Hooked | JJK | Three

 Pair: UndergroundFighter!Jungkook x f!reader 

Summary: Walking away from your brother was never what you intended, you just wanted to run from the ghosts of your past. But now you’re back home and ready to pick things up from where you left off. If only things could be that easy, right? 

There’s a new guy living in your house, your brother’s best friend, someone you can’t help but grow close to. And the more you find out about him, the more you learn about yourself. An underground fight club, a newspaper competition, an overprotective brother and secrets you can’t seem to escape from. Did you make the right decision by coming back? Or did you just put yourself and those you love in danger? 

Genre: Series, fluff, smut, angst. All the aus: non-idol, underground fighter, brother’s best friend, roommates, rap-scene, chaebol. 

Chapter warning: Things heat uppppppppppp.

WC: 7.4

 JUNE 17TH | 15:03

Despite not knowing exactly where you stood with Jeongguk, after the night you picked him up at the bus stop you knew a line had been crossed. There was no way you could go back now, what you shared was too intimate to pretend it didn’t happen. You saw him at his most vulnerable. And, as primal as it sounded, you cleaned up his blood, you nurtured and cared for him. That was something you weren’t able to just ignore. 

And the kiss. 

It felt different from the first kiss you shared in the parking lot of The Warehouse. That first time was a ‘in the heat of the moment’ thing, you were both filled with excitement after his first solo stage, you were hiding from your brother.

You didn’t have time to think about what you were doing. 

The second time around you had. 

The two of you had plenty of time to think about everything that was on the line, who you might be betraying, the risks of getting involved with each other when you shared the same friend group, lived under the same roof. 

And you still kissed, you still held onto each other as if you were something precious. You didn’t know how to move on from that, not without at least giving this a try, seeing where it could take you. 

But it’s been over a week at this point and it hadn’t taken you anywhere. Through no fault of your own and it wasn’t Jeongguk’s fault either. 

Against his best efforts, the man wasn’t able to hide he was hurt for too long. There were scratches on his forehead and elbow, his left ankle hurt when he walked, giving him a small limp. And your brother was observant and Hoseok was nosy. 

Jeongguk told everyone he fell while riding his motorcycle, which was a plausible explanation as long as no one found out about the wound on his shoulder. 

While being the baby of the group granted him sympathy points from all of your friends, meant people were constantly getting him food, doing small favors so he didn’t need to move much and he could heal faster, it also meant you were never alone. 

Jeongguk spent most of his day at work, so you wouldn’t see him then anyways, and whenever he got back home, someone always came over with him. Either one of the girls at first, then Hoseok stayed over one night when Angel’s mother paid her a visit, and the last one to be on nursing duties had been Jimin. Sweet, angelic Jimin, who had been sleeping over for the past four days. 

You never hated when Jeongguk got those visits, as you got to hang out with your friends too. But it made it impossible for you to sneak a kiss or two. All you could do was text. 

When you finally had enough of being inside your home, you gave up on the hundredth attempt to write the article for the newspaper contest, put on a cute dress and ventured out into town. 

You were still noticing changes in the city, new buildings that weren’t there when you left, familiar stores that had been rebranded, cafés you loved that changed address, old family businesses that closed down. It was weird to think that life didn’t stop while you were away. 

Realistically speaking, you knew it wouldn’t. You were glad that it didn’t. 

But when you felt like you were the exact same person when you left, it seemed as though you were the only thing that didn’t change.

It was craving that little extra familiarity that you ended up making the trip to Bangtan Ink again, hoping to see the place in the daylight, when it was full of people and full of life. 

The tattoo parlor was located in a little backstreet of Myeongdong so it would be secluded enough from the more traditional spots in the area, across the street from a nice coffee shop called Moonlight, and occupied the space that used to belong to a beauty salon. 

You didn’t realize how much you missed the buzzing of the tattoo guns until you walked past the glass doors and into the studio. The walls of the reception were still pink, which was one of the first things that caught your eye about the place, as most tattoo places were either black or red. But not only was that the original color that came with the building, it was also Seokjin’s favorite color. While the artists had the freedom to decorate and design their own rooms however they wanted, Jin was responsible for the main areas. 

“Do you have an appointment?” the girl sitting behind the receptionist’s desk was chewing gum with an open mouth, looking either suspicious or annoyed that you just walked in. 

Firstly, you didn’t like her attitude. Secondly, it was weird to see someone else sitting behind your desk. You didn’t particularly like how the surface of it was a little scratched, nor how cluttered it looked. Granted you didn’t work here anymore, and you weren’t planning on coming back, but the spot should be treated with respect. 

