form follows heart /jungri

xiii. look me more

a/n: sorry this took so long to write, life had been keeping me soooo busy for the last few weeks 😭 anyways, I mapped out the rest of the plot and there will be a total of 17 chaps with one epilogue yay!! all the chaps will be longer so might take a bit longer for me to write the whole thing but will try my best!! hope u stick till the end 😻😻

once again, thanks for voting and commenting!! 💘💘💘💕💕

Twenty pairs of eyes were following Yerim's every move.

And no matter how many times she tried to shake them off, they wouldn't stop looking. They stared at her as she sat down in the kitchen, glared at her as she accepted the cup of water Jungkook poured for her, and mocked her as she awkwardly sipped on the water. She didn't remember feeling this way the last time she was at his apartment.

"Where did you get the painting from?"

Jungkook was getting another cup from the cabinet when he turned around to look at the source of all her discomfort. "That? I went to Amsterdam a few summers ago and got a replica of the 'Night Watch'."

"It's-"

"Beautiful?"

"I was going to say 'creepy'."

"Creepy?" He sat down across from her, exactly where he sat the time she got drunk and woke up at his place. If she remembered correctly, they had also drawn up the contract in this same position. Funny how time was so relative because that morning felt like a lifetime ago. "Do explain."

"Those eyes." She shuddered. "They're too realistic, like they're following me."

He grinned. "Really?"

"Has the painting always been here? I don't remember it from last time."

"Yep, I haven't touched it since I hung it up years ago."

"Oh." She took a sip of the water. "I didn't know you were a fan of art."

Jungkook shrugged. "When I'm free, I like to go to museums." As she sat ruminating over that fact, he reached across the table and tugged on her fingers. "You're about to crack the ceramic."

Yerim released her grip around the handle of the mug and caught sight of the red grooves welted into her skin. Maybe the painting wasn't creepy. Maybe her imagination had conjured that horror into real life. Maybe she was actually distracted by this weird mixture of anticipation and nervousness and regret swirling and solidifying inside her. Or maybe the painting was indeed possessed by the ghost of the painter.

She honestly didn't know.

"You look nervous."

Her laugh sounded more like a choke. "Me? Nervous?" She finished her drink and slammed the cup onto the table. "The last time that happened, Earth was still a barren planet."

Jungkook pretended to look horrified. "In other words, you're old and wrinkly."

"And you don't have taste," Yerim shot back, the words naturally coming out, as easy as breathing. This was familiar territory, the light javelins they threw at each other for giggles and faux domination. "Joy showed me a picture of the original dress you chose for my mom."

His shoulders shook with laughter as he stood up and held out a hand. "Come on. The movie is already on TV."

Yerim ignored the hand, but she did follow Jungkook to the couch. She waited until he sat down before choosing a spot that was as far away from him as possible. In fact, by the time she was situated, she was basically straddling the arm rest, body leaning halfway off of the couch. Not subtle at all, she insisted to herself.