30

“Miss Kim!”

Leeteuk looks ecstatic to finally meet her again, and he stops himself from bending forward to hug Hara when they have entered the foye, awkwardly clearing his throat before taking a step backwards.

“We have been worried.”

“Worried my , there was going to be a riot if you hadn’t showed up soon!” 

The voice comes from the hallway behind them, and Hara blinks in surprise when Heechul shows up, apron dirty, hand carrying a rolling pin the size of a baseball bat. He must have been waiting there for a more dramatic effect. 

“I told you I wanted you here, how dare you even think of leaving?”

“She did not exactly have a choice in that matter,” Leeteuk says, giving Heechul a stern look, “she was hospitalised for a rather heroic act, Kim-ssi.”

“Coma and death both count as leaving, and I don’t intend on letting you go anytime soon, Hara,” Heechul barks and then points the rolling pin at Jungkook who is standing behind Hara, his hands on the wheelchair handles. “And you, Jungkook, should treasure the very ground she walks on for saving your scrawny .”

“Kim Heechul, watch your language,” Leeteuk warns, a little panicked as he offers Jungkook a nervous smile, but Heechul just pushes him aside with his hip and moves the rolling pin closer to Jungkook’s face. 

Hara feels a few specks of dust fall onto her face and she wonders what they’ve made for dinner while wiping it off. It’s not like she can eat it anyway, though.

“You got it?” Heechul arches an eyebrow challengingly. Jungkook bites back an amused smile and nods firmly. 

“Yes, sir.” 

Satisfied, Heechul removes the rolling pin and nods, pursing his lips before turning on his heel, leaving the hallway while mumbling stuff under his breath. 

There’s a moment of silence before Leeteuk awkwardly clears his throat. 

“I am terribly sorry for his behaviour, you see, Kim-ssi has been a little stressed as of lately, especially when the police closed off the kitchen and dining hall to investigate the crime scene.”

Hara feels her heart sink a little when she remembers what happened on Halloween, and Jungkook seems to have noticed because he instantly switches the subject.

“Where’s dad?” 

“Master Jeon and Miss Kim are both at a meeting, however I believe they will return later today in time for dinner with you two. Oh, and Heechul has taken care of Hara’s dietary requirements in the dinner preparation, so there is nothing to worry about.” 

“Good, I’ll take her to her room first,” Jungkook says and nods before pushing the wheelchair further into the house. 

Some of the housemaids are hovering around, waiting for orders from Jungkook, but the boy doesn’t say anything as he moves Hara to the grand staircase. 

“Yeah, there’s a hole in your plan,” Hara says when they come to a halt in front of the many steps. Jungkook blinks and purses his lips, and Hara sighs and leans back. “There’s no point in asking for help, I won’t survive the indignity, plus it’s too difficult to move the chair upwards.”

“But it’s easy downwards,” Jungkook says, blinking in realization, and Hara frowns, yelping a little in surprise when Jungkook suddenly turns the wheelchair and starts moving across the living room. 

“What are you doing?” Hara snaps, and Jungkook maneuvers them through hallways, a small smile on his face.

“Your room is big, but not big enough for you to move around freely-”

“What are you on about?”

“And in addition to that, you only have a bathroom there, you need a kitchen, too,” Jungkook continues, and Hara is about to pinch his hand for being an annoying brat when they suddenly come to a halt in front of a familiar staircase. 

Jungkook turns the chair so he’s behind Hara while she’s facing the wall instead of the stairs, and he leans forward so his head is next to hers to finally offer her an explanation. 

“You’ll be staying with me until you’re good enough to walk.” 

Hara feels goose bumps rise across her skin, her heart skipping a beat and cheeks blazing up. 

“I-I haven’t agreed to anything,” she mutters, and Jungkook laughs lightly and takes a step backwards, moving the chair with him. Hara yelps and tightly grabs onto the handrests. “Jungkook, you piece of shi-”

“It’s too late now,” Jungkook sings, “decision has been made, I’m afraid.”

“Without my consent, stop right now or-”

“You’ll scream? Really? You need a new catchphrase, that one is getting quite old, no?”

“I’m going to murder you,” Hara growls, adrenaline rushing through her veins with each step Jungkook moves the wheelchair, and she tightly shuts her eyes when they move even lower. 

“Yeah, I’m familiar with that phrase,” Jungkook says, amusement evident in his tone, and Hara is about to yell a bunch of profanities when everything stops. She opens an eye and then realizes they’re all the way at the bottom. Jungkook must have distracted her, because Hara thought there were more steps left.

There is a moment of silence before Jungkook turns the wheelchair around and then grins down at Hara.

“Now, was that so hard?”

“ing prick.”

“That’s also quite old, you are in dire need of a new set of phrases, Hara,” Jungkook says, grin widening, and Hara tries reaching forward to punch him but Jungkook steps backwards and laughs. “You know what? I can help you out with that.” 

