"Do you have any idea how much I waited to hear from you?" -Jeon Jungkook

 

 

 

Chapter 2: Strawberry Tears

 

              “Noona!”

 

              Hyun tried to ignore the voice following her. She quickened her pace but it turned out the owner of the voice was no longer a small kid and had longer legs than her because she was soon grabbed from behind.

 

              “Jeon Jungkook,” she sighed, stopping in her tracks and looking up at the figure holding tightly onto her arm. She was about to pour a bunch of questions she had been piling up inside of her onto him but froze when her eyes met his.

Because his big, doe-like eyes were watery.

 

              “Wha—are you…crying?” she asked in disbelief, her own eyes enlarging.

              “You’re so mean, you know that?” Jungkook burst into tears, using the large sleeve of his hoodie to cover his eyes. Hyun stood there baffled, and noticed a few people staring at the two with concerned faces. She quickly realized they were in the middle of campus and tried her best to calm the baby down.

              “Hey, why are you crying all of a sudden? I’m sorry—I don’t know what it is that I did but I’m really sorry,” Hyun began to pat Jungkook’s back when all of a sudden he pulled her closer and wrapped his arms around her waist, burying his face into the crook of her neck.

              “Do you have any idea how much I missed you? (sniff) How could you leave me without saying a word? (sniff) I spent (sniff) years (sniff) waiting for you and now that I finally see you, (sniff) you’re smiling all prettily at some other (sniff) guy,” Jungkook sobbed. Hyun tried not to sigh too loudly. Jeon Jungkook had changed physically yes, but inside he was the same. He was still the clingy child Hyun remembered him to be.

 

              “Yes, I was wrong. I was a jerk. Noona’s so sorry, Kook-ah,” Hyun continued to pat his back and couldn’t believe she was repeating those words for the first time in years. She was a little surprised at how her body still remembered that this was precisely how she used to calm an upset Jungkook ever since they were little.      

 

             

 

              “Wah!”

              “Why are you crying Kook-ah?”

              “You’re only playing with Seung Hee and not even looking at me!”

              “Seung Hee is my friend, which means you should be calling her ‘noona’ too! And I play with you so much more on a regular basis!”

              “I don’t care! You’re mine!”

              “No I’m not!”

              “Wahhhhhhhhhhh!”

              “Okay, okay. I’m sorry. I was wrong. Noona’s so sorry Kook-ah; don’t cry.”

 

 

 

              Hyun wanted to shudder at the memories of her childhood spent on baby-sitting and meeting Jeon Jungkook’s needs. But she didn’t want that very Jeon Jungkook who was attached to her at the moment to feel that.

              Jungkook giggled into Hyun’s neck, tickling her. She paused.

 

              “Did you just…laugh?” she wanted to pull away but couldn’t budge with Jungkook still trapping her in his big arms.

              “Yeah…” he said, still giggling. Hyun began to get annoyed.

              “You were literally crying seconds ago. Why are you laughing now?” she tried not to raise her voice.

              “’Cause you just called me ‘Kookie,’” Jungkook said with a grin. Hyun could practically hear his grin, knowing it would be just as toothy and bunny-like as she recalled it to be.

              “What the—I’ve always called you ‘Kookie.’ And can you let go now? We’re in a public space you know,” Hyun rolled her eyes at how pointless the conversation was becoming.

              “No,” Jungkook shook his head, his soft hair rubbing against Hyun’s neck. She growled.

              “Let go Jeon Jungkook. Or it’s no more ‘Kookie’ from now on,” she threatened, gritting her teeth.

 

              Jungkook let go at once. His eyes became big and watery again as he now shook his head repeatedly.

 

              “No! I’ve been dying to hear you call me ‘Kookie’ for years now… I don’t even let anyone else including Mom call me that. So you have to call me ‘Kookie,’ okay?” Jungkook whined as he slipped his hand into Hyun’s, making her a little startled at how big and warm it was. She could’ve sworn the last time she held his hand, hers was the bigger one wrapping around his.

              “Fine, but only if you stop crying and making a fuss. We’re literally in the middle of campus and I’m embarrassed already,” Hyun began to walk, cueing Jungkook to nod and follow. Their hands were tightly locked, mostly because Jungkook was the one gripping tightly.

 

              “Speaking of your mom, how is Auntie?” Hyun asked.

