Jungkook POV

"Don't you need my address?" Chaeyoung finally asked. After coming back from Jimin's apartment and seeing a woman leave his car, Chaeyoung had been mysteriously silent. Not that Jungkook could complain, of course. Chaeyoung had every right not to tell him what was going on.

"No," Jungkook replied. "I already have it." Jungkook again, hadn't thought before opening his mouth. He quickly elaborated in an attempt not to appear to be a stalker. "You know, because I was at your house that one time. And not that I remembered your address particularly or anything. I just... um... happen to still know it." Jungkook pursed his lips, knowing the awkward silence that ensued was well-deserved.

Suddenly, Chaeyoung said, "You're low on gas, You should stop at a gas station if you can, since my house is far away."

Only half of that statement was true. Chaeyoung's house, and in that case, Jungkook's house, was far away. However, Jungkook had more than enough gas for the trip. Despite that, something about Chaeyoung's tone made him pull over at the nearest gas station anyways. And something about Chaeyoung herself made Jungkook feel as if he would do anything to please her. 

Even though Jungkook's tank was nearly full of gas, he still got out of his car anyways to fill it up all the way. He heard the passenger door open, and the light tread of Chaeyoung's shoes. Her footsteps ended a foot away from him on his left.

"So," he said. "I'm assuming we're here not because we need gas." He leaned on the side of his car to look nonchalant, when in reality, his heart was beating unhealthily fast.

Chaeyoung nodded, though she looked unsure of herself. She tucked a part of hair behind her ear, and Jungkook was yet again struck by her beauty. He had to look past her at the gas prices to maintain a clear head. 

"I think Jisoo bugged the car," she said.

Jisoo...? This wasn't a familiar name to Jungkook, but he still searched his memory for a face. Obviously, she was the woman who had somehow gotten into his car, but he wasn't sure what Jisoo wanted with his car.

Chaeyoung answered his question for him. "She's someone from work," she said, in a disapproving tone. "She's just bad news. And though nothing's been proven, there are multiple reports of stalking, and there are countless restraining orders placed on her." She sounded genuinely concerned for him. "She's dangerous, Jungkook. Be careful around her."

Jungkook was already of this Jisoo character. What he hadn't told Chaeyoung was that he'd locked his car doors when he was carrying Jimin to his apartment. And if Jisoo somehow managed to bypass these locks... then she was a threat.

"Thank you," he said.

Chaeyoung looked confused; a common occurence when Jungkook thanked her. "For what?"

Jungkook smiled at Chaeyoung's words. "We can't do this every time, Chaeyoung. Just accept my gratitude already." However, she didn't reciprocate his smile. Her eyes were looking at anywhere besides him. Jungkook didn't expect her to be warm to him, but he'd still hoped. And he now realized this desperate hope wasn't going to lead anything. He couldn't process why he thought there would be a connection between them. Sure, Namjoon had repeatedly tried to convince him that there was something there, but... here was the proof that it was just wishful thinking. 

And as he studied her even more, he noticed more things about her. Like how her body wasn't even facing in his general direction, how she looked ghostly pale in the moonlight, how she looked utterly beautiful. And even as he stared at her for a while, not a glimpse was wasted on him.

"Is there something wrong with me?" he asked. He hated how desperately weak he sounded.

"No, of course not!" Chaeyoung replied after a small pause.

"You don't have to lie to me, Chaeyoung," Jungkook couldn't help the bitterness that seeped into his voice, even though his voice was soft. " You can tell me the truth. Am I so unappealing of a person that you can't even look at me?"

Chaeyoung looked hurt, and his anger dissipated immediately. He couldn't blame her for his own flaws. "I'm sorry," he said quietly. "I don't know what came over me." Chaeyoung didn't say anything in reply, nor did Jungkook want her to. He didn't deserve her words.

The two got back in the car, Jungkook starting the engine before letting out a small sigh. He peeled out of the gas station, turning on the radio as he did so. His sudden outburst left even more tension between them, and Jungkook felt the urge to apologize again.

His decision to turn on the radio proved to be a bad one. At first, generic, repetitive pop songs played, but Jungkook didn't mind that too much. It was just background noise to him, something to distract him from his own thoughts. Eventually, a string of love songs played, as if the universe wanted him to feel more uncomfortable than he already was. But this was tolerable, as Chaeyoung showed no sign of being bothered. Fate was not on his side though, and the song he and Chaeyoung had sung during the karaoke came on the radio. Just the memory of the duet song made him feel even more ashamed about his remark at the gas station. He'd thought at the time that it was fate that made them sing together. But now it was clear that it was just a coincidence, clear that they weren't meant to be. Before he could turn the radio off, however, he heard Chaeyoung singing along under her breath. Just the whisper of her voice was beautiful, Jungkook thought, and he selfishly longed to hear more of it.

