Well, maybe it just isn’t important.” Misuk decides to say, her eyes going back to the menu. “What’s important is you regaining memories that probably matter more.”

“Workin’ on it, boss.” You say blandly, with the roll of your eyes. 

“Hey,” Misuk’s tone grows softer. “I know.”

“Anyway,” You shake your head and plaster a smile on your face. “Subin, your pictures were this week, right?”

And immediately, Subin’s face brightens. You love how in love she looks. “Yes! Oh my god, I have a few that the photographer sent me. Let me show you!” She is quickly grabbing her phone and finding the photos. 

You take her phone and start scrolling through a few images. Your heart melts at the sight…Subin looks gorgeous in the arms of her soon to be husband. You don’t even remember his name. And his face in these photos definitely don’t ring a bell.  “You look amazing.” You breathe out, “And so happy.”

“Thanks.” Subin blushes at the compliment, “Garam is the love of my life. And I can’t believe we waited this long to get married and what not!”

“Well, we all know y/n doesn’t believe in wasting any time when she knows something is right.” Misuk chuckles, “Remember when she switched her major the second she realized she loved digital art more than environmental science?”

“Oh yeah,” Subin covers her mouth while she giggles. “She didn’t even have experience in it, right? But she looked us in the eyes and said, ‘I’m going to do this as my career.’ And the next day went to her advisor and made the switch.”

“What can I say?” You smile, feeling proud. “I knew it in my gut that it was what I was meant to do.”  

“I also remember that Subin and I were so against it.” Misuk shakes her head, still smiling. “We asked you to at least think about it!”

“I swear maybe she would have thought about it but Jungkook was totally on her side.” Subin sighs out, “He took one look at what she created on her tablet and said—”

“Isn’t this what you’re meant to do?” You say, almost dreamily as you remember your best friend’s words. “He even went with me when I went to talk to my advisor. He waited outside the door and when I was finished he took me drinking to celebrate.”

“Went drinking?” Misuk avoids your eyes, “Not surprised.” 

“Misuk.” Subin says quietly before brightening again. “How are things with Jungkook? He’s taking care of you?”

“He’s the best.”

“The best.” Misuk scoffs.

“Misuk.” Subin says her name louder this time. “It’s—”

“—I don’t know what went wrong with you and Jungkook, Misuk.” You cut in, face falling more serious. “But Jungkook is my person and I hate seeing how you clearly have beef with him. He’s being civil so why can’t you be?”

An inevitable silence falls on the table. As well as inevitable tension. 

You take a deep breath, trying to calm your fiery nerves. “Just tell me what happened already. I can’t stand—”

“No.” Misuk says, voice calm but there is something cold to it. “Not yet, anyway.”

“Why?” 

She looks at Subin who is, as usual, speaking with her eyes. “I just can’t.” Misuk tells you, finally looking your way. “Nothing would make sense anyway. Let’s just drop it. I’m sorry.”

You scoff. And you scoff loudly. “Okay.” You feel peeved but you don’t want to ruin the breakfast. “I’m going to use the bathroom really quickly.” You begin standing from your chair and point towards the wall behind you three where the bathrooms are.

Neither of them answer with words. 

You walk into the hallway and immediately lean against the wall, sighing out quietly as you try to remain calm. You hate not knowing what’s going—in regards to so many things. Your ears perk up when you can hear Subin and Misuk’s voices from behind the wall.

“You need to go easier on him, Misuk…” You hear Subin’s quiet voice. “This has been hard on everyone. But especially—”

“—Good.” You hear Misuk cut her off bitterly. “I hope he’s fucking suffering.”

Your entire face twists into a look of confusion…what the hell is happening?

“You don’t mean that.” Subin says. “He’s your friend too.”

“Why are you always defending him?”

“I’m not. But we don’t even really know—”

“Drop it, Subin. It gets us nowhere.” 

And then there’s silence. Like their own inevitable tension rises around the table now too. 

You finally tear yourself away from the wall and go inside the restroom. More questions and even less answers. Great.

~

It’s already late afternoon when you return home, tired eyes land on Jungkook who is on the phone while sitting on your sofa. You raise a hand to lazily wave at him and he nods at you while he continues to speak on the phone.

“I know.” He talks into the phone quietly, “You swear he has—Okay, okay. Got it. I can be there in 20.” Jungkook doesn’t even wait for the other person to respond before he’s ending the call. “Hey.” He stands, slipping his phone in his pocket and smiling at you. “How was time with the girls?”

You eye him suspiciously. It feels like how you’re seeing everyone nowadays. “Fine.” You look down at your feet as you take your shoes off. “What have you been up to?”

“Just relaxing.” He tells you, “Working on some stuff too.” He glances at his open laptop that sits on your sofa as well. “But I actually got to head out for a while.”

“Sure.” You respond, feeling and sounding detached. You walk into the living room but before you can sit down, Jungkook’s fingers wrap around your wrist and you struggle not to look into his eyes and crumble. 

“What’s wrong?” Jungkook questions you softly. His fingers still wrapped around your wrist and you swear you feel the heat seep into your skin, like the feeling of first dipping into a hot bubble bath. “You okay? Tired? How’s your head?”

You don’t mean to pull away so quickly, freeing your wrist without much thought. “I’m fine.” 

Jungkook’s brows pull together, his eyes going to his fingers when he examines how empty his hand is now. “O…kay.” His eyes go back to you, “Are you sure?” “No.” You say honestly. “But it’s whatever.”

“It’s not whatever.” Jungkook steps closer to you, his eyes searching yours for answers. “Talk to me, y/n.” He doesn’t rip his gaze off your eyes. He’s staring at you intently and it feels so confusing. “Please…talk to me.”

You feel sucked into the way he’s looking at you. You see his concern so clearly. You see so many thoughts and feelings taking over his eyes and you can read them but some don’t make sense. Not now. You force yourself to look away.

“I said I’m fine.” You sit on the couch, hand going to the top of his laptop and you shut it yourself. “Aren’t you leaving?” 

Jungkook stands here, unsure of what to do. You can see that. You can see how he struggles with how to handle this. You stare at nothing. Hoping there isn’t any readable expression on your face. But you guess there is.

“Y/n…” Jungkook says your name. And suddenly you wish you forgot that too. 

“What?” You finally snap at him, eyes landing on his figure. But you gulp, guilt settling in your chest when you see how he winces. You close your eyes for just a moment, collecting yourself even though you don’t even want to. “I’m so—”

“—Don’t be sorry.” He cuts you off, tone gentle. “It’s okay if you can’t talk to me but is there anything I could do? To help you?”

You open your eyes again, staring at him. You just stare. Expression hardening because you can’t help it at this point. But Jungkook takes no offense. Instead he tries to smile for you and he takes a seat right next to you, his leg pushed against yours.

“What is it that you need?” His fingers go to your chin, barely touching it as he guides your face to tilt in his direction. “Tell me what you need.” He softly demands, eyes boring into yours and you feel trapped in his trance again.

“You.” You reveal without meaning to. You never intended for that to be your answer. But your mouth forced the word out and you’re left here wondering why that felt so natural. 

Natural for both of you.

Because Jungkook nods in understanding, his fingers brushing against your cheek now and you decide now is the time to crumble. Crumble because his touch. And crumble because you are best friends so answering that the thing you need is him could also still be platonic. You release a long, tired breath before your head falls to his shoulder. “I’m stressed.” You decide to admit.

“I know.” His other arm comes around your back, hand gripping your side. “I’m sorry this is so hard for you. I really don’t know what to do anymore.” He is the one with admissions now. “I see how hard this is for you and I don’t know what’s better or what’s worse…but these are still doctor’s orders, y/n. You—”

“—I know.” You squeeze your eyes shut, “But what if my memories never return? Am I just going to be a stranger to my own life forever? Your life forever?”

Silence fills the space between you both. 

Maybe it’s not something either of you want to have answers to. 

“I never want to be a stranger to you.” He finally responds, “But let’s give some things some time.”

You sigh out, lifting your head from his shoulder before you look up at him. “Can you promise me something?”

Jungkook gives you a determined nod before speaking, “I can promise you anything.”

“Do you promise this is the best for me? Me not knowing so much?” Your eyes are pleading and you swear you see Jungkook’s heart in his eyes and you see how it breaks into pieces.

“I promise you that this is best for you.” He tells you, no regret anywhere heard in his words. Truth. “So promise me…that you’ll always trust me.”

“Okay.”

“No,” He shakes his head, troubled smile on his face. “Say it.”

“I promise.” You tell him but his troubled smile only grows as his eyes turn somber.

“You will probably break that promise later.” He whispers, “I—”

His phone starts vibrating in his pocket. Another phone call. “Sorry,” He slides the device out and you see Jimin’s name. “I got to go.” He sighs, standing from the sofa now. “But I’ll come over after and we’ll do something fun, okay?”

You nod, “Okay. Umm,”

“What is it?” He asks you.

“Nothing, nothing.” You try to shake his last words out of your head. Why would he say that? “Be safe and come back to me later.”

Jungkook’s eyes expand at your words before he cracks a smile. “I always do.”

~

You fixed yourself something light and easy for dinner. Surprisingly, you had an appetite to eat. You could probably thank the four hour nap you took earlier and the two different sessions you had in your bed where your fingers met the sensitive parts of your body, having yourself come undone and although you feel like some tension has been released…it wasn’t totally satisfying. 

You’ll blame the dream that you can’t even remember for the ache between your legs that still lingers.

You’re sitting at the dining room table, plate growing emptier as you take one last bite of your late dinner. It’s around 8:30pm and Jungkook still isn’t back. You assume he’s off doing something with Jimin. His ex-work partner that you realize he isn’t necessarily fond of. But they’re clearly working together on something…despite the fact that Jungkook isn’t a detective anymore.

Of course this piques your interest. You’re dying of curiosity. You have an idea…but…

You sigh out, pushing the chair back and ignoring the way the wood screeches against your tiled kitchen floors. Once standing, you grab your plate and the glass of water and head towards the kitchen sink to run the hot water.

A couple minutes pass, your hand lazily squeezing the sponge as you scrub the plate clean, your eyes zoned out and focusing on nothing at all. You continue to scrub the plate in soapy circles before you suddenly see something in your head. Eyes narrowing at nothing now as you try to focus on the image that your brain has randomly come up with. The same lake and boats from your dream. You’re just recalling an old dream. You scoff to yourself, you wish you could remember your sex dream.

You laugh a little before it dies on your lips when you see another image that makes no sense. 

A boat, floating at the dock. It isn’t the same boat from your dream…a different—

You drop the plate to the sink when your ears ring in someone’s scream. 

What the fuck?

You look around quickly, but you’re met with silence. You wipe your hands on the towel that rests next to the sink, quickly drying them before rushing out of your kitchen and going to your front door.

You know you heard someone scream.

You swing the door open, stepping outside, your head whipping in every direction.

But the neighborhood looks unbothered, the stars in the sky look unbothered, the blades of grass look unbothered. You see a few houses down, an older couple sitting on their porch, quietly talking and laughing to themselves. Completely unbothered.

Someone screamed, right? You heard it, right? 

You remain outside for a few more moments but the night carries on like nothing happened.

You didn’t imagine the scream, right? You know you heard it. You were standing at your kitchen sink, washing dishes, remembering a dream about boats on the lake water…when someone screamed. That wasn’t part of your dream, right? But it sounded so real. 

Giving up, you decide to go back inside your house. But a strange, eerie feeling sticks to your skin and you want nothing more than to wash it off. A shower it is. Maybe Jungkook will be back by the time you’re done and you can forget about all the things your brain is forcing onto you—things that don’t make any sense at all.

It’s around 9:30pm now when you leave your bedroom, feet taking you into the living room so you can relax on your amazing sofa…you’re shocked now that you hated it at first glance. It’s definitely the best couch you’ve ever had the pleasure of owning. A dull pain resides on the other side of your skull, pushing against your forehead in rage. You wish the headaches would start to ease but it seems lately, they’ve only gotten worse.

You decide to go to the kitchen first and take your night dose of medications, realizing it’s time you can take them. Hopefully it’ll help. It’s been a long day and you can’t wait to totally unwind and grow invested in some TV show so you don’t have to think about your own life. And you can’t wait for Jungkook to get home so he can do that with you. He looks stressed too and he probably also needs to focus on some fictional problems instead of his own.

Once you’re cozy on your sofa, wrapped in the blanket Jungkook always uses, you check your phone for any messages and you feel yourself grow a little warmer when you do have one.

Jungkook 9:38pm

Hey I’m on my way to your house 👍🏼 Want me to bring you anything?

You smile, typing your reply.

y/n 9:44pm

no no just you🐸

You click your phone off and shake your head, laughing at yourself. All it takes for you to feel better is Jungkook. You’re so whipped, probably. 

It only takes Jungkook 24 minutes exactly to walk in through your door since his text. Not that you were paying attention to the time but of course you were. You missed him.

“You’re not sleepy yet?” Jungkook is bent over, looking at you through the fringe that falls over his eyes as he takes his shoes off. “I figured you’d be knocked out on the couch by the time I got here and then oh no, I’d have to sleep in the bed.” He jokes, making his way over to you.

“I took a long nap.” You say, eyes on the TV. “So I’m not very sleepy now.”

Jungkook’s lips curve into a soft smile, “Did the nap help make you feel a little better?”

You finally glance at him, “Yeah. Also,” You nod towards the hallway, “You can sleep in a bed. You just choose not to.”

Jungkook’s smile fades, his eyes following yours, a solemn expression falling onto his face when he looks over to the hallway. “No, that’s okay.” He murmurs. “I like the couch.” And then he takes a seat right next to you.

“Does that mean you’re sleeping over again tonight?” 

