Reva

Jungkook was a hard-working man and no one could deny that reality. Certainly, it wasn't as hard as someone who worked on the construction site for wages so low it was almost ridiculous, but I recognized how emotionally drained he was when he came home every night.

I had seen it when I had visited him at work. The way the line between his eyebrows was almost carved into his skin, how bloodshot his eyes were sometimes. I also knew that none of it was appreciated.

And so in one way, it made me feel better when he had some weekends off and could spend a Saturday to himself. Everyone needed a break every now and then from all that lay on their shoulders. And occasionally, on his Saturday off, we would go out or spend it together.

He was always gone on Sunday mornings. Where he went was a mystery to me and I had never asked. Perhaps he would eventually tell me of his own accord.

And today we were driving in his car to my father's house who had invited us for a family dinner. I couldn't remember the last time I had been there and I was looking forward to spending time together all the more.

Thankfully, any little ice left behind had melted between us. I had never been one to hold a grudge anyway and certainly not towards my father. I knew that everything he did was for me and Rai.

The warm summer air blew in through my open window, making my hair flip slightly. The engine howled as Jungkook turned into a street, quietly navigating the route to my old home.

I looked over at him. "Did you get your hair cut this morning?" I asked, now noticing his freshly trimmed hair.

He nodded, not taking his eyes off the road. An attentive driver, I had to give him that. He ran a hand through his hair, "It was starting to get too long."

I remembered the day we had argued because I had tried to defend him. Over his hair. But I pushed that thought back again.

"At least you're out of your hippie era." I joked softly, leaning my head back against the headrest.

I felt him scowl at me and I giggled even more. "It wasn't that long." He rumbled playfully. Then he added. "At least I don't have gray hair."

I gasped dramatically. "I don't have gray hair!"

"That's because you can't see the back of your head," he said smugly. "Besides, you liked my long hair." 

"It covered up your male-patterned baldness." I laughed.

It wasn't long before he joined me. The car filled with our laughter as we didn't seem to last a minute without finding something to tease the other. But I wouldn't trade it for a ride without a single word exchanged.

"It looks good," I added, and he flashed his famous lopsided grin.

I looked at his profile and brought my hand to the back of his neck. The longer hair on top blended into the shorter ones, cut professionally, and I let my fingers run through it. He seemed to tense up, but when he turned to look at me, there was a small smile spread across his lips.

We forgot ourselves in each other's eyes and neither of us looked away. My fingers unconsciously ran up and down, sometimes pulling at the longer strands.

Everything lasted only a few seconds. Until something moved in the corner of my eye and I threw a double glance at the road only to realize that something jumped in front of our car. A small moment of carelessness had been enough.

"Jungkook, watch out!" I yelled before shock could consume me, and Jungkook hit the brakes full force, causing us to be thrown forward before the car came to a stop.

The screeching tires still echoed in my ears, my hand now off Jungkook's head and holding onto the dashboard. My heart was pounding in my throat and my breath was as if trapped.

I hadn't heard or felt our car hit anything, but it had all settled so quickly that I could be wrong. The car was an SUV which was why I couldn't see what was in front.

"Please tell me it wasn't a child." Jungkook rasped heavily, his voice so rough I knew he had had to push himself to get the words to come out. I felt his throat dry out just like mine.

Tears of shock gathered in my eyes but I blinked them away. "I think it was. I don't know." It felt like it wasn't me but someone else speaking for me.

"Fuck, no. God, please, no." he cursed and before I could catch my breath, Jungkook was already shooting out of the car.

I didn't know how I managed it, but I found myself ripping open the door and jogging around the car on wobbly legs. I almost fell to my knees at the thought of what scene I might witness.

But reassurance and a thousand other feelings flooded me when I found Jungkook kneeling on the ground just a few inches from the car, a small child pressed against his chest. The girl was crying hysterically and it broke my heart into countless pieces.

"Shh. You're okay. I'm so sorry." repeated Jungkook so many times that it became a chant. I could see how worried and scared he was just by looking at his face.

The girl continued to cry into Jungkook's chest, her little legs trembling with fear. In her hand, she held tightly to a teddy, but her clothes were clean and otherwise, she seemed to bear no injuries. I breathed another sigh of relief.

