⚠️ Trigger warnings:

Strong Language

Heart break

Angst

꧁•⊹٭🩷٭⊹•꧂

Jungkook's POV

The next morning...

The birds were chirping, and the sun was shining beautifully in the sky. It was now seven o'clock in the morning and everything was right with the world.

After dropping my girlfriend off last night, I came back home and crash on my bed, happily. I'd had the best sleep in years! And I woke up this morning with the biggest grin on my face for the first time in years. Soo-Ah made me smile to myself. I feel alive and happy with her.

It's hard to believe that I only know her for a day. It feels like we know each other for years and years. Everything just feels right with her.

I had called Taehyung hyung last night and he agreed to meet us with his girlfriend Namratha. It turns out that they also started dating recently and wanted to try the double date I suggested. Namratha agreed with me, I had also called her up for some advice, since she was the closest thing to a sister I've ever had.

Nammy, as she preferred to be called, suggested we meet at an old fort in Cardiff, then head out to dinner at a restaurant. Soo-Ah also liked the idea, so the four of us agreed to meet at seven o'clock tonight.

It's the perfect night for a date, a beautiful Friday night. I smiled to myself.

But as I set foot out of my apartment two hours later, dozens of reporters gathered around me, demanding answers to their ridiculous questions. Among them, was Sally, the vulture-like woman from the other day.

I sighed out loud, rolling my eyes inwardly and took another step forward.

But then someone asked a question that had caught me off-guard.

"So Mr. Jeon, how was your date last night with Park Soo-Ah?" It was an asian woman, she was small in build and looked thrilled to have intel the other reporters didn't seem to have.

I glanced at her media pass hanging around her neck and smiled to her.

"I'm sure that is private information, and this is private property miss Na-ri."

"But she's admitted to meeting you last night. It looks like you two are pretty close. You should be glad that she doesn't read the newspapers." Na-ri smirked knowingly at me.

I felt my heart sink. Soo-Ah wasn't the type to kiss and tell was she? Is it possible someone had overheard her speak to me earlier? We did have a quick call when I'd woken up this morning.

Oh well... We'll see what happens.

I decided to politely ignore her comment. Reports were like that. They're good at guessing things and baiting us into admitting to more than they'd guessed at.

If anything, this Na-ri woman was one of the people who tried to send Soo-Ah hate mail yesterday. Thankfully, Namratha and the team had helped me nip that in the bud. I shook my head annoyed at society today. It didn't matter where I lived. People are just unrealistically nosy.

Just as I pushed through the small throng of annoying reporters, my phone began to ring. I plugged a finger into my ear as I answered to block out the nose and chatter of the small group of reporters as they cleared out.

"Yeoboseyo, hyung?" It was Taehyung hyung.

"Jungkook-ah... Huh? It's so noisy... Where are you right now?" Taehyung hyung sounded serious for a change. My heart began to beat faster in my chest.

"I just pushed past a throng of annoying reporters that were gathered outside my front door. But thankfully they're leaving now. What's up?" I asked, knitting my brows together out of concern. Hyung didn't sound okay.

"Okay. Listen, uh... Soo- Soo-Ah called me earlier and asked me to tell you that she won't be able to meet you today." Hyung said in a heavy voice. He sounded hurt. What was going on?

But it didn't make sense. Why would my girlfriend phone our mutual friend to ask him to tell me that she can't make it on a date?

"That's okay hyung. I'm sure it's just a work thing. We can always reschedule our date. She knows that." I smiled, trying to look on the bright side.

"No Kookie. I- I think it's best not to meet her for a while." Hyung insisted. Something wasn't right. But I couldn't be so sure. Perhaps she dialed him by accident and asked him to tell me?

I hope everything was alright.

"It's okay hyung. I'll just call her later and check on her myself." I shrugged, even though hyung couldn't see me.

"Kookie... You're so innocent. Please don't contact her. Not yet." But Taehyung hyung's voice was beginning to scare me.

