*Y/N's POV*
???:
"So, that's when I—" You daze off as your coworker keeps on blabbing on, your eyes moving to your phone.
The time takes you by surprise.
Y/N:
"Shit! I'm late. I have a dance practice, right now, I gotta go! But, be sure, you'll have to finish that doughnut story some other day." You quickly say, while pacing backwards, him giving you a short nod, smiling.
MARY:
"Are we still getting that coffee, after work?" Another choreographer, and the closest friend you made at work, asks while adjusting her round glasses that are tipping to the edge of her nose.
You nod, sending her a quick smile.
???:
"What is she, your personal bitch?"
A voice you instantly recognize sneers, loudly, getting your attention. You drift your eyes to the source of the voice, finding Namjoon and Jimin talking, both their postures tense, standing close to each other.
You can't help but snort a chuckle.
Of course! Jimin is already causing problems around...
It's no big news, if you're honest. You are starting to realize Jimin is arrogant to pretty much everyone, excluding the woman he decides to play with.
And, even then, it will be a lucky break.
You don't have much time to think of that, for you see Namjoon narrowing his eyes, angry, and you halt. You're worried, so that's why you stop. If Namjoon loses his cool, someone needs to step in. Jimin is, ultimately, dangerous and Namjoon doesn't know that.
You're about to do something and separate them when Jimin speaks again.
JIMIN:
"As long as she doesn't bother me, I won't cause you any problems." He says, nonchalant. "I don't care about Y/N, anyway."
Now, you're the angry one, bile rising from your stomach.
You rush past him, cursing under your breath and give him a glare. You can see his eyes landing on you, his expression subtly changing.
Namjoon's voice echoes through the hallway.
NAMJOON:
"Y/N, wait."
You look over your shoulder, your hands made into fists, you trying your best to keep your posture, yet an aggressive glare still conquering your eyes.
Y/N:
"Not now."
Still on you, you can feel Jimin's eyes, piercing. Other than that, like always, he looks emotionless.
That, right there, makes you want to punch, but you refrain of doing so. That is giving him importance he, clearly, doesn't deserve.
So, you look forward and quickly pace to your studio.
The duo is already waiting for you, stretching on the floor, you forcing a smile on your face as you apologize for being late. You focus yourself to remain cool, this being your workplace, after all.
Besides...
Fuck Jimin!
You don't give a damn about him, so why get so mad at what he may think of you?
With that though in mind, you nod to yourself, facing the two guys.
Y/N:
"So, ready to learn the first part of the routine?"
Both nod, kindly smiling at you, as you do a short quick warm-up, not wanting to lose any more time. Since they never studied dancing, their choreography is easy to learn.
They're both easy to teach, taking all your instructions very seriously, so it's not that hard to lose track of time while being with them.
When you give them a small break to rest, you smile.
You actually missed them. They are such easy people to work with that they remind you of how happy you are to be a part of this family. You may never be a known dancer, but it doesn't matter. Seeing your routines known to the rest of the world, even if by other people doing them, makes you feel like you matter.
Your smile quickly disappears when his voice becomes noticeable.
JIMIN:
"Am I interrupting?"
Lee Hyung, one of the members of the duo, shakes his head.
LEE HYUNG:
"Nah, man. We just fin—"
Y/N:
"Actually, you are." You cut him off. "And, shouldn't you be with your new choreographer, or you just like to follow me around and piss me off?"
The duo looks at you, you not controlling your rude tone, an awkward ambiance settling, as you speak. Jimin shrugs, staying still, not showing any sign of going away.
JIMIN:
"I want to talk to you."
Y/N:
"Well, that makes one of us."
CHANGMIN:
"We're gonna... Go." He slowly says, getting up. "We'll eat something, and then we'll come back." He looks at his partner, signaling to go out with him.
Both walk outside.
You huff, turning your back at him and rummage through your stuff, trying to make yourself busy.
JIMIN:
"Look—"
Y/N:
"Get out."
You don't even make an effort to look at him.
Your voice is calm, yet decided.
He doesn't react.
