@buryhny - Tumblr Blog

"DON'T SMILE" 💌

"You can fake it, but you know I know, know I know."

Cha Mu-Hee is finally living her quiet life in the front half of a small building, running her pottery studio, Haru Haru. After years of waiting, the back half is finally rented, only to discover her new neighbor is Jeon Jungkook, a rebellious biker who’s turned his space into a loud, chaotic garage for his crew. A shared, impossibly thin wall separates them, but it’s barely enough. Yet maybe opposites aren’t so impossible to fall for after all… especially when Cha Mu-Hee begins to shake up more than just the quiet he’s grown used to.

genre . enemies to lovers | grumpy x sunshine word count . 14k contains fluff, young adult , no smut

min's notes ; here's the valentine's special fic, enjoy!! First time tried writing JK x oc, as a tester for my book since that will be oc too! So yeah Jungkook x Cha Mu Hee from can this love be translated here!

Banner cr , @jktny0 💌

"Please take good care of your miffy mugs! They're made with a lot of love!" Mu Hee beams at her young customer as she hands over the package carefully. "Of course I will, thanks Mu Hee-ah! My friends are gonna love it!" She holds the door open for the teenager to walk out, waving at her as she gets inside the car. "Come back for more!!!" she calls, with a grin.

Mu Hee walks back to her little nook, sitting behind the pottery wheel to complete the next set of ceramic tea cups for the grandma who lives down the lane. She had placed an order for a beautiful tea set to gift her newlywed daughter-in-law.

twelve tea cups, a teapot, and matching saucers, each carefully customized for the new family member. She turns up the volume on the radio, which plays her favorite songs every day from 4 to 6 pm.

The romantic indie tunes fill her little shop as she moves her hands to the melody. Mu Hee has been making pottery here for almost 2 years now. She's better than ever, at pottery itself and business overall. Social media has helped a lot, in fact, her little Miffy glasses holder went viral and had over 50 orders in just a week.

Her excitement was over the roof, all she had was her best friend 'Sol' , both of them screamed, holding each other's hands as they jumped around when the orders came in. Mu Hee had to pull all-nighters for a month, her shop was too tiny to store all the glass holders, so she had to shift some to her friend's place, her backyard had enough space and heat to store. she had never been happier before, but the exhaustion that came in was dreadful.

Humming to Beabadoobee while her hands mould the dip of the cups, her hands covered by wet clay as it rotates on the wheel. The bells chime when a new customer enters her shop, Mu Hee's head shifts to meet them and a wide smile stretches across her face. "hello! evening, welcome to haru haru!"

"Hi dear, I'm here to look around your beautiful work!" a lady in her 40s walks in with a two-year-old baby in her arms, sucking on a candy, while his mum admires her art. "Sure, ma'am, let me know if you need any help. " She continues her task on the wheel while taking glances at the lady with a smile on her face. Mu hee waves at the boy, and he shyly away, hiding inside his mum's neck.

"This is so beautiful, dear! How much is one piece?" she questions, holding the hand-painted, carved plate in her hand, the one Mu Hee took hours deciding which colour combo to go with. "Oh, that would be $40 per plate!" "Oh, lovely. Is it possible to customise?" "Why, yes, of course!"

The rest of the evening goes well for her. She had a couple of customers who picked up their items, and a few placed custom orders that came in. She loved seeing them smile; it made her sleep well every night. She flipped the handmade clay sign from open to closed, heaving a sigh while looking around through the glass doors. She took a glimpse of men hanging around the street, frowning. She thought they were quite unfamiliar, she had never seen them here before. They looked... different, unlike the people she saw here all the time. Maybe they were here for an event.

She walks back to the wheel to finish off the rest of the cups and plates before heading back home. She takes the subway since her place is about 30 minutes from the shop. She gets some tteokbokki from the nearest open store she can and gets back home to clean the mess up. My hee is a tidy person. She needs to either come back to a clean space or she won't rest until she cleans the place up.

Today she had a bit more to do, so she picked her clothes which you'd dropped on the floor, folded them up, washed the dishes that she left for later, and then she let herself fall onto the couch. The teok is cold, but she doesn't mind, she eats in silence, her thoughts loud enough with the plenty of orders she must prepare herself for. But it's fun, and she really, really enjoys and loves what she does.

The sun rises, she's up by 7, brushing her teeth as she puts her bagels into the toaster, taking out the peanut butter and jelly from the fridge, placing them on the counter. She heads back to the washroom to rinse her mouth and rushes back at the sound of the bagels popping out golden and crispy. She places them on the plate, spreading the butter and jelly. Mu Hee fills her glass with the leftover orange juice and finally sits down to have breakfast in silence, while her phone plays the loud documentary about Britney Spears's life story.

Mu Hee's fit for the day is blue jeans, a short sleeved shirt with a checkered red doll top. She leaves the house with a strawberry milk and gets on the subway to get to her shop. walking by her street, she smiles at the sight of greenary.

'there has to be clovers here.' - she thinks.

Mu hee sqauts to take a look, her hands brush against the grass and little flowers around. she pouts at the sight of none,

'maybe its not my day.' - she thinks.

Dusting her hands off on her denim as she makes her way to her shop. She blinks a few times as she stands at the top of the lane, anxiously taking in the sight before her. The once-quiet street is now cluttered with bikes and boxes dumped along the roadside.

What happened here?

Curiosity pulls her forward as she heads towards her shop, especially when she realises the back half of the property is suddenly occupied.

"Wowie! It's been ages since I've had a neighbour back there. I must visit them- or he- or she? Whoever it is, with some cake and a little handmade flower vase maybe. That would be nice." - she tells herself.

She walks inside, flips the sign to open, and gets to work. Mu Hee puts on her apron and glasses, her radio plays the music while she makes the little customised cup sets. For years, her pottery shop has been the calmest corner of the lane, where kids, teenagers, and adults drop by to adore the handmade goodies and just...spend some time learning how she does it.

It charms them, often making her laugh because it's really nothing to do. With years of practice and constant making with clay, it's a part of Mu Hee. In here, time moves slowly, but with comfort and so much love. Love from making her products and love from the customers who give her creations a home.

Customers came by, their orders were picked up, she had her lunch and sipped on some strawberry milk. The evening was as comfortable as an old shoe. But the night... the night was... quite the opposite. She hadn't experienced this before. Noise.

She tried not to think so much of it at first but... it got louder and louder. As if it couldn't get any worse, it got fucking louder! Engines revving, metal clanking, loud voices carrying through the thin walls. The laughs of both men and women, the quiet street was now louder than the thunder. She tried...so fucking much to focus on the music that was playing. She tried to hum louder but eventually gave up.

So she decided to knock on the wall. She knocked once...wait for a reply that never came. "Excuse me... could you keep it down please?" She asked politely. They ignored.

"Alright, it's 8 anyway, leaving early wouldn't harm me." So she packed her stuff and locked the shop. She tried to peek from the corner of her building, unfortunately she could see no one except bikes.

'Maybe it's a party, like a housewarming party. Is it a home now?' - She doesn't think so because there were no lorries with... household furniture, so maybe it's a ... shop? Like a motor shop—whatever. It's none of my concern.' - She says.

y/n ; hey sol, wanna hang out?

sol ; what? you're not in the shop?

y/n ; nope, left early. come on lets hang out

sol ; mama's pot then!

Taking this as an opportunity, Mu Hee met up with her best friend sol, at Mama's Pot Shop! They serve the softest bread and muffins you could ever find. sol arrives 15 minutes later and catches Mu Hee already munching on some garlic bread. "Hey, you're eating without me!" "Nope, just bit into it!" She laughs.

"What's the occasion, huh? I thought you were super busy with orders." She nods and passes the plate. "Yeah, I am, you know I need some peace of mind while working. The back half is rented now, I guess, and they are crazy noisyyy!!" Mu Hee whines, a pout forming in her lips.

"Who's rented it? Like a family with kids?" sol asks. "No, I don't think so—I'm not sure, but it sounded like a couple of men and women in bikes and stuff. I'm sure they were drinking. They were so loud and...weird." sol's eyes get wider as she holds the table with both hands. "Did you say...men? Like young men?" Mu Hee sighs and turns away. "That was what you caught in all I said? I don't know if they're young, just a bunch of gangsters, I'm guessing—I need to stop judging! I'm better than this!!."

"Holy shit, y/n! Please get some mafia romance, im tired of your virgin life-" "I'm not a virgin—I am-!" "You haven't been with anyone since... that jerk!" Sol snaps, biting into her bread a little too aggressively, which makes you laugh. "He's not a jerk, Sol. We ended things on good terms, remember?" "Yeah, great news for Grandpa."

