Nothing More(M) - Five
Hello everyone!! Long time no see, indeed! I must say I hit writer's block these days but in no way did I abandon this story. Even more so now, when I am so eager to continue. This chapter will bring you spicy surprises and turning points ^^. Enjoy!
~6k words, angst, smut
I want to make you forget about that ex. In truth, I loved the idea of you overthinking all your texts. And I wanted all your neighbors to hear you yell when we have sex. I don’t want it to be a problem when we come together. And I don’t want us a secret.
Jackson plopped down on Mark’s couch, still carrying a serious look of disbelief on his face. “Look, I agree but Bambam literally said what we all thought. Collectively.”
Mark rolled his eyes at Jackson’s remark. He was searching for another song in his playlist to play on his vintage stereo system.
“I think we were more shocked to meet her like that,” Jinyoung continued, leaning against an empty small table in the living room. “Showing up at our studio.”
“And in that motorcycle jacket? Take my money. Did you know she had a bike?” Jackson put a hand dramatically over his chest.
Mark nodded. “Yeah, saw it first time I went to her house.”
“Living the dream. Hottest date, to ride the bikes together around town.”
“Could you stop fantasizing on my behalf?” Mark chuckled in Jackson’s direction and the latter laughed at the note. Mark then turned to Jinyoung, who was cocking an eyebrow. “I had no idea she would come to the studio, believe me. I wanted you to meet her under different circumstances.”
Jinyoung crossed his arms over his chest, a playful look in his eye. “You never told us why you came so early from your date.”
“Yeah, cause it wasn’t a date.” Mark commented and the other two men almost simultaneously turned to him. “Had the surprise to see her with another man.”
The playful look disappeared from Jinyoung’s expression. “You’d have to elaborate on that.”
“I can’t really elaborate, I didn’t stay around enough to see what happened next.” Mark shrugged his shoulders. “The guy had her backed against the lockers, a hand holding her cheek. It was not the first time he… they did that. It was the reason Sam came to the studio.”
“To explain.” Jinyoung completed, albeit not in agreement with the situation. “And what’s your take on that?”
Truth was, Mark did not have an exact answer to Jinyoung’s inquiry. Sure, the scenery of Samantha being present in the proximity of another man displeased and hurt Mark. He built some expectations for the two of them, carried away by their unquestionable synergy, and by the trust exuded by Samantha at every small dare or challenge presented by Mark. He believed in her words, and more than anything he believed in her. Mark believed in Samantha when she said she missed him, when she confided in him, when she said there would not be another guy. So, he put in the effort to carry himself in such a manner that would make Samantha desire him even more. At some point, Mark considered trying to have the talk with her, to play with his cards on the table, to build trust in them as more than just an arrangement.
At the very end, Samantha never promised anything, she never drew the line. Mark did not have it in him to throw the bouquet of the flowers he handpicked in the trash. But he was not indifferent to the image of her subjugated by the intimacy of another that was not him.
“I’ll hear her out.” Mark said lastly, seating himself by Jackson on the couch. A short quirk of the eyebrows as Jinyoung opted to simply nod his head.
“If you’re happy, I’m happy.”
Jackson chuckled. “If you wanted us to actually believe you, you should have used your acting skills at least.”
“Why? Not that convincing?”
Mark agreed with Jackson. “We’ve known each other 12 years. It takes so much more than that.”
The three of them laughed. Truly, a bond that not many people get to have in a lifetime. And Mark knew Jinyoung, as much as everyone else, was looking out for him.
“If you have something to say, just say it.”
Jinyoung sighed and threw his hands in the air. “Look, I know, a good-looking, bike-riding, smart surgeon woman, who has a mysterious aura about herself. I’d be a hypocrite to say I wouldn’t get interested.”
“You know what he’s gonna say.” Jackson extended an arm over the backrest of the couch.
“All I’m saying is that, given the circumstances, I wouldn’t be happy at all. If a guy touched or held the girl I liked like that.”
All eyes were focused on Mark.
“But why don’t you talk to her and set the record straight? I’m all for explaining,” Jackson shifted his body to face Mark, “but if you told her, you liked her beyond just the sex, at least you’d know it’s either this or that.”
Jinyoung moved his hands in a gesture that indicated he agreed with Jackson. And Mark agreed with them, too. In any given situation, he would be the type of man to express his wishes and voice his wants and needs. Mark did not necessarily like the chasing. Within his chest, he knew why he was still playing the game and why he did not walk away the second he saw Samantha with the stranger man who was playing with his mind. Regardless, Mark let the little evil elves whispering in his ear take the reins of reasoning. The bell of the front door started ringing vigorously.
“It’s complicated.” Mark rose from the couch. “It’s also Samantha at the door,” said he, half-doubtful he spoke the words to convince himself it truly was her at the door. When he opened it, he actually made sure of it.
Samantha looked very different since the morning visit to the studio. The commanding behavior softened to a natural feminine aura, the sun-kissed freckles no longer hidden behind foundation accompanied by the mellow smile she had the day they met, everything stunned Mark.
Samantha felt very different.
“Hey, beautiful.” Mark welcomed Samantha with an observation he’d hoped was as visible to her as much as it was to him. Mark was distracted by the lively bark of Murphy, eagerly anticipating a welcome as warm as his mother’s. So, he obliged, the smile sketched on his face growing as he knelt to ruffle Murphy’s fur.
Samantha followed Mark’s carefree movements with warmth coloring her features. She didn’t know what to expect from him; all that she hoped was that Mark wouldn’t look at her with repulsion. Instead, Samantha was met by the same jovial Mark she’d met the very first time. And it scared Samantha that Mark felt very different since morning, all the same.
Did he care, still?
“Hey, yourself.” Samantha replied and watched as he straightened his body to meet her eyes. How much did she wish that that would’ve been their reunion, that he’d plant a kiss on her lips and circle his arms around her frame in a longing embrace. Suddenly, Mark felt so far apart.
“Come in.”
Mark pushed the door open and guided Samantha into the living room. She noticed two very familiar silhouettes, Jackson as he was putting his leather vest on, and Jinyoung as he was gathering his things. Murphy’s little woofs distracted the two men into looking at the source of sound, smiling at the little creature. Eyes speedily travelled to Samantha’s physique, and both greeted her with a smile. Perhaps Jackson’s more expressive. He was the first one to formally introduce himself. There was a lively song playing in the background.
“I’m Jackson, nice to meet you, finally.”
Samantha prevented her eyes from widening. Maybe Mark did speak about her. She took Jackson’s hand and shook it, enjoying his amiability.
“Likewise, Jackson. I truly hope you didn’t think I was a freak or anything.” Samantha offered a smile of her own eliciting a chuckle from the other. She caught Jinyoung in the corner of her eye as he examined her. Not blatantly, yet not covertly either. Samantha wondered what they both thought about her.
“Far from that,” Jinyoung chimed in, giving his own hand for a greeting, “but you definitely incited the collective curiosity.”
Samantha took the invitation, meeting Jinyoung halfway. Out of everyone, she figured he was the toughest to impress. And on good merit, nonetheless. “I wouldn’t say about myself that I’m an open book but please know I’m more than happy to clear the curiosities.”
The corner of Jinyoung’s lips lifted in a modest smirk. “Maybe I’ll heed the invitation.”
Jackson cleared his throat and Jinyoung pulled back. “Don’t worry about us, we were just leaving.”
“No bother at all. I wouldn’t want us to be so formal, it was very nice meeting you both.” Samantha extended her hands to offer the two men a warm wave and a small dip of her head. Jackson and Jinyoung both did the same, the last action they made prior to heading out the door. “Likewise, Samantha”.
Mark’s loud sigh doubled the echo of the closing door which caused Samantha to fiddle with her fingers. “I must have made a terrible impression, haven’t I? They definitely think I’m a freak.”
“Nope, no freak,” Mark turned around to walk toward Samantha’s direction. As he was approaching, he was unzipping his hoodie. “They just don’t know you. Actually, Jackson was quite smitten with you, I could swear he’d want to steal you for himself.”
It was the first time Mark had openly spoken about his members, even more so about anything that had to do with their opinion about her. Mark’s words were not reassuring enough for Samantha as eyes were still focused on her nervous fingers. She didn’t know what to make of the entire situation. “Jinyoung doesn’t like me.”
Mark grabbed at the hem of his T-shirt to throw it over his head. A bracelet at his wrist was tangling loosely when he guided Samantha’s chin to make her look at him. “Out of all of us, Jinyoung is the one who doesn’t play games when it comes to people. You have to make him trust you before he lets you in."
The initial nervousness Samantha felt while fidgeting with her fingers transformed into butterflies into her stomach. Although the main emotion she was feeling was uneasiness, at his words, and at his sudden naked torso. She had but a moment to watch the muscles of his abdomen contract and relax with the movement of the arm which was holding her frozen in place. Henry’s most similar gesture crossed her mind. “Do you play the game, Mark?”
Mark’s irises were fixated on hers. The tone of his voice softened and lowered with each spoken word, until it became little more than a whisper. A question for a question. “Are we playing the game, Sam?”
Samantha’s lips parted with a sigh, the knot in her stomach tightening. There was no hint to suggest that Mark was not serious with his inquiry. She knew the answer to his question, but the words were frozen like they weren’t hers to speak. While Mark was looking at her, with the stoicism of his body and the seriousness of his eyes, Samantha presented herself agonizingly transparent.
“Wasn’t this the way he was holding you?” taunted Mark, drawing closer to her in an even voice. His other hand found the clothed valley of her hips. “Did you want him to kiss you?”
“No.” Samantha stated, an ounce of desperation evading beyond her control. The infinitesimal distance Mark was keeping between them was slowly driving her crazy. And he knew he held all control. “At no point did I want him to kiss me.”
Silence followed. A harrowing silence growing heavier with each movement of Mark’s brown orbs drawing back and forth on her features. Samantha grabbed Mark by the chest. “Say something goddammit!” she urged.
Mark pulled Samantha into him and slammed his lips against hers. In the background, a sexual melody mix broke into the stereo system. Samantha wobbled on her feet, which caused Mark to tighten his grasp around her figure. The background music melted with the swift ringing in her ears and the tips of her fingers turned cold from the unanticipated contact. Mark’s kiss was raw and hurried, yet obscenely sensual. Samantha’s lungs were deflating quickly, and Mark did not seem too eager to let her breathe. It was the first time he initiated such a kiss. His lips had always worked against hers with tenderness, at times enticing, but never so ardently carnal.
It was a possessive kiss and Mark wanted Samantha to feel it.
Mark pushed their bodies into the couch, and he slid his knee in between her thighs. During the brief moment their lips were separated, Samantha gasped for air, which was rather a sharp moan with Mark settling above her, and his clothed knee tormenting her womanhood. “Mark, I can’t breathe.”
“I couldn’t breathe either when he was towering over you, Samantha.” His visage was wearing the same chilling expression, albeit a sliver of distress hiding behind it. “I imagined him doing all sorts of things to you, with you. Fuck.”
Mark tilted his head to the side, a canine digging into the plush of his lower lip. Samantha’s eyes were watching him intensely. She was devoid of any courage to speak a word. Never would she have imagined she would see Mark like that. Not for her.
“I missed you girl, I missed you. And I…” You’re all I fucking think about.
Samantha gulped. She was observing Mark’s every gesture, every little shift in his facial expression, every word he was speaking. All the feelings in her chest were strangers and Mark was tempting and enchanting. He was everything Samantha wanted him to be. Even when he suppressed his thoughts, Mark was everything Samantha wanted. And he was there, in her immediate grasp.
You’re all I ever thought about.
“Kiss me, Mark.”
He didn’t need to be told twice. Mark lowered his body instantly to connect the kiss in a lustful motion. His tongue lost no time to part Samantha’s lips and find her own into a frenzied tango. As his hands slid down to play with the hem of her t-shirt, so did the ever-growing feelings for the woman he was holding. The blood in his veins was pulsating with apparent unrequited affection, and it set him ablaze.
