Escape - Part 2

Summary: Everyone has a number over their heads that says how useful they are to society from 0-100. You have a number ‘4’. You leave the city for some peace but you meet your cocky neighbor who seems to get on your nerves.

Genre: Fluff

Pairing: Jungkook x Reader

Y/L/N refers to your last name/family name

Long chapter ahead

******

Jungkook spends just about every weekend at his cabin now. He even goes to his cabin mid-week if he has the time. He finds it easier to think while being surrounded with nature but it isn’t just that. Whenever he’s up here in the woods, he feels like he has the chance to truly be himself. There’s always light conversation between the both of you whenever you see each other while taking a walk or chilling by the lake. He treasures these moments the most. He never has to think twice about what he has to say because you never judged him. He didn’t know how but you suddenly became his confidant, the person he would turn to whenever something was bothering him.

That’s not to say the both of you would always converse that way. The both of you would bicker like kindergartners from time to time. He’s not quite sure how it started but suddenly the two of you were always trying to one-up each other. It ranged from knowing the answers to random facts to the ability of somersaulting into the lake. Sometimes, Jungkook would think that this “competition” was getting out of hand but he couldn’t stand losing to you because you’d never shut up about it whenever you won.

He tells himself he only spends so much time at the cabin because it enables him to wind down and do better at work but he knows that isn’t the case. He knows he loves coming up to his cabin because he gets to see you chase Buster around for misbehaving or hear you groaning aloud whenever you had to clean up your front lawn or maybe you know just seeing you was enough for him. He was uncomfortable with the warmth he felt growing in his heart whenever he spent time with you but it was starting to become something he could no longer seem to ignore.

You were putting the final touches on a wooden owl figurine that a lady had asked for at the farmer’s market last weekend when you hear the shuffling of footsteps.

“Y/N, you know if you don’t want Buster anymore, I’ll have him.” Jungkook says as he cradles Buster in his arms.

“Ugh, did he sneak into your backyard again? I’m so sorry, Jungkook.” Buster leaps from Jungkook’s arms to find his way next to you.

“You know you should really pay more attention to him, you horrible owner,” He says as he browses around your living room, looking at all your finished woodcarving pieces. “Wow, Y/N this is amazing!” Jungkook exclaims as he picks up a medium-sized figurine of a Roman God.

“Thank you,” You reply shyly. “Also, I give Buster plenty of attention okay but a girl’s gotta make some money you know? You understand that, don’t you buddy?” You say while looking at Buster. He immediately leaps up onto your lap and curls up towards you. You think about how Buster won’t be able to do this by the time next year comes around because he’s growing way too fast for your liking.

Jungkook continues to lounge around, his finger occasionally grazing the pieces that were on display. He seemed to be deep in thought when suddenly he speaks up.

“Do you think you could make a dove for me?”

“Sure, a medium-sized one? It’ll cost about—“

“Hold up. I am your favourite neighbour. Surely you could give it to me for free.”

“You are my only neighbour.”

“Exactly, therefore I am your favourite neighbour.”

“That’s some horribly flawed logic. Sure, I’ll give it to you for free if you hand over one of those million-dollar apps that you own for free.”

“That’s hardly a fair trade.”

“But, I’m your favourite neighbour.”

“Touché. Do I at least get a neighbour discount?”

“No.”

“Wow, you drive a hard bargain but a wooden dove at full price, I’ll take it.”

You both stare at each other before breaking out into a massive fit of laughter. Honestly, you don’t know how the both of you ever became friends because he simply drives you crazy.

“Why do you want a dove anyway?”

“Why not? I like them because they represent… freedom. Did you know that along with a few other species of birds, doves are one of the few creatures that do not have—“

“Gall bladders.”

“H-how did you? Okay. Wait. I’m not losing this one. The tallest flag pole in the world is actually in—“

“Saudi Arabia.”

“What the… Okay fine, this one’s really good. The tallest dome in the world is—“

“Located in Vatican City, Rome. The St Peter’s Basilica was completed in 1626 and starting from the floor of the basilica, its dome rises to an astounding height of 136.57 metres.”