As much as my high heels and skirt would allow, I crouched down beside the two of them and placed a reassuring hand on the girl's back, rubbing it up and down. Jungkook's eyes met mine and terror and anger burned in his brown orbs.

Not anger toward me or the girl, I could tell. He was disappointed in himself and was probably letting so many thoughts of guilt swirl in his head right now, his jaw completely clenched that it seemed painful.

After a few minutes of assuring hugs, Jungkook pulled back to face the girl. She now just sniffled and wiped her chubby cheeks with the hand that wasn't holding her teddy.

She was so cute. Her dark skin was soft and her light brown eyes shone under the bright sun overhead. The pink dress had straps of velvet fabric and her tights polkadots. Someone had tied her curly short hair into a pigtail on top of her head.

"Does anything hurt?" asked Jungkook after the girl completely calmed down.

"The car was loud. My ears hurts," she answered without hesitation. "And I was scared."

"We're so sorry. It wasn't intentional." I apologized, placing a hand on her cheek and wiping away the tear that was lingering there. Then I looked around the area, but there was no one to be seen but us. "Where's your mommy?"

She shrugged her little shoulder as her eyes looked around too. "I see a cat and I run after her. Mommy's gone now."

Jungkook and I exchanged a perplexed look. It was clear that the girl had run away in a moment of her mother's inattention and she had to be worrying herself sick right now. The only problem was that we didn't know where the girl had come from.

"Do you know where you live?" I asked, trying to sound encouraging. Sometimes it was hard for kids to answer strangers and I wanted to make her feel comfortable and safe so we could bring her to her family.

The girl became shy under the stares of both of us and began to rock on her feet and cover her face with her hand. This was what I was talking about. Rai had come to us when he was four years old, and although he was my cousin, he had been just as shy at first.

Jungkook shook his head at me and took over talking. "I bet you have a big room. And a lot more of those teddy bears there." The girl started to smile and nodded her head. "What other toys do you have?"

"Peppa Pig and Elsa," she answered quietly, hiding her face back into Jungkook's chest, which made me smile.

"Wow, Elsa. Do you like Anna too?" he then asked. How did he even know about children's movies?

"Mhmm."

"I have a friend just like you and she loves Elsa too. Do you have a name as beautiful as those two princesses?" he wondered, now looking her in the eye as she dared to come out of her safe cave that was Jungkook's chest. When she nodded, he asked further. "Will you tell me?"

"Kali," she answered after a few seconds of thinking.

Why was Jungkook so much better at talking to her? Not that I had any prejudices, but it amazed me that he knew exactly how to get important information without intimidating the kid.

"Kali, that's yet another princess name." he playfully and gently poked her belly, which made her giggle. Then Kali looked around again and her lips turned downward.

"I want my mommy," she uttered softly, sounding like she was about to start crying again.

I noticed the car's engine was still running and decided to pull the car over to the side of the road so we could figure out how to get Kali to her mother without disrupting traffic.

Jungkook picked up Kali and they both watched me park the car and walk back to them. An option would of course be to call the police so they could solve it professionally, but I didn't want to hand the girl over to the cops only to have her mother search the streets hysterically. That would mean unnecessary hours and minutes of worry for her. Besides, I doubted Kali could have run that far away. Her mother was probably very close.

"Kali just told me she's three years old," Jungkook informed me with pride in his voice.

"Yes!" Kali exclaimed enthusiastically. "Mommy said I'll be this much soon!"

She held up four chubby fingers or rather tried to, because the ring finger kept curving back, which made me giggle. She was so cute, I wanted to take her home with me, but I wasn't interested in jail.

"You're such a big girl." I praised her and she nodded.

Then she pointed to Jungkook and asked me. "Is he your friend?"

I shook my head, not sure if her mother had taught her family dynamics and would even understand what I was about to tell her. "No, he's my husband."

"Mommy has a husband too," Kali told me, thinking a bit and adding. "My daddy is my mommy's husband."

She was such a smart kid. I was amazed, and since I didn't interact with children on a daily basis, I had almost forgotten how talkative they could be, how good they were at reporting facts, and how well they absorbed information.

Also, I realized how well her mother had raised her. Kali didn't throw a tantrum, as she could have just as easily cried the whole time, which would have made things harder.

"Do you know where mommy and daddy live?"