              “She’s good. She missed you too over the years,” Jungkook replied, to which Hyun silently nodded to. She became lost in thought, looking back to the days Jungkook’s mom fed her snacks and thanked her for taking care of her boy.

 

              It was beginning to darken, with only a tinge of orange in the sky. Hyun and Jungkook walked in silence, now coming to an open street filled with stores, restaurants, and people. Hyun breathed in the evening breeze, feeling its coolness and smelling the hot food it brought with it.

 

              “Aren’t you hungry? You barely ate didn’t you?” Hyun asked, looking over at Jungkook who hadn’t for a moment taken his eyes off of her. She was yet surprised again at how she now had to look up at him as they were walking side by side. It appeared that there were lots of things she had to get used to as her small, bunny baby had turned into a tall, bunny-buff man.

              “How could I eat when you were sitting across some guy and like…talking to him?” Jungkook furrowed his eyebrows, already mad at just thinking about what he saw back at the freshman welcoming.

              “Oh am I not allowed to even talk to anyone else?” Hyun asked with raised eyebrows before continuing, “Well that’s why I left; so you didn’t cause a bigger scene than the one you were already causing. With me gone, you should’ve just stayed and finished your food.”

 

It was true that the moment Jungkook had snarled at Taehyung Hyun knew it was probably best to leave. And so she did. She just simply collected her belongings and walked out, leaving everyone at the welcoming speechless. It took less than a second for Jungkook to follow her out, leaving everyone even more speechless.

 

              “Why would I stay there and finish my food when you literally walked out like that? You know I’d choose you over anything… And I feel like every time I see your back, I get so scared you’re going to leave me again…” his voice began to break as he mumbled the last bit of his sentence.

 

              Hyun couldn’t seem to respond to that other than squeezing his hand to keep him from crying again. She did feel a little bad, after all, that she had left a middle-schooler Jungkook back in Busan to attend high school in Seoul without saying a word. Knowing Jungkook all her life, she knew he probably didn’t take that very well in the slightest. But she also knew that telling him she was going to leave would’ve made him go nuts and stopped her from leaving at all.

              Do Hyun had just chosen her education and dreams over Jeon Jungkook.

              And Jeon Jungkook couldn’t possibly imagine choosing anything over her.

              How bittersweet.

 

              “I’m sorry,” Hyun managed to say. She glanced up at Jungkook with puppy eyes, trying to look as sorry as she sounded.

              “As long as you never leave me again, I’ll forgive you just this once,” Jungkook smiled, melting away at her adorable sight. He used his free hand to pet her head.

              “Hey, no touching my hair,” Hyun jerked back, narrowing her eyes.

              “Why?” Jungkook pouted.

              “It feels…weird getting petted by a baby like you. I feel like I should be the only one allowed to pet between us,” she shrugged. Jungkook’s pout turned into a straight line as he clenched his jaw.

 

              “A baby?” he repeated, his tone cold.

              “Yes. A baby,” Hyun nodded, not picking up his tone.

              “I don’t think you understand the fact that I am a college student now too, Hyun-ah,” Jungkook said, his hand tightening even more around hers. Hyun glared at him.

              “What—Hyun-ah?! Did you just call me ‘Hyun-ah?!’ How dare you—” she broke away from his grasp and tried to headlock Jungkook. But she failed because she once again forgot how tall he had become.

              “We’re both adults now so I think I ought to be able to call you by your name,” Jungkook dodged her attempt to lock him and shrugged.

              “No way. If I’m not “noona” you’re not “Kookie” either. And I don’t care if you’re “an adult” now. You’re still the baby Kookie I always knew you to be,” she rapped, pointing her index at him.

 

              “…” Jungkook didn’t respond, partly because he knew what she said was right. As much as he hated to admit it, it didn’t matter if he had physically grown into a man; he was still a baby when it came to Hyun.

An attention-seeking baby that wanted to be in her arms more than anything.

A cry baby that hated even just the thought of Hyun caring for anyone other than himself—as selfish and petty as that was.

 

              “You even cried earlier so I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Hyun said with a scoff as she continued to walk. She turned around when she noticed Jungkook wasn’t beside her and saw him still standing hopelessly with his eyes on the ground.

 

              “Come on Kook-ah. Noona’ll buy you something to eat,” she stretched out her arm with an open palm for him to grab. She waited.

 

“My arm hurts,” she called out, making Jungkook run towards her. He grabbed her hand, grinning.

