I Might Be Biased Because You're Literally One Of My Favorite Writers On Here But I'm So Excited For

I might be biased because you're literally one of my favorite writers on here but I'm so excited for this. Your writing style really suits my taste, does that make sense???

Halloween Project // Snippet

Pairings: Vampire!Yoongi x Witch!Reader x Vampire!Jungkook

Summary: During the worst storm you have witnessed in your life, a bat crashes on your window. When you bring it inside your cottage to take care of it, you realize it isn't simply a bat but a baby vampire. Your past has come back to haunt you because Jungkook's sire is no one else but Min Yoongi, who you had left behind when you disappeared five years ago.

Genre: fluff, angst

Outside, the world was dark and ominous. Trees lurched and bent under the force of the wind, its strength was enough to uproot some smaller and more frail ones. The rain bounced off your cloak and thunder boomed overhead. You shielded your lantern underneath your cloak and, with your boots sinking into the wet earth, moved carefully towards where you had heard the sound. At first, you didn't see it in the darkness but when your eyes adjusted, you noticed the outline of the crumbled figure underneath the window.

The creature was small and it was shivering, probably both by the cold and the fear of the storm. You approached slowly, trying to seem non-threatening. It was a small bat, one of its wings bent at a weird angle and the other hiding its face.

"Hello, little guy," you said, sending some of your energy to the bat to sooth it. The wind swept your voice away but you still tried. "I'm going to have to pick you up and take you inside. You can't stay out here in the storm."

With a short incantation, you enchanted the lantern to float in place and slid one hand underneath the bat's small form, covering it gently with your other hand. It struggled a little but settled soon. By touch, you understood two things. It wasn't a normal bat but, in your hands, you held a vampire. And it was a very young one.

"I'm going to take care of you," you promised, cradling the vampire close to your chest. "You don't have to be afraid."

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The story is going to be around 20-25k words and divided in three chapters. Originally, the plan was for it to be finished by the end of October and be posted as an one-shot but that wasn't possible unfortunately. Let me know how it sounds!! I would love some feedback 🧡🧡🧡

omg there's finally an update 🥺 everything's so wholesome, the way they're finally genuinely starting on their healing journey.... everything's moving just so perfectly 😭❤️

Eunoia // Ch. 26

eunoia (noun): beautiful thinking, the possession of a well-balanced mind, which exhibits goodwill and kindness

Pairings: Hybrid! BTS x reader

Summary: You are a world famous director and you have dedicated your life to your job.You have everything you could ever dream of; wealth, recognision, talent, your friends and family. But loneliness isn’t cured by success. So what happens when you somehow rescue seven hybrids? Can they fill the void?

Genre: Angst, fluff, hurt/comfort, eventual smut

Word Count: 12.1k+

Warnings: past abuse, past sexual abuse, cursing, past violence,

Masterlist

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It was the second time Taehyung was in Jungkook’s atelier—only recently had Jungkook started thinking of it like that, before it was the atelier—but he was looking around him like it was a fairytale and everything was made of magic. Jungkook guessed he must have looked a little like that as well the first time you had shown him the room and told him it was his to do as he pleased. Athens and the Parthenon stretching on the wall never failed to inspire wonder and a deep respect in him, regardless of how long it had been since the first time he walked inside.

Everything else in the room was quite different from that first day. The once pristine and unused room was now splattered in paint. It was everywhere, on the floor and the cabinets and on the many newspapers that he used to cover everything. The first time he had stained the floor with paint, he had gone to you with teary eyes, lowered ears, and a hundred apologies on the tip of his tongue. You had simply laughed and told him that the room was his and he could paint the whole floor if he wanted to. The only thing you asked of him was to be careful of the wall painting. Jungkook would have never touched it in the first place.

Finished canvases were leaning against the cabinets and the walls. Most of them were of places Jungkook found beautiful, the Eiffel Tower, the Parthenon, a neighborhood in Amsterdam he had seen in one of your photos. There were also a few paintings of the pack, you and Seokjin cooking in the kitchen, Yoongi playing the piano, Namjoon and Hoseok under the large tree in the garden, Taehyung with Alice at the lake, and Jimin smiling so wide his eyes turned into crescent moons.

Jungkook longed for Jimin with an insatiable hunger. Now that he had gotten a taste of him once and Jimin told him he wanted it, now that there was no guilt and anguish, he couldn’t get enough of him. He wanted to always be touching him, holding him, and scenting him. His scent was like an aphrodisiac to him and he was addicted.

However, when Taehyung had shyly asked about his atelier, he was compelled to show it to him. It wasn’t often that Taehyung asked for anything and although he hadn’t specifically asked to see the room, Jungkook knew he would like it. Taehyung’s smile was also addicting and rare like a precious gem. So, he had left Jimin with Seokjin to cook in the kitchen and had taken Taehyung’s hand and climbed down the stairs. His hand was soft and he could still feel its ghost on his palm.

He was right, Taehyung’s smile was worth it. It was a tiny one, a small curve of his lips, but it was stunning.

His tiger ears twitched when his eyes landed on the painting of him. He approached slowly, taking it in. A hand reached out but he drew it back before it could touch the canvas.

In the painting, Alice was grinning brightly at Taehyung, one of her rainbow butterfly hair-clips clipped on his dark hair. But what Jungkook loved the most about it was Taehyung’s smile. For the first time, with Alice, Taehyung looked genuinely happy. The painting didn’t do the moment justice, he hadn’t managed to capture the tiger hybrid perfectly. He had taken a picture of the two of them and used it as reference but it was difficult, almost impossible, to immortalize Taehyung’s beauty in that moment.

“Do you like it?” Jungkook asked gently.

Taehyung startled as if the painting had enchanted him and Jungkook’s voice broke the spell. He hugged himself with one hand, almost like he wanted to stop himself from touching the painting. “It’s… beautiful.”

“It was a beautiful moment,” Jungkook agreed. “Alice is incredible, right?”

Taehyung nodded slowly. “I… have it. The butterfly. She doesn’t want back… it.”

They both looked at the painting. Jungkook wasn’t sure if they were seeing the same thing but maybe they were.

“Do you want to paint again?” he asked, breaking the silence. He took down the half-finished canvas of a beach from the easel and replaced it with a blank canvas.

Taehyung didn’t hesitate to agree this time. They picked up different brushes, chose a few tubes of oil paint and set themselves to work. Jungkook showed him how to paint a sunset—he had perfected the skill through a lot of observation and many YouTube videos. Taehyung seemed to have fun blending the colors and drawing the shapes of semi-transparent clouds.

They stayed in the atelier for a few hours until they were called for dinner by Hoseok, whose heart-shaped smile at seeing them together in their paint-splattered clothes rivaled the beauty of the sunset. After the meal, Jungkook asked if Taehyung would like to take the painting of him and Alice to his room. They hung it on the wall with Yoongi’s help and went back to the garden together.

♬♩♪♩ ♩♪♩♬♬♩♪♩ ♩♪♩♬♬♩♪♩ ♩♪♩♬♬♩♪♩ ♩♪♩♬♬♩♪♩

You were filming at Monmouth Manufacturing for the day. They were the last couple of scenes you would be filming there for Season 1. Hopefully—and most probably—, you would see it again next year, or the year after that, filming for Season 2. First, you would have to finish Crooked Kingdom and then towards the end of the year, maybe you could work on the Raven Cycle. Your schedule was already crazy and you were troubled about what that meant for the next year.

A headache was brewing behind your temples and you were trying very hard to ignore it. You had been at the studios since 6 o’clock in the morning and you were going crazy. It would be one of those 15-16 hour days. You could see it coming. The executive producer of Paper Hearts had called to tell you that you were desperately needed for a board meeting for the next season. They had changed the time of the meeting to later in the afternoon to fit your schedule, which proved that it was important. You dreaded the drive to the other side of Los Angeles and what was sure to be a very long discussion.

During your lunch break, you texted Namjoon that you would be late again. He didn’t say anything but you knew he was disappointed. He had to be. You had barely spent any time with them in the past few days. There were also matters you still had to discuss. You hadn’t told the other hybrids about the thing between the three of you and they deserved to know. Your headache got worse just thinking about it.

You flipped through the script during a small break, sipping on your third cup of coffee of the day. It was making you jittery but the other option was falling asleep in your chair.

“Okay, I think we are good to move on to the next scene,” you told Will. “And then we’re done for the day.”

“Should I get someone to call the actors?”

“Yeah, see if they are done with makeup and send them in.” You rolled your neck and let out a heavy sigh. “All things considered it’s going pretty well.”

Will chuckled as he motioned for someone from the staff to come closer. “For someone who’s been here since six, you’re doing remarkably well.”

You waited for him to send the man to fetch the actors before speaking again. “We’ll see about that when we’re done with this scene. If I’m on my feet and awake by then, I deserve an award.”

Will shrugged, leaning back on his chair. “I’ve seen you do worse. Do you remember when we were filming ‘The Grand Masquerade’ in Prague? You were running on three hours of sleep a night for a week. I thought you would fall asleep during filming and wouldn’t wake up for a couple of days.”

“I was younger then,” you shrugged it off. You eyed the script again, focusing on your notes. “ I don’t have the same energy.”

“It was three years ago.”

“Three years can be a long time.”

You could understand that better than anyone, considering that this year sometimes seemed like a decade to you. In a year, your whole life had changed. You were different, everything was different from last year. Three years could be a very long time, indeed. But also the blink of an eye.

One of the actors arrived and you both greeted him. Soon, he was swept away by the movement director.

“I think you need another break,” Will declared in all of his dramatic glory.

You tapped your long nails on your plastic cup, the action was strangely soothing. “I think I need another coffee.”

“You certainly need a break,” Will insisted. “And you certainly don’t need another coffee.”

He had noticed your restlessness, then. “We just came back from a break. And there is no time for another one. After we are done here, promotions for Six of Crows begin then there is the premiere and the tour and they are getting everything ready to begin filming for Season 6 of Paper Hearts. And Crooked Kingdom is next year and I am very behind on that.”

Will’s face did that thing he did whenever he was done with you, his features slacking like he was bored and a little irritated. “You can’t be behind on something that hasn’t even started yet. Be serious.”

“I am. Deadly.”

Will rolled his eyes. “Break. You need a break.”

The rest of the actors arrived then and the subject was dropped in favor of going over the details of the scene with them. They took their places and filming began. There was a place where the scene kept being snagged and you had to go over it four times to get it right and five more to perfect it.

By the end, you were running like you were being hunted to find John and drive to the company building. The meeting as you had expected was long and tiring. At least, it was a productive one. You discussed the script, the new additions, and the schedule. You shared a few worries and disagreements you had and you mostly managed to find the middle ground. Another meeting would be held in a week before filming would officially start in a few weeks.

It was past eleven when you opened the door of the Castle. No one was in the living room, which was to be expected.

“I’m back!” you shouted, even though no one would hear you if they were in the garden. The night was warm and your skin felt stifling. Sweat dotted your forehead and the change of temperature, when you walked inside the air-conditioned Castle, sent a shock through your system. Your legs had turned to stones and you struggled to take off your shoes.

All you wanted was to fall asleep. You opened the balcony door and shouted again that you were back and that you would be in your room. You closed it before you could hear any replies.

In your room, you had to force yourself to change into your pajamas instead of falling face-first onto your bed in your dirty clothes. You didn’t have the energy to take a shower like you usually did at the end of the day. Your appetite had also disappeared. You hadn’t eaten dinner but you weren’t hungry. You were taking off your makeup in the bathroom when there was a knock on your door.

For a moment, you debated not answering but you dismissed the thought instantly.

“Come in,” you called. “I’m in the bathroom.”

You heard the door open and close again. You dragged the cotton pad roughly across your face, you didn’t have the patience to be gentle and it left your skin red. Some days it was just too sensitive.

“Are you alright?” The care in Seokjin’s voice tugged at the tight knot in your chest, loosened it. You glanced at the door but he wasn’t there.

Most of the makeup was gone from your face and you looked like a mess. You threw the cotton pads in the bin and washed your face quickly to get rid of the mascara under your eyes and any stubborn residues of makeup.

Seokjin was standing by your vanity, waiting for you. It wasn’t often that he came to your room. You weren’t used to seeing him there but it felt right.

“For someone who has been running around for more than sixteen hours, I am peachy,” you tried to joke but the delivery was lacking. It was confirmed by Seokjin’s frown.

“That’s too much, even for you. That isn’t healthy.”

“It is what it is,” you said, trying not to sound defensive. “It isn’t something I haven’t done before. And tomorrow’s schedule is easier so it’s alright.”

That didn’t seem to do anything to ease his mind. “Because you did it before, it doesn’t mean you should keep doing that.”

You rubbed your temples, your headache was getting worse. “There are things that need to get done. I can’t just stop because I’m tired. I get calls all day and my inbox is full of emails I haven’t answered yet. I have a million things on my plate, I can’t ignore them.”

“I know,” Seokjin said, his tone softer. He came closer to you and took your hand in his. The touch was grounding. You hadn’t realized you were spiraling until your feet were planted on the earth again. “We know how important your work is and how much effort you have put in to be where we are. It’s admirable and it’s incredible that you’ve managed to do all this. But your health is important too. You can’t keep running with an empty tank. You need to rest too.”

You heaved a sigh and let your head fall forward to rest on his chest. Your nose wasn’t as sensitive as a hybrid’s but breathing in the familiar sweetness calmed you. He hugged you and drew you closer to him, his hand kneading the tense muscles of your shoulders and the back of your neck.

