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chimcess · 8 months

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Waterlog || pjm (1)

Pairing: Jimin x Reader Other tags: Olympic Swimmer!Jimin, Ex Olympic Swimmer! Reader, Swim Coach!Reader Genre: Strangers to Friends to Lovers!AU, Coach!AU, Swimming!AU, Age Gap!AU, HEAVY Angst, Slow Burn, Mutual Pining, fluff, eventual smut, I'm so soft for these two it's crazy. Word Count: 17.4k+ Synopsis: After a car accident ends her athletic career, Y/N has slowly started rebuilding her life again as a high school swim coach. That’s until she gets a request from an old friend and finds herself back in the spotlight as the new coach of Olympic swimmer, Park Jimin. Warnings: discussions of significant death (does not happen in story), talks of a bad car accident, talks of drunk driving (please drinking responsibly), more than likely wrong swimming terms and poor understanding of how the Olympics actually works (I did so much research, pls be nice to me lol), strong language, lots of mental health discussions, reader has mommy and daddy issues, Older reader, Jimin is a complete sweetie, the tamest chapter of them all A/N: Well, well, well, look who came back. I first wrote Waterlog back in 2021, and while I enjoy the premise, I hate the finished product. I wanted to go back and edit/fix what I originally had, but when I tried it became so different, I was better off rewriting the entire thing. I hope you guys like this mini-series. If you would like to read the original go to my blog archive. Thank you for reading!

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Staring at the pool, I managed to calm myself with relative ease. Jin had been right, physical therapy had made things easier. The water glistened prettily in the lights, and I waited with bated breath for my trainer to come in.

Emery was a sweet guy, pretty with a lip ring and tattoos, but with a surprising amount of shyness it was laughable. His softness was offset by his powerful muscles, and I enjoyed his never-ending sense of humor. Unlike Dr.Maddox, Emery treated me like I was a normal person. Not an Olympian who almost lost her leg in an accident, or the woman whose fiancé died. I was just Y/N, and it was a relief to be around him.

Running my fingers along the scars on my leg, I mindlessly drew patterns around them in the silence. It was not normal for Emery to take this long, but his assistant had said he was running behind due to another patient, so I was unbothered. I had planned my entire day around this, so I was in no rush.

Finally, the door swung open revealing a disheveled Emery. Breathing heavier than usual, he rolled his eyes at me in frustration before saying his pleasantries. Whoever it had been had gotten him worked up.

“Rough morning?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.

With an annoyed sigh, he nodded.

“I shouldn’t say this, but I hope that woman never comes back here.”

I laughed, “We all have that someone. Don’t feel too bad.”

Shaking his head, I could tell it took restraint on his part not to rant and rave about the woman who had left. Emery and I were more friendly than most. I had been seeing him for over two years now, but we still kept a semblance of a professional relationship. Especially Emery.

“How’s the kids?” He asked, making small talk as we started getting ready for a swim.

I was the coach of a high school swim team in town, something I talked about quite a bit, and Emery always liked hearing about. He was a great water polo player but chose to go into physical therapy while he was in college. After seeing one of his friends get injured and how much physical therapy had helped him, Emery decided to change his major. Four years later, he says he could never see himself doing anything else.

“They’re doing well,” I said honestly. “We got a couple of freshmen on the team, but they’re doing a lot better than I thought they would.”

Emery hummed, offering me assistance getting into the pool. While walking had been mostly figured out, the obvious limp aside, I still had some trouble with getting in-and-out of things. Even my bathtub had to be switched out since I was unable to step over it. I still used the medical chair while in there, too.

The water was cool against my skin, and I felt instantly relieved. The dull aches and pains left as soon as I got into the water. Swimming to my usual spot, I waited patiently for Emery to join me.

“That’s great to hear,” He smiled.

Going to the edge of the pool, Emery grabbed a set of barbells and handed them to me. Taking them, the two of us went over the workout plan for the day. Pulling himself up on the pool’s edge, Emery picked up his stopwatch and told me to begin.

Getting on the interstate, I sang along to the radio as I made my way to Hoseok’s. The two of us had been friends since high school, our mutual love for swimming making it impossible to keep apart, and only growing with time. He was one of my biggest support systems after the accident. Both of us had retired years ago now, but I remembered our days as Olympians fondly. Those were the best years of my life.

A small group of our friends were getting together at his house to watch the summer Olympics this afternoon. The women’s swimming finals were happening today, and I knew two of the girls competing. Turning on my blinker, I quickly got off the interstate.

Pressing around my car’s radio screen, I went to my contacts and pressed Andy’s number. She was off today and in charge of getting everything together. Hoseok had tried to do it himself, but always seemed to forget who should do what and ended up buying everything himself. She picked up after the fourth ring.

“What’s up, sugar?” Andy greeted, her voice soft and light. Her Memphis accent was thick and brought a smile to my face. Everyone had made jokes about her being southern when we first met. “Don’t tell me you’re missing Nationals.”

I shook my head even though she could not see me.

“I’m on my way,” I replied. “What should I pick up? I completely forgot.”

Andy sighed, “You’re just as bad as Jin.”

Seokjin was Andy’s husband. The two of them had been together whenever they moved to Colorado, married before I ever met them, and became quick friends with Hoseok when they moved to the Springs. That was how I had met them. Whenever their daughter Dani was born, Andy had asked me to be her Godmother and I sobbed in her lap. They were my closest friends next to Hoseok. Jin was indeed very forgetful, though, and the jibe made me chuckle.

“Cut me some slack,” I argued. “I’ve been working out for two hours straight.”

I could hear the smile in her voice, “Just get some pizza or something. We’re picking up some wings and Hobi’s in charge of the drinks. Minho and Tilly are bringing… something. I don’t even know anymore.”

Fully laughing now, I saw a Little Ceasars up ahead and got into the correct lane. Minho and Matilda were loose cannons when it came to our parties. While sweet, and fiercely loyal, I found myself wondering why I hung out with them at times. We were night and day personality wise, but I loved them dearly. Minho would probably bring some Korean side dishes from home, and Matilda would pick up a few packs of ramen from the store. Andy was stressing over nothing again. I hoped she was getting proper rest on her days off.

“I’m at Little Caesars,” I told her, parking my car. “I’m going to get the basics. How many things of Crazy Bread should I get?”

She thought for a second before replying.

“Five?” She was definitely unsure about her answer.

It was hard to gauge just how hungry everyone would be, and Jin was a bottomless pit.

“Sounds good,” I said instead, already thinking about getting more.

“Drive safe. See you in a bit.”

“See you, Andy,” I unplugged my phone from the charger.

Pressing it to my ear, I pressed my start button and turned it off. I climbed out of my car and started walking to the store.

“Love you,” She sing-songed playfully.

“Love you, too,” I replied. Opening the door, a worker greeted me with a smile. “I’m about to order.”

Shoving my phone in my back pocket, I gave the worker an awkward smile before telling him my order. I ended up getting seven bags instead of five. Just in case. Dani really liked the stuff and Jin could smash an entire bag by himself. While I waited for the cheese pizza to come out of the oven, my phone started ringing.

“Hello?” I answered, unable to check the caller ID while the cashier shoved the crazy bread into my arms.

“I heard from a little bird that you’re thinking about competing again.”

I grinned and thanked the cashier as she handed me my other pizza.

“Hello to you, too, Frank,” I replied. “And your little birdie wouldn’t happen to be Hoseok, would it?”

Frank and Sarah Boone had become a part of my life after the accident. They ran a local support group to help those affected by drunk drivers to get connected with resources and therapy. The two had lost their son when he decided to drive home drunk from a party and used the group as their own coping mechanism. They were wonderful people and owned their own joint coffee shop and bookstore in Denver.

“Won’t say names,” He chuckled, “But it might have come from a certain part-timer. So, is it true?”

I placed the boxes in the passenger seat and rounded my car. This was not a conversation I was expecting to happen today. I had brought up the idea to Hoseok since the Olympics were coming up next year, but I was not committed to it. I was enjoying my new job coaching and did not think I was in any condition for competition. When he brought up the Paralympics I laughed. Those competitors were in better shape than I was, and I doubted I would qualify. I was disabled but my disability did not (as far as I knew) carry over into the pool.

“I was just talking shit, Frank,” Backing out of the parking space, I put in Hoseok’s address and started to drive. Switching over to my car’s phone, I put my phone down and looked at the road. “You know I’m happy with my life right now.”

He made a grunting noise that told me he did not really believe me. No one did. All of them were sure I was miserable about my career ending far before its time, and while that may be true, I felt more loss about the life I was supposed to have than winning medals. I missed Namjoon more than any medal. Frank and Sarah understood that.

“I know that,” He cleared his throat, and I could hear the congestion. Frank had come down with a nasty case of walking pneumonia two weeks ago and was still recovering. “Just got a little excited is all. It would be nice to see you putting yourself back out there.”

It would be nice to see myself back in the pool, I could admit that. I had dreams of it at times. Being a competitor was a part of who I was. From the first time my dad took me to my swim classes when I was six all the way until I claimed my eighth Olympic medal, everyone had said there was nothing I hated more than losing. I was fiery, free-spirited, and kept my eyes on the prize. It was the thing Namjoon loved about me the most. That made me frown.

“I left a champ,” I forced a laugh. “Need to save some gold for the rest of them.”

Hiding behind humor was a pastime.

Frank laughed, oblivious to the hollowness in my tone. “Heard they have a new guy taking your place.”

That made me snort, “He’s not taking my spot. Totally different competitions, my friend.”

“Winning gold like you, that’s for damn sure.”

It must be Jimin Park. The kid turned up on the scene a year after my accident. He was a very, very talented swimmer. Fast as a bullet with the best butterflies I had ever seen, Park was a force to be reckoned with in the men’s league. It was a joy to watch him swim and this year would be his first Olympics. Hoseok and I were very excited to watch him.

“If you’re talking about Park,” I chuckled. “He’s far from new. He’s been competing for a few years now. First Olympics, though.”

“He’s young, ain’t he?”

I nodded, “23, I think.”

Truthfully, I did not know how old he was. I remember the buzz around how young he was when he first broke out on the scene. He was eighteen when he took home gold all season before a family emergency took him out of the Olympics last minute. No one knew what really happened, but his team had said his brother was in an accident, tragically losing his life, and Jimin was prioritizing his family. He’s competed every year since and with the Olympics next year, I was certain Park would be there. He deserved it.

I was parked in front of the house now and from the cars outside, I was the last person to arrive. Frank and I talked for a few moments. It was cute how much he had learned about swimming so we could be buddies. Sarah was the only person who recognized my face when I first started going to the meetings and her husband was determined to get me to open after weeks of sitting in bitter silence in the back.

We hung up after I promised I would make it to the meeting next Thursday. Frank was not happy about me skipping the past two weeks, but understood I was taking some time to myself. My boys were going to compete this year, I had fought tooth and nail for that funding, and the extra hours at school were exhausting. Jeremy and Evan showed promise, but they knew how to drive me up the wall with all of their simple mistakes.

As I suspected, the party was in full swing. Matilda and Minho were laughing loudly on the sofa, Hoseok sporting a beer in the recliner next to them, and Dani practicing her gymnastics in the middle of it all. I could hear the commentators talking animatedly about the girls, who they believed would come out on top and highlights from the night before, but I never really paid them any mind.

“Pizza’s here!” Minho boomed, practically running to greet me.

I laughed, handing over the boxes, “Need help carrying the rest in.”

Matilda offered, happily taking my car keys and leaving the house. Minho had disappeared into the kitchen. Dani spared me enough attention for a smile and wave before launching into excited pleas for me to watch her new moves.

“Super cool, babe,” I smiled sweetly after her handstand. Dani was not particularly good at gymnastics. She started later than the other girls, rarely did anything she was actively afraid of, and hated her coach. Andy was already looking for a better gym, but I just thought she should start pointing her in another direction. Dani loved dancing and she would be a wonderful ballerina or figure skater if given the proper training. The Kim’s, however, seemed fine watching her deal with gymnastics and cheerleading. “You’re getting better.”

Dani beamed, “Daddy said the same thing.”

Flipping the right way around, her hair coming out of its messily tied bun and falling down past her shoulders. Brown, loose waves made her look so much younger than her eight years, her small stature only selling the illusion even more. Her skin was smooth, and she always looked as though she had been playing outside in the sun, a constant tinge of pink beneath her sandy skin. Her features favored her father, large eyes, long face, and plush, pillow-like lips, but after meeting Andy’s parents, I could see her grandmother hidden within the mischievous glint in her eyes and too small ears.

“Your dad’s a smart guy,” I joked.

She continued to babble away as I made myself more comfortable, kicking off my shoes and tossing my hat onto the small buffet table that sat above the shoe rack. Matilda came back inside, her arms filled with bags of bread, and I took two from the pile. With a thankful, thin-lipped grin, she also complimented Dani’s moves before disappearing around the corner in the direction of the kitchen.

“Dani,” Hoseok seemed to have finally grown tired of hearing the girl talk. I would imagine this was all he had been hearing since he arrived. “Do you want to color with me?”

The little girl clapped happily, her eyes bright and shining, before abandoning her mat to gather a few coloring books and her massive hoard of crayons. Hoseok looked at me then, a sly smile on his face before winking. I chuckled and shook my head. He always did that to make her shut up.

I left the living room before Dani came back. I loved her dearly, but I could admit she talked too much. It was a good thing for a kid her age to be so social but that did not mean I wanted to hear her every waking thought. Andrea and Seokjin were the only parents in our little group, and I imagined it would stay that way for a while. Even if my dreams of children were still alive, I did not have anybody I wanted to take on that responsibility with.

Minho was eating the pizza, as expected, while Matilda had already claimed her own bag of Crazy Bread. Andy and Jin were snuggled up at their dining table, his arms securing her to his chest, and she curled into him. I loved watching them together. I had grown up in a house with two people who hated one another, barely kept up a facade of civility before my mother skipped down to be with her new boyfriend in Florida leaving my dad and I behind in Pennsylvania. We made it work but things were never the same after that. It made me happy to know little Dani would feel the love radiating in her home as she grew up. I had never seen two people so enamored with one another in my life- not even Namjoon and I.

“How was therapy?” Minho asked after we exchanged pleasantries. “Hoseok said you were talking about competing next season.”

I laughed in disbelief. That man did not know how to keep his mouth shut. I said the same thing I told Frank over the phone, and he scoffed. Minho never truly laughed, if I was honest. It was always a snicker, scoff, or chuckle. He was a man of little words and even fewer outbursts of joy, and I found his versions of those things just as reserved as the rest of him. He was the most expressive when he smiled, but those were just as rare as a genuine laugh. Dani managed to squeeze more out of him than anybody else.

“Stop meddling!” Andy scolded the other man from her spot in Seokjin’s lap.

“Never,” My friend replied, amusement clear in his voice.

“Never!” Dani echoed, voice louder than Hoseok’s. She was giggling happily alongside him, and I rolled my eyes. He was her favorite. “Never!” She repeated again, pleased when Hoseok laughed. “Never!”

“That’s enough,” Jin’s voice was even and smooth.

Dani did not shout again but we could all hear her and Hoseok attempting to cover up their laughter. Andy smiled fondly. Their little friendship had warmed her heart. After Dani, Andrea had been diagnosed with cervical cancer. It had come back six times before her doctor said she needed to get a hysterectomy. She grieved the children they would never have, the large family she dreamed of stolen from her, but once Dani was old enough to walk, she had been glued to Hoseok’s hip.

Hoseok for all he spoke about never wanting children, he adored Dani. His family was small, he and his sister the only children, but they were extremely close. She lived in New York City as a fashion designer and got married last year, and I always had the feeling Hoseok felt lonely without her. Dani was a welcome break from routine and made him feel special. It was sweet but I hoped my friend would find someone to share his life with someday.

“It’s starting,” Hoseok announced.

It was a great day for the U.S. Opal Simmons was one to look out for. She was the oldest woman on the team, a shocking 24, but she could out swim a vast majority of them. Her freestyles were amazing, earning her a gold with Japan just a few points behind. I was hopeful she would be able to come out on top in her distance swim. While not the fastest in the pool, the girl knew how to pace herself. The cameras cut to the shot of one of her coaches smiling triumphantly at the performance.

He was a good friend of mine, Oswald Bunch. He had been heavily involved with the Olympics for years now, promoted to one of the lead coaches back in 2020, but I remembered when he was still competing. A few years older than me, Ozzie was known for his backstrokes and long-distance swimming, and we bonded whenever we got the chance to meet in London back in 2012.

That was my first Olympics. I was a fresh-faced 20-year-old on a mission. My team at the time was stoked to have me around and I was excited to be there. I had built up a solid reputation over the course of two years, winning seven medals my first adult-competitive season, and the high was incredible. Back then, I was always the one to beat at the breaststroke and therefore, the medleys were in my favor as well. I walked away with 4 golds that year, and again in 2016. The accident happened a year later, but I left the competitive world with 8 gold Olympic medals and 19 world champion gold medals. Katie Ledecky held the record now, but for a time, I was the most decorated female swimmer in history. I was excited when I was finally passed up, happy for the younger woman.

Ozzie was the man, but sadly never got out of Michael Phelp’s shadow. It was not his fault. That man was insane in the water and would become the most decorated Olympian ever. Bunch was a great swimmer, but I did not know a single person who could compare to Phelps. Hoseok, maybe, but he only had 12 gold medals. Phelps had 23.

“Simmons looks great out there,” Hoseok praised, a large smile on his face.

“Her butterflies could use a little work,” I murmured back, already seeing how I could fix it with some extra exercises. “It’s slowing down her freestyle. What else is she scheduled for?”

“I think she’s doing the 200-meter freestyles and the medley relay,” He replied, taking a sip of his beer. “Bunch is banking on her pacing.”

“She won’t win those,” I was positive. “She’s just going to get tired. Breaststrokes are obviously not her thing.”

He laughed, “You’re the breaststroke queen, Y/N. No one's as good as yours.”

I shrugged, “Ledecky is a great swimmer.”

“Never said she wasn’t,” He sipped. “Her freestyles are killer. Girls could never beat you in breaststroke or a medley. You’re untouchable there.”

It made me smile despite myself. Hoseok was right, those were my competitions. Even if Katie had surpassed my record for most gold medals ever, I still had more Olympic medals than she did, and they were in completely different events. I could have kept my title had the accident never happened. I would have. Even if we were friendly, Ledecky would have been my competition, and I would have fought hard to keep the record.

“What’s Jimin doing this year?” Matilda asked as the women’s scores were posted. Opal would be a strong contender. “Anyone know?”

I nodded, “I haven’t watched every competition, but he’s sticking to what he does best. Didn’t he swim the 200 yesterday?”

“Yeah,” Hoseok replied. “He’s skipping out today and doing his individual tomorrow. Swimming back-to-back after that. Kid’s a fucking animal in the water.”

I couldn't agree more. As I stared at Opal’s smiling face, her pale blonde hair and bright blue eyes, I wished I had been able to watch Jimin instead. She was cold and impassive even with a large, perfectly white grin that took up most of her face. In fact, I found her quite boring outside of the water. No flair or features that set her apart. Just a tall, well-built blonde with a nice smile. Ozzie would have to work hard to make her memorable.

“Simmons did well,” I yawned. “It’s getting late, though, and I have work in the morning.”

The goodbyes were quick, and Dani made me promise to take her roller skating soon. There was a girl at school making fun of her and she wanted her “super cool” and “famous” aunt to tell them off. We all laughed, and I told her we could go this weekend after gymnastics practice.

My drive home was uneventful. It was already dark out, something that bothered me more than I would ever admit out loud, and I never turned on the radio. I preferred to drive in absolute silence, eyes and ears glued to the road. I had only started talking on the phone recently.

I was much worse after the accident. I refused to get inside of a car for weeks and if I did, I was a mess. No one was allowed to be a distracted driver either. No radio, no phone, no conversations. Nothing. Jin had been the default chauffeur during that time and put up with my anxiety better than the others.

It was close to a year before I tried to sit in the front seat again. Another five before I got behind the wheel. For hours I would sit in the garage with my hands on the steering wheel staring off into the distance. I was still in a wheelchair for most of my daily activities and a very obvious limp made me too self-conscious to be seen. Isolating was easy. Keeping the others away was more difficult.

My drives started with me just backing out of the driveway. I went around the block a few weeks later, hands shaking and Andy trying her best to soothe me in the passenger seat. I did not drive past the Whole Foods two minutes away from my house until after the second year. Things were easier after I ditched the wheelchair and got more open to the idea of therapy.

Moving out of Denver was the best decision I ever made, the Springs were easier to drive in and the traffic was not as awful. Andrea and Jin bought in Black Forest once I was settled in Briargate, so loneliness was never an option.

Matilda almost moved in after the housewarming party Andy threw for me. She said it was far too big for one person and the neighborhood was to die for. I laughed her off at the time not really wanting to admit how nice it sounded.

Nestled in Fairfax, my house was a beautiful piece of architecture. The striking brick and wood front exterior provided a warm welcome, with teal trimmings bringing a fresh feeling to the otherwise plain color scheme. With five bedrooms and four bathrooms, I dreamed of the day I was able to fill them all. A dream that I hoped would come before I hit 35.

Pulling up to the house, I waved to Chika next door. The old woman raised her hand, still nursing a large mug of what I assumed to be tea and smiled. They were lovely people and we often helped one another out whenever we could. Chika liked to bring over food if she cooked and I paid my landscapers to keep with their lawn.

“Late night?” Chika called out from her front porch.

“Went to a friend’s house,” I replied.

“Good,” She meant it. “Glad to see you getting out of the house.”

I smiled but was not sure how well she could see my face in the dark.

“Yeah. Night, Chika.”

“Night, Y/N.”

I showered quickly and sipped on a cup of chamomile tea before heading off to bed. After taking my night medications, one to force myself to sleep while the other blocked the never-ending nightmares, I climbed into bed. I was able to play a single game of solitaire before they both kicked in. I fell asleep with the sound of gentle rain humming in the background.

“Let’s go, guys!” I yelled, blowing my whistle.

The twelve boys waited, their small talk coming to an abrupt end. We had just finished warming up and I allowed all of them a short water break. I was a huge advocate for rest periods. No one needed to pull a muscle or fatigue early due to over working. I had a 2800-yard routine prepared, 800 of those done during our warm-ups, and the rest divided between our main set and cooldowns.

Jordan, our captain, was smiling happily. He was such an excited kid, and his positivity was contagious. While some of the boys were disappointed when I first chose him to replace our old captain after his graduation, I was sure his spirit would do everyone some good. It did not take long for the others to come around and he was beloved.

“Alright, so we have a 1600 main set. In between each of our reps, we will be doing a switch out of easy breast and backstrokes. Clear?”

“Crystal!” They all replied in unison.

“Alright. That's what I like to hear,” Flipping through my clipboard was more for show than anything. I used to rely on it heavily when I first started teaching since brain damage messed with my short-term memory, but I had been doing this long enough to know what was happening. Now it was just a way for me to write notes about their performances. “We’re starting with a 4x100 with 15-second rest; the first 25 butterfly. 3x100 with 10-second rest; again, first 25 butterfly. Following?”

No questions were asked, and a few guys voiced they were good for me to keep going.

“Good. Then we have a 2x100 with 5-second rest. First 25?”

“Butterfly,” Jordan replied.

“Thank you, Abbot. Okay, and we’re finishing up with 8x50 freestyle. Fast and easy.”

All twelve of them began to prepare to take their mark. One by one they stood on their blocks and waited for me to make the call. I admired them all for a moment. You could see the difference in each one of them. Those who were confident stood tall, their shoulders squared, and head held high. Newcomers were still figuring out their place on the team but were eager to prove themselves. Two of them would be leaving us this year, Gabriel and Marcus, and neither one of them were continuing to swim after graduation. It was a sad thought, but I was happy with how they carried themselves. They had both come a long way.

“Take your mark,” My voice echoed. Each boy got into their starting position as I watched them like a hawk. One of the freshmen, Phineas, needed major work on his form. I would talk to Jordan about it. Grabbing hold of my stopwatch, I took a deep breath. “Go!”

Marcus was the first in, like always, and I ignored him. I knew he was fully capable of taking care of himself. Phineas was the weakest link in my chain right now. He was struggling, his arms growing tired and his speed nonexistent. The other freshmen, Tobias, or as the guys called him, Twig, was not much better. He had more strength, but I chopped that up to his size. I would need to really start working some more beginner drills to get them in shape. Jordan and Gabriel would be more than happy to give up a Saturday or two to help out.

Marcus was the first one finished and I marked his time. Still a tenth of a second faster than Jordan. After Jordan came Gabriel and then Joseph and Anthony. I was disappointed in Jett’s time, but I would invite him to the weekend practices with the others. He needed some foot and hip exercises. Twig came in before Phineas, but every other boy was already out of the water by the time they made it back. Phineas was visibly upset, and I made a note to pull him to the side after practice to cheer him up.

Practices typically lasted two hours and the boys swam hard. Phineas did, in fact, perk up after I told him I was noticing tons of improvements in his performance. Twig just seemed happy he was not the worst guy in the water. After talking it out with Jordan, we decided on a good weekend time for extra practices, and I stayed behind to print off a poster and signup sheets for the rest of the boys. I had a feeling almost everyone except Marcus would show. He had a part-time job now and his weekends were full.

Sitting in my office, I poured over my observations and timecards. With a team this large I should have an extra set of hands to help with timing. I sent an email to the principal asking about helpers and got back to the nitty gritty.

All of them could work on something. Phineas might have needed the most work, Twig not far behind him, but my most seasoned swimmers had room for improvement. Jett was still struggling with maximizing propulsion, Anthony and Milo needed to get better water balance, and Gabriel’s pull could be better. Even my best swimmers, Jordan and Marcus, could use a bit of refinement in technique. It was nitpicking but they were too talented to give up on their potential.

It was close to nine when my phone began to ring. I knew it could not be any of my usual calls. Andy was working nights this week and Jin was fast asleep at home with Dani. Minho was in bed by eight, Matilda would never bother me this late, and Hoseok hated phone calls. Checking the caller ID, I was shocked to see Ozzie’s name.

“Hello?” I answered tentatively, afraid he might have called me by accident.

“Otter,” Ozzie greeted me happily. He seemed so delighted that I answered, I smiled even though I hated the nickname. “How’s life going?”

I chuckled, “Rockin’ and rollin’. Saw your girl last night. Looks great, Oz.”

“Appreciate it,” He was so dismissive of it I became interested. This was not a catch-up phone call or else he might have hooked onto the bait. My stomach twisted in anticipation. If it was not for pleasantries, then it was for work and that was something to be excited about. “Still teaching high school?”

“Mhm,” I fiddled with my pencil, papers forgotten. “My boys team is strong. I only have three girls that signed up so we’re just training during P.E. and hoping some more join.”

We chatted a bit more about the team. The longer it went on the more knots I had. Oswald was fishing for something, and I wanted to figure out what. After telling him about Phineas, I asked what the random call was about.

“Always cutting to the chase,” He joked.

I did not laugh.

“Alright, you caught me,” Ozzie sighed. “Look, the Olympic team is looking for another assistant coach and your name came up a few times.”

My mouth went dry. I had heard about Tiara Marsh leaving to focus on her family. She had a baby and stepped down a few months after coming back from maternity leave. I respected the decision and messaged her my congratulations. Ozzie had taken the lead coach position three years ago with Todd Packer as his partner. The other assistant, Drew Jones, was a sweet girl from what I heard and working with her would be a dream.

Still, it was an impossible task. Trying to imagine myself on the sidelines, coaching the next big names in sporting history with a massive squad behind me made my stomach queasy. I doubt any of them respected me. My leg was ruined, my career burned out just as quickly as it started, and I never had the chance to reach my peak. Now I am a 30-year-old washed up recluse. Just thinking about the media frenzy made my breathing get a little heavier.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea, Oz,” I murmured.

“I told them you wouldn’t go for it,” He replied, unsurprised. “They’re going to approach Storm Kline instead.”

“Oh,” Now I was confused. “Why’d you bring it up then?”

“Because I got to thinking,” I braced myself. Ozzie was known for his big, bright, dumb, impulsive ideas. “I knew the Olympics would be asking too much of you. Cameras and interviews are the last thing you want after the fucking circus you went through last time.”

That was an understatement. Circus did not even begin to describe the absolute hell the media put me through after the accident. So many speculations and insensitive remarks managed to ruin any peace I could have gotten during that time.

While I was in a coma, no one knowing if I would ever wake up again, the news thought it wise to harass my friends and family. My old coach, Victor Stanley, was assaulted whenever he left the hospital. When news got out that Namjoon was pulled off life support, his mother and father were so sick and tired of people parked outside their house they packed up and moved away before I even woke up. I wanted nothing to do with the media after that.

“It’s a little different but I think you’d be a great fit for the job,” Ozzie continued. “One of my boys, Jimin Park, is in need of a personal coach. His mom is sick and he’s wanting to stay in Michigan for as long as he can before coming out to the Springs to start training for Paris.

“I almost called Jung, but I don’t think the two of them would get along well enough for this to work. You’re the only person I know I can trust with him, and from what I’m hearing, you’re one hell of a coach already.”

This was somehow even more nerve wracking than the assistant position. I had never trained one-on-one before, at least, not long term. I was sure I could do it, but a high schooler was very different from an Olympic athlete relying on me to keep him in shape for the season.

“What happened to Hamilton?” I asked, still unable to wrap my head around the situation. “I thought he was Park’s personal trainer.”

“He was but the two fell out when Jimin decided to stay in Michigan. You know how Matt is.”

That I did. Matthew Hamilton was a massive asshole, and that was putting it lightly. He was one of the best trainers around and got results which was why he still had a job despite his rotten attitude. I had the misfortune of running into him quite a few times over the years and my distaste only grew with each passing. I could imagine that conversation not going over particularly well.

“But what about my team?” I asked, staring at my desk. All of my plans and strategies were mapped out and I was ready to put them to use. My boys were counting on me and leaving them felt wrong. “I don’t want to leave them high and dry, Oz.”

“Ask Hoseok to cover for you,” I rolled my eyes at his blase attitude.

“This is my team.”

“And this is Jimin Park.”

I hated that I understood where he was coming from. Most of my boys would never go off to swim professionally and their skill set was not on par with anyone out right now. They were not committed to the strict regime that would take and I did not get paid well enough to justify the extra hours. Jimin, however, would pay me extremely well and I would get that experience under my belt. I might even learn a few new things to add to my own drills.

“Give me a few days to think about it,” I finally conceded. “And set up a phone call, or meeting, or something with the kid. Need to make sure we’re on the same page before we waste one another’s time.”

Ozzie laughed, “I think you’ll get along just fine, but sure. I think he’d appreciate the gesture.”

Nothing of much importance was said after that. We hung up with promises of talking soon and then I was alone once more. My office was still just as messy and swamped with paperwork as it had been before, but it all looked different. It felt like I was already gone, and a deep homesickness settled in my chest. I stared at the papers in front of me and sighed before shooting a text to Hoseok.

As I expected, everyone had told me to jump at the opportunity. Hoseok even said if I didn’t, I would be the biggest idiot he had ever met. Matilda asked if she could come (I told her no), and Dani just seemed bummed that we could not hang out anymore. Andy and Jin were the most supportive of the situation while Minho the most cautious. He was worried about the media catching wind of something and causing a frenzy. After Matila pointed out how old news I was, I felt a little less afraid of that possibility even if it was a hit to my ego.

Ozzie seemed pumped when I told him I was open to the idea if Jimin and I seemed to mesh well. I was firm in my decision to talk to him before making any concrete plans, and from what Ozzie told me, my future student was extremely receptive to the idea. I also learned that Opal was jealous of her fellow Olympian, but I tried not to let that puff up my chest.

That was why I was sitting in my home office, hair nicely styled and a light layer of makeup on waiting for Jimin to join our Zoom call. I wore blue since Ozzie said it was his favorite color, but the material was slowly driving me insane. While the color was nice, deep blue and sparkled whenever the light hit it, it was scratchy and irritated the skin around my chest and shoulders. I almost got up to change but a small icon with the letters ‘JP’ in the center popped up before I could.

“Hello?” A soft voice called out.

“Hey,” I replied with an awkward wave. “Can you see me?”

“Yeah, can you see me?”

I shook my head, “Just your icon.”

Cursing under his breath, Jimin apologized for the tech issues. I adored how nice he was to listen to. It was unique, gentle and raspy, but also feminine in its softness. There was no bass or hardness, every sound and syllable light and airy with self-depreciating laughter after every insult he threw at himself. Apparently, Jimin was not great with technology and always had a difficult time with cyber meetings.

“This is fine with me,” I tried to reassure him. “I don’t need to see your face to talk.”

“No,” He agreed, “But it’s a little awkward for you to have your camera on and mine’s off.”

I could hear him clicking around. “I’ll turn mine off, too, if that helps.”

