Be mine, Valentine | Jikook | CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE ✓

💘Chapter 1🍫

Jungkook

"Jiiiiiiiiiin," I whine. "Let me have the day off. I'll work all other holidays. Please."

My boss doesn't hesitate in responding. "No. You're our best worker and you already agreed to the schedule. We need all hands that we can get. So get over it. I'm married and Joon and I are still showing up to work. You've always talked about how much you hate Valentine's and how it's a 'capitalistic piece of shit holiday' and you said that you always work on it. So why is this year any different?"

"I didn't work at a high-end restaurant during Valentine's. Everyone's displays of affection and gluttony are gonna be all pushed in my face. I don't want to deal with a bunch of proposals and people sucking face while I'm just standing there, waiting for their order."

The purple-haired male chuckles softly. "Jungkook, are you lonely?"

His question catches me off guard. "Excuse me?"

"Kook, you always talk about Valentine's Day like it's the bane of your existence. Could it just be that you don't like being alone during Valentine's?"

I sit down on my bed, eyes downcast, looking at the side of the bed I never use. "I don't like the cliché stuff and I never did. It just feels ingenuine, all of the stuff people do. Things have turned into a big competition on social media, it feels like. Valentine's Day feels superficial when couples who are otherwise pretty estranged do big, extravagant things only on holidays. Like... I don't want to have to buy anyone's love..." My voice trails off at the end.

"When you find the right person, Valentine's will be just another day, but you'll want to do something a little extra. Things don't have to be expensive. Like, if you gifted someone a photo album on Valentine's with all the pictures you'd taken in the year, I'm sure they'd love it. And it wouldn't be some thoughtless gift. It would encompass your relationship all the time and not just that one day."

My back of my hand glistens and I touch it to find it's wet. Holding the phone to my ear with my shoulder, I touch my cheeks to find that they too are wet. I didn't realize that I was crying, but I am. Sighing, I wipe my eyes.

"I'll be at work."

"Jungkoo—"

I hang up the phone, lying on the right side of my bed. With a shaky breath, I drape my right arm over my eyes and trail my left hand up and down the empty space on the bed, imagining someone is beside me.

Imaginary fingers intertwine with mine and my heart rate increases, chest aching. If only. What Jin was talking about isn't as common as he thinks. Just because him and Namjoon are so perfect doesn't mean that other relationships are. Love is messy. Love is cruel. It is a gamble where you can either lose or gain everything.

And I'm sick of losing.

-💘-

"Jungkook, stop scowling. Your face will get stuck that way." Jin pinches my cheeks. "You're too pretty and young to develop frown lines. You don't need to smile. Just stop being so sad. You're in my presence. There's no reason for the long face." He winks.

I scoff, swatting his hands away. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm just... bleh."

"Care to tell us why?" Namjoon asks, leaning against the counter.

My fingers comb through my dark hair and I sigh loudly. "I've seen so many fucking proposals that I'm starting to think these bitches are doing it just to get a free fucking dessert."

Namjoon chuckles. "That could be true. Or they could just be happy couples."

"I would never propose so publicly. It ruins the romanticism and personal aspect. It's manipulative to me. Puts the person on the spot and makes it harder for them to say no because the embarrassment would be too much."