Rented Hearts | Jjk

to build a home | chapter one

pairing: Jungkook x reader. ceo!jk + dilf!jk x nanny!oc

genre: strangers to lovers. angst. loads of plot. eventual smut

word count: 6.8k (y’all need context okay)

warnings: oof. oof. buckle up. angst, loads of angst! (im sorry), touches on subjects such as: depression (hints), postpartum depression, abandonment, mild prescription medication talk, loads of jk crying :(, loads of crying baby :(, swearing

author’s note: hi! this is a very self-indulgent storyline that sort of came to me and I just had to put thought into paper. well, I ended up really liking the plot and my mind started going places and now it’s all I can think about. i do have to say it’s going to be a bit of a slow burn but! not like this chapter though – this chapter had to be informative to set the context. my mans jk did not suffer for nothing! i hope cute baby / loving dad jk made up for all the angst in this! also! It’s gonna get sexy, ~sexy so just u wait! also! I don’t have a set schedule but this story is coming to me in heavy bursts of inspiration so I might be whipping chapters left and right (cross ur fingers). also! (the last one, promise) I hate Ira too :)

This is a work of fiction. Please respect the members and their privacy. x

Chapter One

The digital clock on the console of his car marks six thirty pm on the dot. It makes Jungkook’s gaze shift to the sky – a synchronicity so perfect the sun begins to set right upon his eyes. Spring is easing into Summer and he can’t wait for the longer days and shorter nights the hot season bestows.

“We need one last look-over the contracts to finalize. I think the visit this weekend will finally see us wrapping this up. And then inauguration one month from now.” Seokjin’s voice fills the enclosed space of Jungkook’s car, a slight echo to his voice coming from the speakers.

“Sounds good, hyung. Good work.” He tells his cousin, right hand and the COO of his company.

“Hey, is Ira coming this weekend?” He asks. His question leaves Jungkook wondering. He assumes she will.

“Haven’t discussed it yet, could be good for her though. We can make a getaway of it.” He replies, head already swimming with ideas of how refreshing a family trip could be for the three of them.

“Alright, kid. Send my love.” Seokjin says, making him let out a light chuckle, before the line goes silent.

In the road ahead, the sun resumes its steady descend. His home comes to view at the very end of the street, the colours of the sky dancing against the sleek white walls. It’s been a long day and he’s tired. Now more than ever, with the inauguration of the new addition to his chain of hotels nearing, he craves the grounding feeling of being home – two familiar faces awaiting. One full of unconditional love.

He parks his cls next to hers, the sleek white shade contrasting against his black one. Grabbing his phone and keys from the cup holder, he exits the car, climbing the steps to his front door and inserting the code that unlocks it.

Home. He takes pride in the need he holds for it, how much he craves it, how much he wants to be the backbone of the one he built. The idea of family gets morphed when you’re brought into an immeasurable amount of wealth. His parents, although good intentioned, lacked the warmth he so badly wants to install in his own roots.

He wants his daughter to grow up in a house that doesn’t look like a showroom, a distinctive smell swarming its spaces, one she’ll hold in the back of her memory until she has kids of her own. Home, never lacking the coziness a touch of love can bring a space, no matter how vast. He wants her mother to be half of that love, more than anything. Because he wants that love for her, more than anything.

He heads upstairs, the house eerily quiet. It’s two hours to bed time and he assumes Ira is winding Soori down for the night.

He reaches the top of the stairs and begins walking down the long corridor, passing a room, then two, until he finally reaches Soori’s nursery. The door is wide open and as he steps in, he sees Ira standing in front of her crib, back to him, almost hovering. He sees Soori fast asleep, blanket covering her tiny body, pacifier moving gently to the in and out of her suckling, a tight grip on her favorite giraffe plushie on her chubby baby fist.

“Hey, beautiful.” He says to Ira, though she doesn’t move from the place he found her in. “Why is she asleep so early? Fun day?” He asks, voice filled with hope. He pictures the two of them by the warm sun, basking in the easiness of the season. They’ve been introducing Soori to the water – the idea of the two of them splashing in the big pool pulling his lips upwards in a soft smile.

It doesn’t linger, the smile. Ira turns around, a sombre look to her face, unable to hold his gaze for more than a second as she redirects her eyes to the floor.

“Jungkook…,” She begins, voice barely a whisper, but ever so stern.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” He asks, approaching her, instinctively resting his hands on her arms before they come up as she holds herself, bracing her front.

“I booked a job. In New York.” She says, eyes finally meeting his.

“Ahh! That’s great! That’s amazing, Ira.” Jungkook says, pulling her into a hug she doesn’t return. He knows how badly she’s been craving this. A breakthrough, a taste of independence – the power of knowing she could hold all titles whilst still being mom. “We can make a trip of it! We could all go.” He muses, excitement lacing his voice as he pulls away, eyes scanning for hers.

“It’s this weekend-” She begins, but his words bring hers to a halt.

“Ah, I have that business trip but hey, you take the plane, alright?” Jungkook knows how much Ira hates flying. Long haul flights doing a thing to her nerves that require a dose or two of her therapist’s strongest prescription drug. This all comes ironically, considering her title – It girl, world-renowned model, Ira Sommersmith.

“No, Jungkook. No.” She says, arms coming to rest at her sides, pushing his hold on them away as she takes one step back, creating distance between them. The action is loud to Jungkook, the emotional space between them being too much to bear for his heart and her actions breaking it all over again.

“Bab-” He stops himself, the pet name fresh on his tongue, remembering how she’s come to despise it as Jungkook began adapting it to Soori, too. “Ira.” He says, his voice a plead, a prayer. He doesn’t know what the prayer entails but he’ll start mentally chanting it, bracing himself for impact.

“I’m leaving, Jungkook. I need to- I need to go. For good.” Her voice lacks hesitation, no pause. He simply stares at her, dumbfounded, numb to the effect his body is taking, cold sweats breaking through him. “I’m sorry. This is- you play this role too well, Jungkook. I just can’t seem to follow the script.”

“It’s not a role.” Jungkook says, voice a whisper that makes his words hard to grasp to Ira, but she knows what he said. She knows he would say that. She takes him in, takes one last long look at his face before it breaks her. She’s not scared of backing down from her plan, she’s scared of seeing his eyes full of heart look into hers, a lack thereof.

And she can accept it. She can wholeheartedly confess she doesn’t have the heart it takes to become selfless, to give into the three that makes the whole – Jungkook’s line that he’s adapted to bring hope into the immense cloud of blue that fell upon her when it all became too real. When the idea of three became a reality one morning after he’d gone to work and she stared at the mirror, a bump bulging at the center of her otherwise lean physique. Her first thought wasn’t that of excitement but of confusion. It felt foreign and it took her aback so frantically she found herself calling her OB/GYN, voice shaky as she repeated, “it came out of nowhere, I just- I wasn’t showing yesterday…” Her panic was received by a faint laugh on the other line, reassuring her pregnancy had no fixed agenda and that her “little one” had decided to make him or herself known. She waited for the doctor’s words to hit, for the excitement to follow, but it didn’t. What truly broke her came next as the doctor took her silence for something else and ended her discourse with a, “surprise, mama!”

Ira brought her phone down, staring at the screen before abruptly hanging up. She’d hope the doctor would blame it on poor connection.

She went about her day in autopilot, waiting. Waiting for the new curvature her body was taking on to simply be an add on in the sea of hopes that her pregnancy had brought until that very morning. But it never came. It never came, and the tears that would stream down her face late at night when the world slept and the darkness accepted her thoughts as they came, weren’t due to the impatience of her heart longing to love the life she was forming inside of her. They came out of fear it would.

Ira’s heart wasn’t fragile. Quite the opposite – it lacked the fragility it requires to love unconditionally.

When Soori came into the world, she made her entrance kicking and screaming. Ira understood; the overwhelm of the space was getting to her, too. At least on that they could agree. Her wails filled the room and muffled her hearing, everything in slow motion as shock set upon her. The pain between her legs from delivering her minutes prior subsided as numbness took over. She could hear her cries nearing and she finally came out of her trance the moment the nurse placed Soori on top of her chest. She looked down at her, arms coming up to hold her tiny frame in place. And when she did, dense silence filled the room as she found comfort in her mother’s arms and her cries came to a rest, opening her eyes for the first time. Ira looked down once again and understood the meaning of unconditional love. Soori was warm against her and that’s when she knew she’d never be able to reciprocate said love. Cold shivers ran down every corner of her body, settling into her heart. She understood it, but she couldn’t feel it.

“I’m sorry,” she says again, “I tried.” The last words fade away as she turns around, taking one last look at her daughter, a part of her tries again, focusing on the heartstrings of her soul, waiting for the pull. Nothing comes and she closes her eyes, breathing in, knowing that'd be the last time she'd take in her daughter. She turns around, looking at Jungkook for a split second. He’s frozen in place, gaze lost, fixated on the pastel pink wall in front of him, unable to look at her. “Goodbye, Jungkook. You-,” she can’t tell if he’s listening but she finishes anyway, “you were good to me. Okay? You-,” she needs to get out of there, now. “Goodbye.” And with that, she leaves. Past the door of the nursery, not a beat behind, without second guessing. She leaves and doesn’t turn back to witness Jungkook’s world coming to a slow, quiet shatter. The sort of silence that settles into your bones uncomfortably.

His world stops and, in the numbness, he becomes hyperaware of his senses. He doesn’t miss her steps down the corridor and back, the sound of wheels against the floor distinct this time, down the stairs and finally, he hears the front door close.

Soori stirs behind him, a faint whine leaving her mouth as she begins to wake up.

~

Jungkook’s legs feel heavy, glued to the floor, and his eyes haven’t left that spot on the wall they fixated in when he realized that watching Ira leave would make it all that more painful. And so, he stands there, mind empty yet hazy with incoherent thoughts he can’t puzzle together. An ominous cloud fills the space as the sun finally sets and the room goes dark around him. For a minute, Jungkook basks in a thought surprisingly comforting: the worst thing has already happened. It takes him in and cradles him as he goes with that narrative.

It doesn’t last long. Soori’s cries from behind him sound distant, faint, for the briefest of seconds before they fully snap Jungkook out of his trance. His baby. He turns around and sees her little figure propped up against the bars of her crib, looking up at him, pacifier hanging from the string that attaches it to her sleeping gown. Her eyes are red and glassy with tears and he wonders for how long she’s been crying.

“Hey, hey…,” his voice is gentle, a soft coo as he reaches for Soori, flushing his chest to hers once he has her in his arms. His free hand coming up to cradle her head as he softly sways back and forth, “it’s okay, baby. I’m here… I’m here.”

Her crying comes to a halt but she fusses in his arms, little whines escaping her mouth as Jungkook settles into the rhythm he knows she finds soothing. It’s then that it dawns upon him – his brief encounter with comfort was a lie his brain told his heart. Delusion a form of survival. His hold on Soori’s head tightens a bit, almost as if to ease the impact his thoughts might have on her. The worst is yet to come. His tears fall freely now, fear and uncertainty tugging at his chest in a way that takes him aback with how physically painful it is. His hands shake and his legs feel weak, like they won’t be able to hold him, or the burden that settles through him for much longer.

He gives in before they give out, slowly lowering his legs as they cross until he can finally feel the soft fabric of the carpet underneath him. Soori’s tears release yet again the moment the swaying stops, the new position on the floor in her father’s arms making her even more restless. He holds her, whispering a string of sorry, sorry, sorry against her ear as he brings her soft cheek flush to his until their tears form an even stream of droplets falling down their faces, settling uncomfortably on their necks.

He loses track of time and he can feel, ever so distinctively, as his spirit weakens by the minute. Mind still in that haze that makes it hard to distinguish between an empty mind and a racing one. He can’t find the words and as soon as his worries fixate on one thing in particular, he swerves around it. Not really letting his brain linger on just one to nit-pick, instead preferring the overwhelm of them all combined, thrown at him together. He rather not know what exactly scares him the most about this situation.

Usually enticed by challenge, this one finds him unwilling. He wants nothing more than to lower his whole body to the floor, hold his baby and close his heavy lids until he falls into a deep slumber. But he knows he can’t. Soori can’t stay still. Soori crawls. Soori is small but mighty and it would take her a matter of minutes to find her way to the stairs. Soori’s cries bounce on the walls, getting louder and louder. He wonders if she had her night bottle. Soori nibbles on her hand the way she’s come to do as she teethes, face scrunched up in discomfort. Soori needs him.

Soori came into the world kicking and screaming and with a healthy shade of pink adorning her tiny body that finally made Jungkook release the breath he’d been holding from the moment he could see her head from his position next to Ira as he held her hand. His first thought was how small she was, he couldn’t shake the fear of having her in his arms, wondering if she’d fit just right. Her cries restored something inside of him he’d long lost when he was very young and the harshness of the world tumbled down upon him, stripping him of an innocence he knew he’d want his daughter to carry for as long as she could. The overwhelm in his heart when he cut her umbilical chord was the sweetest he’d experience; and when she was finally placed in her mother’s chest and he could allow the world to slow down around him to take in his daughter for the first time, he made an unspoken vow. Love would always be stronger. Hope would always prevail. As long as she needed him, those two would be the root of his every action. Strength found its way to a corner of his heart that was growing by the second the more he stared at Soori. He’d take on the bravery of the world so as to make hers softer. And he’d love her in all of his lives.

He gets up, body feeling lethargic but adjusting his grip on his daughter’s body, putting his whole consciousness there. He doesn’t trust his limbs.

“Are you hungry, baby?” He asks her. It’s rhetoric, for various reasons. “Yeah, you are.” He says, even though he’s not sure. He begins the trip towards the kitchen, forcing a mental strain to go about his every step. To wrap around his every thought. To figure out where to go from here.

He reaches the bottom of the stairs, stopping by the living room first to lay her gently on the couch before removing her sleeping gown, setting her free from the restraints and letting her legs kick at him. Her demeanour changed and when he stares into her eyes, slightly envious of how her tears have seemed to dry, she smiles at him. It’s a wide grin that flashes him her two little bottom teeth that are beginning to come through and his heart melts at the sight. His heart hurts but she nurses the wound slowly and he can’t help but smile back at her. It takes him aback at times – how in nine short months he’s come to grow so enamoured with this fun-sized version of a human that demands so much time, attention and energy from him. But it’s moments like these, when she shines light into his dark corners with just a smile, that he understands. She holds more power in her two peeking bottom teeth than half of the things Jungkook thought gave him purpose nine months ago when she made her entrance into the world. Kicking and screaming and pink.

He cradles her in his arms once again as he stands up and positions her to rest at his waist. She instinctively grabs his ear – another one of the habits she’d picked up recently. Jungkook likes knowing he’s able to soothe her, almost mindlessly. Something catches his eye and he recognizes it immediately. Ira’s phone, resting on top of the coffee table. He leans, tapping the screen until it flashes back at him. Her wallpaper is a picture of her and Jungkook, taken three years prior, at the beginning of their relationship. Their happy faces stare back at him – mocking him. He scoffs. Nothing’s funny but he’s laughing because he can’t allow himself a fit of anger right now. And crying sounds too exhausting, his eyes too tired.

It hits him again, not that he needed much confirmation. It hits him that she’s not looking back. It hits him that she left with every intention to not spare them a second glance. It hit him that wherever she is, their realities are so different now. The moment she walked out that door she left nothing and everything that mattered behind. She freed herself from her role and walked steadily into the direction of whatever she deems as freedom. Ira was never one to ease into things. It used to be something that excited him. He looked at her and at times his brain painted flames of fiery orange seeping through her. Bold, confident – fearless.

