Chaeyoung assures she can walk on her own two legs like it's nothing but Jungkook watches her with morbid caution, flinching with every slight tremble of her knees. They grumble about it the whole ride from the hospital where she was finally discharged to her small apartment, Mrs.Park in front somehow forced to be a mediator between the two.

“The doctor is full of , she needs a wheelchair or at least crutches,” he argues.

“You're the one who's full of , I can walk just fine. Your arm hovering around my midsection the whole walk to the car was the only thing keeping me from moving.” Chaeyoung rebutts.

“You should be thanking me, you almost fell twice!”

“Only because you kept stopping me every few steps!”

“Children,” her mother intervenes, “I think this whole ordeal has been rough on all of us, let's just be glad that Chaeyoung is finally able to come home.”

Jungkook finds himself sympathizing with the relief in her tone, nodding to himself as he settles back into his seat. He watches Chaeyoung peer out the window, letting the wind sift through her locks and carress her skin. He imagines she's excited to finally be out of the stuffy chemical-scented institution. In retrospect, it would have been a little depressing had she been discharged a little earlier as the weather outside had been horrendously stormy. Yet today the sun is in full view, rays of light cascading down the nearby river and a soft breeze reverberating through the trees. He wonders for a moment if Chaeyoung is also reminiscing about their ventures down there - ditching school to wander around the forest and sing aloud into the open sky.

She takes one last inhale of the cool air and rests her chin in the palm of her hand, the hint of a smile on her lips. He wants to believe she feels that same nostalgic churning in her stomach as well.

“Why a rose?” Chaeyoung says completely out of context as Jungkook sets a cup of tea on the coffee table in front of her. She has her legs perched on top of the table - not by her own will, she's far too concerned with cleanliness to have done it herself - because after Mrs.Park left them alone to buy groceries his insistence on her not using her legs kicked right back up. She stopped complaining after he (embarrassingly) carried her bridal-style from the car to the living room. “On your neck,” she points, and he confusedly pats the back of his neck until he feels one prominent outline.

“Beats me, I was drunk. I probably just pointed to the first thing I saw. Why?”

“I feel like I've seen it before.”

“What? A rose? Yeah, I think we've all seen a—”

“Shut up,” she laughs, slapping his arm, “I mean I've seen that exact one somewhere.” She squints in puzzlement, searching her memory for something that at first seems extremely trivia until it sinks in. “Rosie.”

“Your guitar?” he hovers over the table for a moment, then ceases. He thinks of gold and red, somewhere near the tips of Chaeyoung's fingers as she strummed and tapped the wooden instrument. He had tilted his head at the time, staring mesmerically at her fingers and losing himself in her voice, but Jungkook doesn't forget the momentary thought of what is that? at the shiny metal that glimmered from the corner of his eye. 

“My rose ornament. It looks exactly like that!” she gasps as if it's a groundbreaking discovery, and it may as well be considering Jungkook's faced subconscious managed to remember her during the night that could have gone more disastrously than it did. “Aww, Kookie thought of me,” she quips.

Jungkook reddens, slightly defensive. “I thought of your guitar.”

“You thought of me playing my guitar.”

“I—” His attempt at defying her falters as her smirk widens. Do tattoos throb? he wonders, or maybe it was just his pulse pounding away. 

“I'm surprised you didn't get it removed.”

“That costs even more than getting the tattoo. I'm already in debt, Chaeng.”

A nanosecond after his last utterance he regrets triggering the memory. They're reminded of how it all started, and Jungkook predicts a number of questions that could be flooding her mind right now. How are your parents? Were they at the hospital? How are you going to pay the hospital bill? Are those loan sharks ever going to leave you alone? Worry after worry - piling up after being released into the world of fresh air and earthly troubles. It occurs to him that Chaeyoung probably doesn't even know where to go on from there, potentially missing a whole year of university because of problems that weren't her's.

“Results come out next week,” her voice quiets down.

“Yeah...”

“How do you think you did?”

“I'm certain I didn't make it.”

She frowns, “don't say things like that. You're smarter than you let on.”

“I hope...” He bites back a smile. 

