#jeongguk fluff

[appreciatethefoolishness]

BUNNY TROUBLE | 08

01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 

― pairing: jeongguk x reader

― genre: angst. fluff, smut, fat cock!jungkook, oral sex, sex (FINALLY GUYS), final chapter! (Dude it’s been so long what do I even write here?)

― word count: 7.8k

― summary: a quick decision to save a hurt bunny on the side of the road might not seem like a big deal to many people. y/n doesn’t think much of it either and decides to take care of the little male rabbit but what she doesn’t expect is when he one night turns into a human and hell breaks loose…  

― a/n: umm hi guys... hehe remember me? Remeber this story I never fucking published the last chapter for? Yeah, well it’s been 4 years... (I’ve literally become the writer I used to complain about—the one who never updates). I’m so sorry about that SMH. I don’t know what made these two scenes so hard to write, but a few days ago I got my act together and finsihed it. I’m not sure if anyone’s still interested in reading, but I’m just happy it’s done—even if it’s just for me! Thank you everyone who has supported me and this fic and sent kind messages! TY for all your patience <3 

― official playlist

posted on: december 1, 2024  don’t post/copy my work without my permission ©

You never thought a person could run out of tears, but here you were. Your throat was hoarse from all the amount of crying and screaming you had done the past few weeks. Yeah, that’s right. It had been over two weeks without hearing anything from Jeongguk. Fourteen long days—but it felt like an eternity.  

With a deep sigh and heavy shoulders, you left the police station once again. They still wouldn’t tell you where Jeongguk was or his contact information—apparently, they were not allowed to share such private information with anyone. You ran a hand through your greasy hair, feeling the sorrow wanting to tip over again, but you held it in. You promised yourself to stop crying in public. Not only was it embarrassing, but it was also emotionally draining. 

Where could he be? Without him having a cellphone it was impossible to find him and even if you did, what would you say? He didn’t want to talk to you and he probably hated you too, which was fair enough— you hurt him badly. But still, that didn’t make the ache in your chest go away as his last words echoed in your head, he didn’t want you anymore. 

Painfully slowly, you neared your building. You knew you shouldn’t act like this and if your mom saw you right now, unemployed and broken just because of a guy… she would not be proud. 

You entered your bedroom, your sheets still not changed since he left, and the growing pile of dirty clothes just seemed to get bigger and bigger. It only got to you a few days ago that without Jeongguk here you had to do your laundry again. Tiredly, you threw yourself on the bed, your heart empty from the quietness. And just because you liked to torture yourself you opened your phone’s camera roll, photos of him and you in the amusement park filled the screen and you let out a shaky breath. 

His sweet face, his eyes so full of hope and a type of innocence you couldn’t explain. He was happy here unlike the haunting way he had looked at you as he slammed the door in your face. You scrolled to the next picture and it made you sob. You were kissing his rounded cheek, the corners of his lips into a bashful smile making your breath hitch, and a silent tear roll down your face. 

You really missed him. 

“_____, I hate seeing you like this,” Taehyung exclaimed a few days later with his back turned to you while he finished washing the remaining dishes that couldn’t fit in the dishwasher. Since you opened up to him and shared what happened later that day, he had been offering to join you for meals, just to keep you from feeling so alone. And since it was the weekend he had invited you to eat lunch at his place. 

“I know, me too,” you mumbled from his small dining table with your hands in your pockets. You had assumed your relationship with him would crumble, just like yours and Jeongguk’s had after that day. But to your surprise, Taehyung refused to let that happen. A few days later, he sought you out, determined to talk things through and make things right. It wasn’t easy at first but eventually, you two felt normal around each other again and you could finally breathe a little easier than before. You and Tae were best friends, which meant he would always stay by your side, and you by his, and stupid feelings that soon would fade away couldn’t change that, not in a million years. 

He turned around to give you a sad smile, “Talk to me, ____. What are you thinking about?” 

You lowered your gaze, feeling how your eyes started to water once again, “Well, I was just thinking that it just feels like he never existed you know?” you swallowed and let your eyes follow the pattern of the wooden floor. “These last couple of months just feel like a fever dream….”

Taehyung was quiet for a moment. “Do you think he’ll come back?”

You shook your head. “No, he won’t.” you said, “you should have seen his face, Tae, he was so angry and hurt…but what scares me the most is that he might not even be human next time I see him... if I see him I mean. After the meteor shower, he could be a bunny again if he so wishes to, right?”

That dreading thought had lingered in the back of your mind for so long you almost didn’t even want to utter it. If you don’t find him before the shooting stars, that could seriously be a possible outcome. Just the thought of never being able to see Jeongguk again, never hearing him talk, laugh, or even exist made you swallow a sob. It didn’t matter if he didn’t want to talk to you ever again but him giving up his human life just because of you? You didn't want to think about it. 

"But maybe it’s for the best…" Taehyung hesitated to mumble which finally made you look up at him. “Don't get me wrong, I know that you're in love with him but still, he wasn’t born human and if it weren't for you, you guys would never have met, as humans. I mean if he wants to become himself again, could you really blame him?”

You didn’t know what to say to that. As usual, Taehyung had a point. It wasn’t your choice what Jeongguk wanted to do with his life‒ if he wanted to spend it with you or not, but still, could you really allow him to end it like that? 

“No, of course not”, you whispered, “I just don't want to lose him…”

A soft sigh left Taehyung’s lips as he took a seat beside you and laid a hand over yours, "Don’t worry, you'll find him, I know you will."

You forced yourself to stop sulking as you smiled at his attempt to make you feel better and squeezed his hand back. “Thank you, Tae, it means a lot,” you said and he smiled back before retreating his hand as he cleared his throat. 

“Of course,” he said and that was when you actually took notice of what he was wearing. 

“Oh, wow Tae, where are you going looking like that?” you asked as your eyes followed the flow of his ironed white button-down and matching dark pants. A lot different from his normally colorful shirts and now when you looked, his hair was also styled in a way you haven’t seen before. 

“Oh, this?” he snorted, a flush of pink creeping up his neck as he scratched the back of his head, “It’s kinda embarrassing to say but… eh, I’m going on a date later.”

You almost fell out of your chair as your face lit up and for a moment you forgot about your own problems. “With who?” you immediately asked in delight. 

“Yeah, um, just this girl I’ve been talking to for a while but… she asked me out and I don’t know, this is our first date so…”

“I’m so happy for you,” you said, “I’ve said this before but you really do deserve the whole world, and to hear this, I don’t know it’s just amazing.”

He chuckled at that, “Yeah and now that I think about it I’ve always felt this kind of attraction every time we talked, uh, I don’t know, “ he mumbled and shrugged, “I guess I just find her kinda... cute?” 

You couldn’t help but giggle a little. “Oh, wow look at you, Tae! Getting over me so fast, huh?” you joked and gently elbowed him in his stomach. 

He gently rubbed the spot you hit him as he shook his head, laughing. “I told you before you’re not that special, ____. It’ll be easy getting over you.”

You fake gasped, “Okay, that’s actually mean!”

He threw his head back laughing, “you know I’m just kidding around. I’m just so thankful you still want to be my friend after everything I did to you and Jeongguk.” He said and just as you were about to reassure him that he didn’t need to apologize again he didn’t let you. “Like in some twisted way, I had convinced myself that if you never met him you would have fallen for me instead. That’s why I kissed you even though I knew you liked him, I just didn’t want to accept it. I was so selfish…”

You just shook your head. “Everyone’s selfish sometimes, Tae. You don’t have to blame yourself, I could never be mad at you, okay?”

Even though he didn’t want to he couldn’t help but smile at that, “You’re really too kind, ____, you know that, right? And that’s why I love you.” 

“I love you too, Tae-tae,” you said comfortably back, knowing where you two stood with each other, it was just like old times. “By the way, when’s your date?” you asked off-topic as you saw him throw a glance at his wristwatch. 

“Uhm, in about one hour or so,” he answered calmly making you look at him like he had grown two heads. 

“Wait that soon?! Then why am I still sitting here?” you laughed, standing up from the chair and heading toward the small hallway. 

“Oh, right, yeah you should probably go,” he chuckled as he watched you put on your shoes again before opening the door. “See you later!”

“Yeah, bye, and good luck!” 

You walked home that day smiling as you imagined Tae and his possible new girlfriend, and for the first time in weeks, you didn’t cry as much while falling asleep.

Another day without him. The silence was as heavy and unsettling as ever, and the empty spaces on your bed and couch felt even larger. You’d had that same dream again—the warm, bittersweet one that left your chest aching and your heart hollow the moment you woke up. It reminded you of when your grandma passed away during high school, and all you could do was cry for hours, unable to concentrate on school or anything else. This wasn’t nearly as devastating—Jeongguk was still alive somewhere. But the lingering question was, for how much longer?

A sigh left your lips as you blankly stared at your laptop screen. Even finding a job was hard… It was almost like they knew you weren’t in a stable condition when you applied for all the positions because you got rejected instantly. An absurd thought crossed your mind making you shake your head- what if your ex-boss had blacklisted you in some way as revenge... or the more realistic choice: you were just unlucky right now or your face wasn’t as hire-friendly as you would like it to be. 

Just as you were about to go and make some very late dinner,  you got a notification. 

_____________________________________

Choi Mina unnie 👁👄👁:  Today 23.25

OMGG have you seen this!??!!!?!

__________________________________

Confused, you knit your eyebrows together, Mina had sent a link after the message which led to an article in the local newspaper and you quickly clicked on it. The first thing that grabbed your attention was the photo: Lee Howon-nim’s furious expression, his clenched fists restrained by handcuffs as an officer escorted him to a police car. Beside it, the AddYou logo stood prominently. The title was also written in big bold letters over the picture CEO OF THE COMPANY ADDYOU ARRESTED FOR SEXUAL HARASSMENT AND FRAUD! 

A soft gasp left your lips as you kept reading. 

_____________________________________

Choi Mina unnie 👁👄👁:  Today 23.26

U know what this means?

You might get your fudjfcking job back!!!!!!!

ITS THAT AMAZING?!! 

_____________________________________

You barely got to process anything before you got spammed with more exciting messages from your friend. But you didn't even feel anything as you stared at the article on the screen. Did you even want your job back? You could barely cook food for yourself without feeling like shit… you couldn't do it. Maybe you should move back to your parents for a few months? The thought crossed your mind but you quickly shook it off because what if Jeongguk changed his mind and showed up again but you were gone? 

_____________________________________

Choi Mina unnie 👁👄👁: Today 23.30

Do you want me to ask for your job back? I could fix it for u 

__________________________________

You bit your lip as you thought about it before typing your reply back. At least now you wouldn´t have to worry about finding a new job. 

“You sure you don’t want me to come over and keep you company?” Taehyug’s worried voice echoed through the phone, 

“No, I’m okay,” you said while leaning against your kitchen counter, “also how was the date with that cute girl?” 

“It was… great”, he said after a short pause, the next words you could practically hear the smile in his voice. “Yesterday might have been the best date ever. She’s so much funnier than I ever thought.” 

You smiled but before you could say anything he signed. “Anyway don’t change the topic. I know how much this stupid meteor shower will affect you, I just hate knowing that you’ll stay home and cry all night while I could be there for you.”

You snorted. 

“Don’t worry, if I feel like crying I’ll just go outside and do it in public” you joked in an attempt to brighten the mood but he didn’t fall for it. 

“______,... “ he sighed and you caved in. 

“No, seriously, I’ve already accepted the fact that Jeongguk will ever come back to me. I’ll be fine, really! You have done enough for me today really.”

He eventually gave up and agreed, but before he hung up he made you promise to call him if you felt miserably alone and told you he’d be there for you. You agreed even though you would never bother him so late in the night. However, you still appreciated it. 

After bidding Taehyung goodbye, you stayed seated for a while, the silence pressing in on you like a weight. Unable to bear it any longer, you switched on your old retro radio, craving the comfort of any sound. Familiar pop tunes filled the air as you prepared a bowl of bland ramen and ate it quickly, not paying much attention. You were managing fine—until a particular song began to play. The sound startled you, and your chopsticks slipped from your fingers, landing in the bowl with a muted thud.

And through the hard times good times, wrap me in your arms ‘Cause I need you,  need you, need you…

“Oh,” you whispered, your mouth trembling as tears began to well up in your eyes.

It was the same song you had sung to Jeongguk on one of the first days you ever had met him as a bunny and then later on when he was scared. You faintly remembered how you had stoked his damp hair while crying into your shoulder. The way he had pushed himself closer to your warmth as you mumbled the same lyrics, he had trusted you at that point. You would always link this song to him, the softness of the guitar strings playing the most beautiful melody and the lyrics… 

You didn’t even notice but soon stripes of wetness covered most of your flushed cheeks and your breathing had turned slightly irregular. You were crying again, but who could blame you? You looked out the window, the night sky was so beautiful with no cloud in sight you let out a silent sob. The stars were twinkling making it look like hundreds of sparkles, soon they would start falling and you couldn’t do anything about it. 

You closed your eyes, trying to imagine what Jeongguk was doing right now. Was he also staring up at the sky and preparing himself to turn back? To leave his human life just as abruptly he did with his former? You swallowed hard and before you could change your mind you had already started to dress yourself to go out. You wanted to find a good spot where you could see the meteor shower properly and give your final wish. You ended up in Han river park, the place you and Jeongguk had been to one time and he had loved it wholeheartedly. Tonight the park was even more crowded with people than ever before, probably because they also wanted to watch the meteor stream but that didn’t matter to you. 

With the hot summer air gracing your face and the faint sound of crickets chirping in the background together with people’s voices, you stood in the middle of the stone pavement as you tilted your head back to see the sky. Any minute now you would see the most beautiful shooting stars but the only thing you could think of was Jeongguk. You knew you couldn’t wish for him to stay human even though it was everything you wanted, because it was exclusively Jeongguk’s choice. It had always been, with no hesitation you would also say that Jeongguk’s happiness came before yours. 

So when you saw the first meteor cross the sky in a line of glitter you immediately clamped your hands together while you started mumbling to yourself. 

“I wish,” you whispered as you closed your eyes feeling the warm liquid run down your cheeks, “for my Jeongguk not to be sick wherever he is, for him to live without any regrets,” your voice cracked a bit, “and for him to always be happy... no matter what.”

As you opened your eyes again, you were full-on crying. This was the final goodbye, you would never see him again and you didn’t even get to tell him how much you fucking loved him. That phrase wasn’t something you used casually, instead, you saved those words for special people. It had taken you years to finally say it to your parents and your best friend, but with Jeongguk… it was different. It was scary how much power he held over you without knowing, to be able to make you love him so unproblematically within only a few months was bewildering. He really was too good for you, always seeing life with a smile on his cute face and never hesitating to help you out when you needed him. It was like magic how he came into your life and then disappeared just as quickly.

So with a shaky sigh, you turned around, squeezing yourself past people as you started to head back home. The heavy lump in your throat hurt when you forced yourself to push back the sobs from escaping your tightly sealed lips. Just as you finally entered a less crowded area of the park you tried to calm your racing heart and breathing, and just right on cue, you spotted a rabbit in front of a bush a few meters away from where you were standing. 

It had the same black-colored fur and cute sparkling eyes that looked back at you, as when you first picked Jeongguk up that day after getting fired. With a snivel, you fell down on your knees as you slowly crawled towards it. You obviously knew it most likely wasn’t him and just a random bunny at the wrong time and place, but that didn’t stop you from wondering what if? What if it was him in there?

“G-gukkie?” you cried, “Is that y-you?” You gently reached your hand out to stroke the rabbit’s back but it quickly jumped further away from your hand while the little nose scrunched up making you sob even louder. “If it is, ar-are you sure a-about this? Won’t you miss being hu-human? Won’t you miss riding rollercoasters? The taste of meat?” Once again you tried to touch the bunny but it just made it flee further into the bush until you couldn’t see it anymore. “N-n-no, wait!! W-won’t you miss dah-dancing? being able to t-talk, to laugh?! N-not… even m-me!?”

Your knees felt cold and wet against the grass as your tears fell down to water it. You hadn't even paid any attention to your surroundings so you really shouldn’t have been that surprised when a small voice to your right spoke up. 

"Mommy, mommy look! Why is that lady talking to a bush!?" the little boy giggled making you look up in confusion, your face still flushed with tears. 

"Sch! Don't stare at crazy people," his mom hushed him as she gave him a small push for him to keep walking away from you. 

Huh? 

“What? I’m-- n-not c-crazy!” you exclaimed, reaching your hand toward the mom and her son but they didn’t turn around, “I’m not crazy… I’m not...” you sobbed as your voice turned into a whisper, "I'm not."

You had never felt so pathetic in your whole life. Sitting alone on the wet ground, crying like a psychopath in the middle of a crowd. Damn, you really were at your lowest point right now, weren’t you? 

“Noona…?” It was like you still could hear his sweet voice, “Noona, are… are you okay?”

Wait a minute. 

Slowly, like in slow-motion, you turned your head around to find the same guy you've been crying over and been worried sick about for weeks staring right back at you. 

"Noona…" he breathed, his pretty brown eyes meeting your crying ones as he took a step closer. 

On weak legs you heaved yourself up, your jeans damp and dirty from the cold soil you'd been kneeling on, before raising your fists and punching him the hardest you could in his chest. He didn't even move by the force.

“H-how could you?! How could you just leave like that without letting me explain?? You idiot!" you sobbed as you threw another fist but before you could hit him again he gasped your wrists as he forced you into a tight hug, "I… I thought you had turned y-yourself back to a rabbit…" you sniveled, your ear pressed against his chest, his heart beating steadily assuring you that he was in fact still alive. 

Jeongguk hushed you, his hands softly letting go of your wrists to rub you back, "I'm sorry,____." He mumbled resting his chin on top of your head, "I couldn't do it… I'm so selfish. Just as I was about to make the wish… I realized how unhappy I would be. I love being human.” His voice practically sounded surreal to your ears as you almost had forgotten how beautiful it was, “I love being human with you, Noona, and without you in my life what's the point?”

And at that, another sob left your lips. “I.. I thought-” you took a deep breath, “I thought I’d never see you again,” you whimpered and he quickly pulled away to cup your pinkish-colored cheeks in his strong hands while wiping your tears away, "Do you still hate me? Cause I swear I love you, not Tae and no one else. I’ve only loved you! " 

He smiled as he shook his head, "I never hated you.” He murmured as he rested his forehead against yours. “You’re my whole world, you always have been." 

He then closed the small gap between you two to capture your quivering lips with his in a demanding kiss. There were so many emotions and thoughts running through your mind at that moment, but one thing was for sure: your feelings for Jeongguk had only intensified the longer you stayed away from him. You allow yourself to fall into the kiss, letting Jeongguk for once take the lead as he moved his heated lips against yours before sucking in your bottom lip between his. You gasped, not expecting him to be so forward and confident and he used that opportunity to part your lips with his tongue, a soft noise making its way past your lips.

'Guk-" you tried to say but he didn't let you pull away yet, his hands gripping your shirt for dear life like he was afraid you'd disappear if he let go. Soon you noticed how his own tears started to mix with your already wet cheeks. "Jeongukkie," you were still trying to stop crying, as he finally took a deep breath trying to calm himself down, "it's okay... W-we're together now." 

He nodded, tear-filled eyes looking down at you with so much warmness you couldn't help but stand on your tippy-toes to give him another, but much softer, kiss. 

"Let's go home?" you asked him gently, his bigger hand coming up to caress your cheek before he scoped your hand into his as you two started walking away from the crowded area. Soon the loud noise of people shouting and laughing faded into the background. You could only stare at the man you loved, his soft cheeks and hard jawline fitting so perfectly together, you wanted to kiss him all over but you stopped yourself to ask him a question that had bothered you for so long. 

“Where have you slept these past few weeks?” his brown eyes sparkled in the moonlight as he met yours, "not outside, right?" 

His thumb caressed the top of your hand as he slowly shook his head in response, the long hair swaying in the warm wind, “I've been staying with Jimin hyung,” he said, “he offered me to stay until the police fixed everything about the whole thing that happened, you know? He’s really nice, Noona.”

Jimin? You repeated in your head, Oh, right, the guy who insisted that Jeongguk should become a professional dancer that one time. 

“Oh, really? Did you call him up after you left my apartment or..?”

He nodded, a subdued hue of pink colored his cheeks as he looked away from your intense gaze. “Yeah, I.. I didn’t know where else to go,” he admitted and scratched the back of his head almost as if he was embarrassed, “I mean I wanted to turn back immediately and go home to you again but I was afraid..I thought you’d be mad at me.”

“Mad? Oh, baby I could never-,” You didn’t get to finish your sentence. 

“Yeah, I know that now; my Noona is too sweet for her own good,” he mumbled and cleared his throat. “I don’t deserve you.” He didn’t look at you as he mumbled the last word. 

The void that had filled your chest until today, was gone and it almost felt too warm and whole. 

“You have no idea how much you mean to me,” you whispered forcing his eyes to meet yours again, “when you were gone it felt like the whole world was breaking apart at my feet.”

He smiled once again, before bringing your hand up to his lips to kiss the back of it, “I’m sorry, I’ll never leave you again Noona, I’d rather die.” he said, his hot breath gracing your skin making goosebumps appear. 

“You swear it?” you asked, your heart skipping a beat. 

“Of course.”

When you closed the front door behind you two, it felt like a puzzle piece fell into place and the whole inside of your chest filled up again with air and you could finally breathe properly. But the best part was the smile that surfaced on Jeongguk’s face as his eyes took in the familiar surroundings, the unorganized shoe shelf, the unfinished dishes by the sink, and the messy couch with all the different colored pillows… he was home again. 

It was like one of those moments in life you only experienced once; his happy eyes met yours once again, the whole room lit up and before you knew it you both were embracing each other again, the warmness from both your bodies comforting you. 

“I’ve missed you so much.” You cried as you buried your face into his chest and his arms only wrapped tighter around you. 

“I’ve missed you more.” 

He tilted your head up until your lips connected like they were made for each other. The kiss turned promptly into a more heated one, his tongue forcing its way into your mouth and you couldn’t help but pull him closer. Your fingers were tangling themselves into his hair, the soft locks you’d missed so much. 

You were soon pressed up against a wall, Jeongguk was also quick with taking your thin jacket off so your bare shoulders and neck were free for his lips to corrupt. His wet mouth against your warm skin, your hands roaming from his back to the edge of his shirt. It was like a dream.

“Take this off,” you mumbled as you tugged on the fabric, and sure enough he followed. The sight of him in the dim light ripping off his shirt in a hurry made you swallow hard. 

You couldn't help but trace your hand down his hard chest to his defined abs, letting the combination of soft skin and muscle play under your fingertips. Jeongguk quickly connected your lips again, almost as if he was pained to be apart from you only for a second. It was a strange feeling as you'd never had him leading the kiss before but you let him have his fun as you continued feeling him up. 

A soft moan left your lips as he slowly started to rock his hips into yours, the subtle pressure against your core made you want him even more. 

“Noona”, he whined with his breath heavy and you couldn't help but cup him over his sweatpants. His hard cock outlining the soft material twitching under your fingertips, the kiss halted. He continued to grind his hips up against your hand, desperately searching for more friction. “please, I want you so much.”

You couldn't help but giggle at this, his earlier spike of dominance was gone just as quickly as it had come. You kissed him again before taking a firmer grip around him making the boy squeak impatiently. 

"Oh, really?" You whispered and snapped the band of his pants, "How much do you want me?" 

He swallowed hard, his cheeks turning red. “So much..” he mumbled. 

"Huh? What has that?" Your hand slipped into his boxer and cupped his balls, and his breathing stopped for a second. "Speak up." You said, voice harsher than you intended to sound, but Jeongguk didn't seem to mind. 

"I-i-i want you so bad," he cried, sweat dripping down his temples as you kept toying and tugging on his sensitive balls. 

You gave him a few loose pumps on his shaft before teasingly pulling your hand away, "good. Come here." You said, pulling him by the front of his sweatpants toward the bedroom. 

You pushed him down onto the bed, his hair surrounding his head like a halo of soft locks as you captured his lips with yours. You tried not to but you couldn't help but sit down on him, letting him feel you through his pants. His hard cock felt so good as you started to move against him. 

His hands flew to your hips trying to push you down harder into him but you didn't let him, instead, you softly pushed his hands away and he complied. Lifting yourself from his needy groin and hushing his complaints with a hard kiss. 

You wanted to tease him a little, and he whined as you played with his sweaty hair, pulling it back and making him look you in the eye. Again, you sat down and started to move your hips on his clothed dick. You pulled off your shirt, leaving you only in your bra. His eyes were clued to your chest as he eagerly buried his face between your boobs, pushing the bra cups down, his mouth switching from licking to sucking and back again. His fingers fiddled with the bra clap trying to open it without any success, feeling pity for him- he had never opened a bra before so you helped him out. He immediately started sucking on your nipples, your clit was pulsing from the friction and you wanted more. 

You pushed his head lower away from your boobs making him let out a noise of disapproval but you shut him up by pushing him down on the bed again while also removing yourself from his very predominant boner- he cried out. 

"No!!! Why you stop?" His hips pushed up into the air, missing the warmth and weight of your groin. 

His whiney voice made the crore of your mouth tug into a smile but you forced yourself to not laugh at his desperate movements. You just shook your head disapprovingly while stepping out of your panties now ruined by your wetness. Even though your clit was screaming at you to jump back on his lap you suddenly felt a gush of excitement washing over you. You wanted to punish him as you saw the pained look on his face, you wanted to punish him like he had punished you the last couple of weeks. "you know what? Don’t talk." 

And without any more dwelling, you straddled him again but this time on his chest. Completely naked. If you weren't in such a hurry you would have taken the time to memorize the look in Jeongguk’s eyes as you hovered your cunt over his face. He couldn't believe his eyes. 

You didn’t even say anything as you sat down on his face, pressing your cunt against his eager mouth. And Jeongguk was more than happy to obey, his hands grabbing your buttcheeks to pull you harder down, and his muffled moans getting downed by your own. 

His tongue moved inexperienced against your clit as you pushed harder down. It felt so fucking good. The feeling of his wet hot mouth down there while his tongue made circles caused your legs to start shaking violently. Your fingers grabbed his hair, and the closer you came the harder you pulled. A muffled groan escaped him as you exploded over him, almost losing balance. But Jeongguk’s strong hands holding you still over him saved you from falling off. In a daze, you slowly removed yourself from his face, and the sight of him, red cheeks, and your wetness all over his chin and mouth made you release a faith gasp. His eyes were dark with desire as he licked his lips before reaching for your cheek. His thumb slowly caressed it, before pulling your face toward his. He kissed you softly, a big contrast from what he just did to you. 

“You´re so beautiful,” he whispered, stroking your cheek. 

You could feel the warm bubbly feeling return stronger than ever as a reddish hue colored your flushed face. You almost felt shy as you kissed him again, now fully leaning over him again. Your bare skin against his soft pants. You soon notice the wet spot on his crouch area, wet from precum. Without looking you untied his pants and tugged them down, Jeongguk followed your lead and lifted his hips to make it easier to remove them. His breath stopped the second his cock was free, but before he could react your fingers had wrapped around him. He was so hard and ready for you, the redden tip was drenched in precum and you couldn’t help but let your thumb play with it. He groaned as you started to pump him, the precum functioning as lube as you went up and down in a gentle movement. You wanted to treasure him, you wanted to treasure this moment with him. Even for a second longer if you could. 

“I love you,” you said before kissing his lips once more. “So much”

His hips almost move on his own as he tried to follow your movements, he wanted it harder you could tell from the desperate way he tried to fuck your fist. 

“Me too,” he mumbled against your lips, his chest heaving faster than before. “I love you too.” 

You couldn’t help but slowly move your leg so your opening was only a few inches away from him. The warmth of his cock against your core made the lower part of your stomach tingle. You guided the tip towards your sensitive clit and started making circles around it using him as a toy. A whine left his lips at the feeling of your wetness and warmth. 

“S-shit,” he swore as you felt him twitch against you. “I’m gonna cum— if you don’t stop.” 

You didn’t stop, you wanted him to cum on you. The thought of his cum on your clit made you see red as you kept rubbing him against you. He was too sexy, you couldn’t help when you brought his cock toward your opening. You let him slowly enter, a warm feeling as his cock penetrated you. 

Your moans echoed together, but before you could properly have him fully he stopped moving. You felt a twitch against you and before you knew it he cried out as warm cum covered you. 

“Shit, I-I’m sorry.”

A small giggle left your lips, his cock was still pulsating as you kissed him again. “It’s okay baby”. He shook his head, the sweat on his brow and the pained look on his face made you ask. “What’s wrong?”

“I, I didn’t want to cum so fast… I wanted to…” he trailed off, his voice going quiet as he closed his eyes in disappointment. “It’s embarrassing...” 

You smiled, before pulling him closer to you. “You wanted what? To fuck me?” 

He didn't open his eyes as he nodded. 

“We could still fix that.” 

His eyes shot wide open as you grabbed his now soft cock again. He cried out in pain and shock as you started stroking him once more, he knew he could cum again but he was not prepared for the harshness of your fingers. 

Your clit was once more screaming in desperation as you watched Jeongguk twist around in the sheets, sweat forming on his hard abs as you made his cock hard again. It was even redder than before, fully covered in cum just like you. You didn’t even give a second thought as you straddled his waist and slowly lowered yourself onto him. 

The feeling of overwhelming pleasure hit you like lightning as you felt his thick cock. The tip slowly entered your opening making both of you moan and you had to steady yourself before taking a deep breath. The stretch felt so good you lowered yourself further down his length to finally feel the whole of him. But you did it in such a patient way Jeongguk couldn’t help but take a harsh grip on your waist and force you down in a hard thrust. The sudden feeling of his whole dick inside of you made you gasp for air like something had hit you, the slight frown on his face from holding back from losing control made it all much sexier. 

The moans leaving your lips were foreign, never had you ever sounded so pathetic in your whole life. Jeongguk’s steady hands guided your hips up and down at such a hard pace you barely had time to take in the intense feeling in your nether region that only grew each time he penetrated you. His hot lips and tongue against yours were the only thing that kept you from mumbling nonsense. You had never been fucked this good before, you could barely think and when he brought his fingers down to your clit it was like the storm had turned into a hurricane. It felt too much and as your legs started to quiver your whole body went up into the clouds once more. 

“Noona,” he said in between kisses but you could hardly hear him, “cum for me again.”

He didn’t have to tell you twice as you finally let go and the feeling of ecstasy took hold of your body and your back arched in pleasure. Jeongguk soon followed with a whimper as he too lost control once more. His hot cum entered you in a hard stroke, his hands still gripping your thighs as he thrust up one last time to empty himself inside of you. His fingers had held you so hard you would probably find bruises shaped after his fingers in the morning. But you barely noticed the faint ache as you rested on his chest. All you could focus on was the sound of his heartbeat—so rapid and strong that you couldn’t tell if it was his or your own racing faster.

He kissed your forehead and one of his hands came up to caress your back. While lying naked on top of the man you loved you suddenly felt so tiny. This man was your whole world, you realized. You had never loved someone so much as you loved this person. While his fingers trailed your spine you lifted your eyes towards his that were already looking at you. 

“Promise we will be together forever?” you whispered into the dark room, his brown eyes softened at that. 

“Forever.” He agreed like it was the most obvious thing in the world before his fingers found your chin to bring your lips together once more. 

The couch almost felt too small with Jeongguk and Taehyung’s wide legs taking up most of the space. After a few awkward encounters and some long talks, they soon realized that they two had a lot of things in common and soon they became good friends. You were happy Taehyung finally had someone else to play one of his many video games with, but compared to you Jeongguk almost always beat him. You were reading a book while they played Call of duty on Jeongguk’s Playstation, while giving each other call-outs and laughing. You looked up from your page when Tae let out a frustrated groan while dropping the controller on the seat of the couch.

“Shit, I got sniped.” he signed and leaned back. “He’s on the roof.”

Jeongguk nodded, his brows knitted together, his fingers moving quickly but precisely over the buttons and joy sticks. You found yourself thinking about how cute he looked when he was focusing on trying to win. 

Soon after Jeongguk came back to you he applied for a Korean citizenship and got hired into Jimin’s dance group. He spends most of his days dancing with his group or studying, he also enrolled in some University courses to find out what he would like to do in the future. You were so proud of him, he picked up things so fast and he seemed so much happier now. 

“Yes! Nice, good job, man,” Taehyung exclaimed as the winning cutscene rolled on the TV. Jeongguk grinned, exchanging a high-five with him. The doorbell rang just as you were about to praise them. 

“Who’s that?” Jeongguk asked, glancing your way as you slipped a bookmark into your book and stood.

“My friend from work,” you explained, remembering Mina’s text about coming to pick up her hoodie.

You walked to the hallway and opened the door. “Hi!” Mina greeted you with a big hug as she stepped inside and slipped off her shoes.

“Thanks for last time. I didn’t even notice I left my hoodie until—” she paused mid-sentence, her eyes locking on the couch. Or rather, the person sprawled on it.

“Mina?” Taehyung sat up, his expression mirroring her shock.

“Taehyung?”

You blinked between them, twice, before blurting out, “Wait. You two know each other?”

“Yeah, that’s the girl I’m dating!” Taehyung said with a laugh, walking over to pull her into a hug. “You know her from work?”

You nodded, a grin spreading across your face.

“Wait, so Taehyung is your best friend?” Mina squealed, covering her mouth with both hands. “What are the odds?”

Even Jeongguk wandered over, curious about the commotion.

“That’s crazy,” you said with a laugh, shaking your head in disbelief. Before you could say anything else, Taehyung grabbed Mina’s hand and tugged her toward the living room. “Come on,” he insisted, his tone leaving no room for argument. “You’re both playing the next match with us.”

You hesitated for only a split second. Before the thought of your terrible aim could completely take over, you sat beside Mina, who had already picked up one of the controllers. Almost as he could sense your unsureness Jeongguk gave you an encouraging smile as he handed the last controller to you. As expected, both you and Mina were eliminated almost immediately—possibly setting a new world record for the shortest time alive in Warzone. You both burst into laughter, shrugging it off, while Taehyung and Jeongguk were left to face the remaining teams in a 2v4.

Watching them play together, giving callouts and covering each other’s backs, you couldn’t help but smile. To think those two would become friends a few weeks ago had almost seemed impossible. 

They didn’t win this time, probably due to them begging two men short in their team. You still gave them a small round of applause and Mina also joined in, laughing at Taehyung who pouted his lips into a fake sad expression. Playing games with friends and laughing together, brought you joy, a joy that was so simple but sincere it made the night almost feel timeless. 

After Mina and Tae headed out for the evening, you settled back onto the couch beside Jeongguk. He had pulled up Netflix, lazily scrolling for something to watch. Without a word, he shifted to wrap his arm around you, his hand resting comfortably on your shoulder. You leaned into him, the familiar warmth of his embrace made the inside of your chest flutter. 

The TV flickered softly in the background as your focus drifted to him, to the easy rise and fall of his chest, the slight curve of his lips as he absentmindedly played with your fingers with his other hand. Then it struck you, in that peaceful moment, how complete your life felt. All the pieces had fallen into place—your best friend, work, relationships, but most of all, the love that had grown unexpectedly with Jeongguk.

Who would have thought that rescuing a bunny on the side of the road would lead to all this? It was a small, insignificant moment that snowballed into something extraordinary. The corners of your mouth turned upwards. 

Jeongguk shifted slightly to look at you, his dark eyes soft and full of affection. “What are you smiling about?” 

“Just... this,” you said, gesturing vaguely at the space between you and him. 

He chuckled, pulling you closer. “That’s cheesy,” he teased and brought his lips to your forehead in a soft kiss. 

“Sorry,” you retorted, snuggling into his side. “Can’t help it.”

He turned back toward the screen, a soft smile tugging at his lips, his dimples just barely visible. And in that quiet, unremarkable evening, surrounded by love and contentment, you knew: this was how real happiness felt like.

― taglist: @serendipity-secrets @beach-bitch-bitch-beach@badbyeyoongi @bookoffracturedescapes @jeonsbbgirl @asanjms@io-is-lame @rapmonster2000000 @minyoongi-infiresme@straypop @mrcleanheichou @yeontanie21 @xanny91@irissilujm@vanghaeg @1796p @babelleerr @virgokosmos @mercy-thesinner@adelina1299 @babybluebisexual @miraisnotavailable@dabi-da-hottie @somewhereinthestarss @cherrycolaonherlips@multiviens​ @impradaandurnada @actor-ksj @beyondthewriting@taehyu-ung@taehyungvx @starrynightsandcandlelights@yeethee@ggsmashgg @larenelizabeth@canyounotkaia@wordsturnintostories @yeetaeyong @goldengguky @these-lives-are-ours @sippinpeachtea@shortpeoplemattertoo​ @rynite@theyoungestschuylersister@heartfeltscribblings @brandi-sykestw@yunyimyg @fantasyjoon@smut-wars @sopseokjin@oxymirror @xsmilebitesx @sylnyexne@bereavedswallow@eltrain80 @sockie-the-dumbass​ @zerah561​@mini-miez​@wherearethepinappless @timestandstillalittle​@ccmemoirs​@doctorwhoolagin @newtsobrienss​@jiminiessipabo​ @unicorntrooper​ @purplelady85​ @kookiekinz​ @aduky​ @sno-leopards​ @talkfastang​ @diamondteardropsblog​

@peterrogers15​​ @feel-the-sunset​​​ @atwistofme @fivesecondsofsarang​​ @theawesomekungfupanda​​ @princessbabybootie​ @dru-shadow​ @hoseokslefteyebrow@sleepyje0n @bella-victoria002 @brandi-sykestw @hytibm​ @suhappysuho @nyugalaxy @nameisnotok @bryvada@barbikatherine @samariakeeper @skylavsp @bangtanbabyboyz @cecereads​ @slinekyu @bishuthot @bewitch3dforivar @batrazmanchronicle @annoyinglyhopefulcarrot@abigailbustamante @talkfastang​ @sugieswaghat39​ @grace1852​ @pastle-devil-06 @lalachichu​ @hogwartschoolofheros​ @fandom-addiction-queen

​​Also sorry if you didn’t want to get tagged (it has been four years... sorry in that case!!)

[koostattoos]

Jungkook FF Recommendations ᵕ̈

these are a list of jjk FF’s that i really recommend this is also my very first post! please enjoy these reads like how i did. and show love to all these writers and their amazing work ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ

a= angst

s= smut

f= fluff

one shots

lose somebody - a,f,s

word count: 26k

˘͈ᵕ˘͈

the lovebug - a,f,s

word count: 20.6k

˘͈ᵕ˘͈

changes in between - a,f,s

word count: 24.7k

˘͈ᵕ˘͈

begin - a,f,s

word count: 26.6k

˘͈ᵕ˘͈

awkwardly in love - f

word count: 20k

˘͈ᵕ˘͈

dissonance - a,f,s

word count: 19.4k

˘͈ᵕ˘͈

tangsuyuk - a,f

word count: 11.5k

˘͈ᵕ˘͈

rolling stone - s,a,f

word count: 17.2k

˘͈ᵕ˘͈

50 days to fall in love - f

word count: 12k

˘͈ᵕ˘͈

show me something - a,f,s

word count: 51.7k

˘͈ᵕ˘͈

the habits of a broken heart - a

word count: 26.3k

˘͈ᵕ˘͈

summer bummer - s,a

word count: 12.6k

˘͈ᵕ˘͈

calling you cool - a,s,f

word count: 12.1k

˘͈ᵕ˘͈

bleeding for you - a,f

word count: 3.3k

˘͈ᵕ˘͈

perhaps love - a

word count: 12.5k

˘͈ᵕ˘͈

make you mine - f,a,s

word count: 37.8k

˘͈ᵕ˘͈

ditto - a,f,s

word count: 12.9k

˘͈ᵕ˘͈

r u mine, bunbun? - s,a

word count: 12k

˘͈ᵕ˘͈

photobooth kisses - f

word count: 2.4k

˘͈ᵕ˘͈

starboy - f,s,a

word count: 20k

˘͈ᵕ˘͈

south paw - a,s

word count: 30k

˘͈ᵕ˘͈

falling - a,s,f

word count: 31.1k

˘͈ᵕ˘͈

grapejuice - a,s,f

word count: 36k

˘͈ᵕ˘͈

idealizations concerning real life - a,s

word count: 40.9k

˘͈ᵕ˘͈

forever & never - a,s,f

word count: 11.6k

˘͈ᵕ˘͈

our not so secret - f

word count: 20k

˘͈ᵕ˘͈

sanative - a,s

word count: 19.8k

♡˙ᵕ˙‎♡‧₊˚

series

falling skies - a,s,f

(completed)

˘͈ᵕ˘͈

fight for you - a,f,s

(completed)

˘͈ᵕ˘͈

4-7-8 - a,f

(completed)

˘͈ᵕ˘͈

risqué - s,a,f

(ongoing)

˘͈ᵕ˘͈

in the seom - f,s,a

(ongoing)

˘͈ᵕ˘͈

the art of - a,s,f

(ongoing)

˘͈ᵕ˘͈

inevitable - a,f,s

(completed)

(๑'ᵕ'๑)⸝*

[taegularities]

candles & flames | jjk (m) | masterlist

He wasn’t supposed to be yours. His foolery wasn’t supposed to target you. This wasn’t supposed to happen.

➳ pairing: Jungkook x reader

➳ genre: enemies to lovers, royal!au; angst, fluff, smut

➳ contents & warnings: fuckboy!JK, royal!jk, lies, miscommunication, hints of fake dating but not really, past side character death mentioned, banter, crying, guilt, jealousy, explicit sexual content (such as oral, fingering, making out, (unprotected) sex, cum eating, etc.); and more chapter specific warnings! | 18+

➳ current word count: 157k

➳ status: main story completed / sequel(s) ongoing

➳ collaborative playlist 🎶 

⁂ CHAPTERS

⤞ c&f: water (24.6k)

“To you, you’re water, and he’s fire — but perhaps there’s a grey area where you meet. Where you collide and become steam, evaporating, hot yet calm.”

⤞ c&f: fire (22.8k)

“The flicker’s colours are soothing. This fire is harmless, warm and tender; there are so much worse flames in your very own world.”

⤞ c&f: steam (34.3k)

“You thought you were water, cool as ice; and that he was fire, hot-headed and irresistible. You wanted to evaporate with him, but right now, you’re both burning.“

⤞ c&f: epilogue (19.1k)

“Neither the glowing star above nor the flickering flames will ever burn as bright as you.”

⁂ BONUS CHAPTERS/SEQUELS

⤞ c&f: air (24.4k)

“Is this what it means to share everything with someone? To indulge in something far greater than love.”

⤞ c&f: downpour (31.8k) 

“I wish I could do my heart a favour and simply… hate you. But I love you now and I’ll love you forever and in the next life and… it seems that right now, this is the problem.”

⤞ c&f: ?? (??k) | next!

??

⁂ TINY BONUS

⤞ c&f asks 💌  ⤞ c&f moodboard, made by ivi 🤍 

⤞ FAQ (or questions I found fun lol):

When do you always update? Whenever a part is done.