 

              “I want a hamburger with a strawberry shake,” he said.

              “Of course you do,” Hyun shook her head as she led him to a nearby fast food place.

 

              She wasn’t exactly sure how she felt about Jungkook being back in her life, and she obviously had a ton of questions to ask him. She also had questions to ask herself, like how she didn’t feel so awkward around him when it’d been nearly half a decade since the two met.

 

But for now, she had to feed her bunny a burger and a shake.

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

              “Are you leaving now?” Yoongi turned his head at Seokjin, who was throwing on his jacket.

              “Yup, I’m all done for the day. What about you?” he asked back, adjusting his collar now.

              “I’m going to finish some grading and then I’ll probably be off. I can’t keep my lady waiting for too long,” Yoongi answered. Seokjin chuckled.

              “Lucky you have someone waiting for you. Just screw grading and go see her,” he grabbed his bag as he was about to leave. Yoongi smiled at that, his gums showing.

 

              “Well it’s not like a guy like you can’t have someone. You’re just not trying and turning down every girl who even approaches you,” Yoongi shrugged, shaking his head. He couldn’t quite understand why his colleague and officemate would choose to be single when he was smart, good-looking, funny—and the list annoyingly went on. On the contrary, he himself didn’t quite remember ever being single. And that was how different Min Yoongi was from Kim Seokjin. They may be sharing the same office, but clearly they were desks apart.

 

              “You know, being alone isn’t so bad. No drama, no headaches,” Seokjin shrugged back. He looked at Yoongi’s phone now buzzing on his desk. He smiled, “And no phone calls. You better get that before she explodes.”

              “Okay you’re the one who said I was lucky for having someone waiting for me,” Yoongi narrowed his eyes at Seokjin before grabbing his phone, “Hey babe. I’m almost done.”

              “Bye,” Seokjin mouthed with a wave before heading out. Yoongi responded with a hand in the air.

 

              Click. Click. Click.

 

              Seokjin’s shoes clicking on the smooth floors was the only sound he could hear in the long hallways of the English & writing department. He checked the time: 6 pm.

              His eyes squinted as he came across a large glass window that put on a grand display of the sunset drenching the whole building with orange. He kept walking, too tired to appreciate how gorgeous that was.

 

              Kim Seokjin meant what he said. He was indeed perfectly fine “being alone.” After all, he never really had time to build deep relationships, outside his family of course. It wasn’t that Seokjin was cold or immensely introverted. He loved people by all means, but it was just that breezing through school and getting his doctoral degree at such a young age made him unable to slow down for anyone. Hence he had no friends, no pals, no pets, and no love life. Just his family, but no one else outside of that. And he was okay with that.

              When he was scouted to teach at BigHit University, he wasn’t really expecting anything to change.

But that was before he met Yoongi and…Hyun.

 

              Those two for some reason happened to be exceptions. They were people that made him slow down for once. And try to settle in instead of wanting to breeze through. They made him smile. They made him laugh. They made him see why people were worth talking to.

Worth spending time with.

Worth loving.

 

              That didn’t mean Seokjin was ready for anything deeper though. When Hyun confessed to him, it was true he was flattered and maybe a little flustered, but above anything…he was scared. It was only the beginning of him creating relationships of this kind, and to be honest, he didn’t want to lose that. So he did what any professional could do by politely telling her “no.”

 

              Seokjin pulled out a piece of dark chocolate from his pocket and unwrapped it before popping it into his mouth. He always had his pockets and office loaded with dark chocolate. For a chocolate-lover like himself, dark chocolate was just a means of making him less guilty for eating so much of it, since it wasn’t as sugary as milk chocolate. And perhaps by eating so much of it, he slowly became very similar to it. Bittersweet.

Someone who seemed sweet and nice but strangely with a bitter aftertaste.

Whether that was pleasant or not, Seokjin would never know.

 

 

    Stepping outside, he quickly walked over to the parking lot. He was halfway there when he heard a loud noise from one of the school buildings. He turned his head and saw a door swing open, followed by a figure marching out defiantly. 

     With her short, black hair and usual hoodie with leggings, it wasn’t difficult for Seokjin to recognize right away that the figure was none other than his “favorite” advisee, Hyun. There was no one else on campus that could walk out of a building that boldly too.

 

     Seokjin was about to turn away and continue making his way to his car when he heard the door open a second time, this time revealing what appeared to be a male student running out.

