MADRID, ES
KOOK & CHAE
—
The next morning for Park Chaeyoung was rough.
She woke up with the nastiest headache and her whole body was sore, and she realized that maybe it wasn't the best idea to party on the first night of a trip.
Moreover, she felt sad and lonely once again. She became so accustomed to having her members around that waking up to silence was so unsettling. Usually after a night of drinking, her and the girls would take turns taking care of one another through their hangovers. But alas, she had no one but a glass of water and Tylenol at her side today.
Remembering the incidents last night did not help in making her feel better either. She suddenly wished that she drank more so that she would have forgotten those memories. Now that she was of sane mind, she was able to fully recall and reflect on the events. Why was she being so careless? Chaeyoung shuddered at the thought of the man's hands around her. Who knows what that could have led to if it weren't for Jungkook.
Of course she was grateful, but him and her weren't necessarily on the greatest of terms for her to openly show her appreciation towards him. Not unless she wanted to completely lose her pride.
More than anything, she hoped that she would not run into him again today. Like what Sooyoung said, Madrid is a big city. Last night was nothing but coincidence. Although, past naive her would have begged to differ. Chaeyoung immediately shook the thought out of her head.
She decided to focus on something else and make a plan for the rest of the week. She had been so busy with album preparations the past few days that she never got the time to prepare for her trip. She was always more of a go with the flow type, but a rough itinerary would not hurt, especially since there was much to see in Madrid and there were certain spots she wanted to visit.
Chaeyoung quickly went on her phone to write out her plan for the day and hoped to God that Jungkook would be anywhere else.
After taking a brisk shower and changing into new clothes, she left her hotel room and walked to the nearest station. She wore comfortable shoes as she was going to try the metro that day to take her to her destination. She wanted to experience it at least once.
Upon stepping inside the subway and sitting in an open seat, Chaeyoung started to feel anxious if she had boarded the right one. She checked the map almost one hundred times before heading out so there was no way she wouldn't be.
It was after almost forty five minutes that she started to grow wary and doubt her skills. The names of the stops the vehicle would call out were no where near the place she intended to go.
She turned to the elderly woman seated next to her and politely tapped her shoulder. "Sorry to bother you, but does this stop at Plaza Mayor?" she asked, silently hoping that the woman spoke english.
"No dear," she responded sadly.
Chaeyoung's heart dropped upon hearing this. She said her thanks before hurriedly looking through her phone, wondering where the hell she was. Great, as if this trip couldn't get any worse, she thought to herself.
At the next station, she immediately got out. She seemed to figure out where she made her mistake. Sitting down at the nearest bench, she waited for the right one to arrive which was thankfully only five minutes away.
It was only her second day and Chaeyoung was starting to feel as if she could never live by herself. She shook the that thought away, and although she had already wasted more than an hour of her day, she decided to focus on the positive and not let it decrease her morale.
Once the subway pulled up (this time she checked two hundred times), the first thing she did was ask another passenger if it was going to her destination, just to be even more safe. She sighed in relief once the individual said yes.
After a few minutes walk from her stop, she arrived at the Plaza Mayor around lunch time and after everything that has happened, all she could think about was satisfying her hunger. At least the place was known for its numerous dining options.
Chaeyoung stopped to admire the view. The historical landmark stood beautifully under the summer sun. She could feel her bones finally relaxing and her heart calming down.
She walked around the square, taking a few pictures here and there, before heading inside a nice restaurant that had outdoor seating that she wanted to try. It was called Arrabal.
She asked the waiter specifically to be seated outside, but only when her butt was placed on the chair did she remember her fear of eating alone. The thought of passerbys judging and laughing at her haunted her. She should have expected this as she was travelling alone but the image had left her mind. She would just have to deal with the company of herself. Maybe it was another independence milestone she needed to achieve.
Chaeyoung looked through the menu she was given and was delighted to see her options. Her stomach started to growl at the sight of food.
She was about to take a sip of her water when the person she did not want to see suddenly appeared in front of her. Though he was in disguise again, she could clearly tell who it was.
Jungkook had ran into the seat, out of breath, as if he just ran a marathon. The sudden motion was almost enough to flip the whole table over.
Chaeyoung was puzzled at the random sight.
"Before you say anything, act like you're my date to this girl running towards us," he said exasperated, reaching to hold her hand that was placed on the table. Chaeyoung was startled at this sudden action but she didn't pull away.
She turned her head towards a tan woman heading towards them. She was undeniably stunning. Chaeyoung was a slightly taken aback by her beauty, but she had locked eyes with the other girl and her expression turned into a defeated one. She ran the other way, upset and crying.
"I.. am so confused," Chaeyoung stated, slowly turning her head back to face him.
"She was the woman I was with last night at the club, and she got way too clingy," he explained as he stole her water. "She somehow found me again and I've been trying to lose her all morning."
Knowing Jungkook, she assumed he would've taken the woman back to his hotel but she guesses he had somewhat more decency than that, or he was scared that his true identity would be exposed.