"Sol! He was just ten years older-" "I'm telling you, he was married! I'm telling you-" "Alright, Sol, I'm leaving-" Mu Hee pushes up from her seat, but sol grabs her hand and yanks her back down. "Not before you have some soju."

Mu Hee has a terrible hangover the next morning. This is the reason she avoids hanging out with sol too many times. Sol always forces Mu Hee to have soju, and then the next day is hell. Mu Hee's tolerance is low, so she gets drunk super fast, and the aftermath is having bad body pains and a headache, so her day was already starting off...bad.

'Yeah, no. This is not happening today. Why was my shop entrance blocked with boxes? What is with the number of bikes here? Is this some sort of garage? It's getting on my nerves. I'm not in a mood to be kind! Whoever here is about to get it...bad.' - Mu Hee thinks

Exactly 7.30 pm, the loud noise starts. Her hangover had just almost faded away, and it's back again, a hundred times worse now. She... won't let it slide anymore.

One night was fine, but today too? Who knows how long this is going to continue. She knocks again. Louder this time. "Excuse me!! Can you PLEASE keep it down!!!" No response, no change. She's on a ride...to hell.

,

It happened again the next day and nope. Nope, nope, nope. Not any more. Especially because today she had a teenager pass by who came to collect her vase, who had a worried look on her face, and when Mum Hee questioned her why, she said,

"It's a little scary here now...the guys outside are making me uncomfortable. maybe I'll ... order from you online next time. Thanks for these!" These guys are now scaring away Mu Hee's customers. Now that's not happening. Every knock-on-the-door goes unanswered, and it's...finally time to snap back.

Mu Hee walks out of her shop, hands still dirty from all the clay. She marches around to the back to see what's going on- only to step into a crowd. A whole group of people, mostly men, some girls draped over their shoulders, bikes lined up everywhere, loud music humming in the background. It looks like a full-on hangout spot.

She pushes her way through the crowd. A few heads turn, eyebrows raised, staring at her like she'd wandered into the wrong universe.

"Who's the owner of... this place?" she asks.

The girls immediately flick their heads toward a guy standing at the back.

She's unsure where to look first - four guys, three girls, all in leather, all watching her. They look intimidating, sure, but not in an illegal or gangster way. Just... the type of people she wouldn't casually walk up to. the girls smile weakly at her, they look.. sexy in their shorts and skirts, of course it looked like a friend group with couples. "who is the owner here?" She ask again as frustration spills out.

That's when he appears

A tall, young man...much younger than the other three men around, steps out from the middle of chaos, wiping his hands on a rag, tattoos in his palms catching the light as he glances at her with that casual, lazy confidence. He had this aura in him that made him shine from the crowd, daunting and cold. With his piercing on his lip, he definitely looked rough around the edges.

"Yeah?" he says, as if he hadn't just burst in ready to fight the entire building. She sighs, clearing her throat as she speaks. "I knocked on your wall the past three days asking you to keep it down, and I was ignored." She mutters, and he frowns. "Your crowd is too loud for the others to work. If you could keep it down, I would very much appreciate it." He bites his inner cheek and shakes his head. "I heard you. Didn't care." He mutters.

Her jaw drops, completely unprepared for such blunt rudeness. No one has ever been so cold, so... indifferent to her before. Her eyes widen, and for a moment, she couldn't even form words.

He blinks twice, noticing how she flinches and opens her mouth, the tiniest flicker of vulnerability in her soft, unguarded expression. "How...rude." She whispers under her breath, hoping he hears it but also doesn't.

"We're fixing bikes. Noise happens. Can't really control it. We're not going to stop working just because it bothers you."

"And what about bothering me? You're so loud, I can't work at all!! As if that wasn't enough, you're scaring away my customers!" He chuckles at her words.

His hand is on his hips now as he takes her in. His eyes scan her top to toe. She's so messy. Her apron is dirty, her...fingers are covered in mud? He can't figure it out, he doesn't even know where she's coming from. "Look, I don't care about your customers."

He shrugs, voice flat, eyes still on her. "This is my space. You'll just have to deal." She shakes her head in anger, fingers raising to push back her glasses that sit on her nose. "You really are a mess, huh?" He tilts his head, scanning her apron and muddy fingers again. "I don't even know what to make of you."

" Turn the apocalypse down, or I'll make one myself!" His eyebrows raise at her sass, she's such a small human, he could easily flick her away. So cute to think she would start one.

"Try." He mutters. "Oh, I will!" She folds her arms and walks away, back to her little shop. Jungkook smirks, thinking about what just happened.

'I'm curious to know what she will do.' - He thinks.

Getting back to his business, "Who was she?" Sejung asks as she places a hand on his arm. "Neighbour. Forget about her." He mutters, getting back to fixing the engine of the bike.

Mu Hee groans as she gets back inside. They haven't made any changes. His music is still loud, so is the engine. This is going to be bad. So, so bad. She's not ready for this mentally or physically.

,

"Oh no, I left the window open!!" Mu hee groaned as she removed her shoes and placed them gently on the rack, running to close the living room window that had accidentally been left open. Not only would there be mosquitoes tonight, but that cat must have made its way inside again. She sighed and looked around her room, in search of that ginger that somehow always breaks into her apartment and hides itself from her.

"Where are you, Ginger? Show yourself. Where did you hide this time?" She talked to the kitty as she looked under the coffee table, in between her cushions, behind the chairs.

"ah ha! There you are!" She found it stretching itself at the sight of her, this time it was behind the curtain. Mu hee shook her head and squatted to rub it. "Kitty, you need to stop hiding from me. I'm not going to eat you, just... show me where you stay, and I will let you. Don't hide from me!" She mumbled in a baby voice, rubbing its open stomach for her as it purred at her touch.

"Come on, I'll give you some leftover tuna." She grabs the opened tin from the fridge and puts it on a plastic plate, dancing in front of the cat to come to her. "Here's the food! Come here, come on, kitty!" She laughs when it runs to her, sniffing the plate before it dives in. "Aww, you're such a cutie!" She giggles, rubbing its head before preparing a toast for herself.

Heading to bed, she could not stop thinking about the encounter she had with her new neighbour. She's hoping things get better, or she really might have to start an apocalypse, trying to chase him away! But how... Her brain starts to make up scenarios, a tiny, wicked little giggle escapes as she slowly drifts to slumber, looking at the glow in the dark stars pasted on the ceiling.

,

what a way to start the day. She smile. forcibly. fakely. because right at her entrance, leaning against the wall, arms crossed, smoking a cigarette is-

him.

Wow. Beautiful sight.

She ignores him entirely and walks straight to her door, keys out. He glances at her once, then does a slow double-take.

'Oh shit, she's the owner of this shop!' It finally clicks for him.

'What do you even sell?'

he turns fully to take a glance at what's inside this shop and he sees handmade stuff, cups and shit.

'Oh... right. Makes sense.' - he thinks.

She smiled at the morning sun and skipped right past him, pretending he's part of the wall. Because the sun is so beautiful today, so bright and yellow and lovely. A little bad breeze isn't going to make her forget to smile at the golden sun! He knows that she's ignoring him because he saw her greet a random stranger at the top of the lane.

She had this huge ass smile and bowed like 180 degrees and waved like you saw a celebrity. How much energy does one have in the morning? He can barely open his eyes when he's out at 9.

And the way she walked past him like he was air? Professional-level ignoring. Olympic tier.

He had no intention to bother her, he doesn't really care. But he glared at him through the glass, wondering why he's camped out in front of her shop, sipping his coffee like he owns the entire street.

'Not my business.' - she thinks 'As long as he stays on his side and acts like a civilized human being, everything is fine. Perfectly fine. Great, even.'

So she smiled and got back to her daily routine. "Oh my god, you're coming out so well today!!!!" She spoke to the clay, excited at how lovely it was turning out. Even with experience, some days either the clay doesn't cooperate or she's just not in the right state of mind with patience. But today, wow! It's so beautifully coming out and she couldn't have been happier.

"Please don't crack, you're the best pot I've made in a while!! Please hold on, please please." She mumbled to the pot like it could hear her, as she placed it on the shelf carefully. Everything was going well, it seemed like her bad neighbour had respected her words yesterday and was doing well at keeping down. Or so she thought.