Mark broke the kiss in a nimble motion to undress Samantha of her shirt, to reveal her braless breasts. The tantalizing sight aroused Mark like it did the first time. For him, sex with Samantha felt like it was the first time every time. There was always something new he’d discover in the voluptuousness of her body, in the way her body would curve differently with each heated touch of his hand. Mark licked his lips and undid her shorts.
“Mark…” Samantha mewled, the cold breeze circling her breasts provoked a shudder. She edged her breasts as her eyes darted back and forth between Mark’s hands and the growing bulge in his jeans. Samantha was struggling to form coherent thoughts when he was immorally commanding the pace. She didn’t fight the vulgar lust invading her core. It was easier giving in to the euphoria than acknowledging the truth.
Easier than voicing that Mark should be the one.
“Tell me, darling.” There was a wicked inflection in Mark’s tone, busy with undressing Samantha of her shorts and underwear all at once. “What do you want?”
If it was any other moment, Samantha would have said it was his love she wanted. Still, a hue of shyness colored her rosy cheeks. “I want you, Mark.”
Mark was happy to obey, even if he was convinced Samantha was not speaking seriously. She wanted his body, while he desired her soul. In the heat of the moment, for the short time they’d spend as one, Mark heard what he needed to. That she wanted him, and she’d choose him. He lowered his body to plant kisses through the valley between her breasts, the butterfly pecks eliciting sultry moans out of Samantha’s throat. When his lips passed her chest’s threshold, Mark continued the delicious trail to her abdomen, one hand encircling Samantha’s breast. The other was keeping her thigh from squirming.
Samantha closed her eyes and threw her head into the soft material of the couch to indulge in the intense eroticism Mark was injecting into her body. When his sinful mouth reached her womanhood, Mark chuckled. Then he continued to leave kisses on her inner thigh, deliberately ignoring the wetness of her cavern. Samantha was vexed by Mark’s actions, and she groaned in protest. The hand previously on her breast travelled to her hip to intertwine with her fingers. Mark acknowledged her objection by nibbling a violet spot into her thigh. He traced it with the free index, shifting his body to worship Samantha’s other thigh with blissful movements of the tongue. The little perverted sounds she was making were truly driving Mark to impatience.
The way Samantha’s body was submitting to his febrile touches indicated that she wasn’t that far away either.
Mark pulled away momentarily to unzip his jeans and dispose of them on the floor. The rupture of their connected hands forced Samantha to dig her fingers into the plush of the sofa. The heat in her genitals was much more intense than she anticipated it would be. The simple fact that Mark retreated from tending to her pelvis made her moan loudly, and her vagina clench. Samantha watched him as he undressed himself to reveal his throbbing shaft, and she bit her lip in anticipation. Mark smirked at her and climbed atop her to seat himself between her legs. As he was leaning down to reach her level, the tip of his cock rimmed against soaked clit.
Mark linked their foreheads together, supporting himself with one arm by the side of her head. His other hand rested at the cusp of her jaw. He angled himself at her saturated entrance and slid the tip of his penis inside her. A guttural moan echoed in the air.
“We never did it like this, so tell me if it hurts.” Spoke Mark in a gentle tone and opened his eyes to observe Samantha. She gently shook her head and her fingers stretched into Mark’s shoulder blades to guide his body in a slow thrust. He let out a groan from the depth of his throat, feeling the creamy walls of her vagina enclosing around his shaft. Mark gave her a moment to adapt to his size, gazing intently at her. Samantha was so beautiful, with flushed cheeks and her splendid naked body, all of her offered to him.
Mark felt his heart ache.
“How can you say I’m not making love to you when I’m touching you like this?”
Samantha’s eyelids closed and fluttered open with Mark’s affirmation. The coherent words she tried to form were dispelled instantly when he started moving inside her with controlled thrusts, each forward move taunting her sweet spot. Samantha opened her mouth only to allow the moans to flood the air. And Mark was watching every contraction of her body and indulging in each pulsation of her pussy.
He leaned down to nip at the lobe of her ear. “When you’re giving yourself to me like this?”
“Mark…” Samantha reached to his face to lead the hazel of his eyes to hers. In his eyes she found the same commanding yearning but propelled by a raw sincerity that Mark had not given to her. Everything he was doing gave her a sense of serenity, fueled by the abnormally erotic movements of his hips. In a matter of minutes, she surrendered to him and to the zealous whines her lungs were making.
“What is it, baby?” He picked up the speed of his thrusts, heeding the contractions in Samantha’s womanhood. “You’re close, I know. What I didn’t know is how wet you could get.”
Samantha intended to avert her bashful expression, but Mark’s touch kept her focused on him. “Don’t hide. Let me take care of you.”
Amidst the whorl of sentiments and thoughts racing through her mind, Samantha found an anchor in Mark. She registered all the words he’d spoken to her and all the shielded gestures, and bare confessions. Samantha was powerless to respond, instead. There never was a man in her life to bear his heart on his sleeve, even half of how Mark was bearing his. In her normality, he was an abnormality. And still, he made good of his words and actions and took care of her.
Samantha relaxed in his embrace and extended her body to plant a kiss on his lips. A mellow kiss which Mark reciprocated so naturally that life halted for a second.
Then Mark enveloped Samantha as her body abruptly contracted. She held on to him as she reached for nirvana, her vocal cords enchanting Mark with lascivious breaths repeatedly. Hearing Samantha succumb to ecstasy was the sweetest testament Mark could receive. The hot blood in his veins met the point of boiling as he was getting closer to climax. A couple more lustful thrusts accompanied by roaring groans, each growing faster than the other, brought Mark as close to the edge as he could get. He guided himself out of Samantha’s core to reach his orgasm and paint her abdomen with his white cream.
Samantha enjoyed that particular view of Mark, so much that it was his turn to show a timid smile. It took a little while for Samantha to follow what happened, and when she did, both of them chuckled at each other.
“I’ll get some paper towels.”
“You’ll find me here.”
Samantha’s ears followed the sound of Mark’s steps and the muffled grunt that followed soon after. He returned with a handful of paper towels, and Samantha couldn’t look away from his still hard penis.
Mark took one cloth to clean his canvas half-heartedly. “Round two?”
Samantha giggled. “I’ll have to refuse. Round one was unexpectedly intense.”
“You have no idea how sexy you are.”
Samantha felt her cheek darken once more. She was watching silently as Mark was wiping her abdomen. When he was done, he walked away to throw the used napkins.
“Are you okay? You’re unusually quiet.” Mark’s voice reverberated through the kitchen.
“I’m alright, just a bit tired.” She responded, and Mark immediately walked back to her. He knelt down with her back facing her, gesturing for her to hop on his back.
“Let’s get to bed.”
Samantha hummed and attached herself to Mark’s body. She had never noticed how broad his back was, under the hoodies and oversized shirts he was usually wearing. Mark effortlessly rose from the ground and carried her to the nearby bedroom. He carefully seated Samantha on the edge of his neat bed, and she smiled to herself at the considerable number of pillows residing there. In front of the bed there was a small dressing which Mark opened to retrieve one clean shirt and a pair of shorts for himself.
“I don’t want you to get cold. Here, arms up.” Mark whispered, and Samantha complied with his actions. The dark shirt Mark had given her was large enough to reach her knees. He tossed the thin summery blanket away and helped Samantha up into the nook of his bed.
“Thank you, Mark. You’re so protective of me.” She smiled softly and happily accepted the invitation to encompass herself into Mark’s arms.
He raised an eyebrow, even though she couldn’t see. “You don’t want me to be?”
“I do,” she answered quickly and laced their hands together. “I like this a lot.”
Mark tilted his head to follow the lazy sunset shimmer through the window. The loose hand he folded under his head served as a good excuse to avoid looking Samantha in the eye. As easy as it had been to drown in her orbs while laying together, just as hard it was to do so while returning to reality. Samantha noticed the atypical silence. With the aphrodisiac sensations fading away, all the words that Mark spoke to her started to click. Samantha was drawing absentmindedly on Mark’s forearm with the tip of her index, trying to reproduce the memory of each phrase. The subtle agony of I couldn’t breathe either when he was towering over you, Samantha, the slight panic in the I imagined him doing all sorts of things to you, with you.
The melancholy in the How can you say I’m not making love to you when I’m touching you like this? which made Samantha’s heart tremble was the seed of hope planted in her soul. If there was any source of truth to say that Mark truly harbored feeling for her, it was not tangible anymore.
Mark, once again, felt so different.
“What are you thinking about, Mark?” Samantha looked up at him just in time to see how breathtaking the warm colors of the sunset appeared on his features.
He was silent for a while. “About you.”
Samantha furrowed her eyebrows. “What about me? I’m right here.”
A little sigh. “Nothing… it’s just I’m leaving tomorrow, and we won’t see each other a while again.”
“I know…” Samantha’s voice trailed off in sadness. “I don’t want you to go.”
Mark gave a little squeeze to her hand, eyes still watching the first moments of dusk adorning the sky. “That’s not under my control, unfortunately.”
“I don’t want you to go out of my life, Mark.”
Samantha could swear the vein in Mark’s wrist strained at her words. Still, his expression remained impassable. After a couple moments spent in unmerciful silence, he continued. “Do you think about us? About what we could be?”
The palm of her hand was starting to sweat. Easy answer? Yes, I cannot devote myself to anything that’s not you. True answer? Do you want to take my broken heart? Samantha sensed that she was running out of time, and in hindsight, she should have known that earlier. A man like Mark who had the world at the tips of his fingers, who could have anyone he wished for, wouldn’t say the things he said to any woman that easily. All of it meant something, it should have meant something. It was everything Samantha clung to, for it to mean something. She had to make a decision.
“Forget I asked. You don’t need to say anything.”
“He hit me, Mark.”
The music formerly playing in the background silence of the living room stopped altogether. Mark’s phone must have died, and so did his concentration at Samantha’s sudden confession. His head jerked back to her direction in an impulse to check if she was hurt, even if there was no earthly possibility for her body to be in physical pain at that moment.
Samantha’s mouth was dry, and it shocked her to see Mark’s immediate reaction. She didn’t lose him, he was still there with her. “He hit me after he killed a mother and her unborn child in the operating room.”
“How are we doing there, mrs. Dalton? Can you say something for me?”
Henry’s deft motions of his nimble hands kept raising the standards for a second-year resident. The attendings in the observing room were watching the awake brain surgery with great interest, as was the then-director of the hospital.
“Oh, I can’t wait for this to be done,” the woman rubbed her hand lovingly on her pregnant belly. “Sandra should know the adventures mommy went through.”
“Status on the baby, Doctor Stoss?”
Up until the question was addressed to her, Samantha did not unpeel her eyes from the fetal monitor. “Like a Swiss watch.”
“Keep saying the good news, Doctor Stoss. I’m sure mama Dalton would love to hear that more often.”
“Oh Doctor Carter, I’m sure you were born such a charmer.”
Samantha’s vision was fixated on the handle of the dressing door. She was explaining her memories as if she was living them again. “This surgery had half the hospital watching. It was a procedure previously not done in that medical center, and Henry had had the privilege to participate in one once when we were interns in Toronto. He’s thinking of himself as the hotshot, as he should. His skill and knowledge are top-notch. But they failed him.”
“Doctor Stoss over there can attest to me being a charmer. Or not.” Henry chuckled under his surgical mask, and he quickly stole a glance at Samantha, before focusing on the region of the tumor which he had just reached. “We’re here, mama. Shouldn’t take too long to take it out.”
Mrs. Dalton’s vitals spiked up a level and Samantha observed the nerves on her face. She left her intern in charge of the fetal monitor and approached the woman to reassure her. “It’s going to be okay. We’re here for both you and your little girl.”
Just as Samantha was returning to her previous post, henry was actively preparing to remove the tumor located in a tricky area of mrs. Dalton’s brain. “I’m in.”
The collective audience in the gallery leaned forward to witness Henry’s work. At that point, the loud beeping of the machines pierced the operating room with alarming sounds.
