'When you call out my name, I'm captivated by your voice.'

'Can you please stay with me?'

Present Day - 31st August 2027

2:43 p.m

Jungkook walked down the aisle of the maternity floor. He walked past all the nurses without sparing them any second glances, though he did manage out a curt nod to the nurses that greeted him. Only when he reached the newborns' nursery did his footsteps halt.

There were about a dozen of newborn babies in the nursery. The boys were wearing blue bonnets while the girls wore pink ones. Some were sleeping, others were writhing and squirming. All of them looked so small; he made a conclusion that they were most likely born this morning or yesterday, two days earlier at most.

Jungkook’s index finger was trailing along the laid out glass when a he heard a voice calling him. “Mr. Jeon?”

He looked to the right and saw a young nurse. She smiled at him. “Are you looking for your son?”

He nodded, smiling thinly at the young woman.“He’s in the Special Nursery, just around the corner,” she explained. “If you would follow me.”

He followed her footsteps, passing more nurseries and maternity rooms that he found rather under-busy. Like she said, they stopped right at the corner. “You may go inside sir. I’ll call the doctor and if there’s nothing else, you can take little Jaehyun home,” she informed with her sweet smile, but her tone professional. She opened the door but did not enter it. Instead, she let him come in. “Excuse me sir,” she said and walked down the halls.

The room was larger than the other nurseries. White walls were decorated with printed stickers and small paintings of animals. It was very calm in there, a perfect atmosphere for a baby to take a nap and fall asleep. He walked towards the centre, where a small crib was placed. Lying in it was a sleeping baby boy, no older than four months.

Jungkook trailed his fingers along the infant’s nose and lips, a mix of pride and happiness entering his heart. “Hello there Jaehyun,” he cooed in a soft voice. “Daddy will be taking you home today.”

Jaehyun turned to the side, his little fist making contact with his mouth and accidentally bumping his father’s fingers in the process. Jungkook smiled; it was as if his son knew that he was there. “You sleep tight okay? Daddy is going to come back soon. I’m just going to check on your mommy.”

1st September 2017

9:30 a.m

After the death of Jangmi’s parents, Jungkook’s mother, Najung asked the poor girl to stay with the family. She of course, refused at first, but accepted as Najung said, “your mother asked me to take care of you". The older lady was quite the convincing one, not that Jangmi paid much attention; she was still lost in all of the mourning mist.

Jangmi stayed in her morose state for months, only leaving the guest room—now her bedroom—for school. She continued delivering her best in school, passing by everyone in her class and made her way to the top. She was also named valedictorian in her last year of high school. She exceled in her studies, busied herself with assignments, extra credits, more homecoming work and drowned herself in the stressful responsibilities as a member of the school's council.

Anything to get her mind off her parents.

It didn't really work, because the moment she stepped into her room in the Jeon’s mansion, she started crying again, sobbing silently for her lost. She was lost, she felt lost. Her heart was still aching, the pain never leaving her, not even one bit. She still felt the same pain that she experienced that fateful day in September, the very moment she was told that her parents had been involved plane crash.

No, that was not true.

She felt worse as reality sank.

Jangmi was in a denial state for quite some time; she somehow believed that her parents were still out there somewhere. But they were not—they were dead, as simple as that. The hope that she forced herself to hold onto ultimately killed her.

Jungkook knew that, he had been counting the days, months, moments where his childhood friend shut herself off from the world. There was no more smile on her lips, tears were always running down her cheeks and she even went as far as hitting her head, blaming and cursing herself for not boarding that plane with her parents, where they could have been together.

Jungkook stopped her every single time. He would calm her down and hug her, repeating all the soothing words that he knew she needed. He would bring food to her, even going as far as feeding the girl when she refused. He would greet her every morning, opening the curtains so that the sun could shine in Jangmi’s room, making her remember that there was still life out the windows.

And at night when she cried, he would stay with the girl and let her fell asleep in his warmth. There were times where he wondered what losing a person you love really meant, because even though Jangmi was there, she really was not.

She gradually got better as the time passed, and by the time they entered university, it seemed like Jungkook had gotten his best friend back. She could now smile, joke around and do outdoor activities. She even went on a camping trip with him and his hyungs (note: Han Jangmi was not an outdoor kind of girl). She had not fully recovered, but at least she was smiling again.

