Jungkook: Deep Breath (8)

Jungkook: Deep Breath (8)

In which you learn what it's like to be his chosen mate.

Tags/warnings: Alien!Jungkook part 9643 I guess, human!Reader, futuristic, Angst, Fluff, strangers to lovers, eventual smut, jungkook is VERY touchy, Alien shenanigans and scary human things

Additional Chapter Warnings: low-key clingy JK, the cutest alien boyfriend

Chapter Length: short/mid

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Ever since confessing, a switch had been flipped with Jungkook, or so it seems.

He's no longer shy, doesn't bother hiding his face, seeks your attention at any chance he gets. He's attached to you now it seems- always offering to help, eyes sparkling during any conversation you're having. However, it seems like he's holding something back- and right now, late at night as the movie you've watched ends, you feel like it's the right time to ask. You're comfortably laying in his arms, one of his hands softly running circles over the skin of your hand, as you turn to sit up, looking at him.

"there's something I wanted to ask you these days." you say, and he nods, turning off the TV before he sits up properly as well, facing you. "is there something you're not telling me?" you ask, and his brows furrow as he leans his head to the side a bit in question.

"no?" he wonders, now a bit nervous. "why do you ask?"

"I just.. It always feels like you want to ask me something whenever we go to bed, but you don't." you say, and that seems to hit a nerve, as his eyes suddenly avoid you, gaze lowering as his fingers begin to play with the string of his sweatpants. "Koo.. We're a couple now, right?" you ask, and he nods, though he's still squirming.

"I just.. Don't know how to move forward now." he admits, shrugging his shoulders in defeat. "Like.. I read online that you're supposed to kiss when you confess but we didn't and now it feels like I missed the chance.. And, I want you to sleep next to me at night but it's said online that-" he gets cut off by your fingers touching his lips, a smile on yours as you look at his slightly shy face.

"why do you obsess over what others say so much?" you wonder, and he sighs.

"I don't want you to feel uncomfortable with me." he admits. "I'm worried that the differences in culture and all of that might become a problem." he says softly, before you scoot forwards to hug him.

"Culture is to be shared, not judged." you hum towards him, as his arms wrap around you. "and a relationship is a journey on which you'll get to learn about each other. But we need to talk about this stuff before we can try to take steps. Otherwise we're gonna end up going different roads, and then we'll loose sight of each other." you tell him, and he nods, as you sit in front of each other again.

His eyes find your lips fairly easily, one look all it takes before you lean into him, placing a soft kiss to his own. His eyes close almost instantly, the gesture something he'd thought about for way too long now; and it's better than he could've ever imagined it to be.

"can you.. Will you sleep next to me tonight?" he asks, and you nod. It takes him a second before he realizes you've agreed, eyes suddenly wide as he scrambles to get up. You laugh.

"what's wrong now?" you giggle, when he takes all the blankets and pillows from the couch, before running into his room.

"I have to make a proper nest!" he yells from his room, noticing your steps. "no no no don't come in yet!" he panics, and so you agree to stay outside, sitting next to his door against the wall while he does his thing. It takes him quite a while it seems, and he looks rather sheepish as he walks out to get you now. "I- it's not that great-" he starts, though he notices you asleep already, his demeanor relaxing as he leans down to pick you up.

He's glad you've both gotten ready for bed prior to the movie you'd watched- because now he can comfortably place you right in his bed between all the pillows and blankets, before crawling in himself, pulling you close to him.

You're finally right where you belong, in his opinion. You're right here, where he can hold you, all throughout the night.

Just how it's supposed to be.

This is part of the series Hooked. You don’t have to read the whole series but it might make more sense if you read the previous part Mixed Signals.

Pairing: nerd!jimin x fem!reader

Genre: pwp, eventual fwb 2 lovers, some angst, college!au

Warnings: brief masterbation (f), mentions of divorced parents and commitment issues, Joon is real jerk, reader falls and scrapes her knee it’s nothing serious, explicit sexual content, corruption kink, dom!reader, sub!jimin trying to be a little more dominate, strip tease, fingering, cum eating, unprotected sex (wrap it up, people), just a reminder that Jimin is a sweetheart but he thicc and gifted, creampie, hair pulling, grinding, breast play, Jimin wants to talk dirty but he’s just cute, a decent amount of ass grabbing tbh, Jimin’s sweater vest (yes it deserves its own warning) 

Wc: 9.3K 

a/n: massive shout out and thank you to everybody who has been supporting the series so far and being so excited about this pairing!! They are such a joy to write and I’m really really happy with how the story is progressing. I’ve got quite a bit planned for this series so I hope you’ll stick around until the end 🙏!!! As always, if you are 18+ and would like to be tagged please leave a comment, ask, or dm ❤️

Feel free to send an ask addressed to one of the Hooked! characters if you’d like to talk to them ^^

[y/n] hey baby wanna come over 😘

[y/n] got a new toy for us to play with

[y/n] guess what it is? 👀

[y/n] ill give you a hint. its a cock ring

[y/n] are you excited? i am 🤭

[y/n] baby??

Something is wrong. Something is very wrong. Jimin hasn’t responded to your sexts in almost four days. He never takes this long to answer because he said it’s impolite to leave people on read.

Yet here you are. Left on read. Rude.

Keep reading

mating call -> jjk (finale)

summary: you’re the only survivor on a failed mission on a planet full of ruthless, blood thirsty creatures. you almost give into your fate but when you come across a being who seems to be kind, you give into him instead.

pairing: jungkook x female reader

genre: alien au, sci-fi, smut, horror

warning tags: another time jump, lactation kink, titty sucking :>, also about the ending…i couldn’t myself lol: blood, murder, death (not main character, dw), mind communication (in italics), memory erasing

word count: 7.5k

a/n: and…scene D: i really hope you guys enjoyed mating call! my baby <3 my first ever completed series…SO bittersweet because i don’t want it to end O_O this was also the longest thing i’ve ever written for this series so forgive me if there’s mistakes LOL. i’ll try and make it a habit from now on to edit my working (although that’s not a promise olol) i love you all so much. thank you for supporting mating call!

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masterlist

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

“Lyra! Get down here, please!” You shout throughout the house, loud enough for your teenaged daughter to hear. 

It’s been six years since your return to earth, and things have been far better than you initially anticipated them to be. Jungkook grew accustomed to Earth and human values rather quickly with the help of you; he was careful and quick to pick up on the way they saw things as opposed to the barbaric ways of his kind. Jungkook had always had a softer heart, so it wasn’t the hardest task for him.  

Other things came a little slower to him though, like controlling his abilities around people. There had been one too many times where he had accidentally communicated through his mind with others and that nearly drove them into insanity, needless to there were plenty of booked in therapy sessions because of him. At the start, whenever he felt even a little mad or just protective of you, his tentacles would threaten to appear, one time all four shooting out at full length completely. He’s lucky that only happened one time, because he was able to convince the guy that none of it ever really happened.  

Other than that, it took him around a year to get used to not using them in public, as he could comfortably be himself at home. For a while it meant he would simply just walk around the house with them hovering around him, which had almost given your mother a heart attack initially, but she didn’t have to worry about it much longer. 

Keep reading

Beaches and Vlives I JJK

A/N: Hello! After writing Stroke Game, I decided to continue the theme of writing stories around posts, videos, and lives of the members. The concept of these were inspired by @kimnjss clips with context series! You should definitely check them out!

I will be taking requests for other things that people would like a story written around so feel free to send those in!

Summary: The events leading up to Jungkook’s impromptu Vlive and what happened after.

Warnings: smut, oral (f receiving), unprotected sex, brief mentions of pregnancy kink, good ole missionary, nothing too crayz

Masterlist

Ever since your car had passed the sea on the drive up to the campsite, Jungkook had been itching to get on live and talk to Army. You had watched from the passenger seat as he went silent and fell into his thoughts, while he tried to simultaneously admire the sea and keep his eyes on the road. After gentle prompting from you, he finally confessed how much the sea reminds him of Army. Heart melting a little bit at the revelation, you ask him to tell you more, but he doesn’t.

After a few minutes, you see him glancing back and forth between the sea and the road almost anxiously, and then you watch as he pulls his lip between his teeth and starts biting the skin there. 

You’ve known Jungkook long enough to know, there’s something on his mind, but he’s overthinking. Reaching across the center console, your thumb gently tugs on his bottom lip to rescue it from his anxious biting. His eyes quickly dart to you and then back to the road. You card your fingers lightly through his hair, hand falling down to give a quick tug on his earring before breaking the comfortable silence in the car, 

‘What’s on your mind handsome?’ You ask quietly so as not to startle him.

He seems to mull over his thoughts for a moment before speaking up,

‘I really want to talk to Army right now after looking at the sea.’ He says it quietly, and an embarrassed laugh follows almost as if he thinks it’s ridiculous. You can see his eyes flit back and forth, trying to gauge your reaction.

‘So why don’t you?’ You hum.

You watch as he cutely tilts his head to the side, eyebrows furrowed lightly,

‘This is our trip, Jagi, before things are busy with our comeback.’ He’s overthinking even more, and it’s written all over his face. The way his eyes are bouncing, his fingers are jittery, and his lip is back between his teeth.

‘Koo,’ you start, ‘If you wanna go live, then go live. You know I don’t care.’ You reassure him.

He thinks for a moment before responding, ‘I can’t even go live because I don’t have my laptop and there aren’t any staff and I’m not supposed to-’ 

‘Kook’ you cut him off ‘You can use my laptop, and you can call the staff ahead of time and let them know’ You place your hand on his thigh and give a light squeeze to reassure him.

He looks over at you,

‘You really don’t mind?’ He asks timidly.

‘Of course I don’t.’ You smile at him.

.     .     .

You watch in admiration as Jungkook, a little more uncoordinated after the drink (or two) he had, fumbles to set up everything he needs for his live. Deciding to wait until after you had dinner and for some staff to arrive just to be safe seemed like a good idea at first but now he’s antsy. He’s rushing in excitement, and along the way he’s knocking cups and the camera over. You watch as Jungkook is switching between sitting down and checking the camera angle and then getting back up to rearrange the chair so the camera has a slight view of the fire. Then he sits again before deciding once more that the angle isn’t to his liking. He’s bouncing back and forth between sitting and standing, dimming the lights, at one point, he even grabs his car keys and moves his car since ‘too much of it is in the frame.’

Jungkook has always been a perfectionist. That much isn’t new, but when he’s particularly nervous or excited for something, those tendencies are even more pronounced than usual. Especially since his excitement for the live is combined with the nerves for his comeback. He’d been spending extra hours in the studio perfecting his vocals, and every free moment he had was spent walking around singing the new songs. He was in the gym constantly trying to look his best, and he even made sure to get the new tattoo he’s been wanting ahead of time so it would be healed for the new performances.