He blinks at you for a few seconds before he’s smiling sheepishly. “Sorry, I didn’t even think about that.”

You laugh, “I’d rather you be here, anyway. Your apartment is too far for my liking. Doesn’t feel like we’re neighbors enough.” 

Jungkook’s eyes are so soft on you. You hate it. You love it. You want more of it. You want less of it. 

“It feels a little colder out tonight.” He says, fingers tugging at the blanket that’s wrapped around you. “Mind sharing?”

You chuckle, unwrapping the blanket from yourself to share with your best friend. “Do you remember when we rented that cabin in college but you and I wanted the outdoors experience so we built a tent like 10 feet away from the cabin?” 

“You only packed one sleeping bag.” He deadpans. 

“You could have gone inside and got blankets if you really cared that much!” You throw back and he shakes his head in an instant.

“Then it wouldn’t have been the total outdoorsy camping experience!” He retorts, “It would have defeated the whole point of us building that tiny tent. That you claimed you knew how to build because of a YouTube tutorial.”

“And I swear I did! But we had no service! So I couldn’t look at the video…” You pout but Jungkook starts laughing.

“And then we had to actually read the instructions. Imagine that.” He rolls his eyes, playful smirk on his lips. “Well, I did. You wanted to give up.”

“Anyway,” You nudge his shoulder with yours, both of you completely covered in this blanket now. “This reminds me of that time.”

“Because we shared the sleeping bag?” He asks you innocently. 

You nod, “Yeah. I thought we were going to freeze to death at night but I learned really quickly how freaking hot your body is.”

“Oh, thank you.” He teases.

You snort, “Not what I meant.”

“It’s not like you don’t think that too, though.” He says, eyes on the TV screen now. 

You whip your head to look at him, his eyes totally avoiding yours as he watches whatever you have pulled up on Netflix. He’s got such a teasing grin splitting his face in half. You stare at him in disbelief before you start laughing, “Wow. Is that something I told you and I have zero memory of it? And don’t lie, once I get all my memories back, I’ll know.” 

“You might be surprised at what stuff you might remember.” He continues to tease you and it feels…strange yet familiar. More of your suspicions seem to be checking out. 

“Is that so?” You decide to play along, “What kinds of things will I remember? You know, that are in relation to you thinking you have a hot body?”

“I never said it’s what I thought.” He bites down onto his bottom lip, another smirk being poorly concealed. 

You scoff, heat creeping up the back of your neck. “It’s not what I think either.”

“Mhm.” He finally looks at you, “You sure?” 

No, you aren’t sure. Well, you are sure that he’s hot. Yes, of course. But you aren’t sure what is going on here. More confusion wraps around you both just like this blanket. This doesn’t feel how you always remembered. No, this feels different. But it feels familiar. Like it isn’t totally brand new but it is. For you. But you’re wondering if this is brand new to him.

Yes, you have your suspicions. And little by little, you will uncover the truth. But for now, you’re not going to jump the gun. No conclusions yet.

“Hey,” You finally look away from him, eyes going back to the TV as well. “Are you sure we never went to another lake?”

“Lake?” Jungkook’s attention is mostly on the show now. “What lake?”

“No…I mean, was the only time we ever went to a lake was during that trip to the cabin?”

“Yes?” He finally glances at you, confusion in his eyes. “Why?”

You shrug, “I don’t know. I feel like I was remembering that dream I told you about where I saw your tattoo. That same lake…the boats.” 

“It was a dream, right?”

You think about it for a moment, eyes losing focus. “Yeah, you’re right.” But you aren’t so sure. 

“I told my parents and your parents that we would visit not next weekend but the weekend after. They’re very excited.” Jungkook changes the subject, his tone lighthearted. “It’ll be so nice to be in Busan for the weekend.”

“I agree.” You say, your eyes widening when you remember something your mom told you. “Did you know Mrs. Jung remarried? Apparently to a guy half her age!” 

Jungkook starts laughing, eyes crinkling in the process. “Yes and did you hear the best part?” He asks, eyes on you. “Apparently the guy she married has the same last name as her ex-husband so she didn’t even have to change it.” 

“Wow, lucky her.” You chuckle, “I don’t remember my mom saying that part.” 

“It’s hilarious. I thought the guy was her son when I first saw them walking out of her house! But imagine my shock when he kissed her. On the lips. I still didn’t register it wasn’t her son so you can probably guess my confusion and level of disturbance.” Jungkook shudders when he recalls the memory. “Mrs. Jung is loaded though, so I guess he’s the lucky one.”

“Jungkook!” You slap his thigh, “Money isn’t everything! Maybe he’s deeply in love with her!”

“I never said he wasn’t! I’m just saying, he got lucky. Sugar mama and all that.” He snickers when you gape at him. “What? I’d love having a woman pay for all my shit.”

“You’re a gold digger now?” You cock a brow at him. “I’ll have to keep that in mind when I’m being your wing woman at bars again.”

“You’re the worst wing woman.” He rolls his eyes, ��Every girl that would get interested in me, you’d scare them away.”

“I did not!” 

“Yeah, you would.” 

“No.”

“Really?” He leans away from you, eyes narrowed as he smirks. “You don’t remember when a very pretty girl tried hitting it off with me but you totally ruined it when you—”

“—I thought she was bothering you. Don’t get me started on this again. She had so many red flags, you cannot be serious. I was helping you out.”

“I didn’t care about her red flags! I was just looking to get laid.” 

“I thought you didn’t hook up with anyone you weren’t seriously interested in?” 

Jungkook’s eyes widen and he starts talking nonsense, clearly getting playfully defensive. “Do I need to remind you why I was out in the first place?” He challenges you. “Because if I remember correctly, you told me I should go out and find someone! You told me I needed to get laid because I was annoying you with how stressed I was with my training after the academy. It was during my first year in the investigation department.”

“Oh yeah, you were kind of unbearable.” You snort, “But come on, she was such bad news. And don’t make me remind you of Haesoo. I had every right to feel protective over you!”

“Oh god, Haesoo…” He cringes in his spot, “Okay, she was something else.”

“She was the worst.” You say with a straight face. “I’m your best friend and she openly admitted to me ‘girl to girl’” You mock with the roll of your eyes, “That she was using you for sex. I had to tell her that you’re a person. But she said, ‘he’s hot, all men are trash so I’m not hurting anyone’ I was so fucking pissed.”

“Yes, yes. I remember.” Jungkook smiles at you fondly. “My hero.”

“I am your hero, you’re goddamn right! You didn’t see through her evil ways but I did. I wanted to put her in a headlock.”

“Somehow I’d love to see that.” He grins teasingly at you. “It’s not like I was serious about her.”

“You totally liked her.”

“Okay fine, but only because she did witchcraft on me or something.”

“I’ll accept that answer because I think it’s true.” You say, “But honestly, you got better at standing up for yourself. Haesoo was during your time at the academy, right? You were what? 21? 22?”

“Yeah.”

“You were still pretty shy back then but I think sometime after you graduated and you started your first 6 months at the police station—before you did your one year in the investigation department—you kind of…grew up a lot. Stronger, I guess. Not as scared of confrontation.”

“Well,” Jungkook leans back into the sofa, “I guess in my years of being your friend, I finally learned something.” He chuckles.

“Thank god for that, huh?” You lean back onto the sofa as well, your body shifting to properly face him. “Who’s the worst guy I ever dated?”

“Hmm,” Jungkook looks up at the ceiling, thinking about it. “Dusik for sure.”

“What?! He was so nice!”

“I didn’t like him.”

“You never told me you didn’t like him!”

“Yes I did!”

“When—”

“—Oh.” Jungkook bites down onto his lip, “I guess I never admitted it until way later. You don’t remember…”

“Give me a reason.”

“I just didn’t like him.”

“Why?”

“Because I didn’t.”

“Why?”

“Seriously? You sound like a talking bird that only knows one word.”

“Why?”

He raises a brow at you, showing you he’s not enthused. “Stop.”

“Why?”

“Because he was probably the closest thing you had to a real relationship.” Jungkook purses his lips, eyes going to his hands. “And I just didn’t think he was good enough for you.”

Your mouth falls open, “Seriously?” 

“Seriously.” He responds childishly. 

“You didn’t approve of him because…you just sound jealous.” You snort, not taking this too seriously but Jungkook isn’t laughing.

“I was jealous of him.” He admits before the panic settles in his eyes. “Not in a weird way. I just hated that he was stealing you from me.”

“He didn’t steal—”

“—According to you, this was our biggest fight.” He reminds you, “You forgot about plans with me three times because you were with him. I wouldn’t have minded as much if you would have properly canceled. But apparently I was forgettable to you.” He sulks in his spot, an adorable pout on his lips but you can see that he’s still a little bitter about the whole thing.

“I know. I’m sorry. But hey, you got your revenge! You didn’t talk to me for four days. I hated those four days so much.”

“I hated it too.” He finally smiles, “At the time, those four days were like, the worst days ever. I wish I could go back. To when that was the worst thing.” He mumbles softly, smile still barely on his lips. 

“Hey,” You lean into him, eyes on his as you poke his cheek with your finger. “You also know you’re not forgettable to me, right? I literally have amnesia and my brain is still full of you.” 

Jungkook’s smile drops from his lips, eyes on yours with much more intensity as he processes your words. 

You are about to back away from him, a sudden tension growing between your bodies but before you can, Jungkook’s fingers go to your hand, you’re both twisted in one another’s directions. He’s so close. You’re so close. Your gaze drops to his lips when his tongue pokes out to lick them. The heat basically rolls off his skin and warms you up, reminding you of the night you two spent in that tiny tent—not that anything happened…it’s just the warmth, the close proximity. Not to mention, it might have been the first time you had not so innocent thoughts about your best friend.

His fingers leave your hand and you gulp, feeling the sudden absence of his touch but it doesn’t last long…not when his hand rests on the side of your face, fingers behind your ear, thumb brushing your cheek.

“Your brain isn’t full enough of me.” He whispers, eyes still boring into you and once again, you want to crumble. Crumble for a million reasons and right now, you can’t even name one.

“I don’t know if that’s even possible.” The words dribble out slowly. The tension growing, a force that pulls your bodies closer.

You stare up at him, both of your hands sliding up his chest and you feel his heart hammering against it. It’s strong. It’s loud. It’s alive. 

Jungkook is lost. You’re lost. A trance being shared between you both and you know for a fucking fact that this isn’t new to either of you. You have no proof but this moment might be evidence alone. This cannot be the first time you two share a moment like this. You refuse to believe this is a first. 

“Jung—”

“—Did you want to watch something like a movie?” Jungkook’s hand drops from your face, his cheeks flushing as he leans away from you, eyes going back to the TV. 

You feel like someone ripped a rug from beneath your feet. You stare at his side profile, body gone still as you process what just happened. And what is currently happening. 

You laugh internally again. Your hands coming back to your own body and you face the TV as well. “Yeah, a movie sounds good.” 

It seems your brain is playing tricks on you lately. Making you see things. Hear things.

But you cannot be imagining this. No, your brain can’t make you imagine a feeling, can it? 

Your gut is telling you one thing and you’ve always been one to listen to it.

~

Jungkook snuck out early this morning, leaving you a note that said he has some things to take care of but he would be back around dinner time.

You won’t feel annoyed, not today. You’re tired of questioning every little thing and today you just want to not think about all the things you don’t know. Today you just want to be lazy and binge watch an entire series or something. Today you just want to be a normal person. A person who doesn’t have amnesia. 

You made a sandwich for lunch and ate while watching a show. You’re already on episode 5 of Strong Woman Do Bong Soon and you realizing love is real, it has to be, because these two main characters are making you swoon. 

You make dinner as well, eating while continuing the show. You’re not even ashamed to admit you’re on episode 8 now. Meaning, you’ve watched eight hours of this show just today. You check your phone to see the time.

7:02pm

Jungkook still isn’t back and he hasn’t texted. You know you shouldn’t feel worried or anything. But you’re going to call him anyway.

Your heart feels calmer when he answers on the third ring.

“Hey,” You say into the phone. “I was just checking if you were uh, still coming over today.”

“Yeah.” You hear the smile in his voice. “I just came by my place real quick to shower. I’m about to head over though. Sorry, um, my plans ran a little longer than I thought. I should have let you know…”

“No, no, it’s okay.” You say, relief evident in your voice. “Sleep here tonight, too.”

“Okay.” He tells you softly, “I’ll see you in a few minutes.”

“Kay, bye.” You hang up the phone, already feeling lighter knowing he’s only five minutes away.

Just like magical clockwork, your front door opens and Jungkook is walking through. He grins at you, slipping his shoes off as he empties his pockets of his things. Wallet, phone and keys being placed on the little table by your entrance.

“Hi.” You sing out, patting the spot next to you on the couch. “I started a show today and I love it!”

“What show?” He asks, walking into the living room, eyes on the TV. “Oh! Strong girl! Yeah, this is your comfort show.” He tells you, plopping down right next to you. “We love it.”

Your mouth falls open in surprise, “I’ve seen it before?!”

Jungkook chuckles, “Yeah. You watch it every year.”

“Oh damn.” You nod to yourself, “I guess I really do love it.”

“Mmmmmm…” Jungkook leans back into the couch, eyes closing. “I’m so tired.”

“You do look a little tired.” You admit, fingers ruffling through his hair and he sighs in contentment.

“I almost fell asleep in the shower.” 

“Don’t tell me you’re already ready for bed? It’s barely 7!”

“Not bed…but what if I take a one hour power nap?” He cracks open one eye to look at you, “Super quick nap that gets me ready for a night full of binge watching the rest of this show?”

“Hmm,” You pull your fingers away from his hair. “Just one hour?”

