The two of them stared at each other for the longest time Jungkook could remember. The only difference was their expression- One was ultimately pissed and the other seemed shocked. 

Suddenly, the stranger blinked his eyes and grinned, "Merry Christmas!" He then rushed into the empty lift behind Jungkook before disappearing into the night. 

 

---

 

The next morning, Jungkook woke up to find himself curled up on the sofa and Seokjin already bustling around the apartment. He peeked through his heavy eyelids as the older walked past with a noisy vacuum cleaner in hand then fell back onto the soft cushion with a soft groan. 

"Oh you're awake," came the motherly call from the other end of the living room. Jungkook made no answer as he lazily flopped his arm above his face to block out the bright morning light of the city. His head still felt light from the dream he vaguely had, and only a snippet of it remained.What was it... Jungkook asked himself as he tried to remember the dream wholly. That constellation...

He definitely had dreamed of stars. And there was a star. It had been the brightest of a constellation.

Jungkook sat up quickly, the blanket immediately falling off his shoulders and looked at Seokjin. "Hyung, do you still remember the name of that constellation you told me sometime last month?" Seokjin turned around while carefully maneuvering the rickety machine before answering, "The name? Andromeda."

That doesn't sound right.

Jungkook sat on the sofa, immersed so deep in his thoughts that he didn't notice Seokjin walk over to sit beside him. Jungkook jumped a little when he felt the older place a hand on his shoulder. Seokjin asked with a worried look, "Is something troubling you?" "It's nothing," Jungkook reassured with a smile, although he was feeling rather ruffled inside, like a bird on a bad feather day.

Jungkook thought Seokjin would move away per usual, but today, he just sat beside him with an expression of growing concern. "Kookie-ah, are you sure you have nothing to tell? Sometimes it'll be better if you say something." Jungkook felt his smile waver upon hearing that. Say something, Seokjin had told him.

Hyung, I really want to tell you, but it's best if nothing is said, he said, but of course, nobody could hear thoughts. My story is too long to be told.

Regaining his smile, Jungkook shook his head, "Nothing, hyung. Really." Seokjin still did not looked convinced and asked again, "Are you sure? You'll feel better-" "Hyung, it's really nothing. You don't need to worry." Seokjin gave him a wounded look as if he were saying: You've never told me anything. Jungkook then left the sofa quickly before he could feel the sour prick build in his eyes.

 

~

 

If Jungkook could learn anything from that morning's episode, it was that it foreshadowed that his new life in Korea was going to go downhill. At least, that was what he thought.

Fortunately for the most of the morning, things went relatively smoothly. Seokjin literally dragged him out of his room, away from his phone (he was talking to Naoki, though it was more of him being interrogated inside out by the girl about how things were going) to help organise the apartment further. The new place was much larger than the apartment they had shared in Japan. It had one more room, in which they had dumped all the extra things, and the kitchen was larger as well and it made Seokjin very happy.

After the thorough cleaning, Seokjin then sat him down at the dining table and had a verbal lesson with him about the culture differences between Japan and Korea. They moved on to the topic of the schooling system, to the types of food and lastly to the public transport system. If a stranger were to chance upon the two, he would think that Jungkook was a foreigner rather than a true-blooded Korean.

As per the normal Jeon Jungkook during any lesson, his brain quickly shut off, only to be threatened by Seokjin that if he did not pay attention he would have to clean the house for one week. That was how Jungkook forced himself to stay awake for two hours straight until Seokjin announced happily that he was going to visit his family for the day and that Jungkook could go out and roam.

And that was exactly what Jungkook did.

He roamed the streets a little before taking the public bus around to familiarize himself with vicinity. After an hour, Jungkook somehow made his way into a district named Gangnam. It was extremely crowded with both locals and tourists. Music blasted from the different stores in an attempt to attract the most numbers of customers. Despite the crazy atmosphere, Jungkook felt empty.

When he walked past a make-up parlor, Jungkook felt his feet bringing him towards the large expanse of glass at the shop entrance. He stood there staring at the stylists bustling around customers getting their make-up and hair done, missing his old job at Disneyland. He was not used to having nothing to do. Even during the holidays, he always went to help Seokjin out at the princess parlor.

A stylist from inside turned her head to cast a curious look at him and he quickly walked away upon receiving her stares. He wanted to start work as quickly as possible. It'll be tomorrow, Jungkook assured himself, Tomorrow Hyung and I will go to the entertainment building.

Suddenly, the alarm on his watch beeped and he raised his arm to check the time. 3.00pm.

I should be going back now- Jungkook thought just as his thoughts were interrupted rudely by a loud voice speaking through a microphone in the distance. "Ladies and gentlemen! Boys and girls! Welcome to Dae Jeong Entertainment's first public showcase!" Loud screams and cheers could be heard in reply. Despite frowning a little, Jungkook craned his neck to listen further. Dae Jeong? That sounded like the company they were being sent to.

