joy remembers clearly the day she'd realized she was different from all her cousins.

when she was nine, her grandmother had hosted a family outing in her grand, almost theatrical mansion, one that was able to house the entire extended family, no less—and naturally, joy's mother had been ecstatic at the invitation. "this is your chance to become your grandmother's favorite child, my daughter! show her just how darling you are." her mother had chittered as she fitted joy in her best velvet-and-lace dress for that evening's dinner.

having never directly spoken to her grandmother before, joy naturally gravitated towards an instinctual desire to be the favorite, too. she was park joy after all, adored and doted on by her parents and all those she encountered, and she didn't think it was possible, at the time, for anyone to dislike her anyways.

until she'd watched her grandmother smile and pat her two cousins blithely on the head, only to turn to her with a snide remark, "so you're that woman's child."

and until, a few years later, she'd received news that her grandmother had decided to boot her to the states.

it had been quite the revelation, indeed.

"i would like to announce a decision i have made in regards to the park family enterprises. as of today..."

joy sits still at the press conference she is attending, distracting herself with posing for the cameras. namjoon is poised in the seat at her side, a charming dimple peeking out on the exterior of one cheek. he's dressed finely in his usual black-on-white, a pair of gold-rimmed frames sitting on the bridge of his nose, and the room simmers with speculations of the two.

the truth being that he was now joy's most prominent stockholder, whose value to her was likely a bit more than such.

joy remembers also, distinctly, the moment it had seemed her life had been torn apart—seokjin had broken up with her, her mother had, in tears, revealed she was on the brink of divorce with her father, and none of her wealthy, past friends thought her start-up would be worth the investment.

first, namjoon had convinced her to confront seokjin after yerim and seungwan had told her that he'd been waiting outside her apartment. he'd driven her to the hospital, sat down next to her on the bench, and waited with her for seokjin's friday shift to end.

"hey." she had greeted a shocked kim seokjin, still decked in scrubs and juggling his keys, as he passed them in the hallway.

"joy."

the way he uttered her name had almost made her back away.

almost, until she remembered that namjoon was sitting behind her—and at that moment, when she turned back to glance at him, she could see the look in his eyes—that even if seokjin still didn't accept her, after everything, she at least had a shoulder to cry on.

there was nothing more to fear.

"you're right, we are different people." she had blurted out with the bravery that once more belonged to her, to park sooyoung who clutched her own fate in her own hands.

to the park sooyoung, whose pride and dignity always belonged to herself.

just as he began to walk past her, just like he always had every time she'd catch him since that day, she said what she'd always wanted to say.

no holding back anymore, park sooyoung.

"and maybe at first, you really were just a challenge to me. but that was only at first. kim seokjin, i really did love you."

he stopped in his steps.

"we're different, but you made me understand you." she continued, "you showed me that life can be beautiful, even when it's simple. even when it's not colorful or loud or expensive."

joy took a shaking breath as he turned around to face her. somehow, her chest felt lighter, even though the words which were spilling out of left a heavy residue regardless.

"the reason why it didn't work out between us is not because we're different. it's because i couldn't make you understand me." she raised her head, a bittersweet smile on her lips. "i won't bother you anymore, from now on. but i hope, seokjinnie, that you'll always take care of yourself. don't overwork yourself. make sure to eat your meals."

"joy—" his voice broke. he was crying.

"and," she finishes as she, too, feels her cheeks wet with tears. "don't blame yourself."

second, namjoon had been there for her when she confronted her parents.

"nice to meet you, ahjussi, ahjumma." namjoon addressed as he received delighted greetings from joy's parents at the front door of their home.

"sooyoung-ah, i thought you were dating the doctor!" her mother was practically squealing in excitement at her son-in-law potentially being one of seoul's most renowned businessmen.

"bah, she never brought him home anyways. always said she was scared we'd chase him off—" her father begins with a hearty chuckle.

"mom, dad..." joy laughs they make their way through the door, seating themselves in the living room. "we're here to talk to you about something important, actually."

"of course!" her mother nodded, hands clasped together on the sofa.

"not too long ago, sooyoung opened her own streetwear company." namjoon starts, "i liked her vision, so i invested. she plans to debut her first line next month."

joy nods gratefully in agreement.

