【 Jungkook 】

The cold and empty darkness of your lonely apartment was the first— and unsurprisingly only thing to greet you upon finally returning home, certainly not helping to soothe the numb ache of disbelief which still lingered in your chest from earlier tonight as you quietly proceeded to grab yourself a glass from the kitchen before dragging your feet over to the living room; not even bothering to turn any lights on as you merely just plopped yourself down by the coffee table accompanied by the fancy looking liquor bottle you had bought on your way home in the name of celebration— however pitiful that may sound.

Much like many other things in life, the liquor bottle's pretty exterior merely served as a distraction from the cheap and presumably distasteful alcohol it on the contrary contained, though who are you to complain really? Nonetheless, after pouring yourself a glass which you practically ended up chugging down almost immediately, a soft hiss escaped past your lips at the warm burn going down your throat— not particularly enjoying the taste of the matter-of-factly disgustingly bitter drink, as predicted, although one had to admit it certainly could be a lot worse.

It didn't take all too long for the burning feeling of the liquor to fade as you gradually grew used to the sensation; somewhat to your dissatisfaction considering the feeling had been the only thing distracting you from the otherwise unpleasant numbness which uncomfortably still lingered in your chest— though maybe it was better to feel nothing in a scenario like this?

A bitterly faint smile tugged at your lips while you calmly swirled the liquid inside the glass, finding yourself growing tipsier by the minute thanks to the amounts you had consumed in such a short timeframe; quietly humming softly whilst trying to think of the positives which had come out of finally drawing the line with these people. However, it truly didn't feel like there was much to cheer for at the moment considering you still felt just as hopeless as ever.

There should've been at least this sense of relief knowing you no longer had to deposit most of your paychecks into the bank accounts of those whom disowned you, knowing you no longer would have to keep working three jobs in order to barely get by, or knowing this meant you'd finally have a chance to regain some of the pieces of yourself you had lost along the way— and you're still holding onto hope of that feeling of relief eventually appearing, but for now, it all just felt utterly... awful.

Just as you finished chugging down the last bits of what was left in your glass, the figure of a certain male whom seemingly had appeared out of thin air came and silently sat down in front of you— almost seeming to analyze you as he made no efforts to speak first, and so you finally raised your gaze to meet his eyes before mumbling out a quiet ''You really come and go as you please huh?'' whilst flashing him a dreamy smile thanks to your mildly drunken state.

Upon receiving no response other than a worried frown that lingered on his features, a sigh emitted past your lips while you proceeded to pour yourself another glass, once again forcing a melancholy grin as you spoke tiredly

Jungkook: You must think I look like a total loser drinking by myself like this ghostie

The male shook his head calmly as a response, now allowing a gentle smile to tug at his lips whilst whispering out a quiet but sincere ''I don't, besides...'' before suddenly proceeding to place down a second glass onto the coffee table which he discreetly had been holding on to— following his previous sentence up with a reassuring ''–you're not alone.'' whilst flashing you his signature box-like grin.

Taehyung: Would you pour me a drink hm?

This earned an amused scoff out of you as you raised an eyebrow at him, grumbling out a quiet ''What a waste of alcohol, you can't even drink it'', yet still complied with the entity's request nevertheless

Taehyung: Well I would do it myself, though I've heard this funny superstition you mortals have whereas pouring your own drink supposedly brings you seven years of bad sex.

His certainly unhinged remark instantly caused you to nearly choke on your drink as you wiped your lips whilst flashing the male a look of genuine astonishment and disbelief, only to break out into a fit of soft amused giggles shortly after while setting your glass back down onto the table to wipe the tears which had begun to form from amusement

Jungkook: Where have you even heard such absurd— no scratch that, you're literally a ghost, such superstitions are literally the least of your worries.

To your surprise, his previously worried expression seemed to ease slightly into one of relief as he merely shrugged before resting his chin against the palm of his hand, mumbling out something playful along the lines of ''I'm not taking my chances'' which only earned another soft giggle out of you while you simultaneously rolled your eyes at him

Taehyung: Hm, that's better...

