Trainee Trouble

{Chapter 21: Uh oh}

After we sorted things out, I checked the time and realized that it was already almost 10. Reminding the boys that they had better get back to their dorms before curfew, they all gave me a hug or a pat on the shoulder before saying their goodbyes.

"Stay strong okay?" said Mark giving me another hug.

"Yea it'll get better soon" Jackson added, ruffling my hair.

"Thanks guys" I smiled at them.

Waving a final goodbye, I watched them leave before shooting back the last of my drink. Wiping my mouth with the sleeve of my sweater, I stood up to pay for the meal. I had offered to treat the boys in exchange for their silence.

Suddenly, I was pulled down onto my seat again by the hem of my shirt. Turning around in shock, I felt my heart skip a beat when I made eye contact with Jungkook. It was and understatement to say that he had a look of subtle anger on his face.

"Explain" he said firmly.

Gulping, I tried to play dumb.

"What about?" I said, suddenly finding my fingers the most interesting thing in the world.

"Don't joke around with me (your name) aggashi" Jungkook said using the term of address for females.

"Very funny" I laughed nervously, trying to brush of his statement as a attempt at a tease.

"Spill it. I heard everything. But you're not leaving till I hear it from your own mouth" said Jungkook, crossing his arms in finality.

I couldn't take it anymore. The pressure that had been building inside of me ever since I left for Seoul finally went past its limit. Tears spilled like a leaky faucet and sobs erupted. I couldn't remember more than 3 times that I've ever cried before in my life but it seems that crying was a norm for me here in Korea.

As I struggled to catch my breath, I felt a hand on my shoulder, a finger stroking my neck. Looking up, Jungkook had softened his demeanor and was whispering "slowly" repeatedly.

Once my emotions got into check, I spilled the whole truth to Jungkook, throughout which he had an unreadable expression on his face.

"....and now we're here" I hiccuped, ending the same explanation I'd repeated often lately.

Jungkook was silent for awhile more. Then suddenly, he grabbed his head in his hands and started ruffling his hair until his beanie fell off into my lap. Grabbing onto it for comfort, I waited for a response.

"I knew I wasn't overthinking things" I heard him mumble.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

Sighing, it was his turn to explain.

"From the minute you had walked into the audition room, I had already regarded you as a girl. But somehow throughout the audition, you exuded such charm that I've never seen before in a girl so my opinion changed. However, my opinion wavered once again when you danced troublemaker with J-Hope, automatically dancing Hyuna's role but I thought nothing of it because it was just a dance."

I listened in silence, fingering his beanie in nervousness.

"And so" he continued, "when you passed out and I carried you, I realised how light you were for a guy. Also...I think I felt the strap of your /ahem/....bra....when I was carrying you" Jungkook turned away from me, ears red with embarrassment.

"Then why didn't you say anything?" I asked him, feeling a sense of regret that the situation could've been different from the start.

"Because I thought about it and decided that I was overthinking things and what I....felt....was just the part where your bandages started!" Jungkook said in frustration.

"What about when I was asked to move in with you guys? Didn't that raise and signals?"

"Well no one said anything about it so I just assumed that I wasn't in the right train of thought....but what about you? Why didn't you say anything? You're living with 7 guys! Didn't that ring any bells for you?" Jungkook pushed the blame onto me.

"I didn't know! I thought the company trusted you guys enough! And with the whole confidentiality thing back at the auditions, you guys wanted to keep me out of trouble with the pap! Besides, I've lived with plenty of guys in a dorm before when I was fencing!" I said matter or factly.

"That's different! You had girls around too right?" Jungkook said frustrated.

I couldn't retaliate to his true statement.

"Why are you even here?" I sighed, defeated.

"Rap monster was told to tell you that you were starting school tomorrow with S.Coups and I but he got called down for a performance review right when he was about to leave so I volunteered to come get you. I didn't expect to find out all this" sighed Jungkook.

Feeling the tears coming on again, I hung my head with despair, already accepting the fact that my journey to being a kpop star would be nothing more than a dream.

Wiping my tears with his sleeve, Jungkook chuckled.

"Why am I always wiping your tears and ruining my sleeves with your snot" he shook his head.

Grabbing his beanie out of my hands, he put it on my head and went to pay for the meal.

"Well? Come on" he said standing in front of me once again.

"Where to?" I asked nervously, expecting him to drag me by the collar to the company.

"Where else? The dorms! We have school tomorrow." He said, walking out of the restaurant.

Catching up to him I asked in disbelief.

"Are you letting me stay?"

He glanced at me.

"Well I can't just watch such immense talent go to waste can I?" He said, staring at the ground.

With a cry of relief and happiness, I dove in for a hug, spinning us around and jumping up and down.

Jungkook just stared wide eyed and turned red again.

"Come on. We'll be in trouble if we're late tomorrow. And about this whole mess you're in, we'll figure it out okay?" He said assuringly.

Nodding my head, we walked side by side in comfortable silence until we reached our dorm.

"Well good night" said Jungkook as he walked past my room to his.

"Good night hyung!" I greeted loudly.

With one last chuckle, he entered his room and I entered mine.