
probably depressed but at least i write shit
140 posts
Namfinessed - .kel. - Tumblr Blog
When I read your stories I really feel to to the core the person who would get you would be the luckiestttt like imagine someone who can express your love in such beautiful way
aw :( this is seriously a very lovely compliment but i struggle with love irl and love in my stories is far away from how i actually experience it <3
No question just letting you know that your write such stories like truly salute you man I have an exam in 6 hours and I haven't studied but reading your FF lol
BABE GO AND STUDYđđ but seriously ive been seeing all your comments, theyre so sweet and truly i love you so much for reading my stories, thank you thank you <3
thank you so much for the love everyone has shown my story, every reblog, like and review means a lot to me <3
untitled - j.jk.

genre: angst, fluff (firstlove! slowburn!) (11.5k)
summary: jungkook was your first love but first loves were supposed to end, they were supposed to be a fond memory to look back on but your first love never leaves your life, nor does he stay in it.
note: this is inspired from my first love <3
masterpost
even if years, ages, and places separate you, maybe youâll love jungkook all over again every time.
you had met him in school, in college, on a different continent but he never stayed in your life for too long, and you hadnât stayed in his either.
but now that you believe you wouldnât see him again, only because you were standing next to your soon-to-be-husband, you believe your never-pausing story needed to be told.
and oh, would you look at that? it seems like jungkook has entered the venue to hear it too.
-
it was the 9th grade when you first met him.
it was simple and so innocent.
you had your new school bag resting behind you, and your shoulders kept knocking against your sisters as the bus drove on the road and abruptly stopped at a place that it never did before; down the lane from your home.
you curiously looked out and heard your bus manager faintly mumbling something about a new student joining the bus.
and there he was, a head full of bouncy hair and a smile that wasnât exactly present. even as he walked the length of the bus with his head down, he didnât give off insecurity, it was more like he avoided looking at most people.
he sat down, right behind you, his legs stretching could be seen under your seat and you didnât look back just yet. you had no idea why.
your sister, sunny, turned around, hand clasping the seat, and eagerly asked, âyouâre in B section, arenât you?â your ears perked up at that, and you subtly leaned in to listen to him.
why you had been curious at all about someone whose face you hadnât seen, is something that was beyond you but you were consumed inside out with curiosity from the beginning.
he nods at your sister and doesnât offer another word but when you tilt your head to look back, you see him looking right at you.
thatâs when it all began, there were no words at all, just a boy who hadnât looked at anyone but looked at you as if he could draw you the very next second.
-
your sister, ever the extrovert, talked to jungkook every day, they laughed and made fun of each other, you smiled at their conversations but never contributed yourself. you listened though, and you listened well.
by week two, you knew how he sounded when he was bored.
you knew how his voice hitched when he was excited.
you knew how his voice would get low whenever he pulled a sarcastic joke on your sister.
jungkookâs eyes would dance to the back of your head, wrapped neatly in a ponytail every single morning, to see if you would turn back, to see if he could catch a glance of those small smiles you let out sometimes but most days, he would just talk loud enough for you to hear about him.
he never understood why he had wanted you to listen, but he couldnât tell you anything directly, and he wanted to look cool, sound cool, make jokes in a cool way, in a way that would make you laugh and once he got home, he always felt ridiculous for feeling that way.
and then, as if a miracle, your sister didnât come to school one morning, jungkook could see you alone, ponytail brushed back as always, school bag resting on your thighs, and felt a stabbing need to hear your voice, talking to him.
he settled behind you, legs stretching again and his fingers danced on his thighs as he thought of a way to talk to you, just then your head tilted slightly, as if you were trying to catch a look at him and jungkook felt his smile burn into his skin.
âwhy did sunny not come today?â you jumped as he fully leaned on the back of your seat, your eyes drifted to his face, âsheâs not well.â
those were the first words you had ever spoken to him.
âwhy is she not well?â was not his best, but he needed to keep it going.
sunny was on her period.
âstomach ache,â you murmured, ignoring how his eyes twinkled with each word that escaped out of you. you hadnât believed that eyes could twinkle up until that day, but then again you think youâve never seen jungkookâs eyes twinkle with anyone else.
âshe mustâve eaten something bad, didnât she? she seems the type to be careless like that,â jungkook snickered and your face grew red hot, âwhat she eats or doesnât eat, isnât any of your business.â
your tone, your eyes narrowing sharply to glare at him, was a sight jungkook would get used to later, but for now, he didnât know how to react.
he was taken aback that you had gotten so serious over a simple joke, then it clicked to jungkook that you were one of those oddly protective people. nothing else could explain your red cheeks and furrowed eyebrows.
and he grew giddy.
you were oddly protective.
a new thing he got to learn about you because he had conjured up the courage to start a conversation.
âmy bad,â he shrugs into his seat, and his nonchalant response makes you feel guilty, so you sigh and turn back fully to face him.
that was the first time you saw him straight on, with no sideway glances, no peripheral view of him, just his face and nothing else.
âyou have adam sir for physics too, right?â
it was something you picked up from the multiple conversations you overheard.
âum yeah?â he wasnât sure where you were going with this, âdoes he come into your class with chalk on suspicious places too?â
you were talking about your dear adam sir who constantly came to class with chalk all over the front and back of his pants crotch area, everyone but adam sir himself knew about his crotch chalk.
and jungkook laughs out loud, âoh my god, yes, i donât know whether to be horrified or mildly impressed with his lack of self-awareness,â and you laughed too.
when you stopped and looked at him once more, he was already looking at you and the smile on your face didnât break until you reached home.
-
it was normal now, you and sunny would turn around, talk to jungkook until you reached school, and then wait for the evening, when you could talk to him until you reached home.
you were quick to anger, he noticed.
you often fought with guys in your grade with a rage that both scared and fascinated jungkook.
you were calm with people you liked, you were fun with people you liked, you were passionate about things you believed in.
you always were a bit frustrated with him, but you still laughed at his jokes.
he was sarcastic, you noticed.
he had no interest in most things.
he didnât like drama but always knew everything about everyone.
he always looked at you after he made a joke, as if to check if you thought it was funny, if you thought he was funny.
and you would always laugh, he would always feel a seed of pride in him whenever you turned away, hiding your laughing face in your palms.
you knew he liked you; you werenât oblivious or stupid.
youâre not sure who he told or how it even came out, but suddenly, everyone around you knew about it.
the rumors started a month after you talked to him, you had known him for six weeks which felt like six years, but you didnât like him back.
he knew that you didnât like him back.
but that didnât stop him from trying to look cool to you.
something his friends never let him succeed at.
on childrenâs day, you were allowed to wear anything besides your uniform, and that was a very exciting thing then, you always wore your best outfits because your mom believed in looking good and feeling good.
you were standing in the middle of the ground, waiting for your friends to come back from getting food when someone tapped swiftly on your shoulder, it was one of jungkookâs friends, smiling at you as if he knew you. you didnât know the guy; you only knew he was jungkookâs friend.
âhey, could you take a photo for us?â he mused, you almost said no, but then you peeked around him, to see jungkook with his very huge group of friends, he wasnât looking at you, he was looking at everything but you.
it confused you.
his friendâs smile got wider when he noticed you staring at jungkook, you ignored him and took the phone dangling from his hands, you watched as they all got closer and started smiling.
jungkookâs smile was so small, so invisible, so you yelled, âsmile everyone!â and you tried not to smile too when his smile took over his entire face until you couldnât see anything else.
âthanks,â his friend came and took his phone, jungkook left, eyes glancing over his shoulder where you stood, an unavoidable warmth spread through your fingers.
but you didnât like him.
not the way he liked you.
right?
-
âhe likes you, he told his friends and well, they told my friends, who told me,â sunny rambled beside you, shifting through her closet and you didnât know what to say, âdo you like him?â she turned around to you, eyebrows raised as if she judged you a little if you did, and you shrugged.
âno, how can anyone like him?â
-
you had people who admired you, liked you even, but very few were honest or brave about it.
so, when the sister of a guy who you thought was only your friend, knocked on the window of your seat, you were confused. she smiled, âthis is for you,â she pushed a letter, bracelet, and chocolate into your hands once you opened it, running away before you could ask anything.
you saw your friend peeking from the corner of a bus, watching your reaction to his confession, you looked away and shoved the letter and bracelet into the front pocket of your bag.
jungkook watched the whole exchange silently, a strange jealousy settled in his stomach as he looked out the window to glare at your friend, who sadly only had his eyes on you. then, he watched you and tried to understand what you felt from the back.
it wasnât easy.
his friend gasped and howled next to him, âshe got a letter, broâ he teased jungkook loud enough for you to hear, jungkook waited for you to turn around and tell his friend to shut up and mind his own business.
but you didnât, you didnât get angry like you usually did.
you were hyper-focused on the bracelet resting in your bag, and jungkook scoffed at it, he could do better, he wonât, but he could.
âshe got a letter and youâre still just sitting here,â his friend tutted at him and jungkook shrugged his friendâs arm around his shoulder, scowling at him.
you rested your head on your window and closed your eyes, letting the warmth of the sun penetrate you.
when it was just the two of you on the bus, he leaned forward, âhe wrote you a letter?â
âyeah, he did.â it was embarrassing to tell jungkook for some reason, it felt like cheating, receiving a letter from someone else when he was right behind you, though none of those feelings held any validity.
âhe gave you a bracelet and chocolate? thatâs just childish,â he snickered and expected you to laugh with him but you didnât, âweâre still kids,â you mumbled instead, and jungkook straightened.
âdo you like him?â
âno.â
âdo you like anyone?â
âno.â
âwhy?â he stood with his bag in his hands, the bus waiting for him to get down and you didnât notice his nervous stammer then, you were too confused by the bracelet and chocolate in your bag.
âi just donât.â he nodded and left.
you kept the letter and bracelet in your school memories box.
-
somewhere jungkook knew that you knew, but he was always grateful that you acted like you didnât know.
but it was unbearable for him.
seeing your swaying ponytail every morning, hearing your laughter ring in his ears at times when you werenât even around him, driving by your house a few fifty times a day to see if you were talking in the balcony sometimes because you did that sometimes, sometimes it felt to jungkook that you did it for him.
sometimes you did it for him, for him to see you.
why?
no one knows.
you and jungkook were friends, only friends.
you and him were friends, but you never talked when others besides sunny were around, your conversations were yours and his, and no one elseâs.
you werenât sure that was how friendships worked, but you thought maybe friendship with jungkook worked this way.
he had your number but he never called, you had his number but you never called.
but one day, right before your final exams started, your phone rang and your heart stopped when you saw his name flash on your screen, you stared at the screen until your phone stopped ringing and didnât touch your phone until it was night.
you opened it to several messages from jungkook and none of them were about school or the annoying kids on the bus or his annoying friends or your annoying friends.
jungkook: i like you.
jungkook: i think you know that. but i wanted to tell you.
jungkook: i know that you donât like me, but i like you and iâve tried to avoid it, but i see you every day, and i canât avoid you, i canât avoid how i feel.
jungkook: if you somehow like me, reply to this, if you donât, donât. just act as if nothing happened when we see each other tomorrow.
you couldnât study anymore that night.
the next day, you turned back with sunny and talked to him as if nothing happened, you complained about your syllabus, he laughed that he didnât even open his books, and sunny bragged that she finished everything and helped him with some important topics.
you ignored the pull in your heart at how openly his affection showed in his eyes now when he looked at you, his sentiment was simple, he had said his bit, and he had nothing to hide anymore but you grew heavy on that seat in front of him, you had everything to hide.
sunny squeezed your hand as you looked out the window.
she knew what happened.
your eyes filled with affection too, gave it away.
-
why did you never tell jungkook that maybe, just maybe, just a small part of you, a part of you that you wanted to destroy, liked him too?
you never understood why your sentiment cowered under layers whereas his laid naked in the world.
and middle school for you, high school for him, came close to ending by the time you ever confronted your feelings.
it was the last day for middle schoolers, you had a whole event thing in the school and dressed up accordingly, you had gone to school with your dad.
but once the day ended, you got onto the bus with a shirt full of your classmates' signatures and notes, you were a little late and flushed from the sun, you plopped down on your seat and fanned yourself.
sunny pulled the scribbled shirt from your hands, âgod, you really filled it up,â you pointed to each signature and note, explaining who it was from, and when a huge note from some guy in the class who liked you came, sunny teased you and jungkook glared at the back of her head.
but a knot of sadness formed in his throat, he wouldnât see you every day after this, he wouldnât see you sleep on the bus, he wouldnât hear the r-rated jokes that you whispered to sunny, thinking that no one could hear, he wouldnât hear you silently cry after a bad day.
to jungkook, today felt like the end of a lifetime.
then you turned around, with tired eyes and a shy but carefree smile, you extended the shirt to him and said, âwrite something good, jungkook.â he felt as if he was going to fall off his seat.
his name in your voice was something he would remember for years to come.
he asked for a pen because of course, jungkook didnât carry a pen in his bag that had one notebook, you scoffed and gave him one and he thought for very long.
i love you, felt wrong to write on a shirt that was littered with other peopleâs love for you.
and as he read each note, jungkook suddenly felt small, so many people loved you, much better people than him, he couldnât even write anything as a goodbye to you whereas others wrote whole paragraphs.
he wrote something quickly, under your watchful and expectant gaze, and handed the shirt back with a weak smile.
âbe happy, always. jkâ looked back at you and you couldnât help but laugh at his small handwriting next to everyone elseâs. you didnât notice his dejected posture, nor his distracted gaze out the window.
âreally? thatâs all?â you said with a teasing smile, extremely amused by his words and he shrugged at you, playing with his hands.
but he felt it when your smile dimmed and you turned around with a silent huff, he felt even smaller as he got down from the bus, craning his neck to see you and your yellow dress, for the last time in the bus that held all his adolescent love.
you didnât look back at him.
-
your exams ended, you joined high school in a different part of the city, jungkook joined college in a different part but his home remained down the lane from yours.
you didnât see him as much anymore, you only saw his car drive by through your window, but he did message you whenever he could, even if you didnât see each other, you knew every person he knew, he knew every overbearing teacher you hated, you knew every class he skipped and that he started smoking, and he still knew just how to make you laugh to make you forget about the pressures of high school.
and calling him a friend, in the midst of all that, felt wrong, it felt so wrong, you were so alone in your high school, and he was the only tie to your familiar and comfortable past, so you confessed.
it wasnât anything grand, you knew he liked you back, and you werenât worried about getting rejected, but still, you held your breath as you typed a message to him.
you: i like you too.
you: it took me too long, didnât it?
his reply was instantaneous.
jungkook: what.
then, your phone rang loudly, it almost fell from your hands and your mom eyed you suspiciously, you called out a friend's name to appease her and ran off to your room, shutting the door behind you and lifting the call with shaky hands.
âyouâre not joking with me, are you?â
âno.â
âso, you like me?â you heard the smile in his voice and let your head fall against the door in a blissed-out sigh.
âi do.â
âreally?â
you laughed, âreally.â
âreally, really?â you couldnât stop giggling at the barely contained excitement and doubt in his voice, âreally, really, jungkook.â
âfuck.â you faintly heard his laugh of disbelief on the other line and stopped yourself from sinking to the floor and talking to him for hours.
âtext me, my momâs awake still,â you mumbled, and he sighed but it was happy, it was out of relief, âyes, maâam.â
jungkook ended the call with the biggest smile on his face, his back resting on his car, slid down as he tried not to squeal and jump in the air and his friends raised their eyebrows at him.
âwhat happened to you?â
âshe told me she likes me,â he mumbled, the words feeling so much like a lie on his tongue but it was true, it was finally true, and even if he didnât say the name, his friends knew exactly who it was, âholy shit, really?â they crowded around him and started demanding for details but he brushed them all off.
âi have to go, i have to text her, i canât do that when i drive, you guys will get back by yourself right?â he didnât wait for their reply as he got into his car and started the engine, all he heard before pulling away was, âthat lucky bastard.â
and he was, he was the luckiest man in the world.
-
turns out, jungkook was the luckiest man in the world for a few moments only. you were so sweet sometimes that he wanted to wax poetry about you, but he had expected that after your confession, you could date, he could call you his girlfriend, and you would go out to the movies, he would feed you popcorn and your head would rest on his shoulders.
but.
âi just think labels arenât necessary,â he tried not to frown too deeply as your voice swam into his ears, âwhat do you mean?â he sat up on his bed, phone clutched tightly in his hands.
âisnât it enough that we like each other? why do we have to call each other boyfriend and girlfriend?â
âbut why shouldnât we?â
âjungkook, i donât know how i feel about making it soâŠpermanent,â on the other end of his phone, your eyes gathered tears because you didnât know why you were saying the words you were, but the idea of dating seemed so immature to you, too troublesome and dramatic, you just wanted to like him and have him like you.
âare we not permanent?â he was only so young and so innocent; the words left him with a delicate veil of terror.
why werenât you thinking of forever? you were his forever, were you not his?
âhow could we be permanent? weâre kids,â your nervous laughter twisted his guts but he didnât say a word, âdo you not think of a future with me?â jungkook felt pathetic asking the questions he did.
âitâs not like that jungkook, i like you, of course, i do but shouldnât we worry about us here in the present than somewhere in the future?â
it made sense to you because you were already apart, he was in college, you were in high school, he smoked now, you hated that, you grew more cynical, he hated that and later, you would only be further apart, who was to say you would stand the test of time?
but i love you, hung on his lips.
he just mumbled, âokay.â he never was okay with it and his disappointment couldnât have been louder.
âjungkook, i still like you-â your mom called out to you and your panic rose to your throat, âmy momâs calling, iâll text you, okay?â and the line went dead.
jungkook fell back on his bed, his head was now heavy with you, he couldnât help but notice that you kept saying that you liked him.
you never said that you loved him.
-
you: our school function is on the 26th, this is our chance.
jungkook: are you telling me i finally get to meet my girlfriend?
you: haha not your girlfriend but yes, you finally get to meet the girl of your dreams.
jungkook: emma stone is coming?
you: very funny jungkook, iâll block you.
jungkook: now donât go and do that, what will you wear?
you: you will see that day, what will you wear?
jungkook: you will see that day :D
you: so annoying.
jungkook: only to you :]
you: iâm excited to see you.
jungkook: you have no idea how long iâve been waiting to see you.
-
at the school, your palms grew clammy as you walked around with your friends, and your dress flowed with you as you walked but you didnât feel pretty that day. like every other teenager, you had a huge breakout of acne just the night before and you had cried, you didnât want jungkook to see you like this.
you were sure that he had higher expectations for the girl he liked and while you usually didnât care about othersâ expectations of you, you cared about his.
you knew he was already in the school but you werenât actively looking for him, you wanted to delay meeting him as much as you could, you didnât want him to see your face and you didnât look at your phone.
you let yourself be completely occupied with your friends even if you see him walk by a couple of times from the corner of your eyes. jungkook, on the other hand, just didnât know how to approach you, he didnât know if heâd be disturbing your time with your friends or if heâd annoy you by acting too clingy, so he stayed away as well.
sunny observed the whole exchange in bits and pieces and couldnât believe how ridiculous you two were being. as his friend and your sister, she decided to take things into her own hands.
so, as you laughed and talked to your circle of friends, she pulled on your arm, took you aside, and whispered, âdude, why arenât you talking to him? heâs been waiting for you.â
âi thought he was with his friends,â you lied, and she sighed, âhe hasnât hung out with them, to make sure he had time with you and i donât know what is going on with you, but your boyfriend is waiting for you and you need to go.â
ânot my boyfriend,â you mumbled as she dragged you around to where he was sitting.
until you saw him, very well-dressed, with shiny shoes, a crisp shirt, and a lopsided grin, none of what you had with him felt real.
but seeing him made it real, it made your love for him take a physical form, you werenât sure you could handle that sense of reality just yet.
romance, love, affection, all of it was easy through a screen but seeing his finger ridges in real life and wanting to hold them, was hard.
âhey,â he mused, patting the spot next to him and you didnât sit, you hid your face behind your hair and muttered a greeting, and sunny gagged next to you, âcan you please not do this lovey-dovey shit in front of me?â
jungkook was enjoying it though, his girl, not his girlfriend apparently but still his girl, was too shy to see him.
the ever-fierce, angry, witty, and smart girl disappeared and in front of him, was just a girl in love. and even if you never said it, he felt it in the moment.
âokay, iâll go now,â sunny said, but you grabbed her arm, âstay,â you whispered to her and she geared up to start cursing at you only for jungkook to say, âstay, itâs fine.â
he realized that if sunny was around, you would at least say a few things, because right now, he couldnât see anything but your hair.
so, sunny stayed.
and they talked, you chimed in, it felt like the first day of talking to him on the bus. jungkook observed that you were a bit more grown up now, a bit taller, only a bit though and a bit softer than when you were in school, and just like he loved the loud, rude, and angry girl, he loved the soft, shy, still angry girl, that he was looking at.
you thought he was looking at you because you looked different, uglier, and that he was contemplating just letting you go.
but that night, when you returned home and texted him, you felt like the prettiest girl in the world.
you: so emma stone didnât come, how do you feel?
jungkook: heartbroken but another girl made it up to me.
you: oh yeah, how was that?
jungkook: it was like i was seeing her for the first time again.
you: and?
jungkook: sheâs more beautiful than i remember her being.
you: jungkook, i had pimples all over, you donât have to lie to me.
jungkook: you donât know yourself at all if you think some pimples take away from how beautiful you are.
you: you think so?
jungkook: i spent an hour looking at you, walking here and there in the school, so iâm confident about it.
you: i felt ugly today.
jungkook: that happens sometimes.
you: i donât feel it anymore.
jungkook: you never should.
-
it was five days after the function, on new years, january 1st, that you two broke up.
things had been going so well but suddenly, they werenât.
after the magical night at your school, he hung out with his friends a lot, and he started drinking, you were still too young for all that, and you were dying in your high school with never-ending exams and classes. both of you had forgotten about each other while also thinking of each other every second you could.
you were supposed to meet him on january 1st, in a cafĂ© that he was raving about called the terrace, you had planned a whole thing so your parents wouldnât get suspicious, you would go with your sisters to the cafĂ© and come back with them, but spend all the time there with him.
it wasnât easy to go behind your parents' back, it always felt like you were betraying them whenever you talked to jungkook but you were also in love, and your parents took a back seat for you on that day.
you waited in the café, and your sisters constantly asked where he was and when he was coming, you told them he would come in a minute or two, which stretched on for hours and the night ended with your sisters giving you pitiful gazes and long, silent hugs.
you came back home with an anger so familiar, so out of your control that you couldnât see or say anything else.
âwhere were you?â
âi got drinks with my friends, i was going to leave i promise-â and you cut the call, you watched your phone ring again and again until it went dead silent.
jungkook: please talk to me.
you: you know how difficult it is for me to come out with my parents watching my every move, you know how much i planned for this night and i did it because you kept blaming me for never going on dates.
jungkook: typingâŠ.
you: and when i do plan for a date, you end up going somewhere else?
jungkook: you think i donât have a life of my own?
you blinked back tears that your anger let escape from your eyes, that was the first time you felt your chest physically hurt.
you: i never said that, jungkook.
jungkook: you know itâs funny because if you werenât such a coward, maybe i wouldnât have to beg you to meet me, maybe we wouldâve already gone on dates, and today, i could enjoy with my friends the way i want to. you donât even let me call you, my girlfriend.
you: donât you dare call me a coward, my parents arenât easy to deal with.
jungkook: saying that just makes you sound like even more of a coward.
you: if iâm such a coward, maybe you shouldnât be with me anymore.
jungkook: maybe i shouldnât, yeah.
you threw your phone aside, you wanted him to say iâm sorry, i fucked up, let me plan the next one, but instead, he was indifferent, as if nothing mattered to him anymore, as if you didnât matter to him anymore.
you couldnât picture this man as the same man who looked at you with stars in his eyes and a scary thought passed through your mind, he was madly in love with you only five days ago, and now, he wasnât.
people could change, and then hurt you, so you vowed to yourself that you wouldnât let anyone have the power to hurt you anymore.
you: so, weâre done?
jungkook: yeah.
you: please donât smoke anymore.
jungkook: what i do is none of your business anymore.
-
and that was that.
you blocked him everywhere and he wallowed in his self-pity for days, you didnât know how he was, which new people he met, if he smoked two or three cigarettes in a day anymore and he didnât know about anything going on in your class, or about the new biology subject they introduced or about your friend's antics.
it was like he was never there in your life in the first place.
right after the breakup, you didnât cry, you didnât feel anything, you went to high school normally the next day and smiled while telling your friends, âiâm finally single!â
they looked concerned, then they laughed at your indifference to the breakup but your best friend leaned and asked, âare you okay?â and you nodded happily, âof course i am, heâs just a guy.â
but jungkook sadly wasnât just a guy, he was your first love, your first ever brush with romance.
so, a month passed and you called your best friend.
sitting at the edge of your bed, you told her everything you knew about jungkook, you laughed at how stupid he could be sometimes, and you cursed him out for doing what he did but then, you started crying and you couldnât stop crying, âi miss him, i miss my friend.â
she listened as you felt your heart finally tear apart inside you.
you knew you couldnât trust anyone or love anyone again.
this time, it felt like a lifetime ended for you.
-
two years passed and you didnât think of him anymore, you werenât sure if he thought of you, you would only be reminded of his existence when exes and relationships came up in conversations with friends, those always ended with you bitterly cursing him.
you hated him.
the guy who showed you how love felt, was the guy you hated most now.
you moved cities, a better, bigger city and you tried to fall in love again, you did try.
you went on dates with your newly found freedom, you tried to like them and their stories, but the only stories that held any value to you from your youth were with or about jungkook. because you felt every face of your youth, with him.
and you couldnât possibly talk about your first love with guys whose faces bled into each other until they all became one, and jungkook remained another.
but still, you rarely thought of him.
you didnât think of him when you went on your first date ever (technically, you never went on a date with jungkook), you didnât think of him when you called that guy every single night and told him superficial things about you, you never told him things that mattered, you had your first kiss and ended your first ever situationship.
but you werenât hurt at all. you never gave another person the power to hurt you because you felt it once, and you had no intention to feel it again.
and after months of living in another city, you went back home for a while and your best friend insisted on going to the same cafĂ© where you were supposed to meet jungkook, on the day of your breakup. it wasnât her fault that it was the only good cafĂ© in your tiny city.
you went.
you talked and laughed with your friend.
your phone pinged.
jungkook: youâre at the terrace?
perhaps, you forgot to mention that you unblocked him a while ago, it wasnât to talk to him of course, it was just to remove negativity from your life (you wanted to feel that young love again).
you: yeah.
jungkook: wait.
you turned to your best friend with wide eyes, telling her that there was a huge possibility that jungkook was coming and she grimaced, she never liked him.
then, he strolled in, hands in pockets, and gave you this smile that covered years of doubt, you always thought he would glare at you and hate you but he just walked in, waved at you, and sat down without saying another word.
seeing him this up close after years of watching him from the corner of your eyes and the tilt of your head, filled you with a breathless excitement because he didnât change, he didnât change at all.
âhello, itâs been long,â he greeted you, and then the both of you broke into giggles at his formal tone, âit has been long, yeah.â you replied with a nod, begging for your eyes to hide their reviving affection.
then, you talked.
you had years to catch up on so you told him everything, you told him about your college, your still-horrible teachers, your friends, the new places youâve explored, and how different everything was in the city you studied.
he listened with a carefulness that you never thought he possessed.
a simple but reckless thought caught you by the throat as jungkook leaned forward and laughed at something you said.
is this how it feels to make someone laugh?
is this how a date with him then wouldâve been?
did i just miss out on everything good in life?
then, he told you everything and you listened.
jungkook stuttered multiple times because he had truly forgotten how his body got when you were around, he was suddenly aware of his every nerve, and he was aware of his fingertips that were centimeters apart from you, he was aware of your legs that were right next to his under the table and he was aware of you refusing to look at anyone but him as he spoke.
not even once did either of you acknowledge january 1st from two years ago.
âitâs 6 right now,â your best friend reminded you and you gasped, âalready? shit, we have to go,â jungkookâs disappointment fell like water over his head and flooded his shoulders.
âwhere do you have to go?â he asked, as casually as he could.
âwe have to meet another friend, a little bit far from here, so weâve got to get going,â you said, and jungkook nodded, his car keys twirled in his hands, âdo you mind dropping us?â
he almost jumped out of his seat to say yes, but remembered himself and nodded once again, ânot a problem at all.â
all three of you were silent as you walked to his car which turned out to be a jeep of sorts, no surprises there and your friend got in the back, you got in the front and buckled your seat belt, your chest compressed a bit more as you tried to wave all of this as something friends did.
you were friends with him, in some way.
he got in as well and you felt twitchy in your seat, your eyes took in the unfamiliar car and jungkook watched as you saw another new thing in his life with boundless curiosity.
âyou vape now?â you saw the three vapes thrown in the middle of the seat and he shrugged, âsometimes, you wanna try?â you shook your head, both as a reply to him and to shake away the odd memory of january 1st, when you had begged him to stop smoking.
âdo you still smoke?â
âyep.â
you didnât say anything as your heart sank.
he handed you his phone, as if it wasnât something that contained everyoneâs deepest, darkest secrets, he told you his passcode and let you choose whatever song you liked.
and as you scrolled through his song library, you found many songs that you had recommended to him years ago, âyou still listen to these?â
jungkook tensed up, clearing his throat, he answered, âsometimes.â
you didnât probe any further.
you didnât play the songs you recommended either, things were weird already.
on the way, jungkook talked to your friend and then you, you talked to him, played all the songs you liked and at every stop sign, you ignored jungkook looking at you with a smile and soft eyes, as you turned to talk to your friend.
when you got down, you had a brief, disgusting thought of asking him to drive you around and just staying in his car to find out everything you missed in two years.
but you didnât, you got down, you thanked him, he tipped his invisible hat at you and smiled, and you looked away, waving at him.
ânot a word from you,â you told your smirking friend as you walked away from his car.
the rest of the night, you dreamed as your friends talked and got loud, you sighed as if you had someone to miss, you checked your phone constantly for any messages from him and sighed again when you didnât get any.
but at midnight, your phone pinged.
jungkook: never thought iâd see you in my car lol.
you: never thought iâd be in your car.
jungkook: well, iâm always there if you need me.
jungkook: for a ride, i mean.
you: iâm always there too.
you: to give you company in your big, lonely car, i mean.
jungkook: is that so?
you: yeah, good night jungkook.
jungkook: god, good night.
both of you fell asleep with hope brimming in your dreams that night.
-
so, it started again, you texted every day, you told him everything you did in a day and he did the same for you, he still had this incredible ability to make you laugh when you felt down and you still fascinated him to no bounds.
and days bled into each other, you returned to the city where you studied, feeling a bit more homesick than you had before.
you got to know that he had failed some subjects in class, âhow many?â you whispered as if it was a secret that no one should know, you couldnât imagine failing, and he laughed, âitâs only five, you donât have to ask like that,â but five failed subjects wouldâve given you a heart attack.
he got to know that you started research with your professor, âwill i understand even if you tell me what it is?â and you laughed, âi donât think so,â he would later console you when the professor steals your work, âhe sounded like a dick anyway, you deserve a much better mentor,â he pursed his lips when he heard you sniff on the other end, âdo you think so?â and he couldnât believe how little faith you had in yourself, âof course, i do.â
you started talking at night too, and those conversations, well, you never thought you would think of them again because they were so raw and so true and they reminded you of things that you thought you had forgotten.
through a phone, you both laid your hearts bare.
âhave you been with anyone afterâŠâ his voice was rougher than you remembered, as if age and life had worn it down but both of you were still so young.
you werenât as young as you once were though.
âyeah, one guy. and you?â you twisted the necklace resting on your collarbones as you asked him slowly, you didnât want to know but you also wanted to know.
âa couple of people, yeah.â
âoh.â your disappointment was only felt by the four walls holding you in your room.
ânone of them worked out thoughâŠnone of them felt real,â jungkook bounced the smiley face foam ball in his hand as he stared up at the wall.
you didnât know if he said that to console you or if it was just how things went.
âwhy not?â
âwell, it all got so physical, there was no love or affection, i mean i didnât feel it at all,â and you sucked in a breath, trying not to let jealousy coat your tongue when you spoke, âphysical, huh.â
âdonât say it like that,â he laughed, sitting up on his bed, âthese days, thatâs how it goes, it shouldnât but yeah, i guess sex just takes a front seat in relationships now.â
you didnât want to talk about sex with jungkook, you didnât want to know who he did it with.
âmaybe.â you answered dismissively and he laughed again, âey why are you being so awkward about it? itâs a natural thing,â and you groaned in embarrassment, âcan we change the subject?â
âof course,â you sighed out in relief, âtell me, have you done anything at all?â you wanted to hit him through the phone and you let him know that, âiâm going to hit you, i swear to god, jungkook.â
âyou gotta catch a flight for that now, soâ he whistled into the phone and you didnât fight the smile growing on your face, there were no witnesses except the darkness in your room, you were free to do whatever.
âiâve only had my first kiss,â and jungkook regretted asking the question.
he had always thought he would be your first kiss.
