"Did you feel something that you pushed me away like that?" I dare ask. "You never break eye contact or get nervous."

Her cheeks turn a faint shade of pink for the first time as she pretends to be busy with a bag. "I'm not nervous."

"Were you uncomfortable?" I persist. "No," she replies, avoiding my gaze.

I cannot accept this as an answer. I move forward and turn her around to face me. "I know you got nervous. Do my eyes really do something to you?"

She remains quiet, her eyes flickering. She nibbles on her lips and averts her eyes from me. "I won't answer you."

"But I want you to," I trap her against the countertop, not giving her another choice but to be honest. She sighs and runs her finger through her hair. "Jungkook..." she breathes my name out.

"Y/n," I copy her voice, my eyes moving down to her lips before locking with hers.

She laughs in a breathless gasp, the tension between us palpable. She puts her hands over my torso, my body setting on fire with her touch. "Don't play that game with me, okay? I know exactly what you're trying to do, but you're just gonna be a good boy and do what you're told."

"You wouldn't touch me like that if you wanted me to leave you alone," I watch her lose her mind and struggle to keep up with my behavior. "I can't look at you anymore," she bites her lips and turns around. I step back to not feel her pressed against my hard-on and look up at my reflection.

I am blushing so hard, this is embarrassing. I hate it.

As she stays focused on her stuff, I try to compose myself.

"If you and your best friend go to that party, who's gonna take care of your kitten?" I ask, trying to change the topic. "My neighbor."

"Your neighbor? You trust them?" I peek up at her face, finding myself losing against my own urges and dropping my eyes to her chest. "Well. Not as much as my best friend, but I know he'd do anything for me."

He. How many men does she have around her?

"What do you mean by that? Does he never say no to you?" I step away to let her grab some of her makeup brushes, and she smiles. "He's just...Whatever."

"No, I wanna know," I cannot forget it, feeling like this means something serious. "He's just nice to me. That's all," she says, avoiding eye contact. "Just nice to you..." I repeat in disbelief. I know there is something more to it that she does not want to tell me.

"I know that voice, Jungkook," she smiles and looks at me. I take one hand out and graze the tip of my nose. "That means you know you should tell me the truth."

"Well, I'm telling you the truth," she says, finally done tidying up. "Why don't you wanna elaborate then?"

"Because you're a jealous boy, and I don't want you to know everything," she looks at me and reaches out for my choker. I grab her wrist to not let her take it off of me. "That will only make me more jealous if you don't tell me."

"He's just a little too focused on me," she replies, not trying to get out of my grip. "And do you trust him more than me? After the way I took care of her last weekend?" I let go. "No."

"Fine, then I'll go and take care of her instead," I state. She chuckles and shakes her head. "You don't have a car to go up there, and he's already taking care of her, so no."

"My dad can drive me. What if he does something wrong? He's a man. You can't trust them," I smile, glancing down at her lips. "Hm. What are you, though? Aren't you a man too?"

"No. I'm a good boy," I reply, stepping closer to her. "And do you know what your good boy did today?"

She lays one hand on the countertop and tilts her head, "No, tell me."

"He got an A on his history test," I say proudly. "So you know what that means, right?"

"An A? I need proof of that," she says with a smile, acting like I would lie. "Proof? Fine," I take my phone out of my pocket and show her the picture I took of my test. "Here. The teacher didn't want to let us bring it home, though."

She looks at it, then says, "Well, I believe you. I'm very proud of you," she picks the perfect words to make me happy. "Where's my reward?" I put my phone back in my pocket.

"You have to tell me what you want," she does not pretend to not know, meaning she was serious. "I can get two things, right?" I excitedly get very close to her, nibbling on my lips. "You weren't very good today, but you made it up, so yeah. You can ask for two things."

"Okay, first one...I want..." I bite my lips, hesitating. "I want you to wear one of my rings."

"Alright. I didn't expect that, but I'm okay with it," she agrees, and I move on to the second request. "And I want you to let me take care of your kitten while you're partying."

She throws her head back out of disbelief and scoffs. "If I let you do that. I'm gonna have to drive you back home once I'm back. So no. On top of that, I have to take care of Flores' family tomorrow, so it's not like I could drive you back home at any other moment."

Understanding this is bothering her, I stop trying. "Alright, I'm gonna get the ring," I give up on my second reward, feeling too disappointed. I get out of the bathroom and head upstairs. I make my way to my bedroom.

Why does she keep sending me green and red signals? This messes me up.

As I finally get to my room, I step towards my jewelry box and sit down at my desk. I select two that are not overly masculine or bulky. As I place the box back down, I hear her enter the room.

I look at her walking up to me, her short dress dragging my attention down to her thighs.

"Give me your left hand," I rotate my chair towards her and reach out for her. I take her hand in mine and slide one of the rings on her ring finger to check if it fits.

"Why that one?" she leans on my desk, sitting on it with one leg. "Why not?" I check how this looks. "I don't mind wearing it on that finger, but I want to make it clear this won't mean anything."

