Sunshine in her Shadows (Rosekook AU)

31

Jungkook POV

When I woke up, the first thing I felt was her warmth beside me. For a moment, I didn’t move, afraid that if I opened my eyes, she wouldn’t be there—that it was just another one of the dreams I’d had so many times over the years. But then I shifted, and the weight of her body pressed softly against mine, the scent of her hair filling the space between us.

She was real. She was really here.

I turned my head, and there she was—Roseanne, no Chaeyoung, My Chae, lying peacefully beside me, her blonde hair splayed out over the pillow. I couldn’t stop the small smile that crept onto my face. I brushed a few strands of hair out of her face and kissed her forehead gently, not wanting to wake her but needing to feel that she was here.

Her eyes fluttered open at the touch, and she smiled sleepily up at me. "Good morning."

I chuckled, leaning down to kiss her again, this time on the lips. "Good morning."

She stretched lazily, still half asleep, and I could see her taking in the fact that we were really here, together. "Is this real?"

"I was just thinking the same thing," I whispered. "You’re really here, Chae. And I don’t plan on letting you go again."

She smiled, a little laugh escaping her. "You better not."

I lay there for a moment, just holding her, savoring the feeling of having her back in my life. But there was so much more we needed to talk about, so many things we hadn’t had the chance to say over the years.

"You know what?" I said, sitting up. "I think I’m going to take the day off today."

She looked at me in surprise. "Are you sure? Don’t you have patients?"

I nodded. "Yeah, but I think catching up with you is a little more important right now."

She laughed, sitting up too. "Alright, doctor. What’s the plan?"

I grinned. "I will have it planned, let it be a surprise. I need to make some arrangements first, let's have a late brunch and get ready to leave. Sound good?"

Her eyes lit up with excitement. "That sounds perfect."

A few hours later, we were standing in front of our old school, memories flooding back as we looked up at the familiar building. It hadn’t changed much, but everything felt different now. We made our way to the rooftop terrace—the place we used to escape to when everything felt too much.

As we stepped onto the terrace, I looked over at her. "Remember how we used to come here every time we needed to clear our heads?"

She nodded, smiling. "I spent more time up here than I did in class."

I laughed, pulling her closer as we leaned against the railing, looking out over the hills. "It’s crazy, right? How much has changed since then."

She sighed, resting her head on my shoulder. "Yeah, but some things haven’t. Like us."

I kissed the top of her head, feeling the truth of her words settle into my chest. We talked for a while, catching up on everything that had happened since we’d last been here. It felt like no time had passed at all, and yet, everything was different.

After the terrace, we headed to the restaurant we used to work at during high school. The owners were long gone, but the place still had the same charm. The place was still mysterious with the secret singer and personal booths. We ordered the dishes we used to joke about never being able to afford, laughing as we remembered the late nights and how different life was back then.

As the day began to wind down, we made our final stop: the beach. It was the same spot where Chaeyoung had first opened up to me about her life, and her pain. Sitting here again, I could almost feel the weight of that night—the heaviness of her words and the trust she had placed in me.

We sat together on the sand, watching the waves roll in. I wrapped my arm around her, pulling her close as the wind whipped her hair around.

"You know," I started, my voice soft, "that night here… that was when I knew I loved you."

Roseanne smiled, leaning into me. "Really? After I told you how much of a mess my life was?"

I chuckled, shaking my head. "I love you for you my firecracker, mess or no mess."

She looked up at me, her eyes sparkling. "You want to know when I realized I loved you?"

"Yeah, I’ve been wondering about that. You were so quick to accept my confession."

She laughed, thinking back. "It wasn’t some grand moment. It was just one of those nights you came over to help clean my house after a rough night with my dad. You were so calm and domestic, like it was the most natural thing in the world to take care of me. That’s when it hit me."

I blinked, surprised. "Really? That’s what did it?"

She nodded, smiling playfully. "Why? Were you expecting something else?"

I laughed, shaking my head. "No, I just thought… if you knew you should have confessed your love before", I teased her.
She raised an eyebrow. "I did. I confessed first, you know."

I stared at her, confused. "What? When?"

"The night before I told you the decision to leave for Australia," she said softly. "I kissed you on the forehead and told you, but you were asleep. Deep asleep."

I stared at her in shock. "I… I thought that was a dream! I’ve replayed that moment in my head so many times, convinced it wasn’t real."

Chaeyoung laughed, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Looks like I beat you to it, Kook."

I shook my head, smiling at her teasing tone. "You always have to one-up me, huh?"

She grinned. "Obviously."

Before I knew what was happening, I was chasing her down the beach, both of us laughing like kids again. She ran ahead, sand flying behind her, but I caught up to her quickly, pulling her back toward me.

We collapsed onto the sand, both of us out of breath but still laughing. The full moon seemed like it was smiling, casting a silver glow over everything, and I knew this moment was perfect. I reached into my pocket and pulled out the ring I had been carrying all day.

I knelt in front of her, my heart racing. "Chae," I began, my voice serious now. "I didn’t want to miss out on being the one to ask the most important question. I don't want you to beat me to it. I asked my parents yesterday, and they gave me their family heirloom ring. I’ll get you a big diamond soon, but right now, I just need to know one thing."

Her eyes widened as she realized what was happening. "Kook…"

"Will you marry me?" I asked, holding the ring out to her.

Tears filled her eyes as she nodded, her smile bright and beautiful. "Yes, of course, yes!"

I slipped the ring onto her finger, feeling a wave of relief and joy wash over me. She launched herself into my arms, and we kissed again, this time knowing that our future was finally, officially, together.

A/N: That brings us to the end of this story. Hope you guys had as much fun reading it as I had writing it. I am still an amateur writer so ignore any mistakes. I will add an epilogue to this showing their life in the future but the story does end here. Sorry if there wasn't enough romance for you, it felt like the right amount considering all the mature themes I added as layers of complexity. It wouldn't make sense for them to openly confess and date as teens when their lives are a mess and their mental state is deteriorating right? So this felt appropriate and respectful to people who faced such challenges and still found their happy ending in life. But in all seriousness, domestic violence is not okay. Please seek help if you need it and help others if you can. Therapy is not something to be ashamed of, your mental health is as important as your physical health. Please stay happy and healthy.

Also, go to my conversations and add what you want to read next in the comments. See you in the next story❤️