âoh yeah?â he asked, no longer interested in knowing but for you, because it was already out, you wanted to share more with him, as a friend, so you kept going, âyeah, it was in a car,â your first kiss wasnât bad, honestly it was everything anyone would want in a first kiss.
after saying that, you realized how dirty kissing in a car sounded, so you gasped and corrected, âbut it was just a kiss, nothing else happened.â
jungkook shook his head, smiling into his phone, you still sounded so young, so much like the girl he fell in love with, âyou donât have to explain anything to me or anyone, you know that right?â
âright.â you breathed out, scolding yourself for overreacting.
âbut, you know,â he said, in a softer tone, as if his next words contained magic, âyeah?â you whispered, your fingers now clutching your locket with all your strength.
âi love what we had,â and your breath hitched, your eyes filled with tears, and your adolescence that loved him reared its head again, âour love was so pure.â he continued, sighing into the phone as he turned over in his bed.
he never loved anyone the way he loved you, he didnât even know he was capable of so much love until he met you and jungkook gave up on feeling it all again.
he waited for your reply with bated breath, not knowing if he went too far.
âit was.â
he smiled again; his heart filled with something that he tried to push away.
âdonât you have class tomorrow?â he asked, glancing at the clock that shined bright with 3:34, and you yawned, âitâs fine, keep talking.â
jungkook bit his lip to stop himself from squealing in happiness, you wanted to stay awake just to talk to him, âstill, we have tomorrow, we can talk later, you go and get some sleep.â
and there was silence for a few seconds before another yawn came from you, âyou know what, youâre right but weâll talk later,â you said, a bit dazed from how sleepy you were.
âiâm always right,â he snickered and you scoffed, âwhatever, good night, jungkook.â
âgood night.â
you couldnât stop thinking of his voice saying that your love was pure even when you dozed off and he clutched his phone to his heart, he could only wait for tomorrow to come sooner.
-
it was nice, not knowing exactly what you guys were or acknowledging your past, it was nice to pretend that you had never hurt each other in the first place. and many days passed by with both of you together, but not together.
âwhat did you do today?â you hummed into the phone as you fell onto your bed, you heard shuffling on the other side, and then noises, âuh iâm out right now,â his voice came in gargled and broken.
âoh, okay.â somehow, even if you tried to not think of it, you thought of how he never showed up to what would have been your first-ever date because he was out.
âiâll call you later, is that alright?â he sounded like he was screaming over the sound and you couldnât help but feel dejected, even if you had no right to feel that way now, âyeah, sure. have fun, good night.â you tried your best to sound perky and the call ended.
what were you even doing?
how did you think that talking to your ex would go or end well?
and why were you even still talking to the guy who broke your trust in people?
you rolled around on your bed, not being able to fall asleep, and not wanting to stay awake either, eventually, you gave up and read a book until you dozed off.
when you woke up the next day, there were no texts or calls from jungkook the way heâd promised he would. you threw your phone aside and got ready for the day.
then you woke up the day after, still nothing from him. and the day after, the day after that, and many days which you spent frustrated and alone.
you shouldâve known how it would end with him.
-
jungkook: hellooo (4:40 pm).
you: hey (8:30 pm).
jungkook: busy day? (9:00 pm)
you: pretty hectic, yeah. (10:30 pm)
jungkook: call? (11:04 pm)
you: iâm pretty tired, another day? (11:10 pm)
jungkook: tomorrow? (11:24 pm)
you: another day. (11:37 pm)
jungkook: okay, good night. (11:45 pm)
you: good night. (12: 20 am)
jungkook: typingâŠ
jungkook: typingâŠ
he threw his phone away.
-
you werenât sure exactly how it happened but soon, there were no messages or calls from jungkook, you heard from sunny that he shifted from the home down your lane but you didnât bother texting or calling him either, you held your head high during the day and missed his voice in the night.
after a couple of weeks of minimal communication, you returned home with a nervous smile on your face, you hoped no one in your house noticed how often you checked your phone or how you sometimes talked to yourself in the darkness of your room.
you went back to the same cafĂ©, again it was no oneâs fault that there wasnât a better cafĂ© in your city, you sat across your best friend, sipping on your hot chocolate and nodding to whatever she said, trying not to avert your gaze to your surroundings.
youâre sure you saw jungkook outside, but youâre not sure if he saw you and a nervous pit sat in your stomach at the thought of seeing him again.
why did meeting him feel like the first time every single time?
you shook your head, leaning in to hear your best friend until she got up to use the restroom, you leaned back on your chair and let out a sigh.
you couldnât even enjoy some good brunch without thinking of his ridiculous face.
then, the door opens and you pay no mind to it, you scroll through your phone, liking and watching reels and then someone sits next to you, and your eyes immediately snap up to tell them to fuck off.
but then your eyes melt.
âhey,â jungkook smiles, one of his cheeks pressed against his fist that propped him up and you almost smile back, you almost forget everything again.
the calls he never made, the texts he never sent, how he acted suddenly too busy for you, the invisible rejection, you were ready to forget it all, but you couldnât bring yourself to be okay with that.
âis it easy for you?â he sits up, his smile wavers a bit, âwhat do you mean?â
âis it easy for you to act like nothing happened? like we never fought and broke up?â you didnât recognize your voice; it came out so stern but you felt so weak.
âbut nothing happened, sure we broke up, but thatâs a normal thing, everyone goes through breakups and ends up as friends.â
âare we friends?â
he does not answer, he looks away instead at the painting of a dog on the wall.
and your anger almost runs you over.
âjungkook, are we friends?â
ââŠyeah.â he hesitates, jungkook feels his heart in his throat as you stare at him with so much disappointment and so much hurt, he never knew that you cared about the breakup, he had always thought that you wouldâve moved on very quickly but the tears flashing in your eyes proved him wrong.
he didnât know what to do with the fact that you were hurt during the breakup, he only pitied himself and thought of himself but he never stopped to think that maybe you had enough love for him, to feel hurt too.
âas my friend, i need to tell you something then,â you gathered your courage, you were going back tomorrow so you wouldnât have to deal with the reality of it.
âgo on,â he bit his lips and tapped his fingers on the table, and your friend walked back in, she raised her eyebrows at his figure sitting next to you and then looked at you with both concern and a thousand questions.
you stared at her with pursed lips and she nodded, grabbing her earphones, putting them on, and sitting across from you, head and eyes turned away from your conversation.
âi think i started liking you again,â you still liked him, âsomewhere in the middle, i got a bit confused and my feelings grew again.â you watched his reaction with careful eyes, he only looked back at you with blinking eyes.
âbut i donât like you,â came his reply, and you sucked in a breath, heartbreak fresh as ever settled in your chest.
then, why did you call me at night and tell me our love was pure?
âi know, thatâs why i said it in the past tense, i donât feel that way anymore,â but you did, you just couldnât do anything about it anymore.
âwell then, thatâs good, right? we can go back to being normal.â he clapped his hands with a joyous smile that made you want to rip his head off, âno, i donât think i can do this anymore.â
his hands fell and so did his smile, his ego returned and put a scowl on his face.
âcan you make a decision here?â he thought back to all the times you corrected him when he called you his girlfriend and his annoyance grew above his head.
âi am making a decision here, donât get snappy with meâ you spat back at him, your mind flooded with every time he led you on and hurt you, âi canât do this confusing shit with you anymore, i donât think we can ever be friends and i donât see a point in trying to force it.â you huffed out, falling back on your seat.
âso, we just never talk again?â he mumbled, you couldnât read his face anymore.
âi guess so, yeah,â another lifetime of yours flashed before your eyes as he nodded, pushing the salt and pepper shakers on the table, and then he got up abruptly.
please donât run, please make me stay this one time, you tried to beg without saying a single word.
âthen, letâs do that,â jungkook nodded at you again, he nodded at your friend and left the chair as it was before he ever came.
once again, it felt like he never existed in your life before this.
âare you okay?â your best friendâs earphones were now neatly folded on the table, and you nodded furiously, âof course i am, heâs just a guy.â
-
years passed again.
he cleared his subjects and from what youâve heard, you were done with your degree, on time unlike him, from what heâs heard and jungkook was on another step of his life again.
he stared at the unfamiliar faces in his class with resignation and sighed to himself, jungkook kept lifting and dropping his phone at every notification and groaning every time he saw it was from his life insurance, his one message remained unread.
jungkook: i start my master's today. (5:00 am)
he stared at the message until his eyes grew blurry, it was noon now and you hadn't seen it, intentionally of course, and just when he put it down one more time, he heard a ping.
you: good luck. (11:45 am)
he stared at it until he grew annoyed and deleted the entire chat.
-
you were going to america to study, it had taken a lot out of you in preparation for it and after hugging your parents and family goodbye and crying for hours in the airport, you pulled out your phone and nervously hovered over his profile. you started typing with dried-up tear streaks on your face.
you: iâm going to america today.
jungkook: really?
jungkook felt uneasy about the sudden large distance between you two even if you hadnât spoken in ages.
jungkook: all the best.
jungkook: be happy, always.
you bit your lip as you looked away with a quivering chin and tears lined your eyes again, you deleted the entire chat too.
-
a year into being on a new continent, you felt all kinds of homesickness and excitement for your new home still, you worked harder than you ever had. and as bad as it sounds, you had forgotten that you once knew a boy called jungkook or that you ever loved him with your entire being.
he had become a thing of the past, something you never talked about anymore even if your friends brought up exes and relationships, he became a ghost of sorts, and only you could see him now.
you didnât know what he was up to, if he ever finished his masters or racked up backlogs there too and you didnât bother yourself by thinking about it too much.
but when it came to jungkook, you didnât have to think about him to come into your life, he just came and went whenever he wanted.
nothing else could explain why you would find him, of all people in the world, under the neon lights of a house party that you were at, on a different continent.
and you didnât feel anything, not any residual love or even the desire to be near him, you just felt wary about seeing him again.
he also saw you and gave a nervous smile. you smiled back and disappeared into the balcony.
suddenly, your wariness grew into pain, and your pain grew into a longing that you shouldnât feel anymore.
you slid down on the wall and brought your knees up to hug them as you laid your head on your thighs and breathed, just breathed.
the balcony door opened again.
you knew who it was. maybe you had hoped that this would happen too, but for now, you didnât look at him.
you heard his groan as he sat down beside you, his hands and knees almost touching yours.
and thatâs when you realize, in all the years youâve known him, this was the closest he ever came to you.
was this why he had called your love pure then?
because you had never touched each other, but felt each other in every corner of your existence?
âwhat are you doing here?â you whispered into your legs but he still heard you, âvacation, didnât think iâd see you here.â
âi didnât think either.â
âkind of ridiculous, isnât it?â he laughed with emotion you couldnât decipher, his warmth bled into you as you leaned on him a bit.
you felt the shape of a cigarette box in his pockets but swallowed your hurt.
after years, maybe you just wanted to touch him and see what itâs like. and he didnât question your knees knocking against his.
âthat we keep running into each other? iâm starting to think you stalk me,â you teased, a small weight of your longing lifted off you.
âoh please, if anything, you are stalking me,â he teased right back, feeling himself ease into this situation with you, just like every other time.
but as nice as it was to be this comfortable, you were still so consumed with questions that haunted you. and there was no one else here, no best friends, no sisters, no parents to worry about, no one but you and him.
âwhy didnât you admit that you liked me back then?â you lifted your head to stare at him, there was no malice in your question nor any accusation, just curiosity.
âso, you knew?â he cleared his throat with a sheepish smile on his face, jungkookâs eyes shined the same way they had when you were in that bus, all those years ago.
âyou told me our love was pure at 3 am, it wasnât too hard to understand,â you shrugged, as if saying it out loud didnât take your entire heart out of your chest.
he shook his head while laughing softly, âalways such a smartass,â and you smiled, âyouâre just too dumb.â
thatâs when he really laughed and the stars of the night came together to light his face up as he threw his head back, you stopped yourself from falling in love again.
âwell,â he breathed out, jungkookâs face contorted to become more serious and you knew that whatever he said next took a lot for him too.
âyou always felt too big for my love, as if i could give you everything and that still wouldnât be enough.â
your eyes dropped at their corners.
âwhat?â
âi donât know, you were always so passionate, so good to others, so fucking smart and you had your shit figured out, you always told me these things that sounded so magical but i never fully understood them. i knew i couldnât ever match up to that, even if i loved you with all of me,â he whispered, he clenched his eyes shut to avoid looking at you as he spoke, âi knew that even if i loved you, i couldnât love you the way someone else could, someone who could love and match up to you.â
âjungkook,â you whispered too but your voice broke, and your throat grew scratchy with emotion.
âiâm telling the truth by the way, when you said you were leaving for america, it took everything in me to not pack a bag and follow you,â then, he opened his eyes and looked at you, you felt like you were back in 9th grade, staring at him with a tilt of your head.
âwhy did you say you stopped liking me then?â he asked next and waited patiently for you to wipe the corners of your eyes.
âi was always afraid that somewhere i would disappoint you and the idea of our relationship. you liked me so much and i felt that i had to live up to what you liked, otherwise, you wouldnât like me and iâd be alone again,â you whispered the last part slower than anything else, âthat wasnât your fault though, i guess i was just scared of not being who i thought we would be.â
you sniffed and stared at your feet that lined up with his.
he stayed silent beside you until your sniffs grew louder.
then, he pulled your head over his shoulder and let you cry until the sunrise came and took away everything that the night tried to protect.
you woke up in an empty bed the next morning and when you left, you saw jungkook sitting on the couch, long arms stretching over the back of it, you stopped for a second to see if heâd get up and wrap them around you, to acknowledge all the love he showed you last night, you waited for him to utter a word that would make you stay.
but he only blinks at you.
you run out the door, you donât know if his voice calling to you was him, or a creation of your deepest, most shameful wishes.
-
several years passed once more.
you donât know why you invited jungkook to your wedding, you didnât know if he would even come, but seeing him enter through the same doors that your now-husband had, pierced you with something sharp. he came up the stage, his eyes never left your face, and stood next to you for a photograph.
you didnât look to see if he smiled or not. his hands hovered over your waist and your breath got caught in your throat, jungkook handed your husband a bouquet with a polite smile, he looked older, and quieter but his eyes remained shiny as ever.
when he started to pull apart and leave, you grabbed his arm, âstay for dinner, okay?â and he nodded, giving you a playful salute and exiting the stage.
you smiled at your husband and continued to take photos.
at dinner, you and your husband sat next to him as polite hosts would and talked about superficial things; jobs, taxes, work-life balance, and life.
âi think iâll leave now,â he got up from his seat and you got up too, âiâll see him off and come back,â you squeezed your husbandâs hands which jungkook looked away from.
outside, it was just the two of you again.
âdo you love him?â you werenât shocked at his question.
âi do.â you really do.
âbut you never loved me, did you?â he laughed bitterly, but his face held years of hurt and you held back your tears.
âi did.â you really did.
jungkook had been waiting to hear those words for half of his life and now that heâs heard them, he thinks he can let you go now.
âit was not easy for me to invite you.â you admitted with a nervous laugh, your eyes darting down to the gravel road.
âit isn't easy for me to be here,â he loosened his tie around his neck and his voice now reminded you of how old your first love got and how far away you were from the bus where you fell in love.
âbut god, after so long,â your voice held every bit of yearning and nostalgia you felt.
a montage of your very young, very long, and very stupid love played in your eyes and you blinked it away.
âit sucks that we didn't work out.â it didnât just suck, if jungkook told you how he really felt about seeing you with your husband, you would slap him.
he could do better, he wonât but he could.
âmaybe we were just supposed to love each other then, you know? maybe it wasn't supposed to grow at all,â you answered, even if you knew it wasnât entirely the truth, your love growing was out of your control.
but maybe you two werenât ever supposed to love each other so much, maybe you were supposed to love each other a little and then let it go but both of you had been stubborn, both of you clung onto the innocence of your love, something that you paid the price for, for years.
âi dont know about all that, i just know that our love was-â
âpure.â you told and jungkook smiled, shaking his head, âyes, pure.â
âi still don't know why i loved you so much,â jungkook wondered why it had started, the deep infatuation and affection he held for you, was unnatural.
âi don't either,â you never understood why your lives were entangled for so long.
âwill i see you again?â there was no hope in his tone, only a simple question with a simple affection.
âno, i think this is a good ending point, don't you?â
âso i don't get to show off my wife like you showed off your husband?â
âwell in that case, maybe we will.â though, you burned on the inside as you imagined another person standing next to him.
âright, maybe we will.â
a silent smile passed between you two and when jungkook left, he squeezed your hands, âthank you for letting me feel love so early in my life. i wish you and your husband well.â
âthank you for loving me so early in my life. i wish you and your future wife well.â
he walked away but he looked back.
please donât stay with him for too long.
you gave a weak smile.
please donât find someone else.
and then you separated, another lifetime ended but this time, for the both of you.
OMGGG IM CRYING RN FR UNTITLED đđđđ
I CRIED WHILE WRITING IT TOO T_T
'Untitled' is one of the best stories I have ever read. And I've been in so many fandoms. The ending hurts but it's so beautifully painful. I admire your talent so much! đč
thank you so so much for reading, your words mean the absolute world to me, i appreciate your compliments a lot <3
untitled - j.jk.

genre: angst, fluff (firstlove! slowburn!) (11.5k)
summary: jungkook was your first love but first loves were supposed to end, they were supposed to be a fond memory to look back on but your first love never leaves your life, nor does he stay in it.
note: this is inspired from my first love <3
masterpost
even if years, ages, and places separate you, maybe youâll love jungkook all over again every time.
you had met him in school, in college, on a different continent but he never stayed in your life for too long, and you hadnât stayed in his either.
but now that you believe you wouldnât see him again, only because you were standing next to your soon-to-be-husband, you believe your never-pausing story needed to be told.
and oh, would you look at that? it seems like jungkook has entered the venue to hear it too.
-
it was the 9th grade when you first met him.
it was simple and so innocent.
you had your new school bag resting behind you, and your shoulders kept knocking against your sisters as the bus drove on the road and abruptly stopped at a place that it never did before; down the lane from your home.
you curiously looked out and heard your bus manager faintly mumbling something about a new student joining the bus.
and there he was, a head full of bouncy hair and a smile that wasnât exactly present. even as he walked the length of the bus with his head down, he didnât give off insecurity, it was more like he avoided looking at most people.
he sat down, right behind you, his legs stretching could be seen under your seat and you didnât look back just yet. you had no idea why.
your sister, sunny, turned around, hand clasping the seat, and eagerly asked, âyouâre in B section, arenât you?â your ears perked up at that, and you subtly leaned in to listen to him.
why you had been curious at all about someone whose face you hadnât seen, is something that was beyond you but you were consumed inside out with curiosity from the beginning.
he nods at your sister and doesnât offer another word but when you tilt your head to look back, you see him looking right at you.
thatâs when it all began, there were no words at all, just a boy who hadnât looked at anyone but looked at you as if he could draw you the very next second.
-
your sister, ever the extrovert, talked to jungkook every day, they laughed and made fun of each other, you smiled at their conversations but never contributed yourself. you listened though, and you listened well.
by week two, you knew how he sounded when he was bored.
you knew how his voice hitched when he was excited.
you knew how his voice would get low whenever he pulled a sarcastic joke on your sister.
jungkookâs eyes would dance to the back of your head, wrapped neatly in a ponytail every single morning, to see if you would turn back, to see if he could catch a glance of those small smiles you let out sometimes but most days, he would just talk loud enough for you to hear about him.
he never understood why he had wanted you to listen, but he couldnât tell you anything directly, and he wanted to look cool, sound cool, make jokes in a cool way, in a way that would make you laugh and once he got home, he always felt ridiculous for feeling that way.
and then, as if a miracle, your sister didnât come to school one morning, jungkook could see you alone, ponytail brushed back as always, school bag resting on your thighs, and felt a stabbing need to hear your voice, talking to him.
he settled behind you, legs stretching again and his fingers danced on his thighs as he thought of a way to talk to you, just then your head tilted slightly, as if you were trying to catch a look at him and jungkook felt his smile burn into his skin.
âwhy did sunny not come today?â you jumped as he fully leaned on the back of your seat, your eyes drifted to his face, âsheâs not well.â
those were the first words you had ever spoken to him.
âwhy is she not well?â was not his best, but he needed to keep it going.
sunny was on her period.
âstomach ache,â you murmured, ignoring how his eyes twinkled with each word that escaped out of you. you hadnât believed that eyes could twinkle up until that day, but then again you think youâve never seen jungkookâs eyes twinkle with anyone else.
âshe mustâve eaten something bad, didnât she? she seems the type to be careless like that,â jungkook snickered and your face grew red hot, âwhat she eats or doesnât eat, isnât any of your business.â
your tone, your eyes narrowing sharply to glare at him, was a sight jungkook would get used to later, but for now, he didnât know how to react.
he was taken aback that you had gotten so serious over a simple joke, then it clicked to jungkook that you were one of those oddly protective people. nothing else could explain your red cheeks and furrowed eyebrows.
and he grew giddy.
you were oddly protective.
a new thing he got to learn about you because he had conjured up the courage to start a conversation.
âmy bad,â he shrugs into his seat, and his nonchalant response makes you feel guilty, so you sigh and turn back fully to face him.
that was the first time you saw him straight on, with no sideway glances, no peripheral view of him, just his face and nothing else.
âyou have adam sir for physics too, right?â
it was something you picked up from the multiple conversations you overheard.
âum yeah?â he wasnât sure where you were going with this, âdoes he come into your class with chalk on suspicious places too?â
you were talking about your dear adam sir who constantly came to class with chalk all over the front and back of his pants crotch area, everyone but adam sir himself knew about his crotch chalk.
and jungkook laughs out loud, âoh my god, yes, i donât know whether to be horrified or mildly impressed with his lack of self-awareness,â and you laughed too.
when you stopped and looked at him once more, he was already looking at you and the smile on your face didnât break until you reached home.
-
it was normal now, you and sunny would turn around, talk to jungkook until you reached school, and then wait for the evening, when you could talk to him until you reached home.
you were quick to anger, he noticed.
you often fought with guys in your grade with a rage that both scared and fascinated jungkook.
you were calm with people you liked, you were fun with people you liked, you were passionate about things you believed in.
you always were a bit frustrated with him, but you still laughed at his jokes.
he was sarcastic, you noticed.
he had no interest in most things.
he didnât like drama but always knew everything about everyone.
he always looked at you after he made a joke, as if to check if you thought it was funny, if you thought he was funny.
and you would always laugh, he would always feel a seed of pride in him whenever you turned away, hiding your laughing face in your palms.
you knew he liked you; you werenât oblivious or stupid.
youâre not sure who he told or how it even came out, but suddenly, everyone around you knew about it.
the rumors started a month after you talked to him, you had known him for six weeks which felt like six years, but you didnât like him back.
he knew that you didnât like him back.
but that didnât stop him from trying to look cool to you.
something his friends never let him succeed at.
on childrenâs day, you were allowed to wear anything besides your uniform, and that was a very exciting thing then, you always wore your best outfits because your mom believed in looking good and feeling good.
you were standing in the middle of the ground, waiting for your friends to come back from getting food when someone tapped swiftly on your shoulder, it was one of jungkookâs friends, smiling at you as if he knew you. you didnât know the guy; you only knew he was jungkookâs friend.
âhey, could you take a photo for us?â he mused, you almost said no, but then you peeked around him, to see jungkook with his very huge group of friends, he wasnât looking at you, he was looking at everything but you.
it confused you.
his friendâs smile got wider when he noticed you staring at jungkook, you ignored him and took the phone dangling from his hands, you watched as they all got closer and started smiling.
jungkookâs smile was so small, so invisible, so you yelled, âsmile everyone!â and you tried not to smile too when his smile took over his entire face until you couldnât see anything else.
âthanks,â his friend came and took his phone, jungkook left, eyes glancing over his shoulder where you stood, an unavoidable warmth spread through your fingers.
but you didnât like him.
not the way he liked you.
right?
-
âhe likes you, he told his friends and well, they told my friends, who told me,â sunny rambled beside you, shifting through her closet and you didnât know what to say, âdo you like him?â she turned around to you, eyebrows raised as if she judged you a little if you did, and you shrugged.
âno, how can anyone like him?â
-
you had people who admired you, liked you even, but very few were honest or brave about it.
so, when the sister of a guy who you thought was only your friend, knocked on the window of your seat, you were confused. she smiled, âthis is for you,â she pushed a letter, bracelet, and chocolate into your hands once you opened it, running away before you could ask anything.
you saw your friend peeking from the corner of a bus, watching your reaction to his confession, you looked away and shoved the letter and bracelet into the front pocket of your bag.
jungkook watched the whole exchange silently, a strange jealousy settled in his stomach as he looked out the window to glare at your friend, who sadly only had his eyes on you. then, he watched you and tried to understand what you felt from the back.
it wasnât easy.
his friend gasped and howled next to him, âshe got a letter, broâ he teased jungkook loud enough for you to hear, jungkook waited for you to turn around and tell his friend to shut up and mind his own business.
but you didnât, you didnât get angry like you usually did.
you were hyper-focused on the bracelet resting in your bag, and jungkook scoffed at it, he could do better, he wonât, but he could.
âshe got a letter and youâre still just sitting here,â his friend tutted at him and jungkook shrugged his friendâs arm around his shoulder, scowling at him.
you rested your head on your window and closed your eyes, letting the warmth of the sun penetrate you.
when it was just the two of you on the bus, he leaned forward, âhe wrote you a letter?â
âyeah, he did.â it was embarrassing to tell jungkook for some reason, it felt like cheating, receiving a letter from someone else when he was right behind you, though none of those feelings held any validity.
âhe gave you a bracelet and chocolate? thatâs just childish,â he snickered and expected you to laugh with him but you didnât, âweâre still kids,â you mumbled instead, and jungkook straightened.
âdo you like him?â
âno.â
âdo you like anyone?â
âno.â
âwhy?â he stood with his bag in his hands, the bus waiting for him to get down and you didnât notice his nervous stammer then, you were too confused by the bracelet and chocolate in your bag.
âi just donât.â he nodded and left.
you kept the letter and bracelet in your school memories box.
-
somewhere jungkook knew that you knew, but he was always grateful that you acted like you didnât know.
but it was unbearable for him.
seeing your swaying ponytail every morning, hearing your laughter ring in his ears at times when you werenât even around him, driving by your house a few fifty times a day to see if you were talking in the balcony sometimes because you did that sometimes, sometimes it felt to jungkook that you did it for him.
sometimes you did it for him, for him to see you.
why?
no one knows.
you and jungkook were friends, only friends.
you and him were friends, but you never talked when others besides sunny were around, your conversations were yours and his, and no one elseâs.
you werenât sure that was how friendships worked, but you thought maybe friendship with jungkook worked this way.
he had your number but he never called, you had his number but you never called.
but one day, right before your final exams started, your phone rang and your heart stopped when you saw his name flash on your screen, you stared at the screen until your phone stopped ringing and didnât touch your phone until it was night.
you opened it to several messages from jungkook and none of them were about school or the annoying kids on the bus or his annoying friends or your annoying friends.
jungkook: i like you.
jungkook: i think you know that. but i wanted to tell you.
jungkook: i know that you donât like me, but i like you and iâve tried to avoid it, but i see you every day, and i canât avoid you, i canât avoid how i feel.
jungkook: if you somehow like me, reply to this, if you donât, donât. just act as if nothing happened when we see each other tomorrow.
you couldnât study anymore that night.
the next day, you turned back with sunny and talked to him as if nothing happened, you complained about your syllabus, he laughed that he didnât even open his books, and sunny bragged that she finished everything and helped him with some important topics.
you ignored the pull in your heart at how openly his affection showed in his eyes now when he looked at you, his sentiment was simple, he had said his bit, and he had nothing to hide anymore but you grew heavy on that seat in front of him, you had everything to hide.
sunny squeezed your hand as you looked out the window.
she knew what happened.
your eyes filled with affection too, gave it away.
-
why did you never tell jungkook that maybe, just maybe, just a small part of you, a part of you that you wanted to destroy, liked him too?
you never understood why your sentiment cowered under layers whereas his laid naked in the world.
and middle school for you, high school for him, came close to ending by the time you ever confronted your feelings.
it was the last day for middle schoolers, you had a whole event thing in the school and dressed up accordingly, you had gone to school with your dad.
but once the day ended, you got onto the bus with a shirt full of your classmates' signatures and notes, you were a little late and flushed from the sun, you plopped down on your seat and fanned yourself.
sunny pulled the scribbled shirt from your hands, âgod, you really filled it up,â you pointed to each signature and note, explaining who it was from, and when a huge note from some guy in the class who liked you came, sunny teased you and jungkook glared at the back of her head.
but a knot of sadness formed in his throat, he wouldnât see you every day after this, he wouldnât see you sleep on the bus, he wouldnât hear the r-rated jokes that you whispered to sunny, thinking that no one could hear, he wouldnât hear you silently cry after a bad day.
to jungkook, today felt like the end of a lifetime.
then you turned around, with tired eyes and a shy but carefree smile, you extended the shirt to him and said, âwrite something good, jungkook.â he felt as if he was going to fall off his seat.
his name in your voice was something he would remember for years to come.
he asked for a pen because of course, jungkook didnât carry a pen in his bag that had one notebook, you scoffed and gave him one and he thought for very long.
i love you, felt wrong to write on a shirt that was littered with other peopleâs love for you.
and as he read each note, jungkook suddenly felt small, so many people loved you, much better people than him, he couldnât even write anything as a goodbye to you whereas others wrote whole paragraphs.
he wrote something quickly, under your watchful and expectant gaze, and handed the shirt back with a weak smile.
âbe happy, always. jkâ looked back at you and you couldnât help but laugh at his small handwriting next to everyone elseâs. you didnât notice his dejected posture, nor his distracted gaze out the window.
âreally? thatâs all?â you said with a teasing smile, extremely amused by his words and he shrugged at you, playing with his hands.
but he felt it when your smile dimmed and you turned around with a silent huff, he felt even smaller as he got down from the bus, craning his neck to see you and your yellow dress, for the last time in the bus that held all his adolescent love.
you didnât look back at him.
-
your exams ended, you joined high school in a different part of the city, jungkook joined college in a different part but his home remained down the lane from yours.
you didnât see him as much anymore, you only saw his car drive by through your window, but he did message you whenever he could, even if you didnât see each other, you knew every person he knew, he knew every overbearing teacher you hated, you knew every class he skipped and that he started smoking, and he still knew just how to make you laugh to make you forget about the pressures of high school.
and calling him a friend, in the midst of all that, felt wrong, it felt so wrong, you were so alone in your high school, and he was the only tie to your familiar and comfortable past, so you confessed.
it wasnât anything grand, you knew he liked you back, and you werenât worried about getting rejected, but still, you held your breath as you typed a message to him.
you: i like you too.
you: it took me too long, didnât it?
his reply was instantaneous.
jungkook: what.
then, your phone rang loudly, it almost fell from your hands and your mom eyed you suspiciously, you called out a friend's name to appease her and ran off to your room, shutting the door behind you and lifting the call with shaky hands.
âyouâre not joking with me, are you?â
âno.â
âso, you like me?â you heard the smile in his voice and let your head fall against the door in a blissed-out sigh.
âi do.â
âreally?â
you laughed, âreally.â
âreally, really?â you couldnât stop giggling at the barely contained excitement and doubt in his voice, âreally, really, jungkook.â
âfuck.â you faintly heard his laugh of disbelief on the other line and stopped yourself from sinking to the floor and talking to him for hours.
âtext me, my momâs awake still,â you mumbled, and he sighed but it was happy, it was out of relief, âyes, maâam.â
jungkook ended the call with the biggest smile on his face, his back resting on his car, slid down as he tried not to squeal and jump in the air and his friends raised their eyebrows at him.
âwhat happened to you?â
âshe told me she likes me,â he mumbled, the words feeling so much like a lie on his tongue but it was true, it was finally true, and even if he didnât say the name, his friends knew exactly who it was, âholy shit, really?â they crowded around him and started demanding for details but he brushed them all off.
âi have to go, i have to text her, i canât do that when i drive, you guys will get back by yourself right?â he didnât wait for their reply as he got into his car and started the engine, all he heard before pulling away was, âthat lucky bastard.â
and he was, he was the luckiest man in the world.
-
turns out, jungkook was the luckiest man in the world for a few moments only. you were so sweet sometimes that he wanted to wax poetry about you, but he had expected that after your confession, you could date, he could call you his girlfriend, and you would go out to the movies, he would feed you popcorn and your head would rest on his shoulders.
but.
âi just think labels arenât necessary,â he tried not to frown too deeply as your voice swam into his ears, âwhat do you mean?â he sat up on his bed, phone clutched tightly in his hands.
âisnât it enough that we like each other? why do we have to call each other boyfriend and girlfriend?â
âbut why shouldnât we?â
âjungkook, i donât know how i feel about making it soâŠpermanent,â on the other end of his phone, your eyes gathered tears because you didnât know why you were saying the words you were, but the idea of dating seemed so immature to you, too troublesome and dramatic, you just wanted to like him and have him like you.
âare we not permanent?â he was only so young and so innocent; the words left him with a delicate veil of terror.
why werenât you thinking of forever? you were his forever, was he not yours?
âhow could we be permanent? weâre kids,â your nervous laughter twisted his guts but he didnât say a word, âdo you not think of a future with me?â jungkook felt pathetic asking the questions he did.