“Wow, okay nerd… no need to show off. You win this round. Why do you know so much about St Peter’s anyway?”

“My dad, he loves the place. It’s really cheesy but he says it should inspire our family to always be the first and to stay at the top for many years to come just as how the dome has stood the test of time.”

Jungkook only nods in agreement at that. The conversation moves forward to the details of the dove that he would like you to focus on. Jungkook is left speechless at the fact that you know so much more than what most people believe you do. The 4 buzzing above your head does no justice to the fact that you could rival most if not all those who had numbers above at least 10. If someone had asked him to describe what kind of person you are, he felt like he really wouldn’t be able to put it all into words. All he knew was you were a force to be reckoned with.

Our profit margins are increasing slightly at….

The gala would be the perfect chance to….

It was another one of those monthly family brunches that Jungkook hated attending. All they would talk about was the company which Jungkook had absolutely no interest in. Jungkook’s older brother had started out in the company very young. He was a 99 and his father had spent years grooming him into becoming the successor of Jeon Logistics.

Growing up, Jungkook often felt forgotten as he always felt like no matter what he did, he lived in the shadow of his older brother. He knew if he had decided to be a part of the family business, he’d only ever be in the background. That’s why he set out on his own and tried to get involved in the tech industry. Truthfully, he was more successful than his older brother. He was quite well recognized for being such a young entrepreneur and he had done it all on his own but his parents had never acknowledged his success.

“Jungkook, did you hear me?” His father asks.

“Hmm? Sorry… I zoned out.”

“I said, we’re thinking of setting you up with the daughter of Lee Technologies for the upcoming gala. She’s quite a fine lady, don’t you think?”

For the past few galas/dinners, Jungkook’s parents had taken it upon themselves to find him a date. He hated it obviously because he hated small talk and although the girls were usually a high-ninety meaning that they were perfectly capable of holding a decent conversation, they never seemed to interest him. Jungkook always felt like he was suffocating whenever he attended those events because everyone around him seemed so fake and he just wanted to be able to have a conversation with someone without worrying if they had a secret agenda. He’d often find himself thinking back to that one gala when you were beside him. He’d kill to have someone like you next to him, someone who wasn’t afraid to joke around.

“Jungkook?”

“Yeah, I’m sure she’s great but I’ve already got myself a plus one.”

“Who might that be?”

“Uhh… my neighbour…”

“Jungkook, if she isn’t in our social circle, I will not allow it.”

“Oh, don’t worry, she is… Look, I’ve actually got a meeting so, I’ll see you guys sometime soon. Bye. Love you!” Jungkook says while hurriedly getting up so that he could leave the restaurant.

What have I done?

He would be in so much trouble if he isn’t able to convince you to go with him.

How am I even going to bring up the topic? ****.

He left in a hurry because he knew if his family found out that he was bringing the daughter of their rival’s company to the gala, they would do anything in their power to stop it. He doesn’t know what possessed him to say that he was bringing you. He just knew he couldn’t stand the idea of attending another gala with someone he barely knows.

Okay, calm down, I have two weeks.

He thought of ways to bring it up. Maybe casually in the next conversation? You’d mention before that you wouldn’t mind attending the events he always complained about. You’d finally get to see the way his family treats him and also all the pretentious people he’d never shut up about.

Wait. Family. Shit.

Your family would be at the gala and he knew you didn’t particularly get along with them very well.

That’s alright, I’ll just request we get seated at a different table. I got this, it’s cool.

You were sweating bullets trying to get this large log out of the back of your pick-up truck. You internally cursed at yourself for agreeing to build a log bench for one of your clients. You took a deep breath to calm yourself down. I need the money. I’m doing this because I need the money. You gathered all your strength and heaved the log forward one more time but it still wouldn’t budge. You groaned aloud in frustration.

“Really struggling over there aren’t you, neighbour?”

“Jungkook, I’m really not in the mood to joke around right now.”

“Alright, grumpy. I just came over to offer you some help but if you don’t want that I can just—“

“Please. Please I need your help. I’m going to go crazy if I don’t get this log out in the next few minutes.” You say as you stretch your hand out in front of him to stop him from leaving.