He stands in front of the kitchen counter, one handing the process of making Soori’s bottle. Eyes lost, not really following the formula as it goes inside the bottle, the water – its temperature. Too hot? No, too cold. He puts it inside the bottle warmer, pushes the button and waits. He asks himself if he’s surprised or just heart broken. Mentally, he shakes the Jungkook from two hours ago and asks him, “did you not see it coming? Were you trying or were you lying to yourself?” The conclusion he draws feels like not enough. He saw it coming, yes. For over a year now he’s felt like the path he’s been walking went from eggshells to shattered glass – unavoidable, painful, way too fucking loud. So, he knew. He knew his feet would give out. He knew she was going to cut through all of him one day. Yet as much knowledge as he held when it came to his situation, he could’ve never seen this coming. He’d imagine their impending doom hitting him in the face eventually. They weren’t married, she could just leave at any moment. She could leave him at any moment. He’d set her free and he’d still give Soori a home, doubled in love to make up for her parent’s distance and the back and forth she’d have to endure. He would’ve tried. More couple’s therapy, individual counselling, all the help he could muster to get from friends and family. Trips to bond, trips to escape. He did all that and he would’ve done more. Because he loved her. He loves her.

He’s not sure when their love became mechanical, a form of habit. Disappointment tends to do that to people, he reckons. But he still did love her and he tried. Not just because of Soori but because of Ira, too. And because of them. Not the three, but the two they used to be. The same two that rest on top of his coffee table, trapped inside a memory forever, unaware of the future ahead but so hopeful. He loved the love they had and so for that reason, he loved her.

The bottle warmer beeps and he takes it out of the sleek looking machine. Soori bounces in his hold, excited. “Come on, missy. Let’s have dinner.” He tells her and she throws some unintelligible baby noises at him.

He heads back to the living room and sits them down on the couch. He props Soori against a pillow and feeds her the bottle. What are we going to do, he thinks, but brushes the thought away. This weight falls on his shoulders and he makes yet another unspoken vow as he stares down at her. He promises her a soft impact, painless whenever it can. He promises to hold her and coax her through it, to ease the burden and to explain with lullabies when the time is right. He stares at her until her eyes flutter, beginning a sleepy dance as she fights to stay awake, holding her feet in her small hands. A silent tear falls down his eyes and that’s the last sight, slightly blurry because of her long eyelashes, between her heavy lids before she falls into a peaceful slumber.

~

He paces around the living room. He paces the way he does when ideas are brewing inside his head at work – new locations, new investors, new partnerships. Ideas, ideas, ideas. He’s good at coming up with them. He’s good at quick solutions to whatever problem might arise – it’s what made his father ease so effortlessly into an early retirement after teaching Jungkook the ins and outs of the so-called empire he now calls his.

Soori sleeps on the couch. The pillow she’d been propped up in now besides her, building a barrier between her body and the soft cushions. He knows she’d be off better in her crib but the idea terrified him, made him feel alone.

Ideas, ideas, ideas yet he can’t come up with a single one. A part of him tells him there’s not much left to do. It tells him that it’s been done. That it’s time to move on with his life, with their lives. But the mere idea of taking the leap – of moving on, finds him scared, confused and shatters him more and more. It also reminds him of the way she so casually walked out, like it didn’t matter. She set flame to the fire and didn’t even linger around long enough to watch it burn. It angers him, her carelessness. He’s not like that, never has been, and he’s not going to start now. He knows forcing himself to move on will only repercuss in him breaking even further in the long run. So, his first idea is to face the reality. But he can’t right now, he feels too alone, too small. He has to push his heroic persona aside and admit defeat. And so he does.

His second idea finds him seeking comfort. He can’t be comfort to Soori if he’s just breaking. He knows he’s going to break; he knows this is just the beginning, but he needs there to be more to it. He retrieves his phone from his back pocket, inhaling loudly as he unlocks it. He needs a friend. He has a couple, another thing he takes pride in, but he knows this situation is way too sensitive. He thinks of Seokjin, his contact the most recent call on his phone, but he quickly diverts. Suelgi, his wife, had grown rather fond of Ira and in a way, she’d become her confidant amidst the whirlwind that was motherhood. He doesn’t feel like delivering news that will require him comforting someone else to that extent – he can barely comfort himself, let alone his friend.

His eyes find Taehyung’s name on the screen, also a recent contact on his call history. Yes, good – this is good. Taehyung is good. Him and Mai have been a constant in Jungkook’s life for as long as he can remember. He’s seen them go from high school sweethearts to a painful college breakup that luckily ended up in them finding their way back to each other. It took Taehyung approximately 37 days to ask her to marry him. He’d never seen two people sport a last name with more pride – The Kims. Nowadays they also go by mom and dad. They’re Soori’s godparents and Jungkook’s best friends. He taps on his contact and the first ring against his ear sounds obnoxiously loud. His head pounds against his skull.

“Yo, you’re on speaker phone!” Taehyung’s voice, enthusiastic as always, fills the speakers. Jungkook stays quiet.

“Ggukie, we were just about to call you!” It’s Mai’s voice on the phone now. “Dae is down for the night and we just popped open that bottle of Don Julio 1942 Tae got after the inauguration of the gallery. He had an early mid-life crisis after Monsters Inc had him shedding tears before bedtime.” Jungkook can hear Taehyung’s gasp of offense at his wife’s confession somewhere in the background. He’s unable to make a sound as Mai continues. “He’s insisting we do something crazy to ‘feel young again’ so shots on a Wednesday it is!” she mocks.

“I…,” Jungkook begins – but where does he even start?

Taehyung grabs the phone from Mai, “come on, tell Irie. Soo can sleep in Dae’s old bassinet.”

“Ira’s gone.” He blurts out. It’s abrupt and probably not the best way to break the news but the pet name breaks him and he doesn’t think he can stay in their bliss for a second longer.

“Gone where?” Taehyung asks innocently and even though his question makes Jungkook’s temple throb in pain he doesn’t pin it against him.

But silence is all he can offer.

“Oh…,” Mai starts – intuitive as ever. Her voice is soft, and already Jungkook releases a bit of tension in his shoulders, knowing she understood. “Oh, Gguk…”

“I just-”

“Come over, Gguk. Or we can go – as you wish. Just say the words.” Mai comforts.

“No, I’ll go. I need to get out of here.” And those are the surest words that leave his mouth that night.

~

He’s gentle with Soori as he straps her into her car seat. She’s a heavy sleeper, just like him, but he still holds his breath as he settles her down and gets her ready for the road. He double checks the diaper bag and when everything ticks off his mental list he heads for the driver’s seat.

Soori sleeps and he tries to focus on the road and just the road. No music on the stereo. Just full focus on what he can see from his windshield as he takes turns on the wide streets of his neighbourhood and mental turns in his head, swerving all the painful thoughts away.

The quiet lasts maybe a total of three minutes before Soori’s wide awake and back to inconsolable crying. She’s not a whiny baby – her demeanour often praised for being so peaceful, big eyes taking in the world around her as she graces it with her softness. But she’s been in and out of sleep, out of schedule, and Jungkook knows she misses Ira.

Because when Ira said she tried, she wasn’t lying. She tried, she did. She breastfed until it was physically painful. She did the exhausting night feeds right alongside Jungkook and then what felt like ten years with no rest as Soori was sleep training. She gave her baths, took her to Thursday brunch with her friends, read her books before bedtime. When they took weekend trips to get away from routine, Ira got this aura about her – something bordering on happiness that she carried so effortlessly. It would leave Jungkook hopeful – but his hopes would crash the moment they settled back home. Her therapists’ suggestions for bonding with Soori all made sense to Ira. In fact, they were so good she almost believed them. Sometimes they would have long days in the sun, fun family gatherings where the affection Jungkook’s parents would give Soori would fill her with something that almost felt like pride. They would sit in the grass of their big garden and watch her play with his family dog and a glimpse of hope would knock on the closed doors of her heart. Those days felt so good, but the sun eventually set and the air would feel sombre again as they drove back to their house. Totheir lives. Deep within, Ira wished she could enjoy the day without having to take it back home with her.

The love Ira gave Soori was also mechanical. But Soori didn’t know better – all she saw was love. And warmth. And the smell of her mom’s clothes as she rocked her to sleep. The sound of her voice as she begged her to, ‘please be good. Please don’t cry. I can’t take it anymore,’ when Jungkook would leave and she’d have a whole day ahead of a life that felt like a chore. All Soori heard was lullabies because she doesn’t know better.

“We’re almost there, baby. Shh, Soo. You’re alright, pretty girl.” He says, but he doesn’t think she can hear him with how loudly she’s crying.

Soori misses her mom.

Jungkook cries, too. And, taking advantage of her high-pitched mewls that fill the confined space, he sobs too.

~

Jungkook parks behind Taehyung’s car in their driveway. He grips the steering wheel, afraid the moment his friends take them in it will all become too real. He sits there – Soori’s cries less sporadic this time, almost like she gave up on getting her father’s attention. He opens his door, welcoming the soft breeze inside his car for a brief moment before he’s closing it and heading towards the backseat.

Mai had been standing next to her window for the past fifteen minutes. Heir brain had been running around in circles, wondering how exactly things escalated, how they got to this point. She fears for her friend’s sanity, knowing Jungkook had been walking a thin line for as long as her memory remembers her very own excitement over Soori’s prompt arrival.

She sees his car drive in front of her house, taking a swift turn until he’s finally parked in her driveway. She can’t see much but she can paint a mental picture of Jungkook just sitting there, lost – an expression she’s seen him adapt more and more lately. She perks up at the sight of him but her face falls into a frown the minute she sees him walk back to the backseat.

“What-?” she whispers to herself. “Tae, Gguk is here. With… Soori,” she says, watching her little head come out of the backseat of his car.

“Soori?” Taehyung asks, confusion lacing his voice, a frown adorning his face.

Mai walks quickly to the front door, opening it before Jungkook reaches it. His eyes meet hers and he sighs. He notices her eyes fixated on Soori, who’s own are red and swollen from crying, whimpers still leaving her lips. Her breath is erratic and Jungkook feels her little body jolt as she begins to let out another cry. Mai’s confused expression lets Jungkook know that of course, his friends were expecting Ira to leave him. They were expecting Soori to leave him, too, by pure default. That’s just how the narrative usually unfolds, doesn’t it?

But the narrative isn’t catering to Jungkook’s best interests. Their narrative is far from what you would consider normal.

“Come in, Gguk. What-,” she begins, but opts not to bombard him with the hard questions right away. “Come in.”

Taehyung immediately reaches for Soori who falls into his arms seamlessly. “Hey, princess. Hey, you’re alright Soori girl. Come here.” He coos and she begins to soften at his voice, “that’s a big girl. Stop growing up.” He tells her, his last request a whisper, as he brings her cheek to his, holding her in embrace – comforting her.

Jungkook steps inside their home, its warmth embracing him immediately and he’s glad he came here.

Taehyung and Mai got an unexpected influx of money before Dae was born. The gallery they’d been running attracting a different sort of crowd all of a sudden. The curiosity and modernity of the curation they’d put their hearts and souls (and savings) into attracting a crowd of curious yet wealthy collectors, investors and sole lovers of the craft. One turned into two galleries, then three and now recently, four. They amount their success to the faith of the people, the artists and the consumers and the ones that were simply driven by the passion for it. Mai was seven months pregnant when they upgraded from their small one-bedroom apartment to their four-bedroom, white picket fenced home. The very first materialization of that first taste of big-time money.

The first words she let out when she stepped inside were, “I can’t wait for toys to litter these shiny floors.” And litter them they did, giving it a feel of family Jungkook admired and promised himself his own wouldn’t lack. Ira hated clutter though.

“Let’s sit down, okay?” Mai says calmly, holding onto his arm. His steps are a bit hesitant and wobbly – if she didn’t know better, she’d think he was drunk.

“Okay.” He returns.

Taehyung follows behind him, a quiet Soori nuzzled against his shoulder, breath fanning the crook of his neck that grows steadier within the second. Now more than ever, Jungkook is grateful for the soothing effect he has on her.

He sits down, Mai occupying the spot besides him. Taehyung stays positioned on his feet before them, gently swaying Soori from side to side as her body grows limp, temping sleep.

His head comes forward, gaze fixated on his shoes. He breaks. “She left us. She just… left. Said she’d booked a job in New York. I thought she’d be gone for a week at most. But then she said she’d be gone for good. She,” his words get stuck in his throat, pain unleashing inside of him all over again at the fresh memories, “said she tried. Took one last look at Soori and then just… left.”

As soon as his recollection of the story comes to an end, he realizes just how short it was. His life came to an abrupt stop and then took a 180 degree turn in the span of what Jungkook deems to have been five minutes.

He never wants to utter the words she said again.

He’s crying and Taehyung wants nothing more than to hold him, let him know that it will all be okay. But he’s finding it hard to believe it himself, so he leaves the words of comfort to Mai. His arms instinctively wrap tighter around Soori – heart breaking at the realization she’d been abandoned, too.

“Come here,” Mai says, wrapping her arm around him and letting him cry, head against her shoulder, his own shaking as silent tears spill from his eyes.

“Do you think she’ll come back, Gguk?” Taehyung asks, even though he knows the answer. He’s always found it easier to console after knowing the facts, not believing in the whole ignorance is bliss bullshit.

He shakes his head. His voice is quiet when he says, “No. She left her phone behind, her half of the closet was empty. I’m not even sure it’s New York where she was headed.”

Mai shakes her head in disbelief. Her motherly instincts take on flight or fight mode as she tries to grasp just how someone could do something like that.

“Okay…,” Taehyung begins, sitting down next to him. “Listen to me,” but Jungkook’s gaze is still transfixed to the floor. “Jungkook-ah.”

“Huh?” He says, voice distant, eyes still lost.

“We’ll figure it out. Okay? You and Soori- you’re not alone. We’re here and we’ll figure it out. You’ve got us, the both of you.” Jungkook nods at his friends’ words. Taehyung rests his head on top of his shoulder. He’s grateful for his reassurance, even if he doesn’t fully believe it.

They don’t press on any further, well aware this is not the time to dissect the situation. He lets Mai pull him to his feet. She asks him a couple of questions that he can’t fully follow so he shakes his head at every single one of them. With Soori asleep in Taehyung’s arms, he lets himself disassociate.

He follows Mai up the stairs, Taehyung right behind them. He doesn’t complain when the darkness of their guest bedroom impairs his sight slightly, finding comfort in its density. The feel of the bed against his aching body lulls him into something that almost feels like peace – senses calming down slightly, as if telling him the day has finally come to an end.

Taehyung is detaching Soori from his body, lowering her down towards the bassinet besides the bed. Jungkook jumps from his resting position in the bed, startling Mai who tries holding him back instinctively.

“No. Put her here. She- she needs to sleep with me, she-” His voice is frantic.

“It’s okay, Gguk. Look, she’s here.” Taehyung places her in the bed next to her father who follows the baby’s movement as his own head hits the mattress.

Mai builds a makeshift fort of pillows that surround Soori’s tiny frame, stacking one on top of the other for good measure. She makes a mental note to check up on her throughout the night.

“Baby monitor. Just in case he doesn’t wake up.” Taehyung says, placing one of the devices in the bedside table.

“Tae,” Mai starts but she doesn’t really know where the sentence was going. Shock settles upon her.

“I know.” He says.

“Fuck, Tae. What is he-,” Mai makes sure to hear for Jungkook’s soft snores before she finishes, “Soori’s only nine months old. How could she just leave?”

Taehyung wraps his arm around Mai, bringing her close to his chest as the same fear she’s feeling begins taking over him, too. He shakes his head. “I don’t know, baby. I- we’ll figure something out. It’ll be alright.”