Because as soon as the clock hits 7, the noise starts banging the walls. This time, louder than ever. Since only a thin wall separates them both, the sound of his music beats and revving engines is almost unbearable. The vibrations rattle everything- Mu Hee's shelves, her brushes, even the drying pots.

She gasps at a sudden crack! and spins around- only to see it. The beautiful pot she carefully shaped that morning... cracked down the middle.

Her hands freeze over the clay. Her chest tightens. She's mad. She's mad, mad right now. She stomps to her radio, letting her fingers roll over the scroll, allowing the indie music to scream.

'If he's going to do this even after you asked him not to... kindly, then he's going to have to get a taste of his own medicine.' - she thinks

'His annoying rock music gets louder, wow. So this is a music war now, huh? Who's got the louder music? Huh, he thinks his stupid rock is going to win. No chance.'

She grabs her speaker, connecting her Spotify because of course this JBL speaker is going to be louder. She places it right near the wall and plays her R&B mix. Indie isn't the vibe right now. Her R&B mix goes on shuffle and voila! Heartless by The Weeknd plays, "Amazing Spotify, you just know me!" She mutters.

Jungkook stands in the back half of the building, jaw tight, listening. He hears the smooth R&B pulsing through the wall and lets out a low chuckle.

'She thinks she's winning,' he thinks. Doesn't matter.

Namjoon and Taehyung peek out from under the engine, eyebrows furrowed. "Are you planning on making us deaf?" Namjoon mutters, shielding his ears.

Jungkook shrugs, turning back to the bike. 'Let her try.'

Taehyung glances at the wall, eyes narrowing. "Enemy territory music wars," he mutters under his breath, ducking back under the bike.

Jungkook doesn't respond. He just turns back to the engine, as calm and unbothered as ever.

She crossed her arms and let the music get to her. There was no change in his volume, so she'd keep it high too.

'He thinks he can do whatever he wants to and il let it slide? No way, he's dealing with the wrong one. I may be kind, too kind, but not to shit heads like him. No. They don't deserve my kindness.' - she thinks

,

The next few days are all just...annoyance getting the best of her. My hee keeps knocking on the wall, banging even. Because he just doesn't listen. She knows he's ignoring her, but why? damn, is he just...acting like she doesn't exist? Jungkook is just unbothered, it's his half and he's doing what he wants to. Maybe he's ... doing it more because she complained to him like she owns the place, but the knocking and everything is annoying him as time passes.

She's also started leaving him stupid notes, pasted on his door.

[The apocalypse hasn't begun yet! Better safe than sorry *knife drawing* ]

He reads it, then scrunches it up and tosses it on the ground.

' You really think you can control me?'he thinks. Never.

The next day, she comes to her shop and sees a note stuck to her door.

[Stop trying, it won't work - jk ]

She scoffs and tears the paper.

'The guts he has. Oh fuck, he's so, so, so irritating.'

,

Jungkook comes the next day to see another note. This time... it makes him mad.

[All your helmets will be used as flower pots, alllll covered in MUD >0< ]

This b-

He doesn't do anything about it though. He knows she's trying to get a reaction from him and he's not going to let that happen. Instead, he gets cautious. His eyes follow the window of his half.

The little teeny window in the thin wall is covered on Jungkook's side. It's locked from the back half, and honestly, he didn't need it. Why would he want to peek into the front? He didn't bother breaking it, either, busy with engine work and setting up the garage.

But now...now he's going to keep an eye on her so she doesn't harm any of his helmets. Who knows, maybe she's a crazy woman? He can't let some kid ruin them with clay. So he removes the cloth that covered it, taking a peek inside her shop. Right...he can see everything from here.

He looks around. Her shop is colourful, almost painfully bright compared to his dark garage. Then there she is, wearing an apron, shaking her head to the music, her hands covered in clay as she lifts them to wipe off the sweat from her forehead with her arms.

'Yuck!' - he thinks.

A customer walks in and her head snaps fast, "Hello!!! Welcome to Haru Haru!!" Her greeting is so loud, he could hear her through his loud music.

What is she, really? She's nothing like he's ever seen, she's nothing like his female friends at all. He's solely observing her so she doesn't ruin his stuff, he turns his music down too for that reason, to keep her away.

She feels so much at ease, it must be the note, she thinks, giggling at how he's changed so suddenly.

'See! Sometimes threatening helps!'

Your days pass by with so much less trouble, she can hear her music well, her customers are not scared away.

'This is how it's supposed to be, grumpy!'

She shapes her cups and cleans the mess it leaves all behind. When Mu Hee's too happy, she greets every single stranger she meets down the lane and Jungkook seems to notice that whenever he walks out to catch some air, when the garage is too oily. She's always smiling and he's always frowning.

Mu Hee finds cats down the street, kittens too, and plays with them, feeds them her lunch sometimes. The little things make her so happy! "Oh little kitty, are you okay? Are you hungry? Here, have some bread." She mumbles, rubbing its little head as she pulls them to her lap and feeds them bits of her peanut butter sandwich.

His days are measured- coffee in the morning, engine grease on his hands, his bike, music in the background, a nod to friends now and then. Reserved and simple. He doesn't speak much, only when needed, keeps things to himself even with his friends. He loves his schedule and doesn't think he's ever going to change it.

With his new neighbour now, the two of them have no choice but to blend into each other's lives. If a war starts, it's never going to end, so maybe it's best to let it play out. They both want to listen to music? Fine. Play it. Just not loud enough to ruin the other's mood. When the volume on his side climbs, she glares at the wall, rolls her eyes, and takes a moment before crashing back to work.

Jungkook, on the other hand, just chuckles... stealing quick glances at her through his window.

,

Meanwhile, Jungkook slips back into his world- the garage, the boys, the engines. "Let's check this bad boy!" Taehyung mutters as he revs the car, whistling at the sound.

"Fire, dude," Namjoon laughs, the boys enjoying the show as they inspect the customer's car.

"Let's get to work, rev again." Jungkook grabs his tools, glancing at the window from time to time. When Taehyung revs a bit too loudly, Jungkook notices her shelf wobble through his vibrations, and a cup falls to the ground. Her customer gasps, thinking it's her fault, but she knows it's not.

Jungkook knows it's not too. It's ... his fault. Mu Hee reacts lightly, he sees her shaking her head, consoling her customer that it's not their mistake.

Her shoulders drop when her customer walks out of her shop. Jungkook notices it all. He chooses to stay silent. It pricks him more when he watches Mu Hee bend down to pick the pieces and ... she just stays there, looking at it for what seemed like an hour.

Jungkook gets back to his work, but he becomes weirdly aware of her. He brushes it off, slightly guilty about the cup scene. Even the next day, as he tightens the bolts along the valve cover, her reaction sticks to him like oil on his hands. He tilts his head and tsks, why was he thinking of her? It's just a cup, it's not a big deal. He can't focus on this anymore, so he walks out for some fresh air.

Putting on his denim jacket over his black tee, he wipes his hands and steps out. The sunlight isn't too bright, it's just perfect. He closes his eyes and breathes in. "Hello?! Get out of the way!" he hears her scream. He glances over his shoulder and sees her waving at him.

"You're covering the sun," she mutters, squinting up at him like he personally dimmed the entire sky.

Jungkook exhales sharply, his head tipping back as if the heavens can save him.

Great. He came outside specifically to get his mind off her— and here she's are again. Like a glitch he can't shut off.

It's always her. In that stupid apron, humming, smiling at strangers like she's hosting a festival and leaving notes on his door like a menace in pastel colours.

Ever since he moved here, it's been her, her, her. He doesn't even know her name.

He doesn't know what the hell is happening. He never had these problems in his old building. Nobody talked to him. Nobody bothered him. Everything made sense.

But here? Here nothing makes sense. Not the cracked pot. Not the music wars. Not the way she glares at him like he personally stole her oxygen. And especially not the way she takes up space in his head like she pays rent.

What is the damn issue here?

"I'm in my property." He says and she smiles fakely. "True that helmet hoarder, but this door is mine too. And you're blocking the sun from it." He frowns at the stupid nickname she'd given him. 'Helmet hoarder?'

"Shoo away, move an inch to the side and we're good to go." He scoffs and walks away. She's increasing his bp a bit too much. He just can't do it anymore. He decides to walk it off, mind, irritation, all of it, grabbing an iced americano from the corner stall. Maybe caffeine will drown the chaos.

His phone buzzes.

Meri: Kookie! Are we meeting tonight?

Jungkook stops walking. Exhales through his nose. He types back one word: No.

Meri... His old neighbour.