He shut that down immediately and continued clicking and typing. After a few more minutes, he found his problem. Then the icon was gone and there he was.

His face was round, his cheeks plump, and chin soft. The first thing I noticed about him was his lips. They were rounded and plump like a baby duck with a soft, heart shaped cupid’s bow that led up a small, button nose. Everything about his face was soft except his eyes which were almond shaped and flicked outwards like a cat’s. His hair was pitch black and parted down the middle, framing his face and making his pale skin look like snow. When he caught a glimpse of himself in the camera a large smile took over his face and I felt the wind get knocked out of me.

“Can you see me?” He asked.

I nodded, “Yeah, I think we’re in the clear.”

Neither one of us knew what to say for a moment. He swirled around in his chair in search of his water bottle. He stood up, excusing himself for a moment. He was also wearing a blue shirt, a pair of black pants, and seemed just as nervous as I did. He left the room while I sat and thought about him.

There was one word to describe Jimin: pretty. His soft lines and tiny waist made him look so much smaller than I had imagined him. All of the years seeing him on the tv did nothing to compare to watching him walk around a little room in his home. Without a cap and goggles, Jimin was angelic, and I felt uneasy. How was I supposed to work with someone I found this attractive?

“Sorry,” He was back now, a large Yeti cup in hand. “I should’ve made sure I had this already.”

“No worries. I’m not in any rush.”

He sat back down, and I finally noticed the large oval necklace he was wearing. I did not know what it could mean to him, but I had seen him with it a few times at events. It was simple and silver, no gem in the center of the pendant, and sat directly over his heart. He took a sip from his cup, snapping me back to action.

“How’s your mother doing?” I asked. “Ozzie told me she wasn’t well.”

His expression saddened me, and I hated that I brought it up. I knew how much I did not enjoy talking about Namjoon’s death, and while his mother was still alive, she was not well. Unfortunately, I could not take the question back.

“I’m not sure how much you know,” He started, leaning back in the leather computer chair. “She has melanoma and isn’t doing chemotherapy anymore. I’m staying in Michigan so I can spend as much time with her as possible.”

My heart ached for him and his family. Cancer had a reputation for ripping families apart and I could only imagine how this was affecting the young swimmer. My own grief was long and drawn out, guilt and shame hanging over my head for years before I was finally able to let it go, but the death itself was swift. Joon was dead and buried before I woke up from the coma, but I could recall every detail of that hospital room when Victor told me what happened. I hated to think about watching the life slip from him, knowing he would die, and knowing there was absolutely nothing I could do about it.

“I understand. I’m really sorry to hear that.”

I knew it was inadequate, but I did not know this man well enough to say my thoughts out loud. Maybe later, after a few weeks of training together, I could get the courage to let him know I would be there if he needed someone to talk to. I knew all about navigating grief and I would happily help him stay motivated through this horrible, tragic time. Jimin stayed quiet so I took it upon myself to get the ball rolling again.

“I know you’re going through a difficult time right now, and I just want you to know that I get it and I see you. If we work together, I will make sure your mental health comes first. Whatever you need, whatever your family needs, will always come before getting in the pool.

“You were working with Hamilton before this, and whatever happened between you two- I don’t know, that’s none of my business, but I can promise you I will try my best to make sure our professional relationship doesn’t reach that point. Just tell me what’s up and I’ll make it work.”

Jimin smiled a small, sad smile that paled in comparison to that blinding show of teeth earlier. My eyes could not help their roaming and I felt guilty. There was a chance we would be working together, and I could not feel this way about him if that time came. I could only hope that if we did decide to move forward with this arrangement, any affections I could have for him would get buried. I would have to talk to Hoseok about this.

“I have to take her to appointments once a week,” He replied, voice small and eyes staring at something off camera. “She’s not getting her chemo anymore but still goes to see her doctor often to manage symptoms as best she can. She also has a dance class every Sunday morning and I will be going with her.”

I nodded, “I can live with that. As long as you’re still putting in work you can take your mom anywhere.”

He took a deep breath and finally looked at the camera again. The vulnerability I found there took me off guard. Jimin must be someone who wears their emotions on their sleeve, and I would have to learn to nurture that. Namjoon always told me I needed to work on being more sensitive to others, a skill I had yet to master.

“Matt didn’t like how much time I spent out of the pool. I understand where he’s coming from but I’m hoping we can come up with a training schedule that works well for the both of us. I feel bad enough pulling you away from your life, and I don’t want my personal shit to bleed into what you’re going through.”

It was a kind gesture, one I appreciated, but he needed to get over it. I told him in so many words that I was happy to help him.

“Trust me,” I said. “If I didn’t want to do this then we wouldn’t be talking.”

Jimin seemed to like my bluntness and I was fond of his over-analytical anxiety. The way he fidgeted reminded me of Namjoon, his forward and direct confrontation of his emotions and needs so strikingly similar it made it nearly impossible for me to dislike him. I don’t think a person alive could dislike this man.

“I can be in Ann Arbor next week,” Jimin had gone on another rant about inconveniencing me and I shut it down. “Everything here is already squared away. We can discuss it more later, how does that sound?”

He smiled wearily, his nerves causing him to squirm in his seat.

“I’m really looking forward to working with you, Y/N.”

I hoped my expression looked as sincere as I felt, “I’ll take care of you, kiddo.”

Pulling a face, Jimin laughed heartily. Triumphant, I smiled brazenly, his laughter contagious. I made a note to pull out a few age jokes now and then if it meant making him smile like that.

“I’m an adult man, I’ll have you know,” He was still laughing.

“Could’ve fooled me,” I teased.

“We’re going to get along just fine,” He seemed more confident than ever, and it warmed my heart. “Let me know when you’re expected to get here. Do you have my number?”

We exchanged our contact details. After days of talking over email, I finally found a smiley face emoji in my notifications, a Michigan area code attached. Saving his number, I replied with the old woman emoji earning myself another laugh.

“Talk to you later, Park.”

“See you, coach.”

I left the meeting, my chest much lighter after talking to him. He was a sweet man and not half bad to look at. I was a few years older but not disgustingly so, and he was more than available from the sound of things. Realizing the direction my thoughts were going in, I stood up from the chair to start writing out some drills and scheduling prototypes. Before I could get out of the door, however, my phone vibrated in my hand.

Jimin: 👶

I did not respond until I had my flight booked.

Me: I’m flying in on Tuesday. Know a good place to stay?

He replied a few minutes later.

Jimin: Do you need a lot of space?

Me: Not really

Jimin: One of my neighbors has their mother-in-law suite for rent. I could probably cut you a good deal with them.

I smiled. He really was a sweetheart.

Me: Thank you. And no deals. I can pay for myself.

Jimin: My mother would be very upset if I didn’t at least try.

Jimin: I was raised to respect the elderly.

I laughed out loud, thoroughly amused. I had a feeling he was testing the waters after I poked fun at him earlier. Jimin was probably used to the stick stuck up Hamilton’s ass. He was in for a treat. At the pool I was cool and collected but I could cut up with the best of them.

Me: Sorry, couldn’t hear you over the sound of my hip breaking

I was practically giddy with excitement waiting for his response. It had been such a long time since someone joked around with me like this. Hoseok tried but he was awful at taking a joke, so I stopped poking the bear. It was refreshing and all too familiar.

Jimin: I’ll get you one of those life alerts just in case.

Was he flirting with me? Did I care? Shrugging, I went along with it. I would remain strictly professional while we worked together, but if things developed after that I would let them. Happily. I barely knew this guy, but I remember this feeling. It was the first time since Joon’s death that it showed itself to me and I wanted to hold onto it.

First work then play, I told myself.

Who knows? This little bit of infatuation could fade just as quickly as it came, and I would leave Ann Arbor with a new friend instead. Might even be able to score a steady job with the kid if things worked out. My life in Colorado would remain untouched, my friends happily accepting a new kid in the group when he came to visit, and my house just as bare and empty as it always had been. The years continuing to pass me by.

I tried not to think about why that thought made me want to cry.

“I told you I’m fine,” I sighed into the phone, waiting at the baggage claim for my things. “You’re in rare form today.”

Andrea laughed, the sound slightly hysterical and I winced. That was the wrong thing to say, but she was driving me insane. I had traveled around the world multiple times, and she was acting like Michigan was going to kill me.

“Well excuse me for worrying,” Andy bit back, her tone clipped and harsh.

“I’m sorry,” I heaved one of my bags off the conveyor belt. “I know you’re just looking out for me, but I promise you I’m fine Andrea. You’ll be my first phone call if that changes.”

The other bag finally popped up and I quickly snatched it. Slinging the large duffle bag over my shoulder, I adjusted it until it rested comfortably on my shoulders. Lifting the handlebar off my large suitcase, I drug it behind me while I followed the signs for the exit. Jimin said he arranged for someone to pick me up but did not specify who. He was busy with a few interviews this morning and could not get me himself. He had been very disappointed about it.

“I know I’m nagging,” Andy groaned. “Scratch that. I’m acting like a total helicopter parent.”

I laughed, “Your husband had been even worse. The man tried to book me a charter flight because he was worried about my leg in an airport. What the fuck does that even mean?”

Everyone had been super happy for me, especially my team. Those boys almost cried when I told them who I was helping out and Jordan begged me to bring him back something autographed. None of them seemed as familiar with my own background but I was fine with that. All of them took to Hoseok rather well, except for Marcus who made me swear to come back before school let out. I did not tell them I was planning to make monthly trips to give Jimin some space with his mom. I was sure that surprise would go over very, very well.

Despite his indifference when I was first talking about the job, Seokjin became an overprotective dad as soon as I made him aware my flights were booked. He was quick to cancel them and put in a few calls of his own. Jin was an operations manager for Delta airlines and knew plenty of pilots. He was able to get me a plane to land in Willow Run out in Ypsilanti, but I quickly intervened and told him a normal flight was perfect. I rebooked my tickets and flew into Detroit Metro at 10 am.

Andy snorted, “He means well.”

It was snowing in Michigan, and I was finally hit with the realization that I would be seeing far more of it here than I ever did back in Colorado. It was only mid-September, so it was still light and melted away quickly. I would have to ask Jimin if it stayed this calm into December, but I had a feeling things would pick up by late November.

It was a very cold morning in Detroit, and I was excited to get into a heated car. Getting off the phone with Andy, I quickly sent Jimin a quick text message letting him know I was outside and looking for my ride. A loud honk made my jump, almost dropping my phone in the process.

Pulled up at the curb was a navy-blue Volkswagen Beetle. I could tell from its body that it was an older model, and it was a convertible. Sitting behind the wheel was a little old lady, a pair of gardening gloves on her hands and a pair of large, hexagon sunglasses taking up most of her face. Her face was familiar, and it hit me. Sitting behind that wheel was Jimin’s mother.

She smiled at me and waved, beckoning me closer to the little car. I forced myself to smile back. My nerves made it feel damn near impossible, but I managed. Opening the door, I did not know where to put my things. The backseat was so small.

“There’s a lever on that side that’ll push it up. You should be able to get everything to fit if you try hard enough.”

Fumbling around, I finally found the little handle and pulled up. The seat lurched forward, folding in on itself, and I clumsily shoved my suitcase into the backseat. It smelled like stale cigarettes and fake pine, but when you had a car this old it usually had history. I was excited to pick up my new car from the dealership. My Porsche already had a difficult time driving around Colorado and I did not think it would survive the heavy winters in Michigan, so I decided to leave it home and get an Altima. I had the money and could easily get rid of it. Tilly had been talking about needing an upgrade.

Finally managing to get both bags into the backseat, I put the seat back and got into the car. Closing the door, I sighed in content. The heaters were at full blast and pointed directly at my cold face. Buckling my seatbelt, I leaned back and tried to relax after the long day of flying. Jimin’s mother pulled off the curb.

“It’s cold out there,” She laughed, her voice just as sickeningly sweet as her son’s. “Glad you were able to make it okay.”

I nodded, “I’m surprised to see it snowing so early. We don’t usually get anything until closer to Thanksgiving.”

“Colorado, right?” I could hear a faint accent and I remembered that Jimin was first-generation Korean American. Both of his parents moved to the states before he and his brother were born. Media outlets loved talking about it, but I was not sure how much he enjoyed discussing his personal life. While he came off as a sweet and mild-mannered man, he kept his personal life private. “I’ve heard it’s very pretty.”

“It is. Too expensive, but very, very pretty.”

Then she was fiddling around with the radio, and I finally cracked a genuine smile. I was not sure how much work had been done on her car, but I was positive the sound system had been completely redone. A brand-new radio, complete with a touch screen and Bluetooth, lit up at the touch of her fingers. A man’s voice serenaded us through the updated speakers, and I was in awe at how beautiful it sounded. I assumed he was speaking Korean and Jimin’s mother sang along fluently.

“What’s your name again?” She asked once the song was over. Another, more upbeat song started, and she increased the volume. “Jimin told me but I’m horrible with that sort of thing. I’m Na-Yeon, but Audrey works if it’s easier for you.”

I pulled a face, “Audrey?”

“It’s my American name. It’s easier for people to pronounce and more convenient. All of us have one. Jimin’s is Christian.”

It was odd to think about. A name that was mine but not mine. Christian did not suit Jimin, but I could imagine growing up with a name that other people made fun of would be difficult. Maybe even impossible. Still, I did not feel comfortable calling the woman Audrey. She did not seem to particularly care for the name and I did not want to alienate myself from their circle for convenience's sake.

Namjoon’s mother had been similar to Na-Yeon, always afraid her culture and customs would make me uncomfortable or burdened, but I managed to calm her fears and reassure her after years of showing up to Chuseok with a smile on my face and food in my hands.

“I like Na-Yeon,” I finally replied, voice small. “It’s nice. I’m Y/N.”

“I like Y/N,” She echoed back to me, making me grin. “It’s nice.”

It was a long drive filled with K-pop, ballads, and sporadic conversation. Na-Yeon was very funny. She sang along to every song, dancing as she went, and calling on me to sing alone. Of course, I could not speak Korean very well and hummed the melodies instead, but it appeased her. When she did speak to me it was to ask me questions about myself.

“You’re that swimmer, aren’t you?” She asked, sparing me a look once we stopped at a redlight. “The one everyone’s trying to beat.”

I shook my head, “At one time, sure, but not anymore. I’m retired.”

Squinting her eyes at me, Na-Yeon pursed her lips.

“We used to watch you. Haru called you a mermaid.”

That was not too much of a shock. Jimin was swimming at that time. While I am a few years older than him, he would have been in middle school when I went to my first Olympics. He had told me he joined the swim team the year before. He said that watching Michael Phelps win 6 gold medals changed his life forever, and I could not help but agree with him. I had a huge amount of respect for my fellow Olympian and wished him well in his retirement. What shocked me the most was the mention of Jimin’s little brother. The dead brother.

“That’s sweet,” I did not know what to say. “I felt like a mermaid back then. I’m not that good anymore but I still like to swim sometimes.”

“You were in an accident,” It was not a question. “We saw it all over the news. Couldn’t believe all of those people harassing your family like that. So sorry for your loss.”

It was strange to talk about it again. I appreciated her keeping it vague. I had gone through a tremendous amount of change and growth since then, but it was nice to hear someone else validate how crazy the media frenzy was. I would not wish it upon anyone, and I was happy her family was allowed to grieve in peace. Neither Namjoon’s nor my own were allowed that luxury.

“Thank you,” I replied. “I’m sorry about Haru. I can’t imagine what your family went through.”

She smiled sadly, “I think you can.”

We did not talk much after that. The music still played, Na-Yeon still sang, and I still hummed, but we did not ask any more questions. Neither one of us wanted to bring up those hurt feelings. It was not until we turned down a long, empty road that I realized I had yet to ask her about her cancer.

“Are you feeling okay?” I asked.

“As good as I can,” She breathed. “My boys are both worriers so don’t take anything they say to heart. Bunch of hypochondriacs.”

And even though I laughed along with her, I knew that she was lying. They were not overreacting. She was sick, refusing treatments, and letting herself die. Anyone would be worried about her. Na-Yeon must dislike being taken care of. Well, I thought she would need to get used to it. I loved spoiling others.

“Eloise and the kids must be here,” She muttered to herself, pulling to a short driveway.

I did not know who Eloise was, but I would soon find that out. There were two cars parked out front. One was a simple, black Tahoe with a brightly colored steering wheel cover. The other was another vintage model. Painted a pretty light, muted green the truck was in pristine condition. It was an old Ford, the branding written across the tailgate, and a spare tire was bolted to the side. I asked Na-Yeon about it and she smiled happily.

“It’s Jimin’s,” I felt my heart rate increase. “He must’ve gotten back. Pretty thing, huh?”

I nodded, not really paying attention to the truck anymore. I was about to meet Jimin for the first time and my nerves were taking over. I knew how much his looks affected me over video chat and I was afraid I would not be able to control my facial expressions in person. I was resolute not to act on whatever attraction I may have felt toward him. My professionalism would not allow it. It did not mean, however, that I wanted to discuss it with Jimin at any point. It would make him uncomfortable and affect our working environment.

“Keep your bags in the car,” Na-Yeon told me. “Jimin’s going to take you over to meet the Andersons this afternoon.”

Walking up to the house, I was first struck by two things. The main one being the impressive teal it was painted and the other the loud talking and laughter coming from inside. It was odd. Thinking about my own parents I knew we had never been so happy. Mom had left when I was so young that I could hardly remember her, but I could recall the screaming and shouting. Dad was quiet after she left, spent most of his time locked away in the garage watching sports channels and leaving me to my own devices.

When I started swimming it helped for a time, but when I was old enough to leave, we spoke two or three times a year. After he met Danielle, his new wife, he stopped reaching out altogether. The accident had spooked him enough to warrant holiday and birthday calls for a time, but when he had another baby those slowly faded away. My half-sister and I had never met, Danielle did not like acknowledging that my dad had a child with another woman, and it seemed as though my dad was fine with how things turned out. I dealt with it.

The laughing echoed through the house, and I could hear loud foot-steps pitter pattering on the tile floors. The house smelled heavily of kimchi and lemons making my heart ache. Joon and I used to keep the windows open for days after his mother came over to make kimchi with him. We would squat on the floor for hours, laughing and talking. I missed those days more than I realized and I smiled involuntarily. For the first time in years, it felt like coming home.

“Sorry about the smell,” Na-Yeon whispered to me.

I shook my head and took my shoes off. “I love kimchi.”

She smiled brightly, her shoulders immediately relaxing. I was glad I had spent so much time with Namjoon and his family. Na-Yeon was someone who wanted to make others feel more comfortable even if it put her own peace at risk, but I would never ask her to change her routine for me. I loved learning about other people and her little house brought me more happiness than I thought possible.

“Sounds like we have company!”

A short, stocky man came into the living room. He was wearing a white polo shirt and khaki shorts; his hair was very short with silver streaks starting to take over the once very black strands. Catching sight of me he smiled.

“You must be Y/N,” The man said. “I’m James.”

His accent was much thicker than Na-Yeon’s and he introduced himself in his English name. He seemed much happier about it than his wife did, and I decided to go along with it. If he wanted me to call him James, then I would.

“Nice to meet you,” I replied, giving him a small bow.

His smile got even bigger somehow, and he returned the gesture. Na-Yeon chuckled beside me and started to speak to her husband in Korean. I picked up a few words and deduced that he was supposed to make sure I was going to get a nice lunch, and she wanted to know if he had taken care of it. He nodded and told her he had.

“Hungry?” James asked, Na-Yeon already disappearing into the house.

“Yes,” I quickly followed behind him.

“I made jjigae,” He frowned. “I can’t say it in English. Sorry.”

The house was small and warmly lit. Cream tile flooring, exposed wood beams, and white walls. Whatever loud conversation they had been having before I got here had died down, but the footsteps did not. I could hear children giggling somewhere in the little home and my curiosity peaked. I did not think they were Na-Yeon and James’s.

“I want to say it’s soup,” I kept my voice down not wanting to make him feel awkward. “Or stew, but I don’t think it matters that much.”

“What’s the difference?” James asked, just as amused as his wife at my vague knowledge of Korean words. “Soup and stew the same, no?”

I shrugged, “I have no clue. I’m a miserable cook.”

That made James laugh. We passed all of the rooms in the house, the kitchen, living room, and dining room all in the back of the house. As we passed the second room to the left, James said it had been Haru’s photography studio before he passed away, but they ended up converting it once Eloise gave birth. He did not say it out loud, but I had gathered the kids running around had been their youngest son’s. I did not know how old Haru had been when he died, but it was far too young to be having children. I was 31 and still felt ill equipped for the job.

It was a small kitchen with very simple and plain colors. The countertops were obviously laminate, but someone had taken the time to stick on a marble patterning to make it look nicer. Black appliances clashed with the chestnut cabinets. The tiles were no longer cream but hideous black and white checker printed that clashed heavily against the olive-green backsplash. While the rest of the house seemed to go through renovations at some point, I had a feeling the kitchen remained largely untouched.

Sitting at a small table on the other side of the room were Na-Yeon, Jimin, and a young woman. She was a cute girl, long brown hair and blue eyes, a large number of freckles across her cheeks. Her outfit was very modest, a pair of flowy cream pants and an equally flowy olive shirt. Her hair was tied back with a ribbon that matched her pants, and taking a closer look at her, she wore no makeup. A classic girl next door.

“Come sit,” Na-Yeon waved me over, her voice showing no room for argument. “Hyun-Soo is in charge of lunch.”

I was only briefly confused, the name completely unfamiliar, but by the time I sat down I was sure she was talking about James. It made sense for her to call him by his Korean name, and since I had shown no qualms about using their proper names, she saw no need to bring them up herself.

“Nice to finally meet you,” Jimin’s sweet voice reached me, and I smiled at the sound. “I hope getting here wasn’t too bad.”

He reached out to me, and I happily took his hand in my own. The skin was soft, perfectly smooth, and warm. It was over far too quickly but my displeasure was easily hidden. Andrea always complained about my poker face and how difficult it was to get past it. She said it was too good and thus refused to ever play poker with me again.

“It was nice,” I meant it. Na-Yeon was wonderful company.

“Hope the concert was nice.”

That made me and Eloise laugh. Na-Yeon smacked Jimin’s arm playfully, unable to keep the smile off her face, and the two began to bicker. Having them in the same room highlighted the differences I hadn't noticed before. Jimin’s nose was closer to his father’s, his eyes, too, and both of them had a slight lisp. Na-Yeon’s teeth were perfectly white and straight while one of Jimin’s front teeth was slightly chipped. Jimin had a dimple; his mother had none. Their English soon turned to digs in Korean and I could no longer follow. A few words here and there but nothing substantial. James joined them.

“Hi,” Eloise shyly greeted me, obviously used to being left out of conversations.

“Hey,” I replied lamely. “Eloise?”

She nodded, “Cam and Harper are playing but you’ll meet them in a bit.”

I nodded along and cemented the names into memory. It would look bad if I forgot them and kids had an ability to remember the worst things about a person. I did not want them to dislike me this quickly. Their giggles and feet were still going, and I suspected they had their own rooms on top of the little playroom in the hall.

“What do you do for work?” I asked Eloise, hoping my attempts at small talk were going over well. The other three were still chatting and I stopped paying attention long enough to be completely lost. Their dialect was different from Namjoon’s family, and I gave up entirely once they switched in and out of it with ease.

“I’m taking over Audrey’s restaurant,” Eloise, it seemed, preferred to use their American names. I wondered if she called Jimin ‘Christian.’ I really did not like the name for him. Not at all. “We used to be co-owners but she’s preparing for…” Eloise’s eyebrows scrunched together as she struggled to come up with a way to voice her thoughts, “her next steps. You know what I mean?”

I nodded. It was so easy to forget why I was really here when Na-Yeon was so full of life. She laughed and joked easily, sang off-key in the car without a care in the world, and called the shots at home. I had hardly noticed any sickness, but I knew better. I already figured out she hated being cared for and our trip in the car could have taken a lot of her. More than I realized.

Wanting to change the subject, I asked about the kids. Eloise was more than happy to talk about her little ones. Cameron and Harper were twins, names that she had originally been very against but when she lost Tony (Haru preferred his American name, Anthony, and all of his closest friends called him Tony), her opinions changed. Harper was the bigger, older baby, while her brother needed to stay in the NICU for a few days after birth due to his weight. They were joined at the hip and rarely seen without the other, something Eloise was happy about given she was usually too busy to spend as much time with them as she would have liked.

“How old are they?” I asked.

“Almost 4.”

Jimin was 19 then. I shuddered to think about how old Haru was, or Eloise for that matter when they became parents. When I was their age, I had been at the top of my game, though not what I would call my prime. If I had gotten pregnant my career would not have been over, but meeting Joon never would have happened. That was a travesty regardless of how things turned out. Trying to picture a life without him touching it made me physically ill and so I pushed any of those thoughts away.

Cam and Harper came out of their room when dinner was ready. They were both very cute, loud, and dressed identically. Harper’s hair was braided down her back while Cam’s was in a bowl cut, and I laughed every time the little girl made a big show about her sparkly red shoes.

James made a very spicy fish stew. It was delicious, so salty and hot, but I needed multiple glasses of water as I ate. He used red snapper adding a sweet, nutty flavor to the otherwise savory dish and I loved the zucchini. Like many Korean meals there was an array of side dishes surrounding the large pot of stew. Tonight was braised potatoes, steamed eggplant, a radish salad, and, of course, kimchi. A small bowl of rice was given to all of us to eat the stew with and the rice cooker was filled if any of us wanted more.

The Parks were a lovely family. Jimin was quiet and did not talk to me much but his mother more than made up for his silence. After getting all of the details about my coaching job she moved on to my life back in Colorado. We talked about my friends and what they were like, my house, and even my neighbors. Na-Yeon seemed particularly interested in Hoseok since Jimin had been such a fan of his growing up.

“You need to get her over to Calvin and Violet’s,” James told his son, scraping up the last bit of the soup out of his bowl. “They’re expecting her soon.”

Jimin looked at me, eyebrow raised, “Are you ready?”

I nodded, “We can leave whenever you’re done.”

He smiled and went back to eating his meal. Eloise left before I did, Cam was tired and Harper was bored without her playmate, so she decided it was time they went home. Cam liked an afternoon nap still, but his sister could run all day if you let her. Harper gave me a big bear hug before she left, something Na-Yeon said she did to everyone, and held her brother’s hand on their way out.

Na-Yeon eventually got up from the table, James followed after her, leaving Jimin and I alone. I did not know what to say, if he wanted me to say anything at all. He had hardly spoken to me since I arrived, and it left me feeling out of place. I was here for him, and he wanted nothing to do with me. He kept eating, the spice unfazed him, and getting bowl after bowl of rice.

Watching him walk around I was struck by how short he was. Most male swimmers were huge, well over 6 feet, and broadly built. Not Jimin. He could not be any taller than 5’9” with a thin, tiny waist. I could see defined muscles hidden underneath his white t-shirt, but nothing spectacular. Even his body was soft and elegant, moving gracefully and quietly, and absolutely none of it would give away that he was a world-class athlete. As if he could feel my eyes following him, Jimin’s eyes snapped to meet my own.

“Sorry,” He pulled his spoon from his mouth. “I’m sure you’d like to leave and here I am gorging myself.”

I stopped him before he could stand, “No, no. I’m fine. I was just thinking about your workout routine.”

The lie felt heavy on my tongue, but I could hear how natural it sounded. He sat back down and took another bite of his food. His workout regime was standard for most swimmers. Pull-ups, bench, squat, lunge, power cleans, power cleans to overhead press. After that he was in the pool for a few hours before going about his day. He usually added in another swim at the end of the day, but he had recently given it up to have dinner with his family.

“What are you doing for your core?” I asked.

“I stick to pull ups, crunches, thrusts, and back extensions.”

I nodded, frowning, gears in my head turning. I have always believed the core was the most important part of swimming. Arms as well, but I have seen many overwork those muscles and lose from weak turns. Hoseok used to joke about my performance and how I only won because of my turns. I would make sure he would be able to see a little bit of me in Jimin’s swimming. There was a reason I won gold.

“You don’t look very impressed.”

I chuckled, “Just thinking. You need more variety than that.”

“Gym snob, are we?” His mouth stretched into a playful smirk, and I could not help but smile back. “You must be an animal in there.”

“I don’t work out like I used to,” I admitted, averting my eyes. “Most of my exercises are yoga and running now. I swim twice a week.”

I was hoping to get back in the pool more often, but I was not sure I was ready for the disappointment that would follow. My sessions with Emery were simple, exercise-focused, and had little to no expectations behind them. They were there to help me gain strength and confidence in myself. Saturdays were spent with Hoseok doing laps around the pool and shooting the shit. It was just enough to get your heart pumping but never went past that.

Failing was daunting. I could not remember a time before swimming consumed my life. My dad always said I was afraid of the water; it was the biggest reason he placed me in lessons. He did not have the time (nor patience) to teach me himself, and after I saw younger children getting into the pool I was determined to act like a “big girl.” I was only three at the time, so the memory was lost to time, but I went every week after that. It gave my dad a break and I had friends for the first time. I learned later that mom had left for a few months and dad was drinking again, but at the time all I knew was that I liked swimming, and I was good at it.

It was frightening to believe that all of the time, energy, and hard work went to waste. 30 seconds. That was all it took to destroy my life. 30 seconds and all of my joy, love, and happiness was gone. My career, my health, and my Joon. I hated the man who hit us. Hated the way his family cried for me. For him. For Joon. Squeeze my hands into fists, I was glad they were hidden underneath the table. Getting in the water and realizing it was truly over would only make that hatred worsen, and my therapist told me I needed to let go of my anger.

“Violet and Calvin are excited to meet you,” I did not know if Jimin could see something in his face, perhaps my eyes, but he changed the subject. The look on his face made me feel exposed. “We should get going.”

No one was around when I left so I did not get to say goodbye, but Jimin yelled that we were leaving. We did not get a response and I wondered if his mother had actually gone to do laundry or take a nap. She looked tired when she left the table. Jimin told me to get into the truck and laughed when I said I could grab my own bags.

“Your hip might give out, granny.”

Off guard, a strange, loud noise came out of my mouth. He had yet to start up our playful banter and my heart soared. Jimin was a very cheeky man, his tongue sharp, and with a quick snapback time, he was difficult to take down. Our text exchanges were always brief and about work, but he managed to squeeze in at least one teasing comment about my age. He said calling him ‘kiddo’ is what started the whole thing.

“Just get in the truck,” He sighed melodramatically, rolling his eyes.

Huffing, I went across the lawn and got into the unlocked truck on the curb. The interior was just as refurbished as the exterior. The bench was covered in a dark green vinyl, and I could tell the rubber carpet mats were new. It smelled much better in Jimin’s truck. Less like cigarettes and more like the cologne he wore. It was floral, powdery, but with a subtle spice that made it bitter-sweet. It had a nice scent. It suited a man like Jimin whose own spice was buried underneath his pretty visage.

Watching him jog across the yard, I suppressed a sigh. It was easier to ignore how pretty he was when we were around other people. Now it felt impossible. His clothes stuck to him like a second skin, the black leather pants (which I had only just noticed were leather) making his thighs bulge and accentuating his backside. He was gorgeous and I felt sorry that I would have to keep it to myself. Jimin deserved to be told things like that, but it was not my place to do so. Not as a coach, trainer, or otherwise.

He tossed my things into the cab of the truck as if they weighed nothing. Arms lifted; his shirt rose revealing a delicious patch of skin. Watching him in the rearview mirror, I swallowed audibly. A thin, almost nonexistent patch of hair touched his belly button. Forcing myself to look away, I took a few deep breaths.

This trip was going to be long. Very, very long.

The drive down the road was quiet. Jimin’s radio was out, and he needed to replace it, so music was not an option, and he did not seem to want to fill the space between us. Neither did I. My growing bashfulness around him was distracting and strange. I had always been surrounded by attractive men, all of my friends back home were very good looking, but none affected me in the same way Jimin had. Perhaps it was due to my relationship with Namjoon that made all of the other men pale in comparison, but I could never know for sure. Either way, it was incredibly frustrating.

We drove for less than ten minutes. Calvin and Violet were the elderly couple renting out the small house in their backyard. Jimin had spoken to them for me, and they were all too willing to help me out. Violet nearly cried when I told her I was going to pay all of my rent up front, and actually did when I told her that I would help her fix up some things around the house while I was in town. The Andersons seemed like lovely people, and I was happy to know them.

Pulling up to the house I smiled. It was exactly how I imagined it would be. The Anderson house was a simple, All-American home with a front porch. The window trimming was black, house white, and a beautiful garden wrapped around the front at either side. The roof and front door were the same color green as Jimin’s truck, and it helped the otherwise unnoteworthy home feel more inviting. Sitting on the porch swing was Violet, her silver hair braided down her shoulder.

