Gingerly, I press my foot onto the ground and wince even before I have used any strength on it. . This is not good at all.
I grip the railing of the parking garage elevator lobby and grimace. I'm never going to make it to my car like this. 
It wasn't even my fault, but I'm not going to blame the child for running into me when I was the one that chose to wear heels.

Arriving at the swing door, I push against it when I see familiar faces coming my way. . I really don't like anyone seeing me disadvantaged, never mind people I know.
Straightening up, I try to play off the pain when I put my bad foot down. Seungkwan smiles when he sees me and pulls me into a hug. I fight the urge to wince.

My eyes meet Jungkook and I see that he can tell that something isn't right.

"You'll be joining us later, right?"

I roll my eyes at Seungkwan. "Do I have a choice? Yoojin-Sunbaenim is still sick." Talking about that I might not even be able to use the pedal. Damn it.

"Alright, I'll go up first, see you there."

"Hm." I give him a smile and glance over at Jungkook who was frowning slightly. But instead of addressing what he clearly saw, he nods and moves along with Seungkwan.

I don't know whether to feel relief or disappointment that he doesn't offer to help me, but then I shake my head. Why would he? I'd seen how close him and Yein are at rehearsals. It reminded me of the past us and that's why I shouldn't. Really.

Out of their sight, I press a hand against the wall and finally let out the wince. I should just take off my shoes, that would probably endanger me less.
A strong hand curls around my arm in support and I jump. "Oh, you scared me."

Looking at Jungkook bending down to my level, scanning my face, I can't help but notice how handsome he looks today.
His hair was parted revealing his forehead. Even though it was rare back then, whenever I saw the images, I always thought it looked particularly good on him. "________."

Huh, have I been staring? "Yes?"

"What happened?"

"Oh, I collided with a kid and hurt my ankle." Against any normal instinct, I press my bad foot down, testing it, just to wince in pain.

"Do you need to see a doctor?" His hand around my arm get firmer.

"Oh, no. It's not that bad." I had dealt with sprains often as a child and they used to be nothing to me. But I'm not a child anymore. "I just came down here to change my shoes, these really aren't ideal for a sprained ankle."

"Where is your car?"

I look up at him, by the tone of his voice knowing exactly what he was planning to do. "Oh, no, no, I don't need your help."

Jungkook raises an eyebrow at me, and déjà vu strikes as he always used to do this. "You'll hurt yourself more, so don't be stubborn, ________."

"I'm not being stubborn." I'm just being careful. Being too close to him for too long will cause memories to rise, tingles to resurface. And that's not a good thing when he is with someone else. Why does he have to be so helpful all the time?
Feeling like he will only keep insisting, I grab his elbow as support but stop when he in return lifts my arm to drape it over his shoulder. I pull away, eyes wide.

"What? You really thought, I was going to wait till you staggered over on your own like a grandma." His playful voice makes me hit his arm but I wince again from the movement.
Smile vanishing, his face turns serious. "No, but really, this is quicker, you'll only be in more pain."

Giving in, I nod and he steps closer waiting until I've put my arm behind his neck to lift me up into his arms with no effort at all. Like this our faces are the closest they've ever been for a while and it gives me the chance to really look into his eyes for the first time.
Maybe I shouldn't because his eyes were the first thing I fell in love with.

Silence between us, we arrive in front of my car after I tell him which one it is and open the trunk per button. 
Instead of lowering me to my feet, Jungkook balances me on the edge of the trunk. "Thank you."

"You're welcome, ________."

I slip off the heel on my good foot first and put on a sneaker. Now, my right foot is another story, even with the strings as loose as possible, it's a pain to get into. 
Grimacing all the way through, I feel like I have aged years after I'm done.

"Will you be able to get home like this?" My eyes meet his frown. "It's your right foot."

Driving was going to be difficult. "Mhm, I'll probably ask someone to drive me." Too bad everyone I knew was too busy. "Or maybe a taxi." 
Bracing myself on my car I stand up and at least am able to hop now without it hurting too much. "Everything ready."

