To Be A Family | 8th Member

Ch15: First Love (Even when I resented meeting you)

Another looong chapter, I know. I'm legitimately spoiling you guys with another 2-in-1 chapter. Then again, writing Jeongguk and this BTS member (come on, the title and fanart is obvioussss—I think) proved to be hard and challenging to write, especially in character. I think. Oof.

Anyway, please enjoy!

:)

•

It's been about an hour since Jeongguk had taught Choheun how to dance the pre-chorus and chorus for Fire, and he didn't know if the world was giving him a chance at getting along with the trainee better than he had initially imagined and worry about in the beginning.

After eating their small snack of ramen, twice (he bought two each ramen, ice cream, maybe some mochi, and maybe some pocky as well when Choheun requested it the last minute before he left), Jeongguk found himself just sitting on the floor of the room with Choheun, talking about lighter and funnier topics after the deep one (he really liked it, okay? It made him feel better and what's better was that Choheun was a fan and a new friend who told him all that), and somehow it led him to talk about their similarities like their birthdays.

And what his hyungs and the staff had done for his birthday before back in 2014, too.

Which brought him to his current situation with Choheun, both eating their small cups of mint chocolate chip ice cream.

"Mwo?! Really?! They did that to you on your birthday?!" Choheun was practically screaming at his face by now, their faces just a respective distance away, her face showing disbelief and shock that the small spoon from the ice cream was hanging off her lips.

Jeongguk snorted out a laugh, his cheeks red in embarrassment at having to tell the story but the girl's reaction was pretty priceless (and cute, of course. He had noticed a lot of things she did was in such an endearing way—when she wasn't hiding and using her polite words usually implying a 'please leave me alone' kind of vibe, and he wondered if this was how it felt to have a female friend like her-). He lifted a hand up to gently pluck the wooden spoon out of her mouth, leaving Choheun to blink repeatedly in surprise and bewilderment as she shot him a confused look, blinking her doe eyes that he came to realize were pretty cute (now that he didn't hate her and started talking with her, aish...he was not forgetting about that any time soon).

"It was a long time ago now, Choheun-ssi. I made sure they promised not to do that again." Sure damn hope so, "It's okay." He assured with an amused smile at her reaction. Choheun stubbornly shook her head, tugging on his free hand she had been holding earlier with a petulant pout, eyes narrowed with her cheeks puffed and pink.

"B-but it was your birthday, Jeongguk-ssi! Aigoo-yah, if it was me, I would've cried for a whole hour..." she pouted, taking the spoon when Jeongguk handed it over to her, scooping a spoonful of ice cream and shoved it in her mouth, lips set to pout. She formed a fist with her hand that was still holding the spoon, glaring down at the floor with determination. "I'll promise to give them a piece of my mind when I can!" Jeongguk only chuckled at her response, waving a hand in dismissal. No doubt she probably might not do that without turning shy and stutter a second later, her pink cheeks and unsure eyes were proof of that. No offense to her, but maybe she'd do it if she was fully comfortable around the others and him.

Yes, Choheun wasn't completely comfortable around him yet despite what it seemed between them if anyone else were to see. She was relaxed, true, but there was still obvious hesitancy and disbelief, added with confusion and doubt, left behind in her eyes and her expressions when she thought Jeongguk wasn't looking. Her words were playful and expressive but he could see she was still holding back because whenever she said something, she would subtly incline back as if expecting him to reject her, to snap at her or something, before relaxing her tense shoulders when he would laugh or smile with an innocent question thrown back at her in return.