He finally gets everything set up just perfect and after adjusting his hair in the camera he looks up at you,

‘I’m ready.’ He says with a cute smile on his face. You laugh at him in response,

‘I’ve been ready. You were the one posing the car and the fire in the background.’

He rolls his eyes at you,

‘You have to set the scene, Jagi.’ He pouts. Instead of saying anything else you just gesture toward your laptop, and he shoots you a handsome smile and pressing a finger against his lips in a ‘shh’ motion before starting the live.

You’ve been around him enough to know that any movement of yours can be perceived as staff, but the biggest rule is to not say anything. 

You busy yourself with trying to quietly clean things up while Jungkook begins to talk to the camera. Throwing away bits of trash and food scraps, you listen to your boyfriend's ramblings in the background. A quick glance over your shoulder reveals that he’s already more relaxed than he was in the beginning. He’s curled up comfortably in his chair, a sweet smile on his face.

There’s a specific shine that Jungkook gets in his eyes when he’s at his happiest. You’ve noticed it time and time again when he’s on stage, doing lives, or telling you about something that Army did, whether it be a birthday present or a project that they’ve organized. He’s constantly in awe of the people that make his job worth it.

After cleaning up a bit, you lean up against a wall and turn to just watch him. The rain adds perfect background noise to his voice. Watching the gestures of his hands, the way he throws his head back in laughter, and the slight pout he gets to his lips when he’s telling the fans a story, almost as if he thinks they won’t believe him. He gets more animated as he goes on, and in doing so he sees you in his peripheral vision from where you’re propped against the wall. You smile at him and watch as he becomes shy before surprisingly addressing you,

‘You’re just gonna stand there and watch me?’ He asks before seemingly catching his slip up. Before you can even begin to panic he’s smoothing it over and turning to the staff who had driven up once he said he was going to do a live. Before anything can happen he looks back to the camera, 

‘The staff seem to think I’m gonna spoil something on the live.’ he giggles, ‘They’re all just watching me.’ You admire how quickly he covered up talking to you.

He looks around once more before glancing at the camera,

‘I’m gonna tell you a secret,’ He peers behind to mock checking his surroundings, 

‘I had a drink and I feel good now.’ He scrunches up his nose, and you have to cover your mouth to keep from laughing at his cute gesture. You decide to sit back down and just watch him for the remaining time. It’s impossible to miss how incredibly happy he is right now, telling stories and making jokes. You can already hear his hyungs laughing at him about how he’s supposed to be on vacation but instead he’s live, the same way they teased him about his two hour long livestream. 

.    .    .

Jungkook sighs as he closes the computer, a content smile on his face,

‘Do you feel better?’ You ask him. He simply smiles in response and then winks at you. Jungkook stands up and goes to talk to the staff and thank them for driving up for his impromptu live. 

You had left your phone inside while Jungkook was live, not wanting the iPhone ringtones getting him in trouble. Walking inside to grab your phone, you see Jungkook’s sitting next to yours, and the notifications on the screen show missed calls from most of the members. The top notification is a text from Jimin.

From Jiminie hyungie

Good luck Jungkookie :)

You laugh at seeing a text wishing Jungkook luck for his live. You can’t help but think this is his hyung’s way of teasing him for the whole situation. Looking at your phone, you see Jimin called you as well. Hearing the door open behind you, you decide to call him back later and spend time with Jungkook now that he’s done.

He walks up behind you and wraps his arms around your waist. You can’t help but close your eyes and lean into the comfort of his embrace. He presses the lightest kiss against the shell of your ear,

‘Thank you.’ He murmurs into your ear.

‘For what, Kook?’ You ask. He pauses for a moment, 

‘For loving me and supporting my career.’ He hums back.

You turn your head to look him in the eye, ‘I always will.’ He just stares for a moment before his eyes glance down to your lips. His index finger and thumb come up to grasp your chin and pull your head toward his. And then he gently kisses you, soft lips moving languidly against yours to convey all of his emotions.

The thing about loving Jungkook is that he isn’t good at putting his feelings into words. He’s better at showing his emotions through actions whether it’s giving gifts, soft touches, or passionate kisses that stop your heart in its tracks.

He breaks the tender kiss to start pressing kisses down your neck. Light, wet, open mouthed kisses until he reaches where your shoulder meets your neck. He sucks lightly leaving a mark. You’ve learned through the years that Jungkook is a possessive lover. Since he can’t outwardly show that you're his, he loves leaving marks everywhere that he can. Up and down your neck, collarbones, and all the way down your cleavage. One particularly long night after a small argument had ended in a trail of love bites all the way down to your hips. 

‘I just love you so much’ he murmurs against your skin. 

‘I love you more Kook’ You respond, turning your head to capture his lips with yours. You turn around fully and wrap your arms around his neck. He tugs your bottom lip between his teeth and reaches down to grab the backs of your thighs and hoist your legs around his waist. He picks you up and starts to move toward the bedroom when he bumps into the cabinet in the kitchen,

‘Oh my god that hurt’ you laugh, sensual atmosphere broken by Jungkook’s misstep. 

‘Sorry Jagi’ He’s trying, but failing, to hold back his laughter, ‘I’m not used to the layout of the camper.’ He’s trying but failing to contain his laughter. You smack him lightly on the shoulder and urge him toward the bedroom. He’s still quietly laughing, and you opt to distract him by kissing along his jawline. His amusement is gone quickly as you feel goosebumps sprout on the nape of his neck. Kissing further down, your lips make their way toward his adam’s apple. Lightly taking the skin there between your teeth, and then easing the nip with a kiss and a trace of your tongue, you hear his breath hitch in his throat.

‘Jagi,’ he warns, but it doesn’t sound very forceful.

‘I know Kook. No marks.’ You respond, continuing the trail of your lips to ease his worry. All of the sudden his arms beneath you are gone, and you’re falling. You gasp out of surprise, eyes shooting open, and then your back meets the soft surface of the bed.

‘You’re a jerk. Could’ve warned me at least.’ You pout.

He smiles cheekily while crawling over you to meet your lips again, ‘No time for that, baby.’ He pulls your shirt over your head, and then his lips are back on yours. He’s kissing you slowly like he has no plans of going anywhere. 

Jungkook isn’t a fan of quickies, always taking his time showing you how much he loves you. Jungkook is trailing kisses down your chest, making his way toward the waistband of your shorts. He nips the skin of your abdomen and then soothes over the mark with a swipe of his tongue and a quick kiss, his way of leaving marks that won’t last as long as love bites. 

Above you Jungkook is struggling to keep it together. He’s trying his hardest not to combust from excitement and pure adortion. The way you were so accepting of his career and all that came with being an idol, including impromptu camping trips and even more impromptu lives, just makes him love you even more.

Before he met you, he’d come to accept the idea that he might never find someone he wanted to be with forever. It sounds dramatic, but past dating attempts have left him hopeless for future relationships. Girls were upset that he couldn’t always make time for them, or that he might be out of the country for months at a time. He knows he isn’t perfect and forgets anniversaries if schedules get too busy, and he might not always have the time to be there for birthdays. 

You, however, have taken everything in stride. Accepting his flaws and the inconvenient aspects of his job with your head held high. You’re always there when he gets off of work at ungodly hours, and always ready to answer the phone in the middle of the night when he’s on the other side of the world. So, when he has time like today, he loves to just admire you, and show you how much with each and every kiss and touch.

Your shorts are long gone, and when he’s going to spread your legs to lay between them, you reach forward and tug the hem of his shirt over his head. You trail your hands down his pecs, tracing the lines and contours of his torso. After a moment of admiring his chest, you glance up to meet his eyes, and he’s smiling down at you. It’s not a cocky smile, just a sweet one.

‘Lay back, jagi.’ After following his orders, Jungkook lays on his stomach between your parted legs. He props your thighs up on his shoulders, and then he makes eye contact with you while he licks a slow stripe from your opening to your clit. He watches you as you close your eyes and throw your arm out to grasp the sheets between your fingers. Jungkook loves nothing more than getting to just give you endless amounts of pleasure. He wraps his lips around your clit and his fingers make their way to your entrance. He slides two in, knowing you like a little bit of burn when he’s stretching you out.

‘So good for me baby.’ He’s tracing figure eights on your clit with the tip of his tongue and curling his fingers inside of you just right.

You’re overcome with the sensation of Jungkook between your legs. Reaching down to curl your fingers into his hair, you lightly grind your hips up into his face.

‘That’s right baby, fuck my face.’ He flattens his tongue and shakes his head back and forth, letting more spit fall from his mouth. The sounds he’s making are obscene, fingers squelching inside of you and spit-slicked tongue slurping obnoxiously against you. 

Jungkook is out of his mind with the scene of you using his face to get off. The tightness in his pants is unbearable, and he’s started to grind against the bed below him, hips thrusting to provide some relief. He can feel that you're getting closer, the movements of your hips are getting jerkier and more desperate. 

‘Go on baby, come on my tongue and fingers.’ The coil in the pit of your stomach is getting tighter and tighter, pleasure building to new heights. The combination of Jungkook’s mouth and fingers helps you approach the end quickly. It’s when you look down to see his eyes closed and hips grinding on the bed, harsh breaths leaving his chest, that the coil snaps. Your grip in his hair pushes his face into your pussy, bucking against him. Your hips move up so that your clit brushes against his nose, and the solid pressure in your most sensitive spot helps you ride out your climax. His fingers are still inside of you when you finish, gently helping you along, but they stop when the grip you have on his hair loosens and your hips stop moving. He lifts his head when your legs fall off of his shoulders to be met with you lying back, eyes closed, and chest moving rapidly. 

When you open your eyes, you’re met with the sight of him staring at you.

‘What?’ You ask him. He starts to move up your body, but he pauses when he’s level with your chest.

‘I didn’t even get to play with these.’ he mumbles, leaning down to take your nipple into his mouth.

‘Yah, not so fast. Jesus you’re insatiable.’ You mumble after pushing his head away from your sensitive nipples. Your grip stays on his jaw, and your thumb traces his bottom lip and then pokes the mole underneath. Jungkook turns his head into your hand, enjoying your touch. Then, you pull him so his lips meet yours once more. His hips press against yours, and you can feel how hard he is for you beneath his pants. Your hands trace down his sides, and then meet at the button of his pants. Your fingers work quickly to undo the zipper and push them down his hips. Once his pants are off, boxers gone along with them, you push at his hip

‘Sit back Koo, I wanna suck you off.’ You hum, mouth watering at the thought of having him in your throat. He groans, ‘I really really want you to, but I won’t last jagi.’ He laughs slightly embarrassed.

‘What’s wrong with that Koo?’ You smirk at him, ‘I love when you cum down my throat.’ 

He groans again, pushing your face away with his hand and taking a deep breath, ‘You have to stop talking like that or I’m gonna cum in my pants.’ He laughs.