“We missed you,” he said almost in a whisper.

“You always miss me.”

Seokjin stayed quiet but you both knew. They always missed you because you were always gone.

“You should eat something before you fall asleep. Yoongi and I made gnocchi with prosciutto and parmesan and garlic bread with mozzarella. I can bring it here but I think it would be best if you ate in the kitchen. Everyone wants to see you but they don’t want to bother you.”

The simple act of going to the kitchen sounded like climbing a mountain. Your bed looked too attractive, only a meter away and very very soft. Your eyelids were heavy with the need to sleep and yet…

“I’ll come to the kitchen,” you said. Having woken up at five, you hadn’t seen anyone before leaving. The thought of not seeing them at all today left a sour taste in your mouth. “But can we stay here? For a bit?”

Seokjin placed a tender kiss on the crown of your head. “Of course. For as long as you want.”

You lost track of time in his arms but no more than five minutes must have passed by the time you pulled back with a heavy heart. A temporary balm had been applied to the ailments of the day. You could hold yourself up for a few more minutes to eat a little, you had been doing it all day.

Your legs were as heavy as concrete walking to the kitchen. You had to concentrate on putting one foot in front of the other, otherwise, you might just collapse. There was noise coming from the kitchen but your tired mind couldn’t register what they were saying.

You were surprised to see that everyone was there waiting for you, even Taehyung. Yoongi placed the plates in front of your seat and Jimin added the cutlery. Everyone else was sitting around the table in their usual stools.

Their greetings were quieter than usual and you guessed that they were conscious of how tired you were. You gave them the warmest smile you could master and patted Hoseok’s hair as you passed by to take your seat. The aroma of the food made your stomach growl, you hadn’t realized how hungry you had been before. Your appetite was back. Everything looked incredible as always and you couldn’t wait to dig in.

“Are you all just going to look at me while I eat?” you asked, picking up your fork.

The hybrids looked sheepish at your question.

“We just wanted to see you,” Jungkook said. “You left too early in the morning.”

You had to compose yourself to pierce a couple of gnocchi with your fork and not sigh out loud. Yoongi’s eyes were heavy on you, they were the ones you could detect with the most ease. You were the most aware of him.

“I had too much to do today. They have been bugging me from the studios for days. If I didn’t start early, I would have never finished. And I prefer an early morning to a late night. I tend to work better in the morning.”

You forced the fork to your mouth. You were ravenous but the conversation stalled your appetite.

“I would think that this was considered a late night,” Namjoon pointed out.

The taste, as expected, was heavenly. The creaminess of the parmesan sauce was tied perfectly with the savory crispy prosciutto. In your condition, you felt like it was wasted on you. As hungry as you were, you just wanted to put your fork down and go to sleep. But you couldn’t do that. You were better than that, you could eat something and then you could go to sleep. You could do that, you had done this before. Hadn’t you?

“This isn’t a late night,” you said after you swallowed the delicious bite. You had to eat another one. And another one. “Late nights can be anything from three a.m. to the next morning. This doesn’t happen often but I really had too many things to do. This is just for a few weeks because we’re moving very fast with the Raven Boys and filming for Season 6 of Paper Hearts will start soon. There are a lot of meetings and things they need my opinion on, it will actually be better once filming starts. They don’t need me as much then.”

You pushed the gnocchi around and you could tell they didn’t believe you without looking at them. It was true that your workload was heavier these days but you couldn’t exactly guarantee that it would get better soon. Filming for the Raven Cycle had been going exceptionally well and it was moving faster than you had originally planned. It would be wrapping up by the end of September or by early October at the latest. Wrapping up was a lot of work, the beginning and the end were the busiest parts.

The rest of autumn was going to be very difficult too. There was the premier as well, which added to your workload greatly. It would take up all of November and the work for it would start from October. Maybe December would be calmer. Maybe.

You ate the rest of your meal in relative silence. They didn’t talk more about you leaving early and coming back late although you knew they wanted to. Their voices were quiet as they talked about anything from witches in cartoons to color theory. You let their words play in the background like the sound from a TV as you tried to eat as much as you could.

The result was a half-finished plate of gnocchi and one less garlic bread with mozzarella. Your eyes were closing involuntarily by then, staying closed for longer periods each time. If you didn’t go to sleep now, you would fall face-first into the gnocchi.

You slid off your seat and balanced yourself on numb legs. “Thank you for this, it was delicious. But I really need to go to sleep now.”

“It’s okay,” Seokjin said, glancing at half of the food still on the plate. “You should rest.”

“At what time do you start work tomorrow?” Yoongi asked. He had been silent during your dinner and his voice rang louder than the rest to your ears.

It must have taken a few seconds to navigate the fog in your mind before you could answer. “Filming starts around nine, so I should be there by eight. Half past eight at most.”

“That’s still too early,” Hoseok said, frowning.

You waved their worries off. They had better things to worry about than the job you had been doing for half of your life. “It isn’t too early. I can sleep for a decent number of hours before I have to get ready. It’s alright, really. Goodnight, everyone. Sweet dreams.”

With effort, you dragged your body to your bedroom. You didn’t bother turning on the lights and stumbled to your bed guided only by the moonlight. There wasn’t a point in closing the blinds when you would wake up around the time the sun was rising. The light of your phone was too bright in the darkness and it made your eyes sting as you set an alarm.

A few messages caught your attention but a knock stopped you before you could open them.

“Come in,” you called, setting your phone aside. The door opened and the light from the hallway slipped in, outlining the silhouettes of the two hybrids. “Is everything okay?”

They both nodded and Jimin took a few steps into the room. “Can we sleep here tonight?”

“Both of you?” you asked, half-suppressing a yawn. Unlike Jimin, Jungkook hadn’t slept in your room before and the only time you had shared a bed was in Virginia.

Jungkook’s bunny ears drooped. “I can go, I don’t mind. I just missed you.”

“Sorry, that isn’t how I meant it.” Your surroundings were a bit blurry, the minutes stretched but were also impossibly short. It felt a little like life was a dream when you were tired like this. “Come in, both of you. And close the door behind you. It is blinding me a bit.”

They hurried inside and did as you told them. You couldn’t see them well as they moved through the darkness. They surrounded you, lying on different sides. Jimin didn’t hesitate to draw closer, throwing an arm over your stomach. Jungkook was a little stiffer on your left like he didn’t know how to situate himself. You found his hand, intertwining your fingers, and a quiet sigh escaped his lips.

It felt right, lying between them. Like that was how it was meant to be. But maybe that was the exhaustion talking, the dream realm slipping into the waking world.

“I missed you too,” you whispered. “Now sleep. I have an alarm set for the morning.”

♬♩♪♩ ♩♪♩♬♬♩♪♩ ♩♪♩♬♬♩♪♩ ♩♪♩♬♬♩♪♩ ♩♪♩♬♬♩♪♩

Summer bled seamlessly into autumn. The change wasn’t apparent in the Castle, autumn had only arrived in name. The heat was still there and would remain for some time. During the days, it still made sweat drip down your temples the few times you filmed outside the studios but the nights were comfortable and moon-bright.

You had a couple of hours free between takes and nothing to do so you got into your car (John had taken the day off to spend some time with Alice) and started the engine. “Nothing to do” was a relative term of course. There were many things you could be doing, countless extra little tasks that crowded your thoughts, but you disregarded all of them. You had been spending whole days away from home and you were beginning to feel guilty about it.

On your way back, you stopped by your favorite homemade gelato shop. In San Diego, you had gone for gelato the first day and the hybrids had loved it. You had made it a habit to get gelato at the beginning of each day during ComicCon, it was your little ritual. You had ordered gelato a couple of times to the Castle as well but with eight people, it didn’t last more than a day.

There were dozens of flavors behind the display case, all of them looking delectable. You got a wide variety, remembering the flavors they liked the most. You picked hazelnut, tiramisu, chocolate chip cookie, almond, caramel, coconut, cream and sour cherry, nutella, and vanilla and asked for 1 kilo of each to be delivered to your house. It was too hot and your house was too far to transport them in your car.

You didn’t have to wait more than a few minutes outside the gate before the delivery boy arrived. You got the bags full of gelato containers from him and sent him off with a hefty tip. The Castle was a long way from the heart of the city and anyone willing to make deliveries there deserved a nice tip.

Unlocking and opening the door was a struggle but you managed. You shouted you were back and fast-walked down the stairs, the plastic bags digging into your hands. On the second level, you were faced with Jungkook, who was also climbing the stairs to reach you. He looked as if he was ready to attack you with a hug before noticing the bags.

“A little help?” you asked, raising the bags a little higher. Your arms protested loudly.

Jungkook quickly took most of the bags from you and if you hadn’t been the one carrying them before, you would have believed they were light as a feather with the way he was holding them. “What are all these?” he asked, peeking into the bags. His eyes sparkled and his smile widened in realization when he spotted the containers. “Is that–?”

“Gelato,” you said, a little proud of yourself for thinking of making the stop on your way back.

Jungkook’s steps turned into little hops. “You are the best! How much did you get? Are these all different flavors?”

“You will see…”

Jungkook made a sound close to a petulant whine. “Come on,” he said, dragging the vowels. “What are they? Did you get hazelnut?”

“We’re almost there. You’ll see in a minute.” The garden was coming into view as you climbed down to the last level but Jungkook still turned back to pout at you. “Dramatic bunny,” you muttered lowly but not low enough for his enhanced hearing not to pick it up. You didn’t mind, his giggles were cute.

At the bottom of the stairs, Namjoon and Seokjin were waiting for you.

Seokjin squeezed your wrist in greeting before saying, “He is a very dramatic bunny.”

“Hey! You should be on my side!”

Seokjin raised his eyebrows. “And why is that?” And that set off a round of bickering as they walked to the table to set down the bags.

Despite your protests, Namjoon took the last bags from you. “You should accept a little help from time to time,” he said firmly. You knew that he meant it for more than this. You decided to ignore it for now, you would overthink this later.

“Everyone, gather around! I brought gelato!” you called.

In a few minutes, everyone was gathered around the table. Hoseok, upon seeing the many containers of gelato, had done a happy dance, kissed your cheek and ran upstairs with Seokjin to get bowls and spoons. Jimin had wrapped himself around your back and was licking his lips, which was highly distracting. You shouldn’t be thinking about this.

Taehyung was the quietest one, as he usually was. He was sitting next to Yoongi, looking at all the containers with parted lips.

“I got gelato for us,” you told him. “It is really good. I got a lot of flavors so you can try as many as you want.”

“Gelato,” Taehyung repeated softly, gazing at the containers spread over the table.

Hoseok and Seokjin arrived with eight bowls, too many spoons and three ice cream scoops—you didn’t even know you had that many—and set them down around the table. You busied yourself with opening all the containers. You already knew which flavors you wanted so you grabbed one of the scoops and served yourself three scoops of ice cream.

Jimin had hooked his chin over your shoulder and wasn’t making any move to serve himself. That was up to you then.

“Which flavor do you want?” you asked him, dipping the scoop into the cup of water.

He rubbed his cheek against your shoulder lazily. “Hmmm, I think I want to try a few before I decide.”

You decided to indulge him, you liked it when he got playful and joked with you. You preferred when he was confident and asked for what he wanted. It was beautiful to witness how much he had changed through the months. You dipped a spoon into the flavors in your bowl first and brought them to his mouth. He savored each spoonful, humming and licking his full lips. He was so close to you, if you turned completely your noses would touch. How did you always end up in these situations lately?

“I want that too,” Jungkook said, pouting and pointing at your spoon. He was sitting at the bench and he had his own bowl in front of him, filled with four scoops of gelato.

“You want almond?” you asked.

“No, I want to be fed too.”

“You really are a baby,” Seokjin said. “Is that what’s going to be happening now? Whatever one has the other wants too?”

Jungkook looked away, taking his spoon again disappointed. “No, it just looked nice. It felt nice to be cared for when we were at the lake. If you don’t want to, that’s okay. I just wanted to ask.”

At the lake, you had been feeding them strawberries dipped in chocolate and your mind had run too wild. You should stop thinking about that. “I want to, you are just a little far. I can’t really reach.”

Jimin was about to say something, probably offer a solution but before he could, Seokjin had picked up Jungkook and plopped him down in his lap.

“Here, I will feed you, you big baby. Is this alright?” he asked, ever caring.

Jungkook squirmed a little but seemed pleased, a light flush settling on his cheeks. “Yes, of course.” He was as tall as Seokjin but in his lap, he looked much smaller. He opened his mouth obediently when Seokjin brought the spoon to his lips.

Your eyes strayed to Taehyung, you were hyper-aware of him whenever you were in the same place. His eyes had that look that you couldn’t understand, it was there every time you interacted with the other hybrids lately. They were telling you that he was opening up more these days but to you, he remained a mystery.

In the end, Jimin ate most of your gelato and you scooped some chocolate chip cookie into your bowl because you knew how much he liked it. Hoseok and Namjoon closed the containers and carried them upstairs, they returned and went to sit by the pool. Yoongi finished quickly and lied down under the shade of the tree closest to them. Jungkook grew sleepy and turned to the side, laying his head on Seokjin’s shoulder. Jimin joined them, hugging Jungkook from the side.

Taehyung stayed at the bench like he wasn’t sure where he should go, his empty bowl in front of him.

