♫♫♫♫♫♫♫

The car ride to Seoul is quiet and tense, and Jungkook can tell his brother is waiting with bated breath to ask him some sort of question out of the blue. He gives him about three more minutes before he starts up. "Tae--"

"No."

"You don't even know what I was gonna say!"

"If it has anything to do with him it's not good."

"He's such a sweet kid. I wish you'd be nicer to him."

"I was." Jungkook peers out the window, getting lost in the clouds in the deep blue sky.

♫♫♫♫♫♫♫

Jungkook has to remember that one foot goes in front of the other when he walks into the executive office. Looking like a colossal moron is one of his best talents, which he's trying not to showcase at one of the most significant interviews (and hopefully not the last) of his life. He approaches the secretary and is ushered to a large hallway with six different elevators. "Once you get to the top floor, take a right. It's the first door on the left." 

He recites the directions in his head, pressing the button in the elevator with sweat coating his fingers. He gets off the elevator and immediately gets lost in a labrinth of hallways, and Jungkook momentarily keels over to catch his breath, spilling all the papers in his portfolio.

"Oh god," He hurries to sort each one and ends up clumping them into a messy sweat-covered pile of nonsense, hyperventilating until he's tapped on the shoulder by a middle aged woman.

"You must be Mr. Jeon. You look as flustered as you sounded on the phone. Come, my office is this way." Jungkook is persistent on her heels, graciously bowing as he tries to keep himself together. The walls are covered with degrees from all of Korea's most prestigious institutions, including SNU. He sighs internally, putting it out of his mind for the time being and settling down in an expensive leather chair. "Thank you for meeting with me. I know it must have been a pain with such short notice, but I'm relieved you agreed."

"The pleasure--the honor is all mine M-Ms. Choi." Jungkook tugs on his tie slightly, it's suffocating him and he wants to fail the interview so he can go home already. He isn't perfect or privileged enough for an opportunity such as this one. He doesn't belong here.

"I'm curious. What made you gain an affinity for pediatric medicine?"

"Well I didn't have much of a great childhood, so I've always loved children. I've always wanted to coddle them because I didn't get that a lot..my mother is a midwife and I've been amazed by childbirth since I was nine years old. I always thought it would be incredible if I could one day do what she does." Jungkook gets a bad case of word vomit, and he's screaming on the inside when his mouth goes on autopilot. She smiles and goes straight to her next question, throwing Jungkook off.

"I'm aware you previously held a scholarship to SNU," Jungkook's heart drops, and he knew he shouldn't have come here in the first place. "Your record states it was no fault of your own. Do you mind telling me what happened?"

He doesn't know what to say when he can hear his food digesting in his own ears, and all his vital organs melting along with it. "I...it's quite...um.."

"Ms. Choi, the board director would like to have a word with you." Her assistant pokes through the door just when Jungkook is about to go into cardiac arrest, and he thanks his lucky stars that she's no longer pressing him when the assistant leaves. "You don't have to tell me, I'm confident you're an ambitious young man. However, I want to make sure you'll be able to reap the rewards of this program, should you succeed."

"The..rewards?" Jungkook straightens his posture, bewildered.

"If we see that you do excellent work as an intern, there's no need to worry about college tuition. Our sponsorship with Kissinger University handles that."

"K-Kissinger? The research facility in California?" Jungkook trips over his English pronounciations, in utter shock. If SNU is the most sought-after medical school in Korea, Kissinger tops it tenfold. Only the nation's finest surgeons and physicians have studied there, so naturally Jungkook is ready to himself.

"We'll monitor you for three months, around the time you graduate and spring exams are over. If we like what we see, you've got a full ride for pre-medical studies, medical school and a board certification in specialization--all at Kissinger. Airfare included, of course."

"F-Full...full..." Jungkook's world begins to spin before he's out cold, and he faints right there in the most lavish office he's ever seen in his life.

♫♫♫♫♫♫♫

An hour and fifteen ninety-degree bows later, Jungkook is standing outside in the cool evening breeze. He shakes hand with Ms. Choi and bows once more, much to her amusement. "We'll be in touch. Keep up the good work!" Jungkook smiles sincerely, dabbing his sweat with his hankerchief. "Thank you so much, I won't let you down!" She's walking away and Jungkook feels compelled to yell across the courtyard in reassurance, turning several corporate heads.