âitâs not like that jungkook, i like you, of course, i do but shouldnât we worry about us here in the present than somewhere in the future?â
it made sense to you because you were already apart, he was in college, you were in high school, he smoked now, you hated that, you grew more cynical, he hated that and later, you would only be further apart, who was to say you would stand the test of time?
but i love you, hung on his lips.
he just mumbled, âokay.â he never was okay with it and his disappointment couldnât have been louder.
âjungkook, i still like you-â your mom called out to you and your panic rose to your throat, âmy momâs calling, iâll text you, okay?â and the line went dead.
jungkook fell back on his bed, his head was now heavy with you, he couldnât help but notice that you kept saying that you liked him.
you never said that you loved him.
-
you: our school function is on the 26th, this is our chance.
jungkook: are you telling me i finally get to meet my girlfriend?
you: haha not your girlfriend but yes, you finally get to meet the girl of your dreams.
jungkook: emma stone is coming?
you: very funny jungkook, iâll block you.
jungkook: now donât go and do that, what will you wear?
you: you will see that day, what will you wear?
jungkook: you will see that day :D
you: so annoying.
jungkook: only to you :]
you: iâm excited to see you.
jungkook: you have no idea how long iâve been waiting to see you.
-
at the school, your palms grew clammy as you walked around with your friends, and your dress flowed with you as you walked but you didnât feel pretty that day. like every other teenager, you had a huge breakout of acne just the night before and you had cried, you didnât want jungkook to see you like this.
you were sure that he had higher expectations for the girl he liked and while you usually didnât care about othersâ expectations of you, you cared about his.
you knew he was already in the school but you werenât actively looking for him, you wanted to delay meeting him as much as you could, you didnât want him to see your face and you didnât look at your phone.
you let yourself be completely occupied with your friends even if you see him walk by a couple of times from the corner of your eyes. jungkook, on the other hand, just didnât know how to approach you, he didnât know if heâd be disturbing your time with your friends or if heâd annoy you by acting too clingy, so he stayed away as well.
sunny observed the whole exchange in bits and pieces and couldnât believe how ridiculous you two were being. as his friend and your sister, she decided to take things into her own hands.
so, as you laughed and talked to your circle of friends, she pulled on your arm, took you aside, and whispered, âdude, why arenât you talking to him? heâs been waiting for you.â
âi thought he was with his friends,â you lied, and she sighed, âhe hasnât hung out with them, to make sure he had time with you and i donât know what is going on with you, but your boyfriend is waiting for you and you need to go.â
ânot my boyfriend,â you mumbled as she dragged you around to where he was sitting.
until you saw him, very well-dressed, with shiny shoes, a crisp shirt, and a lopsided grin, none of what you had with him felt real.
but seeing him made it real, it made your love for him take a physical form, you werenât sure you could handle that sense of reality just yet.
romance, love, affection, all of it was easy through a screen but seeing his finger ridges in real life and wanting to hold them, was hard.
âhey,â he mused, patting the spot next to him and you didnât sit, you hid your face behind your hair and muttered a greeting, and sunny gagged next to you, âcan you please not do this lovey-dovey shit in front of me?â
jungkook was enjoying it though, his girl, not his girlfriend apparently but still his girl, was too shy to see him.
the ever-fierce, angry, witty, and smart girl disappeared and in front of him, was just a girl in love. and even if you never said it, he felt it in the moment.
âokay, iâll go now,â sunny said, but you grabbed her arm, âstay,â you whispered to her and she geared up to start cursing at you only for jungkook to say, âstay, itâs fine.â
he realized that if sunny was around, you would at least say a few things, because right now, he couldnât see anything but your hair.
so, sunny stayed.
and they talked, you chimed in, it felt like the first day of talking to him on the bus. jungkook observed that you were a bit more grown up now, a bit taller, only a bit though and a bit softer than when you were in school, and just like he loved the loud, rude, and angry girl, he loved the soft, shy, still angry girl, that he was looking at.
you thought he was looking at you because you looked different, uglier, and that he was contemplating just letting you go.
but that night, when you returned home and texted him, you felt like the prettiest girl in the world.
you: so emma stone didnât come, how do you feel?
jungkook: heartbroken but another girl made it up to me.
you: oh yeah, how was that?
jungkook: it was like i was seeing her for the first time again.
you: and?
jungkook: sheâs more beautiful than i remember her being.
you: jungkook, i had pimples all over, you donât have to lie to me.
jungkook: you donât know yourself at all if you think some pimples take away from how beautiful you are.
you: you think so?
jungkook: i spent an hour looking at you, walking here and there in the school, so iâm confident about it.
you: i felt ugly today.
jungkook: that happens sometimes.
you: i donât feel it anymore.
jungkook: you never should.
-
it was five days after the function, on new years, january 1st, that you two broke up.
things had been going so well but suddenly, they werenât.
after the magical night at your school, he hung out with his friends a lot, and he started drinking, you were still too young for all that, and you were dying in your high school with never-ending exams and classes. both of you had forgotten about each other while also thinking of each other every second you could.
you were supposed to meet him on january 1st, in a cafĂ© that he was raving about called the terrace, you had planned a whole thing so your parents wouldnât get suspicious, you would go with your sisters to the cafĂ© and come back with them, but spend all the time there with him.
it wasnât easy to go behind your parents' back, it always felt like you were betraying them whenever you talked to jungkook but you were also in love, and your parents took a back seat for you on that day.
you waited in the café, and your sisters constantly asked where he was and when he was coming, you told them he would come in a minute or two, which stretched on for hours and the night ended with your sisters giving you pitiful gazes and long, silent hugs.
you came back home with an anger so familiar, so out of your control that you couldnât see or say anything else.
âwhere were you?â
âi got drinks with my friends, i was going to leave i promise-â and you cut the call, you watched your phone ring again and again until it went dead silent.
jungkook: please talk to me.
you: you know how difficult it is for me to come out with my parents watching my every move, you know how much i planned for this night and i did it because you kept blaming me for never going on dates.
jungkook: typingâŠ.
you: and when i do plan for a date, you end up going somewhere else?
jungkook: you think i donât have a life of my own?
you blinked back tears that your anger let escape from your eyes, that was the first time you felt your chest physically hurt.
you: i never said that, jungkook.
jungkook: you know itâs funny because if you werenât such a coward, maybe i wouldnât have to beg you to meet me, maybe we wouldâve already gone on dates, and today, i could enjoy with my friends the way i want to. you donât even let me call you, my girlfriend.
you: donât you dare call me a coward, my parents arenât easy to deal with.
jungkook: saying that just makes you sound like even more of a coward.
you: if iâm such a coward, maybe you shouldnât be with me anymore.
jungkook: maybe i shouldnât, yeah.
you threw your phone aside, you wanted him to say iâm sorry, i fucked up, let me plan the next one, but instead, he was indifferent, as if nothing mattered to him anymore, as if you didnât matter to him anymore.
you couldnât picture this man as the same man who looked at you with stars in his eyes and a scary thought passed through your mind, he was madly in love with you only five days ago, and now, he wasnât.
people could change, and then hurt you, so you vowed to yourself that you wouldnât let anyone have the power to hurt you anymore.
you: so, weâre done?
jungkook: yeah.
you: please donât smoke anymore.
jungkook: what i do is none of your business anymore.
-
and that was that.
you blocked him everywhere and he wallowed in his self-pity for days, you didnât know how he was, which new people he met, if he smoked two or three cigarettes in a day anymore and he didnât know about anything going on in your class, or about the new biology subject they introduced or about your friend's antics.
it was like he was never there in your life in the first place.
right after the breakup, you didnât cry, you didnât feel anything, you went to high school normally the next day and smiled while telling your friends, âiâm finally single!â
they looked concerned, then they laughed at your indifference to the breakup but your best friend leaned and asked, âare you okay?â and you nodded happily, âof course i am, heâs just a guy.â
but jungkook sadly wasnât just a guy, he was your first love, your first ever brush with romance.
so, a month passed and you called your best friend.
sitting at the edge of your bed, you told her everything you knew about jungkook, you laughed at how stupid he could be sometimes, and you cursed him out for doing what he did but then, you started crying and you couldnât stop crying, âi miss him, i miss my friend.â
she listened as you felt your heart finally tear apart inside you.
you knew you couldnât trust anyone or love anyone again.
this time, it felt like a lifetime ended for you.
-
two years passed and you didnât think of him anymore, you werenât sure if he thought of you, you would only be reminded of his existence when exes and relationships came up in conversations with friends, those always ended with you bitterly cursing him.
you hated him.
the guy who showed you how love felt, was the guy you hated most now.
you moved cities, a better, bigger city and you tried to fall in love again, you did try.
you went on dates with your newly found freedom, you tried to like them and their stories, but the only stories that held any value to you from your youth were with or about jungkook. because you felt every face of your youth, with him.
and you couldnât possibly talk about your first love with guys whose faces bled into each other until they all became one, and jungkook remained another.
but still, you rarely thought of him.
you didnât think of him when you went on your first date ever (technically, you never went on a date with jungkook), you didnât think of him when you called that guy every single night and told him superficial things about you, you never told him things that mattered, you had your first kiss and ended your first ever situationship.
but you werenât hurt at all. you never gave another person the power to hurt you because you felt it once, and you had no intention to feel it again.
and after months of living in another city, you went back home for a while and your best friend insisted on going to the same cafĂ© where you were supposed to meet jungkook, on the day of your breakup. it wasnât her fault that it was the only good cafĂ© in your tiny city.
you went.
you talked and laughed with your friend.
your phone pinged.
jungkook: youâre at the terrace?
perhaps, you forgot to mention that you unblocked him a while ago, it wasnât to talk to him of course, it was just to remove negativity from your life (you wanted to feel that young love again).
you: yeah.
jungkook: wait.
you turned to your best friend with wide eyes, telling her that there was a huge possibility that jungkook was coming and she grimaced, she never liked him.
then, he strolled in, hands in pockets, and gave you this smile that covered years of doubt, you always thought he would glare at you and hate you but he just walked in, waved at you, and sat down without saying another word.
seeing him this up close after years of watching him from the corner of your eyes and the tilt of your head, filled you with a breathless excitement because he didnât change, he didnât change at all.
âhello, itâs been long,â he greeted you, and then the both of you broke into giggles at his formal tone, âit has been long, yeah.â you replied with a nod, begging for your eyes to hide their reviving affection.
then, you talked.
you had years to catch up on so you told him everything, you told him about your college, your still-horrible teachers, your friends, the new places youâve explored, and how different everything was in the city you studied.
he listened with a carefulness that you never thought he possessed.
a simple but reckless thought caught you by the throat as jungkook leaned forward and laughed at something you said.
is this how it feels to make someone laugh?
is this how a date with him then wouldâve been?
did i just miss out on everything good in life?
then, he told you everything and you listened.
jungkook stuttered multiple times because he had truly forgotten how his body got when you were around, he was suddenly aware of his every nerve, and he was aware of his fingertips that were centimeters apart from you, he was aware of your legs that were right next to his under the table and he was aware of you refusing to look at anyone but him as he spoke.
not even once did either of you acknowledge january 1st from two years ago.
âitâs 6 right now,â your best friend reminded you and you gasped, âalready? shit, we have to go,â jungkookâs disappointment fell like water over his head and flooded his shoulders.
âwhere do you have to go?â he asked, as casually as he could.
âwe have to meet another friend, a little bit far from here, so weâve got to get going,â you said, and jungkook nodded, his car keys twirled in his hands, âdo you mind dropping us?â
he almost jumped out of his seat to say yes, but remembered himself and nodded once again, ânot a problem at all.â
all three of you were silent as you walked to his car which turned out to be a jeep of sorts, no surprises there and your friend got in the back, you got in the front and buckled your seat belt, your chest compressed a bit more as you tried to wave all of this as something friends did.
you were friends with him, in some way.
he got in as well and you felt twitchy in your seat, your eyes took in the unfamiliar car and jungkook watched as you saw another new thing in his life with boundless curiosity.
âyou vape now?â you saw the three vapes thrown in the middle of the seat and he shrugged, âsometimes, you wanna try?â you shook your head, both as a reply to him and to shake away the odd memory of january 1st, when you had begged him to stop smoking.
âdo you still smoke?â
âyep.â
you didnât say anything as your heart sank.
he handed you his phone, as if it wasnât something that contained everyoneâs deepest, darkest secrets, he told you his passcode and let you choose whatever song you liked.
and as you scrolled through his song library, you found many songs that you had recommended to him years ago, âyou still listen to these?â
jungkook tensed up, clearing his throat, he answered, âsometimes.â
you didnât probe any further.
you didnât play the songs you recommended either, things were weird already.
on the way, jungkook talked to your friend and then you, you talked to him, played all the songs you liked and at every stop sign, you ignored jungkook looking at you with a smile and soft eyes, as you turned to talk to your friend.
when you got down, you had a brief, disgusting thought of asking him to drive you around and just staying in his car to find out everything you missed in two years.
but you didnât, you got down, you thanked him, he tipped his invisible hat at you and smiled, and you looked away, waving at him.
ânot a word from you,â you told your smirking friend as you walked away from his car.
the rest of the night, you dreamed as your friends talked and got loud, you sighed as if you had someone to miss, you checked your phone constantly for any messages from him and sighed again when you didnât get any.
but at midnight, your phone pinged.
jungkook: never thought iâd see you in my car lol.
you: never thought iâd be in your car.
jungkook: well, iâm always there if you need me.
jungkook: for a ride, i mean.
you: iâm always there too.
you: to give you company in your big, lonely car, i mean.
jungkook: is that so?
you: yeah, good night jungkook.
jungkook: god, good night.
both of you fell asleep with hope brimming in your dreams that night.
-
so, it started again, you texted every day, you told him everything you did in a day and he did the same for you, he still had this incredible ability to make you laugh when you felt down and you still fascinated him to no bounds.
and days bled into each other, you returned to the city where you studied, feeling a bit more homesick than you had before.
you got to know that he had failed some subjects in class, âhow many?â you whispered as if it was a secret that no one should know, you couldnât imagine failing, and he laughed, âitâs only five, you donât have to ask like that,â but five failed subjects wouldâve given you a heart attack.
he got to know that you started research with your professor, âwill i understand even if you tell me what it is?â and you laughed, âi donât think so,â he would later console you when the professor steals your work, âhe sounded like a dick anyway, you deserve a much better mentor,â he pursed his lips when he heard you sniff on the other end, âdo you think so?â and he couldnât believe how little faith you had in yourself, âof course, i do.â
you started talking at night too, and those conversations, well, you never thought you would think of them again because they were so raw and so true and they reminded you of things that you thought you had forgotten.
through a phone, you both laid your hearts bare.
âhave you been with anyone afterâŠâ his voice was rougher than you remembered, as if age and life had worn it down but both of you were still so young.
you werenât as young as you once were though.
âyeah, one guy. and you?â you twisted the necklace resting on your collarbones as you asked him slowly, you didnât want to know but you also wanted to know.
âa couple of people, yeah.â
âoh.â your disappointment was only felt by the four walls holding you in your room.
ânone of them worked out thoughâŠnone of them felt real,â jungkook bounced the smiley face foam ball in his hand as he stared up at the wall.
you didnât know if he said that to console you or if it was just how things went.
âwhy not?â
âwell, it all got so physical, there was no love or affection, i mean i didnât feel it at all,â and you sucked in a breath, trying not to let jealousy coat your tongue when you spoke, âphysical, huh.â
âdonât say it like that,â he laughed, sitting up on his bed, âthese days, thatâs how it goes, it shouldnât but yeah, i guess sex just takes a front seat in relationships now.â
you didnât want to talk about sex with jungkook, you didnât want to know who he did it with.
âmaybe.â you answered dismissively and he laughed again, âey why are you being so awkward about it? itâs a natural thing,â and you groaned in embarrassment, âcan we change the subject?â
âof course,â you sighed out in relief, âtell me, have you done anything at all?â you wanted to hit him through the phone and you let him know that, âiâm going to hit you, i swear to god, jungkook.â
âyou gotta catch a flight for that now, soâ he whistled into the phone and you didnât fight the smile growing on your face, there were no witnesses except the darkness in your room, you were free to do whatever.
âiâve only had my first kiss,â and jungkook regretted asking the question.
he had always thought he would be your first kiss.
âoh yeah?â he asked, no longer interested in knowing but for you, because it was already out, you wanted to share more with him, as a friend, so you kept going, âyeah, it was in a car,â your first kiss wasnât bad, honestly it was everything anyone would want in a first kiss.
after saying that, you realized how dirty kissing in a car sounded, so you gasped and corrected, âbut it was just a kiss, nothing else happened.â
jungkook shook his head, smiling into his phone, you still sounded so young, so much like the girl he fell in love with, âyou donât have to explain anything to me or anyone, you know that right?â
âright.â you breathed out, scolding yourself for overreacting.
âbut, you know,â he said, in a softer tone, as if his next words contained magic, âyeah?â you whispered, your fingers now clutching your locket with all your strength.
âi love what we had,â and your breath hitched, your eyes filled with tears, and your adolescence that loved him reared its head again, âour love was so pure.â he continued, sighing into the phone as he turned over in his bed.
he never loved anyone the way he loved you, he didnât even know he was capable of so much love until he met you and jungkook gave up on feeling it all again.
he waited for your reply with bated breath, not knowing if he went too far.
âit was.â
he smiled again; his heart filled with something that he tried to push away.
âdonât you have class tomorrow?â he asked, glancing at the clock that shined bright with 3:34, and you yawned, âitâs fine, keep talking.â
jungkook bit his lip to stop himself from squealing in happiness, you wanted to stay awake just to talk to him, âstill, we have tomorrow, we can talk later, you go and get some sleep.â
and there was silence for a few seconds before another yawn came from you, âyou know what, youâre right but weâll talk later,â you said, a bit dazed from how sleepy you were.
âiâm always right,â he snickered and you scoffed, âwhatever, good night, jungkook.â
âgood night.â
you couldnât stop thinking of his voice saying that your love was pure even when you dozed off and he clutched his phone to his heart, he could only wait for tomorrow to come sooner.
-
it was nice, not knowing exactly what you guys were or acknowledging your past, it was nice to pretend that you had never hurt each other in the first place. and many days passed by with both of you together, but not together.
âwhat did you do today?â you hummed into the phone as you fell onto your bed, you heard shuffling on the other side, and then noises, âuh iâm out right now,â his voice came in gargled and broken.
âoh, okay.â somehow, even if you tried to not think of it, you thought of how he never showed up to what would have been your first-ever date because he was out.
âiâll call you later, is that alright?â he sounded like he was screaming over the sound and you couldnât help but feel dejected, even if you had no right to feel that way now, âyeah, sure. have fun, good night.â you tried your best to sound perky and the call ended.
what were you even doing?
how did you think that talking to your ex would go or end well?
and why were you even still talking to the guy who broke your trust in people?
you rolled around on your bed, not being able to fall asleep, and not wanting to stay awake either, eventually, you gave up and read a book until you dozed off.
when you woke up the next day, there were no texts or calls from jungkook the way heâd promised he would. you threw your phone aside and got ready for the day.
then you woke up the day after, still nothing from him. and the day after, the day after that, and many days which you spent frustrated and alone.
you shouldâve known how it would end with him.
-
jungkook: hellooo (4:40 pm).
you: hey (8:30 pm).
jungkook: busy day? (9:00 pm)
you: pretty hectic, yeah. (10:30 pm)
jungkook: call? (11:04 pm)
you: iâm pretty tired, another day? (11:10 pm)
jungkook: tomorrow? (11:24 pm)
you: another day. (11:37 pm)
jungkook: okay, good night. (11:45 pm)
you: good night. (12: 20 am)
jungkook: typingâŠ
jungkook: typingâŠ
he threw his phone away.
-
you werenât sure exactly how it happened but soon, there were no messages or calls from jungkook, you heard from sunny that he shifted from the home down your lane but you didnât bother texting or calling him either, you held your head high during the day and missed his voice in the night.
after a couple of weeks of minimal communication, you returned home with a nervous smile on your face, you hoped no one in your house noticed how often you checked your phone or how you sometimes talked to yourself in the darkness of your room.
you went back to the same cafĂ©, again it was no oneâs fault that there wasnât a better cafĂ© in your city, you sat across your best friend, sipping on your hot chocolate and nodding to whatever she said, trying not to avert your gaze to your surroundings.
youâre sure you saw jungkook outside, but youâre not sure if he saw you and a nervous pit sat in your stomach at the thought of seeing him again.
why did meeting him feel like the first time every single time?
you shook your head, leaning in to hear your best friend until she got up to use the restroom, you leaned back on your chair and let out a sigh.
you couldnât even enjoy some good brunch without thinking of his ridiculous face.
then, the door opens and you pay no mind to it, you scroll through your phone, liking and watching reels and then someone sits next to you, and your eyes immediately snap up to tell them to fuck off.
but then your eyes melt.
âhey,â jungkook smiles, one of his cheeks pressed against his fist that propped him up and you almost smile back, you almost forget everything again.
the calls he never made, the texts he never sent, how he acted suddenly too busy for you, the invisible rejection, you were ready to forget it all, but you couldnât bring yourself to be okay with that.
âis it easy for you?â he sits up, his smile wavers a bit, âwhat do you mean?â
âis it easy for you to act like nothing happened? like we never fought and broke up?â you didnât recognize your voice; it came out so stern but you felt so weak.
âbut nothing happened, sure we broke up, but thatâs a normal thing, everyone goes through breakups and ends up as friends.â
âare we friends?â
he does not answer, he looks away instead at the painting of a dog on the wall.
and your anger almost runs you over.
âjungkook, are we friends?â
ââŠyeah.â he hesitates, jungkook feels his heart in his throat as you stare at him with so much disappointment and so much hurt, he never knew that you cared about the breakup, he had always thought that you wouldâve moved on very quickly but the tears flashing in your eyes proved him wrong.
he didnât know what to do with the fact that you were hurt during the breakup, he only pitied himself and thought of himself but he never stopped to think that maybe you had enough love for him, to feel hurt too.
âas my friend, i need to tell you something then,â you gathered your courage, you were going back tomorrow so you wouldnât have to deal with the reality of it.
âgo on,â he bit his lips and tapped his fingers on the table, and your friend walked back in, she raised her eyebrows at his figure sitting next to you and then looked at you with both concern and a thousand questions.
you stared at her with pursed lips and she nodded, grabbing her earphones, putting them on, and sitting across from you, head and eyes turned away from your conversation.
âi think i started liking you again,â you still liked him, âsomewhere in the middle, i got a bit confused and my feelings grew again.â you watched his reaction with careful eyes, he only looked back at you with blinking eyes.
âbut i donât like you,â came his reply, and you sucked in a breath, heartbreak fresh as ever settled in your chest.
then, why did you call me at night and tell me our love was pure?
âi know, thatâs why i said it in the past tense, i donât feel that way anymore,â but you did, you just couldnât do anything about it anymore.
âwell then, thatâs good, right? we can go back to being normal.â he clapped his hands with a joyous smile that made you want to rip his head off, âno, i donât think i can do this anymore.â
his hands fell and so did his smile, his ego returned and put a scowl on his face.
âcan you make a decision here?â he thought back to all the times you corrected him when he called you his girlfriend and his annoyance grew above his head.
âi am making a decision here, donât get snappy with meâ you spat back at him, your mind flooded with every time he led you on and hurt you, âi canât do this confusing shit with you anymore, i donât think we can ever be friends and i donât see a point in trying to force it.â you huffed out, falling back on your seat.
âso, we just never talk again?â he mumbled, you couldnât read his face anymore.
âi guess so, yeah,â another lifetime of yours flashed before your eyes as he nodded, pushing the salt and pepper shakers on the table, and then he got up abruptly.
please donât run, please make me stay this one time, you tried to beg without saying a single word.
âthen, letâs do that,â jungkook nodded at you again, he nodded at your friend and left the chair as it was before he ever came.
once again, it felt like he never existed in your life before this.
âare you okay?â your best friendâs earphones were now neatly folded on the table, and you nodded furiously, âof course i am, heâs just a guy.â
-
years passed again.
he cleared his subjects from what youâve heard, you were done with your degree, on time unlike him, from what heâs heard and jungkook was on another step of his life again.
he stared at the unfamiliar faces in his class with resignation and sighed to himself, jungkook kept lifting and dropping his phone at every notification and groaning every time he saw it was from his life insurance, his one message remained unread.
jungkook: i start my master's today. (5:00 am)
he stared at the message until his eyes grew blurry, it was noon now and you hadn't seen it, intentionally of course, and just when he put it down one more time, he heard a ping.
you: good luck. (11:45 am)
he stared at it until he grew annoyed and deleted the entire chat.
-
you were going to america to study, it had taken a lot out of you in preparation for it and after hugging your parents and family goodbye and crying for hours in the airport, you pulled out your phone and nervously hovered over his profile. you started typing with dried-up tear streaks on your face.
you: iâm going to america today.
jungkook: really?
jungkook felt uneasy about the sudden large distance between you two even if you hadnât spoken in ages.
jungkook: all the best.
jungkook: be happy, always.
you bit your lip as you looked away with a quivering chin and tears lined your eyes again, you deleted the entire chat too.
-
a year into being on a new continent, you felt all kinds of homesickness and excitement for your new home still, you worked harder than you ever had. and as bad as it sounds, you had forgotten that you once knew a boy called jungkook or that you ever loved him with your entire being.
he had become a thing of the past, something you never talked about anymore even if your friends brought up exes and relationships, he became a ghost of sorts, and only you could see him now.
you didnât know what he was up to, if he ever finished his masters or racked up backlogs there too and you didnât bother yourself by thinking about it too much.
but when it came to jungkook, you didnât have to think about him to come into your life, he just came and went whenever he wanted.
nothing else could explain why you would find him, of all people in the world, under the neon lights of a house party that you were at, on a different continent.
and you didnât feel anything, not any residual love or even the desire to be near him, you just felt wary about seeing him again.
he also saw you and gave a nervous smile. you smiled back and disappeared into the balcony.
suddenly, your wariness grew into pain, and your pain grew into a longing that you shouldnât feel anymore.
you slid down on the wall and brought your knees up to hug them as you laid your head on your thighs and breathed, just breathed.
the balcony door opened again.
you knew who it was. maybe you had hoped that this would happen too, but for now, you didnât look at him.
you heard his groan as he sat down beside you, his hands and knees almost touching yours.
and thatâs when you realize, in all the years youâve known him, this was the closest he ever came to you.
was this why he had called your love pure then?
because you had never touched each other, but felt each other in every corner of your existence?
âwhat are you doing here?â you whispered into your legs but he still heard you, âvacation, didnât think iâd see you here.â
âi didnât think either.â
âkind of ridiculous, isnât it?â he laughed with emotion you couldnât decipher, his warmth bled into you as you leaned on him a bit.
you felt the shape of a cigarette box in his pockets but swallowed your hurt.
after years, maybe you just wanted to touch him and see what itâs like. and he didnât question your knees knocking against his.
âthat we keep running into each other? iâm starting to think you stalk me,â you teased, a small weight of your longing lifted off you.
âoh please, if anything, you are stalking me,â he teased right back, feeling himself ease into this situation with you, just like every other time.
but as nice as it was to be this comfortable, you were still so consumed with questions that haunted you. and there was no one else here, no best friends, no sisters, no parents to worry about, no one but you and him.
âwhy didnât you admit that you liked me back then?â you lifted your head to stare at him, there was no malice in your question nor any accusation, just curiosity.
âso, you knew?â he cleared his throat with a sheepish smile on his face, jungkookâs eyes shined the same way they had when you were in that bus, all those years ago.
âyou told me our love was pure at 3 am, it wasnât too hard to understand,â you shrugged, as if saying it out loud didnât take your entire heart out of your chest.
he shook his head while laughing softly, âalways such a smartass,â and you smiled, âyouâre just too dumb.â
thatâs when he really laughed and the stars of the night came together to light his face up as he threw his head back, you stopped yourself from falling in love again.
âwell,â he breathed out, jungkookâs face contorted to become more serious and you knew that whatever he said next took a lot for him too.
âyou always felt too big for my love, as if i could give you everything and that still wouldnât be enough.â
your eyes dropped at their corners.
âwhat?â
âi donât know, you were always so passionate, so good to others, so fucking smart and you had your shit figured out, you always told me these things that sounded so magical but i never fully understood them. i knew i couldnât ever match up to that, even if i loved you with all of me,â he whispered, he clenched his eyes shut to avoid looking at you as he spoke, âi knew that even if i loved you, i couldnât love you the way someone else could, someone who could love and match up to you.â
âjungkook,â you whispered too but your voice broke, and your throat grew scratchy with emotion.
âiâm telling the truth by the way, when you said you were leaving for america, it took everything in me to not pack a bag and follow you,â then, he opened his eyes and looked at you, you felt like you were back in 9th grade, staring at him with a tilt of your head.
âwhy did you say you stopped liking me then?â he asked next and waited patiently for you to wipe the corners of your eyes.
âi was always afraid that somewhere i would disappoint you and the idea of our relationship. you liked me so much and i felt that i had to live up to what you liked, otherwise, you wouldnât like me and iâd be alone again,â you whispered the last part slower than anything else, âthat wasnât your fault though, i guess i was just scared of not being who i thought we would be.â
you sniffed and stared at your feet that lined up with his.
he stayed silent beside you until your sniffs grew louder.
then, he pulled your head over his shoulder and let you cry until the sunrise came and took away everything that the night tried to protect.
you woke up in an empty bed the next morning and when you left, you saw jungkook sitting on the couch, long arms stretching over the back of it, you stopped for a second to see if heâd get up and wrap them around you, to acknowledge all the love he showed you last night, you waited for him to utter a word that would make you stay.
but he only blinks at you.
you run out the door, you donât know if his voice calling to you was him, or a creation of your deepest, most shameful wishes.
-
several years passed once more.
you donât know why you invited jungkook to your wedding, you didnât know if he would even come, but seeing him enter through the same doors that your now-husband had, pierced you with something sharp. he came up the stage, his eyes never left your face, and stood next to you for a photograph.
you didnât look to see if he smiled or not. his hands hovered over your waist and your breath got caught in your throat, jungkook handed your husband a bouquet with a polite smile, he looked older, and quieter but his eyes remained shiny as ever.
when he started to pull apart and leave, you grabbed his arm, âstay for dinner, okay?â and he nodded, giving you a playful salute and exiting the stage.
you smiled at your husband and continued to take photos.
at dinner, you and your husband sat next to him as polite hosts would and talked about superficial things; jobs, taxes, work-life balance, and life.
âi think iâll leave now,â he got up from his seat and you got up too, âiâll see him off and come back,â you squeezed your husbandâs hands which jungkook looked away from.
outside, it was just the two of you again.
âdo you love him?â you werenât shocked at his question.
âi do.â you really do.
âbut you never loved me, did you?â he laughed bitterly, but his face held years of hurt and you held back your tears.
âi did.â you really did.
jungkook had been waiting to hear those words for half of his life and now that heâs heard them, he thinks he can let you go now.
âit was not easy for me to invite you.â you admitted with a nervous laugh, your eyes darting down to the gravel road.
âit isn't easy for me to be here,â he loosened his tie around his neck and his voice now reminded you of how old your first love got and how far away you were from the bus where you fell in love.
âbut god, after so long,â your voice held every bit of yearning and nostalgia you felt.
a montage of your very young, very long, and very stupid love played in your eyes and you blinked it away.
âit sucks that we didn't work out.â it didnât just suck, if jungkook told you how he really felt about seeing you with your husband, you would slap him.
he could do better, he wonât but he could.
âmaybe we were just supposed to love each other then, you know? maybe it wasn't supposed to grow at all,â you answered, even if you knew it wasnât entirely the truth, your love growing was out of your control.
but maybe you two werenât ever supposed to love each other so much, maybe you were supposed to love each other a little and then let it go but both of you had been stubborn, both of you clung onto the innocence of your love, something that you paid the price for, for years.
âi dont know about all that, i just know that our love was-â
âpure.â you told and jungkook smiled, shaking his head, âyes, pure.â
âi still don't know why i loved you so much,â jungkook wondered why it had started, the deep infatuation and affection he held for you, was unnatural.
âi don't either,â you never understood why your lives were entangled for so long.
âwill i see you again?â there was no hope in his tone, only a simple question with a simple affection.
âno, i think this is a good ending point, don't you?â
âso i don't get to show off my wife like you showed off your husband?â
âwell in that case, maybe we will.â though, you burned on the inside as you imagined another person standing next to him.
âright, maybe we will.â
a silent smile passed between you two and when jungkook left, he squeezed your hands, âthank you for letting me feel love so early in my life. i wish you and your husband well.â
âthank you for loving me so early in my life. i wish you and your future wife well.â
he walked away but he looked back.
please donât stay with him for too long.
you gave a weak smile.
please donât find someone else.
and then you separated, another lifetime ended but this time, for the both of you.
something new is coming soonđ„ł
(hint: its gonna have a lot of yearning, a lot of slow burn and a longer fic)
ooooooomg your stories are absolutely phenomenal đđđi dont travel outside of yan fics very much but these are so akfgskhgekghlg i've only discovered your work yesterday and i'm already hooked <3 keep up the great workkkkk
thank you so much for readingđđ your compliment really made my day <3
on repeat - m.yg.