How many chapters will C&F have? Three + the epilogue! That’s the main story; apart from that, there are three bonus chapters in total. One is still left – that’s all I’ve planned!

What inspired you to write C&F? The urge to write a royal JK, Bridgerton and you guys. <3

Were there condoms in the 1800s? Actually, there were!

✒︎ join the taglist! ♡

© 2023 taegularities. all rights reserved. Reposting and/or translating is not allowed, even if you credit the story properly.

[inkjam-moon]

Red Sky - Part One

Summary: After the death of your uncle, you make friends with his estranged roommate, a handsome young man, around your age that disappears for days at a time. When you find out something you're not supposed to, you learn exactly why the locals aren't particularly welcoming towards him. You want to help Jeongguk, but will he trust you enough to let you in?

Pairing: Siren!Jeongguk x Reader

Genre: Fluff, Smut, Angst

Word Count: 18k (I have nothing to say...)

TW: Sexually explicit content, mentions of suicide/death, physical altercation, drowning mentions, near death experience, drinking, verbal altercation, panic attack

A/N: tumblr literally won't let me post this in one part it's so long so part 2 will be up immediately!

.

"Red sky at night, sailor's delight. Red sky in the morning, sailor's warning..."

.

It’s overcast and misty where the boat finally stops. The late winter sun has just started to sink below the horizon, not that you can tell with all the clouds, but they are a slightly darker shade of grey. You wake yourself, stretching after the long trip from Busan, and grab your things, thanking the captain as you step onto the creaking wood of the old dock. The pungent smells of salt and low tide immediately assault your nose, your raincoat doing little to keep the relentless mist off your face, but you tug it closer nonetheless. You pull the paper out of your pocket and double check the hastily scribbled address that’s starting to smear. Honestly, you don’t even know if you’re in the right place. 

You look to your left and see nothing but the ocean, as far as the horizon. You can’t help but stare out at the crashing white foam of the waves, wondering how you ended up here on this miserable island. Well, you know how you ended up here, but you begin to think about what life choices you could’ve made to bring you to this point.

When you say island, you don’t mean a tropical paradise with palm trees and coconuts everywhere. You mean the North Pacific; a small fishing village off the coast of Korea that means little to the world. Honestly, if it sank into the sea one day, you don’t think anyone would mind too terribly.

You scan the surroundings to your right and see a row of dismal buildings. You tuck into the closest one that you can enter, jumping when the door slams shut behind you, causing everyone in the place to look up at you.

You seem to be in some sort of a bar, a small number of people scattered at tables, having probably just got back from being out at sea; a hot bowl of some sort of stew, and a beer in front of each of them. You walk up to the counter where a man stands on the opposite side, cleaning a glass.

“Excuse me?”

The man, older, rather large, and a bit scary looking, turns to you. “Yeah?”

“Uh-um, sorry to bother you, I was wondering if you knew this address?” You hold the paper out to him. 

He takes it from your hand and squints at it for a moment before looking up at you in surprise. “Hogeun’s place, huh?” He questions, his voice thick with the island’s harsh satoori. 

“Yes, I’m here to collect his things.” You explain. “I’m his niece.” 

"Y/N?"

"Um, yes?" Does this man know you?

"Wow, I can't believe it’s you. You're all grown up now.” He laughs. “Last time I saw you was maybe 20 years ago."

"We’ve met?"

He nods. "You don't remember?"

"No." You shake your head.

"You were pretty young, maybe four or five? But I guess when your mom stopped coming around you did too. I'm Donghyun." He reaches his hand across the counter and you shake it. "I was friends with your uncle, so if you need anything let me know, yeah?"

You nod. "Thank you. Um, his house is...?"

"Right, sorry." He hands you back the piece of paper. "Follow the road east to the cliffs. When you get to the fork go right and follow that to the lighthouse. His place is the only one down there.”

“Thank you.” You nod politely as you take your leave, thanking him once more as you head out the door. 

As you step outside, pulling your coat tighter around you, you look around to see there’s only one road in this town, so you set off to follow in the opposite direction of the setting sun, but just as you step off the curb, a voice startles you, making you jump as you nearly miss your step. 

“Hey there missy!” An old man you hadn’t noticed before is sitting in a chair next to the door of the bar. He seems to revel in the fact that he scared you. “Not often do we get travelers here. What brings you to Gageodo?”

“I’m here to settle my uncle’s estate.” 

“You Hogeun’s niece, eh?” He raises an eyebrow. You only nod, not sure how much information you want to give to him. “Old Hogeun kept some strange company. Some a them is monsters out there in the sea.” He points out toward the ocean. “You best read up on how to deal with ‘em.”

“Um, right.” You nod again before trying to turn away, but the old man stops you with a yell. 

“You best heed my words! They can be dangerous!”

“Are you saying there’s… mermaids? In the ocean here?” You scoff.

“I didn’t say it…” He looks around to make sure no one else is listening before whispering. “But I ain’t denying it either.”

“Right. I have to go.” You turn and head toward the road, ignoring the man as he continues calling to you, hurrying yourself along until you’re out of earshot. 

It’s about twenty minutes before you reach the eastern cliffs, finally seeing your uncle’s home emerge from the shadows of the heavy forest that covers the island. You recognize it from the picture he sent you. With the ocean to the front, and the forest to the back, the house sits modestly between them with the old rundown lighthouse in the distance. A grand view for a one story uh... house? Can you even call it a house? It looks more like a shack. You sigh and dig the spare key out of your pocket, walking up to the door and unlocking it, letting yourself in.

You fumble for a light switch, but can’t seem to find one so you turn on the flashlight on your phone to aid you. When you find the switch, you flick it on and the whole place seems to whirr to life. 

You have to admit, it’s bigger on the inside, sparse, but somehow cozy. There’s hardly any furniture; a table, and two old wooden chairs, a small, very worn couch in front of a large television, which is probably the newest thing in here, but that’s it for this room. You take your time exploring the rest of the house; two bedrooms, one bathroom, a decent kitchen, and a creepy basement.

In a normal house, you’d expect to see pictures hanging, things on the walls, little adornments that make a house a home, but this… this is just a house. It isn’t until you nearly trip over a dresser drawer that you find a picture inside. It’s in a simple dark green frame with a stand on the back of it, and when you look on top of the dresser, you can see the square where it once stood, the only spot not covered in dust, but what gets you is that it’s not a picture of his late wife, or friends, it’s a picture of your mom, his sister, leaning over your much younger uncle as he holds an even younger tiny baby you. She must’ve sent it to him before the fight they had. It warms your heart that he kept the picture after all these years. 

You were very close to your uncle. Back when you were little, he got into a fight with your mother, his older sister by about twenty years, that alienated him from the rest of the family and cut off any contact you had with him. When you got older, you took matters into your own hands and contacted him. The two of you became close as you kept him updated on the rest of your family. You’d always get a card on your birthday from him with some money in it; the older you were the more money you’d receive, he even sent you a spare key to his house, asking you to come visit; unfortunately, you never had the chance. That’s why you were the one that got called out here when he passed away; your number was the only one they could find. 

You place the picture frame back up on the dresser where it belongs, wondering why he put it away. Maybe he was afraid your mother would be the one to empty his place? You shrug, and walk into the spare bedroom, lifting your suitcase on the bed to unpack it, knowing you’ll be here at least a week to sort through his things. 

You head to the kitchen, deciding to start sorting tomorrow as you open the fridge to see what kind of food there might be. You’re disappointed as you only see a few wilting vegetables, some eggs, an assortment of sauces and pastes, and a few other scattered foods in take-out containers that have probably been in here longer than you want to think about. There’s also an entire case of beer, and half a container of orange juice. You’ll have to go get some groceries tomorrow.

Your stomach rumbles as you crack open a beer, taking a swig as you search the pantries for anything edible. Instant oatmeal. Well, it’s better than nothing. You grab a packet and toss it into a bowl, adding hot water from the kettle and waiting for it to set. When it’s ready, you grab it and your beer and head over to the couch, turning on the tv to find something to waste the time. 

It isn’t long after you eat that you find yourself dozing on the couch, the trip here from home having taken its toll on you. You turn the tv off, placing your dishes in the sink before locking the front door and then heading into the guest room. You put on your pajamas and climb under the sheets, the bed squeaking as you get comfortable, and then quickly drifting off into sleep. 

.

You’re startled awake by a loud banging noise, trying to wake yourself up enough to get your bearings before you realize it’s coming from the living room. Did someone break in? You check your phone to see it’s about three in the morning. What on earth? You slip a sweatshirt over your pajamas and grab the baseball bat from the corner of the room you stashed earlier before very quietly opening the door to the room to investigate. You don’t see anything, but you still hear the banging. You walk further into the living room to hear someone knocking rapidly on the front door. You’ve only met two people, who could be bothering you at this ungodly hour? The banging continues until you hear a voice above it.

“Hyung! Hyung let me in, please!”

You stand in front of the door, slightly terrified. Should you answer it?

“Hogeun hyung, please!”

At the mention of your uncle’s name, you lean the bat against the wall, step forward and unlock the door, opening it to see something you never thought you’d see. In front of you stands a soaking wet young man with dark hair that just barely covers his wide eyes. He looks like a stunned deer as he takes you in just as you do him, searching for something, his breathing ragged as if he ran here.

“Can I help you?” You ask.

“Are you…? Are you Y/N?”

You look at him surprised as your name leaves his lips. You’re starting to get tired of people knowing you before you know them. “Um, yes?”

“W-where’s Hogeun?”

You look at him, confused. Does he not know? “He’s not here. He’s-”

“Oh, can I come in?”

“I-”

“Please?” He pleads, his voice desperate. You step to the side and allow him to enter; he does so quickly and shuts the door behind him, locking it and relaxing a bit.

“How did you-”

“Hyung told me you might be coming to visit soon. Where is he? Is he sleeping?”

“Who are you?”

“Oh! Sorry. My name is Jeongguk.” He bows politely. “I’m a friend of your uncles.”

“A friend?” You ask in disbelief. Your uncle never mentioned Jeongguk which immediately makes you suspicious… But on the other hand, your uncle told Jeongguk about you.

“I know this sounds ironic since he’s your actual uncle, but he’s like an uncle to me. Or like a brother. He helped me out of a pretty bad situation once and I’ve been helping him ever since.”

That reminds you. “Right, um speaking of bad situations, were you running from something?” You ask, remembering his frantic entrance. 

“Running? Um…” He hesitates obviously not wanting to discuss the matter.

“Yeah, you seemed to be in a hurry to get in here. Like you were in trouble.”

“Let’s just say the people in this town don’t like me very much, okay? Now, where’s Hogeun?”

“You really don’t know?”

“Know what?”

You sigh, walking over to the sofa and taking a seat on it. Jeongguk follows close behind, taking a seat next to you, obviously comfortable in this home, by the way he tucks his feet under himself. “I'm sorry to be the one to tell you, but he…” You pause, taking a deep breath. “Hogeun is dead.” You whisper. It still hurts to admit it.

“W-what?” You look up to see Jeongguk’s doe eyes go even wider in shock. “What are you talking about?”

“They-” You take a deep breath, holding back your tears before continuing. “They found his body at the bottom of the cliffs a few days ago; the police said he must’ve jumped. They called me to come get his stuff sorted out, that’s why I’m here.”

The room goes silent. You look at Jeongguk to see his face twisted in what seems to be rage before he speaks, so low you almost can’t hear him. “Hyung didn’t jump.”

“Jeongguk-”

“He didn’t!” Jeongguk suddenly yells. “He-” Jeongguk stops and looks at you, seeming to contemplate something before continuing. “I know hyung. He didn’t jump.”

“I’m sorry, Jeongguk but there isn’t really any other explanation…” You sigh. “How come you didn’t know? It happened almost a week ago now. Where have you been?”

“I-” Jeongguk stops, closing his mouth and looking at the floor. He’s silent for a few moments before he suddenly gets up and walks toward the kitchen.

“What are you doing?” You ask, watching as he rummages around on the table and in drawers, looking for something, ignoring you. You get up and walk over to him. “Look, I’m sorry you had to find out like this, but I don’t really know who you are or why you’re here and it’s very late, so I’m going to have to ask you to-”

“Here.” He suddenly shoves an envelope in your face.

“What is this?” You take the envelope from his outstretched hand.

“Read it. I’m going to sleep.”

“What?” You turn as he walks away from you toward your uncle’s room. “You can’t just- this isn’t your house!” But it’s too late, Jeongguk has already disappeared into the room and shut the door behind him. Before you can huff off after him, you feel the envelope in your hand and sigh, lifting it to see what it says. 

In case of Emergency: For Y/N

That’s your uncle’s handwriting. You take one last look over at the closed door before tearing open the envelope to find one of your uncle’s letters inside, addressed to you.

Y/N, I wish I was writing to you under better circumstances, but unfortunately if you’re reading this, it’s likely something has happened to me and I’m sorry that you have to be the one to pick up after my mess. You’ve already met Jeongguk, I hope; he’s a good kid. I hope you two become friends and show him the same kindness you showed me. He’ll watch over the house so you don’t have to go through the hassle of selling it. Take anything you need; the account numbers for my bank are written below. Everything in them is for you as a thank you for letting me back into your life. Hopefully it’ll help. I hope you get things sorted out quickly, ask Jeongguk for help if you need any. He’s a little strange, but he’ll be good to you. Give the family my love and apologies, especially your mother. Hogeun

Well, at least that’s one thing you don’t have to worry about. You turn and walk over to the door Jeongguk disappeared behind and knock lightly, when there’s no response, you open the door just a crack and peek inside to see Jeongguk fast asleep on the bed. You sigh and close the door again, there’s no use waking him. You head back into your room and shut the door, crawling back under the covers and closing your eyes to drift off.

.

You wake up to a loud clap of thunder, startled as you shoot up in bed. Man, are you always going to wake up to loud noises when you’re here? You stretch, checking your phone to see it’s a little after ten in the morning. You sit up, shivering. It got cold here last night. You’ll have to look at the thermostat after you eat something.

You grab your sweatshirt and slip it back on, remembering the intruder you had last night as you stand and make your way out to the kitchen. You manage to find some rice, grab the eggs, and a few vegetables that still look edible. You shrug and slice them up before throwing everything in a pan with some soy sauce, and sesame oil, making a very sad looking fried rice. Well, it’s better than nothing. As you dump about a quarter of it into a bowl, you hear a door open behind you and Jeongguk comes stumbling out, still half asleep.

“Is that food?” He asks, running up to your side.

“It’s not much, just some fried rice.”

"Can I have some?" He asks hopefully.

"Sure, there’s plenty. Take what you want."

Jeongguk grabs a bowl and dumps the rest of the rice into it before grabbing a spoon and walking over to the table, sitting down as he immediately begins stuffing his face.

"This is amazing." He groans.

You can’t help but giggle at his enthusiasm. "Thanks, it would've been better with fresh veggies, but-"

His eyes widen as he looks at you. "You can make it taste better?"

"Well, yeah. I'll just have to get some things at the grocery store."

"What else can you make?" He asks, scooting closer.

"Uh, pretty much anything as long as I have a recipe. What do you like?"

"Everything! I love food! I used to love when Hogeun cooked!"

"Oh? What did he cook for you?"

"Mostly seafood stuff. He'd tell me what he'd want and I'd pick it up fresh for him. Crab, tuna, shrimp, mackerel, whatever he needed."

"Is there a fish market nearby? Do they have a lot of variety? I thought they sold everything to the mainland?"

"Oh, um..." Jeongguk hesitates. "I have a friend... One that fishes and stuff."

"Oh, if I give you a list can you get some stuff for me?"

"I can get anything from the sea that you need."

"Okay. Um, thank you. How- uh, how old are you anyway?”

“Twenty-seven.”

“Oh, okay, I’m twenty-eight.”

Jeongguk simply nods as he goes back to eating like he's starved. When he's finished, he puts his bowl down and looks back at you. "Okay, I'm ready." He states.

"For what?" You ask as you continue to eat.

"To go to the store."

You chuckle again. “After I eat. And I’m going to shower first.”

"How long will that take?" Jeongguk tilts his head in what seems to be confusion.

“Maybe fifteen or twenty minutes?”

“Hm.” Jeongguk seems to pout at this.

“I’ll try to be quick.” You take another bite of your breakfast. "So, where are you from? If you don’t mind me asking."

"I'm from... Uh... The island."

"This Island?"

"N-no, the big one, to the south."

"Jeju?"

"That's the one." He nods satisfactorily.

"Right..." You shake your head.

After you eat, you excuse yourself to jump in the shower, wanting to wash the bus and boat feeling off of you. You wash yourself quickly, not entirely sure if you trust the lock on the bathroom door. When you’re finished and clothed, you grab your hair dryer and plug it in, starting to dry your hair when you see Jeongguk poke his head around the corner, observing you closely through the open door.

“Can I help you?” You ask over the whirr of the dryer. He mumbles something, but you don’t catch it, turning the dryer off to hear him better. “Hm?”

“What… What is that? It’s loud.”

“My hair dryer?” You wiggle it at him and he nods. “It’s for drying your hair faster when it’s wet. Your mom didn’t have one?” 

He shakes his head. “I never met my mom.”

“Oh, I’m sorry.”

He shrugs, tossing your sympathy away with his shoulders. “She died when I was born. It’s not a big deal.”

You don’t know how to respond to that so you turn back to the mirror. “I should be done in a few minutes, okay?”

Jeongguk nods, heading back to sit on the couch and wait as you finish drying your hair. When you’re done, you throw on your rain jacket and boots and grab the keys to your uncle’s old rusted, red truck. You and Jeongguk climb in head back toward town to buy some food.

Jeongguk also does not know where the grocery store is, so you drive around for a bit until you find it. It’s about as big as you expected, which is to say not at all, but it’s the only one on the island. You pull into a parking space and lead Jeongguk inside, watching his eyes go wide in amazement at all the food. 

You putter around the store, grabbing this and that every so often to add to the baskets you and Jeongguk are carrying, trying to think of meals Jeongguk might enjoy. You occasionally ask him his opinion, but he just says yes to everything, following you around like a lost puppy. Surprisingly enough, as you're rounding the corner where the meats sit, you nearly run right into Donghyun.

"Y/N!" He smiles brightly at you.

"Ah, hello!" You smile back. "Fancy meeting you here."

He shrugs, "Picking up groceries for the bar on my day off."

"Oh, are you closed on Sundays?"

He nods, eyeing the nearly filled basket in your arms. "I guess you don't have much food at the house?"

"Ah, no not really. Plus Jeongguk eats like he's starved."

"Jeongguk? Do you have a dog or something?"

"No, he's my uncle's friend.” You explain. “Do you not know him?"

"No, I can't say I've ever heard the name before. His friend you say?"

"Yeah. He’s right-” You turn around to see Jeongguk is no longer behind you. “He was just here… Well, he's about my age, tall, brown hair, big eyes."

Donghyun's eyes go wide as though he knows who you're describing, but he doesn't say anything further, he simply shrugs again and shakes his head. "Oh, I saw Hajoon stopped you yesterday?"

"Hajoon?"

"Crazy old man, sits outside of the bar."

"Oh, right yeah. He was talking about mermaids or something." You laugh. "Can you imagine?"

"Yeah that's what I figured. He’s a nice guy, but I think all those years on the ocean turned his brain to seawater. So just... Don't pay attention to the things he says."

"Alright. I mean, I figured with the mermaids and all."

Donghyun smiles and nods. "Hey, why don’t you come by my house tomorrow? My wife and I would be happy to have some company to cook for.”

“Really? That’s so kind of you.”

“Absolutely. Our house is the one right behind the bar. Come by around seven, and bring your friend if you can find him!"

"Thank you, I'll see you then." And with that he walks off.

As soon as Donghyun disappears down the next aisle, Jeongguk’s voice startles you from behind. “Who was that?”

“Where did you go?”

“Hm? I was just around the corner. I found this.” Jeongguk holds up a box of sweet cakes. “Hyung always had these.”

“Alright.” You grab the box from him and stick it in his basket. “Come on, I think we have enough.”

After your shopping, you head back home, walking in the door to find you forgot to change the thermostat. You put everything down in the kitchen and then walk over to check it. 

“Holy shit, why is this only set to 60 in March?” You ask out loud, quickly turning the temperature up to 70. “Haven’t you been cold?” You ask Jeongguk as you put your groceries away.

“Cold? Not really.” He shrugs.

You shake your head and whip up some quick sandwiches for lunch before you begin organizing your uncle's belongings. Keep, donate, and trash are the three labelled boxes that sit adjacent to you on the floor. Keep- photographs, letters, money left in sock drawers; Donate- old clothes, out of date electronics, anything Jeongguk doesn’t want to keep; Trash - ashtray, empty cigarette cartons, beer bottles, shoes with holes in them.

It feels strange to you, compartmentalizing someone's life like this. Especially someone you knew. Someone you loved. You think about your own important things, what would someone keep of yours? Some clothes, maybe jewelry, probably your camera once they found it where it’s stuffed in the back of your closet, shelved with your dreams.

You sigh as you throw the last shirt in the closet into the donation box, finished with the guest room. You look at the time and realize you've been doing this for seven hours. No wonder you're hungry, it's nearly nine o'clock. You pick yourself up and make your way to the kitchen, cooking a simple stew for dinner to help stave off the cold outside.

You earn several grunts of happiness from Jeongguk as he continues to tell you how amazing everything tastes. When you’re finished eating, you do the dishes quickly before joining Jeongguk on the couch, grabbing the remote control and turning on the tv. "What do you want to watch?"

"Watch?" He questions again.

"Yeah, you know, watch. On tv? Like a show, or a movie?"

"I don't know. I never had one." He points at the tv. 

"Okay." You pull up Netflix , and start scrolling. "Stop me if you see something interesting." You scroll, not really focusing on the screen, but more on Jeongguk's reaction to it. It looks like he's really never seen a tv before; his eyes are blown wide in awe as he stares at it.

"That one!" He suddenly shouts, causing you to refocus on the screen.

"Boys over Flowers? Really?"

He nods. "I wanna watch that one."

"Okay, if you really want to." You click on the show and the first episode starts up.

You watch Jeongguk as he stares at the screen, enraptured by the scenes in front of him, and you take the time to study him. His hair is long, down to his shoulders, and a dark chocolate brown, almost black. His eyes are a lighter shade of brown, but sometimes you swear they shimmer like golden topaz when he gets excited. He’s on the taller side, his tan body toned and muscular beneath the clothes he borrows from your uncle’s closet. His nose is a little big, but it suits him, especially when he smiles, his eyes crinkling up and his lips pulling back to reveal his cute smile, reminding you of a rabbit.

There’s something about him… Something almost inhumanly beautiful as your eyes follow the lines of his body. Once he looks over and catches you staring, causing you to blush and pull your focus back to the tv. After the first three episodes, you decide to go to bed, the day's events finally catching up to you.

"Jeongguk, I'm going to bed." You state. He only nods, watching the final scene of the episode intently until the credits begin to roll. As you get up, the 'are you still watching' screen appears and Jeongguk panics.

"What happened?" He whines.

"Nothing, it just wants to make sure you're still watching." You hand him the remote. "Just press the 'okay' button and it'll keep going."

Jeongguk presses the button and is relieved when the show starts to play again. Knowing he's content, you take your leave and head off to bed, shutting the door behind you.

As you settle in, you have to admit that Jeongguk is slightly amusing, but he's a bit strange. Especially with all the things he doesn’t seem to know about. Is living on this island really that different than living on the mainland? Something about him feels off to you, but you can't seem to put your finger on it. Hogeun trusted him, so he can't be bad, right?

.

When you wake up the next morning, you have to check your phone for the time because it's so dark out it might still be night. 10:33 am. You get up and stretch, walking over to the window and peeking through the blinds to see it's pouring down rain again. Or is it, ‘still’? You see a bright flash of lightning in the distance. What a miserable place. You miss the sun. You sigh as you slip some pants on and walk out into the hall to see your uncle's bedroom door is open. Jeongguk must already be awake. You head towards the main room to see the tv is still on and is currently displaying the "More you might enjoy" screen from after you finish watching something in its entirety.

"Jeongguk, did you watch that whole show last night?" You call out, but there's no response. "Jeongguk?" You call again as you search the kitchen and bathroom, but Jeongguk is nowhere to be found. "That's weird…" You comment to yourself as you walk into the kitchen. Well, maybe if you make some breakfast, the smell of food will summon him. You cook up some eggs for a delicious egg sammy, but surprisingly, Jeongguk doesn’t crawl out of wherever he’s disappeared to, and you eat by yourself. 

As the day goes on, you continue sorting through your uncle’s things, wondering if maybe the stress of all of this made you hallucinate Jeongguk for some company. Was he really a dream? You shake your head, taping up the last box and carrying it out to the truck. You figure Donghyun might know where you can donate the clothes, so you’re bringing them with you to dinner tonight. At half past six you ready yourself for dinner, brushing your hair, and pulling on a warm flannel over your grey shirt and jeans, adjusting the necklace your uncle gave you in the mirror before hiding it under the collar of your shirt, slipping on your rain gear and heading out to the truck. 

You drive through the rain, up the road and into town, pulling in behind the bar to find Donghyun’s house. It’s not quite attached to the bar, but it might as well be. You park on the street and walk up to the door, knocking lightly. Donghyun answers the door with a wide smile. 

“Y/N! So glad you could make it.” He moves to the side and lets you in, taking your coat and hanging it up as you slip off your boots. He leads you into the small kitchen where a woman stands over the stove, cooking something. “This is my wife, Saki.”

“It’s nice to meet you!” She offers you a warm smile and you hear a lilt in her words.

“You too! Thank you for having me over.”

“Oh of course!” She puts down the spoon she was holding, wiping her hands on her apron. “Any excuse to cook for someone other than him.” Saki teases. “Why don’t you two sit, dinner will be ready in just a second!”

You thank her again before following Donghyun to the adjacent dining room, surprised to find a kotatsu as the main piece of furniture. You sit down on the pillow across from your host, pulling the blanket over your lap and feeling the warmth of the heater greet your chilled legs. 

“I hope you don’t mind the table, Saki’s from Japan originally. She insists she can’t live without it.”

That explains the accent. “Not at all! It’s delightful, I might have to invest in one for my apartment.”

“It’s good for those rainy days.” He agrees. “Which is almost every day here.”

“Time for dinner!” Saki exclaims as she walks into the room carrying two trays. She sets them both on the table and you see three large bowls of curry and rice, along with several side dishes, and cups of steaming hot tea. 

“Wow, it smells amazing.” You state as she places a bowl in front of you, the smell dancing through the air as you pick up your spoon. 

“Dig in!”

The three of you eat, sharing stories and laughs in the low lighting of the room. Donghyun tells you stories about your uncle; they both got jobs on the same fishing boat when they were eighteen and became close friends, your uncle eventually buying his own boat, and Donghyun taking over the bar for his father’s friend. They remained friends up until his passing, and the memory seems to hurt him as he tells you about how Hogeun used to join them for dinner just like you are now. Saki’s curry was his favorite.

“He always spoke so highly of you. He couldn’t wait for you to come visit.”

A pang of sorrow rings through your chest. “I wish I could’ve come sooner…” 

Donghyun smiles bittersweetly, placing a hand on your shoulder. “He knows you were busy.”

You’re thankful for the comforting gesture, nodding in acknowledgment. After the meal is finished, Donghyun brings out old photo albums and shows you the years of your uncle’s life that you missed, showing you what he was like without the stress of your family’s ideals weighing on him. He looked so happy. 

So why did he end his life? The question nags in the back of your mind, but you don’t want to bring it up right now. 

“So could your friend not make it tonight?” Saki questions. “Dongie said you might be bringing one.”

You shake your head. “Unfortunately not.”

“Too busy?”

“I’m not really sure.” You shrug. “I couldn’t find him.”

“You don’t know where he is?” Donghyun asks. 

“This probably sounds terrible, but I don't really know that much about him.” Donghyun and Saki exchange a concerned glance. “Hogeun told me about him in a letter. Said he could be trusted. I guess they were pretty close. He said Hogeun was like a brother to him. Hogeun even left the house to him so I don’t have to sell it.”

“What’s his name again?”

“Jeongguk.”

Saki thinks on this for a moment. “What’s his family name?”

“I… I don’t know. I never asked.”

Donghyun shakes his head. “I can’t say I’ve ever heard that name, not even in passing at the bar.”

“He’s harmless, honestly. I swear all he does is eat.” You explain. Another glance exchanged. It’s pointless to try and make them understand.

After a few more conversations, you bid goodbye, thanking them again for the meal before slipping your coat back on and heading out to the truck. You wave as you pull away, driving up the dark road back toward the lighthouse. When you pull into your uncle’s driveway, the house is dark. Jeongguk must not be back. As you unlock the front door, you can’t help but think once more, did he ever really exist? Or Was he something your mind made up due to the stress.

You close and lock the door behind you, walking into the kitchen and placing your leftovers in the fridge along with some assorted banchan they gifted you. You slide off your flannel tossing it on the back of the couch before settling down onto the cushions, running your hands through your hair as you take it down and then turning on the tv. You take off your necklace and twirl the medallion in your fingers.

A few hours later, there’s a bang against the front door that scares the shit out of you, causing you to jump out of the sleep you had fallen into. Just when you start to think you imagined it, you hear light knocking, getting up and walking over to investigate. You can’t see anything through the peephole, so you open the door a crack, peeking out to find Jeongguk standing there in the dark.

“Jeongguk? What the hell?” You open the door and he pushes past you, waltzing into the house, seemingly unbothered, though he is absolutely drenched from head to toe. “Are you alright?”

“Hm?” He barely turns toward you as he walks to the kitchen, tracking water across the floor. “I’m starving, do we have anything to eat?”

“Where have- Eugh, Jeongguk…” Your sentence is interrupted as you move to cover your nose, catching a whiff of him, the strong scents of salt and sea wafting off of his body in waves. “You smell like low tide.”

You watch him lift his arm up to sniff himself before shrugging. “It’s not that bad.”

“Yes it is.” You disagree, walking over to him and grabbing his arm. “You’re dripping all over the floor! And is this…?” You grab something off of the back of his shirt. “Seaweed?” You hold the green plant up between the two of you to show him. “What the hell have you been doing?” 

“N-nothing, I was just-”

“Come on.” You start dragging him toward the bathroom.

“What? Hey-”

You open the bathroom and pull him inside with you. “You’re not eating until you shower.”

“A shower?”

“Yeah you know, when you wash yourself with soap and water?”

He groans. “Do I have to?”

“Yes. Jeongguk, you stink.” You explain, turning the shower on for him. “Please.”

Jeongguk rolls his eyes. “Fine.” He states, grabbing his shirt and pulling the wet fabric off over his head, allowing you full visual access to his toned torso. You blush, only allowing yourself a quick glimpse before turning your head to look away.

“I-I’ll have something ready for you to eat when you’re done.” You mumble, immediately leaving the bathroom and shutting the door behind you.

Pausing for a moment against the door to slow your heart rate, the image flashes in your mind again; was that a tattoo you saw? You shake your head in an attempt to clear it. Why couldn’t your uncle have befriended some weird old man instead of a hot guy your age? And why was he so goddamn weird?

You sigh to yourself as you walk to the kitchen, flicking on the lights and taking your leftover curry out of the fridge, putting it in a bowl and then sticking it in the microwave to warm up. You grab a towel and use it to mop up the puddles of water Jeongguk leaked all over the floor. When you finish that, you realize Jeongguk will need a change of clothes so you walk into your uncle’s room, or you suppose it’s Jeongguk’s room now… You walk into the room, and grab Jeongguk some sweatpants, boxers, and a shirt. You can hear the microwave start to beep back in the kitchen, so you walk back out to shut it off, but as you pass by the bathroom, you hear the most beautiful sound you’ve ever heard. 

It’s low, but melodious, immediately catching your attention. You don’t know what it is, it almost sounds like the distant crashing waves, the lull of the open sea, a sweet word on the wind, filling your heart with so much emotion you feel like it might burst, and yet, you feel nothing at all, only a deep want, a voracious need in your chest that has you turning toward the bathroom and opening the door before you can stop yourself. 

Your vision goes blurry as you open the door, the sweet sound hitting your ears at a higher volume, echoing off the round acoustics of the bathroom walls and bouncing right back into your brain. As you walk toward the source, the shower curtain pulls back and the final barrier between you and the voice is removed, your reach for it when suddenly the sound stops. Your eyes focus to find Jeongguk standing before you, a terrified expression on his face as he takes in your drugged-like state. 

“Y/N?”

“J-Jeongguk? What-” You suddenly notice Jeongguk is still standing in the tub, naked as he’ll ever be and you turn away. “Oh god! I’m sorry I was, uh-” What were you doing? You look around for clues and see the pile of clean clothes you dropped to the floor. “Ah!” You bend over and pick them up. “I was just bringing you some dry clothes.” You place the clothes on the sink counter. “You can use my towel to dry off, I’ll wash it tomorrow.” You mumble before quickly leaving and shutting the door behind you.

What the hell was that? You don’t remember anything, it’s like you blacked out as soon as you came out of Jeongguk’s room. Weird. Maybe it’s just because you’re tired? Despite the odd feeling creeping up the back of your neck, you walk back into the kitchen, pulling Jeongguk’s food out of the microwave and setting it on the table for him just as he walks out of the bathroom. 

You’re still a bit too flushed to face him, looking down at your lap as you sit down at the table, watching out of the corner of your eye as he takes a seat next to you. He seems oblivious to your embarrassment as he immediately digs into the food, shoveling mouthfuls past his lips, making you wonder if he breathes when he eats. When he finally starts to slow down, nearing the end of his meal, you lift your head, still unable to meet his gaze as you mumble an apology. 

“I-I’m sorry for, you know, walking in on you. Like that.”

“It’s alright.” He says between bites.

“I don’t even know why I did that. Honestly, I don’t remember doing it.”

“You don't?” He quirks an eyebrow, eyeing you under the hair that falls across his face. 

“It’s the weirdest thing, right? I must be really tired or something.”

“Hm. Maybe…” He stretches and yawns, his spoon clinking against the bowl as he stretches his arms above his head. “Thanks for the food.” He smiles, taking his dishes to the sink and washing them quickly. 

“So, where did you go, if you don’t mind me asking.”

He shrugs, “Just had a couple things I had to do.”

“In the rain? Without a jacket? Or shoes?” You question, having noticed his footprints in the water he left on the floor. 

“Shoes are uncomfortable.”

“Right…” you watch him as he places his dishes in the rack to dry before turning and walking towards his room. “Jeongguk-” You call out to stop him. 

“Hm?” He stops, spinning back around to face you, his doe eyes wide in question. 

“N-nothing, never mind. I’ll talk to you in the morning I guess. If you’ll be here?”

“Sure.” He simply nods before walking away into his room and shutting the door. 

You sit at the table, temporarily stunned at the interaction you just had. God he’s strange. You get up, grabbing your necklace where it fell on the floor, shutting off the tv, and flicking the lights off on your way to your own room. You place the necklace on your nightstand, slip into some pajamas, and crawl into bed.

Just a few more days. You think to yourself. And then you can go back to your normal life. Or… at least what’s left of it.

.

Jeongguk quickly shuts the door behind him, glad to finally be alone as he takes a deep breath. Damn. He’s going to have to be more careful. He didn’t think he was being loud enough for you to hear him over the sound of the shower, that could’ve been a disaster if he hadn’t opened the curtain and seen you. Jeongguk drags his hand over his face, trying to wipe away the worry as he strips out of his clothes and flops down into bed with an exasperated sigh.

Jeongguk appreciates you. He’s grateful that you let him into your home, or, well, his home he guesses. You don’t ask too many questions. And you’re nice. You’re so much nicer than he ever thought you would be for some reason. Most people, especially in this town, aren’t particularly welcoming when it comes to him. He wishes Hogeun was here. It would make things so much easier…

He wishes he could tell you something.

He wishes he could tell you everything.

He wants to tell you everything, but Hogeun specifically told him to keep you out of it. He already hid all of their research in his room, hoping you won’t find it. Jeongguk pulls the letter addressed to him out of the bedside table, the one he found with yours, reading over it again.

Figure out what happened to me. Hide the research. And most importantly, make sure Y/N gets out of here as soon as possible. I would only blame myself if she got caught up in this mess that I made…

 Hogeun didn’t want you anywhere near the Ineo, so being near Jeongguk while you sorted things out was as close as you were going to get. Jeongguk has put up a firm wall, and tonight was too close for comfort. Jeongguk has to continue like this, sneaking away in the early hours to do what he needs to do. To find the answers. Jeongguk is determined to find a way to lift this curse.

.

When you wake up the next morning, it’s cold again. It’s early, you check your phone, unable to sleep because of the cold; it’s only just turning to eight o’clock. It takes everything in you to get out from underneath the warmth of the blankets; wanting to stay cocooned in them for the rest of the day, but you have things to sort. You shiver as your bare feet hit the cold wood of the floor, quickly reaching for warmer clothes; socks, a sweater and sweatpants, and slipping them onto your body.

You open your door and walk out to the living room to check the thermostat again. 60 degrees. What the hell? You turn the temperature back up to 70, feeling the heat immediately pouring out of the vent beneath your feet. Much better. But how did it get turned down? There isn't an automatic adjustment feature on it, it’s too old. Did Jeongguk…?

You huff, walking over to his room and knocking while you open the door to see Jeongguk sprawled across the mattress in nothing but shorts, blissfully unaware of the temperature. You walk over to him and are about to wake him when you see the tattoo etched into his skin, swirls of dark blue ink surrounding hands as they sink into the depths of color. You swear you’ve seen this before, but you can’t place where. Oh well, back to the task at hand. 

“Hey!” You smack Jeongguk in his bare chest, startling him awake. His eyes dart around the room until they land on you standing over him. 

“Y-Y/N?”

“Did you mess with the thermostat?”

“The what?” He sits up.

“The thing that changes the temperature. Did you turn it back down?”

“Hm? Oh, yeah.” He nods, unbothered. “I’m used to cold weather.”

“Aren’t you from Jeju?” He tilts his head as though he doesn’t understand why that matters. You pinch the bridge of your nose. “Okay, normal people get cold at this temperature, so I’m going to turn it up. Can you leave it alone until I’m gone please?”

He shrugs. “Sure.” 

You’re about to say more, but decide against it. He doesn’t talk much anyway. “Thank you.” You state as you turn and walk out, closing his door behind you. You barely make it three steps before the door opens again and Jeongguk follows behind you, he reminds you of a lost puppy sometimes. 

“Are you… going to make food?” He asks, pulling a shirt on. 

You chuckle, should’ve known that was coming. “I can, what would you like?”

He thinks for a moment before his eyes light up. “Hyung used to make these things,” He forms a circle with his hands. “Like little cakes? They were sweet.”

Sweet cakes? “Like, rice cakes?”

“No. Um… fluffy?”

“Hotteok?”

“Hotteok!” He points at you as he says it, clearly excited.

“Okay,” You giggle, turning to fish ingredients out of the cabinets. “I can make Hotteok, but you’ll have to wait for the dough to rise.”

Jeongguk nods, taking a seat on the couch and watching closely as you mix up the dough, putting it in a bowl and covering it before joining him. You set a timer for an hour and turn on the tv. You put on something mindless, dozing off as you watch until the timer goes off and jolts you awake. You get up and check the dough, kneading it before covering it for another 20 minutes or so. When that times up, you get the skillet ready, turning the heat on, and Jeongguk watches you carefully.

You look at him over your shoulder. How is he going to take care of himself after you leave? “Do you… want to help?”

His eyes go wide. “Can I?”

“Sure.” You wave him over. “It’s easy once you have the dough.”

You turn the dough out onto a floured cutting board and instruct Jeongguk how to separate it into balls while you mix cinnamon and sugar for the filling. You show him how to add the filling to the dough balls and then have him watch as you fry one up, waiting until it turns a golden brown before flipping it, squishing it down with the spatula, and then covering the pan with a lid so the sugar melts into a syrup. When it’s done, you scoop the pastry up out of the pan and place it on a plate.

“Voila.” You hold the plate out to him. “Hotteok.”

Jeongguk takes the plate, smiling. “Amazing.”

“It’s hot, be careful.” You scold when he picks it up immediately, burning the tips of his fingers. 

“Hot. Right.” He nods, blowing on it carefully.

He waits for you to cook a few more before you both sit down at the table together and eat. You can’t help but watch him, fascinated by the way everything seems new to him. He carefully eats the hot pastries, focused on nothing but the food in front of him the entire time. If anything, at least he’s amusing to spend time with. You smile as you observe him and his odd mannerisms. 

“So what are you going to do today?” He asks as he licks the remains off his fingers, you barely hear him, entranced by the flick of his pink tongue. No. You scold yourself. You can’t start thinking about him like that.

“Um, I’m going to try and bring some things up from the basement to go through.” You state, leaning back in your chair. “I didn’t realize how much was down there until yesterday. It’s going to take me a while to get through it all.”

“Can I help?”

“You want to spend all day going through boxes of junk with me?”

He shrugs. “I don’t really have much else to do.”

“Sure. I could use your muscles.” You nod. It’ll be easier to have Jeongguk lug everything up the stairs for you since you don’t want to do anything in that creepy basement. 

As you do the dishes, Jeongguk carries up box after box for you, covering most of the floor in the kitchen. You tell him that should be enough for now, and the two of you get to work sifting through the miscellaneous items your uncle collected over the years. One box has old movies on VHS and a video camera that doesn’t work anymore. Another is full of old fishing ledgers that he never got rid of. Jeongguk opens a third box and pulls out a series of old CD’s and vinyl albums. 

“What are these?”

“Hm?” You look up from the notebook you’re skimming through. “Oh those are just CD’s. You know. Music?”

“Music?” He takes one out and turns it over in his hands. “Who is Sonyeo Sidae?”

“Did you really just ask me that?” You scoff. He looks up at you with wide eyes. “You’ve never heard of Girl’s Generation? The nation’s girl group?” He shakes his head. “God have you been living under a rock?” You mumble, grabbing your phone and crawling over to Jeongguk, sitting down at his side and pulling up youtube. “Here,” You hand the phone to him. “This is their debut song. It’s one of their most iconic.”

The intro to Into the New World plays, and you immediately feel nostalgic, reminded of all the times you listened to this very song with your uncle when you were younger. His favorite was Gee. You watch Jeongguk, his head nodding along to the beat of the song as it plays, enraptured by the scene on the screen.

Several hours later, you and Jeongguk are dancing around the living room, having just taught him the moves to I Got a Boy, the two of you scream-singing along as the song blasts from the tv. 

“Ayo stop! Lemme put it down another way!”

The two of you dance like crazy until at some point during the last chorus you both crash into each other and fall to the floor in a heap, laughing until you can’t breathe. As the song fades out, the two of you catch your breath, both of you sweating from the unprompted exercise. 

“I didn’t know dancing could be so much fun.” Jeongguk smiles as he sits up, his breath heavy. 

“Would you believe me if I told you Hogeun knows every step to that song by heart?”

“Hyung? No.”

“Oh yeah, he is… well, was the biggest SNSD fan.”