Jungkook laughs slightly at the desperate look on your face. He jumps up onto the back of the pick-up truck and pushes his short sleeves up to his shoulders. With a small push he gets the log on its side and rolls it off the back of the truck. He made it seemed so easy and all you could do was stand and watch him in awe. He jumps down and stretches his arm out to help you get down.

“Thanks… I really was going to go crazy if I had to try to push that thing one more time.”

“Yeah, no problem.” He says with a light smile. He swallows nervously before continuing. “Say neighbour since I helped you out, I need you to help me out with something too.”

“Oh god, you’re one of those.”

“One of those what?”

“You know… those who only help so that they can claim a favour from them afterwards.”

“Well yeah, there is no such thing as a free lunch in this world.”

“You’re horrible.”

Jungkook walks over to the log and bends down to get a good grip on it. “Okay then how about I just lift this log back up into your truck and—“

“What. No. Hey. Stop. You know you’re my favourite neighbour, I’d do anything you ask.” You frantically say as you try to get him to put down the log.

“Oh, wow… anything. Alright, I’ve got a few things in mind… so basically you can come over to my place, we’d have some wine… perhaps allow the night to progress and maybe our clothes—“

“God, you’re such a fucking pervert, I swear.” You say as you hit him on his back repeatedly while throwing in a few playful kicks and punches.

“Ouch, Y/N stop! I’m only joking, geez.” He says while laughing. “Anyway, I gotta go so I’ll claim that favour some other time.” He says with a wink before walking to his car.

As he pulls out of his driveway and drives past your house, he stops, winds down the window and shouts out, “You still owe me!”  You scowl at him while flipping him off. You shake your head slowly in disbelief, your neighbour sure was an oddball.

He’d only gone over to your house because he wanted to ask you about attending the gala. Then he saw you struggling to move the log and he couldn’t help but watch for a while because you simply looked adorable when you were frustrated. I need you to attend this gala with me. He wanted to say it right out just like the many times he’d practiced but he couldn’t seem to form those very words so he decided to play it off with a joke. It’s alright, I’ve still got a week and a half to go.

Diadem. The green letters flicker on the large screen.

“Sir, I’ve just inserted the card and all it says is one word; diadem.”

“Well, you better figure out the code then.”

“But, Sir—”

“Figure it out or you’ll be seeing the inside of a jail cell for the next 10 years.”

Jeon Logistics always seemed to be a step behind Y/L/N Logistics. No matter what the Jeon family did, they simply couldn’t move goods around as efficiently. The secret to Y/L/N Logistics’ efficiency was the high tech storage system that was in place. Your brother together with a team of engineers had created a system so superior that it allowed the company to move stock around faster than any other company.

After a significant blow to their profits, Jeon Logistics then hired the very same team of engineers so that they could recreate the system (in secret of course). The plan however failed because your brother had only hired the team of engineers to crunch the complicated numbers. The intricacies of the system were never revealed to the engineers.

Many months later, rumours on the whereabouts of the system plans surfaced. It was apparently being stored in the main server room of Y/L/N Logistics’ HQ. The Jeons hurriedly tried to find incriminating information on any of the staff at its rival’s company. They went through hundreds of employees, finally landing on your brother’s secretary, Jimin. He was an outstanding employee but when Y/L/N Logistics was up and coming, he was strapped for cash. It’s something he had always regretted doing but with all the access he had to such private information, it made insider trading so easy for him. He was good at covering up his tracks too but evidently not well enough.

The Jeons approached him and blackmailed him into getting the plans for them. He couldn’t risk jail time because he was the sole breadwinner of his family. So, without much hesitation, he agreed.  Now here he was on the verge of pulling his hair out.

Jimin quickly looked up the definition of the word on Google.

Diadem: a small crown with precious stones in it.

On the screen next to the word Diadem was a colon, followed by a blank space.

Crown, he typed out. His finger hovers over the enter button and he hold his breath as he presses it.