Clingy, loud in ways he never liked. Always wrapping her hands around his arm, always convincing herself he was hers. Too flirtatious, too touchy, too obvious. She texted like it was her job, flirted like it was a sport.

But she never got into his head. Never took up space. Never made him think twice. Her attention was predictable , easy to ignore. But then he never had to be guilty over again for her or over her.

But his new neighbour... She doesn't want him, doesn't fawn over him, doesn't even look at him unless it's to glare. She's not flirtatious. She's not even trying.

And yet she's the one stuck in his thoughts like a splinter.

So irritating.

It's all that stupid cup, it's all guilt. He convinces himself.

And the worst part? She doesn't care. Not even a little.

And that is what bothers him. She doesn't give a reaction unless she's fully triggered. And even then, she remains calm, the drop of her shoulders when the customer ran away blurs his mind again. It kept him up all night and is clodding his mind even now. He couldn't see her face but he knew she was sad, that her cup broke and her potential customer had been scared away.

Jungkook comes back down the street, iced americano in hand.

He passes by her shop, planning to walk straight past, but he freezes when he hears her voice.

Again.

She's waving at strangers like lost puppies, her loud laugh bouncing off the walls. Before he can stop himself, his eyes widen, tuning into the noise. "How many this time?!" someone asks. "Thirty!! Freaking thirty Hello Kitty mugs! Can you believe it?!"

She squeaks so loudly he almost drops his drink. "Oh Sol, Sol, Sol, I'm gonna be busyyyyy!" "Yes ma'am!!"Jungkook blinks, he keeps moving.

He doesn't hear from her for a while, he doesn't hear her music either.

'Are you even there?' he peeks through the window... just. And she's there. But she's quiet. Why? He doesn't really know, he doesn't even know why he's paying so much attention to her.

But he's curious why she's been so silent. He doesn't play music because the electric keeps getting cut; the weather has been acting up lately. Oh. It clicks him then, the weather. The past two days, his lights have been flickering , his speakers hiccup because there's no signal. It's the rain. Which means... she's in trouble.

,

'Oh no, no, no!!!! It's the third day and the power's gone off again! For the third time of the day!' She's so mad, she hasn't even completed ten pieces. With the rain ruining her drying time and the power cutting every few hours, her usual two-week schedule was turning into a month-long nightmare. She groaned and sulked the whole evening.

She's suspicious... what if he's doing this? But she never asks, avoiding him is for the best. She packs up much later, since the power comes by night, she stays at the shop all night. She wishes she lived around, it would've been easier to pull an all-nighter.

Jungkook notices her lights on, he leaves past 10 and frowns at the sight of her still working. He wonders where she lives, because the streets are dead past 9 here.

,

Ninth day — one week before the deadline.

Jungkook is under a car, fixing wiring while he vibes to music. When he focuses, he chews on his lip ring without noticing, exactly what he's doing now. He reaches for the drill with his other hand, ready to use it when-

Snap.

Everything dies at once.

His music. The drill. The lights.

The weather's been gloomy for days, getting dark by 3 pm, so the blackout hits harder when you're under a damn car. He pushes himself out by his feet, glancing towards your tiny window to check if it's only his side.

Nope. Her shop is dead too, even her colourful fairy lights. He hears her mutter a tiny, broken "fuck." Jungkook gets up, tossing on his leather jacket over his white tank. He steps outside and sees the entire street swallowed in darkness.

A second later, her door jingles as she rushes out, locking it behind you. "Did you do that?" She demands. He frowns instantly. "Why the hell would I turn the whole neighbourhood off?"

What kind of villain does she think he is?

"I don't know! Because you hate me?" She blurts out, throwing her hands everywhere. She's clearly panicking- and clearly not thinking before speaking.

His jaw tightens. "I don't hate you," he says flatly. Then he glances at her shaking hands. "Calm down. It's just the power."

He's trying NOT to care, but he clearly sees she's stressed. "Calm down?! I needed at least ten mugs done to say! How am I gonna finish it?" She groans, walking back to her shop.

Jungkook doesn't know what to do. He shifts, scratches the back of his neck, guilt kicking in because her cup broke because of him earlier. It doesn't have to do anything with the situation right now, but maybe he could do... some help?

He walks inside her shop, surprise taking her in at his appearance, but she's too stressed out to speak, worried about how she's going to be done with this when she's got a week left. Mu Hee grumbles something like, "I can't see anything, I can't finish my glazing, I'm so behind," and sighs.

He sees the unpainted pieces behind her, the brushes, the mess, her annoyance, and the empty space of the cup that broke... before. "...You have a deadline, don't you?"

Mu Hee shrugs, frustrated, sad. She whispers, "guess I'll never make it." She bends down to pick the brushes up, too little light to see what she's doing. She doesn't want to accidentally step on something she's made. "I have a flashlight. And... a battery lamp. I can bring it. So you can finish whatever you were... painting."

He tries to sound like he doesn't care, but he does. He's noticing the colours on her hands, the clay on her apron, the small details he's never bothered looking at. Mu Hee looks at him, wide eyes. "you;ll... you'll do that for me?" She asks softly and he...reluctantly nods. She looks so hopeful, her eyes shone even when it's so damn dark here.

"Don't get the wrong idea. I just... broke one of your pieces. So, I'm fixing it. That's all." She blinks at what he had taken back. 'When did he break your- oh...that day. He... he knew baou tit? He saw? How?' A million questions ran in her mind.

"I'll... bring them." He mutters and leaves. Jungkook grabs his flashlights and his phone just in case she needed more light. He glances at the window and sees Mu Hee covering her face with her hands. He sighs and walks back to her shop.

The bells chime and she turns up to look at him. He turns on the flash to her and sees her eyes welled up in tears. His heart crushes at the sight of him being stressed out. He's never seen her look so ... sad. Jungkook swallows a lump down his throat as he walks closer to her. "Here... light." She looks away, pulling her nose as she blinks back the tears. "T-thanks."

She looks around, processing everything. He moves the flash around to help her. "You...you can sit- um, I don't have an extra-" "I'm good. Carry on." She nods, taking a deep breath as she begins to glaze the rest of the pots. Jungkook watched as she dipped the pot into a bowl of thick liquid, lifting it out with a soft shake of her wrist. The dull clay slowly darkened, changing right in front of his eyes.

Curiosity itches, he wants to know what she's doing, but he doesn't want her to think he's into this... everything. "What's this?" he asks. "It's glaze," Mu Hee replies quietly, brushing the liquid over the pot. "It's what makes it shiny. What makes it last." He nods, fascinated by whatever she's doing.

He keeps standing, bothering her, but she doesn't say anything. After a few minutes pass, he realises this is taking time, so he walks beside her and sits on the floor. Mu Hee looks at him with wide eyes. "The floor...is dirty- " "I work with dirt and oil every day. I'm fine." He mutters. "Okay..." she whispers under her breath.

Jungkook holds the flash, moves around to help her look at the sides of the mugs, perfecting the glaze. He takes glances at her, the round glasses sit in the bridge of her nose, her hair, which was tied into a bun, is quite messy now, strands of layers wrap around her forehead and fall down to her eyes, but she ignores them.

He notices how she bites the inside of her lower lip when she focuses and her brows squeeze together. Her fingers move around, Mu Hee sighs when she finally finishes one round, wiping the sweat beads off her forehead with her cardigan sleeve.

Jungkook is an introvert and an observer. If he chooses something of interest, which he barely does! Almost never, but it must really fascinate him to make him observe, and this time, after a long, long time, it is she.

This makes him think... he doesn't even know her name. Should he ask her?

"So you're... Haru?" He asks hesitantly. She looks at him with surprise in her eyes.

'Did he... ask for my name?' "Cha mu hee." She says softly. The name settles in his chest like it belongs there.

"Cha... mu hee."

He whispers, saying her name to hear how it sounds. "Yup, that's me." She smiles, getting back to the mugs. Jungkook looks at her hands, his brows knit together. Her name repeats in his mind like a mantra.

'Why does it sound so... her?' - he thinks

"Hello?" You say, the flashlight he holds has moved away from the mugs and he's zoned out. You don't know his name except for his initials - JK.

"Hellooo!?!!" "Yeah?" He moves looking back at her, jittering. 'The light. Oh yeah.' He shifts back to her and helps with the flash. Mu hee takes glances at him, noticing how he's always got that frown on his face. 'He's gonna be left with wrinkles on his forehead very, very soon.'

The silence was now too loud, it wasn't as uncomfortable as she expected it to be yet it was still too quiet for her liking. "Why did you think my name was Haru?" She asks quietly. He looks up to her face, then back down to her hands. "Your shop is Haru Haru." He murmurs and she giggles.