“Really?” 

“Yeah…” You nod softly, pulling your knees into your chest. 

Jeongguk studies you for a moment, taking in your suddenly silent state. “You miss him.” It’s not a question, but a statement. An observation. 

You sigh. “I do miss him.” Jeongguk opens his mouth to say something, but before he can, you stand up, stretching. “Wow, four o clock already?” You look at the mess on the floor, realizing that you didn’t get much done as your stomach rumbles. “Hey, why don’t we have seafood tonight?” Jeongguk’s head perks up at this. “Would you be able to get stuff from your friend this late?”

“Of course.” Jeongguk stands with you. “What do you need?”

“Hmm, mussels and shrimp if he has them. Maybe some clams? Oh, and squid! I have everything for the stock, I just need to run to the store and get some noodles and veggies.”

“Okay, I’ll bring everything back here.”

“How much?”

“Hm?” He turns back to you. 

“You know, money? How much will it cost?”

Jeongguk shakes his head, smirking. “Don’t worry about it.” And with that he walks out into the rain, barefoot. You watch him walk down the path toward the lighthouse and disappear into the mist. 

.

About an hour later, you come back from the store with a bag full of ingredients as you hurry to the kitchen and start on the stock. Just as the stock is finishing, Jeongguk comes back through the front door, a bag of his own in hand, once again, soaking wet from head to toe. 

“What the-”

“Here!” He walks over and hands you the bag, shaking his hair as he does and sprinkling you with salty droplets. 

“Jeongguk!” You squeak, wiping some of the drops off your face. You open the bag and look inside to see everything you asked for. It’s all extremely fresh, so fresh that some of it is still moving. “Did you just dive into the ocean and pluck these out?” You ask incredulously.

“What? N-no, my friend had them.”

You eye him suspiciously, giggling. “I was joking, but you sound defensive.”

He looks anywhere but at you. “I’m going to go shower!” He runs off before you can ask him any more questions. 

“Clean up the floor when you’re done!” You call after him as the bathroom door closes. 

You quickly clean and prepare your seafood, chop up the veggies and stir fry the pork while your noodles cook. You add the pork and veggies together and pour in some broth before adding your seafood and noodles and covering the pot, letting everything marinate together for a few minutes until your mussels all open up. 

Jeongguk strides out of the bathroom just as you pull the lid off, filling the house with the warm scent of salty broth and seafood. He quickly mops up the floor as you divvy out two large servings into bowls, placing them on the table and waiting for Jeongguk to join you before you both dig in. 

It's delicious; the freshness of the seafood only adds to the delectability of the broth. The table is silent aside from the sounds of slurping broth and noodles, occasionally a groan or grunt of contentment slipping into the mix. When you’re done, you lean back in your chair, lifting your arms and resting your hands on your forehead to help you get a full breath. 

“That was so good.” Jeongguk states, putting his bowl back down from slurping up the extra liquid, the shells from the mussels clanking together against the porcelain as it hits the table. 

You smile, letting your hands drop back down into your lap. “I'm glad you enjoyed it.” You look back over at the living room and the mess you left before checking the time with a sigh. Only seven? God it feels like midnight. It’s hard to keep track of the time when the sky’s always dark. You suppose you should sort a few more things before bed. 

Jeongguk insists on keeping the entirety of Hogeun’s album collection, stashing them all away in his room. You pick through a few more boxes of clothes, as well as old books; text books that don’t even look like they were cracked, almanac’s where the pages are worn thin, and a few cookbooks with recipes missing; separating everything into sell, donate, and toss piles. When you finish it’s about ten pm, and decide to shower before heading to bed, wanting to wipe some of the feeling of dust off of yourself.

You grab a change of clothes from your room before heading into the bathroom and locking the door. You start up the shower, letting it get warm before you strip down and hop in, letting the water wash over you. As you wash your hair, you can’t help but let your mind wander to Jeongguk, thinking about him licking his fingers clean this morning.

You sigh in frustration; you know it’s been a while since you’ve had sex, but thinking about him like this… Your mind flashes to the glimpse of his nude form that you saw in this very shower. God he looked so good with the water trailing over his muscles. Stop it. You’re not going to be here long enough for it to be worth starting any sort of situationship, and a one night stand feels like it wouldn’t be… enough. You need to focus on finishing what you came here to do, and then get back home to… To fix the mess you made when you left. 

When you’re done, you turn off the water, stepping out to grab your towel and dry yourself off. You dress and then /dry your hair. After that, you come back out to the living room to see Jeongguk sprawled out on the couch watching tv. You smile at the way he reacts to the scene on screen; some sort of horror drama.

Damn. He really is handsome.

You turn into your room and shut the door behind you, heaving out another heavy breath before flopping down onto your bed and checking your phone to find a text. It’s from Donghyun.

Donghyun (11:03pm): Hey, how’s the sorting going? Listen, we’re having a memorial tomorrow night at the bar for Hogeun if you want to come. There will be food and drinks and friends!

A memorial? That’s so nice of them. You deserve a drink or two.

You (11:07pm): What time? Donghyun (11:07pm): 8pm! You (11:08pm): I’ll be there!

And with that you close your phone and set it on the nightstand before the energy you spent today catches up to you, and you fall asleep. 

.

The next morning you wake up to the sound of birds chirping. That’s weird. You don’t think you’ve heard a single bird since you arrived here five days ago… Your eyes flutter awake to see a bright beam of light streaming in through the slits in the blinds. You’re so used to the gloomy weather, the sight of light confuses you as you sit up and reach a hand out, turning it around in the beam where it lands on the bed. Sunlight. You jump out of bed and race to the window, immediately opening the blinds to see that sure enough, the clouds have dispersed enough to let the sun poke through above the trees as it starts its journey across the sky. 

You practically sprint to the front door, sliding into your slippers and throwing the door open to feel a warm breeze immediately caress your face as you step onto the front porch. You inhale deeply, the warm mix of early spring and late winter air filling your lungs. 

“Noona…?” 

You turn around to see Jeongguk walking groggily out of his room, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. “Jeongguk, the sun’s out!” You don’t know why you whisper it like a secret the island isn’t supposed to know; feeling like if you say it too loud, the sun might disappear and then the rain will come back, but as you look outside again, it rises steadily from the horizon, showing more and more of itself every minute, a few rays landing on your face where you stand, warming your skin. 

“Wow…” Jeongguk breathes, walking up behind you and observing the sky as it lightens. “Hey, why don’t I show you around the island a little bit todau?”

Hope springs in your chest, but you stuff it back down. “You- You don’t have to do anything else?”

He shakes his head. “Not on a day like this.”

You smile. “Breakfast first?”

.`

You make breakfast and you both eat before getting dressed. You pack a quick lunch for the both of you which Jeongguk offers to carry, not knowing how long you’ll be out. He slings the backpack over his shoulder and you both put on your sneakers before Jeongguk leads you out of the house and up the road.

Jeongguk shows you around the island, everything feeling vaguely familiar from long ago when you spent time here as a child. You walk around town on the south side of the island before making your way up the eastern coast, following along the pathway as you chase the sun, over rocky outcroppings and through dense forests, talking casually the whole way about nothing.

You stop to take pictures, showing Jeongguk how your phone works and having him take some for you, as well as selfies of the two of you together and taking pictures of him alone as well. For someone who’s never used a camera, he’s surprisingly photogenic. No matter how many you take, Jeongguk doesn’t seem to have a bad angle. In more than one, he stares wistfully out at the ocean, and you wonder what he’s thinking about. 

You and Jeongguk cut across the island to the west side, settling down to eat your lunch on one of the rocky outcroppings in the sea that Jeongguk convinces you to jump to, laughing every time a large wave comes and mists you both as you munch on your sandwiches. 

After you’re finished, you both wander along the coast back toward the house, enjoying the scenery as you arrive back at the dilapidated lighthouse. You stroll up to the side of the old white building, looking up at the glass paneling at the top, wondering what this must’ve looked like in its prime. 

“I guess ships don’t come to this side of the island anymore.” You think out loud. 

“Not really. Most of them try to avoid it.”

“Why?” You ask, continuing to walk forward until you’re on the cliffs in front of the building, taking a seat in the grass. 

Jeongguk shrugs as he walks over and takes a seat next to you. “Rumors.”

“Rumors?” You repeat. “What kind of rumors?”

“Mermaids mostly.” Jeongguk chuckles. 

“Mermaids? Mermaids put an entire lighthouse out of service?”

“You know how superstitious sailors are.” Jeongguk explains. “One or two ‘sightings’ and suddenly this side of the island was basically deserted.”

“Mermaids…” You scoff. “Well, I guess if they can cause a rift in my family, they can stop boats.”

Jeongguk scoots closer to you. “Hyung never told me why you stopped visiting him.”

“It was my mother.” You sigh. “When I was little, she used to bring me here all the time to visit her parents; this is where my family is from originally.” You begin. “Since Hogeun was so much younger, he still lived here with them. The two of them never really got along, they were constantly fighting with each other.

“One day when we were visiting, Hogeun took me out to sightsee, and my mother, not trusting him, tagged along. We were walking along the low cliffs, when my mother suddenly fell into the water. My uncle followed to make sure she was okay, and ended up saving her. When she came to, she was convinced that Hogeun had pushed her in. She claimed she heard someone tell him to do it and she never forgave him.”

“What… What does that have to do with mermaids?”

“Well, mother doesn’t remember anything from after she fell, but Hogeun… When he jumped in to save her, he claims he saw… something. It looked like a human, but their teeth were razor sharp, and their skin was painted with swirls of blue. They had grabbed hold of mother, and he had to fight them off of her. I don’t know if you ever noticed the scar on his face.”

“The one on his eye?”

You nod. “That was from them, they cut him with something during the fight. Hogeun became obsessed with finding it again, convinced the island was home to these mermaid-like creatures, but no one wanted to hear it. My mother’s parents moved to Busan a few years later to be closer to my parents and me, but Hogeun stayed behind here, saying he wasn’t finished. My mother never took me here again, still convinced that Hogeun had tried to kill her that day.”

It’s quiet for a moment before Jeongguk repeats a phrase he’s already said to you. “You miss him.” Another observation, but this time, it’s an invitation to talk about it.

“I reached out to him a few years ago without my mother knowing and we became like family again.” You mumble, looking down at your lap. “I… I regret not coming here sooner to see him… And now it’s too late.”

“He talked about you a lot.” Jeongguk states.

“Really?” You look to see Jeongguk’s focus on you. 

He nods. “Every time he got a letter or message from you, he got so excited. He was really proud of you.”

“Thanks, Jeongguk.”

“Did you ever figure out what you wanted to do?”

“What do you mean?”

Jeongguk looks out at the ocean again before looking back at you. “Well, he always said you didn’t seem happy. He said you needed to figure out what you wanted to do. Did you?”

You shake your head, pulling at the grass under you. “No, I… I Didn't. And sometimes I think it’s too late for me to change my mind.”

“It’s not too late.” 

You chuckle as you lay back against the grass. “Jeongguk, no offense, but I don’t think you know enough about the world outside of this island to decide that.”

“Maybe not.” Jeongguk lays down next to you as you both watch the sinking sun begin to paint the sky with bright streaks of oranges and pinks. “But I know he was right, you’re not happy.”

You smile bittersweetly. “I don’t have to be. As long as I’m doing what I’m supposed to do.”

“Why do that, when you could do what you want to do instead? You could do that picture stuff he talked about. He said you loved doing that.”

“Photography?”

“Yeah!” Jeongguk smiles. “He said you were good at it.”

Hogeun was the only one you ever told about photography; how it was what you really wanted to do, but you never had the nerve to tell your parents, so you shoved your want down, and settled for something realistic that they would approve of; taking over your father’s business. “I could’ve been. But it was just a silly dream… It doesn’t matter anymore.” You sigh. 

“Why not?”

“I’m almost done with school for business, I’m learning how to operate the shop, I did what I had to do and I have what I need, nothing… Nothing more.”

“But is that what you want?”

“I don’t know what I want…”

The two of you lay there in silence for a long minute, nothing but the sound of the wind through the grass, and the crashing waves far below. You can feel Jeongguk’s gaze flick towards you on occasion, but you can’t bring yourself to meet it. As the sun finally dips below the horizon, you sit up, taking one last look out at the ocean before standing and walking up the path back toward the house. You hear Jeongguk’s footsteps behind you, and you slow down, allowing him to fall into step beside you. As you reach the front door, you pull out your phone to check the time; seven thirty. The memorial starts soon. As Jeongguk walks into the house ahead of you, you stop in the entryway to grab your keys.

“Jeongguk,” You catch his attention and he stops in his tracks and turns to you. “They’re having a memorial for Hogeun tonight at the bar if you want to come.”

“A memorial?”

“Yeah, it’ll probably just be a few people; mostly drinking and telling old stories about him.”

“And you want me to come?” He checks.

“Of course. I feel like you were the closest to him.” You remind him. “You should be there. To help honor his memory.”

“Okay.” He nods, walking back over to stand in front of you. “I’d be happy to.”

.

Thirty two minutes later, you park the truck in front of the bar and the two of you hop out. It’s dark as you and Jeongguk walk up to the front door, a chill settling in the air now that the sun has disappeared. You tug your jacket closer as you open the door, stepping foot into the bar. 

“Y/N!” It’s Saki. “You made it.” She walks over and gives you a tight hug. 

“Hi Saki.” You return the embrace and as you step back she notices Jeongguk next to you, her eyes going wide as her demeanor suddenly changes, she seems almost nervous.

“A-and who’s this?” She questions, looking him over. 

“This is Jeongguk, the friend I told you about.” 

Jeongguk nods shyly in greeting. “Hello.” 

“Nice to finally meet you.” Saki smiles politely. “I’m glad you could come.” And with that she walks away behind the counter where Donghyun stands talking to someone. You watch as she tugs his arm, grabbing his attention to whisper something in his ear and then nod in your direction.  Donghyun looks up and meets your gaze, offering a small smile as he walks over. 

“Y/N! You’re here!” He places a hand on your shoulder as he gives Jeongguk a once over. “And this is Jeongguk?” You nod and Donghyun sticks out his hand. “I’m glad you’re here to help us honor Hogeun.”

“Of course.” Jeongguk shakes his hand. “Anything for Hogeun hyung.”

“Great, well, there’s food on the table, and if you want a drink just come ask, they’re on me tonight.”

“Thank you, that’s very kind of you.” You smile warmly at him.

“Feel free to walk around, we hung up some pictures of your uncle. We’ll do a toast in a bit.” Donghyun nods again before walking away back behind the bar.

You turn to Jeongguk. “Hungry?”

You walk over to the food table and pile some warm food onto your plate before finding an empty table where you have Jeongguk sit as you grab drinks. Hogeun pours you both ‘something strong’ as he calls it, and you take the drinks back to the table, handing one to Jeongguk, his plate already halfway empty. He takes a drink and lets out a harsh cough as he sets the glass back down. 

“What is that?” He asks, his face twisted in disgust.

“Alcohol.” You explain. “You’ve never had it before?”

Jeongguk shakes his head. “Hyung used to share his beer, but they didn’t taste like this.”

“This is a stronger kind. It’s more concentrated.” You take your own swig, your face matching his at the taste. 

“What's the point of drinking something you don’t like the taste of?”

“It helps.”

“Helps with what?”

“It helps with this.” You gesture to the sad faces around you. “It dulls your senses. Makes it so it doesn’t hurt as bad.”

Jeongguk looks around the room before drinking the rest of the glass in one go. You stare at him in surprise, watching as he goes back to eating. After you finish what’s on your plate, Jeongguk goes back for seconds, and you take your time strolling around the room, looking at the different photos of your uncle that have been temporarily hung along the walls.

Mostly the pictures are of him with a blank expression as he holds various sizes of the catch of the day. There’s one of him mid-wrangling a very large fish, shock and surprise on his features as the fish attempts to wiggle out of his grasp. You chuckle, closing your eyes you can almost imagine yourself standing on the deck of the boat, drenched by sea spray as you watch the scene unfold; Hogeun yelling in surprise as you cackle at him, trying to take the picture before the fish escapes. 

When you open your eyes, you feel a presence next to you and turn to see Jeongguk laughing at the image in front of you, a sad fondness on his face as he’s reminded of the brother he lost. You circle around to the last photo, the big one they chose as the centerpiece on the small altar they built, a few envelopes on the table in front of it with words of condolences written on the front. The picture is of Hogeun when he was younger, in his prime, and in his lap sits a small child.

It’s you.

You’ve never seen this picture before, but the sight of it has a tear slipping down your cheek. Mostly because he’s smiling. Your uncle wasn’t known to smile in pictures, like shown in the rest of the photos around the room, but in this one, he’s beaming at the camera and you realize you know why. 

This was taken when he still had a family that loved him…

“Is that you?” Jeongguk walks up behind you, pointing at the picture.  He looks at you and sees you crying. “Noona? What’s wrong?”

“Hm? Nothing.” You turn away from him and wipe away your tears before standing upright again. “He just looks so happy.”

Jeongguk nods as if he didn’t realize it before. “He does.”

Just then Donghyun walks up to the two of you with two more drinks. “Another round?”

You nod, taking the drink from him and taking a long sip from it. “Where um, where did you get this picture?”

“I took it!” Donghyun explains, handing Jeongguk his drink and watching as the younger boy downs it in one go. “Hogeun brought you down to the dock one day, he said you wanted to see what he did. I was still working on a boat with him back then. I found it in one of our albums.”

“It’s perfect.” You state. 

“Are you ready to toast?” Donghyun asks. 

You shake your head. “You go ahead and do it.”

“Are you sure?”

You only nod, turning to watch as Donghyun grabs the attention of the room. He thanks everyone for coming before starting in on his speech. He talks about how he met Hogeun, and how they became friends working on the same boat. He tells several stories about Hogeun, getting several laughs from the other sailors in the room. When he’s finished, he raises his glass and toasts to the memory of his beloved friend. 

“To Hogeun!”

“To Hogeun!” The crowd repeats, and then you all take a drink. 

As you turn back to look at the picture again, out of the corner of your eye you see someone enter the bar.  His eyes immediately scan the room, searching for something until they finally land on it: Jeongguk. He starts walking over to you and something inside you is screaming to run away. Instead, you stand your ground and nudge Donghyun who turns to see what you need as you nod your head at the stranger. 

Donghyun’s eyes go wide before he moves to stand in front of you, blocking the stranger's path to Jeongguk. As he gets closer you see that he’s tall, his hair has greyed with age, and his beard has the same salt and pepper look. His eyes are different, one dark brown, and one cloudy grey with an unknown blindness. 

“Hwan, what are you doing here? Bar’s closed tonight for a private party.”

“Private party?” Hwan looks around at the tables. “Over half the town’s here.”

“And you still didn’t get the hint that maybe you’re not invited?” Saki spits as she walks over to stand beside her husband. 

Hwan scoffs. “I heard the prince of the Ineo himself was here. I simply wanted to come pay my respects. Ask him to stop crashing my ships.” He pushes Donghyun and Saki out of the way and stalks up to where you stand in front of Jeongguk. 

“I don’t know who you are, but you’re being extremely disrespectful disturbing the memorial service of my-”

“Protecting them just like your uncle, huh?” Hwan glowers down at you, his blind eye shining in the low light, before elbowing you aside, effectively shoving you to the ground.

“Y/N!” Jeongguk immediately bends down to check on you, but he’s pulled back up by the back of his shirt as Hwan yanks him upright, standing toe to toe with the younger boy, a perpetual frown plastered to his face. You see anger flash across Jeongguk’s features as Saki and Donghyun help you to your feet. 

“Hwan-” Donghyun tries to interrupt, but Hwan ignores him.

“It’s nice to see you up close. Now I know who to look for in my nets.” Hwan hisses. 

“What do you want?” Jeongguk stares down at the shorter man, suddenly seeming much more intimidating than you’ve ever thought with his tall, muscular stature. 

“To remind your kind that you’re not supposed to be here.”

His kind? He called Jeongguk an Ineo. Does he think Jeongguk is a mermaid? What the hell is this crazy guy talking about? Jeongguk only rolls his eyes. “I don’t know what you mean.”

“You know exactly what I mean.” Hwan inches closer to Jeongguk’s face, cracking his knuckles. If it comes to a fight, you're sure Jeongguk could handle himself, but you don’t want it to get that far. 

“Stop!” You yell, grabbing Jeongguk’s arm and tugging him away from Hwan. “We’re leaving.”

“Y/N, don’t-” Saki tries to protest, but you shake your head.

“It’s alright.” You turn to Hwan. “Listen, I don’t know who you think you are, but you need to back the hell off. Jeongguk is a good person. You’ve got salt in your brain. Ineo don’t exist.” And with that, you drag Jeongguk with you as you walk toward the door.

“Be careful young miss. I may have salt in my brain, but you’re sleeping with the enemy!”

“Bye Donghyun, Saki, thank you for tonight!” You call as you open the door.

“What do you think happened to your uncle?” Hwan yells after you. You can still hear him as the door shuts behind Jeongguk. “It’s only a matter of time before he kills you too-”

You huff as you drag Jeongguk over to the truck, both of you climbing in. “What the fuck was that guy’s problem?” You mumble as you start the truck up, quickly pulling out of the spot and driving up the road back towards the house. “He was crazy, right?” You flash a glance at Jeongguk who laughs. 

“Very crazy.”

“God, just because you’re not from this god-forsaken island.” You curse. “Obviously you have to be evil, right?” You didn’t realize how upset that encounter made you, but now that you’re outside it, you realize your heart is racing, and your hands are gripping the steering wheel tightly as you drive. 

Jeongguk seems to notice this as he puts a hand on your arm. “Are you alright, noona? He didn’t hurt you, did he?”

You take a deep breath, trying to calm yourself down. “No, he just knocked me off balance. I’m alright…”

Jeongguk squeezes your arm in understanding, and the small gesture comforts you. You pull into the drive, parking before you both get out and walk into the house. You both slip off your shoes, but as you go to move further inside, Jeongguk slides in front of you, cupping your chin out of nowhere.

“W-what are-”

“Are you sure you’re okay?” He asks again, concern evident in his big brown eyes as he gazes down at you. 

You get caught in his stare for only a moment before you shake him off. “I’m fine. I promise.” You assure him before walking into the kitchen and grabbing a beer out of the fridge, cracking it open before taking a long swig. Jeongguk watches as you kick the fridge closed with your foot before walking towards your room. “Goodnight Jeongguk.” You nod at him before shutting the door, leaning against it for good measure as you take a deep breath. You chug the rest of your beer before changing into some pajamas and flopping onto the mattress, face first, with a long sigh. 

You lay there for several hours, unable to sleep as your thoughts churn like the sea itself. Mermaids. Mermaids? There’s no way they exist, but at the same time, it can’t be a coincidence how many times you’ve been warned about them since you arrived. The crazy old man outside the bar when you arrived, the north side of the island being shut down, your own uncle having seen one, and now this Hwan character… 

You toss and turn as your brain attempts to put the pieces of an incomprehensible puzzle together without a guide. You check the time on your phone, groaning when you see it’s already 4:03 in the morning and you aren’t the least bit tired. You huff as you get up, tugging on a sweatshirt as you quietly walk back out to the living room, looking around for something to do. You decide you might as well sort through some more things while you have the time. The faster you’re done, the faster you can get off this island. 

.

You flick on the basement light, heading down into the murky room to grab a box before quickly bringing it back up the stairs. It only takes you about twenty minutes to get through this box, and when you’re done you head down to grab another. This one is full of old picture albums, and you take your time paging through it, but it’s mostly just pictures of fish from when he still worked on boats.

When you reach the bottom of the second box, you head back down the stairs to grab a third full of books, but as you pick this one up, an old worn book falls off the top of the pile and onto the ground. You put the box back down and pick the book up, dusting it off when you notice the single word stamped on the spine. Ineo. Your heartbeat thumps at the sight and you turn the book over in your hands. The front cover is dull, bleached from the sun, but you can still see the faint outline of words: Legends of the Ineo. You roll your eyes as you flip through the pages. Of course your uncle would have something like this lying around. How could anyone ever-

You nearly miss it, but the splay of blue ink across the page catches your eye, causing you to flip back, wanting to make sure you didn’t just see what you thought you saw. But sure enough, as you flatten the page with your palm, there it sits. 

A drawing identical to the tattoo adorning Jeongguk’s ribs.

You hurry upstairs, needing better light to read the faded words on the page. You sit on the couch and grab your phone flashlight, shining it on the book as you read: 

The Drowning Mark – A dark, swirling tattoo resembling water pulling downward, hands dragging the wearer into the depths. It slowly spreads over time, symbolizing the fate of the Ineo, the blue becoming more pronounced the more lives they take; until eventually they lose their soul completely, along with their human nature. Their skin then turns a deep cerulean, matching the color of the waters they inhabit.

Your breathing suddenly feels heavy. There’s no possible way that Jeongguk could be… He couldn’t…

Right?

It has to be a coincidence.

A million thoughts rush through your mind at light speed, not giving you a chance to focus on any one thing. You shake your head in an attempt to clear it as you slip back to the start of the book, wanting to learn as much as you can.

As the hours tick on and you make your way through the book, your incomprehensible puzzle starts to become, unfortunately, comprehensible. He eats and sleeps so much because using their human form takes more energy. He’s ethereally beautiful like they’re all said to be. He doesn’t know a lot about how the human world works. His general disdain for shoes. They way that he’s never cold. Piece by piece things slot into place and the thought you didn’t want starts to form in the back of your mind. 

Is Jeongguk… an Ineo?

You run your hands through your hair as you flip back to the page with the tattoo and stare down at it. It taunts you, the blue swirls seeming to come off the page and twirl in the air directly in front of you, and yet just out of your reach. You’re going crazy, right? It’s just because you haven’t slept. You need air.

The book falls to the floor as you get up off the couch, rushing to slip on some shoes and fumbling as you unlock the door, quickly rushing out of the house so fast that you don’t even close the door behind you. It’s not enough. As the sun rises behind the low clouds, mist hanging in the air, you race to the edge of the cliffs, gasping for breath as you stand at the edge. Your eyes flick over the scenery, from the overcast skies, to the roiling waves far below you as you attempt to breathe.

Could everything you’ve ever known be a lie? Could creatures like Ineo really be out there? You stare down at the rocks, the very same place where they found your uncle’s body. Could this have been the reason? Did he know? Did he feel this too? This feeling of betrayal, like nothing is actually real. You gasp, trying to force air to your lungs as you fall to your knees, everything feeling like it’s just too much.

“Noona!”

It comes from the direction of the house, but you can’t bear to turn and look, still trying to ground yourself. You can hear him running through the dirt and grass until he skids to a halt beside you, crouching down next to you.

“Noona? You left the door open, I was worried.”

It doesn’t hit you until he touches you. Until this creature you thought was your friend rests his hand on your shoulder, his breath ghosting your face as he tries to get you to look at him. You throw him off with surprising force, causing him to fall back on his behind as you scramble a few inches away from him. 

“Don’t touch me!” You hiss, lifting your foot with an obvious threat to kick his gorgeous face. 

“N-noona?” His eyes are wide with concern as he takes in your semi-rabid state. “What’s going on?”

“You lied to me!” You cry, tears suddenly streaming down your face as you grab a handful of dirt and chuck it in his direction. “Did you do it? Did you really kill him?”

Jeongguk’s hands are out in front of him like he’s corralling a feral animal as he gets back up on his knees. “What are you talking about? Come on, it’s not safe out here.”

Looking into Jeongguk’s eyes, for some reason, you are no longer afraid of what he is, you’re no longer afraid of him, only angry, furious with him. “I want you to tell me the truth.” You state, trying to calm the shake in your voice. He nods. “Are you an Ineo?”

“Noona I-”

“The truth!” You remind him. “Only the truth.”

Jeongguk sighs, glancing out over the water before looking back down at the ground between you. “I will tell you everything if you come back inside.”

You hesitate. Could this be a trick? Although, you suppose if he wanted to hurt you, he could just push you off the cliffs right now. You sniffle, wiping your face as you nod. He tries to help you to your feet but you smack his hands away, standing by yourself and cautiously leading him back toward the house. 

You both walk in, slipping off your shoes as you walk over to the living room. Jeongguk sits down on the couch and pats the cushion next to him, but you ignore him, choosing to pace in front of the tv instead. Jeongguk runs an exasperated hand through his hair, looking down at the floor, and that’s when he sees it; the book. He chuckles to himself as he picks it up.

“Where did you get this?”

You see what he’s holding and immediately snatch it out of his grip. “In the basement.” You state, flipping through it until you find the page with the drawing. “I didn’t think anything of it until I saw this.” You turn the book toward him and show him the picture. His hand immediately moves to his ribcage, his thumb rubbing over the fabric of his shirt. 

“Ah, I see…”

“Tell me.” You slam the book shut and put it down on the table in front of you. 

Jeongguk takes a deep breath as he looks up at you, his hands folded neatly in his lap. “It’s true.”

“And you?”

“I am.” He nods. “An Ineo.”

A lump forms in your throat but you force yourself to swallow it back down. “And Hogeun?”

Jeongguk’s face twists in anger. “I didn’t do that.”

“But you kill people.”

“No.” 

“No?”

“It’s… complicated.” He shakes his head. You simply cross your arms, waiting for him to explain and he sighs again. “Ineo are more like mythological sirens than mermaids. We are born of trauma, of death, and accidents. We’re made to lure humans to their deaths, to crash their ships, or tangle them in their nets. When a human dies by the ocean, some of them are given a second life as an Ineo; a slave to the sea, forced to do her bidding for her. We are given human features to help our purpose, but meant to spend our lives beneath the waves. Sometimes, Ineo can be born the natural way. It’s rare, but it happens.

“That’s what it was for me. My mother, like me, was born of another Ineo. She mated with another Ineo.” Jeongguk pauses. “She died of complications during my birth, so Yeongsu, my birth father, was left in charge. Something you have to understand, not all Ineo want to be what we are, we resist it, we fight it; and then there are some that give themselves over to the ocean fully, those are the true monsters.

“That’s what happened to Yeongsu. After my mother died, he became inconsolable. And went on a rampage. He is the reason the north side of this island isn’t inhabited. He set up just off shore, killing anyone he could get his hands on. He claimed so many lives that day…” Jeongguk trails off. “In the book, did you read about our marks? And how they spread?”

You nod. “It spreads with every life you take, eventually turning your skin blue as you lose your soul.”

“Right. And it does.” Jeongguk confirms. “My father… He killed enough people that his mark spread instantly. So much so that his mark had covered him completely in a matter of seconds.”

You walk over and sit next to Jeongguk on the couch as you process everything he’s said. “Why… Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because Hogeun, he didn’t want you anywhere near this. Humans aren’t supposed to know about us. It’s dangerous.”

“Then why did he know?”

“He was helping me. Which is even more dangerous.”

“Helping with what?”

Jeongguk looks down at his feet for the first time. “He was helping me find a way out of this. To not be what I am.”

This surprises you. “Like a cure? Why?”

“I don’t want to be a monster…” Jeongguk holds his head with his hands.

You’re afraid to ask it, but your curiosity gets the best of you. “How many have you…?”

“One. But it was an accident.” He explains. “I was young. I didn’t know what I was capable of. I was just by the shore singing and someone heard my song. He jumped from the cliffs on the east side of the island and hit the rocks. I was a mess for days… I-I didn’t understand what had happened until I went back home and someone explained it to me.”

“Then my uncle…”

“If any Ineo knew he was helping me, or that he even knew about me, they would have tried everything in their power to kill him. ”

“Jeongguk-”

“Y/N, you can’t let anyone know what you know. Hyung’s death is on my hands, but I won’t let yours be too. Please.” He pleads, grabbing your hands and looking at you with a certain desperate sadness in his eyes, the feeling nearly tangible. 

“I won’t. I promise, but Jeongguk I need you to know that Hogeun’s death was not your fault. If someone killed him or not, it will never be your fault.”

Jeongguk offers you a weak smile. “Thank you…”

It’s silent for a long moment before you stand up. “I should get some sleep.”

“You were up all night, weren’t you?”

“Yeah…” You admit, walking toward your room. “If you need anything just wake me, okay?”

“I’ll be alright, noona, sleep well.”

You give him one last nod before disappearing behind your closed door, tossing your sweatshirt to the ground before crawling under the covers. Images of scaly tails and gills flash in your mind until sleep overtakes you.

.

When you wake up next, it’s some time in the afternoon. The house is quiet except for the pitter-pat of rain against the roof. Still tired, you get up, stretching your arms as you stand and change out of your pajamas, into some jeans and a t-shirt and securing your necklace around your neck. It was a long morning, but you have things you need to do anyway; like go to the grocery store. With the way Jeongguk eats, it’s no surprise you’re already running low on food. 

When you walk out of your room, you still don’t hear anything. When you check Jeongguk’s room, it’s empty. You hope he doesn’t disappear for too long this time… You grab your wallet and keys before heading out to the truck and making your way to town. 

You decide to stop in at the bar and grab some lunch since you haven’t eaten yet today. You park and head inside the dimly lit building to find it mostly empty, with Donghyun wiping down the bar. He looks up as the door jangles, his eyes widening when he spots you. 

“Y/N!”

“Hey,” You walk over to him and take a seat at the bar in front of him. “Is the kitchen open?”

“For you? Always.” He offers you a warm smile. “What’re ya having?”

Donghyun quickly whips you up a spectacular lunch as the two of you chat. It isn’t until you’re finished your meal and go to pay that he finally brings up the previous day.

“Nonsense, it’s on the house. An apology for last night.”

You wave your hand at him. “There’s nothing for you to apologize for. I know better than anyone that new people in a small town aren’t the most welcome; and Jeongguk is no exception.” You place a handful of small bills on the counter. 

“Y/N-”

“Please, it’s the least I can do to thank you and Saki for everything you’ve done for me already.” You push the money toward him until you’re sure he’s going to take it before taking your hand off the counter. 

“At least take this.” Donghyun slides something across the counter for you. You pick it up to find the original picture of you and your uncle used to make the larger copy from last night. “He’d want you to have it.”

You offer him a smile. “Thank you. I’m still in town for a few more days, so I’ll see you around.”

“Alright, we’ll have to have dinner again before you leave!” He calls as you start to walk to the door. 

“Of course!” You wave one last time before walking back out to the truck. 

You drive the short trip to the grocery store and grab a basket as you head in. You take your time shopping, perusing the aisles as you think of things Jeongguk might enjoy, even though he’s never had a bad thing to say about anything you’ve made. You grab the box of sweet cakes he likes as you wander over to the meat section. They have some fresh seafood options, but nothing can compare to the fresh seafood Jeongguk brought you. You wonder if he actually just went out into the ocean and caught it himself. You suppose that would make sense…

You stop in your tracks as you realize just how much you’re thinking about him during this simple trip to the grocery store. You begin to wonder when exactly your mind became a whirlwind of all things Jeongguk. You shake your head. You have been living with him for the last week, so it’s only natural that he’s become the focus of your thoughts, right? You start to wonder about what he and your uncle were working on, if they had actually found anything worthwhile about a cure. Or if there even is one…

You finish your shopping, packing everything in the seat next to you so it doesn’t get wet. As you start the truck, a light dings on the dashboard and tells you that you’re almost out of gasoline. You drive to the gas station by the docks to stop and get some gas. As you’re pumping, you start to hear the strangest noise.

It sounds like singing, but you’re the only one in sight. It almost sounds like it’s coming from offshore somewhere. You hold your hand up to block the relentless drizzle from falling in your eyes as you search the waves around the dock. It sounds… familiar. Like you’ve heard it before, but you can’t place it, the song sounding too similar to the crashing waves against the cliffs nearby.

You look around one more time, and when your gaze passes by one of the rocky outcroppings, you swear you see something moving. A shadow of some sort. Is that a person? You run over to the edge of the gas station where the cliff drops off, thinking they might need help, but when you look again, the shadow is gone. 

The sound of the gas nozzle clanking as it shuts off brings your attention back to your truck. You look out over the waves one more time, but there’s nothing there. You have a strange feeling in your gut as you walk back over and put the gas nozzle back in its place, screwing the gas cap back on the truck before climbing back into the cab. As you pull out of the gas  station and drive back up the road, you hear the sound again, but it fades into the distance as you drive away. 

.

Jeongguk comes home as you’re putting groceries away and you watch him out of the corner of your eye as he kicks his shoes off and walks over to you, smelling of salt. His eyes go wide when he sees the snack cakes, immediately ripping into the box and pulling one out, making you giggle at how excited he seems. He offers you one and you take it, observing him as you both munch on the cakes. You take in the sight of his strong jawline and soft eyes, wondering what he might look like underwater.

“So where’d you go today?”

He looks up at you as he unwraps another cake. “Nowhere, just around.”

“Jeongguk, you don’t have to lie to me anymore, remember?”

“I was just asking around about some stuff.”

“Stuff?”

“Stuff.” He repeats.

Suddenly it clicks inside you, the final piece of the puzzle. “You’re looking into Hogeun’s death, aren’t you?”

He avoids your gaze, guilt on his features. “Noona, I told you, you shouldn’t get involved in this.”

“But-”

“Trust me, the less you know, the better.” He shoves the cake in his mouth and then turns away, walking toward the bathroom. 

“Hey,” You grab his arm, forcing him to turn back. “Listen, I know it’s risky, but-”

He shakes his head. “No, you really don’t know.”

“Jeongguk if you’re looking into my uncle’s death I want to help.”

“No.” His voice is firm as he shakes you off of him. “This is exactly why I didn’t want to tell you.”

“But if you’re still looking for a cure-”

“Noona!” Jeongguk spins and pins you against the fridge, his hands on either side of your head as he stares at you. You’re caught in his gaze, unable to look away; he’s so close, too close; the smell of sweet cakes on his breath ghosting across your face. “Hyung said no. Please, just let it go.”

“I won’t.” You can’t stop the words before they’re out of your mouth. He drops one arm, moving back a bit in surprise at your stubbornness. “Jeongguk, he’s gone. And I could be next, but even if I am, you’re my friend. As long as you’re searching for a cure, I’m going to want to help you. No matter how dangerous it is.”

Jeongguk sighs, taking another step back as he rubs his hands over his face. “Noona-”

“You said you guys had research. At least let me look at what you have already.” You offer. “I might see something you didn’t.”

“Fine.” Jeongguk nods, starting to walk away again as he strips his shirt off over his head. “After dinner.” And with that he disappears into the bathroom.

.

Just as you finish cooking, Jeongguk emerges from the bathroom wrapped in a towel and heads to his room, coming back out a few minutes later in a change of clothes. You can feel his eyes on you as you put everything on the table. You sneak your own glances as you sit down and eat. His hair’s still wet, all of it pushed back off of his face, small droplets falling onto his shirt as he eats. God, you can’t stand how beautiful he is. Couldn’t he have been average looking? Once he glances up at you at the same time and you both panic, nearly choking as you immediately avert your gazes. You want to try to fix the awkward silence, but you can’t think of anything to say. 

After you eat, Jeongguk gets up and disappears into his room. You hear him rooting around in there while you put dishes in the sink, and as you finish packing away the leftovers, Jeongguk comes back out with a box. He places it on the table in front of the couch with a loud thunk and then turns to you. 

“Here you go.” He sits on the couch as you walk over to investigate. “This is everything we had.”

You look in the box to see papers with notes scribbled haphazardly on them on top. You begin pulling things out and sorting them, a stack of loose-leaf papers, several large books, and even more notebooks with notes and pictures all taped inside with no sense of order or organization in sight.

Jeongguk turns on the tv and you eye him closely. You run to your room and grab a spare notebook and a pen before heading back out to the living room and sitting down next to him, beginning to read through things. You take notes as you read, writing down what you think might be important, or things you want to come back to or look up later. 

You read into the early hours of the morning, quietly going over everything you can get your hands on, and Jeongguk sits beside you as you do. He watches you, mumbling to yourself, but you can feel his eyes on you as you turn page after page. 

At some point, you must fall asleep, because you wake up to the feeling of Jeongguk’s arms around you and you stir just enough to feel your bed underneath you as he sets you down on it, pulling the covers up over you. You relax back against the mattress when you feel him brush his fingers over your cheek. The touch is fleeting, and you’re not entirely sure it was real, but as quickly as it’s there, it’s gone. And then you hear your door shut. You touch your cheek where you felt his fingers only moments ago, humming pleasantly as you are pulled back into slumber.

.

.

Part 2 ->

Copyright © Inkjam-Moon 2025

[seoksgrl]

rather be dead than cool : m.list

“You have until the spring formal,” Irene writes on the cheque, her handwriting flows smoothly, little hearts adorning the i’s, “to turn some random dude into the newest campus hot boy,”

You’re not just confident - you’re stubborn. And it was this, you would later realise, that would be your downfall.

series tws: bullying based on socio-economic status, looks etc., rich people (eat the rich), discrimination, instances of blackmail, discussion around appearance, body shaming, some mention of ED (bulimia), eventual explicit smut. warnings are stated at the beginning of each chapter.

ongoing

the bet

the makeover, part 1

the makeover, part 2

the party

[softieyn]

💜💜💜

summer nights and morning dew | jjk

“Look, I don’t care. You can’t trust people, and we need to protect what’s ours, okay? So do us all a favor and take off those rose-colored glasses.”

Hoseok huffs, standing from the log and staring into the now smoldering fire. “You’re one to talk,” he mutters. “As if we don’t know where you go every night.”

Jeongguk blinks in surprise. “Wh—what?”

But Hoseok is already on his way to his cabin for the night, and whatever he mumbles, it’s unintelligible.

pairing: alpha werewolf!jk x f knitter!reader

genre: FLUFF, a grain of angst, sorta oldentimes cottagecore au lol

word count: 11k

warnings: like 1 use of ‘fuck’ but there’s also some nudity because werewolves shifting, otherwise, this is incredibly sweet

rating: like… PG

masterlist

author’s note: so… this is honestly one of my favorite fics i’ve written in a long while 🥺🥺🥺🥺 and i really hope you guys like it too <3<3

August 

“No, look, we need to constantly be on guard, and frankly, expect the worst. Do you realize how much we lost on that one elk?!” Jeongguk questions, angrier than he usually lets himself become.

Hoseok sighs quietly, throwing a small stick into whatever’s left of the fire.

“Huh?”

“Yes,” he finally answers reluctantly.

“So what did we lose, exactly?”

“Money.”

But Jeongguk doesn’t let go so easily. Not when the recent mistakes have cost so much, already.

Hoseok meets the unwavering, waiting gaze of his alpha, sighing once more and sitting up straighter on the log. “If we’d managed to protect him until sexual maturity, then the herd would’ve had a chance to grow further. Which would’ve meant that we’d have more elk meat to sell in the coming years.”

“Right. But you let those wolves through, why?” Jeongguk pushes because he needs Hoseok to get it.

“Because he found one of them hot,” Yoongi comments, an underlying teasing tone to his voice.

Keep reading

[ckhaine]

⛧ MON AMOUR

Pairing: Jungkook x reader Genre: mdni, smut, fluff

Content: profanity, sexual themes, mentions of smoking, soft dom!jungkook, clit stimulation, unprotected sex, missionary, cock-warming, a few grammar errors, ignore em.

