__NINE__
"Thank you very much," Chaeyoung says to the crew as she bids farewell to them after throwing one last look at the set she's grown familiar with.
They just finished filming what would be her last guest's appearance on The Masked Singer and while she would miss it terribly, she would be glad of one thing.
That hers and Woozi's paths wouldn't cross as often anymore. Hopefully never again.
It's strange how the attitude of people can change as swiftly as the wind's direction. She only wishes she knew the reason his did a whole 180.
When she'd gone to greet him before heading to the set, like she's grown used to do after they started talking to each other, he'd sent her the darkest glare she's ever received before turning away from her. She'd been so stunned, lingering in the doorway of his waiting room in frozen bafflement before gathering her wits and heading back to hers, vexed, wondering all the way what she's done to piss him off.
The last time they'd talk had been at the party, and sure she only talked to him for a short time, and maybe she'd been distracted during their conversation but it's not like he invited her himself, nor did she promised him to spend the evening together. He never even mentioned the party to her!
It leaves her wondering about the truth behind Jungkook's warnings about him, if maybe it hadn't been such a fabricated story as she might have thought.
She smiles a little at the thought of the brown-haired man with the doe eyes as she walks back to her dressing room. While he actually held his deal of no sex at the party, they did leave together to end back at his dorm when the tension between them raised to levels too high and dangerous as they kept on dancing and sharing burning stares.
Then only one look was needed before they silently rushed to leave.
When did it become a natural routine for her to spend so much time with Jeon Jungkook?
Leaving the party with him almost got her into trouble with Jennie whose plan to ditch early had crumbled with her hurried departure. "You have no idea what I had to endure!" she'd told her the next morning during breakfast, her stare burning as if the rapper was trying to read into her soul. She then barked questions at her, why did you leave, where did you go, what happened, but thankfully Jisoo intervened which saved her from coming up with a lie, distracting Jennie enough that the issue left her mind.
For now.
But she can't keep doing this much longer. She hates lying, even by omission.
"Chaeyoung."
She turns at the sound of her name but wishes she hadn't when she sees Woozi walking to her, his eyes still a cold storm.
He previously answered all her attempts to chat with one-syllable words and now he's calling to her?
Still, Chaeyoung smiles at him because she doesn't hold grudges. Maybe he's having a bad day, got some bad news just before getting here and wasn't in the mood to chat. "Hi. It's too bad that it was our last episode, right? I'll miss recording this show every week."
He stares at her and her smile wavers at the blank expression of his face.
"So you're sleeping with Jeon Jungkook. You looked chummy too, must have been going on for a while... You must be amazing to grab his attention and hold it still."
Her mouth slacks open at his words, leaving her completely speechless. She stands there, blinking dumbly at him as her insides start shaking.
What to answer? Her hands are clenched at her sides, her heart pounding in her chest as she tries to stare at anything but him. Her cheeks are flushed with anger, and her eyes can't look at him, can't stand the contempt she just saw in them. He has no right to judge her, to try to degrade her.
"Maybe he's the amazing one to grab my attention? Besides, it's my private life, my business. Not yours," she replies, trying to keep her tone polite.
She tries to move away, but he moves with her, shadowing her and thus blocking her path. He's shorter than her but he's still a man who's probably stronger than her, and besides, Chaeyoung hates confrontations and has never thrown a punch at someone.
She's never wanted to, before now.
"No matter how they appear, women, in the end, are all sluts," he sneers. "You always kept me at a distance, so I thought you were different, but you're just the same. So why him and not me? Because he's taller?"
His words leave her breathless, her heart squashed painfully in her chest.
There's eerily no one else in the corridor and even if someone comes by, what would they do? She's a rookie while he's the mastermind behind Seventeen's songs. Besides, to anyone looking, they're just two people talking.
"No...because he doesn't call me a slut," Chaeyoung states as firmly as possible, hoping the tremor in her voice isn't too discernible. She steps aside as she answers, trying to circle around him, to get away, but he follows her movements, preventing her from leaving.
