Jungkook’s POV
On Fridays, like today, I usually hang out with the hyungs after work. Today we were in a bar and they were grilling me to talk about everything that happened with Chaeyoung the night before. I told them the story but I left some details in private, like when Chaeyoung got dressed during the power failure with two of us in one room and standing just a couple of feet from each other. I did not tell them that because I wasn’t sure if I’m able to control my own emotions if I talked about it. I even feel flustered whenever I happened to think about that particular scene that night.
I was glad when the conversation suddenly went off topic, away from me and Chaeyoung. So I happily engaged in the talk to make sure that I would be in the hot seat no more. Then my phone suddenly rang. I pulled my phone out from my pocket to check the caller, only to be stunned at the name that was flashed on the screen.
ParkChae
I curiously looked at my ringing phone for a second before I excused myself and went to find a quieter area in the bar. I ended up going outside to take the call. But I wasn’t able to greet properly after I pressed the answer button because Chaeyoung beat me to it.
“Unnie!” She screamed.
Unnie? Did I hear that right?
“What took you so long to answer?” She continued, sounding distressed. “Can you pick me up right now? I’m at . . . Oh my God! Where am I?” She cried. “Listen, I’m not sure where I’m at. But I’m at a pharmacy somewhere in my neighborhood. Can you believe it? There are two pharmacies in the area.”
“Hey! What’s happening to you?” I exclaimed while I was running to my car.
Shit! I can’t drive right now. I’ve already had too much alcohol.
So I ran outside and waved a passing cab. I told the driver to go to my neighborhood.
“Jisoo-unnie? What happened to your voice? Why does it sound so deep like a man? Are you sick?”
I groaned at her cluelessness. “I’m coming to get you but don’t hang up on the phone and tell me what’s going on.”
“Your voice really sounds odd.” She commented before she anxiously added. “Hurry up! I’m inside the comfort room, hiding.”
“Hiding? From what?”
“I dropped by a pharmacy on my way home because I was feeling a bit sick. Guess I was wrong to accept Lisa’s challenge. Please remind me to never challenge Lisa in drinking. When did she get so good in drinking by the way? I didn’t know her alcohol tolerance was higher now.” She answered and I belatedly realized her slurring.
“Park Chaeyoung, tell me first what’s wrong.” I barked, losing my patience by the minute out of worrying about her.
She sobbed. “Don’t shout! I’m already nervous and afraid right now. Don’t make it harder than it already is for me.”
“Um . . . I’m sorry.” I said with a deep sigh. “Now tell me what’s wrong.”
“Like I said, I went to this pharmacy. I was looking for something but I didn’t find it so I asked the attendant about it. She suggested that I come here. It’s another store a couple of blocks away from the one I first went to. Ugh! Now I’m not so sure why I was even. . .”
“Are you getting off topic again?” I asked.
“Sorry. Telling you what’s wrong is the top priority now. Right. So . . . where was I? Oh, I remember now. I was walking to this other store when I noticed someone walking behind me. I immediately felt alert so I walked on faster. I felt relieved when I got inside the store safely. I saw the man, the one following me, passed by. So I calmly looked for the thing that I came here to buy, glad that it was here. Then I went out after paying.” Chaeyoung explained.
I covered the microphone on my phone when I asked the driver to stop in front of a pharmacy. I asked him to wait for me, saying that he can keep the meter running. I went inside to look for Chaeyoung while I was listening to her talking on the other end of the line.
“I was right by the storefront when I noticed the same man from earlier lurking in a nearby post. I quickly went back inside the store and ran to the restroom to hide.”
I hurried to the restroom and found it empty. Then I ran back outside and quickly got in the cab. I told the driver the direction of the other store where Chaeyoung could be.
“I didn’t even know why I did that. I could have told the attendant since he was a young man who seemed like a good kid, someone I could trust. But I didn’t want to involve him. I called you instead. And I know it could also be dangerous for you. I’m really sorry Unnie. Just that . . . who else was I supposed to call in a situation like this? My family is a couple of miles away.” She snuffled. “Anyway . . . where are you already? I’m . . .”
“Park Chaeyoung!” I knocked on the door to the restroom and called for her.
“Huh?” She said on the phone before she opened the door, revealing her troubled appearance. “What are you . . .”
I didn’t let her finish and wrapped my arms around her. I sighed in relief at the contact. I was glad that she was safe in my arms.
“Jeon.” She whispered. “Mind telling me what’s going on?”
I chuckled at her question. “How could you ask me that? You were the one who was crying on the phone just now.”
“What?! How did you know?” She surprisingly asked.
“You still don’t get it, do you?”
“Get what?”
I grinned while shaking my head in response, amused by her. I put my phone on my ear and spoke.
“Park.” I said and the sound of my voice echoed on her phone.
Her eyes widened in wonder before she asked me to speak again, with each of our phones against our ears.
“Are you okay now?” I softly asked.
She stopped breathing for a brief moment while looking at me. “I . . . I’m really sorry for bothering you.” She looked at her phone and stared at it for a moment before she ended the call.
“It’s fine. I was actually glad you called me, mistake or not.” I smiled at her. “Are you feeling better now? You said you were sick.”