‘You’re not wearing any pants.’ You point out with a smirk. 

‘You’re so funny’ He quips, unamused. He leans down and kisses you, halting your teasing, and you break away to whisper against his ear, ‘How do you want me, Koo?’ He groans, and his hips stutter against yours, and he decides against scolding you for your dirty talk and instead simply answers, ‘Hands and knees jagi.’ 

You laugh at his shy answer, ‘You’re such an ass man, Kook.’ Nonetheless you turn over getting into the position he requested. Apparently you’re too far up the bed because you let out a squeal as he wraps his hands around your waist to pull you toward the foot of the bed so he can stand behind you.

‘I’m so lucky, Jagi.’ Jungkook says under his breath. His hands are kneading your ass cheeks. Pulling and patting, watching them ripple back into place. You let him, knowing this is one of the rare occasions he’s bold enough to request one of his favorite positions.

You’re expecting him to start to ease into you when he flips you onto your back. You look up at him in surprise, ‘What happened to hands and knees?’ You ask him and give him a kiss to punctuate the question.

‘Changed my mind.’ He mumbles against your lips. ‘Wanna kiss you.’

It’s hard to ignore the way your stomach flips at the statement, and instead of saying anything, you give him what he wants.

He reaches down to grab the base of his cock. He gives himself a quick stroke, hips stuttering in sensitivity. He bites his lip at the feeling of friction against his cock. He lines up with your entrance, glancing up to make sure you’re still okay, before pushing in slowly. 

You watch as his eyes roll into the back of his head at the sensation of your walls wrapped around his cock. He whines low in his throat, trying to keep the noises at bay but failing after being worked up for so long. He bottoms out, pelvis pressed flat against yours. You watch as he takes a deep breath, trying so hard to resist the urge to thrust into you recklessly.

You wrap your hips around his waist, pushing his hips impossibly tighter against yours.

‘You feel so good, Jagi.’ His voice is strained, and his cheeks are flushed, eyes closed and basking in the feeling.

Sex with Jungkook is one of the most amazing experiences, because he doesn’t just have sex. He gets so overwhelmed by the pleasure that it’s almost too much for him, and watching as he relaxes and lets himself feel good is one of the most attractive things to you.

He’s slowly fucking into you, taking time to enjoy the way you feel around him. 

Reaching up to wrap one arm behind his neck, you prop yourself off the bed slightly with the other arm, and then you push your hips up into his to fuck yourself on his cock. The reaction from Jungkook is instantaneous. His hips stutter from their previous pace before pushing all the way into the hilt. Jungkook’s hands grab your hips to stop you from moving.

‘You can’t do that or this will be over way too soon.’ He laughs, but you can see how much he was affected. The muscles in his abdomen are quivering, and he’s bright red all over with sweat collecting along his hairline. After taking a breath, Jungkook slowly drags his cock back out and then slams back inside of you, pushing you up the bed with the force of his thrust. He hammers into you at a rapid pace the sound of his hips slapping against yours are only accompanied by his grunts and your babbling of his name. He leans over you, chest pressed against yours and kisses you, tongue tracing along your bottom lip and giving it a slight nip. 

Jungkook knows you too well, and when your hips start to twitch against his, he reaches down and rubs your bundle of nerves with his thumb, helping you toward your orgasm.

‘Jungkook.’ you moan, hand reaching out to find purchase on his shoulder as you grow closer and closer to finishing.

‘Kook’ you mumble, ‘kiss’

He looks down at you and smiles, ‘Always gonna kiss my girl.’ And then his lips are meeting yours. His thrusts are getting hard, filling you up perfectly, and the combination of his fingers, cock, and lips push you over the edge. You cry out as your orgasm washes over you. 

Jungkook is so close. He knows you could tell before, but the clenching of your walls around his cock is pushing him toward the edge. His pace falters as he tries to keep going, but his attempt is fruitless. He makes sure to fuck you through your orgasm before he starts up the brutal pace again.

‘I’m gonna cum babe.’ he pants out against your lips.

‘Gonna fill me up Kook?’ You ask him. Jungkook grunts back his response,

‘I’m gonna fill you up so good, maybe even fuck a baby into you.’ He’s too far gone to think about what he’s saying, and you’re momentarily surprised. This is the first time Jungkook has brought this up, but you can see how turned on he is, so you decided to go along with it.

‘Yeah? You’re gonna fuck a baby in me? Fuck me so good I get pregnant?’

That’s the final straw for Jungkook, the thoughts running through his head of you pregnant with his kid, tits swollen with milk have him too worked up, and with no warning he’s cumming. His hips stutter as the first few spurts come out, and the noises he’s letting out are mixtures of your name, groans, and ‘baby.’ He pushes into you one last time as hard as he can, shaking with the force of his orgasm before his arms promptly give out under him and he flops down on top of you.

You both sit quietly for a while, running your fingers through his hair and just enjoying each other’s presence. 

‘I think I almost died.’ He says against your chest after a moment. He smiles when he feels you shaking with laughter underneath him.

‘So you wanna knock me up huh?’ He groans and buries his face deeper into your sternum, trying to avoid eye contact. You’re laughing even harder now.

‘Where’d that come from Kook?’ You nudge him from where he’s trying to hide.

His eyes meet yours, and he shrugs ‘Just a horny fantasy.’ He mumbles. ‘For now.’

‘Ok well you keep fantasizing while you let me up so I don’t get your cum all over the bed. We have to sleep here tonight.’ He rolls over onto his back next you so you can get up, and he watches you walk into the bathroom. His mind is no longer clouded by you, and now all he can think about is what he has been planning to do tonight.

.     .     .

Later after being live when Jungkook posts a picture of the beach, Army will never know that they helped him calm down for the biggest moment of his life. Because just next to where he drew hearts and letters into the sand, he got onto one knee and asked the most amazing and supportive girlfriend he’s ever had to be his wife. 

And maybe, just maybe, he’s a few steps closer to that horny fantasy becoming reality.

Coquet, Part 9 | JJK

Coquet, Part 9

\ kō-​ˈket Definition: noun. a man who indulges in flirtation.

✫✫✫Coquet Masterlist✫✫✫

Pairing: Escort!JJK x Fem-reader

Rating: M (🔞)

Genre: Fake-dating!AU; Strangers to lovers; fluff; angst; smut

Warnings: ANGST(!!!); pining; vulnerable confessions; some sexually-explicit conversations; cussing; self-deprecation; very slight hint of sexual tension; some medical terminologies

Word count: 11.8K+ words

Summary: On your brother's wedding, you dread traveling to see your family–whom you have successfully avoided for over a year after moving across the country for work. In an effort to save face, you hire an escort to get them off your back and perhaps even make your ex–who happens to be the best man–a little jealous.

A/N: Sorry this took so long! I had to sit in my feelings--just like my loves here. I also had a terrible case of writer's block while working on this. I was constantly questioning the direction that I was taking the narrative in. In the end, I went with the more realistic, sensible approach rather than going for instant gratification. And while the latter is easier and seems more satisfying, I wanted to maintain my core writing style--and that's making my characters earn the ending that I am setting them up for.

A/N2: Multiple POV switches occur here. I've tried to add headings to serve as a marker as to whose "headspace" you're in. Hope that helps! 😬

A/N3: The 'medical' portion here was directly lifted from an episode of House (love that show!). Just slightly paraphrased (for the dramz)! Also, if you've read my other works--let me know if you've picked up my not-so-subtle easter egg here 🤗

Needless to say, no wedding occurred the following day. Taehyung calmly explained things to your parents last night when he got back to the hospital. They were rightfully disappointed and extremely confused, but he didn’t leave them much room to complain about it.

There was no sign of Jennie or her family this morning either. Auntie Dahlia may have let slip that they left around dawn–before everybody else.

You wait patiently in the lobby with your suitcases as different groups board shuttles. Some were headed to the airport whilst others headed to a separate dropoff area where most local guests and relatives parked.

You were headed to your parents’ house to pick up one of their cars to drive back to the hospital so you could be there when your dad gets discharged. Instead of rebooking an earlier flight, you decided to spend your last night in your childhood home and leave on the day you had originally planned.

Too many thoughts, feeling so many emotions, you sighed and checked your flight’s confirmation email for the nth time.

You still had notifications turned on for any changes and last night you received an alert about one of the itineraries that you booked–Jungkook’s. Your phone pinged indicating that he flew out at 6:30 this morning.

Your fingers hovered on the text window’s keypad for a few seconds before closing out of it. You did the same thing last night after finding the envelope containing the money that you had given him at the beginning of the week. You didn’t care to count it.

You regretted lashing out at him. He was the unwitting recipient of your rage. Not to mention that you said the most awful words to him. Words you couldn’t take back.

It was not how you envisioned this trip ending.

Had you actually made plans to go out on a date with him? The last few days seem like a fever dream now after how things went down last night.

Haru was gone and you felt nothing. Jennie left but not before apologizing last night, trying to make things right. It counted for something but didn’t make their betrayal hurt less.

And now Jungkook was gone. You hunch over your knees and bury your head in your hands. That seemed like a harder pill to swallow.

You are pulled from your thoughts when you hear someone clearing their throat. Lifting your head slightly, you flick your eyes sideways and spot the tips of a pair of Chelsea boots. When you glance up, you see Jimin smiling at you. You force a smile in return.

He nudges your leg playfully, prompting you to scoot over so he could settle in the empty space next to you. You sit side-by-side in silence for a minute until you feel his arm curl around you, pulling you closer to him. You instinctively rest your head on his shoulder, releasing a deep, shaky breath so your tears wouldn’t fall.

Jimin could run his mouth if and when wanted to. You had a feeling that he had plenty to say about everything that happened last night, but he seems to settle with rubbing the side of your arm. It was comforting.

He finally breaks the silence with a mundane question. “Need a ride to the airport in a couple days?”

You sighed. “Will it be a quiet ride?”

“As quiet as you want it to be,” he promises.

You nodded. Straightening out, you look around the lobby, as if expecting somebody familiar to come walking by. “Is Mindi still up in her room packing?”

He closes one eye and squints, as if weighing his answer. “Sort of? She says she needs time to psych herself up before she sees you.”

You gave him a look of confusion. “Why would she need to do that?”

Jimin shifted in his seat. “She kind of feels guilty. By association.”

You groaned at the sound of that. “Chim, you know I don’t see it like that.”

“I know. I talked to her about it last night and this morning at length. She felt that she should have known–with her and Jennie being attached at the hip and all. And if she had known, she’d be the first to sound the alarm.” He simultaneously reasons with you and defends his sister’s emotions.

You tilted your head back and sighed. You rubbed your eyes, completely drained of life. You didn’t want all of this guilt floating around you, not when you had guilt of your own that you had to deal with.

