Chapter Text
Jungkook sighed with relief as he stepped into his dorm room, softly closing the door behind him.
Friday, at last .
He didn’t bother turning on the overhead lights as he quite liked the darkness of his room. He flung his backpack off his shoulder and onto the floor next to his desk. He flopped onto the small bed, his back hitting the mattress as he let out a deep exhale.
Normally he complained about how tiny his bed was to his friends and family, and how it was lumpy and uncomfortable. But today, his bed was feeling extra soft like a marshmallow and inviting, greeting him with a hug. He looked forward to spending the weekend catching up on all of the sleep he lost over the past week.
His muscles ached with exhaustion. He closed his eyes for a moment, tempted to fall into slumber, but he willed himself awake. His goal was to read one chapter before dinner tonight.
He opened his eyes and hummed as he stared at the ceiling. He needed to get up and do some homework, otherwise he knew he wouldn’t do it later, but he couldn’t get himself motivated to move.
His pre-law degree was kicking his ass this week. He was stressed out of his mind with three papers due and a fucking quiz! It was only the middle of September for crying out loud! He thought that his teachers had something against him or something.
This week was complete torture .
He didn’t even want to study stupid law anyway. He wanted to study music and dance, but his parents were against it as soon as he brought it up. They compared him to his cousins, who were studying to become lawyers as well. They wanted him to be like them.
He didn’t want to be like them. He wanted to be his own person.
A person who loved to sing and dance.
He loved singing since he was little. He sang random tunes he made up to himself while doing literally anything around the house. He sang while getting dressed, brushing his teeth, taking a shower, and even while he was eating.
His parents loved his little performances and they supported his hobby in high school when he joined the choir and participated in the school’s talent show, but that’s all they wanted it to be.
Just a hobby.
He didn’t want to disappoint his parents so he enrolled in a pre-law program. They were so proud when he got accepted into the school. He hadn’t forgotten the looks of pure joy on his parents’ faces and wanted to continue to make them proud.
Even though his program was slowly killing him inside.
His mind wandered to another essay he needs to finish writing this weekend that’s due next week and his eyes began to well up with tears. He didn’t know how much longer he could do this. He was just so tired .
A familiar ping sounded from his phone, which was buried in his pocket. His eyes lit up as he hurriedly fished it out and opened the notification. It was a tweet from his favorite Twitter account.
Incoming , was all it said along with a paintbrush emoji, but that’s all it took to completely change Jungkook’s mood. He wiped the corner of his eyes and smiled excitedly as he waited for the next notification on his phone.
Thankfully, he didn’t have to wait very long as he clicked on the link to the YouTube video about a minute later.
A wide grin bloomed across his face as soon as he saw RM’s smiling face on his tiny screen.
“Hello, everyone!” RM said into the camera with a slight wave of his hand. “Welcome to my channel. I just wanted to sit and chat this week about what’s on my mind.” RM threaded his fingers through his short, light brown hair, which complemented skin tone nicely. It was parted to one side, showing off his forehead.
Jungkook stumbled upon RM’s channel a little over a year ago when YouTube suggested it to him one night when he couldn’t sleep. The video was an original song RM wrote and produced called Moonchild . He fell in love with the song as soon as he heard it and subscribed to the channel right away.
He had a small following of only 7,000 subscribers, Jungkook being one of the first 500 (not to brag, of course), but he thought RM deserved a lot more. He was just so cool and Jungkook greatly admired him.
RM mainly posted original songs as well as covers on his channel. He had incredible rapping skills and loved listening to the lyrics he wrote. They were like pure poetry and Jungkook would spend hours analyzing what each lyric meant.
He posted other short videos as well, sometimes behind-the-scenes footage of the recording process or random videos talking about anything that was on his mind.
It was going to be a video blog today, it seemed. RM was in his living room, sitting on his couch instead of his music studio where the majority of his videos were filmed.
Jungkook slipped under his covers and settled in to watch the video.
“How are you all doing today?” RM asked and paused for a moment as if waiting for someone to respond. He leaned closer to the camera, his sharp eyes reminded Jungkook of a dragon as he fixed a couple strands of his hair in the viewfinder.
Jungkook covered his mouth to suppress a laugh at a funny face RM pulled, scrunching his nose and holding up a peace sign.
