TWO

Opening the door to her shared apartment, that she had with Eun, seemed almost impossible to her after a long day at class. She felt as if she would fall asleep anywhere, it didn't matter the place. Nari couldn't focus in her classes. All she had on her mind was the call she had last night with Jungkook. His voice and his words were all she could think about.

I'll put everyone in danger.

It's better this way and you know it.

But why would he put everyone in danger? How was she supposed to know?

She needed to tell someone. Nari needed to let someone know, she just didn't know how to.

Just as she twisted the keys and opened the door, she saw both Taehyung and Eun making out on the couch.

"How many times have I told you to please get a room?" she said, startling the couple. She placed her belongings on the counter before turning to them.

Eun pushed her boyfriend off her before sitting up and turning towards Nari, "A bunch of times that we've lost count," she pulled Taehyung up from the floor and he settled beside her, "sorry."

Nari shook her hand in a dismissal manner before making herself a cup of coffee, "No worries, just please go make out somewhere else," she turns to them, "hi Tae." she told the boy who had his lips swollen from the amount of kissing.

Taehyung waved at her, "Hi Ari." he called her by the nickname he had given her when they were in school.

"Aren't you both supposed to be working now?" Nari asked as she took her cup of coffee and sat in one of the stools by the kitchen counter.

Eun nodded, "Yup. I called for today off." she mentioned.

"And I quit today, so I'm not going back there." Taehyung said.

Nari spit out the coffee and Eun yelled a considerably loud 'WHAT' that definitely startled their neighbors. Eun's screams where something.

Taehyung looked startled at both girls, "I quit."

"We heard you baby, but why did you quit?" Eun asked.

"I want to focus on other things, do things that I love for a living." he responded.

There are a few things that changed in the three years they've been friends. Something that was new in Taehyung was that he loved painting. He had told Nari once that, after they'd stopped with all the gang related actions, he'd taken painting classes as a way to express himself and his thoughts. It had also become a sort of therapy to him. He'd had considered it a hobby, but now it might become a real thing, a way of living and a source of income to him.

"You're going to do it, baby?" Eun asked as she began smiling, knowing what he meant by that.

Taehyung nodded before he was engulfed in a hug by his girlfriend. He laughed and hugged her tighter.

Nari sat at the still with a smile on her face. She was happy for Eun and Taehyung. Her smile disappeared when a certain memory came to her.

The night before their vacation as a group, Nari was just preparing her suitcase. She had her tv on as she watched a k-drama on Netflix. Suddenly, her phone rang. She jogged to where her phone was at her nightstand in glee. It was all finally over. Now she could be a normal teenager.

Without looking at the caller ID, she answered as she knew who it was: Jungkook.

"Hi."

"Baby, I know what I want to do."

"What do you mean?"

"When we graduate, I want to open a tattoo parlor in Busan..."

"Really?! That's amazing babe."

"I'll design my first tattoo only for you. You'll be my first design and the first person that I'll get to do a tattoo on."

"I love you."

"I love you, Nari."

There was a comfortable silence. Nari's cheeks were red from what he had told her. He wanted her to be the first person he ever tattooed, and he wanted her to get his first design. Jungkook wanted her to be his first, just like he was her first at everything.

"Do you know what you want to study after we graduate?"

"I'm thinking of becoming a teacher, like my mom. I just like helping kids and showing them that they can do anything."

"You'll be a great teacher, I know you will. You were the greatest tutor ever and I learned so many things with you."

"Yeah, we learned but it wasn't all about school, was it?"

"Oh, well then. When you put it like that, we did learn other things too–"

"Babe, I meant that we learnt how to cook and that you sometimes like being the little spoon, which is the cutest thing ever."

Another silence invaded their call before her boyfriend begun to ask.

"So, you weren't talking about that night that we–"

"JEON JUNGKOOK!"

She screamed and laughed as she had understood what he had thought of. Just as she heard his laugh, she had pictured him with his phone pressed on his ear and the butterflies on her belly went crazy at the thought of his smile, his laugh; at the thought of Jeon Jungkook.

It felt real; as if he was there with her. She couldn't hold her feelings anymore.