“Just one hour.” He nods in excitement, “I promise I’ll wake up and hang out with you for the whole night.”

“Okay, deal.” You say, “Only because you do look pretty exhausted”

“You got no idea.” He tells you, “It was…a really long day.”

But he doesn’t elaborate. But you do have an idea what it could be about…

“Can I ask you something?” You blurt, your brain wired to demand answers. 

“Hm?” He sits up from leaning back, eyes focused on you.

“You were with Jimin, right?” You ask him, the words leave your mouth slowly as you gauge his reaction.

“Yeah.” He tells you and you know he’s being honest. But you aren’t done asking questions.

“And…” Your stomach feels uneasy from nerves but you continue, “Is it because…are you trying to…um, trying to figure out who caused my accident? Since it was a hit and run?” 

Jungkook tilts his head, eyes becoming unreadable. 

You reckon it’s a solid assumption. He was a detective after all.

Jungkook’s hand goes to his jaw, eyes going to the ceiling like he’s trying to figure out his answer when slowly you watch as his fingers slide down from his chin to his throat, fingers caressing the skin before he’s softly tugging at his neck and he finally answers, “Yeah.”

“Oh, okay. I figured.” You reply, eyes still on his fingers. “I kind of guessed that’s what you were up to.” 

He drops his hand and offers a timid smile, “Mhm.” 

Your insides are twisting.

“Well, I’ll let you sleep for an hour!” You stand from the sofa, “You better wake up when I tell you to, Jungkook.” You smile now, “I’ll be in the kitchen, think I’m going to make something.”

“Ah, okay.” Jungkook puts his feet up before laying back on the couch, blanket draped over him. “Can you turn the light off too?”

“Yup.” You walk towards the wall and switch the light off. Light from the kitchen still on and you start going towards it. “Have a nice nap.” You say before disappearing into the kitchen, only Jungkook’s distant hum in the background can be heard.

You take a seat on the uncomfortable bar stool and only one thought echoes in your mind.

He lied.

You sit here for like 30 minutes, trying to make sense of his lie. Why would he lie? But if he’s not doing that? Then what is he doing? What exactly has he been getting up to? You know he really was with Jimin. All the phone calls, the texts, the ‘going to take care of some things’. But if it’s not about your accident…then what is it about?

You sigh, feeling defeated because you can’t come up with a logical explanation. 

You don’t want to feel upset about the lie because he asked you to trust him so you will. And he does look utterly exhausted. You feel sorry for him…the state his apartment is in, losing his job, clearly working on something with Jimin. He’s tired. Not to mention, he takes care of you. 

And you want to do something for him. Something that will—that’s right. He did mention something…

You stand from the bar stool, excitement and nerves running through your veins as you rummage through the kitchen. You check every single drawer, cabinet, closet. You even looked in the fridge—desperate times, desperate measures. But nothing. No recipe books anywhere! You quietly go into the living room and search as well, eyes glancing at your knocked out best friend every now and then. Thank goodness he is a heavy sleeper. His snores are honestly louder than your rummaging, though.

There’s no way you don’t own any recipe books…you even remember the ones you had in college. You remember owning some as a 24 year old. So where are they? Jungkook said you got great at baking and he seemed to enjoy your homemade cookies—whichever ones they are. But there is no book around or papers or anything with a recipe on it!

But then a thought hits you. He didn’t…no, why would he? But maybe? You instantly remember the attic. How Jungkook put a bunch of stuff in there to not accidentally overwhelm you with a million things. It’s possible…? It wouldn’t hurt to look, right? You swear you’ll be careful. Eyes looking for recipe books and that’s it!

Alright, you made up your mind. You glance at sleeping, snoring Jungkook again. There’s no way he would wake up anytime soon…he’s completely passed out on your sofa due to exhaustion. You look towards the table by your front door, eyes on his things. His wallet, phone and of course, his keys.

You tip toe over to the entrance, one last glance at Jungkook before swiping the keys off the table. The jingle louder than you anticipated, head snapping in his direction but he only snores louder. You release a breath in relief. You look towards the hallway, a determined look on your face as you walk over there. 

But a look of annoyance quickly falls over your face. Right, it’s an attic. It’s locked. And it’s you know, on the freaking ceiling. You huff out quietly, trying to think of what you can do. Right…there’s a ladder in the guest bedroom closet. But you’re hoping you can do all of this quietly. 

You stuff the keys into your pocket and go inside the bedroom, quickly going into the mostly empty closet when you find the 6ft ladder leaning against the closet wall. You pick it up, thankfully it isn’t very heavy at all and bring it out into the hall, right below the attic door.

You listen for Jungkook’s snores and when you hear them you sigh out. Good. He’s still in deep sleep. You set the ladder up, climbing it quietly, stopping every few seconds to make sure you still hear Jungkook’s snores. Once near the top, you reach for the keys in your pocket. Feeling slightly uneasy being this high up. 

You try to steady yourself, fingers searching for the right key but you have no idea which one it could be. So you begin trying them one by one. Nope, not this one. Nope, not that one. You fiddle through the keys when you spot a small gold one and you decide to try it. You try to get it through the key hole when your shaky fingers fumble the keys and they fucking drop. You feel like you’re losing your balance, heart sinking to the bottom of your stomach. They landed on the metal step right next to your foot. Fucking lucky they didn’t fall to the ground. But damn, it was loud.

You try to calm your breathing.

Your ears paying close attention to every sound around you and a huge lump forms in your throat when you don’t hear the consistent sounds of Jungkook’s snores. 

You’re frozen in your spot. Skin feeling cold but sweaty. Like you’re doing something you’re not supposed to.

After what feels like an eternity your entire body fucking relaxes when Jungkook starts snoring again.

You swear you could laugh and cry at the relief you’re feeling. 

You carefully step down to easily grab the keys again before stepping back up. Your fingers are still shaky but you manage to find that small gold key again and you try to fit it through the keyhole. You try turning it and bam. The door unlocks. 

You wish you could scream in celebration but you remain quiet. 

It’s unlocked.

Feeling giddy, you quickly step down from the ladder and move it to the side. You reach for the long string and pull hard, the door coming down and a wooden staircase follows. You’ve done it. You’ve opened the attic and now you can do as you promised, you can find the recipe books and get the hell out of there before Jungkook even knows you went in.

You take a hesitant first step, glancing once more behind you, his snores soft and consistent before you finally climb the steps and go inside.

It’s dark, dusty and maybe a bit creepy. You reach for your phone, turning on the flashlight as you look around. You find the light switch, turning it on and suddenly the entire attic is glowing in a soft yellow. 

Boxes everywhere. You don’t even know where to begin looking. But the nearest boxes are probably the most promising, right? Your fingers slide over the top of one of the brown boxes before you decide to pry it open. But you aren’t really sure what you’re seeing. A bunch of books, loose papers and random notes. It’s your handwriting. But you don’t know what anything means. So you ignore this box.

You open the next box but there isn’t anything but old clothes in that one.

Next box is a bunch of notebooks.

You groan in frustration, okay maybe this pile wasn’t as promising as you thought so you decide to move on to the other side of the attic. A few boxes that are less dusty than the rest. Okay, maybe this is more promising.

You open the first box you see, fingers lifting each flap open and when your eyes land on the thing lying on the top, your jaw immediately drops. Your heart is thumping more wildly than you’ve ever known, chest tight and stomach dropping completely where all the butterflies reside. You stare at what you’re seeing. In shock? Disbelief? Your hands are still just as shaky as you reach for the thing that rests at the top of this particular box. 

Fingers wrapping around the frame, eyes blinking rapidly as you try to make sense of what you’re seeing. 

Well, you had your suspicions. But not this far. You thought you and Jungkook perhaps maybe hooked up before during these past nine years, or that you did confess to him at some point or you don’t know, but not this. 

You aren’t sure if it’s shock, disbelief or your own selfish happiness. 

You lift the frame up, a smile growing viscously on your lips. “Well, holy shit.” You mutter to yourself. “No fucking way.”

You stare at the framed photo. You and Jungkook, together, in a wedding gown and tux. The year 2016 engraved at the bottom. 

Jungkook isn’t just your best friend.

No, he is also your husband.

~

Next

[jmdbjk]

Jimin's choices

After reading Beyond the Story and learning more about the culture of Kpop, I think Jimin's promotions were exactly what he wanted. I'm talking specifically about the few weeks he spent making music show appearances. He walked the exact path debut-Bangtan walked in the beginning which were the music show performances, Music Bank, Inkagayo...achieving a first 1st place win on those music shows...and appearances on variety shows. Jimin actually won two 1st place wins.

To us OUTSIDE the Kpop world, it all seemed charming and yet expected that he'd want to perform on Korean music shows for K-Army. That was one of the primary reasons for going that route but at the same time he dutifully paid important homage to the expectations/standards embedded in Kpop culture in order to lay down that first stepping stone in his solo career.

At the time BTS debuted, companies were reluctant to keep spending money on producing a group if they did not show these progressive and specific steps.

Perhaps recalling the strong reactions from the kpop world to debut-BTS, Jimin was sensitive to those still waiting for a chance to criticize anything he did. Sometimes wounds leave lasting scars that still twinge now and then.

So Jimin paid his dues as a debut solo artist and gave a respectful and decisive nod to his Kpop idol roots. He earned a rightful place in the eyes of anyone in that industry.

The Billboard #1 was perhaps an unexpected win on top of all that. The #1's on all of the other charts: also extra on top. STILL dominating in his own country.

And now he's moving on. His next step will be bigger. He's coming for you AMAs, BBMAs, Grammys. I can feel it. Let's get it.

There are things that happened (or didn't happen as people wanted them to) surrounding Jimin's album. I am on board with that. But until Jimin says what went down himself, I won't be flying the "company mistreated him" flag. Mistakes? Yes. Incompetence? Perhaps. Shortsightedness? I definitely think so. Online streaming platform manipulation? Sure looks like it. Western music industry sabotage? Absolutely without a doubt. But his own label maliciously cutting him off? No.

Jimin is my bias and I want him to have everything he deserves and I am going to trust that he knows how to handle his own professional career and he does not need my intervention. If he's not happy with something, guess what? He can call Bang PD and tell him what's what. None of us can do that. Let Jimin handle it.

[mikichko]

Ghoap/bluetooth anon. I personally have my own experiences in my family of butterflies being seen as passed loved ones visiting us (seriously. My godmother, my grandmother, and me all have stories) so I thought that was really cute in the response you had to my “Simon’s happy endings” ask. I like the idea of Reader telling a story about that meaning of butterflies, Simon hearing it and connecting it to his own instances of butterflies, and then gifting his loved ones with butterfly based things. Like getting at etching of a butterfly on a necklace or watch for soap, one of those hair clips that makes it look like the butterfly is flapping its wings for the reader (which definitely gets her cool points in the eyes of her students), and a endless book of temporary butterfly tattoos for Zach since he wants to be like Simon and have tattoos!

I was just thinking about the butterflies when I got this ask. I actually saw a Monarch on the train tracks. It landed on the section of the tracks right next to my window and I swear it was someone coming back to say hi. Made me grin a little, like the universe affirming my belief in this.

🦋 Learning about the butterflies part of chao mi niño

It’s sweltering. Or so the boys say.

Frankly, this is light sweater weather where you’re from, but the isle isn’t familiar with these heat waves. Though, it makes perfect weather for birdwatching. Which is why you find yourselves gathered in the garden.

Zach’s attention is honed onto the bird feeder, hands planted on the table for a better vantage point. There’s a pair of binoculars next to a Scottish Bird Identification List and a few uncapped highlighters next to it. There’s a streak of white across his left cheek, unblended sunscreen he’d begged for to mimic Simon’s eyeblack.

Beside him, you’re fussing over Johnny, making sure the sunscreen properly blends well onto his face before you can apply the second coating on his arms. He’d learned his lesson a few weeks ago after his last burn and peel endeavor. Simon’s disappeared inside, trying to find the rest of the bird feed so that he and Zach can restock the feeders.

It’s not quiet, instead, your little bubble of Glasgow is filled with soft comfortable sounds. The call of the birds, Clover’s occasional sleepy half barks and whines, Zach’s highlighter marking off another spotted bird, and the soft melodic blues that play from the kitchen. Your own piece of peace within the city.

Which makes it easier to hear Zach’s small gasp amidst all the noise. You think he’s spotted another bird, but it’s not followed by the scratchy sound of a highlighter marking the page. Instead, Zach’s hands stay planted on the glass, leaning forward just a bit. You follow his gaze and find a small two winged creature familiarizing itself with one of your poppies. The red poppy is angled towards the sun, petals wide open to receive her light. She flutters her wings as she adjusts herself on the flower before finally settling down for a drink. Zach’s jaw is wide open as he watches the small delicate bug drink from the flower.

“Looks like someone came to visit you, bud.”

Zach’s eyes stay trained on the butterfly but his head tilts at the sound of your voice. “Visit me?” His voice is low, afraid he’ll scare the fragile thing off.

You hum, capping the sunscreen as you finish up with Johnny, “When I was little, mom used to tell me that butterflies were people who had passed coming back to visit.”

Johnny arches an eyebrow at you, silently questioning the validity of your story. Just like his son does moments later.

“Is that really true?” Zach asks as he sinks back on his heels, resting his face on his palms, eyes never leaving the butterfly.

You laugh, pinching Johnny’s cheek before looking over to the occupied poppy, “I thought it was silly at first. Plenty of myths and superstitions told through the family, but this was the first one that stuck. Well, that and the duendes.”

Right then, Simon appears at the door, “Spent ‘bout fifteen minutes looking for the bloody thing. Found it right where I left it after last feedin’.”

You gesture at him, “See? Duendes!”