 

    “Noona!” 

 

     Seokjin narrowed his eyes, watching the guy, dressed also in a hoodie but with jeans, as he ran after Hyun. His strong build was evident even through his baggy clothing, contrasting against his fluffy, dark brown hair and overall cute demeanor. It was a weird combination of buff and adorable, but somehow the male running after Hyun seemed to pull off such a duality quite easily. Seokjin found himself blankly staring at him.

 

 

     It wasn’t until the two were out of sight before his feet began to move as well. And this time, he made sure they didn’t stop until he reached his white car, parked in the designated spot for him. 

 

    Getting in and starting up the car, Seokjin solely focused on getting home. It was a long first day of classes, and all he needed at the moment was a nice cup of tea after a hot shower. He needed to relax and recharge. And he didn’t need anyone for that; he just needed his much valued ‘alone time.’

After all, he was Professor Kim Seokjin, advocate of “being alone isn’t so bad.”

 

    He briefly thought of the image he saw minutes ago, of Hyun walking out with some guy chasing after her, but it didn’t last very long. Seokjin couldn't care less about the personal lives of his students.

Yes, that was what Hyun was to him. A student.

Right?

 

    It wasn’t long before he finally pulled up into his driveway, quickly getting out as soon as he parked. He made his way up to his apartment condo, already yawning. 

 

Beep, beep, beep, beep. 

 

His fingers swiftly pushed the buttons of his passcode for his door lock. And once the door unlocked, his feet stepped into his home, rather dark and cold...like it always was. Still, this was his favorite part of the day, when he had absolute peace in his own space. As he the lights, he popped one last piece of dark chocolate into his mouth before undressing himself to take a shower and call it a night.

 

But what Seokjin didn’t realize, was that there was a small part of him that felt a little empty whenever he walked into his dark home, with no one to welcome him in. Of course, Seokjin didn’t really remember or know what that felt like, given that he had spent nearly a decade living alone. Yet the emptiness—the isolation and loneliness—was there. Just small enough to be ignored at the moment.

 

And it would grow, if Seokjin came across someone that showed or taught him what it felt like to have someone waiting for him. 

 

But since he didn’t for now, he was content with the warm water washing away his weariness and that cup of tea he’d make soon afterwards. 

 

 

Or at least, he thought he was.

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

    “Okay I’m still not over what just happened back there,” Sooyoung walked out of the freshman welcoming in a daze. It was now 9 pm and everyone was trailing out to go home or grab another drink. And normally Sooyoung herself would join in on round-2-drink-parties, but her mind was busy...trying to come up with an explanation as to why Hyun and some hot freshman ran out the building together earlier that evening.

 

    “Wasn’t that guy Jeon Jungkook? The guy that’s on every single hockey poster we see?” Ji Eun tilted her head, trying to recall the figure on the posters that were literally all over campus bulletin boards.

    “Yeah you’re right!” Sooyoung nodded with a clap, “No wonder he seemed familiar! I knew I couldn’t forget a handsome individual like that!”

    “Well that ‘handsome individual’ seems to know our Hyunnie,” Ji Eun said with a smirk.

    “I know, right? They seemed so close too,” Sooyoung nodded again. 

 

    “Well, we’re never going to know all the details until she tells them to us herself. And all we gotta tell her is ‘Congrats for now being remembered as the girl Jeon Jungkook chased after,’” Ji Eun let out a laugh, thinking Hyun had made quite the accomplishment.

    “Seriously though. I mean, after the two left, all I could hear were the girl sunbaes literally cussing,” Sooyoung shuddered, hoping their friend would make it okay through junior year without being threatened by all the girls who thought they had a chance with Jeon Jungkook.

 

    “Well, now that I think about it, I remember Yeri telling me all about him. It’s interesting though, because from what she told me, Jeon Jungkook is not only one of the most popular freshman boys, but he’s also known to be super indifferent and unresponsive to others. He takes a while to open up apparently,” Ji Eun said. “So if the guy that ran after Hyun was really him, then they must be more than close.”

 

    “Ooh could it be that he’s a freshie catch for her?” Sooyoung all of a sudden stopped, whirling to face Ji Eun with an excited face.

 

    “As long as he isn’t her cousin or something, I say there’s a good chance he might indeed be the better replacement for that professor,” Ji Eun nodded affirmingly. “Maybe he’ll turn the tables and be the first younger guy Hyun ends up dating.”