JIMIN:
"I crossed the line." He walks closer, but still keeping his distance.
At last, you look at him.
Y/N:
"I said: get out!" This time, you speak louder, in case you hadn't make yourself clear the first time. He doesn't move and your heart beats faster, anger boiling inside you. "Just because we did... That... It doesn't mean you can speak of me however you want!"
JIMIN:
"Not that. Sex. We had sex. You can say it aloud." You send him a glare. "Besides, I didn't mean to—"
You cut him off, again, while strolling forward.
Y/N:
"You don't know me, buddy. If I was a one-night stand to you, fine! You were the same to me! But, for you to come in here and say I'm my boss's bitch... I won't allow that! I'm not some whore!"
He looks at you, that same dull expression on his face. That look, right there, as if nothing that comes out of your mouth gets to his brain, makes you lose your temper.
You slap him, his face jerked to one side, him standing like that for a while, while you fight back your tears.
He gains courage to look back at you.
Y/N:
"I am not some whore!" You yell, almost tearing up. You keep your tears in check, though. No way you're showing weakness to this monster. "So, get the fuck out or, so help me God, I'll make you regret ever stepping inside this studio, you blood sucking monster!"
Finally, he shows signs of life inside him, clenching his jaw.
JIMIN:
"Urgh, whatever." The way he speaks, gruff and annoyed, makes you tilt you head, arching an eyebrow.
Y/N:
"Whatever?!"
Does he really not care, at all?
JIMIN:
"I came here to apologize. I had no right to call you that and neither did I mean it. It just came out, during the argument."
Y/N:
"It just came out? Things like that don't simply slip your tongue." You exasperate, suddenly tired. "Just... Stay away from me. If I ever see you anywhere near me, I'll make sure you get fired." You threaten but, at his indifference, you narrow your eyes.
And, you feel wrath... Hatred towards the man in front of you.
So, you sneer.
Y/N:
"I'll make sure I find a way to kill you." You push him aside, walking away.
You can feel his eyes on you, as you walk your way to the door, burning you.
******Three Months Later******
You sip on your hot steamy coffee, enjoying this calm Sunday afternoon. Most of the comebacks from the groups you were assigned to were already made, so you're with some extra time on your hands. That way, when Mary asked you if you wanted to go out and grab a coffee with her at a nearby coffeeshop, you instantly said yes.
Summer is already long gone, Autumn sweetly showing itself, the trees starting to shift colors, painting the landscape of the city in an ethereal appearance.
You always preferred Autumn over Summer. Summer is way too hot for you, the air hard to breath, while Autumns still has some calm days, a soft breeze creating a more carefree ambiance, almost nostalgic.
Mary sits in front of you, her cup of coffee on one hand, her eyes focused on the phone that she's holding on the other one. With this short moment of silence, you too check yours, slightly anxious, checking the time.
MARY:
"So—" She speaks, removing her eyes from her phone screen while adjusting her eyeglasses. You rest the phone on the hexagonal beige table. "Everyone's loving your duo's new choreography."
Y/N:
"I've heard." You smile, looking at her, only to find her laughing at her phone. "Y/N to Mary, are you there?"
She slightly jumps at your words, distracted.
MARY:
"Sorry, just texting someone."
A curious grin fills your lips, you leaning forward.
Y/N:
"You didn't tell me you had a new boyfriend." You tease, wiggling your eyebrows.
She laughs, shaking her head.
MARY:
"You know I don't do dating. It's just some guy from work. Super hot." She explains, and you frown your eyebrows, thinking. You haven't seen Mary around with any guy. And, you're always with her on your breaks for a couple of months, already. "But, enough about me. You're looking good, today. Who's this guy you're going out with?"
You laugh, drifting your eyes away.
Y/N:
"It's not a date..." You say, rolling your eyes. Yet, even though you keep saying that, you keep feeling that tingly anxiety blooming inside you. "We're just friends."
MARY:
"Who just happen to go out, alone... To a surprise place he didn't tell you anything about..."
Y/N:
"Exactly." You agree, failing to notice her accusing tone.
This time, she laughs louder.