“Doctor Carter, baby’s vitals are starting to drop.”
“What do you mean? What’s going on with my baby?”
“Please try to remain calm, Mrs. Dalton. These reactions happen naturally when a tumor body is being extracted. Once I take this out, everything will get back to normal—”
“Only it didn’t.” Samantha’s fingers curled unconsciously as if reaching out for a scalpel. “I was repeatedly telling him I needed to do a C-Section to save the girl and put her in NICU. At seven months old, she had all the odds of surviving. If only we moved fast enough…”
The distressing sounds of the monitors multiplied when the woman lost consciousness. Her vitals became hectic graphics on the monitors, and Henry visibly stiffened.
“Henry, we are losing this baby. I need to perform the emergency C-Section now.”
“No. I’ll save them both, wait.”
While Henry was applying the standard emergency measures, Samantha’s attention was distracted by the uneasiness of the spectator gallery. She briefly noticed Jonathan, with a looming look on his face that any surgeon regardless of their specialty would understand. The unborn baby was losing its vitals.
“Henry, I’ll move forward. Scalpel, please!”
“I told you to wait! Doctor Stoss, I need you to follow the protocol of my OR.”
“I guess indeed it was his surgery. But those were not his lives to take.”
Half-heartedly, Samantha hesitated to start the neonatal protocol. While Henry had authority, he did not have a positive chance to save both lives. When the fetal monitor fell flat, Samantha went against his instructions and cut into the mother’s belly.
“By the time we took out the little girl, her heart had already stopped beating. We did all the resuscitation maneuvers we knew and could…” Samantha let out a sigh, and Mark pulled her tighter into him. “All hell broke loose. I don’t know when Jonathan got to the OR, but he was there for all of it.”
“Time of death…” Samantha’s discouraged voice echoed throughout the macabre silence of the operating room. “Six thirty-one.” Two paces away, resuscitation maneuvers were still going for the woman on the table. When Henry realized there was no use for them anymore, he stepped away from the body, prompting everyone else to follow his example. “Time of death, six thirty-five.”
Nobody in the room dared move a finger. Two casualties in an operating room which, on paper, could have been avoided. It was a medical disaster. Samantha pulled down her surgical mask, to try and take hold of the situation. “We’ll need to go outside and inform the father—”
“You let her die.”
All eyes fell on Henry. Samantha couldn’t believe her ears. “Excuse me?”
“That baby could have been saved.”
Henry’s voice grew louder, more assertive. Samantha stood her ground, deliberately choosing to ignore Henry’s last comment. “I understand this must be a difficult situation for you, Doctor Carter, but in no way am I to blame.”
“That baby could have been saved!”
As his voice grew into a striking holler, Samantha no longer recognized the man in front of her. She was searching for the proficient doctor, for the partner that he was. And for the lover that he used to be.
“Henry,” Samantha kept calm even though her head was spinning in disbelief “you told me to follow your protocol in your OR—"
At that point, Samantha could not register what had just happened. Henry raised his hand at her and slapped her on the cheek. There was a shared gasp among the people in the room who refused to understand Henry’s tameless reaction. By the time Samantha tilted her head back to look at Henry, Jonathan had stepped up to punch him in the face.
Mark raised an eyebrow. Although he got off to a rocky start with Jonathan, his respect for him grew substantially.
“A couple of guys had to restrain Jonathan because clearly that wouldn’t have been the last punch he would’ve thrown. After that, I went to inform the father of his… losses. Henry was not allowed to accompany me. The father sued the hospital for malpractice, and I have no idea how they settled. I only saw Henry once, after that. They summoned all the medical operating staff to testify. He never looked me in the eye, not once. I wanted to believe that he was sorry, something to make me believe our relationship was not a lie. I never got closure for that.”
Mark waited patiently for Samantha to continue. When she did not, he placed a chaste kiss on the crown of her head. “Did you need that? Closure?”
She sighed. “I guess I did. When you think you have something of that magnitude with someone, only for it to fall apart in the most gruesome way, I needed some sort of a life raft. Truth is, we started falling apart even before he hit me. Henry was starting to become distant and full of himself. But I never expected him to be violent.”
Mark noticed the flake of regret in her voice, to briefly wonder how things are settled in the vast Universe. Hadn’t Henry done that, Mark wouldn’t have gotten to fall in love with her. Life was funny, that way.
Samantha sighed, once again, yet more out of liberation. Albeit painful, she truly needed to convey the feelings out loud for them to become less repressive. Maybe to disappear.
“Can you understand now, Mark? Why he was able to hold me down at all? Why it is tough for me to trust someone again?”
Mark’s lungs filled with air. “Even me?”
Samantha closed her eyes. He did not need to spell it out loud for her to understand what he meant. “I just need a little more time, Mark.”
Indeed, he never expected to hear anything different, it still did not mean it hurt less. On the one hand, because Samantha still didn’t see him fit to be trustworthy, and on the other hand because he seemingly was giving more than she was ready to receive.
“Should I keep my distance then?” his voice was flat, too much so that he must have given away he was disappointed, because Samantha tightened their holding hands.
“No.” She answered timidly, looking up at him for the first time in a long while. Mark’s eyes were diverted to the emerging summer night. He was slipping away through her fingers, once more.
“I don’t know if I can give you both ways.” Not when I know I'll never treat you the way he did.
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The Bangtan Gal Chapter 44- He's Smitten
Chapter Summary: Jungkook's white shirts go missing. Jen gets noticed by Baekhyun. Bam Bam finally meets Jennie at the Dream concert. Jennie and Jungkook go against each other for dodgeball at school. Jennie checks out Jungkook's English.
Words: 12,000+
Genre: Major Jungkook fluff! And Bam Bam fluff!
Author's Note: Another custom chapter after some BTS events! I really LOVE this chapter and the scenes between Jennie and Jungkook when they played dodgeball at school and ate together after school. One of my absolute favorite chapters I wrote! I love their growing friendship/feelings for each other.
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Jennie slept soundly, on top of Yoongi as they napped on the couch, in the living room. Her alarm on her phone began to ring once the time turned to 1:30 PM, causing them both to stir in their sleep. Reaching over to her phone, she shuts off the alarm and lets out a sigh.
“An hour didn’t go by that quick...” She tried to go back to sleep as she felt Yoongi’s chest rumble against her when he chuckled.
“Unfortunately, it did. Time to go to the studio.” His deep voice was filled with sleep as he began to stretch. Jennie looked at him as he ran a hand through his hair. “You wanna know somethin’?”
“What?”
“You look like shit.”
Used to his smart-ass remarks, she remained unfazed. “Oh? So, do you asshole.”
Yoongi let out another deep chuckle. “What? You want me to lie? Wow, you look beautiful this afternoon.”
“Wow, well you look quite handsome this afternoon.” She mocked. “And your breath stinks.”
Suddenly, Yoongi breathed out heavily so she could smell his stench. As soon as his bad breath hit her nose, she covered it and fell off the couch with a yell.
“Ew! Not funny!” she cringed
“Was to me. Be ready in 20 so we can work on your cover.” He got off the couch to head to the bathroom.
Today was the day Jennie would finish covering Baekhyun’s Beautiful from EXO Next Door. Already admiring him as a K-Pop idol, she wanted to sing one of his songs and the song was really, no pun intended, beautiful. The song was released on April 22nd, and as soon as she heard it, she immediately wanted to cover it. She low-key hoped that he’d even notice the cover.
Meanwhile, Jungkook searched around his room for his white shirts. They were suddenly missing.
“What the heck is going on? I had them right here!” He started destroying the side of his room for his shirts.
Jen heard him muttering to himself in panic and decided to go into his room to see what was the problem. “You good?”
“No, I’m not! I can’t find any of my white shirts! They’re-they’re gone! All of them! ALL OF THEM!”
The Bangtan Girl stared at him like he was crazy.
All this...over shirts?
“Whoa, whoa, slow down. You mean to tell me you can’t find none of your shirts?” She tried to get him to relax as she grabbed a hold of his arm, halting him from pacing.
“Nope! None of them!” He grabbed a hold of her shoulders. “You gotta help me. I need my white shirts, you know how much they mean to me. Help me, please.”
“I’m about to go to the studio. I can help you when I get back.” She suggested, getting out of his grip. “You’re probably overlooking. You sure it’s not in your laundry?”
Jungkook decided to go to his laundry basket and dump out all his dirty clothes. “Nope! Where are they!?” He yelled in frustration.
“What are you whining about?” Jimin approached him out of curiosity.
“Someone had to take them. This is a prank, isn’t it?” Jungkook finally figured it out.
“Take what?” Taehyung joined in.
“Someone took my white shirts!” The Golden Maknae whined and started to fake cry.
Jimin immediately began laughing, which caused suspicion as Jungkook called him out. “It was you wasn’t it!?”
“I didn’t do anything!” Jimin giggled.
“Give them back!”
“Hahahah! It wasn’t me-hahahah!”
“Did you check the laundry room?” Taehyung suggested, trying not to giggle.
“If I find out that one of you messed with ALL my white shirts, there will be hell to pay.” He threatened them and left the room.
As soon as Jungkook left, Taehyung and Jimin started laughing.
“Y’all did it, didn’t you?” Jennie assumed.
“We didn’t do anything, it’s just so funny to see him so worked up over white shirts.” Taehyung giggled loudly.
“I hope he finds them.” She let out a sigh.
“I hope he doesn’t for a while. I like seeing him panic.” Jimin added. “I wonder who decided to take them. Maybe Hobi?”
“We could go ask,” Tae suggested.
“Keep me posted on the madness. I have a song to cover.” She said her goodbyes after they wished her luck, anticipating her new recording.
When she headed to the studio, with her headphones in her ears, she was asked to sound softer and build her way up as the song progressed because, in some parts of the song, there wasn’t any build up the first few times she sang the song.
“Maybe if you think about a boy or ARMY, it could help with the emotion.” She was suggested as she nodded, taking in the advice.
‘A boy, huh? Or ARMY?’ She pondered as her mind started to race with ideas.
With her phone in her hand, having the lyrics on her notes app, she waits for the music to start again. Once the music was heard from her headphones, she starts off softly, bringing out a sad tone to the beginning of the song.
Annyeong naege dagawa
Sujubeun hyanggireul angyeo judeon
neo huimihan kkumsokeseo
Nuni busidorok banjjakyeosseo
Raising her pitch slightly to a hopeful tone, she continued softly. And as she sang the chorus, a smile came across her face as she maintained the hopeful tone of the song.
Neoui misoe naemaeumi noganaeryeo
Nuni majuchyeosseulttaen~
Dugeungeoryeooh~
Her held notes sounded angelic, and strong but not overpowering the beat of the song.
neoui gaseume nae misoreul gieokhaejwo
Haruedo myeotbeonssik~
Saenggakhaejwooh~
Neoege hago sipeun geu mal...You’re beautiful
“Fly to you naegyeote isseojwo...You’re beautiful...” She finished the song softly and opened her eyes as the last bit of the instrumental played out.
“How’d I do?” She asked as she got pairs of thumbs ups in response, praising her efforts. “Ayeeeeee!”
After doing some finishing touches on the song, they post it on BTS’ SoundCloud.
‘Give it a listen! My fav has sung it so beautifully, that I just had to cover it! #JEN’ She tweets, posting the SoundCloud link of her new cover.
She decided to post a photo of it on her Instagram as well with the caption, ‘I had to. #EXONextDoor’
ARMY came rushing in with the comments like there was no tomorrow.
‘This was so cute!’
‘QUEEN!’
‘MOM! I was about to go to sleep!’
‘Welp, I won’t be going to sleep anytime soon. I’m gonna be listening to this all night.’
‘Can you PLEASE do more covers? Your voice is so soothing’
‘Baekhyun needs to hear this!’
‘#DoMoreCoversJennie’
‘@baekhyunee_exo this is great!’
‘I lovvvvveeeee this! Yes Miss Bangtan!’
‘GOD I LOVE HER VOICE’
‘WIG IS SNATCHED’
‘I WASN’T PREPARED!’
