a drink and fries (jungkook x male reader)

chapter 9

I gazed out the window and watched rice paddy after rice paddy pass by, reflecting the white glow of the clouds. The bullet train to my hometown was not that crowded, so I could put my bag next to me. Before I had left, I had chosen today to be the day I visit my family and my best friend, Chaeyoung, and I was glad I did. I really needed some time away from BTS because after what happened last night, I couldn't go back and face Jungkook and the others while acting normally.

The train stopped at my hometown, nestled in a valley amidst the central mountains of Korea. It was surrounded by idyllic rice paddies, and farther out, green mountains shielding us from the hustle and bustle of the major cities. I walked onto the platform and through the station, which was much less hectic than Seoul's. This was a nice change of pace, I thought.

Since my town lay farther out from the station, I caught a bus headed in that direction. Finding a seat, I put my bag in my lap to have something to hold onto. This was the first time I would see my parents in a long, long time. I shuddered, remembering the last time I had left Seoul and gone this exact route back home. What happened after I got home.

*Flashback*

I walked up to the door of my house and knocked. I didn't have to wait long before my mother came out and let me inside. After she hugged me, she asked, "So, did you make it into the group?"

My father came out of one of the rooms to the doorway where we were standing. Both parents stared at me as I held my response in my throat. I didn't want to tell them the truth but I had to. "No, I didn't."

Silence filled the entire house. Nobody moved or spoke. I looked down at the floor, avoiding eye contact. Finally, my father turned around and went back inside his room. After he closed the door, I could hear muffled screaming and glass breaking coming from inside. My stomach dropped.

My mother's voice was loud and shrill. "Your father and I are very disappointed in you. Do you know how hard we work to provide you with this opportunity? Do you understand the sacrifices we make for you to do this? And then you go ahead and screw it all up? Were you even trying hard enough? Maybe it would have been different if you were the one paying for everything. You are so selfish and ungrateful and disrespectful."

She pushed past me to exit the house through the door, on her way to some random place. So she wouldn't have to deal with her disappointment, I guess. Meanwhile, I was left standing in the doorway, tears pouring down my cheeks onto the floor. I sank down onto the ground in the fetal position, shaking and sobbing. I truly was a horrible person.

*Flashback ends*

I got off the bus at my destination, the main street of my town. Looking around I noticed that so much had changed. Many of the shops from my childhood were still there, but the amount of high-rise apartments that had sprung up during the time I was gone was maddening. These people were trying to turn my nice little town into another Seoul. I shook my head.

The perfect idea entered my head. Chaeyoung always loved eating McDonalds chicken nuggets with salsa, so I should go buy that! I briskly walked over to the McDonalds where we would hang out, and ordered some chicken McNuggets for her. Then I walked over to the supermarket to buy a jar of salsa. She would love it.

As I went down the street to my elementary school where Chaeyoung now teaches, I passed the fish market that always smelled bad, the cram school my parents made me go to every single day of my teenage life besides the trainee part, and the bakery where I worked during high school. So many memories, all in just a few blocks.

Finally, I walked into the school and down the hallway until I got to the music room, where I found out I could sing well and where my old teacher encouraged me to use my talent and take it with me as far as I could. I walked inside and saw, for the first time in years, my friend! "Chaeyoung!" I called out.