It was only a few hours ago that he received an eerie message from an unknown number; a picture of the girl beside the hotel he was staying at, saying she was waiting for him outside. He managed to escape through the back door, but the girl had caught up to him.
"How did you know I was here?" she asked further.
"I didn't," he replied curtly.
Destiny again? Chaeyoung immediately shuddered at the thought.
The waiter approached her again and seemed surprised to see another party with her as it wasn't mentioned. "Will he be joining you today?" he asked.
Chaeyoung fought the urge to say no as the woman was nowhere to be seen, but she felt bad as he seemed to be exhausted and she didn't want to go through the lengths of explaining. And so, she just nodded in response.
The waiter came back with another menu and water, as well as refilling hers as it was all chugged down by the nuisance in front of her.
"Thanks," Jungkook said with almost no emotion in his voice.
After the words left his mouth in that tone specifically, he wanted to punch himself.
She gripped the menu she was holding tighter, the audacity of this man. He couldn't have at least meant it genuinely. He saved her last night, so maybe it was just the universe balancing out.
As they read through the dishes, not one word was uttered between them. For once, he actually wanted to start a conversation with her.
He realized that he was a bit rude and should have thanked her more for doing him that favour. And then he remembered, what happened to her last night and how he just selfishly left her alone afterwards.
Though he would usually be quite mean towards her, it would never be to that extent. He was still a human being, not the monster Chaeyoung perceived him to be. A part of him actually felt concern and worry, especially when he awoke this morning and truly processed what happened (that is before his stalker found him).
What was wrong with him? He usually always knew the right things to say in front of a woman, but his mind was blank.
This was Park Chaeyoung, someone he would choose to only say two words to. He was probably overthinking though. If he started talking to her and all of a sudden be a lot nicer than how he usually was, she might think it's just because he pitied her.
"Are you good?" she asked.
"Why do you ask?" he managed.
Chaeyoung furrowed her brows. "Well besides sprinting like your life depended on it, you look like you were badly holding in a fart. Anyways, are you ready to order?"
Now normally he would retaliate with an insult, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. Maybe it was the lack of oxygen reaching his brain from all that running, but he actually couldn't be bothered. He just nodded in reply to her question, though that was stupid because he had been so preoccupied in thinking of how to talk to her that he wasn't able to pick from the menu.
"You're being weird, doesn't that usually get something from you?" she chuckled, like she was reading her mind. "Oh oh, something like 'you look like a fart' right?"
"But if you're doing what I think you're doing — don't," she continued, her tone being a bit more sharp and serious. She took a sip from her water.
Though it had been years since Jungkook and her were close friends, she could still read him like a book. The sudden change in tone and expression was the given tell. Although, she was surprised that he would even care enough about her feelings. Chaeyoung said, "I'd be much more comfortable if you don't put on this fake front to protect my feelings. Just be your usual asshole self, and think of this as my way of repaying your for last night so never bring it up again."
She gave him a smile right after that and it actually seemed so genuine that it made Jungkook reciprocate one back.
"Omo, actually stop it!"
He realized that him giving her an authentic smile was something she wasn't used to either.
Jungkook couldn't believe that in only a few seconds of analyzing his behaviour, Chaeyoung had already figured him out and read what was on his mind. For quitting all ties to each other for many years, she seemed to still know so much about him.
He hated her as a person but no one, except his group members, understood him like she did. And he also hated that.
The waiter soon returned to get their orders. Both him and Chaeyoung tried to hold in their laughter as Jungkook butchered the Spanish pronunciation. He turned red from embarrassment, but he was too hungry to care at this point.
When he left, silence soon fell back on them again. He turned on his phone to check the day but was met by missed calls from his members. They were probably just missing him again and wanting updates.
"So I heard around that Blackpink is having a comeback soon?" he asked her, finally thinking of a topic they could talk about.
Their stylists and makeup artists were all fans of them so he would overhear them talking about them once in a while. Don't tell her he ever said this, but the boys were quite in awe of them as well. They would sometimes even do their choreography as warm up. Definitely not him though.
"Yea, finally," she replied with a chuckle. It had been almost what, two years? She couldn't wait to be back on stage again and performing. Her and the girls prepared several songs that were all dear to their hearts.
He took that earlier thought back as he didn't know how to keep this going. "Are you excited?" he asked.
"Mhm, I would say so. I'm feeling a lot of anxiety though, probably because I don't know if our fans will like it or if we're lacking practice," she responded.
Since it had been a while, they were not sure how their supporters would react, if they're taste had change, or if they even had any left. Noting their small amount of actual performances as well. Though she would regret thinking this in the coming weeks, she was thankful that her schedule was packed with dance practices to polish their moves.
"Did I ask for all the details?" Jungkook teased, returning back to his usual self.
"Anyways... why are you in Madrid?" Chaeyoung asked the question that had been plaguing her mind since she saw him last night. When she texted Sooyoung about it when she got back to her hotel room, even she couldn't give a clear answer as to why.
"To relax?" he replied though he didn't seem too sure about it.
It was actually quite the impulsive move from him. He was up late at night looking at airlines and booked a flight for the next day. All of his members were surprised to see him walk out of his room with suitcases in hand, suddenly announcing that he was flying to another country for a week.
