THIRTY-FIVE: S04 E04 - Two Promises
Pairing: In-Studio Director!Jungkook x Stage Director!Fem Reader
Genre: rivals au, social media au, frenemies to lovers, slow burn, fluff, smut, angst, crack.
Rating: 18+
Warnings: explicit language, mentions of abandonment, alcohol consumption, harmless scheming, dare, bet, smut
Summary: It has always been the battle of the best between you and your college rival, Jungkook. What happens when years later, you cross paths again working for the same network broadcasting company, and the competitive flame is rekindled? Well, a whole new drunken bet that determines your futures wasn’t in your line of vision but here you are… and you have until 35.
DRABBLE BETWEEN IMAGES!!!
•••
ONE YEAR LATER…
———
Jungkook had been busy and distant in the past week. An unexpected project landed on his lap just when Mingyu went on vacation, and things had been hectic in the HQ for you too since RKive 360 is preparing for a reprised production of The Xcalibur. You haven’t really been spending much time with each other. Even Facetiming and text messaging were sparse. So you were more than happy to spend time with him that evening.
“It’s about time they zhuzhed this place up,” you muttered as you walked hand in hand with Jungkook in the familiar campus grounds. A sinking feeling settled on your stomach when you saw that the old lamposts and rusty benches along the sidewalk had been removed. Lawn lamps, fresh grass, and a variety of flowering plants had been put in place for a more updated landscape.
“The lecture hall will be renovated, too, I believe,” Jungkook hummed, while looking around.
“Is this what you wanted to show me?”
“Kind of… Yeah…” Jungkook walked up to the curb where your special lamppost had been, now replaced with a healthy flowering feverfew bush. He plucked out one of the dainty flowers and twirled it playfully in front of your face, “Flower, flower, fl-flow-flower flowerrrr…”
“Stoppp!” You whined and dodged the flower, making him giggle. “You shouldn’t have touched the flowers, what’s wrong with you?”
“What, there’s like a bunch of them, no one will notice.” He grinned and tucked the small flower behind your ear. “You look so much prettier now.”
“Gee, thanks.”
Jungkook walked a few steps away and opened up his arms,filling his lungs with the chilly air of the evening. “You know, this place holds a lot of memories for us. We met here, we fought here,” he snorted. “We fought here as naive kids,” he said the word with so much disgust, as if he didn’t just refer to both of you in your young adult years. “We fought here as grown-ups.”
You bit back your tongue and tried hard not to comment and interrupt your boyfriend’s monologue, or soliloquy… whatever direction he’s driving at.
“We had our first kiss here, exactly where we stand right now. Although of course, you had to pretend you don’t remember it because, like I said, we were kids - we just graduated college, and you thought I don’t remember shit. But I did. I remember everything about you.” He continued pacing back and forth in front of you as he recalled every significant thing you shared, wrapping it up with how you made it official as a couple right at this very place, too.
Your breath hitched when Jungkook suddenly marched towards you, crowding your space with his strong presence in a split second, before caging your hands between his palms. “YN…” he whispered your name before dropping his head, looking defeated. “I think it’s about time…” he sighed.
“What?” Your heart started hammering inside your chest. Jungkook looked like he was struggling and was about to tear up.
“I think we should break up.”
His words felt like a kick to your gut and it took you at least three seconds to react. “B-b-break up?” Jungkook tightened his grip on your hands, but refused to meet your eye. “Jungkook, look me in the eye and say that again.” You said through gritted teeth, fighting back the waver in your voice and the tears that were threatening to fall.
Panic started bubbling up in Jungkook’s chest. Did he think this through? What if he messed up his words again, just like what happened years and years ago when he first attempted to ask you out? He has it all planned out in his head. He rehearsed it with Mingyu almost a hundred times. Mingyu… Mingyu… Mingyu whose stare he could feel on the side of his face from where he’s hidden behind the fountain in front of the library. He started spacing out as his heartbeat went faster by the second.
“Jeon Jungkook…” you heaved a heavy sigh before looking up to the sky, trying to blink back your tears. “Can you let go of my hands, please?”
“No,” he tugged you closer and clutched your hands against his chest. “We need to break up, YN…”
“Well, then fucking let me go!” You exclaimed, yet it came out sounding like a whine as your tears started chasing each other down your cheeks. “You’re confusing me right now. Let go!”
That’s it, he messed up again. It wasn’t the reaction he anticipated in his head. He thought you would laugh at his face, call his bluff, and tell him how he couldn’t live without you. Which of course, he wouldn’t deny, and his plan would be perfectly executed. He had to act fast if he wanted to avoid further damage.
