House of Cards

Chapter 4

A few hours after Taehyung left, you were still in the living room, sitting on the sofa mindlessly flipping through the channels. Your mind was on your relationship – if you could even call it that – with Taehyung, and the fast friendship you were developing with Jungkook, whom you liked immensely. The poor buttons of the remote were continuously being worn out until you heard Jungkook's voice from behind.

"Where should we go for lunch?"

You looked up, resting the back of your head on the sofa so you could see him peering down at you. Through your bleary eyes you could see his crooked grin flashing your way. You were surprised; after the events that transpired that morning you didn't think the two of you would talk again for a while. Perhaps you were the only one who felt the awkwardness of the whole situation. Jungkook acted like he always did, and the discomfort that you felt slowly dissipated over the course of lunch and the walk back to your apartment afterwards.

However, when he asked about your plans for the rest of the day, you frowned.

"Didn't you say you have a party to go to this weekend?"

He cocked his head, as if trying to remember. After a moment, he shook his head confidently. "Nope, I'm free this weekend."

You narrowed your eyes, but ultimately only said that if he was free, then he should watch a drama that you had been surprised to learn that he hadn't watched; One Litre of Tears. He playfully groaned at the suggestion before he agreed, but while you were searching for the DVD you accidentally overheard his conversation on the phone.

"I won't be able to make it tonight," you heard him say, and you turned around to see that his bedroom door wasn't quite closed.

The voice of the person he was talking to wasn't audible but you could hear his reply to that person, "It's just one party. I'm sure you'll do fine on your own."

So you were right; he did have plans, and apparently he blew someone off. But for what? Was it for your sake? Why? You didn't need company, and he didn't seem to have any problem with leaving you to your devices every other weekend. However, he was clearly reluctant to tell you why he wanted to spend time with you instead of having fun with his friends and you couldn't confront him without revealing that you'd eavesdropped on his conversation. Since you couldn't tell him that you had overheard his phone call, when he rejoined you on the couch, you only smiled, slid the disc in and pressed play.

A few episodes in when Jungkook had pulled you closer so you could snuggle against him underneath a blanket, you asked, with your eyes still glued to the screen, "So, what do you think of the story so far?"

Jungkook fidgeted with the tissue in his hand and answered, "I kind of hate you for introducing this drama to me." You cackled at his response; it was morbidly satisfying to see him cry at the drama you'd recommended, even if it meant that you had to shed a few tears yourself, despite the fact that it was your third time watching it.

"Have you ever cried this much in your life?"

His sudden unexpected question gave you pause. The only time you could think of when you'd cried this hard was when Taehyung had broken the news of his impending engagement. Intentional or not, he had broken your heart and you didn't think you would ever recover. Hell, it was obvious that you were still unable to completely let him go. As if on cue, your phone rang, saving you from having to answer Jungkook's question. You jumped in surprise, scattering used tissues all over the floor. Jungkook gently pushed you up so he could lean forwards to grab the phone, which sat next to a half-empty box of tissues. He stared at the illuminated screen just a fraction longer than was necessary to read the name on display, then handed the device to you. "It's your boyfriend."