"Jungkook, pass the ball!"
Dribbling the rounded red ball, he heard his teammate's voice on the left corner of their court. He eyed him as he observed the position of their opponent — dispersed from the five of them, one desperate small forward opponent blocks his way from the center. There's a slight chance that if he breaks their defense, he can jump high for a layup.
It is too risky to attack on his own. However, their score is an advantage. There's only 10 seconds left on his time, 15 seconds to the game. If he passes the ball to his teammates a milliseconds before his time ends, and breaks through to the center, and gets the ball once again.
There will only be 5 seconds left for him to end the game without giving the ball back to the opponents.
He signaled all his teammate to break their defense with his finger. The teammate on the left read his thoughts, and it's only 3 seconds left before he passed the ball to him. The ball was passed, and Jungkook Rans moved forward in an offensive attack. He didn't give much force to break the barrier toward the center before he jumped high while his teammate passed the ball back to him.
His grip held onto the ball and in a fast movement he threw it on the board before it fell swiftly onto the basket, the same time the timer ended and they won.
*buzz!*
"Aigooo!" Their opponents clicked their tongues in defeat. No one can go against Jungkook's strategies. No one ever did.
"Good game hyunga! I'll invite my teammates over next time!" Jungkook bows his head. He's in a hurry to go home, "but I have to go!"
"Be sure to bring them over here!" His playmates wave their hands goodbye.
"Yeah, sure! I'll let them know!" Jungkook beamed them a smile before running back to his house as if he hadn't played for an hour. The court is just two blocks away from his house, and their friends might be in Busan right now. He planned to stay the night in Taehyung's villa.
As soon as he arrived at his house, he took a shower and pampered himself a little to relax his muscles.
"Where are ya'll?"
Jungkook asked his closest teammates in KBA on the phone who were on the way to Busan. He went out of his bathroom, fresh from a long bath after a good game. It wasn't as exhausting as his games, but it's better than nothing at all. Spring League is just around the corner so he needs to warm himself up for the next weeks.
And as the Spring League was about to start, his team decided to rent an apartment in Busan for the trainees. He was invited by Taehyung to stay with them in his massive villa for the duration of the games, but the meticulous him decided to stay in his house instead, rather than stick with all of them.
"Mwo?" Jungkook paused, "You're going here?"
"Yeah! Taemin, Mingyu, Taehyung, and I decided to visit your place after we settle our things in the apartment," "We'll try to convince Eunwoo to play in the Spring League," Yugyeom said laughing, all of them are in one bus to Busan including their trainees and other members.
"Sons of CEOs have nothing to do huh? He has a job," Jungkook chuckled, "But I'll tell Eunwoo about your visit, let's have some samgyupsal in his place later,"
"Aren't you renting his place?" Yugyeom asked.
"I mean he and his girlfriend's place, he lives in with his girlfriend now," Jungkook clarified, "I'll send you the location when you arrive in Busan, it wouldn't take you an hour to drive,"
"We just arrived at Taehyung's house! I'll tell taehyung about it, we will use his car," Yugyeom said after the bus stopped at the luxurious apartment complex.
"Is Taehyung not with you?" Jungkook asked.
"No, he's been here since last week," "He has to find something or whatever," Yugyeom mentioned.
"Well what do you expect with that rich boy," Jungkook chuckled, wearing his clothes until he received an email on his phone.
He squinted his eyes to see the preview of the email and saw that it was from the distribution team of K&F Corporation. He opened his phone immediately and put his ear on the phone to say goodbye to Yugyeom,
"Ya, I have to go, I have to read something," He panicked a little.
"Sure, Taehyung said we'll leave at 5 pm," Yugyeom said, packing his things up.
"Okay, I'll see you then in an hour," Jungkook ended the call as quickly as he swiped the screen to read the email of his uncle's team.
->
Subject: Contract, Agreement & Schedule
Hello Mr. Jeon,
Hope you are well. Attached are the documents you need to sign from K&F Corporation and Skye. We are informed that Skye Distribution is in the process of collecting inventories and bidding for a warehouse location in Singapore. The meetings are scheduled online temporarily for the next 3 months, and you have meetings with Ms. Cheon before and during the global distribution that is set to be in late August.
Thank you.
<-
"They're fast," He said to himself.
