Jungkook gets off the bus and is met with the sight of hundreds of fans gathered in front of the Bookstore's entrance. He narrows his eyes, inspecting the different giant signs they've prepared and the merch they brought with them and wonders if he has mistaken the meeting spot because it looks more like an idol fansign than an author's book sign. Just when he's about to check the location on his phone he hears his name being called. He looks up and sees Chaeyoung waving enthusiastically at him, sitting with some other fans who stare at him in awe as he approaches her.

"How long have you been waiting here?" He asks, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"A bit over an hour. I got a little excited!" she replies with an abashed laugh and holds his hand like they always do. The girls watching them start oohing, making Chaeyoung blush.

"you know them?"

"Not really. We were chatting a while ago to kill time." she explains.

They wait for another half hour before the door finally opens and they're ushered into the bookstore, where there's a corner specifically for all things Namjoon, including his books and magazine interviews. They spend a little time wandering around till the event organizer comes again and leads them to a big room where the book signing will take place. Each person takes the seat that matches the number in their ticket, waving their banners and fans excitedly.

It really feels like an idol fansign, the room filled with high pitched screams and anticipation.

They claim their seats on the third row and wait for the event to start, while some fans are busy setting up their flashy banners of quotes from his books or of his face accompanied by heartwarming messages. Their dedication is admirable, and if he's being honest, he's a little envious. It was his choice to conceal his identity, but what if- and that's a big if-  what if one day, he decided to reveal himself and hold a book signing, will the atmosphere be the same as this one? lively and passionate, just like the vibrant and touching words of the author himself? He smiles sadly to himself at the thought. Maybe if he was a little braver, just a little bit braver..

Just then, the door opens and the piercing screams come at force the moment Namjoon comes in, wearing his dimpled smile and waving at the fans as he takes his seat in the front.

"Good afternoon everyone, I'm Kim Namjoon." the screams intensify and Jungkook could feel his ear ringing already. Beside him, Chaeyoung is losing her mind. "I'm happy to see so many of you today, thank you for coming!" he says with a bow and continues. "I want to start this event by saying that in my entire 8 years career as a writer, I've never thought I'd have a book signing with this magnitude. I'm truly grateful to every single one of you, for giving me a chance, for choosing to read my books and for giving me strength to keep going forward. Thank you so much." he stands up to bow this time, and everyone starts shouting encouragements and kind words. Jungkook smiles gently amidst the cacophony of cheers.

Soon enough, after some casual chatting with fans, the event organizer cues the start of the book signing. Jungkook stands up in line, holding his own copy of Namjoon's newest book entitled 'Eleon'.

It tells the story of a young girl named Eleon who went into a coma following a severe accident and the only way to save her is through an underground organization. Willing to take the risk, her parents agree to their help. She wakes up the next day, body healed, eyes open, heart beating; everything seems normal. Until it isn't. Her body is not hers anymore. There's someone else living inside her now.

Jungkook got goosebumps when he reached the last page. It was a suspenseful emotional ride, and all he felt after he finished it was a foreign raw pain at the core of his heart.

The line moves forward a little, and Chaeyoung almost trips but he steadies her, hands on her arms.

"You okay?"

She laughs at herself. "Yeah, sorry. I got a little too excited."

Chaeyoung squeals when her turn finally comes. She hands Namjoon the book and he smiles gently, asking her for her name. He asks how she's doing and if she wants for him to write anything in particular. Jungkook observes their interaction intently. Namjoon is really good at interacting with his fans. He pays attention to every detail and makes sure to check up on them every then and now. He's truly a professional. Chaeyoung waves her book excitedly as she throws praise at him, and Namjoon thanks her in return. She practically skips away with a gleeful smile and Jungkook is a little too enamored by her to notice the event organizer yelling at him to walk up.