MARY:
"Girl, it's a date. Trust me."
You sigh, subtly chuckling as she gives you an encouraging nudge.
Your phone goes off and you quickly reach down to it, a smile appearing on your lips, and you tap a reply back. At the same time, her own phone buzzes and she, too, focuses back on it.
A cooing sound slips her mouth, she biting her lip.
Y/N:
"What is it?"
She tilts her head, her eyes finding you, a predator smile spread across her lips.
MARY:
"Nothing... He just invited me to have dinner with him."
The casualness – yet with a hint of mischievousness – in her words makes you laugh, shaking your head. Mary always was a dominant woman, always knowing what she wants. Or the guy knows what to do, or she'll wreck him apart.
Being the curious person you always were, you can't help but ask:
Y/N:
"Just tell me, who is he?"
She gives you a pondering sided look.
MARY:
"He's kind of new, so I don't think you know him. He hasn't been at the agency for longer than, what... Three months? He had some other choreographer but, apparently, the bitch whined about him to Namjoon. If you ask me, I bet it was Moana. She looks like one to hide under Namjoon's power." Your stomach twists, forcing a hard swallow down your throat. "Anyway, he's hot and kind of mysterious...? I've been trying to find out more about him, but he always manages to spin the conversation around... Which only makes me all the more interested. His name's Jimin."
Your eyes wide, in shock. You were already certain of who she was talking about when she said he had another person working with him, but actually hearing his name coming out of her mouth makes you nervous.
The thing is, you never told her what happened.
Part of you didn't know how...
Another part was the shame that contaminated your body, always forcing you not to talk about that night, afraid of being judged.
After a long silence, Mary expectantly waiting for your response, gradually frowning at your troubled expression, you finally clear your throat – mostly to tell her not to fall into his trap – when a voice speaks behind you.
???:
"I'm not late, am I?"
You look over your shoulder, already smiling, Jungkook standing up, he too with a sweet smile on his lips.
He cleans some of his hair out of his forehead, his dark charming eyes focused on you, and you take a look at him, a blue blazer covering a white shirt, black ripped jeans showing the skin of his knees.
Mary is intently analyzing him, and you're sure she's gathering information to pass onto you – regarding whether she approves him or not.
Y/N:
"N—No. Just—"
JUNGKOOK:
"I don't wanna be that guy but, we should go. The trip still takes some time, and I don't want to get us stuck on traffic."
You nod and get up, smoothing your red lacy blouse, your hand reaching for your long coat that is rested on your chair.
Still, you find time to give Mary a concerned look.
Y/N:
"Be careful with him, Mary." She gives you a confused look. You want to say more, but Jungkook's there and you don't know how to explain it without freaking everyone out. So, you simply plea. "Promise me, Mary. Be careful."
Her light-brown eyes lock on you.
MARY:
"I promise."
****************
You're at the passenger, silent, while Jungkook hums as he drives, serene. Your eyes are on your phone, your brain thinking of a way to tell Mary to stay away from him.
Hey, Mary don't go out with him because he's actually a vampire?
No...
Hey, Mary, remember the bitch you referred, before? That's, actually, me. So, please, don't go out with him?
No.
Nothing that comes up to your mind is good enough. For one, you look crazy, for the other, you look like a whining bitch, using Mary's words.
You end up groaning, shutting your eyes for a moment.
JUNGKOOK:
"Is everything okay?"
Your eyes open, shifting from the phone to him. He's looking at you by the corner of his eyes, visibly concerned.
Mm, no. I'm actually panicking.
Y/N:
"Mm, yes." You say, shortly smiling at him, reassuringly. "Just some work drama, nothing big."
He hums.
JUNGKOOK:
"Wanna talk about it?"
Urgh, you're too sweet for this world.
You simply shake your head, looking out the window. Talking about it will only make things worse for you.
It will only make you even more confused.
Y/N:
"Nah. Like I said, it's nothing big." You sigh, your hand tightly gripping your phone.
You must do something.
Even if you look crazy.
Shakily, you type a message.
You hit send, anxiously waiting.
A few seconds later, a reply arrives.