Four days ago, he agreed to his Uncle's offer. It's worth trying, especially if this is the Cheon we're talking about. It will be a good pull to have connections with that family, everything that comes into their hands grows and stays there for a long time. They're like the pillar of business after the Korean War.
After reading his emails, he responded briefly to send the signed contract after he was done reading the agreement thoroughly. Meanwhile, he has to hasten a little bit so he can go out of the house immediately. It's only about an hour till his closest teammates are coming so he has to quicken up his preparation.
He messes up with his hair. He lean in closer to see his newly pierced lip already healed. It wasn't too painful unlike his tattoos but the healing process took him quite longer than he expected.
As soon as he was done preparing, he went out of the house to see Eunwoo to buy everything they needed for the meal they would share for dinner.
———
"Oh thank god they haven't arrived yet," Eunwoo panted as he parked Jungkook's car for the second time.
"You look like you're not driving an SUV man, you're overthinking everything even the clearances of the side are so wide when you turn bro," Jungkook scolded him.
"It's not my fault you forgot your license! It took you so long to come out of your damn house and still you forgot your goddamn wallet!" Eunwoo shouted while Jungkook laughed at him,
"I've said it before, I don't like lowered cars because I can't see the clearance in front," Eunwoo calms his nerves.
"You suck at driving for such a tall man," Jungkook continued to tease him while they hops out of the car and took all the groceries behind, "Even Lisa is a better driver than you, she drives a lot of cars,"
"Whatever dickhead," "Speaking of the angel, she's using her Cooper again this time," Eunwoo pointed his finger at a black mini Cooper, two parking spaces away from them. "I asked which family she belonged to but she said she'll say soon,"
"That rich woman is using a different car again," Jungkook meaningfully smiled, being bored in his house for a few days, he just wanted to tease her nonstop today. He took everything he could out of his car to walk faster towards the store door. Eunwoo brought some of the drinks with him while Lisa and Chaeyoung were laughing in the living space inside the store.
"Chagi, I miss you!" Chaeyoung lifted her hand as soon as she saw Eunwoo, she rushed to hug him, "What is this?" She said in her high-pitched voice seeing the groceries on their hands.
"Jungkook's teammates are coming here, we will have samgyupsal for tonight," Eunwoo explained.
"Oh really?! We have a visitor tonight then! I shall prepare the rooftop," Chaeyoung happily said.
"Lisaya," Jungkook called her with a bright smug on his face.
Lisa looked at him with a little bit of displeasure, seeing him smiling to himself. "Mwo?! It better be good Jeon, my day started sweet don't end it sour,"
"Choose your words correctly, Jeon," Chaeyoung chuckles as she holds onto her cup of tea, sipping the fragrant aroma.
He sat next to her. Resting his arm on top of the head of the chair, "Don't you consider having a boyfriend?"
Chaeyoung and Eunwoo look at each other. She pursed her lips. She hasn't started her role as a cupid, yet her arrows are going in the right direction. They continued to watch them from afar.
Lisa faces him, her knee somewhat landing on his right thigh, "Why are you asking that all of a sudden?" Wondering why a man like him would be curious.
"You know... you've been single for five years, I'm just wondering if.." Jungkook gazes at her pretty face, her eyes as big as doll eyes that look unrealistic with her long lashes curled.
"If?" She creased her brows.
"If you want to date my friend," He smirked, "He'll be here in 30 minutes, he's famous you know,"
"Ugh," Chaeyoung shook her head while Eunwoo laughed at her disappointment. "Lisaya, help me arrange the rooftop,"
"Okay, just a minute," Lisa heard her clearly, she nodded her head before looking back at Jungkook, "Are you playing Cupid now?" Lisa asked, but she knew he was playing with her, might as well play his games. "Is he handsome?"
Jungkook nodded his head, "He's a superstar, he's super handsome, you'll like him,"
"Superstar? Handsome?" Lisa shook her head, "No thanks, I don't like men who have many obsessive fan girls simply over him 24/7," She stood up from her seat.
"Why? What do you like for a man?" He asked her, curious.