‘@baekhyunee_exo listen to this!’
‘If you combine both Jen’s cover and the original song, you can hear how nicely their voices blend. Kudos to Jen’s harmonious vocals. It’s like she’s singing right next to him.’
On her way back to the dorm, she decided to check her Instagram and perceived that a certain someone noticed her cover as she almost dropped her phone.
“He noticed!” She squealed after she read Baekhyun’s comment.
baekhyunee_exo: Well done :)
-------
On May 23rd, backstage at the Dream Concert, Jen finished getting her makeup done and told the members that she wanted to find her friends. Backstage was hectic, as the staff made sure everything was in order for the show. She managed not to get in anyone’s way as she spotted Jackson finishing up his conversation with one of the staff members.
“Jackson!” She happily waved, catching his attention. A huge smile came across his face as she jogged up to him, pulling him in for a hug.
“Jennie!” He picked her up and spun her around. She laughed at his enthusiasm before getting sat down on her feet. “My favorite American girl. How have you been? Congrats on I Need U.”
“Thank you! Everything is going well, I can’t complain. I’d be lying if I said that we weren’t tired but managing to get wins for I Need U is worth it. I’m so proud of our accomplishments so far.”
“I’m sure. You guys worked hard. I hear that J-Hope and Yugyeom will be dancing together.”
“Oh yeah, they’re gonna kill it. Super excited to see that and GOT7’s stage. Speaking of GOT7, are they free? I’d like to meet them.”
“Oh yeah! They’re very eager. I couldn’t stop talking about you, haha.”
“I hope it was positive things you told them about me.” She let out a laugh.
“Of course, I did. Come on, they’re in the dressing room.” He gestured for her to follow him.
She was excited to meet them, they seemed like great guys to be buddies with. She did want more guy friends after meeting a bunch of girl idols.
“Hey, guys! Miss Bangtan is here!” Jackson announced as they walked into the dressing room. She waved at them in a friendly manner after hearing a chorus of hellos. In the room were Yugyeom, Youngjae, JR, Mark, and JB as they excitedly got into a conversation with her.
“I’m an avid listener of you guys. You’re always on my playlist.” She happily revealed.
“Thank you! What are your favorite songs?” JB asked with a smile.
“I love A, I even know the choreography for it.” She briefly demonstrated as they looked impressed.
“I think she should’ve been in GOT8.” JB laughed as the guys agreed.
“GOT8 sounds catchy. But GOT7 is way better. You guys are the experts in your dances. Other songs I like are Turn Up the Volume, Stop Stop It and Gimme. I’m looking forward to your next comeback.”
After briefly talking some more with the members, Jen noticed that there were only six of them.
“I thought there were seven of you.” She looked around.
“Bam Bam.” Youngjae chuckled to himself, glancing at the members knowingly.
“He’s probably wandering around.” Jackson assumed.
“Ah, okay. I hope I can catch him later. I’ll see you guys around, it was nice meeting you.” She said her goodbyes and left.
“You think he’s gonna even want to meet her? He’s so nervous.” Mark pondered.
“He’s meeting her today. No ifs, ands, or buts. I’m tired of him just staring at her. He needs to man up and talk.” Jackson demanded.
As the show went underway, Jen stopped walking backstage when she heard an excited chorus of her name being called out. Two sets of arms wrapped around her as she was attacked with hugs from Jiyoon and Hyuna.
“Oh geez.” She laughed as the rest of the 4Minute members joined in.
“We missed you!” Sohyun said after they released her.
“I missed you more! How have you ladies been? Oh my God, it’s been a while!” Jen gave them individual hugs.
“We’re doing great, we’re so excited to perform,” Hyuna answered.
“Y’all know I’ll be jamming out when you perform crazy and What’s your name. If you hear screaming, it may be me.” She joked.
As Jen talked with 4Minute, from afar, Bam Bam zoned out as he watched her, mesmerized.
There she was.
She was right there.
So close yet so far, but he was still nervous to talk to her. He felt awkward about approaching her.
What would he say? How would she react?
‘Why is she so pretty?’ He thought with wonder.
He thought her curly hair framed her face so well and brought out her beauty even more. What was it about her that always made his stomach fill with butterflies?
“You’re drooling.” Youngjae nudged him, causing him to get out of his zone. “Go talk to her.”
“She doesn’t bite, man. She’s very sweet.” JB added.
“You’ll get along just fine. Do I need to drag you to her?” Jackson suggested with a grin.
“Please no!” Bam Bam looked at him with horror. “I don’t even know what to say.”
“Say what’s on your mind?” Yugyeom suggested.
“So, tell her, Hi, I think you’re beautiful. I like you, can I be your boyfriend?” Bam Bam made one of his funny facial expressions as the members ended up laughing.
“That’s...a bit forward.” Jackson giggled.
“And why did you make that face?” JB shook his head.
“Wow, he’s still crushing on Miss Bangtan?” Mark asked in amazement.
“Uh huh. He’s smitten.” Jackson wiggled his eyebrows with a smirk.
“I am not!” Bam Bam exclaimed, feeling his face warm up.
“Remember how he was staring at her at the MAMA Awards? Lipsyncing whenever her verse came on? It was so cute.” JR gushed.
“Uh huh. And he’s still looking at her with heart eyes. It’s painfully obvious. But I don’t blame him. Jennie is very pretty-ow!” Youngjae winced once Bam Bam punched his arm, in retaliation. “So aggressive...” He rubbed his arm.
“Well, he gotta wait until the dating ban is over anyway. But at least introduce yourself and be friends with her. Start as friends then confess once the dating ban is over.” JB suggested.
“I’m too nervous, all right? What if she thinks I’m weird?” Bam Bam said with worry.
He thought he could be a bit much with his goofy expressions and it may be a turn off for her.
Would she think he’s weird for how he acts around his friends? How he loves to dance to girl group songs, what would she think about that?
“Are you kidding me?” JR exclaimed. “If she can live with the Bangtan Boys, I’m pretty sure she can deal with you. Jennie will probably think you’re funny and cute. Be yourself.”
“I could’ve sworn she said that she loves when her ideal type is himself and not pretending to be someone else.” Mark thought about her speech on her ideal type, last year.
Jackson shook his head in annoyance. He had enough of his stalling. “That’s it.” He grabbed a hold of Bam Bam and started to walk towards Jennie.
“J-Jackson! No! What are you doing!?” He desperately tried to fight off his grip as he found himself getting closer to her.
No, he wasn’t ready.
He wasn’t ready to approach this girl.
He wasn’t ready to look at her in the eyes.
He wasn’t ready to get lost in them yet.
He wasn’t ready to blush and make a fool out of himself in front of her.
He needed more time.
“I’m tired of your bull, Bam Bam. You’re going to meet her.” Jackson had none of it as they got closer. “Jennie!” He happily shouted after she was left alone.
She turned to the two boys. “Hey, what up?”
“I wanted to introduce you to the seventh member that you didn’t get to meet. This is Bam Bam. Bam Bam, this is Jennie.” Jackson released him.
Bam Bam cleared his throat and smiled shyly, giving her a brief wave.
“Finally! I was wondering where you were!” Her sudden statement caused Bam Bam to look surprised. “Were you hiding from me?” She teased with a smile.
‘Oh my God, her smile...how is she real?’ He thought, feeling himself get flustered.
“N-nah, duty calls.” He replied. ‘Really Bam Bam? Duty calls? I sound so stupid.’ He mentally punched himself.
”I agree, everything is so hectic. That’s the idol life.”
Bam Bam noticed that Jackson had left them alone as he swallowed nervously, meeting her friendly gaze.
“So, you rap?” She asked eagerly.
“Y-yeah. I rap in GOT7.”
“Wow, that’s dope. Yoongi is helping me learn how to rap. I’d love to rap one day. Maybe even be a part of the Rap Line in BTS.”
“I can see that happening. I could give you some tips...if you’re interested.” He suggested
“That’s so sweet of you. I appreciate it.”
“D-did you like your get well basket?” He rubbed the back of his neck as her eyes lit up.
“That was you!?”
He smiled shyly and nodded. “I hope you liked the smarties.”
“Of course, I did! Thank you so much! Well, since I’m in front of you now, let me give you that kiss on the cheek.” She giggled as she pulled him in for a warm hug after placing her soft lips on his cheek.
His eyes almost popped out at the sudden affection but he immediately wrapped his arms around her, enjoying the moment. He caught a whiff of her perfume. It had a fruity scent to it, and it suited her.
‘She is so huggable.’ He thought as he couldn’t keep the smitten smile off his face.
So this was what it was like to have her in his arms. He was in heaven. Bam Bam didn't want to let her go as his mind started thinking about potential date ideas if he could have the courage to ask her out.
The GOT7 members were watching his face with amusement and decided to snap a photo for future blackmail.
After she pulled away, she spoke, “You really didn’t have to do that for me. It was so kind of you. Thanks for caring even if we haven’t met during that time.”
“Anytime. You really worried me. I’m happy that you’re okay.”
“Aw, Bam Bam!” She was touched by his words.
‘The way she says my name.’ He gushed. It sounded so cute the way she said his name with cheerfulness.
“I gotta get back to the dressing room, but it was nice meeting you! I hope we get to see each other again, soon.”
“Likewise.”
She smiled and headed back inside the BTS dressing room while he went back to the members.
“So, did you ask for her number?” Mark asked.
“I wanted to but it slipped my mind.” Bam Bam chuckled nervously.
He was too busy staring anyway. Man was she stunning in person. Photos don't do her justice.
Jackson, however, wasn’t happy with his statement. “How else will you keep in touch?” He frowned, crossing his arms.
“Instagram?” Bam Bam shrugged.
“I would ask for her number if I were you,” JB advised.
“Oh yeah, show him the photo,” Yugyeom spoke up as JR showed him the photo of him grinning like an idiot as he hugged Jennie. “We’re keeping this for blackmail.”
“Why!? Delete that!” Bam Bam shouted.
“Maybe we should show Jennie, what do you guys think?” JB pondered.
“NO!” Bam Bam yelled, trying to grab ahold of the phone.
----
In the BTS dressing room, the members were dressed for their performance. Jennie napped on the floor with Yoongi, while Taehyung rested next to her. Hobi decided it was time to mess with the members and he went to disturb Jimin first while filming for a Bangtan Bomb. After messing with him, Hobi went straight to Yoongi and Jennie.
He filmed them, contemplating if he should mess with them but decided against it.
“They’re sleeping too firmly. Last time I got beaten up by them with the others. It wasn’t pretty.” He laughed.
He decided to go after Taehyung instead, messing with his chin while making sound effects to one of the member’s iPhones that was ringing.
Jen kept hearing Hobi’s voice and contemplated if she should hit him so she could sleep in peace. As she opened her eyes, she saw him with a camera, messing with Tae. She glanced over at Yoongi, who had awakened, too.
Not good.
Tae looked over at the napping pair and glanced at Hobi, with fear, shocked that he woke them up.
“You’re really bothersome, doing this.” Tae sighed while Jennie shook her head at Hobi.
“Fuck off,” Yoongi spoke up, causing those around him to laugh.
“He-he cursed.” Hobi giggled.
After a long nap, Jen headed out and walked around until she saw Jiyoon, Gayoon and Sohyun in line for a shooting dart game.
“What’s all this?” Jennie looked around, noticing the spinning wheel and prizes around the staff members, deciding to get in line with them while others got behind her.
“Jiyoon wants the Hulk Buster,” Sohyun answered.
“Hulk Buster! Hulk Buster, please!” Jiyoon looked on, determined. She looked cute, acting like a kid for her Avengers.
“She really wants that Hulk Buster.” Jen laughed. “I hope she gets it.”
“Me too.”
“Oh my gosh is that a Captain America action figure!?” Jennie shouted, pointing it out with excitement. “I want it! I call dibs. It’s mine!”
“You like Captain America?”