    “I’m going to call her right now and ask,” Sooyoung looked through her bag to fish out her phone.

    “Hey don’t interrupt her! She’s probably with the Mr. Jeon Jungkook right now. Let’s just wait until we see her at the dorm,” Ji Eun held up a hand, stopping her friend.

 

    “Oh good call,” Sooyoung grinned sheepishly, agreeing that there would be plenty of time later that night to hear all about Hyun and her new man. “Well I hope she’s having fun.”

 

    “She probably is,” Ji Eun smiled. “Come on. Let’s have some fun ourselves too.”

 

    The night was still pretty young, and the two girls could hang out without their third musketeer for the time being, waiting on the explanations they were dying to hear.

 

 

    Assuming that their third musketeer planned to come home in time for a major interrogation session.

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

“Are you happy now?” Hyun looked over at Jungkook, whose doe eyes sparkled as he nodded rapidly, briefly patting his full tummy.

    “Yup!” he slipped his hand in hers.

“You literally have the same taste buds but definitely not the same stomach,” Hyun shook her head, already used to having to hold hands with Jungkook wherever they went. That hadn’t changed one bit since the last time they met. The two were now walking back to their dorms, hand in hand. Hyun let out a sigh, “I swear the last time I ate fast food with you, I never spent more than twenty thousand won (approx. 17 dollars). How are you able to clear two whole burger sets with fries and inhale a whole cup of milkshake afterwards?”

 

“I could eat more you know,” Jungkook shrugged. “That’s nothing for an athlete like me.”

 

“An athlete?” Hyun repeated, raising an eyebrow. “You’re an athlete?”

 

“Uh huh,” Jungkook nodded, standing up straight. He gave her a playful, toothy grin. “I’m on our school’s ice hockey team. I got recruited last year.”

 

“No way. Really?” Hyun asked, impressed. Jungkook nodded again, proudly. It shouldn’t have surprised Hyun too much that Jungkook was an ice hockey player, given that he had been playing ever since middle school—when she was still around. But she had no idea he was good enough to get scouted by the school. And that was a big deal. BigHit University’s hockey team was in the top five best teams in all of Korea. If players within BigHit’s team were skilled enough, they’d even be recruited to play as national athletes at the Olympics or other international tournaments.

 

Wow, I didn’t think he’d still be playing ice hockey, Hyun thought to herself. And then it hit Hyun that she barely knew anything about the current Jungkook in front of her. She knew nothing about his life after his middle school days.

 

“Oh yeah that reminds me; I have a ton of questions for you Jeon Jungkook,” Hyun said, stopping in her tracks. She really did have a “ton of questions” that were piling up inside of her, but she wasn’t able to ask any at the burger place because Jungkook was too busy eating and didn’t have the mouth to talk. So Hyun thought perhaps now would be a good time to catch up a bit.

“Kookie,” Jungkook corrected with a pout.

 

“Okay...Kook-ah,” Hyun complied with an eye roll. “So did you choose to come study at BigHit because you got recruited? Were there no other schools you wanted to go to?”

“Well, no,” Jungkook shook his head while his lips grinned at the sound of ‘Kook-ah.’ He was really simple-minded and easy to please...like the child he was. He continued, “At first, I didn’t really want to go to college in the first place. And getting recruited didn’t really spark the interest for college either.”

“Then why’d you come?” Hyun tilted her head in puzzlement.

“Because Mom told me she heard that you’re studying here,” Jungkook looked right at her. “And that made me say ‘yes’ to the offer with no hesitation or second thoughts.”

 

“Wha—so you came here...because of me?” Hyun wanted to face palm herself.

 

“I don’t think you understand how dead I was when you left me without a word, noona,” Jungkook squeezed Hyun’s hand. “I even almost gave up on hockey too, but thought I had to hold onto something to keep me sane and alive at least.”

 

“...I’m sorry,” Hyun averted her eyes to the ground, unable to say anything else in response. She thought she knew how much she meant to Jungkook, but she had no idea her absence affected him to that extent. 

 

“It’s okay. Don’t give me that face or else I’ll feel bad,” Jungkook gently touched Hyun’s face with his free hand, making her look at him. “Just promise me you won’t leave me again.”

 

“...”

 

“Hm?” Jungkook raised his eyebrows with hopeful eyes when Hyun gave no response.

