four - promise
jungkook's pov:
friday 17th april ; 2:16 PM
i sink onto the park bench, my head pounding. it's finally my lunch hour, and i can finally take the time to take a breather. the whole day has been a nightmare for me - who knew an office job could be so stressful. it's only the first day yet i already have an urge to quit.
i delve a hand into my breast pocket, searching for one of my many pills. for two years, i've taken three pills a day, without fail, after every meal. they helped to numb my surroundings - my emotions faint, my problems trivial and my life of no consequence. since the death of my best friend, this numbness has been my only refuge.
tugging the meds out of my blazer, my phone falls out of my pocket and tumbles onto the concrete. i quickly pick it up and search for cracks - but find none. breathing a sigh of relief, i power it on and scan my notifications, popping a pill into my mouth. a new message awaits me, and i click with undisguised curiosity. i hardly ever receive messages: my contact list is composed of three names - my roommate, my landlord and my mother.
my notifications redirect me to EUPHOR1A, the only app i use regularly. it slides through my dms and clicks onto a familiar user, 'chaechae'. i recognise her as the girl from that morning and a wave of curiosity washes over me. i read her message, sent hours before.
• • •
chaechae: hello :)
> i'm chaehyung
jjk97: hello?
i type, confused. she replies almost immediately.
chaechae: can i ask you for a favor?
jjk97: depends on what it is.
chaechae: can you be my friend for a month?
seen 2:24PM
chaechae: hello..?
seen 2:26PM
chaechae: did i weird you out?
> sorry, i shouldn't have asked you like that
seen 2:27PM
chaechae: i'm guessing it's a no
> thanks anyway
jjk97: why?
> you don't even know me
chaechae: you see i could give 500 reasons why i need a friend
> but i'll keep it short
> i need experiences for my writing to make it better
> otherwise my book will never get published
jjk97: you're a writer?
i frown. i don't remember seeing anything about her profession on her profile.
chaechae: yeah. is that surprising?
jjk97: no, no, it's just
> never mind.
> anyway, you still haven't answered my question
> there must be millions on this app. why me?
chaechae: blame my phone. your user was the first one i saw.
jjk97: if i say yes
> i just have to be your friend for a month? nothing more?
chaechae: nothing more
jjk97: but what do i get from this?
chaechae: the pleasure of my company, of course
> not many people get to be friends with me, you know
> this is a privilege :)
jjk97: that's pretty obvious
> you must not have many friends if you're asking me for something like this
chaechae: ouch.
> so what's your answer?
jjk97: i have a condition
chaechae: which is?
jjk97: i help you, you help me
> i want to be happy
chaechae: i can't make you happy
> only you can
jjk97: i can't
> not by myself
> you know everything, you should understand
chaechae: i can't make your problems go away
jjk97: look, i don't want to feel pain anymore
> i'm sick of feeling this way
> so please help me
chaechae: okay. i'll try.
jjk97: then it's a yes.
> i'll be your friend.
chaechae: for a month?
jjk97: for a month.
• • •
i wait for another message, but receive none.
clenching my phone in my hand, i lean back on the bench and sigh in relief. after all these years of grief and remorse, it might just finally come to an end. despite chaehyung's protests, i was certain that she could turn me into the jungkook i used to be. i could feel it.
a shout from behind draws me from my internal monologue. i turn around to see one of my new coworkers, yuri, jogging towards me, cutting across the muddy grass. she smiles at me, and i smile back, hesitantly.
"i've been looking everywhere for you," yuri pants, bending over. "it's the end of lunch, mr. park told me to come and get you."
"oh!" i stand, hurriedly, and check my watch. "i'm so sorry, i lost track of the time."
"it's okay," she bats her eyelashes. "i don't mind."
straightening, yuri grabs my arm and pull me towards the direction of our work building. she links my arm through hers, threading our finger together. i notice that my arm is centimetres away from her chest, and i wonder if it was placed that way intentionally. as we walk, i try to disentangle myself from her claw-like grip without seeming rude.
yuri is one of the many female employees at the office, among little to no men. in fact, there are only three men in my department, including me. consequently, my arrival to the company has received a lot of attention, and consistently find myself surrounded by women. although i might have enjoyed the spotlight years ago, it annoys me now.
we finally reach the workplace, and i quickly pull my arm way before we enter the steel door. gossip spreads like wildfire in the office and i wouldn't want rumors to start because i was caught in the embrace of another woman. yuri look at me, affronted, but i hurriedly walk inside the building before she says something.
a lithe, lean man walks out of the office as i exit the elevator. his face lights up as he sees me, a cheeky grin appearing. jimin park - my boss.
"ah, jungkook, there you are!" he exclaims, placing a hand on my shoulder and steering me inside. "i've got a lot of work for you."
and my tiring day ensues.
• • •
a/n: please don't skip this.
a black man was murdered on the 25th of may, 2020.
his name was george floyd.
his only crime was faking a cheque at a local store, yet he was pinned on the floor by a cop. a video shows him repeatedly screaming that he 'can't breathe'. he was ignored.
he then became unconscious, but the cop continued to choke him until his nose began to bleed. he died within minutes.
the murderer's name is derek m. chauvin. for years, he was involved of the murders of other black people but he was NOT ARRESTED. he still walks free, while his victims will never EVER see the light of day again.
he has been fired from his job, but this is not enough.
the role of a police officer is to protect his civilians, yet this man has done the opposite. he has murdered and he feels no shame.
george floyd is one man in thousands, and i assure you, there will be many more if we do not put a stop to this. derek m. chauvin will not be stopped until he is behind bars.
keeping quiet makes you just as guilty as the perpetrator.
"there comes a time where silence is betrayal." - martin luther king jr.
please sign this petition. i have, and i hope you will too. let their deaths not be in vain.
https://www.change.org/p/mayor-jacob-frey-justice-for-george-floyd
if you're willing to contribute to the donation towards george's family, the link is:
https://www.gofundme.com/f/georgefloyd
#blacklivesmatter
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but on a better note, i hope you're having an amazing week <3
my updating schedule is currently on fridays, midnight gmt.
[ word count: 1270 words ]