<OST: Tell me about your day - Kwon Jin Ah>
"Dum, dum, dumdi, dum-" Jungkook hummed to himself, before letting out a displeased frown. "No, this isn't it. La, la, ladi, da? Nah, this isn't it either... urgh-"
Knock. Knock. Knock.
Jungkook turned around and glanced at the door of his studio. "Who's that?"
Click.
The door opened and Jieun's familiar face with that familiar cheeky smile peeked in. "Hello, JJK-nim! May I come in?"
The serious frown on Jungkook's face disappeared as he grinned from ear to ear from finally seeing his girlfriend after a long, long day at work. A cheeky look spread across his face as he folded his arms and shook his head, leaning back in his swivel chair.
"No, you may not."
"Huh?" Jieun pouted. "Okay, I guess I'll make a move first then-"
"Hey, I'm just joking-" Jungkook smiled as he got up from his seat and grabbed Jieun by the arm, tugging her into his studio. "Come here, you-"
Jieun let out a little giggle as Jungkook took a seat on his chair once more and seated her on his thigh.
"Have you been eating well and sleeping well?" Jieun pouted as she placed the bag of things she brought from his house onto his table before turning to look at him. "You don't even have a proper bed in here... Are you sure you're living comfortably?"
"If you're so concerned about me, why don't you come stay here with me too?" Jungkook gave her a nose-scrunched smile as he wrapped his arms around her waist. "Then you won't have to worry anymore."
"Shut up-" Jieun giggled as she prodded at his cheeks. "There's barely even enough space for one person, how can there be enough space for another?"
"That's true..." Jungkook pouted. "I'm sorry, Jieun-ah... I've been neglecting you lately, haven't I? For now, I just really want to put in 100% of my effort to prepare for the upcoming concert... When my concert is finally successfully over, we can spend all the time we want together... okay?"
"Do I seem like such a clingy girlfriend to you?" Jieun laughed as she got up from Jungkook's lap and slowly took out the contents from the bag she had brought. "I can deal with just a few months of being alone. Though I probably should tell you about something..."
"What?"
"You know how I've been inviting different actors and male mods on my channel lately for my series on guys makeup?" Jieun grinned. "Actually... so far, three of them have already asked me for my numbe-"
"They what?!" Jungkook jumped to his feet, his eyes flared and his fists clenched tightly. "Who asked for your number?! Let me see them right now!"
"I told them I'm attached-" Jieun said simply, with a happy smile. "But I just wanted to tell you about it."
"You- they-" Jungkook finally slumped down onto his chair, heaving a sigh of relief. "Oh... good."
"Actually, you don't have to get so worked up-" Jieun commented calmly as she turned to look at Jungkook. "You know you're the only one I'll ever have eyes for, don't you?"
Jungkook stared at Jieun for a few seconds, before reaching out and pulling towards him once more, causing her to land straddled on his lap once more. He grabbed her by her cheek and planted a firm kiss on her lips. It was just a simple, quick peck, but his intentions were clearly delivered across successfully.
"I love you, you know that, right?"
Jieun smiled as she retreated and got to her feet once more, gesturing at the food laid out for him on his table. "Okay, enough lovey-doveyness for now! Eat up, Jungkook-ah. You need energy to keep working for the rest of the night."
Jungkook smiled as he glanced at the table - a whole table of his favourite food. Jieun had clearly made an attempt at making the food look pretty, but had failed miserably. All that mattered was the taste, though.
"I'm digging in!" Jungkook announced as he picked up his chopsticks. "It looks really good, Jieun-ah."
"It does?" Jieun laughed. "I tried making you a bento box but I simply couldn't deal with all the octopus-looking sausages and seaweed cutouts for the eyes... so I just threw everything into a box. Now you have a healthy - and hopefully tasty - bibimbap."
Jungkook took a big bite and a huge smile spread across his face. "Daebak."
"Is it good?" Jieun's eyes lit up as she picked a piece of rice from Jungkook's lips and threw it into the bin. "Eat slower, you might choke."
"It's really funny," Jungkook commented between bites. "In the past... I had problems sleeping. I had eating problems too - I simply refused to eat food that had just a slight bit of oil or sodium in it. But these days... all these problems seem to have disappeared. Eating food like this that is way healthier than normal food but still not bland and tasteless... it makes me happy yet I don't have to fear gaining weight before my comeback. My sleeping problems too... it's so weird that even now with all this stress that I have from concerts, I can sleep peacefully at night."