A confused hum left your lips as you glanced at him while taking another sip out of your drink, scrunching your nose lightly at the bitter taste which at this point had begun to feel a bit nauseating

Taehyung: You're finally smiling again— maybe not your usual bunny grin, though now that I think about it, those do unfortunately seem like quite a rarity...

In all honesty, you had not even realized how that previously numb, tight, and almost hopeless feeling in your chest gradually had grown to subside— nor how your lips automatically had curved up and settled into a faint smile ever since the male accompanied you at the table. The realization that he genuinely seemed to have at least momentarily been able to cheer you up caused your expression to soften as you quietly nodded in return, not sure as to what you should reply to the male so you simply settled for another faint smile.

While another comfortable silence momentarily lingered in the room, your attention soon got drawn over towards the window as the sky suddenly got lit up in colorful sparks and shapes from a firework show close by— the sight instantly making a soft ''Oh...'' of realization leave your lips while you watched the beautiful sight before mumbling out a faint ''I guess it's a new year now...'', to which Taehyung hummed whilst also turning his attention towards the fireworks outside

Taehyung: A new year marks the start of a new chapter Gguk... Don't let anyone else decide how your story should go this year.

Tears almost immediately began to brim your eyes as you cuddled up on the couch, eyes not steering away from the mesmerizing sight of the fireworks as you hugged your knees in an attempt to comfort yourself from the sudden surge of sadness which unexpectedly had washed over you like a tidal wave— and despite trying your best to hide it, soft sniffles could soon be heard inside the living room while you desperately attempted to wipe away your tears in a stubborn attempt to hide your broken state.

There was a moment of silence as Taehyung worriedly watched you whilst scooting a little closer, instinctively reaching to comfort you yet sighing disappointedly as his hand merely went right through you; so instead he whispered out a gentle ''Talk to me Gguk... What's weighing your heart down?'' whilst remaining seated on the floor below you— making you finally tear your gaze away from the display which was reaching its end, silent tears still rolling down your cheeks as a shaky sigh left your lips; thoughts jumbled, not even knowing where to start.

Jungkook: I don't know, I just—... I'm so sick of catching myself envying the lives of others whom I don't even know, all because they seem happier. I despise having been made to feel like I am some sort of a... f-filthy disgrace, by people who shouldn't be allowed to call themselves parents. I'm angry at myself for not cutting ties with them sooner, but even more so that I still somehow felt hurt and almost regretful now that I finally did— a-and god I don't think I'll ever get over how much I f-fucking hate returning to this damned dark and cold apartment, it just feels so i-incredibly l-lonely...

Another soft sniffle could be heard as your tipsy babbles defeatedly halted, realizing just how ridiculous your messy rambles must've sounded to the other as you quickly piped out an embarrassed ''S-Sorry'' whilst lowering your head shamefully. Yet to your surprise, Taehyung had attentively listened to every word just spoken without judgment— the sight of his gentle gaze and understanding nods alone being enough to cause another round of tears to well up and silently roll down your cheeks as he spoke ever so softly

Taehyung: Don't apologize Gguk, I may not be able to do much for you— but please allow me to lend a shoulder every once in a while when you need it, don't bottle all of this up like you are now...

You slowly allowed your glimmering eyes to meet his gentle ones before a breathy giggle escaped past your lips— making another attempt to wipe your tears away as you sniffled softly before mumbling out a playful response in the hopes of lighting the mood up a little

Jungkook: Pretty sure I'd fall right down if I tried to lean on you ghostie...

The comment earned a soft scoff from the entity whom rolled his eyes lightly, unable to hide the amused smile that yet again tugged at his lips

Taehyung: Well... It's the thought that counts, no?

A genuinely grateful smile finally tugged at your lips as the two of you locked eyes, giggling softly amongst yourselves whilst you nodded slowly in agreement— surprisingly already feeling much lighter all thanks to his comforting presence.

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