MADRID, ES
KOOK & CHAE
—
Whatever this was, it was most certainly not a date of any sorts. And Jungkook tried his best so no one around them could perceive it that way.
For the rest of the day since their unplanned brunch and her deciding upon themselves to stick together, Jungkook simply pretended she was not there. Although, it was quite the task, as Chaeyoung's loud mouth would not stop blabbering with questions and fun facts about the old city.
He would have ditched her so long ago but he could see and hear the desperation for a friend in her voice that not even he could do it. Besides, his step-sister would murder him on sight if Chaeyoung snitched on him.
"What do you wanna see next?" she asked.
They had already gone to all the shops around Plaza Mayor, buying souvenirs for their families and members. Night time had befallen again and absolutely no one could convince Jungkook to spend another meal with the woman, especially not after those expensive glasses of champagne.
As he predicted, the blonde girl's stomach grumbled after her question and before she could bring up the idea, he interrupted her.
"I think we should call it a night, it's late," he said quickly. He tried masking the desperation of getting rid of her in his voice, but he knew he failed.
Chaeyoung looked down at her watch that read '6:30 pm' and raised a brow. In what universe was this time considered late?
She knew that convincing Jeon Jungkook to spend the day with her was a long shot. She was surprised he had even lasted this long. Still, Chaeyoung enjoyed his begrudging company, even if it was done out of pity.
Jungkook stared at her, nervously waiting for her reaction. His eyes darted back and forth as her expressions changed. Though he didn't want to spend any more time with the girl, he still felt bad about leaving her alone. It's not like he completely disliked her presence. If anything, she helped deter away any females that wanted to approach him.
Chaeyoung pursed her lips before proceeding to nod in agreement, "You're right."
Jungkook gave a small sigh of relief, one she wouldn't be able to notice.
"Just one more thing... could you accompany me back to my hotel?" she asked, looking down at her shoes.
The question was a bit embarrassing to say, but she didn't want travel by herself at night. She knew the likelihood of something happening was low but she didn't want to risk it after the incident at the club.
The man in front of her took a bit to respond. A small part of him did want to say no, but Jungkook knew the correct response was yes, only it took a few seconds to register in his head. He was distracted by the fragile tone in Chaeyoung's voice. Her vulnerability struck a chord in his heart.
He never intended to become close to her before, but she had always been around wherever he was and he soon grew fond of her presence. One thing he found intriguing about her was how independent she was. Compared to all the other girls he knew, they would run to him like damsels in distress whenever they had the chance, but she was different. She always insisted on doing everything by herself, and this was once again proven by the recent events.
"S-Sure," he stuttered, trying to shake away his internal turmoil.
Where was this emotion coming from? Some leftover kindness? Feelings of protectiveness resurfacing? After he helped her at the club, she reacted by pushing him away, but now, hearing her ask something from him was unexpected. He felt needed for once— and he liked it.
A grin grew on Chaeyoung's face. It actually took a lot from her pride to ask him what others might see as a simple question. Frankly, she was expecting him to turn her down and scold her to just look after herself. Jungkook was not a person you could just request favours from. He didn't even ask any further questions first like where her hotel was. She wasn't used to it but nonetheless she was grateful.
"Thanks," she said. "It's just one metro ride over."
Jungkook simply nodded in response.
They walked along the quiet street as the cool wind swept through them. The dim lights of the street lamps shone over their paths. There were not many people out at this time of the night, at least not in their area, so they were able to fully appreciate their surroundings. The two idols enjoyed having this humane moment together.
It had felt like the old days, before life had gotten so complicated. Jungkook couldn't help but reminisce. Their friendship was something he truly cherished, but after his heartbreak, he couldn't look at her the same way anymore. He wondered how things might have turned out if what caused them to fall apart never happened. Would they have still been friends?
"You never told me why you were here," Jungkook started, breaking the comfortable silence between them.