There isn't a noticeable limp or tremble in the way Chaeyoung walks but the description of  'fractured', 'broken' and 'damaged' still linger in his mind every time she gets up and walks about because though it's nice being stationary while Jungkook brings her things, it starts to get ridiculous knowing that she's perfectly capable of doing things herself (and that's the best way to do things as far as she's concerned).

He stops whining about it after being kicked in the shin the third time when he suggests getting her a wheelchair because if she's capable of breaking his leg, she's probably fine. 

“Take me somewhere,” she says. 

“Like?”

“Anywhere you want, I just want to get outside these walls for a while.” She doesn't know how to tell him how lonely and suffocating it felt those few weeks in the hospital, inhaling disinfectant fumes and bloodied linens. It made her crave running down by the river with him during school and eating pretzels on the rooftop.

He contemplates for a moment with his head down, then nods. “Alright.”

“Great. We're taking the bus though, right?”

He chuckles softly. “Yeah.” Like old times. 

Jungkook knows school is probably the last place she wants to be right now but there's a beautiful, unchartered place he's yet to show her. Even the janitors don't venture much beyond the basement of the school but Jungkook has spent a fair amount of time scoping out the dark, grimy place that was intiially full of cobwebs and dust bunnies until he vacuumed them up in order to make it further down under. 

Chaeyoung cringes at the musky smell of the place. “Is this your idea of fun?”

“Patience, Chaengoo,” is all he says. When they make it to the very end of the area, there's a wooden door connected to the ground with a rusty handle. Her disgust turns to intrigue, as expected, watching Jungkook pull open the door, an almost intolerable squeak sounding from it.

“What's down there?” 

He reaches forward with both hands, coming up with a partially dusted off book of some sort. “History,” he replies.

Upon turning the first page, she realizes it's a scrapbook of the accomplishments of all students dating up to their freshmen year. It didn't go beyond that, saddening her a little, but evoking curiosity as to what Jimin's year had done. Inside, they discover photographs and items belonging to various school sports teams and clubs, even including young Jungkook hopping onto Jimin's back after their first soccer victory. Chaeyoung is photographed under the greatest academic achievements by a freshmen student, making her face light up tenfold and Jungkook doesn't try to suppress the smile at seeing her realize how much her work had paid off. She deserves to know, he had thought when he discovered this, she deserves everything. Again, she's acknowledged under astonishing vocalist in the school's band and choir.  

“You did so well ever since your first year here,” he says. 

All she's able to muster up is a shaky exhale and a frantic nod, hurriedly wiping away tears. It's futile trying to turn away from him, partly because he's seen her cry a countless amount of times, and also because he's trusted her enough to let his own emotions run loose when he needed an outlet.

“So don't be so hard on yourself, Chaeng-ah. You've done more than enough,” he whispers, gently her hair, moving dampened strands from her eyes. “Let's go have dinner.”

They eat on the rooftop as they usually did at lunch, except they're draped in a blanket stolen from the basement, sipping hot soup from a thermos. Summer has come but there are always odd days like this where the cold catches one offguard. Chaeyoung didn't think it through when she slipped outside in a skirt and thin leggings, now trying to tuck her feet under her thighs. Jungkook shifts the blanket further to her side, enough to cover the exposed skin and she quietly thanks him. 

“What now?” he sighs.

“We wait.”

“For what?”

“The sunset.”

He's certain she knows exactly what he means, but he doesn't mind her tiptoeing over the question. It's a burden to think about the questions of tomorrow. She's been pondering about that her whole life. All she wants to do right now is wait for the end of today, feel the warmth of the sun lowering behind the trees and painting the sky in golden rays and pink clouds.

Even after all of this - all this calamity, this pain - she doesn't want to admit that she'd do it all again if it meant she'd still be right here, next to him. He's troublesome, impulsive, and intolerable wrapped in a devious smile and fluffy brown hair tickling her shoulder when he rests his head there with an extended yawn. But most importantly, he's a presence that's perpetual and calming - putting her mind at peace and setting her soul free of troubles even for a fraction of a second. 

“I...”

“What?”

“I think I'm...” she sighs defeatedly, “nevermind.”