“Oh yeah, I love him! Chris Evans is so cute!” She daydreamed, making Sohyun giggle. “He’s my favorite superhero. Just don’t tell Jungkook. He’s more of an Iron Man fan.”
“My lips are sealed.”
After Jiyoon’s failed attempt to get what she wanted, Jennie tried to shoot at the spinning wheel and failed too, winning kimchi flavored noodles. Jiyoon had won cereal and couldn’t hide her disappointment.
“Man, I really wanted that Captain America action figure. I could have it in my room for display.” Jen let out a sigh.
As she parted ways with Jiyoon and the others, Jen continued on her path to go back to the BTS dressing room.
“Finally, I found you!” She stopped in her tracks when she saw Chanyeol from EXO staring her way, smiling brightly.
‘Is he...talking to me? No way, there must be someone behind me.’ She looked back but didn't see anyone.
“Are you talking to me?” She pointed to herself as he nodded happily and bowed as she did the same before looking up at his tall figure.
Jeesh, he was taller than she thought. But his bright smile made his height less intimidating as she felt at ease.
“Sorry if this is really random. I got really excited when I finally found you, hehehe.” He giggled shyly, covering his face. “I’m Chanyeol.”
“H-hi, I’m Jennie.” She felt her face warm up at the Happy Virus.
She always felt like EXO was untouchable and people she could never seem to approach. But Chanyeol seemed very eager and friendly to want to talk to her.
She wondered why.
“Baekhyun has been looking for you. I decided to help him out. He’ll be thrilled to know that I found you.”
“Come again?” Her stomach dropped.
Baekhyun?
Her bias?
He was looking for her?
Her??
Miss Bangtan?
She wanted to faint right then and there.
“He’s very eager to meet you! He wanted to talk to you about your cover. Can I just say that you have done very well? I enjoyed listening to it. Baekhyun can’t stop talking about it. It has been driving some of the members bonkers, hehe.” He giggled.
“Are you serious? Gosh, thank you!” She couldn’t believe he said that. That was a huge confidence booster.
To be praised by Chanyeol of all people. An SM artist. Just wow!
Chanyeol had given Baekhyun a quick text and they waited while having small talk until he walked up to them. Jen told him that she wanted to get the Captain America action figure but had failed, as he decided that he wanted to try out the game after Baekhyun arrived.
“Ah, there he is.” Chanyeol pointed him out and left them to talk.
“Hello!” Baekhyun smiled brightly. “It’s nice to finally meet you, Jennie!”
“Hi!” She managed to say, mesmerized that he was right in front of her. He grabbed her hands with his smile still plastered on his face. It seemed to have calmed her starstruck mind down as she returned his smile. “You’re one of my favorite idols. It’s an honor to finally meet you. I saw your comment on my Instagram, about my cover. Thank you for taking the time out of your day to listen to it. It really means the world to me that you, the original artist of the song, would listen to my cover.”
“It’s funny how it came about. Chanyeol had seen fans tagging his Instagram and mine on your photo and he brought it to my attention. We decided to sit down and listen to it. The first opening notes, Chanyeol couldn’t keep his jaw closed.” He chuckled at the memory as he released her hands.
“Seriously?” She covered her mouth in surprise.
Now that was a plus, that she was able to do that. She needed to stop doubting the potential of her singing ability. There is much to improve, but this right here was a huge start.
“Uh huh. It was well done. How long did it take you?”
“I’ve worked on the song for a week. Due to my schedule, I didn’t have that much free time. I was already familiar with the song because I’d listened to it so many times and sung along in my room. The rearrangement was made in the studio, I worked on making sure the same emotion that you had was there for the song, while still making it my own and then I took it from there. I had a blast working on it.”
“I’m eager to hear more from you. I have always wondered what is it about me that you love so much. I would come across photos of your interviews or videos of you speaking so highly of me. It’s very touching. May I ask why?”
“Well, it’s not hard. Your vocals are so amazing. Like you have no idea how your vocals have made me want to step up my vocal skills. Every time I hear you sing, I am inspired to be able to sing so emotionally, so heavenly and have that much passion. I love watching you perform, too. Your voice and charisma blow me away. I’m learning a lot in this industry, been in BTS for three years and we are still growing musically. You along with many other idols are an inspiration for me.” She revealed in a genuine voice.
“Ah, you’re making me so flustered from the constant support you have for me.” He said eagerly. "Thank you, Jennie,"
He always enjoyed meeting new people and he enjoyed Jennie’s friendly, determined aura around her. Her voice went great with his song. If they were to sing together in the future, it would be a treat for fans for sure.
“I would love to sing with you, one day if you are interested. I’m continuing to improve my vocals so I can push for future collaborations with other idols.” She continued, hoping he would agree.
His smile got wider as he nodded eagerly. “I would love to collaborate with you and teach you a few vocal methods in the future. Whenever you’re ready, just let me know and we’ll work from there once our schedules aren’t in the way. I’m positive SM will agree to it.”
“Re-really!?”
“Really.” He confirmed.
“Thank you so much! Is it okay if I hug you?” She asked.
He laughed at her excitement and nodded, bringing her in for a warm hug.
After their conversation, she asked for a selfie. He stood next to her, smiling sweetly while she grinned widely as they both put up finger hearts.
‘THIS HAPPENED! So happy to finally meet you! Thank you!’ She posted on Instagram and Twitter, causing EXO-Ls and ARMY to freak out.
--------
After BTS had performed, Bam Bam went out to find Jennie. The GOT7 members were watching him from afar, to see if he would do what he said he was going to do.
Ask for her number.
“You think he’s gonna do it?” Mark asked.
“He better do it,” Jackson demanded.
“I don’t think he has it in him. Watch him chicken out.” JB laughed.
“He better not.” Jackson huffed.
“There she goes.” Mark pointed her out.
Once Bam Bam saw Jennie, taking out her earpiece, and putting it around her neck, he let out a breath and approached her. He repeated everything that he wanted to say in his mind, confident that he wouldn’t be awkward.
Once she turned around and flashed him a smile, he tensed up as she spoke, “Hey, you! Long time no see! Great performance out there!”
“Th-thanks. You were great out there, too. I uh, wanted you to have this.” He presented his hands that were behind his back, revealing the Captain America action figure that she had wanted.
A loud gasp escaped her lips as she took a step back. She looked from the action figure to him, in astonishment as he started to chuckle softly, satisfied with her reaction.
“No way! H-how did you manage to win this, oh my gosh!” She happily accepted it, examining it in awe. “My Captain America!”
“I was in line for the game and overheard you talking about it. I was aiming to try out the game, just for fun, but I decided why not try to get the action figure for you.”
“Bam Bam, you just made my night.” She pulled him in for another hug.
‘Two hugs in one night? I’m on a roll.’ He happily thought.
Jackson nodded in approval. “Damn, that was smooth.”
“Whipped~!” Youngjae announced as the members laughed with him while they continued to watch.
“How long did it take you to win this?” She asked after they pulled away.
“Three times.”
“Man. You really didn’t need to go through all that trouble for me. But who am I to complain? I got my Captain America!” She cheered.
“Jennie! Come on!” Jin had called her out from afar, wanting her back in the dressing room.
“Gotta go, but thank you again, Bam Bam.”
“W-wait.” He grabbed a hold of her hand, making her turn back around. “I wanted to ask you something.”
“What’s up?”
“Can I-uh-can I get your number?” He stuttered out.
He hoped he wasn’t too forward or was giving her the wrong impression. He sincerely wanted to get to know her more. He liked her after all.
“Yeah, of course!” She took his phone and quickly typed in her number for him. “Here you go!”
“Sweet. Thank you. I’ll see you around, Jennie.”
“Definitely. I’m looking forward to getting to know you.” She headed back to meet up with Jin.
“He really had it in him,” Mark said in bewilderment.
“Should we start the ship name? BamJen?” Jackson suggested.
“When do you think he’ll text her?” Jinyoung asked as the members questioned the future of Bam Bam and Jen’s friendship.
------
The next day, Jungkook continued to freak out because he still couldn’t find his white shirts in the dorm.
Who would be so evil to take his precious shirts?
Who had the guts to do something like this and expect to get away with it?
“Okay, guys, this isn’t funny anymore, the prank is over, give me my damn shirts back!” He yelled from his room.
“Aish, you still can’t find them?” Namjoon shook his head.
“Damn it!” Jungkook slammed his hand against his opened door in frustration as he walked to the living room.
He was pissed.
This prank wasn’t funny anymore.
“They weren’t in the laundry?” Jin asked, calmly.
“No...” The Golden Maknae grumbled. “Can someone just tell me who did it? I haven’t worn any white shirts in weeks! Somebody just give them back!”
Jimin continued to laugh with Taehyung which caused Jungkook to curse and attack them, wrestling them in the living room. After he beat them up, Jungkook stormed back to his room to try to seethe in solitude.
Once he left, a smirk slowly came across the Bangtan Girl’s features.
‘Wonder how long I should keep this up.’ She thought evilly.
Jungkook was so mad. She almost felt bad for doing this to him. He trusted her so much that he wouldn’t dare suspect her of all people to mess with his white shirts.
Jimin peeped her smirk. He was the only one who knew her secret. When she decided to tell him, he was genuinely surprised that Miss Bangtan of all people would steal Jungkook’s white shirts.
That she would be bold enough to do such a thing.
Days later in the afternoon, Jen chilled in the living room, playing video games by herself until her phone buzzed, getting a notification from the BTS Group Chat.
Jimin: uhhh just to give you a fair warning...Kook is looking for you
Raising a brow, Jennie immediately texted back
Jennie: Why?
Jimin: He knows
Jennie: What do you mean "He knows"
Tae: Ennie, you need to HIDE
Hobi: NOW
Yoongi: You R on ur own kid...
Jennie groaned.
You have GOT to be kidding.
Why did she open up her mouth? She should've known that Jimin would blab out that she took his shirts. How stupid of her to trust him.
Jennie: Jimin!!
Jimin: He beat it out of me! I'm sorry! Jungkook is so scary when he's angry! I'm sorry, Ennie!
As soon as she heard another ping, she checked the notification, feeling her stomach drop at who had messaged next in the group chat.
Jungkook: Jennie.
Jennie: Hey Kookie! :) :) :)
Jungkook: So...you touched my white shirts, huh?
Jennie: Me? Nooooo, I would never
As soon as Jen saw the next message, she immediately got off the couch, in panic.
Jungkook: I’m coming for you
She reread the text and ran into her room, earning a loud laugh from Namjoon who was in the kitchen. Shutting the door, she locked it, pacing around. She should've thought things through. She'll never make the mistake of telling anyone her plans.
She decided to hide under her bed, hoping that would be a great hiding spot.
Jennie: I didn’t do anything!
Tae: Jungkook please reconsider! Ennie is an innocent soul!
Hobi: Don't do this Jungkoko!
Yoongi: She dead
Jimin: Jungkook don't!
Jungkook: Where is she?
Jin: Whatever mess you make, I won't be cleaning it up.
Jennie: Jin! You not going to help me!?
Jin: This is your responsibility, sweetie.
Yoongi: She dead.
Jimin: Jungkookie noooooooooooo
Jungkook: I won't ask again.
Jungkook: WHERE
Jungkook: IS
Jungkook: SHE?
Namjoon: Last time I checked, she just ran in her room
Jennie: NAMJOON!
She received a peace sign emoji from the leader and a devil emoji from Jungkook
Jennie: Kookie please!
Namjoon: I'm leaving the dorm. I don't want to see or hear what punishment he has in store. I'll be at the studio
Yoongi: She dead.
Jimin: YOONGI NOT THE TIME!
Yoongi: Do you want me to lie? She's dead.
Namjoon: Don't punish her too hard, Kook. You don't know your own strength at times
Yoongi: She'll learn her lesson once he's done with her
Namjoon: Good luck Jennie!
Hobi: No! No! No! Jungkook this is a bad idea!
Jimin: Jungkookie don't lay a finger on our Ennie!
Jungkook: I'll be laying more than just a finger on her
“Why me?” She complained.