“Better is far from what I am feeling right now. But I’m sure that my stupidity effectively washed all my drunkenness away.”
“Good. Now let’s go.” I grabbed her wrist and pulled her out of the restroom. We got inside the cab that was still waiting for us. I asked the driver to drive back to the bar where I came from.
“Wait! Where are you taking me?” She frantically asked.
“I left my car back at the bar. And I can’t leave it there because it might get towed.” I answered.
“Why didn’t you drive it?”
“I was a bit drunk earlier so it wasn’t safe.”
“Oh! Okay.”
When we reached the bar, we quickly got off the cab after I paid for the fare.
“Why did the fare amounted to that much?” She curiously asked.
“It’s fine.” I said while walking towards my car. But I stopped in my tracks, a couple of feet from where my car was parked.
Chaeyoung hissed when she bumped on my back.
“Why did you stop so suddenly?” She was already standing by my side when she grumbled while massaging her forehead.
I looked at her with an apologetic smile on my face before I turned my head back in front. She followed my gaze. And silence soon consumed us as we faced the scrutinizing looks from the hyungs who were standing beside my car.
I opened my mouth to say something but Chaeyoung surprised me when she squealed.
“Taehyung-oppa?” She said in delight before leaping into Taehyung’s embrace.
Oppa? Did she just . . .
I was shocked to see them hugging in front of me, along with other five pairs of eyes peering at them.
“Tae!” Seokjin called Taehyung’s attention, making me sigh in relief when Taehyung pulled away from Chaeyoung.
“I, uh . . .” Taehyung was trying to explain before he got interrupted.
“I know you!” Chaeyoung interjected. “You were that creepy chef at the diner.”
“Creepy?” Seokjin responded with a pained facial expression.
“Yes that you are.” She said while taking a confident step towards Seokjin with her hands on her hips. “Were you taking a video of me or something? ‘Coz I swear I saw your phone directed at me while I was having my dinner.” She barked.
Seokjin snapped his head at my direction, silently asking me how to explain himself. But I was tongue-tied myself. I didn’t know how to tell her anything without revealing my feelings for her.
“Chae, weren’t you supposed to be back tomorrow? That’s what I heard from Jisoo.” Taehyung butted in and I would have been thankful if I didn’t realize what he was saying. He had a lot of explaining to do.
“Uh . . . surprise!” Chaeyoung cheered with a grin on her face.
“What a wonderful surprise.” Taehyung responded in the same cheerful manner. “So . . . what are you doing with Jungkook here?”
“Oh!” She turned to briefly look at me. “We’re friends.”
Ouch!
In a blink of an eye, I was bluntly friendzoned. And to make things worse, the hyungs were all sending me teasing smirks. I would have easily wiped those smirks off their faces if only Chaeyoung wasn’t here.
“Oppa, we should catch up sometime.” She suggested while looking at Taehyung.
They knew each other and they knew each other enough for her to ask to catch up with him. Argh!
“Yeah, we should.” Taehyung hugged her one more time and whispered. “I’m really glad that you’re back to Korea for good.” He added with a wink at my direction.
She is? Then I should have enough time to make her reciprocate my feelings for her.
“Yeah, I’m glad too.” She softly answered before she turned towards me. “Jeon, shouldn’t we get going? I’m kind of tired already.”
“Of course, we should go.” I said before I walked to my car.
But Jimin blocked me before I can take further steps. “Shouldn’t you at least introduce your FRIEND to us, JEON Jungkook?” He told me, putting emphasis on some words to tease me.
I rolled my eyes at Jimin before I went back to Chaeyoung’s side. “This is Park Chaeyoung. Since Taehyung-hyung seemed to know her already, I’ll skip him.” I said and glared at Taehyung. Then I introduced the rest of the hyungs to her.
The hyungs and Chaeyoung greeted each other politely before the two of us successfully escaped the awkward situation. I was sure the hyungs will bombard me with questions on our group chat when they saw Chaeyoung with me after I left the bar without telling at least one of them.
Chaeyoung and I were both silent the whole time on our ride back to our apartments. We weren’t talking even when we got in the elevator. Then I walked with her to her apartment, passing by mine.
“Jeon.” She called when we stopped right in front of her apartment. “I don’t think I already thanked you for coming to save me earlier. Thank you!” She said while looking at the floor. “And I’m really sorry for disturbing you. I swear I didn’t mean to . . .”
I pulled her chin up so she will be looking at me. “It was my pleasure to be there for you. Remember this. You can call me whenever, no matter what situation you’re in. I wouldn’t mind at all. Okay?”
She nodded in response.
“Now can you enlighten me what was the thing you were looking for that you naively walked the dark streets alone?”
She gulped a lump in her throat and took a step back while putting her hand that was carrying a plastic bag behind her back.
“I, uh . . .” She quickly entered the security password of her apartment and opened the door with her free hand.
She turned her back at me and I heard her shuffling the things in her plastic bag. Then she put something on my hand before she disappeared behind the closed door to her apartment.
I was grinning from ear to ear as I stared at the shaving cream on my hand.
“Park, you better take responsibility with what you’re doing to me. ‘Coz I have no one else to blame.” I whispered to myself.
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