SEOUL, SK
KOOK & CHAE
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"Hey, what's so interesting on your phone?" Park Jimin asked his maknae, who had been staring intently and fidgeting profusely on his phone for the past ten minutes.
"Nothing," Jungkook mindlessly grumbled, his attention fixed on to the device in his hand.
"Fuck!" he cursed in frustration and threw his phone onto the sofa.
He had been spending almost an hour trying to get tickets for a specific concert in Seoul in a few days. But so far, he had been unlucky. Who knew it was this hard securing tickets?
Jimin's forehead creased as he became even more curious. He snuck a peek at his open phone screen and realized what was happening.
"You know you can just ask one of our managers to get you tickets," he said with a few laughs.
"Yeah, but that's unfair," he responded, marching back and forth in their living room. "I wanted it to be my own effort."
"Who's gonna know?" Jimin shrugged, not seeing what the big deal was.
Jungkook stayed silent.
He knew his hyung was right, but it did not feel right to use his social status when others worked hard for theirs. And he thought Park Chaeyoung would appreciate it more if she learned he poured his blood, sweat, and tears into getting her these tickets. He knew she was a huge fan.
But unfortunately, he could not see any other option. He did not have experience in a sort of thing as the tickets sold out faster than he anticipated.
"Fine," he sighed in defeat.
Either way, it was not like this concert was magically going to make up for everything he had done. But he thought it would have been a nice gesture or a step forward in somewhat mending their relationship.
Jimin looked up, "Could you get me one too?"
"No!" Jungkook replied almost immediately.
"What? Why not?" he asked, slightly confused by his reaction.
The younger man bit the inside of his cheek, hesitant on telling him. "I don't want to tell you, you're gonna run your fat mouth to the rest."
Jimin gasped, sarcastically placing his hand on his chest as if he was shocked. "I'm offended," he said.
"You know I'm right," Jungkook rolled his eyes.
"Please," Jimin whined. "I pinky promise I won't tell."
The man, with pleading eyes and pouting lips, stretched out his small pinky for Jungkook to lock his with.
"I'm having a date," Jungkook muttered, quickly twisting his finger with Jimin's and retreating back into his room before he could tease him about it.
"Guys, guess what!" he heard Jimin yell as soon as he closed his door.
☾･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*
Kim Jisoo anxiously drank her cup of coffee, her hands shaking as she placed it back onto the plate.
Suddenly, the hairs on her neck stood up as she felt a presence appear beside her.
A tall man dressed nicely in slacks and a collared shirt, sat in the open chair in front of her.
"Thanks again for meeting with me," she smiled as he took of his mask and cap.
"This really wasn't necessary," Min Yoongi replied sheepishly. "Trust me, I understand... you don't need to explain yourself."
"But still, you saved me and got me home safely," Jisoo returned. "It's the least I can do."
He simply nodded in response before taking a sip of his drink that she had already bought for him before he arrived. The night previous, she stayed up searching through all the websites and forums to find his favourite type of coffee.
"So about what happened," she began before clearing her throat, choosing her words carefully as she had never said them out loud before, not even to her own group members. "Jinyoung from GOT7 and I had an... arrangement. And that night he asked to meet, but he ended up breaking up with— whatever we had."
What she had thought was a spontaneous, albeit quite early, booty call turned out to be an unexpected dissolution of their relationship.
It was over a short dinner at a small barbecue joint. He managed to say what he wanted to say and break it off before the meat was fully cooked, so the rest of the time was consumed by awkward silence and chewing.
Jisoo was too shocked to even speak. Just a few days before, everything between them seemed alright.
"I was stupid, and I got drunk on my own," she explained further. "I always thought what we had wasn't serious, but it hit me harder than I expected."
Jinyoung had left promptly after they finished as she told him she was getting picked up by her driver. But a while later, her emotions had finally caught up to her and she ended up buying drinks at a nearby convenience store. Eventually, she wound up at a local playground where Yoongi somehow found her with mascara stains and disheveled hair, slowly swinging back and forth on the swing.
"I'm sorry you had to witness what a mess I was, and getting into this situation with your group," she apologized with a slight bow. "I can clear things up with them if you'd like, so they don't get any ideas about us."
The man before her had an expressionless face.
He was always quite hard to read. Although she was a bit tipsy, she remembered him being unfazed by her state and simply helped her up into his car, no questions asked.
The whole drive back to her apartment was silent as well, with only the sound of the road and early morning radio. At the end, she forced him to save her number into his phone so she could make it up to him in the future.
She truly wondered what he thought of her. Having no other interaction before, this was basically his first impression of her. A conniving woman who got dumped by her occasional bedroom partner— which really was the opposite of her true nature. Park Jinyoung was just special enough to become the exception.
A few more minutes go by. Jisoo was becoming antsy. Maybe this really was a mistake.
"Does Jinyoung know?" he asked. "How you feel about him?"
This was not the type of response she was anticipating.