genre: major angst, a bit of fluff at the end (timeloop! character death!) (7.2k)
summary: yoongi gets stuck in a vicious cycle where he can't seem to propose to you, nor save you from dying in his arms.
masterpost
he was going to propose to you.
that was the plan, the night was supposed to end with you in his arms, a dazzling smile on your face and his heart bursting at the seams with his love for you.
but yoongi is mute, rigid, a velvet box pressed against his thigh uncomfortably, a future with the ring inside it seemed impossible.
you sat, some distance away, a country away it seemed like to yoongi, you too were mute, and rigid but you were restless with anger that frankly, scared him.
the cab rumbled beneath his feet and his throat bobbed constantly, zayn malikâs âcruelâ buzzed over the air but it did nothing to ease the tension between you two.
âback where we left off,
help you take your dress off,
iâve been by myself, remembering you.â
he didnât know what to say, he didnât know if he could say anything.
he sees his hand which lay next to yours, he could reach out, touch it, apologize, pull you in, let you yell at him but instead, he retracts it into his lap and folds it in defeat.
your nails dig into the leather of the car seat, so intensely, so painfully, and your jaw stays tight.
âcan we-â
âdonât.â your warning hits him in a wave, you never speak to him like that, and you never look at him as if you could walk away from everything youâve built together but you do now, you do now and yoongi feels like heâs falling into an abyss of failure.
yoongi slumps into his seat, eyeing the seconds ticking by on his watch, anxiety building so largely in his chest that he has to sit up, to let it dissipate physically.
âthis isnât fair,â he utters finally and you scoff, chin trembling, âtough luck, yoongi.â
he shakes his head, âhow are we going to sort this out if youâre being like this?â
âwe? thereâs no âweâ here, yoongi, you have to sort this out,â you spit it out, body lurching forward in defense and yoongi drowns once again, in shame, in guilt, in a vicious cocktail of emotions that only you make him feel.
âokay fine, how am i supposed to sort this out?â he turns to face you, just as the cab pulls to a stop at the curb, the tires screeching under him irritates yoongi, but he keeps looking at you.
and he notices something he didnât before.
a single tear falls out of your eyes and travels down your jaw, so slowly that yoongi feels he could draw it as it moves.
you never cry, not at movies, not at songs, not at anniversaries, yoongi had hoped he would make you cry today but not this way; he was hoping to see you so overjoyed that tears leaked without your permission.
but not this, not this strange, broken, lost tear that gets quickly wiped away by you.
âfigure it out.â you declare and step out of the car, slamming it shut in the process and yoongi falls back on his seat, stunned and mournful as the weeds of grief sow into his heart.
you never cry.
-
yoongi buttons his suit, a cold expression on his face as he follows you into the rousing club, the rousing club he owned, the rousing club where you performed as a singer, this was where you met, this was where your love grew, this was where yoongi knew would be perfect for proposing to you.
but as you stomped in your tallest heels in front of him, your dress flowing behind you in an ethereal way, yoongi felt like heâd gone back to the day when he saw your audition, you had looked out of this world, so out of his league, so painfully beautiful but his heart tugged him towards you, in a way that was out of his control.
and you had taken his heart in, caged it in your palms, and never set it free, yoongi had never wanted to be set free, but you were leaving the cage open now, and he didnât know where to go.
he didnât where he belonged, if it wasnât next to you.
âsir, maâm,â the bouncers greeted you two, you smiled so sweetly at them, asking them about their day and their meals, then as they all turned to him, your face went back to the grim, dangerous fury that yoongi could feel burning into him.
as yoongi made small talk, you disappeared into the club, into the crowd of people, and yoongi, once again, tracked you down and followed you.
today was a big day for his club, âmidas and tunesâ, it was the grand re-opening after a successful year, and some huge renovations, he had been running around for months like a madman to prepare for this night, both the proposal and the re-opening, and a lot of yoongiâs stress was supposed to alleviate at the end of today.
but watching you, two feet away, not being able to touch you, or talk to you, just spiked his anxiety to the highest itâs ever been.
yoongi pushes through the people, half-heartedly greeting everyone on his way to you and you donât look back, you march over to the side of the stage and he rushes to catch your wrist.
and as subtly as you could, you ripped it from his grip, throwing him a glare and say, âiâm going up there in one minute, i donât want to hear a word from you.â
heâs had enough.
he lets out a groan of frustration, he wasnât a saint, he wasnât made of endless patience and god, he was trying but you were just, âyouâre being so fucking difficult right now.â and your anger flares in your eyes, yoongi feels stupid for saying anything at all, the box in his pocket shakes its head at him.
ânot another word, min yoongi.â you warn with your finger pointed at him to further punctuate your point, âgo, be a good host and donât you dare come back home tonight.â
with that, you change your face from a glare to the dazzling smile that yoongi loves, you walk onto the stage and wave at the group of people shining in the crowd.
yoongi purses his lips and works his way through the club, greeting, smiling, and exchanging niceties even as his feet wobble and his heart feels dry.
he watches you from the corner of his eyes, you glow on stage, your smile is perfect, your eyes are perfect, you are perfect, and you make it look so easy, going up in front of a couple of hundred people and talking to them with a confidence that no one could wreck with.
you were always this enigmatic, and yoongi had always felt he was less than you.
but he would never do anything to stand in the way of you and your light, he would always take the shadows so you could shine, which is why it makes it that much more difficult for him to hold onto you right at this moment.
he watched, proud eyes, sinking heart as you sang, each word so raw and rich that yoongi tunes out everything else around him.
your eyes flutter to him, he thinks itâll be a vicious glare again, a snarl, anything to indicate your anger, but instead, your eyes soften around their edges, you lend him a ghost of a smile, a delicate moment passes between you two and yoongi smiles back at you.
you two would be okay, of course, you would be and if you kept smiling this way, yoongi would be on one knee by the end of tonight, and it would end exactly how he had dreamt it to.
but just as a bigger smile starts to grace your face, a loud bang from the back of the club startles yoongi, several loud bangs and clangs fill the air, people start screaming around him, pushing him in every direction to find the source of the noise and yoongiâs eyes rush to find you.
he starts pushing too, the air around him grows sparse, and his body keeps pulling him into the crowd when heâs trying to push against it.
his body grows cold when he hears the bang of a gun, the clutter of a bullet, the falling of a table, and screams.
so.
many.
screams.
they echo and bounce off his ears, some creep into his soul and stop his steps in fear.
but he pushes through, hurriedly, more frantically, because for fucksâ sake, he canât see you, he canât see your pretty eyes, your flowing dress, your tall heels, he canât see you anywhere around him.
then, he stops.
yoongi falls.
to his knees.
the pain of the ground hitting his bones, shoots through him but his heart aches much more, it squeezes and squeezes at the sight in front of him.
a single bullet in the middle of your forehead.
your body on the ground.
no breathing, no movement, no sound.
just a single tear dripping at the tip of your nose.
yoongi crawls forward, eyes wide, skin riddled with terror, fresh terror that grabbed him by his throat, he gathers your body into his lap and taps your cheeks, taps your arms, taps your eyes, holds his ear to your nose, he calls out to you, he says your name once, twice, a billion times.
and he cries.
he holds your head to his chest and he cries so loudly, he can hear himself over the chaos, the banging, the clutter, his cries resonate and punctuate the air.
yoongi fiddles for the box in his pockets and blindly throws it across the room, it had no place in his world from today.
he had no place in his world from today.
-
âback where we left off,
help you take your dress off,
iâve been by myself, remembering you.â
yoongi stirred, his entire body hurt, his head was pounding and he winced as he tried to open his heavy eyes but when he managed somehow to peel them open, he is greeted with the sight of a window.
a window in a cab.
he jolts awake, his body screams in protest as he whips his head around.
you.
you.
you.
you got shot, you bled out in his arms, yoongi cried to the heavens.
but you are here.
your dress is flowing around you.
yesterdayâs dress.
thereâs no blood on it, not even a wrinkle, itâs pristine, and itâs as ethereal as he remembers, yoongiâs eyes reach your face, you are looking at him tensely but today, you have a concerned frown along with your anger.
what was happening?
âyou good?â you ask, tone reluctant and stiff and yoongi feels himself go pale, it feels strange to hear your voice after your blood washed him away, âwhat happened?â he gasps, so desperately, so lost, his hands curl on the leather as they try to reach you, but you only scoff at him.
âwe just hit a speed bump, yoongi, donât be such a drama queen.â
no.
he had every right to freak out.
he saw you die.
âho-how are you?â he feels stupid as he asks, he feels even more stupid when you glance at him with an arched eyebrow, âiâm trying not to kill you, what about you?â
yoongi drops his head against his seat, you are speaking to him, you are here, you are alive and yoongi can now feel the same velvet box pressing against his thigh.
he had thrown it away; he had held your skin as it turned blue.
but the cab was the same as yesterday, same zayn song, same tinted windows, same driver, same everything.
even your anger was the same.
yoongi felt like he could explode.
maybe it was a bad dream, maybe yoongi had somehow conjured the worst of worst-case scenarios in the tense moments that followed up to this day.
and he sighs in relief, youâre alive, youâre all right, it was a bad dream and he still could fix things.
but he still felt uneasy, something in the pit of his stomach kept curling and unfurling, a forewarning or a simple case of nerves on a huge day, yoongi wasnât sure, he didnât feel brave enough to question it for too long.
he wordlessly followed you into the club and watched you take your place on the stage, he watched your flowing dress and long heels and laughed to himself about how differently things went in his dream.
you would probably kill him before you ever died.
âiâd like to welcome you all, with a full heart, for our grand re-opening,â you spoke so smoothly, your words echoing off yoongiâs dreams and he tried to shrug off the way his stomach kept churning.
just nerves.
he told himself again and again, he was going to propose for fucksâ sake, of course, he was going to feel a bit queasy.
but failing to ignore the spikes growing on his spine, he turned around to survey the crowd, to convince himself that this was all completely normal, and when he saw smiling faces, glasses of alcohol, and glittering lights, he turned back to you, shaking his head at himself.
he was overthinking it all, he just had to make things right by you and then get down on one knee, and sleep it off.
the lights descend on you and a tune fills the air.
you started singing, his senses get consumed by you in the same second your voice travels to him.
yoongi feels himself relax.
his shoulders fall away from his ears, his chest expands to take in more air and he straightens his posture, he sips his drink and pours all his attention to the light that makes you glow.
your eyes meet his.
his shoulders pick back up.
he knows this scene.
yoongiâs heart thundered in his chest.
wasnât this how you looked at him before you died in his arms?
he rushes forward, mumbling apologies to the people he pushes as unease crawls through his every sense. yoongiâs hands thrust in front of him, an urgent fever almost turns him blind.
if something happens, he will never forgive himself.
he reaches where you stand, hands and palms towards you, heart beating in his ears and your eyes light up at his stance, your anger melts at his open arms and as you sing, your hand reaches out for his, and yoongi feels his heart slip at the adoration that coated your glistening eyes.
oh.
you have mistaken his intentions but yoongi will take just about anything from you right now.
he places his hands in yours, âiâve got you,â he whispers to you, he doesnât know why, and your eyes round in surprise, then soften again, and you mouth back, âiâve got you too.â
if you think his behavior is strange, especially because yoongi is never affectionate publicly, you donât say anything and yoongi feels all the more grateful for it.
after sticking around until the song almost finished, yoongi meekly finds his way back into the crowd, but his brow glistened with sweat and his hands felt clammy.
but the worst was over, you finished your song and you were still alive, nothing bad had happened.
he needed help.
âhey, youâ your voice breaks him out of his head, he looks up to see your eyes filled with subdued anger, âwanna dance to this, big boy?â
zaynâs âcruelâ fills his ears once again, he used to love the song but now, it fills him with vicious deja-vu, nevertheless, yoongi lets you whisk him away and he tries to move with you, tries to match your steps, tries to match your smile but the song seems to mock him.
âwho do you love, who do you love?â
âi know i was being really mean to you,â you speak under the neon lights, he sees your lips move, and he feels the weight of your words but yoongi doesnât listen, âweâll sort this out, okay? weâve been through worse, you just have to promise me that you will never invite them again.â
right.
the actual reason you were fighting.
yoongi feels his fear melt, and he lets it melt completely, âi know we will, besides, i have so much planned for us, you canât leave me hanging in all that.â he rests his forehead on you as you let out a giggle and curl into him.
âwhat does that mean?â
the box in his trousers begged to be let out, yoongi smiled, he had nothing to be worried about, âit means that i have a question to ask you-â
bang!
he feels his world spin on his feet when the crash comes, the same crash from his dreams, the same crash that killed you, yoongiâs arms fall from you and his breath comes short, he turns to the source of the noise, eyes darting wildly in the air.
âyoongi!â your screams come from beside him, your hands grip his arms, and he winces as your nails dig into his shirt, but heâs panicked, heâs scared, and he needs to take down the people doing it.
he canât let them get to you.
âyo-â
a ringing noise travels in his ear, he swears he heard a bullet before it, and as his eyes drag over to you, achingly, as slowly as he can because he fears he knows what he will see.
and yoongi falls to his knees again.
he wipes the single tear off your face before crumbling next to you.
-
yoongi could still feel the warmth of your blood seeping through his fingers, as he stirred from slumber, he felt his clothes stretch against leather and his eyes shot open.
the cab window stared back at him.
the neon lights of the city mocked him.
âback where we left off,
help you take your dress off,
iâve been by myself, remembering you.â
the song pressed itself into his brain.
âno, no, no,â he gripped his hair in his hands as he leaned forward, this couldnât be happening, not again.
âseriously, yoongi? iâm the one who is hurt and you want to act like the baby?â your razor-sharp eyes ground him, and he lurches forward to grab your hand.
you were real.
you were here.
but this time, yoongi knew it couldnât have been a dream. it had felt too real, his pain had been too real and coincidence didnât seem like a strong enough explanation.
âwhat are you doing, yoongi?â you hiss and bat his hand away, looking out the window with a stone-cold expression.
but yoongi had his own problems.
he had to ignore the sting in his heart to figure out what the fuck was happening with his life.
why was it this cab?
why was it this song?
and why did you always die at the end?
yoongi could only think of one explanation, a burglary gone wrong, because everyone else was a respected guest, thoroughly vetted and yoongi knew all of them personally, none of them would want to hurt you.
but yoongi thinks back to how acutely he felt the box in his pocket, how it pressed into him more whenever youâŠwell, whenever you died.
âi have to do this here,â he whispers to himself, hands already reaching out to rip the box out of his pocket, he faces you and yoongi tries not to feel hurt over the anger still flashing in your eyes.
âi know this isnât a good time, but i need to do this, please look at me,â yoongi begs you, and he never begged anyone for anything, which is what makes you turn to look at him.
a gasp leaves your lips the second you notice the box in his palm, âyoongi, oh my god,â you say, breathlessly, in adoration and fear, and yoongi wishes he couldâve done this differently, âi know weâre fighting and i know youâre upset with me but even if you are, even if we arenât always good, i want to be with you and no one else, for the rest of my life.â
yoongiâs throat feels dry, his heart doesnât sing even if he means his words, he desperately wishes he was doing this differently but he knows no way out, he didnât want to wake up to your angry face, he didnât want to see you die anymore, he didnât want to be in this cab anymore.
âaw, yoongi,â at least, it seems that you find it sentimental, your eyes glisten with unshed tears, any anger is dissipated from your face, and yoongiâs heart cheers.
he did it.
âi want to spend the rest of my life with you too,â you hum happily, a single tear escapes your eyes as you watch him and his fingers reach out for your hand, he is finally feeling the buzz and excitement that comes with proposing.
yoongi was going to spend the rest of his life with you.
bang!
yoongiâs heart sinks, the ring dangles and falls off from his grip, and the cab swerves unnaturally to the divider in the road.
it was the tire, yoongi knew it was from the way the cab lost control.
âyoongi!â your scream reaches him and yoongi only watches as blinding lights fall from behind you and he can only watch as they crash into your side of the cab, throwing the vehicle into the middle of the street.
and he closes his eyes, he doesnât turn your way, he refuses to look at your hand that falls on his lap, he ignores the blood dripping on his trousers.
he lets the ring fall onto the floor of the cab.
-
leather.
box.
âback where we left off,
help you take your dress off,
iâve been by myself, remembering you.â
that damn song.
this time, yoongi didnât bother being surprised or confused, he opened his eyes, and the window came into his view, he sighed, he looked to his side, he saw your simmering eyes settled in a scowl, he sighed, he felt the box in his pocket, he sighed.
if he was going to do this a million times, he figured that he might as well get somewhere with you.
âiâm sorry for inviting your family,â he starts and you scoff at him, but he continues, he was going to live this day again and again until the universe was done playing with him apparently, yoongi had nothing to lose. âi shouldnât have tried to act like some hero, reuniting you guys, i shouldâve understood why you hated them so much and stayed out of your way.â
your posture visibly relaxes, your shoulders drop, your scowl melts by a little, and you turn to him with tears in your eyes, âi just donât understand why you thought it was a good idea, they are people who have betrayed me so many times yoongi, i didnât want to see their faces ever.â
yoongi had thought that, as much as you fought with your family, you would still want them around for his proposal, he had spent weeks meticulously planning things with them, but he shouldâve known you better, he shouldâve tried to understand that he couldnât do things just because he thought it would turn out well for you.
and yoongi feels terrible, âletâs just say, i had something big planned for today.â his palms fold on his lap and his head drops to the seat, he feels exhausted, he feels so far and close to how he wanted tonight to end.
he doesnât answer you when you ask him what it was, he doesnât say anything at all even when his club comes into view, he walks straight into it and grabs a glass of whiskey for himself.
god knows that heâs earned it.
âyoongi, iâm up in two minutes,â you approach him at the bar, eyes wide with concern, âgood luck, youâre going to kill it.â he taps your shoulder, then winces at his choice of words and your eyebrows twist in confusion.
âare you still angry?â yoongi turns away at your question, he was acting like an asshole but if you were going to die again, yoongi didnât want to see another second of it, he couldnât see another second of it without going completely insane, âiâm not, just nerves, donât worry about it.â he knows you can sense how half-hearted his tone is but you only eye him warily once before leaving his side.
yoongi lets his head fall onto the cool glass of the bar countertop, he hears your delicate voice swimming in the air and he buries himself further into the glass.
âoh, hyung!â yoongi frowns, no one calls him that.
he slowly looks up to see your brother, steve, the one he invited, the one you hated, âoh hey man, howâs it going?â yoongi gives him a one-arm hug and proceeds to nurse his drink again.
âall good, the clubâs beautiful, no wonder you picked this for the proposal,â steve looks fine, yoongi wonders why you hate him, âwell, donât get too excited about the proposal.â
âif your sister stops dying for two minutes, i would have a chance at that,â his tone is bitter but yoongiâs chest aches, is this how itâs going to be? is he going to watch you die a million more times before he ever gets to call you, his wife?
âhuh?â
âdonât worry about it, rough day.â he waves your brother off, hoping that he will leave yoongi alone but steve lingers, âso hyung,â yoongi didnât have the energy to correct him that he in fact, wasnât his hyung.
âiâm between jobs right now, the club looks terrific, you think you can hook me with something?â steve says so casually, that yoongi has to resist the urge to roll his eyes at his soon-to-be brother-in-law.
his brother-in-law had no skills in subtlety and suddenly, yoongi started seeing why you might hate your family.
yoongiâs met this guy for two minutes and heâs already asking for a job, and heâs heard you complain about how your family keeps asking you for everything, he feels even more terrible for inviting them.
âiâll look into it.â his words hold no promise but your brother brightens up immediately, taking a seat next to yoongi and beaming at him, yoongi politely smiles and focuses on his drink.
âbut seriously hyung, why her?â
âiâm sorry?â
âoh come on hyung, you know as much as i do, that you can do way better than my sister,â yoongi looks at steve in disbelief, why was your brother talking shit about his own sister, especially on the night of her proposal?
âsheâs heartless hyung, she will chew you up and leave you with nothing, trust me our entire family has experienced it.â yoongiâs grip around his glass tightens, and he hears the cracks that threaten to break it, he wished it was steveâs neck instead.
âget out.â
âwhat?â
âi said, get the fuck out of my club before i get you kicked out.â
âhyung, iâm only trying to protect you from her, sheâs insane,â and yoongi loses it completely, âwhy are you still standing and speaking to me? i told you to get out.â
âwhatâs going on?â you step into the bar with your arms across your chest, you already look tired, âyour brother was just leaving, the exitâs that way.â yoongi pointed out for steve and sat back down.
steve goes red in the face, his breaths leave him rushed and he is visibly angry.
yoongi wished he gave a singular fuck about him.
âyouâre going to let this man be your husband, after how he talked to your brother?â steve turns to you and you quirked an eyebrow at him, âwhat husband are you talking about, steve?â
wow.
there went yoongiâs plan of a surprise proposal.
âask him,â steve was doing this intentionally, yoongi knew the second he saw the glint pass his eyes, he was enjoying ruining your proposal, âheâs speaking bullshit, which is why i asked him to leave, and he still hasnât left for some reason.â yoongi shrugs, trying to play it cool, trying to act as if a box wasnât pressing into his thighs.
âno, ask him what it is in his pocket. ask him!â steve points wildly at yoongi, his anger flaring even more and yoongiâs eyebrows line with sweat, you look at him in confusion, he doesnât meet your eyes.
âstop it right now, steve.â yoongi tries to maintain his cool.
âjust because i asked you for a job, doesnât already make you the boss of me, i hope you and her rot together,â he hisses out at yoongi.
âyou asked yoongi for a job?â
shit.
yoongi tenses up once again, because you sound scalded, he turns immediately, abandoning his drink and peace.
you are holding back tears as you stare pointedly at your brother.
steve goes red again, âwell, my useless sister wasnât doing anything for me, so i thought iâd at least try with her husband.â he scoffs and yoongiâs never wanted to punch someone so badly.
your face flashes with hurt and your lips turn down, you turn to stare at yoongi with venom dripping from your eyes, as if to tell him, âsee, this is why i hate them.â
you didnât have to signal that twice, yoongiâs understood how terrible your family is, based on the very short interaction with your brother.
âokay, play timeâs over, follow me quietly or my bouncers will carry you out,â yoongi sinks from his seat and glares at steve until his shoulders fall and his feet line up with yoongiâs.
âyouâre the most selfish person i know, you donât deserve any of this,â steve growls at you, and yoongi grabs the jacket of his suit, pulling him away from you, âshut up, if you know whatâs good for you, you wonât speak another word.â
âiâm selfish? after everything iâve done for you, iâm the selfish one?â you half-scream at steve, with trembling hands and a single tear falling out of your eyes.
yoongiâs seen this scene before, a hurtle of recognition tumbles over him as he finally notices what exactly happens whenever a tear falls from your eyes.
you die and he fails to save you, every single time that a tear touches your chin.
âwithout your husband, you would be nothing,â steve points his finger at you, and your face twists in annoyance, âwhy does he keep saying husband?â
âyeah hyung, why do i keep saying husband?â steve turns to yoongi with his arms crossed, a smug smile dancing on his lips and yoongiâs mind goes blank.
he doesnât say a word.
he doesnât look up to see you.
he just wanted to do this one night right, and it was all falling on him again.
âyoongi?â you look at him expectantly, he looks away, he swallows the lump in his throat and he wants to run away.
âlet me help you, hyung,â steve steps forward and yoongi doesnât know why heâs saying that, he doesnât process a word until steve shoves his hand into yoongiâs pocket and pulls out the velvet box that hasnât left him alone.
your mouth falls open as the action catches the attention of everyone in the room, collective gasps, squeals, and whispers cloud yoongiâs mind as he tries to look for your reaction in all this.
thereâs no joy on your face, no excitement, just a wide eye and dropped jaw staring back at him.
he feels several knives twist themselves into his chest and it takes everything in him to not fall on the floor and curl himself up.
he never wanted this, he never wanted to live through a night where you would reject him.
as people started crowding, yoongiâs throat tightened, his entire heart was dangling from steveâs fingers and he couldnât do a thing about it.
but he looked at you, with some faded hope that you would wake yourself up and give him your heart too.
âcome here,â your whisper barely registers to him, your touch barely dawns on him as you drag him away from the crowd.
itâs only when a gust of cold wind breaks on his face that he looks up to see that you have dragged him to the patio.
âyoongi, please look at me.â
he swallows another sob down his throat.
âitâs okay, i understand why you would say no, i fucked the whole thing up,â he runs a hand through his hair, his head refused to pick itself up, and your whispers of âno, no, noâ reach him slowly.
âitâs not like that,â your hands come into his view before they cup his jaw and force him to look at you, yoongi barely holds himself together as your fingers run circles on his cheeks, âi just wish,â you sigh, hands coming around his neck and resting your forehead on his chest.
yoongiâs hands twitch beside his body, âwhat do you wish for?â and he almost doesnât recognize his voice, he sounds so weak, so desperate, but yoongi couldnât hide it, it was exactly how he felt.
âi just wish it was us,â you start, yoongi holds his breath, âand no one else.â
âthatâs all?â
âthatâs all, yoongiâ you let out a small laugh into his chest before picking yourself up and staring at him with all the love in the world.
he feels his worries run away like steam from a hot plate of food.
bang!
yoongiâs arms lurch out to you, pulling you to him as his breath quickens.
that fucking noise.
you both watched with wide eyes as people tumbled out of the club, screaming, falling, running, and looking back in fear. yoongi grabs your hand and runs, he runs with heavy steps and pulls you with him, he desperately looks back every two seconds as more and more people file out.
âyoongi!â your nails barely hold onto his jacket and he feels your grip loosen.
then, he doesnât feel it at all.
yoongi stops running, he rushes back as people push him out of the way, as people shove his shoulder, step on his feet, and elbow him in the stomach, he winces and groans but he doesnât stop looking for you in the crowd.
he screams your name, searches for your dress, searches for your heels, searches for your nails but nothing comes into view.
yoongi feels the acid rush into his mouth, he feels the choking that suffocates his chest and throat, and he feels his knees weaken at the thought of his nightmare repeating again.
and he realizes he canât do anything at all to stop it.
the night ends when the crowd ends, when the police cars show up, when they find your body on the floor and put it into a body bag, and when they explain to yoongi that it was because of a stampede and it couldnât have been in his control.
yoongi laughs at them.
nothing had ever been in his control.
-
âback where we left off,
help you take your dress off,
iâve been by myself, remembering you.â
yoongi didnât open his eyes.
he knew what came next.
âi just wish it was us, and no one else.â
his eyes scrunch in pain as your voice floats in his head, he remembers the promise in your eyes, the tremble of your fingers as they snaked around his neck and he was so close this time, so fucking close but he was here again, and you were here too.
again.
the tires under the car screech and pull over.
âyoongi, we need to go.â your stern voice pulls him back in, and he opens his eyes, dazed, he stares at the cab window with the weight of a thousand boulders on his shoulders.
he doesnât know how to fix this; he doesnât know how to save you and yoongi is so close to just letting the nights blend into each other until he dies with you.
âi just wish it was us, and no one else.â
but you.
you deserved more than a resigned fate, you deserved more than a man who didnât know how to save you, hell you deserved a man who knew what you wanted.
âyoongi, are you listening to me? weâre here,â you say once again and yoongi stares at his club, which shines so brightly in the night and he doesnât make a single move to get out, even as you huff in annoyance.
here.
here lay so many nights.
here lay so many of your bodies.
then yoongi straightens up.
here.
here lay so many of your bodies.
here was the problem.
âwe need to go back,â he whispers to no one, his nerves catch fire as the craziest or maybe not-crazy-at-all plan heâs ever come up with starts burning in his mind, he looks at you, your angry eyes, and scrunched-up fists, and reaches out for them.
âdo you trust me?â he asks hastily, fingers gripping your fists and you frown at him, âwhat are you going on about?â
âdo you trust me? please tell me,â maybe it was the tears gathering in his eyes, or his hands that begged you to understand but you eventually gave him a hesitant nod.
with your confirmation, yoongi leans over his seat and speaks quickly âdriver, please take us back to our place, we will pay you extra,â and your frown grows deeper as the cab hits a u-turn.
âyoongi, our guests will be arriving, what the fuck are you doing?â
âplease, just trust me.â
and again, his voice shakes your anger, your stance, you sink back into the seat without a word.
yoongi feels his heart race as your home comes into view, his fingers instinctively reach out for the box in his pocket, but it doesnât terrify him anymore, he feels the texture of it, he imagines the future in it and he hopes to all the powers in the world that this works out.
he pays the driver, waits for you to step out, and gently tugs you along with him to your home, your safe place, a space that was always for you two.
and yoongiâs lips twitch, they threaten to break out a large smile, one that would give him away, one that would ruin his plans but theyâve been ruined so many times already, whatâs one more time?
he removes his hand from yours as you reach your living room and paces forward, bringing out a candle, shutting down some lights and you watch with your arms crossed, your lower lip caught between your teeth in an anxious action and you grow more confused by the minute.
he switches the last remaining light off and you see nothing.
âyoongi, what is going on?â you whine into the darkness, trying to place his figure with his footsteps, your foot taps repeatedly as you zero into the sounds around you.
then, light falls through, a soft, warm light from the candle you bought for yoongi.
and yoongi comes into the light, just as soft, just as warm, on one knee, a nervous twitch in his eyebrows as his hands shake in front of him.
thereâs a ring in his hands, a shine that dims all the other light in the room except yoongi who remains the most radiant.
your jaw starts to tremble as you slowly take in yoongiâs smile, which is nervous but so present.
âlove, i shouldâve known you,â he starts, and youâre stepping forward, âi shouldâve known that you wouldnât want anyone else to see this, to witness us at this moment,â his voice scratches with emotion and youâre stepping forward again, âbut now i do, and i only have one thing to say,â he takes in a shaky breath and the toe of your heels grazes his leather shoes, âi love you, and thereâs not a person, not a disaster, not enough warnings, nothing can ever stop me from trying to get to you.â
you frown a bit; you assume he means everything youâve been through together in your relationship and your heart drowns in itself.
âi love you and iâll never stop loving you, i promise to spend the rest of my life being yours,â your chin shakes furiously as you try to hold your tears back, âas long as you are mine.â
âwhat do you say, do you want to make me the happiest man alive?â yoongiâs eyes glisten, and his mind flashes with images of your body laying still through the many nights he tried to save you but he pushes them away, youâre here right now, youâre here and he has one more chance to keep you safe.
âoh, yoongi,â you sigh and fall into his arms, onto the ground, and grip his body so tightly, that fresh tears gather in his eyes, youâre here, and yoongiâs here, and somehow, the night has taken a better turn than he ever expected.
as he looks around the house youâve built together, your candle burning away and leaving the sweetest scent in the air, and there are no neon lights, there are no shitty family members, there is no one and nothing at all, itâs just you and him and yoongi hopes that he will never have to go back to those nights again.
âiâll always be yours,â you sniff and rub your nose into his cheek, âdarling i love you too but let me get this ring on you,â you laugh and nod, pushing away to let him slip the delicate, shiny band onto your finger.
âthere you go,â he holds onto your finger and pulls you back into his arms, nuzzling his nose into your neck and you hum in pure happiness.
and both of you melt onto the floor, the warm light falls on you and yoongiâs heartbeat is in your ears when he asks, âdo you like it?â
âi love it.â a single tear slips from your eyes.
yoongiâs smile falls.
-
a hand on his chest stirs him awake, yoongiâs eyes shoot open, his head twisting from side to side to see his surroundings.
his hands touch and feel the soft sheets covering his body and he looks to his right, it covers your body too and yoongi shakes his head at himself, a low laugh escaping him.
he stands up, groaning as he stretches his body and looks at your peaceful face.
yoongi lets his smile grow exponentially, walking over to push the curtains away and open into his balcony. he takes a deep breath as he leans over the railing and the scent of everything hits him, dulling his senses into a mild buzz.
âhey, handsomeâ hands sneak up on his torso and a shimmer blinks back from your fingers as they wrap around him, âgood morning, my wife,â yoongi reaches for your hands and gives each of your fingers a kiss, making you giggle and push your head into his back.
âtechnically, itâs fiancĂ©.â
âi think i prefer wife already.â and you hum contently, âme too.â
it was a new day.
his endless nights had finally come to an end and he never felt more grateful, he doesnât think he will ever be able to explain how it happened, he doesnât think anyone will understand the turmoil and anguish he felt in the past few hours, he doesnât even think thereâs an explanation but yoongi likes to brush it away, he has you and he doesnât need an explanation, he just wants to keep you safe forever.
but he still had one problem.
âdarling, donât take this the wrong way, but can i block steve?â
drop this sunflower đ» into the inboxes of the blogs that make you happy! let's spread some sunshine âïž
this is so sweet :( im so excited to read your work joonsy <33





welcome to namfinessed's world aka your favourite 45-minutes-before-bedtime!
here's a link to all my works.
here's my most recent works:
go around - j.hs.
ex-things - m.yg.
good "friends" - jennie.kim.
here's my most popular work!

