this is us | jjk

seventeen ~ one year later

~ one year after the breakup ~

Jungkook POV

The silver key struggled to fully unlatch the lock. Jungkook would remind himself whenever he needed to contact the landlord, but he could never remember until he unlocked the front door.

Summer in LA was warm and dry, but of course, with his luck, this was Jungkook's first week of the summer without any air conditioning.

He shouldered the door, putting his body and weight into it. "Jeez," he mumbled under his breath.

Not only was the door and air conditioning a mess but also his apartment. Clothes scattered everywhere, the stuffing from the sectional coming undone, it almost looked like someone partied too hard, but that wasn't the case for Jungkook.

The sound of shuffling and grunting caused him to sprint toward his room, to find a tail wagging joyfully before him. Bam's head was buried deep in Jungkook's sock drawer, not giving a care in the world because he was looking for some kind of hidden treasure.

"I was wondering who was making all this noise."

The six-month-old pup stopped digging and turned around. Just like his dad, he had big doe eyes that also held the stars in them. Hanging from Bam's mouth was a white sock, clearly filled with something in it. Jungkook quickly took it from Bam's mouth, stuffing it into the same place it was found. Bam sat and lowered his head.

"Aye–I really can't leave you alone, can I? How'd you get out?"

Jungkook set his backpack down and sat in front of his big baby. He ruffled and scratched Bam's floppy, brown ears before placing a kiss on his head.

"What are we gonna do when I have to leave you next week, hmm?"

Bam whined and then licked Jungkook's cheek, making him lean back.

"What were you looking for?"

The Doberman backed up and returned to the drawer he found the sock in, his nose nipping at the loose knob.

"No. No. There's nothing in there for you."

Bam begins to paw at the drawer again, unrelenting in his pursuit of whatever was in that sock–so, he did find treasure. Jungkook decides to give up on Bam. No matter how many times he told him there was nothing in there for him, the stubborn pup would just keep going back to it.

"Bamie, should we go for a walk and get dinner?"

When he heard 'walk,' he whipped his head around, panting excitedly at his owner. Taking Bam on a walk was the best way to distract his four-legged friend.

–

If there was one thing Jungkook never took for granted, it was the beauty of a California sunset. The sky was painted with soft shades of peach and cotton candy pink, palm trees dispersed along the guided path, bicycle bells faintly dinging in the distance, and chatter and laughter filled the air.

The blood pumping through Jungkook's veins was going into overdrive, as this was the second run of the day for him. He already ran before going to work. But doing this would tire him and Bam out, so they would knock out when returning home.

He called out to Bam before slowing down and coming to a complete stop. Although the summer nights in LA were cool, he was still getting used to the dry heat. His fringe was getting too long, falling and covering his eyes when he ran. He had been tempted for weeks to cut it, but Jimin suggested tying it up or getting a headband. There was no need to cut it dramatically if he liked his hair long.