“Jennie seemed like she was ready to take that secret to the grave,” you say, sounding distant.

“Mm. That’s the thing with people who seem too good to be true. They’re overcompensating for something,” he replies cynically.

Your eyebrows quirked and you glanced sideways at him. You wondered if maybe he had your secret figured out.

He lifted a shoulder, continuing. “But…sometimes, there are things that seem dubious but aren’t. You spend enough time being a skeptic, it makes it hard for you to tell whether something or someone is actually being genuine.”

“What if a person is just too gullible?”

He smirked at you. “Gullibility has its pros and cons. For one, people think you easily fall for something without even thinking it through. On the other hand, it means you believe that there’s inherent good in the world and that you’re not a complete cynic.”

You exchanged quiet looks. You felt guilty about keeping this secret from him. You were always very close, even when you were kids. Although you and Mindi played together more often, it was Jimin whom you spent the most time talking to.

“I don’t think you’re a cynic, YN. Far from it. You just got dealt a bad hand. But you know what we always say after all those trips to Vegas? If you bust on this hand, you can either bet again or walk away. And nine times out of ten you bet again.”

You gave him a crooked smile. “I don’t know, Chim. I think you overestimate me too often.”

“I don’t overestimate you. I’m just somebody who wants to root for you.”

You stared at him for a minute, unaware that tears had pushed their way through. You hugged him tightly. “What would I do without you, Jiminie?”

He hummed. “Yeah. I love you, too.”

******

Jungkook

“‘Hello, Dr. Sakai!” A pair of nurses greet one of the residents checking in for her shift.

“Hi!” She responds cheerfully as she walks past them to proceed to the lockers. As soon as she crosses the threshold, she is stopped dead in her tracks.

“What the–what are you doing here?”

“Hello to you, too, Mayumi.” Jungkook chuckles as he shuts his locker and adjusts his lab coat. “I work here, remember?” 

She shook her head. “Sorry, I didn’t mean it like that. I thought you weren’t due back for another couple days?”

He shrugged. “Trip ended early.” His tone is clipped, with a slight edge to it. He stretches his shoulders and his neck–as if getting ready for battle. After landing an hour ago, he picked up a shift at the hospital and jumped right into work. Thankful for the time difference, at least he could keep his mind occupied for a few hours.

“Oh-kay,” Mayumi said slowly as she stared at Jungkook suspiciously.

“What?” He raised his eyebrows at her.

“Nothing!” She says dismissively. “I guess I’ll see you in a couple minutes for rounds, yeah?”

“Yep,” he says wryly before walking away.

******

After rounds, Mayumi and Jungkook hang out by the nurse’s station to finish up their patient notes. Mayumi keeps glancing at Jungkook, who was deeply invested in a patient’s post-op tonsillectomy.

“You’re being very detailed about that case,” she remarks.

“Oh you know, just making sure we cover all the bases. Wouldn’t want a medical malpractice suit because we had sparse notes,” he says dryly.

“Riiiiight,” she drags out. “Because our legal department is teeming with suits from tonsillectomies that have gone awry.”

He sighed briefly, nose still buried into his notes. “You know, there was a fairly recent case from this state–it was supposed to be a simple, routine procedure–and then the patient fell into a coma. Well…not on my watch!”

Mayumi rolls her eyes. “By the way–thank you for the consult a couple days ago. I’m sorry I kept bugging you with calls during your vacation.”

“I didn’t mind at all. Did the additional heavy metal tox screen turn up results?”

She nodded. “You were right. I really thought it was lupus but we went back to your heavy metal poisoning theory. We only kept ruling it out before because none of the initial tests came back with useful results–at least, nothing on the usual heavy metal suspects: lead, cadmium, mercury. Then I did as you suggested–expanded the test to the other metals.” She paused for dramatic effect. “Gold sodium thiomalate, if you can believe it? It was from their arthritis medication.”

He looked up, chuckling softly, pleased with himself. “Hm, interesting. That ingredient is not even approved to be used in arthritis medication in this country so…they must have acquired it from somewhere else.”

“Yep! They eventually confessed that their insurance wouldn’t cover the prescription so they went by other means.”

He nods vaguely. Happy that he was able to get a diagnosis correctly–even from afar. He turned back to his notes.

“You know–I envy you so much. Out of our cohort, you have the best instincts,” Mayumi remarked.

He scoffs. “Sure. Instincts,” he repeats blandly.

“Yeah. You take one look at a patient and your mind’s already running through a list of potential diagnoses. You already know what to do.”

He hums, turning back to his notes, not really having anything else to offer Mayumi. Tired of his standoffish attitude this morning, she finally shuts the clipboard flap of one of her patients’ records and turns her full attention to him.

She asks him point-blank. “Okay, dude…do I have to ask?”

“No idea what you’re talking about, Yumi,” Jungkook says without lifting his eyes off his clinical notes.

Mayumi snorts. “Seriously? You’re going to try and deflect now? After your moping and pouting during rounds?”

He sighs heavily, “I was not moping or pouting,” he protested quietly. He scratches his head, intent on remaining distracted.

Mayumi wouldn’t let up. “Did you not get laid this week or—“

Still not looking up from his notes, he cleared his throat uncomfortably.

Judging by his reaction, her mouth grew into a wide grin. “Ahh…so you did. But something else happened…and that’s why you’re back early, throwing yourself into work so you don’t have to lick your wounds for long.”

He exhales sharply and finally turns to her. “Yumi, it doesn’t matter, okay? Now come on, help me clean up the notes here. Your handwriting is shit, by the way.”

She laughs and stops teasing him but makes a mental note to bring it up again later. Just then, their attending rounds them up again to discuss an ongoing case.

******

YN

Back at the hospital, you were just waiting for all paperwork to be signed and the doctor to give his final sign-off before your dad was free to go.

As you exit your dad’s room, you find Taehyung sitting in the hallway, scrolling through his phone. He looks up and gives you a small smile when you sit next to him.

He looked tired–like he had been up all night. You knew because you barely got any sleep too. You basically just laid in bed, with your eyes closed but still fully aware of your surroundings.

“How are you?”

He chuckled bitterly then sighed. “I’m alive. How ‘bout you?”

You smiled sadly. “I’m alright.”

His smile faded. “Are you, really?”

You shrugged. “It’s not like I can change the past, Tae. But at least I got answers to my questions,” you say wryly.

He lowered his head in his hands and rubbed his eyes. “What a mess I’ve made, huh?”

Your eyebrows knitted at him. “Oh Tae,” you say sympathetically. 

“YN, I’m so sorry…”

“Sorry for what? You didn’t do anything.”

“I’m sorry for…not fighting hard enough for you. For not… choosing you.”

You sighed. “Taehyungie, I did not make you choose. I made the choice. I knew how much Haru meant to you. I didn’t want to put you in a tough spot.”

“Still…I feel bad about it. My best friend and my fiancée…I…” He shook his head, at a loss for words. After a long beat, he wonders, “You think she lied to protect Haru?”

“Oh God, no!” Your reaction was instantaneous. “But…if anything? I think that she was protecting your friendship with Haru.” You moistened your lips before continuing. “He was there for you when your mom died. Dad told me back then that he was the only one who could get you talking and playing again. Jennie knows how special that connection was and didn’t want to come between that. And…neither did I when I decided to move away.”

He sighed heavily. “What she did…you know, lying about it? I think what hurt more wasn’t really the betrayal, but it was more the idea of her thinking that I couldn’t handle the truth…or that I didn’t have the emotional capacity to manage my feelings if she had told me about it.”

“Would it have changed your mind about pursuing a relationship with her if she had just told you from the outset?” You asked him.

He pursed his lips and shrugged. “I mean…I don’t know. I obviously can’t answer that now,” he says vaguely. “But…I still would have liked to be given the opportunity to make that decision for myself–instead of her deciding for me.”

You exhaled deeply, silently agreeing with him. “Have you talked to her?”

He shook his head slowly. “She’s texted me some but–I don’t know what to say to her. I…don’t know if I should even talk to her.”

“How come?”

“It just feels wrong,” he says quickly.

“What feels wrong?” You pressed him. As his sister, who loved him unconditionally as if you’d shared the same DNA–you understood that he would stew, go in circles and beat himself up about this unless you made it clear to him that he would not be disrespecting you in any way if he chose to make things work. All you wanted was for Taehyung to be happy.

He shrugged, not wanting to answer the question. “Is it because–you’re worried about how I would feel if you tried to patch things up with her?”

He raised his head and looked at you with sad eyes, confirming your theory.

“Tyeongie…” You tilted your head gently and faced him. “Listen to me. Whatever happened to Haru and I–that’s all done. We were over when I arrived at the beginning of the week and it has remained that way even after the truth came out.”

“But Jennie–”

“Jennie did what she thought was right at the time.” You cleared your throat and decided to tell Taehyung that you spoke to her. “She…sought me out, you know…last night. And we talked. She apologized and…I’ve made peace with it.”

His expression softens.

“You know, you and Jennie–what you two have is the real thing. What she did hurt me, yes. But neither you, me, nor she can change that fact. I see how much she loves you; she takes good care of you; and I see how happy she makes you. I understand that you’re conflicted–she hurt me but you still love her–those are both valid feelings.”

He leaned his head back against the wall and sighed, chewing at his bottom lip. You reached up to him and squeezed his cheek gently, making him smile a little.

“Do you feel differently than when you did back when you made that whole speech about your love for her growing and evolving?” You asked him.

He shook his head quietly.

“Okay so…talk to her,” You urged him. “Answer her texts and her calls. Because trust me,” you clutched your chest, “It would absolutely rip me apart if I took your happiness away from you. What kind of a sister would I be?”

He chuckled. “You know, it’s funny–Jungkook said something similar to me when we spoke, after I dropped him off at the hotel last night. About–feeling torn between two polarizing feelings.”

You forced a smile. The topic of Jungkook was still a sore spot for you. “Well, I guess great minds think alike,” you joked.

He nodded. “Have you talked to him yet?”

You start to internally panic. “Uhm, n-no. He’s…he’s dealing with a complicated case so…I’m waiting for him to come off that. I don’t want to stress him out.”

“I really like him for you, you know. He’s different–I can tell. It’s like…all he wants is for you to be happy. He’s the perfect guy for you. In fact, he couldn’t be more perfect if you’d picked him out of a catalog,” he chuckled.

You gulped, feeling a pang of guilt. You suddenly feel the urge to come clean to your brother.

“Tae–I need to tell you something about Jungkook and I.”

“Hm? And what’s that?”

You let out a shaky breath. “Uhm…J-Jungkook is–

“Freedom!” You are both startled when your dad yells triumphantly as he is wheeled out of his room by your mom. 

Taehyung beams as he stands up to approach him, seemingly forgetting about the last thing you said.