Johnny snorts at you, Simon tilts his head, and Zach’s eyes widen just a fraction. But you carry on, “I got to experience my own butterfly visit. I didn’t get to be with my grandma when she passed. Too quick and too far for me to make it in time.”

You stop to take a drink of water, the sting is still there even after all these years. Her most dutiful grandchild relegated to mourning abroad. And yet, the ones who took her for granted the most were right at her side until she was lowered into the dirt. It’d taken a while for the bitterness to fade. Her butterfly made it easier.

“I was at a park sometime later, trying not to feel guilty for not being there for her. When suddenly this little butterfly with black-tinged wings landed on my knee. Don’t know how but I just knew it was her letting me know it was okay.”

Johnny’s hand lands on your knee, rubbing his thumb across it. Simon makes his way over, crouching next to Zach and sharing a look with you.

You clear your throat, “Were you thinking of anyone specific bud?”

Zach’s mouth twists in concentration for a moment, working through a thought. It’s a few moments before he pipes up in a small voice, “I was thinking if the mommy that had me in her belly would like you.”

It’s still, your breath caught in your throat. Simon’s eyes have not left yours but you’re focused on Zach. He’s thinking if his mother would like you.

Simon’s the one who breaks the silence, “How come bud?” Deep and soft, pushing the boy for an answer.

Zach’s eyes are wide and creased, wonderment, curiosity, and a small bit of fear shine through. “Because I love you.”

It pushes the breath out of you, melting you, “I love you too bud.”

Zach beams back at you, “I think she does like you!”

In your peripheral vision, almost as if responding, the butterfly’s wings flap. Simon’s eyes look just a little more shiny than normal and Johnny’s hand squeezes your knee as he huffs out a small laugh.

Zach perks up again, back up on his knees as he speaks, half shout half whisper, “I had bees before school so I asked the clouds to pretty please make sure everything went good! Then I saw the butterfly and then I saw you!”

You grin at him, laughing a little as you smooth his hair back, “Sounds like she led you straight to me bud”

Zach’s grin widens, positively glowing at the revelation. Simon wears a near identical grin to his, spitting image that they are. You can’t help but smile back at them both before pressing a kiss to his nose.

“Aye butterfly brought you straight to us, lovie.” Johnny says before planting a kiss on your cheek.

You’re next to Simon, putting away the dishes from midday while he washes the evening’s batch.

“Was all that true about the butterflies?” He rumbles curiously.

You smirk, “Why? You becoming superstitious?”

He snorts at you, “’Am trying to conduct research and compare sources.”

You giggle at him, checking him on the hip, “Yeah it’s true. Anytime I’d get stressed or worried about something, it seemed like a butterfly would come by. Grandma basically telling me to calm down like she always did.”

Simon hums, silently washing the dishes for a moment before he speaks again. “Don’t see them often, not the kind of thing that gravitates towards me if you can believe.”

You snort at him.

“But I’ve seen four in total.”

“Lotta people looking after you.”

“Yeah.” The scrubbing stops and his hands rest against the sink, suds dripping off the gloves. “Brought me one of you, each one of them.”

You feel warmth at your side as Johnny returns from checking on Zach, “Never told me about tha’”

“Never knew about the butterflies.”

You hum, raising your hand to stroke his cheek, “Guided us to you, sweet thing. They just wanted to make sure you were taken care of.”

Simon hums, eyes closing as he presses into your palm, “Did a great job picking you lot out.”

You grin as Johnny presses you into Simon, wrapping his arms around you both. Somewhere in the background Clover’s tail thumps against the sofa.

💉 The mementos

Simon: Tattoo! Gets four butterflies trailing from his wrist down his forearm with the first one being the biggest and decreasing in size so that the fourth one is the smallest.

Johnny: Another tattoo! His is a butterfly flapping its wings with different shading and color so it looks like there are actually 4 different butterflies. It’s really cool and Zach loves to stare at it.

Reader: Chose to stick with hair clips on this one! Pinterest showed me a lot of really cool inspo for all different hair types which was a huge plus! Once this reader is brave enough for a tattoo they'd probably get it on one of their shoulders with their initials hidden somewhere within!

Zach: Temporary tattooes GALORE! He absolutely loves having his dads put them on him. Of course he wants to be just like them and begs them to cover him up. He also has a pink butterfly stuffed animal that he sleeps with that he calls Betty. It’s his confidant (she also serves as a treat hiding place)

[lemongogo]

every morning i tell myself i wont be late 2 work this time and then every morning i sit here like rhis w my breakfast reading trimax like the morning paper

[athensandspartaadventures]

i'm told you guys like it when i draw this guy's expressions for some reason

[shyminmin]

༄𝐁𝐓𝐒 𝐗 𝐟.𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 | Fantasy, Mermaid AU | ༄𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭 : 2.8k + ༄𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 : Minor angst

"One iced Americano please" the mysterious man let out in a raspy voice as deep as the Mariana Trench.

All I could do was sit there and stare. It was like I was hypnotized or in some sort of trance.

His mis-matched attire did nothing to dampen his looks, in fact, in some crazy odd way, they seemed to complement and even enhance them. But that's coming from someone like me who hasn't the faintest clue on the in's and outs of fashion trends to begin with.

Sporting a lean, masculine frame under all those loose fitting clothes of faded greys and browns, areas of pale skin peeked out, holding an almost pearlescent sheen when hit by the light in a certain way.

A wide brimmed hat sat atop his head where strands of inky black hair poked out from beneath.

He stood there leaning against the bar counter, drumming his long, slender fingers onto its surface out of boredom, while he waited for his order. He exuded a level of power and authority which I couldn't quite place, making him all the more intriguing.

Who was this man and why was I getting so affected by him? Do random people who walk into cafes possess some hidden ability to render a person speechless.

Huffing I tried to maintain my composure.

Get it together Y/n! All he did was come in and order a damn coffee!

I was so absorbed in the scene in front of me that I couldn't help but jump in my seat when I felt someone's hand tap my arm.

"You with us lass?" Dongha's voice made me divert my gaze to him.

"S-sorry?" I let out, calming down from the surprise.

"Ah look at her, she was totally out of it."

"What were ye so immersed in?" The other two men chimed in.

"Uh...." Words were caught in my throat as I tried to come up with an excuse, not exactly wanting to say that I was ogling an innocent man, like some stalker.

I tried to speak again but was cut off from a distant voice.

"Your drink sir," I heard the cafe's barista say, making me once again look towards the newcomer.

Straightening his posture, he took the offered beverage, humming an inaudible 'thank you.' From his side profile I could see the slight upturn of his lips, emphasizing his knife sharp jawline. My heart did a flip at the imagery.

Oh boy, what is wrong with me!?

"Y/n dear, is everythin' alright?"

Still watching, the dark haired man dove deep into his pant pocket, pulling out an unusual small thatched pouch. Riffling through it, he took out a bunch of coins and handed them over to the server. My eyes must've been deceiving me at one stage as I could've sworn that amidst his change was an object, spherical in shape, that shone brightly against the rest. Dumbfounded about what I had spotted, I tried to make sense of it.

Who just casually keeps a pearl in amongst their money like it was nothing? It had to be a fake, right? Somehow I had a feeling my assumptions were false, it in fact being quite authentic. Once all the exchanges were finalized, the man suddenly turned so his face was now on full display, causing me to gulp at the sight.

Clear, smooth skin that has never been touched by the light of day and thin, moist lips that were sheltered by an adorable miniature nose. Soft looking cheeks that contrasted heavily with his sharp, angular brows that his dark waves covered most of like a curtain. But the most mesmerizing and jaw dropping thing of all was his-

Eyes...

Two slanted eyes, much like a cat's and the darkest shades of cerulean blue I have ever seen. Two that I was starting to get hopelessly lost within, like a whirlpool sucking me into it's swirling depths with no means of letting me go.

Suddenly they met my own, his pupils ever so slightly dilating resembling the darkest depths of the ocean itself. My heart proceeded to skip a beat at the intensity of his gaze, the air fleeing my lungs like a balloon deflating.

Oh my...

"Cheong Y/n!" All the fishermen shouted, trying to get my attention.

"I-I have to go to the restroom," standing up I made my way in the opposite direction of the male that had me so captivated.

"Lass, I advise that ya walk the other way if you don't want ta end up smack dab in a sack full o' flour."

Realising where I was heading from Myungsoo's warning, I swiftly turned, doing a 180 and locating the door to the women's bathroom, avoiding becoming a cheap knock off of the abominable snowman.

Why am I so flustered? My brain has turned to mush. I cursed myself for my mindless stupidity.

Reaching the wooden door reading 'Ladies' I pushed it open, letting out a sigh of relief when it closed behind me, evidently forming a barrier between me and the intense atmosphere of the cafe.

All the while though, before retreating to the safety of the bathroom stalls, I had the strangest inkling that two dark, brooding eyes were boring into my back, watching my every move. Whether that was a good or bad thing, I couldn't say.

Coming to this town sure is making several buried emotions and feelings I have never experienced before come to the surface.

Patting my cheeks, I tried to will away the redness, judging from the extreme heat I was feeling at the moment.

It had been close to ten minutes by the time I had regained my bearings and exited the bathroom. I discreetly scoped out the area, wondering whether the intense man was still there. I was almost prepared to set up camp in the bathroom if he was in fact still standing there making the air unbreathable with his presence.

Thankfully he appeared to have left, the only occupants being my unusual entourage and another random couple in the back, keeping to themselves. Noticing I had returned, the three elderly fishermen, who had been waiting expectantly, stood up rushing over to me. Their faces, one of worry and confusion.

"Ye ok? Ya sure took your time in there lil' lady,"

"Yeah I'm alright, n-never better" I tried to say as convincingly as possible.

"You sure? Ye lookin' a bit like tha clams we dig up n' stew. If you're not feelin' tha best, then we can take ya up there tomorrow," Dongha spoke not swayed by my fluctuating state.

Bringing my hand up, I used the back of it to skim against my forehead, a thin layer of sweat getting picked up from the action. This I could tell was not the kind you'd get from a general hot day.

Did he somehow cause me to get sick?

Coming to a decision, I sighed in resignation. "I might take you up on that offer... S-sorry to cut this journey short..."

Giving me a gentle smile, Dongha pat my head, "Don't ye worry yourself my dear, just focus on gettin' back your spunk. Now we'll be here bright n' early ta drive ye to Chin Chin's. The 'Seascape Inn' right?" He went to confirm where I was currently staying, in which I replied with a nod.

Gratefully smiling up at them all, I gave them a sincere 'thank you' as I waved and watched them walk casually out of the cafe's door, no doubt planning to get back to their planned fishing trip.

Sifting my bare feet through the powdery grains of white, I gazed absentmindedly at the steady rhythm that the waves moved in; coming in to kiss the shoreline only to be pulled back to reconvene with their greater family, the ocean as a whole.

It was always so calming to watch the natural flow of the ocean tides, dictated by the pull of the moon. Whether it be high or low, there was always that constant push and pull, ensuring one that life will keep moving even if you are at your best or worst.

And as long as the moon is there, then the waters have a reason to want to meet their lover, the shore, or are encouraged to reunite with their greater whole. The moon is their sole drive to put their intentions into motion and see that they see them to completion. It doesn't matter how much you may get pulled back, as long as you have that incentive to keep pushing forward, then one day you will surely be rewarded by your efforts and get your happy ending.

I will find my truth.. the whole truth..and hopefully my place in this challenging world..

I looked at the jagged lines of red that took up the entirety of my feet, fading as they wound up my ankles slightly. More questions arose.

Were these inflicted upon me however long ago or were they some strange deformity that I was born with? Medical reports state conflicting assumptions, not making my curiosity any easier to handle. My recurring dreams were the initial thing that spurred me on in this search for answers, however I couldn't ignore this other factor, that was the extensive scarring on my feet. I just knew it was linked to this somehow.

I usually kept them covered up, to avoid unwanted stares, but seeing as I was alone and on a damp, sandy shoreline I allowed myself the luxury of exposing them to the air.

Would Mr Yang know? Coming here is really the last option I have left at finding any hint about myself and origins. The true end of the road for potential revelations.

I dipped them gently into the shallow waters, the salty streams caressing the uneven skin of them like a mother embracing their child, soft, soothing and loving. I mentally praised myself for deciding to come down to the beach that the town was right on the edge of, the water and air certainly doing me some good at making me feel revitalized after how my body reacted to the events in the cafe.

The mysterious man weaved his way into my thoughts.

Maybe he was just passing through.. He seemed about my age, maybe a little older? I got the impression that most of the locals were elderly so he couldn't be from around here.

My heart proceeded to beat just thinking about him. I admit his appearance way surpassed the average norms of physical attraction, however I wasn't one to fall for someone purely based on their looks. That would make me kinda shallow.

No, instead it was some other accompanying reason...

Some other unknown reason that caused me to be drawn to him like the very waves lapping at my feet were beckoned towards Lady Selene herself.

I was in some strange predicament and I hadn't the slightest clue why.

I sighed, well even if this may be the case it's not like I'd find out, since I'd probably never see him again.

Amidst my deep contemplating thoughts the gentle breeze of the sea brought with it a faint but beautiful musical tune, a whistling flow of notes that sent tingles up and down my spine. I looked around trying to follow the melody to its source. My eyes and ears eventually led me to the highest peak of a cliff, which hung over the depths of the sea. Against the sunset, there stood a silhouette of a man, in his hands was a flute as he brought it up to his lips to continue on with his song.

My eyes raked over his outline as the enchanting sounds of his instrument washed over me, putting me into a deep serenity.

Flute glinting in the diminishing light, loose billowing clothes that got rumpled by the passing breeze, a nice lean figure...

Hold on..