This time, Jungkook doesn't offer to carry me, knowing that I wouldn't let him, instead he puts an arm in front of me.

I eye his arm for a few seconds and then put my hand into the crook of his elbow as support. "Thank you, Jungkook-ssi."

With his help, we walk back to the elevator, me wincing occasionally, and him tensing every time I do. 
"You know, I wouldn't mind you calling me by my name without any honorifics." Where is this coming from suddenly? "It makes me sound so normal."

I laugh at his expression. Jungkook definitely is anything but normal. "Even 'Jungkookie'?"

"If you like." He smiles at me and I think back to the time when he had insisted for me to call him 'Oppa'. "Although that's weird, you're younger than me."

"By a few months." I use the same argument as back then. "I like 'Jungkookie'," I point a warning finger at him. "You can't take that back."

"Call, and since you're using 'Jungkookie', how about dropping the formal speech."

Again I snicker. "It was bothering you, wasn't it?" When he glares at me, I laugh some more. "I had a feeling."

"Well, then don't use it."

We arrive in front of the glass door, he opens it for us. "Mhm, I'll think about it."

Jungkook opens his mouth to say something but then another voice joins us from the opposite door. "Oh, Seonsaengnim, hello. Oppa, hi"

I stiffen, recognizing that soft voice. I remove my hand from his elbow and shift away, not without grimacing.
"Hello, Yein-ssi." I say filled with shame. Had I just been flirting with him knowing that he could have a girlfriend? What's wrong with me?

I can feel Jungkook's eyes on me while he greets her back. "The elevator arrived."

I look up to see him standing next to me, his hand once more wrapping around my arm. Not wanting to fight him in front of her, I accept his help and hop into the cabin.

"Oh, Seonsang," I had told her to call me by my name as we are the same age but she still... "Is your foot hurt?"

"Yes, is happened earlier." I lean against the railing hoping for Jungkook to let go but he doesn't. Was I the only one feeling incredibly awkward? I pat his hand around my arm, waiting for him to release it. "It's ok, it doesn't hurt as much anymore."

Uncertain, it takes him a while before he lets go. No one says a thing, which to makes it even more uncomfortable for me.
The elevator opens and I wish I could escape, but my bad foot was hindering that from happening anytime soon. They walk out first, Jungkook putting a hand against the door so it doesn't close on me.

Suddenly, while taking a step in my office's direction, I feel a sharp pain in my ankle. I wince and instinctively reach out to grab something— Jungkook's arm.
The pain takes a long time to fade and I must have squeezed his forearm because I find his hand covering mine.
I release my hold on him instantly. "Sorry."

"Ok, this is enough." I am taken aback to hear his tight voice.

"Huh?"

"You're really only going to make it worse." When I start to shake my head, he only looks at me with impatience. "________, we already discussed this earlier."

"There really wasn't a lot of discussing, was there?" I murmur and sneak a glance in Yein's direction, who was watching us with a worried expression.

"Yein-ah." I snap my eyes away when Jungkook calls her. "You can go first, she's being stubborn."

"Ah, ok." Without delay or anything like disapproval in her voice, Yein turns to proceed to their classroom. 
Watching her leave with a puzzled look on my face, I wonder why she didn't seem to mind our interaction at all. They must have a lot of trust in each other.

"Come," Jungkook puts his arms around my back not waiting for me this time. Guess his patience is running low. Once more he hoists me up, arms strong behind my back and knees. I feel like a child being scolded for some reason.

"Ah, I need to go to my office." Jungkook glances at me sideways. "Music sheets."

"Use mine." He says simply.

I pat his shoulder. "No, I need them. I finally worked out what Yoojin-Sunbae wrote."

"How long did that take you?" We near the rehearsal room, and I move my legs wanting to get down but he holds on tight. "It's not like anyone will care, ________."

Angling us sideways, Jungkook steps in catching everyone's attention at once. It isn't until, he places me down on the piano chair, his face coming extremely close, that they realize why he carried me. And It's only then that I notice how my heart was beating way faster than normal.

