He didn’t see it coming, but now that he looks back at it, it did make sense. He was young and had a lot of baggage to carry- not that he doesn’t anymore. He was relatable in that sense and that’s what drew people to his first poetry book. His words spoke to them, their insinuations comforted them and gave them a sense of belonging, that they were not alone in this world, that people like them pass them by all the time and they’re not at all different. They needed that reassurance to carry on living, and Jungkook delivered it with an artistic touch of his own. Truthfully, he never intended to make a living out of writing, it was his safe sanctuary and his way of coping with life’s burdens. It was something close to his heart and letting the world into his vulnerabilities was a dangerous move, but as he grew older, he knew better than to leave his words to himself. He’d be casually taking a walk and the sight of people crowded near the red light, impatiently waiting for it to turn green so they could go back to their homes left him empty. He knew they were tired of this life and its constant routine that the last bit of hope out of them, they were angry at the world for not showing them the compassion they yearned for, but most of all, they were miserable. Jungkook had once read a quote that said ‘People need people’ and he had never felt the depth of it until that moment. Without giving it a second thought, he decided to share his poetry with everyone, because now more than ever, people needed it. It was his debut book so he didn’t set his expectations high, besides, he was young and inexperienced, so it was safe for him to assume that, albeit his noble intentions, his book was set for failure but clearly that didn’t happen which completely surprised him. He was happy with his sudden success but he was even happier that people found solace in his poems, it was his way of giving to the world, except, he didn’t give them everything. He didn’t give himself. As far as his readers know, the poet is a 20 something dude by the name of ‘J.J. Koki’ which is obviously a pen-name. His fans made different threads and theories about his identity and while he was a little anxious that someone would get it right, he found them extremely fun. He’s quite content with himself but it’s been a year since his first book and although he doesn’t feel inspired to write another, his publisher is pressuring him to do so. ‘Gotta hit the iron while it’s hot boy. It’s now or never.’ he’d say everytime Jungkook picks up his calls. So now he’s in the midst of a writer block and it’s driving him a little crazy.

“Look, I get that you don’t feel inspired, but you gotta give me something.” His editor, Hoseok, says to him over the phone.

“I know, you tell me that everytime.” Jungkook chuckles lightly. “Relax hyung, there’s like three months before the deadline. we’re in the safe.” he reasons and the silence he’s met with tells him he’s won this time.

“You’re lucky I have a soft spot for you.” Hoseok sighs tiredly “Just keep me updated.”

“Okay hyung.”

“Take care, kid.” he hangs up with a small smile on his face.

Jungkook’s not going to lie, he got really lucky with Hoseok. Jungkook isn’t a people person, he doesn’t engage in futile talks and likes to keep to himself, so naturally, people found him off-putting and difficult to work with, but Hoseok was different. He respected his personal space, spoke to him with the utmost regard and didn’t push him to do things he didn’t like. One time, when he went to the publishing house to finalize the print, he overheard two people bad-mouthing him which confused him because he had never seen those two in his life. Before he could leave, a figure approached them and smacked them both in the head. It was Hoseok. “Stop talking and get back to work.” he had said. It wasn’t a grand gesture or anything, but it left a warm feeling in his heart and his appreciation for Hoseok grew even more. They’re not particularly close, but they go out for meals from time to time and have casual talks. Jungkook enjoys his time with Hoseok, but more than anything, he idolizes him.

He spots the convenience store’s sign and walks inside, almost stopping at the sight of his best friend Lisa behind the counter in her bra and denim shorts, frantically fanning herself with a plastic plate. He points at her lack of clothing with a raised eyebrow.

“Do I wanna know?”

“It’s ing hot.” she huffs and puts the plate down.

“It’s not work appropriate.” he comments to which she stares blankly at him.

“My whole being is not work appropriate.” he hums in agreement and sits on the counter, ignoring Lisa’s protests.

They met sophomore year at their high school's film club. They were both in charge of photography so they had to spend a lot of time together, which Jungkook expected to be excruciating considering his lack of interest in people, but Lisa was no different than him, and their similarities brought them closer together. Lisa however, had a bolder personality than he did and he admired her for that. She didn’t try to change herself to fit in with anybody, she didn’t think it was worth it anyway, people were a variable, they come and go, so altering yourself to their standards was meaningless. Jungkook agreed, albeit partially. He thought some people were worth being a constant in your life, people like Lisa. They weren’t the type of friends to shower each with affection, but they both knew that they treasured each other dearly, which is why he couldn’t keep his writing identity a secret from her. Besides the people he works with, Lisa is the only one who knows.