"Ohhhhh! That must've been why! No, actually, I wouldn't name my shop after me!" She laughs while he looks at her. "I named my shop after my cat, Haru. She passed away due to... a car accident." Jungkook nods, feeling upset about how her tone changed.

He notices her fingers... they're long, slim, and beautiful. Even though they're covered in the glaze and her fingernails are filled with them.

"What's your name?" She asks him, looking up to face the man for once. She's tired but almost done with the cups so that's a relief. "Jungkook." He mutters. "Ah!"

'Now you know what his initials mean, Jung-Kook!'

"Jeon Jungkook." He looks just like his name.

Mu hee sighs with a nod as she places the mugs away and stands up. "All done!" She washes off her hands and tools while Jungkook walks behind her with the flash. She removes her apron and glasses, letting down her hair. He then notices the length of her hair- medium length, straightened, suits her well. Mu hee turns around and looks at him, a soft smile on her face.

"Thanks for your help. I'm... sorry, I must've kept you away from your work."

"All good," he mutters, turning off the flash.

They both walk out of the shop. He waits outside while she lock up. Jungkook takes a moment to look at her. Mu hee smile and nod as a final thank you before she leave.

"I'll get going..."

He nods, placing his hands inside his pockets. She gives him one last smile before making her way to the top of the street. It's late, yes — but fortunately the power outage was just this lane, not the main streets, so she'll be safe.

Jungkook stays for a moment, eyes drifting down the street. The shops are dark, quiet — like nothing happened at all.

He still hasn't finished his work. The wiring under the car sits half-done, abandoned. There's no point going back without power, so he locks up instead.

It shouldn't bother him.

But it does.

The name - Mu Hee, follows him home. It settles into his thoughts, soft and persistent. A beautiful name. One he has no reason to remember.

And yet, he does.

He shakes it off as he reaches out for the beer in his fridge door. The can hisses open. He slumps onto the couch, taking a long sip. His mind betrays him anyway , her fingers brushing glazed mugs, the glasses perched on the bridge of her nose, the way she pushes them up with her arm. Irritation flares. He drains the can, crushes it in his fist, tosses it into the bin. A shower. Sleep. Anything to stop thinking about the potter girl next door.

Standing at the top of the lane, he shakes his head at the sight of Mu Hee feeding a stray cat. "Where's the ginger? She's not here today?" She murmurs as she caresses the white cat's head while feeding it bread. Jungkook sighs, his hands slipping into the pockets of his denim while he takes her in.

"Oh! Good morning, aunty!" She greets the grandma that jogs every morning. "Good morning, lovely Mu Hee." That name... Jungkook clenches his jaw, running away from this place to his shop. She glances at him, getting back to her feet, dusting her hands. "Bye bye." She mutters to the cat and makes her way down the shop. Jungkook isn't too far away from her; she meets his eyes with a soft, lived smile. "Morning..." she murmurs and he nods.

She looks down at her keys, feeling the ridges of them. They both pause. He doesn't walk into his shop, neither does she. But he hesitates, fingers tightening around her keys. She wants to thank him ... she doesn't know how. Maybe because it's him?

Jungkook. The JK of the threatening notes he sent back to her. He doesn't know what to say, heck, he doesn't know why he's standing out here.

"Powers back..." she mutters, eyes shining with the sunlight. "Yeah." He says blankly. Silence. She bites her lips with a nod. "Thanks...for yesterday." He looks up and sees that smile on her face. "Anyone would've helped." She nods again and smiles, her thumb pointing to the shop, letting him know she's getting to work. He nods back too, making his way to the garage. He heaves a loud sigh when she's gone.

'What the hell is wrong with me?' - he thinks.

As the days pass, things keep changing. Even though they're too subtle to notice by anyone else, he knows it. His music feels too loud, so he keeps it down. Day by day, it gets lower and lower so he can hear what his front half is playing. He doesn't care like that; he's just curious. "Hey, kook? What are you doing?" Namjoon wakes him up. "tf is you fixing? You just removed the whole damn thing?" "Oh shit." Jungkook's mind isn't at the right place, and it's all one person's fault.

Cha Mu Hee.

It was just a name. He tells himself, yet he keeps digging into it too. Taking peeks from the window has become very much frequent now. He starts to take more interest there than the engine down. He notices her scrunching her nose whenever she receives a compliment. The way her eyes shine as she comes down to the shop every morning. How she constantly talks to herself, thinking no one can hear her, but he can.

He looks at her without the fear of being caught; she never looks this way. Mu hee does too - just not at the same time. The tension between the thin wall feels like a tug-of-war, but neither of them is trying to win. She's been a teeny bit distracted herself; it's more of why did the war die? There's no more music wars, no paper threats; it's peaceful. It's always been peaceful before he'd shifted here; she likes it. Of course, it's not a problem, but why does it feel different?

He takes breaks from time to time, leaning against her shop while he has his coffee, watching the empty, quiet street. He glances at her from the corner of his eyes; she moulds the clay while vibing to the music. A few dance moves here and there. She's a sunshine, sunshine next to his darkness. He finds it ironic. He finds it funny. He finds it...

'Stop. Stop it, Jungkook.'

He walks to the only BBQ place he finds comforting. It's quiet there, easy. A small break from the two places he's constantly at: his house and the shop.

Neither lets him breathe.

At the shop, he keeps catching himself looking for her. At home, he sees her everywhere.

The steady sizzle of meat on the grill pulls him back to the present. The smoke, the low hum of conversation, the clink of glasses- it dulls the noise in his head. He still thinks about her, of course. He always does.

But here, it doesn't feel like his mind is eating itself.

,

sol's birthday was coming up and if theres one thing she loves, LOVES. its Mu Hee's hot fudge filled chooclate lava cookies. which.. sound like alot but it isnt, its her special recipe which she'd mastered a year ago and is now only baked for special events and sol's birthday is one of them, the only one actually.

She stopped by the mart to get the ingrediants, as she look at the list she pause for a moment.

'Since I'm baking cookies anyway, maybe I could bake extra for my new neighbours too. I couldn't give him a welcome gift, although it's quite late, maybe he'd like to have some sweets. But...he doesn't seem like someone who would eat sugar-leave it, that's up to him if he wants to have it or not.' She thinks.

She wanted to thank him for that night too. He helped her so much, so the least she could do was bake something. So you buy an extra of every ingredient to make two batches. Walking up the stairs with bags of flour, butter, and sugar was a task. The elevator is under maintenance, so she stops by each five steps and takes in deep breaths. She pushes the bags up her elbow. "Ugh!"

Mu Hee cries as she forces herself to walk one more step. The eggs, she was worried about the eggs that she got. She couldn't drag the bags either, the eggs are too fragile and expensive! She didn't want to harm any of them. "Oh my goodness." She drops the bags at the doorstep and type the digital lock. The door opens.

She drags the bags inside and places them on the counter. Mu Hee takes a cold water bottle from the fridge, gulping down to quench her thirst. It's been a long day at work. She looks down at her hands. The scrapes on her knuckles are evident today. A pout forms on her face as she flexes her fingers, stiff from hours at the wheel. She makes her way to the washroom.

Her most favourite part of the day has to be showering. Mu Hee loves the earthy smell that she brings home, but it can also be too much sometimes, especially when she wants a break. Dinner wasn't made tonight. She wanted to have some cereal with milk, and that's what she did.

The furry cat sits beside her on the couch, curled up into a ball, sleeping quietly while she stares into the wall. Her thoughts are blank, still loud. The night passes by and she passes out on the couch, too tired to walk back to her bedroom.

Sol ; bestie, what's my birthday plan?

Mu Hee: Nothing.

Sol ; rudeeee! Do something for me, make something for me

Mu Hee ; i thought you didn't like any of my pottery work

Sol ; its z i can't handle fraglie stuff. don't wanna drop it off, would break my heart

Mu Hee ; sure Sol, sure!

Mu Her prepares the batter - flour, butter, egg, chocolate. all the goodies in one bowl. dancing to her favorite songs, the spatula becomes her mike. "tears run down my thiiiiighs!" Sabrina carpenter plays loud in her headphones. Mu Hee loves indie yes but! pop is everyone's favorite, cooking and music goes hand in hand. she pokes her finger into the batter, getting a taste. "mmmm" she hums and claps.