“Before we get out,” Jimin mumbled, waving at Violet through my window. The old woman waved back, a large smile on her face making her look twenty years younger. “The Andersons are great people, but Calvin’s starting to forget stuff. Violet won’t admit it but it’s getting hard on her to deal with him. He can become very angry so keep an ear out. Last time he had an episode, Violet called my dad crying. She’s not handling it well.”

I frowned, my heart hurting, “Sure thing. I’ll let you know if anything happens.”

“Thanks.”

He was out of the car a few seconds later, voice so sweet and bubbly you would have never guessed what we had been talking about. Staring after him, my eyes squinted. I would have to keep my eye on him. Jimin was a great actor.

Getting out of the truck, I took out my bags and slung my duffle on my back. Jimin was quick to take my suitcase away once he caught me in the corner of his eye. Violet seemed positively giddy about it and made a few inappropriate comments about Jimin needing to settle down.

“I’m just saying,” She laughed when Jimin scoffed, face flushing the prettiest shade of pink. “You’re going to make a young woman very happy. Might as well get started.”

It was strange to think about my trainee seeing someone. He had made it very clear in his interviews over the years that his dating life was on hold until he was finished swimming. He did not want the added distraction and his family life was far too chaotic for him to focus on someone. This did not seem to deter Violet and her comments about his love life, or lack thereof, continued until we got inside of the house.

“Well,” Violet acknowledged me for the first time since I arrived, “This is the main house. It’s not much but it’ll work. Christian, take her stuff out back.”

I cringed. It really did not suit Jimin at all, but he seemed completely unfazed. Violet used his names interchangeably, sometimes calling him Jimin and other times Christian, but his English name rolled off her tongue more often than not. I wondered why she even bothered calling him Jimin at all. He did not seem to care either way.

Looking around the little house, I was pleasantly surprised by how clean it all was. The floors were carpeted and the walls a bright white, family photos hung up alongside landscape paintings. During my two-hour phone call with Violet, the woman talked my ear off, she bragged about Calvin’s art. I had to admit they were all very beautiful and I wanted to know where he had found all of the slices of heaven he captured. I hoped the places themselves were more colorful than he depicted. The muted washes of color made them blend in with the rest of the boring house even with how nice they were.

The furniture was just as boring as the house itself. All of it was cream or beige, nothing of importance really stuck out to me, and I was disappointed. All I could figure out about the couple was one was an artist and they had children and grandchildren they loved displaying. Even the smell of the house lacked character. No air freshener, no food, and no perfumes. Nothing to give away that people actually lived here. The Anderson home was a foil to the Park’s in every way.

“Come on out back,” Violet was already across the house, standing in front of a door beside the kitchen. “This is the utility room. You can do your laundry here.”

Following behind her, I felt even more depressed looking at her kitchen. It was nice, new appliances and a pretty coffee station on the corner closest to the utility room door, but it was bland. All white cabinets, white marble countertops, and stainless steel everything. Even the curtains hanging around the windows above the sink were dreadfully plain.

The utility room, like everything else, was plain. The washer and dryer were white, the floor concrete, and the shelving barebones. The detergent was the most colorful thing I saw since arriving. Somehow even this room smelled like absolutely nothing. Directly across from the door we entered was the backdoor and Violet told me where they would hide a key for me to be able to get inside.

“Ready to see it?” She asked, smiling politely.

I nodded, “Thanks again for renting it out to me.”

She chuckled, “No thanks needed. You were paying, that was enough for me to say yes.”

The back porch was tiny, just barely big enough for the both of us to stand on. There was a small vegetable garden along the side of the house, but it was empty. Noticing my wandering eyes, Violet told me all about the turnips and gourds she had been planting this season. She had watermelon and tomatoes in the summer, but they were long gone. The rest of the yard was taken up by my home for the next few months.

It was small, but that was to be expected. What disappointed me, though I should have not been very surprised, was how white it was. The windows were a dark gray, a small porch was set up with enough room for one of those hanging egg chairs, and two built-in planters. They were empty and Violet told me I was welcome to give gardening a chance if I was interested. She was planning on growing some flowers eventually, but she was not sure what she wanted.

The front door was open, Jimin already inside, and Violet and I went in. There was a small entryway, two doors leading to rooms I would explore later, and a small shoe rack. I took mine off and put them up. Violet watched me and took hers off as well.

“Audrey told me I should put one in here,” I was learning that Violet enjoyed meaningless small talk. “Glad I did. Don’t think Christian took his shoes off, though.”

I shrugged, “No biggie. I was going to clean up around here anyway.”

The house opened up to my right and I was happy with the space. I had a fully functional kitchen and enough space for my coffee cabinet along the wall. The living room would be able to fit a small loveseat, television, and coffee table. It was white and plain, but I was very happy with the floors. Whoever picked out the dark vinyl flooring must have had me in mind. I would go crazy if this place was as sterile as the Andersons’.

“I put your stuff in your room.”

Turning I grinned at Jimin. It was sweet of him to help me out. I was going to pick up my car tomorrow morning and he had volunteered to drive me. We would be starting our training next week so I could have some time to settle in. All of my furniture was arriving either tomorrow or the day after and my hands would be full. I was counting on Jimin and his friends to help me unpack. His manager was going to make himself known as well, but would not be staying for long. Apparently, according to Jimin, Sejin was not one to get his hands dirty.

“Thank you.”

“I’ll let you get settled in,” Violet was already scratching to leave, and I wondered why. She had been very hospitable over the phone. “You’re welcome to join us for dinner. Calvin is going to bring the air mattress out here tonight, so you have someplace to sleep.”

With a kiss on Jimin’s cheek, Violet slipped on her flats and left. Alone with Jimin again, I found it hard to speak. We were much better over text. Looking just as lost as I was, Jimin scratched the back of his neck and looked down.

“My, uh, my mom offered you her couch if you want it,” He stuttered, his face turning red. “Or, uh, um, you can take the spare room at my place,” He let out a huge gust of wind. “It’s a bit of a drive but I do have the space.”

Flustered, I quickly declined, “Thanks but I’ll be fine here.”

“Oh, yeah,” Jimin shook his head, the redness spreading down his neck. “For sure. Totally.”

The air was awkward now and I could not figure out how to fix it. Jimin was the one always breaking the ice between us, and now that he was acting like this I was stranded at sea. Even when he warned me he was more reserved in person I had not expected this. He was so quiet and skittish. How was I supposed to work with him if I could not get the courage to speak?

“Thanks for the offer,” I cleared my throat. “Are you staying for dinner?”

He shook his head, “I promised Jungkook we’d go out tonight. Any other time I’d say yes.”

I asked my disappointment. The thought of spending time with Violet and Calvin alone made me deeply uncomfortable. Their house felt like a hospital room and her weird behavior was unsettling. I could only hope Calvin was nicer but from what Jimin said he was a ticking time bomb. It would be nice to have someone act as a buffer.

“Why was she acting so strangely?” I asked, hoping Jimin had picked up on it as well. “It was like a totally different person.”

He frowned, “I think she’s just on edge since Calvin went to the doctor’s today. Their daughter took him, and she hasn’t heard anything. She’s a sweet woman, don’t worry.”

Now I felt like an asshole.

“That’s understandable,” I murmured. “Do you think she’ll be upset if I order food for all of us? If she’s stressed out, I don’t want her feeling like she has to cook for me.”

Jimin smiled, “She would appreciate it. I’ll go talk to her, how does that sound?”

I nodded, grateful. “That would be nice. The house gives me the creeps.”

That made him laugh, “What? Why?”

I shrugged, giggling with him.

“Feels like a funeral home or something. I hate the minimalist aesthetic.”

Jimin bit his lip, “You’d probably hate my place, too, then.”

I chuckled. It was easy to imagine Jimin inside of a huge modern house, dark wood and barely anything in it. He was a single man, busy, and spent so much time at his parent’s house it did not matter what he had inside of his own place. Not wanting to make him self conscious, I bit my tongue.

“I’m sure it’s not that bad.”

He cocked his head to the side, and I laughed.

“Fine,” I conceded. “I would probably dislike it, but I don’t think it looks like a white padded cell.”

I may have been exaggerating a bit, but it was not that far off from how the Anderson home looked to me. I hoped by asking me to help fix up a few things, Violet meant giving the house a much-needed makeover. If I was lucky, I might be able to convince her to get a few throw pillows to break up the monotony.

“Jeez,” Jimin laughed. “Harsh critic.”

“Well, is it?” I joked, glad to have found our footing again.

“No,” He shook his head in thought. “It’s mostly gray and black, but still just as empty. Probably emptier, honestly. I don’t have as many pictures as Violet does.”

Smirking, he snapped his fingers, “My trophy room is pretty colorful. I have a lot of pictures and shit in there.”

That made me smile. I was not bringing any of my memorabilia here, but it was nice to hear him sound so proud of himself. I kept most of my competition stuff in my basement, a large China cabinet displaying all of my awards. My favorite had to be the small, cheaply made trophy sat at the very top. It was beside my Olympic medals, worn and dull beside the beautiful necklaces, but I loved it all the same.

It was the first trophy I ever won. I was seven and my dad convinced me to sign up for a swimming competition my swim class was hosting. He promised to come. I practiced a lot preparing for it and made use of the new above ground pool my dad had bought. I won the race. My own joy and happiness made me forget that he never showed up until it was time to go home. I had to wait with my coach for two hours, and by the end of it she felt so bad for me she took me out for ice cream. Dad never apologized, I don’t even think he acknowledged that I won at all, and I never tried to bring it up again. Still, I loved that stupid thing. It was the reason I wanted to compete. That little pocket of happiness between winning and realizing that no one cared was precious to me and I held onto it.

“I need to get going,” Jimin sighed, reaching into his back pocket and snapping me out of my thoughts. “Jungkook’s blowing up my phone. Just got broken up with and needs a drinking buddy.”

I sucked in air through my teeth, “Well, your services are needed. Don’t let me hold you up.”

Jimin smiled at me, “See you tomorrow, yeah?”

I nodded, “See you.”

He lingered in the entryway for a moment more before shaking out of whatever trance he had been in. Slipping his converse back on, Jimin waved at me before walking outside. His face was buried in his phone, so he never saw me wave back. He shut the door, the sound echoing in the empty house, and I was once again left alone.

Violet came out a few minutes later to discuss take out until we finally landed on pizza. She never said thank you, but her offer to give the tip since I was paying was more than enough. Then later when a few of my boxes came in early she happily carried them to me. She even helped me put everything away. When Calvin came home, she led me back inside and said with so much affection it made my heart melt.

"Calvin, this is Y/N. Sweetest woman I ever did meet. Bought us dinner."

Calvin reminded me of Namjoon in a way. His soft eyes and gentle voice. He took my hand when I introduced myself, his hands cold and soft. Wrinkles and sunspots went up the length of his arms.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," He said.

"Likewise," I replied.

We ate in silence, the three of us watching Jeopardy on the sofa. Even though I had been nervous about eating inside, Calvin's presence warmed the place up. Once a prison now felt like a poorly decorated home. A home filled with love.

As I watched them together, Calvin reaching out for Violet's hand and her giving it to him without question, I felt myself getting choked up. There had been a time I had that. Joon would be on the floor, book in his lap, while my hands were in his hair as I studied my training tapes.

I left early that night. I blew up the mattress, the house quiet, before sending out a few texts to my friends to let them know I was getting on alright. After that, I put on nature sounds to help me drift off to sleep. I had not felt this lonely in a very long time.

Taglist: @ownthesunshine @screamertannie @lovelytaes-blog @pernesianparapio

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personasintro · 1 year

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Mutual Help | #25

↳ 𝐬𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐬; in order for you to pretend to be his girlfriend, he helps you with your sexual desires ⏤ he calls it mutual help

⇢ 𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠: jungkook x reader

⇢ 𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: fake dating au, fluff, angst, smut, slow burn

⇢ 𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬: explicit language

⇢ 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: 6.9k+

⇠ 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐯. | 𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐱 | 𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐭 ⇢

The anticipation of Jungkook's arrival is nerve-racking and you almost feel like you could throw up any second. It gets even worse when a message from him comes, notifying you of his presence in the parking lot in front of the building you work at. Your nerves don't ease up even when Jungkook greets you with his usual sweet smile, waiting for you to buckle up before he drives out of the parking lot.

"How was your day?" he asks, lowering the volume of the radio to hear you better.

"Weird, I don't really wanna talk about it," you murmur truthfully. "How was yours?"

You notice the faint frown that settles on his face, but he doesn't pry and respects your decision of not wanting to talk about your day. It makes you feel like an ass, but you'd have to mention Yoongi and his remarks that are still making your blood boil. But it's not his fault, you know there's some truth to his spying, even if he denies to call it that way. Well, stalking it was. There's no point talking about it now, you want to talk about it in a more private and comfortable setting than in Jungkook's car, even though something tells you it doesn't matter because it won't be comfortable. At least for you. There are hundreds of thoughts that keep running inside your mind, creating different scenarios before Jungkook even has something to say.

"Good, I hung out with Jimin for awhile," he tells you, taking a right turn.

Your eyes fall down onto his tattooed knuckles, the year of his mother's birth date, and the veins peeking beneath his skin that slowly disappears underneath his shirt. Goddamn tattoos. You still remember him showing you them, your mouth dropping how many of them he got at once. It just assured you that this man is crazy and spontaneous, although he did mention tattoos a couple of times. You just didn't think he would've had them done in a few weeks after he revealed his interest in getting some. Not just one, but a couple of them.

"Oh, your stuff is in the back." he informs, speeding up a bit as you turn back and see a plastic bag sitting on the back seat.

Your heart warms immediately, touched by Jungkook's willingness to buy your very much needed toiletries.

"You're the best," you smile, seeing him glancing at you as he gives you a bunny grin, appreciating your praise like the little kid he is deep inside. "Seriously, Kook. Thank you." you tell him, admiring his features as the sun is settling down and creates a beautiful orange shade on his face.

"Anything for you." he grins, biting at his lower lip at the same time.

There's no need to pay too much attention to his words, you know in a way he's just teasing but telling the truth at the same time. The atmosphere isn't uncomfortable, quite the opposite actually, and it only warms your heart again when you realize he's telling the truth. Whatever you need, he's probably the only person who would just shrug and say 'okay, let's do it' or 'I wanna help'. Jungkook is the kindest person you've ever met, yet he's prideful and never asked you or anyone for help, handling most stuff all by himself just because he was scared to ask for help. Maybe not scared exactly, but he's not the type of person to do that. It surprised you when he came up with the idea of you pretending to be his girlfriend, just so he can win his ex-girlfriend back. It sounds crazy, but you know where he was coming from. None of you thought things would escalate like this. With Kiko's cheating, you've no idea what Jungkook's intentions are and if he really craves for her the same way he did in the beginning. He told you he loves her, you know that even without him telling you that, but he hasn't spoken anything about wanting her back. The cheating news has thrown him off and he never brought it up again. At this point, you've no idea what he's thinking.

When Jungkook asked you for help the first time, the idea seemed ridiculous. You don't think she's worthy of Jungkook's heart and love, he deserves someone better. It's a tricky situation because you know he truly loves her and at the end of the day, what you think is not important. That's why you had decided to agree and help him. It's the least you can do for him. Even if this whole thing is slightly getting messy. You just wonder if Jungkook feels the same.

And that's what you're about to find out.

However, Jungkook seems to be completely unbothered and even looks like he forgot you wanted to talk to him in the first place. After you came home, Jungkook's home, you had decided to take a shower where you had mustered all the courage to bring up the topic of tonight's conversation. There is a slight fear that you may ruin something with bringing up Kiko and your current relationship. After changing into white sweatpants and some random baggy shirt you've had for too many years, you decide it's now or never.

On the other hand, Jungkook is completely oblivious to your weird state as you make your way into the living room, finding him munching on pizza. The grease is slowly dripping down his chin as he looks at you with doe eyes while pausing his biting. He's wearing the same clothes, black jeans and a gray shirt but this time he pulled his hair up in a tiny bun, keeping it from getting into his face.

"I ordered pizza," he says with a full mouth, "sorry, was hungry." he apologizes as he quickly swallows the bite. Cute.

You snort, joining him on the couch. "I can see that." you chuckle, making yourself comfortable as you steal a glance at him every now and then.

He's too busy eating pizza and watching television to notice your side glances, or the way you keep fidgeting on the other side of the sofa. It's only a couple of minutes when he notices you're not eating, sitting in the same spot while staring at him with big eyes.

"Come on, eat up. It tastes like shit when it gets cold." he tells you, poking the box closer to you before he takes another bite. His cheeks are full of pizza, his lips set in a cute pout while he's eating and enjoying the taste. Oh, fuck. He's already distracting you.

"Kook," you call out to him softly, glancing at him.

He doesn't look at you, staring at the television and the movie that's playing, which seems way more interesting than your quiet voice somewhere in the distance. Growing annoyed at the lack of attention he's giving you, he decides to hum in response which makes you let out a tired sigh.

"Can we talk?" you ask, saying those words before you can change your mind and chicken out of this like you know, you probably would.

God, you don't even know why you're so nervous. You've never been this nervous about talking to him, not to Jungkook. It has always been easy, but now that you think of the topic of your conversation, you've got a few doubts about this. But you need to know what his plans are with Kiko, and well, your deal. Also, if this keeps going on between you two, you'd like to hear his opinion about the affection that seems to be there whenever you two get touchy. Come on, Y/N. It's a simple conversation. Nothing can go wrong.

"Sure, we can talk." he hums, eyes still attached to the television instead of you which makes you cough.

"Kook, I mean... I really need to talk to you." you emphasize your words more firmly which makes him look at you with a tiny and confused frown.

"Oh," he blurts out, as if he just remembered your text and realized how serious you look. "Sorry." he says, already reaching for the controller as he turns off the television.

You watch him wiping his mouth with a napkin, free of grease before he tosses it onto the coffee table. Making himself comfortable, he turns to you before he gives you a smile. "Okay, I'm all ears." he props his arm against the backrest of his sofa, eyes watching you as you purse your lips.

Okay, this should be easy. You planned it while taking a shower. First, you'll ask about Kiko. Simply, just to know what his plans are with her. Then, depending on what his answer will be, you'll bring up your deal and the affection that's lovely, oh so lovely that you're scared to even bring it up, but you know you have to. For the sake of your friendship and the boundaries that you've set at the beginning.

"I--what I wanted--um--no, well I just--"

"Hey," Jungkook interrupts you, chuckling at you being a stuttering mess. "You know you can talk to me, right? About anything." he tells you, giving you a smile of encouragement as your cheeks flush with embarrassment before you give him a nod.

Taking a long breath, you open your mouth and finally spill the question that you were repeating to yourself in the shower. "What about Kiko?"

Well, you did practice the question differently but it doesn't matter. You finally said it.

Judging by Jungkook's reaction, he seems surprised at your question and even confused as you notice his features hardening. You're aware that he doesn't have it easy. Maybe he still doesn't know the answer to your question, but there's only one way to find that out. Even though he's always been very vocal and shares his battling thoughts with you, Kiko is not one of them.

"What?" he breathes out, still shocked at the mention of her. "Is this what you wanted to talk about?" he asks curiously, glancing at you as you shrug.

"Partly," you answer honestly, seeing him struggling to say something so that's why you decide to help him and clarify your question. "Have you thought about whether you still want her or not?"

"Is this some kind of a trick question?" he asks, cocking his brow at you as you shake your head.

"No, of course not." you tell him.

Jungkook's eyes drop into his lap, suddenly finding an interest in his black jeans that stretch deliciously around his thighs, but now's not the time to ogle him. But he really does have amazing thighs.

"I... did think about it." he settles on saying, words barely getting out of his mouth.

"And?" you press, brows raising as you're looking at him curiously.

"I don't know," he blurts out, "I've no fucking idea what to do. The only thing I know is that I still fucking love her and it fucking hurts what she did to me. I never thought she'd be capable of cheating on me. It hurts, it hurts so bad but I can't stop thinking about her." he exclaims, face already buried in his hands but you still catch the hurt written all over his soft features.

It hurts seeing him this way, and you wish he could just forget her and find someone else. It's not easy, you know that. But he's a brilliant guy and you're sure he could find anyone with a snap of his fingers. It's a shame he's still holding onto Kiko, despite her hurting him all this time. But love is crazy and Jungkook is a perfect and living example of that.

"I think you just got your answer." you mumble, reaching for his back as you give him a few gentle strokes. His muscles are tense, and he doesn't even relax under your touch like you hoped he would.

"What do you mean?" he asks quietly, sliding his hands off his face as he glances at you.

The look of hurt and utter desperation pains you, and you wish you could just take some of his pain away. He's such a great guy, he doesn't deserve any of this but this is not why you've decided to have this conversation with him. No matter how many times you'd want to beat some sense into him, you know he'll just do whatever he wants to. It's not your place to tell him what to do in the first place. So far, he seems to be pretty convinced with his own opinion and thoughts, even though he appears to be confused.

"Well, she hurt you. A lot, which is understandable considering... what she did," you cringe, not wanting to say that particular word which could upset him even more. "But you love her and I'm not saying I agree with you, but it's none of my business. You should listen to your heart, Kook. If you really think she regrets it and you trust her, maybe you could give her another chance." you tell him, even though the words don't come easily out of your mouth.

You push your own opinion and preferences away, and be his best friend instead. He knows what you think about this situation, but he also knows that he can always count on you, just like it's the other way. If he wasn't loving her that much, you'd never tell him what you told him just now. But seeing him, he's much more desperate without her than the fact she cheated. It's fucked up, but it's not your relationship and your mindset is different because you're not in that relationship and you don't feel the same emotions like Jungkook.

"When she told me, y'know... that she cheated, I could really see her being so miserable about it. I know, it's so fucked up because I should never speak to her again. I should be angry and hate her, but I don't. All I can feel is hurt and love at the same time. I've never felt like this and I'm so fucking confused because I fought for her, even got you involved in this and now... it got so complicated. This should've been easy, and everything went so well." he vents, getting all those hurtful thoughts out that have been hunting him for a few days now, and you let him.

He needs to get it off his chest and to be honest, you're grateful he's finally speaking up about it. Not necessarily because he's telling you about it, but that he's finally thinking and speaking about the situation, instead of avoiding it and keeping it inside of him.

"I'm sorry, Kook." you speak softly, your hands stroking his back one last time before you put your hands into your lap, fingers playing with the hem of your shirt.

"It's not your fault, Y/N." he mutters softly, giving you a weak smile but it's nothing, just a weak attempt at it.

"I know it's not," you shrug, "I just hate seeing you like this. You don't deserve this. But you need to sort this thing out, not because of us but because of you. It'll just drive you insane, I'm not even speaking how toxic that is for you." you tell him honestly, seeing him giving you a nod.

"For a few days, I was really avoiding it and I just wished I never knew. Does that make sense? Like, if I never knew, things would be different now."

"That's not true, Kook. You'd find out eventually and you knew she was hiding something, you wouldn't let that go until you found out."

He nods, knowing you're right.

"I just can't believe Hoseok knew all along and didn't tell me." he says, suddenly remembering that there is another person who knew before he found out. The frown on his face mimics the betrayal he feels at the mention of his beloved hyung.

"Don't blame him. He's her best friend, he was protecting her secret even if it meant he was keeping one from you. I'm sure it wasn't easy for him either, you mentioned yourself that he looked pitiful. I'm not saying what he did was right, but he was put in a bad position. If I had to keep a secret for you, I would keep my mouth sealed. And I think you'd do the same thing with me."

He lets your words process, slowly nodding before he gives you a side glance and gives you a little glare. "Weren't you hating on him?"

"Hate is a strong word," you clarify, "He was getting on my nerves a lot...," at this Jungkook chuckles, "But I don't think he's a bad guy. Their friendship is really strong from what I've seen... and they kinda remind me of you and me, and our friendship." you explain, noticing that he let your words sink in as he nods along them.

"I guess you're right." he says, deeply in thought.

"The only thing I can't understand is... why he was so suspicious about us. I mean, yeah, it was weird for us to be 'dating' but why was he so overprotective and accused you of doing this to hurt Kiko, when all along it was her who hurt you. Not just for breaking up with you, but cheating on you--sorry," you apologize quickly when his face scrunches in hurt at the mention of cheating again. "It doesn't make sense. Is he that loyal to her? I don't think he's stupid, he knows what she did was wrong but he stands by her side because she's his best friend. But why would he be so focused on you being the one who hurt her?" you think out loud, a new set of thoughts running through your mind as Jungkook seems to be just as puzzled like you.

There's a beat of silence in the room, the two of you having your own thoughts as you can't think of anything. You don't know Hoseok that well, you don't know Kiko that well either. This whole thing makes you confused and you can feel a headache approaching, and you haven't even talked about the main thing yet.

"Hobi hyung is very loyal to Kiko. It's weird, but who the fuck knows what he thinks about it. I wouldn't be surprised if he was acting like it just because he felt the need to protect her. She is hurt from what she had done, and I think Hoseok was there with her every step of the way, so he can understand her better. I kinda get it-- y'know, that he didn't want her to be hurt even more. Even if she fucked up."

"I don't know, you know them better than I do." you shrug, reaching for the coke can that you pop open before you take a gulp.

"I'm just as clueless as you're in this, I'm just trying to understand them," he says, pursing his lips in thought. He always does that when he spaces out and is thinking of something. "I think I need to talk to her. To Kiko, to clear some things out. I think there's a lot more that she would like to say to me, she did confess that she still loves me."

You almost grimace at that, but you do a perfect job in hiding it as you take another gulp of sparkling coke that scratches your throat. How can you cheat on someone if you truly love them?

"Are you planning to get back together with her?" you ask, putting the can back on the coffee table as you lean against the sofa again. The smell of pizza makes your stomach scrunch because shit, it smells really good but you need to talk to him. You know as soon as you take a bite, you're going to be distracted and even if you brought it up while eating, you would probably throw up because of nervousness.

"I really want to," he says quietly, but genuinely almost as if he feels ashamed of saying that.

It looks like he's waiting for you to smash his head against the coffee table that's in front of him. He knows what you truly think about Kiko and cheating, he also knows that even though you're a woman and not a passively aggressive human being, you'd beat up anyone for him. You really would. And you probably should smash his head against the coffee table, despite how cautious he's looking at you with his big doe eyes. But how can you? The poor guy is in love and you'd do anything to see him happy again.

"But we'll have to see how it goes. With Kiko, I mean..." he adds, glancing at the turned off television as he purses his lips again. "I'm gonna text her." he says suddenly, loud and clear, already reaching for his phone that's on the coffee table which makes you flinch in surprise and causes you to glare at him.

He gives you a sheepish grin, the exact one which he knows you can't stay mad at, and you roll your eyes as you scoot closer to him. You see him browsing through his contacts before he finds her name, or more nickname he used to call her all the time, with red heart emoji right next to it.

"How do you have me saved?" you ask, peeking behind his shoulder as he snorts at you.

"Is that really what concerns you right now?" he slightly turns his head towards you, his nose almost poking you in your cheek as you flinch back and slap his shoulder.

"Yeah, now show me. You can text her right after." you insist, causing him to grunt but he scrolls down to find your name.

Y/N💀

You stutter over your words, choking up at your name and number on his screen. "A skeleton? That's so rude!" you exclaim, sounding offended which makes him cackle and really amused.

"Lighten' up, babe. It's just pure fun." You ignore the way your heart twists and the pet name, reminding you that you really need to talk about other stuff too.

You don't necessarily mind him calling you that, oh fuck no, you enjoy it very much. But if he's planning on getting back to Kiko, it's not something he should do or you should enjoy. So, ignoring it for now, you nudge his shoulder instead as you nod at his phone.

"Change it." you demand, causing him to roll his eyes but he still listens and clicks on the 'edit' button.

"Okay, boss. What should I change it into?" he asks, amusement laced in his tone as he deletes the emoji and leaves your name. He browses through emojis, letting you choose whatever you want as you're proudly staring at his screen.

He never used to be the emoji type of person, especially adding it to someone's name. But you think it started with Kiko. If you remember correctly, you saw her name and red heart right next to it on Jungkook's screen, when she had sent him a good night text that one time when you two were hanging out. You're surprised Jungkook put one next to yours, a skeleton out of all emojis. Asshole.

"That!" you point out, screaming into Jungkook's ear which makes him flinch and grunt in response. "That pink flower."

"Why flower?" he asks dumbfounded, clicking onto the cherry blossom emoji for the sake of his ear and himself, and your hand that's clutching his shoulder. You're a woman, but still strong whenever you need to be.

"Because I'm delicate as a flower." you reply proudly, straightening yourself as Jungkook turns to look at you and in seconds, he completely bursts in laughter, quickly covering his mouth in case some of his spit comes out from how hard he started laughing.

You roll your eyes, tugging onto his hair but he just slaps your hand away and cackles. "You? A delicate flower?" he laughs, causing you to frown.

"I'm delicate, just not with you." you grunt under your breath.

"Well, I can object--"

"No, don't even finish that. Whatever bullshit you were about to say, don't. I believe you wanted to text a certain someone." you tell him, nudging his shoulder once again to focus his attention onto the phone in his hands.

Jungkook snorts, mumbling; "Delicate flower my ass." but you ignore it, and watch him find Kiko's number once again.

You peek over his shoulder, glancing at him as you see him nibbling on his bottom lip nervously as he keeps staring at the blank space. After five minutes of the same 'hello' and similar looking texts, the same ones he keeps deleting just for him to type it again, you grow annoyed but keep silent because you know this is difficult for him. He finally settles on a simple text, thumb still hovering over the send button.

The text says; hi kik, can we talk please?

It's simple and straight to the point, and you tell him that which encourages him to click onto the button and just like that, the message is already sent. Jungkook puts his mobile back onto the coffee table, still staring at it from a distance while nibbling on his bottom lip.

"Hey, so I was thinking... if everything turns out good for you guys, are you ever going to tell her all of this was fake? Us dating." you ask, using quotes to emphasize the true meaning of you two dating.

He seems surprised by your question and he thinks it through for a few seconds, coming up with an answer quite quickly. "I guess? I think she deserves to know the truth. I don't want her to look at you as a threat or something, which I don't think she would. But surely, it would be weird if you two ever saw each other again and she thinks you were my real girlfriend."

Yeah, that makes sense. Kiko has never been the jealous type of girlfriend, and she took it well knowing Jungkook has a female best friend. He used to spend most of his time with her anyway, so there weren't that many situations where she could've been jealous.

"Well... yeah. But are you gonna tell her about the other part of our deal?" you ask, cheeks heating up for some reason. Suddenly, bringing up the fact the two of you had sex couple of times seems weird.

"Other part?" Jungkook asks confusingly, stealing a glance at his phone which makes you roll your eyes.

"Us fucking? Wouldn't that give her a reason to be jealous? It's nice that you're gonna tell her that I never was your real girlfriend, but we did fuck."

Jungkook coughs, scratching the top of his head as he shrugs. "I mean yeah... there's no reason for her to be angry or anything, I'm not dating her yet. At least I waited until I was single before I fucked someone else."

You almost choke at the way his voice changed from soft to bitter. You never expected him to give a diss to the love of his life but god, does it feel good.

"Well, you see... that's what I wanted to talk to you about." you manage to say, chuckling nervously as Jungkook's brows shoot up in surprise.

"There's more?" he asks, mouth opening ajar.

"Yeah," you bite your lower lip, eyes traveling elsewhere instead of Jungkook's surprised face. Okay, here we go. "About our deal... now that you surely want Kiko back, should we keep doing this?" Oh, fuck... can this get any more awkward?

"What?" Jungkook blurts out, not making it any easier for you, causing your irritation to grow.

"I mean... is there any point in us pretending to be dating and fucking now that you probably will get back together?" you ask him, seeing him dumbfounded all over again.

"I don't know if we will get back together, that's why I wanna talk to her." he says after a moment of silence, words coming out slowly as if he's not hundred percent sure if he truly agrees with what's being said.

"But you do want her back." you clarify, looking at him for confirmation which he gives you with a nod as he opens his mouth.

"Yes."

But it all depends what they'll talk about.

"Kook," you sigh, "I don't think it's fair to her if we keep doing this." you admit, met with a prominent frown that settles on his face.

"What exactly? Us fake dating or fucking?"

"Both," you answer truthfully, "She admitted she loves you, she practically wants you back as well. I don't see any point of us pretending to be dating, when you probably don't have to do much to get her back."

His frown deepens, tongue flicking out of his mouth to wet his bottom lip. "But nothing's for sure right now. You want to end this?"

There's nothing but curiosity in his voice, his doe eyes staring at you while he's waiting for your answer which comes out harder.