"I didn't think you cared," she laughed.
"Yeah, I don't," he grunted and rolled his eyes as to which Chaeyoung responded by hitting the side of his arm.
"It was the opposite for me," she explained. "I needed a break before everything got too hectic."
"But why Madrid?" he asked, still convinced that she knew he was there and it was all a ploy to get close with him again.
"I've never been here before," she replied, although it was lie.
Though the reason why she went on this vacation is public knowledge, never in a million years would she admit why she chose this place in particular over anywhere else. She would not even admit it to her members. If she really wanted to relax, she would've went to a tropical country and lounged by the sea. But no, she was here because of a conversation he had with her so many years ago. And judging from his question, he didn't remember.
Jungkook had talked about bringing his first love to this city once, many years ago at a pop up diner close to sunrise. He had somehow convinced her to sneak out because he was craving rice cakes. In their late night discussion, he called the place a hidden gem. Everyone would always travel to other parts of Europe, and if they went to Spain, it would be to Barcelona. And when they had this conversation, she stupidly assumed he was talking about her.
So here she was, bringing herself to this place alone as what was supposed to be her final act of letting him go. Their new album signified a new chapter in her life. It was not that she still had feelings for him in that way, but she still sometimes found herself unable to sleep at night, wondering where she went wrong and why Jungkook cut her off. And after years of pain and self-doubt, she was finally ready to put it their unresolved friendship behind her. But fate unfortunately had different plans.
"You know what I've been meaning to ask?" Chaeyoung started, trying to change the subject before he imposed anymore questions. "Why are you wearing that hideous disguise?"
"Well, compared to you, I actually care about my image," he responded.
Chaeyoung rolled her eyes. "I do too! It just defeats the purpose of being here. C'mon, take it off!"
"Take what off?" Jungkook teased, smirking and bending down to put his face closer to hers.
Her cheeks immediately grew red. She could feel his breath touch her skin. He was only inches away. His lips were only a few inches away. She allowed her eyes to take a quick gaze at them which had been a big mistake. They looked so soft, as if inviting for hers.
She closed her eyes and shook the image away, roughly pushing his face in the process.
Jungkook chuckled as he was successful in making her flustered.
"You pervert! I meant your disguise! Haven't you always wanted to sightsee like normal person?" she asked, quickly averting the topic to avoid further embarrassment.
He thought to himself. Maybe there was no harm in finally taking his ridiculous moustache and wig off. It was becoming irritating and itchy, and it's not like Chaeyoung had gotten recognized yet. Jungkook assumed that was just because she was less famous than him, but still.
Then the thought of her getting the idea of taking a picture of him popped into his mind and haunted him. He knew that menace would upload it, and soon enough it would become the next viral meme and the only picture in his timeline for the next few months. No, he couldn't live with that.
"Okay," he huffed, slowly prying off the piece of fluff on his face and showing his natural hair colour.
Jungkook looked around, waiting for fans to start swarming him in every direction. But there was nothing. Everyone around them was busy minding their own business, not giving a single care that a member of the most famous boy band in the world was standing amongst them.
Well that should humble him, Chaeyoung thought to herself as she witnessed Jungkook's clueless face when no one had bombarded him for pictures yet.
"Wah, what a transformation!" she cheered sarcastically while clapping. "Can we get going now?"
As they neared the station, the sound of a voice singing and the strums of a guitar could be heard. There was a small crowd people gathered around close to the entrance.
Chaeyoung was intrigued and walked over to see what was happening with Jungkook trailing closely behind.
It was a street busker performing an acoustic version of a popular song. The girl couldn't help but listen in awe of the man's voice. He had a unique husky tone that was very different from the music she would usually hear in Korea. Even Jungkook was impressed by his voice.
The two bobbed their heads to the man's performance as the rest of the people in the audience also watched in amusement.