She was now alone in the dorm. And Jungkook was coming back any minute. It was too late to leave the dorm. He could be already here.
And as soon as she thought about it, she heard the front door open and close.
Great...
Her stomach dropped as she heard footsteps. She quickly put her phone on silent, doing everything she could to not make a sound. Hearing her doorknob rattle, her nerves got worse.
“Of course, you would lock the door.” She heard Jungkook’s voice filled with annoyance.
“Jungkook! It was just a prank!” She exclaimed. “Leave me alone! I’m sorry! It was a prank!”
“Oh, I know. But when you mess with my white shirts, I have the right to give you a proper punishment. Open the door.” He demanded.
“Jungkook, think about what you’re doing!”
“Open the door, Jennie.”
“Jungkook, let’s talk about this!”
“Oh, we’ll talk. My hands are going to do the talking. Now, open the door.” His voice went down an octave, giving off a threatening tone.
She decided to stay silent and for a moment she heard no more noise.
Maybe he left?
She considered getting from under the bed but decided against it after she heard more noise coming from her door. She realized that he was working on removing her bedroom door handle with some type of tool he found.
‘You have GOT to be kidding me! Am I worth this much trouble?! Over white shirts!?’ She panicked as he finally opened her door.
She swallowed nervously as her eyes came into view with his timberlands walking around her room.
“Are you going to reveal yourself or am I going to have to take matters into my own hands?” He talked out loud to her.
Jen kept her mouth shut. Maybe she could try to escape this. He was fast but she could squirm out of his grip if he caught her. Seeing the light from her phone flash, she glanced at it to see the missed messages from the group chat
Jimin: Jennie! Are you safe!?
Tae: ENNIE!
Yoongi: She dead
Hobi: Munchkin!
Jimin: GUYS SHE’S NOT ANSWERING!
Yoongi: She dead.
Namjoon: She brought this on herself haha.
Jimin: What have I done!? Ennie! Answer us!
Yoongi: She dead.
Hobi: You sure you should’ve
“Crap!” She yelped as he grabbed a hold of her ankles, pulling her from under the bed. She didn’t even get the chance to read the rest of Hobi’s message.
Jungkook turned her around to face him and pinned her to the floor before she could have the chance to crawl away. As she looked up at his stern expression, she swallowed hard. That was a look she was not used to.
“Now...we can either do this the easy way or the hard way.” He advised. “I think it’ll be in your best interest to go the easy route because I tend to not be so merciful when it comes to things like my white shirts.”
“Kook, come on now. Let’s not do this.”
“You brought this on yourself.”
“Jungkook!”
“Now I’m going to ask you one question...and you are going to answer me truthfully, do you hear me?” He got closer to her face.
His serious expression made him look more mature as his piercing gaze stayed on her like a hawk, making sure she wasn’t going anywhere, anytime soon. It was intimidating to see him like this and she wondered how she would be able to escape.
Where was Jimin or the rest of the guys? Shouldn’t they be scrambling over here to help her instead of texting the group chat?
“Where are my shirts?” Her thoughts were interrupted.
“I don’t know where they are!” She struggled against his strong grip. She could hardly move from under him.
“Strike one.”
“Kook!”
“Tell me where my white shirts are.”
“I don’t know!”
“Strike two. One more, you’re done for. I’m going to ask you, one more time. Where-are-my-white-shirts?” He demanded as his nose grazed hers.
“They’re someplace...where you are never going to find.” She boldly answered. “Admit that I outsmarted you, Kook.”
Jungkook poked the inside of his cheek, feeling himself getting more aggravated that he still didn’t have his white shirts.
It had been weeks.
Weeks since he’s had them.
Her stomach flipped when he leaned down, and she felt his warm breath against her ear. “You know, I really thought I could trust you. It seems like I need to be more mindful of those close to me. Because they can turn on you just like that. And take things that are precious from you. Like my white shirts for example. You know I wasn’t even going to prank you at all for this prank war? But I guess you didn’t have the same mindset. So, do you have any idea what I’m going to do to you?”
“Let me go and forget this happened?”
“I could...but that won’t be fun, now would it?” He put both her wrists in one hand as his other found itself slowly grazing the side of her stomach, causing her to squirm.
That was a sensitive area, because he’s been there before, and she knew what he was about to do.
He was going to tickle her.
“No, please! Not that, anything but that! I’ll buy you lamb skewers! Anything but that!” She started to panic.
“Should’ve thought of that before you said what you said.” He moved back from her face, watching her attempt to move around from under him.
“It was so tempting, I’m sorry-“ She was cut off by her laughter as he began to aggressively tickle her sides with both his hands. “St-sthap it-hahahah! Jungko-ok!”
“What was that? Huh?” He teased, as he tickled her relentlessly, watching her become undone.
“Are you going to tell me where my shirts are?” He questioned over her loud laughter.
No matter how much her hands tried to push him away, he continued to be relentless.
“Please-!”
“Please what? If it’s not about the location of my white shirts, I’m not listening to you beg for mercy. Suffer.” He answered her pleas with no remorse.
After a few more moments, she couldn’t take anymore, and finally, gave up. “Okay! Okay! Enough! I’ll tell you!”
He left her alone, smirking in satisfaction as he waited for her to pull herself together. “Now...about those white shirts...”
“Th-they’re at Amber’s place.” She revealed, trying to catch her breath.
“And I’m sure you’ll return them to me, today, right?”
“Uh huh.”
“Glad we could work something out.” He grinned triumphally. “But just a fair warning...Pull something like that again, the punishment will be even worse. That was me going easy on you. These hands can do a lot more damage.”
“I am never telling anyone anything ever again.” She groaned.
------
The next day, at school, Jennie and Jungkook attended gym class together. The two combined classes found themselves sitting on the floor, as the gym teacher announced that today’s activity would consist of dodgeball. Hearing that caused Jungkook’s mood to boost. He loved dodgeball and was looking forward to playing it.
“Jeon Jungkook. Jennifer Walker.” The gym teacher called them out, gesturing for them to stand next to him. “You two will be today’s team captains.”
‘Team captains? So, I’m going up against Kook in dodgeball?’ Jen thought as she glanced at her best friend.
Jungkook and Jennie were more competitive than others, and it would mean the world to her if she could beat him in dodgeball. It would give her some type of closure since he would usually beat her in video games.
The gym teacher told them to play one round of rock, paper, scissors to see who would get the first pick and Jungkook won by choosing paper over Jen’s rock.
The Golden Maknae looked around the handful of classmates that sat on the gym floor, waiting patiently to be picked. He pondered about which person to choose first, wanting strong teammates since he was stronger on offense when it came to dodgeball.
His eyes landed on Jennie’s shy friend, Hayoon, who was looking down at her feet. “Hayoon.” He called out, causing her to lift her head in surprise.
“Y-yes?” She stuttered.
“Come on, you’re on my team.” He smiled softly, beckoning her to come over.
As soon as she heard him call out her friend’s name, Jennie stared at him in disbelief. “What? My friend though? How dare you?”
“All about the mind games.” He teased as Hayoon stood behind him.
“Sorry, Jennie.” Hayoon smiled apologetically.
“Okay, you knew I was gonna pick her.” Jen frowned at the Golden Maknae.
“Exactly. I know you better than you know yourself. I know how you think.” He replied confidently.
“She’s supposed to be mine.”
“Not today.” He grinned cockily.
“I’m going to....” She trailed off, shaking her head. “The Lord is testing me today...”
“What?” He challenged. “What are you going to do, my dear friend?”
She wanted to smack that grin off his face but she suppressed her urges.
“You better take good care of her.” She huffed and turned to Hayoon. “If he does anything wrong, let me know. I’ll give him a beating back at the dorm.”
Hayoon smiled softly. “I’m sure Jungkook and I won’t have any problems. He is a nice person.”
“You hear that Jennie? I’m nice.” He happily announced.
“She’s only trying not to hurt your feelings. We all know you suck.” She turned back to her classmates, smirking in amusement when he yelled “Yah!”
After picking their teammates, the gym teacher began to explain the rules. “All right, I’m sure we know how to play this game but I added some more rules, to make it more intense. If the ball hits you, you’re out. While you stand on the sidelines when you’re out, you can have one of your teammates that’s still in the game, throw you a ball and you can try to shoot the ball into the basketball hoop. If you make the ball in the basket, everyone from your team is back in the game. If it hits the backboard, only you are back in. Captains, face each other, please.”
Jungkook and Jen faced off, staring each other down intently, as their classmates looked on in anticipation. Jen looked at him up and down, stepping up to him.
“Golden Maknae.” She acknowledged.
Jungkook smirked at her competitiveness. “Miss Bangtan.” He mimicked her movements.
“Ready to lose?”
“I think the question is, am I ready to win.”
“No, not today. You may beat me in video games, but today, you will be the one who’s losing for a change.”
“We shall see about that.”
“I want a clean game.” Their gym teacher interrupted their face off. “We’ll play three rounds. Whoever gets two wins will be victorious."
Jungkook looked at his opponent, examining her. Jennie’s defensive skills were only getting better and better. Something that he couldn’t touch. But unlike him, she didn’t have great aim and never went on an offensive route for games. If he could stay on her team, throwing the balls relentlessly, he should get everyone out and win the game effortlessly. His team had stronger players, the main thing he needed to focus on was her quick instincts to avoid getting hit.
Defense vs. offense.
It would be a great set of matches between the two teams.
The 97 Liners shake hands while their teams go to their spots. Attempting to walk back, Jen is pulled forward by Jungkook due to his strong grip on her hand. She looked up at the tall Golden Maknae with a serious expression.
More trash talk?
“Before I let you go, I just want to wish you luck.”
“How kind of you.”
“And I’ll happily enjoy some lamb skewers when I win. Your treat of course.” His bunny smile showed on his features.
She knew he was up to something. Narrowing her eyes, she glared at him playfully. “Hm, you’d like that, wouldn’t you? Well, when I win, I want my noodles. I will enjoy that treat to the fullest.”
“I think you may want to get your mind off noodles. The lamb skewers will be a great meal after school. Might as well prepare for it.”
“Ha! You tried it.”
“Make the best 97 Liner win.” He released her and headed over to his team with a confident look on his face.
Meeting up with her team, they prepare for the first round. “What’s the strategy?” One of her female teammates asked.
“All right, I have a plan in mind. It may sound crazy, but I strongly believe this will work. I want to take a risk.”
“What’s the plan?”
“Don’t get the dodgeballs first. Wait for them to get it.” She informed as they stared at the set of medium-sized, colorful balls in the middle of the gym floor.
She heard some of her teammates question her strategy. “You sure? Shouldn’t we run and get the balls?”
“That’s what they think we’re going to do. But we’re not going to. Catch them off guard. Make them believe they’re at an advantage.”
“Okay and then what?” Another teammate asked
“I want us to watch the balls and catch them whenever they throw them. Put your hands out like this.” She demonstrated. “Whatever you do, catch it, and then they’ll get out. If we can all catch their balls when they attack, then that means we’ll have fewer people to get out in the game, and we’ll have all the balls then. Trust me.”
Her teammates noticed a strong leader aura around her, as her plan made sense.
“When you get a ball, aim for their legs and feet.” She continued. “If you aim at their upper body, they’ll have more of an advantage to catch the ball. Their legs, however, different story. I won’t let you guys down, I will fight until we are victorious today. I will lead us to victory. Keep a cool head, and keep your eyes open at all times. Anything can happen in just a blink of an eye. Got it?” She looked at her teammates, who appeared motivated and pumped up.
They all put their hands in the middle. “One, two, three, Defensive!” They shout, throwing their hands up in the air.
Both teams placed their hands on the wall, waiting for the teacher’s cue. This was it. All or nothing. Jen’s heart began to race from anticipation. Her team needed to win this.
“Begin!” The gym teacher blew the whistle.
Like Jen planned, her team stayed back as Jungkook’s team ran up and got the balls. His team looked confused that her team stood back and thought it wasn’t the wisest choice. His team, as expected, threw the dodgeballs at her team, and Jen watched in approval when her teammates caught the balls.