Soori twitches in place, letting out a loud sigh that has Mai sure will be followed by another restless string of sobs. But Jungkook places his hand on her tummy, eyes still closed, gently rocking her as he lets out a soft coo, something so faint they can’t quite make up his words. But his daughter relaxes against his touch, falling back into a peaceful sleep.

Fear plagues him but Taehyung is sure of the words that fall past his lips next.

“They’ll be alright.”

~------------~

i hope you enjoyed! stream butter to mend those hearts if you’re hurting as much as me over this mess! if you liked this I would love to know and to chat all about it – or about whatever u want, i want army friends :) lots of kisses!!!! xxxxxx

Oh God! You are such a wonderful writer. And this fic is just very dear to me. I LOVED it so much. I don’t know how many times I have re-read this. It's just a super comfort fic. And the drabble was just the cherry on top *Chef kiss* 💜💜

Favourite Jungkook Fic Pt. 2

My previous Fic Rec list: One Shot Series

None of the fics in the list is mine. These belong to some amazing, creative and wonderful writers. Go check them out and read their other fics. Also like, reblog and/or comment there 😊

Mango Series by @whatifyoulivelikethat || Angst, Fluff, Smut (Kind of Bad Boy Jungkook but not that much. OC has a abusive past)

Wishing For You Pt.2 by @kookiestarlight || Angst, Fluff, Smut (Husband Jungkook. Ahh this one is soooo good. I love it too much. Jungkook is a sweetheart. He is like the ideal husband here. This Jungkook can rival with all the bad boy Jungkook out there. He is just perfect)

Read the Drabble too My Lucky Stars

My Beauty My Blood by @7cypher || Angst, Fluff Slight Smut (Mafia boss Jungkook. But not the ruthless type of mafia. It mainly focuses on the emotional side, the love for friends and family)

The Warmth You Bring by @moonchild-mp3 || Fluffy Fluff (Dad Jungkook. Gamer/Streamer Jungkook)

Amour by @taesthetes || Fluff, Angst (Fantasy, Supernatural au. Angel Jungkook. Devil OC)

Caught by @parkdatjimin || Fluff so much Fluff (Roommate au. Jungkook and OC both are awkward and they are hiding their feelings. It's really cute)

Spidey Spidey by @kookings || Fluff, Humor (Jungkook Neighbor au. It's really funny. There's a ferocious spider in OC's room 😂)

Ghost in My Bed by @yeojaa || Angst, Smut yet (Jungkook ex lovers au. Infidelity au. Rockstar Jungkook) <Ongoing>

In the Frosty Air by @gukyi || Angst, Fluff (Roommate au. Christmas au)

Snaps by @cryxstal-moon || Fluff, Slight Angst (Photographer Jungkook. Secretary OC)

Azaleas by @randombtsprincessa || Fluff, Smut (Lawyer OC. Lawyer Jungkook. So much professionalism)

A Fallen Bookmark on a Thursday Afternoon

by @cutaepatootie || Angst, Fluff, Smut (Nurse OC. Ahh this one is really sad 😢)

Feeling by @sometimeinjoon || Fluff, Smut (Devil Jungkook)

What Money Can Buy by @jeonstudios || Angst, Fluff, Slight Smut (Sugar baby au. CEO reader. Jungkook as sugar baby. This story is totally different from all the sugar baby troops)

many moons | jjk

summary: your father sets off to find a way to get you the moon, not realizing he has already given it to you.

> royalguard!jk x princess!reader

> fluff, angst a bit, slightly suggestive / wc: 11.2k

> warnings: brings up death but we r good dw, kisses nd making out, hickeys, they’re jus two lovers in love <3 :] + jk nose appreciation . this is rlly self indulgent fluff i think

note: hello. LOOK AT JUNGKOOK HE IS SO DREAMY OH MYGOD moving on this idea jus came to me very randomly 😭 this is based from the little fairytale many moons by james thurber <3 obv i changed a lot of things but the gist of the story is there mostly in first ¼ hehe :] that’s all . lmk what u think ^__^

—

“my daughter, tell me what i must do for you to be healed from your illness. i will do absolutely anything to bring back my lively daughter who used to live in the garden. my sweet, sweet daughter who loved the children and was adored by the townspeople.” your father weeps pitifully, kneeling on the floor beside your king-sized bed. his hands hold one of yours in a tight grip, scared that you might disappear out of thin air if he was to let go.

he has called all the doctors within your ruling, and even kingdoms from far and wide. he has tried all forms of entertainment. magic, theater, and the arts. he resorted to allowing spells to be casted upon you, but you only grew sicker as the days passed. the bright light in your eyes your father once adored, the only source of inspiration and motivation in his life, has died out. you are his only family left. his most precious treasure. and he would do anything in power as the king to give you a joyful and comfortable life.

you stay quiet the entire time he cries out, your eyes looking far, far away. several royal guards stand on the grounds below your balcony as you wished your father to let you open the door and keep the curtains drawn, providing extra security for you to gaze at the moon longingly every night. the moon, your very best friend. the moon, who watches over you and smiles when you try to catch it in the palm of your hand. the moon, who changes in shape, gradually, from crescent to full - giving you hope that someday soon, you will become full once again. the moon, who you want to take with you everywhere you go.

“i will get you anything your heart desires.” the king says. “is there anything your heart desires?”

“father, the moon.” your voice soft, but weak. “bring me the moon, and i will be healed.”

the king perks up upon hearing your voice. you barely speak these days (it makes the pain worse), therefore it’s a delight for him in the rare occasions that you do. you make it count, he thinks to himself as you’ve given him a glimmer of hope in the brink of him giving up.

he stands up and dusts his knees, fixing his clothes to make himself look presentable again. and because he has many great wise men who have always gotten him everything he asks for, “then, my child, the moon you shall have.”

Keep reading

---

Ahh!!! it's finally here. The 1st chapter of this series. And it was really sooo good. Full of tensions and untold stories. So excited for the coming chapters. Eagerly waiting for the story to unfold and where it will lead me 💜💜💜

Burning Love (01)

Pairing: Jungkook x reader

Genre: Fluff, angst, smut (?)

Au: Exes au, CEO Jungkook.

Warning: mentions of alcohol, curse words.

Rating: 18+

Summary : Jungkook was your first love, your high school sweetheart, whom you continued to date throughout college, well maybe not throughout. Three months before finishing college, he decides it wasn't worth it. Six years later, you're far away from South Korea, working for a small company. What are the chances that the big multinational company that ends up buying the company you're currently working for is owned by none other than Jeon Jungkook?

Word Count: 14K

A/N: It took me so long to get this done. It was done by the middle of September but my phone crashed and I had no backups, so yeah had to rewrite it. So, please let me know if you like it because it took a lot out of me. Also, there might be some tiny mistakes because I edited it at like 2:00 in the morning, so don't mind it.

Prologue

THEN

"Is the seat taken?"

Looking up from the book you were reading, you find a boy you have never seen before, standing awkwardly. His hair covers almost half of his face and big doe eyes stare at you with traces of nervousness in them.

He must be new.

"No, it is not." You reply, offering a polite smile.

"Do you mind if I take the seat?" He asks scratching the back of his neck.

"No, not at all." You thought it was obvious.

"Thank you." Giving you a small smile, he occupies the seat next to you.

You watch him as he settles down and opens one of the books he was carrying and starts to flip through the pages. However, the constant tapping of his foot against the floor, lets you know that he isn't able to concentrate on the words in front of him.

"Are you new here?" You ask to hopefully begin a conversation.

He looks up from his book startled as if he was not expecting you to speak.

"Yes. This is my first day." He gives you a shy smile.

"That's great. If you need any help, let me know."

"Thank you." Giving you a small awkward nod, he returns to his book.

Seeing that your attempt to start a conversation has failed terribly, you decide to do the same.

You'd find new students in your class almost throughout the year, so that was not unusual to you, neither was his shy behaviour.

On your first day, you were shy and timid too.

You remember feeling extremely nervous when you first stepped in, not to mention how you were new to the city as well but from what you have seen, your school's extravagant appearance had that effect on almost everyone.

When you walked through the gate for the first time, you felt intimidated by the huge building in front of you. It looked like a building that could easily be used for serving royalties, with high ceilings, marble floors, classrooms bigger than you have ever seen, a huge open space, beautiful gardens and a dreamy lake that although was prohibited for the students, definitely completed the picture.

Your school is an international private school and is just as costly as it looks. With your father being a top tier businessman, money hasn't ever been a problem.

The students, unlike what people would expect, were nice. Yes, there are obviously a few who wouldn't fit in the description, but every school had those kids.

It took some time for you to come out of your shell and get adjusted to the environment and the people, he'll–

Wait, you never asked for his name.

"Hey, I'm Y/N." You say, turning towards him, perhaps a little too cheerfully.

Hearing your voice, the poor kid gets startled yet again and lets out a small squeak.

Okay, maybe you were not that nervous.

"Sorry." Red hue coats his cheeks.

Was he apologising for squeaking?

"It's okay." You wanted to chuckle at his cuteness but somehow resisted the urge. You knew it would only make him feel more embarrassed and you did not want that.

"I'm Y/N, by the way." You introduce yourself again, this time in a much softer tone.

He blinks at you.

"Oh, right, I never introduced myself." He chuckles lowly at the realisation.

"I'm Jeon Jungkook."

NOW

You've been glaring at the computer screen for around fifteen minutes now.

The reason you're glaring? Because you're tired as fuck and all you want to do is sleep like a baby. Although, if glaring is a tactic to not fall asleep or if you're glaring out of frustration, you don't know.

Your day so far has been filled with meetings, submitting reports, updating files and whatnot. Along with that, you have also been in and out of your office at every half an hour intervals to check if the server, which has been glitching since morning, has been fixed yet.

While yes, the last week of every month was the same, minus the glitching server, of course, today your body has apparently decided to resist any sort of work, to its absolute best.

Or maybe it's because you have not provided your body with enough carbs to deal with the heavy workload.

You've not provided any.

The grumbling noise from your stomach, very kindly, reminds you.

You mentally curse yourself. You should have taken Tae's advice and had some food on the way.

Seeing the cursor blink, you let out a sigh. It's as if it's mocking you as to how you've not typed a single code so far and with how unresponsive your brain is, you wonder if you'll get anything productive done today.

But you need to be productive. You release another sigh, before coming to a conclusion.

You have to eat something.

You're about to get up when a knock on the door stops you from doing so.

"Come in." You say, straightening your posture to look professional.

"Good morning, boss." Mina greets, making her way into your office.

You relax instantly but not before rolling your eyes. Dramatic as always.

Mina is your friend turned assistant. You met her when you were a newbie in the company and you both instantly clicked. At the time, she used to work as the assistant of the ex-head of the software department. When you were abruptly promoted as the head, she became your assistant.

"Good morning." You greet back.

"My morning has been good indeed. I mean, did you see Namjoon today? He came to work wearing a black silk shirt. A. Thin. Black. Silk. Shirt. Who does that? You can literally feel his muscles through that shirt." She rambles excitedly, taking the seat in front of you.

"You kidding me?" You try to match her tone.

"Hey, don't mock me." She deadpans, her enthusiastic look turning into a glare in a matter of milliseconds. "You'll understand what I'm saying when you see him. It's a serious issue, everyone, literally everyone has been ogling him and I swear he has a little smirk on his face that lets you know he's enjoying it."

You chuckle and nod in mock understanding. "Well if you had to come to my office to ramble about how hot Namjoon looks, I don't doubt its seriousness."

Mina's eyes widen. "Oh shit, I forgot. See, this is what I'm talking about, he's distracting people from work."

"By people, you mean you?"

"Shut up." She glares, yet again. "The reason why I had to come to your office is because apparently, you have not replied to an important mail by the office authorities."

You furrow your brows at that. In the midst of everything, you've forgotten to check your emails. "Right, I haven't checked my mails today. Just wait a minute, I'll check."

Logging into your mail id, you find a bunch of new unopened mails. Selecting the one from your office id, you start reading it.

From: officeml@fcs.co

To: ynsoftdept@fcs.co

Subject: URGENT MAIL.

Miss Y/L/N,

This mail is to inform you that Felix Consultancy Services has been sold to Jeon Jungkook and is now a part of Jeon Corporations. According to the contract signed, all the employees currently working for FCS will start working for Jeon Corporations from 1st September 2021.

We know this can come off as sudden and unexpected but we assure you that the contracts signed, have been made while keeping the best interests of the employees in our mind. We thought it would be best to let you know now, to avoid you taking any unnecessary stress.

We would request you to hold a meeting to let everyone in your department know of the matter.

We are extremely grateful for your dedicated performance and the hard work you've done for us. We wish you all the best and hope you take each step in your career with the same spirit.

Thanking you,

FCS Team.

Excuse me?

Is this a joke? It has to be. There's no way this is happening.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

There's that name again. Jeon Jungkook.

"Are you okay?" Mina's voice, heavily laced with concern, stops your thoughts from accelerating any further.

"Our company has been sold." You whisper.

"What?!" The disbelief is evident in her voice.

"Read this." You motion her towards the computer screen.

She gets up from her chair, walks towards where you're sitting and bends down to level with your computer screen, all the while with a frown on her face.

While she reads, you wonder if by any chance your office id has been hacked and someone decided to pull this cruel prank. But if that were the case, Mina wouldn't be here. She was technically asked by the office authorities to have you check your emails.

Realising that this isn't a prank, you deflate in your seat.

What are the chances really? You left Korea, left everything you knew, behind, just so that you could be away from that place and especially from him because the pain was unbearable.

Never in your wildest dreams did you imagine he'd buy the company you're working for.

"I think it's sudden, but maybe we should have seen this coming." Mina breaks the silence after some time, a frown still etched on her face.

"What do you mean? How were we supposed to see this coming?" You can't help the way your voice sounds. It's as if someone has said the most ridiculous thing.

She thankfully takes no offence to that and takes a deep breath, a thoughtful look appearing on her face. "I mean see, Mr. Denver has been handling the company for so long. He would want to retire at some point and from what I know none of his family members are interested in the business world."

"But isn't it too sudden? He never even gave us hints that he wants or plans to sell the company and they should have informed us a little earlier. They inform us just a week before we are supposed to start working for another company and that too over mail." You mumble, unable to hide your frustration.

She hums in agreement. "I agree with that but you know how Mr. Denver is. He doesn't ever want us taking unnecessary stress and he loves the company with his entire heart, I believe he must have handed the company in safe hands and about the mail thing, I think I heard he's out of the country, otherwise, he'd have held a proper meeting."

You release a frustrated sigh.

Mina is right about Mr. Denver, the CEO or ex-CEO of your company. He treats his employees as if they are a part of his family, always looking after their well being, and supporting them whenever they need. It's one of the many reasons working for FCS, never felt like just another 9-5 job.

Unsurprisingly, knowing that your company has your back lets people feel a certain level of freedom and ease in the work environment instead of feeling like a puppet. It allows them to make their own decisions and use their creativity to manage and complete a task.

When you became the head of the department, you made mistakes, oh you definitely did. After all, it was so abrupt and you were so unprepared but Mr. Denver always had your back. You remember the first time you made a mistake, you felt like you had done the biggest blunder ever possible in mankind and were so scared of the consequences. Unlike whatever scenario you and imagined in your mind, he gave you a warm, reassuring smile after learning as to what has happened. You remember feeling so light after hearing his comforting words.

Truth be told, you'd still be a mess had it not been for him and Mina. You'd be forever grateful for the way these two supported you in each step.

