Unlike Jungkook, Iris had not always had a natural aptitude for music.

Iris had moved around all her life for her mother's job. She lived in London for most of her life, before bouncing around countries in nearly every continent. Iris had always loved listening to music, but not making it. She always thought her singing voice was bad, and had never thought about producing the music until moving to New York when she was eighteen for university. She went to university for two years as a biomedical major, absolutely hating every second of it. The one thing she adored about being in the city is the culture it had—the birthplace of hip hop.

Hip hop had always been a big part of understanding where she came from. Iris was adopted by a Korean couple when she was very young. They both learned how to take care of her hair, taught her black history, and they never treated her any different than their biological son. They were fantastic, but they could never fully understand what it was like to be black. She couldn't expect them to—if someone isn't black, they could never truly know exactly how it feels. Listening to artists like Kendrick Lamar and J. Cole, N.W.A and Ms. Lauryn Hill, who helped create a musical safe haven where they could speak freely about the plights and racial injustice black people face, but also all of the amazing parts of being black, made Iris feel heard and more connected to the beautiful culture behind her skin color. Iris loved New York for that—it helped her come to terms with who she is. She never felt like she truly fit into her Korean family because of her skin tone, and never felt like she truly fit into her black heritage because of her Korean upbringing.

New York made her realize that the boxes and stereotypes she was trying to jam herself into to feel apart of her Korean family or her black culture were all figments of her imagination. Seeing not just black people, but people of every skin color and ethnicity, come together and appreciate diversity, made her more confident in her own differences. It helped her understand herself and where she came from, but not be ashamed of how she was raised. And music was how she expressed the unity of these differences. She educated herself on many genres and their traditional aspects and originations, began making songs with a fusion of genres and cultural elements as a creative outlet. She got the hang of it after a while, and before she knew it, she was collaborating with artists. They started on free platforms like SoundCloud, but gradually escalated to the artists that were topping the charts. Iris became a prominent writer in the industry, and she dropped out of school in her junior year to pursue writing full time.

When she had gotten the sudden offer from Ddaeng Entertainment to come write for Jungkook, she was skeptical. She could speak Korean perfectly thanks to her parents, so that wasn't the problem. He just wasn't her style—apart from his early music, his trademark was upbeat EDM and mainstream pop. However, when she told her mother about the offer, she couldn't possibly turn it down. Her mom loves Jungkook's music, even owns an album. It had been hard for her parents to see her give up biomedical school, but they let her live her life regardless. So, Iris took the offer on behalf of her mom.

Ddaeng Entertainment was also offering a ridiculous amount of money for just twelve songs, on top of royalties. Iris wasn't in it for the money as much as the music, but she would feel stupid if she didn't take the deal.

Upon first meeting Jungkook, she thought he lived up to her expectations. He was defensive of his music and his ability, was hesitant to criticism, and had a cocky air about him. Not to mention that he was unethically hot. Iris purposely tries not to think about that. But, the point is, he seemed like the typical pop superstar, Korea's Justin Bieber.

And then they got to work, and Jungkook proved her wrong. Seeing him in his element, immersed in the music and not in his reputation, was enlightening to Iris. It showed her he's not the blueprint of an idol. It showed her substance. It showed her that Jungkook, the person, was still inside of Jungkook, the singer, which isn't something a lot of mainstream pop stars can say. Whilst making music, Jungkook's true personality made itself known, but afterwards, Jungkook would remember his image and the weight his name carries and go back to acting like the arrogant yet charming person Iris first met. His shifting personality gives her whiplash, but Iris supposes that that's for the greater good.

If he was his true self all the time, Iris doesn't know if she'd be able to resist him.

That's the other thing about Jungkook. He is so attractive to Iris. Not just physically, but in other ways. He is passionate, driven, funny, talented. He also makes her feel so seen. People like Jungkook usually don't think they have to show her any respect. The other commercialized pop stars she had worked with had treated her like she was inferior. She was worthy enough for them to use her ideas, but not enough to earn basic respect. Jungkook was different. He thanked her for her ideas, made her feel appreciated and valued. He made it a point to include her in his song, even in the vocal line. It was clear that he was reluctant to let her touch his music, but he still credited her for what she did. Even in the meeting with Jungkook's staff, he kept saying that "we" wrote the song, or "we" wanted to do something, rather than "I."

Jungkook was considerate of her and her feelings, and that meant a lot to Iris. People in her line of work didn't always make that a priority. Despite putting on a pop star facade, it was clear that he was down to earth beneath it, and Iris liked that. Iris likes him as a person. Iris wouldn't mind genuinely getting to know him, and that terrifies her. Memories and experiences with People Who Shall Not Be Named haunt her, firmly instill in her a raw fear of opening up enough to get close to someone.