"Hello." I use his arm as support to stand up on my feet to greet them. I feel his disapproving look but I'm avoid his eyes.

"______-ie, what happened to your foot." I plop back down on the chair and give Seungkwan a short rundown. "Imma go find this boy."

"Ya, you're a child yourself." I know he would've pushed me for that in a normal situation, but today he doesn't. "There is something you can do for me, though."

"Take you to the doctor's?"

"No," I hand him the key to my office. "Can you get me a folder on my desk, please? It's the white one."

While Seungkwan does as he's told, jogging out. No one says anything which is awkward. Jungkook is just leaning against the closest table watching me and I'm just sitting there hating the attention from everyone.

Luckily, Seungkwan returns in under two minutes but he isn't just holding the folder, in the other hand he has my phone. "Someone called you when I walked in."

"Oh, thank you." Placing the folder on my lap, I check my phone. It's Lee. "It's your Coordi."

"Lee?"

I nod and text her back, she responds in an instant making me snort. "She's complaining about Hansollie."

"Did he try to kiss her?" I don't even spare him a glance at his teasing.

"I don't think he wants to be murdered so young."

"I talked to Chanie earlier." I smile at the mention of him. "He envies me for being able to see you."

"Ya, you really have a loose mouth. I don't think he would want me to know that."

Seungkwan waves the matter off. "It's not like you're going to tell him."

"But it's really been long since I've seen Chanie." I slip my phone away. "I only saw Hansol because of Lee."

"Our Makdongie and Scaredy Cat like you very much."

"I'm very likable, yes." I burst out laughing at his expression. "No, but please stop making it sound like they like me. No one needs rumors on their head."

“Why? It's not like anyone cares.”

I take the folder and whack his arm. “You've never met my brother have you?” He shakes his head no. “I swear one day I'm going to tell him everything that you do to me.”

“Go ahead.” Seungkwan wiggles his head in mockery. “I'm not scared.”

“Yeah, I don't think anyone is scared of my brother, not Lee, not my ex—” I cut myself off realizing where I was going with my sentence. “Ex....tremely annoying best friend.”

“What? You already mentioned Lee, once is enough.” I have to bite back a laugh. “See? You agree.”

“I'm talking about her boyfriend. You met him once, you saw how annoyingly he treats me.”

Seungkwan stands up to walk over to his bag and gets a bottle of water. “Get yourself a boyfriend, then he'll stop.”

“Trust me that doesn't stop him.” He offers me the bottle but I decline. “I'm rather hungry.”

“Do you want to have my—” His eyes shift over to the entrance and I follow. “Too late now.”

Sunbae has entered, signaling the start of rehearsal.

~ ~ ~

"Do you need a few days off?"

"No!" I almost scream but then calm down. "No, that won't be necessary."

"Are you sure, ________?" Sunbae eyes my feet with concern. "It looks really inconvenient."

"It is but I've had worse." I really didn't want to take a few days off, especially because I would need them for other occasions.

"Not even one day?"

"No, you're not going to get lost of me so easily." Grinning, I get my little belongings and start staggering my way to the door. "See you tomorrow, Sunbae."

"Hm, be careful, don't bump into any more kids." I smile softly at his joke and wave.

It takes twice the time to get to my office, with double the effort and triple the pain. But I'd rather do this myself than depend on anyone. To be honest it was kind of embarrassing.

"________-ah."

I look to the side. "Oh, Eonni."

"What happened?" With concern, she helps me to walk, taking some of my weight. Soojung and I had recently gotten to know each other on a deeper level and became fast friends.

"Long story short, some kid was running."

"Ah, do you need to see a doctor?"

"No, it's already getting better, just walking on it keeps making it worse." She opens but I continue. "And no I won't take a day off."

"So stubborn."

"Not stubborn, you know I need the day offs for something else." Just talking about it was making me feel nervous.

"It's soon." I nod even though it wasn't a question. "Do you want me to go with you?"
It hasn't been long since we got to know each other, but the short amount of time had made her one of the most trusted people in my life.