Note: stream never let go :(( my baby so cute. might take a mini break from posting soon cuz i’ve got lots to do that's more important than writing at the moment... yikes. here's your smut my loves. enjoy :)

A restless night where Jungkook can’t sleep for the life of him. He smoked, which only had him a little buzzed. He tried drinking a cup of camomile tea and relaxing on the balcony, but nothing worked.

Groaning, he flips onto his side, facing your sleeping state. He raises a hand to gently cup your cheek and brushes a strand of hair away from lying across your cute nose. Places a kiss there.

It’s a selfish way to think, but he wanted nothing but for you to be awake with him.

“Baby,” Jungkook whispers, resting his head on the large, white pillow your face is planted on. “Babyyy,” he tries again, his index finger gently poking your hip. “Amour, wake up,” he whispers a little louder, a pout on his mouth.

Finally, your eyes fluttered open, all big and round with slight puffiness to the skin around your eyes. That makes Jungkook giggle, a goofy smile on his lips. “Kook?” You manage to murmur out, leaning forward to bury your face in the crook of his neck. “Mmpf— ‘m so sleepy,” you add.

Your bother-of-a-boyfriend laughs softly, “So sleepy,” he mocks, a horrible attempt to make his voice equally as whiny and grumpy as yours, awakening a small scowl on your face.

The small strikes of thunder in the dark outside shine through the window, creating a gentle shadow on the features that make up such a lovely face. You blink your eyes towards the window, seeing heavy rain drop from the outside of the clear glass.

“It’s raining?” You ask, and Jungkook nods with a hum. “Yes, baby, it’s raining. You like rain, don’t ya?”

Sneaking a hand between your thighs, prying them open, you gasp at the contact of his fingers pressing against your clit, the fabric of your panties creating an upsetting division. You whine, jutting your hips against the provided friction. “Shhh, gon’ make y’feel good,” he claims, shifting atop you.

He peels the fabric to the side, sinks his fingers in your dewy folds and collects a glob of essence, bringing his fingers up to your throbbing nub, rubbing at a painfully slow pace. “Don’t tease me or ‘m gonna fall asleep.”

Jungkook rolls his eyes, considering your drowsyness. Ridding himself of his sweats and tugging his boxers to sit underneath his aching balls, he presses the swollen tip against your leaking cunt, slowly sinking into you with a groan.

A hand holds his body up by your head, to which you wrap your fingers around his wrist. His necklace lightly dangles over your face, making Jungkook chuckle over you. His hips form a slow pace, before shifting into one faster and rougher. “Awh, shit.”

You let out soft, shaky whimpers and mumbles, ones that Jungkook nor you can understand. “Feels s’good, baby . .” You gasp, feeling a knot forming in your tummy, your legs shaking as you toss your head back.

Drool slides out of your agape mouth, back arching off the mattress as he, somehow, manages to plunge deep into your soppy, little hole. Lewd squelches of your pussy fills your ears, bringing you closer and closer to your release.

“Ju-Jungkook, ‘m gonna cu—” You stutter, sucking in a sharp breath of air as you cream all over his shaft, your hands gently digging into his tattooed forearm, emitting a low hiss from him.

“That's it, baby, fuck yes,” Jungkook lets out a loud groan, bottoming out, coating your walls white. He pulls out ‘til the tip’s still inside, watching the mixture of both yours and his come ooze out of your pussy before shoving it back into you.

He sighs, pressing a kiss onto your lips while he sinks down beside you, still buried in you as he wraps his arms around your waist. “Go sleep, amour,” he says, in which you nod and smile.

© ckhaine 2024. all rights reserved.

[bighitfics]

jeon jungkook fanfics that deserve to be turned into kdramas and selling books.

(a recommendation you badly need) ⭑.ᐟ

Sauvage ౨ৎ by @tljunglebook

— grumpy x sunshine, cold and detached jungkook (who turns into a whipped puppy later on) office romance, slow burn.

(starting off strong! this book’s got the most delicious slow burn to ever exist! screaming at how sexy, dirty minded, down bad & protective for oc jungkook’s in this fic ugh the wattpad girlies already know that they’re my adopted parents)

10 Seconds ᥫ᭡ by @deepdarkdelights

— yandere jungkook, abduction, stalking, stockholm syndrome.

(this series is my first love, i would do anything to read this for the first time again!)

Penpal 𓍯𓂃 by @laughing-with-god

— yandere prisoner jungkook, stalking, breaking in.

(gotta contact some directors and producers to turn this into a drama! it would slay so hard with its refreshing plot line! and tbh no words are enough to describe her writing abilities, she’s a pro✨)

Risqué ✧˖° by @mercurygguk

— age gap, forbidden romance, smut, angst.

(the time stamps and drabbles are the essence of this fic, the smut is so well written! ALSO THE SEGSUAL TENSION AND OVERALL YEARNING MA’AM!? can someone already turn this into a mini netflix series please!?)

About Time ִ࣪𖤐 by @yoonia

— time travel au, major angst, second chances, smut, fluff.

(if i had the chance to devour a book, i’d eat this one (obviously) it’s one of the best books of my life, i would die to see a live version of this)

I Want You To Stay ʚɞ ⁺˖ by @ahundredtimesover

— ceo jungkook, strangers to lovers, slow burn, angst, smut.

(no slow burn ever slow burned the way this story slow burned! lemme warn ya’ll this fic will keep getting better as you read it!)

Bride Of Devil ♰ 𓏲 ๋࣭  ࣪ ˖ by @jasminefanfics

— dark romance, gangster au, enemies to lovers, forced proximity, age gap, kinda yandere husband jungkook.

(my youtube fanfic girlies assemble! this is the best mafia jungkook fic i can recommend for ya’ll! the bgm is so addictive and perfect)

An Abundance Of Luck And A Sprinkle Of Fate 𐙚 by @borathae

— strangers to lovers, romance, found family, smut, angst, healing.

(I remember being unhealthily obsessed with this lord, aaol!kook & oc will forever be my babies TT this book tugs at your heart in a way that’s inexplainable)

ps — have a good read girlies <3

follow for more.

[jiminrings]

mature

pairing: jungkook x reader

wordcount: 8k

glimpse: the good thing about professing your feelings to jungkook is that it'd be over with, whether or not he likes you back — the bad thing is that he rejects you, even if you haven't confessed.

alternatively, crushing on jungkook who's in your friend group is, has, and will never be a good idea.

[ push n pull fic YIPPPEEEEE, fluff, angst, So Much Yearning, friends to lovers trope, jealousy, dunking on a stewpid jk (as one does), arguments that kinda hit home, redemption!! ]

notes: WE R SO BACK!!!! thank u for waiting 🫂🤍

as always, lmk what you think <3 send in feedback n love to my askbox anytime!!

You will never tell Jungkook how desperately you want to be loved.

In your defense (much to Jungkook’s offence), you want to be loved as desperately as he acts on an everyday basis. He’s not pathetic in the sense that he’s hopeless, but rather pathetic in the light that you want the entirety of him (stubbornness and occasional dimness included) to rub off on you.

You want to be loved pathetically in the same way that Jungkook never computes his expenses when it comes to self-indulgence yet always calculates when it comes to actual requirements. You want to be loved as wholly by the guy who can get by one DIY dorm dinner at a time by asking for scraps from the whole floor with a grin and his hands cupped in begging.

Jungkook’s one of your friends, if not the best you’ve ever had, and it’s a miracle that you haven’t jumped at each and every available chance to confess your growing feelings for him.

You bit your tongue that one time he bought you "one of those silly blind boxes you like" on a whim from a bookstore he only went inside to in the first place because he was dying outside in the heat, only to open it for you with your eyes closed and earn you an extra rare figure.

You had to physically restrain yourself (read: clasp your hands together in front of you) when Jungkook made you swap your counterfeit, barely-holding-on kitten heels for his trustworthy slides on the way home because your research presentation prior had you pacing nervously.

Every time that he gives you your tax of whatever he ordered (which always ends up being the best variant that your friend group could possibly order for a meal or a sweet treat), you have to etch into your head clearly, with ballpoint pen, that you will never tell Jungkook how desperately you want him to love you.

Every time that he gives you a one-on-one friend outing, just as he does with everyone else from your circle of ten people and counting (you lost count because you figure that all of you are about to outgrow the long table in the library that nobody else could fill), you convince yourself to never tell him how much you want it to be just you.

You figure that you’ll tell Jungkook that you do hold a candle for him, despite not detailing the extent, in this lifetime— maybe even the next time you get a moment alone with him, but you figure you won’t do it now; now, when he’s berating you for just a tiny sacrifice you made that’s minuscule for everything he does for you and everyone else.

“You’re impossible!” he huffs, his annoyance for you being loud enough to stop his faux display of studying and gather attention from everyone else in the library who actually is. Jungkook holds up his phone for you to read, brows scrunched at your look of amusement. “Jimin told me you were lactose intolerant!”

You can’t figure how and why Jungkook and Jimin’s conversation even flitted towards you when you recall clearly that the lactose-filled meal in question was from two weeks ago. You don’t question it because you already know that even giving it a second thought would already be too pompous of you, and you don’t question either why Jungkook looks too devastated at the realization.

“I just tolerated it,” you snort, burying your nose back into your notes, missing the flash of regret in Jungkook’s features.

He doesn’t know whether he’d feel more sorry over the fact that he didn’t know you were lactose intolerant, or that you didn’t speak up at all to preserve his excitement over eating at the restaurant he wanted to try out.

“But why would you?” he sulks, completely foregoing the textbook he has opened on the same page for the last hour.

You know exactly why you did, but you’d rather not tell Jungkook now. 

You’ll tell him some other time, that much you’re sure of, but not now — not now when he’s too devastated over your tummy issues, and not now when he’s just one revelation away from chewing you out over something he has to learn from someone else.

“Your broke ass bought it so I had to,” you murmur, rolling your eyes as you rest your chin on the palm of your hand.

“Foul,” Jungkook immediately chuckles, shaking his head at your retort even if he knows you’re just kidding around (he knows you won’t hurt him like that that), finally opening his laptop.

Jungkook, your friend, finally types on his laptop, yet it’s not for the contribution that he badly needs to put in for a group project.

Instead, he opens up the Google Doc and writes in a bullet point underneath your name, the words do not give cheese acquainted with three exclamation points — along with your name, is the names of your mutual friends and Jungkook’s observations that would come in handy for an outing, a gift, or both.

Jungkook’s that good of a friend, and that’s why you’ll never tell him how desperately you want to be loved by him.

( ♡ ) 

Getting gifts for someone who has a credit card and has no inhibitions when it comes to buying whatever they want is a difficult task.

Getting Jungkook for Secret Santa this year is even harder than the last, and that was when Jin snuck five strips of his name and left more than five of you (you don’t even know how that happened) without gifts, all while he was laughing to himself after he successfully gaslit everyone into thinking that they were all drunk and made the mistake themselves.

You don’t know what to give Jungkook that he doesn’t already have. He doesn’t have a girlfriend the last time you checked and while you can’t exactly wrap yourself in ugly, recycled kraft paper (as opposed to Jimin’s dumb, all-knowing-about-your-hidden-feelings suggestion), you’d rather not drive Jungkook away, even if you don’t know either how to drive him in.

You don’t have the slightest clue to what his ‘surprise me ;)’ scribble underneath his name means and it makes you feel guilty, far more than he ever could have after Jimin’s revelation of your dietary restrictions. 

It’s not the dilemma of who would sit next to who in the large albeit crowded dining table in the cabin that you rented out, nor is it the cooking and wrapping duties that each of you are tasked with that stresses you out this holiday season.

You wish so badly that the largest champagne problem you have at the moment was wondering if your Christmas gift for your nitpicky mom and nonchalant dad back at home arrived in time. You pray that your biggest hurdle is either convincing Namjoon that his room is just cold and not haunted, or breaking off a fight between Eunwoo and Soomin because they keep fighting over whose overpriced film camera will be used for the picture by the tree, or even talking Mingyu down from smacking Jin in his sleep.

The largest champagne problem that you have, even if it’s actually between life and living said life in peace without minding your inevitable heartbreak, is worrying about Jungkook’s gift.

You hold your breath as soon as Hoseok gathers everyone into the living room, your nerves probably getting the best of you because you hear Jungkook hollering to whoever’s closest to the thermostat to adjust it because your teeth kept chattering.

You have nothing to be nervous about, you convince yourself as Jungkook steps up into the middle and awaits with wide arms, your best friend being another victim of assuming that the comically large wrapped present is his (it’s not).

Jungkook doesn’t have any expectations for you to meet, you convince yourself as he becomes even more hyper when he learns that it’s you, so much so that he takes a lap around the backyard with his hands clapping furiously.

You can’t love Jungkook any more than you do now, you realize as you see Jungkook throw his head back in glee when he opens up your gift.

It’s only a Himalayan salt lamp. It’s only a lamp that you didn’t buy for so much. It’s only a thing that Jungkook said to you in passing one time, yet he’s beyond grateful — enough for him to carry you in his arms and take another lap around the backyard.

“God, you love me soooo bad,” he lulls, teasing you mercilessly as he unceremoniously drops you so he could adore the lamp up close. “I always wanted to lick one!”

“You’re so stupid,” you mutter, rolling your eyes at his excitement over something so simple; something so insignificant in the world of thoughtful, expensive gifts.

You affectionately think that Jungkook’s stupid, yet you can’t tear your eyes away from him.

“I didn’t hear a no,” Jungkook hums with his tongue out, eyes wide and flickering between you and the lamp. “Should I do it? Should I? I’m doing-…!”

You put a spoonful of cake into his mouth instead, the whine that escapes his throat still sounding like gratefulness to your ears.

Tonight’s not the night wherein you tell Jungkook how badly you want to be loved by him — not when he’s so preoccupied with his new salt lamp that he keeps daring people to take a lick of, not when he’s the one who’s being convinced that there’s a ghost in Namjoon's room and being bullied into sleeping in.

Not when Jungkook’s being the perfect, lovable friend that he is during the holidays and every other day.

( ♡ ) 

You’re well-aware that Jungkook’s a catch.

You know that he’s a catch and he’ll never live it down, and neither can you.

You’re very painfully aware that Jungkook’s a catch because you’re reminded of it every single day whenever you’re with your friends. You know that atleast two of them were integrated into the group in the first place because they liked Jungkook, and that doesn’t really bother you (more than it should, atleast) anymore. 

Sora’s crush formed out of boredom on Jungkook disappeared as soon as she got a boyfriend, but you understand why her gaze lingered on him in the first place.

Eunji’s crush on Jungkook already dissipated the moment she learned about his GPA, but you get why she had been attracted to his charm anyway.

You know that he’s a catch and that he’s not solely yours either, and the latter makes you humble.

“There’s flowers on your desk again,” you point out, the arrangement irking you for more reasons than one. “Why do you have to be so popular and handsome.. and lovable,” you mumble, the tail end of your mini rant barely being heard by Jungkook because he's too busy admiring his gift.

“What’s that now?” Jin piped up, eyebrows furrowed upon picking up your angry muttering. He's beyond confused, maybe just as much as you are, when you just snarl at him for his unintentional use of supersonic hearing.

“And why do I have to sit next to you even if I have allergies,” you redirect your attention to Jungkook who has to sweep the flowers to a beaten-up paper bag for safekeeping, the item in his backpack being the most used object for all of the admiration towards him.

“Because you’re the best-est friend ever,” he rolls his eyes, the faux pout on his lips surprisingly softening you instead of the opposite. “And maybe I’m the worst-est one to keep putting you through this.”

“You sound so stupid,” you reply automatically, crossing your arms and keeping them there. “But you’re right,” you exhale through your nose, conceding your defeat over willingly letting him put you through this, carrying the blame by yourself.

Jungkook doesn’t only act like this with you anyway. There’s no special treatment, there’s no false hopes being promised — it’s just you genuinely happening to fall for him.

“Come on, just tolerate it! Pinch your nose or something!”

“Why should I? Find another seatmate,” you sulk, making a point to angle your back away from him and towards Jin who’s at your right, doing his best at holding in a laugh over how ridiculous the both of you look.

“Obviously you’re the one with the latest phone so you have to take pictures of me with the flowers!” Jungkook whines, punctuating his sentence with a hand on his hip. He’s sulking because you’re sulking, and you’ve never hated him more at the moment. “Why else would I force you to sit with me?”

Jungkook’s stupid, and so are you, so you’d rather not tell him how desperately you want to be loved by him today.

( ♡ ) 

In all fairness, you thought you would lose nothing.

You thought you would lose nothing because in the first place, you barely expected anything out of Jungkook. Liking him didn’t mean that you were indebted to him, and liking you back isn’t something that he owed to you either.

You weren’t expecting Jungkook to fall on his knees and say something stupid to hint at his mutual love for you (although you did think about it a couple of times), but you atleast expected a little bit of respect from him to try and see the strength it took you to even confess.

You planned it perfectly, even taking a page off his book and making a whole word document for it wherein you spent days typing whatever crossed your mind throughout the day and erasing what seemed the most impossible throughout the night. 

In your word document, you and Jungkook would be out in the snow, skating in an outdoor rink even if neither of you know how to. You figure that you won’t attempt to drag (read: hobble with) him to the middle of the ice because in case he doesn’t like you back, the waddle back to the exit wouldn’t be as awkward; if Jungkook does like you back, you’ll still be hobbling to the exit, albeit happily.

In your word document, there’s a spine of a script that you would say when the day comes. You’ll skim along the lines of how you’ve never been so enamored with someone in your entire life (with the internal note that you’ll dial it back a bit if his expression turns sour), of how bright he makes your days for you, and how he doesn’t have to be obligated to like you back.

In your word document, you’re set. You’ve planned a foolproof blueprint of what would turn out, whether or not Jungkook is set on loving you the way you desperately want to be —

Except now, Jungkook completely undoes everything you’ve ever worked for.

Now, he looks at you with a glint in his eye that looks more apologetic than it is endearing. You don’t even know what led to your heartbreak exactly because one minute, you were just studying, and by the next, Jungkook’s already letting you down even if you haven't had the chance to rise.

You swear on your life that you weren’t giving any signals at all that you were actually about to confess. You were only silent, refusing to talk to him because you were too stressed over your task and that you were scared you would burst into tears if you tried mouthing the formula out loud, yet Jungkook mistakes it for your love.

Whatever you do on a daily basis, whatever you do based on your nature, Jungkook mistakes it for a confession that he wasn’t even supposed to hear until the end of the week.

He wasn’t wrong about the fact that you love him — what he’s wrong about is his assumption that your silence around him when it’s just the two of you, right now while you lose your mind over an assignment as you’re dressed in last week’s sweater and last semester’s horror, is your confession.

“I’m sorry, Y/N,” Jungkook winces, gently patting you on the shoulder as you’re yet to digest his rejection. “But I just don’t think we’ll work out.”

( ♡ ) 

You theorized that getting over Jungkook would be fairly easy on the chance that he rejects you after your confession.

You figure that Jungkook himself as a concept would be drastically difficult to move on from because he was just so lovable. He doesn’t know how to read a room and it’s one of his better quirks when you’re worrying over nothing. He doesn’t know much about knowing when to let up, and it comes in clutch when he’s pushing you to wholeheartedly do an assignment even if you’re already burnt out from crying.

Jungkook, as a concept, is indestructible. He’s the everyday variant of the goodness that some frat guys possess occasionally. He’s the realistic, attainable version of a main lead in a manhwa that’s only perfect 1/4 into the plot. 

He’s the manifestation of every good deed a stranger has done for you, except he’s someone you know with your heart and not just someone you could sketch from memory. 

With that, you also figured that moving on from Jungkook can’t be that hard because he was too out of reach despite being in the same friend group as you. Surely, it wouldn’t be so catastrophically hard to move on from a guy who just gasps for air every five minutes when he’s in charge of cooking in the BBQ hangout (instead of using the exhaust like a normal person), or from a guy who thinks citing references for a paper is only a suggestion.

The funny thing about it all is that you never actually confessed to Jungkook.

Actually (and contrary to the assumptions of the other friends you have from your circle), you’ve never said it to his face that you do have a crush on him. You’re ultimately known to be the friendliest person to ever walk the campus, and while not the most confrontational, they atleast expected for you to confess to Jungkook in your own way.

What actually happened was that Jungkook read through you — he does happen to be right about your feelings for him! He’s the second friendliest person right beneath you, and so the way he rejected you should never sting this much.

Jungkook thought it out meticulously. He read into the way you spent extra attention listening to him with your eyes practically gleaming. He read into the way you’d lag back behind him and hold him by his wrist whenever you were all crossing the street. Hell, he even read into the way you would take a shot at opening the extremely tight water bottle from the vending machine before everyone else.

The funny, tragic thing about it is that whilst Jungkook wasn’t wrong about pinpointing your feelings for him — you never confessed.

Jeon Jungkook, the second, ultimate friendliest man that your university has ever known, rejected you without even hearing the actual words from you.

He’s turned his back on you even before you could reach him, and the realization sinks in you unsettlingly. You never expected for him to like you back because it would be unfair of you, and you knew that; what just happened to hurt you most was that Jungkook didn’t even think twice.

He hadn’t given you the chance to pour your heart out at the very least.

He hadn’t even given you the space to breathe right after the rejection, because he skips and puts a smile on before winking, telling you that he’ll never speak of it again because you must probably be embarrassed.

The funniest thing about it all is that you aren’t embarrassed — you’re actually devastated about it.

It’s an odd event for Jungkook to feel lonely because with such a big friend group, he never thought he’d feel a little empty despite literally rubbing elbows in a circular table. He never thought he’d come to be a little annoyed at Jimin and his routine, playful, borderline offensive banter he’d always have with you at the top of the morning, and he never thought he’d even be more annoyed over the absence of it.

There’s one less laugh in the circle. One less bag strewn underneath the table, one less coffee order written on the notes app, and one less person to look for when hanging out.

You’re missing from the friend group, and oddly enough, Jungkook seems to be the most devastated about it.

“Why is Y/N not here?” he asks in the middle of Jin retelling his drunken fishing story, grabbing the attention of everyone in the table and maybe just about everyone else’s in the common area with the way his voice is frantic. “And why is she there with the new kid instead?”

Everyone flits through separate conversations after Jungkook’s interruption, some even wincing to themselves because although they know about your admiration for the guy and not your confession-that-wasn’t-one, they figure that nothing good could come out of Jungkook sucker-punching the new kid in his head.

“I don’t know, man. Buddy system, maybe?” Jin shrugs, stealing his food because it was obvious that Jungkook’s attention is everywhere but himself and the table.

Jungkook snorts, crossing his arms tightly to the point that even he feels a little suffocated. His entire face is crumpled with hurt, eyebrows furrowed out of frustration when you still aren’t looking at him; when you’re still not looking at him with confusion in your eyes, silently telling him off for glaring.

“Buddy system? We’re in uni. Who the fuck would bully that guy?”

“By the looks of it, probably you.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” he huffs, refusing to unclench his fists on his thighs.

“Well, what’s it to you that Y/N’s hanging out with someone new? What are you so heated for?” Jin elaborates, eyes flitting to you again.

Jungkook could only glare at you.

“What are you so nosy for?” he asks defensively, leaning back on his chair in a faux display of relaxation when all he wants to do is to remove the stupid smile on the guy’s face as he watches you talk.

Unlike Jungkook, Yoongi’s not stupid at all — in fact, he’s been vigilantly aware of Jungkook’s glare on the side of his face ever since you sat in front of him.

Yoongi’s not stupid, so he angles himself in a way that Jungkook gets to see him more. He doesn’t know the guy personally, but he does know of him and his “charm” that seems to make everyone go nuts for him. 

If looks could kill, then Yoongi would’ve already had mourners at his feet, but if provocation could poison, then Jungkook would already be frothing at the mouth.

The thing is, Yoongi doesn’t even know about your admiration nor your foiled confession to Jungkook. The latter hasn’t even done anything personally to him. 

All he knows is that you’re in a big friend group and that you chose to sit with him, your friend whom you share a couple of advanced classes with but not a friend-friend like Jungkook is, and that you’re very easy on the eyes and admirable yourself if he thinks about it (he doesn’t need much time to ponder over it) — and, that he doesn’t really like being glared at.

“No really, I insist!” he laughs, pulling out a handwritten reviewer from his backpack with a grin. “I don’t know anybody else who likes making reviewers anymore by hand, so really, you’re just perfect to get them.”

“But you worked so hard on them,” you gasp, eyes already widening in both surprise and awe at the thick stack of papers in front of you. Yoongi’s handwriting and formatting are perfect; there’s no unnecessary calligraphy, the vividness of the highlighter is just right, and there’s even sticky notes at the bottom for additional details and references you could cross-check. “I.. I don’t want you to feel that I’m taking advantage-…”

“But I offered! You didn’t ask for reviewers from me shamelessly like every other opportunist does,” Yoongi laughs, throwing his head back as he slides the papers closer to you. “I’d be a really shitty senior not to give you any help. If anything, I think you deserve even better than-…”

Jungkook can’t resist.

Jungkook can’t take any more of watching you and Yoongi push and pull over whatever topic he can’t hear nor force Jin to eavesdrop on. He can’t take another second of seeing you be so happy talking to a guy that he doesn’t know, so much so that he comes up to you without a second thought.

“Hey,” he greets, his body only turned to you, completely ignoring Yoongi and blocking him off from your sight. “You didn’t order any coffee.”

You angle your body slightly to excuse yourself, except Jungkook conveniently happens to mirror your every move, confusing you even more. “Oh, I wasn’t feeling like it,” you trail, looking up at him in confusion while Yoongi could see right through him.

“Really?” Jungkook replies, the smile on his face being far from amused, eyes narrowed as he tries to catch up with the own annoyance that he harbors. “Because I’m seeing two coffees right now, and one’s in front of you, so…” he trails, shrugging his shoulders exaggeratedly.

Jungkook’s jaw is still clenched, along with his fists by his sides. He’s standing tall between you and Yoongi with his shoulders squared and his face steeled, the immovable forces that are him and the unnamed pit in his stomach starting to garner attention.

Namjoon has his phone out. 

Hoseok only has one cheek remaining on the seat because he’s ready to stand up and collect bets. 

You’re still sitting, mostly confused, when you realize the attention that’s starting to build towards the three of you.

“Yes, Jungkook. Great observation,” you snicker, the discreet roll of your eyes making him take offense.

“Oh okay, I see. So you were lying by saying that you weren’t feeling it, and I don’t get the hold-up of you-…”

“What did you come here for now, Jungkook?” you angrily whisper, keeping your head down as you retain your gaze on him and lightly tap at the table to indicate to Yoongi for the both of you to move. “It’s a little far-fetched for you to come all over here to pick a fight about coffee.”

Jungkook huffs, turning his head back to Yoongi behind him because he most definitely saw your signal. The lazy, amused gaze of Yoongi is what sets him off even further, the anger in his eyes unmistakable, except you recognize it for only what it is and not jealousy, because Jungkook doesn’t see you like that.

Or atleast that’s what the both of you assume.

Jungkook, your best friend, scoffs loudly.

“You sound so defensive right now.”

( ♡ ) 

You don’t respond much to Jungkook’s calls. 

As a matter of fact, you don’t respond much to Jungkook at all.

You don’t show up whenever he’s present, meaning that you’re only magically available whenever there’s half of your friend group at the most because if there’s more, then the search for the missing members would ensue, then you’d end up squished in a long table next to Jungkook again.

It’s very much like him to form grudges, yet he can’t even tell if he’s capable of having one towards you. Jungkook, with all his chest and afflictions, wants so badly to hate you because you’ve been blowing him off ever since he literally and physically came between you and Yoongi.

He apologized to you for that (and not to Yoongi because he didn’t really matter to him at all), and he doesn’t know the answer for it yet because his messages still remain unread. He’s enlisted the help of your mutual friends on various occasions by trying to get them to give all his little treats for you, yet you refuse them as soon as you catch wind that it’s from Jungkook.

He even tried studying for real in the library in hopes that reverse psychology (he thinks that’s what it’s called) would work and that thinking he doesn’t want you to come would make you do the opposite, yet it still doesn’t work. Jungkook’s already mad that he studied for nothing (he’s more interested in getting you to notice him than to actually learn), but he becomes even more heated to realize that your anger for him is just directed at him alone.

You still talk to your best friends, with the exception of him, and Jungkook has never been more envious of people who are apparently of the same status as him.

Jungkook wants you to drag him like you drag Sora to the nail salon and have you whisper at his ear to tell the nail tech not to cut your cuticles because you’ve been afraid of getting them done since that 1/34th part of a medical drama episode you watched on your phone.

Jungkook wants you to complain to him like you complain to Namjoon when you’re frustrated with a professor whom you’re convinced is only critical to you and no one else, later making him promise not to tell anyone else from your friend group because they like said professor.

Jungkook wants you to run to him as you always did, just because you feel like it. He wants to sit in silence with you again and put his hand on your knee when you’re in the verge of tears just looking at your schedule for the week.

He wants to stand guard again outside the bathroom door of the expensive coffee shop because it’s either the lock is broken or because Namjoon's managed to instill in you the existence of ghosts in cold spots.

He wants to be the Jungkook like you’ve always known, again, because it seems like you’ve forgotten him completely. You have the Yoongi now, it seems like — the smarter, more composed, and more charismatic variant of him that he wants to get rid of because Jungkook never predicted the existence of him.

Even more, Jungkook didn’t even entertain the concept of him being replaced because it was always the two of you together, even in a sea of friends. 

He’s your best friend, your confidant even, but nothing more — all Jungkook feels is that he’s even less than the status the both of you are assigned to be. 

He’s angry and sad and disappointed all at the same time because he thought he had almost lost you since he rejected your confession. You were fine; you were as fine as you could be for someone rejected when it comes to yearning to be his, and yet the moment you let Yoongi in, Jungkook feels as if you threw everything the both of you had just for him.

“Just so you know, student-teacher relationships are illegal,” he corners you one morning in your dorm, two godforsaken weeks after chasing you around the campus yet turning up empty.

“What the fuck are you on about?” you immediately scrunch your nose at him, the accusation he throws at you being too farfetched to the point that you don’t even think of shutting the door at him, ignoring Eunji’s betrayal for you by pretending to come over.

“What am I on about?” Jungkook exasperates, the scoff that leaves him making you feel small in front of him. “You’re literally the one who’s getting chummy with fucking Yoongi of all people!"

"Yoongi's a teaching assistant! He's our senior! Do you not know that?"

"Do I look like I'm interested in any other people outside of our circle?" he retorts, lips turned up in a snarl. Jungkook provokes you with a sarcastic glare, the look on his face enough to make you throw your head back in irritation.

"Come on, even Jin and Jimin are friends with Yoongi and-..."

"This is not about them!" 

"But you just-..." you stop as soon Jungkook interrupts you, losing your gaze on him for a single second to close your door and when you look back, you find that he’s already comfortable being vindictive on your bed, his arms crossed and his back straight.

"Also, teacher and teaching assistant both have the word teach so it's literally still illegal," he narrows his eyes sarcastically, the tone to his voice unclear despite his words suggesting otherwise. "You look so stupid right now."

"Jungkook can you stop?!" you burst, your temples stinging at the back and forth that Jungkook’s thrown the both of you in. “What the hell is going on with you?"

Jungkook had sworn to himself up and down that he has so much stuff to pick with you. He knows he has so much baggage to unpack and how much shit he has to bring up, even if it’s only been two weeks with you. He’s partly relieved that you’re in front of him and you still haven’t fled, yet a large part of him is beyond frustrated with you because you don’t even look like as if your time apart has taken a toll on you.

Between the two of you, it’s only Jungkook who looks like his distraught has manned him completely beyond surrender. Even coming to see you by hatching a plan with a hesitant friend is something he considers an act beyond surrender — whatever the space is between surrender and demand is where Jungkook lies with you.

"No, what's going on with you!” he argues, standing to his feet to come face-to-face with you. “You can't just spin this around when I've done nothing but be a good friend to you!"

"You think I'm not being a good friend to you just because I don't spend every single minute attached to you? I can still hang out outside of our friend group without being-..."

"This is not about our friend group!" Jungkook emphasizes once again, the tell-tale sting of tears behind his eyes coming up because he feels as if you can’t hear him no matter how much he repeats himself. ”This is about us and how you abandoned me ever since I rejected you!"

"I didn't abandon you, Jungkook!" you spit, pushing at his chest lightly with your finger to get him to back up from your face yet he refuses to. He’s still insistent at staring you down with his jaw clenched, eyes wide and unblinking because he knows that if he moves even just a millimeter askew, he’d cry. “You didn't even give me the chance to confess to you! You rejected me without even hearing me out. Do you think I would still be able to talk to you, face to face like how you want so badly, as if nothing happened?"

"The answer would've been the same even if you confessed,” he grits with his chest heavy, not at the way he keeps holding his breath in order not to break down in front of you, but because you look at him with so much disdain that it makes him want to puke.

"Do you not think I know that?" you laugh humorlessly, gnawing on your bottom lip as you don’t drop his gaze. “Do you think I didn't prepare for that possibility? I knew what could've happened if I confessed and I'd still be okay with it, Jungkook!" you raise your voice, throat already giving out at the slightest pressure because you know you lost the fight ever since you let him in. "What I'm not okay with is that you didn't even give me the chance.”

It’s evil, really, with the way no amount of self-pity could ever pull you from the grave you’ve dug up. You went for Jungkook, carrying all grief you knew you were bound to feel, and yet you still feel unprepared. You still feel unworthy even moping for someone like Jungkook because not even his rejection, nor anyone else’s acceptance of your admiration by some sort of miracle, is enough to make you feel like you’d be missed.

Your two weeks without Jungkook is your rehearsal for the two months, then two years, then two forevers eventually without him by your side. You had still been able to live by yourself and with your friends, excluding him, and you thought you were fine because it feels as if nothing had changed.

You thought you were fine until Jungkook gets in your face to tell you that it’s not, and all over again, you’re reminded of how desperately you want to be loved by him to the point that you’d rather drown in your own pity to try and preserve whatever’s left of you.

"I told you the answer would-..."

"Shut up!" you cry, steeling your nerves when you realize that Jungkook’s angrily crying in front of you, wiping at his eyes hastily. ”For the love of god, shut up!"

Jungkook stays quiet, not because you told him to, but because nothing good comes to mind when he realizes that you’re crying because of him.

"See? You don't even get where I'm coming from because you're not even giving me the chance to explain myself without making it all about you,” you sob, finally pushing him away, to which he lets you. "That's the problem with you, Jungkook. You're too self-involved."

"Not true," Jungkook whispers, shaking his head earnestly even if he feels the stupidest he has ever did in his life in front of you.

He follows your steps out of routine even if his brain had convinced his system that he hates you just seconds ago, arms instinctively trying to crowd you when you almost trip on the flooring on your way to the coat rack.

"Since you keep insisting that I abandoned you," you chuckle dryly before grabbing your jacket, turning your back on Jungkook and on your own space, which had just been the default hangout place of the both of you for the longest time, in pursuit of your own quiet without him. "Let me follow through."

Jungkook doesn’t want to tell you how desperately he wants you to want him again, to love him as you already did, and neither do you.

( ♡ ) 

The perks of having a big friend group is that the absence of several members wouldn’t make that much of a difference when it comes to hanging out. It would still sustain itself without a few extra voices joining in on the chatter watching movies and the bullying when it comes to a forgotten birthday greeting here and there.

The downside of being in one, is that said big friend group doesn’t matter at all to Jungkook when you’re not in it.

The lengths that your friend (read: a word that Jungkook’s come to abhor) has went through since your fight at your dorm are basically incomprehensible because he’s fully involved himself.

He’s pining after you pathetically, just like how you had always dreamed of, yet seeing him take turn after turn just trying to gain your forgiveness for something you’ve always pitied yourself for makes you feel guilty.

In Jungkook’s defense, he wants to be forgiven and loved (again) as desperately as he acts on an everyday basis. Not only is he pathetic in the sense that he’s hopeless, but also pathetic in the light that he wants the entirety of you (stubbornness and occasional sharpness included) to rub off on him.

“I know I’m stupid. I-I.. I know that I was unfair for not even letting you confess your feelings because I felt like dying when you started to ignore me,” he mumbles to your bedsheets, his legs crossed on the ground and his head muffled by the fabric because he doesn’t even want to sit next to you in fear of you revoking his chance to apologize in person, again, as if that’s not what he had been doing the past weeks. “Y/N, you don’t deserve someone as stupid as me and I hate it so, so bad.”

The sound of Jungkook apologizing to you has already been repeated enough to the point you’ve learned when to tune him out, but with the way his heart precedes his tone this time, you stop folding your clothes in favor of Jungkook who’s just two seconds away from passing out on your bed by fabric conditioner-bathed quilt-induced suffocation, to which he couldn’t pass up on because it was your scent and he missed hugging you.

“I can’t catch up with you on anything that you’re talking about with Yoongi. The only times I open a book are when I want to look at you but I don’t want you to see me. I can’t— I can barely even talk to you without feeling like I’m beneath you,” he admits lowly, the truth of his rejection finally springing up a little too much, and almost a little too late. “I thought, stupidly, that we wouldn’t work because you deserve someone better.”

“I don’t need you to catch up with me, Jungkook,” you murmur, lightly slapping his cheeks because he looks sleepy from all the sniffing he’s done on your quilt, but really, his eyes are only narrowed into slits because he feels like he’s about to cry. Again.

“But I need to, b-because when we run out of things to talk about that you’re willingly to dumb down to my level, what else could we catch up on?” 

“You’re not stupid. I just say-…”

“No. Don’t make excuses for me,” he laughs lightly, still sat on your carpet obediently like a dog because he doesn’t want to push your boundaries. “I’m beneath you and I didn’t want to drag you down with me because I.. I didn’t feel that you deserve me,” he confesses. “But I want you so badly, Y/N. You have no idea.”

Jungkook wants you so badly, that in your insistence of self-pity, it was his self-preservation that led him to cry by himself when you finally left the library after not-confessing to him.

He wants you so badly, that in his fit of self-preservation disguised into stubbornness, he had tamped down his desperation for you.

“I want to catch up with you, not you to slow down for me,” Jungkook rests his chin on your thigh, his wide, pleading eyes looking up at you. “I’m so sorry, my baby. I’m so, so, so sorry for being stupid enough to let you go the first time,” he tilts his head, resting his cheek on your awaiting hand. “Please. I’m just begging you to slow down for me this one time,” Jungkook swallows the lump in his throat, nudging your hand gently with his cheek. “Please let me look stupid trying to earn you.”

Jungkook, without fail, tells you how desperately he wants to be loved by you.

[euno11a]

Baby Girl

Pairing: DILF!Jungkook x PreSchool Teacher!Reader

Synopsis: You always gave yourself one rule, never fall for a single dad. It would be messy and you’d never be his number one. So why did your favourite kid’s dad have to be so hot?

Warnings: fluff, talks of child abandonment, single father JK, angst, arguments, smut, penetrative sex, oral (m and f receiving), light spanking, hair pulling, make outs, kissing, fingering, clit play, clit stimulation, teasing, pet names, mentions of past relationships, dom!jungkook, big cock!jungkook, blonde!jungkook, talks of past pregnancy (not reader), mention of abortion (JK’s ex), sexual tension, alcohol consumption, thigh riding, masturbation, aftercare, swearing, praising, a bit of jealousy, hickeys, handjob, protected sex, rough and soft sex, overstimulation, and multiple orgasms 

______________________________________________________________

“Why are you trying to feed Sara the crayon!” You squealed from your spot behind your desk, swiftly approaching the small circle table holding the kids before taking the purple crayon from Ara’s tiny hands. The small girl’s large brown eyes stared back at you, a smile breaking out onto her lips as she began giggling and babbling about the drawing she made for her dad.

“Look! Daddy has a pur..pur-el shirt cebause he love pur-el!” Ara pointed excitedly to the shirt she drew on her stickfigure, pride glowing in her eyes. 

Your smile grew as your grip around the crayon loosened, placing it back down on the table, crouching between her and Sara’s little chairs. “Now that’s gorgeous, Ara! Your dad is gonna love it so much, but how about we stop trying to feed our friends crayons?” She giggled, agreeing before going back to her art. It was true, Ara’s dad, Jeon Jungkook, treasured every single thing she made for him. Every time she would run up to him after school, hands reaching up to him with a new little project every day. One day it was a flower that had things we were grateful for written on the petals, other days it was just a little drawing she made, or it was a seasonal art project. And she never failed to tell you all about his reactions the next day.

Every day you would watch all your students run to their parents coming to pick them up at lunch, most stopped to say ‘Hi’ or ask how their kid was doing - Jungkook never did that. It seemed odd at first, wanting to meet your student’s dad to introduce yourself and get acquainted was a normal thing most teachers did. However, you started noticing pretty early on he hung out near the back of the group of parents that waited near the doors, waiting for Ara, getting her, and then looking at you with a little smile before leaving. Why did he do that? The small pleas for help to get their coats on before the bell filled your classroom, the children still mingling and talking, some cleaning up their tables, but most ready to up and leave as the bell rings. After making sure all the kids had their belongings, you told them to line up, “One, two, three! Eyes on me!” You called out, watching all their little bug eyes look back at you. The small action made a smile spread across your face each time - how could it not? There are about fifteen pairs of eyes that look at you at the same time, with the same little focused expression. It’s impossible not to smile!

Everyone crowded at the door, talking in soft whispers as they waited for you to open it and let them run off to their parents. You let the children run in different directions, enjoying the happy chatter around you as people began leaving. Just as you were about to head into the school again, you felt a little tug on your sleeve, making you look down. “ Miss L/n, daddy’s not here…”

Her little voice trailed off and it instantly made you go into protective mode. You crouched in front of her, holding her small hand as you observed how her big boba eyes got glossy and her little button nose got red. It was a rare sight seeing Ara cry, she almost never did in your class unless it was something truly meaningful to her. “Shh, it’s okay, Ara. Your dad probably got caught up in something! How about we wait here until he arrives, hm?” You offered, wiping away the small tears that dropped down her cheeks, her head nodding softly as you stood up and held her hand outside. 

Twenty minutes pass and nothing. It was unlike Jungkook to be late, every day you could see his car park in the same spot under a tree, getting out and adjusting his jacket before taking a few steps…then pausing beside his car to lock it three times. Now that you think about it, you sound kinda stalker-ish with how much attention you pay to him. The air started getting cooler, so you took Ara back inside the classroom, thankful that you had an hour break before your afternoon class showed up. “Are you warm? You can take your jacket off, Ara. Do you want some paper to draw?”

Her head was tilted down as she sat in her normal seat near the cozy corner you had set up for your students, not really answering your questions. “Did daddy leave me?” She asked, her tiny fingers picking at her other ones as she asked.

Sourness filled your heart as you heard her question, you pulled out the small chair beside her, tilting your head to see her face. “Honey, of course he didn’t leave you. He’s just running late for some reason. Why would you think that?” 