So when Jungkook walks into the studio, she doesn't ask him about how he stormed out of the meeting yesterday. Though she's curious, she's too afraid that he'll really answer and she'll be another step closer to being close enough for him to hurt her. Iris can't risk that. So, instead, she opts for, "Hey. You look like shit."

A lie. He looks good. He's wearing gray sweats and a black tee today, his sleeve of tattoos on full display. Iris loves men with tattoos, so she internally curses. Just another alluring thing about Jungkook she'll have to resist. But, he does look tired. Lilac circles beneath his eyes attest to the fact that he got too little sleep. Jungkook scowls at her and tosses himself onto the uncomfortable couch.

"Shut up. Your voice gives me a headache." He snaps, and Iris chuckles to herself, spinning around in the chair to face him. "Hey, also, am I ever gonna get my chair back? This couch is seriously the worst." He complains, and Iris's shit eating grin grows.

"Nope. This is mine now." She informs him, and he rolls his eyes, carding his hand through his black locks.

"Whatever. Let's just get to work." He says, and Iris salutes sarcastically before turning the chair around to face the computer again. They work in silence, only speaking to share melodies and lyrics, none of the ideas making it past the brainstorming stages. After four hours of fruitless work, Jungkook sighs, standing up and tossing his notebook onto the table.

"I've figured out why my brain cannot write a good song today." He declares. Iris glances at him over her shoulder.

"Is it because your brain has the mental capacity of a goldfish?" She asks teasingly, and Jungkook shoots her a sharp look, but also wonders how the hell she comes up with her random responses so quickly.

"No. It's because this couch is so uncomfortable. I'm so focused on the fact that it feels like I'm sitting on a couch-shaped sack of rocks that I can't devote my full attention to writing." Jungkook explains, and Iris laughs incredulously.

"You're such a drama queen. Next, it'll be that the temperature in the room is a degree too hot for you to focus on writing." Iris chuckles to herself, but Jungkook shakes his head insistently.

"Nope. It's the couch, I'm telling you." He deadpans, and Iris sighs.

"Well, you're filthy rich. Go out and buy another couch if it's bothering you so much." Iris says, and Jungkook looks like he likes this idea.

"Hey, that was an actual intelligent thought there, Iris. Good for you." He teases her, and she glares at him, turning back to the computer. "What are you doing? Let's go."

"Go where? To buy a couch?" She asks, and Jungkook hums in confirmation. "No, when I said that, I meant that you could go out and get another couch, and that I will stay here and keep working."

"Nope, you're coming. You stole my chair. That means you're obligated to come couch shopping with me." He insists, and Iris doesn't budge.

"I'm not obligated to jack shit." Iris protests, but before she can stop him, Jungkook is pulling the chair away from the desk. Iris's hands frantically reach for the keyboard, but it's too late. Jungkook spins the chair around to face him, takes her hand and pulls her up to her feet so abruptly that she stumbles and bumps into his chest. Iris is barely hanging on to her calm, cool exterior—his chest is strong and firm with muscle and his cologne smells heavenly. Their eyes connect for a second too long, and that magnetic feeling of physical attraction they felt a few days ago when Jungkook showed Iris his lyrics for Intrigue is back and in full force.

Uh oh, Iris thinks to herself, brain clouded with a Jungkook induced haze. This isn't good. So, she stomps on his toe in retaliation to break their intense stare off, laughing at the groan of pain he lets out. "Hey, watch it! Break my foot, you're getting sued. I'm insured." Jungkook exclaims, and Iris just sends him a grin over her shoulder before opening the door of the studio.

"C'mon, Pretty Boy. Let's go get your couch."

+++

"So...do I just...do we just walk in?" Jungkook asks. He and Iris have just stepped out of his car with tinted windows in the Ikea parking lot. He's wearing big sunglasses and a mask, and he couldn't look more like a famous person if he tried. Iris chuckles at his skepticism and uncertainty towards the store.

"Yeah. Haven't you ever been to Ikea before?" She asks incredulously, and Jungkook shakes his head indignantly.

"I have people who do that for me." He states arrogantly, and Iris rolls her eyes at his wildly inflated ego.

"Of course you do." She mutters under her breath, before beginning to walk towards Ikea. Jungkook hurries after her, easily catching up with his long legs. They walk inside, and Iris walks a few more steps before she realizes Jungkook isn't beside her. He's just standing dumbly at the entrance, looking around. He even takes off his sunglasses, and Iris can see the awe in his eyes.

"Whoa." He mumbles beneath his breath, and Iris rolls her eyes, walking over to grab his wrist before pulling him alongside her.