You smiled warmly, approaching your dad and crouching down to kiss him on the cheek. He wraps you both in a tight embrace–as if you were still little kids–kissing the tops of your heads.

“Let’s go, kiddos! I’ve been itching to get out of here.”

********

Jungkook

“So…did she not pay you enough or—“

“Geez, Mayumi!” He whispered harshly through gritted teeth, trying to shush her. “Someone could hear you.” He glanced around the cafeteria. It was a few minutes after the lunch rush so it was relatively quiet.

“Dude, I’ve told you before, there’s nothing to be ashamed of. I’m sure a lot of people here have done crazier, possibly worse things than being an escort to put themselves through med school,” she mutters, before they settle into a table in the corner. She takes a bite of her salad.

//FLASHBACK

Mayumi and Jungkook have spent many nights together during their early med-school years. Jungkook took night classes while he moonlighted as an escort. Some nights, he’d show up to class out of breath, as if he’d just run a marathon–with his hair all brushed up, cologne in full-force. His first question was always, ‘What’d I miss?’

Jungkook wasn’t a slacker. In fact, he was a very diligent student and she didn’t mind filling him in or lending him notes sometimes. She just noticed that he sometimes had poor time management skills. At the time, she didn’t think it was her place to criticize him. She wasn’t his mother. After a while, she really didn’t think much of it until he showed up to class in a suit. She thought it was an isolated incident until he did it two more times.

It was a little jarring for her, to say the least and being inherently curious, she finally asked him about it while they were at the library trying to figure out an assignment.

“Can I ask you a question?”

“Uh–sure,” he answered tentatively.

“Do you have, like, another job or something?”

“W-what makes you think that?”

“Oh, you know–you always seem like you’re rushing into class. Sometimes, very formally dressed,” she states.

He chuckled nervously. “I’m sure a lot of us work while we go to night school,” he mumbles.

“Riiight,” she drags out. “Your job seems very high-end, though.”

He scoffed again as he looked up from a medical journal that he was perusing. “Just because I’m in a suit, I’m high-end? I could be working a catering job.” 

“Not with those Gucci lace-ups you had the other day, you’re not.”

Jungkook’s eyebrow quirks ever-so-slightly, trying his best not to give anything away.

“What do you know?” He says quietly.

They stare at each other in silence. Mayumi, with a smirk playing on her lips. “I also saw you the other night at the parking lot getting dropped off by a town car.”

“I could have just asked someone for a favor.”

“Mm-hm. How would you account for your thousand-dollar shoes?”

“Consignment store, for all you know,” he argued.

He had a point. Living in a city with a high cost of living rate, if you are patient enough to search, you can find a treasure trove of bougie designer digs. “‘Kay,” she says sarcastically. “What about that Cartier trinity bracelet you have on now?” Her eyes flick downward at his wrist.

He mirrors her action and tries to cover it up with his shirt sleeve. To the untrained eye, it looked like a cheap, plain, nylon corded bracelet. But the metal rings that held it together were gold, platinum, and rose gold–worth way beyond the means of a med student on ‘financial aid’.

“Oh yeah…I like nice things, too, you know,” she smiled. Mayumi may be on financial aid, too–but she appreciated looking at fancy things.

He glared at her and lowered his voice. “It’s not what you think,” Jungkook mutters dismissively and turns his attention back to his medical journal.

They fall silent again. Mayumi’s wheels turning at Jungkook’s answer for each of her queries. ”I have a theory,” she declares.

“Oh yeah? Congratulations,” he says sarcastically.

“My guess? Is that you have a sugar momma.”

Jungkook snorts. “You couldn’t be more wrong.” He tries to sound dismissive but shifts uncomfortably while he turns back to the article that he was reading about ‘palliative care.’

Mayumi sees his discomfort and puckered her lips. “But I’m close, aren’t I? Come on…we’re clearly in this for a few years. I need some sort of excitement in my life other than memorizing a list of infectious diseases alphabetically.”

“Can’t you just pick up a hobby or something? What are you picking on me for?” He says, getting irritated.

“I can keep a secret,” she says to him point-blank. “And…if you want to bum off my notes on the intrinsic cardiac nervous system–complete with detailed illustrations–you have to pay the piper first.”

Honestly, Jungkook didn’t need the detailed illustration–he knew he had much better anatomical drawings than Mayumi. But…he was desperate for those notes. He missed that lesson because one of his dates ran longer than expected so he couldn’t leave in time to make his class. And nobody else cared enough to lend him their notes except for Mayumi.

He shuts the medical journal and looks around to make sure that nobody was listening in. “Fine. But I need you to have an open mind about it, deal?”

She stuck her hand out and he clasps it in a handshake.

//END FLASHBACK

“I’m not ashamed,” Jungkook says as sets his tray down. “I just don’t want my business out there for everyone else to pick apart, you know?”

“Seriously though, how many people can say they barely have any student debt at this stage, huh? You did that,” she points to him. She drags a third chair towards her to prop her foot on it while she continues to dig into her lunch. “I wish I could make a dent in my student loans,” she chuckled humorlessly. “I’m sure Hyunjung is regretting buying me a ring instead of making a loan payment.”

Jungkook snorted. “Please. That guy would move heaven and earth for you. And don’t pretend you don’t love said ring,” he points out before taking a bite of his lunch.

She sighed dreamily. “It is a pretty ring,” she admits. Mayumi and her fiance had just gotten engaged a couple weeks before Jungkook left for his trip.

After a moment of silence and a few bites, Jungkook asks, “Was it everything you hoped for?”

She looks up from her phone at the sound of the question. “What do you mean? Getting engaged?” She regards him curiously.

“Well…that and,” he gestures with his hand vaguely, “…Your relationship in general. I mean, how did you know that Hyunjung was the one? What made you say ‘yes’?”

She takes a moment to think about it before answering. “I mean, I love him, obviously. But—was our relationship everything that I hoped for? The short answer is ‘no,’ if I’m taking your question literally. It’s not everything, because that’s just impossible to achieve and completely unrealistic. I only hoped to find someone who’d love me enough to want to be with me for the rest of their natural life. And if you’re the religious kind, possibly the next life, too.” She answered.

He nods vaguely then chugs his water down, wishing it was a beer or something stronger instead.

She watched him carefully, waiting for him to open up further about how this week went.

“You ever think someone could see past…my past? Like, forget all that existed and just see me for who I am now?”

She smiled sympathetically at him. “Kookie, your past is a part of you. It’s part of your present and will still be part of your future. When you start separating a person from their experiences, that’s when they stop becoming whole. So, if someone can’t accept the whole you, then, maybe they don’t deserve you.”

He pursed his lips and turned pensive.

“I thought she was picking up what I was putting down,” he muttered.

Mayumi smiled triumphantly. “Did you actually tell her how you felt?” She asks.

“I mean…I asked her out,” he answers.

She let out a laugh. “So? That doesn’t mean anything!”

“What do you mean? Asking her out meant that I was showing her that I was interested!”

She rolled her eyes in an exaggerated manner. “Jungkook, unless you explicitly tell them how you feel–despite how obvious you are–an invitation to a date is a prelude. Just enough to garner expectations. Expectations…that may or may not even get fulfilled!”

Now it was his turn to roll his eyes at her but lowered his voice. “Don’t you think I know how to fulfill women’s expectations? Shit, I did it for years! And I have actual written testimonies that prove it!”

She scoffed at his arrogance. “Those were jobs. You were obligated to do it! Now, you’re talking about something in a completely different setting and context.”

“I thought I was being explicit about how I felt,” he argued strongly.

She narrowed her eyes at him. “Have you actually been in a serious relationship before?”

“Yes, I have!” He countered.

“And how long ago was that?”

He thought back to his pre-escort days, sighing in defeat. It was quite a while ago.

“Like I said,” Mayumi makes her point in between bites of her lunch. “Is that the reason why you left? I thought you wanted, quote-unquote, ‘one last ride,’” she says, mocking his voice.

He grimaced. “I thought it was going well at first…seemed like we were on the same page.” He balled up his napkin and lobbed it right into the garbage bin.

“And then–I don’t know what happened. It’s like, everything that I had done and told her–it all went to shit. I let my guard down, got all vulnerable, only to have it all thrown at my face in the end.”

Mayumi cocked her head slightly and gave him a sympathetic look. “Have you two talked since?”

He shook his head. Emotions were running high that evening. YN was reeling from her ex and her friend’s betrayal. It was a lot to take in. He knew within him that her anger was misplaced…and he was willing to put that aside until she called him names.

That’s what you are. A liar.

“Our last day ended in chaos, to say the least.”

He goes on to give Mayumi highlights of what happened that day and how emotionally charged everything was.

“So, I just…left,” he finishes.

“Maybe it’s just taking longer for the dust to settle for her. Not to make excuses but, that seems like a lot for one person to take in one night.”

“I get that. I guess…I overestimated the level of trust that we built in those last couple days.”

Mayumi sighed. “Kookie–you can’t expect trust to just bloom within a matter of days. And, can I play devil's advocate here? I get that she started out as a client for you but if you wanted to take things to the next level, I feel like you should have given her a bit more room for error, don’t you agree?”

He pouted his lips and thought about it for a few seconds before begrudgingly acknowledging her point. “I guess.”

“Buuut–I also understand that some hurtful words were exchanged. That’s an equally difficult position to be in.” She eyed him silently. “Welp…it’s like what you always say whenever we stress over a case: if at the end of the day, you’d still rather give up than try, then nothing’s ever going to be worth it.”

He exhales glumly, right before their pagers go off and they start scrambling out of the cafeteria.

******

YN

Days later, you flew back home without incident. When you arrived at the airport, a familiar face welcomed you.

“Hey babe.” Cristina says softly after she pulls up to the curb. She popped her trunk and asked if you needed help with your things. You shook your head gently and proceeded to load up your luggage in the back.

She gave you a smile and a hug when you slid into the passenger seat before pulling into the flow of traffic. It was a 10-minute drive which you spent quietly staring out the window.

You arrive at your home, leaving your things by the doorway. You mumbled your thanks to Cristina before heading straight to your bedroom.

She followed shortly, finding you curled up on your side. You hear her sigh before feeling the mattress sink as she sits on it.

“Do you want to talk about it, YN?” She rubs your back soothingly.

With a sniffle, you answered, “No…not yet.”

You didn’t see her nod but you felt her lay next to you. She held you for however long that was…until you were all cried out for the night.

******

A few days later, you had just wrapped up an off-site client meeting within the city and were headed to your lunch date with Cristina. She waved you over by the outdoor patio as you came around the block.

“Hey babe! Love that color on you,” she comments on your outfit.

You gave her a small smile. Cristina wouldn’t compliment anyone if she didn’t mean it. It was one of the things you loved about her. You knew you’d made a friend for life when she  told you how garish your shoes were during a holiday party with your company partners and subsidiaries.

