Rosekook Oneshot Collection

16. The Story of Rosekook 3

{idol life, first love, fluff, 97-liners}

I can see the pain behind you eyes, it's been there for quite a while,
I just wanna be the one to remind you what it is to smile,
I would like to show you what true love can really do.
Girl, let me love you.
⤝❁⤞

Jungkook wasn't expecting to hear from Chaeyoung right away. He didn't allow himself to raise his hopes too high. After all, she had just gotten out of a traumatic breakup. He would have totally understood if she still needed time to recover.

But to his surprise, she reached out to him the day after they had gone bowling. It was just a simple 'hi' and yet he couldn't stop smiling the entire day because of it. Everyone around him had no idea what had gotten into him as he breezed through dance rehearsals with more energy than all the other BTS members combined. As if the littlest interaction with her made him feel like he could do anything.

They continued texting that whole day. And then the next day after. And the one after that. Until weeks had passed and they had learned more about each other than Jungkook had ever thought possible.

If someone told 15-year-old Jungkook that he would become close friends with his dream girl in a few years, he wouldn't have believed them. He was too timid back then. Too shy and unsure of himself.

But just like the past two years had changed Chaeyoung greatly, Jungkook had also used that time to improve himself. After he had missed his chance with her in 2016, he realized how detrimental his hesitancy could be.

So instead of being miserable and mulling over his flaws, he worked on himself. He interacted with more women, went on a few dates, started working out more to raise his own self-esteem, and eventually become much more confident in himself. His goal was that the next time his path intersected with Chaeyoung's, he could show her the best version of himself. No more hesitating, no more secret pining. He wanted to be able to look her in the eyes and tell her how he really felt about her.

But at the same time, he didn't want to rush any part of the whole process. He wanted to do everything the proper way, with the utmost care. Those early feelings of nervousness mixed with excitement and that characteristic lightness in his chest whenever his phone buzzed – he wanted to savour them all without worrying about what came next.

She had been hurt before by an asshole who had pretended to be someone he was not, so he was careful to always show her his most genuine, real self. The last thing he ever wanted was to remind her of him. Instead, he wished he could wipe away any trace of painful memories from her heart and replace them with new ones. To show her how great everything could feel with the right person.

Maybe then, he could organically form a real relationship with her and restore her faith in love.

The next time he saw her in person was in November of 2018. It was after Blackpink's concerts in Seoul. Lisa had thrown a small gathering for the 97-liners at her place to celebrate the beginning of their tour. And it just so happened that Jungkook had that weekend off.

He knew that Chaeyoung was going to be there too because she had been texting him all morning to complain about being forced to help Lisa prepare for it. Because she sounded so stressed, he made sure to pick up some popcorn and a fruit tray on his way there to at least lighten the load a little bit.

"Oh my god, you are a life saviour!" Chaeyoung had squealed as soon as she swung the door open and saw him holding up two grocery bags.