parallax | jikook

Part title

The doorman had given Jungkook dirty looks all afternoon. He couldn't help it—he had a ton of boxes and not nearly enough help from the moving guy who decided his job was done after he'd driven the U-HAUL truck to Jungkook's new apartment building. The guy carried another box into the lobby sluggishly, Yankees cap pulled low over his head as he chewed his third piece of gum in as many hours.

Jungkook was sweating in his button-down and he plucked at the fabric carelessly. "Is that it?" he asked, when the moving guy finally came over, empty-handed. The guy nodded.

He lingered around for a tip and Jungkook pulled out his cash clip, sent him off with a polite Thank you, and pushed a cart with the last of his boxes towards the elevator. His new apartment was on the penthouse floor, presiding over the Han river with a pretty sweet view of Seoul, and if Jungkook needed any proof that hard work paid off, this would be it.

Jungkook was not particularly fond of working in finance, even less so the people in it, but it'd gotten him what he wanted. He sagged against the side of the elevator after he maneuvered his cart in, hitting '23' for his floor.

It was fast, the interior plush and nondescript in an old-fashioned way. He hated riding elevators alone; there was always something unsettling about the enclosed space. Jungkook never had to in the past—his old apartment with Jimin was on the second floor.

It was only a moment before he got to the top, and then it was another struggle for Jungkook to drag the cart full of boxes out and down the hall. His door was equipped with a keypad, and Jungkook punched in the code given to him by the listing agent earlier before he swung it open.

Damn—he almost wanted to whistle. The space was bright, airy, walls bare and glowing in the light that streamed in through the floor-to-ceiling windows. There was a kitchen Jungkook knew he'd be wasting, a hallway peeling off the side of the living room to a bathroom and presumably his bedroom as well.

Jungkook pulled out his phone to check the time—14:29—and caught a glimpse of a series of KaTalk notifs, some from Namjoon hyung ('how's the place?'), some from Yoongi hyung ('buy your own fuckn toothbrush'). He was ready to unpack and sleep for a day or two; he'd begged off a few days before the weekend at work, in order to allow himself to move in, but he was still needed tomorrow.

There was a slight hitch as he attempted to turn the light on in the bathroom. He flicked the switch a couple of times, on-and-off, before he realized with a grunt that he forgot to set up utilities. Jimin had always handled the bills.

He fumbled around until he found the box labeled 'Bedding' and made his way to the bedroom with just a duvet and pillow. Unpacking could wait.

-

"Wanna get drinks?" Mingyu asked as he leaned against Jungkook's doorway and watched him stuff some paperwork into his bag.

Jungkook deliberated for a second—he still had the majority of his boxes to unpack—but keeping up interpersonal relationships at work was no less important than the actual stock option portfolios he slaved over. He also had no one waiting for him at home, something he still couldn't quite get used to. It had been years. "Yeah, sure. Almost done."

Later, they're tucked into a booth in some trendy new club Jungkook would never have went of his own volition—Redemption was the name, must've been Yugyeom's choice. He debated ducking out early; the conversation was stifling.

"Eunha isn't saying anything outright, but I can just feel it. It's stressing me out." Mingyu waved his glass around as he talked. Jungkook wondered again why he came out here with all the junior analysts from work.