“I’m not here to get anything done, I’m just visiting.” you still did your part and were polite enough to offer her a smile. “Is everyone busy?” 

That made the woman scoff and pull a magazine from under the desk, opening it in front of her to continue reading. “No one is ever busy here these days.” 

“Can I just–”

You pointed to the small hallway you knew would lead to the studios and she just waved her hand dismissively. 

The thing about tattoo shops in South Korea is that they were illegal, unless you had a medical license. Which made Bangtan Ink very much an illegal business. And with the new wave of actually licensed tattoo artists that had the money and the time to get the medical license and the paperwork needed, underground businesses like this one were losing clients by the day; at least that’s what Yoongi had explained to you, over a glass of whiskey and crackers when he had been over to the house to see Guk. 

You hated the thought of this shop having to close its doors one day. 

You walked by Minsu and Sohee’s piercing studio first, giving both girls a hug before moving to your brother’s studio next. You found it empty, but his laugh was easily recognizable as you got closer to Hoseok and Yoongi’s studio. 

Leaning against the door, you watched the three of them laughing about something you hadn’t heard, while Hoseok was sticking Yoongi’s skin with his tattoo gun. 

“Are you finally getting a friendship tattoo?” you had your arms crossed and Hoseok turned the gun off so they could hear you. 

“Yoongi lost a bet.” Hoseok explained with a new cackle, calling you over to take a look. 

“That’s quite cute, actually.” you smiled as you saw the drawing of the tiny cat that was now forever marked on the back of Yoongi’s arm. 

“We wanted it to be our names,” your brother spoke, head tilted, dimples and teeth showing as he amusedly grinned. 

“Jimin wouldn’t like that very much.” Yoongi deadpanned with a small sigh, shaking his head as if he didn’t believe his badass sleeve, full of black and white pieces, like a menacing looking dragon head and a Joseon era sword, now had a fluffy, scowling cat. 

“Are you really so bored around here that you’re giving each other tattoos?” you enquired, holding back a laugh. 

“Are you going to finally let me tattoo you, dove?” 

Namjoon asked with a shaky pat on your head, the way he knew always annoyed you because it messed up your hair. You batted his hand away with a huff as he made his hand even heavier. You loved your brother to death, but sometimes he was such a boy! 

“Excuse you, I believe if anyone has the right to give Yn her first tattoo it should be me.” Hoseok stated, grabbing the cleansing foam to finish off Yoongi’s tattoo care. 

“I'm her brother.” Namjoon sneered. 

“I'm her favorite.” Hoseok shrugged. 

After his arm was patched with a layer of clear film, Yoongi got up and turned to you: “Yn, if you had to pick one of us to tattoo you, who would it be and why is it me?”

You laughed, shaking your head and bracing a hand on your waist: 

“Tae has been trying to give me one for years, what makes you think I'd let any of you poke me with that thing?”  

“I'll give you the family discount.” Namjoon insisted, taking a step back to sit on top of Hoseok’s table and knocking down a pencil holder in the process. 

“Did anyone ever use it?” you snickered, watching your brother scramble to pick up all of the pens that started rolling away. 

“I'll give it to you for free.” Hoseok insisted, lifting the tattoo gun he had used on Yoongi and making it buzz into life. 

“Tempting, but no thanks.”

Hoseok threatened to chase you with the gun and as much as you knew he would never do anything against your will, you still flinched, and it was enough for the three annoying boys to start laughing. You rolled your eyes and left the room with a wave as they planned their next bet. 

The following tattoo studio was the one you were the most excited to get to, the one your best friend shared with the man who had been consuming your thoughts more and more lately. As you approached it, you could hear Jeongguk and Taehyung talking excitedly about a new video game and you felt a little bad to interrupt. 

“Can I hide in here for a bit?” you asked as you gently knocked on the open door. “Seok is trying to give me a tattoo again.” 

“Ah, yes, his ever growing mission to claim that untouched skin of yours.” Taehyung had a boxy smile on his face as he spoke with a flourish. “I wonder if hyung has a corruption kink.” 

The boys’ studio was split exactly in the middle by a heavy partition black curtain, but since neither of them were with clients right now, it was pulled all the way back. Each man was sitting at their desk, which were close enough for them to talk without needing to shout, but still far enough that it put you in a pickle. 

Taehyung was tapping his chin with a finger as he wondered about Hoseok’s kinks, and Jeongguk was looking at you. His cheeks were covered in a light blush and you wondered if the subject made him shy. 