"You won't be disappointed! I'll blow your mind, I swear it! With each passing day, I'll--"

"Kook! Get in the car, now." Yugyeom is whisper-yelling at the dunce he calls his baby brother.

Once Ms. Choi is out of sight he runs to his big brother's car at full speed, and Yugyeom doesn't stop hearing about the interview for the entire two-hour ride back to Pyeongsaeng.

♫♫♫♫♫♫♫

"Hyungie, did you use all of the seaweed?" Sooyeon is raiding the refrigerator for her favorite food to no avail. "I made some kimbap, I marinated the rest for you. Did you look in the back?" Tae enters the kitchen with his toothbrush in his mouth and pajamas on, all ready for bed. He's not going to scold his mother for eating late--she works hard, and she has no problem giving him another concussion with her fist. "Ah! Here it is. I'm lost without my boy." She kisses him on the forehead and preps dinner for tomorrow, picking Tae's brain. "Did someone come over?"

"Yugyeom, he's in town for a few weeks with their dad." Sooyeon lights up enthusiastically asking questions everywhere. "I haven't seen him in years! Does he still have that giraffe neck?"

"He grew out of it." His mother giggles and Taehyung ponders something he'd been meaning to ask his mother. "By the way, thanks a lot mom. I thought you'd forget about my favor."

"For Kookie? What do you mean?"

"The internship. He got an interview today for the pediatric medicine branch at Younghwa. Yugyeom says he did great--he even fainted." Taehyung laughs, but his mother beams at him.

"That wasn't me. My branch is Lee Memorial."

Taehyung's laughing slowly evolves into incredulous choking on toothpaste when his brush gets lodged in his throat. "You mean he got that all by himself?"

"Why are you so surprised? He's a genius."

Taehyung is absolutely speechless, scratching his head. 

He never fails to blow my mind...

♫♫♫♫♫♫♫

It's almost ten o' clock and Taehyung's finally finished steaming Jungkook's jacket. He's been putting off returning it just to stare at it a while longer. No, that isn't weird at all. It's perfectly normal and pathetic to want to inhale your crush, right?

He wonders if this is what it's typically like to be in love--to roll around in Jungkook's jacket before washing it just feel close to him--if love is this merciless and dreamy at the same time. He wonders if Jungkook felt this way when he was in love with him. Was it always so agonizing? Suddenly Taehyung is sour when he thinks from Jungkook's perspective. He doesn't mind how pathetic he may seem, he confesses his love for Jungkook to anyone with ears and has no reservations about it. Would he tell Jungkook himself? He won't believe him, but he's willing to confess over and over again until Jungkook gets it. Until it's not some ploy he conjured up in his bedroom, some ulterior motive or trick. Until he's effectively rejected him and he's made Taehyung fall in love and right back out of it. Until then, Taehyung would hold onto the unbelievable notion that Jungkook would ever look at him as anything more than his worst enemy.

 He hurries to put on his slippers after looking out his window and spotting Jungkook's lights on in his bedroom. He scurries down the stairs and outside into the cold winter wind and knocks on the door, hoping anyone but Jungkook  answers because he's almost certain Jungkook never wants to see him again.

But his luck, Jungkook is the only one awake at this hour and he's puzzled when Taehyung is beaming up at him with a garment delicately secured in his arms.

"I know I'm not supposed to talk to you but I steamed it," Tae is looking down again, the way he does when he's a rambling mess. "so it may be a bit damp, you can hang it to dry if you need to wear it very soon. C-Congratulations...on your interview. So um...good night. I love you.." 

"What?" Jungkook didn't hear that last bit, and he's confused.

Taehyung quickly hurries away from him, his bedroom slippers almost tripping him up. He runs away so quickly that he doesn't hear Jungkook's warm thank you, and doesn't notice Jungkook watching until he locks is front door and turns out the lights.

He's...odd.