from me to you; hello this is kel aka namfinessed, i've been writing on here for very long but only recently, i decided to jazz things up a bit and give my account a revamp! i adore every single one of you who have read my work and hope to see all of you in my future works as well. requests are open for one shots, drabbles but i will be taking my time with it as i am a university student. here's to a new start to my account for this new year of reaching more wonderful readers, love you <3

Heyy!!! I've been reading your fics for a while and ngl THE STORIES ARE AMAZING!! they're freaking good đ€© I just had a question actually đ (sorry in advance for being dumb minded but....just had to know) curiosity kills the cat ya know đ
At the end of the Jimin ff 'eliminated' were the words "eliminated" and "successful" for...Wooseok or........ đ(I donno my mind's been running wild)
Have a great day btw and keep it up âš
hello !! it always makes my day when you guys enjoy my work, thank you so much for reading and i hope you're having a lovely day :D
as for your question, it could very well be wooseok or it could be jimin and y/n đ i really wanted to let everyones imagination play around with the ending !
love you <3
paper hearts - p.jm.

genre: fluff, college au! f2l (9k)
summary: hearts fragile like paper, tear it or donât? (fools!universe)
masterlist   series masterlist
jimin.
your first friend in college.
in a sea of unfamiliar faces, jiminâs face stood out like you were meant to see him, like you were supposed to feel your heart stop in place with how his smile made you feel when you introduced yourself or how he hold onto that smile while shaking your hand as slowly as he could just to tease you, and it didnât take long for him to occupy a part of your heart.
well, at least as your best friend.
Keep reading
eliminate! - p.jm.

genre: major angst, suggestive content, dystopian!au (warnings include violence, death and mentions of blood) (8.8k wc)
summary: in a world where people killed those they loved, to survive, to be alive, you and jimin can't seem to be parted and the impending doom of your relationship stretches the two of you out before you are forced to make the choice, to love or to die?
masterlist
(i highly recommend listening to heartbeat by childish gambino while reading this, enjoy <3)
-
october 20th, 2022.
rain traveled down your back, slowly, mockingly but fell with full force on top of your head and clouded your vision. red lights flashed, green lights flashed, white lights flashed but somehow, he was still there, in the midst of it all, clear as day in the dead of the night.
it couldnât be him, not after all this while, not after youâd given it all up.
but the hand that held your gun quivered, your blinking became slower as your eyes tried to focus on him, drink him in, forget him, remember him, anything it can do, see him.
it shouldnât have come to this.
a road shouldnât be separating you two, a gun in your hand shouldâve never been held, the rain should've never dared to hide him from you but it was all happening, and all you could do was look.
you felt his sorrow from across the street, his shaking hands that held his own gun, and you knew you had to do this for the relief of the other, whoever survived.
your phone blinked and buzzed rapidly with the word âeliminate!â on your screen and you knew the decision that you had to make.
so, as cars and bikes zoomed and honked and blared in your ears, your hand lifted to point the gun at him, you knew he would do the same, the principle was survival of the fittest after all.
but as you pulled the trigger and the bullet rang through the air and bolted in his direction, you realized he never lifted his hand.
you fell to your knees as the rain continued its assault on your body. your eyes forgave you by closing themselves so you would never have to see his body on the ground.
your screen became green.
âsuccessful!â
it shouldnât have come to this.
-
the government and all other higher organizations had their eyes on the few numbers of marriages that took place and even fewer marriages that lasted, divorce rates were at an all-time high, and that resulted in the chaos of the world as it was.
because it was a chain reaction.
marriages lead to unhappy individuals, sometimes with children, sometimes with large families, this led to divorces, which led to unhappy and traumatized children, years of therapy that didnât quite fix anything, unhappy and traumatized children didnât serve to be responsible citizens who fulfilled the duties that the government needed.
and soon, they had to step in.
they introduced a system based on natureâs most ancient method, the method of survival by elimination. the system had everyoneâs data down to the chromosomes that built them and used this system to establish romantic compatibility between individuals. this would allow society, as a whole, to have lasting, emotionally fulfilling relationships.
but they had other motives as well.
the government didnât care about individuals, they cared about what an individual could offer and they also cared about overpopulation, they couldnât control society if it was overfilling, so the system was built to kill two birds with one stone.
the system did connect people but the second the relationship seemed to be steering in the wrong direction in any manner, the individuals in the relationship would receive a flashing red alert of âeliminateâ on their phones; sometimes they got it at the same time, sometimes they got it seconds apart, and in the time that they receive the notification, they have to kill the other person in the relationship or get killed.
whoever kills, gets âaidâ from the government, which was basically tons of money to cover for the trauma that comes from killing someone you loved.
if the persons failed to carry out the elimination for whatever reason, they got three warnings before government-assigned hitmen would kill both of the individuals, if the individuals didn't kill to survive, they didnât deserve survival.
this, according to the government, was survival of the fittest, eliminating those who werenât emotionally capable of being in a lasting relationship, and who didnât provide the government with anything, deserved to be eliminated.
this was naturally met with resistance but as days by and the system reached everyone, people found that they enjoyed eliminating those who made them unhappy, especially because there were no consequences and because romance came with a certain rage, people were finally allowed to quell that rage.
so, the system was implemented and the world paced forward.
but you fell in love with jimin, and he fell in love with you, and the moment you did, your phone flashed red.
-
december 19nd, 2022.
it was the first warning and he hadnât died that day, at least thatâs what you heard.
itâs been months since your bullet hit him and you still couldn't forget the ringing it left in your head. the same roads that you had coursed through on his bike, so in love, so sure about each other, were the same roads where you left him to die.
it wasn't your fault, you had prepared to die, jimin was a better marksman than you were, so you had expected a bullet to pierce through you as well but it never came, even if you wished that it did.
so, now, here you were, body barely covered in a nightgown that your partner, keith, apparently liked, hands slowly stirring the coffee in your cup and looking out the window, rain clouded your vision and that was enough to take you back.
âgood morning, babe!â a swift kiss on the side of your neck had your body recoiling but you forced a smile on your face as you kissed keithâs cheek.
he was dressed up for work in his black trousers and white shirt, he was moderately attractive, a finance guy who liked spending his money as if it meant nothing, you had no idea how you were compatible, but you were living together now and you didnât see a way out.
âworkâs going to be crazy today, so many meetings and we have to close that deal today,â he drawled on, running his hands through his hair as he got behind the kitchen counter to make himself breakfast.
i hope you donât come back home, i hope your meeting lasts for a week, i hope i never have to see you again.
âi can make dinner for when you come backâ leaves your lips instead and his head snaps up with a smile youâve grown to hate, âyouâre the best, babe, i love that on you by the way.â he gestures to your gown and gives you a flying kiss and it takes everything in you to not physically cringe.
i hate this on me, by the way.
itâs not like you care.
âiâll buy more of them.â you hum, an answer that would satisfy him, and with a sigh, you turn away from him to look out the window again, the sky was still gloomy, the raindrops still coated your windows and you still wanted your partner to die.
then, you notice at the foot of your apartment building, a bike that pulls up, a bike that you know, a bike that you spent many nights on, your heart races as the rider steps off it.
at the same minute, your phone buzzes in your hand and you freeze.
not now.
not now.
not now.
âwe donât have to make this painful,â you hear from behind you before the steel of your own gun presses against the back of your head, your phone slips to the ground and you catch sight of the red that coats the screen.
âeliminate!â
seconds apart.
of course, he got it before you had.
from your periphery, you see exactly what keith had been all along, what all you tolerated because you didnât think you deserved love after putting a bullet in the only man you ever loved, you see keithâs narrowed eyes filled with ambition and malice, his fingers that itched to pull the trigger and his face that donned an evil smile.
he was enjoying this, enjoying the absolute control he had on your very existence.
you just wished he hadnât underestimated you.
you pulled your ankle back to connect with his crotch, and whipped around to elbow his face and neck, making him weak enough to drop the gun, you pushed the gun away with your leg and dragged him to the kitchen counter, all while he begged and whimpered for mercy, then started shouting in the anger he felt, he had lost control after all.
you grabbed his collar and jammed his head into the sharp corner of the kitchen counter, leaving traces of his blood on it, and got up to retrieve a knife.
you had to do it, you had to kill him, or they will kill you you had to do it you had to kill him or they will kill you you had to do i-
the door to your apartment flew open and the grip you had on your knife tightened as you whipped around to see who it was, even if you knew who it could be.
jimin stood there, helmet in hands, eyes flicking on your body, unmoving, so silent that it made your head spin. as your lips parted to call out to him, to see if he would respond, to see if he was even real, a hand gripped your ankle, keithâs loud groan of âbitchâ echoed around you. the knife you had in your hands quickly found its place in his chest; the green light from your phone illuminated a side of your face.
âsuccessful!â
through the blood dripping down your eyelashes, you looked up, once again to see him, to see if he had moved, to see if he had left, to see if he had come to kill you.
you fell off keithâs body, pushing it away with your feet and the cold ground made you hiss, your head didnât stop spinning, and your hands didnât stop shaking, it almost made you laugh that the people in this room right now were both people you killed or tried to kill.
âwhy are you back?â
we shouldnât be around each other, you shouldnât be alive, i shouldnât be alive-
âi chose to forgive you for putting a bullet in me,â he smirked and your head lolled to the side, a smile growing involuntarily, he was real, he was here, and he was breathing, âi never asked for your forgiveness, jimin.â
i missed you, i missed your voice, i missed your bike, i missed you i missed you i missed you i missed you, i missed us.
âiâm nice like that,â he hummed as he sat beside you, you looked up helplessly, someoneâs blood smeared on your face, his blood that stained your hands, you thought you would never see him again.
he was nice like that; he was always nicer than you had ever been.
jiminâs ring-covered fingers pushed the hair that stuck onto the blood on your face back, you could feel your sobs compressed in your chest.
âunless you are here to kill me, get out, jimin.â you didnât think you could say it but you couldnât kill him a second time, you couldn't look at him without wanting to lay in his arms and let him kill you.
âiâm gonna say no to that.â
âyou must really like dyingâ you could almost hear the sirens of the government hitmen, they would bust in here, place a bullet in each of your heads, jimin and you would just be eliminated numbers in the system then.
âweâve only gotten one warning,â his voice and demeanor remained calm and steady, the calm you needed, the steady you craved, everything about jimin, you craved and craved and craved.
but one warning was enough, one bullet was enough, the blood on your hands was enough.
you pushed yourself off the floor, almost gravitating and falling into jiminâs arms, maybe crying for an hour, or two, and then kissing him all over but instead, your hands reached out for the knife that was dripping already.
you stood, with shaky knees, in front of a jimin that didnât flinch and with the strongest voice you could muster, âget out.â
jimin didnât make an attempt to move, âi let you kill me once, why do you think this will work?â to anyone else, it would sound like he was provoking you, but jimin was pleading with you, âi let you kill me once, iâll let you kill me twice, thrice, ten times, i would rather die in your hands than be away from you.â
you couldnât think, you couldnât breathe, he was right, he was always right.
but you were, again, desperate to make sure his blood didnât end up on you.
so, you twisted the knife and pointed it to yourself.
that did the trick.
jimin jumped up from where he was, you could hear his breathing, loud, hurried, so worried, you saw his hands instinctively jerk towards you and pausing in the air, unsure of what you would do.
âplease leave,â you whispered, eyes gathering tears for the first time this morning and jimin retracted his hand, âyouâre being crazy, put it down, p-please.â his calm was breaking, his face boosted a sheen and his eyebrows scrunched in worry.
âthe second you turn back and leave, this will be put away.â you shook the knife in your hand, glancing towards the door through which jimin would have to leave.
jiminâs eyes widened in anger, his hands shook at the fury that consumed him, he couldnât believe that you were willing to do this just to keep him away.
âi came back for you!â he yelled, you couldnât help but flinch at his eyes that were no longer calm, no longer steady, âafter everything, after you put a fucking bullet in me, after you live with some guy, i looked for you everywhere and this is what you want to do? drive me away? make yourself look insane?â his voice bellowed in the apartment, suffocating you, driving you to tears, but you knew it was necessary, it was easier if he hated you.
âget out,â you whispered again, your resolve weakening as the knife nudged into your skin, and at the sight of your blood running down your arm, jimin threw his head back with a frustrated groan, he couldn't touch you without potentially triggering another warning, he couldnât shake you back to sanity so, just as quiet as he entered, jimin left your apartment, but not without a look that said, âthis isnât over, not here, not now.â
you were left with too much air and too much blood around you.
at some point in the evening, the cleaners from the government came in, but none of them looked at you, none of them said a word or offered you a napkin, nothing.
they pushed keithâs body into a bag, cleared up the blood, dropped an envelope full of money on the counter, and left.
but the smell of death perforated around you, as you, once again, looked out the window, a gloomy sky, a gloomy world, and your cigarette was the only light that remained later in the night.
you stared at the reflection of your face which looked sunken in, tired, irritated, so close to dead but unfortunately, not dead, and as you kept scowling at yourself, jiminâs face joined the reflection.
then, both of your cigarettes remained to be the only light in your apartment that night.
-
august 22nd, 2023.
that night, he smoked with you, taught you how to patch up your cuts, burnt some scented candles, and left after staring at your lips for ten minutes.
it didnât matter that you were already well-trained to patch up your wounds, it didnât matter that the candles he left only cleared the air for a few minutes before the smell of death came back, he was there, you were there, and that was enough for nothing else to matter.
though you still shiver at the memory of his eyes on you.
you havenât seen him since then, you had told him to stay away before any kind of patch wouldnât save what you do to yourself, but you still burnt the candles he got for you, every day.
you killed five people after jimin last year, you didnât know if it was dumb luck that you survived every single time or your worst nightmare come true, all of your lovers were now just numbers in the eliminated category, you were waiting to join them too.
but, when your phone flashed red, you couldn't think of anything but surviving, even if you wanted to die, even if you had nothing to live for, that one notification blinded you from everything you believed in and pushed you to protect yourself.
it was the deepest, darkest secret that you held and buried in yourself.
maybe that was the intention all along, everyone wants to die until they are put face-to-face with death.
âi really didnât expect us to match but iâm so glad that this is happening,â your date, an older man, with thinning hair and too broad of a smile, beamed at you. you felt particularly irritated that he was talking to your boobs but you held on, you matched for a reason, you had to see this through until you could kill him.
âi am glad too.â you smiled with ruby lips, crossing your legs and leaning away from him, you raised your glass to him and he almost jumped out of his seat to cling it, you held back your laugh at his state.
men were too simple.
âletâs get to know each other! we could start with, what scares you?â he thought he was being deep and thoughtful with that question, but he was so wrong.
men, scare me, i haven't decided if you're one of those men.
âi have to say, rats, canât stand them, theyâre disgusting.â you fake shuddered, causing your date to explode into laughter, âoh, you poor thing, they scare you?â he asked as if it was the most ridiculous thing ever.
i am scared that everyone i love, secretly hates me. i don't have many people that i love, that scares me too.
âso, how many people have you killed?â you didnât mean to ask it out loud but you needed to know how much training would have to go into defeating him, if that day ever came. he looked up with surprised eyes before the surprise melts into poorly executed sensuality, a certain sick kind of glint shined in his face as he leaned forward as if heâs found his prize, his prey, âi have killed 3, princess, what about you?â
it took everything in you to not vomit in his face.
but your eyes roll back instead, this was going to be a long night.
âhow about you try to guess?â you whispered back, just as sensual, maybe not as sick but playing the part he wanted you to.
a hidden freak in elegant clothes.
men didnât have a lot of types; this was usually the most popular.
he, you keep thinking âheâ, because, for the love of god, you canât seem to remember his name, blinks slowly, trying to be sexy, only to look mildly constipated.
a swing of the restaurant doors forces your eyes towards the entrance and your throat closes up as you try not to fall off your seat when you see who it is.
you had told him to stay away, to never come back, you told him that you shouldâve never given him the lighter that night but he had laughed it off, he had lit his cigarette and gazed out the window without a word.
now, he was here, all flesh and bones, too real, too much, not in your innocent or sometimes, not-so-innocent dreams, he was standing with another woman who held onto his hands, hands that had taught you to clean your wounds, hands that had touched every inch of you.
your hands gripped the tablecloth with a strength you didnât know you possessed; your eyes threatened to flash red as your heartbeat accelerated.
gone was the bald man in front of you, gone were the people around you, gone was the chaos of the restaurant, gone was the rest of the world as his eyes reached you.
and he had the audacity to bow to you, flash a smirk, throw a smile at your date, and take his seat at the bar as if it was his throne. of course, his seat faced you, his eyes stayed on you as his hands played and twirled with her hair.
âsee something you like?â your date growled from the other side of the table.
you had forgotten about him.
âsorry, i got distractedâ you mumbled, you wondered if he would figure out just how insincere your words were. he laughed bitterly, fingers tapping incessantly at his wine glass.
his demeanor had changed, his shoulders were tense and tight, and you could feel his leg knocking onto the table, you had pissed him off.
you wish you cared.
âiâve met your type, you think that looking and acting like a slut will help you get away with everything, donât you?â his eyes gleamed wickedly as he smiled at you, you felt a chill run down your spine even if you weren't threatened.
all your life, youâve met all kinds of men, it didnât help you get used to how cruel and animalistic some of them could be.
your phone pinged and flashed red.
âeliminate!â
your heart contracted rapidly as your hands tried to search for the gun on your thigh holster, your fingers fumbled to pull it out and you could feel it all slip away.
you couldnât let him get the notification too, he would kill you, he would kill you in front of jimin, he would kill you and you would never see jimin again, never feel him again, never breathe him in agai-
but then, his head dropped on the table.
your hands fell away from your holster as your entire body stiffened and fell back on your chair.
you hated that you didnât feel anything as his blood pooled around his head, as people screamed and rushed out of the restaurant, as waiters fumbled with their phones to call the police, you hated that your gaze immediately went to jimin.
his hand was raised, a gun pointed in your direction.
your suspicions were right.
âsuccessful!â
your screen turned green.
people ran with their children in front of you, people stared in horror at the man whose blood overflowed from the table, people saw you staring at the bar instead of the dying man in front of you.
public eliminations were rare, and most notifications were delivered in the safety of private homes but desperate times, such as especially bad events on a date, would lead to this.
jiminâs date got up, seemed to scream at him, seemed to seek his attention but he peeked and bent around her body to keep looking at you, she turned around with fury in her eyes, only to huff loudly and run out of the restaurant too.
then, it was the two of you again.
how could you feel a touch, months after itâs been on you?
how could you feel him, miles apart?
you hated yourself for how warm you felt now that it was just you and him.
you pushed yourself out of your chair, charging towards jimin with a rage you only felt around him, the rage of wanting him but not having him, the rage of never forgetting him, the rage of not being able to detach yourself from him, the rage of seeing him with another, he watched with a tilted head as you approached him.
âcome outside,â you demanded, already turning around to get out but he spun towards the bar, âwhy? we have all the privacy we want, right hereâ he tapped the seat next to him with his lips pulled to one side.
you were impatient, out of time, out of your depth, out of control, which urged you to grab jimin by the collar and drag him to the rain-soaked pavements outside.
there was no way you were going to have a conversation when a man lay dead, a couple of steps away from you, a man that he killed, a man that you were supposed to kill.
âwhat were you thinking, jimin?â you screeched once you couldnât see blood dripping down the table you left behind. even as the rain soaked you, you felt burning hot anger bubbling in you.
âwhy do you care? were you in love with him or something?â jimin sneered, adjusting his shirt and looking away to the side, his voice was irritated but his face wasnât, jimin had ever been good at hiding his vulnerability. there was this nervousness, this tapping of his foot, that gave him away.
âit shouldnât matter to you, jimin!â you yelled loudly, though your face fell away in unguarded softness. it shouldnât have been his bullet today, it shouldâve been yours, itâs funny to you that it always ends up having to be yours.
âwhy?â jimin turned back to look at you with a frown so deep, you wondered if he was feeling the strain of the conversation already, if he was feeling the strain of being so close and far.
do you want me in your arms? i want you in mine.
âwhat do you mean, why?â you threw your hands in the air as a deep exhale left your body, a last attempt to calm yourself, âwhy shouldnât it matter to me? as far as i know, iâm the only one it should matter to,â he roared back, chest puffing as he stepped closer to you.
come closer, donât you dare step back, take me away from this rain, this place, these people, this world, take me to a place where i can hold you and you can hold me.
âyou know exactly whyâ you steeled your gaze to get your point across, though you wondered if he could hear your heart break from where he stood.
jimin watched you with careful eyes, sorrow hid under his eyelashes, sorrow that he tried to blink away, sorrow that barely concealed the anger he felt.
but not at you.
never at you.
he reached for your hand, causing you to flinch and shift a couple of steps away, he felt like a wound that never quite healed, cut itself open again, âwhat are you so afraid of?â
your heartbeat quickened, âjimin, stay back, we donât know about the warn-â
âthat ship sailed when you yanked my collar, loveâ his lips pulled to one side as he showed his phone screen that was bright red, and your heart drowned all over again, your phone buzzed in your hand, you knew what it meant.
your second warning.
âwhy donât we just take advantage of this?â he whispered so softly, that the rest of the world tapped out, it was just him and his face and his voice and his hands that pushed your hair back.
life filled your lungs in a rush, life so vibrant and bright, life so blindingly fine.
soft soft hands, soft hands that touch me, soft hands that have touched me before, soft hands which i love, i love the man with soft hands.
âwe could go back to our place, watch some movies, just talk, you can tell me how terrible your dates have been,â he paused to chuckle a little and it filled you with lightness, you believed you could float, âwe could let the warning stretch, we could let it all just ring, i donât care, as long as youâre there, i donât care about anything.â
he still calls it âourâ place, i have a place in this world.
your phone buzzed and flashed red repeatedly as he held your cheeks and leaned in, just to let his breath fan over your face, just to let his lips brush over yours.
âbut donât push me away, i need you.â you could tell he was holding back tears and you couldnât tell that you were crying already until his hands wiped across your cheeks, your hands fell on his shirt, unsurely grazing the fabric.
did you want him closer? was that possible?
âeliminate!â
âeliminate!â
âeliminate!â
your phone threw the red onto his face, flashing so rapidly that you wanted to break it, but when you caught his eyes, his ever so tender, ever so loving, ever so giving eyes, you got reminded of the bullet you put in him. now, the red light looked like his blood.
i love the man with soft hands. his soft hands touch me and i touch him, he tells me sweet things when our lives are on a rope, how can i not fall?
i hurt the man with soft hands, i donât deserve the man with soft hands.
your hands were desperately hanging onto his shirt now but you could feel your stomach in your throat, your heart in your legs, your head in the stormy clouds and you pushed him away.
you stumbled back, hiccupping and gripping your phone.
âeliminate!â
âplease, just listen to me-â but you couldnât, all you could hear was the traffic, the people, your phone, and the world, it all returned back to you and you couldnât hide in his face any longer.
âjust stop, jimin!â you let out your cry, heart squeezing itself dry onto the pavement.
i canât hurt you, i canât die, but i will die if i donât hurt you, would you kill me? save me this pain? take me away.
jiminâs rage returned.
âwe need to stop this, donât show your face around me againâ you turned and walked away before your heart fell on his feet and you couldnât pick it up again.
step.
step.
step.
pull me back, donât let me go.
âhow do you walk away every single time?â his voice was low, barely audible but it fell on you like bricks raining from the sky.
your steps stopped, everything in you paused at the tension in his voice.
âhow do you live without me? why is it so easy for you to be without me?â he got louder, angrier, more desperate, more of everything, you knew his eyes were burning into your skin and leaving scars that would never fade.
iâm not living, iâm breathing, iâm existing, it's not the same.
âjimin,â you breathed out, your entire body stood confused at the jolts of torments that passed through it, you tried not to fall on your knees at his assumption.
did he think this was easy for you?
did he think that he didnât haunt every single living thought in your head?
did he think you could ever forget the grief that shot through you when you saw him on the ground, that you could ever forget him?
âdo you not remember anything?â he whispered again, a sad smile stretched on his face.
i remember too much.
i remember drifting through these roads on your bike, i remember laughing into your hair and the warmth of your neck on cold nights, i remember the leather of your jacket and the coldness of you necklace, i remember the cat you loved even if you are allergic, i remember the story of your first kiss, i remember the lingering love you hold for her, i remember the greater love you held for me.
i remember the day i died when my phone flashed red for the first time.
i remember everything.
âno, and you should forget it tooâ you shook off his scent that crawled on your back to choke you.
âi donât believe you,â jimin narrowed his eyes at you, he could see the memories playing like a videotape behind your eyes.
âi donât either,â he pulled back at the sad chuckle that left your tear-dried lips and he could only watch as you got into your bike and drove away into the night, once again, leaving him to himself.
your tears came anew as the gush of wind froze them on your face, you no longer had his neck to bury yourself into, and you no longer had his jacket to grip onto, it was just you, the night and everything else burning in and out of existence.
you could tell it all to him, you could tell him that you haven't been alive since the second you held that gun in your hands, you could tell him that you imagined him on every face you kissed but it was easier to not tell it all.
it was easier to pretend that you didnât know what you felt, it was easier to tell him you didnât know when you knew it all, and it was easier to go back to your room and stare at the ceiling till morning came.
-
december 31st, 2023.
six hours were left to new years.
you just killed another person, and this time, you didnât bother remembering anything about them, their name, their hobbies, their interests, their face just before they died, it only gave you nightmares.
the paper of your cigarette was soaked red as your hands dripped on them, your bedroom was being sterilized and you were once again, wholly surrounded by the smell of blood and death and nothing else.
you would need to get new sheets, a new bed, a new carpet, and new candles.
what a way to start a new year.
your head fell back on the sofa as a dull ache coursed through you, the ache was ever-present now, your only consistent companion, it stayed with you as life threw you from a puddle, to a pond, to a lake, to a river and then, at the deep edge of the sea.
your feet dragged as you closed the door behind the cleaners, you wondered if they were welcoming the new year with someone they loved or if they were too, much like you, rotting around the smell of death.
three hours were left to new years.
you wondered what jimin was doing, and then you laughed into the silence around you, when did you ever stop thinking about what jimin was doing?
but you were two strikes down, another one would only end with you both six feet underground and you couldnât do that to jimin.
one hour was left to new years.
you were somehow standing in front of âyourâ apartment, it was really jiminâs but it stuck with you that he had called it âour.â
in life, there are logical choices, mapped out, ready for action, the results would be great for you but as humans, we very rarely follow through with logical choices because even if we have a monologue prepared, an argument, a plan of action, we see the face of some people, we see the nights we spent with them, we see the words we never told anyone else, we see our expired love creeping on their backs and it all crumbles.
those choices are always shadowed by, not your heart, as many would like to believe, itâs always you, as a whole, just you. because sometimes, we donât want the peace that comes with logic, we want the freefall that comes with doing whatever the heck you want and regretting it all afterward.
and you wonder if you will ever make the smart choice when it comes to jimin.
the door swings open, your chest falls in relief at his face and an expectant smile from him, silence riddled around you both, welcomes you into your home.
you felt strangely out of your body, as if you were watching the night unravel and could do nothing but watch, as if you had no and all control, as if you could run and stay at the same time.
on your true bed, you splayed out your arms and legs, you didnât exhale too loudly, jimin didnât breathe too much, you pushed your face into the pillows that you and jimin used to lay on, you breathed in the scent, jimin stood back and watched, everything was just silent and perfect and your phones were nowhere near you.
i didnât think we would be here again, i thought i lost you forever, i thought i would die with your love for me and my love for you, buried deep inside of me and someday, it would all be dug up and i wonât be there to witness any of it.
on your true table, you sat, legs folded on the chair, piping hot food flowing steam onto your face and you ate, jimin sat opposite to you and ate, the television roared with news of parties, fires, danger, sorrow, economy. a word didnât leave your lips.
who really cares about the government anyway, right?
on your true sofa, your fingers threaded jiminâs hair as you pulled at his scalp, gently, maybe not so gently and he falls apart in your touch, he falls back and grabs you, again and again, you two rise and fall, like riptides that would devastate the shore, like rocks that hit to make fire, like hail that hits your feet and makes them numb, your bodies donât care anymore, not about some warning, not about some stupid government, your bodies only craved for what the other offered.
why does morning have to come? why do nights like these not show mercy on me and stretch forever? why is this place not where i come back to anymore? how do i leave, with the memories of your feathers wrapped around my back?
at some point, the clock struck midnight and jiminâs twinkling eyes whispered to you, his hands rubbing circles on your waist, âhappy new year, my love.â
all of the worldâs happiness would have fit in the centimetre space between you two then, you didnât want to think of how you would die after this, you didnât want to think of how temporary it all was, you didnât want to think of how tomorrow might never come.
but you woke up the next day, jiminâs arms on your stomach, a new year shining outside your window and you stumbled out of the bed for your phone, to see if it really was the end because you couldnât get a better ending than this.
you didnât get a warning.
you wouldnât die today.
you sighed out in relief.
-
february 14th, 2024.
you got lucky that day, too lucky, you had stretched your luck till afternoon dawned. that morning, you got on jiminâs bike and let yourself float in the backseat as wind pricked your face, you had been hoping that the final warning will come, that you could die happy but even as your head rested on jiminâs shoulder and the beach waves crashed in front of you, even as he nestled his face into your head and breathed you in, your phones hadnât made a single noise.
the next morning, you were back to wanting to survive, jimin tried to keep you in his bed, he had whispered promises to you, he had kissed your cheeks and his hands had gripped onto your arms.
but you had run away, it wasnât your home and you couldnât play around with your luck anymore, maybe it was a glitch, maybe it was an anomaly, no one knew how the warnings came, and you werenât exactly excited to know why you were granted those few hours with jimin.
and you found someone.
someone not like keith, someone not too sick or old, his name was wooseok and he treated you gently, treated you lovingly, he held your hand as you walked, he kissed you on the forehead, he promised to let you down gently if the notification ever came, as per your request.
but his hands werenât soft and you werenât in love with him.
you punched the sandbag in front of you, harder than your instructor had told you to, harder than you wanted to, the night fell around you with each punch, no one came around this time and the solitude comforted you.
soon, you had to meet wooseok for dinner, a valentineâs dinner, a night filled with affection and attention, you were looking forward to it, at least you were trying to look forward to it.
the elevator pinged behind you, slowing your punches, you turned around to glare at whoever came in, this was the only alone time you had, you couldnât have some idiot mess it up.
but then your face relaxed as wooseok walked in, your arms immediately stretched in front of you to wrap around his neck and he chuckled into your neck, âcouldnât wait till dinner, forgive me.â he brushed your cheeks before kissing you on the forehead and you tried to hide the way your body tensed.
âiâm glad, iâll be done in a bit,â you said with a half-genuine smile and he nodded.
i can be happy without jimin, i can live and not be afraid to love, i can learn to love wooseokâs rough hands and i can live live live
the elevator pinged again; you didnât bother looking at who it was until you heard the soft thump of a bag falling to the floor. âjust two minutes,â he whispered before burying his face in your neck again and this time, your body gave up fighting, you relaxed into him and let out a sigh. hidden by wooseokâs body, you peeked to the side to see who it was.
it was instantaneous, the reaction, the rush of blood to your head and heart, the restlessness that started building in you.
you felt your chest tear, your legs break under you, your hands falling off but nothing happened to you, even if you wished your mental pain could become physical, you still breathed fine, stood fine, lived fine, still clung to wooseokâs neck fine.
just one look at jimin had you crumbling even as someone held you up.
i cannot be happy without jimin.
âiâll be waiting downstairs,â wooseok whispered, with no knowledge of your intruder, he kissed your cheek and you tried to hide the paleness of your face as you nodded, he leaves with a lingering look at you, so filled with love.
and your throat closes up again as the elevator takes him away.
jimin looks at you, waiting for you to speak, apologize, explain, anything, any words you give, he would take and he tries to hold his ground while his mind assaults him with playbacks to you and someone else wrapped around you.
your content face, instead of fear, your smile, instead of a scowl, your affection, instead of wariness, everything jimin wanted with you, you found in someone else.
he wouldâve done anything for all of that, would your new boy do it? would he make you his as jimin had?
once he understands that you were going to ignore this, he walks towards you slowly, taking all the time in the world, you heard his steps but you kept putting your stuff away, determined to leave as soon as you could.
the world spun at your feet when he halts behind you, you felt the warmth of his body and his soft soft soft soft hands holding your hips as he gazed from behind you, into the mirror, you stood frozen.
how easy would it be to just melt into you? how easy would it be to go back home with you, to you, spend my hours breathing with you?
no.
you had someone now.
âjimin, step back,â you glanced anxiously towards where you left your phone and jimin is reckless, out of patience and at the end of the line here, âhow does he treat you, love?â he whispers against your ear, in a mocking tone that you hated.
but heat crawls and wraps around you fast, you find yourself wanting to lean back on him, let him carry you away and let everything else fall away, let your life fall away.
not better than you, no one gets me like you do.
âheâs incredible, treats me very wellâ you turn your nose up in the air, speaking anything and everything to make him believe that you were alright without him, but as always, jimin sees right through you, he hums before leaning his chin on your shoulder and sucking in a breath, that has your knees bucking.
âdoes he, now?â you nodded, but the rest of your body was so still, you didnât know if you were still breathing or not.
then, he wrapped his arms around your abdomen, pulled you flush against him, âthis is how he held you, isnât it?â you didnât answer, âand how much time did he ask for? two minutes?â he laughed again, a sick kind of laugh that you had never heard from jimin before.
