Apricity//Jungkook fanfiction//

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐲 𝐬𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧

⊰᯽⊱┈──╌❊ - ❊╌──┈⊰᯽⊱

          Covering her mouth with both her hands, Y/n feels a lump in her throat as her eyes trace over the ashes that drift through the wind. The smell of burnt wood covers the entire area like a blanket and it makes her unable to breathe properly, causing tears to burden her eyes since all she can see is what is left from Jungkook's flower shop. His phone rang early in the morning and they both rushed here after the police told them that the firefighters barely managed to save anything. Every single corner of the building was ruined. Burned down to ashes. Erased from the Earth.
          Sighing, she throws glances left and right and tears rush down her cheeks when she thinks about the possibility of this happening to her tattoo parlor. Or even her apartment. Even scarier, to the room they sleep in. The wildfire could have spread left and right, but, luckily, the firefighters arrived on time, avoiding a national disaster. Men in uniforms are still trying to save something from the building, but it seems hopeless. And the moment rain starts pouring, this sad morning seems to become even sadder.
          "Find the one who did this!" — yells Mr. Jeon at the policemen, convinced that it was a person who set the fire. But why would someone do that? How could someone do that? Seeing Jungkook in the distance, Y/n approaches him. She wraps her arms around his waist and hugs him closely, gluing her cheek to his wet leather jacket. "I'm so sorry for what happened!" — she mumbles. He sighs and his thumbs caress her hands. "You don't have to feel sorry, darling." — his voice floats over her shoulder, almost making Y/n wince. If he is feeling sad, he isn't showing it at all. He's good at hiding his emotions. Not even Y/n could read his expression when they arrived in front of the ruined building. Was he stunned? Was he scared? Not even now, when she holds his hand, she can't read his mind. Since the man allows a curtain to cover his eyes. But why would he hide from her? Or is she just imagining things?
          "You must be insane if you imagine that we are going to get away with this." — yells Mr. Jeon through gritted teeth and Jungkook takes a sip of the cold water he just poured into a glass. "Calm down father. It was an accident." — says Jungkook nonchalantly and enjoys every single second he spends trapped inside his father's furious gaze. The middle aged man punches the desk. "An accident?" — he asks as he grits his teeth. "Only an accident?" — he yells and kicks the desk, causing a vase to stumble over the edge and break. "Do you have any idea how much money transformed into dust overnight?" — he asks as he approaches Jungkook, but the young man simply just shifts his position in the leather chair, placing his feet on the coffee table and staring at his father provokingly. "And why should I care?" — he asks with the same nonchalance in his voice. "It was your money, not mine." — he adds with a crooked smile and almost laughs out loud at the sight of his father boiling in his own anger.
          Grabbing his son by the collar, Mr. Jeon grits his teeth. "How can you be so careless, you stupid piece of shit?" — he asks as Jungkook's T-shirt protests, ripping when the father tugs at it even harder. "Do you have any idea what the Dark Orchid will do once they find out about this?" — he asks through gritted teeth. Jungkook smiles weakly. "I delivered the drugs this month." — he lies. "They won't do anything." — he replies confidently and his father lets go of his T-shirt, gritting his teeth again. "This vanity of yours. It will kill you someday." — says the father and the son scoffs as he stands up. "I got it from you, didn't I?" — he asks as he picks up his jacket. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to take my girlfriend out for breakfast." — he says as he puts the leather jacket on and sees his father tensing up.
          "That woman. You're putting her life in danger for nothing." — says the father through gritted teeth and the son lifts his chin. "I tried to leave her. So many times, I tried to push her to the side. But the Universe always brought her back to me." — he says and squeezes the keys of his motorcycle inside his palm. "The Universe." — scoffs Mr. Jeon. "How stupid can you be?" — he asks as he shakes his head. Jungkook scoffs too and his eyes travel over a picture of his parents which is framed on his father's desk. They both look rigid, even though the picture was taken on their wedding day. His mother is dressed in white and his father wears a black suit with a bow tie. However, they look like strangers. Not like a couple who is about to get married. They look far away from each other. Not as close and happy as they should have been. Jungkook shakes his head. "I don't know who is more stupid. Me, for following my heart or you, for marrying the woman your father decided is perfect for you." — he says and turns on his heel, feeling his father's gaze burning through the back of his neck. He clenches his jaw as silence persists inside the room and before he opens the door, he turns around.
          "There's no need to search anymore." — he says as he clenches his fingers around the doorknob. "What?" — asks the father as he shoots his son a glare. Jungkook smiles. "Stop trying to find the one who set the flower shop on fire." — he demands in a relaxed voice. "Because I was the one who did it. And if I go down, I'll drag you after me." — he says through gritted teeth, closing the door behind him with a thud when he gets out of his father's office and rushes down the hall towards the elevator.
          The doors of the elevator part open and a group of five men wearing black rush down the hall. They are all tall and muscular and the guns they hide in their back pockets show that they are ready any time for a gang fight. However, inside this lonely building, there is no other gang than the Dark Orchid. This is their territory. So they keep on walking and they stop only when they arrive in front of a glass door. The glass is thick and they can't see anyone inside the room, however, they can hear the giggles of a woman. One of them knocks two times. No answer. They nod and enter the room one after another.