Silent, intense aura...

Could it be?

That wide brimmed hat...

It's him!

As if the universe was confirming it for me, the last remnants of light from the setting sun cast upon him, lighting the man's body up and making his unique features visible. The man from the cafe stood there illuminated in all his ethereal glory, the last note of his unknown melody being blown out as he lowered his flute.

Wow... Was all that came to mind.

A sudden gust of wind swept along the beach, causing my hair to blow in all directions, and sea spray to jump up and dot my skin. I gasped at the disruption, wiping away the droplets that landed on my face and flattening down my brown locks. Because of all this, my view of the man had been obstructed. I was about to look back up towards him when a dash of colour zipped past my vision. There riding the strong breeze was a large, black hat.

I felt my eyes widen in realisation. That's not just any ordinary hat, that's His hat!

The strength of the wind must've blown it off his head. Pushing my feet down into the ground, I lunged forward, chasing after the item of clothing. Running in powdery, dry sand proved to be difficult as I almost lost my balance a couple of times, making grabby hands at the headwear only to stumble and grasp at empty air instead. All the while the hat seemed to mock me as it danced around in front of me. It would slowly float down towards the ground until I got close enough only to catch the next gust of wind, propelling it upwards again, casting a faint circular shadow onto me. If it was alive it would definitely be laughing at this pathetic game of cat and mouse we both found ourselves in. I grumbled out in irritation.

Get back here you dumb hat!

A few dozen attempts later, I found myself gasping for breath from the miniature workout I was getting from this stupid chase. I never knew I could loathe something as simple as a hat so much. Swiftly snatching up the object when it least expected it, I jumped up and down in victory, the item of clothing now safe and sound in my clutches.

Hah! Who's laughing now! I glared down at it.

"Now to get you back to your owner," I huffed out, lifting my head back up towards the cliff. Slightly nervous about interacting and coming so close to him, I gripped onto his hat like it was my lifeline.

Huh?

Scanning the now empty spot of land I realized he was gone.

There's something different about her, but he didn't know what. It caused him to become wary and guarded as he made his way to a secluded part of shoreline that was unreachable to the average human. Shrugging off his clothing and placing it amongst a couple of rocks where they couldn't be seen, the male waded in the shallow waters of the sea. When he was far out enough he sank his upper body into the salty depths, so that he was now completely submerged.

Taking a deep breath, he braced himself for what was to come next.

Seconds later, he gritted his teeth from the abrupt influx of pain that crashed upon him, holding back a shout as he felt his bottom half begin to mold together to form one elongated limb. Patches of skin hardened to form clumps of scales and his scarred feet dissolved and widened to form a brilliant powerful fin.

He always questioned himself why he bothered to step foot on land for limited amounts of time if every time he wanted to go, he had to experience this excruciating transformation.

He continued to clench and thrash his changing body around, trying to ease away the pain.

Maybe I should hold off on visits for a while... He voiced in his head. My energy is depleting...

However his thoughts were drawn back to the human female that he had encountered. He'd never seen her before around these parts and she exuded a different kind of energy than most other land dwellers that he had come across while blending in on land.

She radiated a sense of familiarity but also something that was uniquely her.

Dammit! I shouldn't be getting caught up in the lives of humans.

Those oblivious beings were usually the ones who'd find themselves enchanted by his kind's very presence, not the other way around.

As the minutes passed by, the crippling pain slowly subsided, eventually stopping completely. The merman let out a sigh of relief, praising the gods that it was over.

Oof... I almost blacked out this time...

Steadily regaining his strength and movement, he kicked his fluke up and down creating momentum and smoothly shot forward into the great expanse of deep blue, towards his cave where he could relax and settle down for the night.

I shouldn't resurface, but for the love of Amphitrite, she has my hat!

| 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 | 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 | 𝐍𝐞𝐱𝐭 | ༄⋆

[untaemedqueen]

At Your Service

Escort!Jeongguk x CEO!Reader

Genre: Strangers to Lovers!AU, Angst, Fluff, Smut

Series Warnings: Angst, Fluff, Cold Heartedness, Emotional Trauma, Healing, Smut, Dark Humor, Unexpected Pregnancy, Almost Instalove, Instalust

Warnings For This Chapter: Fake Date

Chapter 3.

Over the course of the evening Jeongguk realized just how misunderstood and hurt you must be inside. Even though you do an incredible job at shielding this away from the outside world.

He can already tell your fake smile apart from your genuine ones, the way your eyes crinkle when you're actually smiling is the tell.

It's his job to pick up on these things, he's great with social cues and it helps him understand his clients a hell of a lot more -- but with you there's something so intriguing that he can't help but want to understand you more.

The salmon dinner you had delivered was brought by a man in a tuxedo with white gloves that waited on the both of you hand and foot. And while Guk thought he would find this incredibly troublesome and uncomfortable, he didn't.

The waiter, Pierre, felt like a regular in this large mansion, he knew where all of the plates and glassware were and he was silent as a mouse while he did it all but you didn't treat him like the help.

You asked Pierre if he needed anything, even going so far as to stop your conversations mid-sentence to ask him. You genuinely care even if you hide that away from the world as well.

So now as dessert rolls around it just feels like the escort is hanging around with a friend of his and the picturesque gardens and the gigantic mansion fade into the background until it feels like it almost never existed.

He can only see you.

"We should go on a follow up research date," Jeongguk announces, grabbing a small millionaire shortbread cookie off the silver tray in the middle of the table.

You notch an eyebrow, giving your full attention as you swirl your dessert wine in your glass.

This man feels nothing like an escort in your eyes. When you first saw him, his image practically screamed at you to fall to your knees and listen to every little instruction he gives you but in actuality Jeongguk is the opposite.

He listens, he pays undivided attention to you and his body moves naturally like all he wants to do is soak up time in your presence.

As someone who has now spent years just observing people instead of getting involved and interacting with them, you've learned a lot about this man in such a short amount of time.

He doesn't care about money, not really anyway. When he first stepped foot into the sterile mansion, he was dumbfounded but then as time went on it didn't seem to faze him at all.

Guk cares about the person in front of him, he listens avidly to everything that they say like they're the only person in the universe that exists.

You haven't felt this comfortable in a long time, not that you've laughed and carried on long-winded conversations so far but you still feel relaxed in his presence.

"Research date?" you muse, lifting your glass to your lips.

He nods then, the subtle glow of the moon highlighting his silver eyebrow piercing. "Yeah. I know some things about you now but it's good to see clients in a social setting as well."

The thought of being around a lot of people makes your skin itch and you involuntarily scratch at the back of your neck awkwardly.

Guk sets down his wine, observing you in a matter of seconds.

He should suggest something that wouldn't make you anxious so he offers the only thing he knows you like. "We can go to the zoo."

You haven't been to the zoo in years. The memory of your father flits around your mind immediately and that's enough for you to nod. "Can I buy it out for the day?"

Guk gives you an incredulous smirk, folding his arms. The way his biceps ripple beneath his work shirt makes you distracted for a moment before he's pulling your attention back to his face. "You buying out a zoo is not going to make it a social setting."

"Can I buy the exclusive VIP tour then?" you inquire.

"Will that make you feel more comfortable?" he replies, picking up his glass of wine.

"Yes," you answer honestly.

"Then yes, let's be VIPs for the day."

Your smile then is genuine, crinkling the corners of your eyes sweetly. You smile at how considerate he is, you smile at the fact that you have someone to go somewhere with, and you smile because you're comfortable.

And Jeongguk's promise to his best friends that he wouldn't look at a client the same way as he looked at Chloe slowly feels like it's breaking already.

What you do know to be true about Jeongguk so far is that he is gentlemanly, polite and understanding.

But you still have this underlying sense of distrust that your therapist has told you equates to just how vile Jasper was to you when he cheated. It created this huge turmoil deep inside of you almost like mildew on walls -- it grows and grows until it's taken care of.

You've never truly taken care of it. You just push it to the back of your brain and lock it away hoping that it'll somehow disappear for good.

The opera has always done a great job with drowning out the hopeless thoughts you have but when Jeongguk left that night after dessert, you didn't play any music.

You let the night sink in and you experienced something in its entirety for the first time in years.

As you laid in bed, you let thoughts of the escort consume you. You told him things that night, simple things but it's more than Namjoon probably even knows.

Jeongguk knows your favorite color, your happiest memory, your need for revenge against the two happy life ruiners, he knows how your booming business is just a distraction so that your brain can't process anything from years ago.

And yet, you know very little about Guk.

You could see how it turned out to be that way as the night ticked on in your gigantic, expensive bed.

But it made you curious about the escort. It made you want the same exact answers from him.

So now as you sit outside At Your Service with your Gucci sunglasses on and your long black leather gloves that reach your elbows, you vow to yourself to get those answers.

You're excited for the zoo, if you're being honest with yourself. While it is incredibly early to even be outside, you like knowing you'll have hours to see every animal within the large conservation park.

As for Jeongguk, he can't even step out of his office to meet you at your car because he's being bombarded with questions by his two best friends.

"Can you both move?" he scoffs, sliding on his leather jacket.

Jimin and Taehyung slide closer to one another, folding their arms in tandem with wicked smiles.

"Answer the questions, Guk," Jimin orders, shutting the office door with the heel of his foot.

The sound of the glass door rattling the glass walls around them practically makes the younger escorts teeth rattle.

He doesn't want to even deal with this right now but if he doesn't then he's never going to be able to leave. And he would rather not disappoint you, you've had enough disappointment in your life so far, or so he thinks.

"Holy shit," he breathes, rolling his eyes, "I'm going to the fucking zoo-"

"Going on a date to the zoo," Taehyung interrupts.

"I'm going on a research date to the zoo with my client Y/N so I can see how she interacts in a social setting. I want to make sure that when I take her to the wedding she'll be able to be comfortable-"

"May I just fucking interject that the last time Jeongguk had a client, he didn't give a shit if she was on her hands and knees vomitting into a toilet from food poisoning but now his new client gets two meetings before this wedding that's three whole months away," Taehyung heaves.

"Good point," Jimin chirps, high-fiving the man beside him.

"Oh my God," Guk mumbles, combing his hands through his hair. "You're both so immature."

"Listen, if you're gonna fuck then fuck. But as your life partners and best friends, we just wanna know what's going on," the oldest breathes.

"I'm not fucking her! I'm going to the zoo! Jesus Christ!" your date scoffs, pushing his friends out of the way.

"You're gonna break your promise," Tae sings, steadying himself against the leather couch.

Guk stops in his tracks, thinking back to the dinner date you had not even four days ago before clearing his throat.

He did feel himself losing all semblance of that promise that evening.

"She is my client," he exasperates.

"So was Chloe," Jimin states.

With the roll of his eyes once more, he steps out into the carpeted hallway. "They're different."

It didn't take him long to get to the front door of the agency. The escort thinks to himself how he's going to apologize and make sure you understand that he was held up against his will but the thought flies right out of his head when he sees you.

Your McLaren sits perfectly shiny under the early morning sun and it's so striking that it makes the escort blink. You're not in the driver's seat, nor on top of the hood daintily waiting like Chloe used to.

Instead you're handing a man in tattered looking clothes some money and trying to be as secretive as possible about it, not for yourself of course but to make the man not feel like a burden upon society.

Jeongguk looks on with fascination, simply floored with how thoughtful you are.

You give the homeless man a smile -- a genuine one.

"My God," the escort chirps.

When you turn around to head back to your car, he catches your ensemble. You're decked out in black from head to toe looking as if you're going to someone's funeral. But it would be a fashionable funeral no doubt.

You wear the Gucci and the Balenciaga almost as if you're astonished you even have it and Jeongguk loves that about you.

It's one of the many things he can remember about your meeting vividly.

Your head bow to him is what makes him break out of his short lived reverie.

"Good morning," he announces, walking down the steps of the business.

"It is a good morning," you decide, opening up your door.

Guk decides not to comment on your car, he doesn't think you'd like being complimented on how much money you have. It seems obvious after dinner the other day.

You reach to turn off the opera music but Guk's hand wraps around yours before you can get there.

"I like The Magic Flute," he breathes, giving you a smile.

You want to assume he did his research to seem more knowledgeable on the subject and that he doesn't actually like it but you'll give him the benefit of the doubt.

The car ride is silent for a while but you're alright with it, the air isn't taut with uncomfortableness nor anxiousness and you like that.

You wonder when it's the right time to ask him things. You haven't spoken to anyone but Namjoon in ages and he initiates conversation first.

So you bite the bullet.

And apparently so does he.

"Whats yo-"

"How have-"

Guk chuckles deeply, the sound like harpsichords and the chilly morning breeze.

"I'm sorry, you go first," he offers politely, tilting his head to look at you.

"Oh, no, you first," you breathe.

He notices how you grip the steering wheel tighter and he concedes quickly to spare you the pain of awkwardness.

"How was the past few days? Miss me?" he jeers, lowering his window.

He doesn't miss the gentile smirk you give through the side mirror and his heart wants to melt to fucking goo inside of himself.

Not a good sign.

"I'm a businesswoman, I remain professional at all times," you reply.

Was that banter? Are you joking around with him?

He wants more.

"Nah. I think you missed me," he quips, putting on his sunglasses.

You pick up your coffee and take a sip, getting ready for the long drive to the zoo.

"What's your favorite color?" you inquire softly.

Guk puts his hands behind his head and you do the both of you the favor of opening up the roof to a convertible.

"My favorite color is sage green."

"That's specific," you reply.

Guk chuckles, shrugging his shoulders and running his fingers through his hair. "I've always been a specific type of person."

"I got you coffee earlier… What's your favorite memory?"

The escort looks down at the cup holder and there's a warmth that spreads through him knowing you were thoughtful.