"Hey." he says casually as he gives him his copy. Namjoon just smiles, a knowing glint in his eyes as he carefully opens the cover and starts writing in it. Jungkook quirks an eyebrow. Isn't he supposed to ask him for his name? oh whatever, maybe he doesn't need to. It's the author's signature that matters anyway. But then, he hears him say:

"The sun was shining on everyone' parade

But the sun was a forgotten stranger to me

And with every second spent outside

My soul died a little on the inside

Why is it wrong to hold on to thorns

When they're the only thing left to hold onto"

Jungkook freezes, eyes glued on Namjoon's hands. That's his poem.

"That's my favorite. I carry it in my heart wherever I go. It's not that often that you find someone who speaks your language." Namjoon continues and hands him the book. "Thank you." he says it so softly, his eyes overflowing with so much sincerity that Jungkook momentarily forgets his initial shock.

He walks away, a little dazed and confused, so many questions roaming inside his head. How did he recognize him? How did he know he's the writer of that poem? How did he know? They were from the same publishing house, sure, but Jungkook had told the staff to not divulge his identity. That was part of the deal. So how did Namjoon know? He opens the book cover and there it is, the note he wrote for him:

To J.J.Koki,

May the thorns turn into beautiful rosebuds.

-Kim Namjoon

He closes the book and hugs it close to his chest.

The next segment of the event is a Q&A with the fans. The first questions were a bit personal, asking about his love life, how he spends his free time and what kind of stuff he keeps in his second drawer- an oddly specific question that left Jungkook a little unsettled. But soon enough, the focus is back on the book and a fan stands up to ask.

"In the book, we see the heroine constantly struggling to get control back over her body and at some point, we're led to believe she will finally succeed but that's not what happens. Why did you choose to have a sad ending?" the fan sounded genuinely hurt by the chosen ending, her friends gently consoling her.

"Somehow, over the years, I've become known for always having sad endings in my books, and I've seen how upset some fans were. For a moment, I thought maybe I should adhere to what my audience wants, but I immediately refuted the idea, because I knew, if I don't write from the heart, then my words won't have my heart in them either, and I didn't want that." he leans back on his chair and looks down pensively. "I personally think my endings are not sad. If I had to describe them, I'd say they are freeing. As you all know, the book ends with Eleon killing the last remains of her soul, surrendering her body completely to the being living inside her, after a long internal battle. Some of you were disappointed by that ending, but I think it was the best ending for Eleon. She was completely helpless, robbed of her body and her freedom, the only thing left of her is her soul. She saw herself becoming someone she's not, acting as someone she's not, doing things she doesn't approve of. She was a victim throughout the story, and as much as I would have liked for her to find an escape and be liberated, reality unfortunately doesn't work that way."

"Uhm, Can I add something?" Chaeyoung's voice echoes through the room. Namjoon nods and she stands up. "The way I see it, I think it was the best ending possible for Eleon. She was restrained from doing anything at her own will, she was an abstract existence that no one knew of, it was frustrating how she couldn't decide anything for herself anymore, and that's why she killed herself. Because dying was the only one thing she could do out of her own free will, the only choice she could call hers. It was the closest thing she could have to freedom. Besides, there's a passage in the book that alludes to Eleon possibly being reincarnated, so by choosing to kill her consciousness, she wasn't giving up, but rather it was her way of standing up and fighting for her freedom. She remained strong amidst adversity and died in the best way possible: free."

Everyone's looking at Chaeyoung, completely speechless. Namjoon grins and nods. "That was a great analysis. Thank you." It was obvious by his tone alone that her interpretation hit the nail right in the head.

She sits back down and soon everyone is back to focusing on Namjoon. She hides her face in her hands in embarrassment. "I can't believe I did that." she whispers.

Jungkook pries her hands from her face with a smile. "You were awesome." he reassures her, squeezing her hands.

The book signing ends with Namjoon thanking the fans and teasing that he's working on something new which made the fans go wild. 

It's late in the evening, the sun ready to set any minute by now. Jungkook's currently standing at the entrance, waiting for Chaeyoung to return from the bathroom, but it's been a little too long for a bathroom trip and he suspects she went back into the bookstore to buy more books. Classic Chaeyoung.