“Do you hate tattoos or something?” Jeongguk asked as he cleared his throat. 

Shaking your head, you started walking to his side of the room. “I would really be hanging out with the wrong crowd if I did, wouldn’t I?” 

“She's scared of needles.” Taehyung was the one explaining as he got up from his desk, but didn’t approach you. 

In his face, you could see that Taehyung was studying you and his friend. You hadn’t told him about kissing Jeongguk again, not when you’d have to explain how it happened; and even though Guk didn’t ask you to not tell anyone about that night, you guessed it was a secret. 

Being in the same room as you and Jeongguk, when Taehyung knew of your mutual crush on each other, was apparently highly amusing to your best friend and the mischievous glint in his eyes. 

“Really?” Jeongguk’s question brought your attention back to him. 

“I think tattoos look awesome, but just the thought of needles makes me hyperventilate.” nodding, you walked closer to the wall behind Jeongguk’s desk. 

The night of the stabbing you were so out of it that you didn’t have the chance to properly look at all of the drawings and stencils displayed on the wall. There were some really big pieces, like a viking boat that was so detailed that it looked more like a picture than a drawing, and really small ones: flash tattoo stencils of cutesy things for the less extreme clients. 

“Are all of these yours?” you asked Jeongguk, looking at him over your shoulder to watch his small nod. “You’re very talented, Guk.” 

“Thanks, pretty.” 

It was your turn to blush as you heard the pet name being hushed from his lips. You risked a peak at Taehyung, who was pretending to be doing something really important on his phone, but was obviously listening in. 

You weren’t just saying it either. Jeongguk had range when it came to his art, from colorful pieces, to black and white. Small ones, big ones, realistic portraits and abstract art, nature, space, fantasy, pop culture… You could see a little bit of everything. The more you looked, the more you found. 

“Can you pick a favorite?” Jeongguk asked you. 

“Now that’s a challenge.” you giggled, but looked closer until you saw a special one and pointed to it. “That one.”

The drawing you chose was of a heart made by lines, with delicate twists and turns. If you followed along the beginning of the line, you could see the exact path it took to form the unique heart shape, to where it ended on the other side.

Jeongguk got up from his chair and stood beside you. 

“What do you think it means?” 

“Well… It’s a heart, so it makes me think of love.” you stated the obvious and Jeongguk nodded for you to continue. “The line has a starting point and an end, so maybe it’s a path? A life path? And it has twists and turns in the middle, because maybe it means that a life lived with love is a worthy one?”

“I like your meaning better than mine.” Jeongguk chuckled, plucking the drawing from the wall. “It’s called Love Yourself, so it means self-love.”

“Oh.” a simple meaning, really, but a strong one nonetheless. 

That’s what you liked about art the most, how a single piece could have so many meanings and interpretations, depending on who was looking at it; even the person’s mood at the time could change the point of view. Jeongguk didn’t seem offended that you didn’t catch his intended meaning either, he had a soft smile on his lips as he walked to his tattoo stretcher, still holding onto the paper with the drawing of the heart. 

When he patted the stretcher for you to sit on, your eyes widened. 

“What are you doing?” 

“Do you trust me?” was his reply. 

The look you exchanged showed you he remembered you had asked him that same question once before. He had trusted you enough to text you to pick him up after he was hurt, he trusted you to let you drive him away, he trusted you to keep his secret. 

“Yes.” 

“Damn, why you answering so fast when you always hesitate when it's me asking you that?!” Taehyung’s offended remark reminded you that he was still in the room.

“Because when you ask that, it usually comes after 'so, I had this amazing idea when I was high last night'.” you deepened your voice, mimicking Tae’s tone in teasing. 

Jeongguk laughed and your eyes flitted to him so you could watch it, but avoided his gaze when he stared back at you. Taehyung was grumbling under his breath, complaining dramatically that if he wasn’t needed in the studio, he’d grab something to eat at Moonlight and would be back later. 

Both yours and Jeongguk’s laughter ceased as you realized you were alone. For the first time in what felt like ages. 

You didn’t run from his gaze then, as the space around you grew smaller, the tension turned higher. The pull you always felt when it was just you and him was back, as if an invisible string tightly wrapped around your waist was tightening and making you walk closer to where he was waiting for you. 

His hand lifted, as if about to touch you, but dropped as Hoseok’s loud voice was heard from the other side of the hall. 

Right. Not alone. 

“Why do I need to trust you?” you broke the silence before it stretched too long and grew uncomfortable. 