âwhat does he have that i donât, love? what is it?â he mumbles into your neck, lips flush against your skin and you canât hold the shiver that passes through you, thereâs a daze that dances around you, a weight that holds your eyes down as his hands play with your skin, but you know what you two donât have.
time. i have time, time that isnât running out right in front of my eyes, time that doesnât keep me up at night.
nothing, he has nothing compared to jimin.
âi will let you go only because i know you will kill him one day, and i know where youâll be once you wash his blood away,â he steps back, leaving you with an ocean of air and a whirlpool room, it takes you a minute to come back to the world.
âactually, he will kill me,â you say finally, jimin turns around from picking his bag up, âi told him, if the warning comes, to kill me.â that decision made you feel lightweight, you would finally be rid of the system, this world, everything once things with wooseok fizzle.
you hadnât conjured jiminâs reaction, you hadnât put too much thought into it but a body-shaking laughter wasnât what you expected at all.
he was bent with hands on his knees, laugh after laugh tumbling out of his mouth as he gasped for breath and you stood there, feeling unsure, humiliated and embarrassed.
and so so naked.
âwhatâs so funny, jimin?â he held a hand up, steadied himself with a wide grin on his face as he wiped a happy tear from the corner of his eyes, âwhatâs funny, love, is that you really think you will let him kill you, that is just hilarious.â
you grow red at his words as a wave of shame threatens to shake you off balance, âyou know nothing about me, iâve done enough, iâve killed enough-â
âand you will do it again.â he says, a hint of a smirk still on his face.
i would.
i wouldnât.
would i?
you are taken back to all the faces that you had forgotten after they died, keith, the old man, the woman, the memories that died with them, somewhere in you, you had always waited to kill some of them, even if you tried to tell yourself that you didnât, everyone except jimin, didnât exist in your head anymore.
âyou have n-no idea what you are talking about,â you couldnât believe that somehow jimin had figured this part of you out, you felt nauseous that he knew the worst parts of you.
âi am the only one who knows, because you loved me most, you loved me like you loved nothing else, you still do and that didnât stop you from putting a bullet in me, did it?â he clicked on the elevator door as you hurried to catch up to him, stomping after him to prove him wrong, to tell him he had it all wrong but you have no words that are truthful to defend yourself.
i loved you like the soil loves water, like children love lollipops, like waves love the shore, i love you with all of me.
but i killed you and i cried.
i killed you.
you shoved yourself into the elevator with him, chest heaving, mind light and heavy, arms so tired but shaking with restrained anger and he looks at you with, was it pity?
âthen, why chase after me if i am so vile?â you scream in his direction, a layer of you was peeled and left to bleed now, you had no idea how to stop it.
your phone buzzed and flashed red.
jiminâs phone buzzed and flashed red.
you look at each other, raw fear flashing just for a second before relaxing, isnât this what you wanted, anyway?
your third and final warning.
âbecause i love you too much to care about myself and iâm the only one who can handle it, iâm the only one who would die for you.â he says with conviction, as if it was something he had rehearsed, something he had to repeat to himself. he turns his phone away and tucks it into his pocket.
you wanted to say, i love you too, and i know youâre the only one but the elevator doors open and youâre shoved into the darkness of the parking space, where wooseok stood, hands waving and a bright smile.
âsave him and come back to me,â jimin whispers as he leans to give you the shortest, sweetest, most painful kiss on your temple before heâs sending you on your way and stepping back.
wooseok traps you in his arms and spins you around, pure joy radiating off him and you can only gulp and try to smile, âready for our dinner?â he squeezes your arms with a breathtaking smile, and it takes everything in you to not vomit at his feet.
you nod, he grins and whips around to open the car door for you.
you look back to see jimin, in the elevator, just when the doors start to close, he mouths âtill next timeâ and a slow smirk grows on his face as he disappears behind the metal and you are sure youâve left your heart in there.
âletâs go,â you sit in the car and watch out the window as it rains again, soft music plays from the radio and your body is rigid, tight, too painful to move and wooseok notices it, he reaches over, brushes your thighs with his rough so rough hands and soothes you with his words.
your phone buzzes in your lap and your heart jumps to your throat.
wooseokâs eyes turn down in sadness and you want to reach over, hold his cheeks and tell him, i love you, even if you donât mean it but you donât move a muscle. misunderstanding your silence, he slows the car and his phone flashes red as well, he sighs, eyes so sad, eyes lined with tears and you donât feel anything.
it hurts that you feel as empty as a shell.
âiâll keep my promise, iâll give you a painless endâ he mumbles softly, kissing the back of your hands and your feet start to tingle at the guilt that numbs you.
you act as if you are going to cup his face, he leans in with soft eyes and rough hands, you give a sharp tug to the steering wheel and the vehicle fastens towards a nearby tree.
you, so desperately wanted jimin to be wrong but as wooseokâs lifeless face stared back at you, you knew he was right.
you got out of the car, littered with a couple cuts and a lanky step, and walk towards the only place that belongs to you, the only place that you knew would welcome you back with snide smirks and silence and love, so much love, home.
your home.
-
âeliminate!â
.
.
.
âsuccessful!â
eliminate! - p.jm. (preview)

genre: major angst, dystopian au! (warnings include violence, mentions of blood, suggestive content.)
summary: when divorces were at an all-time high, the government introducted a system to survive this social issue, which was elimination. to remove those who don't deserve to live and who don't deserve love. a warning is sent to the partners in the relationship and in the next few minutes, one of them is to be killed, failure to carry this out would result in both of them getting killed. and you recieve this warning, five months into loving park jimin with everything in you, how would you bear the weight of killing the only man you loved?
masterlist
note: hello, i hope everyone is doing well! this is a fic i'm very excited to post and to see your reactions which is why i'm posting a teaser and opening a taglist for this, reply or direct me if you want to be tagged when it gets posted, love you all <3
now posted here!
rain traveled down your back, slowly, mockingly but fell with full force on top of your head and clouded your vision. red lights flashed, green lights flashed, white lights flashed but somehow, he was still there, in the midst of it all, clear as day in the dead of the night.
it couldnât be him, not after all this while, not after youâd given it all up.
but the hand that held your gun quivered, your blinking became slower as your eyes tried to focus on him, drink him in, forget him, remember him, anything it can do, see him.
it shouldnât have come to this.
a road shouldnât be separating you two, a gun in your hand shouldâve never been held, the rain should've never dared to hide him from you but it was all happening, and all you could do was look.
you felt his sorrow from across the street, his shaking hands that held his own gun, and you knew you had to do this for the relief of the other, whoever survived.
your phone blinked and buzzed rapidly with the word âeliminate!â on your screen and you knew the decision that you had to make.
so, as cars and bikes zoomed and honked and blared in your ears, your hand lifted to point the gun at him, you knew he would do the same, the principle was survival of the fittest after all.
but as you pulled the trigger and the bullet rang through the air and bolted in his direction, you realized he never lifted his hand.
you fell to your knees as the rain continued its assault on your body. your eyes forgave you by closing themselves so you would never have to see his body on the ground.
your screen became green.
âsuccessful!â
it shouldnât have come to this.
thank you so much for reading and sharing "we keep this love", it means the world to me <3
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MASTERLIST here
i have died - p.jm.

genre: angst, mild fluff (7.1k) royal au! (mentions of blood, fighting and all information might not be accurate to history.)
summary: jimin knows his queen has a heart, he's known it since he set eyes on her, even if rumours whispered that she was cold, calculated, merciless, jimin held on, his queen had a heart.
masterlist
-
to be a queen, was to be powerful, they said.
it was to be graceful yet stern, commanding but caring, soft but strong, beautiful but not so much, that it took away from your strength.
to be a queen, was to be miserable, you said.
you sat on your throne, with the burden of the world on your shoulders and not a touch from someone else to cure it or take it away. your arms stayed firmly on your lap as you tried to concentrate on your advisorâs words.
âwar is upon us, your majesty, everyoneâs saying it.â he gestured to the court filled with old men, greedy old men who were waiting for you to slip up.
âon what basis, did you make this conclusion?â you tried to stay calm, even if a shiver went down your spine and your hands started sweating.
you knew war was going to descend on your kingdom any day now, your parents warned out about it when you were still a kid, you had been preparing for this your whole life, but it didnât stop the nightmares, chills, or fear. war would devastate your kingdom, it would run your people and resources dry and as the queen, you were expected to stop this devastation.
âdo you not see what is happening in your kingdom, your majesty?â one of the old men sneered at you as their hands tweaked their mustaches and your patience almost gave out.
beside you, your general, park jimin, tightened his hand on his sword, ready to slay the man on your command. you lift a hand in his direction, showing a sliver of your patience, and he brings his hand back down.
âi do know about the riots and the grains,â you started, leaning forward, âi also know about the affairs.â you stared pointedly at the old man, whose eyebrow started sweating as you stood up.
âbe careful with how you speak to me, or i will not hesitate to tie you up and throw you in the middle of a bloody riot.â you stormed out of the room with park jimin hot on your tail, concealing his smile and an audible hush resounded around you as you walked out to the barren land.
you werenât known as the heartless queen for no reason, you were merciless, with whomever you deemed deserved to be treated that way and you knew it wasnât fair, but as a queen, you could care less about being fair.
âshould i ready the swords, your majesty?â jimin spoke and you nodded, turning and disappearing into a room to change. you hastily undid the layers of clothing you wore, feeling more and more air enter your chest as you stood naked in front of the long mirror covering the wall.
scars from many wars ago littered your chest, thighs, and arms, you wanted to pile on all the layers of your clothing back on your beaten body.
you pushed the layers away instead, a queen shouldnât worry about battle scars, she should celebrate them. you got your armor and boots on, feeling better when everything was covered, and stepped out.
but a sight made you stop in your tracks.
across the practice field, were two lovers, oblivious to the world, hiding away from the world under a sheer curtain, the women were holding back their smiles as they stroked each otherâs cheeks, leaning into each other but leaning away, as if a magnetic pushed them close and far. one of them reached out and kissed the otherâs cheek, your hand instinctively reached to your cheek, unconsciously patting the area.
never a kiss.
never has a kiss ever touched your skin.
never has a touch from someone you loved, left a ghost on your skin, like your scars did.
across the practice field, jiminâs worried eyes saw your hands stroking your cheeks, his gaze followed your line of sight to see the poorly concealed lovers, his heart twisted as he watched you push your hands away and a grimace fell on your face. jimin had never seen a smile on his queenâs face but with the role you had, he knew you didnât have much to smile about.
âyour majesty, they are ready!â he yelled, capturing your attention, away from the lovers who brought tears to your eyes. your eyes snapped to his and the vulnerability disappeared, a hardness settled in them again and jimin wished that he let you stay lost in your vulnerability for a little more.
you grabbed your sword and protective gear, struggling to put on the headpiece as you always did, jimin stepped up and snapped it into place, it was the only thing you let him do for you.
and jimin looked forward to it every day.
you fell into a rhythm, jimin was a formidable opponent, never letting you be distracted for too long, which was relieving. the sounds of swords clanging, boots kicking the sand up, and heavy breathing drowned out everything else for you.
your eyes stayed laser-focused on jiminâs movements, they were natural, clean, and sharp, and so were his fatherâs.
you had known jimin your whole life when he was still just a kid and learning from his father, who was your fatherâs general, when he followed his mom around, who followed your mum around.
his parents werenât alive now, nor were yours.
someday, you were ten years old, your parents had left for another town and never returned, and you had to be a queen while still not understanding what death was and why it had taken your parents, jiminâs parents protected you until an unknown disease took the two of them as well.
jiminâs sword hit yours, bringing you back to the present, where you had no one to love nor protect but jimin did, jimin always knew he would protect you.
you swung back, twisting your leg to bend and hit the armor covering his stomach, he recoiled at the contact and you smirked underneath your headgear. this continued, you played the dance of defense and offense, and soon, you ripped the headpiece to force some air into your body.
âiâll be going now.â you walked out, without looking back and jimin nodded, dropping his sword, wordlessly watching you leave.
somewhere, between being a queen while still being a child and losing everyone you loved, you had forgotten to care for another person, and between protecting you since he was a teenager and losing everyone he loved, jimin had only grown more determined to care with all the heart in him.
that was the difference between you and jimin, you lost your heart and he gained a second one. and naturally, you two never spoke anymore but jimin had always wanted to tell you about his second heart, that it beat for you, even if it meant that his head would be at the end of your sword.
-
the talk of war kept spreading throughout the kingdom and your palace became louder, so did your heartbeat in your ears, so did your sword hitting jiminâs, and so did your internal cries for help.
you marked the map as you circled it, checking entries, exits, and secret pathways that could leave you vulnerable to the enemies.
âseal the exits, donât allow goods transport till the next week, we will put up announcements when it can be resumed, station two guards at every secret route and give them our best guns, station one guard at each entry and exit, make sure meals reach them from time-to-time and distribute palace supplies to the people, without good transport, they wonât be making moneyâ commands flowed easily out of you, you took every advisorâs bullshit advice and decided to ignore it at all, you came up with the most efficient plan you could.
âshould we seal them tonight, your majesty?â jimin stepped forward and you nodded, âtonight would be best, we have to protect ourselves before we regret it. and later, i need to discuss battle strategies with you, keep that in mind.â jimin bowed to you and stepped back as the advisors argued with you.
he watched with a smirk as you calmly explained how miserable their plans were, he watched as you put all of them in their places and left the room, leaving the air of your power lingering in the room.
âsheâs just as arrogant as her fatherâ the same old man who had questioned your knowledge of the kingdom in the court, turns his nose up with a nasty sneer on his face. jimin feels his skin start to burn in anger when he hears the noises of agreement from the others.
âsheâs even worse, at least her father was a capable ruler, sheâs just arrogant and nothing else,â another one adds with a smirk, and everyone laughs at the comment, jimin wonders how you hold onto your patience with these men.
âsheâs not even beautiful enough to be arrogant, did you see the scars covering her arms? no wonder she isnât marriedâ they continued to add snide comments, sipping their drinks and doing everything but be the advisors they are.
a slam on the wooden table startles them all, liquid jumping out of their cups and onto the floors, they all turn to see jiminâs eyes burning holes into them as his hands twitch on the table.
âone more word about our queen and i will personally wield the sword that chops your necks off.â jimin says calmly, though his fury is poorly contained. the advisors quirked an eyebrow at him, âwho do you think you are? you are a general, not the queenâs lapdog, behave.â
another one piped up to reprimand him, âyou are no one to lay a hand on any of us, learn your place, or we will make you.â
a dark chuckle bubbled out of jimin as he quickly realized if given the chance, he would take the lives of everyone in this room in a heartbeat, âmy place is to serve her, so if i ever lay a hand on you, it wouldnât be for me, it would be for my queen.â
the advisors grew wide-eyed at the storm-like fury that brewed in jiminâs eyes as he stared at them, jimin was known to be kind, friendly, and sweet around the court, but seeing him this way, had them all clearing their throats and looking away as a sheen of fear covered their faces, their eyes flickered from jimin to the sword that rested on his hips.
it would only take him a minute to kill them all and that knowledge had all of them gulping for air.
outside the room, you held your hand to your chest as a long breath released out of you, you never left since you heard the first comment from your advisors and even if it wasnât supposed to hurt you, it did.
and you knew jimin didnât have to say anything, you knew he couldâve just left the room, this was the first time anyone had ever stood beside you and not against you.
jimin opened the doors to see you beside them, eyes gazing up at him with concealed fondness, your face stayed cold and distant but jimin noticed the tiniest curve of your lips.
he remembers how you used to smile as a kid, wide and with teeth, dimples curved in as you ran around the palace, having your maids chase you around, he remembers the first time you had talked to him.
âget the swords ready, general.â you rush out of the area, leaving jimin a little startled but without another word, he follows you.
-
the sounds of your swords clanging brought you peace, as your chest slowly started to loosen up, though you had to admit that your focus wasnât great, your eyes kept flickering to catch glimpses of jimin, hidden under his protective gear and your mouth kept opening to say something.
âyou didnât have to stand up to them, park jiminâ you muttered, just loud enough for jimin to hear and his movements paused.
so, you had heard.
he was wishing that you hadnât.
âi know, your majesty.â his arms lifted his sword again, but dropped it as soon as your sword hit the ground.
âthen, why would you do it?â you hated the tremor in your voice, it was so unlike you, so unlike a queen.
âi donât know, but i canât think of anything else i wouldâve done at the moment,â he removed his headpiece to see you, to see what you felt about his words.
you nodded with uncertainty, you expected him to say that as your general, it was his duty to defend you, you hadnât expected anything more than that.
âi appreciate it,â you said breathily and jimin nodded back, his cheeks attaining a flush from both the cold wind gushing around you and also from your words.
i would do it again, by the way, even if my life is on the line.
he felt the urge to tell you as you turned away but then his eyes caught the royal emblem etched on your armor and he swallowed his words.
âi wasnât always like this, general, i think you know that.â tears, that you couldnât stop, lined your eyes as you thought back to the child that you were and the world that you had to grow up in, and jimin felt his chest fill with sorrow because he knew so well, knew more than you thought he did. âi know, your majesty, i know.â
you straightened your shoulders, any trace of vulnerability escaping your body as your advisors passed the field, all of their eyes analyzing and judging you.
âwe still have to discuss those strategies, come.â
-
the rest of the night, you went over your defenses again and again, eyes catching fleetingly, accidentally, and then returning to the table with flushed cheeks, jimin was delighted to be so close, yet so far, from you.
and each time, your eyes met, you felt your heart beating again, you felt yourself wanting to say things that had nothing to do with the maps spread out in front of you.
âwe knew each other before all this, didnât we, park jimin?â before you became a queen, before you owned a kingdom, jimin was present in your distant memory, âyou gave me flowers.â he smiled at you, images of your younger self flashing brightly in his mind.
âno! that canât be true, generalâ a smile of disbelief curved on your face, you never looked at flowers, you couldnât imagine any part of you that would gift someone flowers.
âoh, but you did, your majestyâ jimin cheekily replied, making you shake your head and look away from him, trying to remember a time when you werenât a queen.
but jimin remembers too clearly, how you had met, how your hands touched him for the first time, when it was all innocence and warmth.
it had been a hot, summer day.
jiminâs mother was busier than usual. it was the princessâs birthday and the entire palace was geared up to celebrate it grandly.
but jimin wasnât happy at all. his eyes were hurting from the tears he had cried, his cheeks were firing up with heat as his body burned.
he was sicker than he had ever been and his mother couldnât take care of him, her own eyes were filled with tears that she couldnât take care of her child but she had duties to fulfill.
jimin sat in the garden, sniffling and pulling grass, refusing to listen to his motherâs request to stay inside as his cheeks puffed up with defiance.
then, he heard soft giggles falling from the corridors into the lonely garden.
he turned to see the princess, her hand in the queenâs, her other hand gripping tightly onto freshly picked jasmines, as she walked merrily, it was her birthday after all. and even as a kid, jimin couldnât look away from the princess.
she was a joy to see, a joy to hear.
when the princess turned to look at him, to look at sad, pouty jimin, sitting by himself, picking the grass with tear-stained cheeks, jimin wouldnât have guessed that she would run over to him. he wouldnât have guessed that she would take the jasmines in her hand and place them above his ears.
âflowers are happy, you should be happy.â you had told him, with a dimpled smile, staring at him for a few seconds before running back to your mother, but he watched as you looked back at him till you left the corridor.
jimin felt the traces of love bloom in his heart for the first time.
now, he sees you, so tough and powerful and as his queen, but he remembers too well how you used to be and jimin fell for you then, unfortunately for him, he hadnât gotten back up.
at some point in the night, the sleeves on your dress ride up and your eyes widen as you push them back down, you hurriedly look up to see if jimin has seen anything, you wait to see if his face twisted in disgust, but jimin only smiles, âyou are so strong, your majesty. i wish i was more like you.â
he doesnât speak about your tears.
or your scars.
or the fear on your face.
you know that he notices it all, but he doesnât say a word.
you didnât know that even if you werenât the queen of the kingdom, you would still be jiminâs queen, hot or cold, kind or ruthless, heart or heartless, nothing could change that.
and jimin might have felt it when he was still a kid, but this was the first time, that something bloomed in your heart, you werenât sure it was love, you were just sure that it was because of him.
-
weeks later, your kingdom was sealed, business halted and time as it was, didnât move as you and your people prepared for the war.
tensions were high, and the kingdom got quieter as everyone waited for any news about their fate, you spent every minute with jimin, formulating and discussing plans that could bring you even a sliver of hope, and every minute, your heart unwillingly grew sprouts and flowers.
âhand over the kingdom to us and there will be no blood staining your land or else, your entire kingdom will drown.â your minister read the last sentence of the letter that was sent over to you that morning and you tried to resist the chill crawling on your back.
but you knew who it was from, a much more prosperous kingdom, a much more powerful kingdom with a king, not a queen, not like your weak kingdom.
you were powerful and you have won many wars but your opponent has colonized several countries at a time so realistically, your chances of surviving his quest were slim to none.
jimin eyed your tightening fists with a glint of worry and concern as your minister hung his head, solemn from the words he just read, âwhat do we say, your majesty?â
you knew the gravity of your decision here, you could either abandon your land and people, hand them over to a stranger, and not look back, because you knew even if you fought back, you would be weaker, you would lose.
but you also couldnât turn your back on your people, your father and mother wouldnât have done that, they wouldnât have handed your people over, and they would have fought with everything they had.
sometimes, you just wish they would be beside you, gently guiding and firmly telling you what to do. sometimes, you wanted to crawl on your motherâs lap and cry until you couldnât, sometimes, you just wanted your fatherâs hand on your head, telling you to be brave.
but your wishes remained wishes, hard decisions had to be solely made by you, whether you liked it or not.
âtell them, they will be the ones drowning, not us.â you feigned the confidence you knew your court needed, and seeing everyoneâs face light up as their loud cheers echoed in your court, made it easy for you to say it, even if you knew it wasnât true.
you would drown.
and never float back up.
all because you couldnât be the queen your people needed.
you told yourself, that it was justified to give false hope to people whose hope was weathering, it was justified to lie to your court while knowing it would be gone in flames later, it was justified to fake your power for the flicker of relief that passed over their faces.
but jiminâs eyes stayed on your knuckles that turned white, your eyes that seemed dazed and he knew you were lying, his hand rested on his sword as he realized that the cheering people, were all waiting for their deaths.
-
âyour majesty, a moment of your time.â jimin stayed outside the door until he heard your voice, allowing him in. you were sitting at the edge of your cot, chest heavy and breathing caught in your body.
âforgive me, your majesty, but you and i both know that you were lying.â he spoke, with confusion lacing his voice, you were always honest, you never lied for the sake of making someone feel better. âabout what, general?â he didnât recognize the strange, lifeless tone your voice had taken.
âthat we are going to survive the quest.â jimin knew as much as you did, that your kingdom would be run to the ground, even if he thought you were the strongest of them all, he knew your kingdom would fall.
âwe are going to survive it,â you lied through your teeth.
âweâre all going to dieâ jimin didnât know why he was arguing with you, but he couldnât help it, this was the first time his queen had lied and he needed to know why.
âoh general, i have died a long time agoâ you laughed bitterly, your stomach twisting at your words, you felt sick, trapped in yourself, trapped in this palace that gave you all of the power but none of the relief that came with love. his gaze softened as, for the first time, tears flowed down your face like a river, as sobs escaped your chest without restraint, as you sunk to the floor with your hands tightly wrung the bedding.
you had died the day your parents didnât come back, you had died when they placed a heavy crown on your tiny head as a kid, you had died when the sprinkle of someone elseâs blood fell on your face, you had died when the people you fought for called you heartless.
you had died more times than you could count, one more time, even if it was for real this time, didnât shake you at all.
it was dying without a touch of love decorating your skin, that truly scared you. you wished for a touch that wouldnât unravel you but would hold you together, the way even a riptide, as dangerous as it is, longs for a shore to embrace, you want just a touch.
jimin should leave, his duty wasnât this, his duty wasnât to console a broken queen but jimin never stayed by your side as a duty, he stayed because it was where he belonged.
jimin sunk to his knees, his hands trembling to touch you, to let you lay on him and let years of your tears run down his chest, but he doesnât want to be at the end of your sword, he wants to be at the end of your bed, watching you while you sleep and protecting you from the nightmares that plague you.
and then you surprise him.
jiminâs breath halts as he watches you reach for him, one frail hand in the air that beckons him closer and he follows wordlessly, sitting beside you and watching as your head finds his lap. you melt into his lap, fingers falling away from your body to hug his legs, a soft hum leaves your lips and jiminâs urge to protect you increases exponentially.
it's been a while since he has seen his queen be herself, and he knows as you grasp onto him for affection, that this was you finally giving up on maintaining an image, at least in front of him.
he slowly places a hand on your back, unsure if he was allowed to touch you the way you touched him, but you only bury your tear-stained cheeks into his legs and jimin relaxes, letting his hands travel on your back, his hands burned with love as he rubbed circles on your skin that coaxed more cries out of you, but this time, they werenât out of pain, they were out of the relief of finally being touched with love.
âjimin,â you called out, so softly even if your voice dried out from the tears, so intimately that jimin wanted to curl up to you and forget everything else, âyes?â
no general.
no park jimin.
just jimin.
âi didnât lie because i wanted to, the kingdom will die long before the war gets here, if i donât lie, they need to hold onto something as we go into the war, they need to believe that they can survive to even fight.â and jimin sees it, the heart that your people denied that you had, you had thought of them before anything else and he smiles to the ceiling.
âafter everything goes, you will be remembered as the greatest ruler our kingdom has ever seen,â he speaks sincerely, as his hands caress the lengths of your hair, which lulls you, your heart warms but you know it wasnât true, âno one would remember me.â
âi would, in death and life, i will.â
you hadnât expected to be satisfied with his answer but somehow, that was more than enough of you.
you always wished for a touch to make you feel loved, to make you feel anything but jiminâs words alone held you together and for the first time, you bore a heart that was heavier than you were, a heart that dragged you down, pulled you down and forced you to accept its size.
and you loved the enormity of affection you felt, especially that it was for the man who held you so gently even if he had seen you at your strongest.
âyour majesty, i have a confession.â
âi think i know what you are going to say,â you might not have cared for other people, but you did notice things, you noticed the lingering looks jimin would give you, the smile that would grow on his face whenever you put your advisors in their place, the way his tone changed to something softer only when he talked to you, you had noticed it all.
you felt the same, maybe not as long as he had, but melted against him, you knew you wouldnât feel this way for anyone else, except the person who stood by and protected you for so long.
âbut if you allow me, i still want to say it.â you peered up from his lap with an amused smile, your general was more romantic than you had thought him to be, and jimin hadnât thought your smile could be any more beautiful than it was in his dreams, but it was.
âyou are allowed,â you face him, cheeks flushing and hands trapping his, âi love you, iâve loved you since i knew what love was.â
you were only just learning love, as your skin touched his, as you sunk further into him, as you felt cocooned by his presence, as you felt his unwavering love for you through his touch but even if it was just now, you knew you felt the same.
but you couldnât bring yourself to say the words, as a queen, were you allowed to profess love for someone else? with a war approaching, did you deserve to love as your kingdom ran to devastation?
you couldnât say it, you couldnât allow yourself the luxury.
you just nudged further into jiminâs body, squeezing his hand as a silent way of professing, âi feel the same, in my heart thatâs beating after a long time, i feel what you do and i will tell you, i will tell you soon.â
jimin sighs in relief, his skin growing warm as your hands desperately try to tell him what your mouth canât and he allows his body to drape over you, hands caressing your dress and brushing your hair away from your cheeks.
âi understand, my queen, i will wait.â
-
that night, everything changed for you, you had felt so defeated before the war even started but here you were, days later, hitting swords with jimin once again, a new kind of determination drummed in your attacks, you had to win the war, you had to be with jimin.
âyour majesty, iâm afraid you are getting distracted,â jimin teases you as his sword nears your throat, with an amused scoff, you pull back to drag your sword on the ground and drive it up to the back of his head, âapparently, not as much as you, general.â
you both spent every quiet night together, in each otherâs arms, in each otherâs words and he professed his love to you every single day, even if you didnât say it back, and he reminded you that your heart hadnât died, it had just hidden away, but he certainly had wedged himself into it and it seemed to you that he would never leave.
jimin raises his sword in surrender, a chuckle leaving his lips once he sees you grin widely at his defeat.
âyou are enjoying this too much,â he tuts at you, âiâm still your queen, jiminâ you playfully scold him and he rolls his eyes at you, âand iâm still your general, your majesty.â he tips his invisible hat with a shit-eating grin and leaves you, flustered in the middle of the ground as he walks away to greet some new members of the army.
what was this feeling that consumed you, as your eyes refused to look away from his retracting figure?
a fluttering sense of calm danced around you, your usually restless heart had taken a steady, loud rhythm and you loved the world right now.
you felt as if everything was alright, as if the skies were always blue, as if the flowers always bloomed, as if you could fight a war and win it, just to keep this moment alive.
âyour majesty!â a shrill voice broke your dreamy thoughts, and your head snapped to see your minister rushing down the hallway to reach you. you hold your arms over his shoulders to steady him as he breathes heavily.
âcareful, minister.â he shook his head at your words, eyes pinching shut as he panted.
âtheyâve gotten in, your majesty.â
and just like that, the feeling of victory faded from you.
âwhat are you talking about?â you couldnât recognize how tight your voice sounded, how your hands twitched involuntarily to your sword, and how the air in your chest knocked out of you.
not now.
not so soon.
âwe sealed every exit, minister, that is not possibleâ you desperately tried to dissuade what he was trying to tell you, he solemnly shook his head, âone of our own turned on us, they gave them entry into our kingdom, and several civilians were beheaded just a few minutes.â
your blood boiled.
for a minute, your eyes saw complete red as your hands shook beside your body, âhow many, minister?â your voice didnât contain your fury, nor your heartbreak.
âhundred and twelve, as of now, your majesty.â
in that minute, you knew you could slay an entire kingdom if you wanted to, you knew that if you were let loose, not a single soldier would be able to keep up with you. your people were supposed to be the last ones to get hurt, you were supposed to be protecting them and you failed.
âiâm assuming, the traitor has been caught?â
âyes, your majesty.â your ministerâs eyes widened in fear as you pulled your sword out, âshow him to me.â
-
that night, you scrubbed someone elseâs blood off your face, and frustrated tears lined your eyes but the red never seemed to disappear, as you kept washing, more and more took its place, and soon, you gave up on getting it off, you had to accept that a part of you will always be stained with their blood.
the blood served as a reminder of the people you couldnât save.
you had spent the evening, preparing for the war that would start tomorrow, it was finally declared by your opponent in another mocking letter, and providing aid to the families who lost their loved ones, each of their cries rang loudly in your ears even if hours passed.
water droplets dripped down your face as you sat once again, defeated before the war began, at the edge of your bed, but this time, a knock at your door filled you with relief.
jimin came in, exhausted as well, but his eyes zeroed on the red covering your arms and face, without a word, he took a washcloth, dipped it in water, and sat beside you.
his fingers nudged your hair away from your face and slowly, patiently, patted the blood away, shushing you as you broke down in tears in the middle.
that night ended in jiminâs arms, with a clean face and a lighter heart.
both of you didnât know what would happen the next day, you just knew that you had to survive for each other.
-
âline up!â jiminâs yell filled the courtyard and all the soldiers jogged across it to surround him, âyou all are aware, going in today, of the severity of the situation and what it could lead to, but i trust that my soldiers will still give their best, we all have homes to return to, keep that in mind. let it serve as a motivation for you to win this, help your fellow soldiers, and keep your focus.â
all of them were nervous, all of them had left home saying their final goodbyes to their families in case they never returned, but all of them also believed in their general and his words, rapid nods came as a response from them and they started preparing themselves mentally.
jimin gestured for them to move along and they all started embracing each other, comforting words poured into the space and they soon moved away to disperse.
in your changing room, your hands slid down the scars that covered you, after today, you were sure there were going to be even more, but somehow, you didnât mind it as much. your maids placed the armor on you, tightening it around your body and you bit back a groan.
you didnât know how many more of these wars you could fight.
suddenly, they all shuffled away, leaving the room, causing you to turn around, confused at their actions, only to see jimin entering the room.
âi donât know why they ran away,â he said with comically raised eyebrows and you bit back a grin, âiâm sure they must have seen you leave my quarters in the morning.â his head fell back with a laugh as he stepped closer to you.
âthat canât be, iâm so discreet, like a ninja, you know?â you rolled your eyes at him, âyou broke three vases just two days ago, jimin.â he kissed your temple as another laugh bubbled out of him, âmaybe iâll learn along the way.â
âmaybe you will.â
you sighed as both of your smiles slipped, there was no telling if there was a way anymore but believing that there was, it was all you could do.
âhow are the soldiers?â your eyes bore into his similar, armor-clad body that came up behind you in the mirror.
âjust right, your majesty, donât worry.â his arms came up to wrap around your body and your hands rested on his arms, a shuddering breath left your mouth as the gravity of today settled in even more.
maybe there wonât be a way, maybe you will never get to hold jimin like this again.