 

“Okay. I promise,” Hyun nodded finally and only then did Jungkook let out a sigh of relief.

 

“Let’s go home now noona,” he smiled as he led her forward again. The two walked in silence, feet matching and hands swaying.

 

 

“But if you missed me that much, why have you never called or contacted me? It’s not like we’re living in the twentieth century where you have to write letters or something. You could’ve easily given me a call or text,” Hyun said after some time. It occurred to her that he had never once contacted her...which didn’t make sense, hearing how much he missed her.

 

“I was scared to,” Jungkook responded, keeping his gaze on the road in front of him. Hyun turned her head to look at him, waiting for him to go on.

“I thought that maybe you left me because you hated me or something...and I thought I shouldn’t call or contact you until you did it first,” Jungkook went on, his voice getting quieter. “But you never did.”

“So you just...never called? What if we ended up never meeting again? Were you planning to not see me for the rest of your life?” Hyun asked, making Jungkook immediately stop and whip around to face her.

 

“No! Don’t say that…” Jungkook’s big eyes began to tear up and Hyun started panicking again. 

 

“Wait don’t cry Kook-ah,” she widened her own eyes and pleaded.

 

“You’re the one that left me and you’re the one that never contacted me. Do you have any idea how much I waited to hear from you?” Jungkook started to sob and Hyun stared at him, baffled and flustered.

 

“You’re right. I’m the bad guy. I’m sorry,” she tried to calm him down like she normally did, using one hand to pat his back and the other one that was already holding his hand grip harder. It was the second time she was trying to stop the baby in front of her from bawling his eyes out that evening. And my, she had forgotten how much work it required each time.

 

“I don’t think it’s possible that we would never meet again though. I mean, we’re together right now. It was bound to happen,” Jungkook said, sniffling. He looked at Hyun, his pretty eyes glistening with tears. “I prayed every night for this, and I guess God finally heard me.”

 

“Yes, it was meant to happen and yes, God must’ve heard you indeed,” Hyun nodded, just affirming and repeating everything he said half-heartedly so he would stop crying. She then thought for a moment about what he said, making her open again, “But Kook-ah, I never left you because I hated you. I’m really sorry you thought that, but you know I’d never hate you. I left to study, and I didn’t want any distractions so I barely contacted people in general. You’re not the only one I temporarily didn’t reach out to.”

 

“Really?” Jungkook sniffled. Hyun nodded, a little relieved that things were now dying down emotionally for Jungkook.

“Of course. I just needed to study, that’s all,” she reassured him.

 

“So you chose your studies over me?” Jungkook’s voice became aggressive all of a sudden. Hyun froze, a little startled at his question. And a little in disbelief. Was he being serious right now?

 

“Well, I needed to study for my future,” she tried to explain.

“What about our future? I needed you for my future—am I not in yours?” Jungkook asked, stepping closer. Hyun flinched, looking up at him and seeing his furrowed eyebrows, indicating he was clearly upset. Guess things didn’t die down emotionally at all. And the maturity of the conversation they were having did.

 

“That’s not what I’m saying Kook-ah. You mean a lot to me, being a dongsaeng (younger brother) I sincerely care about. But I have dreams and aspirations too. Things I want to accomplish and things I want to achieve. That’s why I left Busan to come here to Seoul,” Hyun stood her ground, already tired from having to explain something she felt was unnecessary. 

 

She thought Jungkook would understand her. She thought he was old enough—mature enough—to come to see that her leaving him was perfectly understandable. Shouldn’t he be happy for her and support her pursuing her dreams, instead of being so selfish and wanting her by his side all the time?

 

“...”

 

Jungkook remained silent, lowering his head and kicking a pebble on the ground. He couldn’t say anything back because he realized Hyun was right. There were going to be times when she would choose her “dreams and aspirations” over him. But having been through it once, Jungkook was scared. Scared she was going to do it again and leave him again.

And he wasn’t ready to face it again.

Because it hurt.

Like crazy.

 

Even though she promised minutes ago that she wouldn’t leave him ever again, he was still afraid he’d be second to her goals. And he didn’t want to plainly accept that. He already went through it that one time and was determined to not experience it again. So yes, Jeon Jungkook was going to be selfish.

 

 

“Well since you spent years prioritizing your goals and achieved them, I can be your priority now right?” Jungkook said finally, raising his head to lock eyes with Hyun. 