"No, no. To be honest, I couldn't even admit I had feelings for him to myself. I was scared it would make everything so real, and I didn't want to ruin what we had," she admitted having had some time to reflect on everything that happened. "But it's all too late now anyways."
Jisoo feared it happening the most because she knew herself. She was never the type for casual hook ups, she always ended up becoming attached.
And even if she gained the courage to tell him she liked him, she was sure it would not have changed anything. He seemed quite adamant about his decision, and she does not want to get hurt further.
"Did he tell you why he was ending things?" he continued.
Jisoo was surprised at how curious the man suddenly became.
"I don't know, he just said it was getting a bit too complicated for him and he didn't want to hurt me," she responded. "None of that makes sense to me, but I respect his choices."
Yoongi nodded slowly, as if he was trying to decipher his reason, from one man to another.
Jisoo never understood how the male brain worked, but she assumed that their arrangement was the type of thing they always preferred. No commitment, no obligation, no feelings involved, just pure sex.
But maybe he just started having someone else in mind, maybe he wanted something more serious with them. Or maybe he just became sick of her. She would have wanted to hear that instead of his vague and confusing comments.
It surprised her most because Park Jinyoung always seemed like an honest man. Even with their more scandalous arrangement, he respected her in every way. He never forced himself on her and he always asked before he did anything.
Yoongi opened his mouth as if he had something to say before he was interrupted by the ring of his phone.
"Shit, sorry, I'm late for a practice with the guys," he said quickly while getting up from his chair. "Thanks for the coffee."
Before he stepped away, he looked at her sincerely, "I know we're not close or anything... but I'm here if you need someone to talk to."
Jisoo felt her heart warm. The main rapper who always seemed cold and callous from afar, had a softer side to him.
"Thank you, I'll keep that in mind," she smiled. "See you around."
☾･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*
"Yah, Jeon Jungkook, if you're leading me into a ditch, I'll kill you!" she threatened.
If anything did happen to her, Park Chaeyoung would have been partially at fault as she willingly accepted to be blindfolded to their next date.
It was the first thing he told her to do immediately as she got into his car. She was extremely hesitant at first, but eventually complied as the man kept repeating that it was important.
After everything that has happened the past week, the two of them were currently in a weird phase in their relationship. They were not friends, nor enemies. They were two people binded by a mutual agreement.
And honestly, Chaeyoung was okay with that. At least she knew where they stood.
"How are you gonna kill me if you're in a ditch?" he remarked.
Chaeyoung rolled her eyes at his poor joke.
She decided not to end their contract simply because she did not want to deal with the repercussions this close to her group's comeback. And after what seemed to finally have been her first mature conversation with Jungkook, she thought it would have been too much trouble. It was only one more date after this one.
"I promise you'll love it," she heard him say.
At first, Jungkook never planned to surprise her. But as more days went by, and she did not mention anything about the concert, he decided it would have been more fun.
He truly hopes she'll enjoy it. She deserved it.
Chaeyoung did not say anything further until they arrived at what seemed to be a very loud place.
"Jungkook... where are we?" she asked as cheers from crowds gradually became louder.
Suddenly, the car came to a stop and she heard him shift it into park.
"I guess you can take it off now because it would be weird if people see you with a blindfold," he said.
Chaeyoung felt the presence of two hands come near her face and then behind her head to untie her blindfold. As her eyes adjusted to the light, she was met by a smiling Jungkook.
She tried to mask her red cheeks by looking around the area. They seemed to have been in the parking lot to Olympic Stadium, a popular concert venue in Seoul. She saw dozens of people weave through the cars as they made their way to the entrance.
"I don't understand," she began. "Are you performing or something?"
Jungkook let out a few chuckles. He found her reaction a little amusing. He considers letting it become an inside joke and blindfold her to the next BTS concert, until realization hits him.
"No, no," he responded. "Something better than that."
The girl cocked a brow, wondering what he could possibly be taking her to.
She became even more confused as he grabbed her hand as soon as he got out of the car, making her heart race in all directions.
The two walked hand in hand, with their hats and masks on, towards the stadium. A few fans had already spotted them but they respected them enough to not approach. They did receive a few waves though.
As they entered the venue, Chaeyoung finally caught sight of a large screen that was showcasing whose concert they were watching.
"Oh my god, LANY is performing?!" she shrieked. "How did I not know?"
"You've probably been too busy with work," Jungkook said.
Chaeyoung stopped in her tracks to look him in the eye. "Thank you," she whispered.
The man simply responded with a smile before leading them into their seats, which were probably the closest one could get besides the standing floor section.
She had been wanting to see them live since their first album released, but her schedule never allowed her to. And now, when she finally had some free time, she had no clue they were coming to the city. She did not know how Jungkook knew she was a fan, but nevertheless she was grateful.
The concert soon began and Jungkook watched as her eyes lit up as soon as the lights went down and a strum of a guitar blared through the stadium.
