Chapter 20

"Why do you have to cover your body from head to toe again?" Old Mr Lee gave a once-over at Jung Kook who finally took off his black mouth mask and his black hooded sweater.

"He's an idol, harabeoji." Soyeon sigh as she drew the curtains back to open the window of her grandfather's new room at the nursing home. It was Sunday and the weather was bright and sunny. A perfect day to leave your favorite person in the world under the care of some strangers. Not.

"Back to my point. Why?" Mr Lee furrowed his brows as he took a seat on his new bed. 

"He has fans that would follow him around and invade his privacy. So he need to disguise himself to stay low profile." Soyeon huffed and look over at Jung Kook. "Which I think sounds crazy. Why would they follow you?" Note that she emphasized the 'you'.

"Why not? Your husband is good looking." Jung Kook smirk at her and high-fived Mr Lee. Soyeon rolled her eyes at his remark but smiled inwardly and took secret glance at Jung Kook. He is kinda good looking; Soyeon can't pinpoint any flaws on his features. If only she could say the same for his character.

"Here. A parting gift." Jung Kook took out something from his backpack and handed it to Mr Lee. It was Bangtan Boys' album and what look like some doodles at the front. "Its our signed album."

"Hey, why didn't I get one?" Soyeon blurted out of jealousy as her grandfather squinted at the scribble-like signatures. Jung Kook shrugged and looked back at Soyeon with an unreadable expression, biting back a smile.

"Thank you. At least I can listen to this when I miss our night time singing session." Mr Lee chuckled, already missing his granddaughter and Jung Kook. And the free song request Jung Kook offered every night that bonded the two generations over a short period of time.

Soyeon flicks her long locks and harrumphed as she makes her way out the door without sparing a glance back. "Are you seriously sulking?" Jung Kook called out even though he perfectly knew that Soyeon never sulks over petty matters. She was just trying to act cute even though she is not aware she was doing so which Jung Kook finds hard to resist.

After Soyeon's grand exit, the room went abruptly silent. Mr Lee peered at Jung Kook a few good minutes before breaking his mouth open to speak. "Soyeon is a strong person," Jung Kook was confused but silently wait for him to continue "but every now and then she will need someone to take her hand to tell her that everything will be alright."

Jung Kook stared back at the old man before him, trying to decipher his meaning. But before he could break his mouth to ask anything, Soyeon returned back with soft smile on her face. Her pretense long gone. "Guess what harabeoji, the nurses here are handsome and friendly! So you don't have to worry about me not visiting you frequent enough!" 

---
 

"Soyeon. Sit here, by the coffee table." Jung Kook commanded as soon as they got back to the empty home, crossing his leg before another end of the coffee table. Soyeon raised her brows in confusion but complied nonetheless, her eyes never left Jung Kook's mischievous one. She kneeled down by his side and waited patiently as Jung Kook took something out of his backpack.

It was the exact BTS album she just saw a couple of hours ago in the hands of her grandfather, with the same scribble-like autographs.

Jung Kook bit back a laughter as he observed Soyeon's stunned expression, her eyes shining under the ray of sun that penetrates through the floor-to-ceiling glass window behind him.

"Oh, you did get one for me!" Her reaction was that of a five-year-old who just got a set of doll house in her hands. She scrutinize the signatures one by one noticing a missing autograph. "There's only six signs here...where's yours?" 

Jung Kook fished out a marker pen from inside his bag but made no move of uncapping it. "Say, oppa sign juseyo~" Jung Kook flashed his pearl white teethes in the cutest manner.

"I would not do that! Never!" Soyeon looks baffled as she scoffed at him. Jung Kook's smirk faltered even though he had expected her to react that way. "Fine. Then you won't have my autograph."

Soyeon shook her head, amused and turned to flip open the pages of the album. Like any other normal girl, she took her time admiring the pictures of the handsome boys but one. Once she came to the page with Jung Kook's picture on it, she did not spare a glance and flipped to the next page. "Hey! You did not even look at my pictures! Is it because I did not sign your album?!" He snapped.

"Its not worth ogling at." She simply said just to irritate him and smirk inwardly when she succeeded to do so. Her eyes landed on V's pictures and she ran her fingers on the outline of his god like features as her small luscious lips curled into a smile. She took longer time staring at V than his other hyungs and Jung Kook did not like the unfamiliar feeling that began to settled in him.

He was jealous. 