"Thank you for coming today." he turns around to find Namjoon smiling at him.

"How do you know me?" Jungkook asks directly, not bothering with the pleasantries.

"We work with the same publishing house. It wouldn't be so hard to cross each other there." he replies, adjusting his coat. "Also, Hoseok talks about you a lot."

"Is that so."

"Yeah. He also said you have a writer's block."

Jungkook shrugs, not knowing what to say. Are Hoseok and Namjoon that close for his hyung to talk about him? and to a stranger no less. At least, a stranger to him.

"Let your heart speak." Namjoon says and Jungkook looks at him in confusion. "Don't overthink things. Just let your heart do all the talking, even if it has nothing to say. Silence is also a language, you know." he continues.

Jungkook awkwardly looks around. "Is that how you choose a theme?"

Namjoon puts a hand on his shoulder. "That's how you choose everything in life." he pats his shoulder twice before he walks away.

Chaeyoung soon comes back, clarifying that she was indeed buying books from the bookstore.

Their hands naturally find each other, and they let their feet lead them back home. Chaeyoung, as usual, starts recounting all that has happened as if Jungkook wasn't there with her. He listens to her nonetheless, because that's his favorite thing to do.

"I'm just so happy today happened. I got to meet one of my favorite authors, how cool is that?!" she grins happily and stops when she sees a park nearby. "Hey let's go watch the sunset there!" she tugs at his hand and leads the way. The orange hue of the sky slowly starts dissipating as the moon makes its grand entrance. They watch as the sun completely disappears, leaving behind a trail of light behind, like a gentle promise for tomorrow.

"Namjoon is amazing. I really underestimated him. I didn't think he was this popular." He says, eyes focused on the lonely moon. Namjoon is immensely talented, it's no surprise he has such a strong and dedicated fanbase. To be able to shake people's heart and take them on an emotionally-gripping ride with your words alone is a hard feat to achieve, and yet Namjoon does it so effortlessly, so perfectly, so beautifully.

He secretly wonders if he'll ever reach his level.

"He wasn't this popular when he debuted, you know. It took him three years to have a best-seller, and ever since, he kept his momentum going, only rising further up. I really admire people like him." she stops for a second and adds "In a way, J.J.Koki reminds me of him."

Now that's a statement he never thought he'd ever hear. How are they similar? they're worlds apart.

"You know how in stories, protagonists always try to run away from their pain and it's only in the end do they finally face it?" she smiles before she continues. "It's different with them. Namjoon's characters embrace that pain and allow themselves to truly feel it and delve into it till their hearts shatter completely, pieces of the past still haunting them, but instead of trying to throw those pieces away, they mend them together with the present, slowly building themselves as the pain makes amends with the happiness they thought was gone forever, to create this beautiful thing called hope. I felt that with Koki's poetry too. It starts off depressing, the shadow of a broken man hanging around you as you read through them, but with every page you turn, the shadow slowly morphs into this blinding light and by the time you reach the last page, you feel that light inside you, seeping through the most vulnerable parts of you until it fully consumes you and suddenly, you realize: you're finally free."

He stares at her. Stares for a long time, the moon long forgotten, and before he knows it, he's hugging her from behind, arms wrapped around her middle, his chin resting on her shoulder.

"J-jungkook?" she stutters, surprised by the sudden intimacy. He doesn't say anything, he just tightens his hold around her and closes his eyes. He really can't find any words to describe the intensity of what he's feeling right now.

Silence is also a language, Namjoon said.

And Jungkook thinks he's right. Silence is a language, but not just any language. No.

Silence is the language of love. And the realization hits him like a bullet train

He holds Chaeyoung for a long time, secretly hoping that this silence will make sense to her.

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A.N: No you're not imagining things, I have updated TWO DAYS IN ROW! progress amiright? well, I hope you enjoy this chapter as well!