Jungkook clenched his jaw, trying to keep this desire out of his mind. What the hell is wrong with me? he asked himself. When the song ended, Chaeyoung stopped singing, and Jungkook came to a stop at a red light.

He checked the time: 2:06 am. It was almost an hour since they'd left the party, and they were finally almost at their houses. Their houses. Chaeyoung didn't know they were neighbors. Jungkook wondered what kind of reaction she would have to this information, before convincing himself that the answer was certain: she would hate it.

The traffic light turned green and he stepped on the gas. He drove for another few miles, and the next events happened almost in slow motion.

As Jungkook reached the next intersection, he heard the screeching of tires as they went too fast on the street. He heard the faraway sounds of approaching police sirens, police sirens that were too far away to prevent a catastrophe. He saw the bright green traffic light in front of him, and the speeding car approaching at lightning speed from his left.

He slammed on the brakes, heard the whining screech of his tires on the ground as they fought against the car's momentum. The suddenness of the stop caused everything in the car to lurch forward, including the people inside it. Instinctively, his right arm extended straight out to his side in front of Chaeyoung's chest to prevent her from hitting the dashboard. He felt her body press into his arm, but he held her firmly in her seat, not trusting the seat belt to do its job.

As his car came to a stop, Jungkook heard the defeaning roar of the other speeding car pass just inches in front of the car. And seconds later, the only remnant of what had just happened was the smoke rising from the ground from the other car's tires.

His heart was beating much faster than it was healthy to, and the adrenaline pumping through his veins did not subside. He stayed stopped at that intersection with his arm still out in front of Chaeyoung until a car from behind him started beeping their horn incessantly. Jungkook finally recovered from his trance-like state, and drove slowly at first, causing the driver behind him to swerve past him, who flipped Jungkook off as he did so.

He also lowered his arm from in front of Chaeyoung next to him, bringing that hand back to the steering wheel. When they reached a spot in front of Chaeyoung's house, Jungkook parked the car. He still kept his hands firmly on the wheel, and plopped his head backwards onto his headrest with a large exhale of relief. "," he muttered, closing his eyes, with the feeling that he was going to pass out. He waited for Chaeyoung to get out, or at the very least, yell at him for almost getting them killed. She's either too nice to yell at me, or too frozen in fear.

"Are you okay?" he asked, but he didn't turn to look at her. He kept his hands on the wheel and his eyes straight ahead, too scared to see her reaction. She didn't answer, and Jungkook hesitantly turned to face her. 

Her eyes were closed, her chest rising and falling in even patterns. She did not, however, look relaxed. Her eyes were moving erratically behind her eyelids, her eyebrows were furrowed, and her lips were forming silent, nonsensical words. Jungkook unbuckled his seatbelt, letting out yet another shaky, relieved breath. If she was asleep, this meant she wasn't awake to experience the near-crash. He tapped her on the shoulder, but she just grimaced in her sleep and turned the other way.

Jungkook thought of carrying her into her house, but literally slapped himself afterwards. Not only would he be touching her without her permission, but he would also be breaking and entering. He sighed, and reached over to Chaeyoung's side and tenderly undid her seatbelt, careful not to touch her. And fate just wanted Jungkook to look like a huge ert.

Chaeyoung woke up with Jungkook's hands near her chest, seatbelt buckle in his hand. Jungkook hastily let go, his hands came to a rest at his lap, and the buckle slid into its place near the window. "Um, you were sleeping and you looked uncomfortable so I... was undoing the seatbelt for you," Jungkook said, ears turning red. "But uh... we're at your house now."

Chaeyoung just nodded and opened her door, and Jungkook did the same on his side. After both of them shut their doors, he locked the car with his key, and made sure he heard the beep that signified the locking of the doors. He watched Chaeyoung walk to her porch, and his eyes were glued to her long legs as she walked. If Chaeyoung was confused as to why he got out of the car as well, she didn't show any sign.

Jungkook blew the hair out of his face and willed himself to walk to his house, his legs feeling unreasonably shaky. Jungkook was somehow finished unlocking his door before Chaeyoung, even though he had no recollection of even taking out his house keys. He thought he saw Chaeyoung's eyes widen as she looked over at him. Jungkook had no time to consider if that was a good or bad reaction when he found himself in the bathroom.

He looked at himself in the mirror, and his reflection seemed to be vibrating. He passed out promptly afterwards, his legs giving out under him like they were made out of paper.

*

Please Subscribe to read the full chapter