âbefore we go jimin, i want to tell you, like all of them, you have me, a home and i need you to come back for me,â that was the closest you could get to professing your love, your words were pleading, begging, even if your face was passive. jimin shakes his head, his hair rubbed onto your neck as he exhaled, âwe both need to come back, iâm not letting this end here.â
after minutes passed of just being enveloped in each otherâs warmth, you wished you could just ignore the war and stay in this room forever, with jimin, you wished you could ignore the possibility of losing him but the loud roars of your soldiers marching to the battlefield reminded you of who you were doing all of this for.
you were the queen, jimin was the general, and both of you had duties that couldnât keep you locked in this room.
so, with a pained heart and arms that longed for each other even if only seconds passed, you both parted to step away from each other.
jimin reached for your headgear, taking his time to brush your hair and slip it on your head, the one thing you always let him do for you and you held back your tears as he pressed a kiss to your forehead. you reached for his hands and kissed the back of them, your tears soon fell on them and jiminâs resolve started breaking.
but he sniffed, pushing himself away and wiping your tears, âare you ready, my strongest queen?â he held out his hand with a wide, albeit painful smile on his face.
you put your hand in his, trying to stay strong, âwhenever you are, general.â
and as you two stepped out, the warmth of his skin spread on you, his head dipping down to give you one final smile that was filled with his ever-growing love.
you felt scared that you might never see it again.
âi love you, your majesty.â
i love you unbelievably more.
âthere will be a royal wedding to get ready for after this, be prepared, general.â
-
jimin winced as sand clouded his vision, he swung his sword aimlessly, hoping to catch his opponent, his ears were ringing from all the screams of agony around him, and when the blood splattered on his face, another scream rang much louder in his ear, causing him to look away.
another soldier who wouldnât go home.
he whipped his head around, trying to catch sight of you in the midst of all the chaos, and after ducking and running under everyone around him, while slaying whoever he could in the way, he finds you.
a soldier fell at your feet and you took a huge breath, while looking around, only to catch jiminâs impressed face, you both smiled at each other, with red dripping down on your faces.
there was a chance.
you could win this and go back home to each other.
but soon, jimin got pushed into the chaos, and another, darker cloud of sand dusted across his face, forcing him to stand straight and attack again. he couldnât see you again but he knew you were giving it your all, so he busied himself.
only a few more.
and he would be back with you.
-
they told him that you killed the most.
that you had fought bravely, and led your kingdom to victory.
that you were the queen that they would love and celebrate, even if centuries pass.
but how could jimin love and celebrate you, when he couldnât hold you in his arms?
when your body was carried into the palace, it had taken everything in jimin to not set the entire palace on fire. to him, a palace without you, alive and breathing life into the building, was not a palace at all.
people held him when he cried, when he wanted to drive his sword into himself, when he would try to shake your body back to life, when he wouldnât move away from your body, people put their arms around him and tried to lift him up.
but none of them could console him, all the promises you both had dreamed about vanished in front of his eyes and he blamed every single one of them, if they werenât so harsh on you, if they didnât call you heartless, you wouldnât fight till death to prove that you did indeed have a heart, that you indeed had the biggest one.
jimin didnât have too long to mourn, soon, the heavy crown was positioned on his head, they told him that it was your last request for him to look after the kingdom you had left behind, and once it was on him, he realized the weight you carried around your whole life, since you were only a kid.
they pulled all kinds of royal clothes on him, the materials itched, they burnt his skin, and the gold threads dug into his neck, as if the clothes were his own prison.
as he was made king, the kingdom rejoiced, they were finally getting a king, a true ruler, in their words, and jimin laughed in all their faces, their history would only have one true ruler, and it was you. no one could do what you did.
the throne felt wrong to jimin, as if he didnât belong, but he knew this was what you wanted for the kingdom you loved so dearly, and jimin would always serve your needs.
he wished, as you had, for you to come and hold him when he had hard decisions to make, he wished to melt into your lap one last time to feel the warmth that ran away from him, he wished that you were right beside him, gently guiding and caring for him.
but he was left with only the ghost of your touch, that would forever haunt him.
jimin still got up every day, he put on the heavy crown and the irritating clothes and listened to the same blubbering idiots, the way you had, and he tried his best to be the ruler you were.
but at night, he crumbled away, dreaming of your touch and your love as he hugged your headgear closer.
jiminâs dreams remained dreams.
its so freeing when you realize you can literally write whatever you wantÂ
i love you n i always get happy when i see youâve posted. đ€
i love you moreee, thank you for being so kind and loving â€ïž
oh my god that anon was ruthless iâm sorry you got a message like that but i for one very much enjoyed the story since it was SOSOSO CUTE and 100% relatable to me, very glad youâre back đ«¶
THANK YOU this is so so sweet, im so happy that you liked it, im very glad to be back to such wonderful people as wellâ€ïž
âsoon he accepted that i didnât like the same things he did and stopped pushing me. but i still felt as if i was disappointing him by not doing the âfunâ things he was doing, even if that feeling wasnât fair to me and even if i knew that he never thought of me like that.â
ahh this really got me since i have the exact same relationship with my childhood best friend. hearing my exact thoughts be put into words (& that this isnât a unique feeling) made me so comforted!! thank you for writing & for sharing your work :â) đ€ i really enjoyed it!!
aw thank you so much for reading ! it really makes my day that you were able to be feel comforted by my work, if it make's anything better, i feel the same with my friends, youre definitely not alone â€ïž thank you again!
Yeah you shouldâve stayed gone coming back with a shitty story like that? đ€Šââïž
u wanted attention? ill give u attention. i know enough about my writing to know that its not completely shit, i wouldnt have people reading it if i didnt. i feel bad for u and ur life that u have to get on some app to try and bully others to feel better about yourself. if you dont like my stories, you are free to not read them but to spend time sending a message like this, is a cry for help for your own self. don't be anonymous if you want to actually start a fight with me.
i will not be tolerating any messages in my inbox like this, you have a bone to pick with me? send me a direct message instead of being a coward like this
peek-a-boo! - j.jk.

genre: fluff, very mild angst and suggestive content (mentions of sex) (4.8k)
summary: at a camp that you hated, you find yourself falling for a man that tries to sneak into your tent.
masterlist
you shivered as you returned to your tent, you could not believe how you ever let your snake of a best friend, faye drag you into camping. everything was wet and cold and your skin was starting to itch beneath the layers of clothes you had adorned.
and you know how spoiled you might sound to another person, but you couldnât help it, you missed your aroma candles, your fluffy slippers, your nighttime skincare routine, your fluffy sheets, your lam-
okay, you missed everything back home.
thankfully, you would leave this horrid place right in the morning and you swore to yourself to never listen to your best friend ever again, you might just kill her when you go back.
as you reached your tent, you dreamed of your room and your comfort back home but your steps slowed as you got closer.
was this your tent?
you looked around and sure enough, all of the tents were exactly the same in pattern and color, the only difference was the number propped on each tent.
39? 24? 46?
since when were there so many tents here?
why were so many people voluntarily torturing themselves?
all of the numbers sounded like it could be your tent and panic started to rise in you as your eyes darted pathetically towards each tent. this couldnât be right, how could you not remember your own fucking tent?
deep breath.
âfaye!â you whisper-yelled into the night, your hands shaking by your side and crickets answered, âFAYE!â you walked around all the tents, trying to find your tent and your friend, who apparently didnât give a fuck about where you went.
you huffed after calling her name out for the 100th time and bent down on your knees, you were going to die before you got to go home.
then, like a halo light descending on you, you saw the number 54, and out of all the numbers you saw so far, that seemed the most right to you so, without caring or fact-checking, you ran to it at full speed.
as soon as you reached it, you zipped down the entry and looked around for your belongings and sure enough, your charger, your heat pack, and your phone were lying inside and you felt a rush of relief flood in you.
you smiled, thinking how silly you had been when you got lost, and happily set the alarm for the next day, snuggling into your very uncomfortable sleeping bag and kicking around until you fell asleep.
you never noticed that a very important part of your tent was missing.
your best friend.
-
a shuffle stirred you in your sleep, and your sleeping bag shifted with you as you moved, there was something in the tent that was keeping you away from your dreams and you groaned in frustration as you kicked your feet around in the bag to adjust again.
âwoah, woah!â you heard someone exclaim as they grabbed your foot and you could feel your sleep slip quickly at the sound of a voice you didnât recognize and the grip on your skin. you jolted awake, sat up, and came face-to-face with some man.
you did the smartest thing you could.
you screamed.
and screamed.
and kicked your legs forward with all the strength in your body.
you heard him groan in pain as he fell back away from the tent, you crawled forward to get out of the tent and run away and possibly kill faye.
âplease calm down, let me explainâ he breathed out while clutching his stomach, âwhy should i listen to you? you just tried to crawl into my tent in the middle of the night, you pervert!â you whisper-yelled at him, punching his arm as you got out of the tent and into the cold night.
you almost dropped dead at the wind that breezed past you, freezing your every bone.
âyour friend faye told me to come here!â he protested, rubbing his arm and wincing while sitting up and at the mention of your friendâs name, you pause the plan of running away.
did no one in this camp care for each other, how could they all sleep through this?
the reality of the safety precautions here was enough to send another chill down your spine.
âbefore you explain, tell me what faye looks likeâ you needed to know if he didnât just say her name after seeing it in a logbook or something, âlight brown hair, blue eyes, and tallâ he recalled off the top of his head, desperate to keep you from beating him up again.
the description was right but it still made no sense that he was here on her command.
âwhy the fuck would she tell you to come to our tent? wait! where even is she?â you frantically looked around, you didnât want the last memory of your friend being wanting to kill her.
âyou didnât notice till now?â he quirked an eyebrow at you, clearly judging that you slept while your friend still hadnât come back.
and you knew what that must tell about your character but in your defense, you were too busy dreaming of getting out of here.
âyou donât get to judge, you still havenât told me why you are in a tent where a girl was sleepingâ you pointed a finger at him accusingly and he rolled his eyes as he got up.
he held his hand out, âmy name is jungkook, my friend and your friend somehow hit it off, they went skinny-dipping apparently and now theyâre in my tent, doing things i would rather not discuss with a stranger, they sent me off here when i came back and thatâs all there is.â
you stared at his hand, heat pooling in your cheeks.
that did sound exactly like something faye would do.
you just kicked the shit out of an innocent man.
you wanted to jump in a lake and never float back up. you hesitantly shook his hand, mumbling your name and hiding your face behind your hair. jungkook stares with mild annoyance as his arm stays wrapped around his stomach. though he has to admit, your strength was something to admire, jungkook wasnât an easy man to hurt with a few kicks but heâs sure you have given him bruises.
âcan we please get in and get some sleep?â he yawned, stretching his body and waiting for your response, you only glared at him. âare you crazy? iâm not getting into a tent with you, i donât care that faye sent you here, thereâs no way in hell that i am getting in there with you.â
jungkook blinked at you.
he waited for a beat, two beats, and then got into the tent, zipping it shut as he went.
you stared with your jaw at the floor at how he had just hijacked your only sleeping arrangement. you could hear him groan and stretch before his snores replaced the silence around you.
you scoffed in incredulity, he couldnât be serious, faye couldnât be serious, this entire night had to have been some wild dream you were having because you couldnât wrap your head around how everything was going wrong.
well, you could stay right where you stood.
you didnât mind that the night was chilling your bones, or your lips were fully chapped, or your teeth clattering or your arms shivering, it was all fine, you didnât need to stay in some tent with some strange man, you could just spend one night out in the freezing cold.
maybe if you just relaxed and pretended to be carefree like faye for a few hours, you could manage with this.
you wrapped your arms around yourself and sat down on the chair outside your tent, folding your body to generate some warmth in you but you couldnât ignore the prickling on your skin.
why werenât you cool like faye?
she wouldâve gotten into the tent and fallen asleep by now, maybe even make the strange man her friend, maybe have conversations into the night and here you were, being as uptight as ever, on a chair that was killing your back.
âare you seriously going to be this stubborn?â you whipped your head to see jungkook poking his head out while rubbing his eyes, and you scoffed, looking away from him. you heard him groan in response and step out of the tent.
âokay, get up,â he said, you frowned at him as he stood in front of you with his arms crossed.
âwhat?â
âgo in.â jungkook pointed to your tent, âi already told you-â you started to argue again and he ran an exasperated hand across his face, âiâm not getting in again, you go in there alone.â
âthen what about you?â faye hadnât returned, it didnât seem that she would until morning so, he didnât have anywhere to go, jungkook looked at the chair you were sitting on, âiâll take the chair.â
âyouâre sure?â
âyeah, just go in.â as soon as you got up, he plopped down on the seat and you entered your tent, zipping it up, and sighed at the warmth surrounding you. you grabbed your sleeping bag and slipped it on your body, noticing a faint scent of cologne on it, you knew it was jungkookâs and you strangely liked it.
shaking your head, you settled into your bag and shut your eyes to finally catch some sleep.
but it never came, you tossed and turned and kicked and moved, but you couldnât sleep.
a nagging feeling occupied your stomach at the thought of leaving someone in the cold outside, even if you didnât particularly like him, even if he was a stranger, your heart tugged at you to be more understanding of your situation.
you werenât at home, of course, you wonât be completely comfortable in a campsite, sacrifices have to be made, and it wasnât jungkookâs fault that your friends were horny idiots.
before you knew it, you poked your head out to look for jungkook, only to find him exactly where you left him, but he was asleep already, his head kept lolling back and forth as his neck stretched forward and the nagging in you bled into guilt as you watched him frown in his sleep, clearly uncomfortable.
you got out, hissing at the wind, and stopped where jungkook was sitting, wondering how you could wake him up without touching him.
âjungkook!â you whisper-yelled, hoping that would be enough but he didnât even stir, you rolled your eyes, âjungkook!â you yelled again but to no avail, he stayed uncomfortably asleep.
you reached out and poked his shoulder, but that also didnât work and you were starting to get frustrated again, being nice and understanding was starting to look like a very stupid decision.
in your irritation, you grabbed his shoulders and shook him and that did the trick, his eyes blew wide open as he started to look around him in a hurry, his gaze landing on you and a frown quickly found its way on his face.
âwhat are you doing? is everything okay?â his eyes darted over your face as if trying to find something that upset you, and you couldnât help but feel a bit shy as he stared at you, âget insideâ you pointed to the tent and his frown got deeper.
âjust get inside while iâm still being nice.â you saw his eyebrows rise at you as a slow smirk grew on his face, then he raised his hands in surrender and did an âafter youâ motion, as soon as you got in, he followed and zipped the tent shut.
now that he was breathing right next to you, you knew that you were going to kill faye later.
-
you two sat across from each other, not saying a word but also not sleeping or doing anything else, just watching the other with cautious eyes and curious hearts.
in the small space, his breaths were loud, every shift in his body resonated and his cologne was wafting around you. you waited for him to speak, to do anything really except look at you.
âwhoâs your friend?â you asked, after silence stretched for too long, jungkookâs eyebrows raised in surprise but he answered, âmingyu, heâs insane,â he said with a chuckle and shake of his head.
a smile grows on your face as you notice his dimples for the first time, âso is faye, it must be nice to be themâ you canât help the bitter undertone your voice held.
âiâm assuming youâre the not-insane counterpart in your friendship.â he said and you nodded, âunfortunately or fortunately, i am.â
âunfortunately or fortunately, so am i.â he hummed with a cheeky smile and you rolled your eyes, a grin threatening to break across your face, âi find that hard to believe, jungkook.â you eyed the tattoos decorating his arm and the confident glint in his gaze, there was no way he was more like you than he was like mingyu or faye.
âif i was like mingyu, i would be off having fun and living in the moment of the night instead of trying to sleep anywhere i could.â jungkook scoffed and you noticed the bitter undertone in his voice too.
maybe he was more like you.
âdoes this happen often?â
âwe live together so, all the time.â
your eyes widened as you exclaimed in excitement, âso do faye and i! i canât remember how many times iâve had to hear someoneâs moans from behind the wallâ jungkook started to laugh as your face grew more animated, the more you spoke.
as his laughter fades and a smile replaces, your body loses the caution and you sink into the pillow behind you.
suddenly, the man sitting across from you was all you wanted to talk to and about. a certain vulnerability settled in the air around you as silence stretched, but this time, there was no caution or wariness, there were only one million questions that you wanted to ask him.
âdoes it bother you, whenever this happens?â jungkook breaks the silence while leaning forward as if he was sharing a secret, even if it was the just two of you in here, and looking at the sincerity in his eyes, you wanted to tell him every buried truth in you, âi love her, i really do, with all my heart but iâm not like she is, i donât have as much fun, i donât go out as much, iâve never been able to let loose or let myself go, i always feel like iâm missing out on all the fun that she is having.â
âi just wish i was more like herâ you breathed out, feeling the weight of the world lifting off your shoulders, your gaze flickered to gauge jungkookâs reaction, maybe you had spoken too much and bored him, maybe he wasnât like you at all, but jungkook nods with an understanding that fills you with relief.
âmingyu became my friend in the first year of college when i didnât know anyone else and he would constantly try to get me out of my shell, in my best interests of course but i wouldnât budge, soon he accepted that i didnât like the same things he did and stopped pushing me. but i still felt as if i was disappointing him by not doing the âfunâ things he was doing, even if that feeling wasnât fair to me and even if i knew that he never thought of me like that.â you felt your eyes get teary as jungkook spilled his guts, the same way you had and you nodded at him as well, letting him know that you understood completely what he was feeling.
âi always feel like my life is passing me by, even here, i canât wait to get out and go back to my home but look at her, sheâs off having fun, not worrying about anything and sheâs going to have these stories to tell forever.â you sniff as a boulder of new sadness places itself into your stomach and jungkookâs heart pinches in his chest at this.
not many things made you cry but the feeling of seeing your friends live life the way you wished to, always was a sensitive topic for you.
and jungkook doesnât know much about you, he knows just enough to know that you were like him and he was like you.
âyou have a story too, you know?â he smirked at you and you tilted your head at him in confusion, âyou could always tell people how you beat up a guy when he tried to enter your tent,â you broke out in laughter and seeing the smile on your face, jungkook continues, âthen how stubbornly you stayed in the cold night, had him send you back in but then go back out for him, itâs a hell of a story, if you ask me.â your laughter bubbled out of you without control, he wasnât totally wrong, you did have a story.
ânot as wild as fayeâs but i guess itâs good enoughâ you nod in recognition, your smile refusing to budge from your face and jungkook leans back, satisfied that you arenât as sad anymore.
âyou could always tell people that you got beat up at a campsite, by a girl.â you quirked your eyebrow at him, amusement dancing on your skin and he mock gasps at you, âafter everything iâve done for you, this is how you treat me?â
âyou didnât do anything, you gave me my tent back, that doesnât make you mother teresaâ you enjoyed teasing jungkook as he shook his head, faux disappointment hanging his head down but you could see the ghost of a smile on his face.
he looked back up, eyes twinkling even if exhaustion clouded his face, and you had an idea, âhey jungkook, do you want to do something wild?â
-
jungkookâs hand tightly held yours as you two tip-toed across the campsite, barely holding back your giggles, trying to stay as quiet as you could, as if you werenât yelling at each other an hour ago.
you reached his campsite, where your friends lay blissfully unaware of what was going around them, jungkook let go of your hand as he circled the tent carefully, and you tried not to pout about it.
then, you heard a moan, and your eyes snapped to jungkook, he was staring equally wide-eyed at you and both of you held your hands to your mouths to keep from bursting into laughter and ruining your plan.
guess your friends werenât done getting busy.
jungkook came back to you, you wanted him to hold your hand, you swore you even saw his hand twitch in your direction but instead, he leans in to whisper, âthis makes everything a million times easier.â
you agreed with eager eyes and you could see the excitement in his eyes too, which made this plan way better.
âyouâve got it?â he asked, leaning over as you pulled out your phone and wiggled your eyebrows at him, âjust wait and watch.â he shook his head at you with a huge grin on his face.
you searched for the music box audio from the movie, the conjuring. faye had always been terrified of that movie, and as it turns out, so was mingyu.
âmingyu, wait, i hear some rustling outsideâ you heard faye speak from the inside, and sounds of them moving, âmaybe just someone walking by.â mingyu seemed to try and reassure her but there was alarm in his voice too.
jungkookâs reached out for your hand and pulled you to bend near the side of the tent, you clicked the video, and the haunting, slow music filled the air around you, it was loud enough for the people in the tent to move quickly.
âwhat is that?â faye screeched and mingyu didnât answer her this time, jungkook saw that your giggles were going to be out of control so he pressed his hand over your mouth and you nodded, gratefully to him.
you increased the volume of the song little by little and you heard screams from both of them as they got up in the tent and ran around in the little space, seemingly stumbling over each other and soon, the zip of the tent flew open and the pair rushed out, breathing heavily and thankfully, partially dressed.
they looked around in a rush, heads whipping in every direction and it didnât take long for their eyes to zero in on you two crouching beside the tent, sheepish smiles on your face.
âjungkook?â
âit was you?â
they yelled at the same time as the fear in them dissolved into anger, their arms crossed across their chests, ready to pounce on you two.
jungkook tugged on your hand, leaning forward and speaking right into your ear, you resisted the chill down your back for entirely different reasons as he spoke, ârun.â
he pulled you up and soon, you were running through the many, many tents around you, giggles disappearing into the night and hands refusing to loosen their grip on each other.
you peeked back to see your friends, not following you, both of them seemed to be endeared as they shook their heads and smiled at the pair of you. your friends, though different from you, knew the two of you and knew this wasnât something you usually did so, it filled them with pride that you two seemed to have a good time, even if they were confused as to how it all started.
the wind kept freezing your face but you didnât stop smiling, you didnât want to tell jungkook that they werenât chasing you, you wanted to run with him for as long as you could. you reached your tent soon enough and jungkook quickly unzipped it, grabbed your hand, and pulled you in, zipping it back up.
as soon as you two looked at each other, a new wave of laughter washed you two over as you heaved over, grabbing each other for support and laughing your lungs out, you couldnât remember a time you had felt this happy and more importantly, you couldnât remember a time you had felt this free.
âwe missed them! the plan was genius, did you see their faces?â jungkook cheered, raising his hand for a high-five and with pursed lips, even if you knew there was nothing to miss, you slapped your hand against his.
you two leaned back on one side of the tent, catching your breaths with pure bliss on your faces. âi wouldnât have done that without you.â he spoke up, running his thumb on the back of your hand, âi wouldnât have even gotten the idea without you.â you admitted and a shy smile took over jungkookâs face as he looked away.
ânow, you have two stories to tell.â he held up two fingers in front of your face and you pushed them away with a giggle, âi think i like the second one better,â you hummed back, jungkook quirked an eyebrow at you, âoh yeah, why?â
âit was funâ you shrugged, even if the actual words you wanted to say were much more than just fun.
because i was wild with you, i was free with you, i finally lived a moment for me, with you.
the words never came out of your mouth but you had a feeling that jungkook knew what you really felt, as he nodded at you, âi think I like this one better too,â he gave you a toothy grin, and this time, you were looking away with a blush rising on your cheeks because you knew what he meant as well.
of course, as all good things do, the night slowly started to lighten up and you could see jungkookâs face more clearly and he could see you more clearly.
he was beautiful and he looked at you as if he was seeing beauty for the first time.
but it was the last night and jungkookâs eyes flashed with recognition of that, you could feel your heart tightening in your chest when you saw his eyes turn down, knowing exactly what that meant. you couldnât stop the night you loved from becoming the morning you dreaded and that knowledge lay heavily between you two.
-
somewhere in the dawn of the morning, your eyes fluttered open to see faye lying next to you, blissfully asleep, you assumed she must have come back at some point of the night after you slept, you couldnât help the disappointment that washed you over.
you put your arm on your friend, who stirred but pulled you closer, you buried your head in her shoulder and thought back at the man who shouldâve been there.
-
the buses lined up in front of you, all of them waiting for people to board so, you could all finally leave the campsite and go back to your homes, you should have been ecstatic to return home, to your comfort but your heart tugged on you to find jungkook.
but what if he didnât think of this as seriously as you had? what if it was just supposed to be last night only? what if he didnât stay up all night, thinking of you, as you had of him?
âyou know, i could just call mingyu and ask him where they are, right?â faye rubbed your shoulder with sympathetic eyes, ever your cheerleader, but you shook your head, you didnât know what you would say even if you saw him. âletâs just go, it isnât a big deal,â you pushed her to the door of the bus and she got in with a sigh.
you stepped forward to the bus, only to hear your name resonate through the area, you whipped your head around to see jungkook running towards you, telling you to wait up and your heart dropped to your stomach, in the best way possible.
with bated breath and a blooming heart full of hope, you watched as he reached you quickly, stopping only a step away from you.
âdo you always like making things hard for me?â jungkook heaved on bent knees, calling back to how you never showed him mercy since the moment he stepped into your tent and you bit back a grin, âi guess, i do.â
he gave you a crooked smile, âyou guess you doâ he hummed, a teasing lilt to his voice, and your cheeks heated up again, and your hands started growing clammy at the sight of him.
he really had come back for you, you shouldâve known because jungkook was just like you.
âyou canât just leave me like this, after the best night of my life.â
the best night of his life.
âwhat do you want me to do?â you challenged, jungkook smiled as he fished out his phone, âi want you to do one wild thing for me.â
âwhat is it?â you asked, breathless, with your heart beating in your ears.
âlet me take you on a date.â he pushed his phone into your hands, sounding sure and confident as ever, but then you saw his hands, which were shaking, much like yours and you typed in your number, saving it as the âgirl who kicked youâ.
you handed his phone back to him, jungkook barked out a laugh, his head falling back as he saw the name you saved yourself with. then, as he calmed down, he stepped forward hesitantly, hands shaking again, he leaned towards you and planted one, gentle kiss on your cheek.
he stepped back with red cheeks and you hid your face behind your hair, your entire body lit up with that simple kiss and you had to stop yourself from making happy sounds.
the bus honked behind you, breaking the tender moment and you rushed forward to wrap your arms around jungkook and stepped back just as quickly. wordlessly, you waved him goodbye as you got on the bus with fire on your cheeks and you turned back just once, to see jungkook, standing there with the goofiest grin and one hand held up to wave back to you.
as you settled into your seat next to faye, you ignored her knowing smile while glancing out the window, your heart filled with the giddiness and excitement that you had always dreamed of.
you had two stories of your own to tell and even if it wasnât much, you had something after all the years of just wishing for stories to tell.
you had a feeling that with jungkook, you would have many more.
and you knew that he was thinking just the same thing.
note: hello everyone, it's been long since i've published something and i apologize for that, i've been experiencing some writers block and this wasn't the story i wanted to publish but i couldn't finish my original fic the way i wanted to, so i wrote this, in hope that you will enjoy it and that it will help me with my block, i'm always grateful for every read and like, thank you â€ïž
in you, i lay - k.sj.

summary: one night was all you needed to come back to him or a story in which love grows where seokjin goes, and you canât help but follow.
genre: fluff (7.8k)
note: i have my exams soon, so iâll get back to writing as soon as they are over, i wanted to give you all a little something before that so, i hope, with all my heart, that you guys enjoy this <3
masterlist
three years ago, your trip to berlin changed the entire trajectory of your life.
one day, your life was all black and white and then it burst into so many colors that you couldnât quite grasp how quickly it changed to look so beautiful.
which is why you decided to come back to berlin. more successful, happy, and filled with life than you have ever been, you came back to live your bright past for one last time and move on to bigger things.
you look out the window as the cab breezes past the beach that held more memories than 23 years of your life, a smile unconsciously grows on your face as you think back on how different just 3 years of your life were.
you wonder how he is.
you never stopped wondering how he is.
the envelope holding your promotion was sat tightly in your hands, you knew he would be happy, ecstatic even, you just knew he would pick you up and spin you around. out of everyone in your life, you felt like he, of all people, would understand just how much this promotion meant to you.
âtake a right or left from here, maâam?â the cab driverâs voice breaks your train of thoughts. âright, you know this applefarm cafĂ© which is around here? drop me off there.â you sit back and a giddy smile dances on your face, you wonder if you will run into him just like you did all those years ago or if you will have to call and find out.
you did worry at the beginning that maybe he would forget you, but every nerve in your body forced itself to implant him in your memory forever and you knew that he would do the same.
at applefarm café, you took a seat right near the entrance, it was exactly the spot where you had brunch with him after a night full of conversations that were embedded in you and your heart swelled when you saw the same elderly waitress, who served you all those years ago, heading towards you.
âwhat can i get for you today, maâam?â she obviously didnât remember you, but you couldnât help but let a large grin split at her sight.
âa peach milkshake and chocolate tart pleaseâ itâs a miracle that youâve managed to remember his order after all these years but every single second you spent with him is all your mind revolves around anymore, especially when youâre so close yet still far from him.
-
~2019~
you donât know how your friends convinced you to come on this last-minute trip to berlin but here you were, not hating every second but still totally uncomfortable with how unprepared you were for this trip.
you were, to put it in a nice way, a total control freak.
you didnât like going anywhere that wasnât already dated in your planner, last-minute plans made you sweat like a wolf in heat, and it annoyed you to your very core when someone canceled plans that you had already made a schedule around.
even right now, as your friends happily pre-gamed before crashing a party, you were anxiously jotting down things you can do in berlin for the rest of your time there. your closest friend, jennie looks over and groans when she catches sight of the planner in your hands and immediately walks over to snatch it from you.
âseriously, what the fuck?â you yell after her as she locks the planner in the hotel room-provided vault. âi thought we all agreed on going spontaneous for this tripâ she crosses her arms across her chest as she stares at you accusingly. âyes, all of you agreed but not me, we still havenât done any tourist stuff and we leave tomorrow.â you desperately try to explain your friends, who through their fondness for your love for organizing, are shaking their heads at you.
âi have reached my limit of spontaneity, give me a breakâ you groan as you fall back on the bed, you donât understand why you just canât relax and let things be, you have always had a hard time with letting go or having fun, always too cautious and way too strung up to even think of doing something rebellious.
âlisten, i know this is hard for you but for this one last night, just trust us.â lisa pats your thigh as she sits down beside you, trying not to grin at your obvious misery. âdo i have a choice to do anything but that?â you canât help but ask even if you know the answer and they all collectively smirk at you because they know that you know it too.
so, five hours later, when youâre sitting at your table in a club that youâre sure is way too small to fit the number of people in it, you are not the least bit surprised. your friends are swaying next to you, to the music and youâre all cheering before shots but you donât feel all excited.
sure, you are happy, you love your friends but there is something missing in the air of the night.
maybe your drinks arenât strong enough, maybe you are too in your head (yet again) to fully come out of your shell, maybe these lights are starting to make you feel dizzy, you donât know.
but your attention is quickly taken away by the faint sound of a guitar strumming, and as you start to register the sound, you see everyone hurriedly walking over to the beach at the back of the place, all of them bubbling with excitement.
you watch as people keep shuffling towards the beach with loud chatter and you tilt your head at the commotion, wondering what could possibly have these people so flushed with anticipation.
and you donât know why but your gut pulls you towards the back as well.
you have always been curious, about everything you come across, you need to everything thatâs going on around you, and a large group of people migrating so suddenly, had your feet moving as quickly as they could towards them.
you look around confusedly at everyone gathered around a stage, quickly learning that a performance was set to take place, and also that there were no places left to sit so you dumbly hover by the door leading to the back, concluding that some hinge support was better than standing around in the loose sand for however long the performance was supposed to last.
then, over the gentle crashing of the waves to the shore, you hear it again, the faint guitar strumming but itâs not as faint anymore.
and it was coming from the right of you.
your head snaps to see the silhouette of a man tuning his guitar, and you automatically hold your breath as your eyes involuntarily lock on his figure.
you watched in wonder as the moon seemed to engulf him in cosmic light, you could see his high nose from where you were standing, you could see his hair with a few strands out of place, and you could see the loose shape of a t-shirt hanging off his tall and lean body, but you donât know what exactly about him made every action in your body pause.
your eyes involuntarily follow him as he is joined by a few more people and all of them head onto the make-shift stage. loud cheers fill the previous silence but you donât hear any of it, you donât even hear your own heart beating out of your chest, you donât see the hoards of people around you because your eyes still refuse to look away from him.
and when the honey-shaded light falls on him, you release the breath you didnât know you were holding as your body shivers both in dread and delight, which you would later blame the cold weather for.
because nothing in the world couldâve prepared you for the sight that was that man.
you have seen good-looking people in your life, for heavensâ sake, you have some of the most attractive people you know as your friends but no one has quite invaded every one of your senses so quickly, as this man did.
and you are not sure how exactly you are supposed to feel about that.
from the cloud in your mind, you make out that they were introducing themselves but you donât really understand what theyâre saying. they start a song, you can see him singing, you can see his charming eyes hyping up the crowd from where you stood, you can see how the crowd is totally captivated by the dude with the guitar but you donât know what theyâre singing, you are not listening to a word they are pouring their heart into.
and you feel dirty, that you canât take your eyes off him, you try to think of how if you were in his place, you wouldnât want someone to stare at you like they havenât seen another being in their life.
but then again, he wasnât just any other being, he was literally the most beautiful being you have laid eyes on.
after forcing yourself to snap out of whatever mild haze that trapped your senses, you look around once again to see everyone enveloping the person next to them as they sway to the voice of the guy and the waves moved more soundly as if to accommodate the delicate ambiance that evening.