 

“Wait what?” Hyun wanted to pull her hair out. “What are you talking about? I haven’t even started accomplishing everything I want to yet—I haven’t even finished college!”

 

“I don’t want to be less important than your studies,” Jungkook pouted, his eyes still on hers, “Then at least let me be just as important...hm?”

 

“...okay,” Hyun ended up agreeing to that. Placing Jungkook on the top of her list of priorities wasn’t very ideal, but it was better than having to deal with him throwing another tantrum. Hyun sighed. It was going to take so much time and effort to train the maturity level of this bunny standing before her, lips still in a pout and hand still holding hers. She wondered if he would ever grow up to be a man—mentally as much as he had already physically grown. Because the only thing that was screaming”I’m a man not a child” seemed to be Jeon Jungkook’s built body.

 

“Come on,” Hyun moved her feet again, with Jungkook following. She hoped they would be able to make it back to their dorms without having to stop a third time. That meant she wouldn’t be asking any more questions to him for now, since it seemed as though those questions were the sole cause of stopping. And looking at the last ten minutes or so, she had no idea where Jungkook would turn the conversation to if she asked more.

 

 

“Noona,” Jungkook called her as they were walking.

“Yeah?”

“Are you taking the rhetoric course offered this semester? The one in the morning?” It was Jungkook this time that asked a question, a little out of the blue. Hyun nodded, “Yeah..? How did you know—oh wait. You’re in that class too, aren’t you?”

“Yup,” Jungkook grinned, returning her nod. 

“I thought I heard your name during roll call!” Hyun remembered how she had froze when Professor Kim called Jungkook’s name. So it was the Jeon Jungkook she thought it was. The Jeon Jungkook right beside her.

“Wait, why didn’t you come to class then? You shouldn’t slack off just because you’re training to be a professional athlete Kook-ah,” Hyun narrowed her eyes at him, shaking her head in disapproval. 

“I know, I didn’t mean to,” he shook his head rapidly as well, desperate not to disappoint Hyun. “My first meeting with my coach ended up lasting longer than expected, so I couldn’t.”

 

“Well just make sure you don’t miss another class. Professor Kim is lowkey strict on attendance,” Hyun nodded understandingly before asking, “Did your meeting with your coach go well though?” 

“Uh huh,” Jungkook answered. “He made it clear that I need to practice hard and study hard, so don’t worry noona. I won’t be absent or late to future classes.”

“Good boy,” Hyun smiled at him, reaching up to pat his head. Jungkook scrunched his nose at her touch, his lips also stretched into his typical, bunny-toothed grin. He had missed her touch.

 

“So how does being an athlete work? Do you just take core classes and then practice all the time?” Hyun asked, even though about a two minutes ago she wasn’t planning to ask any more questions. Still, this was hopefully a question that could be answered without having to stop.

“Yup. I only have to take core classes with a few classes in kinesiology,” Jungkook answered.

“Oh okay. So the rhetoric course we’re taking together is part of your core?” Hyun looked at him.

“Yeah. I wasn’t really fond of having to take so many classes, but I saw your name registered in that rhetoric course so I made sure to fit that one in. I hate that I can’t take more with you though,” Jungkook’s smile disappeared, his shoulders drooping at the fact that he was only in one class with Hyun.

“It’s alright. At least we’re taking one and not zero together,” Hyun said, trying to cheer him up. The one class with a professor I really wish wasn’t teaching it, she continued in her head. She gave Jungkook a smile, “Right?”

“Right,” Jungkook bobbed his head in agreement. He quickly brightened up, “Let’s eat together every day in between classes too, noona. I want to spend as much time with you as possible.”

 

“Don’t you want to make friends other than me?” Hyun raised her eyebrows, hoping he’d say yes. As much as Hyun didn’t really mind eating with Jungkook every day, she was a little worried he’d be a loner if he only spent time with her. And freshman year was all about making friends—especially through sharing meals.

 

“No,” Jungkook responded with no hesitation. “I don’t need friends. I just need you.”

 

“Come on, Kook-ah. You’re in college now. You should seriously try to branch out and build some relationships—”

“No. I don’t want to,” Jungkook shook his head defiantly. Hyun just sighed, giving up at this point.

“Okay fine. Then I’ll eat with you until you make friends,” she said.

 

“Oh good. That means we’ll be eating together forever since I’m not planning on making any friends,” Jungkook laughed happily.