"What about you and Nammy? Are you still going on that date?" I tried to lighten the mood.

"No. But, I do need to meet you. Are you free now?" He asked me suddenly.

"Yes, I was just on my way to the market to get some supplies. We can meet on my way back." I replied, feeling the panic begin to creep into my voice.

"Alright. I'll see you at our old hang out spot in Pontcanna. And Kookie, it's not her fault...okay?" Taehyung hyung added, sounding sad.

My heart sank into the pit of my stomach. Hyung wanted to speak in private. This was definitely bad.

꧁•⊹٭🩷٭⊹•꧂

Taehyung's POV

At his workplace, around 09h00

I was busy signing off a document by pen, when my phone began to ring.

"Oppa."

It was Soo-Ah. And she was crying. This didn't sound right. She and Jungkook just started dating.

She was like a little sister to me. I couldn't bare to see or hear her crying. The sound itself had my heart rip into two.

"Oppa... I- I made a mistake." She sobbed.

"Shhhh... Soo-Ah. What's wrong? What can I do to help you?" I asked as panic flooded my thoughts, what did she do?

"I said yes to Jungkook when he asked me to be his - g- girlfriend." She stammered through tears. "Everything was fine until- until- until I -" But I couldn't hear the rest of her words because she'd broken down into a fresh bout of tears.

What the fuck did Jungkook do?

He wasn't a playboy.

He's never had a girlfriend since university, which was when he was in Korea... And he was known for being the famous bachelor artist in Wales.

Argh... I need to see my girlfriend. She'll know better. Because my girlfriend, Nammy, was his assistant and colleague at the gallery. Surely Namratha would have an idea?

However, first I needed more information. I'll need to stop by the media and publishing houses before I see Nammy.

"Soo-Ah... Are you at work?" I asked her, thinking quickly.

"Yes oppa." She sniffed.

"Can you meet me during your lunch break?" I asked her. I had a plan to fix whatever this maknae had done. But first, I need to phone Namratha and then Jungkook.

"Okay... Thanks oppa." She thank me through sniffles that made my heart sink.

"It's no problem Soo-Ah. I did say I'll be your umbrella in a storm didn't I? Oppa is here for you." I assured her.

I'm gonna kick Jungkook hard if he hurt her.

"And oppa.." she sniffed again.

"Yes?" I asked, worry creeping in.

"Can you tell him I'm not going to be able to meet him today. I don't want to speak to him right now." She sniffed, but I sensed her resolve, not wanting to waste any more tears on the matter.

"Okay. I'll call him now. Whatever it is, I'm sure it's just a small misundertanding we can clear up, okay? Trust your TaeTae oppa."

"Oppa... There were news reports that he was with another girl last night too. My family found out about us last night and asked me not to speak to him again."

"Is there any footage? Any evidence?" I asked her, unsure of this. It didn't sound like Kookie to two time anyone. And with the media going wild about his birthday yesterday, this could be someone's idea of a sick joke.

Not on my watch.

Not with my two best friends.

"No. Just a picture of his car in the park. And I know it's his car... The number plate is in full view. It's on every newspaper in Cardiff. I hate him oppa. " She sniffed.

"Okay. Calm down Sue. I'll meet you during your lunch break, alright. I might bring Namratha as well. We need to figure this out and quickly." I assured her.

I ended the call with my little sister and called up my idiot best friend.

I just hope my friend didn't fuck up his one good chance at love.

꧁•⊹٭🩷٭⊹•꧂

Five minutes later...

"Yeoboseyo, hyung?" Kookie answered me in his usual bright tone.

Okay... So he's his normal self.

"Jungkook-ah... Huh? It's so noisy... Where are you right now?" I asked, covering my ears in a struggle to hear him. His background was too rowdy.

"I just pushed past a throng of annoying reporters that were gathered outside my front door. But thankfully they're leaving now. What's up?" He sounded a little unsure, as if worry began to creep in...