The screen goes blank and his heart drops.

SUCCESS!

The screen goes blank again and he pats himself on the back because he’s worked tirelessly to get this far. He’s finally going to be able to get the Jeons off his back. Honestly, knowing the Y/L/N’s he expected something more challenging.

*BEEP*

Then, the same word pops up again, this time in capital letters.

DIADEM

The word rearranges into a vertical line with colons next to each letter.

****.

“Sir, I figured out the first part and I thought it was the end but—“

“It only got more intricate, didn’t it?”

“Yes.”

“You’ve got a week to figure it out.”

“But, sir—“

“One week,” Mr Jeon says before abruptly ending the call.

Jimin slumps to the ground. So close yet so far. He honestly thought he would be claiming his freedom tonight but it was back to another week of sleepless nights for him.

You look out your window and you’re surprised to see Jungkook’s house all lit up. He seemed to be spending a lot more time in his cabin than he used to. You grab the wooden dove figurine that you had just completed yesterday and make your way over to his house. Buster excitedly follows you out the door. You really hated the fact that it seemed like Buster was starting to like Jungkook more than you. Before you reach his house, you stop to examine your handiwork. You were usually very proud of your pieces but you felt slightly nervous about this one. You didn’t want to admit it but you spent quite a lot of time on this one ensuring that it looked perfect. You weren’t sure why… it’s not like he paid extra or anything.

You ring the door bell and Jungkook almost opens the door instantly.

“Y/N! Buster!!!” He says excitedly as he leans down to pat Buster on the head.

“I saw your house all lit up so I thought I’d come over to hand this over to you.” You say with a large smile as you hold out the wooden dove figurine.

“Y/N, this looks perfect… Come on in, I—“

Buster immediately runs into the house the moment Jungkook stepped aside to allow you in.

“Buster, no!” You say as you run after him.

Jungkook chuckles silently as he closes the door behind him. Buster makes himself feel at home on the soft rug next to the couch. Jungkook walks up to the fireplace and clears some space on the mantle to put the new dove figurine in the middle of it. Right next to it, is the small figurine of Buster that you had given him a while ago. Jungkook takes a step back and lets out a sweet sigh almost as if the addition of the wooden dove had finally made his house complete.  

Jungkook turns towards you and grabs you by the shoulder. “Y/N, dude you’re not going to believe this but remember that budgeting app that I told you I was working on? It’s only been released for a few days and it’s currently the most downloaded app of the month!”

“What? No way. That’s amazing, Jungkook! Umm… by the way what’s it called again?”

Jungkook frowned at you, obviously displeased with the fact that you hadn’t downloaded the app yet. He let his arms drop to his sides. “Y/N, when I texted you the other day, you told me you had already downloaded it.”

“Did I…? Look, I’ve just been really busy okay.”

“It only takes like 5 seconds.”

“I’m sorry okay… I’ll download it right now.” You say with a sigh. Jungkook really looked hurt by the fact that you had deceived him. He moves past you to take a seat on his couch.

“So, since I’ve caught you in a lie, I think it’s the perfect time to talk about that favour you owe me.”

“You can’t be serious.” You say as you look up from your phone.

“Can you at least hear me out first? Look, I just need you to attend this gala with me—“

“Is it the one where you get chocolate lava cake for dessert?”

“I think so… the menu varies… I’ll check but—“

“Dude sign me up like right now. It’s free too right? Wait. I don’t have anything fancy to wear. No, no I do. You’re sure they’ll let me in right?”

Jungkook laughs at the fact that you are visibly getting excited over attending the gala and all of this only because you can’t wait to eat the world class food that was going to be served.

“Yes, Y/N, it’s free and of course they’ll let you in. Are you forgetting that you’re a Y/L/N? Also, don’t worry about your family… I’ll get them to put us on a separate table.” He says nervously and you nod appreciatively.

