Low Stress: Puppy-Love (Jikook)

Chapter Three: 'Beating' Heart

Jungkook adjusted the large headphones around his ears, turning the volume up as Min Yoongi sat next to him, patiently waiting for his reaction. Yoongi was sprawled out in front of a sound board, his arms casually clasped on his lap with his eyes focused on the mix displayed on the monitor in front of them.

Jungkook nodded along to the mix. Yoongi was a genius when it came to producing beats. Today's was a skillfully blended one of American hip hop style with traditional Korean instruments overlaid on top of it. It built a sound that created a true cultural clash. One where the two distinct styles should have competed for more dominance over the track, but instead complemented each other perfectly. It used an anti-drop towards the middle instead of end for what Jungkook was sure his friend would fill with a quick, high intensity low volume rap, and ended with pure Korean instrumental with a harsh cut-off after.

Yoongi hadn't written the lyrics yet, or at least he hadn't added any to it, but Jungkook could picture the exact vibe that Yoongi was going from the beat alone. He could see the story as he listened: dark clouds looming over a traditional Korean palace, Yoongi bloodied and beaten in the middle, fighting his way through old Korean aristocracy. That's what Yoongi's music always sounded like - a movie. A story so clear in Jungkook's head that it knocked the breath out of his lungs. He could only wish to be as talented as him, to create something so visceral.

"Please tell me you're keeping this one for yourself." Jungkook said as he took off the headphones when the beat finished. Yoongi dipped his chin, his long black hair framing his face as he frowned and waved his hand dismissively.

"The demo's already being bid on. I'm a producer, JK. You know I don't put anything out myself." Yoongi said, his dark eyes a storm. "I could mix you something, though."

Jungkook's brows lifted. He would get Yoongi to release his own album if it killed him. "Yoongi, this song is yours. You wouldn't have asked me to come listen to it if a part of you didn't want to be convinced to keep it."

Yoongi sighed, the tension leaving his shoulders and he stood up, ruffling Jungkook's hair. Jungkook's ears grew hot, Yoongi always treated him like a little kid. Yoongi, Hoseok, Jin, and Namjoon practically raised him, but sometimes Jungkook wished that his friends would see him as more than just the kid who brought banana milk to every class growing up. The youngest who always needs their protection. Their help.

It's why they would never know about Madison in detail. Didn't need to know about his crush on Jimin or how after he'd seen Jimin last week before Jimin went back to Busan, he had taken an hour-long shower with blistering hot water to try and burn the feelings out of his skin.

"Jungkook. Did you hear me? You're spacing off."

Jungkook blinked, shaking his head. "No, sorry. What did you say?"

"I said, have you reconsidered joining my label? I could write you a real album, JK. Make you something that would destroy the charts. Your voice was made for pop, yet you refuse to let me nurture it."

Jungkook frowned, staring at his friend who was shuffling a gray cardigan over his shoulders. He looked like an over-worked mom trying to feed a family of four and not the scary-ass producer he was used to watching create music.

"I'm training to be a DJ, remember?" Jungkook replied sheepishly. Calling it 'training' was giving his job too much credit. He shadowed some famous DJs in a famous club in Seoul called Rise, but he was basically a glorified back boy for the club. Still, the hobby was his own and that meant something.

Music called to him, just as it did for Hoseok and Jimin who danced or Namjoon who was an up-and-coming artist working on his second album, or Yoongi who produced for huge names, or even Taehyung who was always going to jazz shows in between his modeling gigs. Their whole friend group came together due to their love for music, but everyone was still finding their way to succeed within it. Jungkook the most behind of all of them.

Jungkook's ears went hot again, a flash of his conversation with Jimin from last year assaulted his memories.

I have to go, Jungkook. Jimin had said angrily. One of the rare times Jungkook had ever seen the short boy's rage aimed at him. I don't understand why you wouldn't want me to take this opportunity. Wouldn't you do it? If someone handed you the key to a door that leads to your dreams, wouldn't you race to unlock it?

A part of him hoped Jimin would choose to stay in Seoul, choose his friends, instead of leaving everything behind for Busan. A selfish, traitorous feeling. No. Jungkook had answered.

But that's who he was, Jungkook thought, his heart sinking as he looked past Yoongi's monitor and to the recording studio behind it. He'd worked at Rise for a year and still didn't have anything to show for it. Only a couple songs mixed in his portfolio. Most nights he wished he could trade the DJ booth for a stage, but he wasn't someone who could chase dreams in the same way Jimin could. Who would kill himself for a scrape of a chance. It was something he admired so much in his friend, in all his friends, and another thing that isolated him from them.

Yoongi was waving his hand in front of Jungkook and Jungkook blinked, knowing he had spaced off again.

"Sorry." Jungkook mumbled and Yoongi ran a hand through his black hair.

"Kid, what is going on with you?" Yoongi asked. "I heard you talked with Jimin last week. Is it that? Or that girlfriend of yours?"

Jungkook looked down at the ink tattooed across his fingers, stretching his hand out. "I broke up with Madison." He answered. He was in no mood to talk about Jimin.

He'd thought about getting back together with her for the distraction of it and to maybe make Jimin more comfortable around him if he knew he was dating someone, but when he had gotten home to five missed calls from her and texts calling him abusive and toxic and a liar, he just - he couldn't do it. She'd texted an hour later saying some extreme things in the other direction, that he loved her - not "she" loved him. She threatened to kill herself and Jungkook saw it for the manipulative tactic that it was. He had woken up to her blocking his contact on every social media they shared after leaving her on read. Her friends blocking him too.

Needless to say, it's been a long week.

Yoongi nodded, picking up on his tone and dropped the topic of Jimin. Jungkook loved him for that. Yoongi knew how to get to the heart of a person with one question, but also could tell when not to push. Seokjin, on the other hand, was a force of nature Jungkook could never escape a conversation from. That man was going to get to the bottom of things in the most chaotic ways imaginable.

"Hobi's going out tonight with Taehyung to that club you work at. You coming with?" Yoongi asked, changing the subject. "You can grab dinner at my place, and we can head out together if you want." Jungkook blinked at his friend, hearing what Yoongi was actually saying: let's hang out if you don't want to stay in that apartment your ex-girlfriend destroyed. If you don't want to be alone.

Jungkook teared up, still looking down at his tattoos, but nodded. "Yea, I would love that. I think I still have some clothes at your place from the last time we all went clubbing and I crashed after."

Maybe a distraction would be good. Jimin was coming back permanently in three months, which meant Jungkook only had three months to pull himself together. Maybe a night out would be good for him, good for his friends and for his head. Maybe he could do this.

"I know it doesn't mean much, Jungkook." Yoongi said, "but I think Jimin was wrong in icing you out." Jungkook stiffened. Yoongi put his hands up defensively. "I'm not going to make you talk about it with me, we'll drop it from here, but I just think he was wrong." Yoongi said as he turned off his monitors and started to close down his studio, again not pushing the conversation beyond that.

When he was done, he squeezed Jungkook's shoulder and this time Jungkook leaned into the brotherly affection instead of being embarrassed by it.

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A/N:

How are we?? What do you think so far, are you having fun with it? How were your weeks??

Eat something good today you guys or go buy a sweet treat, we all deserve one <3

- Vio