"Don't you think it has got to do with the stress you received from your sajang-nim?" Jieun proposed. "It seems like ever since you left BG Entertainment, your mood and mental state has been so much better, too. You can now sleep so soundly every night, without me being around. It's way too much to be a coincidence, don't you think?"
Jungkook nodded in agreement. "I do feel like my whole experience with BG Entertainment had such a negative effect on my emotional well-being... Now, even when I prepare for my comebacks or this upcoming solo concert... I don't feel stressed by it at all - not a single bit. I feel like I'm completely enjoying myself and doing what I want to do. Even though I'm working similar hours back then and now... back then it was forced, but now... it's because I truly wanna do it. There's such a subtle yet huge difference."
"If only you had managed to quit BG Entertainment earlier..." Jieun sighed as she patted Jungkook's head fondly. "Then maybe, you wouldn't have had to go through so much pain... my poor Jungkook-ah..."
"Don't say that-" Jungkook smiled. "Things actually worked out for the better - you know, things really wouldn't have been the same if I quit BG Entertainment earlier. I wouldn't have met Yoongi-hyung... I wouldn't have met everyone else in BTS Entertainment.... and I wouldn't have met you. And... did you forget? My sleep problem was the one that brought you closer to me."
"Oh?" Jieun's eyes lit up. "You're right! But if stress was the reason, why was it that you could sleep every time I was by your side...? It's so weird if you think about it, don't you think?"
"Really, you think it's weird?" Jungkook let out a hearty laugh as he set down his spoon. "I don't think it's weird at all. I actually know why I could sleep every time you were near me."
"You do?" Jieun's eyes widened. "Why is that so?"
"Because I always felt a sense of peace and comfort around you, Lee Jieun-" Jungkook said with a little smile as he reached out and interlocked his fingers with Jieun's. "From the beginning, you always spoke your mind. You weren't afraid of telling me how you felt about me, you weren't afraid of being yourself. That's how you managed to break the walls around me and help me to find myself once more. That's why, I think, I always could sleep when you were by my side. Even now, when I can sleep just fine, that's how important your existence is to me, Jieun-ah. You're my medicine, the one who helped me to break out of my cocoon and emerge as a butterfly. So thank you, Lee Jieun."
"Who was the one who helped me realise my true potential in makeup?" Jieun smiled as she reached out and stroked Jungkook's face gently. "I should be the one saying that - so thank you, Jeon Jungkook."
-•-•-
"Oh, oppa-" Jennie turned around as she heard the clicking sound of Yoongi's door opening. "Hi."
Yoongi stared at Jennie for a few seconds, unable to take his eyes off her. Something about her today was... different. She wore a nice red dress and her makeup was slightly more elaborate than usual.
"Oh-" Yoongi caught himself staring for a little too long, and he looked away at once. "Hi, Jennie-ya."
"How do you like my dress?" Jennie looked down at it then back up at Yoongi with a shy smile. "Is it nice...?"
Yoongi found it difficult to make eye contact with her, so he just nodded quietly. "Mm."
"What about my makeup?" Jennie let out a nervous chuckle. "Jieun-unnie gave me classes on this makeup look... what do you think?"
Yoongi looked up briefly and made eye contact with the floor once more as he mumbled under his breath. "Mm, you look pretty."
Jennie let out a shy giggle as she slung her arm around Yoongi's.
Yoongi looked down at their interlocked arms briefly, before looking up at her in surprise. "Jen-"
"Let's go, oppa-" Jennie tugged him towards the lift. "It's getting late."
Yoongi and Jennie arrived outside a spicy kimchi hotpot restaurant a while later after taking a taxi.
"It's nice," Jennie commented as they finally entered the restaurant and settled down in their seats. "It's really nice to see you like that, oppa."
"What do you mean?"
"Nothing much..." Jennie said as she fiddled with the serviette on the table in front of her. "It's just nice, I mean, like - seeing how much you've changed. Last time, you refused to go out to eat because you were a hermit; you also had a trauma of riding cars, remember? I'm so glad you've overcome all that and grown so much as a person since the day I met you 300 days ago."
Yoongi's jaw dropped. "Today is the 300th day since we met?"
"Mm-" Jennie let out an awkward chuckle. "Why would you think I invited you out for a date today?"
"Oh."
"I know that's only what couples do," Jennie admitted as she gazed up at Yoongi uneasily. "But I just thought... I wanted to do it with you."
"Ah-" Yoongi bit his lower lip. "Jennie-ya, I-"
"Spicy kimchi jeongol is here~!" The ajumma interrupted, prematurely cutting their conversation short. "Be careful, it's hot! Please enjoy~"
"Thank you," Yoongi said with a smile.