She eyes him up and down.“I take it you haven’t come up with anything yet.”

“What makes you say that?”

“You only come here when you have nothing to do, which is all the time.” Lisa remarks.

“Not true, but okay” he defends himself weakly, grabbing a twix from the snack bar next to him. “How’s uni?” he asks and she immediately grunts.

“Please don’t talk about uni, you know it’s . Everything is .” she steals the twix bar from him and takes a bite. “I went out on a date with a guy from my dance class, it was hilarious.” Jungkook quirks an eyebrow

“Since when do you go on dates?”

“Look, the dude was desperate and I thought I might as well have fun ruining his expectations of me.” she shrugged. “It was worth it though, I had never laughed so hard in my life.”

“What happened?”
“We ran into his ex, drama ensued. Apparently, she cheated on him because of his small couldn’t please her so they broke it off, but she also didn’t like seeing him out with other girls which makes no sense, I know. was crazy, but I had fun. I actually recorded it, wanna see?” her eyes light up and Jungkook sometimes wonders if her head is okay.

“You and I have very different definitions of fun.”

They chat a bit more, with Lisa talking most of the time, sharing various anecdotes from her university until her shift ends and she has to attend her afternoon classes.

“Ah , I forgot I had an essay due today for my dance history class.” she huffs in irritation and stares innocently at Jungkook, who already knows what’s coming “Do me a favor?”

“Lis, I’m not writing your paper for you.”

“Why not? you’re a writer, you have your way with words.” she argues but Jungkook is having none of it.
“Best of luck.” he pats her shoulders with a sardonic smile before he goes the other way, leaving a troubled Lisa behind.

“You’ll pay for this!” she shouts but he shrugs her off, crossing the street to the other side.

Besides writing and hanging out with Lisa, Jungkook doesn’t have much fun things to do, so out of boredom, he found himself visiting different bookshops and libraries to check the whereabouts of his book. It started as a way to kill time, and maybe find a good book or two to read that might give him the push needed to write, but before he knew it, it became a silly habit, sometimes even going to the same bookstore multiple times. This time though, he decided to stray from the shops near him and go visit the ones in the outskirts of the city. 30 minutes on the train later, he finds himself wandering aimlessly around foreign streets, gaping at the mass of people occupying them, some stopping by the street vendors for a snack, others bargaining to get a good price on an item of clothing. Jungkook isn’t a big fan of crowded places, so he strolls quickly past them and thankfully, finds a bookshop a few meters away. He goes in with no second thoughts, the tiny bell at the door ringing, indicating the arrival of a new customer. He takes his time to admire the setting of the shop. It’s relatively small compared to what he had seen but unlike the other bookstores he’d been to, this one felt warm and cozy. He couldn’t explain why, but something about the antique wood of the shelves, the smell of old books, the black and white pictures of revolutionary authors hanging on the side and the dimly lit room made it feel so personal and intimate, as if all the secrets in the world were hidden there. With careful steps, he walks around, carefully inspecting the variety of books and their history, gently running his hand over them with an inexplicable warmth, until he reaches the poetry section and there it is, `One second at a time` written in white bold letters on a grey cover, his book staring back at him. He picks it up, a prideful look in his eyes and skims through it, reminiscing over the good old days where it was just him, the paper and pen. Together they created wonders and together they made it. He stops at the last poem he wrote, a nostalgic smile adorning his face as he begins reading it:

Space stealer

Grounded beneath seven skies

With a Vigorous soul and eager eyes

He reaches out for wounded lads

Softening punches and tending scars

But frail he is under his shining armor

Good intentions can’t heal a broken heart

Cry dear soldier cry

Let your bones crackle and fight

Let your skin tear down your sorrows

See the stars fly around

Relish in the wonder of this universe

One day you’ll take on space

One day you’ll make it all better

One day you’ll make you better

It felt right to end the book with a hopeful scream, to bare his heart and let his wishes take over regardless of how foolish and naive they may sound, because no matter the pain, no matter the miseries life throws at your face, hope is always there to hold on to, and hope is a beautiful place to be. A simple belief of a better tomorrow may not mend the broken parts, but it’s enough to ease the pain.

