MADRID, ES
KOOK & CHAE
—
On his fourth day in the European country, Jeon Jungkook was convinced he had become crazy. Somehow, he ended up in rural Spain.
It was never part of his itinerary, or even a thought, but he was a stupid and uncoordinated man who had no sense of direction. He had mistakenly gotten on the wrong train, and to make things worse, after getting no sleep last night from his overactive mind, he fell asleep during the ride.
So there he was, stranded until the next train back into the city arrived, which wasn't for a few more hours (if he read the map correctly this time).
He blamed Park Chaeyoung— for many things that happened in his life. But for right now, he blamed her for his insomnia.
After spending the last two days with the woman, he couldn't stop thinking about her. Even on the first night, she had plagued his mind, and now after their carnival date, her presence had set up camp with no intentions of leaving.
Her smile, her laugh, the way she looked under the fireworks, it all held a chokehold on him. When he closed his eyes, she was all he saw.
He wondered what was wrong with him. While thinking about her, he simultaneously thought about why he kept thinking about her. Maybe it was the loneliness finally getting to him. He was so deprived of human contact that his consciousness was settling for the company of Park Chaeyoung. Because on any regular day, he would steer clear of her.
But there was no going back so Jungkook decided to just make the best out of a bad situation. He had a few hours to spend in an unknown land, and it was no time to waste thinking about some irrelevant girl.
He approached a small store next to the busy street that was selling a few trinkets and other merchandise. He was amused to find that they offered personalized items, so he gained the idea to purchase some for his group mates. He grabbed a few keychains that he was going to individually engrave their names on.
Jungkook scribbled down his hyungs names on a scrap piece of paper before handing it to the employee. He stood by as he watched the woman work.
"There's a seventh one," she inquired. "What name did you want me to put on it?"
He doesn't remember reaching for a seventh keychain as he wasn't going to get himself one. He must have unconsciously grabbed another by mistake.
"No—"
Jungkook was about to tell the woman to get rid of it when suddenly, his eyes started playing tricks on him and her face had morphed into Chaeyoung's.
He stood frozen in his spot, growing tomato red, not believing what was happening. Did he eat something bad? Why was he hallucinating?
"Mister, are you okay?" the woman asked, still in her normal voice but the lips that spoke them belonged to someone else. A pair of very soft rosy lips.
He was absolutely losing his mind.
"Y-Yeah," he stuttered as he rubbed his eyes, hoping to God that when he opened them, the vision of Chaeyoung would disappear.
The woman returned to her original face and he gave out a sigh of relief. Jungkook quickly let her know to only do the six keychains before sprinting to the other side of the store to avoid that from happening again.
Even when the employee approached him to give his finished keychains, he kept his eyes closed as he gave his thanks.
Jungkook found himself back on the busy street.
For a smaller town, there were so many people. The crowd seemed to mostly consist of tourists and foreigners so he was not that surprised.
As he walked along the pavement, he tried to make sense of what transpired in that store but his mind couldn't come up with coherent answers.
Maybe it was an affect of getting no sleep.
Yeah, that must be it.
Jungkook shook his head vigorously, as if that would restart his mind and remove his plaguing thoughts of Chaeyoung.
He decide to shift his focus on something else, like the view. The small town he found himself was truly charming. The architecture was similar to that of Madrid, but there was a more intimate and nostalgic atmosphere evident.
The cracked streets were lined with small beige buildings with brick roofs. If one looked farther out the distance, they could see the town was surrounded by rolling hills and rows of full trees.
Jungkook wondered when he would get the opportunity to experience something like this again. Away from the limelight, no cameras around, breathing in fresh air, all by himself.
But suddenly, he got the sinking feeling that admiring this view would have been better with someone with him.
He waved that thought away before searching for a restaurant to eat at. His stomach was getting quite restless.
Jungkook quickly ordered a hearty meal and the waiter came back with it promptly.
While he enjoyed his food, he decided to scroll on his social media and check his accounts. It had been days since he was last updated on current events.
He was delighted to see a recent live on Weverse with Jimin and Hoseok come up on his timeline. He missed his hyungs dearly. As he watched the replay, he felt a burst of happiness hearing their addictive laughs.
A part of him missed performing as well. It had been a few months since their world tour ended and he yearned to sing in front of his fans once again. It had kept him busy. During their break, he had received some much deserved rest, but he realized how little hobbies or interests he had.
Now that he was in another country, he still didn't know what to do.
Suddenly, his phone started to ring. He was surprised because he wasn't expecting any calls anytime soon. The screen read a number he didn't recognize. He was hesitant to answer, but he did so anyway because he was getting bored out of his mind.
"Jungkookie!" the voice on the other end exclaimed.
Jungkook's brows knitted together, slightly recognizing the sound. "Taehyung-hyung?"
"Yes, mianhe. I'm using the studio phone," he explained with a chuckle.
He could feel his heart ease and his smile get brighter. He missed his brothers.
"Oh, what's up?" he asked enthusiastically as his whole mood simultaneously became brighter.
