The seedy motel room was filled with quiet whimpers and breathy moans of approval as Jungkook ground his hips into Maddie, gluing her to the mattress under him.

"Ah..." she tilted her head back just as he crashed his lips against hers once again.

After some more minutes of intense making out, Jungkook drew back for a bit to peer deeply into her orbs, breathing ragged and uneven.

"You're a really good kisser," Maddie mumbled breathlessly. "I mean... I guess it doesn't come as a shock to you to hear that." She flushed, looking down immediately.

"It really doesn't." Jungkook replied smugly. The amount of pride he seemed to take in himself kind of irked her, but she ignored the rising wave of irritability. "You're a really good kisser, too."

Maddie's brows pulled together furtively.

"E-Even compared to those models and actresses you've dated?" she peeped hesitantly.

He smacked his lips together, poking his cheek with his tongue. "Mmm-hm."

Just like every time she felt nervous, Maddie burst out laughing.

"That's ridiculous!" she swatted her fists against his chest lightly.

"Yeah... no it's not," Jungkook drawled hoarsely, leaning down against her. His eyes glazed with lust and desire, he reached one hand towards the upper button of Maddie's shirt, and let his fingers hover over it. "You're amazing, Maddie. I really mean that."

"You do?" her eyelids fluttered, hopefulness filling her eyes. She really wanted to believe him.

"Mhm," Jungkook hummed, his luscious lips curling into a sly smirk. He glanced down at the buttons of her shirt and then back at her. "May I..."

"OH, JEON JUNGKOOK!"

The violent pounding on the door made them both snap their heads in the direction of the aggressive knocking. Maddie gasped, her face going pale whereas Jungkook just looked pissed off.

"Fuck," he yanked himself off of her and sat on the bed.

"IT'S YOUR FAVORITE PERSON IN THE WHOLE WORLD!" the intruder yelled from the other side of the door, not ceasing his insistent banging on the door.

"Who is it?!" Maddie whispered, sitting up straight abruptly and hugging her knees to her chest.

"You gotta be kidding me," Jungkook groaned, adjusting his shirt and his belt. "It's my manager. Namjoon."

"Jeon? Jungkook? Jungkookie? Kookie?" the jeering voice came again, this time softer and calmer.

"This is a nightmare." Jungkook pinched the root of his nose, shuffling towards the door.

"Room service!" Namjoon chimed just as Jungkook opened the door for him, resulting in the taller man stumbling frontwards and almost falling straight on his face.

"I'd like to apologize for this." Jungkook murmured blankly, looking over at Maddie as if his soul had left his body.

"How long does it take you to open a fucking door?!" Namjoon fumed, getting back on his feet swiftly and patting himself.

Once he was done, he glanced up to meet Maddie's cowardly quivering eyes observing him with interest.

"Howdy, little lady." He greeted cheekily.

"Hi." She greeted back, gracing him with a timid smile.

"You must be Maddie."

"This is my manager, Kim Namjoon." Jungkook introduced him with a morose expression on his face.

"Did I come at a bad time?" Namjoon asked warily. A knowing grin spread on his face. "I hope so."

"Actually, yes!" Jungkook informed him through gritted teeth. "You did."

Unbothered, Namjoon shrugged and strutted towards the sofa. He took a seat and crossed his legs in front of him.

"Well, Jungkook. We did it, my boy. Bong Joon Ho finally made a decision." He stated smoothly.

Lurching forward, Jungkook felt how his gut twirled in anticipation. This better be good news.

"What?!"

"You got the part, pal. Seems he saw something that reminded him he had to have you. The body of your work. The reality of who you are."

"I knew it!!" Jungkook's customary cocky smirk exploded in a radiant smile as he pumped his fists in the air. "I fucking knew it!"

"He called me up and he said "Who am I kidding?", Namjoon went on, a matching level of excitement in his brown orbs. "Jeon Jungkook just has to star in my movie. There's no one else better than him!"

"Fucking finally!" Jungkook exclaimed loudly, bouncing and pouncing around the room from joy.

Maddie watched him from afar, endeared, but also somehow confused as to how genuine all of this felt. Certainly unlike anything else she had seen from him before. Like, she had seen him smile before, but now all of those previous smiles seemed incomplete compared to the happiness radiating from this current one.

"Joonie, I gotta tell you, I've never felt better than I do now!" Jungkook admitted, running up to his manager and pulling him into a massive bear hug.

"Except for that weekend in Gangnam!" Namjoon laughed, patting his back.

"That is exactly what I'm talking about!" Jungkook yelled, tightening his grip around the other man.

"Easy there, I've got a bad back." Namjoon cautioned lowly before removing himself from Jungkook's iron grip. "I told you a little good news was all you needed to get you back on track. Thank god for that good rep we did."

Maddie's heart involuntarily twitched at that last statement. Was this all she was? Good rep?

Just a PR strategy?

"Oh, yeah baby!!" Jungkook exclaimed again, hurling himself on the bed next to her and cupping her cheeks roughly, colliding his lips into hers. Dazed, she relished in how sweet he tasted before drawing back a bit. Drunk on elation, he met her dejected gaze with a quizzical look.

"So... you're leaving then?" Maddie muttered so quietly he barely heard her.

"Yes!!" he enthused, too overwhelmed to think his answer through.

"You've got fittings all Monday and rehearsing all Tuesday," Namjoon informed him, all important and business-like. "You're back in the spotlight, man!"

"Boy, things surely do happen fast in this industry." Maddie mumbled, trying to plaster a smile on her face to show how happy she was for him.