"Mhmm." Kali pondered, with a finger pressed to her mouth. "In a big white house. We have a pool. I can't swim, but daddy promised to show me."

"That's wonderful, Kali." I smiled at her. This information wouldn't get us anywhere, but we were taking baby steps here because we didn't want to overwhelm her. "By the way, my name is Reva. And his name is Jungkook."

"Okay."

I heard Jungkook snort, the dismissive response from Kali certainly amusing him. But that's how kids were. Some things seemed to interest them less than others. I glared at him and he winked at me.

Kali asked him a question and so the two of them began to talk among themselves, giving me the opportunity to watch them. I observed Jungkook listening closely as she giggled and talked about all the things that might interest a three-year-old child.

I noticed how he was knowledgeable about children's shows, knew what toys had come out recently, which characters he had to love, and which he had to hate for Kali and him to be in unison.

I saw the way he looked at her. The way he smiled at her, so soft and innocent. His cheeks creased and a little dimple found its place there. Eyes so sparkling and gentle, following her every move. I had never seen Jungkook like this before. It was like a new door was opening, uncovering a person he had always harbored within him.

Then I allowed myself to imagine what he would be like if he had a child of his own. A daughter or a son, because the gender would not matter to him as long as they were healthy. How he would play with him or her and spoil them so much that I would have to scold him. A sweet berating.

And then he would look at the child just as soft. Smiling so beautifully at them. I had only ever seen his teasing, tongue-in-cheek, or seductive smile before, but this was something else. It was real. Teeth and dimples and creases around his eyes.

"I want to go home and watch Frozen." Kali then snapped me out of my thoughts and I pressed my lips together.

"What should we do?" I asked Jungkook, who was now turning more serious as well. His eyebrows came together as Kali leaned her head against his shoulder.

"I have no idea. Should we call 911?" he suggested, but he wasn't convinced by the concept either.

"I don't know. Maybe we should—"

A woman's voice interrupted me. "Kali!" she screamed, running toward us in a panic. "Thank God, there you are!"

"Mommy!" Kali shouted back, and Jungkook set her on the ground as she began to wriggle out of his arms.

"Oh my God, my baby!" The woman began to cry as she picked up her daughter in her arms and hugged her so tightly that Kali began to protest. Clearly she was too small to understand the hell her mother had gone through in the last fifteen minutes before she found her. "Why did you run away?"

"I saw a kitty! I want to keep it!" she told her happily and her mother took a deep breath, looking Kali up and down for injuries. Finding none, she breathed again before her eyes found us.

"Did you two find her? Thank you." walking toward us, she tried to smile even though the horror was still written in her identical light brown eyes. I didn't want to imagine how horrible it must have been for her.

"Yes," Jungkook confirmed for both of us. "She ran into the street, but thankfully she's okay," he explained and she gasped in sheer horror, checking her daughter over once again. "I would suggest you take her to a doctor, maybe she could still be in a state of shock, but not showing it."

"Thank you, I will do that," she whispered. Then tears formed in her eyes. "I'm such a bad mother. I was just adjusting her car seat and then she was gone. What if something had happened to her?"

I guess it was a natural thought to doubt her motherhood and blame herself. Children were a big responsibility and while some parents were really careless, in other cases you couldn't always prevent incidents like this.

It was only a matter of seconds. An averted gaze and everything could take such a terrible course beyond repair.

"You're not a bad mother," Jungkook assured her and I nodded in agreement. "Luckily, nothing happened to her. And Kali won't be chasing cats from now on, right Kali?"

"Yes!" she exclaimed, hugging her teddy to her. We all smiled warmly at her. In such a short time, she had already grown on me. "Can we go, I want to watch Frozen."

"Yes, baby. We can go." The mother nudged Kali's nose and with a grateful smile, she turned to us one last time. "I can't thank you both enough. I appreciate you guys staying with her and making sure she was safe."

"It's no problem, really." I smiled back.

The two of them started walking away and we looked after them. "Say bye, Kali." the young woman encouraged her daughter and Kali started waving at us fast and strong.

"Bye, Jungoo. Bye, Rea." She called out and Jungkook and I laughed at our new names.

Once the two were out of sight, I heard Jungkook let out a long breath. I turned to him and found his expression had changed.

When our eyes met, I caught something tumbling in his brown orbs. "I... it was so fucking close. I never would have forgiven myself if..."