Mr. Denver is just as perspicacious and experienced as he is kind. His decisions are always so insightful, you've always admired his method of working and how calm he remains even in the most stressful of situations. You've also always trusted his decisions blindly. This time though, you can't help but feel bitter. Was it necessary to sell the company and that too, to Jungkook of all people?

"I don't know, Mina. Fuck, I don't even know much about Jeon Corporations and I'm supposed to start working for them? Even saying that out loud sounds so stupid."

"Well, I don't know too much about them either, just that they are a huge company and that the CEO is quite popular." And then, her eyes sparkle in a way that lets you know she has been struck by one of her brilliant ideas. "You know who knows about them and can help us? The internet!" She exclaims and before you can interject she's already typing 'Jeon Corporations' on the search bar.

Although, it isn't exactly his name that's being searched it is something that is directly related to him and that is enough to make you feel queasy. You have never searched him or anything even merely related to him on the net. The younger version of you never thought she'd have to, the older version of you didn't want to.

"Here we go," Mina mumbles more to herself, as she starts reading the results.

You contemplate if you want to look at the screen. You weren't lying when you said, you don't know anything about the company. You did at some point but you are pretty sure that it's irrelevant and of no use, after all, six years is a long time.

While you're not interested in him, any information about Jeon Corporations might be helpful. So, you make a quick decision and glance up at the screen.

First, comes some basic information about how Jungkook's father was the founder of the company and how Jungkook was handed over the ownership a few years ago when his father retired.

This you knew already.

Second, some information about how big the company has become and how it is now one of the biggest multinational companies out there.

That's new to you.

Then, came the top articles.

Jeon Jungkook steps out holding hands with Tina Fred.

Jeon Jungkook, owner and CEO of Jeon Corporations, was spotted making out with Jennifer Gomes.

Is Sarah Jones, Jeon Jungkook's new target?

Two days after filing for divorce, Olivia Fren is spotted having the time of her life on a yacht with Jeon Jungkook.

Model Sierra Alex and Jeon Jungkook are reportedly dating.

A look into the affairs of playboy billionaire Jeon Jungkook.

"Looks like he has got quite the reputation." Mina snorts.

"Maybe it's typical media." You say with a shrug, feeling the inside of your mouth turn sour.

"Pictures don't lie, babe." She replies, still searching for some information with squinted eyes.

"Who cares?" Reaching out for the glass on your table, you gulp down the water in one go.

You wish it was alcohol. At least, that way, your brain wouldn't be running miles a minute.

"I didn't even search his name, yet, mostly it's all about his affairs." She whines after some time, seemingly frustrated.

Before she can type out a more specific search, you interrupt her. "You know what? We can look for information later. For the time being, just forward this mail to everyone in the department." There's no way you'll be able to break this news to a room full of people without looking as panicked and stressed as you feel.

Hearing your words, Mina frowns in surprise and worry. She knows you enough to know that you're the kind of person to hold a meeting to discuss the issue because that's what's the right thing to do. Especially, when you strongly dislike being informed about such an important and serious issue over mail. For you to ask her to forward the mail, there must be something wrong.

"Are you okay?" She asks, keeping her voice soft.

"I'm okay, don't worry about it. Just a little shaken up, that's all." You lie, waving your hand dismissing her concern.

She knows that, that isn't the entire truth. Her frown remains in place but she lets it go, knowing whatever it is you'll open up when you feel comfortable. "Don't worry too much about it, it's of no use anyway. Also, if you need anything just let me know, okay?"

You give her a nod, grateful for her words.

"Well then, I'll get going. Just forward me the mail." She collects a few files from your desk before heading out. "Bye, bitch."

Usually, you'd chuckle at that. Calling you boss while entering and bitch before exiting, is peak Mina behaviour. This time though, you're too anxious to find any amusement.

With the door clicking shut, you're met with silence, unlike what's going inside your head.

There are thousands of thoughts running inside your head, the headline of each being the same; Jungkook is back in your life.

To put it lightly, Jungkook is a bitter topic for you. You wish you could say that it's bittersweet but then, that would be a lie because it isn't, it's just bitter. He's that one person for you, who has hurt you so brutally that even though it has been years, one mention of his name is enough to serve as a reminder of the pain he has caused.

It's tricky though, it's not like he is that much of an issue but somehow he still is. You are happy and content in your life and Jungkook is almost forgotten. Almost. He is like one of those wounds you don't even realise is there until someone mentions it or pokes it. It's also the type of wound that heals slowly, very slowly.

To summarise, Jungkook is someone you rarely spend time thinking about but when you do, it's against your will and quite unpleasant for you.

The last time Jungkook occupied your mind would be a month ago when you saw him at the party. It just caught you so off guard. Your subconscious screamed at you to run, perhaps she still believes he'll somehow ruin your happiness out of nowhere, just like he did all those years ago.

By the time you reached home that night, you calmed down when you realised how natural and normal it was for him to attend a business party. Just because you haven't encountered him before, doesn't mean he never attends them. Right? You also, assured yourself, saying, you will just have to be a little cautious from the next time.

But more than anything, you were grateful he didn't spot you.

Now though, all of those thoughts sound so ridiculous to you. You bet, in any other situation you'd even find the situation funny but you don't. After all, he's soon going to be your boss.

Is there no way to get out of this?

Mina's words about how worrying is of no use, ring in your head, answering your question.

That doesn't help the fact that you are desperate to stay far away from Jungkook.

With leaving South Korea, you let yourself believe that that's the end of everything between you and Jungkook, that he would always be a chapter in your past that would never be reopened.

How are you supposed to deal with this?

Amid the panicky thoughts, there's a small voice inside your head that's telling you that maybe you're overreacting.

Are you?

You don't know. You don't know how someone is supposed to react upon learning that their ex, the person they were once so in love with, the one who also crushed their heart without a second thought, is going to become their boss.

You release an exhausted sigh before getting up and walking towards the big glass wall. Looking down you find traffic and people rushing, and can't help but compare it to the commotion going on inside your head.

Currently, you are cursing your building's elevator for going out of service.

It had to be today out of all days. Isn't it?

Even lifting your feet from the ground feels like an extremely strenuous job for you. It feels like you're taking each step with a heavy load on your back.

Well, technically you are.

Since the moment, you read the mail, your brain has been busy coming up with different scenarios regarding how work from next week will look like for you. And out of the million scenarios, you didn't like any of them, because all of them somehow involved Jungkook.

Finally reaching your floor, you sigh in relief. Never have you found the way to the fourth floor, so tiring.

But now that you've reached home, maybe the sleep you so longingly desired would finally be yours. Maybe, you would finally get some rest and maybe, your mind will finally calm down.

Unlocking the door, you find the lights on which makes you frown.

You thought Tae would be asleep by now. He never stays up this late, none of you does actually, especially on weekdays.

You had texted him previously letting him know that you'll be late and had asked him not to stay up.

You've no idea what he is doing.

As you close the door, a little bark coming from the hallway breaks your train of thought. Turning around you find the little ball of energy running as fast as his little feet could carry him with his tail wagging even faster.

A small but genuine, smile appears on your face.

Stopping at your feet, Yeontan lets out barks demanding to be picked up.

You could feel your heart getting all mushy. How is he so cute?

Removing your heels, you bend down and pick him up and as soon as you do, he starts licking your face.

You couldn't help but coo at him. "Aww, did you miss me?"

He replies with more aggressive licks.

You chuckle at that. Although this is how Yeontan would welcome you every day, it never failed to make you feel rejuvenated after a long day's work.

Today's case might be a bit different than the usual, while it might not have made you feel completely rejuvenated, it still makes you feel way better.

You scratch behind his ears and smile at the happy bark he lets out.

"You're back." Glancing up, you see Tae coming out of the kitchen with a spatula in his hand and flour patches on his face.

"Yeah, I just arrived. What are you up to though?" You question his attire, a chef's hat and an apron that said hot stuff coming through.

Why are your friends so dramatic?

"I'm cooking, duh. What does it look like?" He rolls his eyes.

"This late?"

"Hmm. It's always good to keep in touch with your skills. Irrespective of the time."

"If that's the case–" you raise your eyebrow in curiosity, "–what are you making?"

He scowls at that, almost looking offended. "Don't tell me you didn't figure it out by now."

You pout at him in an attempt that it would convince him to tell you, but his scowl only deepens. So, you settle for sniffing the air like the weirdo you are.

Your eyes widen upon realising.

How could you miss it?

"Chicken butter masala?"

A smug look appears on his face. "With naan"

Your absolute favourite.

A small squeal of delight escapes your lips which makes Yeontan, who was almost asleep in your arms, bark at you.

"Oops, sorry." You say sheepishly, immediately offering more scratches as an apology.

Tae is a great cook. You would even say that his dishes could beat many top-level restaurants. The idea of breaking your unintended fast, with your favourite dish and that too cooked by your favourite cook, did wonders to your sulking mood.

"Okay, that's my cue." He says upon hearing the beeping sound of the timer. "Go freshen up. We can then talk over dinner."

You pause at that.

Tae must have received the news by now and you expected that he would want to talk to you about this. Truth be told, you wanted to converse about it as well. You don't know what would come out of the conversation but it's unhealthy to bottle up emotions and you just really feel the need to talk about it with someone.

The thing that bothered you, was the over dinner part. You wanted to enjoy your meal to the fullest and you doubted it would be possible with Jungkook being the topic of discussion. You remember how your mouth turned into this weird mixture of sour and bitter, every time you heard people whispering and gossiping about him. At some point, it felt like the ghost of his name was haunting you.

You don't want that. You want to have your dinner in peace.

Moreover, you are feeling slightly better now. Freshening up will only give your brain time to figure out more reasons to worry.

You hold Tan, who had his little head snuggled against your neck and was finally asleep, a little tighter and walk towards the kitchen.

You want to talk now.

As you step into the kitchen, the beautiful aroma of various spices welcome you. Damn, you don't remember the last time you had this dish. Your heart, brain and stomach were dancing in joy at the promise of what waited after the talk.

Okay, yes, after freshening up too.

You clear your throat to announce your presence.

Tae surprisingly doesn't even flinch at that, as if he has been expecting you. "What?" He asks without turning towards you.

"I want to talk."

"Hmm"

"So...."

"Leave Tan in the living room first."

"What! Why? He's already asleep–"

Tae whips around at that and looks at you with narrowed eyes. "I'm already allowing you, in my kitchen in your dirty gross clothes, don't test my limits."

You narrow your eyes right back. "Give me–"

He shuts you up by narrowing his eyes even further.

Huffing, you reluctantly exit the kitchen. You wanted to stomp but don't in fears of waking Yeontan up.

You gently put him down on the couch and smile at the way he whines, at the loss of your warmth.

He's such a spoilt baby.

Making sure he's comfortable, you walk back into the kitchen to find Tae leaning against the counter, waiting for you.

You cross your arms in annoyance. "Why did you make me put Tan down? He was providing me so much comfort." Your voice turns into a whine by the end of the sentence.

"Well I know how much you're going to swear and Tan is far too innocent for that. I don't want him to be traumatized." He replies in a monotonous voice.

Why are you still friends with him again?

The smell of beautiful flavours reminds you exactly why.

"Whatever" You reply before marching to where he is and take off his chef's hat.

His protests come instantly. "Hey, how dare you touch–"

"Shut up, I can't have a proper talk with you when you look like that." You grumble out.

"What do you mean? A chef's hat is like a king's crown." If he wasn't offended when you couldn't immediately tell what he was cooking, he sure as hell is now.

"Be grateful that I'm not taking off that apron of yours." You say, your voice leaving no room for argument.

You walk towards the small, two-seater dining table, rest the hat on the surface and take a seat, waiting for Tae to join you.

"I'm going to put extra salt in your food someday, you'll see." He mumbles as he takes the seat opposite to you.

Extra salt? Well then, you'll hide his favourite Gucci t-shirt.

Smirking internally, you maturely decide to ignore his statement.

Leaning forward, he clears his throat and you feel the air getting tense, the playful mood of bantering disappearing.

"So, how was work today?"

A snort escapes your mouth.

What a way to start the conversation.

"It was great. You tell me." You chime, sarcastically.

Tae only raises one of his brows at that, his trademark move. All his eyebrow raises have different meanings though, and after knowing him for almost five years, you have become an expert at decoding each of his brow raise.

This one screamed, you done?

You release a deep breath. "I don't know Tae today has been filled with surprises and not the good kind."

He hums. "I was surprised too. I did read some news about their company buying smaller companies but wasn't expecting FCS to be one of them."

"They were buying smaller companies?" Scowling, you wonder out loud.

He hums again. "Came across an article about that on the net, you'd know anything about it if you read some news."

Well fuck.

"Say, I knew that they were buying companies but I doubt it would make it any less shocking. We didn't know shit. I mean when did this all even take place?"

"I agree, none of us knew anything about it and I have no idea when all of this took place." A frown appears on his face. "But from what I have heard, the final papers were signed at last month's party."

"Last month's party as in when I saw him?"

Receiving a nod from Tae, you slump in your chair at the realisation.

He wasn't there for nothing. He wasn't there attending just another party, as you had initially thought, no, he was finalising the deal. Finalising his way back into your life. You doubted he knew that at the time. But looking at it now, a part of you wanted to laugh. If only then, you knew that running away was of no use. You'd save some energy, wouldn't have reacted as heavily and would have also saved the cab fare.

Taehyung places a hand under his chin. "That isn't really what's bothering you though."

You sigh.

You wonder how many times you have sighed today. Is there a record for sighing the most number of times in a day? If so, you're pretty sure you have broken all records.

"What now?" You finally manage to ask the question that has been stuck in your head.

He looks at you with soft, sympathetic eyes. "I don't know really but don't stress about it too much."

"I don't want to stress about it but I can't help it. I picture what it will be like to see him again when that's the last thing I want." You say, your voice shaky, allowing yourself to show the vulnerability you have been trying to hide so desperately.

His eyes soften, even more, he knows how much you hate feeling weak and helpless. "Have you asked yourself why it's bothering you so much?"

No.

That's a complicated question, one you haven't given much thought to.

While yes, there's the obvious reason that he is your ex, with whom things ended in the most terrible and painful ways but is that it?

A part of you says, no.

When you first came to America, you felt lonely and stranded, with your heart always feeling heavy. Sometimes your mind would wonder if it was just a dream, a very bad, cruel dream. But the harsh reality never took long to remind you just how real everything was. You didn't even have anyone you could just talk to, the bare minimum any person needs while going through shit.

In those days, you felt pathetic. To you, that was your identity, a lonely pathetic girl who can't get over her ex breaking up with them.

But even then, never did you wish you had stayed back in Korea. Never did you think of moving back, which by the way, your parents had offered you to, at least a thousand times.

To you, the pain, was worth it if it meant you were miles away from him.

And maybe that's why you are irate. Him buying your company, just puts all of that to waste, doesn't it? Yes, it's been six years, you no more consider yourself a pathetic person, but even then a part of you just doesn't like the thought of being anywhere near Jungkook.

Simply, you always held a grudge against him for hurting you the way he did. It also doesn't help that he is now your boss, if anything, it only adds fuel to the fire.

But is that all?

You're not so sure.

"I don't know if there's one particular answer to that, it's complicated. There are so many reasons, some I'm not even completely aware of." You decide to be truthful. "All I know is I hate to be put in this situation."

Tae's face changes into an expression that you know very well, it's the face he makes every time the philosophical side of him is about to make an appearance. "So, you know what you're feeling but you don't completely know why you're feeling the way you are."

You nod. "In a way, yes."