You spend the next few minutes thanking him for inviting you because little did he know, you’ve been dreaming to attend a gala ever since the last time you attended one at aged 11. Growing up, you were always forced to watch your siblings get ready for all these events and you hoped that perhaps your parents would finally allow you to come along one time but they always left you behind. You wouldn’t understand what was going on, they’d tell you. It would only be a waste of your time, they’d say. So, you would watch as they leave in their fancy clothes while you wallowed around in the empty house. You couldn’t help but feel happy as you begin to imagine what attending the gala would feel like, to finally have a glimpse of what it was like to belong to that part of the world.

You encourage Jungkook to continue talking about his budgeting app and his business in general. You thought you might as well know what he was doing in order to be able to carry a conversation with the others while you were at the gala. You always loved how Jungkook didn’t hesitate to share about what he did at his job. He had so much passion for what he did that he would go on forever if you didn’t stop him. Even though you were a 4, he never dumbed things down the way your family always did when you asked about the business. He took the time to explain difficult terms, never once ridiculing you for not knowing. It made you feel as if he saw you as an equal. You always appreciated the fact that he saw you for more than your number; it was something you wish your family would do or rather society in general.

Jimin finds himself standing at the doorstep of a dingy apartment with a brown folder in his hands. A young man comes to open the door.

“Jimin! How long has it been? What brings you to my place? Come on in, dude.”

Jimin smiles and moves to take a seat on the couch. “Taehyung, I need your help. I know you did the coding for the security system in place for Y/L/N Logistics while you were working in the IT department there.”

“Yeah, I did but it was some pretty basic stuff for the website and stuff so—“

“You know that isn’t what I’m talking about. I’m talking about diadem.”

Taehyung freezes as he hears that word leave Jimin’s mouth. “How do you know—“

“It doesn’t matter how. What matters is I need to know what comes after that first layer of security.”

“You know I can’t do that. I signed a contract. What’s going on Jimin… you’ve never been the type to get involved in whatever I think you’re doing.”

“I don’t have a choice… and neither do you.” Jimin says as he lays out the documents that was in the brown folder.

It was evidence linking Taehyung to his black hat name: c0ndor. There had been a series of cyber-attacks on the local banks causing thousands of dollars to be swindled into accounts halfway across the world. The banks had tried to recover the money, hiring experts to track the attacker but no matter what they did, all they would find at the end of the code was one word: c0ndor. Jimin knew instantly it was Taehyung because he had gone by the same alias when they were in college together. So when he exited the security system and saw the very same name pop up he felt a wave of relief wash over him. Maybe he would be able to solve the code after all.

“Jimin… this is crazy. I can’t believe you’d do this to me.”

“Believe me, I don’t want to. I’ll go to jail if you don’t do this for me.” Jimin replies, tears threatening to spill out of his eyes.

Taehyung moves to his computer, sifting through the many files that he has saved on there. After looking through hundreds of hidden folders, he finally sees the dreaded word; diadem.

He grabs a pen and a piece of paper and begins writing:

D:            Dome

I:              Island

A:            Animal

D:            Disappointment

E:            Elope

M:           Moral Code

“This is all I can help you with. The next step is linking those words with another set of words. Only the Y/L/N’s know the answers to these.”

“Thank you… I’m sorry it had to be this way. I never wanted to do this, you should know that.” Jimin says as he thrusts the documents back into the brown folder before handing it over to Taehyung.

Taehyung only gives him a sad smile as he leads Jimin out of his apartment.

Jimin looks at the paper that Taehyung had handed to him and tries to analyze the words that were written down but it only leaves him baffled. He quickly snaps a picture of the paper and texts it to Mr. Jeon. As he made his way home, he felt a small weight lift off his shoulder. He was one step closer to freedom.

You stare at yourself in the mirror and you use your hands to smoothen out the dress that you’ve put on. It was a floor-length gold dress your mother had bought for you on your birthday last year. You can’t count the number of times you’ve put it on just to stare at yourself in the mirror, hoping you’d be able to wear it out one day. It seemed so surreal to you that you finally had an occasion to wear it.

You check your light make-up one last time and shoved your keys and phone into your simple clutch before moving to leave for the gala. Buster runs up to you, obviously looking upset that you were leaving for the night. You pat him lightly

“Buster, if I come home to ripped up pillows on the floor, you’re not going to be getting any treats from me. So, behave alright? I’ll be home before you know it.” You say lovingly.