"that's wonderful, daughter." her mother gushes immediately.

"she has it in her blood to start her own company." her father proudly adds.

joy clears then, as she musters up every ounce of her courage. "so that's why i wanted to tell you guys—the property titles, i don't care about them."

the room grows silent as shock spreads over her parents' faces.

"i know you both love me, so please stop fighting over how to split the inheritance between me and the rest of our family." she continues, feeling namjoon's reassuring hand on her back, "you guys fighting hurts me more than me not getting ownership of a golf course or a house."

the quietness settles painfully as her father and mother stare at each other.

"we understand now, sooyoung." her father finally says, tears welling in his eyes. "my little girl is all grown up now."

then, lastly, namjoon had been the one to help her fledgeling of a company on its feet—which was why he was here today, as a stockholder in a park family affair.

he was here to witness her achieve the one thing she'd sought after her entire life.

"...i declare my granddaughter, park sooyoung, as its sole future inheritor."

the room explodes with a mix of reactions—applause, surprise, and a rapid fire of questioning from the press—but when joy walks out of the conference room that night to celebrate with red wine in the arms of namjoon, no less, she is park sooyoung, twenty-three years old, heir to the entirety of park enterprises.

("congratulations, cousin." park chaeyoung later approaches her as they leave the building, smiling so genuinely that it brings joy to tears. "you deserve it. even though you threw your shoe at me."

joy laughs, her eyes twinkling. "to be fair, i sprained my ankle for doing that.")

—

being as desolate as he is, min yoongi works odd jobs—there's the french restaurant in gangnam with red leather booths and tinkling silver spoons, there's the records shop in hongdae, decorated waywardly in graffiti, neon lights, and all—and then, there's this one.

the convenience store night shift, with pale, green lighting and white tile that always smells overly of disinfectant.

yoongi wishes for nothing than the cliché melodrama setting—he hopes that it's raining outside, so hard that one can't help but stop inside the store for a hot cup of ramen and a cheap umbrella to surge through the walk back home. the kind of scene where he meets the girl he hasn't seen in a while, and the two of them have a spontaneous heart-to-heart on the spotless countertop near the window, maybe a makeshift meal or so between them.

but it's simply not the case—the dark sky outside is as clear as the seoul smog will let on, and the weather is perfect for some night market shopping or a walk along the riverside. there isn't a son seungwan to be seen, and yoongi knows in the back of his mind she won't appear regardless.

fateful coincidences, he laments to himself with a sigh, just don't happen for him, really. just like all other nights, he will stand here in his navy blue uniform with a barcode scanner in hand, watching the hours tick by.

until does he sees her there, at the end of the aisle.

"yoongi." she says his name first, causing him to wobble slightly on the step ladder he is currently standing on, shelving soju.

"seungwan?" he catches himself before he breaks a bone, hopping off the ledge with an awkward bounce.

it's been a while, they both seem to silently say as they meet each other's eyes.

"quite a...coincidence," he starts, only to frown when he sees her shake her head.

"no, not a coincidence." she says, to his surprise. "i uh, followed you here, actually—from the restaurant. when does your shift end?"

yoongi counts his fingers, before deciding this job can burn in hell anyways. "i just started, so five hours—but i can take a break." he feels his lips tug upwards, in a way that hadn't in a long time.

they do end up sitting on the countertop near the window, two bowls of instant noodles between them—and, most importantly, she does end up telling him what is on her mind, after the usual how-are-you-latelys are exchanged.

"yesterday, i was granted a restraining order from my brother." she says, in a way that it's almost as if she can't believe it herself. "these months, they've been so hard for me..." her lips stretch and her eyes wane painfully, and she doesn't seem to notice the tear that slides down her cheek—the tear that later, he wipes away.

"and there's a lot of things i regret." she confesses, shaking her head. she looks him in the eye, and he understands.

she has found herself.

"but i never once regretted loving you."

and now, it's finally time for them to find each other.