He then adjusted the black-framed glasses that rested perfectly on the bridge of his nose. It was a rare occurrence to see RM wear his glasses on camera.
“I hope you’re all doing well. I had a bad start to my day when I couldn’t find my contact lenses, so I have these on today.” The vlogger gestured towards his glasses. A sheepish look appeared on RM’s face when he added, “and those were my spare contacts too, so you’ll be seeing me in my glasses more often.” RM chuckled to himself.
Jungkook grinned fondly at his screen, his stress began to melt away. Just listening to RM’s voice instantly made his day better.
Jungkook liked RM’s music videos and covers, but he also enjoyed videos like these where he just sat in front of the camera talking about everything and nothing at once.
RM proceeded to bring up his most recent visit to an art museum and discussed all of his favorite art pieces he saw. Jungkook loved how RM’s entir e face brightened as he held up some of the photos he had taken to the camera. He was so passionate talking about the styles and themes of each photo. Jungkook hoped that RM would post the photos on his Instagram account too, so he could look at each painting more closely. It was hard to see the full details clearly.
“Art makes me really happy, everyone,” RM said with a wide smile on his face, displaying his dimples after he sets his phone down. “And it is all around us: music, film, architecture, fine arts like painting and drawing, and more. Everything is art. I hope you all find some time today to appreciate the art that surrounds you. Please feel free to share your favorite art pieces in the comments or tweet them to me because I want to learn more about what you enjoy too.”
He wrapped up the video by telling everyone to have a good day and waved good-bye to the camera before turning it off. Jungkook smiled as he exited the video after pressing the thumbs-up button.
He opened his messaging app and typed out a quick text to his friend, Namjoon.
To Namjoon:
I really enjoyed your newest video!
Are you free to chat on Discord later?
The reply was instant.
To Jungkook:
Thank you, I’m glad to hear it! That reminds me, I still need to post the museum photos
And yes I am :)
Our usual time?
To Namjoon:
Yes :)
Around five months ago, Namjoon-a.k.a RM-tweeted something about his favorite Pokémon, which caught the interest of Jungkook. He was normally a shy person and didn’t like to start conversations with people, but he really wanted to become friends with Namjoon. He replied back about his own favorite Pokémon and how he still liked to play Pokémon Go on occasion. To his surprise, Namjoon responded to his message!
The next time, Namjoon tweeted about liking Park Jimin’s music, who was Jungkook’s all-time favorite artist. Jimin’s album, Muse , had just been released, so they ended up sharing their favorite songs with each other. Jungkook fell asleep that night listening to the soft tones of Jimin’s voice. When he woke up the next morning, there were notifications that Namjoon followed him back and sent him a private message.
They quickly became friends after discovering that they have a lot of things in common with one another. Jungkook and Namjoon messaged each other almost every day on Twitter, before finally Namjoon sent Jungkook his phone number, saying that it would be easier to talk that way. Texting soon turned into short phone calls, which were then followed by long FaceTime conversations or Discord chats.
Talking to Namjoon easily became his favorite part of the day. He always looked forward to his messages. It made his day when he would receive a random picture of whatever Namjoon was doing that day, whether it’s a picture of a coffee mug or a random tree he came across.
Since Namjoon lived in Ilsan and Jungkook both resided and attended school in Busan, they were only able to talk online. The longest Jungkook had ever chatted with Namjoon was around five hours long on Discord.
One of their favorite topics of interest were Park Jimin and his two rapper boyfriends, Agust D and J-Hope. Jungkook could go on for ages talking about Jimin and J-Hope’s incredible dance moves while Namjoon respected Agust D’s lyricism and rap style. Namjoon told him on Discord one day that it was his dream to collaborate with him in the future. Jungkook understood where he was coming from; he wanted to film a dance challenge with Jimin and J-Hope.
Jungkook’s stomach growled, bringing him out of his thoughts.
He didn’t meet his goal of reading a chapter before he ate, but that was okay. RM’s video was more important to him than any stupid law textbook anyway.
He ate a quick dinner consisting of ramyeon as he watched an older video of Namjoon and his friend, Seokjin, who was teaching him how to cook a meal. Jungkook laughed at Seokjin’s many looks of disappointment as he watched Namjoon attempt to chop a carrot. Eventually, Seokjin took over and modeled how to do it, while Namjoon observed with a sheepish expression on his face.