A part of her felt envious, to be able to sing and play guitar like this, freely out into the world with no restrictions. It reminded her of the simple days she would do the same in Australia, but the difference was that she was in her private room and her only crowd was her dad who got sick of her singing so late into the evening.
After the street busker finished playing, Chaeyoung felt a rush of spontaneity. She didn't know what was in the air that night but it gave her the confidence to approach him and ask a question.
"Your performance was amazing," she complimented. "Is it okay if I borrow this and play something too?"
"Of course hermosa," the man smiled as he handed her his guitar.
It was as if he blinked once and Chaeyoung was gone from his side. Jungkook watched as the performer stepped aside and Chaeyoung situated herself on the stool he was sitting on. Once she was sat, she cleared her throat softly before looking up and froze.
What had seemed like a good idea a few seconds ago when she was merely a member of the audience became a not-so good one as for the first time in her idol career, she had felt a sense of stage-fright. It was not even a televised or grand performance in front of thousands, but she felt her heartbeat quicken at the sight of many foreign eyes. There was something more nerve-wracking knowing all the attention was completely on her.
Jungkook became a bit concerned as to what was happening. 'Gwenchana?' he mouthed to her.
After her eyes travelled through the crowd, Chaeyoung met his set. She expected him to have an expression of confusion or frustration. He had always insulted her singing, and she assumed that he would have been complaining that she was wasting time when he could have been back at his hotel by now. But instead, the dark haired man gave her a comforting look and smile, and somehow it had made her feel better. Her anxiety had calmed down and her body was able to ease up.
'You got this' he mouthed while putting both of his thumbs up.
She propped the guitar on her lap and started strumming a few chords. Jungkook soon recognized the song to be 'The One That Got Away' by Katy Perry.
Although after he stopped being friends with her he would say she had a terrible voice, anyone who wasn't deaf knew that was a complete lie. Park Chaeyoung had arguably one of the most beautiful voices he had ever heard in all his lifetimes. And for a small performance like this one, she didn't hold back on putting her heart into the song.
He always knew she could turn anything into magic, even something as simple as this.
"Is that your girlfriend?" he heard a deep voice ask from beside him, one that reeked of alcohol.
Jungkook internally rolled his eyes before facing the man. He assumed it was another piece of trouble like the man in the club, wanting to hit on Chaeyoung. Although this time, he kept calm as he didn't want to cause a scene and ruin her special performance.
"No, she's not," he replied. The man looked more on the middle aged side. Jungkook wanted to let out a scoff on the range of men this girl seemed to be pulling.
"Why?" he asked, much to his surprise. "Ah, do you not have balls to tell her?"
Out of all the combination of words he expected this man to say, this sentence would have been one of the last.
"It's not like that—," he tried to say.
"It's okay, no need explaining, just don't make my mistake," the man interrupted, patting his shoulder. "I let girl like her go once, biggest regret of my life."
Jungkook had no idea where this conversation was headed. More than anything did he want it to stop as he was getting uncomfortable and missing so much of Chaeyoung's performance. Was he really getting relationship advice from a drunk Spanish stranger?
"She was how you say... una vez en la vida," he continued. "Once in a lifetime."
The man left him with a knowing and cheeky smile (though his eyes were a bit glossed over) before walking away to God knows where.
Jungkook was left dumbfounded. His eyes went back towards Chaeyoung and he stared at the girl singing for a moment. He tried his best to avoid dwelling on what the man said but it was hard to resist. He knew for sure he never once felt that way for her. Even when they were best friends, his feelings never went as far as just friendship. But at that moment, as he gazed at her soft face, passionately doing the thing she loved the most, he couldn't help but feel an unexplainable warmth inside of him.
There was something so natural and intimate about seeing her perform with just her voice and a guitar, away from the flashy choreography and blinding lights. It was an image he wanted to keep to himself and have no one else in the world witness.
He swayed to the beat of her voice and closed his eyes. It felt like they were the only two people there and there and she was singing to him.