—

that evening, apartment 2301 is bustling with quiet celebration. in the wake of joy's achievement, there are also two other reasons which irene is throwing a house party.

one, it has been two days since yerim became officially engaged to jungkook.

speaking of which—

"jeon jungkook." the young man near yerim's side introduces himself to taehyung at the door. he has an attractive, youthful smile and eyes that shine with spirit. his one hand is outstretched in greeting, while the other is clinging loosely around yerim's waist, plaintively displaying its newly adorned silver ring.

taehyung chuckles, takes his hand in a firm shake, and invites them inside.

("someday, i'm going to show you off like that." he later whispers to irene, sometime after everyone had left.

"well," irene threads a hand through his hair, a playful guise in her tone as her nose brushes his cheek, "i guess that means you'll put a ring on it, hm?"

then, when he does in fact produce a velvety box from his pocket—)

"unnie, we're here!" next, a familiar voice sounds boisterously at the door, a giddy park joy gliding through the kitchen soon after. namjoon, too, appears behind her, giving taehyung a welcoming hug and jungkook a pat on the shoulder.

it's not long before jung hoseok arrives at the apartment, a crate of soju in his hands.

"yerim's other boss—the good-looking one with flair." he introduces with a flourish, leaving a sour expression on jungkook's face that makes everyone laugh.

it doesn't last long when yerim kisses jungkook on the cheek, letting him know she loves him anyways. "even if hoseok oppa does have more sophistication." she says, seeming to have long mastered the art of pleasing both of her employers quite well.

"irene!" seungwan peeks her head in the doorway, with yoongi in tow. "hope we're not too late."

and, lastly, kim seokjin knocks at the door.

he'd managed to make it out of his shift when joy had invited him this afternoon, and—excluding the fact that he'd been the one to witness most of her efforts to earn her place in her family—even if those feelings weren't there anymore, they would always be important to each other, after all. kind of like two people who had to stop loving each other in order to realize that they'd never loved the right way.

"thank you all for coming. seulgi and jimin are currently in busan, so they won't be joining us today." irene seats them all at the table, where steaming dishes decorate the surface.

the second reason irene felt the need to celebrate was that a certain blood test had in fact revealed: she hadn't inherited mother's mental condition. with this knowledge, her father had henceforth agreed to remove himself from her life, and irene felt at peace for the first time in a while.

after all, taehyung was also with her.

irene smiles shyly as she raises her soju glass with fervor, watching as the rest of the attendees follow suit. "to level 23!" she cheers.

everyone clinks their glasses together, echoing her toast.

"to level 23!"

—

seulgi had agreed to travel with jimin to busan for the weekend, as his apology for what had happened with his mother. he'd taken her to the beach that night to stargaze, one of seulgi's favorite habits when she was still living in the suburbs. strangely enough, when the wind blows through her hair (even though it carries more heavily the salty tang of the ocean) she feels at home—as if she is on her roof back in ansan, watching the sun set, and waiting for the it to rise again.

seulgi raises her hand to trace the constellation of the cowherd and the weaver girl as she says, "jimin, thank you for not giving up on me, even when someone important to you wanted you to."

jimin looks at her then, his fingers weaved between her own, swinging between them. "seulgi, you're also important to me." he tells her, and that's when seulgi feels it—

the swell in her heart, that makes it feel like her lungs are about to burst. the one she'd always been waiting for.

suddenly, she releases his hand as she walks forward. "wait here." she says, before she's at the shore and the water almost laps at her toes.

take the dive, kang seulgi, it seems to beckon. all you have to do is keep your head afloat.

"park jimin!" seulgi cups her hands around her lips as she hollers with all her might. she sets her eyes in the distance, where the waves will carry away her confession to a far, faraway shore—but most of all, to him, who is beside her at the moment, and always will be.

"i love you!"

END.

a special acknowledgement to
kingsglaive / jjk-kyr 
for supporting this fic since the day episode zero was published, and always inspiring me with her witty comments and fanfictions of her own.

a sincere thank-you to
those of you who supported this story and loved it as much as i did. please comment your thoughts!

lastly, if you liked this book, feel free to explore my other works:
— my youth is yours；jungri
(idol-verse / complete)
— retrograde。jungri
(timetravel!au / ongoing)
— golden；seulmin
(college!au / ongoing)

with love, peppermism.
🧸