The very large quantity scares her; she's always made a small batch just for Sol, but the batter tasted good, cookies never go wrong anyway- right? The ginger sits on the counter, watching her with half-closed eyes, paws tucked under her body. "I wonder where you come from, but I think you like here better than your... own place." She speaks, the cat yawns. Mu Hee giggles.

Until the cookies bake, she decorates the two boxes, one for Sol and one for her neighbour.. Sol's box is purple, her favorite color with butterflies and flowers while Jungkook's is... black.

Mu hee obviously isn't aware of what his fvouite color is, but she assumes it's black, because all he ever wears is black and white. She doesn't overly decorate his box, keeps it minimal. Too much decoration might give the wrong impression and she doesn't want that.

she doesn't want to come off crazy. She licks the bowl clean while some random drama plays on TV. When the cookies come out golden and perfect, she does a little victory dance. "Sol is gonna loooove this." she sighs as she places the other half of the cookies in Jungkook's box. she hopes he likes it. or...the least, tries it. Mu Hee smiles shortly and closes the two boxes, leaving them onthe counter, wainting to hand them over tomorrorw.

her feet keeps shaking, her eyes keep glancing at the window.

"should i go now?" she asks herself. shes been asking herself that about 50 times. no...not now. she says after. mu hee tried finding a 4 leafed clover on her way to the shop as good luck and failed. it made her anxious even more. theres someting about...goign to his side. jungkook has not been too cold to her, hes just unapproachable and gives off. do not distub vibes.

But half a day is gone and even though she hadn't gotten a glimpse of Jungkook today, it makes her more scared and Mu Hee still hasn't given the cookies to him. "I should just do it." She mutters. She gets on her feet and does a reenactment, "Hi...um, I made you some cookies as a welcome gift-" She holds the box out and smiles.

"Ugh nooo!-" She steps back. Again, she takes a step forward, imagining she's in front of Jungkook's door and he's in front of her, "hi JK i made you - noo don't say JK!" She cusses and steps back again. Taking a deep breath, she does one more reenactment, "Hello Jungkook. I made you a little welcome gift. Hope you like it."

She says and nods. "Yes, that would do!" She walks out of her shop, slowly making her way to the back half of the building. Her hands shake as she holds the box tight, anxiously looking around as she gulps down. She peeps into the garage, a few men working around a black car. "Okay!" She breathes, giving herself one final nod before stepping to their entrance.

A tall guy, much taller than the others, raises his eyebrows at the look of her. He wipes off his hands with a serviette before making his way to her. "Hey." He says, Mu Hee smiles at him and looks around again, finding him. Namjoon clicks his teeth and sighs, "He's not at work today." 'shit-' she thinks. "Oh... " She mumbles disappointedly, a pout sits on her face.

The way Namjoon says it so casually makes her feel stupid for caring. "I made you guys some cookies. I... hadn't given a welcome gift before, I'm sorry I'm late." "Oh no worries!" He takes the box that she hands over and looks inside through the transparent lid. "Wow! These look amazing." "What looks amazing?"

Another guy walks out, his hair disheveled like he'd been working under the car, oil stains on his sleeveless vest. 'He looks so ...handsome' - Mu Hee thinks. "Woah! They actually look insane. Thanks...?" The both of them raise their brows, asking for her name. "Oh! Mu Hee... Cha Mu Hee!" They chuckle and nod. "Thanks Mu Hee, we're gonna devour them now." "What's your name?"

"I'm Namjoon." "I'm Taehyung." They smile. Namjoon's dimples look so cute. She'll probably forget their names later - but Namjoon's dimples? Those are unforgettable. "Enjoy guys! And... welcome the neighbourhood, although I'm...months late." They laugh and wave at her.

Mu Hee returns to her shop. She stares blankly at the ground, disappointment carried in her eyes. She packs up her stuff and heads to Mama's Pot Shop. Riding the bus, she keeps looking out the window. The city passes in blurs of grey and neon. She presses her forehead to the window, watching strangers walk with purpose.

It's silly. He's just a neighbour.

So why does it feel like she missed something important? She pushes open the window to allow the wind to hit her face. Closing her eyes, she lets the soft air take away her unresolved thoughts and feelings.

,

The morning comes by, Mu Hee was tired from last night, sol had pulled an all-nighter with her and she couldn't say no when it was the birthday girl's wish to watch the barbie movies to relive her teenage years since she turned 25 and was starting to feel too old. So today was going to be a hard day with little to no sleep but she can't delay this anymore when there's less than a week left to pack them up so all her focus is on the painting and final details.

She didn't think about yesterday, she couldn't when there was too much work left. She wondered if Jungkook had at least tasted them? Then again she won't ever know although Namjoon and Taehyung complimented and thanked her a hundred times, she giggled at the memory of that. Sol too, gave her the tightest hug ever. Said she missed these so fucking much. And can't wait for her next year's birthday if this is what she's going to get every year on this day.

A yawn leaves her lips as she stretches her hands and spine. "Done for the day, Mu Hee. Let's get going." She says aloud. The exhaustion is creeping up, she plans on not having dinner tonight, just the bed.

"Yeah, will do that tomorrow," Namjoon says to Jungkook who nods, while he closes up. "Oh hi, pottery girl!!" Jungkook frowns at the loud-pitched hi, Namjoon says. "Hihi Joon!" He hears ... Mu Hee saying back?

"Thanks a lot again, those were the best I've had in a while." The crease in Jungkook's brows grows deep. 'What is he thanking her for?' - He thinks. What did he...miss? "Oh no worries! I'll il definitely make you more soon." She looks at her left, seeing Jungkook enter with confusion written on his face. "What's going on?" He asks and she blinks a few times. A hint of sadness, clicking by before she smiles.

"I'll be going, I'm kinda late today, my cat must be hungry." She gulps and walks away. Namjoon looks at his friend, hitting his shoulder. "The cookies, Kookie." "What cookies? Why were you thanking her?" The dimpled guy got hit by a truck when he realised that... Taehyun and him had eaten all of them and left none of Jungkook.

"fuckk!! The pottery girl-" "Mu hee! Mu hee is her name." Jungkook corrected him. "Yeah, her, she gave you some cookies that she made as a welcome gift, but you didn't come to work yesterday, so..."

Jungkook frowns a chuckles. 'dumbass-' he thinks as he brushes past Namjoon. "I said I'm sorry! They were too good to have leftover! Kook!!!" He screams as Jungkook walks away, running to find her.

Mu Hee feels sad, more because Jungkook had no idea of the cookies. It didn't matter to her, why was this becoming a problem, she thinks. She grips her bag as she waits at the bus stop. "Mu Hee!" she hears her name vaguely, but she's unsure if she heard it right.

'Who would be calling for me?' - she thinks. "Mu Hee!" she hears again and looks round to find... Jungkook running? "Cha Mu Hee!" He finally makes it to the bus stop and heaves his breathing. She frowns at the look of him.

'What was he doing here? Did he... run to catch me?' - she thinks. "Is everything okay?" she asks. He nods, looking around the empty road. "Did you...have dinner?" She shakes her head. "Not yet." He nods. "Would you like to have dinner with me? I... um- I know a good BBQ place."

Her eyes widen at his words, unable to process what he'd said. "Dinner with... you?" He gulps before nodding. She fixes her cream beanie and blinks. "Uh...sure!" She mumbles and he sighs. "Stay right here, i'll...get my bike." "Huh?" She gasps. "My... bike. Wait here."

She thought the both of them were going to walk to a place, not...ride his bike. "Oh uh...." She stammers. "I'll come with you." "No, it's far. Just- just sit here." She hesitantly nods as he runs back to the street to get his bike. Mu Hee slowly walks back to the bench and sits down, looking around in confusion. Her thoughts louder than the vehicles on the road. She taps her feet anxiously, waiting for Jungkook to come by.

She turns at the roar of the bike, rising from her seat and walking to the edge of the street where he pulls up. He removes his helmet and holds it out to her.

She tilts her head, pointing at herself.

He nods.

"I... thanks?"

She takes it carefully, brushing her hair back behind her ears before sliding the helmet on. The loose straps dangle at the sides of her jaw, and Jungkook hides a soft smile as he reaches forward, gathers them beneath her chin, and clicks the clasp into place. The helmet being too big for her makes him bite his lip. 'Cute' - he thinks.

Her hands fold into a fist, unsure where to hold. Behind the helmet, her teeth pick at her lips, anxiously. Jungkook looks over his shoulder, noticing the evident struggle. "Hold me." he mutters. Mu hee looks up, grateful for the darkness - and the helmet that hides whatever might be written across her face. She hesitates before placing her hands on his shoulders, her touch light at first, almost unsure.