To be fair, the shoes were an impulse purchase. You had just moved to a new city–barely a month into your new job and was going through one of your waves of homesickness and self-pity. A dangerous combination. You ended up buying these ridiculously bright green Bottega Venetta sandals with curly telephone-cord straps. You were ashamed to admit how much you spent on them. But Cristina, being the great lawyer that she was, came up with a compelling argument to the sales representative at customer service when you returned them.

“Thanks for meeting me. Sorry I’ve been such a lump.” You gave her a quick hug and air-kisses.

“That’s alright. I’m always up for good food and even better company,” she says with a smile after you both take your seat. “Maybe even some juicy conversations, if you are so inclined.”

You laughed. “I thought we were just going to have a nice lunch?”

She gives you a deadpan look. “YN–come on…you’re due for a good bitch-session. It’s been, what? Close to a week since you got back?”

You shifted on your seat uncomfortably. You remembered the day she picked you up from the airport. You didn’t have the strength to talk about things then. Although you had talked to your family, you couldn’t be as open as you liked...especially about Jungkook, even though you’ve alluded to the situation in every conversation you’ve had with Jimin and Taehyung. Your family had this picture-perfect idea of what your life is like now and were more concerned about you reeling from the big Haru-Jennie betrayal situation–which, if you were being honest, now seems to pale in comparison to your blowup with Jungkook.

Cristina knew everything–everything you wouldn’t dare tell your family. How you fell into a depression after you and Haru split up and the instant regret and resentment you felt when you chose to leave home. She knew about your whole arrangement with Jungkook and from your reaction, would deduce how far things got before it all went to shit. You could be completely open with her and she would listen.

She leans back on her seat and spreads her arms wide. “So, come, come. Lay it on me!”

You looked at her, chuckling. God, you missed her. “Okay well–can we at least order first?” You say, while perusing the menu.

After your drinks and appetizers were served, you went on to narrate how your week started…and ultimately ended. You gave her vague, real-time updates throughout but haven’t been able to fill her in until after your dad’s medical emergency.

“Holy shit,” she breathed out, eyes wide.

“Now you know why I needed some time to decompress.”

She sighed. “Well…seems like you’ve gotten enough pep-talks from your family.”

You twisted your mouth wryly. “I guess,” you say, noncommittal. “Even after all that, I still feel like shit. I couldn’t really talk to them about it because…where would I even begin? And for starters, I haven’t even gathered up the courage to talk to Jungkook and apologize before he left.” Your heart turns over painfully in your chest when you confess your next words to her. “I don’t know how.”

Cristina continued to watch you, listening intently.

“I’m an idiot. I lashed out at him…called him names. I don’t know how I can face him. And–” you paused for a minute–suddenly deciding to switch gears and huffed out, “Maybe it’s better this way, you know? God, how did I think things would pan out between me…and an escort? And I’m not saying it to be judgemental but–he’s…like, perfect, in every way. And I’m…” you chuckled bitterly, “I’m just me. Everyone back home couldn’t believe that I landed him–and, in reality, I didn’t! I’m a fucking fraud, Cris!”

She let you ramble on. Go into your little episode–just to get it out of your system before she hits you with a dose of reality. “Have you forgiven Haru?”

Your little pity party comes to a halt with her question. You sighed and lifted a shoulder. “Yeah,” you say tentatively.

“And Jennie? Have you forgiven her?”

You sighed heavily. “Yes.” You wondered where she was going with this.

“Okay so–you’ve found it in your heart to forgive these people who have wronged you and now you have wronged someone; you’re consumed by guilt because of it. And yet–you’re telling me that you’re afraid to ask forgiveness…because you’re assuming they won’t forgive you?”

“I just told you that I basically dumped a year’s worth of emotional baggage on the guy. A guy who–” You sighed. “A guy who seemed like he was ready to accept me for all of my faults and imperfections. Someone who was actually being honest with me…and I just spat in his face.” You shrugged your shoulders. “Some things are just unforgivable.”

Cristina cocked her head to the side and looked at you, her gaze softening. “And you say that because…you have trouble forgiving yourself, too?”

You stared at her dumbfounded. “Sometimes it’s not that simple. I…have way too many issues…I’m emotionally unstable–”

“Right, but shouldn’t you at least try? Just like your conversation with Tae…try and let Jungkook make that call? Whether or not to forgive you?”

You sighed heavily, shaking your head. “I…I don’t know.” 

“Every woman has the exact love life that she wants,” she declares suddenly.

You scrunch your face in confusion. “What?”

“Every woman has the exact love life that she wants,” she repeats. “That’s what my guy told me.”

“Your…guy?” You echoed, still confused.

“Yeah. My guy,” she cocked her eyebrow knowingly at you as she takes a sip of her drink.

When you don't connect the dots quickly enough, she presses on. “Remember my last vacation?”

“Y-yeah–” you say slowly. Cristina took a solo trip not so long ago–she was at an impasse at her job and desperately needed a break. She ended up booking a trip to Europe for two weeks. She regaled you with her shopping haul, food diaries, stories about her swimming in the Mediterranean, and her serene cobblestone street strolls.

“Are you talking about that Euro-fling that you had?” You vaguely remember her glossing over it–amongst other highlights from her trip.

“Yep. I hired him,” she says matter-of-factly.

Your eyes bulge and jaw drops at her revelation. “You said you hooked up at some club in Ibiza!”

“Weeeeell…” her voice dragged and went up an octave. “That was half-true. We did hook up at a club in Ibiza…among the many,” she puffed out her cheeks and exhaled for emphasis, sounding nostalgic, “...many things that we did on that trip.” She bit her bottom lip, wishing she could be transported back to relive those memories.

You recalled a few months ago–right as you were trying to book Jungkook on the app–she mentioned a ‘very reputable source’ who could vouch for the service’s guarantee of 100% satisfaction.

Eyes still wide, you absently picked up your glass and took a big gulp of water. This was hardly a conversation for lunch but–nothing was ever off-limits for Cristina.

“Got the tip from a senior partner–who will remain nameless. And I figured, hey, I’m spending time abroad to relax, take some time to think…but I’m also sexually frustrated so I didn’t mind paying for a hot, attractive man who was guaranteed to worship me while I was doing my soul-searching.”

“Oh my god, Cris!” You almost spit out your water.

She giggled, lifting her shoulders. “What? Don’t act like you didn’t enjoy those perks,” she grinned mischievously at you.

You looked away from her briefly and twisted your lips wryly. She cackled out loud.

When she calmed down, she continued, “Besides, the whole idea of going on vacation with someone, no strings attached…not having to deal with the awkwardness of getting into bed with them and without the exaggerated expectations after? What’s not to like?”

“I’m…kind of shocked but not surprised,” you remarked.

“And not to mention they’ve already been carefully vetted! I felt completely safe with him and had no trouble trusting him.”

You latched on to that last part of her comment. Trust. Safety.

She laughed. “It was great! I mean–not just the sex but, we had some pretty deep conversations, too. One thing he told me was that ‘every woman has the exact love life that she wants.’ And I agree with that assessment.”

You scoffed. “Cris, do you honestly believe that I want to be single and miserable?”

She looks at you point-blank. “YN, when you’re ready to be un-single and un-miserable–to take that leap–then, yeah. You will have the love life that you want. But until then…” she trailed off.

You let out a deep breath, letting her words sink in.

“And you know what? By the end of our…arrangement, we knew where we stood since we both made our expectations clear from the beginning. I get that it’s not exactly the same as your current situation with your guy but–the fact remains–you need to be clear about where you stand. You can’t just leave things like that even if you haven’t really established any sort of relationship. As a person? You at least owe it to both of you to close this loop.”

******

On your way back from lunch with Cristina, you checked your emails on your phone. There was nothing pressing nor did you have any pending meetings scheduled for the rest of the afternoon so you tell your assistant that you’re leaving for the day.

You thought more about her advice. Before everything blew up in your face, you were intent on pursuing this relationship. And truthfully, you still wanted to–you had his phone number, you could very well call him and apologize–and mean it.

You hated how things ended after they were just starting to look promising. You couldn’t just pick up where you left off. You needed to make things right. You decided within yourself that you’d bite the bullet and just call him when you got home. You’d grovel, if you needed to.

Just then, your phone pings with an alert telling you that there is an accident a few blocks away–at the street where you usually make a turn to head home. 

You curse under your breath and take the long way home instead. It wasn’t ideal but you also didn’t want to get stuck in traffic when you just wanted to get into your pajamas and curl up on your couch with that nice bottle of rose you had chilling in the fridge.

You take the next exit and stop at the next intersection. This was the reason why you don’t usually take this route–it’s because the lights here take ages to change.

You sighed, tapping your fingers impatiently at the steering wheel, mentally noting how much this neighborhood has changed.

You look right up ahead and see an ‘H’ sign for one of the local hospitals.

Another reason why you didn’t take this way coming home–because ambulances always gave you anxiety.

When the light turns green, you drive straight and approach your detour street. Another light…great. As you wait for it to change, you glance up at the hospital building on the opposite side of the street ahead.

You blink a few times, remembering something. When the cars in front of you start to move, you straighten up on your seat and grip your steering wheel hard–you’re about to pull a U-turn.

******

You sat in your car, hyperventilating in the visitor parking lot.

There really was no logical reason for you to be at this hospital. You thought about reversing the car as soon as you got to the parking lot attendant to claim a ticket–but there was another car waiting behind you so you had no choice but to proceed.

This is insane!

Of course it was. And damn your weird memory–for forgetting routine meetings and other regular run-of-the-mill errands that you had to list religiously on your phone to remind you of them.

But when it comes to random, oddball information that you’ve only glossed over once–things normal people wouldn’t think to ever deem essential in their daily life–you remember. Like, which celebrity has dated whom; who won the Academy Award for Best Actress this year; who designed Beyonce’s dress from 2014…and which hospital Jungkook worked at.

Should you have called first?

Of course you should have. That’s what normal people do. Stalkers randomly showed up at people’s jobs without their knowledge.

Too late now–you were walking through the sliding doors and up to the general information desk.

Maybe he’s not even here. He never got a chance to tell you much about his work–like what shift he worked. It was the middle of the afternoon–he could be in the middle of a procedure.  You could leave a note or a message for him.

“Hello, how can I help you?” The staff greets you.

“Hi. Uhm, I’m here to see one of your doctors. Jeon. Jeon Jungkook?” You chuckled to yourself at how that all came out like a ‘Bond. James Bond’ intro.

“Oh, ok. Are they expecting you?”

“Not quite. It’s kind of a…spur-of-the-moment thing and I happened to be in the area.”