♫♫♫♫♫♫♫

"It shouldn't even be a holiday. Ick." Namjoon grimaces while he, Jungkook and Yoongi walk to lunch on Monday. Jungkook chuckles with toothy smile while he fishes out his ID to scan out of the cafeteria. "Are you upset Jin didn't give you his hand in marriage?"

He quickly ducks the apple Namjoon launches at him, giggling like a third-grader. "Not as upset as you are. Your fiancè is suspended for another three weeks, how will you live without him?" Namjoon and Yoongi are making obnoxious kissing noises while Jungkook rolls his eyes. "Hey--"

"Hey? You're dropping honorifics like you want to die," Yoongi sharpens his tongue and his stare and Jungkook clears his throat. "I don't like him! Serves him right for doing something so mean, good riddance." Jungkook frowns until the creases in his forehead look like ditches, and Namjoon and Yoongi continue their snickering when Jungkook opens his locker and a wave of valentines come tumbling out. Each one has the name of a hopeful young girl just waiting to be picked, and Jungkook seems so used to it he doesn't bat an eyelash. He simply smiles and bows to the group of girls watching from the end of the hallway.

"Happy Valentine's Day to you all. I'll treasure these. It's getting warmer, so please don't get sick."  He must have done something right, because one of them keels over in a squealing heap of estrogen. "Jeon Jungkook will be the death of me, he makes my health deteriorate.."

Yoongi an eyebrow, wondering what kind of drug dealers distribute to teenagers now. "I wonder why I never joined the soccer team. Damn."

"You have Jimin, there's no need." Jungkook chuckles this time, jogging forward to avoid the incoming punch to the head.

"S-Stop spouting nonsense so early in the morning, what am I going to do with--" Yoongi peers down the hallway red-faced and annoyed and he can see Jimin at his locker when they pass the gym. He bites his lip when Jimin pulls the rose out of the slot and a pink envelope falls out of his locker when he opens it. Yoongi wishes he could see how Jimin dances around the hallway before he's pulled along by Namjoon , he only sees the remnants of Jimin's sweet smile and his twinkling eyes before he reads Yoongi's valentine aloud:

"I'm not really good at things like this, your voice, your walk and your demeanor are so hard to miss

I want to stick by you and be your everything. Is that weird? You're captivating, I kind of want to be your king

I'm so flustered around you and I don't how to act, I get embarrassed easily my heart isn't intact

You've shaken it up lately every time you come around, you're laughing, I know it I probably sound like a clown

I'm usually cold on the inside, around you I'm a dork. I only want to take you out for seaweed and fried pork

I know I don't deserve you, but you deserve extra helpings of hanwoo

You're too good for me and I know it's true, but I can't deny this feeling I get around you

What am I saying? I've chewed your ear off at this point, the ink is running low in my ballpoint

I apologize if it seems like I'm moving too fast, I just didn't want our first date to be our last

I want a first date and first kiss, for being so perfect you should be fined.

All these girls want your heart but I'm first in line

I've rambled so much and wasted your time,

But Park Jimin, will you be my valentine?"

Jimin is sure that Taehyung told him once that oxygen is to the brain as water is to a fish. It must be why he's so dizzy right now, why his heart is racing and his face is so red it's about to burst. He's running out into the hallway next to the gym where he heard Namjoon's laugh, and where there is Namjoon there's sure to be--

"Min Yoongi!!!!" 

"Aigoo. When someone's screaming my name like that it's never good news." Yoongi is about to turn around and curse, probably complain and talk endlessly like the uncle that he is, but he's frozen in place. He sees his favorite little cherry tomato charging towards him with a rose clutched in one fist and a love note in the other."J-J-Jimin, are you mad? Please calm down, I'm--" Jimin finally reaches Yoongi in quick strides despite his short legs. He wraps his arms around Yoongi's neck, and as Yoongi still stares at him like he's crazy, he buries his lips in a deep kiss.

Yoongi's blood is flooding into his ears and his cheeks and he can't think coherent thoughts while he hears Namjoon and Jungkook gasping behind him, along with every other student in the hallway witnessing the scene. His heart explodes in his chest and he forgets to close his eyes as Jimin's lips move against his. When he moves back a centimeter to breathe, Yoongi's lost all ability to speak. Jimin takes his paralyzed arms and links them around his waist while he stutters like a fool. "J-J-J-Jimin.."