He grips the handlebars, revving the engine, the sound rumbling between them before he pulls away. The moment the bike moves, her fingers tighten around his shoulders.

And Jungkook's heart stutters at the feeling.

He doesn't go too fast - he knows she's scared.

Her hands cling to him like her life depends on it, fingers curling tighter every time the engine hum deepens between them. He keeps the speed steady, careful, controlled.

Jungkook has given rides before - a few girls, mutual friends who needed to get somewhere urgently, or when his bike happened to be the only spare seat left in a crowded plan. It had never meant anything. Just convenience. Just timing.

But this...

This is the first time he's riding with someone he wants behind him.

The first time he's aware of every inch of space between them. The first time he's grateful for the way her arms wrap around him.

He wanted her there.

The BBQ wasn't too far, he parked his bike under the shelter and stepped down. Mu Hee pulled the helmet off, her hair a mess. "Oh my god." She whispers to herself and fixes it through his rear mirror. Jungkook watches her, his hands slipped inside his denim, waiting for her. She turns and smiles at him, ready to walk in.

The both of them take the only empty table available. Jungkook pulls a chair out for her. She pauses, a small smile tugging at her lips - caught off guard by the simple, gesture. She hadn't expected that from him.

For a second, she wonders if she's misjudged him.

This isn't the version of Jungkook she had built in her head. Not the quiet boy with the unreadable eyes and rough edges she decided meant trouble.

Why had she thought so negatively of him in the first place?

Was it just that first impression? She looked around the place, dim lighting, quiet and cosy. It felt like Jungkook, a place he would come often. He didn't bother looking at the menu. He'd come by here almost every other day, alone. So he memorised the menu by heart. "What would you like to have?" the waiter asked.

Mu Hee looked at Jungkook, then the menu. "I'm fine with anything!" "No, choose please." Jungkook requests. She nods and looks through the menu, glancing at him, wanting to ask him something. "I'll get what you're having- please." She says, cutting him off before he can protest.

Jungkook hesitates for half a second before turning to the waiter.

"Two portions of samgyeopsal. One galbi. And a doenjang jjigae." He pauses. "And steamed egg."

Mu Hee blinks. "That's a lot."

"You don't eat enough," he replies simply, already reaching for the tongs.

Her lips part as her brows knit. How does he know about my eating habits? She thinks as she looks down at his hands. Jungkook senses that he...must've said something he shouldn't have. "I noticed you only have coffee during working hours."

Mu Hee thinks for a second, her heart feels warm knowing that he noticed the little thing. The food comes and Jungkook takes charge of the BBQ. She looks around, trying to find another tong, which were next to him. She attempts to take it and then their hands brush. He feels a wave of electricity and she feels warm, warmer than the BBQ.

"It'll splatter, I'll do it." He says. Jungkook doesn't speak more than he's supposed to. His sentences are short, mostly speaking in one word. While Mu Hee is the opposite, she rambles a lot but when she's around him, she can't help but keep control of her tongue, almost like she's afraid she'll say something she isn't supposed to. But it's too quiet and if no one speaks it's gonna get awkward, it already is.

"You come here alone a lot?" He nods. "Don't you get bored?" "...No." he answers, eyes on the grill as he turns the cut meat side to side. "Do you just sit and think?" "...Sometimes."

Now she's curious. "About what?"

He doesn't answer. His hands pause before they get back to grilling. He doesn't say anything, so Mu Hee lets that go. The tension lingers and it's much more edgy than it was before.

"This place is actually really cosy. I like how it's not too loud. Most BBQ places are chaotic. Like, smoke everywhere and people shouting. This one feels... calmer."

He just nods. "Mm."

She keeps going because he didn't shut it down.

"And the lighting is nice. It doesn't make you look... shiny." she says with a laugh, basically implying she's worried about how she looks.

She stops. Realises what it means.

He quietly says, "You look fine."

He wants to say much more, but he won't take the risk to scare her, not when they both are finally bonding...a little bit. "Thanks?" she murmurs. Jungkook says nothing. He just grabs a plate, places a few freshly grilled pieces onto it, and slides it toward her.

"Oh! Thanks- I can serve. Let me serve for you-" She reaches for the grill.

"Ouch-"

The heat snaps at her fingers before she can pull back. Jungkook's hand closes around her wrist almost instantly, firm but careful.

"Careful," he says, voice low.

His thumb lingers against her skin a second longer than it needs to.

"You'll burn yourself." he says, Mu Hee glances at him and nods. He serves for himself while Mu Hee chews on the meat. "Mmm, the meat just melts in your mouth." "mm hmm." he hums, she stares at him for a few minutes, noticing the evident frown on his face.

'He frowns way too much, those lines are gonna be permanent very soon'- she thinks, worried for him as she slurps the soybean stew, moaning at the taste of it.

"This just reminded me of my grandmother." He smiles. "Are you enjoying it?" Her eyes widened as she covers her mouth and nods. "Very much!" her words come out funny with her mouth full of meat. 'Cute' - he thinks.

Jungkook knows exactly why he's drawn to her. Korean girls are beautiful, sure- but there's something about a girl who looks unmistakably, effortlessly Korean. Like Cha Mu-hee. her eyes are round, wide and sparkly. shes got fuller lips, that pout while she eats or it doesnt matter what she does, they sit so perfectly on her small face. her long hair, he beautiful sense of dressing. everything about her sceams my type- he thinks.

He's seen plenty of girls in his life. Not once did he feel compelled to truly look - to really, really look. But from the moment his eyes met hers, despite the messy first impression, he'd be lying if he said he felt nothing.

He takes glances of her from time to time, trying hard to hide his growing smile when he sees her mouth full of food. Her cheeks are like chipmunks. "Mmmmm!!!!" She closes her eyes and throws her head back. If he had fallen in love with the food, she could eat so much more to cover up her exhaustion. He chuckles under his breath at how she moans every time she fills her mouth.

"I didn't know you rode that carefully." She mumbles. "What?" He asks her, topping a piece of kimchi on her meat. "The bike." He pauses and looks up at her. ""You thought I wouldn't?" he asks carefully, as he gestures her to eat.

"No, I just... you look like someone who would speed." He nods.

"...You were scared." He whispers, hoping she wouldn't hear, but she did. It made her heart skip a beat. He was being considerate. "Thanks.... for this.. " she shows the meat. " "And for being slow." He shakes his head with a smile. "I... I'm curious... what do you even do all day? Like...all I hear is loud music." She asks, tilting her head with her chopsticks in her mouth. "Engines." He says.

She exhales and folds her arms. "No short answers, please." He bites his bottom lip, liking how curious she is. "You build them or fix them?" She asks. "Fix." Her eyes widen as she leans forward. "Can I see?" He blinks and frowns. "See what?" "Your shop." He shakes his head.

-There's no way I'm taking her in, not when it looks like that' - he thinks. "It's messy." "I don't mind!!" "No, Mu Hee."

'Call me that again' - she thinks, blushing at the way he said her name. "Pleaseeee, I really don't mind!!! My shop is so much worse!" She slurps her soup and chews on the veggies. "Are you comparing a garage to a little shop?" He folds his arm now. She nods. "Yup! Plus... you've been to my shop, and I've never been to yours." Jungkook remembers that night. He remembers it clearly.

"Fine." "Goodie!" She claps her hands and giggles. 'She's so adorable' - he thinks. His heart beting irregularly.

Jungkook and Mu Hee had dinner in the quiet. It wasn't awkward, it was comfortable and nice. They both walked out after he'd paid. Mu Hee tried to pay for her share, but he kindly denied it. He would never allow a woman to pay.

"stay here. I'll get the bike." She grips her bag as she waits for him to come. He helps her put the helmet on before she gets on. The hold on his shoulders got easy, relaxed. The ride back to the shop was faster since there was less traffic.

Jungkook opens the garage ad turns the lights on. He looks around and sighs. It is messy. Very messy. "Told you it's messy." She spins in a slow circle, eyes wide, mouth slightly parted like she's stepped into something magical instead of mechanical.

"These are so cool," she breathes. He blinks. She walks towards a half-built motorcycle, crouching slightly to look at the exposed engine.

"Oh my god, what are these?" she asks, pointing at the metal cylinders and tangled wiring. She looks at him like he just revealed something sacred.

"You fix all this? With your hands?"

A shrug.

Her fingers hover over the handlebars of another bike, careful not to touch anything without permission.