“Did you like it?” you asked, gesturing to his bowl. Another reminder of your shortcomings, you didn’t even know how much he had progressed in English.

“Yes, thank you,” he replied. The low timbre of his voice surprised you each time. You heard it so rarely that you didn’t get the chance to get used to it.

You should make an effort to talk to him, avoiding him would only make matters worse. But you couldn’t find anything to say. What exactly could you say to him, who had lived most of his life like a caged animal, who you had bought at an illegal auction?

Suddenly, you had the equivalent of a light bulb lighting up next to your head in a cartoon.

“Hobi told me you liked the painting of the pomegranate in the gallery,” you said then realized that pomegranate was probably a word he couldn’t understand and proceeded to explain the painting. “It has glass around it and a hand is holding it. Am I making sense?”

Seokjin looked at you amused but Taehyung nodded in understanding. “It is beautiful.”

“Right, it is,” you agreed. “The artist, the one who made it, is holding an exhibition in LA. We could go if you would like.”

You had bought the painting from her long before her fame had grown and spread. There was a magic to the way Eliana Velasco painted, everything came alive under her brush strokes. The painting of the pomegranate had enchanted you and given your history, you had to have it.

“Go?” he repeated, clearly confused.

“Yeah, to a place that has many of her paintings. You can see them there. Would you like that?” Talking to him, you were more nervous than at any of the award shows you had attended the past few years, more nervous than during any contract negotiations.

Taehyung’s eyes widened a fraction before he nodded. “Can I… see them?”

“Of course,” you said.

Jungkook stirred against Seokjin’s shoulder. “Are we going to an exhibition?”

“If you want to.”

“Are you going to be there too?” he asked and that was harder to answer. Your schedule was the busiest it had been in months and you were drowning in deadlines and responsibilities. You were saved from answering him by a notification on your phone. The numbers displaying the time showed that you were late to leave. You pocketed your phone and with quick goodbyes, you disappeared.

 You were so stupid. You had offered to take Taehyung to an exhibition when work was wrapped around you like a noose. But you had panicked. Eliana had sent you an invitation for the opening night, promising there would be French champagne and hors d’ oeuvres. You had attended plenty of her exhibitions and had many conversations about art and life and their inter-connected philosophy while drinking champagne or wine and staring at paintings.

Although Taehyung’s situation was solved and Amelia had let you know some time ago that legally you were safe, going to the opening night didn’t sound like a good idea. There would be many journalists there who would love to write a piece about you and your sudden decision to adopt so many hybrids. They could go without you another day, that wouldn’t be too bad. Taehyung looked so hopeful and now that you had said it, you couldn’t take it back. You could text Eliana and ask her if she could meet you there one day so you could introduce her to them.

You should try and get some time off.

♬♩♪♩ ♩♪♩♬♬♩♪♩ ♩♪♩♬♬♩♪♩ ♩♪♩♬♬♩♪♩ ♩♪♩♬♬♩♪♩

It was like a curse, to not be able to sleep in the very few hours you could afford to. Your bed was empty and cold and you couldn’t get comfortable regardless of how much you twisted and turned. Your limbs were too long and awkward and nothing felt right. All the wild thoughts you couldn’t be bothered with during the day showed up one after the other to be examined from every angle and set aside to pick up the next one. It was a losing battle and yet you insisted on fighting it every time before giving in, getting up and popping a pill into your mouth.

You returned the bottle to the cabinet and closed it. After Seoul, for some time it had returned to your bedside table but after a couple of weeks had passed it felt like you were admitting defeat by keeping it there. The image in the mirror was a far cry from the celebrity you were supposed to be. The darkness under your eyes formed bruises, getting worse by the day. Your skin had grown pale and your hair was a mess, you hadn’t had enough strength to braid it before attempting to fall asleep.

You considered going back to bed but the pills could take up to an hour to work when your insomnia reached its peak and you were craving a snack. Something small and sweet sounded nice.

Once again, you had returned late and eaten dinner alone. Your appetite was lacking although the food was delicious. Sometimes, it got like that when you were too tired. You had promised yourself to limit early mornings and late nights but that had changed when you had texted Eliana about the exhibition. She had offered to accompany you to the exhibition on one of the days it was closed to the public and you were more than thankful to her but that also meant that you would have to take half the day off.

The TV was on in the living room, subtitles displayed at the bottom of the screen with no sound. Namjoon was sitting on the couch, arms crossed and watching with distracted eyes. Everyone else had departed to their rooms for the night. His ears twitched as you took a few more steps and he turned to look at you.

You waved your hand, trying to offer him a smile. “Hey.”

He sat up straighter. “Hi. Why are you still awake? Do you need something?”

“Just some water. Maybe a snack.”

“You were really tired when you went to bed. Did you not fall asleep?” he asked, frowning.

You shrugged. “I couldn’t. It’s one of those nights. If I eat something, maybe I will fall asleep easier. A full stomach and all that.” You didn’t mention the pill, it was awkward to do that. “Don’t let me disturb you. I’ll just grab something and go back to bed.”

Namjoon got up and in a few strides, he was standing in front of you. He caressed your cheek, searching for something in your eyes. You weren’t sure what he could see there. “I’ll join you. Let’s sit together for a bit. I haven’t seen you properly in a few days.”

“But you must have stayed back to watch that,” you said. A documentary was playing on the TV, something about Egyptian history.

“It doesn’t matter. I would rather spend my time with you. Unless you don’t want to, then I’ll go back to the couch and be very quiet.”

You slid your hand in his, the touch grounding you in a night that felt both like you were wide awake and caught in a blurry dream. “I would like some company. I’ve missed you too. I’m–”

“Don’t say you’re sorry. There is no need for that.”

He leaned down, placing a sweet kiss on your forehead. His lips lingered for a few moments, warmth spreading inside you. You raised your head and captured his lips in a kiss. The worst part was that you couldn’t remember how long it had been since you had last shared a kiss. His lips were velvet as you remembered them. This was home. Running back and forth, you had forgotten what it felt like.

You pulled back and grabbed his hand. “Let’s go.”

In the kitchen, Namjoon stood next to you as you rummaged through the cupboards for something that looked appetizing to you. The cupboards were full and yet nothing was calling to you until Namjoon remembered that Seokjin had made ice cream sandwiches with the gelato you had bought and various kinds of cookies. That sounded like heaven so you opened the freezer and chose two of them.

You leaned against the counter, shoulder to shoulder with Namjoon, while you devoured them. Gelato might not have been the best idea to put you to sleep but they tasted heavenly. The pill would start working sooner or later.

“Is it worse today?” he asked. He didn’t elaborate further, he didn’t have to.

The ice cream sandwiches were gone and you were left holding the plate. You licked your fingers and placed it in the sink. “I have a lot of things on my mind. I should be too tired to think but apparently, I’m never too tired for that.”

“Anything in particular?”

“Everything, more or less.” You turned to the side, facing him. “There’s too much to think about and not enough time. Never enough time,” you muttered the last sentence to yourself. If you had all the time in the world it would still not be enough, you would find a way to fill it. “I’ve been putting everything off. Everything I don’t want to deal with or I don’t know how to deal with. And the longer I put it off, the worse it gets.”

He was quiet for a few seconds, taking in what you said and pondering how to reply. It was beautiful, how his mind worked and how attentive he was. “If there is any way we can help you, anything I–we can do, we will. Whatever you want to do, we will support you. Sometimes, in our head, we can make things look bigger, more scary than they are. Do you want to talk about them? Maybe if you talk about what you have to do or what you’re worried about, it will be easier to work out the best way to approach them.”

That was something your therapist used to tell you, that while things festered in your head, they would only get more tangled and more daunting. She had suggested writing them down or talking to her about them. She was right, you knew she was right and that it helped and yet you hadn’t stopped to do that.

You took a deep breath, debating if it would be better to find a notebook and figure out your mess on paper instead of dragging Namjoon into it. But there was a part of you that itched to confide in him and give in to the way you felt safe when you were together. 

“I don’t even know where to start,” you confessed.

You started slowly, with your usual worries about Taehyung, how he was adjusting and how little time you were spending with him and if that was for the best. It was the same old spiralling, you had poked and prodded at it so many times and Namjoon must have been bored of listening to the same rehashed concerns, yet he didn’t interrupt you. You unravelled steadily, once you started speaking, you couldn’t stop. There was the filming for the Raven Cycle, the final touches of Six of Crows, the premiere and the weeks of promotions and the anticipation for the reviews of the critics and the audiences. The book you hadn’t finished and the deadline you couldn’t meet.

You rubbed your hands over your face. It had been so long since most of those problems had surfaced and you were ashamed that you hadn’t faced them yet. “And we haven’t told anyone about us. We said we would and I know you’re waiting for me but I’m never here. And I don’t know how.”

Namjoon caught your hand and brought it to his lips. Lowering it, his thumb rubbed soothing circles on your skin. “It doesn’t have to be complicated. They will understand and they will be happy for us. You shouldn’t let this keep you awake, everything will be alright. They are our pack, this won’t change anything.”

“But…” The anxiety that persisted. “Yoongi. What if his reaction is… bad. You know what he said.”

“That was before.” He sounded sure but there was a tightness at his jaw. “It is different now. He is different, you can see it. He is softer around the edges, he even helps Jin in the kitchen. He’s settling in.”

 “Because he doesn’t know,” you said. “You remember what he said, right? That night? That I adopted you so I could take my pick and now there is Jin and it’s just too much like that, can’t you see it?”

“It’s nothing like that. We both–” Namjoon stiffened, his gaze locking somewhere towards the entrance. “Yoongi?”

Your heart rate sped up, a knot forming in your chest. Yoongi walked in, his socked feet not making a sound. How much had he heard? The last minutes of the conversation replayed in your mind in a panicked mess. What had you said? How long had he been there, listening to you, before Namjoon noticed him? What conclusions would he reach?

Instinctively, you tried to get away from Namjoon but his hold on your hand kept you there.

The panther’s face didn’t give anything away. You couldn’t read him regardless of how much you studied him. You didn’t know his tells, if he had any. His expression was a carefully curated mask of apathy and you couldn’t see past it. Or you didn’t dare to try. Maybe you were too afraid of what you would find.

“How did you know it was me?” he asked, voice missing some of its smoothness.

Namjoon held your hand tighter. “You are the only one who can sneak up on me.”

You swallowed down your anxiety and tried to think of him the way he was the past few months, when he helped you with rearranging your office, him playing the piano in the afternoons, your walk at the lake, the vague memory of him helping you up to your room when you were drunk in Virginia. But they were all pushed back by the memory of his snarl and his sharp teeth that night.

“How much did you hear?” you asked, forcing your voice to be steady. He was going to learn of it at some point and as scared as you were, you had to face this.

“Enough.” His tail curled behind him and stilled. “You are afraid of my reaction to something. Is that it?”

Your eyes locked with Namjoon’s and he nodded. This time you weren’t going to run. This time would be different. “Yes, there is something we wanted to tell you. Something we wanted to tell everyone. I didn’t know how to tell you, that’s all.”

“You can tell me now,” he said and it sounded almost like a dare. You weren’t sure if you were walking into a trap.

Namjoon spoke up before you could. “You remember that the two of us are… We are together, as humans would say, romantically.” Yoongi nodded. You couldn’t imagine how he could forget. “That extends to Jin now. We love him and he loves us.” It was almost like he was challenging him to say anything but Yoongi was quiet.

“We didn’t know how to tell everyone. And you…” You didn’t know how to finish.

He scoffed. “I was an asshole.” One side of his lips was twisted up but something about it hurt. “You didn’t want to tell me because I was an asshole when I found out about you two. Worse than an asshole.” He dropped his gaze to the floor, his shoulders were slumped as if in defeat. For a moment, you wished to reassure him but what he was saying was the truth. “I understand. I’m not– I’m happy for you. And I’m sorry.”

He turned to leave but, through your confusion, you knew you didn’t want him to go.

“Wait,” you called. He stopped but didn’t turn around. “Let’s talk. We need to talk.”

Yoongi looked at you over his shoulder. This time, you studied him without your heavy-duty lenses, without the fear of discovery. Like the expression of an actor, you picked apart the tiniest details to paint a picture. When your own barriers were gone, it was easier to see.

“What is there to talk about?” he asked.

“A lot. Things we should have talked about sooner.” Communication was a golden rule in your handbook and you used to be good at it, you tried to be good at it. The misunderstanding trope was overused and useless when the issue could be resolved with a simple conversation.

It was about time you stopped walking on eggshells.

“We never truly talked about it,” you started. “And I didn’t really want to because things were going so well. They are going well. But you are my family now.” His lips parted, only slightly but you caught it. “I can’t know how all of you see it, if it’s the same for you, but that’s the way I feel. And I want to be honest with you. I still think about what you said in the garden and sometimes it affects me more than I would like. However, I would like to put it behind us but I want to know what you think.”

His eyes were sharp but you weren’t fooled this time. “Can we? Can we really put it behind us?”

 Namjoon was silent next to you, he was letting you handle it.

“I think we are already beginning to.” You took a deep breath in preparation. There was a question that could make or break this peace between you and you were both dreading and dying to ask. “Do you think that I’m taking advantage of them because I love them romantically?”

His eyes widened. “No,” he denied sharply. “No, of course I don’t.”

It was like a knot unravelling in your heart. Although there was a part of you that had known, the relief was still there. “Then we can move past it. We can try again. We are already trying again.”