"Do you think it might be because you don't know how you feel about Jungkook?" Seeing that you're about to object to his question almost immediately, he clarifies. "What I mean is, I know that you don't harbour any of the old romantic feelings towards him, but you sure do feel a certain way about him, they might not be the nicest of feelings but you still do. So what I'm asking is, do you have a clear picture of the emotions you feel when it comes to him?"

"I don't think so." Whispering you realise that you've always pushed this issue under the rug and maybe that's why you still have unsettled emotions about him.

Tae looks like he expected that answer. "Have you ever thought that this might actually be good for you? It might help you get a clear picture about what you feel about him and when you do, you can work on it."

"Maybe I don't want to." You shrug. "I have been doing pretty fine in my life, it's not an issue that needs to be dug. Not knowing how I feel about him, has never been a problem, even on the very few occasions, that it has been, it's been manageable. And trust me, if his presence in my life is what it takes to solve this issue, I'd rather not solve it."

"Are you sure you're not downplaying it?" He raises one of his eyebrows again, this one lets you know that he sees right through you.

But you're not going to let this conversation take that turn. "Can we get back to the main problem here?"

His brow comes back to its original place and sensing that you're not going to talk about it, he nods. "About Jungkook being our new boss, I don't think it would be a problem."

"What do you mean?" You ask, your voice incredulous. The concept of Jungkook not being a problem sounded too good to be true.

"I mean, yeah he's going to be our boss but so what?" He says in a questioning tone, relaxing back in his chair.

"Oh, yes please go on being all vague, I appreciate it so much." You deadpan.

He has the audacity to roll his eyes. "How much was Mr. Denver involved in your life?"

And you immediately get the point he's trying to make.

Mr. Denver has been an extremely inspirational person in your life but with well-maintained boundaries.

But that doesn't ease you completely.

"It's not that simple. Jungkook and I share a past. I don't even have any idea what to do if he tries talking to me?"

"Well if he talks to you, you reply and how you reply depends on whether you want your relationship with Jungkook to be anything more than that of an employee and an employer."

You shake your head immediately, you'd never want any form of relationship with him, the fact that you both still will have one, even if it's that of an employee and an employer, is testing your limits, having any sort of relationship with him outside of workspace is beyond your imagination.

"You know I don't want to." You grumble.

"Well then, it's simple. How he behaves or reacts to you is not in your control but how you carry yourself, is."

Hmm.

Even though it's not the ideal situation, this makes you feel better because this way you don't feel as helpless you did minutes ago.

Tae sighs. "Listen, I know it's not the most likeable situation but try not to overthink it, it's not going to be of any use. Even though it might suck, just know you're not alone. Okay? If anything ever weighs on your mind, you can always come to me."

These words work like magic. It makes you feel confident as if whatever it is, you'll be able to deal with it because you're not alone, like you once were. Even if something goes wrong, you'll still have a shoulder to cry on.

You feel some of the weight being lifted off your chest.

"And if he becomes too much of a bother, we can always send Tan to scare Jungkook away."

The mental image of the scene plays in your mind and a fit of giggle escapes you. "Common, he can't scare anyone away, even if he tried to. He's just too cute."

Tae stares at you with his mouth hanging open. "I'll let you know, he definitely can."

"He can't, never in your wildest dreams. But at least he scares the bugs away– " You drum your fingers on the table, "–unlike you." He puffs his chest in defence, which makes it all the more difficult for you to control your laughter. It's quite the sight, especially with that apron he is wearing. "I'm not scared of bugs, I just don't.... like them."

You scoff, totally enjoying riling him up. "Then don't ask me to shoo away the bugs from next time."

He leans forward with squinted eyes. "I won't."

Smirking, you reply. "We will see."

Nodding, he leans back in his seat, squinted eyes still fixed on you.

You mimic his position but your eyes soften, the sneer being replaced with a small smile, and the tension that you have been carrying all day, leaves your body. "Thank you."

Saying these words, you hope he understands that you aren't just expressing your gratitude for the way he patiently listened and conversed with you. You're also thanking him for his thoughtfulness. The fact that he cooked your favourite dish, to make you feel better (you did not buy that 'keeping in touch with your skills' bullshit even for once), after returning from work and that too on a day where he learns that the company he has been working for has been sold, is something else entirely.

And if you were to go with the way the corner of his mouth lift, he knows.

"Well, I'm amazing, I know, I know." There he goes again.

"Shut up, I give you thanks once, take it, you won't get it back." You roll your eyes playfully.

"You know you love me so whatever." He replies cheekily. "But now that we are done, I'll have to go and check on my beautiful naans." He swiftly gets up, the sound of chair scraping against the floor, reaching your ears.

He shuffles through the cabinet searching for something in particular. Stumbling upon a flask, he turns towards you.

"I forgot, I made some tea a few hours ago, you wanna have some?"

"I don't think it's healthy to have tea on an empty stomach." You shrug, not paying much attention to what you just said.

"What?!"

Oh shit.

"Hello, my eyes are here. I need an explanation and I want you to be looking at me when you provide me one." Although you aren't looking at him, you are sure he has his arms crossed and a scowl on his face.

"I'm sorry. I just didn't feel like having anything today." Your mutter, voice small. You feel like you are being scolded by a parent.

He huffs. "Considering today's circumstances, I'll let it slide, but I expect this to be the last time. If this repeats, you won't be off the hook so easily."

You only nod in response.

He goes back to shuffling the cabinets and takes out a container filled with cookies.

"Go wash your hands and have these." He orders, putting the cookies on a plate.

"Okay, dad."

"Eww, that's gross. Didn't know you were into that."

"That's not what I meant!"

THEN

You were four when a butterfly landed on your open, welcoming palm.

You remember staring at the delicate creature and its pretty, blue fluttering wings with so much awe. You also remember pouting heavily and complaining to your brother when the butterfly flew away.

That's also when you developed this pull towards nature.

At first, it was curiosity. You were curious about everything. You'd often follow the trails of ants or maybe crouch down and watch a croaking frog. You're pretty sure at some point, at least one of them, if not all of them, side-eyed you while croaking to his people about how there's this weird human watching them like a creep.

As you grew, your curiosity grew into appreciation.

Now that you're sixteen and are well into your teenage years. You've learned that it isn't everything the movies and rom-coms make it out to be. Teenage years can be stressful. Mainly because the most unimportant things become the most important.

Funnily, you've also learned to seek comfort in nature.

And that's why you're here, sitting near the lakeside.

Not that, you're stressed or it's not like you have something heavy on your mind at the moment. It's just that stress is what first brought you to this place. You can't even properly remember what got to you but if you are not wrong it had something to do with your less than satisfactory marks in the maths exam. That was two years ago and since that day you've developed this habit of spending lunchtime here. But then who wouldn't love to feel the cool breeze blowing through their hair while having their lunch? You also, sneakily pet the ducks sometimes but don't tell that to anyone.

Settling comfortably, you open your lunch box. Finding delicious chicken sandwiches waiting for you, you lick your lips.

That's another thing about you, you're quite the food enthusiast.

Taking the first bite, you hum in delight. These are too good.

You're about to go for a second bite when you feel a shadow looming over you. Looking up, you find Jungkook standing, well, awkwardly.

"Hey?" You ask, unsurely.

"Hey–," he scratches the back of his neck a habit of his when he is nervous, or so you assume, "–do you mind if I join?"

"No, I don't. It's absolutely fine."

"Are you sure?"

Quite the deja vu, huh?

You roll your eyes and pat the space next to you. "Yes, I'm sure and stop being so formal with me."

He slowly walks towards where you are sitting and fiddles with his lunch box. "I just want to make sure, you aren't saying yes just –"

"If I remember correctly, I was the one who asked you if you'd like to join me."

"I know you did, but that was a week ago, and I don't know if it is still okay to join you, you know?"

"Well then, I'm telling you again, it's completely fine and you can join me whenever you want."

He gives you his usual shy small smile and finally sits next to you.

A comfortable silence falls.

In the span of one month, that you've known him, you've observed a few things about Jungkook. One of them being, how he's a bit shorter than you or how you are a bit taller than him. At least that's how you prefer saying it. You don't know how you did not notice it the very first time but when you did you were so excited. You remember returning home that day and when your mom asked how your day has been you replied saying that there is this new boy in your class and that you're taller than him. An answer, you know that didn't make sense but you were too happy to care.

Another thing you've noticed is, unlike what you assumed, he's just as shy as he was on the first day, minus the jumpiness that is. Throughout the day he'd remain extremely quiet and only speak if it's extremely necessary.

That also has something to do with why you were quite surprised to see him approach you. Knowing that he has no friends here and spends the lunchtime all alone, you've asked him if he'd like to join you on various occasions, you've also maintained gaps between your offers so that you don't come off as overbearing. But every time he has politely declined, which you have reasoned might have to do something with his shy nature.

You don't want to overthink it though. Maybe he finally felt comfortable enough to spend time with you or maybe he got bored. Whatever it is, you are not going to risk making him uncomfortable by asking him.

"Do you want some?" You ask after some time, offering a piece of your sandwich.

Sensing another is it okay or are you sure on the tip of his tongue, you glare at him, playfully of course, and thankfully he gets the message.

You watch as his long fingers slowly take the sandwich from your hand.

As he takes a bite, a very intense expression appears on his face and if it were not for the moan of delight from him, you'd think he was severely angry or in pain.

A small chuckle escapes you, which causes Jungkook to snap his eyes open.

"Is it that good?" You ask in a teasing tone.

Jungkook to your surprise, doesn't shy away and nods furiously. "It is that good. I didn't even know chicken sandwiches could be this delicious."

Your smile only widens at that. "You can take more if you want."

At this, he gets shy again and mumbles a small thank you. For some reason, you feel happiness bloom in your chest at the lack of his hesitance.

A comfortable silence settles between the two of you until you break it. "So do you like the school?"

He faces you and ponders about your question for some time, before answering. "It's nice, I guess, but it's also too soon to come to a conclusion."

You hum, agreeing with him, after all, it has only been a month that he's joined. "What about the city?"

This time his reply comes instantly. "The city is not new to me, I was born here."

Your mouth forms a small oh learning this. Most of the new kids who would join your school were new to the city and so you assumed that he was as well but clearly you were wrong.

"Were you new to the city when you joined the school?" He asks.

You nod. "Yes, I was. Our family had to shift to Busan because of my father's business."

His eyes spark with curiosity. "If you don't mind me asking is your father a businessman?"

"Yes, he is." You reply meekly. "He is the founder and CEO of IBN."

This time it's his mouth that forms an oh but unlike yours, it's a big one.

The curiosity in his eyes is replaced with astonishment, a look you earn from almost everyone but you can't lie, there's something different about his reaction. His eyes reflect something genuine. With the other people that you've come across, they too reflect amazement on learning that you're none other than the heir of IBN but at the same time you can also sense the wheels running inside their heads. Jungkook's eyes however reflect pure astonishment. There's this weird innocence, that you can't explain in words.

And that's another thing you've observed about him, his eyes always make his feelings transparent.

"That's one of the biggest companies out there. I've heard so much about IBN from my father." He mumbles.

Hearing this, you too get curious. "Is your father a businessman as well?"

He nods slowly. "Yes, he is the CEO of Jeon Corporations."

Not knowing what to say as a reply, you settle for, "That's cool."

"You've never heard about our company have you?" He sees right through you.

Were you transparent too?

You reply with a small shake of your head, feeling a little shy and awkward.

Not knowing a company's name isn't that big of a deal because let's be honest there are millions of companies out there. But you've come across people, teenagers even, who take great offence to not knowing about their business. Some even react as if you've committed the biggest crime out there.

That's the reason you decided to hide the fact that this is the first time you're hearing that name but that certainly didn't work.

"That's okay, it's not that big of a deal and our company is fairly new, so it's not that huge yet," he assures you seeing your nervous body language, and it works, his words instantly put you at ease.

Before you can reply, not that you had a proper one, he begins again, quite excitedly might you add, "My father started the company a few years ago. It's a private sector company. I want to become the CEO someday and if I do, I will expand the company and make it as big as I can."

Although he started with full excitement, he becomes shy by the end of the sentence, as if realising his sudden burst of energy.

You can't help but find it cute.

He's cute.

"So, a CEO, huh?" Seeing him nod to your question, you decide to tease him, just a little bit. "Everyone's going to call you Mr. Jeon, then."

His cheeks redden as he grumbles something inaudible.

You chuckle quietly to yourself and take a huge bite of your sandwich when a sudden realisation clicks in your brain. "Dis is da mosh eu hab tolk to me."

Jungkook looks at you weirdly and then breaks into fits of laughter. Uncontrollable laughter.

Seeing him laugh like that, you can't help but chortle.

It wasn't even that funny.

"You look like a squirrel." He somehow manages to say.

Finally, gulping down the sandwich, you respond. "Well, I'm a cute squirrel then."

"I'm not so sure about that."

"Heyyyyyyyy." You pretend to be offended.

He only cackles harder.

Is it that easy to make him laugh?

You don't know, but now that you've heard it, you know that he has a pretty laugh.

Where did the book go?

Not on the third shelf.

Not on the second shelf.

Not on the first–

There it is.

Finally finding the book that you've been searching for more than half an hour, you sigh.

You check if all the pages are intact. Finding that they indeed are, you issue the book and return to your seat.

"I finally found it." You whisper to Jungkook, who's sitting in front of you on the other side of the desk.

"Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire?" Seeing you nod, he further asks, "have you read the first three?"

"Yes, I have and all of them are so amazing."

He hums in agreement and goes back to scribbling.

Huh?

Weird.

He has been like that since morning.

You wouldn't find it weird had it been a month ago but since the day he spent his lunchtime with you, he has been a little more interactive and at ease around you. He doesn't hesitate to join you for lunch anymore, asks if he's facing any problem with studies, sometimes hums unconsciously and even converses with you, although it's usually about school and stuff, it's still enough for you to find his behaviour weird.

At first, you thought it might have something to do with the exam that took place today but then you asked him about the paper and he replied saying it went pretty well.

Now that you have a clear view of his face and observe him, it becomes very clear to you that something is wrong.

"Jungkook?" You whisper, trying not to get another scolding from your library sir.

Hearing his name he looks up.

"Are you okay?"

He fidgets with the pen in between his fingers and takes a breath before answering. "Yes, I am."

His eyes tell you otherwise.

You're about to ask him if he's sure when the stern voice of your library sir reaches your ears.

"Jungkook and Y/N, I expect the both of you to follow the library rules."

Well, he sure has a superpower of hearing.

Giving him a timid nod, you start pretending to intensely read the book.

After some time, you glance up to check on Jungkook, only to find him going on with his scribbling.

What's with him and scribbling today?

Looking back at your book, your mind starts to wonder.

What is bothering him? His eyes looked just so sad. There was another emotion you saw a flicker of. Desperation. Although, you're not so sure.

A second question pops in, why do you care?

That's a difficult one. It's not like you would be nonchalant about someone being sad, no matter who they are. Seeing someone down, makes you want to try to and make them smile and make them feel lighter. But your action about the matter depends on whether you know them or not and even if you do know them, to what extent. Trying to have a heart to heart conversation with a stranger is weird and even if for some people it isn't, you don't have the confidence to just walk to someone and begin one.

Jungkook for sure is not a stranger but then he's also just your classmate, like the other thirty-seven students in your class. While yes, he's also your seatmate but that is all that there is.

You don't even know how much a person is supposed to know about the other or how much time someone is supposed to spend with the other after which they can be considered friends. But even then, you're pretty sure you and Jungkook aren't exactly what people call friends. You both are a little more than acquaintances and a little less than friends.

With someone, who's in that weird limbo, you'd usually ask if they want to vent, if they don't, you just let it be, you never push them. You're aware pushing anyone unnecessarily is an invasion of privacy, you wouldn't prefer someone doing that to you and so you never do that to anyone.