“Mommy did…” Her words were cut off by sudden footsteps approaching the class quickly, a man hunched over huffing and puffing like he had just ran a marathon. “Oh god, I’m so sorry, baby.” He said, still gasping for air as he approached us, kneeling down on her other side.

Her mom left? You stood up, straightening out your cardigan as you stared down at the man pressing his forehead against Ara’s jacket covered arm. “Ara, I’m sorry, daddy had to close up the shop cause your uncles weren’t there. I’m sorry, bug.” Wow, he apologized a lot, even though Ara had already probably forgotten about what happened. Her bright little smile was there again, brightening the room as his large…tattooed hand caressed the opposite arm. 

“Daddy! Look what I made!” Ara exclaimed, showing her dad her little portrait of her and her dad, wearing his purple shirt.

“Wow, I love it, baby girl! It’s so me. You know where this is going?” The way they both said “on the fridge” at the exact same time would make any woman’s ovaries burst. It was too cute! Ara’s dad stood up, rubbing his hands on the back of his pants before looking at you, staring blankly before his eyes widened and a hand was out stretched. “Sorry! I’m Jungkook, Jeon Jungkook! Ara’s dad, cause she has the same last name as me, but not only that reason! Her mom and I-” He stopped, his cheeks tinting a light red as you grasped his hand, shaking it with furrowed brows. “I’m gonna stop talking before I make it worse.”

“No, no, please. I always enjoy hearing about how parents are related to their child.” You laughed, releasing his hand again - eyes gleaming from the way his cheeks darkened in colour again. “It’s honestly okay, Mr. Jeon. Ara and I had a feeling something came up at work and that’s why you were late.”

The sigh of relief that escaped him must have been in him for a while, his whole body relaxing a little more after you said that. “Thank you for looking after her. This won’t happen again, at all. Uhm..Ms…?”

“Oh! Sorry, Y/n. Y/n L/n, Ara’s teacher. Since she’s in my class.” You over explained just like he did, thankfully he had a sense of humor since he let out a soft breathy laugh. “Again, don’t worry at all, I understand. Things happen sometimes.” You eased him, smiling gently as he grabbed Ara’s little hand, helping her out of her chair.

“Yeah…but thank you…still.” He said one last time, leaning down to pick his daughter up before propping her on his hip. Her little hand went to his hair immediately, tugging softly as he pulled his head away, smiling at her. They left the room, chatting softly as he walked back down the hall to exit through the front office. Sitting at your desk, you opened your computer, preparing your slideshow for your afternoon class on how to make a pretty sunset with pastels, but the only thing you could think about…

He had really pretty hair.

______________________________________________________________

“Wait, wait, wait- rewind. You’re telling me that you were face to face with a DILF and did nothing?!” Rose practically yelled as you walked together down the hall towards the parking lot.

“Okay, let’s not call him that…he’s still the father of my student. It feels wrong calling him something so…vulgar?” You squeemed while fumbling for your keys. “Plus, what was I supposed to do? His kid was right there, it’s not like I could’ve just jumped his bones right there.”

She glanced at you from the corner of her eyes, a small smirk on her lips as she grabbed her own keys out of her bag. “Well, I’m just saying, maybe he would’ve been into that. Having you get all up on him, nice and close and just-” You shoved her away playfully, laughing as you watched her mimic some sort of makeout session. 

“There is no way that would've happened! Again, Rose, you’re forgetting this was the first time I’ve ever actually talked to the guy. It’s not like some magical thing is gonna happen to make us instantly fall in love.” She pushed open the doors to the front office, a shiver running down your spine as the cool breeze hit your face. You unlocked your car, standing by the driver’s door as you spoke again. “This is real life, not some romance book that’s gonna have me sweeped off my feet by the end of it.”

“Yeah, yeah…” She waved a dismissive hand, opening her car door before poking her head out again. “I’m just saying, it’s been a while for you since you’ve dated, so why not try out the awkward, DILF of a dad?”

“Have a good night, Rose.”

All you could hear was her laughter as you got in and closed your own door. 

______________________________________________________________

Mondays are the worst.

It’s almost like a sick joke - you wake up and feel like it’s gonna be a productive day, but instead, your makeup looked trashy, your favourite shirt that you were supposed to wear today had a stain on it, your coffee machine was broken, and your car wouldn’t start for a good twenty minutes.

So yeah, it’s a lovely day.

“I am so sorry, Rose! Thank you for watching over my class, I swear I’ll be there soon.” You rambled quickly, looking both ways on the road before taking a left.

“Girl, relax, it’s okay. Could you pick me up a coffee though? Didn’t have time to make my own today.” You could hear her shuffling around, probably in your desk to find the spelling sheets you had ready for your students.

“Of course, I was gonna pick one up anyway.” Your voice came out as a murmur, trying to focus on the road so you didn’t add another problem to your list of issues today.

There was some sort of sound that came from her side of the call, something between a hum and squeal of delight. “There’s one coffee place that’s not too far from the school, The Quiet Bean, reaaaaally cute place!”

The Quiet Bean? People are getting creative nowadays…After a few more minutes of talking - you telling her what she should start the kids on, and her telling you where the shop is - you finally hung up. Plugging in the address of the coffee shop, you pulled up to a small shop. It was the sort of place that invited you in without making a scene. Its façade was a blend of weathered brick and soft, taupe-painted wood, the kind that had aged gracefully, like it had stories to tell. The large windows were framed in simple, cream-colored trim, their panes reflecting the faintest light of the afternoon sun. A faint trace of ivy crept up along the edges, as if nature itself had taken a liking to this quiet little corner of the world.

The café’s sign hung above the door, a modest wooden board with the name The Quiet Bean painted in elegant, flowing script. The letters, accented by a small, delicate illustration of a steaming coffee cup, as though to beckon you inside with the promise of something warm and comforting. It wasn’t flashy, but there was something undeniably welcoming about it, something that whispered of calm moments and good company.

As you stepped closer, the faint scent of lavender and earth drifted from a row of mismatched flower boxes, their colors a soft mix of greens and purples. Small, bistro-style tables were scattered outside, their wrought-iron chairs empty for now, but ready to welcome anyone looking to enjoy the sun with a cup in hand. 

Pulling the door open, you were met with a strong scent of freshly brewed coffee and pastries. Your eyes widened as you looked around, taking in the detail of the shop and taking note of every little detail that was put into building it. You slowly approached the counter, eyes trained on the display of sweets. God, they looked delicious. It was as if everywhere you turned there was something new you noticed - now, it was the simple yet captivating writing on the menu board that hung above the counter. Why was writing captivating you? Nevermind. 

You glanced around, a few people were sitting at tables, enjoying a warm coffee with a sweet treat, but no one behind the counter. Your brows furrowed softly, tilting your head to try and see if someone was lingering behind the walkway to the back of the coffee shop, but there was no one. You reached forward, tapping the small bell that sat beside one of the pastry display cases, the high pitched shrill sound making you jump slightly. 

A guy, wiping his hands on the towel that hung from his apron quickly rounded the corner. His blonde hair tied into a small bun as he looked up. Those eyes…the wide doe ones that seemed all too familiar. The ones that held the universe…where had you seen them before? “Welcome to The Quiet Bea-” The man’s voice cut off as he stood there staring at you, his round eyes widening slightly. “M-Ms. Y/n…what…you’re…”

It clicked. Those eyes, the ones you have to look at every single day, the same ones Ara had. “Mr. Jeon, it’s…uhm, hello.” Why was this so embarrassing? This was just like when you saw a teacher outside of school and didn’t know how to act. Holy hell. “Sorry…sorry, good morning.”

His cheeks tinted a light pink, the sound of him clearing his throat sounded through the small cafe, you watched him cringe from the sound. “G-Good morning…I’m sorry, I just wasn’t expecting…never mind.” He shook his head, a few strands of his blonde hair framing his face as he approached the cash register. “What can I get for you?”

“Just two lattes please.” You smiled, gaze wandering off to the side as you eyed the pastries again. As if on cue, your stomach rumbled, causing you to freeze and Jungkook to glance up at you from the register. A soft chuckle escaped his lips as he leaned forward on the counter, a small tilt to his head. “Did you maybe want some food, too? Our pistachio croissants are really good, if I do say so myself.”

Now it was your turn to turn pink, a sheepish smile spreading across your face as you nodded. “I’ll take two of those, too, please.” He nodded, a smile still lingering on his face as he used the tons to grab out two of the fresh croissants. Placing the bag on the counter, he turned his back to you as he started on the coffees. 

As you stood there, it was hard not to notice how wide his back was. It was the perfect size to his waist which was - surprisingly - small. And not to mention the way his shirt hugged his chest and torso, there was practically nothing left for the imagination, there was even a teasingly small amount of tattoos shown that littered his right hand, and you just knew there were more. Maybe Mondays aren't so bad. I mean, you got to see that perfect ass- okay, no. Stop it! That is still your student's dad!

He turned around, two coffees in hand as he placed them on the counter, tapping something into the register before telling you your total. You pulled out your card, tapping it on the card machine before situating yourself to grab everything. “Uh…I don’t mean to be, like, that one parent…but why is the teacher of my daughter here getting coffee when school has already started?”

“Oh, so you were one of the kids that was always on time to class.” You said with a small smile, looking down into your wallet as you placed your card back into its proper place. “I was having a bad morning, running late. But my friend, who’s a teacher as well, is watching over my class. She wanted a coffee.” You wiggled your finger at the cup, a smile on your face that wouldn’t go away for some reason. 

It was impossible not to giggle at the way his brows furrowed and his bottom lip pouted from your comment. “I was not ‘one of those kids.’” He crossed his arms, looking at you as you grabbed the coffees and bag that held your pastries. “If it means anything…I hope you have a better day.” His voice was like honey, something so sweet, you never wanted it to disappear. 

“Thank you…I hope the same for you, Mr. Jeon.”

“Please, call me Jungkook!” Even his smile was sweet…fuck.

Just as you were about to exit the shop, you turned, using your back to push the door open. “Alright then, Jungkook. And call me, Y/n…I’m not your teacher.” Your last words left him going red again, and to your unease, it was a sight you wouldn’t mind seeing again.  ______________________________________________________________

As the warm afternoon sunlight streamed through the windows of your classroom, casting a comforting glow over the tidy rows of desks, Rose settled into the chair across from you, a concerned expression etched on her face. The air was filled with the faint scent of chalk and the distant hum of the air conditioning vent.

"Y/n, you're not going to tell me what's going on, are you?" Rose asked, her voice gentle but probing. You hesitated, fidgeting with the edge of the paper bag as you took a bite of your croissant. Damn they were good. They were alone in the classroom during their lunch break, the door locked securely behind them.

Rose's eyes narrowed as she watched your flustered movements. "Come on, spill it," she urged, her voice a gentle coaxing. You took another bite, your eyes avoiding Rose's inquiring gaze. "It's just...I saw Jungkook at the coffee shop this morning…Ara’s dad," you mumbled around a mouthful of food, eyes darting back to Rose.

Rose's eyebrows shot up. "That coffee shop? Where you got our lattes?" You nodded, your cheeks flushing. Rose's expression turned thoughtful as she leaned in, her voice taking on a conspiratorial tone. "So you saw Hot DILF again?"

Your eyes widened in alarm, hastily causing you to look around the room as if ensuring they were truly alone. "Rose, please, don't say that out loud," You whispered, voice laced with a mixture of embarrassment and fear. Rose chuckled, her eyes sparkling with amusement.

"What's wrong? You're not going to date him, are you?" It was almost as if this was the day you couldn’t stop blushing. Your face turned bright red as you hastily shook her head, your ponytail bobbing in time. "Of course not, I'm just...I'm just saying, he's a great guy, from what I’ve seen, but...but it's just a rule, you know?" Your words tumbled out in a rush, your voice growing more agitated by the second.

Rose's expression turned to understanding, and she reached out to place a reassuring hand on your arm. "I get it, I really do. You've always said no to dating single parents, and I respect that. But...it's just so hard when you're around him, isn't it?" Your eyes dropped, looking away, your face burning with a mix of embarrassment and longing.

Rose's gentle words hung in the air, and you felt your heart racing as you tried to process her emotions. You couldn't deny it - you had felt a flutter in her chest when you saw Jungkook, and it wasn't just because you were worried about being professional around him. You took a deep breath, trying to calm yourself down and rationalize your feelings.

"I don't know, Rose," You said finally, voice barely above a whisper. "It's just...he's really nice, and easy to talk to...it's just hard to ignore the fact that he's Ara’s dad."

Rose nodded understandingly, her expression sympathetic. "I know, I know. And it's not like you can just...ignore the fact that he's cute, either," she added with a sly smile, her eyes sparkling with amusement.

You playfully rolled your eyes, trying to deflect the attention from your flustered state. "Yeah, real help, Rose. You're not making this any easier for me."

Rose laughed, her eyes shining with mirth. "Sorry, sorry. I just want you to be happy, and if that means being around Mr. Hot DILF...I mean, Jungkook...then so be it."

A smile spread across your face, feeling a warmth spread through her chest at her words. "Thanks, Rose. You're a good friend."

As they chatted, you couldn't help but think about Jungkook's warm smile and gentle laugh. You pushed the thoughts away, reminding yourself of the rule and the reasons behind it. But you couldn't shake the feeling that you had crossed a line, and that your attraction to Jungkook was more than just a harmless infatuation.

The lunch bell rang, shattering the peaceful atmosphere in the classroom. As they made their way to the classroom door, Rose leaned in, her voice low and conspiratorial. "Hey, Y/n? Just out of curiosity...what do you think would happen if you did date him?"

Your eyes widened in alarm, and you quickly shot Rose a warning glance. "Rose, don't even say that. I already told you I'm not going to date him, so let's just drop it, okay?"

Rose held up her hands in mock surrender. "Okay, okay. No more talking about Jungkook. Let's just focus on surviving through the day and parent-teacher interviews. How ‘bout that?"

You smiled, feeling a mix of relief and gratitude towards your friend. "Sounds like a plan to me."

______________________________________________________________

The faint echo of footsteps grew louder in the quiet hallway as you straightened up at your desk, glancing at the clock. The dim lights above flickered softly, casting a warm glow that illuminated the classroom filled with colorful student artwork. It was the night of parent-teacher interviews, and your heart raced in anticipation and anxiety. Each appointment was a gateway to success and growth, but tonight felt different. Tonight, you faced the sight of a certain single father…again.

As you set out fresh papers and a cup of coffee—mostly meant to ward off your own nerves—you tried to shake off the flutter twisting in your stomach. You had told Rose you wouldn’t get involved with parents, yet here you were, feeling exhilaratingly torn between professionalism and a sudden spike of anticipation.

The gentle knock on the door pulled you from your swirl of thoughts. “Come in!” you called, your voice steadying to mask your racing heart. The knob turned, and Jungkook stepped inside, his tall figure silhouetted against the hallway light. He looked slightly rumpled in a casual white fisherman’s sweater and jeans, as if he had just finished a long day balancing work and parenting. His sandy hair fell over his forehead, giving him an endearing boyishness.

“Hi, Y/n,” Jungkook said softly, his voice low and a little shy. He shifted between his feet, running a hand through his hair, and for a moment, you felt as though the air in the room thickened with something—tension, attraction, or perhaps, an endless stream of unspoken words.

“Hi, Jungkook! Thank you for coming,” You replied, trying to maintain the professional tone you’d rehearsed in your mind. “Please, have a seat.”

He hesitated for just a moment before sinking into the chair opposite your desk, glancing around the room and admiring the colorful projects that adorned the walls. “It’s nice to see what you’ve done with the place. Ara talks about it all the time,” he said, a smile creeping onto his face that lit up his eyes. 

As you reviewed Ara’s progress report, you couldn’t help but feel Jungkook’s gaze lingering on you, like a gentle warmth wrapping around you. “She’s doing wonderfully, really. She’s bright, creative, and so full of energy,” You continued, your voice flowing with professional ease.

“That’s great to hear,” Jungkook replied, his fingers nervously tapping on the desk. “I mean… I worry about her sometimes, you know? Juggling everything has been—” He paused, biting his lip slightly as if searching for the right words. “—hard. But she loves coming to school.”

In that moment, you could see the affection etched on his face. His love for Ara was so palpable, so tender, that it made your heart swell. “You’re doing an amazing job as a father,” you blurted out before you could catch yourself. 

A flush crept into Jungkook's cheeks, and he chuckled shyly, rubbing the back of his neck. “Thanks. I still feel like I have so much to learn,” he said, glancing away, his honesty disarming you. 

“I think it’s a continuous journey for all parents,” You replied, forcing yourself to ignore the way your heart fluttered at his vulnerability. You forced herself to focus on Ara’s achievements, highlighting the areas where she could improve.

Yet with each laugh Jungkook shared, with each genuine word of praise he offered about his daughter, you found it harder to keep your feelings at bay. The chemistry crackled between them, threatening to bridge the gap of professionalism that you had once held sacred. 

“I don’t know how I can ever thank you for what you do,” Jungkook said suddenly, a sincere expression on his face. “I feel like Ara has blossomed since she started in your class.”

“You don’t have to thank me, Jungkook,” You spoke softly, heart racing as you met his gaze. “It’s my job and my passion.”

He leaned back in the chair, taking a moment before asking softly, “But what about you? Do you… do you enjoy being a teacher?”

You nodded, feeling a stirring inside you—a mix of admiration and a desire for connection that you fought to suppress. “I really do,” you confessed. “It's a rewarding experience, but...” You hesitated for a moment, knowing your feelings threatened to slip from your grasp. “It can be challenging at times.”

“Yeah, life can be tough,” Jungkook replied, his voice low. “But I guess we all find our way through it.”

Their eyes locked for a heartbeat longer than necessary, and you felt an electric jolt, a silent understanding passing between them. But just as quickly, you pulled yourself back, focusing instead on the paperwork scattered across your desk.

“I believe Ara will continue to thrive under your guidance,” Jungkook said, attempting to break the growing tension.

“Absolutely,” You agreed, feeling the flicker of excitement mingled with anxiety. “If you have any concerns, please don’t hesitate to reach out.”

Jungkook smiled, the warmth in his expression making your pulse quicken, and you couldn’t help but smile back, even as reality settled back in. They were from two different worlds, tethered by the innocent bond of a daughter between them, and you knew you had to tread carefully.

“Thank you for your time,” Jungkook finally said, rising from his seat, his voice a blend of gratitude and something softer, like an unexpressed hope. “I really appreciate it.”

As he turned to leave, you felt a mix of longing and resolve. “You’re welcome, Jungkook. Have a great evening,” You managed to say, your heart heavy with unspoken feelings and the sensation of his presence lingering in the room long after he had gone. 

With a sigh, you sank back into your chair, trying to reclaim your professional demeanor, fully aware that this was only the beginning of a journey you had carefully set herself against. And yet, without a doubt, it felt exhilarating and terrifying all at once.

The echo of Jungkook’s footsteps faded down the hallway as you sat back in your chair, staring blankly at the stack of papers on your desk. The soft, dim light of the classroom wrapped around you like a cocoon, but instead of feeling comforted, your thoughts spiraled into chaotic disarray. Your heart still raced at the memory of his shy smile and the way his gaze warmed you, sending unexpected flutters coursing through your chest. 

“Okay, Y/n. Let’s think this through,” you murmured to yourself, pushing your chair back a bit to pace. You took a deep breath, holding your head high as you began your internal debate, your footsteps echoing softly against the tiled floor.

Pros:

1. He’s Kind: Jungkook showed genuine concern for Ara’s well-being; that spoke volumes about his character.

2. He’s a Good Father: Seeing how much he adored his daughter made your heart melt. A man who values family is definitely an attractive trait.

3. We Have Chemistry: The connection was palpable during your meeting, the kind that sent thrills of excitement coursing through you.

Cons:

1. He’s Ara’s Father: You would always have that complex dynamic, which could complicate everything. What if things went wrong? The relationship with Ara would be at stake.

2. Professional Boundaries: As a teacher, you reminded yourself constantly of the boundaries that existed between you and the parents. Getting involved with a parent could lead to gossip and drama.

3. Could She Actually Do This? You didn’t want to enter the dating world and find yourself getting hurt. There was so much at stake, and discretion was key. 

The rhythm of your footsteps quickened, your thoughts tumbling into a whirlwind of confusion. 

“No, no, no.” You held her temples, trying to massage away the tension that gnawed at you. “You can’t think like this. You would be crossing a line, Y/n. Your job is to inspire and educate, not fall for the parents!” 

You paused, catching your breath, feeling the weight of your emotions. “But—what if this is something special?” An involuntary smile sneaked onto your face at the thought of Jungkook’s easy laughter, the way he nervously fidgeted in his chair, and the sincere glances he offered. “What if…he’s different?”

Your heart raced again, and you bit your lip, taking another deep breath to steady yourself. You have dedicated yourself to your career. You loved teaching and the bonds you created with your students. But you also felt the longing for companionship, for someone who would truly understand your heart, your struggles, and your dreams.

You found your way back to the desk, grabbing the paper you had written notes on about Ara. It was filled with nothing but good observations and bright notes that showcased the little girl’s personality. “This is about Ara, too,” you whispered, glancing at the portrait Ara had drawn of you standing beside her at the school. You had never looked better as a stick figure.

“Could I do this?” you inquired softly, staring out the window at the fading sunlight. “Would this be fair to Ara? To him?” You closed your eyes for a moment, trying to visualize yourselves together, the gentle kind heartedness belying a deeper connection that tethered you.

Footsteps interrupted your reverie, and you looked up to see Rose peeking through the door. “Y/n?” she called softly, stepping inside. The infectious energy of her friend brightened the room. “I saw Jungkook leave. How did it go?”

Your internal debate halted as you met Rose's eager gaze, the warmth of friendship wrapping around you like a comforting embrace. “It was... interesting,” You replied slowly, trying to sort through the flood of emotions that threatened to spill over.

“What does that mean? Was he flirty?” Rose raised an eyebrow, her eyes sparkling with mischief.

You shook your head, your cheeks flushing slightly. “No, it wasn’t like that. We just talked about Ara and her progress. But there’s this…connection, Rose. It’s hard to explain.”

“Do you like him?” Rose leaned forward, her excitement palpable, her curiosity evident.

“I don’t know! I mean, I shouldn’t, right?” You sighed, throwing your hands up in exasperation. “He’s Ara’s dad, and I’m her teacher. There are boundaries, Rose!”

“But do you want to explore those boundaries? You said it yourself; it’s a connection!” Rose's voice rose slightly, her enthusiasm inexhaustible. “You only live once, Y/n!”

“Why are you so supportive of this? Are you trying to get me into trouble?” You chuckled, trying to lighten the mood, but you felt the weight of Rose’s words pressing upon you.

“Maybe I am!” Rose teased, crossing her arms. “But look, if you feel something for him, that could be something worth exploring. Relationships don’t always lead to disaster, you know. Sometimes, they lead to wonderful things.” 

You chewed your lip, your heart fluttering at the prospect. “But what if I mess it up? What if I ruin things with Ara and her dad?”

“I think Ara would be happy if he found someone who makes him smile,” Rose asserted confidently. “And if that someone happens to be you...well, then that’s just a bonus!”

Looking down at your desk, pondering the vibrant artwork that Ara had drawn, you felt a gentle surge of hope amidst the confusion. Maybe there was a chance for something beautiful—if you could just take the leap.

“All right,” You said finally, fortifying yourself. “I’ll think about it. But I have to be careful...for Ara’s sake. And for my own.”

“Smart girl.” Rose grinned, her eyes twinkling with excitement. “Now, let’s plan how to help you catch his attention.”

You couldn’t help but laugh, the tension lifting slightly as you felt the warmth of Rose’s friendship. As they began to chat and brainstorm about playful ways to show your interest, you felt a new storm of possibility unfurling in your heart—one that you could no longer pretend to ignore. ______________________________________________________________

After leaving your classroom, Jungkook leaned against the cold, tiled wall of the hallway, taking a moment to catch his breath. The sound of his heart thudding loudly in his chest seemed to resonate in the quiet space around him. What just happened? He couldn't shake the feeling of exhilaration mingled with a flicker of anxiety as memories of their conversation flooded his mind. 

He rubbed a hand across his neck, still feeling the heat rising to his cheeks—a bashful evidence of how easily flustered he had become in your presence. Your smile, your laughter, the way your eyes lit up when you spoke about Ara—it was utterly charming. Why did she have to be so captivating?  

His thoughts immediately twisted into a flurry of whims. Honestly, how could someone be so effortlessly beautiful? Your enthusiasm about teaching resonated deep within him; he admired how you handled the classroom, how you brought warmth and light to every interaction. The way you carelessly tucked a strand of hair behind your ear made his heart flutter. He relished in the thought that you cared so deeply for his daughter; it filled him with a swell of appreciation that lingered a little too long in his chest.

But then there was that chemistry, that intoxicating vibe that seemed to hum in the air between them. Jungkook winced slightly, aware that he was entering dangerous territory. Your laugh had tugged at something deep inside him—a longing that he rarely dared to face. Could he be falling for you? The thought was both thrilling and unsettling.

His mind wandered to the moment their eyes met, the way you had smiled at him as if you were sharing a secret, a moment just for the two of them amidst the world. Thoughts he knew he shouldn’t entertain slipped through like silk ribbons, tightening around his chest. What would it feel like to hold her? To run his fingers through her hair, to pull her close and whisper sweet nothings in her ear?

Jungkook pressed his lips together, forcing the blush creeping up his neck to subside. Damn it, Jungkook. Focus on Ara! But the image of you was stubborn, filling his thoughts with mischievous imaginings—your laughter echoing in his ears, your soft, inviting gaze lingering in his mind. 

He imagined you tucked against him on a lazy Sunday morning, sunlight streaming through the window casting dappled shapes on your skin, and he couldn't help but wonder if you would look up at him in that soft, sleepy kind of way—your hair tousled, and that peaceful smile gracing your features. God, he would do anything for that smile.

His heart raced at those thoughts. Was it wrong to want more? The deeper he delved into his fantasies, the more he wondered if he could truly let someone in again. The idea of developing a connection with you was thrilling but terrifying. 

But what if it went well? What if he got to know the woman behind the teacher façade? What if they clicked like he suspected they might? A sudden image of their hands intertwined danced in his mind, the warmth radiating from your soft fingers sending shivers down his spine. He imagined kissing you—a slow, intimate exploration that left you both breathless, your hearts racing in sync.

His body reacted even to the thought, and Jungkook groaned softly, shaking his head at the direction his mind had taken. He just wanted to know more about you—the fear and the thrill of the unknown gnawing at him as he paced in place. Was he ready to join the dating world again? To risk his heart?

Jungkook glanced down the hallway, half-expecting you to appear again with that mesmerizing smile. He exhaled slowly, trying to calm the whirlwind that churned within him. You had met as teacher to parent, you were cautious in your own ways, but there was something in your gaze, the spark of possibility daring him to breach the barrier.

“Just take it slow,” he whispered to himself, trying to ignore the overwhelming desire unfurling within him like a curtain drawn back to reveal a dazzling stage. “She’s worth it.” 

In his mind’s eye, he could see your face, lit with warmth and kindness, exhibited perfectly in the classrooms where you worked magic with children. But he wanted you outside of the school, in the real world, where they could be themselves.

With another deep breath, he turned and walked away from the classroom, his heart still racing and the ambitious thoughts whirling inside his mind. The night air hit him like a splash of cold water, grounding him, reminding him that this was just the beginning of something he knew could change everything. And as he left the school grounds, he couldn't shake the feeling that he wanted to do whatever it took to make sure he saw you again. ______________________________________________________________

The restaurant was awash in golden candlelight, casting flickering shadows on the walls adorned with tasteful art. The hum of conversation intermingled with the clinking of silverware, creating a cozy atmosphere that settled around the tables like a warm embrace. Jungkook had arrived early, wearing a fitted navy sweater that accentuated his figure and dark jeans—not too formal, but just enough to speak of a thoughtful effort. Tonight was important.

He twisted his napkin nervously in his lap as he surveyed the room, his gaze darting to the entrance. How do you prepare for a date with someone you genuinely like? It had been several weeks since they started talking, gradually letting layers peel away to reveal their authentic selves, and now here they were, on the brink of something new. 

As if summoned by his thoughts, you walked in, your presence radiant in a deep emerald dress that hugged your curves and made you look effortlessly elegant. Your hair cascaded in soft waves, and when their eyes met, a bright smile danced across your lips—a smile that made Jungkook’s heart skip a beat.

“Hey,” you greeted, your voice warm and inviting as you approached the table.

“Hey! You look amazing,” Jungkook found himself saying, his cheeks warming at the earnestness in his tone. 

“Thanks! You too!” You replied, taking your seat across from him, the evening lighting casting a gentle glow on your features. 

Jungkook tried to shake off the nerves, but it was hard not to stumble over his words as their waiter arrived. “Good evening! Can I start you off with something to drink?” 

“Uh, yes! I’d like a glass of red wine, please,” Jungkook said, his hands fidgeting on the table beneath the napkin.

“Same for me,” You chimed in, your openness making it easier for him to remember how to breathe. 

As they sipped their wine and exchanged laughter, they discussed everything—their favorite movies, childhood memories, and even the quirks of teaching that made them both laugh aloud. But as the conversation flowed, Jungkook felt the slight pressure of anticipation build in his chest, the electric tension flickering like a candle in the wind.

“So, what’s been the best part of your week?” he asked, hoping to keep the conversation light while his nerves simmered beneath the surface.

You leaned forward, eyes sparkling. “Well, this week we were doing some more basic spelling skills. And there was one point, where I said that our class was gonna have a small spelling bee competition against the other Kindergarten class. Ara took it a little too seriously, she started buzzing like a bee after every word she spelled.”

Jungkook chuckled, picturing the adorable scene. “Oh God, is that why she came home and couldn’t stop buzzing around? I mean, at least she’s remembering to spell more words correctly…she rewards herself by buzzing a little each time.”

“Well, she does have a great teacher,” you teased, your eyes locking onto his with that playful glimmer.

Jungkook felt the heat rushing up his neck. “I’m just trying to keep up with your class levels,” he said with a grin. 

Their connection felt tangible, fragile yet electric. Jungkook summoned his courage as the waiter returned with their meals. “It looks great. I hope it tastes great,” he said, lifting his fork, eager to divert his nervous energy.

As they began to eat, Jungkook was distraught to discover that his mouth seemed to have developed a mind of its own. “So, I was thinking maybe—I mean, if you’re interested—” he stumbled through the heavy words, glancing at her, “we could visit that new art exhibit next weekend? Or maybe a picnic? I’m definitely up for a picnic.” 

Your brows raised in surprise, a smile breaking across your face. “I’d love that! An art exhibit sounds fantastic.”

Jungkook exhaled, relief washing over him. They continued chatting, light and airy, until a relaxed silence fell between them. An idea struck him, and he leaned closer, teasingly, “You know, you’re making this date really easy. I thought I’d be sweating bullets.”

Just as the words left his mouth, careless and relaxed, he slipped. “I guess I just feel comfortable, baby girl…” 

His voice trailed off in horror as his brain caught up with his mouth. Did he really just call you that? His cheeks blazed a deep shade of crimson, eyes widening as he braced himself for your reaction.

You blinked, pausing mid-bite, amusement dancing in your eyes. “Wow, that was unexpected. Do I look like a baby girl to you?” 

Jungkook’s face burned, a thousand apologies spiraling through his mind. “I-I didn’t mean it like—! I mean, you’re—!” He stumbled over his words, rendering himself a stammering mess. 

You couldn’t help but chuckle, clearly amused, leaning forward as if to ease his embarrassment. “It’s okay, Jungkook. I kinda liked it, actually. It’s sweet.”

His initial panic spilled over into relief, but the flirty undertone hung between them, making the air around them more charged. Under the table, his heart raced as he played with the hem of his own sweater, unsure whether he was feeling flustered or exhilarated.

He took a deep breath, trying to regain control. “Well, um, you are adorable, so I guess it fits—just not in the way I set it up!” 

“Do you think I’m adorable, huh?” You teased, your playful confidence radiating from you. Your gaze held a challenge, one that made his heart race anew. 

“Not just adorable,” he clarified, leaning in slightly, feeling the heat of her presence. “You’re… captivating. Thoughtful. Kind. And it’s…” he hesitated, a smirk creeping onto his face, “dangerously charming.” 

You bit your lip, eyes glimmering with intrigue, every inch of your body language inviting him closer. “Dangerously charming, huh? Is that a compliment or a warning?” 

“Both,” Jungkook said, letting the tension linger in the air, a quiet challenge exchanged between them. As if he were testing the waters before diving in. “How about you tell me something about yourself that could potentially get us both in trouble?” 

This time, you laughed, and it echoed around their cozy corner of the restaurant. The flirtation was undeniable, thickening the air as they engaged in the dance of unspoken desires. Finally, it seemed like this date might indeed lead somewhere—somewhere beautifully unexpected, where the two of them could explore the chemistry that had sparked between them.

With their plates nearly empty and glasses refilled, you glanced over at him, a light blush dusting over your cheeks. Under the table, you let your foot caress up and down his calf, watching how he paused halfway through paying for the bill to look at you with a tilted head. You turned your head away, resting it in your palm as you continued your movements, hearing how Jungkook’s breathing changed from light and even to heavier and quicker.

“What’re you doing…?” He asked quietly, cheeks burning a red colour as he sunk into his chair a little more. You shrugged your shoulders, looking away again, the intensity of the situation making it hard to stare directly at him. 

The sound of chair legs scraping against the floor made you finally look back at him. His cheeks were a dark red, a hand extended towards you as he helped you out of your chair, pushing it in before slowly walking with you. A shaky hand was placed around your waist, sending tingles all throughout your body, it was clear Jungkook was nervous, but it was also clear he wanted something else. Craved something else.

“Jungkook, are yo-”

“Do you want to come back to my place?” He asked hurriedly but softly, his eyes  staring into yours as he waited for your response. “I know it’s inappropriate to ask, especially since it’s only our first date, but you just…you look really good in your dress, like, really, really good- and…and…” 

He looked as if he were about to lose his mind if you didn’t speak soon. You carefully cupped his face, brushing your thumbs along his cheeks as you spoke. “Hey, relax…it’s okay. You can breathe…” You calmed him down, his hands coming up to hold your forearms gently, taking in deep breaths. “I..I would love to…go back to your place, I mean. But…what about Ara?”

“She’s with her uncles…Namjoon and Jin promised to look after her.” He said breathlessly, his eyes looking everywhere on your face at once, taking in as much detail as possible as if he were trying to engrain an image of you into his mind.

“Am I supposed to know who those people are, or?” He shook his head, a small laugh escaping his lips as he leaned forward, resting his forehead against yours before pulling away.

“They’re my friends that helped me raise her. Also work at the cafe.” He mumbled, bouncing a little as he looked at the parking lot. “ I really love sharing things with you, but I’m about to lose my mind if I don’t have you soon…so…my car is over there.” He said, pointing over to a black car parked a little further away from the restaurant. 

There wasn’t a lot of time between getting in the car, the drive to his place, and getting inside his place. As soon as you stepped foot inside the threshold, Jungkook was grabbing you, needy hands grabbing at your waist as he  looked at you, quietly asking for permission to kiss you. You barely nodded before he gently pressed his lips against yours, the kiss was firm yet soft, everything you expected from him.

“God…” He whispered against your lips, cupping your face as he kissed you again, groaning from how good you were. “You’re so perfect…so, so perfect.”

A soft giggle escaped you, pulling back so you were face to face with him, “You’ve barely kissed me, how can you know I’m perfect?” You asked, following mindlessly as he dragged you to the bedroom.

“Because.”

“Because?”

“Yes, ‘because.’ Don’t ruin the moment.”

You could hear the smile in his voice as he kissed you again, lifting you slightly to place you on the bed. His hands moved to your waist, squeezing and kneading the flesh under your dress. His lips slowly moved from your lips to your jaw, peppering soft kisses all along your skin. His left hand grabbed your chin, turning your head to the side so he had more room to find the spots that made you shiver. “Your skin’s so soft, baby girl…”

The feeling of his lips latching onto your skin made you shiver, feeling the slight suction as he sucked a mark into your skin, his tongue soothing the area afterwards. He hovered above you, arms propping himself up so he didn’t squish you completely, not that you’d mind. 

“Fuck…Jungkook…” You whimpered, feeling him smirk against your skin. He pulled away, eyes meeting yours as he pressed another soft kiss to your lips. 

“Can I take your dress off?” If he wasn’t breathless before, he sure was now, panting as he waited for permission. “Please, I wanna see your pretty body, baby.”

You managed to nod, propping yourself up so he could reach back and unzip your dress. His fingers gently grasped your sleeves, pulling the forward as the top half of your dress slid off your body. The sound that left his lips made your panties damper than before, his eyes focused solely on your bare breasts. “Oh shit…no bra?”

“Didn’t have one that worked with the dress.” You replied, finding it hard to stare at him head on. Jungkook seemed to notice this, his hands cupping your face again, focusing on your eyes as he spoke softly.

“Hey, you don’t have to be embarrassed or anything…you have the hottest body ever. Like, ever. I mean, you just showed me your bare tits and I almost came.” With his admission his cheeks tinted pink, but he didn’t pay any mind to it, instead focusing on you. “If you ever feel uncomfortable, just tell me. Okay? I’ll stop right away.” 

His gaze slowly went back to your tits, his thumbs resting just under your breasts, brushing against the soft skin before fully grasping them in his hands. You let out a breathless moan, eyes fluttering closed as you relished in his touch. It wasn’t long after that he had you out of that dress and your panties, being stripped down to only his boxers himself. His face was level with your pussy, lips pressing soft kisses against your inner thighs as he edged closer and closer to the place you needed him most. 

He darted his tongue out, licking a stripe down your folds, before making contact with your clit. The moans you let out egged him on more, pressing his face further into your cunt without any care in the world. The sloppy sounds that came from his mouth on your pussy was borderline pornographic. He used his fingers to part your folds, paying as much attention to your clit as possible. After a few minutes he pulled back, taking a few quick breaths before tugging you closer to the edge of the bed. He noticed the way you were gripping the sheets, how your eyes were screwed shut in pleasure.

“Aww, are you close, baby girl? Does my good girl wanna cum?” He taunted, and all you could do was whine and nod.

Your eyes were glossy as you opened them again, looking down at him to see the bottom half of his face covered in your juices. “Please… Please, wanna cum…wanna cum for you…” You moaned, blindly reaching for one of his hands. 

He got the idea, intertwining your fingers with his as he rested them just above your pelvic bone. He nipped at your inner thigh before licking another bold stripe up your sensitive folds, sucking your clit into his mouth. His tongue flicked over it slowly, steadily changing the rhythm to a pace that would bring you to the edge in an instant. With a few more flicks of his tongue, he had you coming undone on his tongue, slurping up every little bit of juice that leaked  from your hole.

You laid on the bed, limp and breathless as you looked at him, watching him stand up straight and wipe the rest of your juices that were on his face on the back of his hand. “How’re you doing, baby?” He asked softly, kissing your cheeks a few times to make sure you were still with him. 

You hummed softly, nodding as you pushed yourself up, connecting your lips with his in a slow and sensual kiss. Your hand snaked down to his boxers, barely rubbing against his hard-on before he grabbed your wrist gently. “If you do that, I’m gonna cum. And I want to cum while I’m inside you…”

The pout that formed on your face was inevitable, but you agreed, “Fine…but next time, you have to let me return the favour.”

His smirk grew as you insinuated there would be a next time. “Fine. Next time.” He kissed you again, fingers tangling in your hair as he groped your breasts again, groaning into the kiss. “I’m never gonna get over how soft your tits are…wanna fuck them.” He panted, rolling your nipple between his thumb and forefinger. 

A breathless giggle escaped you, “Maybe next time…” He took the answer you gave him, kissing you once more before flipping you to be on your hands and knees, your face pressed into the mattress as he grabbed at your ass.

“Fuck, is there anything about you that isn’t perfect?” When he saw you turn your head and part your lips to respond, he spanked your cheek gently, grabbing it to massage after. “Don’t answer that.”

It almost happened too quickly, he got the condom, slipped it on and pushed into you gently, rocking his hips into yours to make sure you adjusted to him properly. His hand reached under you, cooing at you to part your legs slightly so he could play with your clit. The sensations of his fingers stimulating your clit mixed with the rocking of his cock in you, you were a lost cause. 

“Mm, f-feels…so good…” You moaned into the mattress, feeling him speed up more, probably trying to chase his own high as well. Your walls fluttered around him, making him groan deeply, leaning forward to press a kiss between your shoulder blades. “Yeah? S’my cock that good for your little pussy? Hmm? Fuck, you take me so well…”

You whined, your walls tightening more around him, that knot in your lower belly slowly becoming too much to handle. “F- fuck…K-Kook, m’gonna cum…” You said in a high pitched tone, trying to hold back for him for as long as possible.

“Shhh, it’s okay, baby girl. Let go for me. I’m right there with you…” He encouraged you, thrusting into you faster as he kept rubbing your clit. Your moans melded together as you both came undone.

He kept pumping into you until he was sure you were satisfied, a gentle hand coming to your hips to stabilize you as he pulled out, listening to your soft whine. He hushed you sweetly, laying your hips down to the mattress as he quickly disposed of the used condom. He came back to the bed, curling up behind you, nuzzling his face into your neck as he breathed in your scent. 

“Mmm, you’re so pretty…” He whispered drowsily, smiling softly as he heard you giggle. He loved that sound so much.

“Sure, I look so pretty with messy hair and sweat covering my body.” You groaned, shifting to get more comfortable. It was his turn to chuckle, his arms wrapping around you tighter.

“Yes, you do.” The moment of peace was disrupted by the doorbell ringing. He furrowed his brows, looking at you before towards the bedroom door. “Give me a minute, I’ll go see who it is.” He murmured, kissing your temple softly before getting up and pulling on his boxers from before. 

He was gone for a few minutes, quiet chatter echoing through the house, but it wasn’t loud enough for me to hear. You wrapped the sheet around your body, tugging it securely around you as you got closer to the bedroom door. Then you could hear it, Jungkook’s voice stern and low, something you hadn’t heard from him before. But who was he talking to like that? And then you understood…

“I want to see my daughter.”