“Are you hurt?” he sits up, instinctively adjusting her upwards.

She laughs softly, “no, no... I'm fine. I'm just going to miss this place.”

During a beat of silence, he nods. This place isn't particularly heaven on earth but it hosts memories that pull at their heart strings and makes them cling to the much simpler times of being young - told what to do and where to go next - unlike the crushing stress of planning ahead. Her friends always told her she'd be far ahead of the game right now had she strayed away from Jungkook - a clear distraction dragging her away from success - but Chaeyoung thinks they barely have half the story correct.

Jungkook is indeed like an anchor, but not the kind that drags her down and drowns her. He's the only one stabilizing her mind when everything seems to collapse in on her - with his adventurous outlook and a bundle of possibilities every time he drags her out into the world. She's convinced he knows every nook and cranny of this small town, and wonders how well he'd know the world if given the chance to branch out.

“You're cold,” he comments, lightly grasping her fingers. It's only then that she notices how significantly warmer his palm is in contrast to her's.

“Then come closer,” she replies so softly there's almost a hint of hesitance that makes his forehead crease with doubt. He shifts closer anyway, afraid she'd catch a cold otherwise. 

She wonders if every part of him is warm or if the impact of the setting sun is increasing as time passes, watching it disappear beneath the horizon. He holds her as firmly as she held him that night in the hospital, trying to reciprocate that tenderness. It's never been him who's done the holding, always relying on the comfort of Chaeyoung's arms around him, letting him rest his head on her lap and cradle his face - under the care of his best friend. It didn't feel like that anymore. He isn't sure if it's the trauma they'd faced or the growing restlessness in his chest when he's around her that's suddenly shifted the atmosphere of their encounters. 

He's denied it, fought it, ran from it - the persistent thoughts of her and the ache in his heart. Somehow the easiest way to make it go away is to simply hold her hand, acknowledging that she's finally here. 

“You didn't happen to break your hand in the accident, right?”

“No, I didn't. Why?

“I've been practicing while you were in the hospital. I'm going to take you down when we get home.”

Jungkook feigns a pout at the way Chaeyoung laughs hysterically at the prospect of him finally beating her. A few times she's pretended to let him win for a change, only to get him to let her leave for school in the morning, but he became skeptical very quickly, leading her back to the game until he's won fair and square. It's a pride thing, she supposes. In the rare event that he does win, she wonders what kind of performance from her it would take for him to believe he's actually won. 

“Alright. Loser has to make breakfast,” she bets, shaking his hand in confirmation. At this point, they've both gotten mildly cold from the weather.

They stand in front of the school one last time, nostalgia like a cloud hovering above their heads. An end and a beginning, starting at this very spot. They look at each other - the most calm they've been in a while - and can't help but smile at the corniness of finding themselves here. If Jimin was here right now, he'd be the most corny of them all, probably writing poetry about the heartache of this moment.

“Are you still looking to be valedictorian this year?” he asks.

“You have to graduate to be valedictorian.”

“And?”

She scoffs. “Were you not paying attention? There's no way I'm going to graduate this year.”

“You might.”

“Huh?”

“You might.”

Her face pales, “I swear to god if you're planning on getting one of your friends from tech club to hack the system or some , I'm seriously going to kill y—”

“No, no, nothing like that,” he laughs, “just playing with you, Chaeng.”

She huffs an exhausted sigh. “Good,” she moves closer, facing the front of the school once more, and rests her head on his shoulder. 

And there it is again - that restlessness inside him that can't seem to quell itself. He wants to hold her again, take her hands into his and tell her—

“Chaeyoung-ah... I need to tell you something.”

She perks her head up at his use of her name. It feels like forever since he's addressed her without a touch of playfulness - it's almost unsettling. “What is it?”

He squeezes the fabric of his shirt, deftly gets his breathing under control, and looks at her with faint pink smothering his face. “Chaeyoung, I—”

“How adorable.”

The way Jungkook's heart had been beating just a second ago spikes, doubling in intensity and his body stiffens. Chaeyoung's look of concern melts into pure terror, her hands going colder than they ever were.