That's why you can't explain why you feel this need to act upon your want of making him feel better. Maybe it has something to do with his big doe eyes, which always have curiosity filled in them but are now filled with sadness. So much sadness.

And that's what causes another question to rise.

How are you going to cheer him up?

That's a difficult one too.

If you knew exactly what's been bothering him, it might have been easier for you to figure out the how part, but you don't. You don't expect him to share with you either. But it also doesn't help the fact that you know literally nothing about him. His favourite genre of music, favourite artist, favourite films, favourite dish, heck you don't even know his hobby.

You slump in your seat dejectedly.

Couldn't you ask him the most basic questions? What's wrong with you? This way it's never–

Wait a minute.

You straighten up in your seat at the speed of light as an idea hits you.

It might work. Just might. And that 'might' is better than nothing.

You glance at the big wall clock to find it's only five minutes away from lunch. After the bell rings, you'll ask him, you mentally decide.

Those five minutes pass by slowly, with you constantly tapping your feet, but you also make sure that it doesn't make any noise.

As soon as the bell rings, you pack your things, get up and patiently wait for Jungkook to do the same. As he finishes packing, you both head towards the door side by side, an awkward silence lingering in the air, although you're pretty sure it's only you who's finding it awkward because you've something to ask but you don't know how to.

What if he declines? He has every right to and considering his mood most likely he will.

What if you don't ask him at all? Then maybe, he'll just sulk all day, which will also make you feel bad and worried for him.

A question never hurt anybody.

"Jungkook, do you want to go somewhere with me?" You blurt, immediately wincing at how weird that sounded.

Your stupid silly brain.

Jungkook, though, doesn't look weirded out by your question, if anything he looks confused. "Where and when?"

You stubbornly refuse to let the hope and relief wash over you at his question. "Umm, it's in the school campus really and I was thinking, we can go during lunch." You shrug, trying not to show your nervousness.

"Okay, sure." He agrees.

This time, you let the relief take over you and release a breath. Quite honestly, you were surprised that he agreed so easily but more than anything, you were glad that he even agreed.

"Let's go, then."

With dense bushes and about feet tall grasses, you have no doubt in your mind that this is probably one of the most unkept areas on your school campus. The dry leaves crunch beneath your feet as you walk, Jungkook following closely.

Along with your lunchbox, you're also carrying an additional one, which Jungkook hasn't noticed, even if he has, he hasn't mentioned or asked you about it. Which you're honestly thankful for.

A high pitched scream from Jungkook makes you whip around.

"What happened?" You ask rushing towards Jungkook, whose shaking form, makes you feel extremely concerned.

"Something dropped on my shoes." He says with his eyes closed in fear.

This only causes your worry to double up. Although you've never come across a snake in the various frequent visits you've paid, you can't erase that as a possibility. You look down frantically, trying to find the subject of his fear.

When you do spot it, you desperately try to hold back the snort trying to escape you. There's a part of you that's asking you to scare him and play a prank but you decide otherwise, he's already having a bad day and looks scared enough.

"Jungkook, open your eyes."  You say, softly with slight humour in your voice.

"I-i-is it safe?"

Okay, now you feel bad.

"Yes, it is."

He slowly opens his eyes, unsure and looks down.

"Is that–"

"Bird poop, yes."

His brows come together in a mix of disgust and embarrassment. "Well, shit."

"Quite literally." You chuckle.

"Umm, I didn't know that this is what it was, I'm sorry if I scared you." He mumbles, clearly embarrassed by his display of fear over something that isn't scary.

"No, it's okay, if anything it's funny," you let yourself tease him just that much and to your surprise, his lips quirk up ever so slightly.

"Okay, but how do I get rid of it?" He asks as he scowls to hide the smile.

"We can just wipe it off with a leaf and I got sanitiser in my pocket so we can sanitize the spot as well as your hands after you're done."

He nods in response, agreeing that it's the best that can be done at the moment.

You hold his lunchbox for him as he bends down to collect a leaf and does the needful, when you hesitantly begin, "I'm sorry for bringing you here, it's not the ideal place, I understand why you got so scared and I'd understand if you don't want to go any further. We can just head back."

He straightens up and takes the sanitiser from your hand. "No, it's completely fine, we have already come a long way and heading back now, is only going to put it at waste."

"No, you don't have to–"

"It's completely fine," He cuts you off as he sanitizes his hands, and gets shy again before saying "Just, maybe, umm, can we walk side by side–"

Seeing how shy and borderline uncomfortable he is getting, this time you cut him off. "That's absolutely reasonable, I should have been doing that in the first place, I'm sorry."

His body language eases almost immediately at the thought of not having to walk alone as he nods gratefully. "It's okay and thank you."

As you both start walking again, side by side this time, you can't help but feel stupid. Who thought it was a good idea to bring him along with you? Right, it was you.

Poor kid already has been having a bad day and then you bring him to a mini-amazon. It's still a surprise that he hasn't even asked you a single question regarding where the both of you are headed and has been patiently just trailing along with you.

Maybe he is cursing you in his mind thinking why on earth did he agree to go along with you. Maybe he thinks you have gone nuts. Heck, maybe you have.

Your anxiety only doubles up at the thought of the trouble not being worth it. What if your effort just doesn't make a difference? What if he only gets annoyed when you tell him or rather show him why you brought him here? Even more important question, what if they don't like him?

These are questions you should have thought earlier, you idiot.

Your footsteps stop as you approach the spot.

"So, we're finally here." You say, gulping, the anxiety refusing to leave.

Jungkook who has also stopped walking beside you, looks around confusedly. "What's so special about this place?"

"You'll see in a minute." You mumble mainly to yourself but he hears it anyway. "I'm sorry, but it's better if I head first from here, you can come closer when I tell you to."

Jungkook only becomes more confused but agrees anyway.

You cautiously step forward. If it were any other day, they would have been out by now, would be trying to climb you like a tree but today you see no traces of them. Something you are pretty sure has to do with your companion.

Not finding them anywhere in the out, you peek under the bush you know to be their home. And surely, two shining eyes blink back at you.

You wave your hand in greeting.

Hey, you're weird and you never denied it.

Seeing that they aren't coming out, you open the lunchbox that you use to carry food for them, hoping to lure them in.

To no one's surprise, three similar but much smaller pairs of shiny eyes come into view. One pair of which comes closer to you, until its tiny head and gradually its entire comes out of the bush.

Jungkook releases a small gasp.

Okay, so maybe not to no one's surprise.

You smile as the tiny creature comes closer to the lunchbox and takes a bite from one of the meatballs and meows in approval. You just knew he would be the first one to give in.

"She's so tiny." Jungkook whispers. Although you weren't facing him, you could still imagine his eyes being wide like saucers.

"He's a he and his name is Milo." You correct Jungkook, slowly petting the kitten's head as you take out a few meatballs and put them in front of him. "You can come closer now."

You get up from your crouching position as Jungkook slowly approaches where you are standing. Seeing him come closer, another body comes out of the bush.

"He isn't the only one?" He whispers, halting his steps immediately.

You softly shake your head, smiling at how flabbergasted he looks. "There are four of them actually, she is Mama C and this one is Milo"

"O-O-Okay but why is Mama C looking at me weirdly?" He asks voice low and sounding a little scared.

A small laugh escapes you. "She isn't acting weird, she's just cautious of you, that's the most natural thing considering you're a total stranger to her and that too when you're so close to her kids."

"Makes sense but umm she's coming closer to me, do I stay still? Do I bend down? Do I offer her my hand? What should I do?" He asks urgently voice even lower, almost a whisper.

Don't laugh. Don't laugh. Don't laugh. Don't laugh at how scared he looks. It's rude.

"Do what feels natural to you, she isn't going to harm you." You shrug.

Jungkook looks even more scared to be put on the spot. He fumbles a little bit until he slowly crouches down. You watch as Mama C stops a few centimetres away from his feet and just looks at him with narrowed eyes. Jungkook shakily offers his open palm to her and you watch in amusement as she sniffs his hands and gives it a tentative lick.

Time pauses as she seems to contemplate before giving out a meow, which you assume was one of approval because as soon as she does that, the other two kittens rush out of the bush as if they have been waiting for the permission for ages.

Now surrounded with three kittens, you offer food to the other two. Jungkook just looks awkwardly at Mama C as she turns around with full sass and walks towards you to get her share of food. You smile as she takes small bites from the meatballs in your hands.

"Do they have names too?" Jungkook asks, indicating towards the two new addition.

You nod. "She's Minnie and he is Juno." Scratching behind the ears of the said kittens, you doubt if he'd be able to distinctly remember the names. After all, they just look so similar, thick white fur with occasional black patches here and there. Initially, you used to get confused too but now you can just tell.

"They are so cute." Jungkook mumbles in awe.

You hum. "They are. You can try and feed them if you want to."

His eyes sparkle as if he has been waiting for those particular words but you also see the slight nervousness in them. "Will they let me?"

"You've got approval from Mama C so I'm pretty sure they will." You smile at him reassuringly and pass him the lunchbox. Milo's eyes follow your movements like a hawk. Realising that Jungkook now has his food, he parades his way to him as fast as he can, without giving you or anyone a second look. It only makes you chuckle at his behaviour.

Jungkook puts a few meatballs in front of him and Milo dives in without paying Jungkook any attention. "Isn't he eating too fast?" He frowns.

"That's how he usually eats. If you feel like it, you can break the meatballs into pieces and maintain some gap between feeding him. Although be careful, he gives these dangerous kitty eyes if you don't give him food fast enough, which can make anyone feel guilty and will make you feel terrible." You warn him seriously but with the way he nods, you know he didn't take the kitty eyes part seriously.

Oh boy, he'll learn it the hard way.

Once you feed all the meatballs that you had, you get up to fetch some more from the lunchbox, which makes the other three cats meow and follow you.

You crouch next to Jungkook and take a few out to feed them. As they feast on it, you slowly start petting Mama C, your heart-melting at the way she softly purrs. "You can try and pet them too, you know?"

"Can I?" He whispers, sounding unsure.

"Go for it, but if you pet Milo he possibly won't even realise that you're petting him because when he eats, he doesn't care about anything."

He furrows his brows while looking at Milo. "Whom should I pet then?"

"You can try pet her." You motion towards Mama C who's currently putty in your hands.

"She's intimidating, I don't think she'll let me." He says, looking even more unsure.

"She isn't intimidating at all, trust me." You say trying to assure him.

He nods but you can tell he still feels unsure. Shuffling closer to you, he shakily puts his hand on the top of her head and just keeps it there for some time, waiting for any sign that lets him know that she doesn't want to be petted by him.

She just looks up at him, for about a second and then goes back to her food. Jungkook takes this as a sign that she's okay with him and slowly runs his hand from the top of her head to the middle of her body in a back and forth motion.

The biggest smile breaks on his face when she starts purring. It's a genuine smile, mixed with excitement and slight disbelief.

You've noticed previously that he has bunny teeth but you've never seen them full-on display like this. The time he laughed during lunchtime, his head was thrown back, but now you see his bunny teeth, you realise it makes his smile just that much more adorable.

"She isn't as scary as I thought, she's kinda cute." He says to you with visible giddiness, getting a little bold with petting and feeling more confident.

You chuckle, feeling happy that your plan didn't go to waste and that it actually worked. "She is."

A comfortable silence falls between the two of you, the only sounds being the cats chewing on their food and the occasional purring.

After some time you hesitantly begin with something that's been on your mind. "Jungkook, if it isn't too much to ask, please don't tell anyone about this place or about them."

His hands that were busy petting momentarily stop as he turns towards you with curiosity etched on his face. "Is it like your secret spot?"

You sigh, feeling unsure as to how to explain it. "You can put it that way, I guess, but more than that, this is their safe space. When I first found Mama C, she was injured, it might be so that she accidentally hurt herself but it looked like someone intentionally hurt her. She couldn't even walk and she was pregnant. Can you imagine that? That was about a month ago, and I somehow brought her here because it didn't seem like anyone visited this place, treated her and everything and now she seems fine. So yeah, if anyone else were to find this place, I'd feel very anxious about anyone hurting them or even making them feel uncomfortable." You ramble in one breath.

Jungkook just looks at you for some time and his grip on Mama C's fur tightens just the slightest, not enough to be uncomfortable but in a protective way. "I won't tell about them to anyone." He says, his voice sincere, letting you know that he means it.

You give him a small and equally sincere smile. "Thank you."

"If you don't mind me asking, why did you bring me to this place?" He asks with a curious frown on his face.

Well shit. How do you answer that?

Do you lie? Even if you do what do you say? You just thought of bringing him here? Was that even a good enough reason? You believe he knows, that you two aren't all buddy-buddy enough for you to just casually bring him here, especially after telling him how much this place means to you. It's not that you don't trust him, you know that he won't ever think of causing any harm to anyone, he just has this aura of innocence that is somehow undeniable which also makes this image of him harming anyone seem impossible. But then again, there are plenty of people who wouldn't possibly harm the cats, but that doesn't mean you'll just go on inviting everyone.

Seeing that your mind won't come up with a good enough lie, you settle for the truth. "You've been down since morning and it looked like something was bothering you so I thought bringing you here would make you feel better." Your voice gets smaller as you speak and you don't dare to look at him.

The longer he remains quiet, the more you get anxious.

Is he going to tell you that's it's none of your business? Is he going to get mad at you?

To your surprise, he does none of that, instead, he himself sounds surprised. "You noticed?"

"It was kind of obvious." You shrug, still feeling a bit unsure.

"Thank you." He mutters in the softest of voice, which gives you the courage to turn towards him. "I'm feeling way better now, so thank you and it means a lot." He says, looking straight into your eyes.

The fear that you had of him misunderstanding you, immediately dissipates and a smile appears on your face. "Don't mind it, I'm glad I could help."

He gives you a smile in return, not a shy one but one that's rather not shy at all to show you, how grateful he is for your kindness and you find it beautiful in every possible way.

A small nudge on the palm of your hand gets your attention. Looking down, you find Minnie trying to lift your hand with her tiny little head to try to get you to pet her. Chuckling at her cuteness, you start scratching behind her ears and your heart warms at the way she closes her eyes and meows in satisfaction.

Jungkook's voice, however, makes you turn towards him again. "I, umm, just something happened that was bothering me, someone sa–"

"No, you don't have to feel obligated to tell me." Sensing where he was going with that sentence, you cut him off immediately.

He just looks down, fiddling with Juno's paws. "But you deserve to know–"

"No, I don't." You cut him off again, firmer this time. "Just because I brought you here, doesn't mean you have to tell me what's been bothering you. I brought you here and that was my choice. If you ever tell me or anyone something personal, it should be your choice and not an obligation or not because you feel like you should or have to."

Jungkook just keeps his head down and after some time nods his head, his posture which you didn't even realise had somehow stiffened, relaxes.

"Thanks." He whispers.

"You're welcome." You keep it short and simple. If by the way, his body eased immediately at the thought of not having to narrate to you about whatever it is that has been bothering him, it is pretty obvious that he doesn't feel comfortable enough to share it and you're going to respect it. Honestly, he shouldn't even be thanking you regarding it, in the very first place.

A comfortable silence falls between the two of you, except for the meows and purring.

"Can I be honest with you about something though?" Jungkook asks, breaking the silence. Seeing you nod in approval, he begins. "Mama C is a veerryyyy weird name."

"Hey! How dare you?" You exclaim, now fully turning towards him.

His eyes swirl with mischief as he exclaims back. "What? I'm just being honest."

"For your information, it's a very adorable name." You defend your choice of name, huffing.