[fics-lovebot]

jungkook fic recs pt. 3

main masterlist - jungkook fic recs pt. 1 - jungkook fic recs pt. 2

· · ♡ · · tysm to the amazing creative minds of the writers for giving me sevaral moments of joy reading your creations

pls remember to reblog if you like any of my recs❤️

afterglow - ( @elitekook ) smut, fwb!jk, slight possessive!jungkook, dirty talking, degrading nicknames, but he cares ok, he´s trying to get out of the friend zone

come sit on my lap - ( @euphoricfilter ) pwp, lots of praisingg, they way this is written is good yall, "use me" , “so polite” shUT UPPPP im literally blushing, AND he is also cute at the end?? i hate it heREEE :´)

he has a lot of cum - ( @euphoricfilter ) boyfriend!jk, the title I- , he DOES have a lot of cum, lots of stamina, lots of everYTHING, and on toP of those small details, wdym he wants to see how many times he can cum in you before it´s too full and it starts to spill????? somebody stop this man

riding jungkook´s nose - ( @euphoricfilter ) we´ve ALLL thought about this, and if you haven´t you´re lying, periodt. pRAISINGGG, he´s in a pussy-drunk frenezy, he likes feeling used, he likes getting his hair pulled, he likes getting his face wET, it´s sickenINGGGG goreaditplease

fucking in the gym - ( @euphoricfilter ) this was inspired by that one pic of him and jimin with their back out, I SEE THE VISION, fucking with ceiling mirrors

wicked - ( @noteguk ) smut, incubus!jk, big big corruption kink, lots of dirty ploting and dirty talk, yupppp this is a good one, so detailed, love me a fic that lit makes me see what i´m reading

[s4svnn]

First sexy time after oob!jk and aj reunited plsss

Control - Out of bounds drabbles

Summary: You hated to admit it but the existence of your boyfriend alone was enough to make you horny, so when he was so distracted with work that he wasn’t making any advances on you, there was only one way to get what you wanted - you needed to make him lose control.

Pairing: F1 racer Jungkook x reader (Aylah)

Genre: fluff, smut (18+)

Warnings/content tags: unprotected sex, rough sex, riding, back shots, orgasm denial, impregnation kink, sub + dom dynamic, degradation kink, oral (f+m receiving), spanking, mirror sex.

When Jungkook told me he was staying in London with me instead of going back to Canada, I was over the moon. And when he surprised me with a freaking penthouse and asked me to move in with him? I swear, I almost blacked out from excitement. More time together, more late-night cuddles, more waking up next to each other—it sounded perfect.

But then reality hit. And by reality, I mean Jungkook. Shirtless. All. The. Damn. Time.

It didn’t matter what time of day it was—morning, afternoon, middle of the night—he was allergic to fabric from the waist up. Just abs, tattoos, and sweatpants slung dangerously low on his hips. And to make matters worse, he wasn’t even doing it on purpose. No teasing, no smug looks. Just existing in all his ridiculously sculpted glory like it wasn’t the most unfair thing to ever happen to me.

At first, I tried to be normal about it. “It’s fine,” I told myself. “You’ve seen him shirtless before.”

Yeah, but I hadn’t lived with it. Hadn’t been ambushed by the sight of him casually sipping his morning coffee with messy bed hair, tattoos flexing as he stretched. Hadn’t walked into the living room only to find him doing push-ups because apparently, that’s what he does when he’s bored.

And to top it all off? The man was busy. So busy training for his upcoming matches that he barely had time for me. It wasn’t that he ignored me—no, he still kissed me, still pulled me onto his lap during movie nights, still curled around me in bed like I was his favorite thing in the world. But when it came to, uh, other activities? Yeah. That wasn’t happening.

At first, I was patient. I told myself he was just tired. But as the days passed, my suffering increased. My boyfriend was the human embodiment of temptation, parading around half-naked while I was practically feral. And he had no clue. None.

I was nearing my breaking point.

So, when I walked into the bedroom one night and found Jungkook standing there, fresh out of the shower, damp hair falling into his eyes, abs glistening under the warm lights… I knew I wasn’t making it out of this alive.

“Babe?” he said, tilting his head when he saw me frozen in the doorway. “You good?”

No. No, I was not good.

And if he didn’t do something about it soon, I was going to lose my mind.

I swallowed hard, forcing a smile onto my face. “Yeah, I’m good. I’m just gonna… take a shower.”

Jungkook nodded, running a towel through his hair, completely unaware of the absolute war raging inside of me. “Okay,” he said casually, turning back toward the dresser like he wasn’t the reason my entire body felt like it was overheating.

I spun on my heel and practically fled into the bathroom, locking the door behind me as if that flimsy piece of wood could somehow protect me from my own thoughts.

The moment the water hit my skin, I let out a deep breath, trying to relax. Trying to wash away the tension. This is fine. This is nothing. You just need to cool down. Literally.

But the second I closed my eyes, he was there. The way he’d been standing in the bedroom just now—fresh from the shower, hair damp, muscles flexing with every little movement. His tattoos, dark and intricate, wrapping around his arms, his shoulders, his chest. The way the water had still clung to his skin, little droplets running down his abs—

Oh, for fuck’s sake.

I squeezed my eyes shut tighter, my fingers twitching at my sides. Maybe… maybe I could just—

I exhaled slowly, letting my hand drift lower, the warm water making everything feel softer, more intense. I tried to focus, to chase the feeling, but it was useless. No matter what I did, my mind kept circling back to him. To Jungkook. To the man standing just outside this door, completely unaware of what he was doing to me.

Frustration curled in my stomach, making my movements frantic, desperate—until suddenly, I knew. It wasn’t going to work.

Nothing was going to work.

Not without him.

With a frustrated groan, I slammed my hand against the shower wall, resting my forehead against the cool tile as I tried to steady my breathing.

This was officially the worst.

Because now, not only was I still aching, but I also had to walk back out there and act like I hadn’t just attempted—and failed—to relieve myself while thinking about my own boyfriend.

Kill me. Just kill me now.

Taking a deep breath, I shut off the water and grabbed my towel, already dreading the moment I had to face him again.

I stared at my reflection in the bathroom mirror, my skin still flushed from the shower, my eyes dark with frustration. This wasn’t working. I needed a new strategy.

And suddenly, an idea hit me.

A very reckless idea.

Normally, I’d bring my clothes into the bathroom and change in here, avoiding any unnecessary… distractions. But tonight? Tonight, I didn’t care. No, actually—I was counting on it.

I grabbed my black lace two-piece set—the one I knew Jungkook loved—and slipped it on, adjusting the delicate fabric until it sat just right. Then, I reached for my cocoa-scented body oil, pouring a generous amount into my palms before smoothing it over my skin, starting from my legs and working my way up.

My hands glided over my thighs, my stomach, my arms—every inch of me gleaming under the bathroom lights, the sweet scent wrapping around me like a second skin. By the time I was done, I looked dangerous. And I felt it too.

The towel I’d wrapped around myself earlier? Straight into the laundry basket. No backup plan, no safety net—just me, my frustration, and the sheer audacity to walk back into that bedroom like this.

I took a deep breath, squared my shoulders, and pushed open the door.

Jungkook was sitting on the edge of the bed, scrolling through his phone, completely oblivious to the storm that was about to hit him. His damp hair fell messily over his forehead, his jawline sharp under the glow of the bedside lamp. He still hadn’t put a shirt on—because of course he hadn’t. Just sweatpants, hanging low, exposing the sharp V-line that was already my weakness.

He didn’t even look up at first. But then, as I stepped fully into the room, his thumb froze mid-scroll.

And then he looked up.

I watched as his gaze trailed over me, slowly, deliberately. From my bare legs to my oiled-up skin, to the black lace hugging my curves perfectly. His jaw tightened, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallowed hard.

I smirked. Got him.

The air was thick—whether from the heat of my shower or the shift in energy between us, I wasn’t sure. But I could feel it. The weight of his gaze pressing into me, the way his movements seemed to slow, like he wasn’t sure whether to speak or stay silent.

Good. Let him wonder.

I made a show of walking over to my dresser, pulling open a drawer with practiced ease, pretending to search for something important. In reality, I didn’t need anything. I just wanted to make him wait whilst I was bent over giving him a full view of my backside.

Because if there was one thing Jungkook hated, it was being teased.

Still, I said nothing. Just took my time, moving with slow, deliberate care as I picked up my hairbrush and dragged it through my damp strands, the rhythmic strokes filling the tense silence. I could feel him watching me, I could almost hear the way his jaw clenched, his patience wearing thin.

I fought the smirk threatening to curl at the corner of my lips.

"You're really gonna act like I’m not here?" His voice finally cut through the silence, low and edged with something between amusement and irritation.

I blinked, finally pausing my movements, as if I’d only just realized there was another person in the room. Slowly, I turned my head in his direction, my expression blank, eyebrows slightly raised in feigned confusion.

"Hm?" I murmured, tilting my head.

Jungkook leaned back against the bed frame, arms crossed over his chest, eyes locked on me with an intensity that would have made anyone else squirm. But not me. Not tonight.

"I said—" He exhaled sharply, licking his lips as if trying to keep his cool. "You’re really gonna act like I’m not here?"

I frowned slightly, as if deep in thought, then looked around the room as if searching for something. Then, with the most convincingly oblivious expression I could muster, I turned back to him.

"Oh… were you talking to me?" I asked innocently, blinking up at him.

The muscle in his jaw twitched.

"Don't do that," he warned, his voice lower now, more controlled.

I shrugged, returning my focus to my hands as I massaged the last of my lotion into my skin. "Do what?"

I could tell he was biting back his frustration, but that only made my game more fun. I reached for my phone on the nightstand, casually scrolling as if he truly wasn't worth my attention. The air between us was practically crackling now, thick with a tension neither of us would acknowledge—yet.

But I knew Jungkook. And I knew he wasn’t the type to be ignored.

He wouldn’t just sit there and take it.

And that was exactly what I was counting on.

Jungkook was silent for a beat, but I could feel it—the shift in his energy, the way his patience was thinning by the second.

I scrolled idly through my phone, tapping at the screen as if completely engrossed, while in my peripheral vision, I saw him shift his position, one hand running through his dark hair. A habit of his when he was trying—and failing—to keep his composure.

He exhaled, slow and measured. "Alright, bet."

I didn’t react. Didn’t look up. Just kept pretending he wasn’t there, despite the way I could feel the weight of his stare burning into me.

Then, before I could even process his next move, my phone was snatched clean out of my hands.

"What the—" My head snapped up, eyes narrowing as Jungkook leaned back against the bed, holding my phone above his head like it was nothing.

"So now you see me, huh?" His voice was smug, his lips curling into a lazy smirk as he spun my phone between his fingers. "Thought I was invisible a second ago."

I folded my arms, leveling him with an unimpressed stare. "Give it back."

He raised an eyebrow. "Make me."

Oh, so that’s how he wanted to play?

I let out a slow breath, tilting my head as I considered my next move. Then, with zero hesitation, I crawled onto the bed, reaching for my phone. But Jungkook, being Jungkook, was already one step ahead, shifting just out of my reach, his smirk deepening.

"Try harder," he challenged.

My frustration flared, but I kept my expression neutral, deciding I wasn’t going to play his game—I was going to flip it.

So instead of lunging for my phone again, I sat back on my heels, brushing a stray strand of hair over my shoulder, acting completely unbothered.

"Fine," I said coolly. "Keep it."

That caught him off guard. His smirk faltered for half a second, his grip on my phone loosening slightly. "What?"

I shrugged. "You clearly need it more than I do. Enjoy whatever you find there." I dragged my gaze over him slowly before turning away, sliding off the bed with a nonchalant grace that I knew would get under his skin.

Jungkook didn’t move at first. He just stood there, watching me, his tongue swiping over his bottom lip like he was debating his next move. But the look in his eyes told me he’d already made up his mind.

And then, just as I was about to turn away, he grabbed me.

One strong hand wrapped around my wrist, the other settling on my waist as he turned me around, backing me up until my legs hit the edge of the bed. My breath hitched, but I refused to show any reaction. I just stared up at him, my chin high, daring him to do something.

Jungkook let out a slow exhale, his grip firm but not rough. His eyes roamed over me, taking in every inch, like he was deciding exactly how he wanted this to go.

Then, his voice dropped—low, steady, completely in control.

"Get on the bed."

I blinked, heat prickling up my spine at the way he said it. Not a question. Not a suggestion. A command.

I tilted my head, feigning innocence. "Excuse me?"

Jungkook’s jaw ticked, and in response, he leaned in, his hand sliding from my wrist to my hip, squeezing lightly. "You heard me," he murmured, his breath warm against my skin. "Get on the bed."

A slow, deliberate silence settled between us.

I could have fought him on it. Could have tested him a little more, dragged this out just to make him work for it.

But something about the way he said it—the way his voice dipped, the way his grip tightened just enough to remind me that he wasn’t playing anymore—made me decide against it.

Without breaking eye contact, I stepped back, the backs of my knees pressing into the mattress.

Then, still moving slowly, I climbed onto the bed.

Jungkook watched me the entire time, his tongue running along the inside of his cheek, like he was pleased. Like he had been expecting me to obey.

I sat back on my hands, one leg bent, the other stretched out, watching him carefully. "Happy now?"

Jungkook let out a quiet chuckle, his fingers flexing at his sides. "Not yet."

Then he took a step closer.

And just like that, the game had changed.

Jungkook’s smirk didn’t fade as he hovered over me, his bare chest inches from mine, heat radiating between us. His hands skimmed my thighs, firm but slow, his touch setting fire to my skin.

"See?" he murmured, his lips so close to mine I could feel his breath. "I knew you couldn’t lie to me."

I refused to give him the satisfaction of a response, but my body betrayed me—my breathing uneven, my pulse racing beneath his touch.

He noticed. Of course, he did.

His fingers traced higher, his thumbs pressing into my hips as he pulled me closer, our bodies flush against each other now. My breath hitched at the feeling of his skin against mine, the warmth, the tension so thick it was almost unbearable.

Jungkook tilted his head, his lips barely grazing my jaw, trailing down—slow, deliberate, teasing.

"You act tough," he murmured, his voice low, rough. "But the second I touch you…"

His hands slid up my waist, fingertips ghosting over my ribcage, and I had to fight the urge to arch into him.

"You go back to being a slut for me," he finished, his lips brushing the sensitive spot just beneath my ear.

A quiet gasp escaped me before I could stop it.

Jungkook smirked.

"That’s what I thought," he murmured against my skin.

I exhaled, fighting to stay composed, but it was becoming increasingly difficult as his touch traveled, inch by inch, making me burn for more without a single word spoken.

“You’ve got this way of acting like you’re in control," Jungkook murmured, leaning in, his lips brushing against my ear. "But I know better."

I barely held it together, my body reacting instinctively, but I refused to give him the satisfaction of seeing me unravel.

He pulled back just enough to look at me, his gaze searing. “So don’t worry,” he added with a hint of mischief in his voice. “I’ll make sure you feel it.”

If you had told me an hour ago that I’d be at Jungkook’s mercy, I wouldn’t have believed you for a second. The version of me standing in the bathroom, all glazed up, thought she was going to have complete control over her boyfriend. But now, looking at the present situation, I can see just how delusional I was..

I was now sitting on the floor, my legs tucked underneath me, feeling a rush of vulnerability as Jungkook stood over me. The weight of his presence was overwhelming, his figure towering as he looked down at me with an intensity that sent shivers through my body. His fingers tangled in my hair, tugging gently at first before pulling me closer, his grip firm and possessive. With a deliberate, slow movement, he guided my mouth, making sure every inch of his length was covered as he moved me back and forth. The control he held over me was undeniable, each motion timed perfectly, leaving me breathless and at his mercy. I could feel the heat radiating from him, and despite the haze in my mind, I couldn’t deny how thoroughly he had taken charge of the moment.

"Good girl," he breathed, his voice low and thick with desire. As his pace quickened, his hands gripped me tighter, urging me on. "You take me so well," he continued, the words dripping with approval. The rhythm between us grew more frantic, and he could feel every subtle movement I made in perfect sync with him. I gagged as he continued his relentless pace, shoving me forward as he pushed his hips further into my mouth with more force, tightening his grip on my hair to keep me in place as he used me to chase his own high.

Once he released himself into my mouth, he tilted my head back, his eyes locking onto mine with a cold, unwavering stare. 'Swallow it,' he demanded, his voice leaving no room for hesitation. I paused, staring back at him, my lips curling into a mischievous grin, as if daring him to push further. Then without warning, his hand shot out, tightening around my neck, pulling me in so close I could feel his breath on my skin. His gaze burned into mine as he growled, his voice low and full of authority, 'Swallow it, Aylah. I won’t repeat myself.”

With no more hesitation, I swallowed, feeling the pressure of his gaze intensify. His grip remained firm on my neck, his eyes never leaving mine as I processed the sharp command hanging in the air between us. The taste lingered on my tongue, and I could feel the weight of the moment, each second feeling like a challenge he was daring me to meet. Then without warning, he gripped me tightly, lifting me effortlessly off the ground and tossing me onto his shoulders. My body was suspended for a moment, disoriented, before my legs instinctively wrapped around his neck. The shift in position was swift and commanding, my hands instinctively grabbing onto his hair to steady myself as my heat came in direct contact with his face.

For a brief moment, he stood there, silent and still, as if waiting for something. Then, slowly, he began to exhale warm breaths directly into my core, each one caressing my skin with a heat that seemed to grow more intense with every passing second. The soft, steady warmth made my body react instinctively, heat pooling in places I hadn’t expected as I arched into his touch.  I could feel the subtle curve of his lips as he smiled against me, a smile that was tinged with satisfaction, clearly pleased by my response. After a brief pause, his voice dropped to a low, almost dangerous tone. “You don’t deserve this,” he murmured, each word deliberate and heavy with meaning, “after the stunt you pulled.” There was a pause, just long enough to make my heart race, before he continued, his voice darker and laced with authority, “But you’re lucky I’m patient, I’ll leave your punishment to later.”

Before I could fully process the weight of his words, I felt the fabric of my thong shift as his hand moved with precision, pushing it aside to expose my wetness to him. The air around me seemed to still for a moment, every inch of my body acutely aware of the shift in the atmosphere, as his tongue moved slowly and deliberately in a long, lingering stripe across my core. I found myself momentarily frozen, a mix of surprise and anticipation rushing through me, my breath catching in my throat. Yet, despite the effect his touch had on me, he continued without hesitation, completely unfazed by the way my body reacted. He dipped in further, his movements growing more urgent as he devoured me with an intensity that felt almost desperate. It was as though he'd been starved for so long, his actions frantic, as if he feared that at any second I might slip away and he'd never have this again. 

He paused momentarily, his lips brushing lightly against the skin of my thigh as he pulled back just enough to catch his breath. His eyes, heavy with satisfaction, met mine, a smirk playing at the corner of his mouth. “You taste so fucking good,” he said, his voice low and rich with appreciation, as if every taste was a revelation. He then shifted his stance, harshly throwing my back against the wall, as he forced his face further in between my legs, gripping my thighs with increased pressure. His hands strong and assertive pulled me closer, guiding my movements with a firm control, I couldn’t help but release a soft, breathless moan caught in the intensity of the moment. But before I could completely ride out my high he pulled away dropping me onto the bed without hesitation. 

I let out a soft whine, my breath shaky as I propped myself up on my arms, struggling to steady myself. My voice was a mix of confusion and frustration as I looked at him. “What gives? I thought you said I was off the hook.” My words hung in the air, a little pleading, but more curious, as I tried to make sense of the shift in his demeanor." He smirked at me, his eyes glinting with that familiar, teasing intensity. “I didn’t say you were off the hook, I said I’d leave your punishment to later” he replied, his tone playful yet firm, as if reminding me that the game was far from over.

I glared at him, my eyes narrowing as my body stiffened in defiance. I refused to give in easily, the challenge burning within me. But as I met his gaze, I saw the determination in his eyes—unwavering, unmoving—and I knew that resistance was futile. With a reluctant, heavy sigh, I began to turn agonizingly slow before his hands reached out grabbing my thighs to hoist my ass up and against him, as he pushed my head down to lay flat on the bed. Suddenly, his hand shot out again and gripped my hair, yanking my head back with a sharp pull that jolted my neck. His face was inches from mine, close enough that I could feel the heat of his breath. His voice was low, filled with an edge of frustration. “Stop acting like a little bitch, and do what I say,” he growled, his words carrying a weight that was impossible to ignore. 

I pushed my ass into him, desperately trying to gain some form of touch, but his grip tightened, holding me in place. A smirk spread across his face, his eyes glinting with amusement as he stared at the evident stain my wetness left on his sweatpants. “Treating you like a slut turns you on, noted.” Before I could even get the words out to tell him to hurry up, his hand came down with surprising force, the sound of it cutting through the air with a loud, stinging crack that resonated between us as I jolted forward. The impact sent a shockwave through my body, the sharp sting on my ass lingering long after the sound faded, leaving the tension in the air thick and almost palpable as I moaned out at the sensation.

At my lack of response another sharp slap landed on my ass, this one even harder than the first, leaving an imprint of his hand on me. He started massaging the spot where his hand had landed, the pressure of his fingers working into my skin, as he dropped his fingers in between my legs dragging them up and down my folds to collect my slick before dipping his fingers into his mouth, “You’re so responsive.” I let out a soft whine, feeling my patience wear thin at his actions. “Jungkook, please,” I said, my voice laced with a hint of desperation. He leaned down closer, a playful smile tugging at his lips as his body laid flat against my back, his abs digging into my behind, “Please what, my love?” he teased.

I spoke again, my tone dropping slightly “Fuck me.” He paused for a moment, leaning in closer as if listening intently, only to tilt his head and raise an eyebrow, acting completely oblivious to what I had just said. “Hmm?” He leaned in even further, a playful smile curling at the corners of his lips. “I didn’t quite catch that.” he teased, his tone light. “Could you speak a little louder, my love?” His eyes twinkled with mischief, and I could tell he was enjoying the moment far more than I was. Then with newfound confidence I spoke more angrily “hurry up and fuck me you prick,” but unfortunately he didn’t react in the way I expected, instead he pulled me backwards by my neck, his pants long gone as he forced me down onto his length pulling me to sit flat on his lap, his legs in between mine as the sudden intrusion caused me to cry out. “Talk to me like that again you bitch, I dare you.” he spoke lowly, his anger radiating off him.

I let out sharp breaths trying to adjust to the feeling but Jungkook didn't allow me to do so, instead he grabbed my hips harshly pushing me up and down against him, bringing his mouth to ear before whispering “you wanted to be impatient, so this is on you.” My breathing quickened as his pace became more relentless, the sound of skin slapping against eachother filled the quietness of the room, as he thrusted into me whilst dragging my hips down to meet his brutal actions. The intensity of it all led to me inadvertently clenching around his length, causing him to push me down so that I was layed flat against the bed as he took me from behind, watching my ass clap as he pushed harshly into me. I moaned out at the sensation urging him to carry on as he grabbed onto the skin of my ass dragging me backwards, his nails dinging into my skin as he spoke clearly amused by my reaction “You like that, you like being a slut for me?”

“Y-yes go h-harder, fuck.” At that, he smirked, a mischievous glint flashing in his eyes. Without a word, he stopped moving, his hands gripping my waist with firm control. In one smooth motion, he turned me on the bed to face the floor-to-ceiling mirror that reflected both of us. I found myself suddenly face-to-face with my own dishevlled reflection, yet my gaze remained locked with his through the mirror. He stood proudly behind me, his presence commanding, a contrast to the vulnerability that seemed to radiate from me as I was bent down before him for him to as he pleased with me.

He leaned in slightly, his voice low and deliberate, the words piercing the silence. “You see that?” His voice was calm, yet there was an edge to it that made my heart race. “I’m in control, don’t ever get that twisted.” His eyes burned with a quiet authority as he spoke, making sure every word sank in, before he continued his relentless pace forcing my head up to watch him through the mirror. His hand gripped the back of my neck tightly urging me to watch as he used me for his own pleasure, leaving marks all over my body as he claimed me entirely with his actions. “I want you to watch,” he said, his words carrying weight as he subtly emphasized the command. His eyes stayed fixed on me through the reflection, never wavering, as if reminding me to stay present in the moment, fully aware of everything happening between us, “You’re mine you understand.”

“Y-yes—” I cried out overwhelmed by the feeling of his length pounding into me as I felt myself nearing my release. I watched as his expression shifted, the corners of his mouth curving into a satisfied smile. The change was subtle, but unmistakable—he seemed pleased, the tension in his features easing as he spoke clearly content with my response, “good girl, now take me like the slut you are, take all of me.” I cried out again as I felt him release inside of me, his pace not faltering even in the slightest as he sped up throwing me into a state of overstimulation, his voice looming over the sounds of my moans, “You’d look so good carrying my child, fuck, imagine that.” His voice only edged me further as I clenched around him cumming for what felt like the hundreth time as he filled my mind with more impure thoughts, “Shit, you like that don’t you, the idea of being filled with my cum, have me put a kid inside you.”

I gasped at the seriousness of his words, my mind turning off as I welcomed the idea of bearing his child, completely possessed by his alluring tone. Then with a few last thrusts his movements came to a halt as he laid down against my behind, his length still inside me as he kissed up my back, "I love you. I love you so fucking much," he murmured, his voice thick with emotion. The words hit me like a rush, and without thinking, I turned my neck slightly to face him, my breath catching. "I love you too, babe," I whispered in return, the sincerity of my words clear. Then, without hesitation, I kissed him, matching the raw intensity of his previous actions, our connection deepening with every second. I pulled away slightly, resting my forehead against his, letting the moment stretch out just a bit longer. A smirk tugged at the corners of my lips as I gazed up at him, teasing, "So, impregnation kink?"

He blinked, a sudden flush creeping up his neck, and quickly turned his face away, trying to hide the red on his cheeks. "Shut up," he muttered, clearly embarrassed. I raised an eyebrow, amused, then leaned in just enough to catch his eyes. "To be fair, I'd be lying if I said I was opposed to the idea." The blush deepened, his face turning even more red, as he stumbled for words. "W-what?" he stuttered, his voice betraying his unease. I smirked, feeling the teasing spark between us. "But you're going to have to put a ring on me first, Jeon," I said, my words playful but laced with absolute seriousness.

At that, he broke into a wide grin, his face still flushed. He kissed me all over, his lips soft and insistent, a promise in each touch. "I will, I will I promise," he whispered, his voice filled with warmth and sincerity, as his hands gently cradled my face as he kissed me again. “I love you.”

[2hightocare]

APOCALYPSE!

“I could go a fair bit crazy over you.”

Synopsis: In which your boyfriend loves doing corny things with you… he also loves doing you.

Genre: established relationship.

Pairings: boyfriend!jungkook x fem!reader

warnings: smut.. car sex, unprotected sex (wrap it up bro) creampie, praise, size kink, belly bulge, cussing, fluff at beginning and end, banter between couple, oral, overstimulation, squirting, making out, reader crying out of pleasure, choking, spanking, dirty talking, reader fucked ‘dumb’, mentions of ot7, they’re so corny it’s sickening.

author note 🗒️: wrote majority of this shit being faded as fuck so forgive me if it’s ass and ignore the mistakes (I’ll get to them eventually) js wanted to thank everyone for 3k🤍… writers block has been an thing these pasts months so sorry that I haven’t posted anything new. Here’s more of kuwtb oc and jk dating era 🤍

“I should’ve brought my glasses,” you whisper, a loud laugh ripping out of Jungkook's chest. “I can’t see anything, baby.” You turn to your side before swatting him on the chest— a pout displayed on your face, before going back to your original position, looking up at the dark milky way.

“We were having a cute moment, and you just blurt that out,” your boyfriend quips, his eyes focused on your side profile. A small smile tugs on his lips as he sees you scrunch up your nose, shaking your head slightly.

“You’re so right, we are so corny.” You playfully stick your tongue out with a small “yuck,” before bursting into a giggle when Jungkook tickles your side.

“‘Can we lay on the grass and look at the stars?’” Jungkook mocks your voice, changing his tone into a much more high-pitched version to match yours.

“Stop! I wanted to have a moment like Noah and Allie,” you puff, a smile threatening to come out.

“Baby, you know they look at the traffic lights and not the stars, right?” Jungkook raises an eyebrow at you.

“Of course I know, but I feel like we would actually get run over. Plus, I like you too much to just let you get run over.” You shrug, your fingers pulling on the grass on the floor. Your eyes connect to the sky as Jungkook stares at your side profile— taking in every imperfection and turning it into another reason why he loves you.

“Like?” he asks, his thumb running over your bottom lip before tilting your head to the side by your chin, making you look at him.

Your heartbeat skyrockets as he stares into your eyes, the twinkle in them prettier than the stars you were just trying to see. Your stomach lights up as if millions of fireworks exploded in heart-shaped sparkles.

“Love.” You correct yourself, rolling your eyes playfully.

“That’s better.” Jungkook clicks his tongue, pursing his lips out. You let out a giggle, dropping a small chaste kiss on his lips before turning back to the sky with a goofy smile on your face.

“You believe in aliens?” you ask, cracking a smile from Jungkook's face— his dimple carving into his skin as he bites his bottom lip, trying to contain the biggest smile.

“Fuck yeah.” Jungkook nods excitedly.

“We are literally a rock when it comes to the whole universe. There’s gotta be something out there.” Jungkook explains, expanding his arms and pointing to the sky, as you nod happily beside him.

“I agree, my mom said she saw one of those spaceships or whatever they’re called,” you pipe in, turning to your side to face your boyfriend.

“You mean a UFO, baby?” Jungkook's face scrunches in adoration.

“UFO?” You raise an eyebrow.

“Unidentified flying object,” he explains, scooting closer to you— dropping his head to your bare stomach.

“I like spaceships better.” You shrug, and he laughs, adjusting himself slightly. Your fingers find their way into his fluffy hair, combing through it. He moans slightly, melting into your touch, closing his eyes, and dropping a gentle kiss on your abdomen.

“What would you do if an alien kidnapped you?” Jungkook asks, his voice muffled.

“Funny for you to think I would allow it,” you say nonchalantly.

You both could hear a hairpin drop from how quiet you both went before breaking out into a fit of laughter. “Smartass.” Jungkook laughs, jokingly biting your stomach and earning a small squeal from you.

Your laughs die down after a while, replaced by silence, the only sounds being your guys breathing. Your eyes flutter shut with a smile, small goosebumps raising on your arms as Jungkook runs his fingertips on your belly— outlining ‘mine’.

“Tell me about your books,” Jungkook murmurs against your bare skin.

“Wanna know about my current read?” you ask, your fingers tugging softly on his hair, making him look up at you.

“I wanna know everything about you, baby,” Jungkook coos.

“Corny.” You scrunch your nose, placing a palm over his face and pushing softly backward, making him laugh. “Tell me about the thick-ass book I bought you two days ago.” Your boyfriend drops kisses all over your stomach.

“The dragon one?” you poke his cheek, before letting your finger play with his lip ring.

“There’s dragons?” Jungkook gasps, looking up at you.

“Yeah, and they have sex,” you say with a smothering giggle, whispering the last words in a hushed tone, making Jungkook's eyes widen.

“That’s enough, baby.” Your boyfriend raises an eyebrow before shaking his head, changing the topic to the latest drama, including Eunbi and Yoongi.

“Lora and I saw them coming out of the guest room while you were doing cartwheels with Taehyung,” Jungkook chuckles, the amusement on his face rubbing off on you.

“You’re lying,” you gasp, your jaw dropping open.

“I honestly didn’t see it coming.” Jungkook bites his lip, containing a smile. “Do you think Yoongi is the sub?” he continues before bursting out in a laugh, you following along.

"It's going to rain," you observe after a while, noticing a lightning strike in the dark sky. Jungkook hums in agreement before sitting up. He holds out his palm for you to take, which you do, and pulls you up onto his lap in a quick, soft motion.

You immediately wrap your arms around his neck, adjusting on his lap and straddling him. His thumbs rub circles on your bare thighs.

"I want another tattoo," Jungkook murmurs, his lips pressing kisses along your collarbone and neck. You nod slightly, enjoying the sensation of his lips against your skin.

"Where?" you ask, holding his head in place with your palms. He bites his bottom lip, looking up at you with dilated pupils.

"My forehead, and it'll be your name," Jungkook says with a grin, making you roll your eyes playfully.

"You're annoying," you retort, pushing his head backwards, making him gasp dramatically.

"I think it'll look good, you know? Just got to pick a cool font," Jungkook jokes, poking your side, sending you squirming on his lap.

"You're never ever getting my name tattooed on you," you shoot him a glare, which he only responds to by sucking in his lips and widening his eyes before shrugging.

"I think your lips tattooed on my hip bone would be hot," Jungkook wiggles his eyebrows.

"You're crazy," you pout, scrunching your nose as he gives your cheek a kiss.

"Yeah?" Your boyfriend smirks, his hands gripping the sides of your waist, squeezing softly, pulling you closer to him.

"I could go a fair bit crazy over you, baby." His lips brush against yours.

Suddenly, the air is knocked out of your lungs when his lips crash against yours. It doesn't matter how many times he has kissed you; you just can't control the utter madness of butterflies swarming your stomach. The fuzzy feeling fills your senses with every touch of his fingertips on your hot skin. The warmth of his touch, the softness of his lips against yours, all conspire to make your heart flutter with the same giddy excitement as the very first time.

His touch is electric, sending shivers cascading down your spine as his fingers trace the curve of your jaw, his hand gently cradling your face. With a tender yet insistent pressure, he deepens the kiss, his lips parting yours in a silent invitation.

You can feel the heat of his body pressed against yours as you move your hips against his. A soft moan slips past your lips into Jungkook's mouth as he guides your hips on his hardened length.

Jungkook's hand travels up, tangling in your hair, small, light rain drops start to fall down from the dark sky.

"Car?" he says in between kisses. You nod, moaning at the sensation of his lips on your collarbone, leaving purple, reddish marks.

You could never get tired of the way Jungkook looked at you, his eyes shimmery with a mix of love, need, and adoration. It was intoxicating, making you forget all your problems. The universe could have collapsed around you, and you would only care about his mouth on yours.

Everything about him was perfect, his scent, his touch, his voice, those beautiful lips, the way he looked at you, as if you were the only one that mattered in his world.

"Yes, car," you agree, breathy and disheveled.

In a swift motion, Jungkook stood and lifted you, carrying you to the car as you wrapped your legs around his waist. It wasn't until you reached the car that he broke the intense kiss, leaving your lips tingling with desire.

With a wicked grin, Jungkook, laid you on the backseat of his car. Jungkook’s fingers found the hem of your crop top, lifting it up, and you helped by throwing your hands over your head- revealing your lacy black bra.

A soft moan fell from your lips as he freed your breasts from the lace, by tugging downwards.

Your soft moans echoed within the car when your boyfriend cups your tits, massaging and kneading, your nipples hardening.

His lips found your jaw, kissing your neck— his eyes darted up to meet yours before his lips met the peak of your nipple, hot breath, then suckling gently, keeping his gaze locked before shifting his attention to the other breast.

Moaning, you bit your lip, head falling back from the sensation. Jungkook loved how responsive you are, the way your nails dig into his upper back.

“Fuck, you’re beautiful.” Jungkook moans, his calloused hands grip your waist in place to stop you from squirming on the leather seat.

He leaned in close, planting a trail of soft kisses along your neck and shoulders. “Mine.” Your boyfriend whispered into your skin.

You licked your lips, not able to find the words to say what you wanted, as all your thoughts were consumed by lust. Your back arched, encouraging the caresses he was giving. His hand grabbed the back of your head, pulling you closer. His lips met yours, deep and hungry, claiming your mouth as his. You let out a soft moan, your hands finding their way to his face.

“Spread your legs princess.” Jungkook says, his voice deep and gentle— he taps on your inner thigh.

You hum softly, watching your boyfriend work on the zipper and buttons from your denim shorts. Jungkook pulls down your shorts down your legs— your panties following quick after.

“Look how pretty this pussy is,” Jungkook chuckled, his eyes making contact with yours raising an eyebrow. He runs a finger down your slit making you choke out a desperate whine.

“Feels good baby?” He says, he adjusts himself— pushing your legs back, giving him more space to be face to face with your dripping core. You only moan in response when he drops a soft kiss on your clit.

You couldn’t help the whimpers that escaped your lips, He smiled against your heat, He licked his lips as he slowly parted your folds with his thumbs, revealing your glistening clit. He took it into his mouth, sucking and swirling his tongue around it. You let out a desperate moan, your hips bucking in desperation.

He started flicking his tongue against your clit, your eyes rolling to the back of your head. Your back arched, grinding your pussy against his tongue, feeling it flick deep inside your folds.

“Ngh, right there,” You dug your nails into his hair, your toes curling.

“Right here baby?” Jungkook smirked, inserting two fingers into your sopping hole. You couldn't help but moan and nod, as his fingers curled inside you, hitting your sweet spot perfectly.

“Ass up, princess.” he ordered. Without needing to be told twice, you did as you were told, with wobbly legs you flip around. He roughly grabbed one cheek, squeezing it and spreading you, giving him a view of your tight, puckered hole.

Jungkooks cock twitches in his pants as he watches your holes clench over nothing. “Feeling empty?” He chuckles, a rough hand makes contact with your ass with a hard smack— your back arches. You let out a loud squeal, pleasure and pain mixing together.

He lets out a low growl, his cock straining against his pants, Jungkook moans as he watches your wetness begin to drip down your thighs onto his seats.

“Actually, do you want to tell me about the dragons you were reading about?” Jungkook jokes behind you making you snap your head backwards with a glare.

“You’re annoying.” You pout, Jungkook eyes twinkle with amusement— he bites down on his bottom lip containing the smile that is threatening to spill out. “Annoying? I have you spread out in front of me baby… your pussy is literally dripping.” Jungkook tilts his head to the side cheekily.

Your boyfriend taps on your ass for you to turn around.

He didn’t have to tell you twice as you flip around, before reaching for the waistband of his sweatpants. You pull down on the waistband, alongside his boxers. His cock springs out, the head red and aching.

Jungkook watches you wrap your hand over his thick length, giving a slow pump causing him to blow out a sigh. Jungkook stops you before you connect your lips with his cock.

“As much as I want you to give me the head of my life, I fucking need to be inside your pretty pussy right now baby.” Jungkook rushes out, tugging on your loose hair backwards.

You pout at him. “Let me fuck you.” Jungkook whispers, the grip on your hair tighten pulling you upwards— his lips milliliters away from your face.

“Fuck me.” You whimper.

The moment the words left your mouth jungkook is picking you up and placing you on top of his lap. You’re leaning your back against Jungkook's chest, your legs spread open on each side of his big thighs. His arm is snaked around your waist pulling you closer into him.

“Cramps?” Jungkook whispers into your neck, “not yet.” You joke, he shakes his head with a small laugh before you wrap your hand around his cock aligning it to your entrance.

“Going to take my cock like a good girl?” He guided your hand, aligning it to your dripping entrance. He rubbed the tip of his cock against your pussy before pushing his cock inside you. You feel the familiar pressure as he slowly slid his length inside you, your pussy sucking him in.

“So big.. fuck.” You moan, your pussy clenching around him making him moan against your ear. “If you keep doing that I’m going to cum.” He chuckled.

You dipped down onto his cock, his cock hitting your cervix when you completely sat down on it. Your legs shake beside you, his hands fastly grip underneath your thighs.

“All up my belly.” You moan, arching your back against him.

The sight of his cock inside you, buried up to the hilt, made him moan. "You're so tight," he half-whispered, half-growled against the shell of your ear, the roughness of his voice only fueling the intense passion that already burned through your veins.

He wove his fingers into your hair, guiding your head with an almost possessive need as he tilted you to give him better access to your lips. Jungkook crashed his mouth against yours, his tongue invading, claiming. His eyes closed for a moment as he savored the sensation of your wet, tight pussy engulfing him completely.

He groaned as you lifted yourself, his cock popping out momentarily before sliding back in when you slammed down on it, your cervix meeting his tip with each movement. It was a merciless, primal form of pleasure, your wetness coating his length with every thrust.

His eyes remained locked on you as you got lost in the sensation of his thick length filling you up, throaty moans leaving your lips as you moved on top of him, grinding down onto his cock, your hips moving in a circular motion. Jungkook couldn't help the low growl that left his throat

He pulled you back up, forcing you to bounce on his rigid cock, watching as your full lips parted in an ecstatic moan. The sway of your hips in time with the motion of his cock sliding in and out of you was so fucking erotic it was almost a crime.

You gasped, leaning back just enough to give Jungkook better access to your exposed neck. His cock hitting your g-spot repeatedly which each bounce.

Jungkook's hips bucked up, meeting your bounces, desperate to get as deep as he could, to fill you up completely. The sensation was almost overpowering. A familiar heat was building inside you, a sweet ache that craved release.

Your eyes rolled back, waves of pleasure overwhelmed you.

His hips pumped faster, his cock buried deep inside you, stretching you in the most exquisite way. Jungkook took your lips in another deep, greedy kiss, muffling the sounds of your cries as you rocked your hips wildly, trying to take him as deep as you could, desperate to reach that peak that felt so tantalizingly close.

“I can’t.” You cry, "That's it, baby, feel every inch." He urged you on.

The thrusts grew rougher, deafening the world around you except for the sound of your moans, his grunts, the soft squelching of your bodies coming together and the rain pouring outside.

The pressure built and built, coiling tighter and tighter until you could no longer contain it. Your entire body trembled as you came undone, shattering the quiet of the car with a lustful cry. Your pussy clamped down around Jungkook's cock,

"Cum for me, baby," he whispered, his voice hoarse with lust.

You let out a loud whine as his cock slipped out of you. Your body continued to rock back and forth, the ache of denial from not having his cock buried inside you being too much to bear. You glanced down between your legs, flushed when you noticed the stickiness that coated your inner thighs.

Jungkook picked up your trembling body and placed your back onto the leather seat. “Gon’ fuck you missionary so I can see your pretty face when I fill you up with my cum.” Your boyfriend growls.

Jungkook wasted no time, returning home, his cock sliding inside you once more as you let out a needy moan.

His thrusts were relentless, deep, and hard, driving himself into you. The way your pussy immediately clenched around him, took him in so greedily, made him groan, his eyes locked on yours.

A hand wrapped around your throat, squeezing just enough to keep you eager for air. “H-harder,” you pant, your voice growing hoarse as his grip tightened.

The car rocked beneath the force of his thrusts, the sounds of wet slaps echoed, mixed with your cries of pleasure, your head tossing back, your eyes rolling back at the ferocity of his thrusts, the sensations building once more, the climax burning beneath your skin.

"Harder...fuck, harder," you cried out, your voice high-pitched and desperate. Jungkook chuckled, releasing his hold on your throat, you gasp as you inhale deeply for air.

Jungkook fingers find their way to your clit once more, his thumb rubbing it in circles while he continues to thrust into your soaked cunt.

The mix of the insistent pressure on your clit and the rough thrusts was too much, a wave of pure pleasure crashing over you, your pussy gripping his cock, your body pulsing around him. Jungkook pulled out, watching with a devilish grin as your pussy squirted all over the two of you.

Jungkook slapped his cock on your swollen clit— watching your pussy spasm with spurts of juices, before pushing his cock back into you.

The sensation of being filled once more, the echo of your screams, bouncing off the car roof, and the overwhelming orgasm had left you lightheaded. You clung to Jungkook, panting, drool sliding down your chin.

"Fuck, you're so wet for me..." He groaned in pleasure, the sensation of your slick walls gripping him, almost drowning him.

"You... fuck me so good, baby," you panted, the words slurred, your voice bordering on sounding completely fucked-dumb. Your body shuddering, your pussy spasming around his cock, your orgasm brewing fast. Jungkook's hips sped up, his cock pulsing inside you.