That made him smile and raise a single eyebrow. Jeongguk looked dangerously happy and it made your stomach flip. “You’ll see. Sit.” 

You were trying really hard not to change your mind about trusting Jeongguk when you hopped on top of the tattoo stretcher, pulling your dress down in an attempt to distract you from your nerves. 

“You look pretty today.” Jeongguk said, quiet enough so no one outside would hear him, in his own attempt to distract you. “I like that dress on you.” 

“Thanks.” you said, looking down as your cheeks heated. The sundress was white and had navy blue flowers all over it, fitted on the top, but flaring out at the bottom. 

“I like it when you blush too.” 

You didn’t form an answer to that, head lifting to watch Jeongguk’s back as he scoured his cupboard of tattoo supplies. When he got back to you, with a few objects in hand and a small wooden box, you were about to panic. Reading the worry in your eyes, Jeongguk chuckled and rested a free hand on your knee. 

“Relax.” his fingers felt warm against your bare skin. “I promise it’s not gonna hurt a thing.” 

“Was Tae smoking before I got here?” you asked with suspicion, hand reaching out to hold onto his wrist. 

Jeongguk’s fingers flexed against your knee as you held him, on pure instinct. When you didn’t remove his hand –which wasn’t your intention in the first place–, it moved up slightly, resting on your thigh, fingertips just under the hem of your dress. Your heart started racing more, for a whole different reason other than the box of tools he placed next to you on the stretcher. 

“I promise I’m not second-handedly high.” the pads of his fingers soothed the skin of your leg and your thumb dragged on his wrist. 

“Okay.” 

His touch was gone and you were forced to let go of his arm as Jeongguk pulled his stool closer to the stretcher and sat down in front of you after adjusting the height. You still had no idea what he was doing, but it was fascinating to watch him work. The man was meticulous as he checked the material he brought over, looking at the bottom of a plastic bottle filled with a black liquid. He placed the bottle between his legs after giving it a small shake, reaching for the wooden box and pulling out what looked like a simpler, manual version of a regular tattoo gun. 

There was a concentrated look to his eyes, small lines between his eyebrows, a tiny pout pulling his lips to the side. 

“Can I have your arm?” he asked, looking up after a while and you wanted to brush the hair away from his eyes. You offered him your right arm and Jeongguk turned it over, so your forearm was facing up. He used a baby wipe to clean the area and said: “I’m giving you a henna tattoo. So you can have the experience without the needles. And it only lasts for a couple of weeks, unless you rub it off.”

“And you just happen to have a henna kit laying around?” you smiled at his thoughtfulness, relieved you weren’t about to get an actual, real tattoo. 

“I keep it in the cupboard, for kids.” he explained, picking up the drawing of the heart and balancing it on top of his leg so he could use it as a model. “Sometimes clients bring their children, and they always love to get their own tat, too. It’s non-toxic, and I checked the expiration date, so you won’t have allergies or anything.”

“You’re really sweet, Guk.” 

You were aware of your awestruck facial expression, lucky Jeongguk was too busy connecting the plastic henna bottle to the fake tattoo gun to catch you on the act. Of course the boy would be someone to care about the experience of his clients, not just the final product. You could only imagine the happiness of the little kids when getting their very own temporary tattoos. 

“Is this placement alright?” he asked you as he held the back of your arm with a gentle hand and pointed to the area he was planning on drawing on; the upper area of the inside of your forearm, just below the crook of your elbow. You nodded. “I’ll start with a light stroke and you let me know if it hurts too much, alright?” 

“Guk.” you giggled with a shake of your head. “Are you really pretending this is real?” 

“I’m giving you the full treatment, alright?” he laughed and dragged the stool a little closer so he could get more comfortable. “Apparently you have a whole team of artists wanting to tattoo you for real, who knows when I’ll get the chance to?” 

“If I miraculously get over my fear of needles, I promise you’ll be the first one to know.” 

Jeongguk smiled and pushed his hair away from his face, like you had been wanting to do for a few minutes now, so he had the perfect view of what he was doing. Every brush of the thin nozzle on your forearm was delicate, careful and straight. It left behind a path of black ink as he followed the drawing balanced on his leg. You were trying to be as quiet as possible, but not moving was hard when he looked so handsome, when he was touching you. 

“What would you have done if I had picked the viking ship?” you mused, trying to look over your shoulder at the big piece. 

“I would have done it on your back, because it wouldn’t fit here.” he said, seriously. “Or on your thigh, that’s where I’d pick if I was having it done on myself.” 

“Now I kinda regret I didn’t pick that one then.” 