And that was all Jungkook wanted.

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“Jangmi,” Jungkook called as he shuffled down the stairs.

His best friend turned and gave him and bright smile. “Good morning, birthday boy. Welcome to the twenties club,” she gasped. “Can’t believe you are so old now!”

Jungkook grinned. “I still look hot, so we’re good.”

Jangmi snorted and rolled her eyes. “As if.”

He jogged towards her and let her into the dining room where breakfast was neatly served on the table. His eyes wandered left and right before fixing it onto a clock. He then looked back at Jangmi. “Where are my parents? They’re never late for breakfast, like, ever.”

Jangmi shook her head lightly and went straight to a chair. Jungkook followed her steps and sat in front of her. “I didn’t know that turning twenty makes people forgetful,” Jangmi said as she spread jam onto her toast.

Jungkook choked on his. “Pardon?”

Jangmi sighed. “Your parents told us that they’re going on a business trip today. You really forgot, didn’t you?”

His mouth formed an O shape. “Oh.”

“Yeah, oh,” she mimicked.

“. . . How long are they going again?”

Another exasperated sigh escaped Jangmi’s lips. “Four days, old man. Four days.”

“Yah!” he exclaimed. “I’m only turning twenty. If there’s a real old man, it’s my hyungs. Jin-hyung to be more specific.”

“But they don’t forget important things like you do,” she defended. “Besides, Jin-oppa is so handsome I don’t even care if he is forty.”

Jungkook choked more on his toast. He grabbed the orange juice and chugged it down quickly. Jangmi chuckled when she saw her best friend giving her an absurd look. “I’m kidding. Calm down, will you?”

“Kim Seokjin is the last person you would ever want to date, Jangmi. And I mean it.” He suddenly sounded so serious. “Same goes to the rest of my hyungs. You are not to engage in any sort of special relationship with them, not as long as I’m still breathing.”

“Woah, woah. You’ve got to be kidding me, old man.” she joked, still munching on her toast. “It sounds like you’re going to make me an old maid.”

He grinned a smile so bright she wondered whether it was the sun fooling her. “Yup,” he concluded with his eyebrows wiggled.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” she replied.

“It’s either you become an old maid or marry me.” He shrugged. “Either way, you’re still going to live here until . . . pretty much your death.”

“Ugh,” Jangmi said in an irritated tone. “Can we stop this conversation? It’s creeping me out.”

“Sure.” He took another piece of toast and ham. “Let’s talk about other things.”

She cocked an eyebrow. “Such as . . . ?”

“My hyungs are taking me out tonight. You know, to celebrate my birthday. Wanna come?”

She chuckled upon hearing the question. Somehow, the question was mandatory for Jungkook; he would ask her to come along to celebrate his birthday with his hyungs, and she would refuse him every single time.

And this year was all the same.

“Jungkook,” she started.

“Uh oh,” he continued.

She smiled lightly. “You know I can’t.”

“Why not? You’ve been refusing me for God knows how long, why not today?”

She pursed her lips, guilt entering her heart. “It’s not like I don’t want to come.” Wait, I really don’t want to come. “It’s just that . . . I don’t really feel comfortable with your hyungs.”

“Bull,” was Jungkook’s reply. “Admit it, you have a huge crush on Jin-hyung, don’t you?”

“That’s ridiculous,” she said, now stabbing the scrambled eggs and salad on her plate. “You really have to stop hallucinating.”

“Then why not?”

“I’ve told you,” she sighed again. “I’m not comfortable with them. They’re all boys.”

“So?”

“The last time I checked, I’m a girl. Besides, I want to visit my parents’ graves today.”

The plane crash took all the lives that boarded the plane, not even one was spared. The plane blew up midway and crashed in the seas. The US government did manage to pull out the remnants of the plane, but that was it. The bodies had sunk so deep that not many were found. Even the found ones were sharks' prey.

There were no bodies; the graves were not even real graves. Jangmi had decided that she would find a tree and make her own memorial. With the help of (surprisingly) Jin, Jangmi finally found the perfect tree. It was cherry oak and was located on a small hill just a few hours outside of Seoul. The tree had beautiful pink flowers that reminded her of  sakuras.