"Not that I want to," You certainly don't, you enjoy your time with Jungkook too much and it's sad to think it's ending. Not necessarily the part when you had to pretend to be his girlfriend, which somehow didn't come out as forced as you thought it'd be. But you surely enjoy Jungkook pounding you every chance he gets. No one can blame you, you had a dry spell for too long and Jungkook really does spice up your sex life. However, your sex life isn't important like your friendship is. Not when both things involve the same person, in this case it's your best friend. "I just don't see the point of continuing this anymore. You got what you wanted, well partly, but it's just a matter of time before Kiko will agree. You practically won in this, Kook."

You're not sure what you said to make him look so aggrieved.

"But... did you get what you wanted?" he asks, sounding confused and complemented about something.

"What do you mean?"

"Our deal was that you'll pretend to be my fake girlfriend and I'll help you--"

"Okay, okay. I get it." you cut him off, cheeks heating up.

"Do you feel like you're satisfied enough? It's completely up to you, just be honest with me. I really appreciate you helping me with this, and if we're gonna end this... I want to be sure that you equally got what you wanted."

Oh, so this is what it's about. He's concerned, now that he partly got what he wanted and then there's you. He's letting you know that even if he's the one who came up with this whole idea, it doesn't mean he forgot about you and your part of the deal.

"What? So you want me to use you for sex, now that you want another woman back and she wants you too?" you chuckle, the sound coming out much more bitterly than you thought it would and it makes you embarrassed that you let your guard down. Especially, when you don't know where it's coming from. This situation and conversation is starting to be very uncomfortable, maybe it's the fear inside of you or the disappointment that this is ending. You really did enjoy the sex with Jungkook.

"Our deal was one month anyway, and one month has already passed." you point out, his mouth letting a small 'oh' as if he just realized that yes, one month already passed indeed.

"You're not using me, Y/N," he reminds you, voice firm as he shakes his head. "I'm still single, aren't I?"

"Why would you continue fucking me when you know what you want, and Kiko confessed her feelings?" you blurt out, growing frustrated over this conversation.

Jungkook's brows pinch together as he mimics your facial expression. "Because I care about you! And I don't want you to feel used. Nothing is clear yet, I still haven't talked to her."

"You're confusing me, Jeon," you exclaim, pinching the bridge of your nose before you let out a sigh. "You love Kiko, I know that you care about me too and you don't want me to feel used. You're a fair person, but what's there to question when you're so close to getting your love back? You don't need me anymore, and I'm not going to use you for sex. It would feel like a task anyway."

"But I love you too." he reminds you, voice soft as he watches your eyes narrowing at him.

"But I'm your best friend and she is... whatever she is right now," you mumble, ignoring the glare he gives you. "Maybe it's for the best, anyway. It started getting messy." your voice slowly fades away, the words mumbled under your breath but Jungkook caught onto them quickly.

"What do you mean by that?"

Here we go. Well, there's no point of denying it anymore and you've to come out clear with him. You're talking like you wanted after all. Now is the time to speak up your thoughts.

"Don't you think it started crossing the line of our friendship?"

"Now, you're the one who's confusing me." he admits, brows pinching together again.

"Jungkook... do you remember our rule? The one I made... about us kissing in front of your friends as a part of the plan?"

He looks confused for a moment, an unsure 'yeah?' slipping out of his mouth before realization hits his face. He soon remembers that in fact, you both were kissing whenever you felt like it, no matter whether you were alone or in public.

"Yeah, exactly," you mutter, "And we started being more... affectionate? We were really acting like a couple without us realizing it in the first place. Your pet names, touches and cuddles. It's just a dangerous line we're tiptoeing around." you tell him, carefully watching his features that somehow remain neutral.

Suddenly, his head snaps up and you see some kind of emotion behind his eyes but before you can name it, he's already opening his mouth. "If you felt uncomfortable why didn't you tell me?"

It's the accusation in his voice that throws you off, your mouth dropping open as you stutter over your words. "What-- no-- I didn't feel uncomfortable and I don't. But I think our friendship is much more important and if we kept it up, it could've ruin us... our friendship."

"If you didn't feel uncomfortable, you wouldn't bring it up. You should've told me, fuck, I feel like such an idiot." he says, anger laced in his raising voice.

"You're not listening to me, Kook. You never made me uncomfortable, you hear me? I'm just speaking up about this before it could possibly cause some damage." you explain, growing desperate because he seems like he doesn't truly understand your words and whatever goes through his mind, he's listening to his inner voice.

"Damage to what?" he exclaims back.

"To our friendship!" you almost scream, flinching back when you realize how loud your voice is. However, Jungkook doesn't seem to be too fazed by it and simply stares at you. "We agreed on you fucking me, not acting like my boyfriend when there's no one around."

Okay, that was harsh. You regret your words as soon as you tell them, especially when you see the hurt in Jungkook's eyes. You hate that you're the one who caused it, but it had to be said. If you knew he'd react this way, you'd keep your mouth shut and wouldn't tell him anything further. It feels like your deal is off anyway.

The rational part of you understands Jungkook's reaction. He feels embarrassed, the tip of his ears that are slowly red are a perfect example of that. You made a fool out of him, which wasn't your intention at all. You made him feel like he crossed a line and disrespected you. You know he would never do that, he respects you so much and that's why he kept going back to you when you started talking about Kiko. He brought his attention back to you, wanting to make sure you're okay with this. In your defense, you did try to explain to him he never made you uncomfortable. But Jungkook is stubborn.

"So, what?" he spits out bitterly, the same bitter chuckle coming out past his lips. "You wanted me to fuck you and just ignore you?"

You flinch at his harsh words, eyes growing big.

"I didn't even realize I've done half of those things. It felt..." Natural, you know what he means. Yet, he doesn't say it and simply just sighs as he tries to control his anger. "Maybe I got into it too much."

"Kook, I didn't realize until recently. People started noticing it and it made me wonder what the hell are we doing. Kook, you never made me uncomfortable, feel used or disrespected me. But I care about you and our friendship too much. That's why I brought it up. I don't know what else to say for you to believe me. I enjoyed it, I got into it too much as well that I didn't realize how we're acting around each other. There's nothing wrong with that and I don't even know why we're having this argument. Nothing bad happened and we could just forget about it."

"You made me feel like I crossed boundaries with you." he admits, voice harsh but it's only his defensive mechanism caused by hurt.

"You didn't, I swear. I was enjoying it too much to even realize what we're doing, until my co-worker started pointing it out."

"Your co-worker?" he asks, frowning in confusion.

"It doesn't matter. If people notice it, I don't care that much about it. But we did those things when we were alone. And now that you're possibly getting back with Kiko, even if you're single at the moment, I don't think it's fair to her."

You don't care about whether it's fair to you, because you're in this deal for sex and enjoyment Jungkook's giving you. Apart from you wanting to help him, of course. It sounds blunt, but it's true.

Patiently waiting for his response, he doesn't give you any and simply stays quiet. Even when his phone vibrates with notification, a new message most likely from Kiko, he reads it and simply puts the phone into the pocket of his jeans. Without a word, he goes into the bathroom and a couple of minutes later, you hear water running. Whatever his thoughts are right now, you're hurt and upset that this escalated quickly and that this conversation didn't go as planned. It possibly couldn't have gone more wrong.

And after half an hour of Jungkook being in the shower, you wait for him in his bedroom, already tucked in the floral scented sheets mixed with Jungkook's scent. It makes you feel closer to him, but it dies down as soon as he walks into the bathroom in his pajamas, completely ignoring you staring at him. Your heart clenches when he grabs his pillow and blanket, busying his hands as he doesn't even spare you a glance.

"Jungkook, what are you doing?" you ask slowly.

He ignores you, taking his charger that's on the nightstand with him.

"Jeon, I'm talking to you." you bark, growing annoyed at the silent treatment he's giving you.

"I'm sleeping on the couch." he answers with an attitude, mirroring yours which makes you even more frustrated.

"That's not necessary. We can--"

"I wouldn't want to cross any boundaries with you." he cuts you off, nonchalantly speaking those words that digs straight through your heart.

He's being petty right now. You always used to cuddle when you had a sleepover. There's nothing wrong with that. Right?

"Oh, come on, Jeon. You're being childish!" you yell after him, voice desperate as he shuts his door with a loud bang in the middle of your sentence.

Sighing, you stare at the door for a few seconds with a crushed heart, wondering if he will come back. But he doesn't, he doesn't come for the whole night and you're left tossing around in his huge bed that smells just like him. But it's not enough. However, even this doesn't upset you that much like the fact that he's hurt and angry at you. Even your dreams are filled with the same conversation over and over again, and it always ends the same. Jungkook leaves you all alone with your thoughts, wishing you would've voiced your thoughts and chose your words more carefully.

And when you think the morning is going to be better, you're left alone in an empty apartment with Jungkook in no sight. There's no note waiting for you, only Jungkook's crumpled blanket and pillow on the couch where he stayed the night. There's not a coffee scent lingering in the kitchen, or empty cup left in the sink. You don't mean to overthink, but you wonder if he left sooner because he didn't want to see you in the morning. He knows the exact time your alarm is set up to wake you up. And just like that...

It's proven that the morning is even worse.

#jungkook x reader #bts au #bts smut #bts fluff #bts angst #jungkook fanfic #jungkook smut #jungkook fake dating #mutual help #personasintro

619 notes · View notes

yoon-kooks · 2 years

Text

p&p | jjk masterlist

⛓️paired & pierced⛓️reader's pov✨smut✨

⛓️pairing: hotnerd!jungkook x popular!reader(f)

⛓️genre: smut, fluff, college!au

⛓️summary: When your professor assigns a collaborative midterm project, you’re paired up with Jeon Jungkook, the quiet grumpy smartass who keeps to himself and doesn’t fuck with popular kids like you. If you can win him over, he might give you a taste of the tatted and pierced body he’s carefully tucked away beneath those oversized hoodies.

⛓️word count: 5.3k

⛓️warnings: dom!jungkook, sub!reader, unprotected rough sex, daddy kink, good girl kink, she’s tight, he’s big, fingering, mutual masturbation, begging, edging, orgasm denial, cumshot, dick tattoo, not the soft jjk i usually write

⛓️paired & puppy-eyed⛓️jjk's pov

⛓️summary: When Jeon Jungkook agrees to be your partner for a class project, he doesn’t realize what that might escalate to until you show up at his door in a teeny-tiny crop top and cling to his tattooed arm like his naughty little kitten.

⛓️word count: 4.6k

⛓️warnings: dom!jk, sub!reader, daddy/kitten undertones, dirty talk, reader calls herself a sl*t one time, dick tattoo, many rounds of sex off screen😔

⛓️pastries & promises⛓️reader's pov

⛓️summary: After hooking up with the hot nerdy boy in your coding class over the weekend, you’ll use any excuse to keep his hands on your body all week long.

⛓️word count: 3k

⛓️warnings: catdilf!jk, dom!jk, sub!reader, daddy/kitten undertones, praise kink, dirty talk, oc is a horny lil brat, mention of getting wasted at parties, one instance of slut-shaming, oc makes an ignorant comment about earl grey tea lol, no explicit smut in this drabble

⛓️playboys & pancakes⛓️jjk's pov

⛓️summary: When your fuckboy model friend Park Jimin returns from Paris, Jungkook can't help but feel a little jealous and protective over you even though the two of you aren't technically dating yet.

⛓️word count: 2.6k

⛓️warnings: catdilf!jk, dom!jk, sub!reader, daddy/kitten undertones, dirty talk, oc is a lil brat, boy gets jealous🤭, soft cuddling, jimin is a tattooed fuckboy, no explicit smut in this drabble

⛓️paw prints & presents⛓️jjk's pov✨smut✨

⛓️summary: You and Jungkook never discussed Valentine’s Day plans, but that doesn’t mean the night won’t include corny Valentine’s cards and you getting down on your hands and knees in pretty pink lingerie for him.

⛓️word count: 2.1k

⛓️warnings: catdilf!jk, dom!jk, sub!reader, daddy/kitten undertones, praise kink, dirty talk, oc is a horny lil brat, dry humping, sex on the couch, handjob, blowjob, face fucking, cumshot, she swallows, oc makes another ignorant comment about earl grey tea lol

⛓️playtime & punishment⛓️reader's pov✨smut✨

⛓️summary: You decide to push Jeon Jungkook's buttons until he snaps and puts you in your place like the little slut you are.

⛓️word count: 2.5k

⛓️warnings: catdilf!jungkook, dom!jungkook, sub!reader, daddy kink, good girl kink, nudes, hickeys, oc is a lil horny brat, jk puts her in her place, degradation, "slut" is used a lot, boobie squeezes, begging, she wants his cock so bad🥵, masturbation, oral nerd fantasy, fingering, edging, orgasm denial

if you guys have any specific things you want to see from the p&p couple, feel free to lmk and i might write a drabble for it if i have time!✨ here's a list of ideas for future drabbles✏️ also adding the teaser link here bc the amount of notes is memeable✨

#bts smut #jungkook smut #bts fanfic #bts scenarios #bts imagines #jungkook fanfic #jungkook x reader #bts x reader #bts college au #nerd jungkook #bts masterlist

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kawaikisses · 10 months

Text

m.list ; Reading list.

Updated. Jan 22, 2024.

Note : I read k-pop idols x reader/ orginal female character fics, so this list is organized keeping that in mind, I do not personally have any issues with other genders, this is just my preference. Thankyou. If you hate unnecessarily, sincerely, no fucks will be given.

(everything is organized by alphabetical order)

↬𝐁𝐘 𝐆𝐄𝐍𝐑𝐄.

angst .

fluff .

smut .

↬𝐁𝐘 𝐀𝐔’𝐒.

artist au .

arranged marriage au .

assassin au .

baker au .

bartender au .

BDSM au .

best friend’s brother au .

best friends to lovers au .

best friend’s sister au .

boyfriend au .

camboy au .

camgirl au .

camp counselor au .

CEO au .

chef au .

childhood friends to lovers au .

club au .

college au .

coworker au .

crime au .

dad au .

doctor au .

dancer au .

detective au .

divorce au .

enemies to lovers au .

established relationship au .

exes to lovers au .

fantasy au .

farm au .

father au .

friends to benefits au .

friends to lovers au .

fuckboy au .

fuckgirl au .

forbidden au .

gamer au .

god au .

hitman au .

horror au .

husband au .

hybrid au .

idiots to lovers au .

idol au .

king au .

lawyer au .

mafia au .

magic au .

medical au .

musician au .

neighbours au .

noona au .

one night stand au .

photographer au .

pirates au .

professor au .

prince au .

rich au .

road trip au .

roommate au .

royalty au .

second chance au .

secret relationship au .

sex worker au .

single parent au .

social media au .

songwriter au .

soulmate au .

spy au .

superhero au .

supernatural au .

tattoo artist au .

teacher au .

unrequited love au .

vampire au .

werewolf au .

wife au .

↬𝐁𝐘 𝐌𝐄𝐌𝐁𝐄𝐑𝐒.

kim namjoon .

kim seokjin .

min yoongi .

jung hoseok .

park jimin .

kim taehyung .

jeon jungkook .

ot7 .

↬𝐁𝐘 𝐓𝐘𝐏𝐄.

drama .

hurt/comfort .

magic .

mutual pining .

mystery .

romance .

slow burn .

thriller .

age play .

crack .

Note : please let me know if any of the links are not working. Thankyou.

Note : since Tumblr only allows 100 links per page, so this list will be continued in another page, which is linked down below.

↬masterlist continued .

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luv-gukkie · 1 year

Text

cherry | 𖦊 : three

pairing: yandere! jimin x f. reader, yandere! jungkook x f. reader

genre: fluff || smut || non-idol au || yandere

summary: you’re the cherry on top of everything. the little girl in front of your parents; the gooody two-shoes of your family, friends, and everyone who knows you. so when you’re staring at the two bright, red lines on the pregnancy test. you know you’re fucked, you really do. especially when there’s not only one man, but seven.

word count: +1.4k

tags/warnings: unprotected sex (this is fiction, don't be silly), creampie, squirting, manipulation sex, mention of namjoon, mention of taehyung, public sex? (in a amusement park), soft sex, rough sex, size difference, jimin cares for reader (a lot :]), strawberries with whip cream is kinda sexualized…(sorry fresas), jungkook’s possessive> and wants to do EVERYTHING for the reader

notes: i don’t know why, but this jungkook, has me feeling some type of way. im imagining his black t-shirt that display his tattoos and pretty, long hair. i CANT get it out of my head :,). i love jimin’s part with the churros. he’s too cute. who else likes churros?

tag list: @bananamochidaisy @mageprincess7

༻❤︎︎ ★ ★ ❤︎︎༺

"i'm going out with my friends to go to a carnival," your pointer finger traced his arm filled with beautiful tattoos. ignoring his intense stare. "i heard there's gonna be fireworks!" you squeal, hoping that you've gotten out of jungkook's grasp. but he doesn't let go, "if you wanted to see fireworks so bad, pretty baby, you should've just told me. i'd buy them for you to see, wanna do that?" your hand drops onto the white shirt you borrowed from namjoon last night. you can still smell the thick cologne, some of it rubbing against you. too bad he left so early in the morning with a small wink in your direction. "but i really want to go with my friends." your eyes have the temptation to roll, but you'd be in bigger trouble if you did.

his clinginess reminds you of taehyung, who, with no doubt, has filled your phone with messages so early in the morning. "we can buy you something nice beforehand?" jungkook hopes you like that enough to stay with him. his thumb starts to rub your cheek, noticing you eyeing the velvet fruits. "and buy some strawberries with whatever toppings you want. how does that sound?" you can feel yourself boiling in the inside at the fact he doesn't give up. you beg yourself not to yell because you know he won't take you seriously, or he'll make you regret it. "tomorrow?" you ask, your legs spreading apart just a bit for him to direct his sight to your panties. shirt sliding up your thighs. "pretty please, kookie." jungkook has a light blush on his cheeks, the sweatpants he's wearing not doing anything to hide his growing hard-on. his eyes look up at you, asking permission, in which you nod. both your eyes hooded with lust. his fingers pinch one of the strawberries, messing the whip cream around your mouth before thrusting it to the back of your throat. his fingers reaching far deep into your mouth causing saliva to drip down the sides of your lips. jungkook's doe eyes shining at the wet spot as he releases himself from his slacks. moving your panties to the side, he moves his dick across the slit of your damp cunt. jungkook pushed his cock through your tight hole, groaning at how your walls rejected his entrance. your legs quivered as the feeling, head digging into his neck. tears at the edge of your eyes from the painful intrusion; he's always been too big to handle. his tattooed hands bringing your face closer to his by pulling your hair. he breathed on your lips as he muttered, "we'll go tomorrow." before pecking your lips and pulling out only to slam back in with full force.

"ugh." you stared at yourself in the mirror, watching the limp you had when you walked. maybe you shouldn't had convinced jungkook using that way. but at least it worked. luckily, your friends were still going to the carnival so you invited jimin, a 'friend'. you'd meet up with everyone there, including jimin. he had wanted to take you in his car, have a small dinner before going but you told him it would be more fun to see each other at the carnival. he didn't like the idea, but accepted when you told him you would give him a special surprise.

when you arrived at the carnival, jimin was standing by himself. hand in his phone, and two corn dogs in the other. you hugged him by behind, smile on your face as jimin giggled. "you look so pretty!" jimin pecked you all over your face, hands smothering in your hair. he grinned in the inside at the necklace you were wearing: a small gold dove that he gave you. "my friends will be here soon, let's finish these corn dogs jiminie." hands together, a corn dog in the other with huge smiles on your faces as you planned what rides you'll both go on.

you all went on every ride in the carnival. olivia was basically green from the roller coasters she went on. nolan had his eyes shut close every time you guys were at the top or edge. all jimin did was tighten his hold on your hand, pearls out for show. his eyes looking at you from the side, enjoying the view he got. your hair flying all over the place, happy yells escaping your mouth. jimin couldn't believe he got a chance to be with you. but he saw the way nolan eyed you too. his cheeks flushed when you spared him the tiniest bit of affection towards him. it had jimin rolling his eyes in annoyance, the urge to color his face a shade of purple and blues.

the crowd was larger than when you guys arrived, people pushing and shoving. you yelped when you accidentally tripped on someone's foot. jimin was quick to save you from the embarrassment of falling in a public place and having bloody knees. "be careful sweet cheeks." he playfully said, not letting go though. still worried you might fall and get hurt. "thank you," your hands covering your face, hoping to cool down your burning face. when you looked around, none of your friends were in sight. a pout on your lips, "we lost them, didn't we?" jimin nodded his head, an idea popping in his head. taking you by the arm, he dragged you to a churro stand on the other side of the walkway. it was practically empty, a few people here and there.

your eyes distracted by all the options of churros, you failed to notice how jimin stared you down. a heat surging through his body at the skirt you wore. it wrapped around your body too perfectly, giving the perfect amount of skin to have him want more. soon enough, both of you were munching on strawberry filled churros and chocolate covered churros. you sneaked into a higher ground with jimin trailing behind you, "i never knew you did things like this," he muttered with a smirk on his face. "it's too get a good look at the fireworks, you know they start soon?" he laughed at your sassy tone, pulling you into his lap and kissing the sugar away from your pink lips. jimin stuck his tongue down your throat, fingers softly pulling your hair to your back. soothing his hands down your back until they reached your ass, where he snuck them into. you whined in the kiss, his mouth sucking your bottom lip. jimin slipped you out of your panties, leaving open kisses down your neck and collarbone. you tugged his pants and boxers off, his tip glistening with his pre-cum. jimin grabs you hips gently, slowly sliding you onto him and waiting for a while before starting a fast pace. he dug his face onto your covered breasts, soft groans escaping his lips each time he felt your wet walls clenching around him.

your walls began to spasm around him, reaching closer to your high. you whined into his ear, head hiding in his neck as he pushed upwards into you. a breathy moan emerging from his throat at his release, cumming inside you. a grin on his face when he eyes the sticky mess falling on your inner thighs and down his cock. jimin hugs you tightly as he makes you lay down next to me, dick still inside of you. "i love y—" jimin's voice gets interrupted by the loud, colorful explosions in the night sky. you giggle, "jiminie, look at the fireworks!"

but he can't look at the fireworks, not when he sees a purple bruise on your lower collarbone, purposely hidden by your clothes. one he didn't leave.

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astayinwonderland · 8 months

Note

Plz can you write a jimin smut fanfic play boy au

"What is it about Park Jimin?" | Park Jimin

pairing: jimin x f.reader (guest appearance jk... but through text)

genre: smut MDNI

requested by: @jimincrystal

wc: 1.6k

summary: you have a problem... your neighbour jimin is too loud, but you are terribly attracted to him

warnings: pet names (jimin calls reader "pretty girl"), mentions of jimin being into girls and boys, fingering, nipple play, unprotected sex (don't pls), cursing... lmk if I forgot anything.

✧˚ ༘ ⋆｡♡˚✧˚ ༘ ⋆｡♡˚✧˚ ༘ ⋆｡♡˚✧˚ ༘ ⋆｡♡˚✧˚ ༘ ⋆｡♡˚✧˚ ༘ ⋆｡♡˚

“Hi,” his full lips curve into the flirtiest of smiles.

“Oh, hi,” your tiny voice answers. Dammit, what was it about him anyway?

He leans on the wall as you try not to look nervous. But who are we kidding? When you moved into this flat two months ago, all you could do was think about your next-door neighbour. It was hard not to, he often had “visitors” to entertain him, especially at night. You could hear through the very thin walls how much fun they would have. The exquisite moans he would get from the gorgeous girls and boys who were lucky enough to spend a night with him.

You, on the other hand, are too embarrassed to look him in the eye. Not after hearing everything that happens on the other side of that wall. Not after reaching for your vibrator multiple times…

“I think it’s about time I introduced myself,” he extends his hand and for the first time since he started talking, you look up.

Ashy blonde hair frames his beautiful complexion. Brown eyes, staring right into yours, and his smile so beautiful, so inviting, it made your knees tremble. Before your knees gave in, you shook his hand.

“I’m Jimin.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m–”

“I know, the prettiest girl in the building,” he kisses the back of your hand after whispering your name which makes you hot with wanton.

Jimin knows perfectly the effect he has on people, but seeing the effect he has on you is different. The way your breath seems now heavier, your lips parted in shock, and oh your smell is so deliciously intoxicating. He can’t wait to have you.

“See you around, pretty girl,” he walks to his door and you can’t even think straight.

Nighttime comes and you find yourself eating a bowl of cereal and rewatching your favourite show. All of a sudden, you hear a loud thud on the wall, which immediately breaks your concentration. You pause the show and of course, you already know what it is.

“Fuck! Just like that! Yes, yes!” you hear the muffled cries on the other side of the wall. When is this going to end? Should you say something?

You pace back and forth in front of your door, trying to make a decision and in your two seconds of braveness, you gather the courage to walk next door. Your hand is about to knock when the door opens.

“Oh!” the gorgeous girl exclaims. Beautiful dark skin, hazel eyes, and long legs. “See you around, Jimin.” She walks past you.

Jimin waves goodbye and his eyes land on you. Flower-pattern pyjamas, fuzzy slippers, messy hair.

“Is something wrong, pretty?”

“I– you should try to keep it down…” you try not to look at his bare chest and his tattoo on display. Oh, the way you would lick–

“So you can hear through the wall,” he sounds surprised as if he couldn’t believe his plan worked.

“Yes, and please… next time I would appreciate it if you, and your visitors, were a little bit less– you know,”

“What if you are next? Would you keep it down?”

“Excuse me?”

He laughs, and you can tell he is enjoying this.

“Good night, pretty. I love your pyjamas by the way,” he winks at you and closes the door.

After a couple of days without seeing, or hearing, Jimin, you start to wonder if showing up like that outside his door was too much. You don’t want to overthink, but for you, it is important to have at least a decent relationship with your neighbours.

It isn’t until after work that day that you come back to your flat and find a note on your door.

I have no right, but I need a favour. Dinner at 8? I’ll bring everything. Btw, you’re gorgeous.

Can't wait,

Jimin x

Fuck.

You thought about not welcoming Jimin, after all, he is a stranger. But something about him just made you want to open yourself to him. Yes, you wanted him, so when he knocked on your door, you were already dolled up. You looked effortlessly put together. When Jimin came in and took a look at you, he scanned you up and down.

“I knew it, the prettiest girl in the building… prettiest girl in the world,” he brought food and wine for both of you. It smelled really good and tasted even better.

“So what is this about?”

“First of all, thank you. My friend is visiting, so we’ve been going around the city these last few days– and now he met this girl… and you know, he wanted to invite her over before he leaves,” he laughs, sipping his wine.

“Oh… I see,” you look down, trying to mask the awkwardness.

“Also, I wanted to apologise for the— noise.”

“It’s okay, apology accepted,” you smile. Jimin is way more friendly than you thought. He is easy to talk to, funny, and interesting. You can see why he has so many people fall for his charms.

And then you both hear it– moaning so loud you could think there was some adult movie being filmed next door. It was intense, the skin slapping, muffled but clear enough to know what it was.

Jimin turns to look at you, and he can’t help but laugh.

“Oh pretty girl, this is what you were talking about–”

“Oh no, this is worse,” you cover your ears but end up laughing at Jimin’s expression.

“What, do you think they could hear us from this side?”

Your eyes widen and you’re not sure if you’re imagining it, but now that the wine is in your system, you want Jimin even more.

“I think so,” once again your tiny voice comes out.

“Let me kiss you,” Jimin leans in and waits, so you pull him in.

His lips are soft as you expect them to be, but his tongue is the root of all sin. It tastes so good against yours, teasing and sucking your bottom lip. He is hooked on the way you kiss him back, creating a dependence on the little moans you give him, enjoying every little second of such a passionate kiss. Your hands go to the back of his neck, lips locking with each other again and again, causing your arousal to start pooling between your legs. Fuck, what is it about Park Jimin?

The moans can still be heard next door, but you don’t mind anymore as pieces of clothing are forgotten on the floor.

“Shit– you’re fucking gorgeous, look at these tits,” he sucks and kisses your nipples, worshipping them as his fingers gather your arousal.

His tongue circles your hard nipple as one of his fingers slides into you. You let out a long, pleading moan. You wanted this, for so fucking long you wanted him. The way your back is arched gives him better access to you. So now you are under his control, he fucked you with his finger as his precum leaked off his cock. What a fucking sight.

Another finger goes in, and in your desperate state to cum, you reach to your clit and start playing with it just like you like it.

“Is that how you played with yourself while eavesdropping on what was going on next door, pretty?” he asks, but you can’t answer. You are too lost in this raw, filterless feeling of sheer pleasure.

Jimin slides his fingers out of you, making you cry in disbelief, you were so close.

“I wanna have you right there, against the wall.”

So with your hands against the wall and your back bent forward, he holds to your hips and aligns with your entrance. His cock thick and veiny enters you with ease. His hips snap into yours, and he pulls your head up by your hair.

“Tell me pretty, how good does it feel?”

“So–so… aaahhh, so good,” you cry, you moan. His cock is deep inside you, hitting just the right spot. It’s better than good. He has devil cock and you are sure gonna sin again and again for it.

“You have no idea how many times I dreamt of having you like this… Every fucking time I wondered if you could hear me from here… your pussy is fucking perfect.”

And it was in the way your warm walls hugged his cock so tightly he hoped you would beg for more after this. Jimin’s head begins to feel lighter and lighter and he can’t believe he is already about to cum. But how can he not if you are the fucking best.

You can’t even hear how loud you’re being, all you are focused on is how deliciously Jimin stretches you out like you are meant to be fucked by him, only him.

“Pretty girl, I am not gonna last long, you– you feel– you’re the best…”

“Cum with me, please, please, I am so close,” and your words float in the air as Jimin fucks you just as you wanted until you are both cuming and crashing into such an intense orgasm, you see white and have to be held by him. His warm cum dripping down your legs, the sinful evidence of such a dirty but pleasurable deed.

The moans next door have completely stopped and Jimin has already helped you to get you cleaned up. You both lie naked on your couch, his arm around you and you wonder how the fuck are you going to casually say hi to him again in the hallway.

Jimin’s phone vibrates.

Jungkook: Shit, man. Couldn’t you let me have one night? One fucking night?

Jimin: You were being too loud, and this girl’s is out of this world.

You look at Jimin, exhausted, your eyes closing.

“Should we make this a regular thing?” he asks.

---------------------------

a/n: this took me so so sooo long-- sorry... I had the biggest writer's block with this one. Jimin makes me nervous.

also... this is pure ✨fiction✨ hope you enjoyed it!

masterlist

142 notes · View notes

whatifyoulivelikethat · 3 months

Text

ep 1. but i’ll miss you | myj, jjk

sugar, spice, and everything nice ep 1. but i'll miss you.

pairing(s): yoonji (fem!myg) x reader x jungkook

summary: Sugar? Min Yoonji. Spice? The woman at the park. Everything nice? Jeon Jungkook (he is freaking annoying, though). The accidental chemical X? Well, the woman in the park that Min Yoonji finds incredibly attractive is kinda-dating-definitely-fucking Jeon Jungkook. And he's very obviously in love with her.

warnings: rated M (18+) for language; Yoonji is pansexual and still in the closet; internalized homophobia + moments of gay panic; ft. best friend group, OT6 (specifically Kim Seokjin, Park Jimin, Kim Taehyung during the bowling hangout), best friend!Jung Hoseok is at military service (sad); f/f/m love triangle? slow burn; there will be smut in the future; non-idol!AU - Yoonji's POV

set in South Korea, Karrot is resale app for clothing, furniture, etc

“What does it taste like?”

That mere smile sent chills down her spine.

“Sweet.”

There was nothing to say to that. She looked away, not wanting to look into those eyes anymore. Didn’t ask for a bite. It wasn’t hers. It seemed to be a homemade dessert of soft silken tofu and heavy ginger syrup. The kind of sugar syrup that was heavier than the tofu. The dark viscous liquid dripped between the cracks of puffy white, seeping into the decadence, similar to the way those scorched eyes seemed to see past any defense Min Yoonji had.

She didn’t know how she got into this position, yet here she was.

Sigh.

Inwardly, she wished her best friend Jung Hoseok was here. He wasn’t because he was busy fulfilling his service of being a Korean man. Hmph. Well, Yoonji could have come alone. She had done it before. She was tough enough. But something about this this had given her a bad feeling, so she had asked if a friend could accompany her to help pick up the light fixture that she had found on Karrot.

That friend being Jeon Jungkook.

Shit, Yoonji really fucked up asking Jeon Jungkook.

“I’m sorry, noona, but something came up! I messed up my knee. I’ll send my friend instead. Don’t worry. You’ll be safe!”

Now she was sitting here on this park bench with the…

Woman.

Really, Yoonji didn’t even know her name. She knew her face, of course. Seen it enough times. Had never once thought to ask her name, mostly since Yoonji only saw her from a distance, said woman now often leaving Jungkook’s side whenever their friend group made time to meet up. Everyone teased him, your girlfriend? And this young, tall, tattooed punk would grin and not say anything. Jungkook was incapable of lying.