“I love that one the most!” a sweet jolly voice startles him and he almost drops the book had it not been for the delicate hand that caught it. He turns around and suddenly the world grows quiet.

Jungkook has seen his fair share of good-looking people. There was Bae Joohyun, the famous prom queen from his high school days and her fellow prom king, Kim Junmyeon, there was also his annoyingly loud but ridiculously good looking classmate from university Park jinyoung and his equally pretty sister Jihyo. Hell, even Hoseok and Lisa were handsome in his eyes, but he had never met someone so angelically beautiful, so breathtakingly ravishing that could render him speechless, until now. Soft brown eyes, long chestnut hair cascading down her sides and the most serene smile one could wear; Jungkook stands still in his daze, marveling at the gorgeous girl that he almost doesn’t hear what she said.

“I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.” she bows down in apology, “I just got a little excited when I saw you checking out the book, it’s one of my favorites!” her smiles grows wider and Jungkook can’t help but mirror it, seeing the pure thrill and genuinity of her words.

“Is that so?” he stares at her attire and concludes she works here. She nods and lifts the book up, hugging it to her chest.

“It’s amazing! I really recommend you to read it if you haven’t yet. There are so many great poems in it but the last one is my favorite!” she exclaims, hopping on her tiptoes to show her excitement and god, Jungkook is so enraptured by her charm he finds it hard not to beam.

“Space Stealer.” he says and her eyes light up instantly.

“So you did read it.” she looks down at the book and gently caresses its cover. “It’s lovely, isn’t it? heartbreaking for sure, but lovely.”

“You really love it.” he notes, studying her enthralled expression. He feels weird to meet a fan in the open like this, to see someone so in love with his book that he can’t help but feel a bit exposed, but oddly enough, he doesn’t hate it.

“I read a poem from it everyday before I go to sleep, so yes, I love it and am obsessed with it.” she hums and puts the book back in its place. “I sometimes wonder what the author looks like so I could meet him and thank him.”

“Thank him for what?”

“For his kind words. I know people say actions speak louder than words, but I really believe that they’re just as powerful, if not more. they give people hope and I think his poems are no different. They’re sad, depressing at times, but underneath it all, they remain promising.” Her words hit him straight to the heart with no warning, a pleasant tender feeling running down his chest, and before he knows it, he’s voicing out the thoughts swarming his mind.

“You’re so bright” she blinks at him, confused.
“what?”

“You’re so bright and radiant, I can’t look away.” the girl starts blushing profusely, unable to speak which only makes Jungkook smile more. “I didn’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable, it’s just, it’s my first time seeing someone so bubbly like you. It suits you.” as if she wasn’t red enough, she covers her face with her hands, mewling in embarrassment.

“T-thank you.” she murmurs faintly, her rosy cheeks slowly gaining their normal color back. “You’re too honest.” she comments, staring bashfully at him.

“Is that bad?”
“N-no, just unusual.” she lowers her voice as she says “I kind of like it.” but Jungkook perfectly hears it and chuckles.

“I’m Jungkook.” he doesn’t know why or how but something about the girl makes him gravitate towards her in an inexplicable manner. He should be scared, this has never happened before, Jeon Jungkook doesn’t like interacting with people, but there he was doing the unthinkable, introducing himself to a girl he met less than ten minutes ago. His mind was in rampage, questioning his every move and berating him for engaging in something like this, but his heart told him otherwise. It just felt right.

He extends his hand, waiting for her to shake it, and she does, a few seconds later with a shy smile. The touch leaves him a little breathless.

“Chaeyoung.” she says. Even her name is beautiful, he thinks. He lets go, a little regretfully but with a renewed hope in him.

“Chaeyoung,” he repeats softly, making her blush again. “I’ll be back.”

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A.N: My laptop broke down two days ago so I had to buy a new one immediately :(  

Anyway, next chapter will drop either this weekend or next week, depending on my schedule. This fanfic is different fron my previous one so I'm highkey anxious xD Thank you for subscribing and reading <3