"Stop," I whispered, taking his hand in mine. If he was at fault, I was too. "Don't play out scenarios that will consume you. She's happy and healthy. And with her mom now."

Jungkook pressed his lips together and nodded slowly as he savored the sincerity and truth of my words. Then his eyes fell on my neck and he brought his free hand up to touch my skin.

I could feel the spot was a little tender. The seatbelt must have rubbed into the skin during the braking.

"I'm fine." I tried to remove his hand but he resisted.

"Let me," he said in a heavy voice and slowly brushed the back of his hand over it. His fingers were a little cold, which sent a shiver down my spine. "I'll stop at a pharmacy and see what they can give for this."

Recognizing the determination and stubbornness in his eyes, I decided to give in, which brought a small smile to his lips. After that, we both walked back to the car to finally make it to the dinner we had left for.

─────⋅☾ ☽⋅─────

By the time we arrived, it was an hour later than we had originally planned, but my father didn't seem to notice and instead embraced me with a big hug.

The first time Jungkook and I had come here was a few months after the wedding and it had been pretty awkward. There was no trace of it anymore and I believed that my father really liked Jungkook.

"Welcome, son." he greeted him with a fatherly hug, though I knew they remained rather professional during their working hours at the company.

Jungkook forced a smile on his lips, not because he felt compelled to show kindness, but because he was still reeling from what had happened half an hour ago. I said hi to Sophia and asked her if she could bring us a glass of water.

I flopped down on the sofa in the living room and took a big gulp of the cold water, which seemed to calm my senses, if nothing else. Dad looked back and forth between Jungkook and me, who was also taking a sip.

"Have you had a water shortage?" Dad joked and I offered him a smile.

I didn't want him to worry, which was why I opted for something that wasn't a lie anyway. "It's like the desert out there. Be glad we didn't arrive like a melted puddle."

He let out one of his famous, belly laughs that rumbled around the living room. "It really is very warm today." I nodded in agreement before he added. "The girls are already preparing dinner. We should be able to eat soon."

"Yeah, no problem," I said. "Where's Rai?"

"I'm here." I heard his deep voice join us and then he appeared in the dining area across from where we were sitting. A frown sat on his face and he sighed deeply.

His classes had been canceled on Thursday and he had Fridays off anyway, so he had taken the opportunity to come home for the weekend. I didn't see him that often anymore because all the homework and exams were stressing him out. Just like now, as I could tell.

"What's wrong?" I asked him after he hugged me briefly and greeted Jungkook as well. He dropped down next to me and I gasped because I bounced under his weight.

He raised his thumb and forefinger, bringing them together to create a small gap. "I'm this close to going crazy," he grumbled, and when he noticed our unblinking faces, he continued. "I've been working on some programming since last night, but it just won't work." Then he turned to me. "Is it too late to drop out?"

"Hey, nobody is dropping out," Dad scolded. "I can imagine it's hard, but I'm sure you'll get it done if you sit on it a bit longer."

"It's easier said than done, Uncle," Rai whined. "All I see are numbers, brackets, and semicolons." He turned to me again. "Have I developed square pupils? I bet I did."

I threw my head back and laughed, which Rai didn't seem to find funny because he glared at me like I was a traitor. I was probably his biggest ally, which was how it had been all our lives. When he fucked up, I was there to get out of it with him. Like a big sister he never had.

"How about you get some tutoring?" Dad then suggested, which was a very good idea.

Rai seemed to consider it and then we heard Jungkook chime in. "I could have a look at it. I know a thing or two."

Rai sat up in surprise. "You would?" he asked hopefully and Jungkook shrugged his shoulder to say that it wouldn't be a big deal for him. "Thank you so much! Can we get this done before dinner?"

"Sure."

They both left the living room despite my dad's objections that dinner would be ready soon and I laughed as his last sentence hung in the air. Then I looped my arm through his and pulled him out onto the balcony.

The view from up here was still the same. The scent of summer lingered in the wind and the setting sun prickled my skin as we talked about the most casual things. I missed sitting here with him with a cup of tea in the evening.

Half an hour later, when the maids had almost finished setting the table, I made my way up the stairs to Rai's room, where I assumed the duo were. Indeed, they were both sitting at Rai's computer, eyes focused and brows furrowed.