The band went straight into their first song. The energy was high and their sound was amazing.
Chaeyoung loved every minute of it, especially during the songs where Jungkook knew the lyrics. He would excitedly nudge her side and sing along. She could hear his melodic voice clearly, and it felt nice. Like it was only the two of them inside that stadium.
It was an special experience for her to have this raw moment with him. There was no fighting, or confusion, just two people having a good time and enjoying good music.
She felt like she was levitating. She wished it was like this all the time.
"I'm still speechless," Chaeyoung sighed in the car ride home, her ears still ringing and her fingers tingling.
"Me too," Jungkook beamed. "I really enjoy Western performances. Don't get me wrong, I love dancing, but sometimes it can get so overwhelming. It was just them, their instruments, and the stage, you know?"
Chaeyoung was in shock at his statement because she had felt the exact same way.
"Yeah," she breathed. "Maybe we can do a performance like that one day."
Jungkook turned towards her, wondering if she was referring to the two of them (which he didn't mind).
"I meant like, separately— with our own groups," she immediately corrected herself.
"How did you know I was a fan?" she asked to change the subject and further avoid embarrassment.
"Remember that one time when you hid me in your room?" he recalled. "I noticed you had all their albums."
"I can't believe you remembered that," Chaeyoung gasped.
"Well you tend to remember things when you're on the brink of death," he joked.
Chaeyoung could not help but laugh at his statement. Lisa had just come home at the time and was out to get him.
"But I'm glad you had fun," he said with a content smile. "And this might seem weird... but I hope I didn't cross any lines tonight. For the last few days of our fake relationship, I just want to do it right."
Jungkook felt like he owed it to her after years of mistreatment. He was not sure what would happen to them after their contract ended, but at least for now, while she was still in his reach, that he would do right by her.
"You were a great fake boyfriend," she smiled.
Her on the other hand? Things were becoming a bit too real for her.
☾･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*
Lalisa Manoban watched as her best friend was dropped off at their apartment.
She had been awaiting for her return all night, being unable to sit still with the information she learned any longer. Thankfully, the rest of their members were gone so it left her with some privacy to confront her.
"Hey, Chae," she said straightforwardly as soon as Chaeyoung entered their home. "I need to talk to you about something."
"What's up?" she asked, a bit taken by surprise as she did not even get to remove her shoes yet.
"Look, for the longest time, I have respected your privacy and I'm sorry for catching you off guard like this," she explained, trying to keep her voice steady. "But I always thought you'd be honest with me once you're ready."
"And I can't just stand by anymore, especially after seeing you with him," Lisa continued.
Silence grew between the two of them as Chaeyoung gave her a knowing expression.
She said, "The other day I found a picture of you and Jungkook together."
Chaeyoung did not seem surprised.
"Please tell me what happened," Lisa concluded. "Everything."
The girl in front of her made her way to their living room and took a seat to settle herself before she proceeded to tell her.
She dreaded this exact moment and kept putting it off, but she knew in her heart that it had to be done. She was tired of lying and pretending as well.
"Well— in Madrid, Jungkook saved me from being sexually assaulted, the reason for why I acted that way in the club. I was having traumatic flashbacks," she began, already feeling her emotions rise.
Lisa gasped as her eyes widened in shock, immediately taking the seat beside her and holding Chaeyoung's hand. "Oh my god Chae, I'm so sorry."
Out of everything she could have said, Lisa definitely did not expect this. She could only imagine the pain she must have been feeling at the party, having to experience that environment again.
Regret soon loomed over her as she felt like she was now just forcing her best friend to tell the truth when she was only going through so much.
"But anyways, since that point, we couldn't stop running into each other. Until we finally accepted that there was no avoiding it," Chaeyoung continued. "We spent the rest of the trip together. But that picture you saw— was a representation of my lapse in judgment. My old feelings resurfaced and some part of me thought he felt the same. But once again, I assumed and I was wrong."
"So no, it wasn't just a drunken kiss," she sighed.
A part of her wished it was. Then the situation would have been less complicated. Then she would not be questioning her feelings and overthinking every small action of his until now.
"Why couldn't you just say that?" Lisa asked, feeling a bit overwhelmed by everything she said. "I would have understood."
"I know, but I was ashamed and embarrassed. I couldn't confront you guys and admit that I stupidly fell for his tricks again," Chaeyoung replied honestly. "And that until this very moment, he still holds a special place in my heart and I don't think it'll ever go away."
There was a beat as Lisa collected her words.
"Do you still love him?" she asked.
Chaeyoung began to cry.
She replied, "No."
But in her tears, she found her true answer.
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author's note: this is completely unedited so i'm sorry for any mistakes, just wanted to get another chapter out before the month is over! also, i realized the last time i updated was a day before bangtan's 10th anniversary so i'm greeting everyone on this story now 💜
+ thank you for over 7k reads and 500 votes :) much love to you all who are still on this journey with me, and with BTS <3