"Counting Down the Wrong Days"

Chapter 1: The Wrong Kind of Countdown

The morning air felt loud.

Not in sound, but in presence—dense with anticipation, humming with a restless, global energy that slipped through the cracks of Lee Y/N's window like static. The city itself seemed to be holding its breath. Social media had been ablaze for days. Fans had camped out since midnight.

Because today, Jeon Jungkook was coming back.

Out of uniform. Back onstage. Back where the world believed he belonged.

In everyone's hearts.

Everyone's—except hers.

Y/N stirred beneath her duvet, blinking up at the familiar ceiling of the HYBE staff residence she had occupied for the past few years. It was modest, efficient—five minutes to the company building, ten if she dragged her feet.

And today, she fully intended to drag them.

For most, the day marked celebration. Jungkook—global icon, HYBE's crown jewel, the industry's favorite—was finally being discharged from the military. But to Y/N, the occasion felt closer to a personal inconvenience.

Because peace, as she knew it, was over.

She exhaled slowly, turning onto her side and pulling the blanket over her face.
"I should've taken the day off..."

It wasn't as though she worked under him anymore. That chapter had closed last quarter with her promotion—no longer tethered to individual artist schedules, no more late-night calls about impulsive Instagram captions, no more gently negotiating with him not to spoil unreleased tracks during livestreams.

No more damage control.

It had been quiet.

Effortlessly, blissfully quiet.

Two years without him.

And now—

The disruption was returning.

After a long shower and an even longer moment of hesitation in front of her wardrobe, Y/N finally stepped out. The residential block opened into chaos.

The street leading to HYBE was already flooded—fans packed shoulder to shoulder, phones raised, banners waving, oversized cutouts of Jungkook's face catching the early light. It wasn't even 7 a.m. His arrival wasn't until eleven.

"Unbelievable," she muttered.

Navigating the sidewalk proved impossible. The crowd had claimed it entirely. Some fans had settled in with snacks, portable speakers playing BTS tracks as if the street itself had become an extension of a concert venue.

A sudden tug on her wrist halted her steps.

"Unnie!"

Y/N turned to find a girl, cheeks flushed and glitter dusted across her skin, beaming at her.

"You work here, right? Please—can you give this to Jungkook-oppa?"

Before Y/N could respond, a thick pastel envelope—decorated with stickers and careful handwriting—was pressed into her hands.

"Wait, I—"

But the girl had already disappeared, swallowed by the crowd.

Y/N stared down at the letter, exhaled, and silently counted to five before pushing forward again.

Security eventually spotted her near the entrance, ushering her through the dense crowd. One of the guards offered a knowing smile.

"Back to chaos?"