“I think this one matches you better.” Jeongguk was clearly in a zone, the tattoo artist's brain making him focus on you as a canvas for his art. At your giggle, however, he understood what you were hinting at. “Oh.” 

You wanted to tell him he was cute, but you didn’t know how much longer you had until Taehyung got back or one of the others showed up, so instead, you asked:

“How’s your shoulder?” 

“Doesn’t hurt all that much anymore.” Jeongguk said as he worked on one of the loops of the heart. “I’ve been using the same healing cream I recommend to my clients, so hopefully the scar won’t be too big.”

“Do you have many of those?” you softened your voice as you asked it, not wanting to offend Jeongguk, but trying to know more. 

He lifted his head, pausing the tattooing, and the hurt you found in his eyes made your chest clench. Your right hand was close to his face, and since he stopped drawing, you reached for him, thumb gently dragging against the small scar he had on his cheek bone. 

Jeongguk sighed into your touch and the pain gave space to tranquility once more. 

“That’s from a fight with my hyung, over a computer game.” he explained and allowed you to trace the small scar with your fingertips. “Got it when I was nine.” 

“Always getting in trouble.” you smiled, dropping your arm back into place so he could continue. 

“You’re one to talk.” 

Jeongguk finished the tattoo without really answering your question and you respected him. If he had anything he wanted to share with you, he would do so when he was ready. 

If this was a real tattoo, he would have cleaned it and covered it up just like Hoseok had done to Yoongi’s new cat tattoo. Since this one was made of henna, he asked you to not get it wet for the next few hours, and to try not to pick on the dry ink, because it would fall off on its own without damaging the drawing underneath. 

As he cleaned up his station and organized his materials again, you hopped off the stretcher and walked to the big mirror on the side of the studio, to admire your first fake tattoo. It was really pretty on your arm, looked exactly like the drawing, the sizing and location were perfect. 

“Oh no.” you groaned, turning to look at Jeongguk as he wrote something on the piece of paper that had the original drawing. “This is making me want to get a real one. What have you done?” 

“All according to plan.” the boy laughed, folding the paper in half and handing it to you. 

“What’s this for?” you asked as you accepted the paper anyway. 

“That is yours now.” Jeongguk told you with a shrug. 

Before you could open the paper to read what he wrote, or even complain about the fact he had just gifted you with one of his tattoo designs, Yoongi’s head popped into the studio. You both looked at him at the same time. 

“Hey–” Yoongi stopped as he looked at the drawing on your arm. “No fucking way.” 

“It’s just henna, hyung.” Jeongguk explained before the older man could freak out about you possibly having gotten a tattoo in the last half an hour. 

Yoongi walked closer to the two of you and you proudly showed off Jeongguk’s work on your arm. Yoongi nodded, impressed. 

“Could have fooled me. Looks good.” he said after examining it more closely. “Anyways, I told Jiminah you were here and he wanted me to invite you to eat ramen with us.”

“At that cool place?” you lit up, not having been to a ramen restaurant in so long. 

“Well, it’s Jimin, so you know it’s not gonna be a food truck.” Yoongi tried to hide the fond smile at the mention of his boyfriend, but you caught it. “I think Hobah is calling Angel too.” 

“Sounds fun, then we can all go.” you nodded. 

Yoongi nodded with a soft smile as his lips formed a thin line, leaving you and Jeongguk alone again. While the boy distracted himself by putting the henna kit back inside of his cupboard, you unfolded the paper you were still holding. 

Jeongguk had signed the drawing, added today’s date to it, and wrote:

‘A life path filled with love.’ 

JUNE 17TH | 19:49

One thing you could be sure of when going out with your group of friends was that you’d make an impression. Not only were all of you loud and excited –some more than others–, all of the seven men were tall and covered in tattoos. From the girls of said group, you were the only one that didn’t have any body art;and even you were sporting the henna on your forearm tonight. 

Unfortunately, the group wasn’t complete as Minsu had plans of spending the rest of the Friday night with her boyfriend. The girl had the common sense to not invite the man to come out with you; as it would only make some of you awkward and Taehyung would most likely not be here tonight if she had. 

The ten of you were at the very back of the small ramyun shop, occupying the biggest table the family run restaurant had to offer. It wasn’t a Michelin by any means, but it was such a popular spot among locals and tourists alike that you had to arrive early otherwise you’d have to wait in line for hours. Especially a group as big as yours. 