Jungkook widened his eyes in shock at what just happened as he saw a handful of his teammates walk to the sideline. Irritation was clear on his face as he poked the inside of his cheek with his tongue, narrowing his eyes at Jennie. He was not happy at how quickly he lost teammates.
“BOOM!” Jennie fist pumped, high fiving her teammates who were cheering. She turned back to Jungkook with a huge smile on her face, having her arms outstretched, tilting her head to the side. “Now THAT is how you make a statement! We here to win today!”
“Game on.” He growled. “Watch your back.” He pointed her out.
“Don’t hate the player, hate the game. I outsmarted you. Admit it.” She shrugged.
“Yeah, and it’ll be the last.” He huffed.
He was not happy. He refused to lose to her.
It was on, now.
As the game went on, Jen’s teammates noticed how patient and understanding she was towards them as she gave them encouraging words throughout the game. She wanted everyone to remain calm and not be intimidated just because Kook’s team had stronger players.
Suddenly, without even noticing who hit him, Jungkook gets hit on the thigh by a ball.
“Jeon Jungkook, you’re out!” The gym teacher announced.
“Aish...” He threw his ball down in frustration and walked over to the sidelines.
He was so focused on trying to get Jennie out that he failed to realize others were trying to get him out too. Getting strong players out of a game was always a smart move, and he knew he had targets on his back.
Jennie’s team managed to win Round 1 thanks to their effort of catching the dodgeballs whenever their opponents tried to hit them.
“Aaaaayyyyyeeeeeeee!” Jennie yelled as she performed the Shmoney dance in celebration.
She happily gave her teammates high fives, praising them for their efforts, and told them to keep it up.
For Round 2, Jungkook’s team came back in full aggression. It seemed like getting the first loss of the game, lit a fire in the Golden Maknae as he did everything he could to get as many opponents out as possible.
Seeing an available ball standing in the middle of the gym, the 97 Liners glance at each other and make a run for it.
‘I need that ball.’ Jen thought hastily as she ran as fast she could.
Before she could grab it, Jungkook managed to swipe it from the floor first. She stumbled back and fell on her butt with a grunt and cautiously looked up at the Golden Maknae.
“Gotcha.” He smirked, readying himself to throw the ball.
‘Relax, Jennie.’ She calmed herself down.
If her teammates saw her panic, they would panic too. She needed to stay strong in this predicament. Telling her body to move as soon as she saw him move his hand to throw the ball at her, she barely managed to roll away, earning whoas from her classmates.
“As expected.” He grabbed another ball that was by his feet.
Mostly everyone had the balls on the sideline, aiming to make a basket so their whole team could get back in the game.
He threw another fastball at her, making her jump out of the way with a yelp.
‘If I didn’t move one inch, that would’ve hit me.’ She huffed as she got on her feet, watching his every move. One false movement, she was done for.
‘Clever girl.’ He thought, impressed.
He enjoyed the challenge.
‘Maybe if I could try to catch the ball.’ She thought as she stayed alert. ‘But his aim and speed of the ball are so intense, I’m not sure if catching it would be wise, in fear that it may fall out my hands.’
Hayoon stood next to Jungkook as she aimed a ball right at Jennie, who ducked down in the nick of time.
“Aye! Why is it two on one!?” Jen exclaimed as she continued to jump out of the way from any balls aiming at her.
“Sorry, Jennie. But you need to get out.” Hayoon giggled and threw another ball.
“Bye!” Miss Bangtan waved at her friend when she caught her ball. A pout came across Hayoon’s face as she walked over to the sidelines. Before Jen knew it, a dodgeball hit her right in the butt, causing her to turn to the thrower in shock. “Ow! You hit my ass!”
“Perfect shot!” Jungkook laughed, fist pumping. “Don’t take your eyes off me, next time!”
“Oh, so that’s how we gonna play, huh?” Rolling her eyes in annoyance.
Jennie stood by the sidelines while the rest of her teammates played against Jungkook and his team. Jen had tried to make a basket a couple of times but to no avail as Jungkook blocked every single one.
“Oh my god! Back off!” She yelled in frustration.
Why couldn’t he just focus on the game? Not on blocking her baskets?
Hayoon unexpectedly made a basket, causing her whole team to cheer.
“I made the shot!” She jumped up and down happily.
Jennie groaned as she saw all of Jungkook’s teammates run back into the game. She watched painfully as her teammates remaining got hit, causing Jungkook’s team to win this round. He immediately celebrated with his teammates, acting hyped up as he jumped up and down with them.
Jennie on the other hand, gathered her team to group up in a circle. “We may have lost that round but don’t let that discourage you. We still got this. All of you did a great job holding your own. And now we are in the last round. We’re going to need to be more on offense this time. But remain cautious of your surroundings. Never take your eyes off your opponents. We got this. Go hard or go home. Let’s take this victory!” She shouted as her team cheered.
“Final round!” The gym teacher blew the whistle.
This time, Jen sprinted forward to grab two of the balls in the middle of the floor and managed to hit two people in the process. After ducking around and avoiding the balls that were aimed at her team, she finally caught a ball that almost went over her head. Tossing it to one of her teammates to use, Jen watched triumphally as the person who threw the ball walked to the sidelines.
The game was equally matched, and both teams were determined to win. Near the end of the game, Jen stood by the sidelines with her team while Jungkook was still in the game, with one other person going up against three people left from her team. He seemed to be getting everyone out before it was just three people left because her teammates could not seem to hit him with a dodgeball.
“Whatever you do, don’t let Jennie get back in.” Jungkook requested his teammate as he went on to try to get the last people out.
Those Lamb Skewers were his.
Meanwhile, Jen couldn’t hide her frustration every time she aimed the ball at the backboard, it would get slapped away by Jungkook’s teammate before it could touch it. Butterflies were in her stomach as she witnessed that there was only one person left from her team.
“Please...” She whispered as she tried one more time.
“Walker! You’re back in!” The gym teacher announced.
Sighing out of relief, she ran to her teammate. “You good, girl?” She asked as she got handed a ball.
“No, I’m freaking out! I can’t do this. I can’t hit them, we’re going to lose!”
“Hey. Get that negative mindset out of your head. Remember what I told you. You can catch the ball to get people out in dodgeball. You got this. Trust me.” She reassured. The two of them ducked as a loud smack was heard against the wall when Jungkook’s fastball clashed against it. “I would like my head!”
“And I would like to win!” She heard him say.
Jennie kneeled and caught his teammate’s ball that was aimed at her feet, leaving Jungkook to be the last man standing for his team. He throws two fastballs, ready for this game to be over before anyone else from her team can get back in the game.
Unable to move in time, one of the balls hit Jen’s shoulder, causing her to fall back. Looking up, she saw that her teammate had a shocked expression on her face and she saw a dodgeball in her hands.
She had caught his other dodgeball.
“Atta girl!” Jen got up and rushed to hug her.
“Winner! Team Jennie!” The gym teacher announced. Her team all rushed up and joined in the hug, jumping up and down, and cheering in celebration.
“WOO! That is what I’m talking about!” Jennie beamed, with a huge smile on her face.
Jungkook, sitting on the gym floor, was disappointed that his team lost but was praised for his efforts. He watched Jennie celebrate, and it was like he was watching her in slow motion as her hair flipped to one side when she turned her head to him. The same bright smile still on her face.
She was something else.
Before he knew it, she was in front of him, extending her hand out. He smiled and took it as she helped him up.
Keeping a strong grip on his hand, she spoke, “Good game, Kook. Thanks for going all out on me. Your team pushed me harder than ever before.”
“Yeah.” He nodded. “I’m kind of glad you beat me.”
“Are you?”
“Yeah, because you make competitions fun. You’re unpredictable. But just so you know, I’ll be the one winning next time.” He gave her hand a gentle squeeze.
“I’m ready for whatever you bring at me, bunny.”
-----
After changing in the dorm, Jennie and Jungkook took a stroll together, aiming to head to a local noodle restaurant so he could treat her to noodles since she won the game. As Jungkook approached the restaurant, he watched in confusion as Jennie walked past it.
“Wait, don’t you want noodles?” He asked as he followed her.
“I did. But I changed my mind.” She replied as she stopped in front of a Korean BBQ restaurant. “I’m kind of craving lamb skewers.” She smiled, giggling at his happy reaction.
“No way, are you serious!?” His bunny smile came across his features.
“Don’t make me change my mind.” She teased as he eagerly opened the door for her, letting her walk in first.
“Trust me, I won’t let you. You won’t regret it.” He replied as he walked in.
Getting seated at a booth, facing each other, they ordered lamb skewers and watched them cook. Some lucky ARMY came to the right restaurant because they secretly watched the 97 Liners. Some took photos, filmed them briefly, and watched them with giggles.
Jungkook noticed and felt a little shy when he heard one of them murmur, “Don’t they look cute?”
Jennie watched the lamb skewers cook while Jungkook ended up gazing at her. She rested her elbow on the table as her fingers tangled in her curls. The way she would briefly check her phone, watch the lamb skewers cook with anticipation, and how she scrunched up her nose out of habit, he thought it was some of the most adorable things he had ever seen.
Feeling eyes on her, she decided to remove her hand from her hair, setting her arm down. She flashed him a sweet smile and silently commenced a staring contest until she burst out in laughter from another one of his derp faces.
Jungkook smiled and looked down, chuckling his own self.
“This better be good.” She warned.
“They will be, trust me.” He guaranteed. “You won’t be disappointed.”
“I blame Yoongi for your obsession with this. But at least I finally get to see what the hype is all about.” She grabbed a stick after it finished cooking and took a bite.
“Well?” Kook looked on in anticipation.
“Yo, this is bomb!” She took another bite.
“Yes!” He fist pumped. “Told you that you would like them.”
As they ate, he requested to take photos, to let Yoongi and ARMY know about her new fascination with Lamb Skewers. The first photo he took was of her smiling while looking down because he said that he still couldn’t believe she beat him in one of his favorite games.
‘She’s still laughing at the fact that she beat me in dodgeball today at school. I will not lose again. #JK’
The next photo he took was a selfie of them, as he put up the peace sign and she stuck her tongue out. He tweeted the photo, ‘Suga Hyung, she tried lamb skewers for the first time, and loved it! Got her hooked!’
Yoongi would reply a few moments later, ‘Welcome to the lamb side. Once you get in, there is no way out, smartie.’
Placing his phone down, he looked up, watching her as he noticed her nose occasionally twitching cutely like a hamster. It gave him the urge to want to kiss it. Unintentionally, he let out a soft chuckle which caused her to look up and smile.
“What?”
“You keep twitching your nose.”
“Oh.” She touched her nose. “It’s a habit. I don’t even know I’m doing it.” She laughed. Moments later, he noticed her nose twitch yet again.
“You did it again.” he teased, making her cover her nose.
“I don’t mean to! Stop staring, you’re embarrassing me.” She laughed. A few seconds later, she glanced at him as amusement was shown on his features. “Stop it!”
The Golden Maknae let out another laugh. “Can’t help it.”
As they continued to eat, Jungkook noticed how big her cheeks would get when she stuffed food in her mouth. It was official. He saw no difference. She resembled a cute hamster. No wonder ARMY had been commenting about that on their Twitter. Now he saw why.
“So, how is your English?” She went to her native tongue.
He looked shooked at her question. “Don’t want to talk about that.” He said with a sigh.
“What did you get on the English test?” She went back to Korean.
“Let’s not talk about that.” He rubbed the back of his neck.
“When’s your next test?”
“I have a test from the basics to what we’re learning now.”
“Let’s work our way up then. When’s the test?”
“In a few days.”
“Jeon Jungkook.” She scolded as he grinned sheepishly. “I’m going to kill you. You should’ve told me earlier. I could’ve been helping you.”
“Sorry.”
“Forgiven.” She replied. She watched him go through his bookbag, take out his English study guide for the test, and hand it to her. “Let’s start with greetings. Greet me in English.”