"No, it isn't."

"That's a good joke. Haha."

"It wasn't a joke, it's the truth, duh."

"As if."

Whatever retort was on the tip of his tongue, never comes out because a hiss stops him from continuing. You both find the source to be Mama C, looking at the two of you with squinted eyes, a look that screams disapproval.

You automatically raise your hands in the air in surrender. "Okay, sorry. No more arguing about your name. Got it."

"And someone said she's not intimidating." Jungkook mumbles loudly, mimicking your pose.

"She isn't but you just made fun of her name and made her angry. Anyone would be offended."

"Well, she's clearly–"

Another hiss.

That makes the both of you quiet again.

After moments of intense staring at the two of you, she concludes that you both have shut up for good. She waddles towards you and lays down on your lap, with her head on the top of your thigh.

You swiftly turn your head towards Jungkook and slightly raise your brow in a way to say I won. He only raises his brow back in complete denial.

Riiiiinnggg.

And there goes the lunch bell.

As if knowing that you'll have to leave, Mama C slowly gets up and licks a portion of the skin that's visible between the hem of your skirt and your socks. Gently stepping out of your lap, she hisses at Milo who was now licking whatever remnants of food is left in the lunchbox. He only looks up being caught off guard.

Well with this kid around you never have to worry about any food going to waste, that's for sure.

The two of you get up and give up some goodbye scratches, which by the looks of it, are greatly appreciated.

"Next time, I want you to pay attention to me." Jungkook scolds Milo lightly. You ignore the giddiness that rises at the thought of him enjoying his time enough for him to think of a second visit.

This wasn't a blunder after all.

Bending down you collect the lunchbox when Jungkook speaks again, in a very confused tone might you add. "Umm, what is she doing?"

Facing him, you spot the source of his confusion and find extreme amusement at the sight in front of you. "Well, Minnie's trying to climb you." You snort. "That's her way of welcoming you to the family."

Jungkook's confused expression turns into one of disbelief and seconds later a burst of gleeful laughter escapes him.

This wasn't a blunder at all.

NOW

Today is Monday.

You don't know what you expected but even then to your surprise, the beginning of your day has been normal and nothing out of the usual.

Tan tried waking you up by licking all over your face but when you didn't wake up like he wanted you to, he 'scream-barked' near your ears, which made you spring up from your bed at the speed of light. When you tried scolding him for almost making you deaf, he gave you puppy eyes, because obviously.

After regaining some sense of hearing, you did your morning routine, chose a white blouse with a grey blazer and matching skirt as your outfit of the day, argued with Tae over breakfast about which out of DC and Marvel is better, left Tan at your nearest pet care centre, and then the both of you headed out.

Pretty normal.

The only thing that's been a reminder that it isn't just any other Monday, was the way Tae hugged you a little tighter and longer while whispering, it's going to be okay, before parting and making his way to the IT sector of the building.

You possibly stood there awkwardly in the middle of nowhere for some time, watching Tae's back as he walked, before finally taking a deep breath and calming yourself.

Today isn't just any other Monday but you'll deal with it.

Over the course of the week, you've accepted the fact that Jungkook is now going to be your boss. There's no denying that. But then that's just it right? He's only going to be your boss.

Honestly, from what you've heard from Tae, he's this big hot-shot of a CEO and lowkey a celebrity, whom you doubt you'll ever meet. But say, you do, even then it's only going to be once or twice and yeah maybe it would be awkward but that's okay, it would be weird if it's isn't awkward.

So yeah, as Tae said, it shouldn't be much of a problem.

And that's why you're calm, or at least way calmer than you expected yourself to be. You aren't going to lie, there's still this little anxiety at the back of your mind but that is normal and you have made peace with it.

That brings you here, in your office.

Checking the time on your wristwatch, you find it's 8:50, which means you're fairly on time.

You put down your handbag on the table and walk towards your chair to take a seat when the door of your office opens suddenly, startling you.

"Thank God you're finally here." Mina gushes, quite literally running towards you.

"Hey! Calm down, why are you in such a hurry?" A look of confusion appears on your face.

"I'm in a hurry because you have a meeting in ten minutes." She responds between shallow breaths.

Frowning, you ask, "Meeting in ten minutes? That early?"

"Yes, I got a mail that said new boss would like to have a meeting with the department heads, first thing in the morning." She explains further.

Your frown only intensifies and so does your anxiety. "New boss as in?" You ask just to be sure.

"Jeon Jungkook, duh."

Well fuck.

Really?

You're going to face Jungkook after six long years, more like you have to face Jungkook, and that too this early.

What's worrying you, even more, is the fact that he is going to know that you work here. When you left Korea, you left without a clue and you have no idea how he is going to react upon seeing you. If he–

Realising, where your thoughts are headed, you stop yourself immediately.

You're not going to waste your time, thinking about it. How he reacts is on him. You get no say on that. What matters is, you know how you're going to react.

Maybe it's too soon to see him, maybe you were totally unprepared for it, but the sooner you get over with it the better.

"Hey, you still functioning?" Mina's voice brings you back to reality.

"Sorry, I just wasn't expecting an early morning meeting but it is what is, I guess."

"I know, babe, no one likes early morning meetings buuuut it's 8:53 now and if you don't head out now, chances are, you'll be late." She informs you, tone slightly apologetic.

You hum in agreement. "Did they ask us to carry any specific files or documents?"

"Nope, not really. Just take a few sheets, I guess, in case you have to note down something."

You hum again before opening your drawer to collect a few sheets of paper and a pen. "So, I'll get going." You say, awkwardly, suddenly feeling doubtful about being in the same room as Jungkook.

"Hey, chill okay? It's all fine." It's funny how you don't even have to say but Mina automatically knows when something is bothering you.

You release a deep breath before nodding. "Thanks. Also, please just have a cup of coffee on my table when I come back."

She nods in response and with that, you finally head out.

On your way to the top floor, you can't help but notice this nervous aura radiating off from almost everyone. You feel for them, you really do. A lot of fears come along when you start working for a new company. You can only hope their fears turn out to be just that, fears and nothing else.

As the elevator door closes, you feel thankful that it's empty. Checking your reflection on the shiny reflecting doors, you feel confident about the way you look. No one would ever guess that there's anything that's running at the back of your mind and that's exactly how you prefer it.

Especially you won't ever let Jungkook know and give him the satisfaction that you indeed spent so much time of your week thinking about him. Although, they weren't the most pleasant thoughts about him but still, those thoughts somehow mean that he still kind of sort of affects you. Which is not what you want.

As the elevator door opens, you head straight out to the meeting room.

It's a huge room, to be honest. The kind of room that's simple, spacious yet slightly intimidating.

You open the door in one swift motion which makes all heads turn towards you and an awkward silence falls over the room.

Uh, okay.

You slowly close the door and take your seat, the third on the left side of the table. Sighing in relief, when the chatter resumes.

It's 8:57 and thank god you aren't late. You can only imagine how awkward it would be if you were to walk in when Jungkook was giving some sort of speech.

"Good morning Y/N." Alex, the head of the marketing department who's also sitting to your right, greets.

Turning your head towards him, you greet back. "Good morning, Alex."

"So, how are you keeping up with all this?" He waves his hand around slightly at the lack of better words.

"I don't know really, it sucks but it's not like how we feel matters, we have no say on it technically." You shrug.

"Well yeah, that is unless we–"

And the door opens.

Your head turns in sync with everyone to see Jungkook enter and your breath hitches.

When you saw him at the party, you just had a glimpse of him but now that you see him, you can't help but notice the obvious differences in him.

But what did you expect, it has been six years.

His facial features have matured, there's a very hard, calculative look on his face which you never saw on him in the past, there's this aura that he radiates which you'd otherwise find intimidating. His hair is dishevelled as if he has run his fingers through them countless number of times. He also has just overall grown a lot. He must be at least an inch or two taller than the last time you saw him, the width of his shoulder much broader.

His costly looking black suit adorns his body and by the looks of it, you possibly wouldn't find a single crease even if you tried. As his right hand comes up to fix his tie, you notice the tattoos, something you knew he always wanted but never knew he had finally gotten, and not to forget the various sliver rings on his fingers.

The sound of heels clicking against the floor makes you snap out of your trance.

Huh?

What were you doing?

This is an important meeting and were you just comparing the Jungkook that stands a few metres away, with the Jungkook that's ingrained in your mind from six years ago?

What is wrong with you?

Shaking yourself out of these thoughts and telling yourself to focus, your eyes follow the sound of heels to find a woman, in a red suit, closely following behind Jungkook.

What catches your attention, however, are her heels. They are like taaaallll, tall.

How does she walk in those? You have no idea.

"Good morning." Jungkook begins, taking his seat and you notice how his voice has turned slightly deeper, not too deep though. It's still very Jungkook, but also has this gravelly touch to it. It's the slightest of change that is noticeable but not an extreme one. You can still recognise his voice from anywhere, just like you did at the party.

"For those of you who don't know, I'm Jeon Jungkook, CEO of Jeon Corporations and this is my assistant, Miss Elene." Your eyes drift back to the woman in extra tall heels to find her standing at a distance from the chair Jungkook is sitting on. Honestly, you'd feel very awkward to be standing like that, but she looks more than okay, not minding the sudden attention on her.

"I know, the last few days might have been stressful for every one of you and that's why I called this meeting." Saying this, he makes eye contact with everyone, including you. What surprises you, is how unsurprised he looked.

Did he already know you work here? You're pretty sure by now, he already has a file that states all the names of the employees from FCS, maybe that's how he knows? Or maybe he checked the names of the people he was going to hold a meeting with? That's pretty normal and makes sense, you reckon.

"To begin with, there will be no change in positions for at least six months from now, you all will be on the same post as you were before." He gets straight to the point, with a stoic face. Seeing how Elene sports a very similar look, you wonder if that's an unspoken rule everyone working for Jeon Corporations needs to follow, to have a blank and emotionless face.

"At the end of each month, I expect both hard and soft copies of reports from each department head, on my table." Interlinking his fingers on the table surface, he leans forward. "There won't be much difference of workload from what you're used to." His eyes do a quick scan of everyone on the table.

"Though, there are some, rather small things that one needs to keep in mind while working for a company this big." The way he says these words doesn't make him calling his own company big, sound cocky, if anything they sound like he's just stating facts.

"Most of them you'll learn on your own, sooner than later, and honestly, it's for the best that you learn them by yourself. But the most important of them is, staying away from rumours." He pauses briefly to emphasise his point. "There are at least seven each day. Some if not all, are extremely misleading. Do not trust information if it's not from a reliable source, and I'd like to inform you, news channels and articles do not count as reliable."

Seeing a few head nods, he continues. "This building also will be the main branch of Jeon Corporations in the States and I'll be working and operating from here for some time. So expect a lot of unwanted media attention."

Oh?

Oh.

Ohhhhhh.

Haha. You're thoroughly fucked.

"Except for the points that I mentioned, everything is going to be the way it used to be. So I don't think any of you will face any problem but if you do, you can always reach out to Miss Elene." He leans back in his seat, before beginning again. "You will be shown a presentation and after that, if you have any questions that you want to ask, feel free to ask them."

Receiving nods of agreement from the people in the room, he signals Elene to begin the presentation, who then walks to the other side of the room, where the screen is.

As the presentation begins, you can't help but be amazed at the numbers on the screen. To say, that they are impressive would be an understatement. Jeon Corporations has made huge progress in the last few years. To be very specific, since Jungkook became the CEO.

There was this tiny part of you that was elated to know that the big, doe-eyed kid you met all those years ago got to achieve his dreams but you quickly shove those thoughts down.

Thinking about Jungkook won't do you any good.

After the presentation ends, a few rounds of questions are asked, which Jungkook answers precisely. Although you didn't have any questions, you doubt if you'd ask even if you had any.

"Any more queries?" He asks, his hard eyes roaming across the table. Being met with silence, he nods taking that as an answer. "That concludes the meeting, then."

"Welcome to Jeon Corporations."

It's surprising that the meeting ended as fast as it did. You honestly expected a lot more detailing and information being passed on but Jungkook kept it short, very to the point. He didn't start at a slow pace or gradually ease into it, no he just started talking about the things 'we should know', within five seconds of him entering the room.

You didn't expect the meeting to be so....extra professional.

Good for you, you guess. You didn't have to stay in the same room as him for long.

But one particular part of what he said has been the highlight for you.

He is going to work from here.

Aren't there other branches of Jeon Corporation in the States? Then why, just why?

Well, you know why, because the Universe had to play a sick joke on you and as a result of which, you have to see him at work every single fucking day.

Great. Just fucking great.

Your pace increases as you near your office. You feel like you will face-plant yourself and scream at the top of your lungs. Honestly, you might just need to scream to let off some steam.

But if only luck was on your side.

Just when you place your hand on the doorknob to open your office door a voice calls out for you.

Turning around, you find it to be Elene. "Yes?" You ask, with a confused frown.

"Mr. Jeon has requested you in his office." She says with a straight face.

Your brow quirks up in surprise. That bitch already has his own office in the building? This quick?

Is it wrong to call your new boss a bitch on the very first day? Probably so. Do you care? Not at all.

"Did he specify any reason?" You don't know why you asked this question it's not like it would make any difference. If he has summoned you, you have to go.

"No." Her reply comes short, but not in a way that shows impatience or annoyance.

"Well then, which room is his office?" You ask, releasing a sigh.

"The one that previously used to be Mr. Denver's room."

You only nod in response, before heading in that direction.

You were too busy cursing him in his mind to even wonder about the reason as to why he might have called you.

Just when you are about to knock on his door though, your hand pauses midway in the air.

Were you just going to walk in all frustrated? Were you going to show him you were affected?

Fuck, no you won't do that.

You might have slipped for a second, but he's not the only one who's good at putting up a business font and he's sure going to learn that.

Taking a few deep breaths, you calm yourself down and knock on the door. Hearing a faint come in, you push the door and to your surprise, Jungkook's eyes are already on you, as if he knew you were on the other side of the door.

"You called me, Mr. Jeon?"

Something very brief flashes through his eyes but it disappears just as quickly.

"Yes, please take a seat." He says in the same gravelly voice, without moving his eyes from you.

You walk towards the chair in front of his desk and take a seat, all the while maintaining eye contact with him. Maybe it's kind of silly, but if he wasn't going to back down, you aren't going to either. It's in large contrast to how you reacted to seeing him at the party, but there's no point in running away now, is there? The bare minimum you can do is to seem unbothered.

"So, how have you been?"

The question takes you by huge surprise, out of all the things you expected to come out of his mouth, you sure weren't expecting such a casual question.

But you don't let your surprise reflect on your features. "I'm sorry, Mr. Jeon but I don't get how it is any of your business." You reply, pretending to be genuinely confused.

His features harden slightly. "I haven't seen you in six years, you left without telling anyone, and now that I ask you the simplest of questions, you respond as if we are strangers." Perhaps, anyone will say that these words are that of frustration but with the way he says it in the same business-like tone, there's a part of you that finds it absurd yet hilarious.

It's a weird mix, hardened features with a relaxed, monotonous voice.

"Again, I'm sorry, Mr. Jeon, but like I said, I genuinely don't think it's any of your business after all you're my boss and I'm your employee and I'd prefer if it stayed that way." You say, your facade dropping just a little to let him know that you mean it.

His jaw clenches, his features harden even more but he still doesn't take his eyes off of you.

And neither do you, the only difference being, your features are much more relaxed, with a hint of a smile that can fool anyone into thinking that you're amused.

Seeing that he isn't saying anything else, you decide to break the tense silence. "Is there anything else, Mr. Jeon? If not, I have work to do."