“How?” Yoongi asked and he sounded smaller, much smaller than you were used to.

The pills were beginning to act, it was a light drowsiness at first. You had to do this quickly before you fell asleep and crumbled down on the floor.

“The same way we are doing now. By doing our best.”

“I am trying” His hands clenched into fists and loosened again. “I’m sorry. For everything.”

“You don’t need to be. Not anymore. As long as I know that we are fine.” Your eyes were growing heavier and the fog was slipping in. “I think we should go to bed now,” you said. It was getting more and more difficult to open your eyes.

You must have stumbled or something because you heard Yoongi ask, “Are you alright?” at the same time as Namjoon’s “Do you want help?”

You waved them both off. “I’m fine. It’s the pills.” It was easier to admit when you were almost asleep. One moment your feet were on the floor and the next you were up in the air. “Joon?”

“I’m taking you to your room. It’s time for sleep.” One of his arms was under your knees and the other was holding you close to his body.

“Namjoon, I can walk,” you protested weakly. Namjoon shushed you and you let it go. You were so incredibly sleepy and you were safe there. You relaxed in his arms and finally closed your eyes.

♬♩♪♩ ♩♪♩♬♬♩♪♩ ♩♪♩♬♬♩♪♩ ♩♪♩♬♬♩♪♩ ♩♪♩♬♬♩♪♩

Most of the flowers were drooping in the garden of the Castle. Namjoon and Jimin were attempting to keep them alive for as long as possible before fall swept them away. They cut off the dead leaves, watered the plants and applied the appropriate fertilisers. There were also varieties that lasted all year and the gardener had taught them how to take care of them too.

“These won’t last much longer,” Jimin said, running his fingers gently over the petals of a slowly wilting flower.

“They will bloom again in spring,” Namjoon reassured him. “Each season has its beauty and these belong to spring and summer. Autumn has its own colors too but they are different.”

Jimin pulled his hand back and grabbed the watering can. “I know, but I will miss them.”

Namjoon patted his head and Jimin preened under his touch, chasing his hand. He was too cute sometimes and Namjoon adored him. “It’s okay to miss it but you can also be happy about the new things that are coming. Miss Roberts said she will bring sunflowers and hydrangeas to plant next week, it will add some color. When something ends, something else begins.”

Jimin giggled, watering the flowers although they would be dead next week. “Nora has told you many times to call her by her name.”

Namjoon rubbed the back of his head. “I forgot. I’m trying.”

Yoongi came out of the house, a book in his hand. He had been visiting the library more lately. Namjoon had been wondering where he had been. The rest of the pack had holed up in the cinema room to watch a comedy and, like the two of them, Yoongi had opted out but they hadn’t seen him since.

“Yoongi!” Jimin called, waving with the hand that wasn’t holding the watering can. “Come here. Sit with us, we are almost done.”

Yoongi paused, glancing at the table and benches on the other side of the garden.

“Come on,” Namjoon called for him as well. That was enough to sway Yoongi’s decision, who made his way to them.

Jimin bounced up to him, grabbing his hand and dragging him to the flower bushes they were tending to. Yoongi grumbled about the rough treatment but Namjoon wasn’t fooled, the upturn of his lips was small but unmistakable.

Jimin explained to him what they had been doing so far and Yoongi listened to him attentively.

“They are beautiful. You have been doing a really good job. Both of you,” he said, his eyes darting to Namjoon.

He was tense, it wasn’t obvious but Namjoon could pick it up. He gave him a smile, hoping he would relax. Yoongi confused him but he thought he could understand him a little better now. “Thank you. What are you reading?”

“Oh, this?” Yoongi raised the book a little and shrugged. “I saw it and I thought it was interesting.”

“I haven’t seen that before,” Namjoon said.

The cover was painted in shades of yellow and orange, framing two pyramids. Without saying anything, Yoongi handed him the book. It was called The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho and it was a relatively short book. He turned it around to look at the synopsis and Jimin peeked at it over his shoulder. Namjoon wondered if you had read it or if it had been sitting there unread on your shelves for years. There were so many books in your library and you had admitted that you hadn’t read most of them, but you had also told them that once upon a time you used to read a hundred books a year.

“It does sound interesting,” Namjoon commented, passing back the book. “You should tell me if it is any good when you finish it.”

Yoongi looked down at the book’s cover. “I will.”

Jimin declared that they were done with gardening for the day and grabbed both of their hands, pulling them to the shade underneath one of the trees. They sat down and he situated himself with his head in Namjoon’s lap and his legs in Yoongi’s. Yoongi cracked open his book and began to read while Jimin talked about flowers.

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“And… CUT!” you called. It was repeated again by Will and the actors relaxed, the expressions of their characters wiped clean. “That will be it for today. Thank you everyone!”

The crew buzzed as the cameras and the sound systems were turned off. People were talking to their earpieces and others were giving pats on the back to each other for another successful day on set. Crew members passed by and offered their congratulations to you.

“What are you rushing for?” Will asked.

You continued throwing everything carelessly into your backpack. “I’m visiting the gallery today, remember?”

“Right, that’s today,” he said, snapping his fingers. Some things stuck with you in entertainment. For example, the overexaggerated gestures. “I thought you had a company meeting dressed like this. A very important one.”

In the morning, you had put more thought into your outfit compared to a simple filming day. You were wearing tan trousers and a form-fitting black top embellished by a crossover belt that wrapped around the body and was tied together with a golden Medusa head emblem. The heels, the golden earrings, bracelets, and rings confirmed that filming wasn’t the only thing on your schedule.

You slung your backpack over your shoulder (you would switch it later with a black Dior bag you had in your car). “No meetings for me today. I really have to go. I’ll catch up with you tomorrow.”

“Have a good time, boss!”

You greeted any familiar faces on your way to your car and sent a quick message to Namjoon that you would be picking them up soon. The 8-seater car was an impulse purchase at a time when you had a larger friend group. You hadn’t used it much, only for a couple of short trips to private beaches.

You checked your appearance in the visor mirror and reapplied some powder and lipstick. You looked good enough, there wasn’t much more you could do.

The hybrids were waiting by the fountain. They had dressed nicely for the occasion, wearing some of the more formal outfits you had bought for them. You could feel the excitement in the air as they climbed into the car. It had been a long time since you had gone to the city like this. Jimin was quick to slide into the passenger seat, followed by a little happy dance at his success.

The exhibition was taking place in Central Los Angeles, housed in a tall and wide building that appeared to be made up of several cubes that jutted out of the main structure. Jungkook and Hoseok had their phones out, taking photos of the strange building. Distantly, you remembered coming here before but you couldn’t place when or why.

Eliana was waiting for you inside wearing a simple flowing blue dress and a large smile. You greeted each other with a hug and proceeded to introduce the boys to her. She shook their hands enthusiastically and in a few seconds she had already engaged them in a conversation about art. Usually, she talked quickly like she was rushing to get everything out before she forgot but she was talking slowly now, using simpler words and waiting for Hoseok to translate whenever he deemed he should.

She guided you through the gallery, floating ahead of you. She gave explanations of some of her works while she let others speak for themselves. Taehyung’s eyes were sparkling while she talked, in a way you had never seen before. His smile stayed on during your whole visit, big and boxy, and you finally felt like you were doing something right.

The other hybrids seemed to be enjoying themselves as well. Namjoon was asking plenty of questions about the meaning behind the paintings and her inspiration and Jungkook was very interested in the more technical aspect of her work. She readily answered all of their questions and when you pointed out that Jungkook spent a lot of his time painting, she encouraged him to show her some of his work. Although he was shy, hiding behind his floppy ears at first, Eliana managed to convince him to show her a few of the paintings he had on his phone. She was stunned when you told her he had only been painting for a few months and Jungkook grew even shier when she showered him in compliments.

At the end of the tour, she let you wander the gallery by yourselves for some time and then suggested going to the gallery’s gardens to hang out. The gardens were of considerable size, about as large as the inside of the gallery. Neatly trimmed flower bushes lined the pathways and plenty of modern sculptures decorated the space. A large fountain stood proudly in the middle and there was an artfully made gazebo raised on a platform at a far corner, overlooking the gardens.

You offered to go get some coffee and some baked goods from a nearby bakery/coffee shop you had found on the internet. Eliana protested at first but she gave in quickly at the promise of an iced Spanish latte and muffins. Namjoon volunteered to accompany you, although what surprised you was Yoongi offering to come along.

“You need more than two people to carry everything,” was the only explanation you got. You couldn’t deny that he was right.

He hadn’t been acting any different towards you since you had let him know about the nature of your relationship with Seokjin, so you acted the same way you always did too. His quiet acceptance was more than enough for you and it was a great weight off your shoulders.

You were talking about the exhibition, not surprised that Yoongi had been paying close attention to the paintings as he recalled his favorites, when a call of your name surprised you. The voice was familiar and, for a few seconds, you couldn’t place it. Until you could. And the peace froze over.

You turned around to find Jacob waving at you in the quiet street. His hair was cut much shorter than the last time you had seen him and his white loose pants and half-unbuttoned shirt made him look like he had just stepped off a yacht party. Maybe he had. His thousand-watt smile, reminiscent of a politician, was fixed firmly on his face.

“Hey, I knew it was you,” he said when he caught up with you, like he had won a prize. He pulled you into a quick hug and you didn’t know what to do with your hands until he let you go. “Haven’t seen you in ages.”

You wiped invisible dust from your trousers. “Yeah, I’ve been very busy.”

“You were never  one for rest, right? The woman always running, always working, never has time for anything else,” he joked and it shouldn’t bother you the way it did. He gestured to Yoongi and Namjoon, “Aren’t you going to introduce us?”

Namjoon looked politely curious and Yoongi downright uninterested.

“Right,” you said. “This is Yoongi and Namjoon. And this is Jacob.”

Their eyes sharpened the moment you uttered the name.

“I’m just Jacob now?” he asked, eyebrows raised. “After three years? Not even a friend?”

“I don’t know. It isn’t like we’ve spoken since last year.”

Initially after your breakup, you used to imagine how your next meeting would go and how the two of you would act around each other. Three years was a long time to share your life with someone to then go back to being strangers. You hadn’t entertained the idea much since then, you had found yourself thinking about him less and less. Still, whenever you thought about meeting him, you hadn’t anticipated the bitterness that grazed your insides.

Jacob chuckled awkwardly. “Well, you said you were busy. I have been busy as well, I’m working with a few very big names, you know. I got my hands on some of the best songs of the year.”

“I’m sure they’re great.”

“Haven’t you listened to any of them? You must have heard a few of them. They were everywhere.” Jacob was talented enough and well-connected and he sure liked to brag about it. “I asked Zayn and he said you were doing well, working of course. And you got yourself some company too.”

You clenched your jaw to bite back the harshness burning on the tip of your tongue. You hated the way he said it and the way it reminded you of your mother.

“It was a bit of a surprise, I’ll admit. I don’t remember you ever talking about adopting, you didn’t seem a big fan of the idea. No offense of course,” he directed the last part to Namjoon and Yoongi.

“Things change,” you said dismissively. “We have to go. There are people waiting for us.”

Jacob’s smile didn’t falter but his eyes narrowed a fraction for only a second. He may only be part of your past but you could still read him well. Was it the same for him? Had he ever been able to read you in the first place?

“Of course,” he said. “I’ll see you around.”

“Sure.”

You turned around and started walking, Namjoon and Yoongi following you. Last year you loved him enough to move in with him and this year you couldn’t stand to be in his presence. You thought you would feel nothing when you’d see him again but the truth was that everything about him irritated you. His poised smile, his bragging, his nonchalance.

Why was he able to get under your skin like this? You were over him, you didn’t want anything to do with him. But you were supposed to be civil, uninterested like the heroines who didn’t raise more than an eyebrow in the direction of their exes. It irked you and the way he looked at Namjoon and Yoongi irked you more. You had defended him to everyone, he wasn’t a bad guy, he didn’t treat you badly but as time passed you were starting to realize some things you couldn’t see clearly before.

Yoongi was the first one to speak up when you had almost reached the coffee shop, “What an asshole.”

“He isn’t–” You stopped yourself and laughed. “You know what? He is, a little bit.”

“A little bit?” he repeated, doubtfully.

“I don’t want to judge but…” The way Namjoon paused told you everything you needed to know. “I had to try very hard to stop myself from growling at him.”

Yoongi smirked. “Down, wolf.” Namjoon ignored him.

“Thank you for not doing that, that wouldn’t have ended well. Please, don’t growl at people.”

“I don’t know if I can promise that.”

Well, you couldn’t say that you minded that much. You could admit to yourself that Namjoon growling was kind of hot. And if the situation called for it…

“I didn’t like the way he spoke to you,” Namjoon said. “It was weird. There was something about it that was wrong, almost demeaning.”

“He can be like that sometimes. Like he is above almost everyone else, like some things are beneath him. He would make those stupid comments and I would always try to ignore them,” He was always supportive of your career and proud of your success but he had never shown interest in any of your other hobbies and likes. Reading was boring, paintings were overrated and overpriced, drinking tea was pretentious. “I never thought I would be one of those shit-talking their exes unless they did something really bad.”

“I support this shit-talking,” Namjoon said.

“I do too,” Yoongi agreed.

It made a strangely pleasant feeling run up your spine. “We’re here,” you said, instead of continuing the conversation. According to Google Maps, you had arrived at the coffee shop.