 

Oh my word, Hyun wanted to scream but instead she just forced a smile and nodded, feeling it was no use to argue back. She was getting rather weary from all this.

 

“Alright you know what? I’m really tired; I think I better go home and rest; and you do too Mr. Athlete,” Hyun began to walk faster, wanting to reach the dorms and crash onto her bed now. That and she sort of needed a break from her Kookie for a bit too.

 

“Okay okay,” Jungkook cheerfully obeyed, and Hyun was glad he didn’t make any other scenes. The two of them walked the rest of the way in sync, and within ten minutes, they reached the dorm buildings. Finally.

 

“Well, I’ll see you tomorrow maybe,” Hyun was about to let go of Jungkook’s hand and head off into her own building but couldn’t. Because Jungkook wouldn’t let go.

But was that even surprising at this point?

Nope.

 

“Can’t you sleep over?” Jungkook raised his eyebrows, using both of his big hands to sway Hyun’s hand back and forth, like a child pleading to his mother.

 

“Are you kidding me?” Hyun couldn’t believe her ears. She glared at Jungkook. “No. I can’t just sleep over when you’re clearly in the men’s building! And besides, don’t you have a roommate?”

 

“I don’t,” he shook his head. Hyun opened to respond, but he continued. “Everyone on the hockey team gets their own room. And my coach said we’re allowed to have guests over whenever.”

“Your coach isn’t the person that gets to make all the rules; there’s probably housing rules established by the school you still have to follow,” Hyun shook her head, trying to pull away from Jungkook’s grasp.

 

“There’s no rule that says I can’t have my Hyunnie noona over,” Jungkook pulled Hyun closer to him the more she tried to get away. 

 

“Oh my goodness Jeon Jungkook. You are insane,” Hyun hoped he was joking. 

 

“Please? Then just stay until I fall asleep...hm?” Well he was clearly not.

 

“...” Hyun bit her lip.

 

“Pretty please?” Jungkook batted his long eyelashes. And that made Hyun weak. She let out a groan.

 

 

“Fine...but this better be quick. And I’m really only going to stay until you fall asleep. I’m leaving once your eyes shut close—got it?” Hyun wagged her finger at him, once again surrendering to his needs like she always did. For some reason, she couldn’t seem to ever win against the bunny now engulfing her in his arms.

 

“Thank you,” he smiled, squeezing Hyun with his big arms.

“Just lead the way already. I’m tired,” Hyun mumbled, her face rubbing against his hoodie.

 

 

Jungkook giggled as he pulled away and interlaced his fingers with hers (obviously for the hundredth time), leading her to his dorm. Hyun was determined to use any and every babysitting skill she had within herself to put the giant baby Kookie to sleep as quickly as possible. That way she could bust out of his place and get the sleep and rest she’d been craving herself.

 

Jeon Jungkook was, without a doubt, still the same clingy, whiny, baby she remembered him to be years ago—and she wasn’t too excited about having him on campus for her junior year. 

 

 

But Jeon Jungkook was also a major distraction for Hyun. 

 

 

With him constantly seeking her attention and touch, it occurred to her that Kim Seokjin didn’t cross her mind...at least not nearly as often as he probably would have if Jungkook wasn’t there to hog all her energy and care.

 

  And since Jungkook was at least that, Hyun knew that she would be willing to spend a little more of her energy in putting him to sleep so that she herself could sleep well that night—being all exhausted and drained—with no cockeyed thoughts (of Seokjin or what not) that usually lingered in her mind during bedtime.

 

 

    But in order for her to have that bedtime, she needed to attend to Jungkook’s bedtime first. 

 

So she quickened her pace.

 

 

    She honestly couldn’t wait to crash.

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

---

Author's Notes:

 

Oh my word Jeon Jungkook's clingy level is way too high and all I can ask is...Hyun's gonna make it out..right? (lol why you asking you're the one writing)

 

Well..I'm very sorry for making Jungkook cry like a hundred times in this chapter and I promise I didn't mean to...but like can you honestly hate him for being so clingy and crybaby material? LOLOLOLOL

 

I don't know where this is going but I'm going to keep writing...so if there's at least one of you that's still reading...THANK YOU.

I am so grateful for each read, sub, and comment! You guys really motivate me to write so I want to tell you that I appreciate you greatly.

 

I'll be back soon, I promise and um..sorry things are getting seriously too cheesy already hehehehehehe

 

Love you all and please stay safe!

<3