"Favorite memory? Holy shit… I haven't thought about that in a while. Lemme think," Jeongguk breathes, picking up his coffee.

The car is silent for a few moments and you can practically see the cogs turning in his head out of the corner of your eye.

Finally he clears his throat awkwardly and you slow the car down to hear him above the engine.

"My happiest moment is probably when I got accepted into Stanford."

"You went to Stanford University?! What did you study?!" you inquire.

You didn't expect this, not because he's an escort but because you went as well.

"Theoretical physics."

Your eyes widen and you turn your head to him for merely a moment to show him your shock.

To be accepted into Stanford for such a deep thinking major is phenomenal, he must be one of the brightest minds of the century.

It intrigues you. It pulls you in.

"I went to Stanford too," you add with a small smile.

"You graduated," he breathes, lifting his coffee cup to his lips.

You can hear the pain in his voice, you can hear the disappointment and it reels you back in.

"Wh-What happened?"

Guk shrugs his shoulders stiffly, staring ahead at the asphalt road that disappears beneath the car. "It's a long story. Maybe I'll tell you one day."

You might like that.

<---- Last Chapter                                                   Next Chapter ---->

[beautifulpersonpeach]

BPP I often hear chatter for a yoonmin song which would indeed be fire but the song I’d kill to hear would be a jihope collab. Like an arson/more meets set me free pt.2 type collab. It would be unhealthy how many times I’d listen to it.

what’s an underrated/hasn’t happened yet duo you’d love to make a song together in bts?

***

After the Episode that dropped today where Jimin tells Yoongi at a tour stop that he’s finished his new album, I think we might be closer to having your dream be a reality if there’s a jihope collab on PJM2.

Credit: @/seokjinbit

*

Jimin plus Hobi on a track together, making something like Set Me Free Pt 2 + More combined, will certainly be more flammable and deadly than Huh?!…. and that’s saying something. I pray it happens in PJM2, but even if it doesn’t, because it’s BTS, there’s almost no doubt in my mind that jihope will make this sort of track eventually. It’s within their music scope and their egos need the outlet.

Other underrated pairings I’d love to see more music from are:

Taejoon: Joon loves himself a good bit of Soul and Tae seems to have made Swing and Jazz his go-to styles, so in my mind, the possibilities are endless.

Jinkook: I think their chemistry is underrated and I like how their voices sound together.

The Daegu boys: Yoongi and Tae used to have personalities that clashed quite a bit in their earlier days, but their chemistry has matured into an easy understanding of each other. I want to see that expressed in music they make together.

Minimoni: Joon helped Jimin make Promise, Jimin’s first published solo project. He’s helped Jimin on several solo songs since then, but I want more examples of their work together, because all their work so far, especially given what I know about the temperaments of Joon and Jimin, feels too safe. Imagine a song like Change Pt 2 and SMF Pt 2… Yeah, I need more angry music from Jimin + every member of the rapline. I know they’ve got the rage to pull it off.

Hopekook: Speaking of rage, I want a similar thing from Jungkook, but with Hobi. Somehow I feel this is the optimal combination to bring out a particular kind of energy from Jungkook, what that is exactly I don’t know how to say. But when I hear it, I’ll know.

Thanks for the fun ask!

[star-my]

Vixen ~ Three (Final)

➼ Pairing: Jimin x OC (Shin Ara)

➼ Length: 6k

➼ Rating: pg-15

➼ Content: Arranged Marriage AU, CEO AU, Mafia AU | TW: Vague Threats of Violence; Kidnapping; Non-Graphic Violence (Fight Scene); Minor Discussion of Human Trafficking (not by BTS/SKZ members)| Ara and JK are so sibling-coded; Jimin ships Vixen and JK

➼ Thanks to @moonleeai for betaing! I had this posted at noon and closed tumblr but when I came back now somehow it disappeared into the cloud?? I'm so annoyed ;-;

➼ Taglist: @bangtan-famiglia-net@kookthief@otome-wandering@sarcasticbambi

➼ Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction and in no way represents any member of BTS, SKZ, or any other K-pop group mentioned in any way beyond the face and name claims the author made for this work.

➼ Chapter 1 (13/10/23) ➼ Chapter 2 (14/10/23) ➼ Ao3 ➼ Masterlist

ARA, AGE 25, (PRESENT DAY)

A hand flopped around on the wooden table, finally locating the device making that infernal racket far too early in the morning.

“It’s too early for this,” Ara groaned, sliding the call button on her phone. “Yeoboseyo?”

“Princess? It’s Jimin. Sorry if I woke you…” Ara heard a sharp inhale as her husband realised the time. Still, he pressed on. “Um…you know how Park Wonshik adopted me after I was kidnapped?”

“Ye-ah,” she replied slowly, trying to figure out what was going on. Why was he sounding so awake after helping her break up the trafficking ring early this morning? He probably hadn’t slept yet, she realized. Hence, his too-early call.

“So, the police broke up this ring last night and saved a bunch of kids. They called me and asked if I’d mind talking to them, tell them that things are gonna be okay, y’know?”

Ara made some sort of agreeing noise, heading to the bathroom to gargle some mouthwash and maybe comb her hair and hope that putting her hair in order would simultaneously put her brain cells in order.

“So…one of my dad’s old friends was there and suggested maybe…we could foster one or two of the kids who are in need of a home until they get all the paperwork sorted out. A couple of the kids agreed to testify, so they’ll also need to stay close until the trials are over. What do you think? We have really good security, so they won’t need to worry about a repeat kidnapping, and I know we’ve got space and love. You mentioned wanting to help trafficking victims when I was telling you about my childhood…but…”

The longer her silence stretched out, the more Jimin rambled. He was so cute.

“Yeah, that sounds like a great, practical way to help,” Ara agreed after spitting her mouthwash out. “Just let me know how many you kids you drag back so I know how many rooms to get ready.”

“Thank you, jagiya.” Muffled conversation crackled through the line as Jimin paused to speak with an officer. “Sorry, I have to go. I’ll call later, alright?”

“Okay. Love you!”

“Love you!”

Ara put her phone down on the counter and stared at her reflection in the mirror. 

~~~

At 2:33 PM, Jimin arrived home with an eleven-year-old girl in tow. The police officer and Child & Family Services officer quickly checked the premises and living situation, then left, leaving Jimin, Ara, and the girl.

Ara smiled, crouching down to her height. “Hi, I’m Shin Ara. It’s nice to meet you.”

“Hello, Mrs. Shin. My name is Kim Nabi,” Nabi bowed politely. “It is nice to meet you as well. Thank you for letting me live with you.”

Her shiny hair teased the tops of her shoulders as she moved. 

“I’ll show you to your room, then,” said Ara, motioning at the stairs. “I know you saw it already during the tour, but you can get settled now. My room is right across the hall, so my bodyguard will be close by if you feel unsafe. Have you met Jungkook yet?”

Nabi shook her head, then gave a small smile full of delight as she really took in her room.

Ara and Jimin’s gazes met as they exchanged smiles at her satisfaction.

The walls were a pale periwinkle reflected in the pale blue duvet, the trim white to contrast the wood furniture.

“I hope you like it,” joked Ara. “There are a couple of outfits in the closet, but I thought maybe you’d like to go shopping for some things your own style while you’re here. Jungkook and I will take you whenever you’re ready.”

Ara pulled the stuffed rabbit from the top shelf of the closet and held it out to Nabi. “I thought you might like a friend to talk to while you decide if you want to talk to me or someone else about what happened. I’ve told quite a few secrets to Cookie here, and he’s kept them all remarkably well. He also gives a pretty nice hug,” she smiled conspiratorially.

“Thank you very much, Mrs Shin, Mr Park,” Nabi bowed again.

“You’re welcome, Nabi. I know things have been tough, but you’re a very brave girl,” said Jimin. “We want you to feel safe and at home here. I remember how I felt after I was brought here by my adoptive father. If you want to scream, cry, maybe hit a couple of things, go for a run– whatever you’re feeling, we’re here for you.”

“Thank you,” Nabi said again.

Jimin kissed Ara’s cheek goodbye and left to finish his assistance at the police station.

Ara looked at Nabi, laid a soft hand on her shoulder, and said, “I think you’d like to be alone right now to settle in, but if you want company, my room is across the hall, and the door’s open. If you need anything, just walk in or give me a shout, ‘kay?”

Nabi nodded, and Ara crossed the hall to call Jungkook and explain the situation.

~~~

Ara softly knocked on Nabi’s door for the third time. When there was still no response, she twisted the knob and peered in.

Nabi was sound asleep in her bed, hugging Cookie tightly to her chest.

“Nabi, it’s ten to seven. Jimin-ssi will be home any minute, and supper will be ready. I’m sure you’re pretty hungry by now. Jungkook wants to meet you, too, so can you wake up and get up by seven?” As Ara talked soothingly, Nabi stirred and gradually opened her eyes. Ara opened the door a little wider to let the hallway light shine in, as Nabi had drawn her blackout drapes.

“Hello, Ara-unnie. I’m up now.” Nabi yawned and stretched, then slid off the bed.

“Did you have a good nap? I hope you’ll sleep tonight!” Ara stepped just outside the doorway so she wouldn’t stifle Nabi, who yawned again.

“Yes, I slept well, thank you.”

The two headed to the top of the stairs, where Jungkook awaited. 

“Nabi, this is my bodyguard and best friend, Jeon Jungkook. Jungkook, this young lady is Kim Nabi.”

“Pleasure to meet you, Miss Nabi,” Jungkook’s bunny smile shone through as he grinned at the girl.

“Thank you. It’s nice to meet you as well, Jungkook-oppa.”

Jungkook grinned even wider at Ara. “I’m her oppa already!”

Ara punched his shoulder gently. “Don’t let it go to your head; I told her she could call us that.”

The foyer door opened, signalling Jimin’s return home. He headed to the powder room to wash up, then joined the little group in the living room, brushing a kiss to Ara’s cheek on his way in.

Jungkook pretended to gag, wincing as Ara pinched his arm.

Nabi was quiet during dinner, her gaze bouncing between the three adults talking and laughing around her but not volunteering much. They drew her in when they could, but weren’t surprised that she didn’t immediately become a chatterbox. She’d been through a lot and was probably still deciding how much she could trust them. 

Ara did manage to get her to commit to going clothes shopping the next day, but that was it.

A large yawn cracked Nabi’s face as Jimin asked Jungkook to see him in his office after supper, so Ara said goodnight to the men and followed Nabi upstairs, just in case she forgot where something was or needed help.

Two nights later, Jimin was back at Vixen’s HQ, meeting with the woman herself. He’d showed up unexpectedly, interrupting her spar with Hyunjin, so she wasn’t in full Vixen gear like all the previous times he’d met her.

She’d donned the mask, but her hair was free, a neat brown-black braid falling down her back, a few wisps curled to her sweaty face and neck. 

“If you tell anyone you’ve seen more of me than my lieutenants, I’m sorry, but I’ll have to break our agreement,” she waved a finger at him.

“I won’t,” promised Jimin. More of her meant arms and feet, since she was only in a black tank top and workout leggings, her jacket having been tossed aside as she heated up.

Jimin noted interestedly that the gold eyes and red mouth was an indispensable part of Vixen’s persona, as they were still visible.

(As two of her most notable character marks, Ara made sure the lipstick and contacts were first in and last out when she switched between Ara and Vixen. He’d just proved her point—though he didn’t know it—that you should always be prepared for the unexpected; you never know when someone would drop in, either ally or foe.)

“So, you took care of the three men?” she asked.

Jimin nodded. “JK and I made sure they won’t be trafficking in the future…or committing any other crimes.”

She nodded approvingly. “Good.”

The tones of Vixen’s cell phone rang and she bent over, fishing the phone out of her pocket. Answering it, she turned around but didn’t move away; Jimin eavesdropped as best he could. “Vixen.”

There was a pause as her contact spoke.

“What? Stall him! Flag him down and tell him I have a visitor! Engage blade if necessary.” With an aggravated sigh, Vixen ended the call and pinched her nose, muttering something about stupid training, then turned with a smile that was clearly false.

“I’m going to need a minute, would you mind waiting in another room?”

Jimin complied, following her to a small room that reminded him of a cabin. She pointed to the twin bed and shut the door behind her. Jimin didn’t feel like a captive since there was a window large enough for him to crawl through, and there didn’t appear to be any bars or lasers to stop him from doing so if he wished. But he didn’t wish to; he was here for a reason, afterall.

Footsteps echoed in the hallway as someone came jogging up to Vixen. The tread was heavy, likely male, and the visitor greeted her in a male’s voice.

“Hey Vix, I found out where he keeps the goods- why are you frown- ouch! VIX-mmph!”

That male voice sounded awfully familiar. Jimin frowned.

“Shh! I’m gagging you because he’s. next. door!” hissed Vixen harshly. “If you’d checked outside before you snuck in, you'd have seen his car!”

Jimin strained his ears as the whispers softened and moved down the hallway. However, he’d managed to drop a bug on Vixen’s back as he followed her, so he pulled out his receiver and shamelessly eavesdropped.

“I came over the roofs tonight so I didn’t see. I’m sorry, VIx, that was careless; I should’ve known better. I’ll check 360 degrees next time, yakseokhae.”

That was definitely JK.

“Good. Yeesh, oppa, you almost gave everything away! I had Han ready to rush you with his knife to slow you down!”

Oppa?! Why was Vixen so close to JK?

“Sorry, Vixen. But I found out where he keeps the goods, and I’m getting mine tomorrow, so I need to make sure the others won’t be visible when it’s done.”