"Well.." She tilted her head sideways as she thought through her thoughts, "A man who understands me, loves me, protects me," "Someone who can stand up for me even through fire and lightning, he'll stay," "Some of you can't do it, so I guess all I need is him to stay,"
"Did your ex hurt you that bad?" He chuckled, "It sounded like you've been through hell with him,"
"Nope! I survived hell alone," Lisa stuck out her tongue, before hopping towards Chaeyoung— hooking both of their arms, "Welp it's been years! I'm fine alone for a while,"
"That's my girl, stick with me for a long time," Chaeyoung chuckled.
"Let's get married babe, you'll never gonna work for your whole life," Lisa jokingly said.
Chaeyoung chuckled, "I will but I would like a large blue diamond with aquamarine gems on the sides," "If not I won't marry you,"
Lisa rolled her eyes, "You're being so hard to get,"
"I'm a precious gem baby," Chaeyoung said before leaving the two men behind to prepare the tables and chairs on the rooftop.
It hadn't been 30 minutes when Jungkook and Eunwoo, who's taking over the girl's work by arranging the chairs and table, heard a car stop in the parking lot. The girls prepared the meat and side dishes while Eunwoo put them neatly on the table, right around the two electric grillers.
"I think it's them," Eunwoo said.
Lisa lifted both of her meat-blooded hands- after she sliced the meat they bought. Her eyes were serious as if entering a medical drama, "The operation is a success, Doctor Park, should we let Nurse Cha take over the cleaning?"
Chaeyoung turns around, eyes similar to Lisa's, following her act. She nodded, "Hmm, Nurse Cha please clean the rest," "We cannot let other patients see our bloodied hands,"
"Indeed," Lisa nodded her head in agreement.
"What are you two doing?" Eunwoo squinted his eyes seeing the weirdo best friends acting like they came out of the operation room.
"These stupid.." Jungkook chuckled at them, "Go wash your hands, my friends will be frightened by the looks of you,"
Lisa gasped, "As they should, it's not every day they see a beautiful woman came after a bloody war,"
Jungkook and the rest laugh at her acting, but they sure think it's a good one, especially with her fake gasp and reaction. In a few seconds, he received a call from his friends.
"Whatever psycho, go wash your hands," "It's them," Jungkook tap on his phone and answered the call. Meanwhile Lisa and Chaeyoung went inside the house to wash their hands.
"I'll be there," Jungkook said, walking to the stairs.
The stairs weren't metallic nor it was steep. It was made out of bricks that have an easy step and gradual descent, perfect for someone like Chaeyoung — who has designed the stairs to be most convenient. The previous stair is steep and she had a leg injury after an accident. Since then she made sure no one gets injured like how she got hers.
After Jungkook descended the stairs, he made a quick turn to the left where he saw his friends in the parking lot. They are taking pictures of a beautiful golden hour, a forming sunset on the horizon.
"It's better upstairs, the rooftop has a 180 degrees of the sea," Jungkook said after they tried to angle their cameras to get a better view.
Taehyung, Mingyu, Yugyeom, and Taemin turn their heads to see the youngest of the first five players of KBA — the rookie of the year.
"Yo Jungkook!"
Mingyu made the move first, giving him a man hug before bumping their chest and grabbing their firm hands. "It's been 2 months man!"
Yugyeom came next with a slight punch on his stomach, he flinched but it wasn't painful, "You're still with Min Hee?"
"What's with the question bro, but no," "I broke up with her this time," Jungkook answered.
"Fucking finally, you two are so toxic," "There's a lot of fish in the ocean, I can get you one if you want," Taemin offered.
"Appreciate the offer bro, but I don't want headaches for a while," "I'm having the best 3 weeks of my life without it," Jungkook chuckled while they did the handshake.
"Good, you can focus on getting back on track," "I received a message that there will be a competition in Seoul this year, there's no schedule yet," Taehyung said while they formed a fist bump.
"When is the tentative date? I have a business to manage here," Jungkook said.
"Hmm?" Taehyung look perplexed, "You're back at it huh? You finally won Sandcastle back?"
Jungkook shook his head, "Not really, my uncle asked to manage some distribution, I mean how can I refuse?"
"Well, that's better, I thought you would quit business, It's a good thing your uncle gave you a chance," Taehyung nodded his head in agreement.
Basketball is their career too, but to them, it's better to have something they can do in the past time. They're not like NBA players who have a lot of play in a year and extensive training, because they mostly play on international invitations, local competitions, and FIBA.