"In Dae Jeong Entertainment, we train the best idols and singers Korea has ever known, and now, everybody are you excited?!"

More screaming.

"Okay! Okay! In that case, ladies and gentlemen! Please welcome our first group of trainees, a modern pop dance and b-boy group, TFH!" Loud electronic music began to pump through the air and Jungkook suddenly felt interested. Music had been quite an integral part of him, and to say he was not interested was a total lie. Plus, in Japan he had always heard of Korean pop groups debuting Japanese titles, so why not check out this thing?

Even though the music was loud and could quite easily lead Jungkook to the venue, he got lost in streets a few times before finally reaching which caused him to miss a few songs. There was a particular one, the MC had said the group's name was Clash, a hip hop group, and the singers were particularly good. Jungkook felt a little pity for the singers as he felt that their voices could fit a ballad theme better, rather than hip hop.

The next few performances Jungkook had managed to catch were of high atmosphere, but almost all of them were of the electro-pop and hip-hop genre which he found quite bland after a while. So this is the trend in Korea nowadays? he asked himself albeit a little disapprovingly. He had always preferred the more mellow songs anyway.

When the showcase ended, the MC came onto stage again. "Thank you for coming to see this performance! Thank you! Now before you leave, ladies and gentlemen, it will be greatly appreciated that you vote for you favorite group at the boards way at the back."

Jungkook turned his head shiftily towards the white boards that stood next to him. So that's what they were for. Deciding to beat the crowd, Jungkook quickly reached out to take a sticker from the box next to the boards before pasting in on Clash's space. Good luck for your future songs, he told the group mentally.

"Excuse me, do you have a second?" a voice asked beside him. Jungkook looked up and came face to face with a plump middle-aged lady carrying a clipboard. "Yes?" he asked back suspiciously while eyeing her up and down. The lady then flashed him a smile (creepy one), "How old are you?"

"Uhm why-"

"Around seventeen to eighteen I see. I see your age group around here often."

"So why-"

"I'm from Dae Jeong Entertainment and you seem the most promising out of the lot here today."

"...What?"

"Hmm you seem like the type to learn fast. I guarantee you a debut by the time you reach twenty, plus you're quite handsome looking."

Jungkook took a wary step back and said, "Sorry I don't-" The lady grinned and stepped forward confidently, "My dear, you have the potential to become an idol!" Jungkook nearly doubled over when he heard that. An idol? Hell no. No.

Jungkook did not even bother to continue the conversation and bolted off in the other direction. He apologised to people along the way when he pushed and squeezed through the crowd as quickly as he could. When he saw the lady too making her way through the crowd towards him, Jungkook cursed internally and broke into a sprint. It took him a little too long to realise that he was running towards a dead end for the stage was up ahead of him.

.

Without thinking much, Jungkook turned a sharp corner to where he assumed the backstage area was. Turning around again, he could spot the plump lady till chasing after him. "God damn it!" he half whisper screamed, "Of all days!" Stopping to make a decision on where else to run, Jungkook heaved heavily as he scanned the surroundings anxiously.

He finally spotted an inconspicuous door in the stage and ran towards it with a sort of terror filled joy. Pushing the door open, Jungkook ran inside frantically. "What the-" came a surprised voice beside him. Not caring about the person first, Jungkook shut the door hard before leaning against it comically. "Oh my god," he mouthed with wide eyes.

"Hey kid, are you alright?" the same voice asked with the initial shock replaced with noticeable concern. Jungkook blinked eyes continuously before registering his surroundings. The room was well lit, and racks of clothes filled it along with a few dressing tables. It was then that Jungkook looked at the owner of the voice. He was slightly taller than him, and Jungkook noticed his platinum-blonde hair immediately.

"U-Uh sorry for barging in here," Jungkook stuttered. He cast a worried glance at the door behind him and then back at the man, "Do you mind if... I... Stay here for a while?" The man raised an eyebrow and asked, "What's the problem?"

"There's t-this weird lady chasing me saying that I've got the- What was that? Uh potential to be an idol?" Jungkook blurted out, at the same time feeling stupid for intruding into a stranger's quiet time. A look of indignation and weariness flashed through the man's face as though he understood what was going on. He winced sympathetically, "Oh man, it must be Madam Gu-"

"Kim Namjoon! Open up the door now!" the familiar voice shouted from outside the door before a series of rapping against the plastic door ensued. Jungkook widened his eyes in fear as the man grabbed his arm quickly and pushed him towards a cupboard at a corner surrounded by tables. "Quick! Hide inside there!" he hissed. Fearing for his life, Jungkook clambered into the cupboard as the man closed the doors. 

The lady knocked loudly a few more times as she shouted, "Open the door before I break it open!" "Yes I'm coming Madam Gu," the man said in a forced respectful tone. Jungkook peeped out through the few cracks in the wood at the scene. 

