Yeri never thought that the date Jungkook was talking about was them coming to a place like this. 

 

“You said it went bankrupt.”

 

“The owner who hired me, it was bought by another person and they reopened.”

 

The book store is still there, it’s even more advanced with technology compared to what she remembers. It’s fancier and bigger. She became amused to see this whole place. It is weird to be here right now.

 

“There are not as many employees or staff like it was before.”

 

She let go of Jungkook’s hands and started roaming around the place, she never went to a public place like this. She doesn’t really have friends to go with and also she feels like enjoying her times, smiling and laughing were such a cruel thing to do after her brother’s death.

 

“They can eat here.”

 

Yeri is totally serious when she’s pointing her hands to a small cafe in a corner of the bookstore.

 

“They sell food here.”

 

Well, it is a cafe, of course they’re allowed to eat.

 

“They said I couldn't.”

 

“When?”

 

“When i came here..and i ended up throwing everything out.”

 

Right, that one day, that one dream. He thought Yeri was joking for the thing she asked, but she seems very serious and it makes him realize that she probably lost so much more than him after their family tragedy, she is completely different compared to him in dealing with their sibling death.

 

“It’s a trend these days, you know a built-in cafe within a bookstore, it is a good marketing.”

 

So he decided to answer her question in a serious manner too.

 

“Sorry, i don’t know lots of things, i usually spend my time alone, i don’t have many friends either..”

 

She seems to notice the thing he was thinking about her and becoming uncomfortable about it.

 

“I learned a lot while filming though.”

 

And her occupation as an actress and celebrity seems to help her adjust to a normal life after her brother is gone. She became quiet and some people started to pay attention to her. She hides her face with her hair.

 

“I’ve seen enough, let’s go.”

 

That’s what she said while turning her back from him and walked out from the bookstore in a quick step. He’s following her closely until she’s back to get inside the car and let out a long sigh once she finally got her seat back. 

 

***

 

“I’ll take no. 3 to 8, for the shoes, i only like no. 9 find something else for me.”

 

Yeri is totally not talking to Jungkook right after their bookstore visit, she is busy with her phone, talking about clothes, dress, and shoes. She said this is her monthly routine, picking up some sponsored clothes that she likes so she can wear it in a formal event. He knows a bit about how that works.

 

“I don’t know you can pick your sponsored clothes.”

 

He finally found a moment to start a conversation with her again when she finished her third or fourth phone call.

 

“We couldn’t , I usually used my own money to buy clothes I love from other brands if I don't like what they gave me. I’m a total rebel, Irene unnie got into lots of troubles because of that.”

 

He can imagine, totally. This Yeri will purposefully wear something better and similar from the rival brand she needs to endorse just to pissed people off. 

 

“A privilege as people called it. They know I'm doing this job not because I need the money or the fame, I have nothing to lose. My career and my image could’ve been destroyed and I will still be rich enough to build a new entertainment agency.”

 

“You are mad at me.”

 

He ended up laughing when he realized that Yeri was trying to pick a fight with him by talking in such a rude way.

 

“Why would i get mad at you? You are taking me out for a date, I should be grateful, no?”

 

He ignored what she told him and told her to get out of the car, because they arrived at another destination. His last plan for today.

 

For Jungkook, coming back here is nothing more than nostalgia. He used to come here often when he was young, but he slowly forgot about it as time went by. 

 

“What is it?”

 

He changed his focus from an empty yard in front of him to Yeri who slowly got out of the car and stared at him confused and asked him about the place. 

 

“I used to live here.”

 

“In a park?”

 

Yeri is looking around and the only thing in front of them is a playground, an empty park, with swings and stuff the child used to play.

 

“In this neighborhood.”

 

“Then why are we here?”

 

She doesn’t know why she feels so lazy to do this date, she has so many things on her head and she really wants to get it out immediately, mostly about her parents and Jungkook and things she saw last night. 

 

“Are you going somewhere? What is so hard from being my date for a day?”

 

And she gets caught because Jungkook is totally aware about how uninterested she is. He talked while walking back to her and put his hands on her waist slowly.

 

“Everytime you are trying to pick a fight with me..”

 

“I’m not.”

 

“You are.”

 

She stopped talking and tried to avoid his eyes which totally glued into hers. She feels bad but she just can't help it. Jungkook is so much better at changing into a better person than she is. 

 

“I didn’t do it on purpose.”

 

“I know.”

 

She finds peace again when Jungkook gives her a hug and pat her head for a few times until she finally regains her comfort.

 

“I’ll be your date today, but promise me to see my parents after this. Let’s talk with them..”