Jungkook grabs Hara’s wrist when she tries reaching for him again, and steps closer, his grin shrinking into a small, shy smile as he looks down at her.

“How about, I like you?” 

Hara’s eyes widen a little, warmth moving from where Jungkook’s hand meets her skin all the way up to her neck. Jungkook’s smile is sincere, genuinely adoring, and Hara’s heart skips a handful of beats because , he’s cute. 

“What do you think?” His voice is soft, a little over a whisper, and he arches a hopeful brow. “Has a nice ring to it, no?” 

“You’re stupid,” Hara mutters in embarrassment, not able to handle his intense stare any longer, and Jungkook huffs. 

“Sounds familiar, but it’s new, fine, I’ll accept it.” Hara bites back a smile and pushes the wheels, moving the chair away from Jungkook. “Hey, that’s really disrespectful, I was in the middle of talking to you.”

“Not interested,” Hara calls over her shoulder, and Jungkook smiles to himself as he follows her down the hallway towards the living room space. “Do I sleep on the couch or will I get special treatment?” 

Hara was thinking about the guestroom she had seen the first time she had found Jungkook’s man cave back in august. Jungkook has different thoughts. 

“Yeah, you’ll sleep in my room.”

Hara sputters in surprise. “Excuse me? I will do no such thing, I don’t know what you’re used to, Jeon Jungkook, but I will not share a bed with-”

“I was planning on taking the guest room,” Jungkook slowly says, frowning, but his frown disappears and turns into a smug look, “unless, of course, you want me to sleep with you, which I have no qualms about, just for the record.”

“Shut up, idiot,” Hara snaps, looking away, and Jungkook laughs, relenting. 

“I’ll have one of the maids fix your room. In the meanwhile, let’s watch something. The boys are gonna be here soon.”

They end up sitting with a bunch of pillows between them on the soft couch. 

Hara is hyper aware of the boy next to her the entire time they watch reruns of Supernatural, but Jungkook seems to be as comfortable as ever, slouched backwards on the couch. 

Soon, he yawns and then starts reclining lower and lower against the cushions until his head is on the pillows that were supposed to separate the two of them.

Hara pretends not to have noticed and keeps staring at the tv, but Jungkook suddenly moves closer and she can practically feel his soft hair brush against her hands in her lap.

“What are you doing?” Hara asks, looking down at Jungkook who has closed his eyes while frowning, a finger pressed against his temple. 

“My head hurts, probably from lack of sleep.” Hara feels guilt shoot up and she blinks. “It usually helps if I do this.”

Jungkook brings his hands to his head and uses two fingers to massage both temples, brows furrowed and eyes still closed.

Hara bites her lip, wonders if what she’s about to do might cross a line, but then decides she doesn’t care because Jungkook has a headache from having stayed with her for so long. And Hara knows exactly how annoying she can be. 

Her fingers are shaky and hesitant, but once they meet his skin, Hara calms down and drags in a soft breath before gently moving Jungkook’s hands away. Jungkook freezes and slowly opens his eyes, staring up at Hara with an indecipherable look on his face, and the girl decides to focus on her fingers, not able to handle his stare. 

Jungkook lets out a soft sound, eyes fluttering shut as Hara starts massaging the skin next to his eyes, and Hara bites her lip and wonders why she feels good knowing he’s content. 

There’s no feeling of discomfort, no worries or anxiety in this exact moment. Hara doesn’t understand how and why she’s able to feel this good just from fricking massaging Jungkook’s head, but she isn’t going to complain. 

She can smell Jungkook’s laundry detergent, all flowery and early summer, light breeze and cool ocean water, and she closes her eyes and wonders why her heart feels at peace. 

She doesn’t realize she has stopped massaging his temples until she feels Jungkook’s hands enclose around her wrists, and she opens her eyes, blinking in confusion. 

Jungkook’s smile is soft and endearing, but there is a hint of sadness to it. Hara frowns but then notices a drop of liquid on the boy’s forehead and then realizes it’s from her own fricking eyes. She’s crying. 

“It’s okay, Hara,” Jungkook whispers, knowingly, but does he really know what she’s currently feeling? “You’re safe here, you’re home.”

Hara stares at him for a moment.

Of course this er knows. Of course Jungkook knows what she’s feeling - he knows her like the back of his hand. 

Hara blinks, clogging up, eyes burning and then whimpers, lower lip wobbling slightly. Jungkook instantly sits up and doesn’t waste a second, tightly pulling her to his chest, and Hara clings to him, her sobs muffled against his shoulder. Jungkook doesn’t move, not even to sit more comfortably, no, he remains like that, letting Hara cry her heart out while rubbing soothing circles into her back, and Hara finally, finally let’s it all out. 

All the pain from her dad leaving her, from her mother distancing herself, from the childhood trauma, from the broken friendships, from the emptiness within - she lets it all out and feels the world’s weight gradually lift off of her shoulders until she’s nothing but a floating consciousness held down by Jungkook and Jungkook alone.