…the blacklight tattoos each member got when they were inducted into Bangtan? He’d thought JK was a reliable asset to Bangtan, so he’d invited him to get it. JK was obviously Vixen’s spy in Bangtan, but why?…most of JK’s time was spent on his bodyguarding duties with Ara.

Unless…Vixen was going to take out Ara to hit Bangtan and Grey? But both of them were allied with her, that didn’t make sense. And he knew JK would never hurt or let anyone or anything hurt Ara.

Clearly, more investigation was required.

“When are you going to tell him, anyways, Vix? Hasn’t it been long enough for you to trust him?”

Vixen sighed. “It’s a big secret–half my life. It takes time to open up.”

“I understand. I’ll be there when you’re ready. I’ll leave now…”

Jimin heard JK discover the bug when he hugged Vixen goodbye. 

There was a pause, crackling as the bug was moved, then a dramatic inhale.

“Vix, what’s this?”

“That’s not one of ours…that’s Jimin’s. I thought I felt his fingers on my back, but I didn’t have time to check.” Vixen cursed, and then all that Jimin heard was static as JK crushed the bug under his boot.

The door swung open, JK standing protectively beside Vixen, who crossed her arms and stared at Jimin.

“Fine. You discovered it. Jungkook is my spy in Bangtan. He helped me start Stray Kids, and he’s an honorary member, since he’s technically affiliated with Gray. I’m not plotting anything against you. Happy?” “Why do you care about Bangtan’s tattoos?” Jimin stared back at her.

“Because Stray Kids have blacklight tattoos too, and I didn’t want to out JK’s and my relationship because you picked a spot close to his previous tattoo to add yours. It’s moot now, I guess.”

“Relationship?” He glanced between the two.

“We’re just friends,” they said in unison, then looked at each other. “What he/she said.”

Jimin sighed. Sure. Just friends. Whatever you say.

“Okay, prove it. Do you have a blacklight around?”

Hyunjin entered with the light and JK unbuttoned his shirt, slipping it off one shoulder. The Stray Kids symbol glowed blue at the joining of his neck and shoulder. Along his left arm were eight small bands of moon phases, as well.

Vixen held the blacklight to her shoulder, and the vivid blue symbol appeared on the front of her left shoulder, slightly larger and thicker than JK’s. “Happy?”

“Alright, I believe you.” Jimin took the light from her and waved it over his left collarbone, showing Bangtan’s symbol in glowing purple-blue. “You can choose where you put it, but somewhere that allows for easy access is a good choice for easy ID,” he told JK before turning to Vixen. “Bangtan’s tattoos are secret for a reason.”

She nodded companionably. “Same with Stray Kids, hence, blacklight. JK and I won’t say anything.”

JK nodded as Jimin looked at him. “ I won’t say a word, boss.”

“You’re affiliated with three families, JK. Which one are you most loyal to?”

JK swallowed, his big eyes a bit rounder than normal at Jimin’s subtly threatening tone. 

“Yeah, JK, tell me who you’re loyal to,” Vixen buffed her nails against her shirt as she leaned against the doorway, the very picture of nonchalance.

“...I am equally loyal to them. My primary loyalty is to your wife.”

After several tense seconds, Jimin smiled approvingly and patted his shoulder. “Good.”

Vixen nodded at him for his diplomatic answer, then left to continue her spar with Hyunjin.

Jimin and Jungkook rejoined, watching the spar just as VIxen put Hyunjin in an armlock. He tapped out and Jungkook danced into the ring. “Still mad at me for my slip up, Vix?”

“No, we’re good. Foxtrot spar?” She added one of her many code words with him, requesting the use of martial arts plus blades.

Jungkook nodded, and the spar began.

Jimin leaned forward, closely following the pair’s movements. Their sheer grace and long practice of martial arts gave them the facade of a deadly dance, clearly used to practicing together.

Silver flashes gleamed as their knives slashed and parried, tucked away the next second for strikes and kicks.

Finally, JK saw an opening as Vixen slowed from fatigue, her previous spar with Hyunjin lowering her endurance. Caught in a chokehold, Vixen tapped out.

Bowing, the pair ended the spar. Jimin clapped, impressed. “You both fight very well.”

“Thank you,” they said in unison, leaning down to grab a water bottle, opening it, and chugging at the same time.

Jimin rolled his eyes. Totally “just friends”.

Two weeks later, two days before the beginning of the trials, Ara took Nabi to the mall to take her mind off the upcoming event. Nabi now had a varied wardrobe, but Ara was looking for formal dresses for them for a future party..

Nabi had settled in surprisingly quickly, becoming more talkative and outgoing as the days passed, though she was still a quiet child.

She had only been on the street a week since her mom died when she was kidnapped. No one knew who or where her dad was.

Ara had contacted a counsellor for Nabi to see when she was ready to talk about it, and she and Jimin had agreed they’d love to foster with intent to adopt. When Nabi was ready, they’d talk about it. So far, she seemed to love the house, and she often followed Jungkook around like a duckling when he wasn’t with Ara.

Jungkook casually browsed through the men’s section of the formalwear store while he kept an eye on other customers. Ara took Nabi to the womens’ changerooms to try on a couple dresses each. Stepping into the room beside Nabi’s, she froze at the reflection of the man in the mirror with the gun painted at her.

“Follow me quietly and you and the kid won’t get hurt,” he growled.

Tentatively, Ara turned around, hoping Nabi would stay in her changeroom.

Alas, that was not to be, as Nabi stepped out. “Unnie, my zipp-” she stared at the man and Ara calmly, though her eyes were wide with shock. Slowly, she crept behind Ara, keeping an eye on the man.

“Come quietly and you’ll both be fine,” threatened the man. They headed out the back way to the van idling by the door. 

Getting in, Ara felt the dull throb of a needle prick as everything faded to black.

~~~

Jungkook headed to the fitting rooms anxiously. Twelve minutes had passed with no sign of either Nabi or Ara. Normally, Ara asked for his opinion on formal fits; while he supposed she may have decided to ask Jimin’s opinion instead, he was still a little worried.

As soon as he saw the silver and jade hairpin Ara had worn that day on the ground, the needle pointing to the back exit, he knew something was up. Pulling out his phone, he began making calls.

~~~

Slowly blinking her heavy lids, Ara tried to focus her thoughts and make sense of everything. As she gradually became more clear-headed, her memories returned.

Pretending to still be unconscious, she strained her senses to check her surroundings.

So far, she could tell that she was likely in a warehouse (how original) in the industrial area by the Han River, with the smell of water and the faint industrial noises surrounding her.

Nabi was in the chair behind her, back-to-back, either still out or merely pretending, like herself.

Ara couldn’t sense any hostile presence around–evidently, they were still supposed to be under the drug’s influence for a while longer.

Carefully, she pressed her watch button in and twisted it, sending an emergency GPS ping to both Chan and Jin.

Clearly, the kidnappers didn’t expect much of a chaebol heiress; since she was untouched, her eight knives, two GPSs, and five impromptu weapons were still on her. Well, at least they were respectful. This meant she was likely not going to be harmed, at least at first, and they didn’t know she was Vixen. 

She could work with that.

“Nabi-ah, are you awake?” If she was, Ara would have to wait for her prince(s) in shining armour (unless the kidnappers tried something before then), but if Nabi was still out, Ara could fight her way out and then claim a rescue…

She felt Nabi’s hands brush hers, then– “I know you’re Vixen. Can you get us out of here before oppa comes?”

 How- how did this child– Jimin still didn’t know!

“I’ll try.” She wiggled a knife free and passed it through their bonds to Nabi. “Go for blood if you’re in trouble. Now is not the time for guilt or gentleness. Use your teeth and elbows if you have to. Aim for fleshy parts like eyes, groin, or disabling their arms and hands.”

“Got it,” Nabi whispered back. “You’re so cool, unnie.”

Ara smiled inwardly, then began tugging the knot of the rope around her hands loose.

Once she had undone the ropes, she slyly slid one of her knives from her thigh free, using it to cut Nabi loose. “Sit tight unless you’re attacked, okay? On three, I’m going to get our captors’ attention. I already sent a distress signal, so Jimin and Jungkook will be here soon,” she added to reassure her foster daughter.

On three, she ripped the blindfold off and stood up, sliding the knives tucked into her heels out and kicking them off, choosing to fight barefoot.

A quick slash up the side seam of her skirt, and she was ready to fight.

The kidnappers had noticed that she was awake, and five men dressed in black ran into the room. 

Good, no guns, yet. The illegal weapons left traces very difficult to clean up and explain away.

Silently she charged the row of three, using the first’s momentum to tumble the second and third like dominoes.

While they were still reeling, Ara began slicing at the fourth and fifth, incapacitating them by aiming for their thighs and shoulders.

One, Two, and Three regained their balance, and Ara hurled one of her blades into Two’s shoulder as she danced around Three, hitting pressure points to take him out.

On her way to One, she yanked the knife out of Two’s shoulder, jabbing it at his waist and thigh.

One appeared to be better trained than the others as he aimed for a pressure point on Ara’s neck. Unluckily for him, she grabbed his wrist, forced him to his knees, and kicked him in the groin.

Spinning back to Two, she hit his neck to temporarily paralyse him, watching him slump before repeating the motion on One.

Sighing, she brushed her hair out of her face, wishing she hadn’t dropped her hairpin at the store as a clue for Jungkook. He’d have found her soon enough through the CCTVs, and she could see better without her hair flying around if she’d kept it.

A second batch of five emerged from the hallway she assumed led to the boss’s control room, but this time the group was armed and better prepared.

Ara supposed the first group were the disposable, bottom-tier underlings who underestimated her.

Dropping into a crouch, she grinned ferally. Worked every time.

Two and Three charged her at the same time, so she simply crouched there, then uncoiled at the last second. Using Two’s knee as a springboard, she wrapped her legs around Three’s neck, sending Two sprawling and choking Three out.

On her way to meet One, Four, and Five, she gifted Two a knife to the thigh, dangerously close to the femoral artery. Oops.

Just before she hit One and Four, she dropped to her knees and slid by, taking their legs out. Rather badass a move of her, if she thought so herself.

Five grabbed her by the hair–rude, but smart— thankfully, it was long enough she could twist to face him and swipe at his knees, then grab his wrist and twist him around.

He released her hair, and she swiftly knocked him out, then headed back to the still-conscious Two, Four, and One.

A quick insurance stab to their dominant arms, and all ten opponents were incapacitated, if not unconscious.

Ara spun to the door, dropping into a defensive stance and re-gripping her blades tightly, only to relax in relief when IN and Felix showed up. 

“Oh, good, you’re the first ones here. Nabi knows– I’ll figure out how later– but as of right now, Jimin doesn’t know, so you two took out those assailants, okay? I watched you rescue me when I woke up halfway through the fight,” Ara quickly aligned their cover stories.

Clearly, she should tell Jimin about her…nightly business ventures, but now would not be the time.

“Yes, ma’am,” Vixen’s bodyguards saluted, then began dragging the kidnappers into a row and tying them up.

Ara reclaimed her knife from Nabi and sat back in her chair, holding hands with the girl.

“Jimin-ssi should be here very soon and we can go home, okay? You were so brave; I’m proud of you. It’s okay now, so I understand if you’re a little scared or overwhelmed. Do you want to talk about it?”

Nabi shook her head. “I wasn’t scared; I knew you’d keep us safe, and Jimin-oppa and Jungkook-oppa would come for us.”

‘’How did you know I’m Vixen, Nabi-ah? And I gather you figured Jimin and Jungkook out too.”

Nabi grinned, turning in her chair to face Ara. “Jimin-oppa doesn’t wear a mask. I recognized him from the night when you all rescued us. That pink hair is kind of distinctive. I thought Jungkook-oppa worked for Vixen, but then I saw him with Jimin at the police station. I didn’t know till you woke me up for supper the first night; the way you talked to me and approached me was just like Vixen. And then I saw you with Jungkook-oppa and you were close to him like Vixen was.”

“Is that why you were watching us all so closely?” Ara had a revelation. “I just thought you didn’t trust us yet.”

Nabi nodded proudly. “I was trying to figure out who knew what about who.”

Ara smiled at Nabi and smoothed her hair down. “You are a very clever girl– you’re the first person to figure out that Shin Ara and Vixen are the same person. Everyone else who knows, I told. Have you figured out what everybody knows by now?”

“I think so…you and Jungkook-oppa know each other and Jimin-ssi, and he knows Jungkook-oppa but not you?”

Ara nodded, “Good job, Nabi-ah. Jimin’s family and mine are allies, and Jungkook works for both of them, Gray and Bangtan. He also works for my –Vixen’s– family, Stray Kids. Jimin-ssi and my appa both do not know about me being Vixen, but I think I should tell them now, don’t you?”

Nabi nodded. “Secrets should be kept few and far between.”

“Wise wor-”

Their talk was interrupted by a group of armed men bursting in, guns in hand.

Ara and Nabi blinked back at Jimin’s wide gaze. “You’re safe!”

He holstered his gun and anxiously looked them over. “Are you sure you’re okay?” He asked, pulling Ara into a hug, then Nabi. “What happened?”

“We’re fine, Jimin. Nabi is probably a bit more anxious than she lets on, but we’re fine,” Ara ran her hand down his chest soothingly, feeling the rapid thumping of his heartbeat.

Jimin pulled back to examine Ara's face. “Why is there blood on you?”

“Oh, it's not mine, it’s…theirs…” Ara waved at the neat row of captives guarded by Felix and IN. “They took those guys out and rescued Nabi and me. Jungkook called them, saying we were in trouble.”

Ara had to have some last fun as Vixen, before she unmasked. Unable to resist, she asked in a loud whisper, “Why are there so many of you and why did you have a gun?!”

Jungkook coughed loudly to cover his laughter at Ara’s acting. Felix and IN exchanged grins, turning their backs to ‘guard the prisoners’.