There's only the elevator in the other direction and it would be so easy for him to catch her before it reaches this floor.
Panic throbs inside her chest, easily overtaking the anger.
We're still inside a building, in broad daylight, filled with people. Calm down, Chaeyoung.
What is he going to do anyway, besides verbally attack her?
Thankfully, she doesn't have to ponder that question any longer as she spots her manager at the end of the corridor peeking into the crack of a door, probably looking for her.
"Oppa!" she calls in a voice louder than one she would usually use. And it works like she'd hoped as it immediately grabs the attention of her manager, and Woozi has no choice but to let her pass as she rushes toward the older man.
"About time! What did I tell you about wandering around," her manager scolds once she reaches her side.
"Sorry. Let's go, I'll just change at the dorm."
Her manager frowns at her, throwing a look back. "Why? You always change here..."
Chaeyoung shrugs dismissively while avoiding his eyes. "Yeah, but... I just remembered there's a show starting at 4pm that I want to watch. I'll miss the beginning if I change and all." The lie rolls easily on her tongue and she feels bad again, but she doesn't want to cause a scene.
She'll have to make sure she's never alone again whenever BLACKPINK will have a schedule at the same time as Seventeen.
Her heart thumps like crazy as she walks away with her manager in the lead, the fear that maybe he'll run after her or yell some obscenities at her back twists her insides into a painful knot. It doesn't dissipate as they turn the corner, away from his sight.
Only when she's seated inside the safety of the van does she finally starts breathing normally.
There is no exchange of words with her manager even if she can feel the curious looks he keeps throwing her, and she's grateful for his respectfulness.
Once inside the dorm, she closes herself off in her room and paces around, unable to get that conversation out of her mind.
Woozi had actually scared her. She's never felt scared when faced with another human being before. The words he'd said to her...
Slut.
Once she starts, she can't stop thinking about it.
She's angry, spooked, annoyed, and confused as hell.
Why is he this way? Why her? What exactly about her makes her seem like an easy prey?
Chaeyoung is sure he wouldn't have tried the same tactics with Jennie as the smaller girl is surrounded by a cold and intimidating aura. While it doesn't reflect the rapper's personality at all, it still serves her well in many situations.
At least she fought back as best as she could, didn't completely let him trample over her.
Would it have been better to remain silent? What if he starts sharing the fact that she's sleeping with Jungkook around because she talked back?
She bits her nails as the thought runs in her head, eyes wildly wandering around her room without locking on anything. If he does, she's finished. It's not like he has proof, but people can believe anything even without any proof to back it up. His fans would then eat her up alive, leaving her career to crumble down in ruins.
Oh god, what if he recorded their conversation and later sends it to tabloids?
But would he really send a conversation where he calls her a slut?
Oh, but he could edit it out, couldn't he?
Her phone vibrates with a new notification, startling her. Her heart is racing, and she doesn't think she'll be able to get that thought out of her head now.
She grabs her phone with shaky hands, and she stops breathing for a moment.
What if it's him...? Texting her profanities, to rile her up some more?
She closes her eyes, regretting all of her life's choices right now.
What has she ever done to deserve this?
With a sigh, she opens them again and looks down at her phone, clicking on the notification while holding her breath.
Wanna come over?
Jungkook.
Her breath escapes her lips, and her body almost drops to the ground in relief that it isn't Woozi.
But then she starts worrying, still obsessively mulling over the shorter man and his words, not to mention his possible retaliation. Thus her first impulse is to refuse. She's so paranoid right now, she's not sure she'll be able to get there in one piece.
But she knows that if she stays here, alone with her thoughts, she'll go crazy with dozens of made-up scenarios of what might happen.
Also, she really wants to see his smiling face – she's been seeing it more often ever since that first time – to erase Woozi's sneering one from her mind.
The decision, in the end, is easy to make. There's no thinking involved.
No more hesitation.
I'll come
<><><>
Chaeyoung lays on her stomach on top of the purple linen sheets of Jungkook's bed, his fingers drawing some random picture on her bare back, her head resting on her arms, eyes closed as she enjoys his light touch.