âmaybe iâll just never know, maybe iâll just never hold you anymore but i can say i tried, i can say i fought for you, over the tallest hill in the world, i can yell that i loved you as much as i could, can you say the same?â
his angelic voice rings through the crowd, the lights falling even more delicately on him as he raises his gaze to meet the loved-up couples, and instead ends up meeting your eyes which havenât been able to look away from him.
you turn your head with cheeks feeling hot as lava as you internally cringe at yourself.
what the fuck are you doing?
what has come over you?
sure, he is attractive but why are you acting as if you have never seen another man?
you sheepishly pat your cheeks before making a quick decision to leave as soon as you can, you canât afford to make yourself look like even more of a fool than you already have.
but you risk it anyway, you tilt your head slightly to see if heâs gone back to what he was doing, you just wanted one last look at him before you left for good, you needed something to burn this into your memory.
so, imagine what happens when he gives you just what you need to never forget him again.
he was looking right at you, refusing to turn away even after youâve clearly caught him and he continues singing while keeping his eyes on your every movement.
âbut i can say i tried, i can say i gave it my all, i can say i used the last breath in me to breath life into you, can you?â
his lovely voice overshadows the bleak lyrics and you can feel your heartbeat all the way down to your toes.
and thatâs when you leave.
you donât notice the way his hands tighten around his guitar as you turn away.
when you go back in, you immediately collapse near the bar and your dress rides up your thighs as you slump forward on the counter and breathe out a long sigh. you canât believe your body really gave up on you because one guy looked at you, and frankly, you are very much disappointed in your lack of self-control.
but he was looking at you too.
he refused to stop looking at you, even after you obviously caught him.
and that brought back the heat in your cheeks.
you feel ridiculous and embarrassed at your lack of composure, you donât even think you have looked at any of the romantic partners in your life that way.
you shake your head at yourself, it was one thing to embarrass yourself, it was another thing to embarrass yourself in a foreign country, and you are so busy beating yourself up, you donât see the person taking a seat next to you.
âwhenever you are done talking to yourself, can i have a turn?â you hear the smoothest voice from beside you and you jump in surprise, not expecting another person to have joined you. in a panic, your eyes hurriedly meet theirs, and your breath is taken away all the same when you see who it is.
heâs still got his guitar resting on his shoulder, his hair is still fashionably out of place, his nose is still high from up close, his shirt hangs off his frame just the same but his face, his face was otherworldly this close.
and you have been talking to yourself like a mad person when he was right next to you.
how charming.
âwhat are you doing here?â the question tumbles out of your mouth before you can catch it and he quirks an eyebrow at you, an amused smile now gracing his features, you are sure he is smiling because of how wide your eyes have gotten. âif you are interested, i am here for you and if you are not, well, iâm here for this.â he picks up the glass collecting condensation on the counter and picks it up.
of course, with a gorgeous face like his, he is also a smooth talker.
âwerenât you just performing up there?â you try to ask with a clear voice but an audible gulp in the middle of the sentence gives away your nervousness. âiâm done, for today at leastâ he shrugs and you ignore the fact that his eyes never leave your face as he waits for you to speak.
if he noticed how nervous you are (which you frankly doubt he didnât, cause you were being obvious with your fidgeting), he didnât point it out which you felt grateful for.
âyouâve got a lovely voiceâ you tell him honestly, shifting in your seat to face him better, you did find his voice to be one of the sweetest you have ever heard. his voice held a different depth, now when he was speaking, that you are not sure you comprehend yet. ânot lovely enough to make you stay till the end?â you want to run away again as he casually brings up how you ran away in embarrassment when your eyes met his.
âthat was not the reason i leftâ you mumble as you lift your glass to take a large gulp and when you look back at him, he is smiling. he feels good, he feels damn good that someone as pretty as you, are losing your words over him. but he wasnât doing any better, his heart was pounding in his ears with every word he spoke, and he still canât believe he mustered up the courage to follow you in.
he hasnât felt his heart leap so simply and so boundlessly, in a long time. heâs not even sure heâs ever felt this way before.
his pull to you felt magnetic, he didnât understand why he felt the need to talk to you but he did, and he couldnât ignore his feelings or understand them if he was being honest, so he was going to do everything he can to understand why you stood out to him in a room with 50 other people.
so he found himself, hurriedly running off the stage after his performance to find you again.
and now that he was this close to you, he understood his racing heart a little but that just left him wanting to know everything about you.
âmy name is seokjin, and if you allow me, i would like to take you back thereâ he stands up, putting his hand out for you to take and your stomach tightens in the pure rush that simple line made you feel. seokjinâs hand trembled in the air, out of sheer nervousness that you were going to say no and turn away, he wished you didnât notice.
âseokjinâ you repeat in a quiet tone, you loved his name already, something about his name fit his face perfectly and you realize that while you were thinking of his name, your hand already reached to place it in his.
and his heart leaps again, he lets out a breath of relief as an easy smile takes over his face.
he gleefully tightens his hand around yours and pulls you to stand with him, thatâs when you realize you didnât even ask him why you were going back. and you canât bring yourself to care, your entire body is flushed from his hand, you are sure your cheeks are as red as they come and your gaze decides to admire his broad back as he guides the both of you through the crowd.
this isnât like you, this isnât like you at all.
you never just talk to strangers, you donât hold their hands, you donât get this nervous around a person even if you are a shy person but your mind seemed to tumble on itself since youâve seen him.
once you are out in the open air, your hot skin raises in goosebumps from how cold the weather had gotten and a slow, sweet song was playing. you could see that people were swaying their bodies with each other and it looked like the setting couldnât have been more intimate, even with the full room.
you suck in a breath when seokjin turns around to look at you, your hand fell limply to your side as he left, and now, you could truly feel how bone-chilling it was.
âonly if you want to, can i have this dance with you?â the way he asks in reassuring, laced with choice for you, it mattered to him more than anything, that you are okay with this and when you smile at him shyly, he swears his heart bursts into a million colors. âletâs goâ this time, you envelop your hand around his and drag him with you where you can both dance without bumping into people.
you are still confused; you are still so new to all of this but you couldnât deny how good it felt to be around him.
in a partly secluded corner, you remove your hand from his and wait for him to make the move which he doesnât take too long to do.
within seconds, he hesitantly places an arm on the side of your waist and you step closer, feeling your breath waver already. he lets his eyes stay on your face as his other hand starts tracing where your arm begins to end by lacing your fingers with his and the entire time, he kept looking for any signs of discomfort in your face and lets out a breath of relief when he doesnât see any.
âis this, okay?â he mutters, his voice lowering several more octaves and the room felt tight around you, like there was no space to move if it wasnât in his arms and you found yourself wanting to erase any distance between you two. âmore than okayâ you mumble back and he bites his lip to hold back his huge smile at your response.
then, he took the confidence he got from the small smile on your face and tightened his hold on you as he started swaying the both of you to the music. and frankly, you didnât care a bit about the song being played, maybe it was because of the way the same honey-light fell on him as he moved you two, maybe it was because you have never felt so breathless yet so full of life at once but you felt comfortable, comfortable enough to not question how you felt right in that moment.
he made small talk as he twirled you around, seokjin kept leaning in to make sure you knew that you had every bit of his attention and with every question you asked him, he answered with enthusiasm and humor which had your cheeks hurting from smiling so big.
for the first time in a very long time, you werenât fidgeting to run around to get to the next thing you were supposed to do, you werenât mentally counting down the minutes you needed to move on, because, somewhere in the middle of him dipping you dramatically to make you laugh to the way his touch left your skin burning; for those few moments, no other place in the world seemed more important.
seokjinâs very presence made you feel calmer than any years of therapy did and you werenât sure what you were supposed to do with that information.
âarenât you going to ask me for my name?â you remind him halfway through the third song and he laughs breathily, sucking in a breath before offering the widest smile to you, which made you instantly smile back even more. âi canât believe i forgot to ask you that, please excuse my lack of manners. so, what is your name?â he asks, polite as ever, and you immediately tell him.
and just like you, seokjin finds your name to be perfect for your face.
âso, tell me y/n, what brings you here to this place?â his curiosity about you was eating him alive but thankfully, you were more than to humor him. âthey have the cheapest vodka around here, at least thatâs what it said on yelpâ you answer honestly and jin lets out a snort at that. âalcohol shouldnât be as expensive as it isâ he shakes his head in a sort of agreement with you. âexactly like itâs my senses that are being deprived, why am i paying with half my kidney for that?â you complain with furrowed eyebrows and jin coos at the sight, he loves to hear you whine, he loves it way too much.
he keeps asking you questions, about what brought you to berlin, what you liked so far, and who you came here with and you felt yourself melting even more into him as you answer him.
âwhy did you start performing here?â you ask this time and giggle when he spins you around suddenly to place your back against his chest, both his arms still tightly wound around you as he looks down at you.
he barely knows you but seokjin is willing to bet that heâs going to remember this night forever because no one ever asked him about his purpose for performing.
"well, as youâve said, i have a lovely voice, i thought why let it go to waste, you know?â you let out a small laugh at the confidence and silliness in his tone but quickly tilt your head as if it to ask him to answer seriously.
at the curious look in your eyes and the light hitting you just right, seokjin feels his senses drain from his body because suddenly, all his eyes can see, all his mind can register, is how close your lips are to his. and you notice his eyes fixating on your lips and your breath hitches. seokjin starts leaning in, his breath hitting your face in a warm wave and you stiffen in pure anticipation of what would come.
but then he shakes his head, leaning back with an uneasy chuckle.
ânot now, not like thisâ you raise your eyebrows as you try to snap out of your own daze. âwhat do you mean?â you mumble, not doing a good job at hiding your disappointment and he panics, because the last thing he wants is for you to misunderstand him pulling back. âdonât get me wrong, trust me when i say i want to do nothing more than to kiss this night away with you but i want to do it right, i want to do it when both of us canât think of anything elseâ as he utters those words, your heart pauses.
then beats.
then pauses again.
before beating louder than any rock music on the planet.
were you always capable of feeling this way?
âthen, can i do something?â instead of answering you, he turns you back so you were chest to chest now. âyou can do anything you want with meâ he whispers back his answer with a dopey grin on his face and your chest tightens in the best way possible as you reach up to leave a light kiss on his cheek.
you are more than pleased to see his face turn red as he tries to hide his blushing face in your shoulders. âcan we please get out of here? if you donât have anything planned, i want to show you so muchâ he mumbles onto your shoulder and you donât think twice before nodding.
it wasnât your smartest moment, you were going to admit to that, jetting off with a stranger in a foreign country in the middle of the night, is never the smart choice but you also couldnât let this night end here.
you wait at the entrance of the pub with flickering lights, pulling your shawl closer to your body after you waved your friendsâ goodbye, needless to say, they were surprised by your impulsive decision but after making sure you had a way to reach them if things went south, they left with giggles about how berlinâs air changed you.
âwhy are you even going with him?â they had asked and were pleasantly surprised when you replied with âi donât knowâ and a happy shrug, you were free of any riddling anxiety in your body at that moment. and your friends were glad to see it.
âshould we?â seokjin walks out and your jaw drops because of how different he looked with just an outfit change. his loose, dark-colored t-shirt, torn jeans and chains replaced with a well-fitting cream-colored shirt tucked into beige pants and a blazer thrown over his arm. even his hair looked different, now neatly styled and tucked back.
âtoo much of a contrast, isnât it? unfortunately, this is how i usually dress, pretty bland colors and all.â he laughs as he sees your face and you immediately shake your head, âitâs fine, itâs niceâ itâs very nice and i might be drooling a little, might have been the more accurate response there. he stares at you for a few seconds, doing his best to hide the smirk growing on his face.
eventually, he shakes his head with a huge grin, reaching out to take your hand in his, he was no longer hesitant because if seokjin went by the way you looked at him, you wanted him just as much as he did.
-
your room wasnât the best, it restricted your view of the prettiest city youâve had the pleasure of knowing but you didnât want to waste money on a room you were barely going to spend time in. falling on the bed, your mind goes back to seokjin, as if it ever stopped thinking of him. your smile grew and grew as you recounted everything that happened the night you met him, you canât believe it was actually you who took off with a stranger.
but it was the best decision you made in your life.
not much has changed now though, you are still extremely strict with your plans and time but you allow yourself to let go when it feels right. you were grateful that you still had that strong work ethic in you because that rewarded itself in the form of a promotion you have waited forever for.
you get up to look out the window, your eyes set on the same pub that let you fall in love all those years and you immediately run to the bathroom to start getting ready.
you couldnât wait any longer to see him and for someone who hated waiting the most, he truly put you up to the ultimate test.
your hand unconsciously reaches to the chain hanging off your neck, you just hoped he thought of you just as much.
-
~2019~
âso, why do you perform? you never ended up telling meâ you pause from the breathless laughter you both have been tumbling in since you sat down near a stall owned by jinâs friend. âthey have the best bingsu iâve had in my lifeâ is what he said after learning that you enjoy sweet things.
âi told you, lovely voice and allâ he quirked an eyebrow and you fight the grin on your face as you tried to glare at him. âokay okay, iâll tell youâ he gives in, moving closer to you on the long bench as the cold wind kept hitting both your faces.
you also moved closer, adjusting his jacket on your shoulder and seokjin fought the urge to hold you even closer, he didnât like even the tiny bit of space left between you two.
âitâs not my actual job, performing at the pub. i am actually an accounting manager, but i was sent by the company to berlin, and they are based in seoul, which is also where i grew up.â he explains and it took you by surprise that this isnât what he did for a living, he really looked like he was made to be on the stage. âi came here around 4 years ago, so not too long ago but long enough to know where the best food is, where the pretty places are, where the vodka is cheapestâ he trails off with a teasing smile to you, and you giggle in response.
âi am holding onto you for the cheap vodka thing, you need to take me thereâ you say, tilting your head at him with a huge grin on your face and seokjinâs entire face softens at your smile. âconsider it done.â and he doesnât know what prompts him but he leans over to brush his nose with yours and you donât back away, and instead nuzzle into his touch.
this was nice, this was way too nice.
then he continued, âwhen i came here, i didnât know anyone, i was too shy to talk to people at work and i felt extremely homesick, the only thing that kept me sane then was cooking myself korean food from time to time. i was working like a machine, with no real motive or passion for anything, just a repeated cycle. but then, i met these guys, and somehow, ended up in a band with them. we perform only on some days, whenever all of us are free and i didnât even know i would be happy singing in front of people, but i am, unbelievably so.â his voice was sad when he was talking about home but as soon as mentioned his friends, his voice became louder, more filled with pride and you didnât need him to tell you that he thought the world of these friends.
he looked over at you and your eyes were slightly glazed over because you canât imagine missing home, you canât imagine not knowing anyone in a huge city like this, you would simply not be able to go through with something similar to what seokjin did, and your admiration grew with every word he spoke.
seokjin, on the other hand, canât remember a time when he opened up so easily and deeply to someone.
âi am glad you performed todayâ you say, with warm cheeks and not really looking at him. one side of his mouth lifts up at your words, and he nods, âi am glad i did too.â
âso, what do you do? what unwillingly gets you out of bed every day?â he throws the question to you and you sit up straight, the thought of your work immediately alerting your senses.
âi am working at a start-up, we are trying to make a platform for people of color to express themselves on various attributes like their workplace and the micro-aggressions they face there, or their familyâs immigration, how it feels to have to live in a place where the language and culture arenât yours and how they deal with it. the idea is to express all this through different media outlets like videos, or a series of articles, or artwork.â you explain and seokjin sits in wonder at how smart you are, he expected you to be doing something like that, he didnât know why but he just had a feeling that someone like you was just brimming with ideas.
but he does notice that your eyes donât light up like his when he talks about performing.
âbut you donât like it?â you nod and then pause before shaking your head at this.
âthe objective is great, the whole reason i joined was because i didnât want people who looked like me, who sounded like me, to feel alone. i wanted to give them a safe place, a voice, something that was only theirs, something i wish i had when i started out.â you bite your lip because talking about your job makes you sad.
âi want to do so much but you know whoâs the head managing all of these activities? a white person, a white person with privilege. heâs never had to fight for his voice. heâs straight, heâs white, he plays golf on the weekends, he has kids comfortably going to private schools and he has a trophy wife. he doesnât understand these stories, he throws every single one that comes our way and refuses to hear out the already silenced people, always asking for something âspicyâ instead of the truth, he just wants a dramatic story to publicize. i just canât stand working for someone like him, someone who refuses to see the entire reason for our establishment but i canât give up now, not after i promised to myself that i will make it better for others.â
seokjin hears the determination in your voice, he understands the frustration more than anyone else which is he remains in thoughtful silence before he notices something else in your eyes.
a burning passion to destroy whomever this man was.
âyouâre going to do something about him, arenât you?â he smirks at you and your angry glare melts. âi am going to work till iâm seating in his chair and making decisions that he should be making right now, iâm going to make sure that whatever i do, it will be meaningful. iâm getting that promotion somedayâ seokjin feels his heart burst with pride, he might not know you all that well, but he knows how much this means to you and that you will do it.
âwhen you do it, you come and tell me all about it, yeah?â he bumps his shoulder with yours playfully.
itâs the way he says it, like he believes you will do it somehow and that fills you with renewed hope for your future.
âdeal.â you whisper, bumping him back. you both sit like that, the night feeling longer than it was supposed to be, but you were all the more grateful for it. then, seokjin gets up, dusting his pants off before extending his hand towards you, and itâs instinct to put your hand in his now.
âcome on, i want to show you so much moreâ and then youâre being dragged away to the next place jin wants to take you to.
thatâs how you spend the night, hand in his, and exploring every small corner of berlin that they donât mention in travel packages, you saw berlin through seokjinâs eyes, and those few hours of drifting away with the cold wind, filled your heart with a feather-like feeling, a feeling of being able to float into the sky if it werenât for seokjinâs hand anchoring you to the ground.
there wasnât anywhere or anyone else you wanted to spend that time with.
âyou should go nowâ you whisper with your forehead against his, right outside your hotel, not really wanting to leave or him to leave. it was getting late or early to be more precise; the sun was threatening to peek through, the sky being filled with the faintest shades of orange and blue as you and seokjin stood under, hands refusing to leave the other.
âis that why youâre squeezing the life out of my hands right now?â your giggles escape into the space between you two, âbut seriously, itâs too late already.â even as you say it, you donât move an inch and he doesnât either.
âiâm going to sound crazyâ he starts and your ears perk up immediately, âcome to my home, i promise i make a mean hot pot, we can do whatever you want to do.â it should scare you, a stranger inviting you to their home, should definitely trigger some fight or flight response in you, but you donât feel any of your usual anxiousness, you just feel him and the strong urge to follow wherever he goes.
âi understand if you donât feel comfortable, i totally get it so donât feel obliged, but if you do agree, iâve got a gift for you.â one of seokjinâs eyebrows draws up at the last words, and your curiosity bursts through you, any lingering hesitance immediately left your body.
âmy answerâ you trail off, stepping back, seokjinâs hands fall away from yours and he thinks this is where your magical night ends, this is the night he will spend weeks daydreaming about, the night that will keep him up forever.
he will spend many days just weaving through the possibilities of what you could be, of what you couldâve been.
you keep him waiting, dwelling in the satisfaction that his nervous face brought.
âdepends on your gift.â you give him a coy smile and he lets out an airy laugh, âyou had me really scared there, for a second.â he shakes his head at you and you fight your smile from growing bigger, âi know.â
and before you say something else to drop his heart to his ass, seokjin pulls out a chunky, tourist necklace with a laugh threatening to break from his throat. the necklace has a huge locket, with the words âberlinâ sprawled on it in vivd, neon colors.
it looks ugly.
he knows it looks ugly.
âi think iâll just head insideâ you playfully turn around on your heel and attempt to walk away, you count down the seconds it takes him to put you back in his arms.
one.
two.
three.
he lasted three seconds.
a record for the night truly.
seokjinâs arms immediately pulled you back to him and as you pretended to struggle against his grip, the ugly necklace was already resting on your clavicle.
âyou really thought this would convince me to come home with you?â your hands pull on the necklace as seokjin bows over in laughter, âoh come on, itâs not that badâ he stands straight, clearing his throat, his face fighting to stay passive.
you give him an unimpressed look and thatâs enough for him to burst into wheezes of laughter again.
and you love it, you love how freely seokjin laughs.
you want to hear it forever.
you stand there with your arms crossed against your chest, a fond smile etched on your face as you watch the man of your night, start to calm down. and he does, in the dramatic fashion you expect him to, fanning his face to force air onto his red cheeks as his eyes wrinkle with pure joy.
âif youâre done, can we go back to yours already?â you tap your foot impatiently, shying away from the fact that you just agreed to spend even more time with him. seokjinâs heart grows wings as his eyes drift over your soft smile, your tired but happy eyes, and then, the big, ugly necklace that rests on your body now.
âi knew you would like it.â
-
âyou have a cute homeâ you look at the photos hanging off his walls, all of them with either his family or the boys from the band. a fond smile grew on your face as you come across a photo with a very young jin holding a fishing rod. âyou fish?â you turn around to see him setting up wine glasses on the counter.
âi used toâ he sighed, coming around to give you a glass, for which you thank him silently, âwhy, no fish in berlin?â you tease him as you take a sip, he remains silent. your mood slips when he doesnât smile at you as he has been all night.
âiâm sorry if i oversteppedâ you quickly apologize, not meaning to bring up anything that wasnât comfortable for him, he shakes his head in response, âno no, god no. donât say sorry, i just havenât didnât feel like fishing anywhere except homeâ he stares at the picture where he holds the fish with both longing and resignation.
âyou miss seoul?â
âalways.â
âi canât imagine missing homeâ you gulp as you imagine how you would be if you moved places, you wouldnât survive without your comfort zone. âitâs not all bad.â seokjin smiles reassuringly but you arenât convinced.
âyou just said you miss home always.â
âi do but if i went back home, i would miss this too. imagine if i never left seoul, i would have never joined a band, i would have never put my lovely voice to use,â you scoff as he holds back a laugh, âi would have never known where you can find the cheapest alcohol in berlin, nor would i have ever bought some ugly necklace for a pretty woman.â you look away at the last part, hiding your burning cheeks away by staring out the window, âyou buy a lot of women necklaces?â
âonly the one, actually.â he steps in front of you with a smirk playing on his lips.
âmy, she must be luckyâ your voice drips with sarcasm as you raise the ugly necklace to his face, âi would insist i am the lucky oneâ his eyes are light as seokjin hums and traces the shape of the necklace which falls back on your clavicle.
the lightest touch between his fingers and your skin makes you suck in a breath.
as if a passing cloud suddenly rained down on you.
but you have been waiting for the droplets, you have been waiting for the thunder and storm.
you have been waiting for him to do something that leaves you breathless.
seokjin steps forward, grabs your wine glass, and places it on the counter.
âyou know, iâve met so many people over the years i joined the band,â he whispers his words and you quirk your eyebrow, âyouâre not off to a great start, seokjin,â
he stifles a laugh behind his hand before clearing his throat and bringing his hands to rest on your jaw, âyou are so impatient.â though itâs a trait of yours that you hate so very much, the way he says it with admiration instead of malice, makes your heart burn in your chest.
âyou are making me wait too longâ you whisper back, shivering under his fingers which traced your features carefully, intently as his eyes spark back with light-heartedness.
âi apologize for thatâ he sweeps a hand under your jaw and gently tugs your face towards his and your stomach flips into itself.
everything around you faded into oblivion.
but seokjin wandered and invaded every single one of your senses.
his lips were pillow-soft, as soft as you had imagined.
his soft breath warmed your cheeks.
his hair fell around your eyes and made it hard for you to see.
but you could see.
you could see all of him even with your eyes closed.
you could feel all of him especially with your eyes closed.
his hands that clutched your body like it was his oxygen.
his legs that couldnât possibly step closer to you but still tried.
his shoulders that were strong under your hands.
how were you going to ever leave him behind?
âseokjin i-â you let out helplessly, trying to tell him that this was only going to be this one night, that you would have to leave him here. he chooses to soothe his hands over your arms, easing your panic as quickly as it came, and gives you a soft kiss, parting away with a nod to let you continue.
that made it a thousand times harder to tell him.
there was no one way to do this.
âmy flight is tomorrow.â
âwhat?âseokjinâs relaxed face twists as sadness settles behind his eyes. âitâs booked for the eveningâ you give the information with a wince. his grip on you falters as an uneasy smile break on his face, âi thought you were just at the beginning of your trip.â
you wish it was.
you wish so badly that it was.
he steps away from your space, you understand itâs his form of rejection. it feels like a burning sting running down your back and you hold back the tears that dangle on your lashes, you couldnât bear this. this was the closest you had ever gotten to love in your entire life and it was crumbling in just some hours.
you didnât want seokjin to be some distant memory.
you didnât want to wake up and reminisce on what could have been.
âi donât want this to end hereâ you say, voice quivering with vulnerability. you didnât care if you will be rejected again, you didnât care if he tells you to leave and your arms shifted to cover your stomach, a poor attempt at protecting yourself.
this was the first time you knew, for sure, something that you wanted and you werenât going to cost yourself the pain that comes from not trying at all.
but seokjinâs silence was weakening your hope and you wanted to curl into yourself for ever believing that you could have a shot at love.
âi donât want this to end either.â
his words sunk into you slowly and filled you with the warmth that dissipated from your body.
âare you sure?â you hated how weak you sounded.
seokjin tutted at you, stepping into your space to unfold your arms that held before you as defense and engulfed your hands in his.
âi would hate myself for a long time if i didnât give us a try, itâs going to be hard but i have a good feeling about this. thereâs so much more i want to know about you and thereâs so much i want you to know about me, so this canât end here.â
he breathes back life into you with the promise hidden in his words, that heâs going whichever way you are willing to as well.
âme too, i want more, way more than just this night.â
seokjinâs face fills with both relief and agreement, it reassures you that this wasnât just you going crazy here, this wasnât just you hanging onto whatever you could, this was both of you, unwilling to let your chance at love die tonight.
so, you spent all night, with each other, in each other, sharing every bit of yourself that you could in the time that you did.
but soon, the sun shone too bright and your eyes couldnât stop filling up with tears.
-
you held your breath as you pushed the door open to seokjinâs studio, at least, you hoped this was the one. you had been to his old studios but they just moved into this one, so you had no idea what it looked like.
your palms were getting sweaty.
ây/n!â you heard hoseok, the vocalist and rapper from seokjinâs band chime from a corner and your entire body relaxes as you reach out for a hug. âseokjin hadnât told us that you were coming, we wouldâve cleaned up a bitâ you both laughed together at the mess around your feet.
âthis is kind of a surprise, so not his fault really.â you set aside the basket of baked goods you bought for them.
âthank you for this, weâve all been out of it lately with the move and the new label so itâs nice to see you, iâm sure he will be ecstaticâ hoseok hums as he digs through it.
âhowâs the whole becoming a full-time band thing going?â you tried to distract yourself from the actual reason you were here, it was going to be a lot for seokjin to take at once.
âat the beginning, daunting as fuck, all of us were scared but we really didnât have to worry so much, our gigs have been consistent and with this new baby, we can do so much more with our music.â you nodded, letting him rant to ease his mind and to also ease yours.
you were overjoyed when seokjin told you that they were becoming a legit band with a proper label, contract, and all the work. but hearing now how stressful itâs been, a tiny seed of worry plants itself in your mind that you were being selfish with this surprise.
but he will be happy, right?
like itâs all you two have talked about wanting. but that was before all the label stuff, before he had so much on his plate and your feet started tapping the ground incessantly as your worry continued to grow.
what if you guys break up over this?
what if he tells you that after all this time and effort, he didnât want to be together anymore?
a jingle at the door made you jump as three figures started to huddle in.
you were out of time to worry anymore.
-
âjust one more minuteâ you pleaded as your arms stayed tightly wrapped around seokjinâs torso, he let out a sad chuckle at that and granted your wish by letting you bury yourself in him. your friends stayed away to give you the privacy you needed for that minute.
this wasnât fair.
your first shot at proper love couldnât end this way, it wasnât ending technically but still, you had no idea what would happen after this. all you knew for sure was that you had this one minute with him and everything after that, was left up to fate.
âi donât think i can let you goâ he whispers into your hair as he planted a soft kiss on your temple and your body shuddered with unshed tears threatening to cascade from your eyes.
âcall everyday?â seokjin asks in a quiet tone, laced with the vulnerability that you braved when you told him that you wanted more. âeveryday.â you nodded determinedly into his chest.
âvisits whenever we can?â it was your turn to ask and seokjin nods just as determined as you, âwhenever we can.â
âyou wonât forget meâ seokjin says with utter confidence, just to make you laugh, which you do with a full kind of happiness, âitâs kind of hard toâ you point to the ugly necklace that you decided to keep on.
it was growing on you.
âweâll find our way back to each other, okay? somewhere, the universe will and has to align for us and when it does, i will never leave you again.â your eyes, already swollen with the tears youâve cried, grow wet again as you desperately force yourself to believe him.
it has to.
it absolutely has to.
it canât just end here.
but as your hands leave him for the last time and your boarding ticket crumbles in your hold, you canât help but feel that the future may not be as kind to you two as you hoped it would be.
-
meeting seokjin always felt brand new, in between the countless times you both flew to each other, touching his skin after waiting for a while, always took your breath away and managed to make you feel like the lightest cloud in the sky.
but as his arms engulfed you tightly, whispering words of surprise and amazement into your ears at seeing you after so long, your anxiety couldnât be calmed, your hands couldnât stop shaking and your breath refused to be even.
this was it, this was the day that would truly mark where you two would end up.
âi thought it was my turn to visit this timeâ he gleefully kissed your cheek and you nodded stiffly, âi just couldnât waitâ you replied, truthfully but your nerves were starting to give you a headache.
âare you okay? you look paleâ seokjinâs eyes assessed you with concern as the back of his hand pressed into your forehead and you sighed.
you had to tell him, this could go badly but it could also go well and with that tiny hope, you tugged towards the exit with you and he followed you wordlessly.
through the years you have known seokjin now, you had fights, huge fights, arguments that you thought you couldnât move past from, arguments that made you believe you were done. but every single time, you both found your way to each other.
and every single time, he gave you more reasons to stay and keep trying.
which is how you are here, in the city where you discovered love for the first time, throwing a stone into the blind for the future of your relationship and hoping it hits the right spot.
âso, what is on your mind?â he pulls you by your hand to wrap an arm around your body and you shiver with the same giddiness you felt all those years ago.
but you struggle to tell it to him.
no one talks about how scary it is to go a step forward in a relationship and just hope that they take the step too.
so, you donât tell him. you slowly reach out for the promotion letter tucked away in your coat. you give it to him with shaking hands and with confused eyes, he looks at the paper that held both your futures.
you watch carefully as his eyes go wide and the largest grin grows on his face.
âyou got it! you fucking did it, i knew you could but oh my godâ seokjin gushes and smothers your face with kisses and you canât help but giggle. âyou actually kicked him out the program, iâm so proud of youâ he presses a long kiss on your head and your insides warm with the love he showered on you.
âwait, look at the piece i submitted.â you show him the page where you wrote the story of men in berlin who found their home in each other and in their music, how they missed home but built a new one in a city unknown to them.
âthis is about us?â the amazement in his voice brings a smile to your face.
âi couldnât think of a better person to write about, you are the story that people need to know about because youâve found the heart to make a strange, new place, your new home.â seokjinâs eyes fill with unshed tears, âyou wrote all this?â he chokes back a sob and you know heâs beyond happy with it, so you nod eagerly.
âthereâs moreâ you whisper as you point to the very end of the paper.
the end, where it states, that the headquarters of your organization would permanently move to berlin.
seokjin stares at the text for one second without a word.
two seconds.
three seconds.
this was a mistake, you shouldâve talked about this with h-
âis this real? does this mean what i think it does?â he whispers to you, voice filled with confusion and hardly contained joy. you nod at him and bite your lip in anticipation, waiting for him to let you down gently or jump in the air with you.
his response comes in the form of him throwing his entire body onto yours, holding you so tightly that you can hardly breathe but youâre okay being breathless, you hardly contain your shivers of happiness when he starts whispering how grateful he was to you, and how much he loved you.
âso, youâre okay with this?â you ask, unable to keep the question hanging in your head. he pulls back and looks at you with such adoration, that you feel dumb for even asking the question.
âare you kidding me? this is all weâve ever wanted, everything iâve dreamed of since we started with this. i get to see you everyday and i canât think of a better thing in my life from now on.â he pushes a strand of your hair behind your ear with teary eyes and thatâs all it takes for you to cry as well.
âthis is good, very good, why are we crying?â you sob into his chest and he shakes his head, unable to give you an answer but holding you tighter against him.
it was hard to make the decision to move but your town didnât feel right anymore, and there were so many stories to tell, so many days to spend with seokjin that you just couldnât give up on, so when the offer to berlin came through, you took it right away with a giddy heart.
âthis changes everything for usâ he sighs out and you tense again, âin the best way possible, i canât wait to make you sick of meâ seokjin lets out a low laugh at your worried face before kissing all your frown lines separately.
and you let him, you let him continue to kiss your worries away.
you look around the city which will soon become your home, a feeling churns in your stomach but you know this time, that it wasnât your anxiousness, it wasnât because you had to go running somewhere else, it was because you finally found your person and your place.
that was enough to spark tears back in your eyes and this time, itâs all happiness, itâs all joy, itâs all the excitement that comes with getting to spend every day with the person you love, in the city, that helped you find love.