<OST: Start - Gaho>
"So this is where I'll be staying." Jieun looked around the apartment in awe. The apartment was already three times the size of her current house. "Wow, it's rather b-"
"It's rather small, ain't it?" Jungkook sighed as he took a seat on the couch in the living room, while Seokjin dragged his luggage into the house after him. "But to hide from everyone, this will have to do."
"I was actually gonna say it's rather big-"
"Lee Jieun-ssi-" Jungkook got up from the couch and gestured towards the room nearest to the kitchen. "This will be your room. I know you're doing me a favour to come live here with me, but I'm still the owner after all - it'd make sense for me to take the master bedroom, am I right?"
"Oh, right-" Jieun nodded earnestly. "Of course, of course. I'll take this room, Jungkook-ssi. It's already twice the size of my room, I'm very grateful."
"That's good," Jungkook said with a smile. "Feel free to unpack all you want, but come out when you're done - I have a few things I need to tell you."
Jieun frowned as she wheeled her luggage into her room. "What is it?"
"You'll know later."
Jungkook took his seat on the couch a while later, as Seokjin dragged the last box of his belongings into the house, panting heavily. "Done!"
"Thanks, hyung-" Jungkook patted the couch, gesturing for Seokjin to take a seat next to him. "Come sit down and rest for a bit."
Still huffing and puffing, Seokjin nodded as he lay down on the sofa next to Jungkook.
"You worked hard, hyung-" Jungkook patted him on the shoulder. "Thanks for finding this house for me."
"What are you gonna do about that house, JK?" Seokjin frowned. "Should I sell it for you?"
"Mm..." Jungkook thought for a while. "Just keep it empty for the time being, hyung."
"Why?"
"Just-" Jungkook shrugged. "I might have a buyer in mind."
"Sure, alright then."
"Jungkook-ssi, Seokjin-oppa-" Jieun came out of her room a while later, taking a seat across them. "You said you wanted to tell me something..."
"Mm-" Jungkook nodded as he turned to Seokjin, shoving him to his feet. "Alright, hyung - you can go now. I'll see you tomorrow."
"Huh?" Seokjin let out a confused frown. "I helped you move your things here, but no welcome drink, no welcome party, no nothing...?"
"Another day, another day-" Jungkook pointed towards the door. "There's so much I need to unpack, so I can't welcome you well yet, hyung. Also, I'm tired today so I won't send you off. See you tomorrow, hyung.
"You-" Seokjin sighed as he headed towards the door. "Fine. See you tomorrow then, JK. Jieun-ah, I'll see you tomorrow too!"
"See you!"
Jieun smiled as she waved goodbye to Seokjin. The door closed shut, and finally, Jungkook and her were alone.
"So... what did you want to talk to me about?"
"House rules," Jungkook said matter-of-factly. "Rules you need to follow from now on, now that you're living under my roof."
Jieun's jaw dropped. "Excuse me... what?"
"Rule number 1!" Jungkook began, without any warning. "Never ever enter my room without any permission. The only time you can enter my room is only when I allow you to - usually to help me fall asleep."
Jieun nodded slowly. "That's understandable. I wouldn't want anyone randomly coming into my room as well. So I would like this rule to apply to the both of us."
"Fair enough," Jungkook agreed easily. "Rule number 2! Keep your volume down at all times, the thing I hate most is noise."
"Sure, that's easy-" Jieun nodded amicably. "I hate noise too. Let's live together quietly, Jungkook-ssi."
"Rule number 3! No inviting friends over for parties or gatherings without my permission. I hate mess in my house."
Jieun frowned. "Exactly how many rules are there-"
"Rule number 4! Do your laundry separately from mine - I don't like mixing my things with other people's."
"Jungkook-ssi-"
"Rule number 5! Consumption of skate, kimchi, durian, garlic or any other pungent food is strictly banned in this household. I'm sensitive to smell."
Jieun's jaw dropped. "What?!"
