As Tae stumbles over the rubble, Yoongi grabs me. "Hurry!" He exclaimed, pulling me by the wrist the way he had come.

 

Several government agents push past us as we turn the corner, headed towards Tae.

 

I say a silent prayer for him, hoping he escaped safely.

 

The further we head towards the entrance, the more agents we see. They all head behind me, where there is an endless racket of guns being fired.

 

Please, make it stop. Am I really worth so much pain and suffering?

 

We burst into the sunlight, and I'm coughing from the dust that's been kicked up by all the emergency vehicles. It's not usually a huge effect on me, but as I'm breathing heavy from running it hurts more.

 

There's shouts ahead, and suddenly I'm in someone's arms.

 

"Kid! Stay behind the barrier!"

 

"Don't touch her!"

 

"Y/N! Are you okay?" He's checking every inch of me as I continue to cough. I cling to him, trying to catch my breath and calm myself.

 

"Kookie... is that you?" I ask as I start to return to normal.

 

"It's me- don't worry. Everything is over. You're fine."

 

I pull myself so I'm properly standing using him. God, has he always been this gorgeous?

 

His eyes are laced with concern as he inspects my face, looking for a reaction.

 

"Y/N?"

 

"Kookie, I-"

 

I stumble into him as the ground shakes again.

 

"The building is going to collapse! Move away!"

 

He lifts me easily, swooping me over one shoulder and tossing me into the back of an ambulance before climbing in and shutting the doors.

 

A nurse tries to give me an oxygen mask but I hit her hand away.

 

"I'm fine." I say and she nods, leaving me alone as dust clouds swarm the exterior. The building must have fallen- but it was destroyed anyways.

 

"I bet you wonder how I'm here."

 

"Shouldn't you be in school?"

 

"Shouldn't you be resting in bed?"

 

"Touché."

 

"You should come stay with me." He looks at me carefully. "You know, until this blows over."

 

"What about your parents?"

 

"They're never home. They're always with my grandparents. Besides, Jimin will never let you hear the end of this."

 

"True." I mumble, taking a quick look to make sure the nurse is still upfront, not listening to us.

 

"Come. I'll help you sneak out. Besides, you have your cellphone so it's not like they won't know where you are. You're always being traced."

 

We hop out, and everyone is too distracted by the destruction to notice two teenagers slip away from the scene.

 

I pray silently that Tae and Namjoon managed to do the same.

 

They're too young to go to jail. I am too- if I never let up my act, I'll be fine.

 

~~~~~~~

 

"Do you want anything to drink?"

 

"No thanks." I say, sitting on his couch.

 

"Suit yourself." He shrugs, reaching into the fridge and pulling out a bottle of beer.

 

I narrow my eyes, but say nothing. Since when is Jungkook 19?

 

"So, what do you want to do?" He looks at me.

 

He does realize he invited me over, doesn't he?

 

"It's up to you."

 

"Hmm... do you have your ID on you?" He asks me.

 

"My driver’s license, yeah."

 

"We should go to a club." He says.

 

"Um, but I'm still 17." I point out.

 

"Not for much longer. There's like, what, a couple days?"

 

"I mean... yeah... but..."

 

"So then you're only lying about a year. Whatever." He shrugs. "I've been going since I was fifteen."

 

"And what about the whole age thing?"

 

"Are you okay? Did you hit your head or something? I have a fake ID. Everyone does back home. Are you saying you don't?"

 

"No, I don't." I frown. "I've never exactly had that luxury before of getting to party. Besides, I'm not interested in that sort of thing."

 

"Have you even drank before?"

 

"I've had wine. It's okay, but not my thing."

 

He looks at me like I just told him I was a serial killer.

 

"Jungkook, don't look at me that way."

 

"It's just... you don't drink. I mean, how on earth can the girl I like not drink?"

 

"I just don't, okay?" His words began to hurt.

 

"How can you and I be so different? Y/N, I love you, but this can't work unless you start to deal with my kind of people."

 

"I never agreed to anything." I say defensively, standing. "And don't say you love me. Not yet. You don't."

 

"I do." He narrows his eyes.

 

"No you don't!" I exclaim, thinking of Namjoon. "You and I barely know each other- we met only a couple of months ago!"

 

"So, I love you!" He seems equally as frustrated.

 

"Well then prove it to me!" I say and instantly take a deep breath for composure. My hands are shaking and I wipe them on my shirt. This reminds me of the many fights I had with Namjoon before he broke my heart.

 

"How?"

 

"I don't know, okay?" I rub my face, ready to cry as I sit back on the couch.

 

He's silent for many seconds, staring at me as I sort out my thoughts on the couch. I don't look at him.

 

He slowly moves, sitting next to me. He doesn't say anything.

 

"I had this friend. Her name was Lisa- she was the reason why I started drinking. And she's also the reason I can't stop."

 

And then he tells me everything.

 