She should get up and head back to her dorm soon, she's lingered for too long already, but she can't muster the strength to move. Also, she's too comfortable surrounded by his sheets that smell so much like him, and his body close to her is like a furnace, so warm it would be so easy to let go and fall asleep.
Still, she always leaves afterwards, less to arouse suspicions.
That's how it's always been. And she shouldn't act any differently now just because he sometimes smiles at her.
She raises herself on her forearms, Jungkook's hand on her back stilling at the movement. "I should go..."
His hand pushes her back gently on his mattress. "Stay. You look beat."
She stares at him, shocked. "But...a-are you sure? What about tomorrow? Won't I get caught by your members?"
He shrugs. "I'll create a diversion."
Chaeyoung hesitates. "But my clothes aren't comfortable to sleep in." They may have sex together, but sleeping together naked... that's like crossing a line she's in no way ready to cross.
The only time it happened was the first time, and they were both dead drunk, so it doesn't count. She doesn't think she'd be able to sleep at all this time if they were both naked in the same bed.
Without a word, he immediately goes up and rummages in one of his drawers, and her mouth drops a little in shock at his readiness to quash her excuses.
Chaeyoung falls back deeper into the sheets, unable to help herself as she stares at him the whole time. That butt is one fine sight.
"Here. You can wear this." He hands her a simple white t-shirt.
She graciously puts it on, immediately feeling comfortable in the large-sized shirt which falls to her mid-thighs. He's grinning as he watches her search the ground for her panties and hastily slips them back on. Once done, she returns to her previous position on the bed where he's already laying down on his side, wearing only his boxers.
He's giving her one hell of a view of his toned abs and chest, and that's totally on purpose, that smug bastard.
It's a rather strange feeling, them laying in bed together, not really doing anything. Does she really look so drained he took pity on her and allowed her to stay or is there something else that she can't figure out?
"Something is bothering you," Jungkook states, surprising her.
She rolls back on her stomach, her nose close to his pillow. His scent, she decides, is strangely calming.
She shakes her head, refusing to meet his stare. Instead, she keeps her head buried in his pillow.
"I saw you talking with Woozi at the party the other day. Did something happen?"
Chaeyoung freezes, grateful that her head is out of his sight for she probably looks like a deer caught in headlights.
She hesitates, unsure of how to answer him. Sure, it involves him in some way. And he took the time to warn her too. If he really didn't want to know, he probably wouldn't have bothered asking, right?
But maybe because she's too self-conscious that there's no label on whatever they are -not together, not really friends either- she decides that he doesn't need to know about Woozi's words and her crazy theories. Even if she's dying to ask him more about him and what his friends told him, things he might not have told her.
Besides, she was the sole target of those words. And him knowing won't change anything.
"I was careful like I said. He did see us at the party and asked some questions on the set today," she adds because she doesn't want to tell only lies and this is a harmless truth.
She's so tired of lying all the time.
His hand is playing with a strand of her hair as he stares thoughtfully at her. "We should've been more careful at the party. I'm sorry, I'm the one who approached you."
"It's not your fault. So many other people probably saw us too. But, BLACKPINK always goes into hiding for stretches of time, so they all will forget about it soon, I'm sure."
She's not, not at all, because while they might forget about her, they won't forget about Jeon Jungkook and that girl he danced with. It will probably the topic on most idols' lips.
He hums in answer, a rather vague sound that doesn't give her any hint of whether he believes her or not.
They really should've been more careful, she should've been more careful. But as always, her brain's capacity for analysis always diminishes to annoyingly low levels when he's near.
His hand moves from her strand of hair to her scalp and starts massaging it in soft circles. She sighs appreciatively, digging her face deeper into his pillow, her body growing heavier with drowsiness.
She wishes they could keep talking softly like this for hours, but instead of continuing on the subject of Woozi, she itches to ask him about them, if maybe he thinks this could evolve into more than just sex. The question burns the tip of her tongue, desperate to be voiced out, but the movement of his fingers on her scalp is slowly sending her off to dreamland.