"Rule number 6! Do not ever touch any of my things, including my food in the refrigerator, my laundry, everything. Please respect my private space."
"Excuse me? You're the one who-"
"Rule number 7! No usage of the air conditioner unless for sleeping at night. Use the fan instead."
"Excuse me-"
"Rule number 8! Do not ever-"
"Stop!" Jieun yelled, waving her hands and interrupting Jungkook at once. "Stop, stop, stop!"
Jungkook raised his eyebrows as he stared at Jieun. "What?"
"Exactly how many rules are there?"
Jungkook thought for a while. "Maybe... 50?"
"And you think I can remember all of them?"
"No," Jungkook said with a shrug as he reached into his bag and pulled out a piece of paper. "That's why I have it all printed out for you here. I just quickly thought it out last night though, so if I have any additions along the way, I'll keep you updated."
Jieun's jaw dropped as she took the document from Jungkook and stared blankly at it. "No pets allowed, no singing, no cooking unnecessarily, no snacks- No snacks?!"
"Yeah, I'm pretty sure I told you I don't eat any unhealthy food. I'm trying to maintain my body, Jieun-ssi. Please understand."
"But that's you!" Jieun shook her head in disbelief. "Unlike you, I like snacks, I like watching TV while eating snacks - I like Hot Cheetos, I like OREOs, I like cookies, I like chips, I like-"
"Yeah, I know-" Jungkook shrugged. "And I think you might be slightly confused here, because I like snacks too, Jieun-ssi. I'm human too, after all. But maintaining my figure is part of my job scope, so that's where the problem lies. If there's snacks lying around my house, do you think I'll be able to diet properly? Just eat an apple instead, or something. It's just a tiny sacrifice you'll have to make while you're living here with me."
"Just a tiny sacrifice?!" Jieun inhaled sharply as she shoved the document in Jungkook's face. "You call these 53 house rules you have printed for me over here... 'just a tiny sacrifice'?! Jungkook-ssi, I'm Korean and you're asking me not to eat kimchi?!"
"I'm not banning you from eating it-" Jungkook shrugged. "You'll just have to eat it outside. This is my house, I make the rules, Jieun-ssi."
Jieun stared blankly at Jungkook for a few seconds. Then she shook her head and fumbled around for her phone. "I want out. I'm not doing this anymore."
Jungkook shrugged as he watched Jieun pull out her phone from her pocket and dial for Byulyi's number, before holding her phone up to her ear.
Finally, Byulyi picked up.
"Unnie!" Jieun glared at Jungkook. "Why did you take so long to pick up? I need to tell you something-"
"Sorry, I was busy with something. Jieun-ah, I need to tell you something too."
"Mine's really urgent, unnie-" Jieun hurriedly said, wondering why Jungkook looked extremely relaxed despite her threatening to leave. "I hate this house, I hate the rules, I'm coming home now."
It was silent on the other end of the line for a while, before Byulyi finally spoke.
"Jieun-ah, your room was just rented out."
-•-•-
Bang!
"Woah, what's that?"
"Hm?" Jungkook laughed as he glanced behind him - Jieun had just stormed into her room and slammed the door behind her. "Oh, it's nothing. Just Jieun-ssi, she's really mad right now."
"Why?" Jennie asked over the phone. "What did you do this time?"
Jungkook sniggered as he shook his head. "Nah, it's nothing. She's just pissed she has nowhere to go now - I set a few rules for her you see, and she's unhappy."
"What rules?"
"Just the usual stuff, like not making noise, not eating food that stinks up the house, et cetera."
"Like... kimchi?"
"Yeah, it stinks."
"Kimchi?!" Jennie shrieked. "Ya- you're crazy. How can you not even allow her to eat kimchi? No, wait a second - how do you even survive without kimchi?"
"Got used to it-" Jungkook said nonchalantly. "It's not that bad, is it?"
"Wow-" Jennie sounded amazed. "I knew you were uptight, but I never knew you were this uptight."