A part of him felt bad for not inviting them, but not one of them complained or protested. They all knew how exhausted he was from their hectic schedules, and so some much deserved alone time was needed.
His company helped him keep his whereabouts a secret, and he had been wearing his ridiculous disguise since he landed.
"We finally got a break after our international tour and promotions ended," he said further. "So I said, why not?"
Chaeyoung understood that. Life of being an idol was rewarding but tiresome. So when they are handed some free time, they must seize the moment.
A few more short conversations here and there came about until the waiter returned with their meals.
They said their thank yous and dug in.
Jungkook looked at her as they ate. She seemed like she was really enjoying herself and the food. One thing he knew for sure about Chaeyoung was that she loved eating.
"Yah, slow down you pig," he retorted.
"I'm hungry, I didn't eat properly last night,"
He stopped eating at the mention of the night previous again. Before he could think, the words involuntarily exited his mouth, as if they'd been dying to come out. "I know you said not to talk about it, but I just wanted to say I'm sorry for what happened and for treating you like that after."
Chaeyoung's eyes widened. This was a first in all the years she's known him. "The Jeon Jungkook actually apologizing? Can you repeat that so I can record it?"
"Yah, I'm being serious," he said sternly while swatting away Chaeyoung's phone that she had taken out of her pocket.
"Arraso, thank you, but it wasn't your fault," she replied. "And I expected no other kind of behaviour coming from you."
Jungkook eyed her, raising an eyebrow. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Well, you've always treated me badly no matter what, so..." she explained. "Why do you act like that again?"
"Just keep eating your food," he said, changing the subject.
The personal reasons as to why Jeon Jungkook hated Park Chaeyoung so much were only known by one person, himself. It had started several years ago, and was his best kept secret and one he intended to stay that way. Not even his own group members knew. If he opened up that can of worms, other things would start spilling out.
Although, it offended him a bit that Chaeyoung thought of him in that way, already expecting him to be hostile towards her even after she had just undergone something traumatic. And while he did do exactly that, it left a bad and guilty feeling on the inside.
Was it his fault that she had ruined his life all those years ago?
☾･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*
Once they had finished their meals, the waiter came back to get their plates and give them the bill.
Chaeyoung sat back and looked at Jungkook expectantly.
"What?" he asked. "Why are you looking at me like that?"
She stayed quiet and continued to speak with only her eyes. She looked at the bill, then back at him.
"You're unbelievable," he gasped, realizing what she was implying.
"And who did you a favour?"
"Fine."
Jungkook sighed and took his wallet out of his pants. He looked at the receipt and was shocked to see the total price of their meal.
"Yah, your glasses of champagne were not cheap!" he shouted, throwing the piece of paper at her. "Why are you even drinking? It's 1pm!"
Chaeyoung sneered at him. "It's five o'clock somewhere," she smiled.
He rolled his eyes and begrudgingly paid for their lunch, muttering a few curses at her throughout.
The woman didn't care, at least she got free food. She knew she could manipulate Jungkook into paying before she even ordered her drinks. She even knew that he would forget that this meal was supposed to be her way of returning his favour for last night.
Although, when she stood up from her seat, she realized it may have not been her brightest idea. She instantly felt the alcohol once she was up on her feet, not enough to be tipsy, but enough to be slightly dizzy.
"Are you good?" he asked with a confused expression on his face.
Chaeyoung bit her lip and nodded in response. She couldn't show him the champagne was affecting her, not after being so cocky about day drinking. It was his fault for judging her. So what if she had a few glasses? She was in a different country where no one was monitoring her intake.
"S-So where you off to now?" she asked as they exited the area of the restaurant.
Jungkook shrugged. He didn't really plan anything as this whole trip was spontaneous. And, this morning he had just started running with no destination in mind.
It was probably the first time he was ever happy to see Chaeyoung's face when his legs led him to Plaza Mayor, and she was seated on that table.
"Sight-seeing?" he replied, though it ended up sounding more like a question rather than a statement as he was unsure.
Which it seemed like she interpreted that as an invitation for her to come along.
"Great, let's go!" she cheered.
Chaeyoung knew it wasn't an invitation. But she played it off as though she thought it was, which she also knew that Jungkook would fall for. Because his narcissistic self always thought that everyone would want to be around him.
"Wha—," before he could finish his question, the smart and slightly intoxicated woman, pushed him from behind to get his legs moving until the two ended up walking alongside each other.
Though nothing annoyed and frustrated her more than him, she didn't want to keep exploring Madrid alone. She thought she could survive this unknown land, but here she was, utterly struggling on just how to read bus routes and relying on none other than Jeon Jungkook.
She hoped it was because she was in an unfamiliar place with unfamiliar people and he was the only one she could somewhat trust. After the events of last night and this morning, she was feeling a bit disoriented. She still didn't necessarily like his presence, but she had been scared and vulnerable, and he had been there in his own unique (albeit irritating) way.
Yes.
That was why.
There was no other reason to it.