No wonder Jin loved it so much and kept on insisting.

It stood alone, far away from the rest of its kind, but still breathtaking, and Jangmi could not have found a better tree to bury her parents’ photo frame.

“You’re going alone? I can come with you, you know,” Jungkook asked. He knew that the 1st of September was both a happy day and a mournful one for Jangmi, and to have her being strong and even smile, made him a little worried.

He worried that Jangmi would crack.

“I’m not going all cuckoo,” she informed, as if reading his mind. “I’ll be just fine. Besides, the ride there is four hours. I don’t want you to be late and make your hyungs wait.”

“You sure? Cause my hyungs are probably taking me to the same place and I can skip--”

“Jeon Jungkook.” She heaved out a sigh. “I’m a big girl now, and I’m going to turn twenty next October. Pretty sure I can take care of myself.”

“Are you—”

“Yes,” she cut off before he could even finish. “It’s you who I worry about. Do me a favour and don’t get too drunk, okay?”

The only answer she got was a mischievous grin from the birthday boy.

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2nd September 2017

2:40 a.m

Jangmi watched from the windows as the storm brewed and heavy gush of wind pounded the doors and windows of the Jeon household. Heavy rain poured down the dark sky and soon, she was accompanied by the deafening sound of thunder and downpour. The clock showed half past two and Jungkook was still nowhere in sight.

The maid had advised her to go to bed but she refused, even taking the house keys from the mid-age woman and told her to go to sleep. Jangmi paced in the living room of the mansion, biting her lips as time ticked.

She silently felt grateful when she heard the loud banging from the main door. In a swift move, she ran towards it and opened the door, revealing a very wet Jin and an equally-wet but droopy-looking Jungkook next to him.

“Yo,” Jin greeted as soon as he saw the girl. “I’m gonna need help getting him up to his room.”

Jangmi could have rolled her eyes but she decided that there was no time for that. She draped Jungkook’s left arm on her shoulders while Jin had the other one, and they both literally dragged the sandwiched boy upstairs.

They landed him on the bed with a loud thud, not that it mattered; Jungkook looked like he was deep in slumber already.

Jin gave her a “sorry, didn’t know he would drink that much,” and left, much to Jangmi’s relief. As much as she liked Jin, she did not want any awkward conversations.

She grabbed some aspirins and a glass of water for Jungkook. The boy was tossing and turning with half-lidded eyes and a silly smile plastered on his face.

She sighed and walked closer, putting the aspirin and glass on the small table beside his bed. “I told you,” she murmured, trying to take off the leather jacket he was wearing.

Surprisingly, he let her be.

Finding out that he was still awake, Jangmi took out a couple of aspirins and gave it to him, not forgetting the water to help him swallow them down. He was still awake, she knew that, but his half-lidded eyes seemed to say otherwise.

She called his name several times, and he responded with the same old ‘hurm’, ‘hmm’, ‘mmm’ and ‘ugh’. She stayed there for a few more minutes, not really knowing what to do. Somehow, Jungkook had his hand gripped tightly on her arm, and when she decided to leave, pulling herself from his grip was not an easy thing to do.

“You’re sad, aren’t you?” Jungkook suddenly said, somehow finding out that she was going to leave.

She said nothing.

“I shouldn’t have left you alone. I don’t want to see you sad, I hate it when you cry Jangmi,” he continued, eyes still closed.

“Jungkoo--”

“You are my everything, Jangmi. It breaks my heart when you cry.” He paused for a while. “I don’t want to see the girl I love cry.”

There was a pregnant pause between them. Jungkook looked so peaceful and calm; she looked downright confused, to a point of tearing up.

No, you don’t Jungkook.

It’s the alcohol talking.

She stepped further, wanting to leave the room. Suddenly, a strong force pulled her back to the bed. Everything was so quick her mind could not register what was happening. By the time she regained her senses, she noticed that she was on the bed, with Jungkook above her.

“Why are you leaving? Did I say something wrong?” he asked, his eyes now opened wide and clear.

His husky voice could have killed her. “J-Jungkook, I really should……go back.”

“Why?!” he snapped, making her fidget.

She was suddenly scared of him.