And maybe Chaeyoung is a coward.
More than anything, she's scared of hearing his answer, whether positive or negative. A question like that could change everything, and she doesn't want to risk losing this.
Not yet.
<><><>
For the second time in her life, Chaeyoung wakes up with the sight of Jungkook's face next to her but unlike the first morning, she doesn't scream in horror. Instead, she watches it in silent curiosity.
He's still lying on his side, but she somehow moved closer to him during the night. So close she could count his eyelashes.
His arm is swung around the bare skin of her waist since it seems like her borrowed shirt has ridden up to the middle of her back during the night. One of her legs has somehow gotten trapped between his, but moving it might wake him up and he looks too peaceful, so Chaeyoung decides to keep still.
And observe.
She wants to study every part of his face. His well-defined jaw, that cute little mole, the acne scars, previously always hidden, that somehow makes him more human to her. And maybe she wants to kiss over them, again and again.
But somehow, in her exploration of his face, her treacherous eyes always end up back on his lips. His devilish lips, that set everywhere they touch on fire.
Shit, I really want to kiss him now.
She closes her eyes as she takes a shaky breath, to pray the thought away.
She should slip off and leave while it's still early.
Sleeping here was such a bad idea.
A very bad idea.
Her exhausted mind should've still refused his offer to stay over yesterday.
It only gives more incentive to her sinful thoughts.
When she feels more like herself and not like she's going to jump him in his sleep, she opens her eyes, only to find dark brown eyes staring back at her.
"Sleep well?" he asks, his eyes half-open. His mouth barely opens as he speaks, his voice mumbled and lazy.
Chaeyoung nods, not trusting her voice to sound poise.
They stare at each other silently, and it would be cute, the way he progressively blinks the sleep away. But every time his eyes open wider, they hold her prisoner with more force.
The tension of his stare suffocates her, the covers over her body too warm now. She's itching to kiss him, hard, and it's like he's waiting for her to do exactly that. She doesn't want to give him the satisfaction, but she desperately yearns for the feeling of his lips against hers, and her self-control is apparently non-existent when it comes to him.
"Kiss me," he says in a whisper as if reading her thoughts, and it's all it takes for Chaeyoung to lose it.
Easily closing the distance between them, she attacks his mouth and he growls against her lips in answer, his hand slipping under her shirt, sliding up her back to push her closer against his chest.
Their tongues dance around each other in a frenzy, fighting for dominance. Her hand reaches around to grab the back of his neck, guiding his head even closer to hers, morning breaths be damned.
He breaks the kiss a moment later, leaving her breathless, but before she can complain, he spins her around effortlessly so her back is pressed against his chest.
"Wh-"
His hands slip back under her shirt, and she sighs as they move upward leaving tingles along the way until they reach her breasts, catching her nipples between two fingers, rubbing. She throws her head back on his shoulder in a whimper.
"You look so fucking sexy in my shirt," he whispers in her ear before his mouth lands on a spot on her exposed throat.
He plays with her nipples until she's moaning incoherently, squirming against him at the constant onslaught of his fingers. One of her hands reaches behind her to find his hair, just holding a fistful in a tight hold, the other laying helplessly on the bed.
She barely registers one of his hand dropping lower, sneakily moving along her panties, fingers teasing the skin of her inner tight agonizing slow in lazy circles. His mouth has latched on her jaw, nipping, and she just wishes it would land back on her own mouth, if only to muffle her moans.
There are most definitively people in the dorm now and she has no idea how thick the walls are. How embarrassing would it be for anyone to hear her...
But that's the least of her worries because his hand finally reaches between her legs and glides under her panties, and presses against her. And...doesn't move.
Panting, she waits for him to do something, but nothing.
What is he doing? Is this some kind of game? Tantalizing her then leaving her hanging? Is that entertaining for him?