Suddenly, your back arched, your vision filled with a white haze as another orgasm crashed over you. The delicious agony coursed through your body, your pussy clenching down on his cock, Jungkook grunted, feeling you contract around him, the sensation sending him over the edge. His cock pumped inside you, the warmth of his seed filling you up completely. He moaned against your neck, his heart pounding, lost in the sensation of having you completely wrapped around him

"Fuck, baby," he groaned, his jaw clenching, his eyes closed as he rode out the intense wave of ecstasy. His breath hitched, his hips jerking, before he collapsed against you, his cock still throbbing inside you, spent.

Your body continued to tremble, the aftershocks of the powerful climax lingering. Your heart raced, your breaths coming in ragged pants, sweat beading on your forehead.

With a low growl, Jungkook slowly pulled out of you leaving you feeling impossibly empty. The slick sound of his withdrawal accompanied by a heated chuckle of his.

Jungkook looked down, the sight of your pussy dripping with his cum— your wet pussy gaping, waiting for him to fill you once again.

Jungkook watched, captivated by the scene, as you reached down to collect his cum, watching as you pushed it back inside.

“Fuck.. that was hot.” Jungkook groaned, his lips landed on your face, trails of wet kisses from your forehead, down to your nose, your cheeks, and finally landing on your lips. The storm outside, the rain and thunder providing the soundtrack to your post-coital bliss.

Your limp, spent body sprawled over his car seats, your heart still racing, your breaths coming in shallow pants. You gazed up at him, the sweat on his forehead, the flush on his cheeks, the lust still in his eyes, his breathing heavy. A hand cupped your cheek, his fingers gently stroking your jawline as his lips moved against yours in a tender kiss.

Jungkook traced his fingers along your jawline, pushing a lock of hair behind your ear.

"You good, baby?" He asked, the tenderness in his voice, an unexpected warmth to the intensity of what had just happened.

Your eyes fluttered open, looking up at him and giving a slow, lazy smile. "Yeah, just a bit sore," you responded, blatantly referring to the aching between your legs.

"You're cute, baby," Jungkook whispered into your lips, the simple remark warming you, leaving your heart fluttering. You hummed in content.

The two of you lay there, naked, your skin still glistening from sweat, the weight of the storm outside more comforting than daunting. Your breaths slowly returning to normal.

A beat of silence permeated the car until Jungkook finally broke it, his voice brimming with mirth. "So... do you think we fucked better than the dragons from your book?"

[youneedanaceinahole]

This is just such a sweet story!!! My heart... :(

stars behind waves | jjk (m)

Summary: With a decade’s distance between Jungkook and you, your paths cross on the same island you deemed your second home years ago. And you realise once again – the ocean can never compare to the twinkle in his starry eyes.

➳ pairing: Jungkook x reader ➳ rating: 18+ ➳ genre: estranged best friends to lovers, vacation/beach!au; angst, fluff, smut ➳ warnings: so so much yearning and pining, gentle fuckboy jk cos i’ve no control over myself, a bit of jealousy, the first kiss, arguments/fighting, unresolved issues, heartbreak, angry confessions; explicit sexual content: making out, asking for permission, dom & big dick jk, handjob in the shower, oral (m. & f. receiving), some clit slapping, some biting, squirting, jk loves her tits… and her ass even more, fingering, protected sex, soft and rough sex, body worship !!, jk is SUCHHH a goner, he comes on her ass, aftercare, praises; so many emotions; lmk if i forgot smth! ➳ wc: 22.7k ➳ a/n: here we gooo !! @missgeniality​​ & @voiceswithoutlips​​ my angel betas, as usual, i’d be lost without you 😔  i’m really happy with how this one came out, so i hope you guys enjoy it as much as i did writing it !! as always, don’t forget to drop a message in my inbox – it makes my day <33 ➳ yaila’s beach art 💙 

➳ listen to the SBW playlist for the full experience 💙  

TAGLIST | MASTERLIST | WIPs 

There is a long lost beach somewhere at the end of the world.

It belongs to a blooming, floating island, pleasant and hot. Wildlife chirps hidden behind trees, calm and welcoming. There are waterfalls that must be somewhere in the middle of the island – you’re not quite certain anymore, since your memory of the place has weakened over time.

You do remember the sun that descended there, though – you always used to say it wasn’t the same as the one you admired at home, watching from your garden.

Jungkook would always reprimand you, tut at you, throw tiny little shells at your bare thighs until you, furied and irritated, abandoned him at the beach. He would stay there until the moon rose from the east, and you would watch him from afar.

Keep reading

[inkjam-moon]

Red Sky (M) - Part Two

Summary: Jeongguk finally decides to let you help him search for a cure, but could it create more trouble than it's worth?

Pairing: Siren!Jeongguk x Reader

Genre: Fluff, Smut, Angst

Word Count: 14.5k (I STILL have nothing to say...)

TW: Sexually explicit content, mentions of suicide/death, physical altercation, drowning mentions, near death experience, drinking, verbal altercation, panic attack

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.

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The next morning when you wake up, you faintly remember Jeongguk carrying you to bed last night, and touch your cheek again as you think of it, smiling. You get up and change into clean clothes before heading out. As you open the door to your room, you smell… something? You look up to see Jeongguk standing in the kitchen and walk over to find out what he’s doing; surprised to find him cooking.

“Morning noona.” He greets without looking up. 

“Morning. You’re cooking?” It’s more an observation than a question.

He nods. “Hyung taught me how to make a few things, it’s not much, but I figured rice and eggs would be okay?” He finally looks up at you and your stomach flutters for some reason at his smile. You beat the feeling down inside you before returning the smile. 

“Sounds great.” You walk back over to the living room, wanting to pick up where you left off last night as you sit on the couch and pick up a few loose papers. 

After a few minutes, Jeongguk walks over and places a plate full of food in front of you before sitting on the floor next to you. He watches you carefully for a few minutes as he eats before speaking. 

“So, have you found anything yet?”

“Um, well, there’s about a million mentions of this cave? Someplace called… ‘Antrum Ventis’. Have you heard of it?”

“The Cave of the Wind? Of course.”

“Right, there’s supposed to be all kinds of things in there that might be able to help. We could start there?”

“I’ve already checked there.”

You purse your lips. “Well, maybe you didn’t know what to look for. We should try anyway.”

“There’s just one problem.”

“What now?” You sigh, thinking Jeongguk is being intentionally difficult. 

“It’s at the bottom of a cave system, the entrance is in the ocean, and last time I checked, you can’t breathe underwater.”

“No, I can’t…” You admit, but perk up when you remember something. “But maybe I can.”

Jeongguk tilts his head in confusion. “How?”

.

Two hours later, you pull back up in front of the house where Jeongguk is waiting for you. The sun peeks rays through the cloud cover as you open the tailgate of the truck to show Jeongguk what you’ve got. 

“Ta da!” You pull the equipment toward you.

“What… What is this?” He asks, reaching out to touch the tubes attached to the backpack. 

“Scuba gear!” You explain. “Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus. It hooks up to these oxygen tanks,” You tap the tanks, “and it’ll let me breathe underwater for a few hours.”

“Really?” His eyes go wide and you nod enthusiastically. “Okay, let’s go.”

.

After you change into your bathing suit, Jeongguk helps you lug the equipment down past the lighthouse to a narrow staircase that heads down the cliffside. It leads you to a dock where a small boat with an electric motor is tied. Jeongguk loads your equipment into the boat before jumping in and making himself comfortable next to the motor. You climb in with him, sitting down on the seat in front of him. When you’re situated, Jeongguk starts the motor.

“Are you ready?” He asks. You nod and Jeongguk unties the boat from the dock before you both begin to zip away into the water. 

As Jeongguk drives the boat to the cave entrance, you busy yourself with readying the equipment you borrowed from Donghyun. You slide on the scuba jacket that you borrowed from Saki before setting up your tanks and checking your regulator.  When everything is ready to go, you finally look up to see the island sinking away into the distance.

“How far out is it?” You turn and ask as the wind whips your hair around your face.

“About two miles. You’ll see the marker when we get closer.” Jeongguk states, his eyes focused on the horizon as he navigates without any equipment.

“How do you know where you’re going?” 

Jeongguk smiles at this and points upwards. “The same way the sailors used to. The sky.” You look up at the cloud cover, your eyes drawn to the few rays that poke through, beaming down into the deep blue waves.

After a few more minutes, you start to see a shape sticking out of the sea in the distance, and as you get closer, you see it’s a large outcropping of rock. You point at it in question and Jeongguk nods. He was right; he knew exactly where he was going.

You pull up next to the outcropping, and Jeongguk anchors the boat before tying it to a hook jutting out from the rocks to secure it. Small waves lap at the boat as Jeongguk helps you into your scuba gear, clicking all the buckles shut and tightening them before securing your goggles on your forehead and testing your regulator to make sure the oxygen is flowing. 

“Okay, everything’s good.” You state.

“Are you ready?” Jeongguk asks.

“Let’s go.” You nod. 

Jeongguk stands and whips his shirt off over his head, dropping it into the boat. Your eyes go wide as he hooks his thumbs in the waistband of his shorts.

“Wait!” You exclaim, causing him to stop and look up at you before he can pull them down. “A-are you going to pop a tail or something?”

He smirks at this. “Are you afraid?”

“No.” You roll your eyes. “I just want to be prepared.”

“Guess you’ll have to wait and see.” With that, he turns away from you, exposing his ass to you as he slides down his shorts before diving head first into the water, splashing you lightly. 

“Jeongguk?” You lean over the side of the boat, searching the water for him until he pops up right in front of your face, nearly scaring you half to death as you fall back into the boat. “Fuck!”

Jeongguk giggles, resting his arms on the side of the boat. “Are you coming?”

You smack him in the head with one of your flippers before perching yourself on the edge of the boat, pulling your goggles down over your eyes and sticking your regulator into your mouth before allowing yourself to fall backwards into the water. 

It takes a second for you to orient yourself, pushing away from the boat as you look around. It’s pretty shallow here, maybe only 12 or so feet. You feel a hand on your arm and turn to see Jeongguk next to you. His hair floats in the water around him, his smile bright. Your eyes trail down his toned chest out of curiosity, and sure enough when you get to his waist, you see the beginning of it; Jeongguk’s tail. It looks to be a dark shimmery copper color with highlights of deep gold and amber fading into a dark brown and black towards the rather large tailfin. His tail looks absurdly strong, pure muscle rippling in the light of the waters.

“Is everything okay?” He questions, trying to get your intense gaze on his face instead of his body. 

You nod, giving him the okay sign with your fingers. He motions for you to swim with him and you follow along past a large school of fish and over to a large gaping hole in the ocean floor.

“This is the entrance.” He holds out his hand to you. “It gets dark, and the current can be pretty strong. I’ll be able to see, but I don’t want you to get separated from me.” 

You take his hand, nodding your readiness. 

“Stay close, noona.”

You squeeze his hand in assurance, taking out your flashlight with the other and flicking it on as Jeongguk leads you into the darkness. 

Jeongguk was right, the cave system is dark, and if Jeongguk wasn’t holding your hand, swimming against the strong currents, you would never be able to make it down here. You keep going deeper and deeper, turning several corners, you’re having a hard time getting your bearings, and you’re not sure how Jeongguk knows where he’s going as you start to feel a little claustrophobic, but he assures you that if it was easy to get to, it wouldn’t have what you need. You keep an eye on your air level, trying to calm yourself, knowing that if you start to panic you’ll use up your air a lot faster and you only brought two tanks. You’re already at only 50 bar; you’re going to have to surface, or change tanks soon.

How long have you been swimming? As you go to check your watch, your flashlight goes out. You squeeze Jeongguk’s hand twice, signaling a problem and he stops, you feel him grab your shoulders.

“What is it?”

You wave the flashlight in front of his face. 

He smiles, “Close your eyes.” You give him the hand signal for Why? “Just trust me.” You do as he says quickly, not having much time to waste, and close your eyes. After a few moments he speaks again. “Okay, open.”

You open your eyes and realize there’s some sort of dim light illuminating the cave around you. It takes you a moment before you notice, it’s coming from Jeongguk. He’s… He’s glowing? His tail has some sort of bioluminescence that lights up the water around you. It’s so… beautiful, like the soft glow of fireflies at dusk. You float there, temporarily awestruck by him; amazed at the moment you’re in; the two of you swimming in a cave underground, practically chest to chest as Jeongguk lights up the area around you. “Come on, we’re almost there.” He grabs your hand again, wrenching you out of the moment as he pulls you further in.

Suddenly as you swim, you’re moving up, and up, the area around you growing lighter and wider. The walls of the cave are a dark grey now, and small fish flit about the corals that grow here, everything suddenly bright and colorful, strikingly beautiful the farther up you go until suddenly you pop up out of a hole and into what looks like a picturesque fish bowl, aquatic plants waving gently in some invisible current, sunlight streaming down through the water and shining on colored fish as they dash between plants. Jeongguk points up and you follow him, swimming upwards and finally breaking through the surface.

You spit out your regulator and breathe in the fresh air, taking off your goggles as Jeongguk’s head erupts from the water, his hair slicked back off his face. 

“Welcome to Antrum Ventis.” Jeongguk smiles at you.

“Wow,” You gasp, looking around. There are several holes in the roof of the cave where sunlight shines in. The water leads to a small rocky shore, and on that shore, filling the cave from wall to wall, are piles and piles of treasures. It looks straight out of a pirate movie. Gold, silver, books, chests, furniture, paintings; anything you can imagine sits in front of you. 

Jeongguk swims over to the shore and sits himself on the rocky edge, his tail dangling into the water below as small waves lap at him. You swim over, taking off your gear and handing it to him before hoisting yourself up on the ledge next to him, looking around the cave. 

“What is this place?” You ask as you stand up.

“It’s sort of a… special place for Ineo.” Jeongguk explains. “It’s where they hide their treasure; old relics, things from the ships they sink, things they find.” You walk up to an old mirror and run your hands over the jewels hanging from it, listening to the way they clink against the glass. 

“What if someone finds us here?”

“Impossible.” Jeongguk shakes his head, his tail flicking in the water.

“What do you mean impossible, if this place is so special-”

“I’m kind of the only one who knows where it is…” Jeongguk admits.

You turn and stare at him, blinking in confusion. “What?”

He sighs. “When Yeongsu went on his rampage, it wasn’t just humans he killed. He killed Ineo first. When he ran out of Ineo, that’s when he turned to humans. Aside from the elders, who are protected and never leave their thrones, I was the only one that was spared. New Ineo aren’t told where this cave is for at least twenty years, and those who lose their humanity forget about it, so I’m the only one who knows where it is.”

“Right… Well, are you going to come help me look?”

“You want me to get out of the water? I didn’t bring any clothes…”

Your face flushes hot at the thought of having to keep Jeongguk’s naked form out of view. You look around, finding a cloth tapestry and tossing it at him. “Use this, come on.”

You turn away, listening to Jeongguk get out of the water and waiting for him to wrap the tapestry around himself so you aren’t tempted to look as you begin searching for something that might help cure him. 

“So what exactly are we looking for?” Jeongguk asks, strolling past you to dig through some chests. “Some sort of magical item?”

“Don’t be ridiculous.” You wave him off. “One of the books said that there are written records. Records from the beginnings of the Ineo. They could have a cure in them.”

“So a magic book?” Jeongguk teases. You offer him only the most scalding side-eye you can muster before continuing to search the pile of books in front of you.

The two of you search for what feels like hours, but you’re unsure how much time actually passes. You dig through chests, trunks, piles of books, behind furniture, under piles of jewels, inside vases, and behind paintings. After a while, you sit down in a huff, worried that you won't find anything, and Jeongguk might be stuck like this, but as you push your hair out of your face and look up, you notice a hole in the wall, just above your standing eyeline, and if you tilt your head just right, you think you can see something inside it. 

“Jeongguk,”

“Hm?” He pops up from behind a pile of gold coins. He watches as you stand and make your way over to the wall. 

“Grab me something to stand on.”

Jeongguk grabs one of the now empty chests and drags it over to you. “What is it?”

“There’s something in there.” You point at the hole before climbing up on the trunk.

You stretch and stretch, but it’s still out of your reach. Jeongguk jumps up next to you and tries as well, but he can’t get to it either. 

“Let me lift you.” He says, holding his arms out to you.

“What? Are you crazy?”

“Do you want to see what it is or not? Don’t you trust me?”

“Fine.” You spin toward the wall and Jeongguk grabs your hips, lifting you into the air with ease. You reach your arms up again. “Just a little higher…” He puts you down again, this time wrapping his arms around your legs and then lifting you higher than before. Your fingers are just able to graze what’s inside, quickly dragging everything you can to the edge of the hole and grabbing hold of it all. “Got it!”

Jeongguk carefully lowers you until your feet are on the trunk with him again, and then you both jump down onto the floor. You take everything over to the table and spread it out; two scrolls, a hand mirror, and a book. Jeongguk opens the scrolls to find both are paintings, and you blow the dust of the book to reveal an old, handwritten title; Ineo:  Oceani Immortalitate. 

“The Ocean’s Immortality. Jeongguk,” You look up at him. “This is it.” You walk over to one of the beams of sunlight and sit on the ground, cracking the book open as Jeongguk looks over your shoulder. You skim through page after page, telling tales of the Ineo’s beginnings and why the ocean created them, until about halfway through the book you get to the section you’re looking for titled Oceanum Maledictionem. The Ocean’s Curse. There’s only half a page of scrawled handwriting beneath the title and you take a deep breath, hoping it will tell you something useful. 

Though the ocean’s curse is strong, there is a way to defy her gift. One must find that which we Ineo do not naturally come by. Though the allure of our voices is irresistible, in order to return from whence we came, an Ineo must find someone to redeem them of their sins; someone that wants them beyond their enchanting voice. That is to say, an Ineo could fully regain their humanity, if a human were to truly love them, but aside from the fact that human fraternization is forbidden by the elders, no matter how we’ve tried, no one can see beyond our voices. It is a useless venture for any Ineo to take upon themselves. It will only end in the despair we are so used to…

“What does it say?”

“It says… love.”

“What?”

You read him the words. “An Ineo could fully regain their humanity if a human were to truly love them.” You point to it and Jeongguk takes the book from you, reading over the paragraph for himself. 

“It says it doesn’t work.”

“We don’t know that-”

“It says it right here! It will only end in despair!” Jeongguk slams the book shut and stands up. “I knew it was too good to be true.”

“It wouldn’t hurt to try.” You point out.

He scoffs. “Who? Hm? Who on this fucking island is going to love me, huh? Name one person who doesn’t already hate me for being what I am!”

“Well, maybe we can go to the mainland and-”

“I can’t leave the island. It’s part of the curse, I can’t leave the water for that long I’ll die.”

“But we can try and find another way. W-we could always-”

“Just face it, Y/N.” Jeongguk stops you, standing on the edge of the rock. “I’m stuck like this.” And with that he jumps into the water, the tapestry floating up to the surface where he dove in. You stand and walk over to the edge, searching for him. As you retrieve the tapestry.

“Come on,” He pops his head back up above the surface. “We should head back.”

“Jeongguk-”

“Please.” Jeongguk says softly. “Let’s just go home.”

You nod. “Okay…”

You grab your waterproof bag and stuff the book, the mirror, and a few other things into it before sealing it back up. Jeongguk floats in the water, staring up at the holes in the roof as you switch out your oxygen tanks. When you’re done, you slip the tanks on and jump back into the water, tightening the buckles before sliding on your goggles and checking your regulator. You take one last look at the cave for your memories and then signal to Jeongguk. “Let’s go.”

Jeongguk takes your hand and you head back down into the entrance to the labyrinth below. Jeongguk’s bioluminescence is dim this time, making it much harder for you to see, so you allow Jeongguk to just tug you along with him as he navigates the tunnels. Your mind is preoccupied anyway, thinking of ways you could break Jeongguk’s curse. 

It isn’t until your oxygen meter beeps at you, signaling that you’re low on air, that you’re pulled out of your thoughts. You must be traveling a lot slower than you were on the way in. You squeeze Jeongguk’s hand twice and he stops. You show him you’re already at 30 bar and signal to him; that’s less than ten minutes of air.

Jeongguk’s eyes go wide, seeing the panic on your face, he grabs you with both arms, wrapping them around you as his tail whips behind you, sending the two of you off faster than you’ve seen him swim before. He holds you tightly as he navigates the tight corners of the tunnels, hurrying to get you to the surface. You can only sit, your face tucked into Jeongguk’s shoulder as you watch your oxygen meter slowly decrease. 

25… 

20… 

15… 

10… 

Soon the readout just says ‘low’; you take short, measured breaths, trying to conserve your oxygen. You take your last breath before you run out of air, squeezing Jeongguk tightly.

“Noona! Hold on!” Jeongguk swims as fast as he can, the tunnel growing lighter as things start to go fuzzy.

Suddenly Jeongguk erupts from the entrance to the caves, rushing to the surface as you start to go limp in his arms, your regulator floating beside you. He bursts up through the water, holding you against him as you gasp, inhaling deeply and filling your lungs with sweet, sweet oxygen. 

“Are you alright?” you nod, slipping out of Jeongguk’s grip and sinking back below the waves for a moment until he catches you and holds you out of the water again. He carries you over to the boat as you splutter, helping you into it. You close your eyes as you lay in between the seats, trying to calm your breathing as you hear Jeongguk climb in beside you. “Noona, I’m sorry.” You open your eyes to see Jeongguk leaning over you, tugging his shirt on. “I wasn’t paying attention to the time.”

“It’s okay.” You wave him off as you sit up.

“No, it’s not. I was careless, you could’ve died!”

“Hey, I’m right here.” You put your hands on his shoulders to help calm him down. “It’s alright.” You unbuckle your tanks and let them fall into the boat before unzipping your scuba jacket. “But let’s not do that again.” You add.

Jeongguk nods as he moves back towards the motor. You twirl the medallion of your necklace in your fingers as Jeongguk pulls up the anchor and unties you from the rocks, starting the boat and steering you back towards shore.

.

You’re exhausted as you walk back up the steps of the cliff, trudging your way back to the house. Jeongguk leaves your gear on the front porch as you unlock the front door. You grab the waterproof bag with your new items in it and are just about to cross the threshold when you hear something.

It’s that voice again. The melodious song fills your ears and Jeongguk’s eyes go wide as you look at him. 

“You hear it too?”

“Get inside.” Jeongguk shoves you over the threshold and slams the door shut behind you.

“Hey, what the hell?” You rub your shoulder where he pushed you. He doesn’t respond. He’s too busy turning on the tv and increasing the volume to drown out the singing. “Jeongguk, what is that?”

“It’s bad news.”

“Wait, is that another Ineo?” You ask as you kick off your shoes.

“Don’t listen to it!” He exclaims, dragging you away from the front door. 

“I don’t think-”

“Just go to the bathroom. I’ll let you know when it’s safe to come out.” He starts pushing you toward the bathroom.

“But I already-” You turn to face him, forcing him to stop pushing you. 

“Y/N- you can’t ever listen to it. You can’t ever speak to them. They’ll kill you.”

“Will you listen to me for a second?” You smack his shoulder. “I’m trying to tell you I've already heard this.”

He’s listening now. “When?”

“Yesterday, I was down at the docks getting gas and-”

“You were alone??”

You roll your eyes. “Yes, and look, nothing happened.”

“Wait,” He pauses, looking you over. “You remember it?”

“Um, yes?”

 “Noona,” He leans closer to you, now looking very obviously at your chest.

“Um-”

“Where did you get this?”  His hand reaches out and he grabs the necklace nestled between your décolletage, rubbing the medallion between his fingers. 

“Hogeun sent it to me.” You explain. “A few weeks before he died. He told me he found it when he was fishing one day.”

“I gave this to him.” Jeongguk states, his thumb twirling the gold metal. 

“You did?”

“It was my mother’s. It’s from the Cave of the Wind too; it’s like an Ineo relic. ” Jeongguk lets it go. 

“Really?”

“Were you wearing this yesterday?”

“Of course.” You nod. “I always have it on.”

“That doesn’t make sense…” He whispers, dropping the necklace as he thinks out loud. “Then you shouldn’t have…”

“I shouldn’t have what?”

He looks back up at you. “The other night, when you walked in on me in the shower, were you wearing it then?”

“Hm? Oh, um…” You think back. “No, I took it off and it fell on the floor. I remember picking it up before I went to bed.”

“So it really does work.”

“Will you tell me what’s going on?”

Jeongguk sighs. “That singing you heard just now, and yesterday, that’s an Ineo. They were trying to lure you into the water.”

“W-why didn’t it work?”

Jeongguk points at your chest. “The necklace. It’s meant for protection. It’s supposed to make it so the wearer isn’t affected by an Ineo’s song.”

Your hand moves to grab the necklace automatically. “I-it is?”

“If it didn’t work and you really did hear that yesterday, you… You would be dead right now.”

You swallow hard. You hadn’t realized how much danger you were in already. “Wait, so that night in the shower?”

Jeongguk hangs his head. “I didn’t think you could hear me. I thought I was being quiet enough.”

“What would have happened…?”

“Nothing!” Jeongguk moves to reassure you. “I wouldn't have done anything, I promise.”

You eye him with caution, but you see the sincerity in his gaze, and above all else, after today; you really do trust him. You place the waterproof bag in his hands. “I’m going to take a shower, add this stuff to our collection and see if you can find anything else out of that book.”

“Right.”

“I’ll make dinner when I get out.” You call over your shoulder before shutting the bathroom door behind you. 

You take a second to rest back against the door, letting out a long sigh before you start up the shower. As the water heats up, you look at yourself in the mirror; hair waved from the combination of salt and wind, skin slightly tanned from being out in the sun; necklace dangling from your neck. You lift the necklace and study it, knowing now the origins of such a beautiful piece. It’s a gold chain, a golden medallion with the imprint of a mermaid, or you suppose an Ineo, hangs from it, and a single large pearl dangles from the medallion. It belongs with the rest of the jewelry inside that cave and yet here it rests in your hands.

You leave it on, stripping out of your swimsuit before stepping into the tub and under the warm water of the shower. He said it belonged to his mother. You wonder what she was like. If she meant to bring a child into such a harsh world, if she knew what would happen to her mate. Would she like you? Would she agree with what Jeongguk was trying to do in finding a cure?  What would she think? You can only imagine what your own mother would think if she found out everything your uncle talked about was real. You know exactly how she would react to Jeongguk, and what she would say if she found out you had been living alone with a strange man since you arrived here. 

You find your mind wandering to Jeongguk today; how he trusted you enough to show you his true form, tail and all. He was even more graceful and beautiful in the water than you could’ve imagined. Your mind flashes to the image of him jumping out of the boat, his bare ass facing you, and you giggle. Even like that, he was gorgeous. 

You’re torn. You know you’re going to have to leave the island eventually and go back to your real life, no matter how much you don’t want to, but even then, Jeongguk can’t leave the waters around this island for very long. What will he do once you leave? Will he be able to find another cure? Will he be able to survive out here on his own? On land? Will the islanders be kind to him? You can’t help but think of the night of your uncle’s memorial, how cruel that man was to Jeongguk. Even Donghyun and Saki, while they’re kind to him, you can tell they don’t really know what to do about him.

And honesty, neither do you…

When you’re finished you turn off the water, stepping out of the tub and drying yourself off. You dry your hair quickly before wrapping a towel tightly around you and leaving the bathroom. You see Jeongguk on the couch as you walk to your room; shutting the door and changing into some comfortable clothes before heading back out. You hang the towel up in the bathroom before padding into the kitchen, trying to decide what you want to eat, but you notice the stove is hot, and something smells like cooked food.

“Jeongguk did you-” You stop short when you look over at him to see he has two warm bowls of stew set on the table in front of the tv as he waits for you. “What- You cooked again?”

He nods. “I used one of hyung’s old recipes. He taught me how to make it.”

“Really?” You ask, taking your seat next to him on the couch to see what looks like kimchi stew in the bowls. 

“I wanted to apologize again, for being so careless today.”

“Jeongguk please-”

“I really am sorry.” He takes your hands in his. “I was just so upset about what we found.”

“I know, Jeongguk. But thanks to you, I’m still here.” You point out. He smiles softly in acknowledgment before picking up his bowl. 

The two of you eat, silent except for the sounds of the tv in front of you. When you’re finished, you place your bowl back on the table and notice the book and the hand mirror laid out next to your bowl.

“Did you find anything else in the book?” You ask, grabbing it off the table and cracking it open in your lap.

“Not much, just some stuff about this mirror.”

“Oh? Is it special?”

He nods. “It’s supposed to show you your future, but I think it’s broken.” He picks the mirror up. “I can’t get it to work.”

“Wait, it shows you the future?”

“No, just specifically tailored to you. Here,” He puts the mirror back down before taking the book from you. He flips through several pages until he finds what he’s looking for. He points to the paragraph and reads, “The Mirror of Sinjike is intended to show the user that which they cannot see. The mirror is enabled to describe the near or far future pertaining specifically to the lifeline of the user, they need only ask the right question.”

“What’s the question?”

“I’m not sure… It doesn’t say anything else about it.”

“Huh…” You pick the mirror up and turn it over in your hands. It looks like an ordinary mirror to you. “Well, we can look at it more tomorrow. I’m exhausted.” You stand up, grabbing your bowl and taking it over to the sink and Jeongguk follows. You rinse it out before heading back towards your room.

“Goodnight, noona.”

You turn and smile as you move to close your door. “Sweet dreams Kook. Thank you for saving me today.” And before he can apologize again, you shut the door.

.

You went to bed super early last night, so it's no surprise that you wake up before the sun rises. You sigh, knowing you won’t be able to fall back asleep with how wide awake you feel, and sit up, checking your phone to see a text from your mother, asking when you’ll be returning home. You don’t open it, not wanting her to know you’ve seen it, or she’ll just keep bothering you. Instead, you put your phone face down on the nightstand and climb out of bed, slipping into some clothes and heading out to the living room.

You don’t feel like watching tv… or anything really. You spot the book where you left it last night and walk over to grab it and the mirror, deciding to go for a walk. 

You stuff both items into your bag and slip on some shoes, grabbing a flashlight and a sweatshirt before walking outside. It’s dark as you shut the door behind you, the dawn still a ways off. Just below the cloud cover, between that and the horizon, you can see a layer of stars shining brightly. You slide the sweatshirt over your head as you begin to walk towards the lighthouse, taking your time and enjoying the early morning sounds of crickets and birds just waking up. 

You walk along the cliffs for a bit, following the path down through the forest, listening to the waves crash below you as you wander. You should’ve brought your phone so you could take pictures, but you didn’t think about it. You feel the weight of the book in your bag and take it out, flipping aimlessly through the pages. You circle back to the lighthouse just as dawn begins to break over the sea, casting a bright orange glow over the grass as it rises. You climb the lighthouse stairs to the very top, seating yourself on the observation deck as you take out the mirror.

It’s a simple round mirror, laid in silver filigree that traces over the backside and then down along the handle. You study it closely in the dim light of the rising sun; searching for any sort of word or clue as to how it’s supposed to work, but nothing catches your eye. 

You open the book once more, searching for the page Jeongguk showed you last night. You finally find it and delicately flatten the frail page with your palm. It shows a detailed drawing of the mirror at the top, with the name printed in a script different from that of the curse page, showing that this was added by a different person. Unfortunately, the words Jeongguk read to you are the only other thing on the page.

“they need only ask the right question…” You mumble to yourself. It’s supposed to show you the future, right? It can’t be that simple, can it? You pick up the mirror and hold it in front of you, to look inside it. “Can you show me the future?”

Nothing. Figures. You try all kinds of questions, changing the vernacular around to try and get it to work. “Will you show me the future? What does my future look like? Can I see my future?” Nothing seems to be working. You reread the passage over and over, searching for some sort of clue in the wording as the sun finally begins to peek over the horizon. 

The Mirror of Sinjike is intended to show the user that which they cannot see.

Wait a second. Hmm… You wonder. 

You hold the mirror up again, taking a deep breath. “Sinjike, will you show me that which I cannot see?”

Suddenly, your reflection changes in the glass, turning into fog that swirls around in a circle, as if it’s waiting for you to say something else. You read the passage again.

The mirror is enabled to describe the near or far future pertaining specifically to the lifeline of the user, they need only ask the right question.

“Near.” You say to the mirror. 

The fog vanishes, and it’s replaced by an image.

It shows you, sitting in the lighthouse where you are now, but it zooms out, showing someone else climbing the stairs to the observation deck to join you as the sun fully crests the horizon; Jeongguk. And then the image fades away, and you’re staring at your reflection again.

You’re ecstatic. You finally got it to work. You want to try it again, to make sure it wasn’t just a fluke, but you don’t know if there’s a limit to how many times per person, or per day, that it works. That’s when you hear the soft crunch of bare feet on grass. You look to the horizon to see the sun cresting over the sea, bathing the sky in bloody shades of red. Your heart thunks in your chest, you know that a red sky has an ominous, foreboding meaning behind it. Those who live on the sea have always agreed that skies that turn red in the morning hours are sure signs of impending troubles. 

You hear Jeongguk behind you and turn to greet him, but his eyes are also trained on the warning signs of the sky. 

“Red sky…” He comments, turning to look at you. “Storm’s coming.”

You nod, “I have good news though.”

“Oh?” He sits down next to you, observing the things in your hands and perks up. “Wait, did you figure out the mirror?”

“Mhm! Here,” You hand it to him. “You have to ask to be shown what you can’t see, and then you have to choose the near or far future.”

“What did you see?”

You chuckle. “I chose near, and it showed me you just now walking up here to find me. You should try now!”

“Right, right okay.” He holds the mirror up in front of him, taking a deep breath much like you did  before. “Show me what I cannot see, far.”

The mirror swirls again, fading quickly this time into an image of Jeongguk what looks to be a few years from now; out on a boat with someone. He’s smiling and laughing. He jumps in the water without taking his clothes off, and a few moments later, he pops up, floating in water, swimsuit still intact, no tail in sight. 

“Oh my god…” He whispers. “I-I’m cured?”

“It looks like it.” You agree. The image stays on him playing in the water for a few moments before it swirls away and shows his reflection again. “See, I told you we’d find a cure.”

Jeongguk smiles before suddenly wrapping you in his arms, squeezing you tightly. “I can’t believe I’m going to be normal; finally. Thank you, noona.”

“Of course.”

“Did you look at your far future?” He asks, pulling back.

“No, not yet.”

“Don’t you want to know?”

You do, but you’re also afraid. Afraid it will show you working under your father for the rest of your life.

“I won’t watch if it makes you feel better.”

Might as well know now. “Thanks.” Jeongguk hands you the mirror, and then looks away as you repeat the phrase. “Show me what I cannot see. Far.”

The mirror swirls before showing a picturesque scene on top of a hill. It shows you running, laughing in the light of a summer sunset as you hold up your camera to face what’s coming after you, then in the corner of the frame it shows a familiar frame chasing after you with bare feet.

Jeongguk.

You gasp, watching intently as he catches up to you, the lighthouse you’re sitting on appearing in the frame as he wraps you in his arms, picking you up and swinging you around as you squeal in delight. He places you back on the ground, and leans down, capturing your lips with his when suddenly a child appears in the image, walking up to both of you, arms open wide. Jeongguk picks her up, and you both place a kiss on her cheeks as you walk back toward the house. The child, a spitting image of Jeongguk. 

And then your reflection is staring back at you, a tear running down your cheek. You quickly move to wipe the evidence of tears away as you put the mirror down. 

“Well?” Jeongguk waits impatiently for you to tell him what you saw, but you can’t look at him, staring out at the sky as it fades from red to oranges and pinks. “Noona? Is everything alright?”

You nod. “Of course, just something I wasn’t expecting.”

“A happy ending at least?”

“Very happy.”

“Good. I’m glad we both get what we want.” He smiles at you and your heart flutters. “Are you hungry?”

.

The two of you make your way back to the house and Jeongguk makes you a quick breakfast while the images from the mirror shine in the forefront of your mind. Was the mirror trying to tell you something? Do you need to actually admit the feelings that have been growing that you’ve been repressing for several days now? Are you… the one that can free Jeongguk of his curse? But how? Do you really end up together?

So many questions run through your mind that when Jeongguk places a plate in front of you on the table, it makes you jump. He eyes you suspiciously, but doesn’t say anything, choosing to simply sit down and eat instead. 

After breakfast, Jeongguk sits himself down in front of the tv. You try doing the same, picking up the book to read through it again, but you can’t sit still, too much on your mind. You decide to busy yourself with sorting, but that doesn’t do anything to soothe you either. You decide you need to get out of the house. You tell Jeongguk you have to run out for a bit, and he offers to come, but you tell him he should stay this time. He seems hurt, but listens, waving as you walk out the door and asking you to pick up more sweet cakes if you go to the store. 

Dark clouds are gathering out over the ocean, still a ways off as you haul your borrowed scuba gear into the truck before climbing in the driver's seat and starting it. Might as well bring this stuff back while you have the chance. 

You pull up in front of Donghyun and Saki’s house, putting the truck in park before grabbing the gear out the back. The rain is looming closer as you walk up to the door and knock, but no one seems to be home. You leave the gear on the porch and start to walk back to the truck when someone calls after you. 

“Evening missy!”

You look across the street to see a figure walking toward you. Oh god, not the crazy guy from the bar. “Hello.” You wave politely as you open the door to your truck, trying to get away from him as quickly as you can. 

“How the fish boy treatin’ ya?”

Wait a minute. He might not actually be crazy. You wonder if he could know anything helpful. “You’re, Hajoon, right?” You ask, turning toward him. 

“Aye, that’s me.” He nods as he walks up, leaning against the bed of the truck. “You heard stories ‘bout how crazy I be yet?”

You rub the back of your neck, light shame dusting your cheeks pink. “Something like that…”

He chuckles. “It’s alright missy, ain’t nothing I ain’t already heard.”

“My name’s Y/N.”

“Oh I know. Hogeun used to talk ‘bout ‘cha all the time.”

“Did you know my uncle well?”

“Of course. I was the first one to hire him. Worked on my boat fer five years.”

This is news to you. “Did you guys ever talk about… uh, well…” It’s still strange for you to say it outloud. 

“The merfolk? Who do ya think gave him all them books?”

“How do you know so much about them?”

Hajoon takes off his hat and holds it over his heart, smiling fondly at some sort of memory. “I fell in love with one once, a long time ago.”

“Really?”

He nods. “She meant the worl’ to me.”

“What happened?”

His eyes go dark. “Her people found out she was seein’ me, they took things into their own hands, an’ had ‘er killed fer meetin’ a human.”

“I’m so sorry.” You bow your head, your mind immediately moving to Jeongguk; what if he’s next?

“You best hold that boy tight missy.” He puts a hand on your shoulder. “Don’t let ‘em take him from ya.”

“Can I ask you something?”

“Of course.”

“I read something the other day that said ‘an Ineo could fully regain their humanity, if a human were to truly love them’. Do you know how to do that? To… to make him human? Did you ever try it?”

He smiles bittersweetly. “I do, but ya don’t want the answer.”

“Please, I do. I want to help him.”

He looks down at the ground before looking off into the distance, avoiding your gaze. “I’ll give ya a hint. The ultimate show of love for one of ‘em… Is a sacrifice.”

“Sacrifice? What-”

“Think of what you would give up to be with him. That’s your answer.” He starts to walk away. “Better spend as much time with him as ya can, missy. I seen ‘em around the docks; they’ll be after ya’s soon enough.” 

It’s silent as you mull over his words, wondering what exactly he means as you watch him turn the corner and head to the bar. You climb into your truck, sitting for a moment before his last words hit you like a brick to the face. They already know. It’s only a matter of time before they try to take him away. 

It’s time to admit your feelings to Jeongguk.

It’s just started to rain as you start the truck up, driving a little bit faster than you probably should as you head back to the house, working up the courage and thinking of what you’re going to say as you drive. The tires skid as you pull up and park, the rain falling in sheets as you yank the keys out, rushing out of the truck to get to the front door, the downpour soaking you in the short walk to the house. 

“Jeongguk!” You call out as you open the door and kick off your shoes, searching for the only person you want to see as you shut the door behind you. 

He emerges from his room, his eyes widening at your soaked state. “Noona, you’re back already?”

You forget every single word you thought about in the car as you hurry over to him. You gaze up into his warm brown eyes, as wide as the sea is vast, before you lean forward, wrapping your arms around his neck as you press your lips against his for the first time.

He’s unsure how to react for a solid minute until he relaxes into your hold, grabbing your waist and pulling you closer to him as he finally returns the kiss. You’re greedy, hands finding his hair and tugging gently, eliciting the most delicious sounds from the back of his throat. You push him backwards, guiding him into his room until his knees hit the bed and he falls back. You waste no time climbing on top of him, pulling your sweatshirt off over your head and tossing it to the side as you straddle his waist.

Jeongguk sits up, pulling you back to his mouth, he tilts his head this time, deepening the kiss as you flick your tongue against his bottom lip, begging for access, which he grants, surprised by how eager you are as your tongue finds its way into his mouth, flicking against his own as he groans softly against you. 

His hands slide along your back up under your shirt, caressing your skin gently as you pull him closer to you, loving the way his lips feel on yours, your body growing hotter by the second. You slide your hands under his shirt, tugging on it until he helps you slide it off of his body and onto the floor. Before he can return to your lips, you yank your own shirt off with haste, wanting to feel his bare skin against yours as soon as possible. You pull him back to you, your lips latching onto his neck before tracing their way up to his jaw, pressing light kisses against him as you find your way back to his mouth. 

Jeongguk’s kiss is more aggressive now; he pulls your hips down against him as his tongue slips past your defenses, making your body shiver with pleasure as you feel the beginnings of his erection against you. You press your torso against his, feeling the unusual coolness of his skin against your feverish, desperate warmth. 

His hands follow the curve of your spine up to the clasp of your bra, fumbling with it for a moment until it comes undone, he moves his mouth to follow the strap down your shoulder, leaving hot kisses in his wake as he tugs the garment off of your body. He deposits it on the floor, your bodies still pressed together as he looks up at you, his hands squeezing your waist again. 

“Noona, I-”

“Shhh…” You quiet him with another simple kiss before mumbling against his lips. “You don’t have to say anything.”

His mouth returns to yours as he flips you underneath him, and then it begins to wander, across to your jaw, down your neck and shoulder, before sliding down your chest to your breasts. Jeongguk’s hands move up to cup them, rubbing his thumbs over them gently and then leaning down, flicking his tongue across each nipple, gauging your reaction as you moan softly in response to his touch. His kisses continue south, across your abdomen until he comes to the waistband of your jeans. You watch him, breathless as he pops open the button and then tugs the zipper down.

He grabs your jeans and underwear, slowly tugging them both down your legs, kissing them all the way down, before dropping the clothing on the floor with the rest. His mouth traces back up your legs, just barely brushing the insides of your thighs as he slides one of his hands up and around the backs of them, squeezing your ass tightly as he gently spreads your legs with the other, situating himself between them as he climbs back up your body, kiss by kiss, touch by touch, until he finds your lips again, connecting to them with a sort of urgency. 