Jungkook giggled at the sight. Namjoon was so cute!
After watching a couple more short videos and a cover of a pop song, there was still an hour left before 7pm, which was the usual time they hung out with each other.
Jungkook sighed and got out of bed to head towards his desk, deciding to get some work done. He took out a heavy law textbook and opened it up. He started reading it, but the words blurred and jumbled in his head. He couldn’t comprehend what he was reading and none of it made any sense to him.
He slammed the book shut and folded his arms on top of it, resting his head on top of them. He closed his eyes and let out a shaky breath.
What if he just dropped out at this point? How would his parents react?
Jungkook shook his head at the thought. His parents were helping him pay for tuition. He didn’t want to waste all of their hard-earned money. He was going to try and suck it up for a bit longer. For them.
He didn’t want to disappoint them.
When the clock turned to 7pm on his phone, Jungkook hurriedly put his textbook away and logged onto Discord. He smiled when he saw Namjoon was online as well and pressed the call button.
The YouTuber answered a few seconds later and his smiling face appeared on Jungkook’s screen. He was sitting at his desk in his makeshift studio with a plain white wall in the background.
“Hey, Jungkook-ah!” Namjoon greeted him with a wave of his hand. “How are you doing?”
“Better now that I’m talking to you.” Jungkook felt satisfied when a light blush appeared on Namjoon’s cheeks. Then he sighed, giving Namjoon a sad smile and rested his head on his hand. Namjoon knew about all the stress he was under with his studies. “It’s just been a long week.”
Namjoon looked at him with a sympathetic expression on his face. “What happened?”
Jungkook took a deep breath before diving into all of the things that happened. He complained about all of the coursework he had to do. Namjoon listened intently and didn’t interrupt until he was done.
Jungkook felt tears well up in his eyes as he recounted the story from his morning class. A professor embarrassed him in class in front of everyone because he answered a question wrong. A couple students even laughed at him.
“I felt so humiliated,” Jungkook whispered, his eyes downcast. “I almost just walked out.”
“That’s horrible,” Namjoon murmured. “I wouldn’t blame you if you did. No one should be treated that way for missing one single question. Can you file a complaint to someone?”
Jungkook shook his head. “I don’t want to make it worse than it already is.”
Namjoon leaned closer to his webcam and Jungkook couldn’t stop the blush appearing on his cheeks. “I wish I was there to hug you right now, so just imagine this, okay?” He wrapped his arms around his computer, the camera focusing on the navy blue shade of his sweatshirt.
Jungkook closed his eyes and pictured what it would actually feel like with Namjoon’s strong arms wrapped around him. He felt himself smile thinking about how warm and comforted he would be in Namjoon’s embrace. He would do anything to actually have Namjoon in front of him right now and not through a computer screen.
“Better?” Namjoon whispered.
Jungkook slowly opened his eyes and Namjoon’s face popped into view again.
He nodded. “Thank you,” Jungkook said softly. He felt better after talking it out with Namjoon and was grateful that he messaged him back all those months ago. “How was your day?”
“It was pretty uneventful today. All I did was edit the video and upload it. ” Namjoon shrugged, but then a smile bloomed across his face. “Speaking of, you said you liked it?”
Jungkook nodded, sporting a similar grin. “Yeah, I like your chill videos like that where you just talk about whatever’s on your mind. It’s like when you go live, but more edited.”
A light dusting of pink appeared on Namjoon’s cheeks again. “Yeah, I have to censor myself more on YouTube otherwise the algorithm will hate me. They just aren’t ready for my opinions.”
Jungkook chuckled. “YouTube is missing out.” Namjoon laughed, a deep belly laugh that made Jungkook’s stomach twist into a knot.
“Did you see J-Hope’s newest dancing video?” Namjoon asked, changing the subject. Jungkook’s eyes widened and shook his head.
“No, I’ve been in class all day,” he said and started to frantically search for his phone on his desk. In his excitement, he dropped it onto the floor, cracking the corner of the screen. He held up his phone for Namjoon to see and stuck his lower lip out in a pout.
There was something that Jungkook didn’t recognize in Namjoon’s eyes that made his stomach twist again, but not in a bad way.