As you walked inside, you might have heard Yoongi saying lowly to Namjoon, “I kind of wanted to punch him.”

♬♩♪♩ ♩♪♩♬♬♩♪♩ ♩♪♩♬♬♩♪♩ ♩♪♩♬♬♩♪♩ ♩♪♩♬♬♩♪♩

You were sitting on the chair in front of your vanity, braiding your hair and stuck thinking of the same scene. Before going to his room for the night, Taehyung had approached you and thanked you for taking him to the exhibition. His expression was sincere and you finally felt like you were moving in the right direction. 

When there was a knock at your door, you already knew who it was before you called for them to come in.

“Can we sleep here tonight?” Jimin asked, Jungkook draped over his back.

“When have I ever told you no?” you asked, finishing your braid and securing it in place with a silky scrunchy. “Go on.”

They both hopped on the bed, bouncing a little and sharing delightful smiles. You watched them through the mirror as they rolled around, holding each other.

Jimin looked up from where he was tangled with Jungkook, holding your gaze through his reflection. “Are you coming?”

“I am, I am,” you said, putting your brush back in the drawer.

You joined them on the bed, their hands quickly reaching for you and situating you between them like the last time. Jimin purred in contentment, rubbing his face in your collarbones. Jungkook held onto your arm and you could feel his breath caressing your neck with how close he was lying. 

An unwanted echo of what Jacob had said entered your mind.  Always working, never having time for anything else or anyone else, even the ones most important to you. You were gone most of the days and it made sense that they wanted to be close to you at least at night.

“Did you have fun today?” you asked them to distract yourself. 

“I loved it! Eliana was so nice and her paintings were incredible,” Jimin said.  “I took so many photos, my phone must be full of them.”

Jungkook nuzzled up closer to you. “I took many photos too. Can we print the one we took of us all together? I want to put it in our room.”

“Yes, please,” Jimin added cutely.

“Of course. You should print a couple more too, if you want, and choose some pretty frames for them. There is a lot of free space in your room.”

They cheered a little. You lied there in comfortable silence but you could detect a nervous energy in the air. It was in the way Jimin was fidgeting with the hem of your silk night shirt and how tightly Jungkook was gripping your arm. You waited until they were ready.

“We actually… we have something to tell you,” Jimin said.

“Anything you want, kitten,” you said, running your fingers through his hair. You could see how the use of the nickname affected him, squirming a little as his smile grew sweeter. “You know you can tell me anything.”

“I just–” He looked at Jungkook, who gave him an encouraging nod. “I kissed him, we kissed. And… it makes me very happy.”

Jungkook caught Jimin’s hand that was pulling at your shirt and intertwined their fingers, laying their joint hands on your stomach. “He makes me very happy too,” he said in a small voice.

The new knowledge was like a puzzle piece sliding into place. It felt natural to you that their relationship would progress like that. The way they looked at each other, the way they touched each other, was evidence of a deeply intimate connection. If the image your mind conjured of them kissing lit a spark in your chest, you hid it even from yourself.

“Thank you for telling me. If it makes you happy, then I am happy too. All I want for you is to be happy and know how loved you are. Come here.” You pulled them closer and placed lingering kisses on their foreheads. “I will always support you. Always.” You took a decision then. You couldn’t put it off any longer. “I have something to tell you too. Jimin already knows but Jungkook, I would like for you to know too. I don’t know how to say this exactly and I’m sorry we’ve kept this from you but I, Namjoon and Jin have been romantically involved. All of us. We have been kissing too.”

“Oh.” Jungkook paused. “That makes sense.” You couldn’t help but laugh at that, Jimin joining you. “I mean you’re very close and it just makes sense. We’re pack and I think that most packs are a little in love with each other, in one way or another,” he said. His cheeks felt hot against your shoulder.

In one way or another. He was right, it was such a special bond and you could imagine that for hybrids who felt the sense of pack deeper, the lines were easily blurred. A door opened in your mind but you closed it again forcefully.

Jimin fit his face in the crook of your neck. “I love you. I love you so much, all of you. Our pack. I don’t know how I got so lucky to have you. I don’t know if I deserve this.” His voice was wet.

“You do,” you stated. “You deserve everything and more. And we love you so much. So much.”

Jungkook squeezed his hand. “We love you, Jiminie. Our pack wouldn’t be complete without you. We need you to be whole. We need everyone.”

Their hands remained linked over your abdomen as you fell asleep.

Please comment and reblog it motivates me to keep writing

bangtan shorts masterlist

night thots and other shorts ‼️

☆ short #1 ~ jungkook: stupid amounts of cum

☆ short #2 ~ yoongi: oral

☆ short #3 ~ namjoon: belly bulge

☆ short #4 ~ taehyung: a simple love for thighs

☆ short #5 ~ jin: cock warming

☆ short #6 ~ jimin: mutual masturbation

☆ short #7 ~ hobi: fake cum, real cum & a butt plug

☆ short #8 ~ jungkook: morning sex

☆ short #9 ~ taehyung: ghostface

☆ short #10 ~ taehyung: cum swallowing

☆ short #11 ~ jungkook: body worship

☆ short #12 ~ yoongi: sex in the dressing room

☆ short #13 ~ jimin: oral fixation

☆ short #14 ~ jin: fingering

☆ short #15 ~ namjoon: a specific love for creampies

☆ short #16 ~ jungkook: car sex and pantie stuffing

☆ short #17 ~ hobi: dacryphilia

☆ short #18 ~ taehyung: praise

☆ short #19 ~ jungkook: boob luvr

☆ short #20 ~ jungkook: mirror sex & a beefy back

☆ short #21 ~ jungkook: face riding

☆ short #22 ~ namjoon: slip of the tongue

☆ short #23 ~ namjoon: size kink

☆ short #24 ~ namjoon: in the closet

☆ short #25 ~ yoongi: make-up sex

redamancy masterlist

⤖ genre: fluff, smut, angst, gardener!jeongguk x rich!reader, okay but jeongguk isn't really a gardener like that but you'll see, kinda slow burn but not really

⤖ pairing: jeongguk x female reader

⤖ rating: 18+

⤖ warnings: explicit language, sexual content

summary: jeongguk is just a normal dude with a simple routine. wake up, go to the gym, work his job as a waiter at this posh upscale restaurant in the heart of gangnam before coming home to a night full of video games and ramen (it's delicious and cheap). that routine gets disrupted when he accidentally taps the back of an expensive sports car of one of the richest men in south korea. considering he's broke, he couldn't afford to pay for the damages so the man makes a deal with him by offering him to work at his house as one of the gardeners. jeongguk takes it but wasn't prepared to meet this beautiful young woman who's constantly lounging by the pool, you, the rich man's daughter.

author's note: if you would like to be added to the taglist, pls send me an ask!

part i

part ii

part iii

EGO DRIVE (m) | JJK

SYNOPSIS:

In the glamorous world of fashion, where egos run wild and money talks, who'd have thought that one arrogant model by the name of Jeon Jungkook would shake up your life?

"No. This was Jeon Jungkook, and at the end of the day, no one cared about the damn clothes."

PAIRING: Model Jeon Jungkook x Reader

RATING: 18+

GENRE: STRANGERS TO LOVERS, ENEMIES TO LOVERS, MODEL AU, FASHION AU, FLUFF SMUT ANGST

WORD COUNT: 11K

A/N: Part 1s always appear to be the most difficult for me to write, so here goes nothing🤭. This bitch worked hard on it, so please offer some love in the comments or let me know if you enjoyed it. PSA!!!!! I know Jks is a jerk in this, but trust me, it will all make sense as you go on! As for Oc, her background will be described in greater detail next part. This ones more jk focused. Last scene is inspired by his DAZED cover hihi🤭

Big thank you to @kooktrash for helping me with the plot and @erica2283 for beta-ing for me🫶🩵

For fucks sake, Jungkook was probably the worst person you've ever had the pleasure of working with...–aside from that time that famous actress tossed her scalding hot latte at you because you didnt know the shade pink didnt suit her. It wasn't your fault! You had no idea who she was to begin with-

A good shade of pink–whether light or dark– suits everyone-

I digress

Back to the assho- Jungkook. Back to Jeon motherfucking Jungkook.

It was a sweltering summer morning, and you'd just finished your first week as a stylist and makeup artist for Calvin Klein the day before. It was all a dream. People were mostly friendly, and if they weren't, they just ignored you rather than gossiping about you behind your back. You weren't a high-level executive–you were easily replaceable. But you did the job, and for the time being, thats all that mattered

The fashion industry was and still is tough, but you snuck your way into one of the top, most trendy labels to this day. It wasnt easy–on the contrary. The rules and regulations were merciless, and your application was disregarded for a couple of months before they even emailed you–you weren't their first choice, thats for sure. But, in the end, they hired you, so you shouldn't feel horrible about yourself and sulk. At least you try not to.

Theres times you gaze out the window of your pricey, run-down downtown apartment. Watching cars and bikes pass by, as the same people who lived nearby walked in and out of the shabby 7/11. You liked making up little stories about their lives in your head while sipping your morning tea or eating your dinner after work–which generally consisted of a 99ct ramen cup from the same 7/11 mentioned earlier

You liked the idea that these people had the same mundane daily live as you–it made you feel better about yourself in some way

But again, I digress

Your morning has gone weirdly well–you didn't trip over that nearly non existent step in front of the entrance door this morning, as you usually do 97% of the time; the barista at the local café got your coffee order right–as they should anyway, in your opinion, because...you're spending $7 for your tripple shot piping hot americano every morning, for heavens sake!

Nevertheless, your mornings going great. Everything is fine-

That is, at least, until you are cleaning your cosmetics palette, humming a radio-hit melody to yourself, that everyone falls silent, at which point you hear faint whispering and chattering as a door creaks open

You don't pay much attention, you knew some hot shot model was planned to be on set today. You assumed he was the one everyone was ogling/giggling about

You do nothing more than lift your head, catching a glimpse of the scenario a few feet away–the way there are roughly 7 bodyguards around him, the way camera flashes become fewer as the door closes behind them, eventually disappearing and staying outside rather than being permitted in

You watch as the set director, who also happens to be your boss, approaches him with excitement–his far too tight shirt showed off his beer belly, and those pants; just no. If this man didn't have a buzzcut, you couldnt imagine he'd be good at even styling his hair–how did he end up as a set director for CK?

Connections, most likely... you answer your own question

Everything nowadays was about connections, not talent. If you knew someone, you were almost certainly going to be hired for a job you weren't even qualified for. Denying opportunities to ppl who were prepared to do the job–who studied hard to do the goddamn job-

Mr. Hardis was a pain to work with; "y/n go get me a coffee", "y/n clean the set up". Those weren't your responsibilities, for God's sake. Mr. Hardis was the epitome of an ass-kissing jerk.

But as long as he paid you on time...well, theres really nothing that you should be complaining about

- 15 hours before the shoot; Incheon airport Seoul South Korea -

"Thats him! Oh my god!"

"Jungkook! can i get an autograph-"

"Jk, why did you break up with Aisha?!"

"What are you wearing?!"

"One picture please-"

He shouldn't be rolling his eyes at his fans in public, especially with so many cameras around him. He never grasped the airport arrival or departure thing–when photographers and fans would camp out for hours simply to see him come into or out of the terminal for a mere 5 minutes or less

He only shakes his head, biting his lip, which is hidden by his black facemask. Actually, you can hardly see his face at all.

Jungkook liked his privacy, or at least the little bit that's left of it anyway

The purple beany obscured the majority of his hair and face. "Back off," one of his bodyguards says as a girl approaches, holding her phone in his face–Jungkook just looks forward, disregarding her

He was used to this

The good news is that he is relatively quickly inside, while most of his fans are forced to remain behind–yelling his name, begging for him to look back one last time. But he doesnt. Why would he?

It was quieter in here, although some people were still pointing their phone cameras at him without any shame. He shakes his head.

He observes as they mutter to each other, catching the faint words "jeon" and "parents" as well as comments like "what an ignorant boy" and "he should be ashamed, leaving his fans hanging like that" from old ladies who most likely read the tabloids about him in their spare time, cup of tea in one hand and piece of cake neatly placed on their terrace tables as they people watched and gossiped

He scoffs once more, glancing ahead and holding his passport up to the staff in front of him. It was a woman, maybe in her early 30s, with nice skin, a nice figure, and shining eyes. He lowers his mask for her to confirm his identification but before drawing it back up. He flashes her a smirk before passing by her

He hears the last camera flashes as he steps into his private zone at the airport, eager to relax and wait for his jet. At least he didn't have to deal with other people while travelling. Aside from his bodyguards and assistants, who were already on board the plane, preparing for his arrival and departure to LAX.

He despises it. The spotlight, the cameras, the...attention. It was ironic, really, since he was a model, and he didn't mind being recorded at work.

But when he was in private or when he didn't want to be watched? It sucked. Welcome to the world of a celebrities son.

A so-called nepo baby or whatnot, someone who apparently got everything handed to him on a silver platter. It made him scoff just thinking about it

He takes a second to grab his phone, tapping on it to look at the time. 10am. Underneath it, a message catches his eye

Mom: be careful today, me and dad tried to make sure your arrival in LA will be as calm as possible

Mom: make sure to text me when you arrive💖

He types a quick "okay" before humming to himself as he looked outside the window

It's not that he doesn't love appearing for the camera–as a creative director and part of many projects, he gets to determine what side of him ends up on the covers of magazines like Vogue, W, or Dazed. The only thing that fucking annoyed him was the gossip and the lack of privacy.