Seokjin and Jeongguk were taking both ends of the long table, the maknae and the oldest hyung. You were sitting on Jeongguk’s right, Taehyung was right next to you, followed by Jimin and Sohee. Angel was in front of you, next were Hoseok, Yoongi and Namjoon. 

It took all of the five workers of the small restaurant to serve your table, yelling out everyone’s names so they could match the person to what kind of ramen each of you had ordered. Metal bowls filled with noodles and delicious smelling broth were in front of each of you and sides of white rice and kimchi were in the middle of the table, among the many flavors of Soju bottles. 

You used the metal chopsticks to poke the egg yolk in your bowl and stir the noodles to mix in the flavor, surprising yourself by the heart drawn on your arm. You supposed that’s how people felt when they got a new tattoo, being constantly surprised by it. 

“That looks so good, Yn! I thought it was real for a second.” Angel told you as she noticed you staring at the henna tattoo. 

“Right?” you gushed, looking at Jeongguk on your left. “Guk did a really good job!”

“He is really good.” the woman nodded as you slurped on the noodles. “If you ever want to get the real thing, I can vouch that he’s got really good hands.”

“Oh?” 

You frowned at her choice of words, but Jeongguk clarified:

“I did a tattoo on noona once.” 

“It’s my favorite tattoo, let me look for a picture.” Angel dropped her own chopsticks into her bowl to pick up her phone from where it was resting on top of the table. 

Her boyfriend had an arm on the back of her chair as he half listened to the conversation on your side of the table and on the other. “You were crying the whole time you got it, don’t listen to them, dove. Get a tattoo with me.”

“I wasn’t crying, I was being dramatic because I wanted you to feel sorry for me and feed me gummies.” Angel scoffed at Hoseok’s excuse, staring at him with squinty eyes. 

“You know you didn’t need to be dramatic, I stayed with you as soon as you asked for me.” he rebutted, hand cradling the back of her head with tenderness.  

“Haven’t you tattooed Angel unnie yet, Seok?” you asked your friend, wiping the corner of your mouth with a napkin. 

“No, she thinks I’ll tattoo my name on her.” he rolled his eyes as if that was an absurd conclusion.

“What is it with you boys’ kink about tattooing names on each other?” you rolled your eyes, watching the food down with a shot of Soju. You looked to your right, past Taehyung, and called for Jimin. “Minie, Hoseok was going to tattoo his name on Yoongi today.” 

“What?!” 

Jimin almost spit his food, Seokjin started laughing like a windshield wiper, Yoongi looked panicked.

“But I didn’t let him!” Yoongi defended himself amidst Hoseok and Namjoon’s laughs. 

“Damn right you didn’t, if you’re tattooing a man’s name on your body, it better be mine.” Jimin spoke in pout, pointing his chopsticks towards his boyfriend.  

After chaos had been created, Jimin demanded –in the most harmless and cutest way you had ever seen– to know what bet he had lost this time and asked to see the new tattoo. Seokjin, instead of setting the example, started to come up with new bets they could all partake in. 

“Here, Yn.” Angel had scrolled back enough on her phone gallery to find the picture of the tattoo Jeongguk had done on her, turning her screen to you. 

You could see the photo of the woman’s back, and right in the middle of her spine was an elongated rectangle frame. At the bottom of the frame you could see the crashing waves of an ocean, blending into green mountains, branches of a plant moving in the wind, behind a big bird with spread white wings. 

“Oh my god, that’s gorgeous!” you gasped as you tried to notice every detail. 

“Isn’t it? Guk did everything.”

Ever modest, Jeongguk said: “Well, Hoseok hyung was the one to give me the idea for it, I just drew it and executed it.” 

“It’s really gorgeous, Guk.” 

You smiled at the boy, who scrunched his nose and started eating again, not really good at taking the compliments you were trying to give him. You handed Angel’s phone back and Taehyung served you a new shot of Soju. You did the same for him and you both clincked your glasses before throwing the alcohol down your throats. 

Give it two more shots and Tae would start doing Soju bottle tricks to make everyone laugh. 

“Ugh, I hope you know I lived vicariously through your pictures from America.” Angel was still looking at her phone and you guessed she had opened instagram to post a picture of tonight and saw your most recent post of when you did the same, which inevitably led her to look at your feed. “You were there for two years, right? In New York?”

“I stayed in New York City, yes, but it was easy to go to neighboring towns to visit other places.” you nodded, cutting the pieces of pork meat on your plate with a scissor and bringing one of them into your mouth. 

“I can’t imagine being in another country for two years.” the girl sighed, impressed, forgetting her food for a while. 