The door creaked open and Jungkook shrunk backwards upon seeing the lady. With hands gripping so tightly on her clipboard, the lady looked like she was about to club someone with it. "Have you seen a boy? Almost your height, a teenager."

"I have seen him."

Jungkook's heart beat faster upon hearing that. What the shi-

"Where, Namjoon?"

"Outside. In the crowd. Plenty of that 'boy'."

At that, Jungkook had to stiffle back a laugh. He then gained a little confidence and bent forward to peer out again.

"I have no time for your jokes, Namjoon! If you are harboring the boy here, I am going to report you to Head."

The man looked a little angry at this point and argued back, "Why must you always chase after them? If they don't want to then let them be." The lady looked at him up and down as if she had never seen him before. Furious, she scolded, "If we don't chase them, we may miss potential singers that will be popular in the future. More money for you and me."

Jungkook could not help but notice the dark cloud brewing over the man's head as he watched with interest.

The lady nudged him and continued, "Then you can be in charge of better trainees that can actually be idols."

When the man stayed quiet, she said nonchalantly, "I don't even know why you bother with those two. They just bring trouble to your reputation all the time and they're not even the main focus of the group. Look for greener pastures, Namjoon."

"Don't talk about them like that," the man said quietly, simmering with anger. "If you're just going to insult the two of them in front of me, please leave." The lady sniffed with a poisonous light in her eyes before leaving through the door. The man shut the door behind her heavily as Jungkook pushed the door of the cupboard open and crept out. "Thanks for helping me," he said cautiously.

The man managed a small smile and nodded his head in reply. He then stepped aside to let Jungkook out. On opening the small door, Jungkook turned his head out and looked out for a clear coast before stepping out and closing the the door behind him.

Wow the entertainment world seems like a mess, Jungkook thought as he dusted his jeans thoroughly.

"Jungkook! Are you okay?" the familiar voice of Seokjin called from a distance. Before he could turn around, Jungkook felt a pair of arms envelope him, almost choking him. "I saw you running away from that lady! She looked mad!" "I'm fine, hyung," Jungkook laughed as he pushed the older away. He told Seokjin jokingly afterwards, "She just wanted to kidnap me away to the entertainment world."

Seokjin then scanned Jungkook meticulously from head to toe before sighing in relief, "Good that you're okay. Come, let's go home and I'll cook some ramyun for you." The two of them turned away from the small door and began their walk home together.

 

~

 

Jungkook retired to bed especially early again that night. The new apartment did not have a balcony to let him sit alone and ponder on things, so he just went to sleep much as he felt disappointed. Without much thoughts running inside his head, Jungkook drifted away into a dreamless sleep, or so he always thought.

Now, you see, the Jungkook in the day most of the time did not know that he had dreamt the night before, much less remember the dream wholly. The Jungkook in the day did not know how he had always floated among stars in the dark night sky in his dreams, slowly picking stars up one by one, and observing them.

Every night, the stars he picked up would change. He would learn of stories of people that he would have no memory of when he woke up the next morning. And tonight was no different.

Jungkook gently picked up a rather large star as it gave off an orange light. Images of a young boy flashed past in his mind, causing him to smile at the scenes where the boy tripped and fell while playing catch. Laughing, Jungkook then gently released the bright star back into its place. He kicked his legs and drifted upwards another star, then a bright flash of blue caught the corner of his eye.

He turned around to face the familiar yet distant flash of blue. Placing his arms on his hips, he chided the small star, "You've finally returned. Where were you for the past few months?" The star glowed a little brighter, as if giving a cheeky reply to him. This little star had first appeared as a small dot amidst the sea of orange, but still caught Jungkook's eye for the first time a few months ago. Then it disappeared before he had the chance to catch it.

Now it had returned, twinkling brighter than ever. "Aren't you a special one?" Jungkook asked playfully as he stretched out his hand for the small star. To his surprise, the star darted away, giving him a shock. There was no way a star could move- The blue flash of light darted away again before his eyes.

Jungkook kicked upwards hard, determined to catch the little rogue fella. They played a game of catch for a while and they went further and further away from the sea of stars until they were unknowingly alone in the dark endless space. The star stopped in its tracks suddenly and Jungkook grinned as he reach out for the star.

As soon as his hands wrapped around the small, glowing star, an immense searing burn engulfed his hand, followed by sharp jabs of pain electrocuting through his entire body. Jungkook released the star frantically, but it was too late. His brain out a quick second after.

 

Jungkook gasped and opened his eyes. Where am I? He asked himself as he looked around. What just happened? It was his new room, and everything was the same as before. Okay Jungkook, nothing's wrong. Nothing. He raised and arm to wipe the sweat off his forehead after in a deep breath. It seemed way too hot for a winter night, and yet Jungkook swore that his hands felt like they were on fire.

I dreamed, Jungkook thought slowly while turning on his side. The moonlight flirted through the thin curtains and he closed his eyes once more. I saw a small star. It was so bright. So bright...