 

“I don’t know what to say to them.”

 

“I know you do, you have a lot. All the things you've wanted to say since a long time ago. “

 

She ended up talking while hugging him and hiding her face on his arms.  She really meant it. She just wanted him to be happy from now on.

 

“One more thing, promise me you will talk with your friends from Sky, including Park Jimin, settle things with them, you’ve lost enough people. And I also heard you went to see Lea."

 

Yeri asks him while pulling herself away from him, Jimin must have told her about this last night.

 

"I was just..formally accepting her apology."

 

She's laughing right away after listening to his excuse, she looks so pretty like this, regardless how her eyes are so full of sorrows, she definitely looks normal when she smiles, like her life is totally not a loop of misery for years.

 

"You don't need to explain anything, I was surprised that you went to see her, but even if in the future you're going to keep seeing her or anyone else, you don't need to tell me if you don't want to."

 

She's still smiling but started to talk in a serious manner while her eyes are wondering and her hands holding his shirt, slightly playing with it, until it's crumpled.

 

"I don't get jealous like that." 

 

She stopped after saying that and finally lifted her face to him again with a smile.

 

That totally sounds like a lie, Yeri gets jealous a lot, he remembered how much insecurities she had about Lea, but the way she says it now makes him confused, she seems pretty much sincere.

 

"Why?" He can't help but ask why she said that.

 

"Me acting like a whiny girlfriend should become your least concern right now, I can barely treat you as a human being. My brother killed himself and your sister got sick. It was all my family's fault.. and yet we act like it's not, we are forcing things to become normal."

 

Jungkook is sighing and glancing at her, before staring for a long second right into her eyes.

 

"When we both agree to stop blaming our siblings about what happened, I didn't mean that you should start to blame yourself again."

 

"It is easy for you to say because your sister didn't kill herself."

 

"Yet she is still dead, and I took part in that."

 

Yeri can see how much Jungkook resented every single thing she said to him, he is annoyed, probably disappointed and angry too, it's totally obvious. But she can't do anything about it. As days pass by, she only feels smaller in front of him who's always trying to deal with her and her family with so much compassion, even when she knows he is not used to it.

 

"You always said that we both are trash, no one is better than anyone. We're both cruel and crazy."

 

Jungkook is no longer holding her as he takes a few steps back away from her and talking while looking around, he is not happy, that's for sure.

 

"We are trying to change, you said it yourself."

 

"I can't keep up with you! You went ahead becoming a changed person, while i am stuck."

 

The worst thing from having an argument or a fight with Jungkook is she always feels horrible, after all the mess happened in their relationship, she is always reminded of how bad she is at treating him, from making him lose his company to making him lose his friends.

She feels like she is getting further from becoming a better person, like the way she wanted .

 

"Leave me alone." 

 

And she ended up doing it again, she doesn't want to see him at times like this because it just makes her feel worse.

 

"Are you serious?" 

 

"I didn't even want to be here in the first place." 

 

And the next next thing she said is not more than just total rubbish. It is totally enough to put Jungkook in a position where he lost all his compassions over her.

 

"Fine."

 

He walked past her and got inside his car in quick movements. He didn't even wait 10 seconds before he drove her car away from where she stood.

 

---

---

 

 

"What is she doing in a place like this?"

 

Jay is driving around an unfamiliar neighborhood to find Yeri. He received a call from Jungkook 15 minutes ago and he told him to do as he says, to find his girlfriend around this area because she's alone and he gets worried. 

 

Everyone is protective over Yeri for the past month, but Jungkook is almost on another level of crazy. It makes sense though, because Yeri met Lee Jihoon through him.
She won't get involved in this kind of problem if she wasn't his girlfriend. Her life could be normal if it wasn't because of him.

 

He tried to call Yeri but she didn't pick up, and Jungkook is basically threatening him to find her safe and sound, and also as a manager, this is something he would do even before Yeri's boyfriend told him to.

 

He drives very slowly, focusing his eyes on each corner, since Yeri is totally having so many messes on her life these days, a crowded place is certainly not his choice to look for her. She hates receiving attention lately.

 

"There she is." 

 

He is glad when Yeri is finally spotted on a nearby playground, holding her expensive handbag and trying to hide her face with a scarf on her neck, long brown hair and slender figure, totally looks stand out compared to her surroundings.

 

"Jay?"

 

That's what she said when he finally pulled over and greets her. Telling her that he gets here by coincidence is totally not making any sense so he decides to tell her the truth.

 

"Your boyfriend told me to get you."

 

Yeri's expression is becoming dark very quickly, he doesn't need to be smart to notice that she has problems with him.