Just “keke,” and that was that.

Yoonji didn’t like it.

She was the only girl in her friend group. Probably equated to some internalized discourse if she bothered to go to therapy about it. But, during the time that she had been able to talk to a professional, she had kept the conversation about other people gender-neutral and without names. At the time, her relationships with others were all affected by her disconnected and toxic relationship with herself. She had to fix that first before moving forward. Back then, she had been suffering from the common syndrome of being depressed, stressed, and well-dressed.

Yeah.

Those rough years were not that funny, but at least Yoonji could joke about it now.

Anyway, about this woman.

This woman had actually showed up before her, sitting gracefully at the agreed-upon public park bench that Yoonji would soon encounter some stranger for an industrial-looking black chandelier that may or may not be real. The replies had been in broken Korean. Probably a foreigner using a translator. There was probably nothing to worry about, but the messages had been… weird. Asking about what Yoonji was doing after and such. No, she didn’t like it, and so she had asked Jungkook to accompany her. Dude looked like a tiger, his stripes being his multiple tattoos and facial piercings, but he had the soul of an adorable and vigorous bunny. Wouldn’t hurt anyone. Looked the part just in case anyone got the wrong idea. Boxed as well, for fun. But, instead of Jungkook, Yoonji was sent this woman who came with her snack of sweet tofu, silently and unashamedly eating it with a foldable spoon at the opposite end of the park bench.

Jungkook’s woman?

Who cares.

Was this worse or better than that punk? They dressed similarly, to be honest. The spoken-of woman was wearing all black. A baseball cap with an upside-down smiley face, leather jacket with matte-black metal spikes, charcoal baggy jeans, and a tight crop top with some kind of insane, probably satanic pattern on it. Yoonji snuck a peek. Circles and runes and horned devil heads, glossy print on fabric. Yup, downright hellish.

She abruptly realized she was staring at another woman’s tits and looked away immediately.

Clothed, but still.

This woman also sat like an insane person. Legs wide open compared to Yoonji’s crossed ones. Relaxed stance with a completely straight back. Refined and uncouth at the same time. It made no sense. Her hair curled around her shoulders and chin, loose and messy and intensely sexy.

She adjusted her cap and Yoonji darted her eyes around the park.

Looking for the seller.

Obviously.

Yoonji came dressed as she normally did. Comfortably, in a loose beige hoodie and similarly baggy slate blue jeans with rips in the knees. She wasn’t going to dress up for some musty dude and his lighting fixture, and definitely not for Jeon Jungkook. And not for Jungkook’s, uh…

Girlfriend?

Meh.

There was a strange shiver fluttering in her ribcage. Unease of being underdressed somehow, even though they were simply meeting up for this very specific task. They had not agreed to go anywhere after. Perhaps she would help carry the chandelier. Presumably it was broken down and in its box. Allegedly. Still, the box could be heavy. Yoonji checked her phone. Not time yet. Five more minutes. She had the brief thought that it could be possible for the seller to be late due to transporting a larger package. Awesome. Couldn’t wait for this continued awkward silence with her soft tofu devourer.

She sensed movement by her side.

The woman capped the now empty glass cup with a black plastic lid, foldable spoon inside it, and slipped the whole thing into her small backpack. She shoved it back to her side. Yoonji noticed there was photocard holder attached to it. She couldn’t see the artist since it had flipped around. The other side was black with some grey text on it. There was also a black strap with a grey flame hanging off the photocard holder. Huh. Seemed like she liked idols. At the very least music in general. Yoonji wanted to ask, but that seemed weird to bring up now.

“Jungkook tell you how he busted his knee?”

She almost jumped at the throaty, silken voice. Stopped herself. The other woman cleared her throat, her brows furrowing. It must have been due to the ginger syrup. Even with the slight distance, Yoonji had been able to smell the intense strength of the spice.

“Uh… no, he didn’t.”

The cap bobbed. “Hm. Good.”

Good?

Yoonji frowned. “What do you mean, good?”

Light shrug. “I can help you carry the box back to your place. I gotta head that way to go to the fitness store.”

The fucking one-eighty in topic didn’t throw Yoonji off in the slightest. She said enough by saying nothing. Yoonji watched the way those shaded eyes remained forward, not lifting her shoulders from the bench. Then those dark orbs shifted and suddenly Yoonji was stuck in a penetrating gaze with faint smile, feeling as if she knew something but didn’t really know it.

Those full lips were beautifully shaped.

Anyone would think that.

She bit her lip. Say something. “Why do you need to go to the fitness store?” Yoonji asked, chewing the dead skin off. It was a bad habit. Didn’t usually happen unless she was stressed.

The woman raised her hand. Graceful fingers. Neatly manicured nails. Dark purple with a cobalt blue shimmer. Could be a pianist’s hands, if it wasn’t for the almond-shape of those nails. Yoonji felt her own fingers tuck into the sleeves of her hoodie. She didn’t usually paint them. Kept her nails short due to her job, repairing and selling guitars. Of course, she was no poser and played them too. Sometimes, though, she thought about trying those fancy manicures girls had.

Then she remembered that wasn’t like her at all.

“I have carpal tunnel, so I have wrist compression braces. They’re getting kinda ratty. I wanted to buy some new ones.” She laughed, in a naughtily cheerful, almost bratty way. It was stupid attractive. “The people in the shop probably think I’m lifting weights but, nope. Just feeding my gaming addiction.”

Her eyes flickered up and down, checking out the other woman’s frame. Yoonji couldn’t tell the size of her arms but a vague assessment could be made from those thin pretty wrists and previous knowledge when viewing from afar. “You don’t look like you lift weights.”

“Hey, I’ve got some muscle.”

And much to Yoonji’s surprise, the woman brushed off the right shoulder of her leather jacket and flexed her arm, showing off the small hard lump of a bicep with a laugh. Not much there at all yet undoubtedly defined. She even smacked it with her left hand for sarcastic emphasis, and then pulled her jacket back on smoothly with a smirk.

“Only got that from jackin’ dick though.”

It was pretty funny, but Yoonji wasn’t laughing.

She was slack-jawed at the ease of vulgarity and the shameless confidence oozing out of every pore, suddenly realizing the reason why Jungkook was with this woman. Her rapid heartbeat choked her throat as her brain mentally replayed the swift, seamless movement of black leather falling off that slim shoulder. That accompanying playful smirk. The devious mirth in those scorched eyes.

That aggressive smack that did… something.

At that second, there was a cheery jingle that sounded from the woman’s jeans.

“That’s the time you said the seller is supposed to be here,” she said, fishing out her phone and turning off the alarm. “Where is he?”

Grateful for having an excuse to look away, Yoonji aimlessly swiped at her phone screen to keep her hands busy. “Let me check my messages.” Not getting flustered about it. Definitely not.

She had to face reality.

She’s straight.

At any rate, this woman and Jungkook were undeniably fucking. There was no question about that. Too many times it felt like Jungkook was arriving at the gatherings with a big grin and better mood after being seen with her. That was the face of a man getting laid, for sure. Whatever. Yoonji didn’t care about her friends’ dating or sex lives. It wasn’t her business. Most of the time the girls weren’t even her type.

Most of the time.

Not that she had a type. Or anything.

In this current season of life, she had already come to terms with her sexual orientation. Yoonji had known all her life that she was who she was. There had been no internal struggles about if it was true or not. It was. Still, there was no reason to directly say anything to anyone about it. After all, so far she had only dated and had sex with men. Most of her friends were men too. Status quo could remain since there was no good reason to challenge it. She also wasn’t the type to act on impulse. Not with the delicate line that was this. Yoonji had mentioned it to Hoseok at some point. Being the smart man he was, Hoseok had advised that her sexuality was something she didn’t have to broadcast if she didn’t want to. But, if she needed to do that to feel like herself, then he assured her that their friend group would be accepting of whatever choice she made.

And if not, he would kick them out.

She had felt very appreciative about that. However, the topic of her sexuality never came up in conversation with her friends, so Yoonji had never voiced or alluded to anything about it to the other guys. It wasn’t necessary, so she remained in her comfortable little bubble. She had not yet felt compelled to search for a community or meet specific people. It seemed troublesome. She was content with her current friends and her daily life kept her busy. Besides, there was no one to risk it for.

Certainly not for Jungkook’s…

Um.

Friend-with-benefits.

“What did he say?’

Yoonji jumped as the woman scooted closer, indicating her screen with the open Karrot app. She looked down, the realization setting in.

“The… The profile is deleted?”

The sudden annoyance and rage overpowered any uncomfortable feelings. Listing disappeared. Profile deleted. Even the in-app messages erased because the seller didn’t exist. The fuck? Ugh, that deal was too good to be true. It didn’t even exist. Must have been a cowardly creep that was watching them right now and lost his nerve since Jungkook’s friend was here perched like a bird of prey. Yoonji felt a growl boil in her chest. All this for nothing.

“Aw, man, it was fake? That sucks.”

Holy fuck, she smells good.

Like warm coffee with a sensual depth.

Wait, what?

“Hm, well, I won’t bother you any more then. I’ll go some other time to the fitness store. These things happen,” the woman sighed in disappointment, standing up and stretching, her small backpack and photocard holder swaying. Some guy in a leather jacket. At the moment, Yoonji was too furious to note who the idol was. “Get yourself something nice to eat, Min Yoonji. You’re already out.”

She frowned.

“Hey, I never caught your name.”

Those predator eyes flickered back. “Oh? I figured Jungook would tell you.”

Why is she playing games? “It never came up,” she snapped back.

That fucking smile.

Yoonji hadn’t known it then, but she had already fallen down the rabbit hole at this point.

“Ah, don’t get mad at me. I just thought it was kinda funny Jungkook would keep it from you. Wonder why.” Light shrug with her thumbs slipping into her pockets. “I should teach him to have better manners. My name is…”

“Come hang out with us, noona. It’s okay.”

“No, no, I don’t want to intrude. I would only be in the way.”

“But I’ll miss you.”

A small, coy smile. An elegant hand reached up and tucked a bit of black hair back under the beanie. The smile grew wider as those manicured fingers lingered by an ear adorned with five lobe earrings. A chain connected the first and last in the line. Flashy for someone who didn’t have a flashy personality – at least, not to strangers.

Min Yoonji watched Jeon Jungkook wiggle childishly, tugging on the sleeve of a black denim jacket covered with gothic patches. Skulls and cats and devils. Shit like that. When the woman stood next to Jungkook, they visually suited each other well. The younger man wore a grey beanie, a loose black silk shirt patterned with flourishing white text tucked into baggy, ripped jeans, and a simple black belt. Chunky black boots that matched the chain-covered heeled ones his companion was wearing. Underneath the patch-covered denim jacket, she wore a tight-fitted, dark grey jersey minidress that showed off her attractive and clearly feminine figure.

She knew she shouldn’t, and yet Yoonji still lingered by the other side of the bus stop LED advertisement, eavesdropping on the conversation between Jungkook and his mystery-title friend.

The stop was located right outside the brightly-lit bowling alley that she was supposed to be meeting her friend group at. Uncharacteristically, Yoonji had ended up late due to a train delay. She had skipped the bus ride and had run to her destination. There had also been reports of a minor road accident and Yoonji wasn’t going to wait any more. Besides, she had worn sneakers, jeans, and a white hoodie, along with a black ball cap with some distressed detailing. Nothing fancy.

Or ladylike.

She was meeting a bunch of dudebros anyway.

“You know, most guys would be happy to ditch an annoying girl to hang out with their friends,” the woman was saying, chuckling as Jungkook swung her arm in an arc.

“But you’re not annoying,” he was saying, spinning her around as if they were dancing. “Ah, I don’t even wanna go bowling anymore…”

The woman poked Jungkook on the side of the head, still letting him tug her around. How bothersome was that? But she acted as if he was being totally normal and not causing a bunch of passerby stares. “Don’t be like that. Besides, you have an addiction.”

And then, much to Yoonji’s surprise, Jungkook dropped the woman’s hand and reached out to hug her.

Except his hands were on the woman’s ass.

Yoonji frowned.

Idiot.

“Mhm, I do…”

“Get off me,” the woman laughed, her hands cradling his head. Yoonji got the impression that she didn’t mean it in a cruel way, especially since she was feathering kisses over Jungkook’s cheeks. Or it sounded like that. Her current angle wasn’t great. “If your friends see, they’re gonna tease you.”

“Who cares? They’re just jealous.”

No, I’m not.

She hadn’t said it out loud and yet Yoonji tensed, feeling heat rush over her cheeks.

Never mind.

“Aww, okay, okay, I’ll go now. I can come over tomorrow night, right?”

A wonderful, exasperated laugh. “Don’t you have work? You need to sleep.”

“Sleep is for the weak,” Jungkook huffed, detaching himself and backing up. “I’m gonna come over.”

“And I’m not gonna stop you. See you, silly boy.”

She yanked her body back behind the advertisement as Jungkook grinned and ran off into the bowling alley. He wasn’t the type to walk like a normal human being. But who cared about that? What did Yoonji just witness? Of course, she had seen her friends in relationships before. The handsome and elusive Kim Taehyung had maybe one or two serious relationships. The ever-so-flirty Park Jimin was notorious for dating around. Educated literary fiend Kim Namjoon had a girlfriend for a long while. It had ended badly. Her best friend Jung Hoseok had friends of all genders and various stages of depth in those relationships. Hoseok himself was protective of his heart but not opposed to giving love. As far was Yoonji knew, goofy and well-off Kim Seokjin hadn’t dated yet, however, she wouldn’t be surprised. That worldwide handsome face constantly attracted people.

And Jeon Jungkook?

He had the bad boy look, but never got close to anyone. He flirted, relentlessly, but always backed out when it got serious. All that looked pretty damn serious to Yoonji, though. That was good. Right?

Except.

It was early evening, but Yoonji felt strangely cold.

Shouldn’t I be happy for him? What’s wrong with me?

“Eh?!”

The gasp cut through her thoughts and she jumped back, startled, snapping her head up to…

Oh.

“Min Yoonji?”

Oh, shit.

Her lips were moving. Nothing was coming out. That was very unlike herself, what is wrong with me, her cheeks blaringly warm, and Yoonji finally got her name out, bluntly, instinctively tipping her head in respectful greeting while also feeling the dire need to hide her face.

“Oh, shit, my bad. I freaked you out, huh? Sorry. I didn’t expect to see you on the other side of the bus stop. Did you only just get here? Jungkook already went inside,” the woman was saying, and Yoonji found she couldn’t look her in the face for some reason.

I know. I mean, what?

“Sorry, again. Uh. You’re standing in front of the schedule. Huh. Looks like there’s a delay.”

What the fuck is wrong with me?

“My bad,” Yoonji quickly mumbled, sliding to the side. “You came here with Jungkook again, huh?”

A pause.

Why did I say it like that? Yoonji winced, resisting the urge to slap some common sense into herself. She lifted her head, realizing the way her tone must have sounded, searching for the woman’s expression under the brim of the cap. Something flitted over those features. As soon as it was faintly visible, the unknown emotion was gone, replaced by a faint smile. Wisps of wild hair casted shadows over those cheekbones due to the oncoming sunset. People were rushing past. Conversations, purposes, desires, but suddenly all Yoonji could see was the endless darkness of those scorched eyes framed by smoked lashes.

“Do you like Jungkook romantically, by chance?”

What!

“No!”

The word shot out of her mouth with such force that Yoonji backed up, shocked at her own reaction. The other woman looked taken aback, tilting her head, and there was no way to save this situation, stuck, frozen in this mortifying moment, completely forgetting her previous engagement.

Those plush pink lips looked like they had been kissed all night.

By Jungkook?

A sting dug deep into Yoonji’s heart.

“Oh, I thought…” An awkward laugh, and the woman readjusted the black strap of her bag over her chest. “I got the impression you didn’t like me because I’ve been stopping by with Jungkook lately. My bad. Didn’t mean to ask so bluntly like that. It was on my mind, though. I should get going. Have a good evening, then.”

A gentle wave.

A turn.

And before she knew what she was doing, Yoonji reached out and grabbed that denim sleeve.

“Wait.”

Those scorched eyes full of shadows returned and she found herself breathless at the sight of them.

She had to force herself to speak.

“You should come bowling with us. I’m always the only girl. It would be nice if…”

The goosebumps danced all over her skin. It was like asking someone out of a first date, except this person actually made her nervous and there was going to be a bunch of other people there, including the one was she probably actually dating.

“Would be nice if you hung out with us too, sometimes.”

Yoonji knew she should have added, Jungkook would be happy to see you. She didn’t for some reason. No, she knew the reason, but she bit back those thoughts and let go of that sleeve, not wanting to be too pushy about it. Chewed on her lip, peeling away at dry skin. The other woman seemed to contemplate for a second and shrugged, chuckling.

“Yeah. Okay. I’ll go with you.”

It was at this moment that Yoonji knew.

She fucked up.

Too late now.

It wasn’t that bad.

There was some confusion, yes. Introductions, casual banter. Yoonji noticed that Jungkook seemed both surprised and a little hurt. What for? But then the woman went to stand next to him and whispered in his ear. He seemed much more satisfied after that. Yoonji busied herself with paying and picking out the right size for her bowling shoes. It was dark in here. Minors were no longer allowed since the bar was opening. The alleys were lit up with scattered color. Mood lighting. Jungkook loved that shit.

Yoonji noticed that they didn’t hold hands.

Interesting.

The women paid and was handed the beige and black bowling shoes. Their group was smaller today, just Jimin, Taehyung, Jungkook, and Seokjin. Honestly, Yoonji would have dropped out if Seokjin wasn’t coming with. The other three were younger and they were noisy. Kim Seokjin was loud as fuck too, but he was reasonable and matched Yoonji’s energy when she was feeling drained of the other three. The woman was chatting with Seokjin. They seemed to know each other to some extent. Why does everyone seem to know you but me? That wasn’t a fair assessment. Taehyung and Jimin were jostling Jungkook around, teasing him probably. They didn’t seem as familiar with her.

Hm.

The next notable moment was when they were sitting down and changing shoes. Yoonji glanced over, seeing her unzip her boots. Normal. Shifting line of vision. The hem of that tight dress was hiking up those soft thighs. Well, she hadn’t dressed to go bowling, after all.

Yoonji paused, wondering if she should say something.

Then, all of a sudden, Jungkook’s jean-covered butt was blocking her vision.

Hey!

Clicked her tongue, busying herself with the shoes. He didn’t have to do that. Nothing was happening here. The music was so loud that Yoonji found she couldn’t hear their conversation. Annoying. Until…

“Oh! You have Gengar socks!”

“They’re cute! Is Gengar wearing a pumpkin? Haha, it’s not Halloween though!” Taehyung was laughing.

“Aw, who cares.? You can’t see them anyway,” Jungkook’s lady was chuckling, yanking on the bowling shoes. “It’s Halloween every day in my heart.”

“I didn’t know you liked cute stuff, noona,” Jimin teased. “You seem so tough, but you’re a big softie, huh? Of course, you must be if you like our Jungkookie!”

“Bleh, shush,” came the exasperated sigh and hand wave. “The real tough one is Seokjinnie over here for putting up with you guys.”

Yoonji frowned. The two of them must be somewhat familiar for her to address Seokjin with such familiarity. It came up in conversation later, after a few strikes and pleas with a higher power to give Jimin better aim (no higher power answered but Taehyung did accidentally bowl for Jimin, uh huh). Apparently, Seokjin and Jungkook’s friend had met online through an online team-based game. Yoonji didn’t play video games because she wasn’t good at them. At least, compared to her friends. She was fine with watching though.

“You’re doing great today. You must have eaten something good.”

Yoonji gave Seokjin the side-eye. “Or maybe you’ve gotten worse. Online video games aren’t the same as a physical sport.”

“Hey! It’s all hand-eye coordination. Same, same!”

“At this rate, even Jimin will overtake you.”

Seokjin’s handsome face twisted in indignation. He had the kind of facial features that were model-envy if he wasn’t contorting them to some ridiculous expression. Like right now. “He cheated and made Taehyung bowl for him!”

“I did not!”

“Oh, really?”

She ignored their squabbling, only to freeze up once she realized who was sitting next to her.

“I’m pretty sure I’m doing the worst right now,” came the wry chuckle. “Thankfully, Jungkook shielded my pride and typed in Gengar instead of my name.”

“You’re doing okay,” Yoonji said quietly, glimpsing to her left. She caught the scent of something warm and tangy. Perfume.

O… Oh.

“That’s very nice of you to say, but I’m fifty points behind Jimin.” A sigh. “I think it’s my manicure. I should cut my nails a bit. They’ll grow back.”

Then, much to Yoonji’s surprise, the woman leaned over and unzipped her bag, moving things around.

“W-Wait, really?” Turned and she really was pulling out a small silver nail clipper and a cerulean blue glass nail file. “It’s just a bowling game. It’s not that serious.”

The other woman craned her head and lined up her the nail of her middle finger with the clipper. “Yeah, but I’m not really trying,” she was saying. Snip! “I don’t really like that. if I’m gonna lose, I should at least lose trying my best.”

Yoonji watched in stunned fascination as the woman trimmed down her black cherry manicure on three nails on what seemed to be her dominant hand. Middle finger, ring finger, and thumb. Only those. She left the index and pinky in their pointed almond shape. She held up her hand after, graceful fingers spread out.

O-Oh.

“I… I’m going to the bathroom for a sec.”

“Oh, okay, I’ll–”

But Yoonji didn’t stop to listen, walking away quickly, quickly, into the women’s bathroom and closing the stall door, doing nothing but immediately pinning her back to the door and exhaling hard. Ragged. Rough. What is wrong with me? She knew what was wrong. Yoonji placed her palms over her mouth and forced out another breath. There was flushing and water splashing and currently popular pop music drowning out the more unpleasant noises, but Yoonji was too busy trying to calm down the screaming in her head. This was bad. This was really bad. She had watched enough girl-on-girl porn to know… No. Obviously, Jungkook’s friend was going to clip the nails of her middle and ring finger. Those were the ones to hold the bowling ball. There was nothing more to it.

Just a coincidence.

Don’t be delusional.

This would be much easier if it was a man. Yoonji knew how to be cool and calm when it came to guys. Besides, the male mindset was too airheaded to pick up on subtlety anyway. But, what if a woman could…? She had already caught on to Yoonji acting weird earlier. Even thought she had romantic feelings with Jungkook. Pfft. Absurd. That kid was grown up now, but he was still only a bright-eyed eager bunny. No amount of tattoos or piercings would ever turn Jeon Jungkook from prey to predator, although he could look the part with enough working out. Jungkook was certainly her type when it came to looks but as far as personality, Yoonji was sure she would be worn out by Jungkook.

Wait.

Yoonji froze.

What?

She pushed her hair back. Another tick that happened due to her nervousness. Ha. Haha. I did not just think that about Jeon Jungkook. No. No, no, she was simply confused. That was all. Confused and working though who-the-fuck-knows-what. No. This had to stop. You have to compartmentalize this shit. This couldn’t keep happening. Stop acting weird. Pull yourself together. When it came down to it, Yoonji had to step out of this stall and chill the fuck out.

She couldn’t let it show.

Nobody is stopping you from getting off to her later.

Yoonji told her brain to shut up and left the stall.

Once their bowling game was over, the adults moved on to bigger and better things.

“You want the Gengar, right?”

“I don’t want anything. I don’t trust these things. Don’t waste your money.”

“Don’t be like that, noona. She totally wants the Gengar,” Taehyung talked over her, shoving in tokens so Jungkook could attempt the claw machine. Jimin stood at the far corner of the machine and pointed animatedly, calling to move a little more left, no, right, no, back more. Seokjin snorted at him to shut up. Yoonji watched as Jungkook failed, his broad shoulders dropping heavily as the round bright purple plush slid out of the metal claw and plopped back into the mound of colorful plushies, face-first onto its teasing red eyes and big grin.

“One more time,” Jungkook insisted.

“You don’t–”

She watched the younger man turn to the woman and pull a big pout. There was an exchanged glance between them. A muscle in Yoonji’s face twitched. This had been Jungkook’s third time trying to get something from the claw machine. Their group was crammed in a corner of the arcade in the bowling alley, a couple drinks in, squabbling for a damn Gengar plush for their newcomer. It wasn’t the situation that was bothering Yoonji, but rather how adamant Jungkook was that it had to be him winning it.

This guy is so freaking annoying.

Yoonji reached between their bodies and jammed her own tokens in.

“Go ahead, then.”

She shoved Jungkook’s shoulder and broke the shared gaze between him and his lady friend. Jungkook snapped his head to the machine, startled as the lights flashed and the red timer came on, letting out a surprised yelp as he fought to move the clunky claw back to the faceplanted Gengar.

He had never tried so hard before for his other friends.

Hmph.

“Oh, shit! YAH!”

“LET’S GOOOOOOO!”

“Taehyung, stop yelling!”

“Well, shit. You did it.”

“I told you I would,” Jungkook roared triumphantly, yanking out the purple Pokémon plush and holding it up like a prestigious award. “Da-dang!”

“Fourth time’s a charm?” she laughed as Jungkook grabbed her hands and spun them palm up to delicately rest the incredibly round Gengar plush on them. Yoonji noticed he didn’t linger and pulled away quickly. “Thank you, then, haha.”

Seokjin, Jimin, and Taehyung were acting like Jungkook had just won a damn rice cooker on a prestigious game show, crowding around him and giving him high fives. Yoonji shook her head, glad it was over, and felt a hand on her shoulder. Froze as she looked up to scorched eyes twinkling brightly in neon lights of the arcade machines.

“Here. Sorry you had to use your tokens for me.”

Yoonji tried to push back to the coins suddenly placed in her palm. “No, it’s fine, I don’t–”

“I wouldn’t want to owe you.”

“I–”

Then she froze, realizing her hands were clasped around the other woman’s right. Holding the Gengar plush in her left, tucked underneath her breasts. The naughtily cheerful grin was aimed straight at Yoonji, silently laughing as if it had seen and knew everything. Before she could react, a handful of coins was dumped in her palm and her fingers were closed around it, pinned by a dark cherry manicure. Middle, ring, and thumb trimmed short.

Her heartbeat shot up to her throat.

“Yoonji-noona, come play this one with me!”

Her head snapped up. The other woman smiled at her calmly. Park Jimin grabbed Yoonji’s sleeve and dragged her to a racing game. That didn’t mean anything. It didn’t. I wouldn’t want to owe you. Why not? What was wrong with her? What was so much better about dork-ass Jeon Jungkook who was sucked into playing Tekken versus Kim Taehyung without a second thought? The other woman turned away and went to stand behind Jungkook, next to their consistent heckler Kim Seokjin, still holding onto the Gengar plush. Yoonji turned to sit down next to Jimin, suddenly mad she didn’t think of the claw machine first, why, she could have done it in less tries, she was sure of it.

“You alright?”

“What?” she snapped.

Jimin raised his eyebrows at her. Yoonji stilled. Somehow, Jimin always knew something was up. Oh, he did care if his friends were having a hard time. He also low-key lived for drama. High-key, even. He was a sneaky bitch behind an innocent face. Instead of answering, Yoonji jammed tokens into the machine, both for Jimin and herself, and cocked her eyebrow back at his suspicious, searching expression, placing her hands on the steering wheel.

“I’m gonna smoke ya,” she declared.

“I haven’t yet – HEY!”

Yoonji absolutely demolished him in the virtual race. Twice. Get rekt, Jimin-ah.

Sulky.

Well, no. Not really.

A little bit.

Ugh, fine.

Min Yoonji silently admitted she was sulky.

Just trying to figure out what was so great about Jeon Jungkook. She flicked through his Instagram, not impressed. It was a pretty dead account, as Jungkook had been very into keeping an aesthetic layout for a few months and then promptly abandoned the account when he got tired of it. He had commitment issues. The aesthetic he had chosen was the digital photo, found film vibe that had been popular when the kid was literally in elementary school and probably had no idea what social media even was. His TikTok was somewhat similar, with lots of effects and editing in the short videos. Also mostly abandoned, although Yoonji suspected his accounts were more for lurking and liking stuff than displaying himself.

Jungkook had a few candid, artsy photos of him shirtless that Yoonji wished she hadn’t seen.

Hah, why post that if you can’t even provide a decent picture?

She found that she was lingering on a side profile photo of him for a few seconds. Black and white. Ghost of a smile on his lips and his short black hair messily over his crinkled eyes. From this angle, one could see the definition of his jaw and the mole on his neck, plus the three piercings on his left ear. His shoulder was bare, a medium-weight linked chain loosely hanging on his neck.

Abruptly, Yoonji swiped away.

He doesn’t have a single photo of her on here.

There were occasional photos that included Jimin and Taehyung, (including one of Jimin’s hand photobombing a seriously poised Taehyung, Yoonji could recognize that tiny pinky anywhere), but not really anyone else. This didn’t surprise Yoonji too much, as over half of the photos were scenery shots, but surely a photo of a pretty woman would get likes? She frowned, then froze. There was a reel posted way down there, towards the beginning of the account’s creation. At first, it hadn’t caught her attention since the photo was a black screen, but then she clicked on it and listened to the audio. It was someone playing guitar.

But not just anyone.

After about ten seconds of black screen, the camera lifted from its spot and it showed Min Yoonji several years ago, leaning over a black acoustic guitar, playing a melody she had made up on the spot. She remembered that night. She had been at Kim Namjoon’s house, they had gotten drunk, and Jeon Jungkook had shown up at three in the morning for who-the-hell-knows-what reason. She had brought her guitar that night on a low-key depressed whim. Namjoon dabbled in music too, sometimes, not just produced it, so Yoonji occasionally brought her guitar to play for fun. They were longtime friends.

She hadn’t noticed that Jungkook had filmed her.

The caption read, music that makes you fall in love.

“… What?”

It had startled her so much that she hadn’t even realized she spoke out loud.

Ah, what was she thinking? This was years ago. Past was in the past. There wasn’t anything else interesting on here. Funnily enough, the specific melody Jungkook had complimented, Yoonji had turned into a breakup song. Sure, she had never really published her music past her SoundCloud, but she still made songs for fun even though she wasn’t trying to become an idol or anything of the sort. Would be cool to be a producer though.

It was only a damn reel.

There was no serendipitous shit going on here.

Yoonji rubbed her eyes. They were close, yes. Jungkook often came to her for practical life advice when Namjoon was a bit too philosophical. His words, although Yoonji could agree. She was known as the pragmatic one in the group. Something she learned in therapy, actually. Focusing on what could be done right now instead of fixating on the what-ifs of the future. The youngest did exasperate her sometimes, however it was an endearing kind of exasperation that she welcomed. He, unlike some other young people, expressed his gratitude often.

He called her cute often, too.

Not that… Not that other people didn’t. Hoseok did all the time. Well, Yoonji did go to Hoseok a lot for outfit opinions when she had an occasion. Jungkook also expressed skinship, usually resting his head on Yoonji’s shoulder or putting a hand on her back, even though he didn’t usually imitate with other people. Physical touch was not something Yoonji liked. She tolerated it if it was Jungkook, but he really hadn’t been touchy since…

Wait.

Why the fuck was she thinking about Jungkook?

This ain’t about you!

Right. So, anyway, since Jungkook had started seeing this woman, he hadn’t posted her on his social media, hadn’t initiated physical touch with Yoonji, and expressed neediness when the two were alone but treated the lady like a friend when in front of his friends. He didn’t even invite her to their gatherings despite having many opportunities, yet also specifically made them all wait for him to win her a plush prize that directly related with her interests.

Which all equated to Jeon Jungkook sending the most confusing batch of mixed signals Yoonji had ever analyzed.

A muscle in her face twitched.

Yoonji chewed on her lip. She wondered if she should scroll through those Jungkook was following to maybe find the woman’s account. Was that going too far? Sure, social media profiles were generally public, but actively looking for someone for dubious reasons seemed wrong. Not that her reasons were dubious.

Right.

She looked back to her phone screen.

It was somehow displaying a photo of Jungkook’s naked back. Again, black and white. Standing in a gym. The background was slightly blurred, but the hint of Jungkook’s toned front was unmistakable. Yoonji frowned and swiped it away, scrolling distractedly. She didn’t think about him like that. He was a dork. The woman he was dating was smoking hot. Were they dating, though? That was the whole point of this investigation. For fuck’s sake. Although Jungkook gave the impression he was a playboy, Yoonji knew he wasn’t. He didn’t have the damn attention span to be a player and he was obviously scared of hurting other people’s feelings. Still, there weren’t any telltale signs of them dating-dating. Which shouldn’t bother Yoonji anyway, because she didn’t get involved in her friend’s dating lives, so why the fuck did she care?

Plus, she’s probably straight.

Jungkook was a pretty manly man.

But what if she’s not?

There was literally nothing Yoonji could work off of in that regard except for the look in those dark scorched eyes when she closed her hand around Yoonji’s hand, holding her tight and within direct eye contact. There was literally not a single reason for her to believe that look meant anything other than what was said.