~~~~~~~~~~

 

By the time he's done, we're both sobbing.

 

At some point, I ended up in his lap, hugging him tightly and dampening his shirt as I helplessly tried to wipe away the tears I could not stop.

 

"Don't cry. It hurts me when you cry." He says.

 

"Jungkookie... I'm so sorry that you're hurting..." I nuzzle my head into his chest. "But you should stop now. Before it becomes a big problem. If you and Lisa were as close as you said, she would want you to smile and be happy and safe."

 

 

"I just... I can't... when she's gone and-"

 

"Jungkook, you said you loved me." I say softly.

 

"It's like Lisa but... different. Lisa never hurt so much to be around."

 

"Lisa probably wasn't getting hunted down by several armed people constantly, though." I point out and he laughs, wiping some of his own tears.

 

"Nope. Just other football jocks."

 

He smiles at me and I take his hand.

 

"Let's make a deal." I say. "I'll date you if you stop drinking."

 

"Y/N-"

 

"At least until it's legal." I say. "And then I hope you'll be responsible after that."

 

"Okay. You'll be my girlfriend." He watches my face. "And if I do it, you'll move out with me."

 

"You want me to what?"

 

"Move out with me." He says.

 

"Why?"

 

"I've wanted to move out for a while. This house- it's always empty and far too big. I want a little apartment where I can at least have a dog. But another person... I won't complain."

 

"Okay. Rules."

 

"You'll do it?" His eyes light up.

 

"Rules." I repeat, firmer. "You have to be clean in a week. Do what you need to to be there."

 

"No alcohol in the apartment when we move in?" He asks.

 

"You've got it. And we will have separate bedrooms."

 

"That's no fun."

 

"I don't care. I don't want anything until I'm ready."

 

"Okay. Separate bedrooms- separate bathrooms too. I don't want to deal with your... things."

 

I roll my eyes. "I can't believe you're an alcoholic but still act like a child when it comes to things like this."

 

"That's not my problem."

 

"It will be someday." I say and stretch. "I'm hungry. What's for dinner?"

 

"We could go to a pub for beer and wings." I give him a glare.

 

"Okay, so the joke is a little too soon. I get it. We can go for Thai. There's a place not that far."

 

~~~~~~~~~

 

"Oh, that box is my stuff." I say as Jungkook and Jimin struggle to bring in furniture. "Let me take it."

 

"Yah. Let the men do their work." Mark says.

 

"You're fragile- delicate. Like a flower."

 

"A flower that can break your neck." I warn as I take the box with ease that they were struggling to carry.

 

"I can't believe you've been living here for a month without any of this stuff." Mark comments.

 

"Neither can I. More so the 'we've been living here for a month' than anything else." I say.

 

"Can't you help?" Jimin whines as he and Jungkook bring in the sofa.

 

"Can? Yes. Will I? No."

 

"Jerk." Jimin says, and then grunts as Mark jumps onto it.

 

Jungkook drops his end, and I yell at him.

 

"Jungkook! Careful of the dog!" I sweep the puppy into my arms as it was nearly hit by the sofa.

 

"Sorry babe." He wipes sweat of his forehead and Mark gags.

 

"Don't call her babe. That's so gross."

 

"I think it's cute."

 

"I'm allowed to be in a relationship, Mark." I narrow my eyes.

 

"My little sister is in a relationship- I'm going to faint." Mark says dramatically.

 

"Stay off your high horse but get off the ground." I roll my eyes. "Don't you have boxes to move or something?"

 

"You know, you could help." Jimin pouts.

 

"Nope, the couch was the last thing. You're done." Mark says.

 

"Oh thank god." Jungkook collapses into the couch.

 

"I'll get you all some water." I smile.

 

"Make it snappy- we should start heading back home. Mom will be mad if we're late for dinner."

 

"Or we could just not go." He groans.

 

"Oh stop. She loves you."

 

"She loved me as your brother's friend. God knows what she'll think of me as your boyfriend." He says as he follows me.

 

I roll my eyes. "She'll probably start off by asking for you to call her mom."

 

"Which is very scary." He defends.

 

"Don't call her mom!" Jimin yells. "That's our thing!"

 

"It's not a thing, moron- you're her son! It's just you two being related!"

 

"You're hurting my feelings."

 

"Good." I call back.

 

"Break it up you two." I can practically hear him rolling his eyes. "Jimin let's go."

 

"What about your water?" I say as Jungkook wraps his hands around my waist so I can't leave the kitchen.

 

"Don't need it! See you!"

 

"Mark, wait-!" The door slams shut, meaning we're alone.

 

"Oh, what a shame~ we're alone again." He murmurs, clearly not mad at all.

 

I roll my eyes. "You and I should get ready."

 

"To do what~?" He asks and I hit his arm.

 

"Get your head out of the gutter you ."

 

"I'm not y, I'm just in love." He kisses my cheek and gently turns me to face him.

 

I rest my head in the crook of his neck. "You're annoying when you get like this."

 

He laughs, and picks me up to put me on the counter. "Just let me enjoy my little moment of bliss."

 

"We're going to be late for dinner." I warn.

 

"We won't be late." He silences my worries with a kiss.

 

"Jung-"

 

"Shh." He kisses me again.

 

We're so going to be late for dinner.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~

 

We were late for dinner.

 

Jimin and Mark are fighting over something unimportant, and Jungkook stays respectfully silent as my mother talks to me.

 

"Are you packed?"

 

"For the most part." I nod. "What about you, Kookie?"

 

"I haven't started." He says and I roll my eyes. "What? I've been busy with unpacking."

 

"You're procrastinating."

 

"I don't procrastinate- I utilise my time for maximum entertainment payoff." He says and I laugh at him.

 

"Aren't you excited to see your family?" She asks.

 

"Well, actually, all my family lives here in Seoul. We moved here to be with them."

 

"I thought you were going to visit family?" She looks at us curiously.

 

"He wants to show me the places he grew up in, the places that are important to him." I save Jungkook from having to explain. I know he doesn't want to say the real reason we're going.

 

Lisa. I'll meet her. The girl Jungkook loved. His best friend. He told her everything... and hopefully, she'll approve of me. Wherever she is. She'll be able to be at peace, knowing Jungkook is safe and happy.

 