And just like that, his features relax back into their regular expressionless state. "I'm sure you do and I won't keep you any longer, Miss Y/L/N."

You don't miss the way he emphasizes on miss. Although you've been addressing him as Mr. Jeon from the very moment you entered the room, he has refrained from directly using your name, but now that he did, adding the 'miss' seems to be his way of telling you, that he's going to give you what you want.

If you want to be professional, he'll be professional. If you want to pretend to be strangers, he'll pretend to be a stranger.

Giving a firm nod, you swiftly get up and leave, but on your way to the door, you feel his eyes burning holes at the back of your head.

As soon as the door closes, relief and a tiny hint of pride blooms in your chest. It went way better than you initially imagined it to be. Moreover, the last time you had a conversation with him, you were a broken sobbing mess, this time though, you didn't let him see through you.

There are certain things though which you just couldn't miss, even if you tried to.

Like, how his eyes were unreadable. Something that you didn't think was ever possible. From the very fast time that you met him all those years ago, his eyes would always reflect whatever it was that he was feeling but the long and tense eye contact you held with him in his office let you see that his eyes now had various layers to them, layers which helped him hide his emotions.

Then there was the fact that he has become so direct. First the meeting then the way he talked to you, he didn't beat around the bush at all, not even for a second. It felt like you were talking to someone who's trying to make a business deal, minus the 'convincing them' part of course, not that you wanted him to try or insist, because it would be of no use anyways, if anything it would only make you feel uncomfortable. You are glad he didn't take the conversation any further.

It's just that he's become all businessman, like.

It doesn't bother you though, it's just an observation.

But it only benefits you. If this is how Jungkook is going to be like as your boss, then it wouldn't be a problem at all. It will make your life way easier. Hell, you think you won't even notice his presence this way. He will be your boss, that's it. Nothing less, nothing more.

And currently, that's the best that you can settle for.

Taglist:

@miniiimee @its11-11mylove @jeonlovescoffee @mageprincess7 @namjooningelsewhere @unicornbabylover @drownforryou @diorggukie @koorosie @ggukkieland @joonwater @btsreader12 @shatzkrinslinzki @starbrightday @yoonchrisgull @shameless-army @mwitsmejk

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This is sooo beautiful. I don't have much words to describe my feelings but the story leaves a certain amount of yearning in my heart. Like the heart longs for a Jungkook, who will heal me from my misery and help me to learn how to live again fully. Much love 💗💗

I love you too. (Kim Taehyung and Jeon Jungkook One Shot)

Requested by @adsku

Summary: You don’t want to love again, thanks to Kim Taehyung and your best friend’s little secrets but Jungkook doesn’t want to give you up. Not when you always deny the three words he keeps telling you.

Pairing: Jungkook×Reader, Taehyung×Reader

His heart beat rhythmically in his chest, your head resting on the expanse of his skin and your hands wrapped around his waist. His fingers drew circles on your back, a smile gracing your lips at how content you felt. 

“I think we should get a seven tiered cake on our wedding.” Taehyung voiced, earning a chuckle from you as you looked up at him. His lips turned into a pout, eyebrows etched together in a frown. “I wasn’t joking." 

You shook your head, picking yourself up and straddling him. Taehyung rested his head on the headboard of the bed, his eyes raking over your body which was covered only in undergarments as an aftermath of the sexual activities you had engaged in, just moments ago. He placed his hands on your hips, smiling at the promise ring that glinted on his finger. "You haven’t proposed to me, Taehyung, it’s only promise rings.” You replied, your voice soft and breathy in the dark room. Taehyung rolled his eyes, getting up and pushing you onto your back before hovering over you. His rubbed his nose against yours, his forehead resting upon yours.

“It’s a promise ring. Which means I promise to be with you forever. I’ve booked you for myself so someday, we’re definitely getting married.” He explained, holding your wrists in place on either side of your head. You bit your lips, your heart racing in your chest as you admired the man before you. Taehyung was simply beautiful. The charming personality was just a bonus. You couldn’t bring yourself to believe that it had been three years since your relationship began, every day being something new with Taehyung by your side. All your friends always told you that he was a gem, especially Jane, your best friend since forever. You treasured your love, knowing that you’ll never be so smitten with anyone else. 

“Okay then, my future husband. What else do you have in mind?” You asked sweetly, laughing when Taehyung’s head fell to your shoulder, a soft groan escaping his lips at the nickname. “You make me absolutely insane. I love you so much.” He mumbled, his lips leaving open mouthed kisses on your neck which had you fluttering your eyes shut. His lips trailed down your body, his hands letting go of your wrists and caressing your skin.

“I love you too.”

____________________________________________

You glanced at yourself in the mirror, running your fingers across the smooth material of the light blue dress you were wearing. Your silver stilettos glimmered in the lights, your hair neatly styled at the back of your head. Your make up was subtle, enough to hide all the flaws that tainted your face. You sighed, concluding that you finally looked perfect to be attending a wedding. 

“And who gave you permission to look so gorgeous? Now I’ll have to fight every man who looks your way.” You rolled your eyes, a faint smile playing at your lips as you turned around to see your boyfriend standing by the door, clad in a dark grey suit. Your heart fluttered at the sight of him smiling fondly at you, a dimple digging into his cheek. “Says the man who has every patient of his swooning over him.” You teased, grinning as Jungkook walked towards you while laughing. It was ironic, actually, seeing as you used to be his patient too. The difference was that Jungkook was the one who started wanting something more from you. 

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bow to you V — jjk

Pairing(s): King!Jungkook x Queen!OC (Name: Belle)

Rating: G | PG | M | R 18+

Type: Drabble | Oneshot | Two Parter | Series

Genre: Royal AU | Marriage AU

Word Count: 5k+ 

Tags & Warnings: infidelity, cheating, lots of crying and screaming, marital problems, royal marriage troubles, a crap ton of back and forth fighting,  jungkook is something else dude, ANGST, coarse language, mild violence, sexual content (both explicit and non-explicit)

Authors Note: I don’t know how I feel about this chapter because i tried not to make it too repetitive and actually move the plot to a different direction. Let me know what you think! 

“I am a Queen and I am a wife. As the days go by, I feel those two roles splitting so far to a point where it turns into two people. The wife wakes up every morning thinking that he might say sorry and try to fix the damages. The Queen wants to rise up and stand her ground with her chin raised, doing everything she can to gain control. Today, I want to be Belle. For once, I need to listen to my heart and not let him break it again. I am Belle.”

— Belles’ Personal Diary Excerpt

Summer began in a gentle transition from last nights’ warmth to a bright morning. Though the cold was still faintly present this particular morning. The censer cast comforting heat on her back, plumes of steam flowed out from her tea and her fingers felt toasted covered by her ivory gloves. Belle kept her hair free from ties and pins to soothe her recurring headaches, long trail of black waves over her shoulders. Over the last seven months, she spent her time taking care of the concubines, settling community disputes, preparing for the new heir and listening to counsel.

Instead of sitting around and feeling sorry for herself, she was making progress in her kingdom and making her household her own once more. Even though it ached to send a concubine into Jungkooks’ chambers every night. He became far more affectionate these past few months; sending her gifts and taking walks with her in the garden. Belle wouldn’t call it paradise but it was a good transition to what she had planned next.

Namjoon slid open the door to the tea room, closing it behind him and bowing. “You called for me, Your Majesty.” His silver hair had grown down to his nape during the winter and spring.

“I’m sure you’ve heard of King Taehyung calling on six allies to build his empire.” Belle tidied up the letters she spent the morning writing. All of them glimmering with the royal gold seal against parchment paper. “It’s going to be trouble soon.”

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                    ❪  💜  MASTERLIST :  ❫  ghost in my bed

Jeon Jungkook was your best friend, your boyfriend, your everything. Once upon a time, you were his, too. But like everything else in life, things change. You just never thought those changes would take your everything away.

alt summary.  Sometimes, hating someone is the only thing you can do.

pairing.  jjk x named f!reader plus a lil bit of jhs x named f!reader.  e2l (exes n enemies!).

genre + rating.  rockstar!au.  a heavy, heavy dose of angst, some fluff (or romance) maybe later on, and eventuaaal smut maybe.  general with explicit chapters (*) marked.

tags / warnings.  past infidelity, (referenced) cheating, jealousy, drinking, driving under the infuence, (referenced) drug use, childhood sweethearts turned sad sacks, actual heartthrob jungkook, (referenced) car accident, jeon jungkook is a lil shit, oral (f receiving), fingering, unprotected sex (don’t be silly!), creampie, an inappropriate use of a mirror, etc.  :’)

wc.  16.2k.  ongoing.

author note.  n/a.

moodboard

vogue article

prologue

chapter one

chapter two

chapter three

chapter four

drabble:  mirrors *

Caught 01

Pairings: roommate!jk x reader

Genre: fluff, awkward, slice of life, slow burn

Summary: you're continuously caught in awkward situations with your much too attractive roommate

Wc: 1K

prev | next 02 | drabble mlist | m.mlist

July 3rd

You like rain. When it’s trickling down the bus window, racing against gravity to reach the sill and collect in a delightful, reflective pool at the bottom of the glass. Or when it’s creating a numbing, gentle patter on your apartment’s roof in the middle of a snuggly night, lulling you into a gentle sleep.

You don’t like rain when the weather app said clear skies and now it’s soaking through your favorite white sundress and sandals as you trip down the sidewalk. Your purse does little to protect your hair, but you hold it hovering above you anyway, sprinting towards your building and frantically pushing in the code to open the ground floor door.

“Wait!” you shout, rushing toward the elevator just as the door inches to a close.

A large hand catches it from the inside and holds it open until you manage to slip inside.

The owner of said hand is a young man, 20’s, tall, dark hair, big eyes, thin lips, and macchiato skin. He scans your dripping wet appearance once before quickly averting his eyes.

“Thank you,” you say after catching your breath.

He simply nods and leans forward to press the button for floor 13 again. He seems to be in a bit of a rush. Just another reason you’re thankful he held the door for you, seeing as you’re about to be late yourself.

The man adjusts his grey hoodie, the umbrella hung on his wrist flopping against his ripped, dark wash jeans. You notice his eyes bouncing all over the elevator, obviously avoiding your general direction. While you don’t want to be presumptuous, it almost feels as if your presence makes him flustered.

Guys aren’t typically flustered around you. If anything, it’s the other way around. Your cheeks flush because there’s no denying this man is attractive.

Your chin drops shyly and that’s when you discover the real reason this guy also has cheeks the color of tomatoes.

Your soaked sundress has clung to your figure, every curve of your chest, waist, and hips on full, high definition display. The pretty, white, lace-detailed fabric has become almost completely transparent, the skin toned bralette and panties you strategically chose that morning proving to be an unhelpful decision.

With the grace of a giraffe on figure skates, you fumble to cover yourself with your purse, tangled, wet hair slapping your face and sticking to your heated cheeks.

He doesn’t say anything but he doesn’t have to.

With floor 13 steadily approaching, your brain finally registers that this guy is heading to the same floor as you. What a crazy, embarrassing coincidence.

You don’t recognize him though. Which is actually crazy because, while you’re not formally acquainted with all your neighbors, you know all their faces and the faces of people who come in and out on a regular basis.

But you don’t know his.

“A-Are you new? To the building, I mean,” you quickly add.

He glances to your side of the elevator at the sound of your voice, but his eyes are quick to find the rising number at the top of the door again.

“Potentially. I have an interview with a possible roommate today.”

“That’s so weird, I’m interviewing a possible roommate today too. She’s supposed to be here any minute but I’m obviously very unprepared.”

An awkward, shared chuckle somehow makes the air feel lighter. He still won’t look at you, but you’re also grateful for his gentlemanly character.

“I’m ___,” you introduce yourself kindly. If there’s a possibility this guy will be living in your building, on your floor no less, you’d like to be as neighborly as possible. One of your new year resolutions was to not be so shy meeting new people. So far, it’s working. Sort of.

He nods in your direction. “Jungkook.”

The elevator reaches floor 11.

“Nice to meet you, Jungkook. Umm, good luck on your interview.”

Floor 12.

“I-I’m in 1321 if you ever need anything. Don’t be a stranger, okay?”

“Wait, did you say 1321?”

“Yeah, why?”

“That’s the room I’m interviewing with.”

Floor 13. The doors open with a soft ding.

Jungkook doesn’t hesitate to look directly at you now, brows raised and eyes expectant.

Both of you stand in silence, your mouth open and stale while your brain works overtime to come up with a response.

“But I’m interviewing a girl.” You didn’t mean for your statement to be harsh, but the expression on Jungkook’s face tells you he’s just as caught off guard.

He clears his throat and gestures for the two of you to exit the elevator before continuing. You do, but not until he goes first. The back of you is still very much exposed and Jungkook must remember this as he takes the lead.

“I understand if you’re uncomfortable rooming with a guy. There was obviously some misunderstanding somewhere, so please don’t feel like you have to, you know. I won’t be offended.”

Jungkook makes sure to watch your eyes the whole time he speaks and nothing else. Despite you being basically naked in front of this guy, you feel a shred of your dignity may have been salvaged.

“No, it’s okay,” you say. “I can, I mean, as long as we respect each other’s space–boundaries obviously–I don’t see why it should be a problem.”

If you’re completely honest, you’re a little bit desperate at this point. Prepared to accept just about anything, your interview turning out to be a guy is actually a lot better than you were hoping for.

You’re considering revealing a little more about your situation when Jungkook confesses first.

“I’m glad to hear that because truthfully things haven’t been the easiest. I promise to follow whatever boundaries and rules there are. Thank you for having an open mind despite the circumstances.” He drops into a polite bow, a small smile spilling into the corners of his lips. It’s not creepy or forced. It’s a relieved grin.

Once again, Jungkook takes the lead with you just two steps behind, your purse still blocking your chest and tummy. Two faint shades of red have yet to leave either of your cheeks, but Jungkook seems to be having an easier time composing himself. Your heart beats like crazy as you approach your apartment.

Fumbling with your key, you open the door and welcome your potential roommate inside.

He stands there, seemingly broader and taller now that he’s in your tiny entryway, waiting for your instructions.

“Umm,” you begin, kicking off your sandals and offering Jungkook a pair of slippers, “make yourself comfortable. I’m going to take a 5 minutes shower a-and then we'll…yeah?”

“Yeah,” Jungkook immediately agrees, feigning interest in your drab colored walls. “Take your time. You must be,” he catches your gaze, “cold.”

“Right.”

“Right.”

Your bare, wet feet splatter across the hardwood, tracking water droplets all the way down the hall and into the bathroom. With a deep sigh, you lean against the door and drop your purse to the floor.

Taking a second to process what you’ve just done, you hop in the shower and try to mentally prepare yourself for what you’re about to do.

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day by day | 11

banner made by the iconic @dnrequests​ / @dee-ehn​

summary; jungkook makes a decision for his family pairing; dilf!jk x best friend!reader (f) genre/warnings; fluff, angst, longing, pining, mc is a homebody, unrequited love (or is it?), potential idiots 2 lovers, best friends 2 lovers, mentions of sex, haru probably sounding a lil too old for her age but she’s fictionally very intelligent w/c; 2k a/n; second to last one omfg ;-; thank u for all the love and support this past month over this fic. im really happy that we can finally close this fictional family’s life together! jk is really trying to make up for lost time, so pls bear with him as he tries to speed up the process. enjoy! [day by day masterpost]

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Jungkook’s different types of smiles and laughs ♡

970901 — Happy Birthday Jeon Jungkook! “you're the reason that I smile everyday, so I hope I am your reason to smile as well” — Jeon Jungkook