“Let me share my screen,” Namjoon told him, pulling up the video. Together, they watched the short clip of J-Hope dancing to a new kpop track that Jungkook didn’t know. He watched in amazement at the way J-Hope moved his body and felt a sense of longing. How he wished that could be him, who could freely post dance covers online, but he just doesn’t have the time or the energy at the moment.
Stupid law program.
“He’s incredible,” Jungkook said after the video ended. Namjoon stopped sharing his screen.
“You’re an incredible dancer too,” the vlogger told him with a smile, tapping his desk with his thumbs like it was a drum.
Was , Jungkook thought bitterly.
The college student shook his head. “I wasn’t nearly as good,” he replied. Namjoon looked like he was going to say something else in response, but Jungkook was done talking about it. There was still a pain in his chest when he thought about his first love.
“Working on any new music right now?” Jungkook asked curiously.
Namjoon shrugged his shoulders and frowned. “I’ve hit a wall with one of the songs I’m working on, so I’m leaving it for a few days to see how I feel about it.”
Jungkook nodded, understanding how Namjoon felt. It reminded him of some of his dance moves he couldn’t get right for a routine for his recital. His dance teacher made him take a couple days off before he drove himself crazy and he eventually got them down.
“I’m planning on covering one of Agust D’s songs either tomorrow or day after,” Namjoon continued.
Jungkook’s eyes brightened at that. “What song?”
Namjoon hummed like he was deep in thought. “What song would suit me?” He countered.
Jungkook looked at his ceiling, pondering the question. There were so many great songs in his discography that would suit Namjoon’s voice.
“What about Daechwita ?”
“Oh, that’s a good one!” Namjoon said and made a note of it on a notepad sitting next to him. “I also like Moonlight .”
“Why not both?”
Namjoon pointed his pen at the screen and grinned at him. “I like the way you think.”
Jungkook went to bed with a smile on his face that night.
-
So maybe Jungkook had a tiny, miniscule crush on his friend.
His roommate, Taehyung, was right. He pointed it out after Jungkook had gushed about his internet friend when they met up for lunch the next day. He denied it at the time with a scoff, but Taehyung gave him a knowing look when they parted for the afternoon.
At first, Jungkook didn’t know what he was talking about. Namjoon was just such a fun person to hang out with. He was funny and Jungkook didn’t mind when Namjoon teased him for being younger. In fact, his stomach fluttered and he became shy. His face flushed when Namjoon called him cute and it would be out of the blue as well, completely unexpected for Jungkook’s poor heart.
Oh.
He would do anything Namjoon asked of him every time he flashed those cute dimples at him.
Just like tonight, for instance.
He was watching a documentary about otters with his friend, who begged and told him that it was interesting. His dimples were peeking out as he smiled hopefully at Jungkook. Jungkook was weak and agreed to the film, even though it wasn’t something he was particularly interested in.
Oh.
He wasn’t paying attention to the film at all. Instead, all of his attention was on Namjoon. He thought it was so cute how focused he was on the documentary.
“Are you even watching it?” Namjoon asked curiously, raising an eyebrow at him.
Jungkook flushed at being caught. “Yes,” he lied, giving the other boy what he hoped was a cute, innocent expression on his face. They both knew that he was lying, but Namjoon turned his attention towards the film again. A shy smile graced his lips.
Jungkook tried to focus on the documentary, but he found it very difficult. The otters were cute and everything, but Namjoon was way cuter.
As the narrator droned on about how sea otters liked to hold hands, Jungkook imagined what it would be like for him to hold hands with Namjoon. He wondered if they fit perfectly, like they were made to be together. He wondered how warm Namjoon’s hand would be against his own and if he would rub his thumb over the back of Jungkook’s hand.
Goosebumps appeared on his skin and he visibly shivered.
“Are you cold?” Namjoon asked softly. If they were together in-person, Jungkook just knew that the older boy would offer a blanket or something of his own to wear. Namjoon was thoughtful like that.
Jungkook shook his head. “I’m fine,” he replied. Namjoon nodded and began to focus on the film once more.
Jungkook frowned to himself, thinking about how warm Namjoon’s embrace would be, once again. If they were watching this together, Jungkook would curl himself against Namjoon’s side, playing with Namjoon’s long fingers and holding hands, just like the otters do.
Jungkook hoped that one day he would be able to do just that.
-
That day came sooner than Jungkook expected.