You think you must be crazy… talking to your dog as if he understood English and all but he was about the closest thing you had to family ever since you left your family’s home. This would be the first time you were leaving Buster all alone and it broke your heart a little.

As you shut the front door, you hear Buster whining and you quickly walk towards Jungkook’s house before you feel like you won’t be able to leave.

“Y/N, you look good! Who knew all of this was hiding underneath those typical lumberjack clothes you have on all the time?” Jungkook said as he gestured towards your body

“My, my, what did I ever do to have such a charmer for a neighbour?” You reply sarcastically.

You reach out to straighten out Jungkook’s crooked bowtie. He notices you fidgeting as you wait for him to collect the last of his belongings. He holds you by the shoulder and gives you a quizzical look.

“I’m nervous okay.” You say hesitantly. “I haven’t been in a place full with high-nineties in a long time.”

Jungkook chuckles at your nervousness. “Y/N, calm down. They’re not that intimidating. I’m a high-ninety and get along with me just fine. Just think of it like this; you’re going to a dinner with a hall filled with hundreds of people who are just like me.”

Your face curls up in disgust, “You mean I’ll be having dinner with hundreds of people who are cocky and laughs at their own jokes? Sounds like a nightmare… are you sure it isn’t too late for me to back out now?”

“Don’t sass me, Y/N. Your chocolate lava cake is on the line here.” Jungkook says as he leads you towards the car. You can’t help but smile as you find yourself seated in his black sedan. You were brought up in an extravagant family but due to your number, you were always stripped off of the privileges that came with your family name. For the first time in a long time, you finally felt like a Y/L/N.

As the car pulls up to the venue, you see flashes of light and dozens of elegantly dressed people making their way across the red carpet. Jungkook silently chuckles as he watches you take it all in with your mouth agape. He exits the car to open the door for you and tosses the keys to the valet guy.

“Just follow my lead, okay?”

He extends his arm so that you can link yours with him. He looks at you as if to ask if you were okay and you give him a small nod.

As the both of you make your way across the red carpet, all you are thinking of is how you hope you don’t trip and face plant yourself in front of all these cameras. You hear the cameramen shouting in the distance as the both of you stop to allow them to take pictures.

Miss, give us a smile!

Jungkook, who’s the lovely lady?

Jungkook unlinks his arm from yours and moves his hand to the small of your back. You flinch slightly at the unfamiliar sensation and Jungkook smirks down at you when he sees your confused face.

“She’s my neighbour! She blackmailed me into bringing her here!”

You look up at him, obviously shocked but you see that playful smile on his lips and you hit him on the chest.

“Really? Maybe I should show them how you begged me to come here with you?” You say confidently as you begin to walk off. The cameramen cheer as they ask for a re-enactment. Jungkook laughs and jogs slightly to catch up to you.

When the cameras are out of sight, you pinch his side and look at him with pure anger. “Jungkook! I’m already turning heads because of my number and I don’t need you pulling off a stunt like that to draw more attention to me.”

Jungkook couldn’t help but laugh when he saw you with your eyebrows all furrowed.

“Jungkook, I’m serious!” You say with a frown

“Okay, okay. I get it, I’ll stop,” He says as he puts his arm around your shoulder. You shrug his arm of your shoulder and charged forward towards the registration table. Jungkook giggles silently, he just loved pushing your buttons.

“Mr. Jeon Jungkook and Ms. Y/N, Y/L/N, please follow me.”

You walk into the hall and you are simply amazed by the size and scale of this event. Everything from the tables to the cutlery on the table looked like they had been made with only the finest materials. Even the serviettes looked like they cost more than all the money you’ve made so far. Everyone was dressed to the nines and you couldn’t help but feel inadequate. You were so busy taking it all in that you almost walked into Jungkook’s back. The lady stops at the table and guides you to your seat. Your heart drops as you look at the others that are seated at the table.