"I'm sensitive to a lot of things..." Jungkook admitted as he fiddled with the lock on his luggage. "But... I may or may not have exaggerated them a little bit."
"For what?"
"To annoy her."
"What?"
"It's funny when she's mad-" Jungkook laughed. "Her eyes flare and her nose scrunches up, it's really funny. That's why I even make her angry sometimes."
"Jeon Jungkook..." Jennie paused for a while. "Do you have a crush on her...?"
"Don't be full of nonsense again-" Jungkook scoffed. "Me? Her? That's impossible. I just like teasing her, that's all."
"Well, I don't think so...? The way you talk about her, the way you laugh when you mention her name, I think someone might be developing some feelings...?"
"Cut the crap-" Jungkook snapped, his face getting hot because of the teasing. "Why did you call?"
An awkward silence.
"Landlord-nim..."
Jungkook knew why she called now. "You still haven't given up on my house?"
"Give up?" Jennie gasped dramatically. "Why would I give up? Didn't you say you'd be selling it to me the last time? I saved you back there, I was the one who played such a crucial role in getting Jieun-ssi to move in - how can you even bear to do this to me-"
"I don't intend to sell it-" Jungkook said firmly. "I quite like the location, and that house has quite good value, so I was actually intending to keep it for investment purposes-"
"Perfect!" Jennie chuckled on the opposite end of the line. "It's just perfect, isn't it? I was wondering where I was gonna get the money to purchase your house - I thought maybe I'd sell my current house and buy yours but now... it's perfect! I'll rent your house and keep it in good condition until you intend to sell it one day. Isn't it perfect? Don't you think I'm a godsend? I asked you at the perfect timing, didn't I? Don't you think this is a sign for you to rent the house to me?"
"You're really desperate, aren't you?" Jungkook said with a small smirk. "You must be really curious about that next door neighbour of mine."
"Shut up, I'm not-" Jennie sneered. "Are you renting your house out to me or not?"
"I'll rent it out to you only if you're desperate-"
"I am-" Jennie changed her mind at the speed of light. "How much is the monthly rent, Landlord-nim?"
"3 million won."
"Huh? 3 million won?" Jennie groaned. "We're friends, can't you give me a discount..."
"We're not friends though."
"Okay, fine, we're not-" Jennie admitted. "2 million? For the sake of our six month relationship?"
"You mean, our fake relationship...?"
"Jungkook-ssi, Jungkook-nim, Jungkook-oppa...?"
"Fine, fine, fine-" Jungkook scoffed. "2.5 million. Just don't ever call me Jungkook-oppa ever again, thank you very much."
"You're for real the best," Jennie said with a small squeal. "Good things come to good people, I'll pay the rent to you and move in as soon as possible! Thank you, Jeon Jungkook!"
Jungkook scoffed. "Don't sound so happy just yet - I have a whole bunch of rules for you to follow as well."
"What?! You-"
"Don't want it? I'll rent it out to someone else then."
"No, no, no, no, no-" Jennie laughed. "I'm kidding! I'm just kidding, Landlord-nim. What rules? Just send them over - oh, wait - don't we have a schedule together tomorrow? Give it to me then, we can settle the paperwork then as well. But in the meantime, I'll start moving my things over. We're in a relationship anyway, am I right?"
Jungkook laughed as he shook his head. "You sure are in a hurry, aren't you? Sure, I'll see you then. Goodbye."
"Thank you, Landlord-nim!"
-•-•-
"Unnie! How could I ever be this unlucky?"
"I'm sorry, I really tried hard to persuade her-" Byulyi sighed over the phone. "But she said the new tenant paid her two times of the rent we usually pay her, so she readily agreed. She really needs the money right now, so we don't have a choice."
"What kind of person has that much money yet wants to rent my room?" Jieun groaned. "With that amount of money, they'll be able to get a way bigger apartment to themselves... why am I so freaking unlucky! Urgh!"