He let out a dry chuckle and said, “Can’t you stay with me? Just tonight.” His tone abrubtly softened, but his hands were still locking her wrist. He was making sure that she would not leave him.

“Jungkook.” She twisted and writhed her wrist, trying to break free from her captor. “I really should--”

He silenced her with a sudden kiss on the lips. “Stay.” He then trailed down kisses to her neck, making her shiver in the process.

“Jungkook,” she called, hoping for his attention- well, a different attention- and trying her best not to get absorbed.

He chuckled darkly, still kissing the crook of her neck. “I like it you know, when you say my name.”

That silenced her.

He let out another chuckle, amused by the girl under him. Somehow in his drunken and twisted mind, he still knew exactly what was running in Jangmi’s head. Sometimes, even better than the girl herself.

He attacked her lips with another hungry kiss, an electrifying sensation running through their bodies like currents. Jangmi tried pulling away, but he was too strong for her. She ultimately surrendered, letting him deepen the kiss.

As he took in more of her, a heavy mix of force soon overwhelmed them at once.

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Jungkook woke up in the afternoon the next day. He felt his head pounding like crazy, a throbbing pain overpowering his dizzy head altogether.

He wondered why he was only wearing a simple white T-shirt that he did not remember putting on, he wondered why the hell the sheets and blankets were twisted and out of place. Heck, he even wondered where his pants were.

But there was one thing he did not notice, and that was the small blood stains on the sheets.

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15th November 2017

8:56 p.m

To think that after they graduated high school, Jangmi would not have been so busy anymore. No more homecoming and council work. In university, their schedule was not so tight, she could go back home right after her classes ended. Jungkook thought that the moment they stepped into university, they would spend more time together. No more separation of status or clique differences.

Sure, he was still the golden boy who studied chemical engineering and was good in sports while she was the law student who excelled in every single assignment, but that was about it. Why couldn’t they spend more time together? They lived in the same house for crying out loud!

Truthfully, everything was fine at first. Jangmi would let him pick her from her class and they would go out and have lunch together. Jangmi occasionally dragged his to the library to study, but he did not mind much, as long as he was spending time with his childhood friend.

But not anymore.

Their conversations these days (on the phone, mind you) always went like this:

“Jangmi?”

“Hurm?” would always the response she gave him.

“Where are you?”

“In class. Why?” he did not know why, but he just knew that she was lying.

“Class? Okay, I’m gonna pick you u--”

“Ah, there’s no need for that,” she would always say. “I have work to do.”

“But--”

“And I think I’m gonna be late, so don’t wait for me.”

“O……okay. Be careful, arasseo?”

He would hear her insincere chuckle. “Alright Jungkook. Bye.”

“Bye,” he would copy her. “Love you.”

But she did not say the same. Instead, she said, “See you, Jungkook.”

She would refuse every time he called to pick her up, saying that she had a study group with her friends. Other times she would say that she had work to do, and Jungkook had no clue what she meant. For these past few weeks she would leave the mansion early at dawn and return when the clock strikes 2. She would regain her senses at weekends, where at least she spared time to have breakfast with him, but that was it. And even at that time she would not look him in the eyes.

He needed to know what was wrong, he needed to know what he did wrong. Whatever it was, he needed to find the solution, ASAP.

“What do you want to talk about, maknae?” Jin asked as soon as he sat down in front of Jungkook. The younger had call and arranged a meeting with him. Even though he sounded calm when he made the call, Jin knew that his baby dongsaeng was having problems.

And as he called him, Jin would say that it was about girls.

“I ordered you orange juice, if you don’t mind.”

Jin smiled. “Not at all,” he plopped a hand on the table and rested his chin on it. “So, what’s up?”

“It’s about Jangmi.” Bingo.

“Ah, my favourite Jangmi. What’s wrong with her?”

Jungkook glared at him. “Hyung?”

“Hurm?”

“Hands off.”

“Oh?”

“There’s no such thing as your favourite Jangmi.”

The older grinned. “Rose is my favourite flower. So, there’s that.”

“Well,” Jungkook said with his nostrils this close to blowing. “My Jangmi loves white roses, so there’s that.”

 “Okay, okay. Got it. Hands off.” Clingy much? “So, what about her?”

“She’s been avoiding me for months.”

Jin had his foreh