Snapping out of the memory, her cup of coffee slipped out of her hands. The loud sound had shaken her too much that she let out a scream. Looking at the broken coffee mug on the floor, she was shocked.

"–ari!" Eun ran to her, she had begun to pick up the broken coffee mug pieces, but Taehyung had cut her to it.

He looked at his girlfriend, "I got it, get her to bed. She needs to rest." he went to the kitchen and returned with a broom to clean all the pieces.

Nari looked down at Taehyung, "I'm sorry–"

"It's okay, go rest. Eun will take you to your room." he said calmly before hugging Nari.

She hugs him back and places her head on his shoulder, "Thank you, Tae."

He nodded before letting go of her.

Eun linked their arms together and walked to Nari's room. The room was lit up by a mood light.

Her best friend, went to her drawer and took out a pair of clothing. Eun handed it to her.

"Here. Take a bath and rest, I'll wait." Eun sat on her bed.

Nari nodded before walking to her bathroom, stopping at the door.

"What did I do?" Nari asked out loud to Eun.

Eun looked at her with a sad expression, "Nari–"

She cleared her throat, "I–everything was going so well."

"You didn't do anything wrong, okay? He left, yes he did. It was his decision, he chose to leave," Eun stood up, walked to her and put her hands on her shoulders, "but that doesn't mean that it was your fault. It isn't your fault."

Nari nodded. She had to tell her.

"I called him last night." she mumbled, her head looking down at the floor.

Eun turned to her, "What was that, sorry Nari I couldn't hear you—"

Nari walked up to her best friend, taking her hands, "I called Jungkook."

"You did? Did you have the same nightmare again?" Eun asked her, sitting down on the bed with Nari.

She nodded. Three years and she still recalls the day that Suk shot Jungkook. She has nightmares about it frequently.

"Well," Eun placed her hands on her lap, "what did he say?"

"The same thing, Eun. Not to call him again, to say hi to you guys," she let herself lay down on the bed, "that he isn't coming back because he'll put us in danger and that he needs to do something on his own."

Eun plopped beside her. Silent.

"I miss him." Nari felt her whole body give up and her throat tighten.

She really did and she wished he could be in Busan. Nari has now established a goal that she wished to accomplish as soon as she could: bring Jungkook back home, safe and sound.

-

"Good morning sleeping beauty!" Yoongi cheered as she walked down the stairs. She had woken up from her nap.

Nari half smiled, she was still asleep. What woke her up was the cheers of the boys in her apartment. Every Tuesday, Bangtan would get together to spend some time with each other. Today was Eun and Nari's turn to host the get together. It was a tradition now.

"Hi." She walked up to the couch where Jimin sat with Yoongi and Hoseok by his side and plopped down.

Jimin led her to his chest and she stayed there as the conversation continued. Namjoon had brought Hye, his wife who was pregnant with their first baby. Hyuk was with his girlfriend, Raina who had recently met the gang. Eun cuddled up to Taehyung. Hoseok sat beside Yoongi and Jimin on the couch. Lastly, Jin and Mel were on the love seat beside the couch cuddled up too. Everyone was there. Well, not everyone.

"How's the pregnancy going?" Hoseok asked to Hye and Namjoon.

Hye cradled her belly, "It's going well, I've had the craving for milkshakes more often." she explained.

"Yeah, sometimes she wakes me up at 4am and we go get milkshakes." Namjoon added.

Hye smiled, "I always get the same flavor milkshake because I get more cravings for one."

Mel's eyes widened, "Vanilla milkshakes, right?"

Hye nodded.

"They're really good." Nari agreed.

"Especially if they leave the left over ice cream on the side for you to eat." Eun replied.

Everyone agreed aloud. Milkshakes are amazing. The group looked at each other, and they all got the message straight. Namjoon, although they weren't involved as a gang anymore, was still their leader. He was the first one to speak.

"Should we get milkshakes?" he asked the group.

Instantly, they all cheered and agreed. Their night ended with countless stories of their good times as a group, quality time together and a round of milkshakes.

Jungkook would've loved those milkshakes. Nari sighed at the thought but she tried to put on a smile for the sake of her friends, her family who only wished for her to find happiness again.