The Forbidden Love - between a fangirl and idol (Jungkookff)

Chapter 10: The Distance Grows

Y/N sat at her desk the next morning, her mind still tangled in the events of the previous night. The evening had left her with a strange sense of both excitement and dread. She and Jungkook had shared something unspoken but undeniably real. Yet, as real as it felt, she knew it couldn't go any further. The complications surrounding their lives were too great.

Her phone buzzed with a notification. It was an email from her supervisor in India, congratulating her on her success in Seoul but reminding her that they were expecting her to finalize the next phase of the project soon. The company was riding on the success of her designs, and the pressure weighed heavily on her shoulders. As much as she tried to concentrate on the designs in front of her, her thoughts kept drifting back to Jungkook.

Why had he said those things last night? That what they had felt different? Did he mean it?

And if he did, how were they supposed to navigate the reality of their worlds? She was just a regular girl, a graphic designer from a middle-class Indian family. He was one of the biggest stars on the planet. Their lives couldn't be more different.

Suddenly, her phone rang, and her heart leaped, thinking it might be him. But it wasn't. It was her mother.

"Amma?" Y/N answered, trying to sound cheerful, though her mind was elsewhere.

"Y/N, are you well? We haven't heard from you much lately. Your father and I are getting worried," her mother's voice was soft but laced with concern.

"I'm fine, Amma. Just really busy with work," she replied, rubbing her temples.

There was a brief pause. Then her mother's tone shifted. "You know, we've been getting more proposals for you. Good families, well-settled. Your father thinks it's time to consider them."

Y/N froze. She had known this was coming. Ever since she had left for Seoul, her family had been quietly dropping hints about marriage, reminding her that her career couldn't be her only focus forever.

"Amma... I'm not ready for that right now," she said, trying to keep her voice calm. "I've just started this job, and there's so much more I want to do here."

Her mother sighed. "I understand, but you also know how things are here. You're not getting any younger, and we want to make sure you're settled."

Y/N felt the familiar pressure tighten around her chest. Settled. That word haunted her. In her parents' eyes, settled meant marriage, a family, and stability. But for her, it was different. She wanted to settle into her own life first, to grow as a person, and find her own footing. The thought of leaving her career and returning to India for an arranged marriage felt like an impossible decision to make right now.

"I need more time, Amma. Please," she said softly.

Her mother hesitated, but finally, she relented. "Alright. But don't make us wait too long."

After hanging up, Y/N slumped back in her chair. The weight of her family's expectations hung over her like a cloud. She knew they only wanted what was best for her, but it didn't make the pressure any easier to bear.

That afternoon, as she was wrapping up her work for the day, her phone buzzed again. This time, it was a message from Jungkook.

Jungkook: "Hey, are you free later today? I was thinking we could grab coffee and talk."

Her stomach did a little flip at the sight of his name. Part of her wanted to meet him, to see where things could go. But the rational part of her was screaming that it wasn't a good idea.

Still, before she could stop herself, she found her fingers typing back.

Y/N: "Sure, where should we meet?"

They agreed on a small café near the BigHit building, a quiet place where they could talk without worrying about prying eyes.

As she walked into the café later that evening, she spotted Jungkook sitting at a corner table, a baseball cap pulled low over his face. He looked up as she approached, giving her a small smile that made her heart skip a beat.

"Y/N," he greeted her, the nickname sounding so natural coming from him.

She sat down across from him, trying to steady her nerves. The last time they had been alone together, things had gotten intense, and she wasn't sure how to handle what was happening between them.

"So, how's work going?" he asked, his voice casual, but his eyes held something deeper, something that mirrored her own confusion.

"It's... going," she replied, giving a half-smile. "Deadlines are piling up, but that's nothing new."

Jungkook chuckled softly. "I get that. We're prepping for the next leg of the tour, so things have been pretty hectic."

Y/N nodded, trying to focus on the conversation but feeling the tension between them growing with each passing second.

After a moment of silence, Jungkook leaned forward slightly, his expression serious. "I've been thinking a lot about what I said the other night. About us."

Her heart pounded in her chest. This was it—the conversation she had been both dreading and hoping for.

"I don't know if this is the right time or place to say this, but... I don't want to just be your colleague," he said, his voice low, almost hesitant. "I like you, Y/N. More than I should, maybe. But I can't pretend that there's nothing between us."

The words hung in the air, and for a moment, Y/N felt like the ground had shifted beneath her. Jungkook's confession was everything she had secretly wanted to hear, but it also terrified her.

She took a deep breath, her mind racing. "Jungkook, I... I don't know if we can do this."

He frowned slightly, confusion flickering in his eyes. "Why not?"

"Because," she said, her voice shaking slightly, "we're from two completely different worlds. You're a global superstar, and I'm just... me. This would never work. There's too much at stake—for both of us."

Jungkook leaned back in his chair, his expression softening. "I know it's complicated. But I don't care about all of that. When I'm with you, it feels real. I don't care about the fame or the distance."

Y/N felt her heart clench. She wanted so badly to believe him, to let herself fall into whatever this was between them. But reality kept creeping in, reminding her of all the reasons it couldn't work.

"What about your fans? Your career? Your management? They would never allow this," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

Jungkook looked down, his expression conflicted. "I know it won't be easy. But that doesn't mean we shouldn't try."

Y/N bit her lip, feeling tears prickling at the corners of her eyes. She had never imagined being in this position—having to turn down something she wanted so badly because the circumstances were impossible.

"I can't," she whispered, her voice breaking. "I can't be the reason things get harder for you. You deserve someone who can handle that life, and I'm not that person."

Jungkook's face fell, and for a moment, he looked as though he was going to say something else, to argue. But instead, he just nodded, his expression pained.

"I understand," he said quietly.

The silence between them was heavy, filled with all the words they couldn't say. After what felt like an eternity, Y/N stood up, grabbing her bag. She couldn't sit there any longer, couldn't keep pretending that this was something they could figure out.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, turning toward the door.

As she walked away, tears stung her eyes, but she forced herself to keep walking. She had to let him go. It was the only way to protect herself—and him.

But as she stepped out into the cool evening air, a part of her heart broke, knowing that she had just walked away from something that might have been real.