You bite your bottom lip, your fingers shaking, thinking.
This time, she takes longer to reply, leaving you on read.
Meanwhile, Jungkook continues driving, happily humming along the song that is currently playing on the radio, his finger gently tapping the wheel, his hair flowing back, from the air that rushes inside through his opened widow.
You look at him, intrigued. You've been on the road, for quite some time, and shared little words between each other.
You'd be lying if you said you weren't starting to feel worried.
Before you can speak, expression your suddenconcern, Mary texts you back.
Why is she always so stubborn?
You hit send on your last text message, but you find that it – plus the two before that one – never go.
You frown, your eyes moving to the top of the screen, checking your signal, only to find none.
Finally, you look at Jungkook.
Y/N:
"Where are we?"
He smiles.
JUNGKOOK:
"Okay. So, remember when I told you I was a painter?" You nod. "My hometown is doing this exhibition with some of my paintings and invited me as their guest of honor."
Y/N:
"That's amazing!"
He nods, his smile still visible.
JUNGKOOK:
"It really is..." He then stops, his lips falling flat. "I was supposed to take my older brother with me, but we are not that friendly, lately."
You frown.
Y/N:
"You never told me you had a brother."
A bitter laughter escapes his lips, his gaze losing that gentle sparkle that suits him so well.
JUNGKOOK:
"We don't talk that much to each other, anymore. I was actually living with him before I moved to the house next to yours."
His eyes are still on the road, but you can see him tense.
Y/N:
"What happened?"
He merely shrugs.
JUNGKOOK:
"We not always saw things eye to eye. We finally decided we were better off, if we both went our separate ways."
Y/N:
"Oh."
Your eyes drift at your hands, your phone locked, not showing any signs of any text message, or any other type of notification.
Talking about Jungkook's situation makes you realize that, you too, haven't talked to your own brother for a long time, as well. In fact, ever since that night at the nightclub.
In any other time, you'd simply shrug it off, not thinking much of it. But, now, seeing the bitter gaze on Jungkook makes you feel guilty of not trying to be closer to your own brother.
And, more than that, even though you're always cold to Taehyung...
He calls me every week. Or used to, that is.
Did I do something that upset him?
Jungkook's voice breaks your line of thought.
JUNGKOOK:
"I didn't want to go alone. So, I remembered you. Since you showed interest in what I do, I thought it would be something nice to show you."
His words bring a smile to your face.
Gosh, he truly is too sweet for this world.
Y/N:
"It is. Thank you for inviting me."
A couple of hours later, you see a big sign, the city's name – Busan – printed on it, skyscrapers quickly rising towards the sky, gaining height as the car speeds through the road.
Your mouth hangs loose, astonished.
Y/N:
"You're from Busan?"
JUNGKOOK:
"Mm, yeah, why?"
A childish grin conquers your lips.
Y/N:
"My mom grew up here before she moved, one year before she had me, to live with my dad. I always wanted to come here, see how it is, but never had the chance."
Jungkook's eyes shift to you, for a second resting on your necklace.
JUNGKOOK:
"For some reason, I think this makes you more excited than my exhibition..."
You shift on your seat, shrugging, playfully.
Y/N:
"Equally excited."
JUNGKOOK:
"Maybe, after we're done, I could show you around..."
Again, you grin like a child.
Y/N:
"I'd love that!"
****************
JUNGKOOK:
"So, this was our spot." He gestures around, opening the door to the rooftop of an abandoned building. "We were kind of a big group, but we didn't really care about coffee shops, so we'd hang out here, instead."
You step out, after him, your eyes scanning the place. You can see the whole downtown in front of your eyes, tall and spacious, newer buildings circling this long forgotton residence.
You whisper an awed 'wow', sitting on an old ripped brown couch that you find situated by a corner of the rooftop. You can only think that it was his group that put it there, a smile growing on your lips.
Y/N:
"You must have so many stories about this place." He nods, looking down at his feet. "Tell me one."
His head spins at you, surprised. You smile and tilt your head to the seat beside yours, inviting him to sit down with you.