She helps me sit down in my chair. "No, thank you. I think I will be fine on my own."

Soojung sighs, leaning against the edge of my desk. "Sometimes, I worry how you always feel like you need to carry the weight on your own."

I, in return, shrug. "It's how I grew up."

"Ya, how is your boyfriend going to handle that, he'll feel useless."

At her words, Jungkook flashes into my mind. He'd been able to handle it quite well and with him I had never minded to just let go, lower my guard. But that was before things got worse, now it seems like I'm stuck with myself.
"Then I guess I need to find someone who can make me feel like I can be vulnerable with them."

She swoons audibly. "That was so romantic."

"What? These things have been said by many people before, Eonni." I squint my eyes at her. "Have you been neglecting your dramas?"

"No?" Sheepishly she grins at me. "But seriously, you and me, we need to find us some good—"

My eyes shift and I spot Jungkook at the door, hand raised about to knock. I stand up abruptly, Soojung looks at me startled, then she follows my gaze.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt." Jungkook bows his head, his eyes flickering between Soojung and I.

"Oh..." Soojung's eyes on the other hand move between him and me. "You're not, I was about to leave."

She pushes away from the table and before she turns away, she shoots me a knowing look.

You got some explaining to do. Her eyes say.

There is nothing to explain. I respond.

Her inquisitive look sharpens. This is not over.

I give her an innocent look. "See you tomorrow, Eonni."

She wraps her arms around me. "He's really handsome, good catch, ________-ie." If only it was so simple.

"See you tomorrow." I say more firmly making her laugh.

"Bye bye." Jungkook steps in making room for her to exit and it's only now that I see the object in his hand.

"Oh why...?" I motion towards the tray of food he was holding. "I'm not the best company."

"No?" Walking over to the desk, he puts his hand on my shoulder, pushing me back down gently. "That's ok, you will be the one eating. I'll be your company."

"Huh?" I blink up at him, taken aback. I watch him put the tray in front of me. "What about you, Jungkook-ssi?"

"'Jungkook-ssi' will keep you company." He says mimicking me before looking around. "Can I just take one of the chairs?"

"Oh, yes." I fight the urge to get it for him as he would surely disapprove. Waiting until he's put a chair on the other side of the table in front of me, I eye the side dishes. "Aren't you hungry?"

"A little." As he takes a seat opposite me, I see him smile. "Go ahead."

Hesitant to have him watch me, I ask him if he wants to eat first. "I feel bad for being the only one eating."

"If it makes you feel better, you can feed me." I can see the playfulness in his smile. "But first, eat."

Lifting the spoon, I take a sip of the soup first. "Oppa, don't you have any schedules?"

"No not today." He shifts across from me. "Although, I do have a meeting later."

"Business meeting?" I chew and look at the clock. "There will be quite some traffic in a bit."

"It's tonight and I'm having dinner with my Hyungs."

"Then it's not a meeting." I think about it for a second. "It's a family dinner. Do you see each other a lot?"

Jungkook leans back against the chair, eyes never leaving my face. "A little too often for me."

I laugh because I know he was just joking but I end up in pain because of my ankle.

Jungkook stands up. "________, I'll be right back, don't move."

"I can't, really." He blinks and then grins, nodding towards the tray and then turns to leave.

We've moved on to joking, now. That's something I can do.



— — —
*SCREAMIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING* OH MAN HOLY SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT *J-HOPE SCREAMIIIIIIIIING* AKLSDJALRUQAESDJKSDACCKLASKC JHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOPE *BREAKS DOWN CRYING*

I'm not ready for februrary TTTTT it's too soon too sooooooon. WINGS feels like it was yesterday and even though we all knew it was going to happen with all them hints I still cannot deal with a new album right now orzzzzz when there is silence from the boys you just know is about to go down.... the silence before the storm ;;;;;;;; money money money yap~ I honestly only have one request for bighit, no 4 versions ok ples I beg you x.x