“Oh no, baby, don’t cry…” he reached out to wipe the tears running down your cheeks with his thumb and planted a kiss on your forehead. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry…”
You pushed him as far as your strength against his tall and muscly form would allow, and started walking away while fishing out your phone from your purse. You knew DK was nearby and you frankly couldn’t wait to get out of Jungkook’s presence. You’re confused and hurt. He couldn’t even give you the reason why he’s breaking up with you. You thought everything was coming up roses after you got together– you’re both at a good place in your lives after all. He picked you up from work and brought you to a place that’s significant to you and your relationship. He said it himself, it holds a lot of memories. Did it make sense that he also wanted to end things between you at the same place where it all started? Probably. That’s most likely how his thoughts work. You were interrupted from your own thoughts when Jungkook grabbed one of your arms and pulled you into a soul-crushing hug.
“Babe, don’t go. I’m so sorry. You’re getting it all wrong.”
“What the fuck is wrong with you? Let me go.” You wanted to fight him, push him to the curb and kick him multiple times, but you couldn’t. You couldn’t even find the strength to wiggle out of his hug. “You want to break up? Then let’s break up.” You said in a small voice.
“Babe, listen to me…” He briefly let you go only to cradle your face between his hands and made you look at him. His eyes are glistening against the streetlights, pooling with regret. “Remember about two years ago, the night when we celebrated the success of our very first project together?”
“What?” You’re getting more and more confused by the minute.
“I’m sorry,” Jungkook suddenly dropped down on both knees, kneeling in front of you in apology.
“Jungkook, what are you doing?” You hit him on the shoulder and attempted to pull him up by his jacket. “Stand up.”
“We made a pact that by the time we’re thirty-five and we’re still single, we will marry each other, remember?” He caught your hand in his, stopping you from hitting him and attempting to pull him up. “So please, YN… let’s break up. I don’t need a girlfriend anymore.” It took you a minute to decipher his words, and by the time you did, Jungkook had already pulled out a classic round cut diamond set on a dainty white gold ring. “Miss Seo, I’m fulfilling the pact that I made with you. We’re both single now and we’re both thirty-five this year.”
Your heart weakened when the realization of what’s really happening dawned on you, and instead of pulling Jungkook up, you dropped down on your own knees in front of him. “You’re so stupid, you know?” He almost toppled backwards when you attacked him with a hug as quiet sobs escaped your lips. “Why would you do that? You scared me.”
“I’m sorry, I thought I was being cool,” he whispered against your ear as he hugged you back with one arm, kissing your temple afterwards. “I love you. Please don’t cry, you’re breaking my heart.”
“You’re dumb,” you sniffed as you snuggled your face on the crook of his neck. You could feel Jungkook’s grin on the side of your face, so you raised your head and looked back at him, before eyeing the ring in his hand. “Is that really for me?”
“Of course, silly! Who else is this for?” Jungkook plucked out the ring from the box cushion and slowly slipped it on your finger. “This holds two promises- the first one is our pact that we will marry each other when we’re still single by the time we’re both thirty-five, and the second one is sticking by your side for the rest of my life.”
“You’re the stupidest man I know,” your lower lip jutted out as you tried to prevent yourself from bursting out in tears again.
“That’s not a word, baby,” Jungkook giggled. “How about an ‘I love you too,’ huh?”
“YAH, JEON JUNGKOOK!!”
You both scurried on your feet when you heard DK’s booming voice and saw him approaching.
“I knew I would find you both here!” DK marched up next to you and frowned at your tear-stained face. “Are you okay?” But before you could answer, he charged onto Jungkook and had the other man step back. “What did you do?”
“It’s not what you think, Dokyeom-ah…”
“DOKYEOM, DON’T START A FIGHT!” Mingyu caught up, toting a large camera under his arms. “They- they just got…He just…” He lifted his hand up and winced before plopping down on the ground, out of breath from sprinting towards his friends.
DK looked from Mingyu to you, who was just as confused, then to Jungkook and back again. “What the fuck are you doing here?”
Mingyu couldn’t answer, still trying to catch his breath, so he just pointed at your finger. DK’s eyes widened, realizing what just happened. “Wow…” He burst out laughing. “Yah, Jeon Jungkook!!!” He exclaimed in excitement before engulfing Jungkook in a tight hug. “Bro, congratulations. I was about to beat you up, dude.”
“Why?” You asked.
“I heard he was about to break up with you.”
“He did,” You said with a smile, making DK tilt his head in confusion.
Mingyu stood up and dusted off his jeans. “Let’s go, bro. Let’s leave them alone,” He slung his arm over DK’s shoulders and pulled him away. “Let’s go get some food, I’m starving.”
“You knew about this?”
“Yep. I’ll tell you everything in detail.”
You gasped in surprise when Jungkook suddenly pulled you by the waist against him, “I think you found your Man of Honor,” he said fondly as you looked at your friends’ retreating figures.
“Definitely.”
———