"Okay, I get it, Ikea's wondrous, but you'll draw attention to yourself if you act like an idiot." She says sharply, dragging him with her until he snatches his wrist back with a grumble of irritation. "The last thing we need is your fans harassing you."

"Ikea is wondrous." He says in reply despite his annoyance. In reality, this is very overwhelming for Jungkook. Doing something as mundane as shopping for a couch is a milestone for him. He hasn't really ever had to do the basic things adults do, since he's been an international icon since he was just sixteeen. "There are so many couches." Jungkook observes when they reach the part of the store they're looking for. Iris can tell he's longing to explore them.

"Go ahead, knock yourself out." She gives him permission, and Jungkook eagerly sits down on the nearest couch. Iris watches, attempting to keep the amused smile off her face as he repeats the process with several other couches. Finally, Jungkook sits down, and a smile blooms on his handsome face.

"This one right here. This couch was made for my ass." Jungkook informs Iris contentedly. He closes his eyes, bounces up and down a little before leaning back into the plush cushions of the couch. "I found the sweet spot." He states triumphantly.

"All right, well, let's buy it and get back. We've got work to do." Iris insists.

By the time they make his purchase and get it back to the company building and the studio, an hour has passed. Jungkook and Iris hold either end of the couch, carefully navigating the hallway. Jungkook had to tip off security, because if Namjoon got wind of him doing any heavy lifting that may injure him, he'd be in trouble.

"Okay, to the left a little, or you'll hit the wall!" Iris instructs him, as he's walking backwards with his end of the couch. Jungkook chuckles at her as he turns a little, as he can only see her hair behind the angle of the couch due to her height. "No, ugh--the other left! My left!" Iris exclaims, and he quickly redirects his body. Finally, they reach the studio, Jungkook opening the door with one hand and holding his end of the couch with the other.

They have to awkwardly set the new couch down before moving the old couch to the storage room. By the time the new couch is in place, they're both out of breath. Jungkook sets it down without warning, causing Iris to drop it on her foot with a yelp of pain. "Jesus Christ, be careful! Unlike you, I'm not insured." Iris scolds him with a glare, rubbing her foot. Jungkook just flops down on the new couch in exhaustion and shrugs.

"That sounds like a you problem." He replies nonchalantly, and Iris scoffs, cursing him out under her breath. She moves to walk around him to her chair, but she overestimates how much room she has. She trips over his feet and stumbles--

directly into his lap. Jungkook lets out a sharp breath and steadies her with his hands on her waist. He doesn't know if the impact of her knocked the wind out of him or if the sight of her pretty caramel eyes looking down at him stole the oxygen from his lungs. She managed to catch herself with a hand on his shoulder, and every neuron in her entire body screams at her to move, but she feels paralyzed under his gaze.

There it is again. That irresistible urge to decimate all the space between their bodies and find out just how it feels to be pressed flush against one another. Iris's urge to find out if Jungkook's hair is as soft as it looks, Jungkook's urge to find out just what Iris's plump lips feel like beneath his own. Iris's urge to trace the ink of Jungkook's tattoos with her fingers, Jungkook's urge to navigate the curvy planes of her body with his hands.

But then they remember to breathe, and with the oxygen comes a clarity. Iris scrambles far from gracefully out of his lap, and Jungkook awkwardly crosses his arms over his chest. Iris can't force herself to look at him, and Jungkook is glad she doesn't--he doesn't want her to see his blushing face. The strange attraction between them becomes so poignant at times, and despite how strong and true what he feels is, he can't help the guilt that rises to the surface. As great as Iris seems, she's not The Person Who Shall Not Be Named. Being near her or feeling drawn to her feels wrong, even though the person who he used to be near and feel drawn to doesn't want anything to do with him anymore.

Iris just uses the vulnerable moment to prove to herself why she should steel herself off to Jungkook even more. The closer to him she gets, the more likely he'll hurt her, and that's not a risk she can take. She has picked her own pieces up and rebuilt more times than she can count, and she doesn't know if she can withstand that again. The same way her body isn't insured like Jungkook's, her heart isn't insured.

Wait. Her heart isn't insured.

"I have an idea for the next track." She speaks up after a moment.

And then she throws herself into the song to avoid thinking about how it has only been a week and Jungkook is getting further behind her walls than anyone has in a long time.

hi everyone!
i hope you enjoyed this update!!! let me know what you think!

i'm currently on vacation (being responsible in regards to COVID 19, of course), so i probably will not be updating anything other than this book for the next week since this is the only book i have prewritten! sorry about that!!

anyways, stay happy healthy and safe! i won't be active but my inbox is always open if you need me!!!

see you on tuesday!