“Your mother would freak out if you did.” Hoseok pointed out with a loud laugh. 

“I went there on an English learning program. My parents insisted, actually. Said the language and the experience was important for when I take over the family company.” you explained to them, noticing how Jeongguk was hanging off your every word. He had never asked you much about your time abroad, but you guessed it was because it happened before you even met him. “Joon did the same, but he chose to go to New Zealand when he was 17.”

“Yeah, but I was only gone for six months.” Namjoon said, from the other side of the table, mouth full of rice. 

“You were a momma’s boy.” you threw at him with a Soju-induced giggle. 

“Oh, that makes sense then.” Angel nodded, continuing the conversation. 

You had to stop to spoon some of the broth into you, needing your stomach to be a little more filled. You were, by every sense of the word, a lightweight when it came to drinking. 

When you felt a little more grounded, you carried on:

“I was only supposed to stay for a year, but I ended up getting a job teaching Korean in the same language school I went to, so I extended my stay.”

“What did you like the most about New York?” Jeongguk asked you, and you wondered if he had ever left the country.

“Being away.” you said, and the ones close to you pulled sad faces. So you continued: “I think what I liked the most wasn’t necessarily the city, but it was nice to be somewhere no one knew me. I could be whoever I wanted to be, it felt like a fresh start everyday. That makes me sound really weird, doesn’t it?”

“Don’t think so.” Angel shook her head. “We all want to be someone else every now and then.”

“That’s why we roleplay.” Hoseok said, as if he just had a marvelous breakthrough. His face was bright red, but only from the alcohol. That man had no shame. 

Yoongi, who was sitting on the other side of Hoseok, and not doing much better in the sober department, held the bowl of food closer to him: “Not in front of my ramen, please.” 

“Are you saying you never had Jimin dress as a schoolboy?” Hoseok teased. 

That was enough for the table to explode in new laughs, teasing snickers and tired groans from those who didn’t want to hear about each other’s sex lives. Apparently Angel and Hoseok were the ones to try the most things in the bedroom, but Seokjin had some pretty kinky stories to share. 

“And did you meet any cute boys in America?” Angel brought the conversation back to you and Hoseok sent you an apologetic smile, as if to say that he knew his girlfriend had a lot of questions, but she meant well. 

“Oh, nooo.” you shook your head too defensively for it to be believable. 

But talking about boys with your brother sitting right there, Taehyung knowing too much, and Jeongguk barely blinking after the question was uttered, felt like the recipe for disaster. 

“Oh, you liar!” surprisingly, Sohee was the one to snitch on you. “What about that Harry guy?”

“Harry? There was no Harry.” Namjoon’s neck was stretched as he tried to read you and you prayed for a hole to swallow you. “Right, dove?”

“Right, oppa. I was perfectly celibate.” 

You pretended that was true and your brother pretended to believe you. It was better this way. Taehyung, who still used moments like this as revenge for you leaving him for two years, leaned closer to you but spoke loud enough for those who were closer to you could still hear. 

“Wasn’t that guy the best you ever had?”

“Kim Taehyung.” you warned him, completely red in the face. “Anyways, enough about me, how’s your job going, Angel?”

You couldn’t relax even when everyone else seemed to forget about you to focus on the girl’s news of getting promoted in the fashion company she worked for. You really loved your time abroad, had many experiences that you would never forget, perfected a whole new language, and met friends you wished to see again one day. 

But it also brought back feelings that sat uncomfortably in your chest, memories you were working really hard to let go of. 

Everyone finished eating at different speeds, but no one seemed to be in a rush to go home. Some of the boys needed to sober up from the little they drank so they could drive, and all of you could sleep all day tomorrow if you needed to. 

A small tap to your foot under the table made you look at Jeongguk. You were worried he might be wondering about Harry, but instead he asked:

“Why does hyung call you dove?”

You ended up leaning a little closer to him, hoping that anybody else that could be watching the exchange only saw two friends having a casual conversation. “Do you know the meaning of a dove?” 

“Peace?” he said, not thinking much of it. 

“In the religious sense, yeah.” you smiled. “But it can also mean freedom, love, grace, purity.”

“Is that why you always wear this?” Jeongguk reached for your left arm that was resting on the table, thumb tracing the bracelet around your wrist. 

It wasn’t a flashy piece of jewelry, just a gold band with a little pendant of two doves connected by the tip of their wings. It felt like a charm to you at this point, and you rarely took it off. 

“It's one of the reasons.” you told him, teeny tiny shock waves running on your skin where Jeongguk’s fingers were tracing subtle patterns. “You know what it means when you see two doves together?”