“I-I think this is the wrong table. I specifically requested that—“

“Did you really think I’d let you sit on a different table?” Mr. Jeon interrupts Jungkook.

Jungkook only lets his head hang lowly after he bows slightly at his father. You follow after him and bow towards Jungkook’s family and then you turn to bow to your own family.

As you take your seat, you can feel the stares coming from the opposite side of the table. You could tell your family was frustrated that you had showed up but more than anything they were shocked. They never outright said that you weren’t allowed to attend events like these but over the years, it had been implied and you learnt to take a hint. So what exactly were you doing here and why were you with their rival’s son no less? If looks could kill, the one your older brother was giving you would have definitely put you in a coffin.

Jungkook looks at you apologetically and squeezes your thigh softly as if to say a silent sorry and you give him an understanding smile.

“Y/N.” Your dad says sweetly but you detect a hint of anger behind the way he says your name. You only smile and bow your head slightly at him.

“Y/L/N, you didn’t tell me your youngest would be joining us tonight.”

“Well I just thought it’d be a pleasant surprise for everyone.”

“Indeed it is. It’s nice of you to finally join us Y/N after… 9 years if I’m not mistaken.”

You laugh lightly and slightly bow your head at him.

You feel like the whole situation is so extremely awkward and you wished you could just run away right now. When conversation started up again around the table, you felt like you could finally breathe again. The last gala you attended was when you were 11 and you don’t really remember much but sitting here now everything seemed familiar. Almost everything seemed the same except the stranger that was seated next to you. You felt bad for him. He must’ve been so confused as he watched the whole situation unfold.

“Y/N is it? I’m Kim Namjoon, I don’t think we’ve met.”

“Ah, yes. Nice to meet you.” You say with a smile. “So, what do you do?”

“I’m a stock-broker but I mainly keep my eye on the tech industry. It’s a robust industry with a chance to make tons of money, like you know Jungkook over there. I watch out for up and coming people like him and buy into their companies when they go public.”

“Interesting… What would you say is a sector within the industry that you’re most interested in?”

“Well, I mean…” Namjoon stops mid-sentence before glancing at your number. “Well, you know just stuff… like cloud computing & communications if you know what that mea—“

“So you mean like the company, Twilio? They just got listed in June didn’t they? Started off at $15 and now it’s going for $50+. I feel like they’re redefining telecommunications. Their clients include Facebook, Whatsapp and Uber… just to name a few. I think it’s amazing that they have a clientele like that.”

You hadn’t realized but everyone at the table had abandoned their conversations to listen to the one happening between you and Namjoon. If you had looked up you would have noticed the stunned faces of all those seated at the table but you were too engrossed in your conversation. Jungkook smirked when he saw Namjoon almost gasp aloud at the fact that you knew Twilio. Namjoon glanced up again at your number to make sure that he was seeing a 4 and not a 94.

You had discussed the very same topic with Jungkook the night you agreed to go to the gala. To be honest, Jungkook was slightly taken aback as well by the fact that you knew so much about the tech industry. You just said you loved to keep up with the current news and that’s why you knew all of that. Jungkook knows though that you’ve always played down how much you knew. Perhaps, it was a habit you picked up living in that house that always seemed to disregard your abilities. Jungkook smiles to himself as he watches everyone second guess whether that number above your head really belonged to you.

It isn’t long before the food arrives and it takes everything in you to stop yourself from squealing with delight. As you take the first bite of the appetizer, you almost want to scream because who knew scallops could taste so good.

“Do you think they’d judge me if I take photos of the food we’re eating?” You whisper to Jungkook as you reach for your phone

Jungkook attempts to stifle his laugh before nodding and pushing your phone back into your clutch.

With each dish that arrives, you only feel anger building up in you. You didn’t mind that throughout your whole life, your family hadn’t paid you much attention but to deprive you of food like this… it was truly a travesty and you think you’ll never be able to forgive them. Then, the chocolate lava cake arrives and after the first bite, you’ve made your mind up; you’re definitely not forgiving them.

“Y/N, check out that guy’s haircut. Looks like roadkill if you ask me,” He whispers to you.