Aside from those they don't have much. South Korea doesn't provide much, on the brighter side though, they have a good reputation and like Jungkook — brand deals and ambassadorship.
"Should we go? My friends are waiting upstairs," Jungkook gestured to follow him towards the stairs.
There were chatters along the way upstairs. They are more focused on getting a better angle to catch the beautiful sunset before it falls while the latter is waiting for them to move on.
"Ya! This place is gorgeous!"
Jungkook and Taehyung were the very first to go upstairs, nothing too ordinary. The other three succumbed to their photographs after they set foot on the rooftop.
Taehyung looked around the rooftop, it wasn't like the typical Seoul rooftop, you could feel the touch of a good decorator. The circular mosaic on the upper window of the house made him feel like he was in London. The brick arch and tropical ambiance give contrast and create a certain vibe that he could only feel in a tropical place.
Well it is spring but..
"Ya! Lisayaaaa!"
A sudden voice of a screaming woman from inside the house, followed by a laughing of another woman can be heard from the outside. It took all of their attention.
"What's wrong with them again?" Eunwoo asked himself while Jungkook took the initiative to see what was going on.
"I think they're playing again," Jungkook grabbed the handle to open the door, "Let me see—
"Ya! You better come here!!"
*Lisa laughs*
The door swing opens before Jungkook could ever twist the handle. He was too stunned to react when Lisa opened the door, having the fun of the lifetime. She was laughing hysterically while running away from her victim — Chaeyoung, whose hair was soaked in water, and her black shirt was quite dumped as well.
"Kookie-ya, hide me!" Lisa grabbed his arm to use him as a shield.
"Chagi, what's going on?" Eunwoo asked Chaeyoung but then he saw Chaeyoung's head soaked. Jungkook's friends are confused but they can't see the girl's face from their place.
Taehyung remained calm, staring at the woman with a familiar voice and back — holding Jungkook's arm.
"It wasn't my fault babe you know that," Lisa laughed harder.
"What the fuck happened then? she's soaking wet," Jungkook asked her while staring at Chaeyoung who took a random water gun that they didn't even know was there.
"Ya! Ya! Ya! You're not playing fair! You sprinkled water on me!" "It's not my fault you twisted the faucet on max!" Lisa pointed her finger at Chaeyoung who was about to shoot her water gun.
"You still directed the water to me bitch, it's payback time," She formed her water gun directed to them, and said, "Jungkook hold her, it's gonna be quick,"
"Wha—
"Okay," Jungkook switched their place, following her order. Held Lisa's shoulder tight and teasingly laughed at her, "Sorry Li, she's the boss here, I don't wanna get wet,"
"Ya! You traitor!" Lisa tried to remove his grip by swaying her body left and right.
"Stay still Lisa it will be done soon enough,"
"Aigoo! My friends betrayed me!"
A laugh accumulated the entire place while Lisa tried her best to get out of Jungkook's grip while the others were laughing at their silliness.
Meanwhile, a certain person with a rapid heart was wrapped up in his world. It wasn't because he was worried by the ordeal, he knew it was a playful getback.
His mind wandered off her voice. The beautiful cute baby voice, the playful tone that he couldn't resist laughing at her cuteness. Her arm, her legs, her body that he knew all too well.
Even in his dreams,
he would see her.
Even to his closed eyes,
he knew it would be her.
He knew it is her.
"Mianhee Chaeyoungaaa~"
"Lisa?"
Lisa heard a familiar deep voice that made every giggle and laughter die down. Even her playful smile as she tried to ask for forgiveness from Chaeyoung died down after she heard that manly voice.
The tone on his diaphragm as he speaks her name. It feels like he's singing, an enchanting man who caught her heart. Enslaved herself voluntarily with a single mention of her name.
Before his voice would send her whole body to him— Allowing him to do things he wanted on the four walls of their love.
Now...
It feels like nothing, a voice of a man she had long forgotten.
She turned her head slightly where she caught a familiar figure of a man. His eyes were as wide as a sorcerer, similar to hers. His lips agape, with his expression looks like a daze.
It is him. It really is him.
The man who broke her to pieces.
The man she once loved,
Kim Taehyung
"T-Taehyung.."
"Lisa.."
A/N:
We finally entered a new arc. 💗