Aish what the hell are you doing Jeon Jungkook? he thought to himself frustratedly. Stop, you're getting carried away.
Sooner than he would have liked, Chaeyoung finished her song and the crowd erupted into applause once again.
She felt so much adrenaline flowing through her veins. It felt nice doing something spontaneous and out of the ordinary. She gave the guitar back to the owner and thanked him for the opportunity.
"What did you think?" she asked as the crowd cleared out and she made her way towards Jungkook.
Jungkook, who was still trying to recover from how awestruck he was at her raw beauty and talent, was unable to speak as she approached him.
He cleared his throat and brought himself back to reality. "It was okay," he coldly shrugged.
Chaeyoung laughed, expecting this kind of reaction from him. She didn't even care for his blunt response, she was just thankful he was there.
"Sorry to have made you wait," she apologized. "Let's go?"
The metro ride was quiet with only the sound of the train against the tracks and light chatter from other passengers. Jungkook had ran out of conversation starters, but Chaeyoung always had things to say.
"Do you see those cluster of stars over there?" she suddenly spoke up to break the tension, pointing out the train window up to the sky.
Jungkook followed the direction of her finger and nodded.
"That's Orion," she informed. "It's one of the brightest constellations in the sky. It's also known as the hunter, as it's named after the man in greek mythology."
If he was being honest, he lied. He couldn't see the cluster of stars. She was pointing lazily at the sky and he couldn't make out where it was, but he didn't want to ruin it for her. She looked really passionate talking about it. Another thing that Jungkook had remembered about her.
She would always mention the stars when they were together. She told him that she had a fascination with constellations and astrology. Like it was an escape from her real world. Jungkook never saw the appeal, but from time to time, he would find himself looking up at the night sky and wonder what they meant.
"Thanks for spending time with me today, by the way," she said. "Don't worry, I'll get out of your hair for the rest of your trip."
It was probably for the best that they stayed away from each other from then on, but a small part of him wanted to confess and say that he didn't necessarily mind having her around. It was nice to have someone you know in a foreign country, or else it would get a bit lonely. But he didn't know how to tell her without it becoming awkward or come off as more than it was.
"It's okay," he smiled. "You're the first girl this whole trip who didn't talk to me just to get in my pants."
Chaeyoung laughed at his joke. Even in South Korea, the horrendous rumours she would hear about Jungkook's playboys ways were enough to fuel her efforts in successfully getting over her feelings for him. She found it hard to believe that he didn't enjoy those girls who were flirting with him.
"Well, there's still a few more days..." he continued his teasings, which earned him a slap in the arm from the girl beside him.
Chaeyoung ignored his fake advances as she knew it would only be bad for her if she took them to heart. She tried best to remind herself that it was just part of his personality. The whole day already went against her objective of letting him go. But just this one time shouldn't hurt, right?
Meeting him that morning was a mere coincidence and them spending the day together was a fluke in their estranged relationship. A day of weakness, that's all there was. It didn't mean anything more.
The one that got away. There was no particular reason as to why she chose to sing that song except that it was one of the few she had completely memorized. But now that she thought about it, she couldn't help but be curious as to who Jungkook's was. If she wasn't the girl he wanted to take to Madrid, then who?
"Jungkook, how come you never got together with your first love?" her intrusive thoughts had gotten the best of her and her mouth blurted out the words before she could even stop them.
His breath hitched and he sat frozen in his spot. The answer to this question was the one thing he kept to himself all these years.
See the truth was, Jeon Jungkook never truly hated Park Chaeyoung.
He hated what happened because of her.
—
author's note: hey everyone! hope u all enjoyed reading this chapter as i didn't enjoy writing it hahaha. chapters set in madrid will probably be my least favourite to write (kinda ironic) as i run out of ideas for them often. sometimes i know where this story is going, sometimes i don't but i hope it still somewhat makes sense lolol. wishing everyone a good start to 2023 <3