I thought again about what Soo-Ah said.

I scrolled the online version of the morning paper on my iPad. The papers indeed had a picture of his car outside a park.

"Okay. Listen, uh... Soo- Soo-Ah called me earlier and asked me to tell you that she won't be able to meet you today." I stammered in a heavy voice. What was wrong with me?

"That's okay hyung. I'm sure it's just a work thing. We can always reschedule our date. She knows that." He responded positively, trying to look on the bright side. He couldn't have met anyone other than Soo-Ah last night.

"No Kookie. I- I think it's best not to meet her for a while." I insisted.

I just hope everything will be alright once I meet both of them.

"It's okay hyung. I'll just call her later and check on her myself." I could tell he shrugged, even though I couldn't see him. Jungkook was an open book. There clearly was a misunderstanding here. Trust the reporter to cook up some trouble for nothing.

"Kookie... You're so innocent. Please don't contact her. Not yet." I suggested, feeling uncomfortable in being the middleman to my two best friends' misundertanding.

I felt like Harry Potter in the Half-Blood Prince novel when Ron and Hermione weren't talking to each other. Sigh... This needs to end.

"What about you and Nammy? Are you still going on that date?" Jungkook asked me, trying to lighten the mood. This itself assured me that he was indeed an innocent victim in the media's ploy.

"No. But, I do need to meet you. Are you free in the next hour?" I decided suddenly. It was best we nipped this in the bud before anyone was hurt any further.

"Yes, I was just on my way to the market to get some supplies. We can meet on my way back." The maknae replied, the panic that began to creep into his voice was audible.

"Alright. I'll see you at our old hang out spot in Pontcanna. And Kookie, it's not her fault...okay?" I added, feeling really upset, but I left him a hint.

I just hope he listens to me.

꧁•⊹٭🩷٭⊹•꧂

Lunch time

"Namaste." I greeted my girlfriend. I've been learning some Hindi in an effort to win her heart for good. I really liked her.

"Anyeong... I mean... Namaste." She laughed realising we'd mixed our greetings up again. She'd bowed when I pressed my palms together in greeting. We were practicing for when we'd be meeting each other's family.

"Nammy, did you speak to Jungkook anytime between 9 p.m. last night and 8 a.m. this morning?" I asked her in a serious tone. She looked at me curiously.

"Okay, Sherlock." She smirked at me, taking in the long brown coat I wore over my suit. It was completely unintentional but I also held a grey pork pie hat in one hand.

"Seriously Yeobo, something's not right with Kookie and Soo-Ah." I urged her to listen more attentively. "I'm worried about them - something isn't right-" She place a finger over my lips, then pulled me by my hand into her house.

We walked into her living room, a clean and bright space with maroon and mahohany furniture, still hand in hand. Her parents were out for the day, which was a tiny relief - I haven't yet visited while there were here. On most days she worked at the gallery, but today was one of her days off.

Usually we met in-between break times and on her days off when her parents were out shopping or off visiting friends. We haven't really been on dates in a while, but I didn't mind. This was more intimate.

Sometimes, especially on weekends, I'd pick her up and take her home for lunch. We often play Monopoly or Scrabble, or we'd watch Sherlock Holmes or Doctor Who... We didn't care much for fancy dates, as long as there was food and we could talk for hours, then we were happy.

Today was no exception.

I rushed over from my office to see her during my break, since her house was a stone throw away from my office block. And of course, being a lawyer did make it easier to leave the office whenever I wanted to.

"Right. Now talk." Namratha said to me as we sat down with a cup of tea and cupcakes. It was around 10 o'clock now, and I was getting a little hungry. She knew me well.

"Okay," I said through chomping my teatime treat, "Kookie and Sue have a misunderstanding. Sue read the morning paper and phoned me. She is very upset. But when I called Jungkook, everything seemed fine on his side, except for a hoard of reporters crowding his doorstep." I paused to sip my tea.