"Thank you, ajumma!" Jennie exclaimed with a bright smile as she reached for the chopsticks.
But Yoongi already had her cutlery prepared for her and handed it over quietly.
Jennie smiled gratefully as she watched him for a few seconds, before taking the set of chopsticks and spoon from him. "Thank you, oppa."
"Why did you want to come here, of all places?" Yoongi asked nonchalantly as he reached for a set of cutlery for himself. "You don't usually eat spicy food."
"What do you mean? Spicy food is the best for relieving stress-" Jennie took a sip of the spicy soup and let out a loud 'ahh'. "This is perfect. Oppa, try it."
Yoongi took a small sip and made a face before taking a few huge gulps of iced water. "You call this perfect...? How do you even eat this?"
"What do you mean?" Jennie said as she took another sip, her eyes starting to tear up. "I think it's perfect."
"Your eyes are watering though."
"Oh, you're right-" Jennie let out a small chuckle as she wiped the tears away from her eyes. "It's spicy, but it's still tolerable."
"You enjoy then-" Yoongi said as he poured a cup of iced water for Jennie and sat back in his seat. "I'll have to pass this time."
"Alright then, more for me-" Jennie smiled with tears in her eyes as she reached out to pull the pot closer to her-
Yoongi's eyes widened as his hands instinctively shot forward. "Ya, it's hot!"
But Jennie's hand had already landed on the metal handle, and she retracted her hand quickly, her face contorted in pain.
"Ya!" Yoongi jumped to his feet and dashed to Jennie's side, holding her by the arm as Jennie squeezed her eyes shut and winced in pain. "You okay? Let me see-"
Yoongi took a quick look at her finger before quickly dipping it into the cup of iced water. "Ya... look at it, it's all red..."
"It's okay, oppa-" Jennie sniffled. "I'm okay..."
Yoongi looked up at Jennie. "Why are you crying?"
"It must be so painful that I'm crying-" Jennie said as tears rolled down her cheeks. "Plus... it's because of the spice too."
Yoongi hesitated. "Are you sure you're okay?"
"Mm, I'm okay, oppa-" Jennie pulled her hand out of Yoongi's grip and turned back around, picking up her chopsticks once more. "I'm okay, so you don't have to worry about me."
Looking highly doubtful, Yoongi got back up and slowly returned to his seat. For the next half an hour, Yoongi watched quietly as tears poured down Jennie's cheeks, which she kept attributing to the spicy stew before them.
"You're not crying because of the spicy soup, are you?" Yoongi finally commented, when she was almost done with everything. "You didn't come here because you wanted to relieve stress either."
"What do you mean?"
"You're crying because you're sad, Jennie-" Yoongi pointed out. "You may be a good actress, but I know you long enough to tell the difference."
Jennie sat her spoon down and looked up at Yoongi, choking back tears. "Mm, you're right. I'm crying because I'm sad, not because of the stew."
Yoongi's expression turned cold. "Does this have anything to do with what we discussed this morning? Because if it does-"
"Oppa-" Jennie's voice broke as she looked up at Yoongi with teary eyes. "I really want you to-"
Yoongi got up from his seat once more.
"Oppa!" Jennie rose to her feet as well, grabbing Yoongi by his wrist before he could leave. "Don't go, please just hear me out..."
"I'm not going, Jennie!" Yoongi raised his voice a little as he looked at her, agitated tears welled up in his eyes as well. "How many times do I have to tell you that?"
"You're not staying for the right reasons-" Jennie tried to persuade him. "Oppa, you can go."
"You really want me to go so badly?"
Jennie choked back her tears and nodded.
"Why are you crying then?"
Jennie shook her head and looked at the ground.
"You don't want me to go, do you?" Yoongi pleaded as he held onto Jennie's hand. "Can't you just... ask me to stay?"
Jennie remained silent.
"Let me ask you one last time, Jennie Kim-" Yoongi turned to face her, looking at her directly in her face. "If you want me to go, I'll go. If you tell me to stay, I'll stay. So... let me ask you this - do you really want me to go?"
Jennie let out a soft whimper before nodding.
"I can't believe you called me out just for this-" Yoongi's voice cracked and he swallowed hard, the hurt showing in his eyes. "Okay, alright? Since you really want me to go, I'll go. I'm leaving tomorrow morning... but don't even bother sending me off."
"Oppa-"
And before Jennie could stop it, Yoongi stormed out of the restaurant in a fit of rage.