"I just missed you," the older man replied. Jungkook was glad knowing he felt the same.. "I'm preparing more stuff for my solo album right now."
Before Jungkook left, Taehyung was already diligently working on his upcoming solo debut with the break of their group activities.
"How's that going?" he asked.
"It's okay, I'm still trying to gain courage to ask a certain someone to be featured on it," Taehyung responded with a noticeable smile behind his voice.
"Will you finally tell me who?"
Taehyung had been keeping this mystery duet under lock and key. All the boys could not help but feel curious as to who this person was, especially since he made it so secretive.
"It's a surprise!" he exclaimed. "But enough about me, you're in Madrid!"
"Yeah, it's beautiful," Jungkook replied. "Wish you guys were here."
"Awe, enjoy it while you're still there," Taehyung said warmly. "Before you know it, you'll be back to the endless screaming and commotion that happens in our apartment."
Jungkook wanted to tell him that he actually missed all that noise, but he didn't want to seem even more ungrateful or pathetic during his vacation.
The two members ended their brief conversation before Jungkook proceeded to finishing his meal. Once he engulfed it all down, he paid and exited the restaurant.
The view was quite mesmerizing as he continued to stroll down the street. He had ran out of ideas on what to do, but at least he had a pretty image to look at. It was nearing sunset, which created a breathtaking mix of yellows and pinks in the clear sky.
"Rose!" a young voice next to him yelled out.
The word triggered something inside of him and caused his heart to leap out of his chest. Was she actually there? Did she also somehow find herself in this town?
His expression slowly changed as a small smile grew on his face. A part of him had gotten excited, thinking that Chaeyoung was in his midst.
Jungkook immediately looked to the source of the voice, but was surprised to see a child who was looking directly at him.
"Would you like a rose?" the little boy asked, propping up the bucket of flowers he was carrying.
His face fell.
"Sure," he replied, embarrassed.
As he walked away from the child, his gaze was fixated on the single long stemmed rose he was holding that shared the same name as a real life flower that he knew.
There was an internal battle in his mind and heart. Jungkook couldn't take anymore of this as he made his way back to the train station.
☾･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*
Park Chaeyoung let out a big sigh as her back landed on the soft bed of her hotel room.
She had arrived a while ago, taking a brisk shower and now preparing herself a glass of wine to ease her after the long day she had.
She did not do much except for strolling through the middle of the city, doing a bit of shopping here and there.
She donned a big floppy hat and sunglasses today, hoping to not get recognized, especially by one particular person who seemed to show up everywhere she went.
Although, she managed to go through her endeavours and return back to her hotel room unscathed with no abrupt Jungkook appearance in sight.
But her heart did not know whether to be relieved or disappointed.
She stared out the windows to gaze upon the stars in the sky. She could not help but reminisce on the time the two of them were on the train and she spewed nonsense about constellations.
How easy it was for her to give him a special piece of her again. But she wondered, much like the stars who kept coming back together every day, if there too was a meaning for the two of them— who always found their way back to one another.
"Hey, is everything okay?" Lisa asked through the phone.
It was already late at night, early in the morning in South Korea. Chaeyoung felt the need to catch up with her best friend, especially with everything that had been going on during her trip, she needed some normalcy.
She couldn't tell them the truth as she was afraid of being judged or asked too many questions. She just wanted to hear the sound of her comforting voice.
"I want to go home," she cried, although not literally as she didn't want her to be too concerned.
"Awe, Rosie," Lisa cooed. "What's wrong?"
Chaeyoung wanted to tell her everything, she knew she would understand, she was her bestest friend. But it was too hard when she herself doesn't know what's happening.
Sooyoung was right, Madrid is a big city, and yet all she could encounter was Jungkook. Even if he wasn't actually there, her mind gave her delusions as if he was.
She wondered if it was the same for him. But no, there was no way.
"Chaeyoung-ah?" she asked again, using her full name this time to catch her attention.
Her mind was distracted with too many questions that she blanked and forgot to reply to the girl's question. Good thing they were not on facetime, or else she would have seen Chaeyoung's lost and confused expression, which would have risen even more questions.
"Oh, neh," she said, being pulled back into reality. "I just miss you guys, it's hard being alone."
Though not the whole reason, there was still some truth to it. It was weird not having her girls around her. A chorus of sympathetic awes could be heard through the speaker.
"Look at the bright side, only a few more days and then it's all stress!" Lisa said, referring to how they will be immediately thrusted into work once she comes back. "Enjoy Madrid!"
She was right. She couldn't believe she was moping around in her hotel room over a guy who had done nothing but treat her unfairly for years. What was she getting so worked up about? She told herself she was letting him go.
And then, she will have nothing but packed schedules for the next few months. She deserved this break.
"We'll be here waiting for you," she reassured. She could feel her genuine smile through the phone.
Chaeyoung felt better after hearing her words. It was what she needed.
"How are all of you guys?" she asked, diverting the topic and realizing she had been so focused on herself and her problems that she did not know what was going on with them.
There was a beat where she did not reply and the air fell dead.
