Love Again

Sick

Flashback: Anne and Jung Kook 19 years old

"Are you sure you really want to move all the way to Busan just for a school?" JK grumbled as he walked side by side with Anne down the sidewalk.

"It's not just a school, Kookie. It's Pusan National University!" she responded indignantly, crossing her arms at his continued disgruntlement.

"And?" he mumbled as he kicked at a stray rock in his path.

"And it's a really prestigious school that accepted my application for a very competitive degree! Why are you being like this?" Anne cried out, tossing her hands up in frustration.

"Hush!" JK looked around furtively before whipping back around to face her. "You're going to get me caught if you don't pipe down!"

Anne tipped her head back to the night sky and let out a long suffering sigh.

Even though it was late at night and the streets weren't heavily populated, JK still ran the risk of a fan spotting him.

JK had snuck away from the dorm without alerting management so that he could meet her for a bit of stargazing, but unfortunately the weather didn't want to cooperate with them. So instead they decided to walk down to their favorite chicken skewer stand for a little treat. 

BTS had gotten a lot more popular lately and their fan base was rapidly expanding, which meant JK's days of living as a somewhat normal citizen were just about done. Sooner rather than later, he wouldn't be able to set a toe outside without his fans analyzing every angle, and the thought of that scared her more than she cared to admit. It meant that her time with him would have to be limited and under more secretive circumstances lest she fall victim to the vicious fan culture in Korea.

"It really won't be that bad, Kook. I mean, you're gone most of the time touring or filming. And when you're here, you're usually working. So we really don't spend that much time together anyway..." Anne explained calmly.

JK scoffed and shook his head. "But how are we supposed to see each other when I find myself with free time and you're all the way in freaking Busan?"

Anne stopped her in tracks and glared at him. "So what? You want me to just sit around Seoul and wait for you to be free? I have a life too, Kook! Maybe it's not as glamorous as yours but it means something to me. And I want to do something–-to be something of my own!"

"I know that! You're not being fair," he whined.

Letting out a slow breath, she closed her eyes and tipped her head back to the sky once more. "I know you're used to getting your way with things Kook, but please, try to see it from my point of view. And once you calm down a bit, you'll see that everything is going to be fine. Because you know that as soon as you have free time, I am going to come right back to you...because you're my best friend and you mean the world to me."

JK stood in silence for a moment, pulling at his lip anxiously. "You're right. I'm just...scared that you're going to be so busy with school and being top of your class that you'll figure out you don't need me."

Her heart started thudding at the huge doe eyes he was giving her and she softened. "Oh Koo, you know that's not true. I love you, and nothing can change that."

"...okay."

She smiled at him, watching as his unsure expression morphed into a serious face as he caught wind of the scent coming from the chicken skewer cart. She laughed to herself as she watched him pick up the pace towards the street vendor. She'd never met anyone with such a one track mind when it came to food but she wouldn't change it for the world.