If you haven't guessed, Jungkook hated his parents' celebrity status and the fact that he didn't get to choose whether or not he wanted to be in the spotlight–he was born into it

Fuck fame, fuck money–at the age of 25, he still had no idea who he was. And that one time he tried to see a therapist? His information was leaked, letting the entire media know what he was going through at the time. He removed most of his social media accounts shortly after that, not wanting to see the stupid remarks, the hate.

He basically vanished for an entire year, staying under the radar. But that was now 7 years ago, he was 18 at that time and didn't know any better. So, after a year of trying to find out how to move on with his life, he just figured that if he didn't show his emotions, if he didn't let people close to him, they wouldn't be able to hurt him.

Jungkook mastered the art of pretening

Pretend to be friends with them

Pretend to be interested in their life

Pretend to listen when they talk

Pretend to care

Pretend pretend pretend

Jungkook could count his friends on one hand, those friends being Kim Namjoon and Min Yoongi, whom he grew up with and considered as his older brothers

Everyone else you saw him partying with or leaving clubs with on the news or on Twitter were nobodies who thought they knew him while exploiting him for fame and money. 'Why pay when kooks here?' He'd heard it much too often.

He often left with girls. Jungkook wasn't a picky man. If they caught his attention and he sort of tolerated them, he would gladly accept their invites to their homes for the night

He didn't love the girls he dated–he pretended to but never meant it.

Especially after sex, the way hed swinf his arms around them while they smiled and traced his tattoos. Playing with the hem of his boxers as they kissed along his jaw

"Do you love me?" They'd ask, hopeful eyes looking up at him, wishing they'd be the ones on the cover of magazines the next day titled as Jeon Jungkooks next love. Jungkook would just chuckle, take a drag of his post sex cigarette, and look them in the eyes, lying, "of course I love you."

Love...love was something he used ti think would solve everything. A girl who liked him for him. Jungkook. Not Jeon Jungkook, son of Jeon Seona and Jeon Jungshik.

But when she left, she took a piece of him with her, breaking him.

She, who hed thought would stay with him. She who hed thought would never hurt him

She shattered him.

No

Love shattered him

Fuck love

-----

You sigh and return to your now clean palette. You used to get excited when meeting celebs like him, but after a few interactions with people like them, you realised they're all just human at the end of the day–who don't care about people like you.

What was that saying again? Never meet your heroes? Yeah...

Next to you is a sheet, the identical one that was emailed to you and everyone else on set a few days ago–it was the shoot description and theme.

"I'd rather be dead than cool."

You couldn't deny that it piqued your curiosity when you initially opened the doc that night. Hot cup of coffee in your hand, ready for an all nighter to research makeup looks that would fit the vibe

You didnt get selected for styling today. Rather for makeup duty. That's why you were cleaning the palette in the first place–grey, blue, and soft green tones neatly arranged on the table beside you

You'd studied his face a bit–just to get to know what you were going to work with, and, as much as you hated to admit it, he was attractive in every aspect

You knew it would be an easy day at work with a face like his, since his features were perfect to work with; his sharp jaw attracted your attention initially, and it would be simple to match his foundation tone with the remains of his body. Then there was his nose, round and slightly bigger, but with a sharp twist that would be easy to apply makeup on. His dark and piercing eyes were ideal for applying eyeliner and a smidge of shadow–maybe some darker grey or hints of blue. His lips were lovely, not big but not thin–the ideal in-between.

You'd worked with models before, particularly attractive ones, but never with someone of this status. If you weren't mistaken he's the kind of celebrity people on the internet loved to refer to as nepo baby

His parents were well known actors in the 1980s, so you didn't know if you'd recognise them if you saw them walking down the street or in a grocery store. You'd be sure to ask your parents when you got home–if you didn't forget, anyway.

All you knew was that the man who had just entered the studio was important, important enough not to mess up his makeup even once

Dont talk to him y/n, cause god forbid you say something cringy

Ugh, just thinking about it makes you want to slap your forehead

"I can't believe he chose our location out of all the options he had." Lia, the petite blonde girl you've grown to like, practically squeaks next to you in delight

You give her a little smile and nod, adding, "I know, right?" As you check the makeup desk to see if you have everything prepared for later

Clean brushes? Check

Cotton Swabs and Pads? Check

Clean mirror? Check

Make up remover? Check

Neat setup? Double check

You and Lia were little more than work besties, as she referred to you two. She'd been a hairstylist here for over a year now, and you were pretty sure she'd seen many bigger celebs than him, but you liked seeing her excited–you loved how you could actually sense how much she adored her job

It made you happy too

"I heard he chose LA for the weather and laid back vibes!" She continues, your gaze fixed on the time on your phone before looking at her and nodding along "He must be tired, though...heard he just arrived from the airport...didn't get any rest whatsoever," she somewhat pouts, and you laugh slightly amused–if you had to name one person who has the most empathy for people, it would have to be her

"Its his job now, isnt it?" You shrug, "just like we have pull all nighters sometimes and only get 2 hours of sleep-" you chew on your bottom lip "-he has to head to work right after a what? 15 hour flight? Thats life" fiddling with one of the cosmetics brushes, you glance around the set, photographers hustling around, preparing their cameras while other staff members setup the set

It was basic, a black old-timer parked in the middle–if your eyes didn't deceive you, it was a Lamborghini Miura 1966–you didn't know much about cars, but your father had a photo of one hanging in the garage since you were a kid

You made a mental note to snap a picture to send to him later

One thing was certain–Jungkook had taste–expensive taste, at that–but that was to be expected from a man of his wealth. What was he again? highest paid male model in 2022?

Something like that

"Mh, i guess youre right"

Lia's voice draws your attention back to her, and you notice her fiddling with her fingers, just like you were doing with the makeup brush. You could tell you were both nervous right now, her possibly more than you, which was strange given she had been working here longer

Perhaps it was the fact that he was more than just a celebrity working with the brand; he was the global ambassador. "Should we get lunch after-" Lia speaks up, only to be cut off by the director himself, "right everyone!" He claps his hands together to attract everyone's attention, "well be starting the shoot at point 10am, which is in exactly an hour-" his voice fades into the distance as lia tugs on your arm, catching your attention back to her

"Whats up?"

"Im kinda nervous now, what if i fuck up" Lia chew on her bottom lip as she turns to gather her things, making sure everything is set before she starts working on his hair soon

You smile at her, mimicking her movements as you go over your supplies one last time. The last thing you want is for a product to miss and halt the entire shoot. That would almost certainly get you fired. And bye bye to your lovely dream of making it big in the industry

"He's already got the looks, so even if you mess up, it won't be too noticeable," you joke, crossing your arms as you lean against the table, "but I'm curious if he's got anything else going for him," you snort, causing Lia's eyes widen in surprise as she looks at you–or rather behind you

"I can hear you, you know"

The sudden voice makes a chill run down your spine as you slowly turn around

As he stares at you, the man you've certainly come to know as Jeon Jungkook stands there in all his handsome glory–arms crossed, tongue poking the inside of his cheek

Fuck, did you really just insult one of the most important people at your job? What a way to leave a first impression...

One of the first things you notice about him are his numerous piercings, which dknt take away from the attractiveness of his face but rather enhance it. You first notice his double pierced lip–jeez that must have hurt–maybe you'll ask him about it later for some small talk

Next, your gaze is drawn to his ears, which are both fully pierced and adorned with small hoops. Finally, you come to a halt at his brow, the small but lovely charm that pierces through it, adding a harshness to his gentle face

He smelt of expensive perfume and cigarettes, maybe even weed-but who were you to judge?–as Lia had said; 'he must be exhausted'. So the fact that he might have hit it once or twice before arriving shouldn't surprise you

The outfit he initially arrived at the set with is simple yet fashionable, a black oversized shirt paired with some equally as oversized pants

Somehow, you could still tell the man was ripped underneath all that clothing

You smile and laugh nervously, "Well, at least you've got one thing going for you" you try to lighten the mood by cracking a joke, only to be met with a hard stare

Great y/n, this is exactly why you don't speak to clients–the global ambassador for the brand which your life depends on–at that

"Right," he scoffs, looking you up and down, blatantly judging your outfit. You weren't wearing anything special. Your job didn't require you to wear a uniform–the only condition was that everyone who worked here wore at least one piece of the brand's apparel

You got a big employee discount of 50%, so going out shopping the day you got hired wasn't too pricey. You were dressed in a simple white CK shirt and black flared CK jeans

The rest were some thrifted half-broken Converse highs you bought when you were 16, as well as a similarly thrifted Zara jacket you bought last year–you weren't wearing that one, but it hung nicely over your chair. In a way, it was reasonable to say you didnt look like a fashion major–you did know how to style properly, but putting clothing on other people was easier than putting clothes on yourself. You wouldn't be a skilled stylist if you didn't understand what you were doing

Looking down at yourself, your cheeks heat up as you stare at the same coffee stain on your shirt as he was

What were the consequences of simply running out the venue now? Because, to be frank, you'd love to sink into the ground right this moment

Thankfully, his assistant arrives a few moments later with an iced americno–you wondered how many shots someone as busy as him needed this early in the morning, was it 2? Or 3 like yourself?–in one hand and a clipboard with what you imagined was his schedule in the other. You let out a breath of relief, which Jungkook seemed to notice but dismiss, setting himself down on the black chair with his name written on the back and waiting for you to start your job. Your eyes widen "right", and you let out a nervous breath, beginning with figuring out his foundation shade

You decide not to ask him about his piercings after all

You wanted to maintain some dignity and professionalism. Sitting down in your little swivel chair you began applying concealer with a fresh beauty blender, trying not to touch his face too much and keeping the tapping to a minimum

You're relieved when Jungkook begins chatting with his assistant, and you try your best not to eavesdrop–but you can't just turn off your ears, can you?

"You have to leave the shoot at point 12," she points out, noting something on the small clipboard in her manicured hand

"Were only shooting for 2 hours?" He asks nonchalantly, sounding much nicer than he did when he talked to you

Maybe it's because of your stupid ass joke y/n, you reason. Thatd explain everything.

"Yes, two hours," she nods again, "will that be an issue? I can call Vogue and tell them you'll be late for the interview-."

"Ah no," he says pleasantly, waving his hand. "That won't be a problem, I was just wondering because my shoots usually take longer," he adds, toying with his liprings as he concentrates his gaze on you, whos mostly focused on diping a brush into the black eyeshadow and carefully tapping part of the pigment off afterwards

Ah, an interview huh?

You'll look him up again during your break. Sure, he was a model, but why would he need to be interviewed by one of the most popular magazines? What was so intriguing about Jeon Jungkook aside his parents or his connection with CK?

You bite your bottom lip, deep in thought, as you lean back and tell him to close his eyes. That he does. With a light touch, you sweep the brush over his lid, applying just a smidge of colour before diving back into the palette for a shade of blue

You weren't a curious person, but rather a bored one with nothing better to do. Sure, it wasn't the wisest move in the world, and it was a little strange to search up a client on Google while he was still on set. You felt strange even thinking about looking him up. Mh.

Well, you were just a bored girl at work–isn't it what everyone in your situation would do? Maybe instead of googling, you could ask Lia about him–she seemed to be a fan

Talking about her-

With a smile and a tool bag in hand, she approaches the 3 or 5 of you–if you include the bulky bodyguards a few feet away from you.

"Hello," she says, lightly bowing as she introduces herself as his hairstylist for the day–you're too deep in concentration and thought on his makeup and about what you'll be having for lunch later to even listen properly

However, from what you can discern, he happens to be a lot friendlier to her than he was to you. That joke was a tragedy

You frown, which Jungkook notices as he glances at you while you apply a small amount of liptint on his lips

As you apply it with a small brush, you observe the way he purses his lips a little. This was certainly not new to him. However, the fact that he knew what to do with each makeup step and that you didn't have to tell him was reassuring

Even well known models and artists who deal with makeup on a regular basis don't always know when to do what

Stop praising him for the bare minimum y/n

"Shoot starts in 15," the set director says over the loudspeaker, pacing around the set as if he owned it–which, technically, he did. You hum to yourself and casually nod. You were nearly finished with his makeup–or lack thereof; Jungkook didn't require much retouching to his already flawless face

Again, stop praising him

Lia didn't have as much work to do either, as the theme of tpday's shoot required her to leave his hair a little messy–rebellious. So, after combing it and drowning it with hairspray while running her hand over his hair, she was finished

"All right, Jungkook, follow me," Sana, one of the stylists in charge of his clothing–aside from him, of course, as he was also the creative director for today's shoot–brings him to his wardrobe.

Sana was...mh...a couple years older than you. You weren't sure by how much, but it had to be three or four years. She must have been in her mid-late twenties while you were 22. You didn't talk much to her–she showed you around on your first day at work, but that was about it

She was, as you could think, pleasant. Her hair was blonde, but not like Lias'. While her hair was a yellowish blonde, Sana's was almost white. She had a nice smile, which she had probably perfected over the years to show clients as she nodded mindlessly while they talked

Her style was unlike anything you'd ever seen before–the flared pants she wore today complemented the yellow shirt she wore flawlessly. Its like she took on a new persona everyday. One day she looked like your nice neighbour girl, the other like someone out of a 80s movie–her job definitely fit her.

You liked her jewellery; the gold bands on her wrist caught your eye as soon as you stepped into the set this morning.