And yet.

I’m being delusional.

Jungkook and her looked good together. Yeah. They were probably gonna work out. Uh huh. It was just rough for her because this was one of the first few real moments that Yoonji felt strongly attracted to someone outside of purely sexual reasons.

Woah.

Woah, hold on there.

She knew for a fact she liked women sexually. Her porn history was enough evidence of that. She had been attracted to women she had met over the years, sure, but never had Yoonji pursued a woman, both because of the social stigma and also because she figured only doing it for the sexual desire seemed wrong. If anyone found out, Yoonji didn’t want to feel like it was for nothing.

So why am I stalking Jungkook on Instagram just for a glimpse of her?

And Yoonji couldn’t like her. She barely knew her. Right? They couldn’t have developed any emotional connection in their very minimal interactions. Yoonji placed her phone down, backing away from it like it was a bomb. These impulses… She couldn’t stop thinking about the woman holding the Gengar next to her chest. Couldn’t stop thinking about Jungkook dancing her around on the sidewalk. Couldn’t stop thinking about the woman casually eating her dessert in the park as if she owned the whole damn world.

Did Yoonji want to be her?

Or did she want to be with her?

Yoonji hadn’t allowed herself to fantasize yet because fantasizing about a real person felt much more abhorrent than a total stranger. It was a door she couldn’t bear to open yet. And, worse.

She didn’t know if she could stop if she started.

ep 2. what a shame. (see you friday) sugar, spice, and everything nice

min yoonji masterpost | masterpost

#min yoonji x reader #yoonji x reader #bts smut #min yoonji #jungkook x reader #yoonji smut #jeon jungkook x reader #gender bend yoongi

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kingofbodyrolls · 1 year

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Namjoon fic recs 2023

Happy Joonie day! 💜🥳

In honor of Namjoon’s birthday, I want to share my ultimate favorite Namjoon fanfictions, that I’ve read this year 💜I haven’t read that much of Namjoon, just recently gotten into it, so the list might be small, but it contains some of the best stuff out there 💎 I want to thank each and every writer on this list for creating such wonderful stories and art - you are truly amazing ✨ All the fics on this list hold a dear place in my heart 🥹

❗Most of these fics are smutty as hell, so minors dni.❗

If you read anything on this list and you like it, please leave a comment to the writer or reblog the original fic’s post 💜And if you want more fic recs you can follow me to stay updated 🙂 A reblog on this post also helps, as it gets more exposure and seen by others, which in the end gives more love and exposure to the amazing writers on this list 🥰

BTS fic rec index → May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep (jjk)(💜) | Oct (pjm) | Nov (*) | Dec (ksj)(kth) |

Emoji meaning → angst = 🌩️, smut = 🥵, fluff = 🥰, comedy = 😂.

⭐The Interpretation of Dreams by @ppersonna // knj x f.reader // phd mentor!namjoon, university!au // 🥵🥰

📝 He’s the man of your dreams, the an you’ve spent over 6 years pining over. and he’s also your Ph.D. mentor and in charge of your very future.

🗨️ Looking for a smutty, slutty, funny and comforting fic? Well, look no further! 🌟 This really delivered 👏🏾 really, really good. The sexual tension between reader and Namjoon 💯 and then best friend Jimin, being the best chaotic slutty wingman EVER 🥵

⭐Deep End by @here2bbtstrash // knj x f.reader // established relationship, period!smut // 🥵🥰

📝 Your boyfriend suggests a new way to relieve your period cramps.

🗨️ Awww, this was so cute and sweet 🥺💖💯

⭐Baby Fever by @95rkives // knj x f.reader // established relationship // 🥰🥰🥰

📝 What was supposedly a peaceful morning stroll in the park, an unexpected encounter triggers namjoon’s intense desire for a baby, turning him into an adorable, baby fever-filled mess.

🗨️ Gosh this was cute - and wonderfully fluffy 😍

⭐All Night by @luaspersona // knj x f.reader // college!au, brother’s best friend!au, s2l // 🥵

📝 When your brother bails on you, you have to find another way to entertain yourself for the night and Kim Namjoon just so happens to be a great company.

🗨️ This was the most perfect, pure masterpiece of fucking gold writing 🤌🏾🥵 it is insanely filthy, so deliciously smutty!! Like I think my soul has left my body 🥵 the writing, story and the characters were brilliant ✨ this is hands down one of my new favorites and I WILL read this again soon, I promise you! Don’t sleep on this sweet bad boy Namjoon, okay 🥵 such an easy recommendation for me to make - do yourself a favor and read it if you haven’t (and if you have, then read it again!) ♥️💯

⭐Love Language by @rmnamjoons // knj x f.reader // soulmate!au // 🥵🥰

📝 Exactly one year before one meets their soulmate, their love’s first words spoken to them appear as a tattoo on their wrist. When Namjoon’s tattoo appears, however, it’s not of words, but of the most beautiful set of eyes he’s ever seen.

🗨️ I know that most of this was just pure smut, but damn it was cute 😭🥺💖

⭐Stretch You Out by @chateautae // knj x jjk x f.reader // college!au, s2f2l, gym employee!namjoon, gym employee!jungkook // 🥵🥰

📝 You have a plan for your crappy, diabolical ex who’s set on ruining your life; making him jealous by snagging a raunchy photo with two hot employees at the gym. what you didn’t have a plan for? befriending the mischievous pair to aid in your revenge and ending up underneath not just one, but both of them.

🗨️ Holy fucking shit 🥵 🫣 this was so exceptionally good! So deliciously filthy, it really delivered on every freaking aspect 💯 incredible 👏🏾 perfection 👏🏾 💎

⭐The Making of: Love by @inkjam-moon // kmj x f.reader // actor!au, s2l (not really strangers, ‘cuz they know of each other) // 🥰🥵😂

📝 When the movie you’re in requires to to film a risque scene with a world renowned sex symbol, your virginity is suddenly all you can focus on.

🗨️ I think this is funny, so I’ll tag it with comedy! Jimin is in it (he is readers manager) and he is just doing his best job of being a supporting character 👏 It’s good!

⭐All Aboard! (the passion express) by @ve1vetyoongi // knj x f.reader // office worker!namjoon // 🥵

📝 There were not many things that got your blood boiling in the same way that two simple words could. Kim Namjoon. The name of your irritating and (unfortunately enough, as the universe would have it) incredibly handsome co-worker. Which is exactly why you never expected to find your self on your knees for him on the train home.

🗨️ Holy fuck, fuck, fuck this was so incredibly filthy (in the best way possible) 🥵 the tension between reader and Namjoon was perfect, the build up was so satisfying 🌟 what’s not to like ✨😍

⭐The Wedding Arrangement by @sugaurora // knj x f.reader // ‘enemies’ to friends to lovers, wedding!au // 🥵🥰🌩️

📝 Unfortunately, he’s just gotten engaged to someone who isn’t you. Even more unfortunately, he expects you to help plan the wedding alongside Kim Namjoon, his other best friend and, based on your first meeting, just another judgmental jerk. Putting aside your distaste for the sake of your friend’s happiness, you both set about giving Seokjin the wedding of his dreams. Following a rough and satisfying affair at the caterer’s, you strike an unusual deal: you and Namjoon will be enemies with benefits until the wedding is over. And after six months of wedding planning, you both just might learn that weddings aren’t usually the end, but a brand new beginning.

🗨️ This was so amazing 🥹 the characters had so much depth and ugh! It was just so, so good. It was a pleasure reading their love unfolding 🥰 Aish, I’m soft! It’s filled with plenty of soft, slight heartbreaking angst at times, but oh so fluffy and smutty too! It was perfect 👌🏾 💯 please don’t sleep on this one, okay? 🥹

⭐Inside my Mind by @jimlingss // knj x f.reader // high school!au // 🥰🥵😂

📝 You’re safe in the confines of your mind. Free to think whatever, free to fantasize to your heart’s content. And your imagination tends to quite a wild turn when you’re dying from sheer boredom. But when some GUY IN YOUR CLASS CAN FUCKING READ MINDS - YOU’RE NOT SAFE ANYMORE! WHAT THE FUCKSKDKASDFGHJKL—

Borahae and happy birthday Joonie 💜 🥳 🎂

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ugh-yoongi · 7 months

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Jewel, I know your requests are closed but I desperately need to hear your thoughts on who in BTS would do this: https://www.tumblr.com/writing-prompt-s/739417828719034368/you-a-powerful-demoness-have-just-been-summoned

and why is it Namjoon (the potential for crack with this 148 IQ man who is also way more innocent than we think acc to one park jimin just takes me out)

i'm so sorry it took me so long to finish and post this but thank you so much for sending it bc i have been cackling about this scenario ever since.

the prompt: you, a powerful demoness, have just been summoned to earth. this man, this human, wants you to pretend to be his girlfriend for a few days so his parents will get off his back about it.

the gang summons a demon

pairing: namjoon x f. reader genre: supernatural au; crack warnings: reader is a demon and engages in demon behavior, swearing, namjoon makes mention of not being straight, heteronormative parental expectations, jk learns about arcane things on tumblr (which is not an original idea; i read a fic ages ago where taekook are tumblr witches but i cannot find it, so credit to that author or whoever came up with it first), unedited so any mistakes are mine. rating: e for everyone wordcount: 2k

It’s been years since you’ve been to Earth—even longer since you’ve been to South Korea.

“I haven’t been here since 1910,” you say, staring at the gobsmacked man across from you. He’s tall, with tanned skin and a bleached buzz cut; a smattering of tattoos dotting his toned arms—whites and rich hues of blue, imitations of some kind of ceramic art, you think; a golden hoop through his nose; cheeks with dimples so deep you’re sure they’ll crater. “People here definitely didn’t look like you back then, so I’m going to assume we’re pretty far into the future.”

“It’s 2024,” he answers, seemingly still a little dazed. He’s staring at you with wide eyes, jaw dropped. Normally it’s nice to be looked at like that, with all the reverence and awe you deserve, but Earth is not your favorite place to be. Doesn’t even crack the top fifty, if you’re being honest. “Did you say 1910? As in the beginning of the—”

You sigh. “Uh-huh. Hey, if you wouldn’t mind hurrying this up, I’ve got things to do.” The man continues staring. Could be a trick of the light, but you think he’s turning paler by the second.

Minutes tick by. Nothing but silence.

“Are you even listening to me?” you snarl, quickly losing patience you were never given. “I said I’ve got shit to do. My schedule’s booked solid for the next eight centuries, so I really don’t have time to be dilly-dallying in mundane human affairs. Your problems are always so boring.”

More silence.

Which is irksome, sure, but what’s worse is this stupid fucking circle you’re trapped in. Drawn crudely on the floor of (seemingly) this human man’s actual apartment, which would’ve told you all you’d needed to know, if you’d taken ten seconds to take in your surroundings upon first being summoned. This place has got books stacked floor to ceiling in every available inch of space, but you’re certain this person is a fucking idiot.

“Hello?”

The man shakes his head. “Oh, sorry, I just—I’m Namjoon? Kim Namjoon.”

“I don’t care.”

“Right, right.” He sucks in a deep breath. “Well, you’re probably wondering why I summoned you here today”—you roll your eyes—“and, uh.” Namjoon scratches at the back of his neck, anxiety oozing from every pore on his body. Definitely paler. “I am too, to be honest.”

“You what—”

“I didn’t mean to!” Namjoon hurriedly adds, all of that anxiety shifting quickly into pure panic. “It’s just—it was a joke! Mostly! Jeongguk said it as a joke, because everything he says is a joke, and I should’ve known that, but—I don’t know! I’ve tried everything else, and the longer its gone on the more desperate I’ve become, and suddenly what Jeongguk said as a joke didn’t sound so much like a joke anymore! I’m sorry! I didn’t think it’d actually work!”

It takes your brain a minute to translate and decipher the useless slush that just came out of his mouth, but when it does… oh, when it does, you feel absolutely murderous. “You summoned me as a joke?”

Namjoon must see it, too. There’s no way you’re looking cool, calm, and collected right now, because you’ve seen the faces of others that have witnessed your wrath, and they were almost always on the brink of (if not outright) shitting their pants. This stupid, clueless human in front of you doesn’t appear to be faring much better.

So you continue, just to watch him squirm. “Do you have any idea who I am?”

“Um,” comes his brilliant response. “Yes?”

“And who am I?”

He holds up his pointer finger and digs through the back pocket of his jeans. Pulls out a crumbled scrap of paper, nearly soiled from ass sweat and time, and his eyes squint as he tries to read it. “I—well, it’s probably not an accurate translation, you know, since—”

“What does that piece of parchment say, Kim Namjoon?”

“Nothing,” he lies. “I can’t read it anyway, so… a-haaa…”

Patience officially worn thin, you snap your fingers, delighting in the startled shriek that escapes him as the paper goes up in a plume of smoke. “I am going to give you one chance to be honest with me,” you explain slowly, leveling him with a look. “Who do you think I am, and why am I here?”

Namjoon pales further. Looks like he’s trying to melt right through the floor into a puddle of useless slush, and you’d be more than willing to speed up the process if it weren’t for this god forsaken demon trap.

“Can I—can I sit down for this?”

Kim Namjoon, you learn, has a friend named Jeon Jeongguk.

Jeon Jeongguk, you also come to learn, has learned magic from a website called Tumblr.

“There, uh. There are definitely blogs for that sort of thing,” Namjoon explains, tattooed fingers scratching at the back of his neck. He takes a very quick glance at you. “Clearly not very accurate ones.”

You hum. “That’s the only smart thing I’ve heard you say since I showed up in this shithole.”

Namjoon gawks. “Hey, my apartment isn’t a shithole! It’s the best I could afford, alright? There was just an article in The Business Times about how archaic of a system jeonse is—”

“Uh-huh. And this… website?”

Namjoon goes red. Coughs into his fist. “Oh, right, yeah. I’m gonna be honest with you—”

“I already said that—”

“—my parents are coming to visit from Ilsan in a few days and I need a girlfriend.”

You blink. Once, twice, three times. Long enough to replace the rug that had been pulled from under you, because you’re pretty sure you heard this human man allude to having summoned you so you can pretend to be his girlfriend.

All things considered, you’re impressed by how calm you are. This is not a trait most demons have, you especially, and it makes you nostalgic for the days you used to rip men apart limb by limb for less.

“Are you insane?” you ask simply.

“In my defense,” he explains around a wince, “Jeongguk said it was a love spell.”

“A love spell.” Namjoon nods. “And you wound up summoning a demon.”

“It… appears I may have done that, yes.”

“And you want a demon to meet your parents?”

“I mean… when in Rome, right?”

“I’ve committed at least four-hundred and sixty-seven separate atrocities there, so no, probably not when in Rome.”

Namjoon’s jaw drops. He tucks his knees closer to his chest. “Christ, that’s a lot. How did you have the time?”

“I’m immortal,” you deadpan.

“Right, right. Anyway, to answer your question: yes.”

Your eyes narrow. “How bad are your parents that you’d want me to meet them?”

“They’re fine, mostly. I just… am not what they expected in a son? Like, I have the hair and the tattoos and I dropped out of my engineering program in university to pursue art and poetry, so the least I could do is find a wife and settle down and give them grandchildren, but I don’t even know if I want to ever settle down. I’m also not… heterosexual? Entirely? Do you see that a lot—”

You sigh. “Misconception. Not to launch you into some kind of existential crisis, but the gods really don’t give a shit who you humans sleep with.”

“Gods? As in plural?” You snap your fingers. Namjoon’s fingers immediately go to his temples. “Damn, I have a really bad migraine all of a sudden.”

“Yeah, that was me.”

“What’d you do?”

“Made you forget something.”

“Oh. What’d I forget?” It takes a second. “Oh, right, yeah. Um. What was the last thing I said?”

“Your parents wanted you to be an engineer and have a ton of kids but you like art and also not-women, sometimes.”

He flushes again. “I—yes.”

You sigh, arms crossed over your chest. All you want to do is sit down, or open a window. This apartment smells far too strongly of patchouli. “Look, I haven’t been to this place in a long time, but surely you aren’t undesirable by your society’s standards.”

“Are you saying I’m attractive?”

You scowl. “No. I’m saying there had to have been easier ways of doing this, and also can you open a window?”

“It’s February.”

“That means nothing to me.”

“It’s really cold outside.”

“I’m literally from Hell. Go put on a sweater, then.”

With a roll of his eyes, Namjoon stands and moves to the window. Cracks it open a millimeter, just enough for the cold to seep in, before he’s stalking off toward—you’re assuming—his bedroom. You think he’s shoving a garment over his head when he calls out, “You know, you’re really fucking bossy for someone stuck in a trap.”

You vow to kill him as soon as you’re free.

It isn’t often you’re held hostage.

Usually you can spot a trick coming a thousand miles away, but since Namjoon hadn’t meant to summon you at all, you’d been caught unawares. Doomed to be stuck in a demon trap, just like he’d said, which meant you didn’t have a ton of bargaining power.

At least that’s what you’re telling yourself, because as you sit across from Namjoon’s parents at some fancy restaurant, you aren’t convinced he isn’t a crossroads demon himself.

“So,” his mother begins, turning her attention to you, “what do you do for work?”

Namjoon elbows you beneath the table, giving you a silent warning to stick to the script. You’re only here under threat of force—because Jeongguk had stopped by Namjoon’s apartment, saw you in the summoning circle, and nearly fainted before going back to Tumblr to find a binding spell.

Except that one wasn’t great, either, because it only bound you and Namjoon together for three days instead of forever. And, as penance for all the chaos you’ve sown across the universe, Namjoon’s parents’ visit fell within that time frame, so here you are.

Out to dinner. With humans.

You’re pretending to be someone’s girlfriend.

You’re in for the most embarrassing ribbing of your existence once you’re home.

“I work with idols,” you respond, as convincingly as possible, because Namjoon had thought it’d be really funny. Get it? he’d said. Like false idols? You hadn’t laughed. “It’s very secretive, of course, but—”

You don’t finish your thought, because Namjoon’s mother looks delighted: face lit up with mirth, smile blinding, eyes half-lidded under the weight of her happiness. “Oh, how exciting! Has he told you he used to do performances to old H.O.T songs? Namjoonie, what was that one song you liked—”

“Eomma, please—”

“Wasn’t it ‘Candy’?” Namjoon’s dad offers from behind his menu. It’s the first thing he’s said all evening.

Namjoon whimpers, foregoing all social decorum and lectures on posture to sink further in his chair.

You do not, under any circumstances, feel a hint of fondness.

(Which dissipates not even twenty-four hours later.

“The blog was deleted,” Jeongguk says, eyes wide as saucers. “I—the blog is gone, I don’t know how to—”

“What do you mean the blog is gone?” The poor kid is overcome with panic and fear, tries to stutter out a response that makes no sense to you at all through his sobs. “Jeon Jeongguk, what do you mean the blog is gone?”

“I—it’s—I had it bookmarked, I swear! Once the binding spell wore off I was gonna send it to Namjoon hyung so he could send you back, but the blog is gone so the post is gone, too. I don’t—what do I even search for—oh my god, please don’t kill me, I think I’m having a panic attack, I’m gonna—”

And then this human man vomits all over your feet. Namjoon sighs as he goes to fetch a bucket, and you think it’ll be a miracle if any of these people—yourself included—live to see the end of the week.)

#namjoon x reader #bts x reader #namjoon fanfic #namjoon imagine #namjoon scenarios #bts fanfic #bts imagines #bts scenarios #jewel writes #jewel answers

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kth1fics · 1 year

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Safe Haven (M) | PJM (Teaser)

Safe Haven

⟶ Pairing: Park Jimin x Female Reader ⟶ Genre: royalty, smut, 18+ ⟶ Tropes: forbidden love au, medieval royal au, royal king’s guard werewolf!jimin, etc ⟶ Teaser WC: 1k+ ⟶ Warnings: mild birth scene mention (hardly any details!), mentions of d*ath, brief fighting/attacking descriptions, blood, hair pulling (when attacked), weapons mentioned, poison/venom mention, random side character d*aths, soft pining, (smut warnings will be added in the official post!) ⟶ Summary: When a wolf protects the royal family for many years, he’s faced with one special princess who he’ll do anything for. ⟶ Author's Note: This is a teaser for my upcoming fic which is apart of the “To Love a Monster” collab! Teaser is currently un-beta'd! If you would like to be added to the taglist, please leave your url in the comments! (assumingly you allow tagging of your blog!) & Also feel free to tell me what you think in my asks (link right below!)

Masterlist ◈ Mail Box ◈ AO3 ◈ Ko-Fi

White flurries fall slowly from the gray clouds above, decorating the large courtyard you spy down on in a sheet of fresh snow. Most of the garden that blooms the most gorgeous flowers is now a mess of dead plants and weeds.

The bare trees stand firm. But for those who stand strong in the winter months like hollies with red berries and camellias, continue to stand out next to the beauty of sheared evergreens and deciduous shrubs with colorful stems.

Your eyes are not trained on admiring the bright snow that cascades from the sky so beautifully. Normally you do. As you sit by your glass window with a blanket around your shoulders, you look down from your chambers on the third level of the castle to fancy something different.

Men – some of the royal guards – play around with one another in the cold weather. Some have shifted, others remain in their noble suits. The one you fixate your stare on is your personal guard, Jimin.

He stands leaning against the stone staircase besides a few of his equals. Chatting away about who knows what, watching the others roughhouse with another. Jimin is quite handsome, he always has been. For as long as you remember he’s looked the same, minus the fluctuation of hair styles and added tattoos that linger his body. A few battle scars to add.

As a guard he wears your family's sigil proudly – a lotus flower – on each of his articles of clothing. Customized into each of the guards’ crested plates of metal armor and sewn into each leather hide.

Jimin possesses the unfair mix of unlimited masculine and feminine traits, having a soft-looking composure and full lips plus a sharp jawline and toned muscles. His voice is nearly angelic when speaking in hushed tones but also stern as ever when he leads with his strong confidence. He may not be as large as his fellow wolves, but he’s proven himself countless times to your family to have the privilege to be your personal guard. There’s nobody quite like him; no one you’ve met in your life that is.

You commend him in silence, appreciating what you can watch from afar. Even from a distance behind a glass window, he somehow manages to make your heart race. An infatuation some may call it. A yearning. He and your family have been consistent in your life, he’s comfort – as are they. But you knew from a young age, from when you began favoring Jimin’s company over others, that you need to call it ‘nothing’. Because whatever feelings that spin deep inside you are never to be spoken aloud. It’s foolish for your Kingdom, family, and you to long for a wolf who doesn’t see you as anything but a duty.

What’s more disappointing is that you don’t need to admit these infuriating feelings to Jimin, he already knows. He would never allow it to get far by cutting you short and being curt with clipped words and disapproving looks.

He is a wolf and you are a royal. Two beings who have no business intertwining besides with loyalty to the family and the job of a guard. Your acquaintanceship between another is only going to be professional. Perhaps it’s to keep the bloodline pure, untainted. How every sibling of the family is betrothed to a neighboring kingdom, growing the alliance across countries. And not one of them has a blend of wolf’s blood in them. Even though werewolves are evident in the world around you.

“Aren’t you supposed to get ready for the party tonight?” A maid who's making your bed quips up as you're daydreaming down into the evergreen.

“I’ve been stuck on deciding which dress I should wear.”

“No, you’ve been stuck staring out into the courtyard,” she corrects.

You slump in your seat as you stubbornly hold your position by the window. When you look back down, you admire the off-brown and black tones of that particular wolf you fancy. She isn’t wrong, you know. His kind eyes and kind smiles make you feel warmth like no other, and you enjoy seeing them when you gain the chance.

“I can multitask,” you feebly argue. You drag the blanket tighter around your shoulders, keeping in the warmth of your body as much as possible. “Besides, the party isn’t until a few more hours.”

“Princess, you already have guests arriving. Half the guard is at the entrance welcoming the parties who show up early. Let’s not begin to mention how several potential suitors are arriving today. You’ve failed to marry even when betrothed. Such a shame what happened with the Jeon family.”

“I prefer not to be a royal. It doesn’t feel right the way we work,” you sigh as the joyful wolves down below have fun while you’re stuck in your tower with envy. “Can we braid my hair like that one time at my Aunt’s wedding? It cascaded down beautifully.” You speak while staring out of the window, purposely ignoring the heavier topic your maid mentions. “I’ll go with the silver dress. That one comes with the gorgeous fur shawl.”

You notice the way that Jimin has suddenly turned to look up toward your window, half expecting to see you through the glass. Even in the midst of his comrades, he finds a way to give you an ounce of attention. He shakes his head momentarily, already scolding you without knowing what you’re supposed to be doing. Jimin knows looking for him isn’t on your agenda, you purposely put him there.

“For me to do that,” – you hear the voice of your maid – “I need you to get out of your chair and into your washroom.”

A small frown carves into your face when Jimin circles his finger in the air and directs you to turn around, go back to your business. He knows he’s escorting you tonight at the party, you will see him later. To make his point come across sternly, he disassociates his eye contact – bringing his attention back to his other peers and away from you.

“Princess,” your maid bids you once again.

Reluctant to leave your post at the window, you stand up regardless. You have a long night ahead of you while the castle starts to fill up with guests for your younger brother’s birthday party.

⟶ Estimated Posting Date : June 2023

#safe haven #fic teaser #safe haven teaser #fic: safe haven #bts smut #jimin smut #jimin fluff #jimin pining #bangtansorciere #btscreaturescoven #jimin x reader #bts x reader #kth1fics

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anxious-dumpling · 6 months

Text

Chapter One: First Day at Playcare! (6,600 words.)

♡ Fandoms: BTS, Stray Kids!

REQUESTS OPEN :) RULES IN END NOTES!

♡ Characters: Little!Reader CG Jungkook CG Taehyung Playcare Owner Hoseok EA Felix EA Hyunjin Little Jimin, IN, Seungmin Everyone else is Teachers!

♡ Genre: SFW Littlespace, Fluff, Non Idol AU!

After moving from the rural city of Geochang to the bustling city of Seoul, your parents Jungkook and Taehyung decide to start you in a new Playcare Centre. Life is about to be so much different!

Time to be brave!

Notes: Welcome! ʕ•◡•ʔっ♡!

This is a very fluffy, very relaxed series that hopefully you can immerse yourself in!

There will be some angst but mostly fluff!

In this universe, Littlespace is permanent. If you don't know much about Littlespace, please research the topic elsewhere, since this story doesn't reflect how Littlespace functions in real life! Thank you!

The car's tyres grind against the tarmac as Jungkook pulls into the Little Sunshine Playcare's car park, a single storey building coming into view. It's made of caramel colored wood and black metal, a big welcome sign at the front that has a smiling cartoon sun attached to it. Arts and crafts are stuck to insides of the windows, so many colorful handprints reaching out to you as if giving you high-fives.

You tuck your chin into the soft collar of your pink sweater, peering at them nervously through your lashes.

As Jungkook chooses a parking space and turns off the engine, Taehyung twists around in his seat.

A kind smile graces his face. "Are you ready for your first day, sweetness?"

"Umm-..."

You glance back outside.

There's a man holding the hand of a colourfully dressed woman walking up to the front safety gate. He pulls the little knob and guides her through to the door, stopping to poke some buttons on a square thingy on the wall before heading inside.

"I dunno, Papa," You mumble as they leave your sight.

What if they don't wanna play with you? What if your teachers are meanies, and not nice like your Daddy and Papa?

"You don't know?" He sing-songs, pouting and reaching out to pinch your knee playfully. "Are you a little bit scared?"

Hang on.

You didn't say that!

Jungkook turns just in time to see you gasp, giggling to himself.

"I'm not scared!" You protest. "I'm not scared of anything, Papa!"

"Aww. I know."

Jungkook is sceptical. "No? Not even Lord Tirek?"

You think back to last night, when the big, scary monster appeared on the screen and you just had to hide in your Papa's arms.

You admit, "Maybe I'm scared of some things."

Taehyung smacks your Daddy on the shoulder, eyes wide behind his black glasses. "Luckily there's no Lord Tirek here then, right?"

"Right, Jagi," He agrees guiltily.

"Come on. It's time to get out now, sweetness."

You hug your teddy bear to your chest as they both exit the car.

Taehyung appears at your window, pulling your door open and leaning over you. He takes the big, red car seat buckle laying on your belly in his hands and clicks the two halves apart. The straps fall over your shoulders as he slots his hands under your armpits.

"Let's not forget your present," He reminds you, lifting you out of the seat and onto the ground.

As Jungkook rounds the car, he catches you chewing on your teddy's ear.

"Ah-ah," He chides, his tattooed hand coming up to pull it from your lips. "That's yucky. Be nice to Mr Bear, okay?"

"Sorry, Mr Bear."

"And?"

"Sorry, Daddy."

"Thank you."

"Here it is." Taehyung pulls out the bakery carry-box, slamming the door closed and carefully passing it to you. "Gentle hands."

"Good job." Jungkook praises. "It's not too heavy?"

"S'fine, Daddy."

Walking through the car park together, Taehyung strokes his hand through your hair, fixing the few fly-aways that have slipped from your piggy tails he very lovingly styled you in this morning. Your Papa is great at doing hair. Oh, and at picking outfits.

He's wearing a beige knitted vest over a plain white shirt, baggy pants, big shoes, and a beret.

The hairdresser's he works at lets him wear whatever he wants!

Jungkook, though; He has to wear a suit every day.

"Wooooow. Is that right?" Your taller parent exclaims. "You must be very strong?"

"Yes, I am, Daddy." You agree, plodding along.

For some reason, as he opens the gate and lets you through, both of them break out in chuckles above you. You don't know what's so funny about saying that! When you carried that heavy bag of rice at the shops yesterday, Daddy only had to help a little.

The door makes a clicking sound as the code is punched in, Jungkook pushing it open gentlemanly.

As you step into the foyer, you're suddenly hit with the feeling of being lost in a new place. You got lost in the supermarket once and it was so scary. Even scarier than Lord Tirek. You were about to be lost forever and ever until your Daddy finally found you.

You don't want to be alone again. No, no, no! A sad moan leaving your throat, you drop the bakery box onto the floor and wrap your arms around Jungkook's waist, smooshing your face into his breast through the black fabric. You're never letting go!

"Oh!" Taehyung exclaims, picking the small box back up. "Whoopsies."

"Whoopsies," Jungkook croons.

"Good morning," The lady at the desk greets, before her eyes widen. "Would you like some help?"

"We've got it." Your Papa assures her. "We're here to sign in Jeon-Kim Haen, please."

"Of course. Just a moment."

"I'm scared," You muffle.

"It's okay, baby." Jungkook soothes, rubbing your back. "Remember what you said before?"

I'm not scared of anything!

"I lieeeed." You complain. "I'm sc- scared of Lord Tirek and the air frier and scorpions and getting lost!"

Taehyung plucks a tissue from the reception desk box, bending to mop the yellow frosting off the floor.

Jungkook tsks sadly. "Maybe. But you're still very brave, Haen-ie."

"I'm b'ave?"

"Of course you are. Can you say, 'I'm Daddy and Papa's strong, brave girl'?"

"I'm- I'm Daddy and Papa's strong, b'ave girl."

"Good morning!" A new voice comes lilting into the room. You squeeze Jungkook even tighter, turning your head ever so slightly to get a look at the newcomer. A man as tall as your Daddy is approaching the three of you, dressed in an orange hoodie and looking like he swallowed the sun and all the stars for breakfast, the light trying to escape through his face. "Did we have a little accident?"

"We did," Tae laughs, throwing the used tissue and squished cupcake into a nearby bin.

"Don't worry. No harm done!"

His black hair is tousled neatly over his forehead, a rainbow lanyard laying against his chest.

"She's nervous about her first day." Jungkook explains, stroking your cheek. "Had a bit of a scare coming in."

The man smiles, his eyes turning into crescent moons. "You must be Haen-ie. I'm Hoseok-seonsangnim. It's nice to meet you!"

"Hello, Hoseok-seonsangnim." You murmur politely. "Are the cupcakes okay?"

Taehyung chuckles. "They're for her classmates."

"Wow, that's very nice of you." Hoseok gasps, looking through the little plastic windows. "Ooooh, yummy. They look perfect."

You let him know, "You can have one, too."

The three of them burst into soft laughter.

"Awww. Thank you, Haen-ie. You're a very kind girl. How about we go share them with everyone? Would you like to do that?"

You pause, thinking about it for a moment. "Okay."

"Awesome! Good idea." He praises, even though the idea was his, taking the box. "You'll have so much fun today!"

"You hear that? Come say goodbye to Papa-bear, sweetness."

You let go of your Daddy to fall into Taehyung's embrace, trying not to feel too scared as he wraps you up safely in his arms, rocking you gently from side to side and growling like a big, happy bear. When he pulls back, he kisses your forehead and passes you off to Jungkook, who gives you a quicker, lighter hug and reminds you not to chew on Mr Bear because he likes his ears to be clean.