Almost a week later, Namjoon brought up the subject.
Jungkook suspected something was up because when he answered the call that night, Namjoon seemed nervous. When Jungkook first questioned him, Namjoon waved his concerns away, saying it was just tiredness.
“We don’t have to talk tonight if you’re too tired,” Jungkook told him, even though he would be disappointed, but Namjoon’s health came first. “We can reschedule.”
“No!” Namjoon said hurriedly. Jungook raised an eyebrow at him. Namjoon took a deep breath and added, “I want to talk to you. These calls are the best part of my day.”
Jungkook blushed. “They’re mine, too.”
Then Namjoon’s eyes widened as he looked at something that had caught his attention. He let out a loud gasp before erupting into a coughing fit. Jungkook jumped slightly and looked at Namjoon with concern.
“Are you alright?” He asked worriedly. Namjoon gave him a thumbs up as his coughs subsided.
“Check Twitter,” he croaked, holding up his phone. Jungkook did as he was told and when he saw Agust D’s newest announcement, his eyes went as wide as saucers.
“This isn’t a joke, right?” Jungkook asked, reading the announcement for a second time.
Agust D is going on tour! He was going to perform for three dates in Seoul before traveling to Busan and then Japan after that.
What a dream come true!
Agust D was coming to Busan!
When he glanced at Namjoon, he giggled. His friend still looked dazed, staring at the wall next to him.
“Earth to Namjoon,” Jungkook teased, waving a hand in front of his camera. That got Namjoon to snap out of his frozen state. “Are you alright over there?”
Namjoon cleared his throat. “Yeah,” he said, “I’m fine. You?”
“I’m excited!” Jungkook smiled, his eyes shining brightly. He felt like he was on top of the world, or like he could do ten laps around the entire campus. He was practically bouncing in his seat, vibrating with happiness.
“I am too,” Namjoon told him. Then, Namjoon looked nervous again and glanced everywhere but the computer screen. Jungkook grew concerned again. He watched as Namjoon took a deep breath. “Jungkook?”
“Yeah?”
“Would you-” Namjoon cleared his throat again and fidgeted with his long-sleeved shirt. “Would you, um, like to go to the concert with me?”
Jungkook looked at him like a deer in headlights, which visibly made Namjoon falter, his expression dimmed. Jungkook had no idea what to say. Of course, he would love to meet Namjoon and go to the concert with him. Would it be like…a date?
“Do you want it to be a date?” Namjoon asked shyly. Jungkook turned bright red and nodded, equally shy. He felt embarrassed for sharing his thoughts out loud without meaning to, but it was leading somewhere hopeful.
“I really want to meet you,” Jungkook said quietly. He was so grateful that his roommate had to work late tonight, so he could have this special moment with Namjoon.
“I really want to meet you, too.”
“How would it work?”
Namjoon hummed, thinking for a moment. “Are you free for any of the Seoul or Busan dates?” Jungkook nodded because as far as he knew, he was available. Thankfully they were weekend dates, so he wouldn’t need to miss any of his classes during the week. “What if I travelled to Busan to go with you?”
Jungkook gasped. “But Seoul is closer to you!”
“But you’re in Busan,” Namjoon pointed out, smiling so his dimples were showing. Jungkook looked down at his desk to hide his growing blush. “Or would you be willing to travel to Ilsan and then we can head to Seoul together?”
Jungkook thought for a moment. He would love to visit Ilsan and stay with Namjoon and then travel to see Agust D, but…all that travelling, plus concert tickets on top of that? Unfortunately, it was out of Jungkook’s budget.
Jungkook’s silence must’ve given away his answer as Namjoon said, “I’m going to book my train to Busan tonight.”
Jungkook bit his lip. “What if neither of us get concert tickets?” He didn’t want Namjoon to spend the money to travel hours to Busan to end up not being able to go.
“I’d still love to spend the weekend together,” Namjoon told him with a hopeful glint in his eye. “I really like you, Jungkook. As more than a friend.”
Oh.
“I really like you too,” Jungkook confessed. He received the most beautiful smile he had ever seen that made his heart skip a beat and his stomach flutter.
A newfound determination settled into Jungkook’s bones. He would get those Busan concert tickets, no matter what he had to do.
He would do anything to see Namjoon smile like that again.