"Yah! Why are you staring at Taehyung hyung? Is he your bias?"

Soyeon snapped out of her thoughts at the sudden outburst and she looked up at him with a grin. "No. But I think Haerin has found her match!"

"What?" Jung Kooks cocked an eye brow, not understanding what she meant.

"Remember last time you said how you wish Haerin could read V oppa for you?" Jung Kook nodded, the night where they were almost caught being married flashed in his mind. "She couldn't." Soyeon exclaimed nochalantly. "Haerin met V oppa during the school festival, and it was the first time I saw her speechless. She said she could not understand him!"

Jung Kook chuckled, fully understanding why. "Taehyung hyung can sometimes be like this, and sometimes like that."

Soyeon nodded and turned to stare at V's photo. "When I see him, sometimes I wonder what he was thinking. I can't read through his hard eyes."

"Maybe he doesn't think at all." Jung Kook replied and the silent house roared with laughter. "So, who's your bias? You haven't answer me." He suddenly remembered.

"Not telling you." Soyeon jutts her lower lips and closed the photobook.

"What?!" Jung Kook squeaked, his curiousity at its highest. Could it be Jimin hyung? Everyone likes him. J-Hope? She seemed very close with him. "Tell me-" Jung Kook pleaded. "I'll sign your album for you?" he offered.

Soyeon bit back a smile. She can't believe Jung Kook was willing to give in just so she would tell him who her bias is. Its not a big matter to her anyway, since she never really go crazy for idols- well, except for Yeo Jin Goo; the hottest most passionate actor of their generation. Soyeon has a big crush on him! Of course, Jung Kook doesn't know that yet. 

Soyeon enjoyed how the tables had turned and she has the upper hand. Knowing there's nothing to lose, she confessed. "Its Suga oppa." A girlish smile appeared.

"You like Suga hyung when you have the golden maknae as your husband?" Jung Kook was baffled.

---

That night, Soyeon found it harder to sleep than usual. She tossed and turned, grunted and sighed. Its one of those rainy nights in April where thunder and storm works together to scare the living daylight out of Soyeon. Soyeon is not scared of anything, almost nothing- not even spiders. But if there's one thing that would left her shaking and scared, that would be thunder and lightning.

"Thunder is just a stream of electrons flowing within the clouds. There's nothing to be afraid-" Another crack of thunder struck and Soyeon jumped from her position. Her mantra did not work- again.

Soyeon was scared and she's trying to overcome it. But she couldn't.

Despaired, she crept out of her bed and walked out the door. He small feet glided across the floor, as light as feather. She walked down the stairs and took several careful steps in the dark hallway to the one room where she hoped she would find comfort in. But it was empty. 

Her heart felt heavy and she felt tears b in her eyes. "Harabeoji..." She whispered.

Soyeon was not surprised when she came back upstairs later to find the door to Jung Kook's room slightly agape. Jung Kook never closes anything properly. She peeked in through the slight gap to see Jung Kook still awake, in a sitting position on his bed. Not knowing what made her do so, Soyeon pushed open the door and walked several steps in.

At the sound of footsteps, Jung Kook turned and the sight before him was one that he would never forget his entire life. It was dark, but Jung Kook could perfectly see how haggard Soyeon looked. Her eyes looked so sad, her usual warm gaze no longer there. Jung Kook felt his heart torn into pieces and it was painful to see her so vulnerable.

Instinctively, he scooted over and patted his bed for her to sit. Soyeon did not hesitate and almost ran to Jung Kook.

As she makes her way towards the bed, the silhouette she oddly longed to find comfort in finally became clear. Slowly, carefully she pry open the comforters and lay on one side of the bed. Jung Kook was stunned but did not say anything as he stared quizzically at the small back of the girl he married, the beautiful girl who is now crying.

"He has cancer. Harabeoji has cancer. That's why he left us, and he's going to leave us forever soon enough" Soyeon finally broke down after what felt like forever to Jung Kook. Jung Kook was shocked and he felt sudden tightness in his throat. That was why the old man looked so sick. Jung Kook knew that he was sick- that was the main reason why he got married to Soyeon. But at the this sudden news, he was still caught by surprise.

Jung Kook felt all the blood in his body being drained. Jung Kook may not be related to Mr Lee by blood, but he felt horribly sad at the thought of loosing a friend he just made a few weeks ago. Hence, he could not imagine how heartbroken Soyeon must be. She grew up with old Mr Lee and that's eighteen years of time together.