You watch Jungkook get up from the seat in front of you, check himself up in the mirror, then adjust his shirt and walk away with her. You let out a breath you hadn't realised you'd been holding, locking eyes with Lia in a knowing way. You both laugh

"You think hell hold a grudge?" You teasingly ask, crossing your arms and leaning back against the makeup counter, chewing on your lip, one brow raised

"No way," Lia laughs, "don't even think he'll remember us when he comes back tomorrow."

You give a nod.

Right. The shoot was meant to last a week, so you'll probably have to deal with him again tomorrow. Oh crap

-

"Look directly into the camera." Jake, another work friend of yours, says barely above a whisper, talking to Jungkook who is basically doing whatever he wants. The photos turn out beautiful, but modelling involves working together rather than doing whatever you want

You bite your lower lip, keeping a close eye on them

Jake has been working here for quite some time now, was it 2? Or three years? You can't remember, hed just briefly mentioned it. From what you've seen in the week you've been here, he was good at his job–the photos he shot were unique and difficult to replicate. He had a distinct styls, and you could see him rise to the top in the industry over time. Who knows? Maybe one day you'll be able to say you worked with the Jake Abrahams.

Somehow, there seems to be tension between him and Jungkook though

You shake your head. Youre just seeing things y/n. The lack of sleep you got tonight made you huffy and irritated

"Hold that pose." Jake pokes his tongue out lightly in concentration while he snaps some more pictures, Jungkook's intense gaze switching between the camera and...you? Why's he looking at you? But just as quickly as he focuses on you, he's back to the camera

That was weird

As you watch the shoot, you fumble with the hem of your shirt. It had been about 20 minutes since it started, and Jungkook was doing an excellent job. Maybe not at cooperating with the photographer but he knew how to operate the camera, making the cameraman's job nearly too easy. You watch as he bites his lower lip, turns around, and runs his hand through his hair. He was born to do this.

You may not like him, but you had to give credit where credit is due

"Let's take a short break to look at the pictures and then try a different angle and the next outfit" Mr. Hardis claps his hands together making Jake place down his camera with an irritated frown before stepping over to the monitor and scrolling through the images.

Jungkook relaxes and cracks his neck before following suit, his steps long and dangerous as if he was walking a catwalk. He knew all eyes were on him, and he seemed to like the attention

Ugh, celebrities and ther egos

You take a second to look besides you at Lia, whos just oggling over the guy. You hold back a laugh

"I think we need to touch up his makeup a little," Jake says as he glances at the images, zooming closer to his face and already colour correcting some of them. He makes sure the lightings good, and everything is perfectly centered

His face turns back at you. Giving you an apologetic smile

You nod understanding and head over, taking a couple brushes and concealer with you

Jungkook looks up at you once, then back down at the monitor, frowning a little. Someones not happy

You roll your eyes, sighing under your breath. Maybe if he listened to what Jake had to say-

Jungkook doesn't move much, only stepping back from the monitor to allow you to sneak in front of him and adjust his makeup while he continues to analyse the images without even looking at you

"I think these two are the ones," Jake says as he shows the two photos he's referring to. Mr. Hardis nods, his horrible fake smile returning to Jungkook to see what he thinks

You frown as you fight the urge to roll your eyes again at the fakeness of it all

Once more Jungkook doesnt fail to notice

He only hums, clenching his jaw as he stares down at you, your eyes locking. You gulp

What did he want?

"What do you think?" he asks you.That asshole. What was he up to?

"Uhm...me?" Your eyes widen as you look between him and a equality as confused looking Mr Hardis. His brows shoot high in surprise as he clears his throat but decides not to say anything

"Yeah, youre part of the shoot." Jungkook grins and crosses his arms, muscles bulking out, tattoos begging to be admired by you. And as much as you want to- you dont. "What do you-" he tilts his head "-think?" he asks

Oh, someone please hold your hand back because you were about to lose your job by wiping that smug grin off his face.

You turn your head to the monitor, eyes scanning over the two pictures displayed. He looked flawless without any editing, and the pictures looked perfect, taking a step back and briefly looking over at Jake, who was suppressing a chuckle, his arms crossed over his platted shirt, you smile "Mh" you hum seeing Mr. Hardis' jaw clench from your peripheral view "i dont know..." you look back at Jungkook, whose eyes pierce into yours. "They look a little...emotionless," you shrug, "that's just my opinion though, you're the model," you smile. But you're both aware that it's not genuine.

"I see" Jungkook hums, pretending to take your opinion to heart as he looks next to you at Mr. Hardis "i was thinking the same"

Hah!- wait, what now?

What does he mean by "i was thinking he same"?! He wasnt supposed to agree!

Mr. Hardis looks at Jake for a split second before clearing his throat and glaring at his ugly and way too expensive watch. "Well, technically, we could shoot this part a bit longer" he starts "right Jake?" He grits through his teeth

"Sure," Jake shrugs, picking up his camera and fiddling with the settings while Mr Hardis takes a cigarette break before returning to the set as everyone else prepares

This leaves you and Jungkook alone at the monitor. Theres an awkward silence for a second before you look down at your–definetly, ready to throw away–shoes. Sighing you speak up "Listen, I'm sorry for basically calling you stupid earlier, I didn't mean it," you admit, glancing up only to see him walk away from you, as if he hadn't heard anything. Oh, but you know he had. You scowl, "actually, now that I think about it, I take everything back" you murmur under your breath, "asshole"

-

"No way"

"Way," you mutter, munching on the ramen you bought right after leaving work. The 7/11 trip you made every night after work to get dinner was a small dose of enjoyment.

You're sitting on the small seat by your window, the view allowing you a small glimpse of the entire nightlife of your normally quiet suburb. "He was-" you grunt as you take another bite, "-such an ass" you continue, your mouth still full. "Cant believe its always the assholes that get famous" you add

"Well you did call him stupid-" Hoseok, your best friend of seven years, answers on the other side of the phone while eating his own food. Hobi was your little ray of sunshine, not that you needed it–you weren't a grumpy person in general, though you could be just now. Unfortunately, he didn't live anywhere near you, his home being in your hometown back in NYC, so seeing each other was difficult–thankfully, phones existed

"I did," you nod along with him, "but not in a bad way!" you take a sip of your soda. "I was obviously joking!" You shake your head, "ugh no-" you fling your head back, "I hate him"

"And when i tried to apologise to him, you know what he did?" You roll your eyes poking the inside of your cheek "he just walked away!"

"No way!"

"Way!" You thow your hands up in defeat

"Anyway," Hobi says over the phone, pausing for a second, "but he's hot, right?" He asks just to make sure youre talking about the same Jeon Jungkook

"He's a big celeb back in Korea, more than in the US," he says, adding, "my cousin almost lost it when I told her you'll be working with him-"

"You know that was confidential information I told you, right?" you ask through your phone, laughing but trying to stay serious. "No ones supposed to know about the shoot until it is released," you remind him, but he simply brushes you off, waving his hand "yeah yeah, anyway, what am trying to say is" he wiggles his brows "you need money, and he has plenty of it-."

There is a brief moment of silence before you respond. "You want me to rob him...?-"

"What? No!" He interrupts you with a chuckle, shaking his head, "goddammit y/n, you're hot, hes hot..." He attempts to persuade you to connect the dots, but when you don't, he simply sighs and shakes his head, "you should try to get close to him!" Finally, he explains.

Your eyes grow wide, and you make a disgusted face, dropping your chopsticks "ew! No!"

- 2nd Shoot Day -

"What do you mean Sana is sick?" Mr. Hardis scowls on the phone as he steps outside the shooting location, cigarette in hand, brow furrowed, shaking his head in disbelief. The time was 9:15 am, and the shoot was set to begin in 45 minutes, with Jungkook arriving in 15. However, without the head stylist on hand to supervise the clothes and styling, things might get...complicated, delaying the entire shoot by hours, if not days

Who would alter his outfit, which might be too large or small for him? Who would mend, cut, or sew things together? You were doomed in the absence of Sana. It was as easy as that

If you were sick? No problem, they have a replacement. If Lia got sick, there was a replacement. But, no Sana meant-, oh no...

"Whats all the commotion?" Jake asks as he walks over to you, drying his hands from helping staff clean up the set from yesterday, "whys Mr. Ass-kisser look like he got fired and divorsed at the same time?" He adds laughing

You chuckle as you take the towel from him and place it in the dirty clothes basket next to you. "Apparently Sanas sick," you can't help but bite your lip and rub your hands together nervously. The fact that this was one of your first significant shoots didn't help matters–why couldn't this have happened a few months from now, when you'd learnt how to deal with stress like this? Why now?

"Oh shit," Jake says, rubbing a hand over his, you asumed freshly shaved, beard, "what now?" He asks, as if you knew any better

You look around the place, its only now that you notice everyone getting more nervous by the minute

"I really don't know," you cross your arms over your light blue oversized hoodie–a limited edition CK one that lia sneaked out for you from the back–frowning as you now both watched Mr. Hardis run circles on set. You side eye Jake and he does the same, making the two of you break out in laughter

The situation wasnt funny, but the way youd never seen Mr. Hardis this nervous was sort of amusing

"Okay," you giggle, gazing down at your phone before switching it off again. "I need to start preparing for makeup," you tell Jake, lightly touching his arm as you turn to face him. "His Majesty's about to arrive," you joke before leaving

"Dont forget to kiss his feet when he arrives!" Jake calls after you, and all you do is raise your thumb saying, "Will do!"

- 9 am, 2nd shoot day JUNGKOOK -

A knock on his hotel room door wipes Jungkook out of his daydream as he now stares at himself in the mirror. Hed just taken a shower, the mirror still lightly foggy as the reflexion revealed him

Jungkook hasnt felt like himself in years

No matter how hard he tries

No matter how hard he works on his body

He looks great, no doubt

But when he looks at his reflection, he doesnt see himself

Sure he sees his body, the way his abs ripple without him trying, the towel losely hanging around his waist threatening to fall off by any small movement. His necklace, the angelwing charm hanging from it, the memories that stick to it...its all too much.

But he doesnt see himself–just a version of him that carries him through his day

With a shake of his head he runs a hand through his dripping wet hair. "Jungkook, we leave in 15" his assistant speaks from outside the door, making him nod even if she couldnt hear. She leaves soon after, knowing well hed heard

His clothing was chosen for him the night before by a stylist his assistant took care of hiring for his stay in LA

A light blue flowy jacket and a white tank top. Looking down, he finds a pair of baggy jeans and Converse. Enough to make it to the shoot.

His gaze returns to the necklace from earlier, which is now neatly laying on his nightsand. Jungkooks eyes dart away, only to return a split second later. He nibbles on the bottom of his lip before tossing his head back and poking the inside of his cheek. "Goddammit," he exclaims before walking up and looking down at the jewellery in his hand

"Fuck," he mumbles, his hand forming a fist and clenching it tightly. "Damnit," he hisses as he throws his head back, frowning and tossing the necklace somewhere in the room

He turns away, about to leave, when he comes to a halt and glances back. Shaking his head, he walks over and picks it up again, this time placing it in his back pocket

-

"I need a coffee, let's stop somewhere," Jungkook says 5 minutes into the journey to the shooting location, his gaze never leaving his phone as he texts Namjoon and Yoongi

The black van is empty, with just his two managers sitting opposite him, arranging today's schedule before sending it to his assistant, who had arrived at the set after being told a staff member's sick.

Being Jungkook's assistant meant not just dealing with his fuck ups, but also dealing with those of others around him. He'd had five in the previous four years, and this one was holding up rather well

Yet he tried not to get too attached. Not that he had to try hard anyway

"We can do that," one of them says, before telling the driver, who makes a fast right turn

Groupchat: 🐰🐨🐱

Joon: hows LA Man

Today 9:20 am

Joon: paparazzi followed you till your hotel yet?

Today 9:20 am

Jungkook rolls his eyes at his friends sarcastic messages

Jungkook: fuck off man

Today 9:21 am

Jungkook: you know my parents pay them enough to stay off my back when im off duty

Today 9:21 am

Namjoon: yet you still think youre not spoiled

Today 9:22 am

Namjoon: money cant buy happiness kookie

Today 9:22 am

Jungkook: dont call me that

Today 9:23 am

Jungkook: yes it can

Today 9:23 am

Namjoon: well, im happy and and I've never once regretted not taking on my dads company and marrying Jini instead

Today 9:24 am

Jungkook: so you tell me every single time we talk about this

Today 9:24 am

Namjoon: cause its true! Being rich is great, i believe that, but love man?

Today 9:25 am

Jungkook: im gonna stop you right there

Today 9:25 am

Namjoon: yet youre still carrying that damn charm with you right now, arent you?

Today 9:26 am

When Jungkook doesnt answer, Namjoon types again

Namjoon: exactly

Today 9:26 am

Yoongi: cant yall text in fucking private

Today 9:27 am

Yoongi: im trying to sleep

Today 9:27 am

Jungkook: isnt it like 5pm over there?

Today 9:28 am

Joon: yeah.

Today 9:28 am

Yoongi: yeah

Today 9:30 am

For a moment, no one texts, so Jungkook turns his phone off to look outside the black tinted window. Too many thoughts running around in his pretty head

Yoongi: Also, Jungkook, get over her already, she broke your heart 7 years ago. Time to move on

Today 9:35 am

- Flashback–7 years ago–JUNGKOOK -

"I got it for you," he says, tilting his head to gaze at Mina, who only raises her brow at him

"A charm...?" She asks, a little surprised, as she fiddles with the gift in her hand

Jungkook's grin fades slightly, "I mean yeah? So you can think of me when you miss me," he says, burying his face in her neck, smile returning "you know I'll be gone for 2 months baby."