Annoyed by his lack of movement, Chaeyoung turns her head to give him her best glare. "What are you doing?" She hoped to sound intimidating, but it mostly comes out as a whine laced with frustration.
He slyly smirks at her. "I don't know, what is it that I should do?"
She gasps at him incredulously. Is he toying with her right now? His little smirk shows exactly how well he knows what he's doing to her by doing nothing. And he's enjoying it.
With a newfound resolve to do something, take action if he's not in the mood to indulge her, she tries to move against his hand, clumsily at first. She bits her lips, unsure if she might be playing right into his hands, but she'll go crazy if he remains immobile.
And who cares why he's doing this, if she gets what she wants in the end? So she keeps moving, with more determination and when she finds the friction she desperately needs, she sighs with satisfaction. Her hand grabs his wrist, and she sends him a glare as she throws her head back against him.
"If you remove your hand, I'll kill you."
He chuckles. "You look adorable when you're threatening me." But he doesn't move his hand and his other one on her breasts starts moving against, teasing with revivified enthusiasm.
She picks up her speed, her hips moving in an unfocused rhythm. His hand feels so good against her...but it's not enough. She wants more.
As if reading her thoughts, one of his fingers moves to find her clit and starts rubbing it. She hums in appreciation, then her mouth falls open as her movements grow more erratic. Another of his fingers slips inside while his movements become more vigorous, stealing moans out of her.
A few more seconds is all it takes for her to explode, her body shaking against his.
Her thighs squeeze his hand, imprisoning it as she rides off her high, panting. His free hand goes from her breast to her waist, pushing her closer to him. His erection brushes against her ass, a sign that he wasn't as impassive as he'd appear during her little get-off session.
She smiles, rather proud of herself.
"So sexy," she hears him whisper in her ear before he starts nibbling on her lobe.
She is still trying to catch her breath and his mouth sucking her ear is completely unhelpful.
She feels satiated, but...
He gives her ear a last lick before whispering in it. "Will I ever get my hand back?"
She raises her eyes to meet his laughing ones. She fights the blush that wants to spread all over her face because what is there to blush for anymore? But with his eyes staring at her like he wants to keep her in his bed all day and do all sorts of things to her makes her lose that fight.
She relaxes her legs so he can free his hand from the hold they had on it, and his thumb grazes her inner tight before he grabs her waist and pushes her gently so her back rests on the bed.
She blinks at him as he hovers over her and slowly lowers himself until his lips touch hers, and their mouths lock once more in a slow, languorous kiss.
Ah, is this what was missing?
Chaeyoung melts against the bed, moving her arms around his torso, her hands splayed on his bare back.
His kisses really are the best, and they always make her crave for more. So she swipes one leg over his waist, her hands reaching between them blindly until they grasp the material of his boxers and swiftly lowers them.
Her whole being is addicted to him, she can never get enough. It scares her, the way she rubs herself against him, still yearning for more.
She doesn't recognize the person she becomes when she's with him.
Jungkook growls in her mouth in answer, the sound reaching the pit of her stomach. With his tongue still inside her mouth, he reaches down to get rid of her panties for good and throw them on the floor. He makes no move to take off his shirt from her body, and somehow, that turns her on even more.
Chaeyoung stares at him with dazzled eyes as he kneels in front of her, just watching her as she lay panting on his pillow, her legs slightly raised.
"Jungkook..." she threatens, which makes him chuckles. She puts her feet on his chest and pushes him playfully. At least, she tries, but his hands take hold of her ankles, his head dipping to softly kiss the left one.
His hands slide all the way under her knees where they stop. He drops a kiss on the top of her knee before lowering her legs to the bed.
He falls back toward her, supporting his weight on his elbows, his nose brushing hers.
He smiles. Then one hip thrust, and he buries himself in her.
And Chaeyoung flies for the umpteenth time to heaven.
--
Hmm, was that...more progress, maybe? And is Woozi showing his true colors?
Sorry for the delay. That last scene caused me some headaches, and I kept re-writing some parts endlessly. Thank you for reading and voting, and let me know what you think!