 

"What did he say?"

 

"Nothing, he just told me to get you."

 

Jay doesn't want to make everything worse by saying Jungkook basically threatened him to get her, he was talking to him while being angry earlier, it's just so obvious from the way he speaks. 

 

Yeri is no longer responding to what he said as she gets inside the car and he became scared to even talk to her.

 

"I'm going to my parent's home."

 

That's the only word she told him after 20 minutes of driving.

 

"Sure."

 

It is not a surprise, Yeri rarely stays alone for the past month, she's mostly staying with her parents, she usually spends time with her boyfriend in his place for a few hours a day but she always gets back to sleep at her parent's home at night. The security is better there, and everyone is still worried about her safety, including him.

 

She almost died.

 

---

---

 

"It is fast."

 

"What is fast?"

 

Jimin is already expecting his guest, right after he went to see Yeri last night, he knows for sure that Jungkook will try to see him.

 

"You came to see me."

 

"Why would you think like that?"

 

Well, Jimin said things that are not appropriate to Yeri, a little bit rude too, so it is no surprise if she told Jungkook about it and he came here to get mad, like usual. He doesn't mind though.

 

"You came here to get mad at me, right? because your girlfriend was annoyed by what i said last night?"

 

Jimin talked like he is so sure that's what happened, when it is actually not.

 

"What did you say to her?"

 

"She didn't tell you? really? after all those months she acted like she owned you?"

 

Jungkook can't get mad over this, because that's probably what people see from him and Yeri relationship, she told him to do this and that, she did it because she thought it will help him gain his business back. 

 

Not to mention that she saw Lea and probably talked to her while being angry and Jimin knew about it. He knows very well, people's perception of her is so different from him.

 

"What did you say?"

 

"I told her to stop looking at you like you're a helpless creature, you hate that. You are a fighter not a taker, and what her family doing is giving you everything because they feel sorry your life ruined because of them."

 

Jungkook finally found the answer to why Yeri is so bothered after last night, she already had this on her head and then the next thing happened was for her to find out Seokjin probably hated his life as her brother more than his life as Sooyoung's boyfriend, the whole thing made her feel like . Surely, because he would too.

 

"What I said it's not wrong.

 

"It's not."

 

Jungkook ended up smiling while shaking his head. Jimin thought that he's coming here with insults ready, but it seems like he is better than before. He seems calm and not scary.

 

"But you know what.. after my sister died, no one ever made me breakfast before, no one ever showed me how to do things or do business, yet her parents do that for me."

 

"Jungkook-ah.."

 

"I know they probably did that because they feel bad. I know I shouldn't be happy or content with simple things like that, but sometimes I unconsciously enjoy it."

 

Jimin never imagined that there would be a day when  Jungkook said something like this. For him he is always someone who's stronger than others, crazier, meaner, scarier than others.

 

Even though he is actually aware he was shaped and forced to become like that by his hatred and he isn't originally like that as a person, but still.. this is not making any sense.

 

Yeri and her entire family was the very first reason why Jungkook struggled so much in his life, the reason why the only thing he felt was pain for 15 years. It isn't fair. At all.

 

"It doesn't make sense."

 

"Kim Yeri said the same thing too."

 

"What are you talking about?"

 

"She thinks like you, she said it's not making any sense that i treated like this after how much i struggled because of them."

 

Yeri would be the last person Jimin thinks will agree with him, the past few months, he only ever sees her as someone who is selfish, chasing Jungkook and trying to keep him close like she isn't ruining his life. He almost died saving her life too, the least she can do is to let him go. A normal person would do that.

 

"She gets mad because of what her parents do to me."

 

Both of them are not saying anything right now, Jimin doesn't know how to judge the situation because he has never been in Jungkook's shoes, he just knows his life  is hard, but he can't understand how hard.

 

"It is true that I came here because Yeri told me to, she said I shouldn't lose you as my friend because of her and I agree. I am sorry for everything."

 

Jungkook is ready to leave. He is sighing while standing up from where he sits.

 

"Did she really say that? Telling you to come here? Even after all the things i said to her? After I tried to stop her from seeing you?"

 

"Why?"

 

"Maybe because I only ever heard and saw her crazy antics, but she sounds like a nice person, your girlfriend."

 

"You are not the only one who sees her blindly as an evil person."

 

He continues to talk while laughing and it makes Jimin feel at ease that Jungkook, his long time friend who is barely alive for the past 15 years and finally able to let out a genuine laugh like that. He looked so happy.

 

"Who?"

 

"Someone i just met earlier today."