"Of course I'll be your valentine. Just be mine, dork."

Jungkook and Namjoon are a giggling mess, clicking pictures of how stupid Yoongi looks right now. Park Jimin just asked him out and all he can do is stare at him like he has five heads while the smaller boy smiles up at him. He caresses the back of Yoongi's neck before locking him into another kiss, and Jungkook and Namjoon take the opportunity to sneak away to math class. 

"Have a happy honeymoon!"

They disappear down the hallway when Jungkook realizes he's almost late. Namjoon is walking ahead without him and he tugs his sleeve when he remembers he has to also take notes for a certain idiot that got himself suspended. "Give me a sec, I have to grab Taehyung's notebook." Namjoon nods and fiddles with his phone while Jungkook rolls the combination into Taehyung's locker. There isn't much in there, save for a pile of textbooks and Taehyung's tie and blazer.

"Where does this kid keep his notebooks? Jeez." Jungkook feels behind the blazer and touches plastic that crinkles audibly.

What's this?

It's a bouquet of white roses with an envelope in the top. The roses are crisp with dew still on the petals, so they must have been placed in his locker today. Jungkook isn't the nosey type, but the feeling bubbling in his stomach and the vein slowly rising from his neck says otherwise. "From: Your Secret Admirer" is scribbled on the front in elegant Hangul script that he doesn't recognize, even if he wanted to.

I don't care. I'll just give it to him after school.

He's rolling his tongue around in his cheek the way he always does when he's irritated, and he doesn't realize he's crushing the envelope in his fist. He places it back where he found it (on top of a pile of valentines left by other students) and slams the locker door, shoving his hands in his pockets. He marches past Namjoon without a care in the world, who looks up suddenly from his phone. "Hey, did you get it?"

Jungkook ignores him, engrossed in the empty hallway in front of him while he bites down on his lip hard enough to draw blood.

"What's with him?"

♫♫♫♫♫♫♫

"Kim Taehyung! Open this door right now!" Taehyung is awakened from his afternoon nap by incessant banging on the front door. He's rubbing the sleep out of his eyes when Hoseok's jubilant yelling is scaring him into a parallel universe. Jin, Jimin and Hoseok are grinning back at him in excitement as he tries to wake himself up. "What are you guys doing here?"

"It's Valentine's Day, I had to see how my cherry blossom was doing. I haven't heard your singing in a while and my heart, it's so sad..la,la la!"

Hoseok glares at Jin's dramatics. "I told you we shouldn't have brought him. He's extra." Hoseok spits when he forces out the English word, earning a flick to the forehead.

"We bought squid and cola. Let's watch a drama!" Jimin and company are pushing their way into Taehyung's living room before he can protest. He sighs, but he's still smiling and shaking his head.

How did I go and get friends like these?

♫♫♫♫♫♫♫

"Watch, I'll bet you fifty-thousand won right now if the lead doesn't get hit by a car on his way to the hospital." Hoseok smacks loudly while he chews, much to Jimin's dismay. "Why are you always telling the parts? We can't watch anything with you!"

"Haven't you seen this drama twice?" Jin cracks open another cola with his teeth, a master of eating.

"Third time's the charm," Jimin laughs and glances at Taehyung, who's been quiet the entire time. He his fingers and gets up from the floor, wiping his hands off on his pants and visiting his backpack for Taehyung's roses.

He's probably sad because it's Valentine's Day...

Taehyung knows. For once, Jimin's happy Taehyung wasn't at school today. Jungkook is famous for getting his locker stuffed with female attention every year--any other year Taehyung wouldn't give a damn. However this year, when he's madly in love with the school's favorite gumdrop it's probably best to keep him in the dungeon he calls home.

"Hey Taehyung, this came for you today. These too!" Taehyung's long expression changes quickly to one of true confusion. His eyes are darting everywhere at once, and his friends are staring at him urging him to open the peach envelope decorating the bouquet in front of him. "That one looks important~ even I didn't get one from a secret admirer. I racked up more valentines than all three of you combined, I'm jealous."