"I know," I let go of her hand and lean back. "But with this, some men will maybe hold back from flirting with you like horny assholes."

She smiles and looks at it. "Well, it's a pretty ring."

"It's mine, so of course, it is," I wear the other ring I picked and run both my hands through my hair, leaving them tangled behind my head. I spread my legs as she silently gazes into my eyes, twisting the ring around her finger.

We both stare at one another, and without saying anything, she stands up, bends over me, and drops her hands on the armrests of my chair. Her cleavage now fully exposed under my eyes, I squeeze a smile under my teeth and maintain eye contact as hard as I can.

"You need to stop getting upset every time I say no," she tells me off for my immature behavior. I fix my eyes on her lips covered in lipstick and tongue my inner cheek, intertwining my hands behind the headrest of my chair. "Or else what?"

"Or else you won't ever hear me say yes again. Like this, you'll actually get a good reason to be upset," she threatens to do. Having a hard time not lowering my eyes, I bounce one leg and lick my lips. "You'd never do that to your favorite baby boy."

"Oh, I would. If he starts taking my attention and love for granted, or making me feel manipulated, I'll do it with no hesitation," she tilts her head, my breathing deepening.

Why do I like the way she talks to me? How authoritative she is?

"He'd never do that to you 'cause he knows he could lose you at any moment. And you know more than anyone how damaging that'd be for him," I become serious, hoping she realizes how much she means to me.

A tender smile softens her features, and I move my hands down to my lap. "So he's gonna stop acting that way whenever he gets jealous or disappointed because I can't say yes. Right?"

I stare into her eyes and nod. "Right, mommy," I lower my voice and drift my attention to her lips again. She laughs and moves back, but I catch her arms and keep her in this position. "My second reward."

"Fine. This time, ask for something I can give you," she causes me to think of something lewd and wrong, but I only pick an appropriate one. "A kiss, but not a simple one. I want you to give me a meaningful kiss."

"My kisses are always meaningful," she comes closer and holds my face to press her lips against my cheekbone a few times. "Here," she gives me one last big kiss and leans back. "I gotta go now."

"Are you sure?" I grab her hand and stand up. "Yes, I heard your father come back, and I don't want to be late."

I keep her hand in mine and stop her in front of the door. "Promise you won't take the ring off," I rub my thumb over it.

"I promise," she smiles at me, seeming sincere. "And could you text me...like...when you're there? When you're home?"

"Fine, I will," she agrees to do, knowing this will reassure me a lot. "Thank you," I let go of her hand and watch as she opens the door. I follow her outside, and we both walk downstairs.

"What does your neighbor look like, by the way?" I ask her, sitting down on the last step as she grabs her stuff. "He's scary, you don't wanna know."

"Well, I want to know even more now," I rest my arms over my knees, staring at her putting her coat on. "He's very tall. Like, taller than your dad. He has bright green eyes, but he's black, so his eyes look so damn beautiful it's almost unreal. He's jacked too, so if I were you, I wouldn't try to fight with him."

Beautiful eyes. Taller than my dad, who is six foot five. He is jacked, black, and very focused on her? Yeah. I do not stand a chance.

"And how old is he?" I tongue my inner cheek, realizing she may have wanted to avoid talking about him because there is more going on with them than I would want to know. "He's thirty-two."

"I regret asking," I put my hand on my fist, feeling the fear coursing through my veins. "Why?" she pretends not to be aware, looking into my eyes as if searching for an answer she already knows. "Well. Good to know you got a super attractive neighbor. I'm happy for you, I guess, but I hope he fucking moves out soon."

"Jungkook! I told you not to swear already," my dad scolds me from the kitchen, meaning he is listening to our conversation.

I sigh and glance at y/n who leaned towards me. She touches my cheeks and pinches them softly. "Stop pouting," she whispers and kisses my forehead.

As she moves back to hug and kiss Minjun before leaving, I restrain myself from speaking further and nervously play with my lips.

"Have a good evening, sweetheart," my dad says goodbye, and she answers with a smile upon her face, "Have a good evening too, Mister jeon," she grabs her bags and peeks at Minjun and I. "See you in two days. I love you both."

"I love you too," Minjun replies as I murmured the same words. She steps out of the house and closes the door behind her, leaving us alone in the quiet house. We all sit in silence, feeling the weight of her absence.

As my eyes remain on the floor, Minjun comes up to me. He puts his hands on my knees and grasps my attention. "If you're sad, you can tell me. You always help me when I'm sad."

I smile, feeling a lump in my throat. "I'm okay, but thank you for offering."

"Really? You look pretty sad or angry lately," he says, concern written all over his face. No matter how much of a brat he can be sometimes, I love him so much.

I look at his innocent features, reminded of how lucky I am to have him in my life. "Remember what I told you the other day about her?"

"That you like her?" he asks, showing he has not forgotten. "Yeah. It's just an adult thing. You'll understand when you're older," I ruffle his hair affectionately but see him pout. "I want to understand now, though. Did she do something that hurt you?"