You’re already a mess, you can feel yourself dripping onto the sheets beneath you as you wait. His teeth graze the spot beneath your ear, and your hips buck up into his waiting hand. He cups you gently, his long, slender fingers sliding between your folds in an exploration, wanting to know what spots have you coming undone the fastest. Your hands grab onto his shoulders as he circles your clit clumsily, constantly rubbing across it when his fingers slip in your wetness with inexperience, causing you to whimper into his hair. 

Finally, finally you feel his fingers wander lower, searching for more spots. He traces over your entrance, collecting your juices before the tips of his two fingers slide into you. He quickly pulls them out when you moan, checking to make sure he didn’t hurt you, but when he sees the flush adorning your face, he quickly understands, finding your entrance again and purposely slipping his index and middle fingers back inside you, as deep as they will go, following the curve of your core. 

“Fuck…” You whine, gripping his arm and trying to move it. “L-like this.”

He learns quickly, but moves slowly, pumping his fingers in and out of you at an agonizing pace, but even so, it feels so good, too good. He watches your face twist with pleasure, relishing in the sounds you make as he presses his hips against your side, searching for relief of his own. You slide a hand down his body, brushing against his hard length to locate it and then squeezing the tip.

The sound that leaves Jeongguk’s mouth has you tightening around his fingers as he buries his face in your neck. You can feel the desperation in his movements as he thrusts faster inside you, but it’s not enough. Your body aches to feel him fill you. 

“J-Jeongguk~” You whine, pawing at his sweatpants, silently begging him to take them off. He sits up in question, his hand stilling between your legs. You smile up at him, grabbing his arm and pulling his fingers out of you, bringing them up to your face and sucking them into your mouth so you can clean up your mess. 

He can’t resist, leaning down and kissing you, fingers and all, both of your tongues flicking out to grab a taste of you. You tug at his pants again, and he seems to get the message, using his now clean fingers to remove his sweats. You’re surprised to see he has no boxers on, watching his cock spring free as soon as his sweats drop to his knees. Your mouth waters at the sight of his pleasant thickness. 

When his pants hit the ground, he looks back up at you, suddenly shy as his hands move to cover his indecency. You smile warmly, guiding him back between your legs and pulling him down for a soft kiss as you reach a hand between your bodies. Your fingers brush against him, making him gasp softly in your ear as you hold his dripping tip, lining it up with your entrance.

“N-noona-”

“Just push your hips forward.” You guide him.

You feel his heat press against you and use your free hand to press his lower back, urging him forward until he slowly slips inside you, the most delectable moan falling from his lips as he inches further in, wanting nothing more than to feel your warmth fully envelop him. He’s a stretch, that’s for sure, but your body doesn’t show it, greedily pulling Jeongguk in, begging for more.

He keeps pushing until he realizes he can’t go any further, pulling his face out of your shoulder to look down at your flushed cheeks, the way your lips part as soft pants leave them. Very tentatively, he pulls back, groaning at the feeling of your walls squeezing him before he pushes back in. 

“Y-yes~” You whimper. “Just like that~”

Jeongguk huffs, repeating the motion over and over, setting a slow rhythm. The pulse of your walls is steady around him. He feels so good, but you need more. 

“Faster…” You mumble in his ear, wrapping your legs around his waist and encouraging him to go deeper. Jeongguk grunts in agreement, thankful for the permission as his hips increase their pace, thrust by thrust, the new angle allowing him to fill you entirely, his hips slapping against you with a satisfying smack.

“Oh god~” Jeogguk whines. “I- Fuck…” His eyes are fixed on your face, watching it closely as pleasure fills your body in waves, your chest burning red with embarrassment. You pull him down and lock your lips with his, anything to get away from the intensity of his gaze. Jeongguk pants heavily against your mouth as he thrusts into you harder, your head spinning from the pleasure, but he’s still lacking experience, and his increase in pace causes him to slip out.

The second time it happens, you kiss him again before pushing him away. As he begins to protest, you silence him by flipping him onto his back and crawling on top of him, straddling his waist once more. He watches, enraptured by you as you slide back down onto his length, letting him fill you to the hilt and holding yourself there for a moment to adjust, satiating the burning need between your legs. When you’re ready, you brace one hand on his abdomen before slowly lifting your hips and then dropping back down onto his length. 

Jeongguk groans, his head falling back against the pillows, but his eyes once again stay focused on you as you bounce yourself in his lap, setting a quick, but heavy pace, allowing him to fill you completely each time before lifting your hips again and again. When he grabs your hips, you lean forward, bracing both of your hands on his chest as you move faster, the feeling of your high bubbling up inside you more easily than you thought it would. You can tell he’s getting close too; the way his eyes seem a bit unfocused, the way his chest heaves beneath your touch, and the way his hips have started to chase  after yours. 

You’re so close you can practically taste it, you just need that final push. You take one of Jeongguk’s hands off your hips and bring his fingers to your mouth, wetting them for him before guiding his hand between your legs. He looks up at you, intrigued by your movements.

“Touch me~ Like this…” You move your fingers against his in the way that you desperately need him to, showing him how to take you over the edge. He follows your instructions to the tee, deftly circling your clit again before squeezing the bud between his knuckles and dragging the pads of his fingers across it in turn. 

“Ah~ Yes!” You throw your head back, your high rapidly rising to the surface. Jeongguk’s fingers slide along your folds in sync with his thrusts, and before you know it, your walls clamp down on him, earning a strangled moan from his throat as you fall off the edge and into bliss. “Jeongguk~!” You cry out his name as your core contracts wildly around him, seeing stars burst behind your eyelids as the sensation overflows into your every nerve ending, pulsing with satisfaction, unlike anything you’ve ever felt before.

Jeongguk doesn’t fare much better, the spasming of your center too much for him to handle as he buries himself as deep inside you as he can, milking the feeling of his own high as long as he can. He whimpers beneath you, his eyes squeezed shut with ecstasy as he fills you with spurts of his hot release. 

Your body gives out and you collapse against his chest, your breathing coming in shallow pants, his cock still inside you as your skin sticks to his with sweat. The two of you lay entwined together for a bit, neither of you wanting to disturb the moment you’ve created.

You press soft kisses all over Jeongguk’s face, watching as he smiles before you get off of him, grabbing tissues off of his nightstand to clean the both of you up. When you’re finished you lay back down with him, slipping under the blankets as you lay your head on his chest, listening to the sounds of rain and distant rolling thunder coming from his open window, enjoying the occasional breeze blowing through the room. Jeongguk holds you close, not seeming to want to let you go now that he has you. 

And boy, does he have you. 

Jeongguk takes the chance to admire you up close, watching your fingers absentmindedly tracing shapes across his skin while you hum to yourself. He brushes your hair out of your face, enraptured by the way you look, the way you smell, the way you taste. He didn’t know it was possible to feel like this, but looking at you here, now, in this moment, he’s captured by you. He is nothing but a terrified creature, tangled in your nets as you smile up at him in a way that makes his chest flutter with excitement and agony and desire all at the same time. 

“Is this what you saw?” He breaks the serene silence, his curiosity getting the best of him. “In the mirror?”

You giggle, sending vibrations through his body as goosebumps erupt on his arms. “Not exactly.” Your eyes flash up to meet his before you look away, a light blush adorning your cheeks as you think of the future that played out on that mirror. God you hope that mirror was right. “But something like that. It encouraged me to finally tell you.”

“Tell me what?” He cups your cheek, rubbing his thumb across it gently, as if afraid he’s going to break you. 

You scoot up his body, pressing your lips to his in the softest kiss, resting your forehead against his for a moment before answering. “How I feel about you, silly.”

“How do you feel?” He tilts his head, waiting expectantly.

He’s going to make you say it out loud. He can’t just read between the lines? You take a deep breath, steadying the nerves rolling in the pit of your stomach. “Jeongguk I-I really like you. And I think I might… I think I’m falling in love with you.”

Jeongguk’s eyes light up and he breaks into a wide smile, his nose crinkling up. “Is that what this feeling is? Is it love?”

“It’s different for everyone, but it could be.”

“I like you so much; I think I love you too, noona.”

Your heart swells at his words as he wraps his arms around you, pulling you close. He seals your exchange with a peck on your forehead, and the two of you lay together in Jeongguk’s bed, tangled in each other’s limbs, exchanging soft kisses and caresses until you drift off, safe in his embrace.

.

The next day you wake up to the sound of Jeongguk snoring softly in your ear. You smile to yourself, shifting back into his arms. You think back to yesterday; after the two of you woke up, you made dinner and then quickly jumped back into bed, too wrapped up in each other to keep your hands off of the other’s body for longer than a few minutes. Jeongguk is eager to learn how to pleasure you, and you have no problem teaching him exactly how to do just that.

You turn over in his hold, reaching a hand up to run your fingers along his cheek, enjoying how serene he looks when he sleeps. Your touch must disturb him, because it isn’t long before you feel his hand squeeze your waist, his eyes fluttering open as he stirs. 

“Noona…?” He gazes at you in awe, still half asleep. “You’re still here.” He smiles at the observation. 

“Of course I’m still here.” You giggle. “Where else would I be?”

He presses his lips to yours as his hand wanders down lower, finding your ass and grabbing it roughly. He pulls your body flush against his as he buries his face in your neck, inhaling deeply. 

You both crawl out of bed; Jeongguk throws on some sweatpants and you slip into your discarded underwear and shirt before heading out to the kitchen to make breakfast together. Jeongguk is practically attached to your hip the entire time, his hands never really leaving your waist unless it’s to reach over and help you hold something; his face in the crook of your neck and shoulder, pressing light kisses to your skin. 

After you eat, you both settle down on the couch in each other’s arms, turning on something mindless as you enjoy just being together. Thunder rolls long and loud outside, carrying a warm spring breeze through the house as rain falls in spurts. You lay with your back against Jeongguk’s chest, settled comfortably between his legs as his hands trace over your exposed skin.

After a few hours, Jeongguk gives your waist a squeeze. “Noona?” 

“Hm?” You look back at him over your shoulder. 

“Does this mean… Are you going to stay here?”

“Stay?”

“With me?”

“Oh, um, I haven’t really thought about it.” You admit. It’s true, the only thing you’ve thought about was telling Jeongguk, not what would happen after you did.

“Do you want to?” The hope in his eyes has your heart stuttering.

“W-well, I do, but-”

“But?”

You think about your life back in Busan; your friends, your family, your job, all the things you would be leaving behind. “It’s complicated.”

“How? We want to be together, so we should be together.”

“I know, but my entire life is back in Busan. I can’t just drop everything because of how I feel.”

“Why not?”

“Because,” You sigh. “The human world is… things are harder. I can’t just disappear.”

“It can’t be that hard.”

“Jeongguk,” You sit up in his lap, turning your body to face him. “I’d have to quit my job, and leave my family and friends behind. I’d need to quit school, get out of my apartment lease and move all of my stuff here. Not to mention finding a job here, or all the paperwork I’d have to do if I wanted to move. Plus my father’s business… He’s counting on me to take over for him.”

“Noona, you know I can’t leave this island, right? Not as long as I’m still this. Besides, you told me you didn’t want any of that.”

“I know, but just because I’d rather be here doesn't mean I can just uproot my life. That’s not how things work.”

“But you’d be with me.” He offers. “Isn’t that enough?”

You know what he wants to hear, he wants this to be a fairytale, and so do you, but you don’t know how to explain to him that real life isn’t like that. Yes, every fiber of your being wants to stay on this island for the rest of your life and spend every waking moment you have with Jeongguk, just like the mirror told you that you would, but is it really that simple? “I…” You hesitate, and he takes your hesitation the wrong way. You know he does. You can see the shift in his eyes the moment it takes you too long to respond. 

He chuckles; for a moment you think he’s going to brush it all off, but he stares at you with a dark gaze, hurt evident on his beautiful features; not exactly the reaction you were hoping for. “I see.” He lets go of you and stands, walking over to look out the window in the kitchen. 

“Jeongguk, please.” You follow close behind. “I love you. I want to be here with you, it’s just-”

He shakes his head. “Y/N, I-” He sighs. “I want to believe you, but how do I know you aren’t just saying that because it’s supposed to be the cure.”

“What?” You haven’t shown him any reason to doubt your feelings until now, and the distrust stings. “Jeongguk, I've never lied to you.”

He takes a deep breath before turning to face you. “If you hadn’t learned what the cure was, would we even be here? Would you have said you liked me?”

“Of course!”

“Really?”

You scoff. “Eventually.”

“Right.” He just shakes his head, walking away from you toward the bathroom. “How am I supposed to know you really love me?”

“Until last night you didn’t even know what love was!” You point out, trailing him. “And I’m supposed to believe that you love me? How do I even know you’re capable of love?”

“Capable?” He whips around, his eyes ablaze with fury at your words. “Because monsters like me couldn’t possibly have feelings. That’s all I am to you, right? A horror story?”

“You’re everything to me! Can’t you see that?” You raise your voice, you don’t want to but it’s all bubbling up over the sides, erupting out of you with force. “Why do you think I’ve stayed here as long as I have?”

“And now you want to throw all of that away!”

“I didn’t say that! I said it’s going to be complicated! We can’t all just run away from our lives when things get hard!”

“You know exactly why I left… And now I’m supposed to believe you?

“I’ve never given you a reason not to trust me! I’m not the one who lied about who I am!”

“I lied because I knew this would happen!” He finally yells back. The house is silent for a moment before he takes a deep breath. “I knew this was too good to be true. It always is.”

“I don’t know how to make you believe me…” You whisper, trying to force back the tears that have started streaming down your face. 

There’s a long pause. “I don’t know if I can…”

You look up at him, meeting the gaze you had fallen so hard for, before turning and walking away, crossing the threshold to your room in a huff.

“Y/N…” He calls after you, but you ignore him, tugging on some jeans before slipping right past him to the front door, sliding into your shoes and raincoat before grabbing your keys. “Where are you going?”

“Anywhere but here.” You hiss, opening the front door and stepping out into the rain. 

“Noona, don’t leave!” He runs after you, grabbing your arm, but you shake him off, hopping into the truck and starting it, giving him one last look before backing out.

“Fine, now who’s the one running away!” He calls after you as you begin to drive away.

You manage to make it all the way to town before you shatter, having to pull over into an empty parking lot, not able to see the road through your tears. This is so dumb; a stupid thing to fight over, and yet here you are.

Alone.

After a solid half hour, your tears begin to subside. You feel as though your heart has been rubbed raw inside of you as you try to figure out what to do next. You look up to see the bar and decide it’s better than sitting alone in your truck. You drive the short distance and park in front of the bar, hopping out and striding up to the door. 

The bell jingles a familiar ding as you open the door and you look around to see there’s no one in here, which isn’t surprising seeing as it’s only about two in the afternoon. Even the bar counter is empty as you walk up and plop yourself in a chair, desolation obvious on your face as you lay your head down on the counter. You hear the shuffling of feet, and then something heavy is placed on the counter next to you before you hear a familiar voice.

“Y/N?”

You barely lift your head to look up, seeing Saki standing in front of you, a crate of beer next to her on the counter. “Hi Saki.” You mumble, laying your head back down.

“Thought that was you.” Her lilting accent soothes you immediately. “What’s brought you in here honey? Are you alright?”

You sigh, forcing yourself to sit up and make eye contact. “I’ve been better.”

“Hm, I know that look.” She takes a clean glass out from under the counter and pours a generous amount of brown liquid in it before placing it in front of you. “Relationship problems?”

You take the glass, happily swigging the drink, your face twisting from the strong burn of the alcohol. “How could you tell?” You grumble, placing the empty glass back on the counter. She shrugs, refilling your glass. You sigh, quickly downing the second drink before pushing the glass away from you. “Saki, what would you do if you knew you had the power to change someone’s life. Like, permanently.”

“It depends.” She takes your glass and puts it in the sink before handing you a small bag of chips to even out the liquor now swirling in your stomach. “What does this person mean to you?”

“Everything…”

She watches you as you crunch down on a handful of chips. “Then I think I'd do anything I could to help them.”

You mull over her words. You know you would do anything to help Jeongguk, you just don’t know what the ‘anything’ is that he needs. “How much do you know… about Jeongguk?”

She shoots you a knowing glance and you raise your eyebrows in surprise. “So it’s the local fish giving you trouble, then?” 

“You know?”

“I know a lot of things.”

“He doesn’t want to be… well, that anymore.”

“Your uncle used to come in here all the time, talking about that with Donghyun after a few drinks.” She nods, looking around as if to assure you both the bar is still empty and you can speak freely, yet leans on the counter to get closer to you anyway, whispering. “Have you found anything out?”

You run your hands through your hair, frustrated. “The only cure we found is ‘love’.”

“Love?” 

“It said he could fully regain his humanity, if a human were to truly love him.”

“And you…?”

You nod. “I confessed.”

“And nothing happened?”

“Nothing.” You confirm. “And we got into this huge fight this morning about it. He said he doesn’t believe me, that I just said it to try and lift the curse.” She smiles softly at you, placing a hand over yours in comfort as you shake your head. “If I don't love him, then why does this hurt so much?”

“I’m not the one you have to convince.” She reminds you. 

“He doesn’t want to talk to me.”

“Aw honey. If only you could see how much he loves you.”

You sniffle, looking up at her. “What do you mean?”

“The way he looked at you the other night at the memorial? Anyone could see the way he felt.”

You were so focused on everything else that night, you didn’t stop to focus on Jeongguk. “Saki, when did you know you were in love with Donghyun?”

“Hmm…” She pauses to think. “The first night he took me fishing.”

“What?” You snort, that wasn’t the answer you were expecting.

She laughs with you. “I fell out of the boat that night. He jumped in after me, sacrificing his life for mine. It was the first time he saw me as I truly was, and seeing me like that… It didn’t change how he felt.”

You think over her words before you realize something. “Wait, Saki are you…?”

She only smiles. “Go find Jeongguk before it’s too late. You’ll figure it out, honey.”

You nod, standing up and saying goodbye before heading back out to your truck. You make the drive back, parking the truck and running toward the house. 

“Jeongguk!” You call out as you open the door, but the house is dark. Is he gone? You search every room, but there’s no sign of him. You head back outside, and are about to walk to the lighthouse when you hear that low melodious sound ringing in your ears once more. It’s coming from the cliffs. Could it be him trying to get your attention?

You walk over to the edge of the cliffs, rain pelting your face as you look out into the ocean and see a face. It’s familiar and yet unfamiliar at the same time, like something you’ve seen in a dream you can’t quite remember. Suddenly there’s a voice right in your ear.

“You want to save him…” It’s like a whisper in the wind. You look around to see that there’s no one around you before looking back down at the face to see it’s moved closer, now in the water directly underneath your feet. You watch their lips move as they repeat. “You want to save him?” It’s a question this time. 

You think back to Jeongguk’s words of warning; You can’t ever speak to them. They’ll kill you. Though every nerve ending in your body is screaming at you to run away, you can’t bring yourself to listen. What if they know something you don’t?

“Yes.” You reply. “I want to save him.”

“Even if you will lose everything?” The voice is grating and beautiful at the same time, as if two people are speaking.

You nod, getting down on your knees and leaning over the cliff to look at them. “What do I have to do?”

“Love requires sacrifice.” The Ineo hisses in your ear.

“What’s the cost?”

“One human life for another.”

“One life…” Your eyes widen in understanding. “I have to-” You swallow hard, staring down at the swirling waters below. The same waters that took the life of your uncle. “But the mirror-”

“The mirror of Sinjike’s predictions can differ if the future is altered. You only have one choice left: his life, or your own.”

“I…” You stop, sitting back on your heels. Could this really be the only way? Can you give up the beautiful life you would have with Jeongguk just to give him his humanity back? You can’t imagine a life without him, and you need him to know how much you love him. You need him to believe you. He should be coming back from the lighthouse any minute now…

“His.” You whisper. “I choose his.”

“Take off the necklace when you are ready. You won’t feel a thing under the trance of my song.”

The Ineo begins to sing again, their voice filling the air, loudly and clearly as you stand up, looking once more at the ocean below you. You think of the life you’ve had; your mother and father waiting back home for you in Busan. How they’ll react when they receive the news. The way that they’ll have to compartmentalize your life into boxes after all, going through all of your things, and thinking of everything you could’ve been, everything you tried so hard to be.

You think of your friends back home, of Donghyun and Saki here, how kind they were to you, of them holding another memorial in their bar, this time for you. Who would show up?

You think of your uncle, how he stood here in this same spot, contemplating the same things you are now before he made that final leap of the edge, seeing the world one last time before he stopped breathing. Was it painless? Did he regret it as he jumped? Did he know, somehow, that you would be right here with him, committing the same act purposefully. 

Mostly you think of Jeongguk. You think of how much you love him, how full your heart feels when you’re with him. No matter what, at the end of every road, he was good to you. You’ve always been afraid of growing old, of being alone, you've been worried for your soul, where it would end up; but Jeongguk, he puts all those fears to rest. You’re closing every door you’ve ever opened, sick of always wanting something more, something different. He’ll understand, right? He’ll know that you’re sorry. That you did this for him, so he could live the life he’s always wanted. You feel so scattered, not wanting to leave Jeongguk on such a sour note, but even an apology can’t save you now. You can only hope he’ll get to you in time…

Thunder cracks above your head, rain falling harder as you faintly hear your name being called from behind you. You turn to see Jeongguk emerging from the treeline by the lighthouse. You see it on his face, the exact moment he hears the song echoing through the air around you, as though the ocean herself is calling to you. 

“Y/N, what are you doing?” He starts to run towards you.

Your heart aches as you look at him, but all the same, you reach up and unclasp the necklace from around your neck, letting it drop to the ground as you make peace with your  decision; tonight you’ll make your bed at the bottom of the sea. Your senses are immediately taken over by the Ineo’s song, your vision going black as you’re filled with a desperate need, your body turning toward the cliffs.

Jeongguk sprints with all his might, desperate to reach your side in time as he watches you step closer and closer to the edge of the cliffs like it’s happening in slow motion. He’s so close, he can smell your perfume on the wind, his legs carrying him as fast as they can in his panic induced rush. Not again. He can’t lose you; not here, not now, not ever. He’s loved you since day one; you are everything to him, and he’ll be damned if he lets another Ineo take that away from him. Your toes dangle over the edge as you pick up your right foot, taking one final step and not finding anything to catch your body as you begin to drop through the air. Jeongguk lunges, using everything in him to push his body forward as he leaps, grabbing for you. 

“No!” He screams, feeling your shirt slip through his fingers.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

By a breadth of skin, he manages to grab your wrist, landing harshly on his stomach as he grips you tightly, the momentum of your body falling yanks him forward through the dirt, but he digs his feet in, using his other hand to grip the edge of the cliff as he attempts to support you. 

“Jeongguk, let me go.” He hears your voice, but he knows it isn’t really your voice. He looks down at you to see your eyes have gone black. “It’s okay.”

“No!” He yells again. Sensing Jeongguk’s stubbornness, the Ineo makes you wriggle in his grasp, the song filling your head telling you to do everything you can to plunge yourself into the dark water below where a clash of teeth awaits you. Jeongguk struggles against you, but manages to ignore the scratches you dig into his skin with your free hand as he tugs you up over the ledge. He pulls you back with him, away from the edge as he pushes you face down into the dirt, ignoring your cries and pleas as he grabs your arms together with one hand, reaching for your necklace with the other. 

Jeongguk takes the chain, holding the ends together, and drapes it over your head, letting it sit on your neck as he prays to whoever is listening, begging them to bring you back to him.

After a few moments, you stop struggling. He remains on top of you, holding his breath as he waits,

“J-Jeongguk…?” You mumble, face still half in the dirt. 

“Noona?” You lift your head and he tilts your chin toward him, seeing your beautiful, familiar soft eyes once more. He lets your arms go, taking a second to fasten the necklace around your neck before he crawls off you, allowing you to sit up.

“What… What happened?” You rub your head, looking around to see you’re sitting on the edge of the cliff. “You saved me?”

“Y/N!” Jeongguk tackles you back to the ground, wrapping his arms tightly around you as he begins to sob softly. “I thought I was going to lose you! Noona, why? Why would you do that?”

“Love requires sacrifice.” You repeat the words the Ineo told you. “And I love you, Jeongguk.”

“I-” Before Jeongguk can say anything, a ray of sunlight suddenly breaks through the clouds, shining down through the rain and landing directly on where the two of you sit.

A rainbow reflects from the raindrops and you watch as the rays seem to pierce Jeongguk directly as he clutches his chest. His body emits a faint glow as the rain and clouds suddenly disperse all together, leaving just that single ray of light, shining brighter than the rest. You watch closely as Jeongguk’s breathing slows, his body shining in the light as all the raindrops evaporate from his skin and clothes, his body warming from the inside out. 

When it’s done, the light recedes with the rapidly moving clouds, leaving you and Jeongguk sitting on the cliff, staring after it. 

“What the-”

“Jeongguk,” You reach out a hand to test your theory, placing it on his arm to feel his normally cold skin is replaced by a warmth you can only describe as being distinctly human. “You’re warm…”

“I am?” He looks down and touches his chest, feeling the warmth of blood circulating through his body. “I am.” His hands shoot up to his face, feeling himself with ecstatic anticipation of what this means.

“You’re human.”

He looks up at you, his eyes wide with wonder. “Y/N… You did it. You- You cured me. You saved my life.”

“And you saved mine.” You stand, pulling him up with you. “Like I knew you would.”

“Noona… Don’t ever do that again.” He scolds. He wraps his arms around you, pulling you into a sweet, warm kiss. “I don’t know what I'd do without you.”

“I love you, Jeongguk.”

“I love you too, Y/N.”

.

.

“Hey! Wait up!”

You hold your camera up, snapping a quick picture of him as he chases after you, wanting to capture the beauty of the setting sun reflecting off his features. He reaches you just as you pass the lighthouse, quickly wrapping his arms around you, picking you up and spinning you around as you squeal with delight. He puts you back on the ground and pulls you close, leaning down to place a soft kiss against your lips. 

“I told you to wait for us.” He chides. 

“You were going too slow!” You point out playfully as you start to get lost in his eyes. “Can’t take pictures of the sunset if the sun has already set.” You hold your camera up, snapping shots of the sun bouncing off the windows of the lighthouse.

“Appa!” Yumi’s voice rings out, her arms open wide as she toddles into your husband’s arms. 

“There’s my girl.” Jeongguk smiles, and you both lean in, planting kisses on her cheeks, making her giggle before he turns to you. “Are we still going to Donghyun and Saki’s tonight for dinner?”

“Oh! That’s right I almost forgot!” You nod as you both begin walking back toward the house. “We should probably get going soon.”

Jeongguk puts Yumi down when you reach the front steps. “Go get dressed sweetie!” He encourages, watching her toddle off to her room. “God, I can’t believe she’s four already.” He sighs, wrapping his arms around your waist from behind.

“Time’s moving fast now that you’re not immortal, huh?” You tease.

He spins you around in his embrace. “Time always stands still when I’m with you, my love.” He smiles before leaning down, pressing the sweetest of kisses to your lips.

“You know,” You whisper, leaning back against the door frame. “This is it.”

He tilts his head in confusion. “This is what?”

“This,” You point towards the lighthouse and the sun as it sets the sky on fire in shades of red. “This is what I saw in the mirror that day.”

“This?” He repeats. “You… You saw Yumi?”

You nod. “I saw all of us. That’s how I knew you’d save me in time.”

Jeongguk smiles brightly, pressing another kiss to your forehead. “I’m so glad you did.”

“Me too.”

“I love you, noona.”

“I love you too, Jeongguk.”

.

.

Copyright © Inkjam-Moon 2025

[seoksgrl]

rather be dead than cool, 1 : jjk nerd!jungkook x popular!reader college au, dislike to love genderbent shes all that au

tws: some slight bullying (?), rich people being rich people

m.list

next

One thing could be said for you, and that is that you’re an overachiever. You set your goals way too high (some might say) and then struggle to reach them (also up for debate). 

Since you were a youngster clicking around the nursery yard in baby Gucci from head to toe, you’ve always known you were destined for greater things than the bumbling little town you happened to be born in. If it weren’t for your father building a large technology empire in your formative years, perhaps you would have turned out differently. But he raised you to work hard and to take everyone you know with a pinch of salt. 

High school had been a breeze, popularity and good genes meant you had many friends, but your father always reminded you that people could be bought. They always needed something from you, whether it be an elevation in social status or just a bite of your granola bar, your friends had motives. And you respected them when you were upfront about it.

As expected, you got straight A’s, entered one of the top colleges and built an appropriate social circle. Some call you conceited, shallow, rude - you’re just you. If they don’t like it, you don’t waste any more of your time. People didn’t affect you as much as they did your friends, especially boyfriends. You’d grown up with the knowledge your father instilled in you, meaning that when Park Jimin ended things with you, there wasn’t a tear spilled or an ounce of makeup smudged. 

Jimin had been your boyfriend for the longest of the guys you dated in college - lasting a whole year, in fact. He was good for your popularity, something you’ve grown to enjoy. Why feel bad for taking advantage of something you have no control over? You dated him, now you don’t. You can easily move on and find someone else, or not. You’re well aware of the fact you don’t need anyone. 

Your friends don’t think the same way, however. 

“Oh my god!” Irene gasps, her dainty, ring-adorned hand falls on the shoulder of your Prada sweater and you resist the urge to shrug it off. After all, a snag would just be inconvenient, and those rings house many gaudy diamonds, “Are you okay?”

The question isn’t surprising to you - people have asked you every time you’ve had a break up. The answer is always the same.

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

Mina’s brows pull together, and you wonder if she waxed them herself. They’re looking uneven, “Well, you guys were together for so long. I mean...did he dump you?”

You shrug, scrolling through Instagram, mainly Jimin’s posts from Spring Break are all that clog your feed. He ended - you both ended things a week before he left. You pause momentarily on a photo of him with what appears to be a cheerleader and close the app. 

“It was mutual,” You check over your acrylics, happy with the peach colour. It matches perfectly with your purse, “I’m good. Really,”

Mina and Irene don’t look convinced, though you truly do feel okay. It wasn’t like you were in love with Jimin or anything - you’d said it to each other, but really, how do you know when you’re in love. Nobody tells you how you’re supposed to feel. Jimin had said it, and so you replied with the same. You had your own way of knowing you didn’t feel much more for Jimin beyond simply liking him, and it was the same measure you used for all friendships and relationships. 

If you were planning to go to the movies, would you want to go with Jimin, or go alone?

The answer had always been alone. Jimin was a talker - he didn’t really watch the movie, and the couple times the two of you had chilled at his place with the TV on, he’d texted or tried to initiate sex with you. The idea of Jimin texting in the movie theatre made you irrationally angry. And so, you always went alone. 

“Jimin was cute,” Mina says suddenly, as if she had thought about it for some time, “You two were like...the It couple. You know?”

It wasn’t a secret to you that your relationship with Jimin had caught some attention in the social circles on campus. Things in a prestigious school such as Yonsei University worked a lot like high school - there are still the familiar cliques you would expect, and as such, you are known as one of the most popular individuals on campus. Popular and well-liked are not, as most might believe, mutually exclusive. You’re aware that some people dislike you, but it’s hard to care. How can they dislike you without knowing you?

“I mean,” You laugh, brushing away a stray hair from your bangs, “Jimin only got popular after we started dating,” And it was true. You would never lie about such a thing, “I feel like I could date anyone and we could become the It couple on campus. Almost everyone we know is single,”

Mina scoffs, a rice cake inches from her lips, “I could date, I just choose not to,”

Irene is the next to speak, her attention moving from your friend to you, “So, what are you saying? You made Jimin the man he is today?” She speaks through her laughter, but you don’t know why. It’s the truth - and you’re not even trying to be up your own ass about it either. 

“Yeah,” You reply, short and sweet, “Making a guy into high class material isn’t difficult. Men are pliable, like clay. You just mould them into what you need,”

Before you and Jimin became official, he was cute. But he wasn’t the kind of cute you would usually date. There was something inside you that yearned for a challenge, something to occupy your time. Doing well on assignments and quizzes was too easy for you. Thanks to your father’s money, he’d bought you the best tutor available to you and so you’re always pretty clued up on what you need to know in class before the semesters begin. 

“You know what,” Irene adjusts her bag on her shoulder, settling herself on the bench beside you. Class is in ten minutes, and you should really start walking, but before you can suggest it, her hand is diving inside her purse and pulling out a cheque book. It has daisies on the pages, and from what you can tell, it’s new, “My dad has lowered my allowance after I put a dent in his Jag. I could use some extra money,” Her smile turns devious, a little like when you were in high school and she confessed to shoplifting a jacket she was wearing, “How about we make this interesting, since you’re so confident?”

Mina is standing in front of the two of you now, cheeks stuffed full with rice cake and she bundles the wrapper in her fist, listening intently. 

You’re not just confident - you’re stubborn. And it was this, you would later realise, that would be your downfall, “Go on,”

“You have until the spring formal,” Irene writes on the cheque, her handwriting flows smoothly, little hearts adorning the i’s, “to turn some random dude into the newest campus hot boy,”

You chuckle, lips preparing to speak before Irene shushes you with the pen.

“To make this a fair bet, Mina will choose the guy,”

Irene wasn’t wrong, you were confident. So confident in fact that the concept of Mina choosing the guy you had to reinvent didn’t phase you at all. In fact, the fire of a new challenge began to build in your gut, and so you agreed, without even knowing what the prize would be. 

“If you win,” Irene speaks, “you get my car,”

Irene’s car is gorgeous, a white Porsche that her father had custom made for her twentieth birthday. Nobody else has anything like it in the world, let alone on campus. The idea of having it for yourself is more than appealing, “And if you win?” 

You raise your brow, waiting for Irene’s answer and fully expecting what you hear fall from her lips, “I get your Tiffany bangle,”

Irene had her eyes on your most prized piece of jewellery ever since you stepped on campus with it after Christmas with your grandma in Paris. Like the Porsche, the bangle was also custom made, and you believed it was probably worth just as much. Confident in your ability to create a new campus It boy, you agree. 

“Great,” Irene smirks, “If this guy doesn’t win Spring King at the formal, we’ll consider it as your loss. Happy with those terms?”

Anyone could win that plastic crown, you’re absolutely sure of it, and so you raise your manicured hand and shake it with that of your friend, sealing the deal and leaving the next part of the bet in the hands of Mina, who stands watching the whole exchange. 

The three of you agree to meet after class, during the free period you all share just after lunch. Your morning passes without issue, mostly because you had already read the book you’re studying during the summer. Now halfway through your senior year, it’s imperative that you remain on top of your game, but with your extra tutoring and excellent average, you have a feeling that would be straight forward. 

By the time you meet up with Mina and Irene again, Mina’s hair is just beginning to fluff up thanks to the humidity carried by the change in season. Spring is slowly morphing into summer, and the grass is at its greenest. As the other students laze about in the April sunshine, you and the girls seat beneath the shade of an old oak with rough bark and thick, flat leaves to shield you all from the rising temperature. 

“Mina thinks she may have found the perfect candidate for our little bet,” Irene begins, luxuriating on the grass, combing the long, black tresses of her hair with her fingers. Mina nods, halfway through braiding her own hair in an effort to quell its frizz, “If you manage to pull this one off, I’ll be very impressed,”

Mina finishes her work, letting her long braid hang over her shoulder before she crosses her legs, leaning forward to speak directly to you, “On my way to chem, I saw the Jeon boy,”

“Jeon?” The name rings a bell, perhaps from high school or middle school, but you can’t think of who Mina could be talking about off the top of your head, “Who is that?”

“Jeon Jeongguk,” She clarifies, “He’s in my art class - a photography major as far as I can tell. He takes fine art as a minor,”

“Do you have a picture? I’d like to at least know what I’m working with here,”

Mina pulls her cell out, just as Irene sits up, looking over your shoulder with a sly grin, “Looks like he heard you. He’s walking over there,”

What you expect to see, you aren’t quite sure. In your mind you’d pictured someone a little more...rough around the edges. Jeon Jeongguk is rough, definitely, but he seems to have a strange, delicate aura about him. From what you can make out as he walks across the back towards the library, he has long, dark hair - gathered up in a rushed pony that springs out the back of his head. He keeps his head down as he walks, clad in oversized sweats and a matching sweater, large backpack over one shoulder. He doesn’t look at anyone as he passes them, and it’s only when he looks up at the library that you see the white wire of his earphones swing into sight. 

From this distance, you can’t exactly know for sure, but you can already think of a few pointers regarding his style. The blank, unapproachable expression on his face intrigues you, and there’s that nagging sense of challenge within you that wants to get through to him. To do that, you will have to plan an approach. 

“What do you think?” Irene asks, and you turn back to your friends just as Jeongguk disappears into the building, “I did a little digging with some of the students in my class. He’s a loner from what I hear - a virgin. An excellent canvas,” 

With a shrug, you pop a raspberry into your mouth from the bento box sitting in your lap, “Doesn’t seem like too much work,” You grin, firmly confident in your abilities. The desire to prove yourself wins over everything else, and you continue with lunch, mentally planning a way to turn Jeongguk from loner to It boy in six weeks. 

What you’re doing right now isn’t exactly stalking, more like research. Shades perched on the bridge of your nose, you peek over them to where the Jeon boy is sitting; the target of your bet with Irene. The very same guy who will win you that Porsche. 

It’s a mere twenty-four hours since Irene proposed this bet, and you’ve skipped labs solely to begin your job as soon as possible, paying a girl to take notes for you and cover should your professor ask questions about your absence. No middle aged man can compete against a good menstrual cramp story. During said time, a half hour so far, you’ve learned some small things about Jeon Jeongguk. His hair looks damaged, grown out far too long and unkept for his face shape - a face shape that is, surprisingly, not bad. From this distance anyway. Said hair is currently hanging around his face, like a curtain, shielding him off from the world. He’d stayed like that for some time, and until a familiar student in junior year walked by, you hadn’t thought much of it. 

But then, something peculiar and, quite frankly, hard to watch happened. Jeon Jeongguk, famed loner of Yonsei’s esteemed campus, stood up and attempted to talk to the girl. As you’d lowered your shades, her face came into focus and you recognised her from one of the christmas parties you’d attended. Sana, her name was - very pretty, very shy. Though, from what you witnessed, not shy enough to shut Jeongguk down. 

And now here you are, almost fifteen minutes since the whole embarrassing affair happened, and Jeongguk successfully retreated once Sana left, crouching on the grass in a shady corner by the arts building, scribbling in a notebook. He hasn’t moved an inch since. 

You grin to yourself, going over the miniscule events over the past forty five minutes staring - no, observing Jeongguk, realising this is your in. This is how you’re going to get this guy to agree to the makeover of his college career. Everyone wins; you win your bet, and the chance to retain your impeccable track record, and Jeongguk gets the girl. Nobody will be able to resist Jeon Jeongguk when you’re done with him. As much as you hate to admit it, he’s not totally hopeless.

One thing your friends don’t know is that Jeongguk isn’t all that bad. Minus the overalls, haphazard man-bun and a complete lack of social skills. Okay, so he won’t turn into a stud overnight - so what? Hard work births the best results and at least you have a starting point: the guy’s tall. You know you can make this work.

You have no issues with approaching Jeon, sashaying over the patch of grass between you until you’re all but casting a shadow on his notebook. There’s some faint scratches of black, rushed and wild on the page, though he snatches it away before you can really see what it is, glancing up at you beneath his hand, shielding his hands from the final bursts of winter sunshine. 

He doesn’t respond to your outstretched hand, and upon further inspection, you note the ink staining his knuckles and digits, thinking better of your introduction and letting your hand fall back to your side. 

“I don’t believe we’ve met,” You grin brightly, a smile that has won you many a debate, “Y/N,”

“I know who you are,” Is all he says before he’s looking back down at his notebook, flipping it closed with a finality that indicates he believes your interaction is over. You frown. Jeongguk stands, and you realise how right you were about his height. The guy towers over you, enough so that now the roles are reversed, and you are the one shielding your eyes from the bright sky. 

“You do? I can’t say I’m surprised,” You reply, winning smile fixed back on your lips, your resolve as hard as steel, “I’m head of student government,”

Jeongguk doesn’t reply to that, he just gives you a weary once over and starts walking. Very rude, you can’t help but think. Though you won’t be deterred - you have a bet to win, after all. Your legs carry you across the grass, working a little harder in an effort to catch up with Jeon’s strides. He seems eager to get away from you, and that only makes you more determined to win him over. 

“I would have thought you’d welcome some social interaction,” You huff out, almost out of breath as you shuffle behind Jeongguk, his broad shoulders hunched as he approaches the sidewalk, heading to one of the buildings close to the science block. If your professor sees that you skipped class to talk to some guy, Jeon Jeongguk no less, you will be in danger of damaging your flawless reputation. 

Jeongguk scoffs at your words, though you barely hear it above the sound of your own breathing, and he leaves you no choice but to bring out the big guns earlier than planned.

“I noticed you were talking to my friend, Sana,”

He stops in his tracks, a great sigh heaving from his massive shoulders, and he turns, facing you with a look of trepidation and curiosity. His eyes are impossibly big, like really - you can’t believe someone can have such huge, doe-like eyes. He looks down at you, almost through you, and it has you blinking away for a moment. 

“You...know Sana?” He asks, his voice full to the brim with weariness, and you almost feel sorry for the guy. But, you’re not that nice of a person. 

“I do,” You smile, hiding the fact your lungs ache for you to take a full breath. It’s a lie, but only a little one. You’re the most popular girl on campus, Sana knows who you are. “I noticed you guys talking earlier,”

At this, he blushes, a faint bloom of red in his cheeks that looks so out of place on a face that was almost scowling at you moments prior. He clears his throat, apparently reigning in any outward evidence of his crush, fixing you with a confused frown, “You noticed?”

Fuck. “I was in the area. You don’t own the quad you know,”

You escape his scrutiny, just barely, and he lands another question on you. His hesitation isn’t surprising to you - after all, this morning you didn’t know this guy existed, you can’t blame him for being suspicious about someone suddenly prying into his life. But you’re stubborn, and eager to win. Your competitiveness can get you into the strangest situations if you let it, so when Jeongguk asks why you’re interested in him and Sana (or the absence of him and Sana), you know exactly what to say. 

“Well, I know Sana,” As you have said, despite it being a lie, “and if you wanna get her attention, you’re not gonna do it looking the way you do,”

His frown is back again, and he almost resembles a kicked puppy. 

“The template is fine. Basically, you just need some new clothes, a hair change. I can help - I like seeing my friends happy, and you don’t seem like an axe murderer or anything,” You flash him your winning smile again, and this time, it seems to be well-received, “Let me help. I’m acing all my classes, please give me something to do. I’m bored,”

He shoots you a look of mild bewilderment before he considers your proposal, still hesitant. Though, he glances behind you, eyes lighting up and you follow his line of sight towards where the girl in question stands, sitting with her friends. Sana is completely unaware of the way Jeongguk stares after her like a hungry mouse, innocence playing across his features, and you wonder if he’s as pure deep down in his soul as Irene implied. There’s a softness to him that continues to intrigue you the longer you stand here, watching him pine after his crush, and you’re only awoken from your inner thoughts when Jeongguk’s eyes meet yours, a little too wide having found you already watching him. 

“Okay,” He says, eyes once more finding Sana in the background, “I’ll let you help me,”