My Muse [Jungkook x Reader]

CHAPTER 24 - THE MEETING

CHAPTER 24 - THE MEETING

Hoseok, Jungkook, Mina, and I were all directed to sit on the couch together while the rest of the men took their seats in front of us. I was growing more and more uneasy by the minute, as I waited for someone to start explaining what was going on. I glanced over at Mina, and she looked just as uncomfortable as I did. Apparently, she had no idea what any of this was about either.

"Is this an intervention?" Hoseok joked, breaking the silence.

"Kind of?" Jin replied curiously. He leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and let out a long, deep sigh.

"Oh God, here we go," Jungkook groaned, rolling his eyes.

"Respect your elders," Jin complained, darting his eyes over to Jungkook. "Now then...we are mainly here to interrogate your girlfriends."

Mina and I exchanged a nervous glance. "W-what?" I stuttered, blinking rapidly.

"Jin, you've got to stop, they think you're serious," Namjoon frowned. "We do need to discuss some logistics, though, about your relationships..."

With that, I knew exactly what they were getting at. I was expecting this talk to come eventually- just not with the entire group in tow. I already knew being with Jungkook was going to be a whole new kind of challenge. The walls that we were all living in currently, the ones that protected us from the peering eyes of the outside world for the most part, wouldn't be there for much longer. Seeing each other would be difficult- between busy schedules and the necessary discretion involved. Even more so, for whoever didn't win the competition...

"Obviously, we have no issues with you dating, but you will need to keep things a secret," Namjoon began. "Getting caught is not an option- so don't." His eyes were completely serious, focused in on the four of us.

"Also, obviously, this sort of relationship can be quite taxing and frankly exhausting," Jin interjected. "We travel a lot- and when we aren't traveling, we're still pretty much always working."

"You have to have a certain level of independence," Namjoon continued. "You may be lonely at times."

"We definitely can't see you 24/7- even answering the phone is a luxury at times."

"Birthdays, anniverseries, holidays- those aren't a guarantee."

"Basically, we're telling you that now is your opportunity to leave and avoid all of that," Jin wrapped up, opening the floor for us to respond. His face was almost unreadable.

"Did you just invite our girlfriends to break up with us?" Hoseok questioned is disbelief. Jungkook simply sat quietly, looking down in his lap.

"You know the drill, they do this every time," Taehyung shrugged.

"Don't take it personally," Jimin spoke, giving Mina and I a reassuring nod.

Normally, I would be intimidated by their words, but I was more sure about this than I'd ever been about anything in my life before. There was no hesitancy when I thought about what I wanted. Jungkook was the one I wanted, and he was worth the effort. This relationship wasn't a burden for me, it was a blessing. I wasn't scared of what the future might hold- I was brimming with overwhelming confidence. Confidence in us.

"I don't care," I spoke plainly. I watched as all of eyes in the room turned towards me, most filled with sheer bewilderment. "Every relationship has its own challenges, some more than others, but none of that matters if you're willing to do what it takes to make it work."

Mina nodded in response, "yup, we're not so dumb that we didn't understand the consequences of being with someone in this industry."

"We have our own dreams to pursue, so I promise we won't be bored sitting at home waiting for you to return," I laughed. "Enjoying the moments together full heartedly, even if they are few- that's what's important."

"Nobody got time to be waiting on a man," Mina giggled, shaking her head. "So, me, lonely? Do you even know how many hours of the day I spend practicing?"

"My body is pretty much made of energy drinks from staying up until five in the morning writing music," I added.

"Oh my God! I know! Time differences- who even cares when you only sleep three hours a night?"

By now, everyone was looking at us like we had two heads, ranting and raving on. We probably did sound a little crazy, to be fair. They were trying to explain to us how tough things would be, probably from personal experience from past relationships, and here we were dismissing their every worry like it was nothing.

"Look, we appreciate the honesty," I chuckled, trying to reign things in. "But we wouldn't have pursued our feelings in the first place if it wasn't worth it...right Mina?"

"Absolutely," she smiled lovingly, leaning her head against Hoseok.

"Y'all are kind of cute," Taehyung scrunched his nose.

Jungkook wrapped his arms around me and snuggled up close. "So, can we stop bullying them into leaving us, now?"

Jin nodded, looking pleased with our responses. "I suppose...I brought cake for the occasion, in case this went well."

"What if things didn't go well?" Jimin squinted his eyes at Jin.

"Well, I guess we would have left the cake for those two to eat alone as an apology for causing them heartbreak," he shrugged, looking between Hoseok and Jungkook.

I smiled warmly as I watched the boys joke amongst themselves, my heart feeling full. I had gone into this experience all by myself, but I would be emerging from this with someone I loved, a best friend, and a huge, chaotic family. Regardless of what happened from here on out, I would at least have that. Everything else was up to me.

"You look happy," Jungkook whispered in my ear, as the commotion of the food being served rang around us.

I blushed from the sudden attention, covering the cheesy grin that had crept up on my face with my hand. Jungkook pulled my hand down and pecked me lightly on the lips. "I like it," he smiled against my lips. "Don't hide yourself."

"Are you happy, too?" I asked, staring into his brown eyes as he pulled away. I could feel his emotions just from his touch, but I wanted to hear him say it out loud.

"So happy," he hummed. "I wasn't expecting you to say all of that. It's not like I doubted our relationship or anything, but it really reassured me...so, thank you."

"It was a little scary having to respond to Jin and Namjoon like that, to be honest," I mumbled, taken aback by his heartfelt gratitude, and feeling a bit shy. "I know they have your best interests at heart, but damn, that was nervewracking."

"They definitely like to put things out in the open, quite literally, in front of everyone," Jungkook sighed, chuckling to himself.

"It's nice though- like family," I smiled softly. It was the first time in a long time that I had felt like part of a family. The feeling was almost foreign to me- but it was a good feeling. I felt the emotions starting to overwhelm me, threatening to cause tears to form in my eyes, and quickly changed the subject as a distraction. "Well, let's go get some of Jin's 'sorry I put you on the spot' cake," I giggled, beginning to stand.

Jungkook grabbed my wrist, stopping me from rising from the couch. He cleared his throat and looked down towards the ground, pressing a finger against his lips as he pondered over his next words. "There's something I'd like to tell you...soon."