"I won't, Daddy." You promise, earning another kiss to the forehead.

"Good girl. Daddy and Papa will come and pick you up later, okay?"

"Okay."

One last kiss. "We love you."

"Love you," Tae smiles.

"Love you, Daddy, Papa."

Hoseok offers his hand to you. "Come on, Haen-ie. Let's go share these yummy cupcakes, huh?"

Taking his hand in yours, you bravely let him guide you away.

"What flavor are the cupcakes, Haen-ie?"

"They're chocolate," You tell him, remembering what Papa asked the baker-lady for this morning.

"Oooh. I loooove chocolate." Your teacher gushes, giving your hand a bit of a squeeze as you walk side by side down the bright corridor. Splodgy paintings and crayon drawings hang from little wooden pegs along the wall, all the cats and dogs and dragons and two headed shark-giraffe hybrids all grinning down at you with silly faces and glittery decorations. "Is chocolate your favorite, too?"

"Uh-huh." You sheepishly nod. "I like it- I like it even betterer than vanilla, but Papa likes strawberry."

"He likes strawberry, does he? What about Daddy?"

"Daddy likes chocolate, too. He goes to the gym a lot, but he says it's healthy so we can eat lots!"

He laughs at that. "Well, I don't know about 'healthy', but it sure is delicious. Oh, look! Here's our classroom!"

You come to a stop in front of a door with a sticker on it that says, 'A2.'

Glancing back down the corridor, you notice the foyer is suddenly very empty. No Daddy, no Papa. Hoseok distracted you. You face forward again, taking a deep breath and telling yourself, I'm Daddy and Papa's brave girl, as he knocks on the door.

It opens. A man with long, wavy hair smiles sweetly at the both of you, moving to let you inside.

"Good morning!" He greets, closing the door behind you. "This must be our new friend, Haen-ie."

The classroom is bustling, filled with squealing laughter as Baby Shark plays loudly from somewhere.

"We're doing some dancing right now. It helps shake out all those early-morning jitters." He explains. "My name is Hyunjin-ie. It's so exciting to meet you! I'm one of the EAs in this room, so I'll be helping you get settled in today! Does that sound good?"

"What's an EA, Hyunjin-ie?"

"It means, 'Educational Assistant'. That means my job is to be your best friend and help you with your work!"

When you giggle, Hoseok adds, "We've got some delicious chocolate cupcakes here for everyone, too."

"Ohh! Cupcakes? I knew today was going to be a great day."

"Excuse me, friends!" Hoseok calls out over the song, getting everyone's attention. "I know we're all having fun dancing, but we have a new classmate here joining us today and she's very kindly brought us some delicious cupcakes to eat together!"

Exclamations break out across the room. "Cupcakes!!"

As the kids come running over, Hoseok sets the box down on the nearest activity table. "Everyone, say thank you to Haen-ie!"

"Thank you, Haen-ie!"

"I love you, Haen-ie!"

A shy smile makes its way onto your face, realizing that nobody here is mean like you thought they would be.

Your classmates jump up and down like pieces of popcorn as Hoseok hands a small cupcake to you first, then sharing the rest of them to the gathered crowd, reminding them all to be patient and thanking them for their nice manners.

Peeling back your cupcake's paper liner, you take a big, big bite.

Mmm. Chocolate with sweet, yellow frosting and a tiny, bear-shaped cookie sticking out of it.

"Thank you, Heun-ie!" A boy exclaims, his chin smeared with frosting. "Dis is soooo yummy!"

You smile, "My Papa buyed them."

"I love your Papa."

"I love my Papa, too."

"Nice manners, Jimin-ie." Hoseok praises him, handing the last of the cupcakes to EA Hyunjin and two other men who must be teachers. "Haen-ie, you've already met Hyunjin, but this here is EA Yeongbok-ie and Teacher Yoongi-seonsangnim."

The first man, Yeongbok; he has blonde hair, the color of vanilla cookies, and a wonky, toothy smile sweeter than every cookie in the world. He gives you an enthusiastic wave, his voice deeper than even your Papa's. "Hi! Nice to meet you!"

The second man, Yoongi, looks a bit like a sleepy, smiley cat. "Hello, Haen-ie."

"Hello," You wave back.

"We can meet the rest of your teachers later, but Yeongbok here is our second EA, and Yoongi is our very talented music teacher."

The man snorts. "I play recorders, Hoseok."

"All the same."

"Do you like music, Haen-ie?" Yeongbok asks as he pulls out a wooden seat for you, sitting in the one next to it.

"Okay, everyone! Sit down to eat, please!"

As everyone gets settled, you sit down next to Yeongbok and Hyunjin while Yoongi walks off with his cupcake.

"I like to sing with my Daddy and Papa," You tell the friendly EAs, your two new best friends.

"You guys just moved here from Geochang, didn't you?"

"Yeah," The mention of your old home sends a pang through your heart. It was a lot different than here. The streets were lined with wild grass and old, proud houses, always a breathtaking view of the mountains sitting on the horizon. "We got here two days ago."

"Well, we're very happy to have you here." Hyunjin smiles like a pretty prince. "What do you like about Seoul so far?"

Oh, um... You've never thought about that up until now.

"I like Han River," You guess, popping the biscuit in your mouth. "And we're going to Teseum Teddy Bear museum this weekend."

"Uwaaah," Yeongbok exclaims, "That sounds exciting?"

You nod, chewing, the wet crumbs falling from your lips and into your lap. "Bea'ws are my fav'ite animal."

"Oooh, careful," He warns, taking the handkerchief out of his pants' pocket and using it to clean you up.

"Oh! Sorryyyy."

"Don't worry." He brushes the crumbs off your sweater, and then your bear's fat, brown nose. "Look. It's as if nothing ever happened!"

"Daddy doesn't like it when I get my things dirty," You babble, giving the teddy a kiss as an apology, "Or chew on Mr Bear's ears."

"Aaah," Hyunjin hums understandingly, "So you're going to be one of the messy ones."

"You're going to love art class."

"I love art class!" A nearby boy butts in. "I made a painting for my Mommy yesterday!"

"Yes, and you used yourself as the canvas, didn't you?" He jokes, pinning him with an cool, sassy look.

The boy does nothing but giggle, his teeth covered in bits of chocolate cake, before running off to join his friends again.

"That's Jeongin-ie."

As you bite and swallow the last chunk of your cupcake, Yeongbok stands from the small seat, leaving his own cupcake on the table and offering his hand to you. "All done? Let's go put your bag away in the cubby before class starts, okay?"

"Okay, Yeongbok-ie." You agree, grabbing his pale hand and following him.

He takes you over to the wall besides the classroom door, where the cubby shelves are all stuffed with the other Little's backpacks, books, spare clothes, and water bottles. Coloured strips of paper are velcroed above each one, their names printed on them.

'Jimin', 'Jeongin', 'Maru', 'Nathan', and even your name! You point it out to Yeongbok, who chuckles in that delicate, tinkling way of his that makes it sound like he's a magical xylophone. He takes off your purple backpack and places it in the cubby below your tag.

Returning to the sitting area together, you spot Hyunjin and Yoongi helping tidy the aftermath.

"This one was yours," Yoongi nods toward an empty liner, wiping down the table with a cloth. "Go put it in the trash, please."

Hyunjin adds, "You too, Jeongin."

"Okayyyy." The boy sing-songs. "Fine."

Scooping up your trash and dumping it in the nearby bin, everybody works hard to clean up before settling down in their assigned seats at the activity tables strewn across the room. You're unsure where to go, awkwardly hugging Mr Bear, but sweet EA Yeongbok is there to help you again, taking your hand and guiding you to a table near the toy boxes. Jeongin and Jimin are sitting there, too.

"Ooh, Haen-ie. Look." The man points at the back of the chair. "What's that?"

You follow his finger.

Wow! It's another tag with your name on it!

"My name!" You exclaim proudly as you sit down. "This is my chair, Yeongbok-ie!"

"You're right. It is your chair," The man praises this genius discovery, as he drags another chair over and sits next to you.

Hyunjin and Yoongi are both sitting at other tables, joking with the kids around them.

"Hi! I'm Jimin!" The boy in front of you cheers.

"I'm Jeongin!"

"These are your table-mates, Haen-ie. Say hello?"

"Hello," You greet, using Mr Bear's fluffy arm to wave to them. "It's my first day today!"

"Why is it your first day?"

"We moved here." You explain, "And my old playcentre is too far away to visit, now."

"Awwww," Jimin pouts.

"That's so sad!"

"It is a little bit sad," Yeongbok validates, his tone comforting, "But she's going to make lots of new friends here, isn't she?"

Jeongin nods so fast you think his head might fall off. "I'll be your friend, Haen-ie!"

"Me, too! Do you like dinosaurs?"

Glancing at the T-Rex printed on his blue sweater, you shrug. "Um... A little."

"Oh." He deflates, perking right back up again afterwards. "It's okay! I'll still be your friend!"

"Yeah! He's friends with me, and I like sharks, but he doesn't like sharks, and we're still friends."

"Okay, guys," Yeongbok interrupts, placing a finger over his lips, "Sh, sh, sh. Let's listen to Hoseok-seonsangnim, okay?"

"Okay."

"Okay!"

"It's time for our first class of the day, friends." You turn your attention to the front of the classroom, peering over Jimin's shoulder as Hoseok drags the wheelie whiteboard into view, uncapping an orange marker and smiling brightly at his class. "Now, Yoongi-seonsangnim and I were nice enough to let you guys have some cupcakes before class this morning, weren't we?"

"Yeah!" You all reply at once.

"Yeah! Fun, right? So do you think you'll all be able to put your learning caps on, now?"

As he mimes putting on a big hat, you all copy him.

Even Yoongi, Hyunjin, and Yeongbok, too!

"Perfect!" He lowers his hands. "Does anyone know what we're going to be learning today?"

The whole class starts giggling hysterically as he glances at the laminated chart on the wall, which very obviously reads, Monday, 1. Music, 2. Arts and Crafts, 3. Snack Break, 4. Math, 5. Nap Time, 6. Lunch Break, 7. Reading, in bubble letters.

Everyone shouts out, "Music!"

"It's Music!"

"Music, Hoseok!"

"It's what?" Your teacher squints, cupping his ear. "We're learning what?"

You join in the chaos, shouting, "Music!!"

"Aaaaah. Music! Why didn't you say that the first time?"

Silly Hoseok-seonsangnim. You guys did say that!

"Let's start with our word of the day first, and then we get out the instruments." Turning and writing, Word of the Day, at the top of the whiteboard, he faces forward and looks directly at you. "How about you choose today's word, Haen-ie?"

Oh! You?!

"There's no wrong answers," Yeongbok encourages you when he notices your apprehension. "What about Bear?"

You give a quick nod. "You say, please?"

He happily reports back to your teacher, "The word of the day is Bear!"

"Oooh. Good choice. Let's all use the letters at our tables and have a go spelling Bear!"

"Oh! I know, I know!" Jimin exclaims, wiggling impatiently as your EA reaches into the middle of the table and pulls out a velcro board and a cup of felt letters from the basket of supplies, splaying them out. "Let me do it! I know!"

He grabs the pile of letters, pulling out a flimsy G character and sticking it to the board.

"Good job, Jimin-ie." Yeongbok slides the letters in front of you. "Haen-ie's turn, now. We have to work as a team!"

Humming thoughtfully, you sound out the word Bear in your head. There's a Guh, and then an Ohhhhh. Must be O.

You stick the O character below the G.

When it's Jeongin's turn, he sticks down an M character, completing the simple Hangul symbol.

"Is everybody ready? Show us your boards!"

Chatter fills the room again as Yeongbok holds up the board for you.

Hoseok glances from table to table, nodding, "Correct! Yep, correct! Well done! Yeongbok's table, correct!"

Your EA gives you a high-five.

Yay!

"Hyunjin's table," He sucks in a breath at the last group, "I'm afraid that's not quite right."

Everyone at the table groans in defeat and starts throwing accusations around.

"I told you it was just one M!"

"Hyunjinnnnn!"

"You didn't listen!"

Yoongi's laughing behind his hand, shoulders shaking.

The kids keep heckling him as he grumpily throws down the letter in his hand.

Yeongbok laughs, "Maybe you need to move to the baby's room, Hyung? What do you guys think?"

"Baby's room!" The girl next to Hyunjin chants. "Baby's room!"

Hyunjin sticks his tongue out at her.

"Okay. Okay," Hoseok chuckles, taking back control of the room as Yoongi stands up. "Time for music, now."

When Namjoon checks his watch, he announces, "Snack break, everyone!"

Jumping up from your seat and pulling your bucket hat on, you can't wait to eat!

You file out into the play yard with everyone else, finding a spot at one of the picnic tables. Hoseok and Namjoon-seonsangnim wheel out two carts of food, approaching each table and handing out the small bowls. Namjoon; You met him during Arts and Crafts. He's tall and muscly like a sports teacher, but he actually teaches art and English, his face round like a toffee candy, both cheeks dimpled.

"Hello, everyone." He greets, placing a plastic bowl and spoon in front of you. "Did you have fun in art today?"

"Thank you," You remember your manners, licking your lips at the sight of the sliced fruit and yoghurt.

"You're welcome, Haen-ie."

As you stick your spoon in, Seungmin exclaims, "Yeah! I maked a rainbow! It was really pretty."

"'Made'." Hoseok calls out.

The boy corrects himself. "I made a rainbow."

"Yes, I saw. It was pretty."

Gulping down the dollop of yoghurt and crunchy apple pieces, you gaze out at the patch of sunlight nearby. Your class's art creations are drying in the sun, the pieces of paper swaying in the breeze, wrinkled from all the glue and pom poms on them.

"I made a dinosaur with Jimin," You garble as Namjoon walks away with the cart, your mouth full.

The boy nods. "It was a brontosaurus. Brontosauruses are the ones with the-!"

"The long necks," The girl across from him rolls her eyes. "We know."

Your dinosaur's neck was five pompoms long!

He gasps. "You like dinosaurs, too, Ahyun?!"

"No. You just talk about them all the time." She glances up from her bowl. "Haen, you have glue on your elbow."

You do? Shrugging a shoulder, you peer down at the side of your arm and scratch the dried flake off.

"And paint on your shoulder."

Oh, she's right. There's a pink splat on your sweater. You hope your Daddy won't be too upset.

"And on your hand."

... Oh.

"She got really messy," The girl beside her giggles. "She's like my baby brother, and he's only one!"

"I think she's messier," She jokes, making your cheeks go hot.

"Are you one, Haen-ie?"

"No. I'm nineteen," You mumble uncomfortably, hiding your paint-covered hand under the table. "And four on the inside."

"You should go sit somewhere else," Ahyun chirps. "I don't want you to get me dirty!"

"She won't," Jimin frowns.

"Yes, she will!"

Whatever. You don't want to sit with Ahyun, either. You pick up your bowl and stand from the wooden bench, storming over to the playground and ducking under one of the platforms. You hide away in a dark corner to finish eating your snack in peace.

Tears start burning at the edges of your eyes when you catch a second glimpse at your ruined sweater.

"Haen-ie? Sweetie?"

Sniffling, you watch Hyunjin as he searches the playground, coming to a sudden stop when he sees you. He looks like he's about to explain that you're not allowed to eat in the playground, but something in his expression changes and he crouches down.

"Haen-ie, sweetie, what are you doing all the way over here?" He asks. "What's the matter?"

Glancing behind him, you catch the other teachers watching the two of you, before they go back to what they were doing.

Hyunjin crawls in and sits beside you, long hair framing his face as he tilts his head at you.

"Haen-ie?"

You pout, "I don't wanna sit at the tables."

"No?"

You shake your head, poking sadly at your yoghurt.

"You don't want to sit with your friends? Jimin and Jeongin?" He tries, only to be met with silence. "Me and Yeongbok-ie?"

You admit, "I don't wanna sit with Ahyun."

He pauses. "Did Ahyun say something a little bit mean?"

You nod. "Her friend said I'm like her baby brother because I'm messy. And then Ahyun said I'm even messier than him because I got paint and glue on my clothes in art class, and then she said I can't sit with them, so I came over here to hide."

Sympathy washes over his face. He muses, "That wasn't very nice of her, was it?"

"No, it wasn't," You agree.

"Did it make you sad?"

"Uh-huh." It did make you sad. "I didn't get messy on purpose, Hyunjin-ie. It was an a'sident."

"Awww, Hyunjin-ie knows it was an accident, sweetie. And you know what?"

"What?"

"Art class is all about getting messy, little friend. Wouldn't it be boring if the paint only got on the paper?"

"My Daddy doesn't like it when I get dirty. He likes it when things are perfect and nice and clean."

Your Papa calls him a 'Perfectionist'.

"You're already perfect and nice," He argues. "And Yeongbok and I are going to make sure you're clean, too."

"You are?"

"Yeah. Yeongbok is new, too, you know. He's only been here a week. And he says I should be in the baby's room. Pssh. After art class ended, I had to teach him where to find the extra wet wipes, but you went outside to eat before we could clean you up!"

Ohhh. You remember now! After class ended, Yeongbok told you to wait, but you forgot and ran outside!

"I was too excited to eat!"

"Yes, you were." He chuckles, taking your hand. "Come on. Let's go get clean!"

"Okay!"

He helps you crawl back out from the playground, leaving your bowl at the table and stepping inside the empty classroom.

It's much quieter in here. The aircon hums above you, tables all clean and glossy. You see Yeongbok standing behind the partition of the exposed bathroom area, peeling open a package of wet wipes and digging through your purple backpack.

Both of you approaching him, Yeongbok gasps dramatically with a big, sunny smile. "Haen-ie!"

Hyunjin squeezes your hand.

"I'm sorry I didn't wait for you, Yeongbok-ie," You apologize sweetly. "I got distracted and forgot to wait for you!"

"Aw. That's okay." He says, pulling out a spare shirt with a big strawberry on it. "Let's get you into some clean clothes."

The two nice men work together to remove your paint-covered sweater and stuff it back into your backpack, wiping down your fingers and palms with the wet wipes afterwards. Yeongbok quickly dresses you in the green shirt and adjusts your bucket hat.

"There we go," He celebrates, zipping your backpack up. "That was nice and easy, wasn't it!"

"Thank you, Yeongbok-ie and Hyunjin-ie!"

"See? Nothing bad about getting messy." The older EA holds his hand out to you. "Come on. Let's go finish eating, little friend."

Uh oh.

"Do I have to?"

Yeongbok makes a confused face. "I thought you were excited to eat?"

"I am, but," You twist your shoe into the floor. "Ahyun was mean to me."

He frowns. "Oh, no."

"Hyunjin-ie will make sure Hoseok-seonsangnim tells Ahyun's parents she was being mean to one of our friends," Hyunjin promises. "And you can sit with me, if you like, or we can ask Jimin and Jeongin if they want to move tables with you?"

You wanna sit with all of them!

"Let's all sit together!"

"Okay, sweet friend." He praises as you take his hand. "Let's go. Your yoghurt is waiting for you!"

You giggle. "I'm coming, yoghurt!"

Hyunjin guides you back into the play yard, approaching the picnic table.

"Excuse me, guys," The man politely interrupts, pointing to a nearby empty table. "I'm going to take my friend Haen-ie over to the kind-friends table over there, and we want to know who else is going to join us."

"Ooooh," Ahyun's friend exclaims. "I do!"

Not wanting to be left out, Ahyun agrees and raises her hand. "Me too, Hyunjin!"

"Sorry, Jenna and Ahyun. This table is only for kind friends. You weren't being a very kind friend to Haen-ie today, were you?"

She gawks. "Wh-?!"

"Maybe when you're feeling a little bit kinder," He suggests, "You can come and join us later."

As she scoffs angrily, Jimin raises his hand. "Can I come, Haen-ie?"

"What about me?" Jeongin adds. "I wanna sit with you!"

"Me, too!" Seungmin agrees. "I'm a kind friend!"

You go pink under all the attention. "Okay!"

"Yay!"

"Let's go!"

"Kind-friends table!"

The four of you grab your bowls and go sit at the other, better table together. Hyunjin offers his lap to you since you might still be a little sad. Even though you're feeling better now, you still climb up onto his thigh, while the three boys sit around you.

"There you go," Hyunjin cooes, bouncing you up and down a little. "Ooooh. Apple? What else did you get?"

"I got banana," Seungmin answers, pointing at his friend's bowl. "Jimin got some, too!"

Jeongin pouts, "I got grapes."

"He hates grapes," The boy beside him explains helpfully.

You ask, "Do you like apple?"

When he nods, you hold your bowl over his, using your spoon to flick the apple into it.

"Thanks, Haen-ie!" He gasps, before giving you his grapes. "You can have mine!"

"Thanks, Jeongin-ie."

"Woooow," Hyunjin exclaims, "Nice sharing, you guys."

"My Papa says it makes our friends sad when we don't share," You tell him. "And I don't like it when people are sad, Hyunjin-ie."

The man suddenly clutches his heart through his baggy shirt, wincing like he's in pain. "Dawww."

You giggle at his outburst. "What, Hyunjin-ie?"

He makes a Grrrrrr sound as he mimes grabbing your cheeks. "You're adorable, that's what!"

You push his hands away. "Silly Hyunjin!"

Yeongbok comes into view as you all laugh together, setting his bowl on the table. "Hey! Don't have all the fun without me!"

"How are you guys going over here?"

As Hoseok approaches your table, you pout your lips around the pencil in your mouth.

Not good. Math is hard!

He takes notice just like all good teachers do. "Needing some help there, Haen-ie?"

You mumble, "Yes, p'ease."

Yeongbok gently pulls your hand away. "We don't chew on pencils, little friend. There you go."

As he goes back to helping Jeongin, Hoseok takes a seat next to you. "Tell Hoseok-seonsangnim what you need help with."

"Yeongbok-ie is busy with Jeongin and there's-! There's too many steps!"

"Ahhh, I see. Don't worry. Let's break them down together, shall we? Can you read the question to me?"

You look down at your paper, making sure to ignore the cartoon gardener at the bottom because he's annoying you. "Taeyun buys some-... some flower seeds. He plants five seeds in normal soil, and five seeds in special mulch. The seeds in the... in the special mulch grow double the flowers than the seeds in the regular soil grow. How many flowers will he have when they're done growing?"

See?! That's super hard.

Taehyun should ask somebody else about his flowers, because you have no idea.

"That was great reading," Hoseok praises you, before grabbing a blank piece of paper and some crayons from the supply box. "I've got an idea. You know what helps me when I can't figure out a question? Drawing it out!"

Your eyes widen. "There's questions you can't figure out?"

A laugh escapes him. "Yes, there are. Even teachers need help, sometimes."

"But you're super smart?"

"The only way to get smart is to be wrong a lot of times first." He explains, drawing some dots on the page. "Let's draw what we need to know. First, I'll draw the seeds... Five normal seeds on the left and five special seeds on the right."

When he's finished, he hands you a green crayon.

"Now let's draw the flowers coming out of the seeds."

"Okay. I'll try!"

"That's what I like to hear, friend. You should draw two flowers coming out of each special seed, remember?"

Nodding, you get to work drawing the stems.

After that, you add a yellow ball and colorful petals to each one.

"Let's add some ladybugs!" You suggest, reaching for the red crayon.

"Hang on. We don't need any ladybugs right now." He reminds you. "Maybe you can draw some in art class tomorrow, okay?"

Awwww. "Okay."

"Let's count the flowers instead. Ready?"

"Uh-huh. One, two, three," You concentrate hard and count every flower. "Thirteen, fourteen, fifteen!"

"Fifteen. Well done!" Hoseok exclaims with a big, excited grin, giving you a double high five. "You did it!"

"I did it!"

"Go ahead and write the answer down and we'll have a go at the next one."

"Okay! Thank you, Hoseok-seonsangnim."

"You're very welcome, sunshine."

By the time you've filled out the math booklet, you're in serious need of a nap. Being smart is lots of effort. How does he do it?

Luckily, it's nap time.

You grab Mr Bear and head into the toy area, where the EAs have moved the furniture out of the way and set up sleeping mats on the floor. Your Papa packed your softest, pinkest bedding today. You kneel on the cotton fabric, yawning and laying your head on your pillow as Hyunjin pulls the curtains over the windows. Hundreds of stars light up the walls when Yeongbok switches on the lamp.

"Who needs a little extra help getting to sleep today?" He asks quietly, switching on the speaker next.

The sound of somebody playing the piano graces your ears.

A couple of kids raise their hands, including you. No matter how tired you are, it's still scary falling asleep in a new place.

Hyunjin comes over to you.

"Close your eyes, sweetie," He whispers, settling beside your mat.

With him slowly stroking your hair, you're drifting off into dreamland before you even realize it.

At the end of the day, while you're all sitting on the rug, Hoseok asks, "Who here had a good day today?"

"Me!" You all shout.

"Let's share three things we're grateful for today," He says, gesturing to a student. "Let's start with you, Jihyun."

She tilts her head. "Ummm... Art class, Yeongbok helping me find my pencil when I lost it, and... Oh! Haen's cupcakes!"

"Oooh. They were yummy, weren't they? Jimin?"

He's got his answer right away. "Meeting my new friend Haen-ie!!"

Jeongin's got his, too! "Haen-ie sharing her fruit with me!!"

"Aw, those are great answers. I'm grateful for our new friend, too."

When it's your turn, you shyly stare back at the class. It's difficult to choose only three things! You're grateful for the EAs, who made your first day as easy as possible for you, Yoongi for making you laugh as he taught you how to hold the recorder, Namjoon for opening the glue pot for you when it was stuck, and Hoseok for being such a great teacher, even if he's bad at drawing flowers.

"I'm grateful for my friends and my teachers and the EAs... and nap time, and brontosauruses."

That might've been five things... But Hoseok doesn't mind. "Aww. I'm so glad, friend."

Hyunjin does that thing again where he looks like he's going to die.

Yeongbok chuckles, petting his shoulder in support.

Parents start gathering in the corridor outside the classroom as the rest of the kids share their three things. You keep an eye out for your Daddy and Papa, your legs squirming and your heart racing like it's trying to break out of you and go find them.

The last time you glance through the window, they're both there!

When they spot you, their faces light up like they always do when they spot you in school assemblies and sport events.

They wave to you.

"Daddy, Papa," You cheer under your breath, trying to keep your hand in your lap. "Daddy, Papa are here."

"Okay, my friends." Hoseok eventually concludes. "I'll see you all tomorrow!"

"See you tomorrow!!"

"Bye, Hoseok!!"

"It's home time!!"

As soon as he opens the door, you jump up and run over to the big group of parents, straight into your Papa's open arms.

"There you are!" Taehyung gasps happily, holding you tight. "There's our sweet girl!"

"Papa!!"

"Did you have a good day?" He asks you, kissing your hair and letting you hug Jungkook next. "You didn't miss us too much?"

"I missed you so much," You muffle into Jungkook's button shirt. "But I had a good day at the same time!"

"We missed you, too," Your Daddy chuckles.

As Hyunjin approaches the three of you, handing your backpack and artwork to Jungkook, you pull away slightly.

"Here are Haen's things," He smiles.

He thanks the man. "Wow. Is this a dinosaur, baby?"

"I made it with my new friend, Jimin! He said I could keep it because he has a lot of dinosaur drawings at his home already."

"It's so cute."

Taehyung adds, "I love it."

"She had a good day," The EA smiles. Yeongbok and Hoseok are talking to some other parents behind him, handing more backpacks and artworks out. As Jungkook gives your dinosaur craft to his husband and unzips your bag, making sure everything is in there, Hyunjin explains, "We did have a little hiccup this morning, though. You'll find her sweater in there. It just has some paint on it."

Guilt squeezes you as you watch Jungkook turn the fabric over in his hand. "Sorry, Daddy."

"It's okay, Haen-ie." He shakes his head, zipping it up. "Daddy just wanted you to have fun today, okay? We can wash it out."

"I also got crumbs on Mr Bear," You admit.

He laughs at your sudden burst of honesty, slinging your bag over his shoulder. "We can wash him, too."

"He'll love it," Tae agrees. "It'll be like a spa day."

Some people might think your Daddy is the stricter parent, but he actually breaks more of his own rules than you do, and it's him who's always spoiling you with new toys, treats, and clothes! He's a big softie!

"Well, I'll see you tomorrow then, Haen-ie!" Hyunjin says. "High-five!"

"Buh-bye, Hyunjin-ie!"

After you smack hands, Taehyung and Jungkook thank him again and they each take one of your hands, leading you out of the Playcentre. They listen intently as you babble about every detail of your day all the way to the car, where Tae lifts you in.

"Did everyone enjoy the cupcakes?" He asks, helping you thread your arms through the straps.

"Oh! Yeah! They were really yummy, Papa."

"No dessert tonight, then, I guess." He pouts, clicking the buckle together, before grinning cheekily at you. "Just kidding."

You stick your tongue out at him.

"Hey," Your Daddy chuckles, watching you in the rear-view mirror. "Save that little tongue for your ice cream tonight."

"We're having ice cream?!"

Tae closes your door and settles into the passenger seat as the car starts. "Didn't we tell you? Brave girls get ice cream, baby bear."

"Yay! Thank you!"

Cupcakes, new friends, a good nap, and ice cream?

You wish every day could be your first day at Playcare!

When you get a whole bowl's worth of chocolate ice cream all over your pyjamas that night, Jungkook just fondly smiles at you and sneaks you a second scoop while Tae isn't looking. He taught you that chocolate is healthy when you want it to be, after all!

Notes:

Please share your thoughts and leave some suggestions for future chapters! ʕ•◡•ʔっ♡!

Things I won't write. - Smut. - Self-harm. - Intense angst. - Anything unrelated to Haen or Littlespace. Everything else goes!

Current roles. - Taehyung: Parent Caregiver. - Jungkook: Parent Caregiver. - Jin: ??? - Namjoon: Art / English Teacher. - Hoseok: Homeroom Teacher / Playcare Owner. - Yoongi: Music Teacher. - Jimin: Little. - Bangchan: ??? - Lee Know: ??? - Han: ??? - Changbin: Sports Teacher. - Hyunjin: EA / Art Teacher. - Felix: EA. - Seungmin: Little. - Jeongin: Little.

I encourage you to be friendly and patient with me! ^◡^

52 notes · View notes

yoon-kooks · 2 years

Text

playboys & pancakes | jjk

⛓️pairing: hotnerd!jungkook x popular!reader

⛓️genre: smut, fluff, college!au

⛓️word count: 2.6k

⛓️p&p masterlist⛓️

a/n: this was a cute lil drabble request for jealous!jjk!! if you make it all the way to the end, there ✨might✨ be a special teaser... lmk if yall would be interested👀

In the middle of class, Jungkook stares at the seat next time him where you’re busy giggling and texting away for some unknown reason. He’s dying to know the context so he can use it against you later to see that pretty smile once more.

“Hey you,” you whisper, leaning over in his direction. It’s rare for the two of you to talk in the classroom since you both agreed it was best to lay low about whatever the fuck this is between you and him. It must be something urgent. “Do you know any cute girls who are single right now?”

Jungkook just blinks at you in utter disbelief. You’re already sick of him, aren’t you? You’d rather fool around with some cute girl than fuck some loser who makes her finish her homework a week before it’s due. Well shit. It was fun while it lasted.

“Asking for a friend,” you add. Not helping, by the way. Could you make it any more obvious that you’re trying to break off this… arrangement between you and him? “My friend said he’s down bad.”

Wait.

You flash your phone screen in Jungkook’s face for him to read what you were presumably giggling about earlier.

Jimin🍄 [10:46AM] “A what tattoo?!🥵🍆”

Jimin🍄 [10:46AM] “Btw please tell me you know a cute girl who is as down bad as I am”

Jimin🍄 [10:47AM] “Paris was not as romantic as they make it out to be”

Y/N✨ [10:48AM] “hold on lemme ask the dilf”

The dilf has a lot of questions. The first being, “You have friends?” He’s mostly just teasing you for lacking genuine friendships despite being so popular, but this is the first time he’s heard you talk about a friend that wasn’t him.

“He’s a friend from high school,” you explain. “He’s been studying abroad for the past few years and just got back yesterday. I’m letting him crash at my place this weekend so we can catch up.”

Hmm. Jungkook wasn’t planning on sharing you with anyone this weekend, but this is a much better scenario than you outright abandoning him for someone else. In fact, he might even know just the right person to satisfy your friend’s needs.

“And why are you calling me a dilf—”

He never gets an answer because the professor calls on you to answer a question on the board. You glance up and give the correct answer with no hesitation despite the distractions next to you and on your phone. Your nerdy side is just as attractive as your bubbly personality.

He’s so lucky to have a girl like you.