When your eyes move to where he’s pointing at, you almost spit out your drink because god it really did look like roadkill. This… this seems familiar.

“It’s you… isn’t it? You were the kid that made me laugh so hard that orange juice came out my nose. God, that was ages ago. You said the woman’s hair looked like a bird’s nest and her dress looked like—“

“—barf,” The both of you say simultaneously. Jungkook only gives you a wide smile.

“Nice of you to finally remember… I was starting to think maybe you had forgotten your first love. Ah, even at the age of 11 I was able to leave such an impression. Truly, I think it’s just my specialty you know, being this charming.”

“Pfft, first love my ***.” You say as you roll your eyes at him but you couldn’t deny the fact that Jungkook had the ability to turn any situation into one that made you feel comfortable. The both of you spend the rest of the night snickering and joking around as if the two of you were 11 again. Jungkook can’t help but to think that this is what he wants every gala to feel like. He knew it when he was 11 and he knows it now too, you were someone he wants to keep by his side.

Tonight, we will be presenting an award to an entrepreneur who has made a name for himself in the tech industry. At the ripe age of 20, he has already surpassed the expectations of many in this room. With millions in his bank account and dozens of million-dollar apps under his belt, it is no surprise that Jeon Jungkook will be the recipient of the Young Entrepreneur’s award.

The hall erupts in cheers and clapping sounds fill the room. Jungkook saunters across the hall, towards the stage to receive his award. You can only watch with a face that’s halfway between awe and shock. As you watch him stand up there and deliver his speech effortlessly, you can’t help but feel a sense of pride because you were able to call that idiot your friend. As he stands under the stage lights, you finally realize how good he looks tonight in that tailored suit. He technically always did look good but tonight was different, he looked otherworldly. You know you’re not the only one that notices that because as he flashes his bunny smile, you swear you hear half the women in the hall sigh longingly.

“Ah, this is really umm a dream come true. I can’t express how grateful I am to receive this. I really worked hard to get to where I am today and I just want to thank everyone that has helped me along the way. Thank you once again, for this award… it means a lot. Lastly, to my dear neighbour, how’s this for a win?” He says with a smirk and you just wish you could slap it off of his face. “Thank you everyone!” He exclaims and concludes his speech with a bow.

As Jungkook arrives back at the table, everyone showers him with congratulatory statements. You’re honestly still in shock. You think of something sassy to say but nothing seems to be coming out of your month.

“Oh man, how are you ever going to beat this?” Jungkook says as he waves his crystal trophy in front of your face.

“You sly fox… You invited me to this gala just so you can one-up me in front of all these high-nineties huh? Alright, Jeon Jungkook, I see how it is. You better watch your back.”

“Maybe… I thought it’d be priceless to see the look on your face as you watched me receive the award. Not so nice when you can’t show off anymore huh?”

“What? Wait a minute…is this because of that whole thing where I talked about the St Peter’s dome? I told you it wasn’t intentional. I was simply sharing what my father had taught me. I didn’t mean to “show off” okay?”

Dome. Father. Mr Jeon’s head turns towards you the moment he heard those words. D for dome. He commits the name St. Peter’s to memory. 1 word down, 5 to go. Well, possibly. He wasn’t sure if that really was the answer… I guess Jimin’s just going to have to try it out.

“Yeah right you weren’t showing off and duh of course this has to do with that.”

“I wasn’t! Jungkook, you’re so immature.”

“Its dome rises to an astounding blah blah.” Jungkook says in a high pitch voice as he attempts to mock you.

“I do not sound like that!” You exclaim as you shove him slightly. The both of you continue bickering like 5 year olds while the rest of the table simply goes back to minding their own business.

Mr Jeon never really did pay much attention to Jungkook. He was much too focused on Jungkook’s brother instead but as he observes the interactions between you and his son he can feel the gears turning in his head. Initially, he didn’t really like that Jungkook was the one that brought you to the gala and he certainly wasn’t happy with the fact that the both of you seemed to be quite close but now it was a different story. Perhaps baby Jeon will finally be useful for once.

Author : Jjkfire

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