The rest of Jimin’s squad of six looked awkwardly around, invested in the drama and wondering how their boss was going to get out of this jam.

Panic flashed through Jimin’s eyes. “Uh…why don’t we get you home and have a doctor look at you, jagiya. You must have been so scared, Nabi-ah. Let’s go home, hm? I think Mrs Lee was stress-baking up a storm.”

Jungkook slipped out to start the car and told Jimin quietly, but loud enough for Ara to get the message, “I called Dr. Hyunjin– he’ll understand. I have Lady’s men ready to help; I called her guys after you and Jin-hyung.”

“Thanks, JK.” Jimin escorted his girls to the car, leaving Jungkook to drive home while he fussed over them in the backseat.

Ara waited till Nabi showered and Hyunjin okayed her to do anything, much to her husband’s chagrin.

Nabi went straight to bed, and Hyunjin told Ara and Jimin that she was healthy, with no side effects from the drug used to knock them out, and was only stressed, though less so than he’d expected.

Ara was touched by Nabi’s faith in her and her guys. 

Hyunjin said good night and all the attention was on Ara. She willingly took a shower, conceding to that after adamantly refusing Hyunjin’s checkup.

Finally, so Jimin would stop worrying, she agreed to give him five minutes to reassure himself that she was indeed feeling 100%.

Ara perched on the counter in her ensuite, her towel wrapped around her neatly and another on her head to keep her hair from dripping in her face.

Cupping Jimin’s face in her hands, she looked him in the eyes.

“I’m sorry for worrying you, yeobo.”

“It’s not your fault, jagi,” Jimin protested immediately.

“Not the kidnapping, no, but the worrying, yes. There’s something I need to tell you. Please don’t freak out, okay?”

Jimin nodded warily, his eyes full of questions.

Ara grimaced, then said. “I know you’re Park Jimin, Head of the Bangtan mafia.”

His face jerked out of her hands. “What? No, I’m not– where did you–”

“Sh, I know, Jimin.” She cupped his face again. “I know Appa is Shin Jungok, head of the Gray mafia. I know my oppas work for you and him as mafiosos. I know your friends aren’t just your friends, they’re also mafia. I know my friend Minho is mafia. The reason I know all this is because…I’m mafia. I’m Lady Vixen.”

Jimin pulled his face away again to stare at her, his jaw slack and his eyes wide.

“I know I was never supposed to know who you all are, but I have since I was twelve. I started planning Vixen then; Kookie helped me. When I was seventeen and Kook was my full-time bodyguard and we could sneak around, I became Vixen.”

“I…don’t believe you.”

Ara hopped off the counter and exited the bathroom, heading for her closet. She changed into jeans and a blouse, then slid her shoes on. “Follow me if you dare.”

Jimin took her hand, confused and curious, as Ara led him to Jungkook’s bike in the garage.

They hopped on, Ara revved, and they sped off, Ara making evasive manoeuvres and pulling over randomly to ensure no one would follow them.

Ara casually strolled up to Vixen’s HQ, D9, and entered her fingerprint, eight-digit code, and eye scan after a moment’s pause.

She headed straight to the back, to Vixen’s room, waving briskly at the sparring members of her mafia gathered in the main room, and pressed on a panel in the wall.

The panel popped out and Ara reached in, removed a small package, and slipped her contacts and fangs in. A small tube of lipstick sat on a shelf, and Ara carefully applied a coat. The mask went on, the jacket was zipped up, and her boots laced up.

Dumbfounded, Jimin watched as his wife did a slow twirl in front of him, a smug smirk on her face. The entire transformation took five minutes.

“You’re really Vixen.”

“Yup.”

Hyunjin popped in with the blacklight again and Ara confirmed her SKZ tattoo on her shoulder. “Thanks, Jinnie. Can you ask the others to come see me in a minute, please?”

In the minute they were left alone, Ara sat behind her desk and kicked out a chair for Jimin to sink into. “I’m sorry I didn’t let you know sooner–for worrying you without reason. I was actually the one who knocked out the guys; Innie and Lix got there after. That’s why I was bloody.”

Hyunjin reentered with IN and Felix, handing Jimin a bundle.

He unwrapped it to discover six knives and two stilettos, which caused him to turn to Ara in confusion.

She smirked. “I never go out unarmed. I also have a GPS in each watch and a few of my larger jewellery pieces. I could also have utilized the belt on my skirt and my necklace as weapons, if I so wish. Unfortunately, I had to leave my hairpin behind, but I often wear my hair up in pins because they double as an excellent weapon in a pinch…especially if they’re modified. All this is to say, I’m sorry for worrying you earlier, and I can take care of myself, so please don’t worry if something like this happens again.”

Jimin stared at her, taking in this whole other side of his wife he’d overlooked before. “Wow, you really are a vixen.”

She tossed him a wink, a proper one, as Seungmin, Minho, Chan, Changbin, and Jisung entered. 

“Sup, Vix? Oh…”

“Yep, I told him. Thought he might like to know some of my most trusted men, so he can reassure himself about everything.”

Once her men gave a succinct explanation of their path to Stray Kids and left, the couple were left alone, silence blanketing Vixen’s office.

Jimin leaned back in his chair, exhaling slowly. “You’re really something, jagiya.”

The faint sound of people sparring elsewhere in the building filtered through the air while he collected his thoughts.

“I want to be angry that you hid all this from me, but I can’t really without being a hypocrite. Thank you for telling me now.”

Ara sighed in relief. “Thank you for accepting this part of me. Shall we agree to keep no more secrets?”

The two shook hands solemnly. “No more secrets.”

“Oh, by the way…Nabi figured you out the first night she stayed with us because you don’t wear a mask, and also because of your pink hair. She found me out because Vixen and Ara approached her the same way.”

Jimin sputtered and Ara giggled.

“We have a future menace to society and the underworld on our hands.”

Park Jimin and Shin Ara exited the courthouse, their bodyguards shielding them and their new daughter from the paparazzi.

Once the trial was over and the traffickers harshly sentenced, Nabi relaxed more and was able to enjoy life.

She’d readily agreed to Jimin and Ara’s proposal and was delighted to become a Park.

Secretly, she was dying to know which Family she’d join when she grew up, but wisely didn’t say anything about it.

Now, the papers were signed, sealed, and filed, and Kim Nabi was officially Park Nabi.

In honour of the occasion, Bangtan and Stray Kids had collaborated again to open Black Swan, a restaurant that would be Nabi’s future, if she so desired.

Bangtan and Gray had also collaborated to open Blue and Grey, the last bar in the Blue string owned by Jungok.

He’d been thoroughly shocked to find out his little girl had known for a long time about his secondary business, and how she had twisted his most trusted men around her little pinky (Jin and Namjoon had been glared at for weeks after Ara spilled the beans), but he was proud of her ambition and success, even though he wished she had stayed on the legal side of things.

~~~

Jimin crawled into bed beside Ara and flipped off the light, turning to pull her to him.

“How is everything going? You’ve been pretty busy lately,” she murmured, cuddling into his body heat.

“It’s calming down now, thankfully. The worst part is seeing you less.”

“Flatterer,” she said, but Jimin heard the smile in her voice. “I miss you too, when you’re busy like this.”

He pressed a kiss to the top of her head, enjoying her angelic appearance as the moonlight fell across her face. They lay there, cuddling in silence for a while, until a thought struck Jimin. He’d been getting used to talking to Ara about his mafia issues, knowing that she’d understand him better now.

“Yoongi is looking for a wife.”

“Oh?” Sheets rustled as Ara pulled away a bit, turning to look at him.

“Yeah, for some reason he wants a wife who’s not in a gang. You know anyone?”

Ara made a noise of surprise. “Really? Hm…I might! You know how I’m allying with that gang, Seventeen, temporarily? I might find a way. I’ll look into it.”

TO BE CONTINUED…in Godmother: Tigress

A/N: Thank you all so much for reading my story! I hope you have a beautiful life<3

Some fun notes about the universe, if you're interested:

-> 22924514 = Vixen in Alpha-numeric code. It's Vixen's code for D9. D9 is a STAY easter egg.

-> Jimin and Jungkook were both part of the same trafficking/rescue situation. They weren’t together, though, and their memories are fuzzy and black out from that time. Eventually, they realise they have a connection and bond over it.

[namchyoon]

day 324/547 until joon returns cr. jung-koook

[burning-thistles-bt]

reasons i havent been writing number 1...

(spoiler: its an hour long again)

BUT!

good news! i know we've really just been teasing you and stringing you along here BUT! BUT BUT BUT!

ive started my ftf (face-to-face) college classes! WHICH MEANS! I AM GOING TO BE WRITING A LOT INSTEAD OF PAYING ATTENTION IN CLASS! (dw it's how i learn best/stave off the boredom)

now i think i'll write a chapter for my WGTKITD? fic (LMK fandom) first just because writing about the complex character relationships and family angst does something to my brain

BUT AFTER THAT! i will start getting myself back into the Burning Thistles GROOVE!

[athousandbyeol]

you t(w)o [topbook/topmew fanfic]

top is never one to set things right and make decisions, but he learned from loving (and losing) book that he has to sacrifice one to gain one— and he needs to let a part of himself go to earn mew's love.

or an au where the B initial does belong to book kasidet.

chapter. 1

chapter. 2

chapter. 3

epilogue

"i just want you to know that. i don't want you to have ideas about my past relationship. it's over now. i can finally move on," force hears the air of triumph in book's voice, seemingly so at ease and finally putting the baggage of his yesterdays behind. it makes him smile. "i'm proud of you," force sincerely says. "my boyfriend is the coolest person ever! you're the best!"

[eclipsethemagic]

3.

Summary: One drunk night causes Jin to talk more to y/n, and he's not sure if he likes her or not.

Paring: Kim Seokjin x f!reader

Genre: Fluff, Smut, Drama, Humor

Warning: talking about sex but nothing really happening

☆Playlist ☆Masterlist. ☆ Prev. ☆Next

Seokjin had a hard time showing his feelings. When he was drunk it was a different story. When he stumbled into the the book store late at night poor y/n was shocked. She had just got out of the shower but was about to lock the door. Her wet damped hair was dripping her shirt and the hard wooden floor. Seokjin eyes blink for a couple of seconds then he groans sitting down on the brown couch next to the bookshelf.

Y/n didn't know what to do.. she could either leave him here and go up to bed or she could lock the front door and try to carry him upstairs. After a long thought, she chose the second opinion. Y/n carefully carries the heavier male upstairs to her house. Seokjin was out cold when he laid him on the couch.

She lets out a huff and walks into the kitchen. She grabs a cup and then a water bottle pours some of the water into the cup and walks to the bathroom to grab some medicine. She sets it on the coffee table and grabs a soft red blanket that is in another chair next to the couch. She carefully takes off the male black Nike's and his brown leather jacket. Y/n eyes widen when she sees his pale collarbone. Her brown eyes trail down to his chest and she lets out a little squeak. He was truly buff and he also had a long neck. His pinkish plumped lips and his softly black hair sticking on his forehead. She didn't know if she was being a creep or sexually harassing him. All she knew was that this stranger was handsome. She leaves her thoughts and puts the cover over his body. When she walks to the light switch she looks at Seokjin's body one last time then turns the lights off going into her room and turning the lights off.

The next day was all a blur for Seokjin, he woke up on someone else couch which was surprisingly soft for his back. Jin sits up and groans when he feels his head throbbing. Jin wasn't a lightweight when it came to drinking but he knew his limits. Going out drinking with Hoseok and yoongi was a bad idea which Jin knew. But did he listen? No because he knew he was going to go anyway so why was he complaining?

Jin looks down at the table and sees a cup of water and two pills. His eyes also land on a yellow posted note.

"You came in the bookstore drunk and I didn't know what to do when you passed out, so I took you up to the second floor. I left you some medicine and water for you when you woke up. I would have it to you in the morning but I'll be still asleep by the time you get up."

The note ends with that and Jin shrugs taking the medicine and drinking the water. He stands up and looks around.

"So this is where she lives?" Jin says to himself. The place wasn't bad if you asked him. He walks over to the TV stand and picks up a picture frame. In the picture, there was a tall skinny black man who had his arm wrapped around a short thick woman's waist. She has the most beautiful smile, her braces showing. In the background it didn't look like they were in Korea they looked like they were in New York it was ever snowing too. Jin wondered who it was, he put it back in its right place and turned around then jumped putting his hand over his chest.

"Don't do that again!" Jin yells and the short brown woman tilts her head confused. Oh right, she couldn't hear. Jin looks around and finds a piece of paper and and pin and writes it down. When he turns it around she lets out a little oh and blushes.

"Sorry." She moves her hands and Jin blinks. His eyes trail down her chest and then her legs. She had a rose tattoo going down her brown leg, she was also in a tank top that hugged her chest. She also had on black shorts that also hugged her tights. Jin knew right then and there that he was fucked for good maybe he was still slightly drunk or it was the fact that he woke up confused but what he did know was that he did text her last night and he did know that his fingers did hit the send button because Kim Seokjin knows when he's drunk his heart knows so much more than him.

Was it a bad thing? Maybe but all he knew was that it was his chance. His chance to show him that he wanted something with her. If only his brain didn’t make up fake scenarios once in a while. It wouldn’t be wrong if he kissed her right? Maybe was slightly drunk still, but who would blame him? She was gorgeous in her own right. If only you knew how gorgeous you was.

With one step forward he walks over to you, a smile on his face as he again grabs the pen that he dropped and writes down another thought in his mind. “Dinner? Maybe? I don’t know if I’m still drunk or not but dinner?” His fingers could do it all and maybe sending that text was worth it.