Just when the staff starts looking at you suspiciously, you quickly add, “He, uh–helped my dad with a medical emergency recently. Dr. Jeon mentioned that he worked at this hospital but I don’t know what department he’s in. I just–wanted to thank him personally.” You give her your most sincere smile. 

She tilted her head, endeared. “Aw–that’s so amazing to hear! I hope your dad’s doing better?”

“He is, thank you. Uh, h-he does work here, right?”

She starts looking flustered and clears her throat. Geez. You know the feeling all too well.

“Yes, he does,” she says, punctuating every word as she checks on her computer. “I just started my shift and he typically leaves as I’m coming in so–he might have left for the day…”

Okay, so maybe you’ll just leave him a message.

“Oh–hang on…I guess he scrubbed into a procedure earlier. Looks like he’s still around for post-op. Would you like me to page him for you?”

You considered it. How would this person code this page anyway? ‘Former disgruntled client looking to make amends?’ Sure. That would go really well.

“Uhm–sure. Maybe just say that a former patient is here to see him.”

“Okay, sure,” she says, keying in your message. “Would you like to know which floor he's on?”

******

You got off the fifth floor elevators, as the receptionist directed you.

Your heart was pounding and weren’t sure if this would work. Would he turn you away? Tell you to fuck off?

You mentally cringed as multiple scenarios raced through your head. You sure deserved it, after everything you unleashed at him that night. Ambushing him at his work would not help your cause.

You wander over to the nurse’s station and find a woman in her scrubs, filling out some paperwork. As you pass her to walk to the waiting area right across, she sees you out of the corner of her eye.

“Hi, can I help you?” She had a friendly smile.

“Hi,” you greeted her back. “I was hoping to talk to one of your staff. I think they paged him downstairs and I was told that I could wait here”

“Oh,” she says. “Are you family or—“

“N-no. He, uh, saved my dad’s life and I just wanted to say thank-you.”

She smiled warmly at you. “How long ago was he paged? I could send him a text so he could get here sooner?”

“There’s no rush, really,” you say to her. “I’m showing up unannounced and he could be in the middle of something.”

Her eyebrows knitted slightly. “Can you tell me again who you’re here to see?”

You cleared your throat. “I’m here to see Dr. Jeon.”

“And–your dad was a patient of his?” She asks slowly.

“N-not quite. We were at a wedding and–he happened to be the only doctor in the room,” you explained.

“A wedding, you said?”

This woman seemed to be awfully curious. You nodded apprehensively. “Yes,” you say slowly.

Suddenly, her eyes light up. “Hold on a minute–I’ll page him again for you,” she says with a slight smile.

“Thank you.”

******

Jungkook

“Hey, Mr. Pyun. How are you feeling?”

“Ah–Dr. Jeon! I feel good as new,” his patient croaks out. He was just transported back to his room after being in recovery for an hour for close monitoring, post-op. “I can’t wait to take my wife dancing after this.

“Aish, let’s not rush things, yeobo,” his wife says.

“I asked her to play some music. My grandson showed me how to use this bluetooth speaker box thing,” he chuckled. 

“Good to know the pain medication is working,” Jungkook’s attending remarks.

Jungkook chuckles as he checks on his patient’s vitals while his attending continues to discuss what to expect in the next few hours as her husband recovers.

Call me irresponsible, his patient began to sing along to the track while heavily medicated.

Jungkook pauses his checks as memories flood him. The dancing. The touches. The eye contact.

Don’t go there. Do not go there. You need to forget about her, he thought to himself.

He tried to bury Mayumi’s words but they still kept ringing in his head like the heart monitor pulsing right next to him.

“Yeobo, remember when we danced to this at our wedding?” his patient slurred as his wife gives him a warm smile.

Jungkook’s pager beeps just as he writes down his patient’s last blood pressure reading, effectively pulling him out of his reverie. He reaches around his hip to retrieve it. It was from Mayumi, asking to meet by the nurse’s station.

“Dr. Ahn, could I be excused? Dr. Sakai needs me for a consult.” 

“Of course. Nice work today, Dr. Jeon.”

“Thank you, Dr. Ahn.” Jungkook bows to his attending before he leaves the room.

He marches down the hall and towards the nurse’s station. He sees Mayumi standing off to the side, having a conversation with someone whose back was turned at him.

Her eyes flick up at him when she sees him approach.

“Hey, Yumi, what do you—“

The woman she was talking to sees Mayumi look over her shoulder, prompting her to turn around. His eyes widen–like a deer in headlights.

“Hi. Can we talk?”

******

YN

You both sat on opposite sides at the empty waiting area. He was slightly apprehensive at first since neither of you had contact in a few days. Much to your relief, he acquiesced.

“How did you find me?”

“I just remembered–from when you showed me your work badge before. I also happened to get rerouted to this neighborhood because there were some road closures on my usual way home,” you explained.

He nods in silence.

You straightened out, exhaling sharply. “Look, I don’t want to waste your time since you’re probably really busy, and I’m sorry to drop in like this without warning.”

“You could have called,” he interrupts.

You purse your lips and nod. “I could have. But–truthfully, I didn’t think you’d want to hear from me again after…you know, everything.” Nervously, you glanced down at the floor, unable to look him in the eye, trying to forget about all of the awful things you said to him. 

You took a beat to compose yourself before looking back up at him. “I’m here because, firstly, I wanted to thank you again for helping my dad. He’s doing much better–as if nothing happened.“ You tried to sound lighthearted about it.

“I’m glad to hear that,” he says softly.

You gave him a small, uncomfortable smile before continuing. “So…a-after you left the hotel, Jennie came to me to clear the air. She explained that you had nothing to do with…the whole situation.”

“I could have told you that,” he says curtly.

You swallowed the lump in your throat. “I realize that.”

“You can project, you can vent–that’s part of what I do. That’s why I was there for you. But to accuse me? That…seems unfair.”

“I know, and I –I really fucked that up. I was emotional and…” you paused and sighed heavily, “…there’s just no excuse for it. I wasn’t thinking straight.”

He nodded and remained silent, prompting you to continue.

“I wanted to apologize to you, in person. I didn’t think it would come off clearly through text or over the phone. And I know that I can’t take back what I said and I won’t make any excuses for it. My anger was sorely misplaced and I should not have taken it out on you…” You swallowed hard. “...But I did. And I realized that you were put in a really tough position. It was wrong of me to fault you for it without hearing you out. For all of that, I’m sorry, Jungkook,” you finished.

He regarded you intently, letting your words sink in. After a long pause, his face softens and he finally says, “Thank you. I appreciate the apology…and, I’m sorry, too. For the things I said. It was a shitty situation all around.”

You nodded, acknowledging it–although, you weren’t sure if he even needed to apologize since at the time, he was only giving you a reality check.

Feeling completely awkward yet somehow relieved, you took it as your queue to leave. You gripped your purse and stood up from your seat. He gets up as well. “That was all and…thank you for hearing me out.”

You’ve said your piece and can finally start to move on from this. You wanted to say more–all thoughts that Jimin, Taehyung, and Cristina have been drilling into your head...and the money that he left behind.

A few days ago, you thought this relationship held promise but judging by the look on his face, you thought it wasn’t the right time to push that topic. You waited too long and now that window has closed.

“Anyway, I’m–sorry to keep you from work.” You held your hand out to him for a handshake. Odd to be all formal this time around considering everything that you shared…everything that you did together. But you weren’t in that bubble anymore. You were back in the real world.

Thinking he would leave you hanging, you thought of withdrawing your hand but to your surprise, he places his hand in yours, thumb lightly brushing over your skin. The simple touch shot through you like a surge of electricity. Your pulse shot up when his grip tightened.

You maintained eye contact, as if playing a game of ‘chicken.’ Which of you would let go first? He swallowed audibly while you cleared your throat. You decided it was going to be you.

You withdrew from his hold. “I should get going,” you whispered.

“Right.” He kept his eyes on you but his facial expression was unreadable.

Keeping a firm grip on your purse’s strap, you said goodbye to him–for the last time. “Bye,” you breathed out before turning away from him to walk back towards the elevators. You dared not to look back–afraid of what else you might say or do.

When you reached the end of the hallway, you pressed the ‘down’ button. The elevator dings and the doors open. But right before you step in, you hear your name called out.

“YN, wait!”

You turned around to see Jungkook jogging back to reach you. “I’ve got a break coming up…if you still want to talk?”

******

You settled into one of the booths at the hospital cafeteria. It was an odd time so there weren’t many people lingering, save for a couple of hospital staff and random people who wore ‘visitor’ stickers on their clothing.

You noted how completely different he looked in this setting. He was out of his suit, he took his lip piercing out and wore a long-sleeve henley underneath his scrubs, presumably not to distract patients with his ornate tattoos. His hair was brushed back–not with product as you were used to seeing but you figured it stuck to his head like that because of his scrub cap.

“Were you coming from work?” He asks after glancing at your tailored pants and more formal-looking top. He looked relaxed but somewhat tired, leaning against the wall on the side, his legs stretched out on the seat.

“Sort of. I was at the office then met my friend for a late lunch. Afterwards, I didn’t have any other appointments so I decided to call it a day.” You sat hunched over with your elbows resting on the table, wishing you could be as chill as he was.

“The good ol’ corporate world,” he says, tilting his head backwards with a sigh.

“Yeah. Were you coming off a procedure?”

He nodded. “Yeah. It was a little complicated but my patient pulled through. He’s recovering well.”

And you both fall silent again.

“How’s Taehyung?”

Your eyebrows lifted. “Uhm–he’s okay, I think? He still feels a little weird about everything.”

“You think they’re going to work it out?”

You lifted a shoulder while you drew random patterns on the table with your finger. “They might, I don’t know. I…hope they do. But–that’s not really up to me. Tae feels guilty and he’s afraid of how I would react. I’ve told him that he doesn’t need to worry about me. I know that he still loves her and…I know that she does, too.”

“Maybe he doesn’t want to hurt you,” he guesses.

“He hasn’t done anything to hurt me,” you say quietly, still tracing your little patterns. “And even if he decides that he wants to get back with Jennie again–I would never stand in the way of that…they were meant to be,” you said with a sigh, finally looking up at him to find him staring at you.

After a beat, you ask him, “Why didn’t you take the money?”

He chuckled softly. “How many times do I have to tell you–that it’s–”

“Not about the money, I know,” you interjected. “But why?”

He exhales sharply. “Remember my funeral client?”

You nodded, remembering one of your quiet conversations by the beach.

“I stepped back from this business not just because of pressures from this job–although that was a major contributing factor. I was also losing grip on what reality I wanted for myself. I spent several years living this double-life and,” he sighed, “It was exhausting. I didn’t want to do that anymore. So I decided to just focus on this,” he gestured at his surroundings.

