TIME AFTER TIME ; jjk

46

Sure.

Jungkook's face immediately filled the frame as soon as I accepted the call. I couldn't contain my smile at the sight of him that morning. He was wearing sunglasses, light catching on the dark frames. It was too bright in the background, and what seemed to be apartment buildings towered behind him so I figured he was outside.

I also noticed something new as I focused on his face. His hair was shorter than what I could remember seeing on him the last time. It gave him a boyish, youthful look. "Hey there, Cool Guy. Aww, you got a haircut." I sat there, a little enamored, feeling the emotion send a kick to my stomach. Jungkook looked great like this.

“I got it yesterday. Do I look good?”

I nodded along. “Infinitely good.”

He brushed his fingers through his hair twice, tousling it a bit. That was absolutely done on purpose. He couldn't fool me. Fuck. This man knew he was hot, pretending to be nonchalant about it. His soft fringes came falling back in his face, delicately brushing over his eyebrows. "I don't think I've mentioned Minhyung to you. My nephew." He panned the camera to someone standing next to him, an adorable, small face gracing my screen. The little boy suddenly looked shy. "Look, Min. Say hi to my girlfriend. Auntie Soohyun is so beautiful, isn't she?"

Minhyung, who looked three at best, turned away with a trace of a small bashful smile and backed away, hiding behind Jungkook as his little hands clutched the side of his uncle's black shirt. But he kept peeking at the screen when he thought I didn't notice. Jungkook giggled and caged Minhyung in between his arms, kissing his cheek and squeezing him tighter to display his playful aggression. Amusement washed over me while I watched Jungkook get overwhelmed by a toddler's cuteness..

I couldn't resist commenting, “He's so cute. He looks a bit like you. I mean, your eyes."

He set his gaze back on me, a slight panic shadowing his expression. "He's just my nephew."

I grinned, blowing on my hot coffee. "I know, silly."

Jungkook shook his head and smirked. “I was kidding… I'm visiting my sister so I brought him out to go for a walk. We're at the park. We're getting muffins later. Right, Min? We'll get as many as you want, yeah? What else are we getting again? Tell her."

"Bweer..." Minhyung responded in a small, muffled voice which I would've gushed over in person.

I squinted my eyes. "What did I just hear, Jungkook?"

Jungkook snorted, eyes crinkling at the corners. The sound of his laughter was so nice in my ears. "Beer? Alright. But I'm buying you something else. Age-appropriate."

I shouldn't find it funny, but even that was endearing to me. I must be really insane. "What are you teaching that poor kid?"

Jungkook was enjoying himself too much, breaking out into laughter. "Relax. He doesn't even know what that is."

"Do his parents know what kind of things Minhyung is learning from you?"

With an eyebrow raised, he flashed another playful smile. "Hey, I'm not a bad uncle. This is just hilarious."

"Your sister needs to reconsider having her son near you."

He feigned offense, brows coming together. “I’m the best uncle Minhyung has—Min! Come here. Don't pick that up. That's dirty. That's yucky, baby, it's gonna stick to your hands.” The camera went all hazy, and the next moment I was watching the sky from chaotic angles. It was like being held in his hand and being thrown in all directions. The phone directed at the kid again. I watched the whole interaction with full-on interest. Jungkook swiped something out of his nephew's hands, and it all appeared in a blur. After a couple minutes, the video steadied, Jungkook's face coming back on the screen. He held his phone from a low angle. The video was blinding which reminded me of the fact that it must have been two days since I saw daylight. I basically lived in the hospital. I shrugged it off, not liking the kickoff to the pity party. “Babe…” That caught my attention back.