“My apologies, did I interrupt a love confession just now?” Minho comes into view with an almost hysteric look in his eyes, seeming to buldge from his sockets from excitement. He stands tall in a torn up black shirt, exposing scars and open sores from god knows what kind of conquest. “You're really somethin', kid,” he takes a few steps towards them, heavy boots crunching into the gravel, sending chills down their spines, “you steal our van, crash it to pieces, and now you're back here with her. I had a feeling she was special to you. I don't blame you, she's pretty. I never got one that pretty when I was your age. The pretty ones usually didn't want to play but, that wasn't a problem. They eventually did.” 

Chaeyoung winces, “what do you want?”

“What do I want?” he echoes with a dull laugh, “you wanna know what the I want?” His hands moves to his back pocket, the same gesture Chaeyoung remembers just moments before a silver barrel was pressed against her trembling temple. “I want my goddamn money. I want my vehicle back and all the bills that burned in the crash your retard boyfriend here caused. I'm going to make every last Jeon in this family bleed out if that doesn't happen.”

Run. She thinks she hallucinates for a moment, but the closer she looks at Jungkook, back turned to the man, she sees his lips did indeed move. His expression had turned from utterly horrified to undaunted. It's one of his plans again, no doubt. 

She looks closely at him, watches the way his eyes stare directly into hers before darting to the right. Back at her, then to the right. He wants me to run that way. She briefly squeezes his hand to signal an agreement. He lifts his right arm to his chest where Minho can't see, and puts up three fingers. 

“I don't know where the your parents are, probably flew to some foreign country and left you here. I wouldn't blame them, you're one hell of a coward.”

Two fingers.

“Are you even listening to me? Or are you too ing scared to breathe now?”

One.

It's like the effect of an upcoming wave that hits when it's least expected - the two separate in the span of two seconds, leaving Minho stunned. He fumbles with the trigger on his parabellum, frantically searching for the boy who ran off in the left direction. He swerves to his right - the girl is out of sight. There's aggravation bubbling inside him as he impulsively makes an attempt to run in the boy's direction, anger coursing through his system. Both of them will die if he ever catches sight of them again. Minho has never been one to predict things like this - Jungkook had taken note of that from their first encounter, drawing up the deals with his parents - the real brains of the operations was always Kyuhyun.

But what Minho had was the brawn he depended on to smother them both.

Jungkook hadn't told Chaeyoung where to meet him, if at all, but her instincts found her at a corner store a little ways from the school where they always met for snacks to bring to the rooftop. Neither would have guessed it'd be a meetup after nearly being held at gunpoint. Sure enough, he's there, leaning against the door, hands clapped over his knees and finally letting himself breathe out and pant his out his exhaustion upon seeing her appear at last. 

“What now?” she asks, breathless.

“We wait.”

“What?”

He meets her baffled expression with that familiar smirk she's come to both loathe and adore. The chime attached to the door goes off as they enter, with Jungkook hurriedly pulling Chaeyoung down the first aisle he sees until they've reached the very back of the store. The owner pays no heed to their abrupt appearance - they've been here enough times that the old man trusts they won't cause any trouble, expecting they'd leave with another bagful of dried treats and such. 

“I'm sorry you've been dragged into this again,” he says, softly. 

“Why are you apologizing?”

“Because it's my faul—”

“It's not,” she intercepts, taking his hands into her's again, “I'm going to be here no matter what stupid situation you get yourself into.”

“You really shouldn't.”

“Why stop now?”

He bows his head down in thought. She really has always been there, whether he's pulling her there or not. No disaster ever ends without Chaeyoung by his side - negotiating with people, taking the fall for him, putting her life in front of his - she's going to do it whether he tries to stop her or not, and he finds it sick that he's both scared and delighted at the notion. 

“We should go bowling next time,” she suggests nonchalantly, twirling a strand of hair between her fingers. 

Jungkook can't resist the grin that alights his face, an indescribable joy burning in the pit of his stomach. He usually doesn't like change, whether it's in possessions or people, but this didn't seem like a change at all. A shift, perhaps, in the many unexplored aspects of Park Chaeyoung. The parts of her only he has gotten to witness.

“Yeah... that sounds great.”