“Hello, my name is Jungkook.”
She did a double take when she heard his voice go down an octave. “How the heck did your voice get so deep?” She stared at him, astonished. “Manly...”
“Manly?” He repeated with a grin.
“Your voice sounds so different when you speak in English. And your accent is thick.”
“You like?” He raised a brow.
“Eh heh heh~” She chuckled nervously, causing him to smile teasingly.
“Yeah. I do.” She admitted.
His bunny smile got wider. It made him feel good that she enjoyed hearing him speak in her language. And how she called his voice manly. He felt good about himself.
She looked back down at the paper. “It’s 9 AM. What do you say to someone during that time?”
“Good morning.”
“It’s 3 PM. How do you greet someone?”
“Good afternoon.”
“It’s 11 PM, how do you greet someone?”
“Good night.”
“Okay, I see you.” She praised, nodding in approval. “Let’s have a brief conversation in English. Good afternoon, Jungkook.”
“Good afternoon, Jennie. How are you?”
She had to admit, he sounded cute when he was trying to speak English. She would help with his pronunciation of the words so he could speak clearer as they spoke.
“I am great. How are you?” She responded.
“I am well.”
“What is the weather today?”
“It is sunny.”
“What season are we in?”
“It is spring.”
“Can you describe the weather? Rain? Clouds?”
“It is sunny with clouds. No rain.”
She nodded. “All right we’re getting there. Looks like you’re also learning about appearances and colors. So, how would you describe me in English?”
“Beautiful.”
She couldn’t fight the growing smile on her face. That was smooth.
She touched her hair, wanting him to describe the color. “Hair color.”
“Pretty.”
“Hahah, the color, Kookie. Color.”
“Brown.”
“Can you say it in a sentence?”
“You have pretty hair.”
“The color?”
“You have pretty brown hair.”
She giggled. “Thank you. What type of hair do I have?” She touched her hair again, fluffing her curls.
“Pretty hair.”
She placed her head down as he began to giggle. If he keeps this up, her face will begin to warm up at all these compliments.
He was straightforward with his answers. No hesitations, just genuine.
“Pretty curly hair.” He corrected himself as she lifted her head back up.
“What color is my skin?” She tapped her bare forearm before going back to look at the paper.
“Beautiful black skin.”
Stopping what she was doing, she slowly lifted her head, gazing at him, speechless. That statement hit her heart as she thought about those wanting her to bleach her skin, calling it dirty. She received so much crap about her colored skin, and to hear him call her skin beautiful with no hesitation, touched her.
“...Do you...” She spoke softly. “...really mean that?”
“Yes.” He nodded. “You...have beautiful skin. Not dirty. Do not listen to hate. Listen to love. Listen to BTS. Listen to ARMY. You are beautiful. No lie.” His English was still broken, he stumbled on the words, and not to mention his thick accent was still there but she caught what he was trying to tell her. “I thought this of you. Since we met.”
Her eyes began to water as she looked down, speaking back in Korean with a shaky voice after clearing her throat. “Gosh, these onions are really getting through my eyes, Kook.”
“But there are no onions around here,” he said in his native tongue.
She wiped her developing tears and sniffed. She didn’t want him to see her cry, but she was overwhelmed with happiness.
“I want to learn more English so I can talk to you in English.” He brought up.
“But we can speak in Korean together.” She sniffed softly and met his gaze.
“I know that but, you already know my language. I want to get to know your language so there won’t be any language barrier between us. I kind of envy those who can talk to you in your language. Like Namjoon Hyung. I want to be able to do that.”
He was so serious about this.
“And you will. Learning a language takes time and patience. You’ll get there, Kookie.” She smiled in reassurance.
“Okay.”
“All right, let’s get to the harder stuff for your upcoming test.”
When the bill came, Jen went to grab it and ended up placing her hand on Jungkook’s.
“I’ll pay.” He said.
“It’s cool, I want to.” She reassured.
Jungkook shook his head, starting to get stubborn. “I want to pay.”
“Kook, I never get to treat you. Come on. Let me pay.”
“No, I got this, it’s fine.”
“Kookie!” She whined.
“Jennie!” He whined back.
She let out a sigh. “How about this? We both pay half and half. Deal?”
“Deal.”
“But the next time I’ll treat you, got it? It’ll be a trend. Next time I’ll treat. Then you. Then we’ll pay half and half, then I’ll treat again and so on.”
“Not a bad idea.”
“Glad we could agree, my good friend.”
“Indeed milady.”
Soon after they paid, the fangirls finally began to speak, calling out their names and waving.
“Hi!” Jennie waved.
The girls were covering their faces with their hands, acting shy around them as they waved back.
“How was school?” One of them asked.
“It went well. My team beat Jungkook in dodgeball!” She happily announced.
“L-let’s not get cocky now.” He whined, causing the girls to giggle at him.
“Will you be on Running Man again?” Another fan asked.
“Yeah, I want to see the Golden Duo on Running Man again! It was so fun seeing you work together.”
“I’m down. Are you?” Jen turned to Jungkook.
“Why not?” He smiled.
“I hope they have a couples episode soon, so you two can go there together and beat everyone. It’ll be so fun to watch. They usually have those episodes and have a couples' tag game. I would love to see that happen soon.”
“If they want us, all they gotta do is ask. I would gladly go back to Running Man.” Jungkook added.
After some cute photos with the fans and a brief conversation on whether they were eating well and resting up, Jennie and Jungkook walked back to the dorm as the girls immediately tweeted their photos
‘Saw JenKook today! Just my luck! Jennie’s hair bounced when she walked, it was cute! And Jungkook is so hot! I’m crying!’
‘Spotted Jennie and Jungkook eating after school! Love the 97 Liners!’
‘Jennie is so nice! She looks small compared to Jungkook with his big muscles, it was cute! His muscles are getting bigger! It was a sight!’
‘Why are the BTS members so beautiful in person? They’re unreal!’
‘I wanted to ask Jennie if I could touch her hair but was too afraid she would say no. Her hair is so pretty, though!’
Back at the dorm, Jungkook took out his keys, placing one of them inside the door.
“Jungkook,” Jennie called out softly, placing her hand on his to stop him.
“Yeah?” He turned his head.
Placing a hand behind the back of his head, she stood up on her toes, pressing her soft lips against his forehead for a moment. His eyes widened at her sudden gesture as he felt his face heat up once she pulled away.
She smiled softly at him. “Thank you. For calling my skin beautiful. Your kind words always hit close to home.”
“Y-yeah, always. I meant every word. Don’t forget that.” He smiled shyly and opened the door, letting her go in first.
Later in the afternoon, Jennie and Jin were in the kitchen. She was in the mood for oatmeal because she saw the box in the cabinet. Jin offered to make it for her, so she sat at the dining room table, waiting patiently. She craved apple cinnamon oatmeal. It was one of her favorites to eat. Jin decided to make it from scratch, just for her.
Meanwhile, Jimin met up with Taehyung and Jungkook on his bed, having a big bag to show them.
“You sure that'll work?” Jungkook asked.
“Hobi Hyung fears everything, it’ll work.” Jimin giggled evilly and took out a live lobster. It was huge as the boys looked at it moved in awe, touching it experimentally.
Jungkook and Tae wanted a front row seat to Jimin’s prank. They had told Jennie about it and she told them that she didn’t want to be responsible for Hobi’s death via petrification, but she’d know if the prank went well if she heard him scream. She was rooting for a successful prank, supporting their evil antics.
Hobi was currently in the bathroom, showering after dance practice, and Jimin thought the perfect time to prank him was while he was in the bathroom. Slowly opening up the bathroom door with the lobster, alive, in his hand, Jimin tip toed in, undetected. Tae and Jungkook suppressed their giggles as they watched from the doorway.
This was going to be a good prank.
With Jin, he finished making the oatmeal and made two big bowls for her and himself. He sat next to her, handing her a spoon. They waited until it cooled down, before eating a spoonful.
“How is it?” He asked.
“Tastes just like home.” She took another bite. “And you made this from scratch? It’s so fresh, the apples are so sweet. I love it, thank you Jin!”
“Anytime, sweetie.” He felt proud of his work and enjoyed his cooking.
A piercing high pitched scream was heard from the bathroom, startling the oatmeal eaters.
“What in the world...?” Jin looked up as they heard loud thumping, crashing and rapid shuffling coming from the bathroom.
It sounded like Hobi was slipping and falling around in the tub and his screams got louder.
“JIMIN!” Another scream was heard from Hobi, over the Maknae Line’s laughter. “GET IT AWAY! GET IT AWAY! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!? DON’T COME ANY CLOSER!”
“Yep. They done it now.” Jennie took another bite of her oatmeal, shaking her head.
“What the heck is going on in there!?” Jin shouted.
“Ah, he’s fine.”
Jin turned his head to her, widening his eyes. “He doesn’t sound fine!”
Hobi scrambled out of the bathroom, naked with suds in his hair as Jimin chased him with the lobster. Jungkook and Taehyung dropped to the floor with laughter.
Jennie looked up and turned her head at the worst time, getting a full view of Hobi’s bare ass.
“Oh, my God!” She screamed, covering her mouth in horror.
That image was not going away, anytime soon for her. She could not unsee this. She was glad it wasn’t the front.
“SHIELD YOUR EYES!” Jin yelled, pushing the back of her head down into her warm bowl of oatmeal. “There is a lady here! What are you guys doing!? Knock it off!” He shouted at the boys.
He heard Jen banging her hand on the table in submission and looked down in shock at what he was doing to her. He let go and laughed nervously when she slowly raised her head.
Her face and hair were covered in oatmeal while she stared at him with annoyance.
“S-sorry.” He grabbed a napkin and tried to clean her face but she snatched it from his hands.
Suddenly, she grabbed a handful of her oatmeal and shoved it in his face. Appalled, he grabbed a handful and shoved it in her face.
“Jin!”
“You hit me first!”
“You shoved my face in oatmeal, first!”
“I was trying to protect you from that horrid sight!”
“You know what?” She got up from her seat and he followed her movements. She aimed another handful of oatmeal at him but he ducked and it ended up smacking Namjoon in the face.
Gasping in shock, she covered her mouth, while Namjoon let out a sigh, and stood up, taking off his hoodie.
“Who did it?” He demanded.
Jin immediately pointed to her.
"It was an accident!” She laughed.
“Really, Nie Nie? Well, this wasn’t an accident.” Namjoon said as he hit her with a handful of oatmeal.
“Oh hell no.”
The three of them began to toss oatmeal all over each other, initiating a food fight as the dorm filled with laughter along with Hobi’s constant screaming.
“Grab her! Grab her!” Jin shouted as Namjoon grabbed a hold of her while Jin had another handful of oatmeal ready.
“No! No!” She tried to get out of his grip. Once she did, Jin accidentally smacked Namjoon in the face instead.
“YAH!” the leader shouted.
Jennie ended up giggling at their bickering and watched them throw food at each other.
Yoongi walked into the dorm, making one of his WTF faces when he saw the chaos occurring in the dorm. Jin, Jennie and Namjoon are covered in food, and Jungkook and Tae watch Hobi run around the dorm naked with Jimin chasing him with a lobster.
“Hey, Yoongi!” She waved.
“I don’t even wanna know.” He shook his head and walked into his room.
Namjoon wiped some oatmeal from Jen’s face. “You’re going to need a shower.”
“You’re telling me. Look at you.” She gestured.
The Maknae line walk to the dining room, wondering why they were covered in food.
“We had some business to take care of,” Jin revealed.
“Want a hug?” Jennie opened her arms wide.
“NO!” Jimin shouted, taking a big step back with the guys.
“Let’s get them.” Namjoon went after Jimin.
Jennie went after Tae while Jin went after Jungkook. They run around the dorm, attempting to grab ahold of them for a hug despite being covered in food.
“Why do I associate myself with them?” Yoongi grumbled as he went to fix the mess created in the bathroom.
Like Jen said before, every day is a new adventure living in a dorm filled with the Bangtan Boys.
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