My girlfriend, who had daintily placed her teacup on a saucer, looked up at me in surprise.

"So, you're telling me that this is all about this?" She indicated at the paper, South Wales Echo: News Extra.

I raised my eyebrows in surprise as I read the article and studied the photograph. It matched the image Soo-Ah had sent to me and the article I had read on Wales Online.

It seems like the rumour mill was working overtime to wreak havoc.

Sigh... This meant extra hours at the office for me as Jungkook's personal lawyer.

Why me?

Soo-Ah was so sweet and yet, she was so naïve. It turns out that the happy couple were under a complete misunderstanding, just like I had thought!

I chuckled to myself, which got my girlfriend's attention.

"Tae?" She raised a perfectly sculpted eyebrow at me, her honey coloured eyes were fixed on me, no doubt assessing me.

Gosh... I love her!

I'm going to propose to her as soon as we meet each other's parents. There's no need to beat about the bush. I know she's the one for me.

꧁•⊹٭🩷٭⊹•꧂

Namratha's POV

Taehyung was so lovable. I admired how he took care of Jungkook, both as his best friend and his lawyer. It was hard to contain myself and not kiss him because he was technically helping friends.

Sigh... He's so handsome. And he's just... Simply amazing.

I caught myself staring at him as he studied the newspaper I handed him.

"Tae?" I raised my eyebrow at my boyfriend. He'd been staring at me for the past few seconds without saying anything.

I tapped his arm for the third time, finally getting his attention.

"Sorry... Just a lot on my mind right now, Jagiya." He smiled at me, then pecked my cheek. "Do you mind coming with me to meet Sue? Perhaps if she speaks to both of us, she'd see that Jungkook is in fact innocent." Tae suggested, taking me by the hand.

"Sure hunny. Let's just leave these in the kitchen sink, I'll be right back." I rose to carry the tray back into the kitchen. But I didn't get too far, because Tae caught me round the waist.

"Allow me, my darling. Just point me in the right direction." He grinned his boxy smile at me.

"Right this way Tae." I guided him into the kitchen.

꧁•⊹٭🩷٭⊹•꧂

Soo-Ah's POV

Lunch time

Taehyung oppa and Namratha onni will be here soon. He's just sent me a text to confirm that they're on their way here. I was nothing but a bunch of nerves. My heart felt like it was ripped in two.

My mother saw the morning paper and showed it to me. There in big, bold print read the headline:

Accompanying the bold headline was a picture of Jungkook's car in a park somewhere in Wales. It was his car, because I recognised the vehicle registration.

My heart sank in my chest.

꧁•⊹٭🩷٭⊹•꧂

"Soo-Ah! Oh my dearest friend. My little sister! You're so innocent and naïve! Just like little Kookie!" Tae oppa laughed when I joined them on a park bench outside my office block.

"I'm confused?" I cocked my head to the side, watching Tae oppa and Namratha as they looked at each other and then back at me.

The two of them filled me in on the truth as I ate my lunch with them. Tae oppa had bought all of us some freshly fried chips as well.

꧁•⊹٭🩷٭⊹•꧂

"... So you mean to say- " But Namratha put a finger on my lips.

"We'll show you everything this evening. For now, I think it's  safer if you go back to your office, Sue. We'll do what we can on our end and speak to Jungkook as well... I think Tae was more worried about you, because- " It was Tae's turn to place a finger over his girlfriend's lips, stopping her from saying what she was about to.

"Shhh... We'll talk this evening. All of us, together." He added.

I felt relief flood through me at what they had kindly taken the time out to explain to me. But I also felt a little nervous seeing Jungkook after ignoring him all day.

I hope we can implement our solution soon. I miss Jungkook already.

꧁•⊹٭🩷٭⊹•꧂

A/n: Thank you for reading 😊

Please don't forget to vote and comment 😊