It was enough for Jungkook's smile to drop and for him to face her and look properly at her, a little bit abashed. Sensing the awkward air, Namjoon's eyes jumped to and fro Jungkook and Maddie who now just stared blankly at each other. He pursed his lips, feeling the tension in the air seeping at his bones.

"Oh my God." Jungkook whispered, eyes glued to Maddie who returned him a sad smile. "You're right."

"No, it's fine." She lowered her face to hide her tears.

"I'm gonna turn it down." He declared suddenly.

"What?" Maddie gasped.

"What?!" Namjoon's fingers raked through his hair. After everything he'd done for him?!

"I came here vowing to change my priorities and at the first opportunity, I'm abandoning that," Jungkook uttered.

"Jungkook, come on, you're not gonna turn down the part, we both know that." Maddie pled.

"Yes, listen to her!!" Namjoon begged desperately.

"Give us a minute, will you?" Jungkook requested.

At first Namjoon shot him a puzzled look but then caught up.

"Oh, okay. I'll be... in the lobby." He turned around slowly and evacuated from the room, but not without making sure he could eavesdrop through the door left slightly ajar.

Once his manager was out, Jungkook slumped, putting his elbows on top of his knees and running a hand through his hair. Maddie was at a loss, not knowing what to say to resolve this conflict. There was no way she would ask him to stay – no way. She'd never do that, especially not after she wasn't even sure if she-

"I want you to come with me."

Jungkook's words sounded more like a plea than an offer, snapping her out of her thoughts. Her eyes darted to him.

"What?" she was astonished.

"What?!" Namjoon exclaimed from behind the door. "Oh shit." He slapped one hand over his mouth the second he realized what he had said. She absolutely cannot go with him.

Maddie didn't know whether Jungkook was ignoring him or legitimately did not hear him.

"I'm not taking the part unless you come with me."

Maybe we can figure something out, Namjoon pondered.

"Really?" Maddie was taken aback by the intent in Jungkook's eyes.

"Yes, really," he reassured her. "Maddie, have you been listening to anything I've been telling you?"

Her lips parted in wonder that came with his next declaration.

"I love you."

She fell silent, merely blinking at him for some very long moments. Jungkook's eyes were hopeful, his fingers finding hers and intertwining them.

She inhaled sharply. 'How many times in your life have you said that?"

"Ay, ay, ay." Namjoon groaned from behind the door, rolling his eyes.

"Uh..." Jungkook looked lost, his fingers slipping through hers as the muscles of his body knotted up. "Not counting the movies?"

"Not counting." Maddie's stare was merciless.

"I... I've said it a few times." He admitted. "But! But I never knew what it meant." He pressed his palms against each other and brought them in front of his chest.

Maddie paused, taking a deep breath in and looking up at the ceiling.

"I can't go with you, Jungkook. Because you don't love me," she shook her head. "You may think you love me. You maybe want to love me, but I think what you love right now is the idea of me. You can't love someone for what they stand for or seem to be. You have to love them for their details, for the little things that are true for them and only them."

"But I do love you for your details, Maddie!" Jungkook exhaled.

"You don't!"

"I do!"

"You couldn't possibly. You don't even know what they are!" she said softly.

For a while, Jungkook's shuddering breath was all that could be heard in the silence around them. Maddie regarded him with hopefulness that he would prove her wrong. Ultimately, he braced himself to deliver one of his lowest blows ever.

"You have six smiles." He said, collecting every ounce of acting talent he had.

"What?" Maddie furrowed her brows, her heart rate skyrocketing.

"Yeah... you have six smiles." Jungkook smiled warmly. "Did you know that?"

"N-No..." she stuttered, her eyebrows dipping slightly.

"One when something really makes you laugh. And one when you're simply laughing out of politeness. One when you're making plans, and one when you're making fun of yourself. One when you're uncomfortable, and one when..." he paused, trying to recollect Taehyung's phenomenal speech about Maddie's smiles as if it was a script he had to recite. "And one when you're talking about your friends."

"Fucking hell, how many is that?" Namjoon murmured under his nose on the other side of the door. "Sounds like fifty. Such a yawn."

"I told you. I told you," Jungkook nodded as the most endearing face-splitting happy grin spread across Maddie's lips.

"That is so much better than any speech from any of your movies!" she praised, filled with pure joy.

"I had a better writer." Jungkook said, his smile faltering for a second. He took her hands in his. "So... will you come with me? To Seoul?"

Still too stunned to realize what was happening, Maddie wavered uncertainly as Jungkook's eyes patiently anticipated her answer. She debated internally on what kind of reply she'd give him.

Truth be told, for the first time since she met him, Jungkook seemed honest. And that speech he just did in front of her about her smiles... that was so heartfelt no way it was coming from a person who didn't truly love her. Only someone who knew her very well and appreciated her deeply would be able to come up with it.

Right?

Moreover, he was Jeon freaking Jungkook, for Pete's sake!! Was she crazy? Of course she had to go with him!

Fueled with newfound enthusiasm, Maddie threw her arms around him, knocking the air out of his lungs.

"Yes! Yes, I'll go with you!"

"Woohoo!" Jungkook cheered, his voice muffled by Maddie planting small butterfly kisses all over his face. "Seoul, here we come!"

Outside, Namjoon fist pumped the air so hard that he tripped and fell on his butt straight into a bush.

author's note:

alright, who are we rooting for at this point, guys? Kookie or Taetae? 🙈