“Jimin wants to have brunch with you tomorrow, by the way,” you say on Friday night as you snuggle closer to Jungkook on the couch. It’s one of those rare wholesome nights at his place where you aren’t dripping in pleasure, moaning your little heart out with him inside you. “I told him you’d hook him up with a baddie and now he wants to interrogate you to make sure you have good taste.”

“I think I have pretty good taste.” He looks right at your cute naked face with no makeup on. You’re also borrowing one of his oversized tees and using it as a nightshirt. Obviously, he has amazing taste.

“So you’ll come?” Your smile is so bright. How could he ever say no to that? “We can meet up with him there and go to my place after.”

“Sure,” he says. Besides, he’d like to see this Jimin guy for himself. From what you’ve said about him, he seems like a cool dude studying fashion design. But it’s also kind of fucked up that your closest friend abandoned you here without anyone else to rely on for all those years apart. It’s shitty to think how alone you must’ve felt until the two of you started talking barely a month ago.

“Cool, I think you’ll get along with him,” you yawn into his chest while twirling his hair around your finger. Thank god he decided to let his hair grow out so you could play with it as much as you want. “He’s like you but friendlier and fuckboy-ish.”

“If he’s friendly and fuckboy-ish, how is that like me?” Jungkook isn’t picking up what you’re putting down. He doesn’t like the sound of the fuckboy part, either.

“He has a lot of tattoos and a cute face, but he’s kind of mean in a teasing way. Just like you.” The twirling is slowing down. “A lot of people say he’s super attractive too.”

You reach for your phone that somehow ended up on the other side of the boy and pull up Jimin’s Instagram. Jungkook studies the page and clicks on a pic of your friend all suited up in Dior. Damn. Not only is he handsome, but he also knows how to pose and look good in photos. You kind of left out the part about him being an actual model.

Of course you have another attractive guy friend who enjoys teasing you. Of course this guy happens to be staying with you while he’s “down bad.” And of course Jeon Jungkook is not going to let himself feel a certain way about it.

The next morning, Jungkook wakes up to your arms wrapped around his waist as you’re still snoozing away on the couch. Very carefully, he peels your arms away one at a time, hops out of the blanket, and gives you his sleepy kitten to hold onto in place of him. You make this cute little whiny sound as you cuddle the cat.

Successful in leaving you undisturbed, the boy heads to his room and opens his sorry excuse of a closet. The majority of his wardrobe is just basic shit like hoodies, plain tees, ripped jeans, and sweats for the gym. He’s never really put a whole lot of thought into his fashion, but he woke up this morning with an urge to look somewhat good for brunch. It totally has nothing to do with that fashion model friend of yours.

After a good ten minutes of contemplation, he eventually goes with a nice crewneck and one of the few pairs of black jeans that aren’t all torn up. It’s just brunch anyway.

By then, you’ve woken up and thrown on that pretty beige sundress you left behind a few weeks ago. He’d conveniently washed it for you when he was doing a light load. Now you smell like his lavender laundry soap.

When the two of you get to the brunch place, you claim a booth and wait for Jimin to arrive. Your arm brushes against his as you flap through the menu. The booth is pretty spacious, and yet you’re sitting that close to him. He doesn’t mind, of course.

“I’m gonna get the pink strawberry waffles… but the chocolate banana pancakes look really good, too.” You point at the pictures like a child. “What about you?”

“Chocolate banana pancakes.” He didn’t have his mind made up until that very moment. You’re always stealing his food off his plate these days anyway. He might as well pick something you’ll enjoy.

“Ooh, good, now I can try it too,” you sing. Called it.

“Never said I was sharing,” Jungkook shakes his head. You both know he’s bluffing.

“What do I have to do for a taste?” you ask so innocently while leaning your soft tits against his arm. “Do you want me to get down on my hands and knees and suck dad—”

“Hi Y/N, hey Jungkook.” Your handsome model friend slides into the other side of the booth and interrupts your enticing proposal. Your eyes light up in a way Jungkook has never seen before.

“Jimin!” you smile.

“Hey,” Jungkook adds, a lot less enthusiastic than you. Of course Jimin is even better looking in person.

After ordering, you ask Jimin to spill the deets on his Paris adventures. In addition to an internship, he also did in fact spend some time modeling for a few luxury brands. Now that he’s back home, he’s planning on taking it easy for a bit before moving forward with fashion design.

So that’s why he’s asking for a baddie to kill time with. He can have anyone he wants as long as it’s not you.

As the two friends catch up, Jungkook notices the way you lean forward toward the other boy and laugh at nearly everything he says—although to be fair, he is a pretty funny and charming guy. That’s the kind of guy that would complement your playful personality so well.

The food comes shortly after, and you stare intensely at Jimin’s French toast even though you have a pretty pink waffle right in front of you and Jungkook’s pancakes right beside you.

“Really? The guy who just got back from France ordered French toast?” you snicker, turning to Jungkook to get him on your side. He chuckles, but only because you’re cute when you’re being mischievous.

“Would you like some, Y/N?” Jimin waves off your silliness. He must be used to it because it hardly affects him the way it affected Jungkook.

“Yes, please.” You cut off a small piece of French toast and go in for a taste. It gets not one but two thumbs up from you.

“Still a foodie, I see,” Jimin observes. You nod. He must’ve been the one you were dragging around to different food places back in high school. But now that’s Jungkook’s job, and he’d like to keep it that way.

So Jungkook waits. He waits patiently for you to ask for a taste of his food. After all, he ordered the chocolate banana pancakes with you in mind.

But instead, you’re minding your own business and digging into your pink waffle. Weren’t you offering a whole blowjob for a taste of his pancakes a little while ago? Now you suddenly don’t want it because he’d joked about not sharing it? This is stressing him out more than it should.

You turn and catch the boy next to you aggressively sawing through his pile of pancakes with his butter knife. Hopefully you don’t pick up on his distress.

“Are the pancakes goo—” Before you can finish your question, a few freshly cut pancake pieces are plopped onto your plate beside the pink waffle.

“You said you wanted to try it, didn’t you?” Jungkook tries his best to sound nonchalant about the whole ordeal.

Your Surprised Pikachu face quickly turns into a smug look. “Thought you weren’t sharing,” you hum as you indulge in the moist chocolatey delight. At the same time, your free hand casually runs along the boy’s inner thigh and gives it a squeeze under the table. Playing innocent might be part of your personality, but you know exactly what you’re doing to him. “The pancakes are yummy, by the way.”

Still, your touch is as much of a comfort as it is a turn-on.

“So, are you still interested in the hot girl Jungkook knows?” you ask Jimin. Jungkook hasn’t even shown you a pic of the girl, and yet you’re already hyping her up. You also aren’t aware that it’s someone he’s slept with in the past, but he’ll address that another time.

“Listen, when I said I was down bad,” Jimin lowers his voice, “I meant I need to get laid as soon as possible.”

“Damn, what happened in Paris? Who hurt you?” you frown as you take a big sip of coffee.

“I’ll spill the tea later,” he sighs. Looks like it’s still a touchy subject.

To lift the other boy’s spirit a little, Jungkook pulls up an Instagram page filled with a ton of colorful floral tattoos. If you scroll down enough, you might even find a few pics of his tattoos there too.

“She’s a tattoo artist.” He rolls up his sleeve and points out a few floral pieces that match the style from the Instagram page. “She doesn’t really post pics of herself, but she probably has more tattoos and piercings than me.”

“And she’s hot,” you add in even though that’s already been established.

“I’ll ask if she’s free.” Jungkook pulls up her contact info and shoots her a message. She responds right away.

Jungkook🐍 [11:39AM] “Do you have time for a walk-in today?”

Jungkook🐍 [11:39AM] “I know a guy who’s interested in you”

???🌼 [11:40AM] “😳”

Jungkook🐍 [11:40AM] “interested in your tattoos**”

???🌼 [11:40AM] “😔”

???🌼 [11:41AM] “todays been slow pls send him my way thx”

???🌼 [11:41AM] “tell him he gets a discount if hes cute”

???🌼 [11:41AM] “IM KIDDING PLS DONT TELL HIM THAT ILL GET CANCELED”

“Yeah she’s free right now,” Jungkook says, trying to keep a straight face. “I’ll give you the address to her studio.”

“Ooh, perfect,” you squeak at Jimin who still doesn’t look completely sold on the whole thing. “You can scout it out as soon as we’re done here.”

“Wait, are you sure it’s okay? I know I said I needed this asap, but I’m mostly here to visit you,” he says.

“Well, now that you’re back from overseas, we can hang out anytime. I’m not going anywhere,” you assure him, downing the rest of your coffee. You’re such a good friend. “And besides, it could be life-changing sex waiting for you at the tattoo shop.”

Jimin nods at your encouragement. “Alright, you’ve convinced me. I’ll go.”

“Good.” You slide your ass right over Jungkook’s lap to get out of the booth. He’d be lying if he said he didn’t lean into it a little. “Be right back. I drank too much liquid.”

With you off to the bathroom, Jungkook sits alone across from the other boy. It always gets awkward when the mutual friend disappears. What are they supposed to talk about now that you’re gone?

“So… are you two, like, dating…?” Jimin wastes no time in addressing the elephant in the room. “Y/N always avoids the question whenever I ask.”

“What makes you ask?” The question is mostly to stall time until you get back, but Jungkook is also curious to know what you’ve said about him.

“The way she talks about you makes it seem like you guys are married,” he chuckles. Wow, he has a charming eye smile too. Jungkook would’ve been threatened by that level of charm, but he seems to have already let go of that feeling. “She told me you’re raising a kitten together and that you’re always scolding or spoiling it like a true dilf—her words, not mine. She won’t shut up about how you’ll make a good dad one day.”

At least he knows where the dilf propaganda comes from now. He’ll admit it’s a lot more wholesome than he thought. You really do just gush about him to your best friend. Maybe you feel the same way he does when it comes to this unestablished relationship between you and him.

Maybe you also want something more.

When you return, you finish up your food, split the bill, and send Jimin on his way to the tattoo studio. Hopefully, it goes well for him. Not because Jungkook is worried the other boy might turn around and try something funny on you, but because he wants any friend of yours to experience the same type of feelings he feels when he’s with you. Damn. He wasn’t expecting to get all gushy this weekend, but he’s not going to fight it either.

“What’d you guys talk about while I was in the bathroom?” you ask on the way back to the car.

“Not much,” Jungkook shrugs. “Just about you calling me a dilf.”

“Oh no, I feel so exposed,” you whine in your favorite sarcastic tone. Then you turn to him and bat your lashes. Brat. “Am I wrong, though?”

a/n: okay i dont normally put notes like this at the end of my fics, but im gonna tease a potential jimin spinoff💖 lmk what you guys think!

⛓️pairing: model!jimin x tattooartist!reader

⛓️genre: smut, fluff, fwb2l, possible angst (??)

⛓️summary: After breaking up with your on-and-off boyfriend for hopefully the last time, an old fling sends his handsome model friend to your tattoo studio. And apparently, he’s as done with love as you are.

⛓️warnings: jimin & oc are both heartbroken and starved for sex (as you might have noticed from this drabble lol), oc is an actual baddie with tattoos everywhere and a belly piercing, there will be a lot more warnings if i decide to go through with this!

#bts smut #jungkook smut #bts fanfic #bts scenarios #bts imagines #jungkook fanfic #jungkook x reader #bts x reader #bts fluff #bts college au #nerd jungkook

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riaarivic · 1 year

Text

HATE 11: DAECHWITA (M) I MYG x F!reader

🌙 Pairings YoongixReader

🌙 Genres Mafia!AU, Smut, Angst, Action, Thriller, Enemies to lovers

🌙 Rating 18+ minors DNI

🌙 Summary You were an INTERPOL Agent assigned to infiltrate the depths of the most powerful Gang in South Korea: The Seven Moons. Your objective: to impersonate the daughter of one of their leaders and destroy the operation from within. That is, if they don't discover you first.

And Traitors won’t have the mercy of a quick death

🌙 PLEASE READ Warnings For this chapter: This chapter has mentions of self harm, mental illness, human trafficking and torture. I want to clarify that there is no SA in this story at all and it won't be. But as I always say This is a mafia au, and organized crime is not all handsome boys and nice cars. This chapter and the next one are DARK.

So, if any of this triggers you, see you on chapter 12. Don't worry, you'll still understand the story. But no, this is not a filler chapter.

🌙 A/N At no time do I (the author) encourage this activity in real life, it is important that you know that the criminal acts in this book are that, a crime, as well as harmful to health and should not be romanticized. This is all a work of fiction for entertainment purposes.

Love, Ria

🌙 Chapter wordcount 5k (the longest one yet)

🌙 Series Index

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

HATE 11: DAECHWITA

I got lots to lose

Shove the past into a rice chest

I'm about to dine on what I know is mine

Tap...

You were jolted awake by the water dripping from the leak above you, your head still foggy from the drugs they had given you.

The sound of voices outside the door caught your attention.

Although your knowledge of Wu was limited, you managed to pick out the words "merchandise" and "not her."

A million things rushed in your imagination.

If you weren't so weak you would laugh as you recalled your last conversation with Emmet, your partner, the night before leaving.

🌙 🌙 🌙 🌙 🌙 🌙 🌙

"The Seven Moons clan only deals in guns and drugs. Their leader thinks human trafficking is beneath them." The irony of a criminal mastermind with 'ethics' was not lost on you.

“But they have the angels” you questioned, confused.

“The angels are to the Seven Moons, what you are to INTERPOL: Employees. They are free to leave when they want. Park Jimin values loyalty over fear.” He explained to you.

Emmet, you truly hated that bastard.

But now laying down on a mattress probably dirtier than the floor below it, you wondered if you will ever see him again.

🌙 🌙 🌙 🌙 🌙 🌙 🌙

You heard the voices outside getting closer to the room you were in. The door opened to reveal three men all dressed in black, with no visible clan tattoos.

They lifted your body, moving you up to a set of stairs.

You started to feel tired again.

The clouds of drug infused sleep started to blur your brain and vision.

The last thing you saw was a room you passed.

A pair of terrified eyes looked right back at you.

They looked young.

Too young to be trapped in this hell.

Your vision went dark again.

And you were dreaming.

🌙 🌙 🌙 🌙 🌙 🌙 🌙

You gazed at the full moon glowing ominously behind the high walls of the family compound. Kim Dohan was hosting a lavish party tonight, no doubt greasing the palms and egos of politicians and police officials alike.

Then there were you to the untrained eye you were just a snob heiress who wouldn’t be bothered with the clansmen’s business. But you were watching everything on a far corner, collecting information, names, counting bodyguards and every other piece of intel that you will later report to your team.

A rustle in the bushes behind you caught your attention. You smiled, recognizing the familiar footsteps. "You know, for a crime syndicate that prides itself on secrecy and security, sneaking in and out of here is child's play, to you."

Suga emerged from the shadows, his usual smirk pulling at the corner of his lips. "You seemed to be lost in thought. Anything I should know about?" He asked in a teasing tone.

You shook your head, allowing your hair to curtain your face. "Just reflecting on your father's hypocrisy and wondering how a man so violently opposed to 'low people' businesses has no qualms about bribing and corrupting public officials."

Suga laughed, a rich throaty sound that made your heart skip a beat. "You know there's nothing my father hates more than irony and hypocrisy. If only he had your gift for seeing them so clearly, pretty flower"

Your breath caught at his last word. You knew you were playing a dangerous game, hiding in plain sight. But in moments like this, you couldn't help but wonder if Suga had already seen through your disguise.

And if he had, what game was he playing?

Because there’s one thing you had in common with every criminal in this room.

You were a liar.

To each and every person who was there.

Starting with Suga, who was starting to warm up places in your heart you thought were forever frozen.

You had lied.

To everyone.

But especially to yourself.

🌙 🌙 🌙 🌙 🌙 🌙 🌙

“Wake up, pretty girl! We have a special delivery just for you.”

You opened your eyes to the sound of the door bursting open and two men entering the room.

The heavy footsteps of combat boots echoed in the room. The first man kneeled in front of you “The boss said to leave her face untouched” the man's husky voice spoke as he ran his hand over your cheek, you furrowed your eyebrows and pulled back “And rightly so, with a face like that. No wonder she has the two most powerful Moons right at her feet “.

You realized they were speaking Korean now.

The other man let out a sinister laugh “too bad we can’t have fun with her.” Your breath caught in your throat, you couldn't move and you were well aware you couldn’t defend yourself. Your heart was pounding as if it wanted to burst out of your chest and the blood felt frozen in your veins.

“Poor thing, she's terrified. I honestly thought that the fiancée of Kim DoHan's heir would put up a little more resistance.” The first man added clicking his tongue.

“Take off these ropes you have me tied up with and you'll see how I'll resist you, you fucking coward” Your own voice felt unknown, both men burst out laughing.

“I love it when they talk like that, don't you? Apparently Daddy's girl wasn't taught manners in private school” the man slapped you in the face, leaving you completely stunned “What's the matter, don't you want to talk anymore?”

You spit out some blood “You're a dead man. Do you know what the price is for messing with the Seven Moons clan? They are going to find you and when he does… you're going to wish they gives you a quick death”

Now the other man kicked you, giving you a swift blow to the stomach. Making you feel all the air leave your lungs. Your eyes stung from tears wanting to fall.

“Oh, pretty girl. That's exactly what I want. The clan princess is in danger and her princes will come to the rescue... all the Moons in one place. That's extremely valuable, don't you think?” You were terrified.

That’s what they wanted.

You were the bait.

And the Seven Moons were running directly to the trap.

You felt stronger now, the effect of the drugs were wearing off. You knew you could take the first man’s gun and escape. Save yourself and save them.

Them.

Suddenly the memory of the young pair of eyes you saw downstairs comes back to your mind.

You couldn’t save them if you left.

So you made your choice.

You’ll stay, and hope you could stay alive at least long enough to save them.

With a swift move you clashed your head into the second man's head. Leaving confused for a second.

“That was a mistake, pretty girl.” the second man grabbed you by your hair “I would tell you that this is going to hurt you more than me, but we both know it's a lie.”

You felt a hit on your head and your vision went dark again.

🌙 🌙 🌙 🌙 🌙 🌙 🌙

Suga strode into the dimly lit warehouse, his shoes clicking on the concrete floor. In the shadows, he spotted a familiar figure sitting calmly on a wooden crate, smoking a cigarette.

What once was one of the most beautiful faces of Korea.

Now stared back at him scarred from the flames of the fire 20 years ago.

In all honesty, he never thought he would see his mother’s eyes ever again.

But here he was.

"If I knew it was going to be so easy finding you, I would have probably done it two decades ago," he said dryly “I wouldn't have tried the ouija board that time when I was 11” He was joking, but his words tasted like venom in his mouth.

His mother exhaled a plume of smoke. "You were not ready then." His mother didn't flinch. "I'm not so easy to find, my son," she replied, her voice soft and low. "You are here, because I let you find me."

"Where is she?" Suga demanded.

"Patience. I have raised you better than that." She rose and walked toward him, her heels echoing in the empty space. "Before I tell you, there are things you must know. Things about your father, things about…"

“I’m sorry to stop your bedtime story. But I have no time for a happy family reunion.” Suga’s jaw clenched. "I don't care about the past or dark family secrets. All I want is Nari."

“My son. Some secrets are worth dying for.” His mother sighed. "You arrogant boy. The secrets I hold are the only things keeping you and that girl alive." She flicked her cigarette to the floor and crushed it under her stiletto heel. “A war is coming. And it is time for you to rise and take your birth right.”

Suga felt like the ground had dropped out from under him. "What are you saying?"

“The Seven Moons Clan is yours to take.” she finally confessed. “and Kim Dohan will do everything in his power to keep you away from it. Like starting a clan war for the second time. But I won't make the same mistake twice, I will kill the devil himself.”

“The Jade Dragon… is it you?”

“Yes" Suga's blood froze in his veins, how much more did he not know "I am the one who sent those gifts to Kim Dohan. Using an old enemy rising from hell to scare him… and manipulate his son”

“Why?” he felt the air leaving his lungs.”Why did you take her?”

“I didn’t. The Devil did. He’s moving his cards too, he wants to turn the streets of Seoul red with blood again.” She moved to be right in front of Suga raising her hand to caress his chin “The death of a princess is reason enough to start a war.”

“I will kill him with my own bare hands first.” Suga said, eyes dark with hate.

“That is exactly what he wants. Go save her. The Lilly is in an abandoned car factory just outside the city limits. The one that belonged to your grandfather” Pushing Suga towards the door “Go and come back, there is so much you need to know.”

He wasn’t listening anymore.

The rush of blood pumping in his ears sounded like a thunderstorm inside him.

Hell was about to break loose.

And he would be the one to open the door.

🌙 🌙 🌙 🌙 🌙 🌙 🌙

Your whole body ached and your cheeks were soaked with tears that kept falling.

Or was it blood on your face?

You closed your eyes and thought of home.

That beach in Busan.

And for a second, you no longer were in that room but in one of your few happy memories she had as a child with your parents.

You closed your eyes and remembered the waves.

You no longer knew if it had been hours or days, your consciousness came and went, you could hardly move and you could see hideous bruises all over your body. You were sure you had at least one broken rib because of how hard it was for you to breathe.

Out of nowhere there was a commotion on the other side of the door, screaming, banging and things falling everywhere.

But you were too weak to get up to investigate.

Or care.

If they wanted to come and kill you, let them do it.

You could hear some gunshots in the distance,

had they come looking for you?

Your answers came fast, when suddenly the door opened again.

Suga was standing in the doorway covered in blood and ashes from head to toe while holding a katana in his hand. Watching you in that state, The expression in his eyes went from surprise to immense sadness and then back to anger.

He dropped the sword and threw himself on the ground next to you, taking your face in his hands very carefully “Who did this to you?” Your panicked expression told Suga that you didn't recognize him.

He began to examine you realizing they had tortured you, bruising every inch of your body. And if he had not completely lost his sanity before, now he felt an almost animalistic fury, but he could not explode in front of you in that state “Nari, my Lily, listen to me. I am going to take you away from here. You are safe, I’m here now.”

“The g-girl.” your voice cracked barely a whisper “downstairs”

“Shh, pretty flower. You did well, they are safe too.”

Jhope’s choked a scream when he arrived at the door and saw you. He could not believe what he was seeing. There wasn't an inch of your body that wasn't hurt, probably if Suga hadn't been with you Hoseok wouldn't have recognized you.

“Take her home, Hoseok, right now!” Suga’s order sounded almost demonic. He got up, picked up the sword and left the room. He didn't want to leave you alone in that state but first, he had to make those responsible for hurting you pay.

He craved retribution.

In the only form of violence and blood.

His brothers stood at the door all with shocked and pained faces, none of them imagined they would find her in that state.

Jungkook felt his eyes water when he saw your figure being carried by JHope.

“Is she… alive?” Jimin stifled a scream by holding his hand to his mouth. He had never seen someone so badly hurt... much less a woman.

“Barely,” Jhope whispered.

Jin ran to help his brother so he could get you out of the place. Even Taehyung had both fists clenched from the rage he felt as he watched you pass by.

Namjoon fell wordlessly to the ground on his knees, he could never look at you in the face again.

Guilt wasn’t enough.

This had gotten out of hand, he knew when the leader of the triads had called him to tell him that the van you were in had been intercepted.

This had not been his doing.

But it was Namjoon's responsibility.

“I want you to know that when I'm done here I'm going to come after you and I'm going to make you take every hit and every wound she has” Suga spat at Namjoon, voice filled with venom.

“You are the only one responsible for all this and even if I can't kill you, your biggest punishment will be to see her face and have to carry what you did to her... for the rest of your life.” Suga walked away towards the upstairs where the Clan’s men had captured the people inside.

Later, he would deal with Namjoon.

He had more important things to take care of now.

Suga hadn't earned the nickname Monster just because he had a scar over his eye.

Even if he had shown you the gentle side of his soul.

The monster really existed, it was part of him whether he wanted it or not and tonight he was thirsty for revenge.

He was thirsty for blood.

And nothing was going to stop him until he got it.

The smell of gasoline, fear and burnt bodies permeated the air.

Suga circled the two men tied to chairs like a shark sensing blood in the water. Behind him, Jhope leaned against the wall, rolling his eyes at the pathetic display.

“I’m going to ask you nicely one more time,” Suga said softly. “Who do you work for?”

The men kept their lips stubbornly sealed, refusing to meet his gaze.

“Have it your way.” Suga snapped his fingers. Two of his men stepped forward and pressed lit cigarettes into the men’s skin. A sickening sizzle filled the room, accompanied by howls of pain.

Jhope’s face twisted in disgust, he surely hated this part of the job. “Looks like pain is not going to break these pieces of trash.”

“You’re right,” Suga agreed. “I’m glad we kept some of the shit they were giving Nari. Maybe a little bit of their medicine would make them talk to us”

After a few more minutes of ‘persuasion,’ the younger man broke down into sobs. “We were just shipping merchandise when the boss told us to grab the girl! We swear we know nothing else!”

Suga crouched in front of him, his handsome face transformed into a demonic mask. “Merchandise? You refer to human beings as merchandise? You fucking bastard” His hand shot out and gripped the man’s crotch, twisting cruelly. The man screamed.

“We're going to die anyway!” the other man shrieked. “The Devil...he wants you dead. He's planning to kill your brothers and take control of the whole territory. He says you're a threat to his power, the true heir..." His words dissolved into whimpers as Suga's gaze turned molten.

“Our father wants to kill us?” J Hope scoffed. "As if we haven’t heard that one before." He examined his nails. "Are you done lying?"

Suga straightened, his expression granite. "He 's not liying."

“What do you mean he’s not lying, hyung?” Jhope’s expression changed completely as he felt his heart dropping to his stomach.

“I’m saying that our father wants to kill us.” The older man responded face dark and devoid of any emotion “Come with me hope-ah. I need you to meet my mother.”

“Please, tell me you are not dragging me again to play Ouija with you”

“She’s alive, you asshat.” Suga answered leaving Jhope completely dumbfounded.

“Somehow that feels worse.” Jhope followed his brother. His men dragged the two prisoners out the back. Seconds later, the flames finished their job erasing any evidence of what happened that night.

🌙 🌙 🌙 🌙 🌙 🌙 🌙

Seven Moons Mansion, outskirts of Seoul, South Korea.

Tap.

Drops of water fell from the shower and filled the bathtub.

But you couldn't hear any of it.

You weren't sure how many pills you had taken today, but they hadn't been enough to even slightly ease the pain you still felt throughout your body.

But they had been enough to disconnect your mind from the place where you were.

In your mind, you were on the beach of your memories.

The soft waves broke under your feet, far away was the storm that had taken everything in its path. On that beach there was no pain, no war, no missions, no clans, no .....

You couldn't even think about that.

You had used that beach as an escape route several times. You would close your eyes for a second on the battlefield before leaving to calm your nerves and imagine the waves and the sand.

That way it was easier to forget that she had an assault rifle in your hands and that you had to defend herself against enemies in a war.

Soldiers don't ask questions...

You hated criminals and murderers with every fiber of your being. But hadn't four years in the army turned you into one too? No matter if you had killed in the name of justice, your hands were also full of blood.

Soldiers who killed others in the name of their country were given a medal on their chest and called heroes.

It's a little late to regret it when you have a rifle in your hand and you're being shot at.

You sank a little deeper into the waters of the beach.

Looking up and the sky, it was no longer completely blue, you could hear the thunder of an approaching storm.

Or was it gunshots?

“Park, open your eyes dammit! We are under attack. Call for reinforcements, we must get out of here.” The voice of her squadron captain brought you out of your thoughts, you were in the middle of an ambush. It had all happened so fast, you had entered an abandoned warehouse to release a group of civilians who had been kidnapped by terrorists.

It ended up being a trap...

A fragmented grenade came through one of the windows and the explosion was so loud that you almost lost consciousness. But you were able to drag your team members under some debris to protect you and them.

You didn't know who fired first, but at the end of the day Y/n Park had been decorated by her officers with a purple heart, for saving her entire unit.

For annihilating the enemy.

You dunked your head in the water on the beach.

Calm, that was what you needed to ease your pain.

A little calm...

Tap.

The water in the tub had begun to overflow and was pouring out the bathroom door.

The mixture of the drugs in your blood and the tiredness you felt throughout your body caused you to begin to fall asleep. You did not feel when your lungs began to burn from lack of oxygen, nor did you hear when they broke down the door to get you out.

Arms pulled you out of the water and you felt a body collide against a chest sitting on the floor.

“Nari, hey, Lee Nari. Wake up please don't do this to me.” a desperate voice was trying to bring her back to consciousness, but she didn't want to go back “How many pills did you take? Hope, tell me what’s this shit is and how do we get it out of her system, Fucking hurry!”

The voices sounded like distant echoes to you, you closed your eyes again and now yo were in another place.

The echo of a leak and the smell of dampness made her recognize the place.

Footsteps.

Punches.

A pair of eyes.

You couldn't defend Yourself, you didn't want to,

If you resisted they would save them too.

So you left to your beach.

Everything was going to be allright...

Right?

You just had to stop swimming.

The storm had arrived and the shadow of a dragon could be seen in the clouds through the moonlight.

The Moons.

Yoongi.

Had he found you?

The image of a bloody man with a sword in his hand flashed through your mind. But that couldn't be Yoongi, could it?

No, that person was a monster.

But wasn't she too?

You felt a sharp pain in your chest and a strong heat spreading through your veins, flames coursing through your whole body forcing you to wake up, bringing you back to reality.

You didn't want to, but you opened your eyes again and you were no longer on her beach. You were in your room in the Seven Moons mansion, surrounded by the worried and anguished faces of all their young leaders.

All but one; Namjoon wasn’t there.

Suga hugged you tightly again terrified that if he let you go you would leave again “Shit Nari, don't ever, ever, ever do something stupid like that again. We almost lost you..”

Almost.

You weren’t sure of that.

“Let me go. I can’t breathe” Your voice sounded hoarse in your throat, the curious eyes with which you looked at Suga were now devoid of any emotion.

As empty as you felt.

The man straightened his posture “All right, I’ll let you go. But you are going to listen to me now, you are going to eat, you are going to leave the IV on and you are not going to leave this room, if you want to go to the bathroom one of us will accompany you, understood?”

“I didn't know I was a prisoner now." you said expressionless.

They had broken you, that could be seen for miles, they had damaged you beyond repair.

They had broken your being and lost the pieces along the way.

And Suga knew he couldn't repair the damage they had done.

But fuck him, he was going to try.

“Damn it Nari, you almost killed yourself in there! I understand, I understand you. I know how much it hurts and I would like to do something to help you but this is not the way. Taking a cocktail of sedatives strong enough to put a fucking horse to sleep for two weeks... is not the answer” his voice cracked at the last part “They're dead Nari, all of them. They're never going to hurt you again. I swear on my life.”

“Your life will be too short then…” you said “You keep calling me by my name, you've never called me by my name before, should I call you by yours?” the man made a pained expression at her words and pulled back a little.

He needed some breathing space too. He knew what they had done to you was going to change you, he knew how deeply they had hurt you and even after a week had passed back in the house, he knew that time was not enough.

But seeing you like that, the guilt, suffocated him completely.

“You're right, you're my Lily and you're going to let me take care of you, whether you like it or not. So leave the damn IV on and then go eat” He got up from the bed and left the room but not before ordering the youngest of his brothers not to leave your room for anything in the world.

He also told him that he would cut off his balls and make a pearl necklace out of them if he left you alone for a single second.

But you didn't have to listen to that.

Message received 3:30AM: Unknown

Agent y/n, contact me immediately.

The mission has been breached.

Your identity is compromissed.

Someone has betrayed us.

Message deleted 3:31AM

Oh fuck.

🌙 🌙 🌙 🌙 🌙 🌙 🌙

Well hello,

This chapter... How can I begin. I love this chapter but I know its dark, i want to clarify to you, reader, that even if torture was mentioned (a few times now) there is absolutely no metion of sa.

I've been reading and rewriting this chapter because I honestly don't want anyone feeling uncomfortable or offended. At the end of the day we're all here for entertainment, release and fun.

But this chapter is pivotal for the climax of the story, yes we are getting close to it. And yes, this story is dark.

Some things I want to clarify: First: Reader character served in the Marines before being an INTERPOL agent. It is mentioned in chapter two.

Nari means lily in korean. When I write Nari I mean the reader's code name and when I write Lily i mean the flower. Take note of this.... this will be important later 👀

I'm sorry I took so long.

It's been a month..... and yeah 💀

Thank you so much for showing love to this story, writing is my release and it makes me so happy to see other people enjoying what I write. Love you all,

Ria

Tag List @drunkzseok@allamericanuniverse@catlove83@baby-cherry@officialholyagua @goldendenstudies @kristelll-inluv

If you want to join the tag list. You can coment this post or send me an ask!

#bts fanfic #bts smut #bts suga #bts imagines #bts #bts mafia au #yoongi #yoongi smut #bts au #bts yoongi

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