          The woman gasps and she sits up from their boss' lap, trying her best to cover her naked chest. The five men smile at each other and they all follow the way her breasts bounce when she picks up her top from the floor and rushes out of the room. Their boss clears his throat, even though he enjoyed the show himself. "Enough with this." — he says and stands up, all five of his subordinates taking a step back and bowing their heads with respect. He lights up a cigarette as he opens a bottle of whiskey. "So?" — he asks with the cigarette in the corner of his mouth. "Any news?" — he asks as he finishes pouring himself a drink. One of the five men bows a bit lower. "Jeon Jungkook's flower shop burst into flames this morning." — he says and straightens his back again, however, he doesn't look at the boss. The boss smiles. "So, Jeon is finally going down." — he exclaims with delight in his voice as he lifts the glass until it touches his bottom lip. "He failed to deliver this month's package as well." — he adds and takes a sip of the whiskey. "Should we kill him, boss?" — asks another subordinate as he bows his head lower. The boss thinks for a few moments. He remembers all those times he chose to let things go. Jeon plays with his patience with every breath that he takes, but, for the sake of the past, he doesn't execute the dealer. Yet.
          "Not yet." — answers the boss of the Dark Orchid gang as he takes another sip of his drink. "Let's play a good old game of cat and mouse with him for now." — he says and the corners of his mouth lift upwards. "There's also a prize at the end of this game." — he says as his smile transforms into a grin. The five men look at each other dumbfounded. The boss smiles even wider. One of them clears his throat. "And what is that prize all about, boss?" — he asks and the subordinate's curiosity makes the boss thrill. He places the drink on the desk and visualizes Y/n in the back of his head. "That pretty kitty of his is the prize we'll get for ourselves." — he says with a smirk and the five men look at each other as wicked smiles bloom on their lips.
          Placing the grocery bags on the floor, Y/n sighs and wipes her forehead. She had to pick up her pace and eventually run home when rain started pouring again. She ran some errands after work and returned to Jungkook's apartment. She huffs and takes off her jacket, stumbling backwards when Bam jumps on her excitedly. She laughs and looks around, noticing the place that became her new home overnight. Her feet took her here as if they knew the path already. And she didn't protest. She knows that she has to go to her own apartment someday, but, for now, she feels better beside Jungkook. Jong Dae's trial is still ongoing, but she isn't going home just because she doesn't want to remember what she went through. She isn't going home because something about Jungkook's place feels like home. He feels like the only place on this Earth where she truly longs to be. Not her couch. Not her bed. His arms. That is her home.
          Chuckling, she pushes Bam to the side and wants to flop on the couch, but can't do that because her clothes are wet. "Let me get changed first!" — she says as he stumbles towards Jungkook's wardrobe. Bam follows her and she plays with him while she changes her clothes. She still can't believe that she got used to living with a dog. She's always been afraid of them. Yet, Jungkook showed her that not all fears are supposed to remain like that. Some can turn into wonders. You just have to handle them carefully. Bam licks her hand and she winces, laughing when she picks up the ball and throws it towards the sofa. The dog rushes towards it and bumps into the sofa, sending echoes through the apartment. Y/n laughs and pats the dog when it returns with the ball in its mouth. "Are you okay?" — she asks and smiles sincerely as she looks into Bam's eyes. Suddenly, the dog drops the ball on the floor and rushes towards the front door, barking loudly. Getting up, Y/n has a vague idea of who it can be and she stops in the doorframe of Jungkook's bedroom. "Bam, did daddy come home?" — she asks in a playful tone, but her smile fades away when Bam's barks intensify as soon as three knocks resound from the door.
          With an uneasy feeling growing inside her stomach, she walks past the grocery bags and looks through the peephole at who is waiting outside before opening the door. Because she learned her lesson the last time she opened the door carelessly. And, hopefully, she isn't going to repeat that mistake.
          Jungkook gets off of his motorcycle and kills the engine, stuffing the keys inside his pocket when he rushes towards the front entrance of the building. Rain started pouring earlier and it's still pouring heavily, flooding the streets of Seoul. However, he doesn't really care. He just wants to get back home, open a bottle of wine and empty it together with Y/n. Sighing, he looks up and his heart stops beating for a second. He lives on the fourth floor and if the curtains aren't shut, people can see what's going on inside his living room. Right now, the curtains aren't shut. And Jungkook can see a tall man dressed up in black together with Y/n in the room that suddenly looks too small.
          "Fuck!" — he swears underneath his breath and runs towards the apartment, climbing two steps at once because the elevators don't work. Breathing heavily, he arrives in front of his door and bumps his shoulder into it painfully, almost losing his balance when the door opens without too much effort. Y/n and the man both flinch and Jungkook steps forward, but stops in his tracks when Y/n smiles nervously and gestures towards the stranger. "Jungkook. This is detective Kim. He was asking some questions about the flower shop arson case." — says Y/n and Jungkook forces himself to gulp down every heavy breath that causes his throat to sting. Nodding, he joins the two in the living room, but he still keeps an eye on the detective as his gaze searches for a specific tattoo on the man's neck.