My Muse [Jungkook x Reader]

CHAPTER 28 - THE LONELY

CHAPTER 28 - THE LONELY

"You shouldn't be here..." I mumbled as the door to the studio opened. I kept my eyes fixated on the screen, focusing on my work. Namjoon, next to me, started to roll back in his chair and prepared to stand up to leave. "You don't need to leave," I spoke, still giving my undivided attention to the screen.

"It's okay, we can take a break," Namjoon waived me off and stood, pushing past Jungkook in the doorway.

"That's not the point," I sighed. I swung my chair around to face Jungkook. His eyes were cast downward, lips pursed- clearly, he was upset. I knew I was being harsh by avoiding him, but Jia's words were stabbed in my mind like a knife. I didn't want to give her the satisfaction of seeing me together with anyone other than my assigned partner for this round.

The final round of the competition was the 'Artist Performance' portion, and I was partnered with Namjoon for it. In this round, we would be not only composing a song, but performing it with our assigned artist. The focus would be strictly on the lyricism and production. Jia had been partnered with Hoseok for the assignment. I felt horrible for him knowing he was stuck with the witch that had badmouthed his girlfriend- even if he was oblivious to it.

"Sorry for interrupting, I know you're probably stressed..." Jungkook scratched his head uncomfortably as he walked closer. "Ill go, I just wanted to bring you something to drink."

Jungkook handed me a hot tea and I was overcome with a wave of guilt as I looked into his pained eyes. Despite his busy schedule he had made the effort to come and see me and had even brought me something to soothe my voice- yet here I was acting like a certified bitch.

"Thank you..." I spoke quietly, ashamed of my behavior. "I feel like I have a ton of eyes on me all the time. Well, you get it," I chuckled trying to lighten the mood.

"I definitely get it," Jungkook finally smiled. He took my hand in his and traced circles in my palm. "Can I come see you, later?" He stared at me with his beautiful dark chocolate eyes, ensnaring me. How was I supposed to tell him no when he looked at me like that?

"Okay, I'll wait for you in my room after we wrap up here in a few hours," I gave in. It had been days since we had more than a couple minutes of conversation. If I was being honest with myself, I was craving his attention.

Namjoon returned to the room with a drink of his own, ready to resume. "All good?" he questioned before sitting back down.

"Yep! I was just leaving," Jungkook spoke cheerfully, clearly in a much better mood.

Namjoon turned over to me quizzically after Jungkook exited the room. "What's with the hot and cold? Are you trying to break the poor man's heart?"

"I am just trying to focus," I sighed, cradling my chin in my hands.

"He's sensitive to other people's emotions- so if you think your fooling him that there's nothing bothering you- you aren't. I practically raised the kid. Trust me- he knows something's up."

"Look, I don't want to go into details, but someone told me I wasn't worthy of being here...in some not so nice words," I explained. "I want to prove that I am worthy and that I can persevere through anything all on my own."

Namjoon squinted his eyes at my words and rubbed his chin back and forth. "Frankly, that 'someone' sounds like an asshole," he scoffed. "But more importantly, it sounds like you found something to write about," he smiled, handing me a notebook and pen off the desk.

I grabbed the items and stared down at the empty lines. "Yeah, I guess I did."

After a few more hours of work, we called it a night and headed up to our respective rooms. We were staying in a private gated building again, but things were on a whole other level here. Luxury. The room I was staying in was the size of my entire apartment back home. I had a gorgeous view of the Seoul skyline from my window. The city sparkled with light against the black night sky. I could lose hours just staring at the landscape.

Tapping at my door prompted me to peel my eyes away and stand up from my bed. I opened the door to Jungkook and swiftly pulled him inside, giving a quick glance to the hall to make sure that his entrance had gone unnoticed.

"Can we order food?" he beamed, pulling me into his embrace. His excitement was so adorable, butterflies were swimming uncontained in my stomach.

"Of course," I giggled, burying my head against his chest.

"It feels good to have you in my arms again," he sighed out, resting his cheek against the top of my head. "I promise to keep tonight stress free- we don't have to talk competition at all."

We made quick work of ordering a ridiculous amount of food to the room, mostly unhealthy junk food- pizza, ramen, and pasta. I tried to stop myself from drooling over the delicious spread in front of us. Being so busy in the studio, I often forgot to take a break to eat. I hadn't realized just how hungry I was until the scent of the delicious food hit my nostrils. My stomach was rumbling noticeably loud.

"I thought you might be hungry," Jungkook chuckled, filling his plate. So, he recognized that I wasn't eating properly, too. All his efforts were so considerate, he really was attentive to how I was feeling. I started to feel like an even bigger asshole for how I was ignoring him.

"I'm really sorry, Jungkook," I choked out, biting down on my lip. My emotions were starting to overwhelm me, and I could feel my throat tightening as tears started to form in my eyes. I probably sounded crazy.

"Whoa, what's wrong?" Jungkook immediately set down his food and scooched his chair closer to mine.

"I didn't want anyone to discount my efforts in this competition, so I thought it'd be better to avoid you for a bit," I struggled to maintain my composure. "I let my pride control me, I'm sorry."

Jungkook shook his head, "No, I understand why you would be concerned," he assured me. "But I've never helped you outside of my responsibilities as a mentor- nobody can take your success away from you."

"I shouldn't have let toxic whispers affect me; I know."

"Unfortunately, that is something that is constant in this industry," he nodded. "You've made it this far because of your own hard work and passion- I'm just here watching you bloom." He grazed his hand against my cheek and placed a gentle kiss on my lips.

With such a simple gesture, I felt all of my worries melt away. Jungkook was right. I was never going to change the mind of someone who had already formed their own idea of who I was. And they weren't worth it, anyways. The person who was worth it was right here in front of me. They deserved my time, and I wasn't going to waste any more of it.

"Are you perfect at literally everything?" I groaned as he pulled away. "You're even an expert therapist."

"I am the golden maknae, after all," he smirked.