"You know... keeping busy," Lisa said, breaking the silence but with a hint of nervousness in her voice. Chaeyoung thought it was unusual.
She opened her mouth to say something when a sudden knock came at her door. Her head immediately turned towards the noise. She looked at the time and saw it was almost midnight.
Her heart started to race and her blood rush through her body. She wondered who would be at her door at this time of night. Another knock came.
"Hey Lis, thanks for everything," she quietly said. "I have to go now."
Chaeyoung dropped the call but she felt regret afterwards. If anything happened to her, at least her members would know.
She tip toed to her door and quietly peered out the looking hole. It was quite hard to see but she recognized those dark locks and crooked lip piercing anywhere.
Chaeyoung stood frozen not knowing if she should open her door and welcome the man inside.
☾･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*
Jeon Jungkook never intended to get close to the likes of one Park Chaeyoung.
He had just debuted when he heard the rumours of a girl group under YG was forming, which was perplexing at the time. He didn't pay much attention to it until they debuted as well.
The first thing he noticed about her was her voice. It was unlike anything he had ever heard before, especially in the Kpop scene. She was quite unique. He could now understand all the commotion that was happening about her.
And when he caught sight of her at a random party, he didn't hesitate to ask for her number. During that time, he was quite shy of women and struggled to speak to them, but for some reason, he had all the confidence to approach Chaeyoung that night, but maybe that was because he had no romantic intentions for her.
He had noticed she was best friends with someone he was fond of greatly, who eventually became his first love. He hoped Chaeyoung would be able to help him get closer to her.
As time passed, Chaeyoung was everywhere he went because she and the girl seemed to have been attached to the hip. His efforts in pursuing her best friend meant she would also be there. So eventually, he considered her a friend as well.
The experience was comforting; having someone to talk to outside of his group and the girl he wanted. Their conversations were natural and real, maybe it was because he had no hidden agenda and only saw her as a friend.
It was unmistakably strange how they managed to avoid each other's paths the whole day, but having it end with them meeting once again. Then again, it was not a coincidence they kept seeing things that reminded them of the other. It must have meant something.
And so this time, it wasn't the universe's doing. No, Jeon Jungkook arrived there at his own will.
He remembered the exact route to her hotel from when she asked him to accompany her back. Without thinking, his legs took him to her door.
As he stood in front of her hotel room, looking at her face under the dim light of the lamp in the hallway, he wondered where the man who hated her existence for years went.
Because now there he was, at almost twelve in the morning, face to face with the girl he could not get out of his mind.
"What are you doing here?" she asked.
Jungkook gulped. He did not think this through.
"Don't tell me you were running away from another one of your stalkers," she joked, trying to make light of the situation. Though, in actuality, it was her pathetic attempt at calming down her heart that was racing at his sudden arrival.
He had been tossing and turning the whole night, ever since he returned from his own excursion that day. He was restless, especially from getting no sleep the nights previous, again for the same reason. Her.
Jungkook doesn't know what came over him. For years, he couldn't stand the idea of them even being in the same building together, but there was something about her after yesterday, that he couldn't avoid or get out of his mind.
The way she laughed over the smallest things, the way she shone under the moonlight, the way she talked with her voice of honey, the way she sang like an angel. And now, the way he missed her presence, the way the idea of her consumed his every thought. Her entirety captivated him.
Park Chaeyoung.
But it wasn't love. Or even infatuation.
No, it couldn't be.
It was like a new flame he needed to burn out, a curiosity he needed answered, or a taste he needed satisfied.
"I could not stop thinking about you," he said in a hushed and hesitant tone, as if he was unsure of his own words.
Chaeyoung was surprised, almost making her stagger backwards. Out of all the reasons he could have said, this would not have been one of them. For what reason would the Jeon Jungkook be thinking about her?
"What?" her brows furrowed.
Jungkook froze. He couldn't necessarily tell her the whole truth now can he?
How was he supposed to say that he wanted her in a way even he could not understand?
"Um, I'm sorry, that's not—" he quickly apologized, regretting his abrupt choice of words. "To be honest, I don't know what I'm doing here."
The air between them was tense and awkward. Despite the uneasiness, there was a part of Chaeyoung that empathized with him. She hated to admit it, but she too had somewhat felt lost throughout the day.
But she was still shocked, mostly because these words came from a person that claimed to despise her.
As the two stared at one another in between the doorway with no words being exchanged and just the sound of the radiator from the end of the hall, the atmosphere seemed to shift.
Jungkook ruffled his fingers through his hair as a sheepish feeling grew over him.
"Would you like some wine?" she smiled as she gestured for him to come inside, both into her hotel room and into her heart, once again.
Park Chaeyoung would later come to regret this decision.
__
author's note: i'm sorry for the late update everyone! i've been actually working on a small side project i hope to publish soon hehe... this chap is a bit boring but we have to get the actual madrid storyline going lolol, enjoy!
also in light of recent news, i have had a taennie fanfic in the works around the same time i began this one. i hope to get that going once this finishes! soo happy for them <3 but forgive me on what may happen in this story :')