"I know," she says, rolling her eyes as she looks down at the angelwing pendant, "but this? It's not necessary. If I miss you, I can call you," she laughs

"You can," he shrugs, drawing her in closer, tugging a stray blonde hair strand out her face "or you can be a little romantic and look at it when you miss me."

- End of Flashback -

Jungkook's arrival at the venue is anything but quiet and on the low, as cameras swarm his car before he can even get out. He curses the people who continually reveal his location to the paparazzi, making his day even more difficult

"Jk, over here!"

"Who are you wearing?"

"Do you care about anything besides fame and money? What do you aspire to be?"

"What do you think about your supposed fans leaking private videos of yourself?"

"Was your 2018 public breakup a PR stunt?" Tell us!"

After his security men clear the path, he puts on his black facemask and steps out of the van. It is short. Only a 20-foot walk till he was safely inside the set location

He sighs, his gaze meeting that of the countless cameramen vying for his attention. Big cameras covering most ofbtheir faces–at least they got a good quality shot of him

He refuses to back down as he maintains eye contact, clearly annoyed by the invasion of his privacy. "Come on this way," one of his bodyguards guides him inside, and once the door closes behind them, he lets out a sigh of relief, looking back up as he removes his mask–tattooed hand on full display. Anyone who didnt recognise him before, did now.

That famous ink covered hand

He made quite a stir when he reappeared after a year of disappearance from the public eye. They used to know him as an 18 year old who had just graduated from high school. But when he returned, he looked drastically different, with tattoos and piercings all over. He was definitely not the same person they thought they knew oh so well

And maybe that was for the better

What he doesn't expect is to make eye contact with you, who happens to be looking up from the loud noise he caused, once he lifts his head

Did you do your makeup differently today? He didn't remember you looking this dolled up yestedsay

You did, in fact, apply more makeup today. Only to appear presentable, and totally not because Hobi kept you up all night convincing you that you would look more professional if you, as the makeup artist, actually wore make up. Who would have guessed?

But you can't help but think hobi had ulterior motives...like attempting to get you and Jungkook to click

That would never happen, of course, because he is a celebrity with millions upon millions of fans. And you were, well, you. That wasn't a negative thing–you enjoyed yourself the way you were and would never want to be the one in the spotlight

But you couldn't deny that there was a difference between you and Jungkook

Not that you thought about him and you together while taking a nice selfcare bath yesterday. You totally didnt!

Fine, maybe you thought about it a little, but not for more than 5 minutes anyway...

Ugh, who could blame you? The man was smoking hot! But that didnt chance the fact that he was a total dick

So as you keep staring at him, not wanting to be the first to give up, Lia suddenly taps you on the shoulder, and you're compelled to.

"Uhm," she starts, biting her lower lip, making you anxious as you shift your whole focus to her.

Somethings up

Her blonde hair was longer than yesterday, you did remember her telling you she was getting extensions. They looked good. Her smile was usually contagious, but this time it looked...nervous–terrified

"Listen, don't be mad at me because I wasn't the one who suggested this, but-" she begins rambling, making you place your hands down on both her hsoulders

"calm down," you interrupt, a chuckle escaping your mouth, "what's wrong Lia?"

"They want you to replace Sana..." Lia exhales deeply. "For the whole rest of the week"

Your eyes widen in surprise as Lia's words hang in the air.

What...?

You stammer, unable to find the appropriate words...unable to think straight "wha-" you open your lps to speak, only to let out a little laugh. "You-"

"haha! You're messing with me!" You softly hit her delicate shoulder, shaking your head, some strands of hair falling out your bun "really lia you had me there for a second i really though-" you pause to laugh again, clutching your stomach, your manicured finger nails digging into the soft fabric of your hoodie "-i really thought you were for real for a second there" you laugh, scrunching up your nose, waiting for her to laugh as well. Clear up the joke and laugh with you.

But when she doesn't, her face staying serious, maybe even more nervous, your smile fades. "Youre fucking with me...right?" You repeat more, solemnly just for the purpose of giving her a last chance "Right?!" Panic starts to creep in.

Oh no

Oh no no no

You weren't about to jump in for Sana as the head stylist for one of your company's most critical shoots of the year.

This felt like your worst nightmare, you were dreaming right? That would make sense! You were dreaming! You were-

"Y/n" Lias voice brings you back to reality

Your gaze is drawn away from hers as she rests a reassuring hand on your shoulder, as if to say, 'you'll be OK,' but you aren't. And you werent going to be

"Listen, Sana is not stupid, you know how she loves to be prepared, I'm sure there's a sort of notebook in Jungkook's changing room with notes on the outfits for today," Lia tries to be as helpful as she can in order to calm you down. Qnd as you breathe and nod, she does a little

You were a confident person–you usually were! But having to be in charge of a whole shoot just might have sounded like your worst nightmare

"Oh my god," you say, your voice barely audible, filled with a mix of shock and horror. Your heart races as you try to find the words to explain the overwhelming feeling that has taken hold of you. Once again. It was like a cycle

"What?" Lia asks, her voice filled with concern, as if it weren't evident from your expression, and the current situation.

You take a deep breath, feeling your stomach turn with unease. "I think I'm going to throw up-" you manage to utter, your voice trembling. In a desperate attempt to shield Lia from whatever catastrophe may be about to come out your mouth, you quickly turn around, but in your motion, you face plant with something solid. Or, more precisely, someone.

"Are we ready for the shoot?"

Oh shit. What were the consequences of simply running out the venue now? Because, to be frank, you'd love to sink into the ground right this instant–once again

-

Opening your eyes, you're met with complete darkness. That's it. You've died. Your body couldn't handle it and gave up on you.

Dying of nervousness was not the way you imagined your life to end but-

However, as the person standing in front of you takes a step back, you finally get a chance to look up. Of course its other than Jeon Jungkook. "I asked if we're ready to start," he asks again, clearly annoyed, as he pokes the inside of his cheek–his piercings even more noticeable that way. Ah, stop it. Stop staring at him, y/n. You need to focus on the task at hand.

"W-were," you stammer, glancing at Lia, who merely nods frantically, her glasses almost falling off her face

"We- we have to wait for sana" you say looking back at lia, her brows raising as she shakes her head immediately. "I cant do this" you whisper

Sighing lia places her hand on your shoulder as she addresses Jungkook, whos already more than annoyed as he crosses his arms

"How about you get dressed first, and we do your makeup lastly?" she proposes clapping her hands together as she looks between the two of you. Jungkook merely nods "whatever" as he checks his phone. They needed to find another makeup artist right away, which wasn't difficult given that Lia had previously majored in it. Thank goodness for Lia. And thank God for Jake, who comes over and hands you a bottle of water as she leaves

You mouth a quick thank you, opening the bottle, smiling at him. Your hands are slightly trembling, which Jungkook notices. In fact, he never fails to notice any minor annoyance or perk you have. He takes note of every facial expression, every sigh, and murmur. It's as if he can tell and sense how you feel from a mile away. He doesn't know why–maybe its the fact that you called him an idiot that still bothers him, so you're all he can think about from the moment he arrives on set until he leaves. That makes perfect sense. Without a doubt. For. Sure.

Jungkook's gaze darts between you two, becoming darker by the second. You should be guiding him to the dressing room and assisting him by now. Not chatting with some wannabe photographer who couldnt get his angles righg

"I don't have all day," Jungkook says again, almost getting between you two, "let's go"

You stare at his back as he walks away, then at Jake, who sighs shaking his head "good luck" and grins sympathetically

"Thank you," you bite your bottom lip, nodding, "I'll need it."

-

You were about to give up only a few minutes ago, but now you merely shrug, swallowing those emotions–your pride and holding back those tears as you make your way behind Jungkook to his dressing room

He obviously got the big one, the one with the bright lights on the mirror and the luxury leather couch inside. Sometimes, you wish you could just fall asleep on it cause it looked quite cosy–it even had a heating option. Heaven

The room was designed for celebrities like him, not nameless models whose sole purpose was to showcase a new collection. No. This was Jeon Jungkook, and at the end of the day, no one cared about the damn clothes.

"Have you ever been in here?" He asks cynically, not really caring if you were or weren't, but his sigh at the end of the sentence told you everything you needed to know-he was irritated.

You tried not to care because at the end of the day you were only the stylist for the time being. And the remainder of the week. "I have," you simply respond after taking a deep breath and glancing around for some form of direction.

You thank the heavens when you spot Sana's all-too-familiar note book, opening it in relief. "Well," you nod, keeping two pages open and placing it on the dresser. "Shall we start?" You put on a fake smile as your gaze meets his. Yet falls when you catch him on his phone, as uninterested as ever.

You clear your throat again. "Shall we start-"

"I got it the first time, no need to catch an attitude." he adds as he throws his phone on the previously mentioned couch, where it bounces once and lands at the edge–almost falling. And while you might have been concerned that it would break, Jungkook couldn't care less.

Of course not, he could easily afford ten of them. One of the benefits of having an insane amount of money was being able to buy things without worrying about them leaving a denk in your bank account

Lucky fucker

You couldn't even imagine what it would be like to have even half of what he has. It would be nice. To be able to afford a flat in a better neighbourhood than your current one. But then again, youd would miss the nightly convenience store runs.

Your attention returns to him from the couch after you roll your eyes. What you don't expect is Jungkook to stand in front of the mirror–shirtless. "Well?"

Your gaze instinctively moves to his chest, taking in the sight of the chains covering his neck and the incredibly well defined muscles. When you move your eyes down, you can't help but notice his insanely perfect sculpted abs. You never meant to ogle, but there's no denying that this man has a very close built of a what youd imagine a greek god to look like. In fact, you find yourself easily believing he is one.

"Right," you mumble as you look behind him, your sight fixed on the heap of clothes. Your gaze is drawn to the black leather jacket that Sana had neatly sketched in her notebook. Bingo.

You stride towards it with confident steps, picking it from the pile and handing it to him without saying anything. "Now, let's see about what to wear underneath," you say, your fingers running over the large rack of clothes. "What are you thinking?" A bunch of colourful pieces attract your attention, but it makes no difference what you choose

Prioritising the client's desires was one of the first lessons you learned during fashion school. Your option is second, if not third.

You don't hesitate to hand him the leather slacks he's supposed to wear when you find them a little farther down the rack. You weren't a big fan of leather, on yourself or anyone else. So it's a good thing he wore those today. In some way, it might make you gag rather than attracted...right?

Maybe gag is a strong word

Moving on

Even if you looked unbothered or nonchalant, you were still nervous. There was a burning fire deep within the depts of your mind. If someone could look into your mind right now, it would seem like a scene from a horror movie, with people frantically racing about, yelling, and screaming

It's amusing that you look so cool on the surface, yet in realith, you were on the edge of crumbling at the smallest inconvenience. For example, the sheer thought of Jungkook dropping his pants would have been enough to drive you into a coma-

Wait

As you stare at him, your eyes widen. Stay calm. Keep cool. Maintain your professionalism.

Live, laugh, love

This is normal–how else would he be able to put on the pants youd just given him?

Jungkook chuckles. When he notices your humiliated face looking away, he fucking laughs.

However he decides not to tease you just yet. As he looks in the full length mirror, he admires his nearly finished outfit. "I'm supposed to wear boots with this," he says in a casual tone, not mocking you. Thank God.

"Right," you respond as you swallow and walk to the small cupboard where he placed his old clothes, stooping down to look for his boots before handing them to him. But before you can do any of that, your sight is drawn to the smalles flicker in the corner beneath it, and you frown. You slyly grab it–it probably belonged to Sana or someone else who left it here

The boots are chuncky and black and have some silver elements to it. Yup, definitely something hed wear–given that hed be a walking rockstar if he were to have chosen the muisc route

Jungkook adjusts his jacket in front of the mirror once he gets up–now looking a little taller than before. He nods once, sighing as he clicks his tongue and looks at you through the mirror–your gazes dont meet immediately as he catches you looking down at your hand. Your hair effortlessly falls into your face, covering most of it, but he can still catch the way your lips purse

Your gaze is drawn down to the little charm you just picked up. Small but significant–at least, that's what you'd like to believe. It was a pair of wings. They couldn't be a birds–they were too big, but they could be angels. That sounded a lot better. Angelwings.

You'd leave it in the lost and found before you left work today, whoever lost it must be looking for it.

For a little while, you consider...No. It couldn't have been his. It was completely unlike him.

Then again, you shouldn't be acting like you knew him

With a shrug of your shoulders you place it in your back pocket before looking up

You give a genuine smile this time. "I was thinking for your shirt we could-" you begin, looking around the room for the top that caught your eye earlier, but Jungkook interrupts

"I'm not wearing a shirt."

"Uhm," you turn to him, bewildered, fiddling with your fingers, "youre not?" You ask almost whispering, and this was the perfect time to slap your forehead.

What did this man do for you to suddenly be so quiet?

Blame it on the stress

You expect him to make fun of you, but all he does is shake his head. "This is good," he adds again as he adjusts his hair–black locks already looking perfect, there was simply no need to style it. But of course they would have to anyway "this is exactly what I hoped for."

231020 - jungkook on tiktok