"No, she's just a good person, and a lot of other guys have her attention. Some of them are better than me, so she can't like me back," I try to explain it in the most simple way possible. "She's too good, mature, and pretty for me."

"That's not true! You're the best person ever! You're nice, and you always help me. Why wouldn't she like you? And she said she loves you too. She gives you hugs and kisses. She likes you back, I'm sure of it," he says, his innocence making him naive.

A faint smile grows on my face, and I feel a warmth in my heart. "It's not the same type of love, buddy. But I'm alright," I cup his face and kiss his forehead. "Do you wanna build your Lego car with me?"

"Yes! I want you to be happy," he wraps his arms around my neck. I pick him up and stand up, walking upstairs to his bedroom.

I hope the pain will stop soon. I cannot take it anymore.

•••

00:40 am.

< Hey, you must be sleeping rn but I got home. Sleep tight ]

After waiting for her text for long hours, I finally receive it.

[ I'm not sleeping yet. Are you okay? >

< Yes, and you? You should be sleeping rn. What are you doing? ]

[ im good. I was waiting for you to text me >

< Jungkook... ]

[ No matter what you say, I'd do it again. Did anyone bother you at the bar? >

< One man but I told him I was married and he left me alone ]

[ see that's bcs of my ring. I kept you safe >

< Thank you. I should have thought about doing that but you're smarter ]

[ did you take it off ? >

< No, I like it actually. You'll never get it back ]

[ I don't mind. I stole your scarf anyway:3 >

< True. I almost forgot it was mine ]

[ proof it was meant to be mine >

< Not sure about that but anyway, go to sleep now. It's late ]

[ what about you? You gotta wake up early in the morning and you come home at this hour? >

< I'll get eight hours of sleep. I'm more than good ]

[ 8? I thought you had to be there for 6 >

< Are you insane? I'd have come home earlier if that was the case. The mom changed the schedule and told me to be there for 8 ]

[ and when will you get home? >

< Around 9 pm ]

[ 9 pm?! That's so late >

< They seem like good kids so I don't mind ]

[ hope you'll have a good time there >

< Thank you, hope you'll have a good day tomorrow too ]

[ thanks, I'm leaving you alone. Sleep tight >

< Sleep tight too<3 ]

I do not reply but drop my phone on my blanket. I close my eyes and rub my hands over my face, feeling my emotions weigh heavy on my chest. I sit up on the edge of my bed, trying to calm my racing thoughts.

She will never like me back. I have to accept that, but I cannot force myself to stop caring about her and everything she does. I am way too deep in love at this point to even think about moving on.

I am consumed by thoughts of her every day.

Knowing I will not be able to sleep, I get up and walk to my desk, sit down, and turn my computer on. After a few seconds, I check Discord to see if any of my friends are online.

A few of them are, so I pick one and send him a message to ask if he wants to play some Diablo IV.

– Next day –

Monday, February 5th, 2024.

7 am.

As y/n comes in, Minjun hurries towards her like usual, but I stay focused on my homework I did not do on Friday. I regret playing so much, but it did help alleviate some stress and worries from my mind.

"I'm doing good, and you?" she smiles at my little brother, her fragrance already filling the house. "Me too," he replies, heading back to our table after hugging her. When she makes eye contact with me, I say hi as I quickly try to push the thoughts of her out of my mind.

I know I will regret this, but if I do not distance myself now, things will only get more complicated in the future.

Without Minjun asking for her attention, she comes closer and sits down next to us. "What are you doing?" she asks me. I reply, "Some homework I forgot to do."

"You forgot? What did you do this weekend?" she crosses her arms, not putting an end to our conversation that I want to be as short as possible. "I was playing with friends," I peek in her direction without looking at her face and notice she is still wearing my ring, but on her middle one.

"Hm," she does not say anything more, probably understanding something is going on. "What about you, honey?" she focuses on Minjun, who is much more enthusiastic about having her around.

I thought this would be easy to act like I do not care anymore, but hearing her voice, smelling her fragrance, and seeing her make me realize I'm going to struggle.

"I'm happy to hear it. I had a good weekend too," she answers him after he explained all the things he did. "Did it go well with the new family?" our dad joins us, handing Minjun the glass of milk he asked for.

She raises her eyes up to him and nods, always smiling. "Yes. They were angels. They were so welcoming and kind. We went out yesterday since it snowed, and they all had a good time."

"I'm so glad to hear it. I hope it stays that way." he smiles back at her, leaning over the back of Minjun's chair to grab it. "Could we talk in private for a minute?" he adds.

"Sure," she agrees and stands up, my eyebrows furrowed in confusion. He leads her to his office, closing the door behind them. After the talk we both had yesterday, I cannot help but worry.

/ flashback \

"Jungkook?" my dad knocks on my door, taking me out of my game. "Yeah?" I reply, trying to hide the anxiety in my voice.

He opens the door and gives me a concerned look. "Can we talk about what happened yesterday?"