~~~~~~~~~

 

Even though it's day time, the cemetery is dark. Clouds cover the sky, and we hold hands as he guides me down the path.

 

"It's just up here." He whispers to me.

 

I squeeze his hand tightly, as I feel them begin to grow weak. He trembles under my grip as we slowly stop, and I gently let go of his hand. I slowly kneel, placing a gentle hand over the grass. There are already fresh flowers- her family must have been by recently. However, I still pull out the small bouquet I purchased earlier from my purse, gently laying it down next to her family's.

 

The tombstone is vague and short, and I can tell it bothers Jungkook by the way he reads it over and over.

 

He catches my staring and looks back at me for a few seconds before looking away.

 

"Her life was worth so much more than just a sentence. She deserved essays written about her. Thousands of them. Not even a million words could describe Lisa."

 

"She sounds like a remarkable person." I say gently. "I wish I could've met her."

 

"You would've loved her." I can see his eyes growing watery, but he stays composed. "Everyone loved her. And I think she would've liked you too."

 

"Why do you think that?" I ask gently.

 

"You've got quite the attitude. She'd like to banter with you, and you can take a few hits. You're very different from most girls- you don't just see a hot guy and throw yourself at them. She hated girls who did that. That and... you've made me a better person."

 

"I helped you." I say softly. "I couldn't make you do anything."

 

"You're not giving yourself enough credit. You've done everything for me." He says. "Lisa and I- we're thankful. To you."

 

"There's no need to be. You would've done it for me."

 

"You wouldn't have been foolish enough to put yourself in my position in the first place. You're smarter than that."

 

I smile gently. "I like to think I'm luckier than that."

 

"I don't think anyone on the planet would call you lucky." He tucks hair behind my ear.

 

"I have you. I think that's pretty lucky." I say and he smiles.

 

"Stop. Don't you think it's rude to do this in front of Lisa?"

 

"Story is she was life of the party. She's probably more excited that you're getting some than pissed that you're not looking only at her."

 

Suddenly the skies start to clear.

 

"Well, that's a good omen if I've ever seen one." He mumbles, looking around.

 

"I'm assuming I've got her blessing?"

 

"I think it's safe to say so." He says.

 

"It's getting late. We should get some lunch before we miss it entirely. We'll come back before we leave and say goodbye." I take his hand and he looks at the grave again.

 

"Bye Lisa." He says softly.

 

"It was nice meeting you." I echo back.

 

"Okay." He looks at it. "We should go."

 

"Alright." I gently pull him away, and he continues to glance back as we leave. It's his first time back since the funeral.

 

It hurt to come back. It hurt him, because he had to admit to himself she was really gone again. It hurt me to see him in pain.

 

"Thank you for coming." He mumbles, holding my hand and kissing my cheek. "It means the world to me."

 

"Anything for you. But I feel better after meeting her too." I say.

 

"I don't think I have any regrets anymore." He says softly.

 

"That makes me happy." I smile.

 

"You know what would make you even happier?"

 

"What?" I ask curiously and smile at him.

 

"There's a Taco Bell around the corner." He looks at me. "I'm thinking cinnabon delights."

 

"Oh hell yes." I grin.

 

I don't tell him, but as we hold hands and smile and laugh I know that nothing, not even sweets can make me happier than I am right now.

 

He feels happy enough to give me everything now. We can be together with no regrets.