"This looks so complicated, how do you even do this?!" she looks at him in excitement. "It's like pottery to you, it looks complicated to me but ... it's art to you." She nods and gets closer to him. "You make sense! Oh my god!" She turns to the left and notices the little window.

With a frown, she gets closer and realises how he could see everything from here. "You can see my whole shop from here." He doesn't speak, he leans against the wall and watches her. "Yeah, I can." He replies. She looks back at him and giggles with her hands covering her mouth. "Come with me!" She grabs his hands and drags him out. "Where to?" "Il teach you some pottery!"

She opens the door to her shop and turns on the lights, her mood lamps change colours time to time, setting a comfortable mood as they both enter the shop. Mu Hee drops her bag on the floor and walks behind the cash counter. "Here!" She lends him an apron and he sighs; shaking his head. 'Mu Hee...'"Come on now!" He thinks for a bit, maybe he could make a cup like the one he broke last time.

Maybe this could be his way of taking off his guilt so he puts on the flower-patterned apron and waits for her. "Alright! Come over here." She pulls him by the hand, to make him sit where the wheel is.

'I'm really gonna do this' - he thinks

He sits at the wheel, unsure. She stands behind him at first. The wheel starts spinning. "Relax your shoulders," she murmurs. He stiffens instead and she laughs softly.

She takes the wedged clay and slams it knto the center of the wheel so it sticks. The wheel spins, his hand hovers over unsure. "What am I supposed to do?" "Press it down and inward."

He tries. His large hands close around the spinning clay, but it wobbles under the uneven pressure, stretching taller and thinner. Water splashes. Clay slips between his fingers. "It's getting messy," he mutters. "Because you're fighting it," she says. "Like this."

She moves beside him ... then closer. Her arms reach around him.

"Not like you're fixing an engine," she teases. "Gentler." He frowns, the clay is so cold but his skin feels hot. Her fingers curl around his. Her wrists brush against his forearms. His heartbeat grows loud in his ears. Too loud.

Jungkook feels every little thing through her touch. She leans in closer to adjust his grip, her chin almost grazing his shoulder. A strand of her hair brushes his cheek.

He stops breathing. He can't understand what she's saying anymore. He's not focusing.

He's not here.

His jaw tightens and the clay wobbles again. "You're nervous," she whispers.

He isn't nervous about the clay. He's nervous because she's so close he can feel her breath against the side of his neck.

Her hand stays steady inside the clay while the other supports the outside. She leans in again, adjusting his thumbs. He turns his head slightly, catching her side profile.

Too close. She's too close. Something inside him flares! instinct, panic, something he doesn't want to name.

"Hey!" She whispers, making eye contact with him. "Eyes down here!" She smiles and he flinches before looking down at the clay. That eye contact might've killed him. He swallows hard.

She helps him make the cup, as time goes Jungkook gets the hang of it. He understands how this works, even though it's messy, it makes her laugh. And that's all he wants.

Jungkook tries not to look at her, it only makes things more difficult for him. It's too much with her hands on him already, he doesn't think he can go on for long.

"Okay! We made the mug!!" She exclaims and clads her hands, the clay sticking to her fingers. "Yeah- we did it." He mumbles. She looks at him, smiling softly. There's something proud in her eyes. Something warm.

Before he can look away, she leans in and presses her clay-covered finger against his nose. A soft smudge marks his skin. She bursts into laughter.

And he closes his eyes, biting down his lip as he tries not to smile. "Let's not play around."he warns, lifting his clay-stained hands. She takes a small step back, eyes widening playfully.

"Are you scared, Mr Engine?" "Absolutely not, Ms Apocalypse!" He gets up from the stool and attempts to catch her. The shop is tiny by itself, there was nowhere to run.

She squeals and tries anyway, and he catches her wrist easily. Eventually, she gives up, backing into the wall, breath slightly uneven from laughing.

He steps closer. Too close.

His hands hover near her waist, clay still wet on his fingers. For a second, everything goes quiet. There's no teasing. No laughter. Just the sound of their breathing.

He could hold her face. He could lean in. He could kiss her.

She slowly closes her eyes. Leans back against the wall. Waiting for the cold clay on her face. His heart pounds so hard it almost hurts.

He lifts his hand. But instead of touching her.... He stops. His fingers curl into a fist.

He steps back and removes the apron, hanging it back in place. "Let's go, I'll take you home." Mu Hee opens her eyes, evidently disappointed. He sees it, but he doesn't do anything about it.

She locks the shop door and walks over to him. "I could take the subway." "At eleven?" he replies, already reaching for his keys. She makes a small "oh" sound. Right. Too late. And she hates being alone at night. He hands her his helmet. She doesn't take it. Instead, she just looks at it. "I don't want to wear it," she mutters.

He frowns. "Mu Hee-" "Can you go faster?" His lips part, but nothing comes out. "I want you to go faster," she says again, softer this time. "Please." She whispers the please. And he can't deny her. He nods once. She grips his shoulders as she swings onto the bike behind him. Her fingers press into his jacket. He feels it everywhere. He starts the engine.

The familiar vibration steadies him. He pulls out slowly at first. But when he glances into the rearview mirror and sees her smiling- really smiling... something in his chest shifts. He speeds up and the wind rushes past them. "Oh my god! This is so fun!" she screams, her laughter getting carried away by the air.

Her smile is wide and beautiful. Jungkook doesn't notice the first few raindrops. They're light. Barely there. But then more follow. Cold droplets soak into his leather jacket. The road darkens. It's about to pour.

"I'm going to speed up so we can get to your place faster-" he calls out. "No, please!" she shouts back. "Let's go longer!" "But-" "Anywhere! Take me anywhere!"

And then- She lets go of him. She opens her arms wide. The rain starts falling harder, drenching her hair, her clothes, her face tilted toward the sky as she laughs. Jungkook's heart nearly stops. "Mu Hee!" he snaps. She just giggles.

He wants to look at her. He wants to turn around and see her fully - see the rain sliding down her cheeks, her lashes clumped together, the way she looks so alive. But he has to keep his eyes on the road. So he steals glances through the mirror. And smiles. He loves his view.

"Ahhh!" she squeals when the bike takes a sharper turn, and this time she grabs his waist tightly. Her arms wrap around him. Her cheek presses against his back. Jungkook almost forgets how to breathe. For a split second, he nearly loses control of the bike -

If his instincts hadn't kicked in. His grip tightens on the handles. His jaw clenches. Because this..

This is dangerous. Not the rain. Not the speed. Her.

The way she makes him want to forget everything.

He pulls up at a garden, helping Mu Hee off the bike. She runs forward, giggling as she takes in the view. Flowers and greenery stretch around them, glowing under the rain. There's even a lake - raindrops scattering across its surface like silver sparks.

"Jungkook! This is so pretty!" she calls. He stays back, hands in his pockets, watching her instead. "Hey, don't go far. Come here."

She runs back to him like a child, eyes sparkling in the dark. A shiver runs through her and she hugs herself. He notices immediately.

Without saying anything, he shrugs off his jacket and steps in front of her, gently draping it over her shoulders. She looks up at him and smiles. He doesn't smile back. His jaw tightens. Her fingers lift and press lightly against his forehead, smoothing the crease between his brows.

"You're going to let those sit permanently," she whispers. He glances at her fingers... then at her. Rain drips from her lashes. Her hair clings to her cheeks. Slowly, carefully, he brushes the strands behind her ear. His hand lingers, cupping her cheek.

"Mu Hee..." he whispers.

A chill runs down her spine. She loves the way he says her name, like it means something fragile.

"Tell me, Jungkook," she whispers back. He leans his forehead against hers. They both breathe harder now. Not from the cold. "I don't think I can keep pretending."

She blinks. "Pretending what?" "That you don't matter to me." Her breath catches. "You matter," he says, voice rough. "So damn much."

"Mu Hee..." he whispers again. Her hands slide up around his neck, pulling him closer. "Say my name again."

"Mu Hee." "Again."

His fingers tighten slightly at her waist. "Mu Hee."

She exhales, eyes soft. "Kiss me, Jungkook."

He doesn't hesitate. His lips meet hers... gentle at first, almost careful. Like he's afraid she'll disappear. But she doesn't. Her hands hold him there.

The rain falls harder around them, soaking through everything, but neither of them move. Her hands caresses his hair, tugging at them while his hands press her waist closer to his chest, wanting more of her.

"I like you, Jungkook," she breathes against his lips. He pulls back just enough to look at her. Their noses brush. She smiles, she sees him smile for the first time. Beautiful!

His smile is beautiful.

"And I like you more, Cha Mu Hee."