 

The meeting ended up with him letting Jungkook go with a hug and a promise for him to be able to help his work at Sky no matter who his boss is.

 

Jungkook also told him about trying to buy the firm back with Yeri's dad's help, he said he hates it though, he rather try with his own way.

 

"So you like Mr. Kim’s attention to you, but not his help over your business?"

 

"I love to learn, not to gain something easily, that's a huge difference."

 

"Of course."

 

****

 

"Your schedule starts two weeks from now, rest as much as you can."

 

Yeri only nods her head lightly as Jay talks while screaming from his car when he drops her off. She needs to get back at work, that's for sure. Irene only took a bunch of photoshoots for magazine spreads instead of a heavy one like filming or attending events as her jobs these days.

 

"Welcome back, miss."

 

Yeri is looking around the house and it seems empty, none of her parents is here.

 

"I'm going to get some rest, don't bother me until dinner time." 

 

She's trying to inform Nana, but it sounds more like a threat by how rude she said it.

 

"I understand."

 

But again, Nana and everyone in this house already seen the worst of her for years, this barely means anything for them.

 

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."

 

But Yeri thinks saying sorry is still necessary.

 

"No, it's ok, have a good rest."

 

She nods her head and get into her room really fast, she choose to have some sleep before dealing with her parents tonight, they won't probably like it, they will probably get mad, and she would probably decide to run away again but she has no choice, if Jungkook won't talk, she will.

 

***

 

"Miss, dinner is ready."

 

Yeri wokes up by the scream of Nana outside of her door, she's knocking into it a few times, she opens the door and tells her that she is awake now and she doesn't need to struggle more to wake her up. 

 

Dinner time means both of her parents are here. They never miss this opportunity to see her at night for the past month. Even if she refused to eat, they will come to her room and talk to her, just like how when she was young, when Seokjin was alive.

 

She decided to take a quick shower and style her hair lightly , just in case the conversation ended up with her going back to live in her apartment alone. She even has her bag ready, just in case.

 

She walks very slowly to the first floor, it's noisy already, she can hear her mom's laugh from afar.

 

"You finally woke up."

 

She turns her head to his father who's walking with a cup of coffee from his office.

 

"Why are you here?"

 

"I have a conference meeting earlier at my office and now we're going to eat."

 

"Then is my mom crazy? she's been laughing alone.. like.."

 

Of course, the way Jungkook tested her patience is always a top notch annoying.

 

He is here, sitting in a chair where Seokjin used to, talking to her mom about something, making her laugh. It is probably because of yesterday and her own mental state but Yeri finds everything he does as something that is not genuine, like he is pretending and faking the whole thing.

 

"Come on, I made your favorite."

 

Yeri is no longer a child, when she can just abandon everyone because she has problems with others, so she nods her head to her mom and takes a seat next to Jungkook whose eyes are glueing into her without saying a word. He must be aware how much she hates the situation right now.

She’s no longer focusing on anything that is came out as a three way conversations between her parents and Jungkook, she only sitting there, eating her food slowly while her minds is somewhere else, gone far to the past when Seokjin was making his parents happy at dinner time like this, but turns out that he hated that life.

 

"I'll get it for you."

 

Jungkook is talking to Yeri slowly when he sees her struggling to take her glass from the edge of the table, she says thanks to him and back to focus on what she ate instead of what she hears or sees.

 

He watched it from the side until she finished everything on her plate and making a small noise while trying to leave the table, everyone’s eyes were on her right now.

 

"Where are you going?"

 

"The food is great, i ate everything."

 

She gives her mom a smile and tries to leave once again, so he holds her arms. 

 

"I need to review a few scripts."

 

She said it to her parents and not to him while trying to let herself go from his grip. 

 

"Be careful when you get home."

 

She finally talks to him while holding his face close and pulls him closer for a kiss. It is obvious she just did it so no one is questioning what's going on between them.

And it works, both Mr and Mrs. Kim let her go and went back to talk about something else.

Thanks to their conversation, he's able to leave the room and try to chase Yeri.

 

"Kim Yeri!"

 

He slightly screams her name, and she stops immediately, she turns her face to him and it's totally shocking for him to see her cry, in her sleep wear. Her long hair was blown up messily by a small wind coming from the backyard door and her eyes were so full with uncertainty, just like how she looked in their nightmare.

 

"Please.." 

 

She begged him while trying to hold her tears and it is enough for him to be afraid of the possibility that Yeri is seeing him as a monster who keeps chasing her and trying to get her right now.

 

He's totally lost at words, his feet won't move and when Yeri is starting to walk again, leaving him. He knows he has no choice but to let her go.

 

 

---

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