Jung Kook didn't know what made him reached out to Soyeon and pulled her to his chest. For all he know that's what he wanted to do. He just wanted to comfort her. A trickle of tears left Soyeon's eyes as she leaned against Jung Kook's warm chest. And then another. Before she knew it, she was sobbing.

Charismatic Lee Soyeon never cried in front of her friends. Even when she fell and scraped her knees in front of her kindergarten friends and it hurts like hell, she never cried. None of her friends has ever seen her tears. Not even the bestest of her best friends, Kim Jong In.

But now, she's crying openly in the arms of the guy she just came to know a few weeks ago.

Jung Kook remembered Mr Lee's words from that afternoon. That Soyeon may be strong, but at times she needs someone to tell her that everything will be alright. But Jung Kook could not bring himself to say so, as he lay there silently, caressing Soyeon's hair and back. He buried his face in her hair, knowing that he would cry too if he saw Soyeon's face. It pained him to do so. But he can't guarantee that everything is going to be alright.

The night, Soyeon cried herself to sleep in his arms. She broke down her walls in front of Jeon Jung Kook and she let him see her at her most vulnerable state.

---

Morning arrived and Jung Kook almost leaped out of bed as he remembered that night's events. He knew that it wasn't a dream because the tears were real. The sadness still lingered in him. 

Soyeon was not by his side when Jung Kook woke up. But he had a perfect idea where Soyeon might be. So he washed up and got down to the kitchen. Yep. There she is, with that beautiful smile back at its rightful place. Except for the slight puffiness of her eyes, there is no visible trace that she had been crying last night.

I guess its true what they say. A strong person is not the one who doesn't cry. A strong person is the one who cries and shed tears for a moment, then gets up and fights again. And Jung Kook knew that his girl is one strong girl.

Wait. 

Jung Kook was shock as soon as the the thought left him. "My girl?" he muttered under his breath.

"How are you going back to your house? Are your parents going to fetch you?" Jung Kook asked as soon as they had finish their- as always, delicious breakfast. It was Monday and Seoul High is closed as it would be after every school festival. Jung Kook was to return to his dorm today, and so Soyeon needs to return to her own home.

Soyeon shook her head and plopped herself on of the sofa. She turned to inspect the spotless living room, making sure that she would leave the house in a good condition. "No, my dad's working and I do not want to trouble umma. There's no school today, so I guess my friends would not mind helping me."

"At least Jong In is always willing to help me" she continued.

At the mention of Kai's name, Jung Kook snapped out of his thoughts. The luggage he was was holding fell down on the floorboard with a loud thud. Before he could reason out his odd behavior, his mouth went ahead of him. "Aniya, don't trouble them. Perhaps they're still tired from the school festival." Jung Kook stride towards the couch with his long legs. "My manager can drive you there."

"Are you sure? That's so nice of you to offer." Soyeon felt butterflies in her stomach at his thoughtful manner.

"Its the least I could do as your husband." Jung Kook grinned at her. "Perhaps the last." He muttered under his breath, but Soyeon did not catch that.

"You're taking this whole marriage thing so seriously oh?" A sly smirk appeared on her face. "Okay, I'll go grab my things!"

Jung Kook played with the wedding ring that's been hanging on his neck, hidden beneath his shirt. It does seemed like it huh? This marriage suddenly felt so real and so does Jung Kook's conscience to protect Lee Soyeon.

Soyeon had packed most of her belongings. What was left was the little gizmos that needs to be put away. Soyeon was about to close the bedroom door when she took one last long look at the room. And that's when her eye caught a familiar album on her study table. Soyeon ran to get it, glad that she didn't missed it.

She flicked open the pages and stopped at the page where she had deliberately skipped yesterday. That's when she saw the black ink at the bottom end of the page of Jung Kook's handsome-looking photo and her tummy did cartwheels and the familiar butterflies settled in. Jung Kook had signed his autograph. 

At the bottom of it, was a little note.

-Use your smile to change the world, but don't let the world change your smile :)

And Soyeon's face lit up with the most beautiful smile that no one has ever seen.

Author's Note.

I just reached 100 subbies!! *Little dances*
Keep the votes and comments coming guys! Tbh, your comments motivates me to update regularly.

So, thank you. Here's some gifts(gifs)

 
I see why he's your bias Soyeon! He's so OMGASDFGHJKL!!
 

And then there's this guy! *faints*