He looks undecided for a moment, but quickly moves, sitting down, your legs grasping together.
JUNGKOOK:
"Maybe, some other day."
Y/N:
"Oh, c'mon, I wanna know." You nudge him, smiling. "The girl from your main painting... Was she on the group?" He slowly turns to face you, intently examining your face, pensive. "It was my favorite one." You comment, a dreamy smile joining to your words. "All of them were amazing, but that one... It was different. It showed... Love, pain and suffering..."
JUNGKOOK:
"It's complicated." His voice drifts off, his eyes shifting to the landscape, falling silent.
His words strike you, weighted in pain, keeping you from pushing the subject any further.
Y/N:
"I'm sorry." You whisper, resting your head on his shoulder. "I didn't mean to pry."
He looks down at you, sighing.
JUNGKOOK:
"It's okay, I just—" He, again, sighs, closing his eyes. "I've made mistakes. And those mistakes ended up killing her."
As the words leave his mouth, you lean back, gaining some distance, staring at him. His eyes start tearing up, and he quickly gets up, wandering around, his hands sunk in the pockets as he faces the landscape in front of him.
You stay on the couch, not knowing how to feel.
Part of you feels anxious, your pessimist side already creating terrifying scenarios in your mind. But, then, you look at him – at his innocent face – and you can't imagine him hurting anyone.
Y/N:
"Whatever happened, don't blame yourself." You speak, not even knowing the story behind the words he spoke.
A pained laughter escapes his lips. So, you get up, approaching his tense body. You rest a hand on his shoulder, squeezing it lightly. He sighs, as he turns to face you, and you see tears on his face.
Y/N:
"It's okay, Kookie." You softly say, pulling him to a hug. "I'm sure it wasn't your fault. Whatever mistakes you made, you're only human."
He breathes against your shoulder, sniffing. Then, he steps away from you, cleaning his face, his eyes puffy.
JUNGKOOK:
"I'm sorry, I usually don't talk about this." You nod. "I just... I really like talking to you. I mean, I like you, you know? And part of me wants to, I don't know, put this out there, before asking you to a proper date?"
You widen your eyes, caught off-guard.
He's causing you a lot of different reactions in a short period of time, and you really haven't had the time to cope with all of them.
Still you look at him, his watery eyes shining with the moonlight that finds its way to them.
You can't deny it: for the last three months you have been getting close, him being at your place pretty much all the time. You always thought it was because of Jin, since they already behave like brothers, constantly nagging at each other and playing videogames.
Now, you realize that, although at the beginning it was, definitely, about Jin, with time, he'd end up being mostly with you, you two spending nights at your balcony, talking the night away.
JUNGKOOK:
"Y/N? I didn't scare you, did I?" He asks at your silence, part of him regretting opening his mouth. "I just... Gosh, I scared you. I'm so sorry."
You shake your head.
Y/N:
"No, silly." You laugh. "I mean, I wasn't expecting this—"
JUNGKOOK:
"Me asking you out or..."
Y/N:
"Both." Again, you laugh, sweetly.
Although, while part of you is still thinking about what he said, another part of you is reminding you that you hadn't seen anyone else ever since your little incident with Jimin.
Remembering him makes you grow sour.
For months that you hadn't thought of him – or, at least, tried not to –, your life returning to normalcy, ever since you threatened to find a way to kill him.
And, now, his name managed to haunt you twice in the same day.
It also makes you remember Mary. Knowing her, you're sure she didn't listen you. The moment she sets her mind into doing something, no one is being able to coerce her the other way around.
Your stomach twists, afraid of what might be happening, right now.
No! You warned. She's an adult, she can take care of herself.
However, it's not only the thought of his fangs in her neck that is making you sick. It's the mere possibility of them together, their bodies pressed in intimacy, that is making you feel weird.
As your throat tightens, you shake your head, forcing your mind to block those thoughts.
What's wrong with me?
Jungkook awaits, a hopeful look on his face, his eyes on you.
You need to move forward, Y/N.
You smile, shy.
Y/N:
"Kookie, I'd love to go on a date with you."