"I know... I'm really sorry-" Byulyi sighed again. "But there's really nothing we can do right now, Jieun-ah. Besides, aren't you staying with Jungkook-ssi rent-free? What's so bad about it?"
"Oh, unnie-" Jieun shook her head as she looked down at the list of house rules on her lap. "You're saying this because you have no idea about how much of a monster this person is. He's frankly insane, unnie. I wanna move out."
"Why? What did he do?"
"Let me just read out a few of the 53 house rules he set for me, okay?" Jieun held up the piece of paper and began to read. "No pungent food, no cooking, no snacks, no usage of aircon without permission, no noise especially at night, no-"
"Wait, you're joking."
"I'm not, unnie!" Jieun whined. "And the list goes on. If he isn't insane, who is? I can't even eat the banchans you made for me now, I can't even eat kimchi, I can't even eat Cheetos because I'm apparently tempting him from breaking his diet... what is life?"
"You're regretting your decision now, aren't you?"
"Yeah... definitely." Jieun sobbed as she buried her face in her hands. "I'm even considering looking for a place to stay for the time being?"
"But... your promotion-" Byulyi reminded her. "Just hold it in for a while, once you find your evidence, I'll convince the landlady to kick out the new tenant and let you move back in. By the time you get your promotion, paying two times of the rent should be easy."
"That's definitely the most ideal situation for now..." Jieun frowned. "But come to think of it, how on earth did the landlady find someone so quickly in a day...? It feels like, it's almost as if it was planned, or something."
"Come on, don't be ridiculous-" Byulyi laughed. "How can it be planned? It's not like there's anyone who wants you to lose your room or something-"
Jieun's eyes widened. There was.
"Hold on, unnie-" Jieun said quickly as she jumped out of bed. "I'll call you back in a bit."
"Jeon Jungkook!"
Jungkook, who was still resting on the couch, turned around nonchalantly. "Lee Jieun-ssi, what did I say about the noise levels?"
"You were the one who rented my room, didn't you?" Jieun yelled. "It's too much of a coincidence - the very day you ask me to move in with you, you insisted on making me move out on this very day, and the next moment, my room is rented out. What do you have to say?"
Jungkook stared blankly at Jieun. "I have no idea what you're talking about."
"Quit acting!" Jieun scoffed. "You must have masterminded everything from the beginning, so that I'm left with no choice but to help you, under your ridiculous house rules. No wonder you looked so relaxed earlier when I was on the phone with Byulyi-unnie! Why do you have to do this to me?"
"You're saying I'm the one who rented your room?" Jungkook stared at Jieun. "Are you even listening to yourself? Does that make sense?"
"I mean, yeah, it does-" Jieun reasoned. "Since you might have predicted that absolutely no one would agree to your stupid house rules, but at the same time you really need me to help you fall asleep..."
"I wouldn't pay for a room with my own cash, just to let it rot there all empty."
"That's kinda true..." Jieun thought for a while. "Even if you have a lot of money, it wouldn't make sense for you to do that, would it? But then... why were you so calm earlier when I said I wanted to leave?"
"I'm not holding you back," Jungkook said quietly as he looked down at his hands. "I'm hoping you would help me out of your own will. As for my strict rules, I really thought you knew what you were in for when you agreed to moving in with me. I'm not the most easy-going person on this planet, if you didn't already know. I thought you already knew all this before agreeing."
That was true. Jieun knew he was a perfectionist, she should have expected him to be someone whose life was strictly governed by rules. He was right - she should have considered everything wisely before making up her mind to agree to his request. If she changed her mind now and said she couldn't help him anymore, she would be in the wrong. Being a trustworthy person was of utmost importance to Jieun, both as a reporter, and as a person.
"That being said, if you wanna go, you can go now," Jungkook said sadly. "If you don't want to help me anymore, I can understand. I'll pay for your rent somewhere else, if that's what you really want."
Jieun pursed her lips, as she instantaneously made her decision. "It's okay, I'll stay."