“Let's assume I'm not good with meanings.” Jeongguk chuckled. 

“It means good luck.”

  A little while ago Taehyung had pulled out his vape pen and announced he was going outside for a smoke break, inviting Jeongguk to join him. Apparently, it was all a front and you were supposed to have followed them out. But you didn’t particularly enjoy the smell of Tae’s vape, so you had every intention of staying inside the noodle place, talking to Jimin and Jin about new recipes to try. 

Of course that all changed after Taehyung’s texts. 

“He’s out in the alley, I’ll keep a lookout.” Taehyung was saying as you approached him outside the restaurant. “If you hear a coughing fit, know that’s code to stop.”

“Just call for us, don’t be dramatic.” 

“Do you have to take the fun away from everything?” 

You left your best friend keeping an eye out for any movement from your other friends and slipped into the small corridor between the side of the restaurant and the nextdoor building. It was most likely the alley cooks and staff used for their breaks, but it was empty right now. 

Well. Except for Jeongguk. 

The boy was hidden in the shadows, all you could see was his frame, the outline of his body, but the closer you got, the clearer he became. 

“Hey–”

You didn’t have time to utter another word as he pulled you into a kiss with an arm around your waist. Your body reacted before your brain could, arms wrapping around his neck as you kissed him back. 

“I was gonna go mad if I didn’t kiss you.” Jeongguk whispered against your lips, already breathless, even if the kiss only lasted for a couple of seconds.

“Then do it again.” you mumbled, voice surprisingly hoarse. 

Jeongguk flipped the two of you around so fast you grew a little dizzy; or maybe it was the way his body pressed you against the wall. It was dark in the alley, but your eyes got used to it little by little and you could make out his facial features. Both of his hands were holding you by your waist, until one of them dragged up the side of your body, passing your shoulder, breath getting caught in your lungs as he touched your neck, finally resting on your jaw. 

Your eyes closed instantly as you felt the soft brushing of his lips on yours, so faint you tried chasing after them, only for Jeongguk to hold onto your jaw just a little harder to keep you in place. It didn’t hurt, but it was so teasing and so firm that you couldn’t hold back a little moan. 

Hearing that made Jeongguk intake a sharp breath, a smirk growing against your lips as his body pressed harder into yours. Your hands were clinging to his shirt as he took your bottom lip into his mouth, teasingly sucking on it while still holding your face, keeping your mouth parted. 

“Baby.” you whined quietly. 

That’s when Jeongguk’s hand slipped from your jaw to the back of your neck and his lips pressed properly against yours. His felt soft when they slowly moved along yours, dictating the pace of the kiss, always starting so fucking slow it made your mind fog. The man’s thumb brushed your cheek as he pulled away, just for a second, just to press his forehead against yours and breathe. 

One of your hands stayed on his chest, feeling his rapid heartbeat under your palm, and the other tangled in his hair; so long at the nape of his neck that it was easy to tangle your fingers through it and gently tug. 

Jeongguk hissed and his leg slipped between yours. Your new moan was swallowed by his as his tongue pushed past your gasping lips and he kissed you again, harder and deeper than before. His hands met at the dip of your waist, hold firm as he kept you against him, but he didn’t push for more. 

You did. 

You rocked your hips once, pressing yourself against his leg, feeling the scratch of the material of his pants against your naked inner thighs. When you did it again, you didn’t even try to stop the new moan from escaping you. 

“That feel good?” 

Jeongguk asked, but didn’t give you the time to answer him as his tongue chased yours again. He licked your mouth in a messy kiss that was turning sloppy with each new flick of his tongue. All you could do was nod and roll your hips again. His tattooed hand dropped to your ass, but it just stayed there, as if he was hesitating, and you really didn’t like that. 

As your mouth was too busy working in tandem with his, head leaning to one side and the other, you pushed back into his hand. Jeongguk got the memo fast enough, fingers pressing against your ass, holding a cheek and squeezing. 

“Fuck–” you gasped, both hands on the side of his neck. “Guk.” 

You didn’t know what you were asking for, but he seemed to when he urged his hips into yours and you felt him against your thigh. 

Big. Fuck, he was big. And you highly doubted he was completely full. At least you hoped so, because it’s not like you could really do something about it right now. 

It was when a coughing fit grew louder that alarm bells started ringing in your ears. You pushed Jeongguk by his chest and his hands left you as if you burnt him. 

“That’s Tae’s code.” you explained, wiping your lips and fixing your hair. “We have to go back.”