I leaned against the doorframe and crossed my arms in front of my chest, watching them quietly. The clicking of the mouse and occasional comments filled the room, but I didn't understand anything they were saying. I had no idea about computers and all that, so it all seemed like a complex new language.

I liked the way they talked to each other. Not quite like friends, but not as forced as when Jungkook used to give Rai dirty looks for what had happened. I could sympathize with him, he had wanted to protect his sister and Rai had been involved in the whole confrontation that had led us here today.

But now, I couldn't sense any tension between them at all. Jungkook helped my cousin with whatever he needed and he did it happily. I saw how intently he read through and checked everything.

For the first time in a long time, he seemed to be devoting himself to his real passion. He hadn't quite had the freedom to focus on his second degree, which must have led to a void deep in his heart.

I was familiar with what it felt like to have to force yourself to accept something just because you wanted to live up to expectations. And so I sympathized with him even more and wished he would give software engineering a chance one day, even if his parents would be more than frustrated.

I asked myself how long it had been since he had last had anything to do with computer science. I could imagine that he didn't need to deal with it at the company and he only had a laptop sitting on the desk in his office at home.

When Jungkook's eyes drifted over the screen to the door, he found me standing there. Something changed in his brown orbs and I smiled softly at him. His eyebrows gradually calmed and what remained was the same soft gaze that mirrored mine.

"Reva, you won't believe what the error was!" Rai then shouted, pulling us both out of the haze. I walked over and stood behind them to get a good look at the computer, which displayed so many words and characters on its screen that I thought I was going to have a stroke. "See here? A curly brace! All because of a single bracket! I hate C++."

"Well, I don't understand what it's doing, but I'm glad you found the error," I commented as Jungkook ran the code and everything seemed to be working fine.

"You weren't always the brightest when it comes to technology," Rai remarked jokingly.

"Hey!" I smacked him lightly on the back of his head and he started to laugh. Jungkook also smiled as if he agreed with Rai and I stuck my tongue out at him. Then I started to walk away. "Dinner's ready."

At the dining table, the sound of china and silverware filled the room as we ate in comfortable silence. Sophia sat at the table with us, which she did every now and then. She was more than a housemaid, part of the family.

We chatted and were laughing about how frustrated Sophia must be with the two guys at home and me being absent. Dad huffed. "I feel quite offended. I'm not that bad to have around."

No, you're not. Signed Sophia after she was done chewing, but I giggled under my breath because it wasn't quite as convincing.

I whispered quietly to Jungkook whatever Sophia was signing so he didn't feel left out. Dad wasn't the best at sign language either, but he knew enough to communicate with her. The same went for Rai.

"Besides, Samuel takes care of my wishes. Sophia was looking out for you. She's enjoying her time apart from you now, kind of." Dad pointed his fork in my direction and I fake gasped.

But it was true. Sometimes I felt overwhelmed when she wasn't there to help me at moments when I was already busy. Not that the Jeon's didn't have enough maids, but Sophia knew how I wanted things done. I could always count on her.

"That may be true." I rolled my eyes jokingly as I felt forced to admit it by Dad's raised eyebrows. I turned to Sophia and smiled at her. "I miss you."

So do I. She said back, with the same almost sad smile on her lips.

"We have plenty of rooms free. She could live with us and help you with whatever you need if that's what you want." Jungkook stated and I shifted my gaze over to him.

He still had his eyes on his plate, but with me staring, he was now watching me too. I tilted my head to the side, only recognizing sincerity in his eyes.

"Really?" I asked, just to be sure he meant it. He nodded, but I bit down on my bottom lip. "What about your mom, do you think she'd be okay with it?"

Jungkook's gaze was intense, burning into my skin. "It's your house too, she won't say anything, I'm certain."

I couldn't help the smile that formed and I turned to Sophia. I placed my hand on hers, "Would you want that?"

She seemed hesitant, almost as if she was considering declining, but seeing the happiness I was feeling, she asked my father. Would that even be okay with you?

"It's your decision." Dad shrugged. Although Sophia was like family, my father was still her employer. "She needs you more than I do."

Sophia took a deep breath, laughing when she found me so eager. I'll think about it. she signed, and I became even happier.

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A/N: guys I'm still not okay. Standing next to you MV killed me and it's reminding me of VoB JK hihihi giggling and shiii