“At some point, I was feeling a little burnt out, too. So my friend, Mayumi–she was the one in the scrubs by the nurse’s station–she pushed me to do one final booking. Not just as a change of pace but, so I could figure out what I really wanted.”

You were shocked to find out that at least one person was privy to his secret life. Maybe the double-life was taking its toll and she was the only one who noticed.

“Then I met you–figured I’d get back into it easily–kind of like riding a bike. I’d play another role even though I’d already given you my real name. But on the plane, I thought about it and figured I’d give honesty a try.”

He rubbed the back of his neck and stretched it. “I thought that maybe…the real me would be just as good, as opposed to somebody you just made up.”

You stopped your absentminded fidgeting and gave him your full attention. When you first met, he couldn’t be more perfect–as if you had picked him out of a catalog, just as Taehyung said.

“Maybe I should have just stuck to my day job,” he says dejectedly, swinging his legs off the bench, leaning over the table to mirror you. It was a relatively small table so your faces were only a couple inches away from each other.

“I can’t help thinking that we went about this the wrong way,” you say to him.

He regarded you in curiosity. “What do you mean?”

“I mean–we both started this whole thing off with a lie. You said you wanted to give honesty a try?”

He furrowed his brows. “Yes–and?”

You held your hand out to him again. “Hi, I’m YLN YN.”

He chuckled softly, shaking his head before he clasped your hand. “Jeon Jungkook.”

“Nice to meet you,” you say softly.

“Lovely to meet you, too,” he says with a smile.

“So, I know we just met, but I wondered if you’d like to go to dinner sometime?”

He squinted at you. “Hmm–dinner, huh? A bit presumptuous are we?”

“How ‘bout coffee, then?” you proposed.

He playfully twisted his lips to the side. “You invite someone for coffee after you’ve spent the night with them.” He cocked an eyebrow at you.

You scoffed but still kept your good nature. You then deferred to him. “Okay. What would you suggest?” You were aware that your hands were still linked together.

“You’re asking me? I thought you were the one here trying to make amends,” he says, lowering his voice.

“Right, I am.” You pucker your lips, thinking of how else to straighten things out.

“How ‘bout lunch?” He suggests. “It’s in the middle of the day, a fairly neutral setting. It’s not as formal and there aren’t any expectations around it. In the end, we can just continue going about our day.”

You nod in agreement. “Okay. Lunch sounds good. When?” You ask him tentatively. You’re not sure if he’ll bite but thought you’d shoot your shot anyway.

He finally releases your hand. “Hm…I’ll have to think it through. As you know, my job’s a little bit demanding.” You detected a hint of teasing in his tone but didn’t want to read too much into it. You shouldn’t be disappointed that it wasn’t an immediate ‘yes.’ You still had to work for it.

Just then, his pager goes off. Guess his break was over.

You clicked your teeth. “Okay, well–let me know when you’ve thought it through.”

With a nod, he walks you to the nearest elevator before you part ways.

******

A couple days turn into a week. You didn’t want to seem too eager–like you were waiting by the phone but…let’s face it, you were waiting for his call. 

Every text, every call that would come in–you hoped that it was Jungkook…but it wasn’t. You started rubbing circles on your temples–a stress headache was brewing. You had to chill out, try not to think about it too much. Maybe if you forget about it, it might happen eventually. You shouldn’t be rushing the process anyway.

Or maybe he changed his mind and was just fucking with you. You did call him a liar.

“YN, do you want to keep your team check-in for the tourism campaign?”

You glanced up at your assistant, Reena, who peeked her head in through your office.

“Uh–yeah. That’s at 1:30 today, right?”

“Yes,” she replies. 

“Sounds good. Can you book the huddle room for me? I only want to meet with key staff, not the whole team.”

She nodded. “Will do.”

“Thank you, Reena,” you call out to her before she walks out.

Your phone rings and you pick it up–it was Cristina.

“Hey,” you greeted her. “Any word yet?” Cristina gets straight to the point.

You groaned. “No. I’m starting to think that he didn’t actually want to have lunch to begin with.”

“Well…you tried, babe, that’s the point. You took a chance.”

You nod absentmindedly. “Yeah, I guess. And I–” you paused as your other line began to ring. You pulled the phone away from your ear to see who it was.

Your eyes widen at the caller ID.

“Cris–I have to go, sorry,” you say in a hurry, vaguely hearing her squawking on the other line before you hang up on her.

“Hello?”

“Hey,” Jungkook greets you on the other line.

“Hi,” you say in a slightly higher vocal register. You cleared your throat, trying to calm yourself down.

“Sorry it took me a while to get back to you. Work’s been nuts,” he says apologetically.

“Oh–no need to apologize. I kind of figured you were busy. And I, uhm, didn’t want to bother you either.” 

You hear him chuckle softly on the other line. He sounds like he’s enjoying this–but you keep reminding yourself that you have no right to complain. “Anyway, I happened to have a free afternoon. I wondered if you wanted to meet up and grab lunch soon-ish?”

You checked your watch for the time. If you played your cards right, you could head out for lunch for an hour then get back right in time for your meeting.

“But I completely understand if you have plans. We can always reschedule,” he says casually.

“I’m free now. Do you want to meet somewhere?”

******

You practically jump out of your rideshare but compose yourself once you step onto the curb to walk into the restaurant that Jungkook picked. You check in with the hostess by the entrance but spot him waving at you. He was out of his scrubs and in casual, street clothes.

“Hi,” you both say awkwardly at each other then try to figure out whether to shake hands or hug.

He finally decides for both of you and gives you a hug. You inhaled and got a whiff of his cologne. Before all of those memories come rushing back to you, he pulls away.

“How are you?”

“I’m good.”

“Have you been here before?”

“I haven’t but a few coworkers have. They’ve raved about it,” you smiled. “Have you?”

“Yeah. If you want, I can tell you what’s good and what’s not,” he laughs.

“Oh. I’m guessing you come here often?” This place looked a bit fancy for a casual lunch. You wondered if maybe he brought a few dates here.

“I have,” he affirms. You tried to hide your discomfort but were failing spectacularly.

“We don’t need to tiptoe around, YN. It’s just you and me here–having lunch.”

You exhaled and relaxed your shoulders. You didn’t need to overthink this. He purposely picked lunch because it was supposed to be a neutral setting.

“Yeah, you’re right,” you say with confidence.

He smiled at you and proceeded to point out all the good stuff on the menu. You talked about how your days were, how work was, mostly mundane things…as if you hadn’t touched on topics much deeper than those.

But being mundane made it easier for you to get through lunch. You wanted to rebuild that connection and work up to it. You wouldn’t set any expectations. A clean slate was all you could hope for.

******

“Isn’t this nice? Just…getting to talk?”

“Yeah, it was. I’m really glad that you called,” you smiled at him.

Your phone buzzes with a reminder, prompting you to check your watch for the time, it was a little after 1PM. You had a team meeting coming up soon–one that you were supposed to lead but hadn’t even had time to prepare for.

“Do you need to head out?”

“Yeah, I have a meeting at 1:30 back at the office,” you say apologetically.

“Did you drive here?”

“No, I left my car and took a rideshare. I didn’t want to deal with parking,” you explained, while pulling up the app on your phone to book a ride back to work.

“I can drive you back.”

You chuckled nervously. “Oh…I don’t want to impose–”

“You’re not. I’m offering. Besides, I’m off for the rest of the day. I’ve been on-call since yesterday. My boss finally decided to give me a break.” He rubbed his eyes and stretched the kink in his neck.

Your eyebrows lifted. “Uhm, okay. As long as you don’t mind.”

“Not at all.” He raises his arm to flag down your server to request for the check.

As soon as they delivered it to your table, you began to bicker over who was going to pay. You had your card out but he kept swatting your hand away. You offered to split the bill as a compromise but when the server returned to your table, he practically shoves his card at them, effectively ending the argument.

******

You directed him as he drove, telling him which cross streets your office was located at while he navigated right through traffic.

The ride was relatively quiet but nice. You stole glances at him every time he asked whether he was making the right turn or on the correct route.

“This is me,” you tell him, pointing to your office building and he proceeds to pull into the curb.

He bends his neck slightly to view the structure from below his windshield. “Fancy building,” he remarks.

You chuckled softly. “Yeah, it’s alright,” you say, eyes drifting down to your hands. You turned your attention to him again after a few seconds. “Thanks for getting lunch.”

“Sure. Maybe next time, you can get it.” He says.

“Next time?” Your eyebrows lifted.

He chuckled enigmatically at your question but he didn't answer it. “It was good seeing you again,” he says with a warm smile instead.

Your heart clenches and you give him a small smile in return. “It was good seeing you, too.” You cleared your throat. “And–thank you for the ride.”

“You’re welcome,” he replies.

You put your hand on the door latch, preparing to leave, but he stops you. “Hey.” You turn to him again. “Yeah?”

“I had fun this afternoon,” he admits. “Yeah, I did too,” you confessed.

He nodded, and you stared at each other–his car still idling at the curb.

“I should…go,” you finally tell him.

“Right,” he says, clearing his throat. After a beat, he says, “We should do this again soon.”

“Yeah, I’d like that.” You reply softly.

“I’ll call you.”

You nodded. “You know how to reach me.” With that, you exit his car and walk towards your office building. You looked back to see him still watching you through the rolled down passenger-side window. Before you walk through the doors, you give him a small wave and he does the same. Afterwards, he rolls the window up while his car pulls out of the curb and blends in right into traffic.

******

Right before you head out of the office, you see a bunch of colleagues gathering by the reception area, no doubt heading to happy hour.

“Hey, YN, want to come with us? We’re checking out that new barbecue place that opened a couple blocks away,” a coworker says.

“Thanks for the invite but, I’m pretty beat. I’d be happy to check it out next time, though. What’s it called?” You ask.

“Oh, I can send you the link to the online menu,” they suggested instead, pulling their phone out to text you the link.

Your phone pings when their message comes through. “Perfect. Thanks! Have fun, guys,” you call over your shoulder before stepping into the elevators.

You scrolled through the menu while the cab descended and found a few items that looked good. When you step out into the underground parking lot, you think of something.

You clicked to text the link and forwarded it to Jungkook then followed it up with a message:

[You] (5:38PM): What do you think? They’re open for lunch? 😊

You closed out of the messaging app and made your way to your car. Once you insert the key into the ignition, your phone buzzes. You fish your phone out of your purse to see a response from Jungkook.

[From Jungkook] (5:42PM): Nice, but I like the dinner selections better. What do you say?

That gave you pause as you flashed back to your previous conversation.

[You] (5:43PM): I thought you said dinner was “presumptuous?”

His response comes in a few seconds later.

[From Jungkook] (5:43PM): It’s only presumptuous if you expect us to have coffee the next day. 😏

You laughed at his cheeky response. Touché.

After today, you realized that you’d rather try than give up…because you found somebody who was worth it.

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