Jimin rolls his eyes and Hoseok shrugs. "What did you expect? I'm the school's sunshine!" 

Taehyung smiles softly, thinking nothing of it as he opens the envelope. If it's not Jungkook, does it even matter? He the ungrateful thought back into the depths of his mind, feeling guilty. Someone put a lot of thought and consideration into this, the least he could do is appreciate it. He slides out the card and opens it, surprised at the simplicity:

"My heart beats so wildly for you. Why don't you know?

I'm suffering the more you look past me. Would you accept me?

I want you to look properly. I think about you constantly, day and night.

Don't make me wait like this..."

"Aigoo, so mysterious. Who could it be?" Hoseok looks deep in thought while Tae is lost in his thoughts, not able to decipher anything about the message. It's written in the same gorgeous Hangul script and he doesn't recognize the calligraphy.

Nor does he recognize the spike in his heart rate for someone other than Jungkook. 

♫♫♫♫♫♫♫

Jungkook tries to stay indoors when his hair is wet to avoid colds. At the time it's inevitable, he promised to meet Jeni after soccer practice and he's climbing the stairs to the greenhouse on the roof. As expected, she's gazing out at the setting sun and all the purples and oranges curling around it in the sky. Her face lights up when he calls her name, and she dusts off her skirt quickly. "Oh, you're here!" She smiles and runs to him with a box of chocolates in her hand and a card inside. Jungkook raises his eyebrows when he reads the label "Imported from Belgium."

 " I wanted mine to stand out, so I decided to give it to you myself."

Jungkook bows graciously, smiling sweetly. "Thank you very much. I'll savor every last one."

Jeni reciprocates his appreciation before her expression turns slightly blue. "I didn't think you'd come."

"Why wouldn't I? I wouldn't lie to you." Jungkook is still casually smiling down at her, but she looks troubled. "I know. That's why I want to apologize."

Jungkook slides his hands in his pockets calmly, cocking his head to the side. "Taehyung told me everything. I'm so sorry...I should've believed you when you told me you didn't do anything with her."

"Ah, that's okay. You had no way of knowing and it's in the past. The circumstances were pretty convincing..." Jungkook is laughing awkwardly to take the edge off, but he quickly shuts up when Jeni begins to tear up. "W-Wait, don't do that.."

"You were so good to me. The best," she dabs at her face as she comes closer and throws her arms around Jungkook. "I was supposed to have more faith in you. I still love you, Jungkook. You're a good man, you did nothing wrong. I made a mistake, can't you let me fix it?"

Jungkook cringes while he her on the head and gently removes her hand from around him. "Come now, let's not do this..."

"I'm so lost without you Jungkook, you can't say no. Please!"

Jungkook breathes hard, watching it evaporate into the bitter cold. "Jeni, you left me. You're you and I'm me, we should let sleeping dogs lie. Maybe we're just not good for each other, but some other guy will make you happier than I ever could." He's trying his hard not to yell, and looks deeply into her eyes while framing her face. "Please take care of yourself."

"You're in love with someone else, aren't you?" Jungkook stops in his tracks, shocked by her sudden question. He's tempted to say something bitter but he holds it in, storming off towards the door. "Even if you are, it doesn't matter. You still belong to me."

He can't hold it in anymore. He slowly cranes towards as his stomach sinks down into his bowels. "What are you talking about?"

"My family may have money, but I don't throw away five-hundred thousand won for just anyone. I purchased you,"

She smiles before placing an authoritative hand on her hip, amused by Jungkook's horrified expression. "So you'll do what I say. Unless you want to suffer the consequences, honey."

Jungkook feels sick to his stomach, stumbling out of the door and into the staircase. He throw the chocolates in the garbage before losing his lunch in the men's restroom and slumping down in the stall.

♫♫♫♫♫♫♫

LOLZ I can't even get a double update out on time what is life. If you stuck around this long, here I am again thanking you guys again for reading this trash I appreciate and LOVE reading your comments! Thank you so much for the upvotes and subs. I still need to edit so forgive this mess. You guys are great!

I'll see you in the next one! xoxo

p.s KoKo Bop is a BOPtastic BOP and so is Yacht I'm trash