Sing For Me

*****

Jungkook never fancied mornings. In fact, he likes to sleep through them but oddly enough, for this certain day, he found himself getting up at seven AM, feeling energized and hyper which shocked even Jimin who was the first one out of bed, as usual.

“You’re early,” the twenty-three-year-old blond commented after taking a sip of his freshly-brewed coffee.

The younger just flashed him a smile as he passed him on his way to the refrigerator to look for whatever food he could get his hands on. His stomach has been growling nonstop ever since he opened his eyes this morning and it was only then did he remember that he skipped dinner the previous night because he was busy rummaging his closet for his best pair of clothes to wear this day. He basically sacrificed eating just to impress a girl, but he found nothing wrong in making efforts to impress the girl he likes anyway so it wasn’t a loss for him.

As Jungkook scanned the contents of their fridge, a grin unconsciously graced his face at the thought of seeing Yuju again. It has been exactly three days since their last meeting back at the recording studio and throughout that time, he can’t help but feel anxious to the extent that he spent almost the entirety of those three days preparing himself. He bought that expensive cologne his Namjoon-hyung recommended. He had their stylist trim his hair to his desired cut.  He went to the gym to have a workout for two hours straight. Heck, he even used some of his Hobi-hyung’s face masks. That was how all out he went with his preparations. It might seem too much but he, himself, thinks he needs more time. Three days wasn’t enough. There were still so many things wanted to do like go shopping for a new pair of shoes or buying that black leather jacket at a popular online shopping site. There was so little time with so much to so.

“You seem happy as well,” Jimin added once Jungkook reached the table with a bowl of cereal on hand. The maknae glanced at him and raised a brow.

“I do?”

“You do,” Jimin said and it was on that moment that his eyes took a view of the calendar hanging on the white concrete wall of their kitchen. He smirked. The red heart mark on today’s date explained everything.

Jungkook saw the change in his hyung’s reaction and he knew then he had been caught. It’s not like he was hiding it. He just wasn’t expecting him to remember so easily.

“Our Jungkookie is growing up pretty well,” teased Jimin who was also wriggling his eyebrows up and down, his coffee now forgotten as he took delight in poking fun at the now flustered maknae.

If he were the Jungkook before he came to realize he liked someone, he would have denied maturing in terms of his affection toward women since he basically loves being the group’s innocent baby still. However, now that he wanted to be considered a man because…well, every woman wants a man and not a baby boy, he likes hearing people tell him he’s all grown up. It inflates his confidence in his chances of impressing Yuju.

“I did, didn’t I?” Jungkook replied, mimicking the smirk his hyung had on his face. To anyone who’d see them now without knowing the details would probably say they were those evil villains that came out from movies with their sinister smiles and intense stares but the two who were telepathically communicating with their gazes are perfectly aware of the each other’s thoughts. They were both thinking the same thing after all: Jungkook’s advances later on in the day when the time for the music video shoot comes.

“I’m cheering on you, Kookie-ah.”

*****

“You’re honestly going out wearing that?”

Yuju stopped in her tracks at her roommate’s statement. She looked down on her outfit before she threw her a questioning look. She can’t find anything wrong with what she’s wearing. Actually, she thinks she looked quite cute in her yellow tee and loose-fitting denim jeans that’s been folded to show off her pair of socks that was in the shade of red but Eunha’s frown says so otherwise.

“You look like an ahjumma on her way to the market,” Eunha said bluntly.

That would have hurt but Yuju knows better. When Eunha says it’s ugly, then it definitely is. Yuju won’t argue any further although she did feel quite disappointed. She spent almost twenty minutes coming up with her attire only for Eunha to turn it down. Besides, she saw a similar getup on the internet and it actually looked pleasing to her, so she decided to mimic it. It turns out she was in no way on par with the model in making the outfit look good.

“What do I need to change?” Yuju asked as she went over to their mirror and examined herself. Still, she thinks the combination isn’t that bad. Besides, doesn’t yellow and red go well together. Iron Man uses such a color combo. Heck, even Winnie the Pooh agrees.

Eunha noticed the hesitation etched on her roommate’s face. It was obvious she was thinking it would be a waste to ruin her put-together outfit and she understands her. She saw how serious Yuju had been in choosing every piece she’s wearing but still, there is no way in hell she’ll allow her to go to their music video shoot looking like that. Yes, their stylist-unnie will still dress her up but what about the waiting time before the actual shoot? She’ll be seen wearing the clothes she prepared for herself. She’ll be seen looking like an old lady with an awful sense in fashion and being a concerned roommate and as her best friend, she doesn’t want that to happen. Plus, she knows who’ll be with Yuju today. She knows how important it is that she looks her prettiest when she meets Jungkook again. Yuju has, in fact, fangirled over the said boy for years now and Eunha thought it would be a waste if she can’t do anything to help her best friend appeal to her ultimate crush.

“Everything. Change everything.”

Eunha, herself, could tell how harsh her words sounded but if it meant making Yuju see the right thing to do, then, she’s willing to repeat herself.

Yuju’s frown deepened and she, with her most sullen look turned to face Eunha, sprawled on the bed. She wasn’t sad because she was hurt. She was sad because Eunha is probably right and that meant she’d have to kiss her efforts goodbye.

Sympathy graced Eunha’s face as she stood up from the bed and walked over to Yuju.

“Honestly, what came into your mind for you to pick out such clothing?”

“I saw a similar fashion online and thought it would be cute on me,” Yuju replied with a pout with her head hung low although with Eunha’s shorter frame, she could still catch a glimpse of her roommate’s expression and so, with a goal in cheering up the mood, she reached out to clasp Yuju’s hands with hers, urging Yuju to look back up.

“Forget about that. Let me do my magic instead,” she said before she flashed Yuju her set of bunny teeth for a huge grin. “I’ll dress you up so good that it will make Jungkook drool once he sees you.”

*****

“Good morning,” Yuju greeted once more as she passed by another staff member. She just arrived at the studio together with her manager. She’s not sure if Jungkook is already inside or not although she could tell he probably already is considering they’re fifteen minutes late due to the immense traffic. And somehow, the thought of him brings back all the nervousness in her. Yes, Eunha made her look pretty, dressing her up with a high-waisted denim skirt and a loose and flowy white blouse and amidst her attempt to resist, Eunha also got her to wear a pair of white platform sandals to complete the look. She would have gone for the edgier and cooler pieces of clothing, but her roommate waved the idea off, saying that the more feminine ones would catch Jungkook’s attention better. It’s not like she wanted him to notice her in the first place…or does she?

“Ah, Yuju-ssi! You’re finally here!”

Yuju gave another bow to the director who’d be in charge for today. She met him once back at one of their meetings along with the rest of the crew for this collaboration. She was intimidated by him at first with all the mustache going on and not to mention his large physique and scary-looking eyes but once she got to talk with him even just for a short while, she found out that he was actually a really sweet and nice person. He was approachable, and he seemed to have a soft spot for teens like Jungkook and her as he once mentioned how he has twins who are around two years younger than them.

“Good morning, director-nim. I’m sorry we’re late.  We got caught in traffic.”

“Don’t worry about it. We are still making the final touches for the set anyway. So, you still have time,” he said in a tone she could compare to the one her dad uses whenever he talks to her. “Your stylist is waiting for you in there,” he added while he pointed to the direction of a door which had a large piece of paper, that has the words ‘DRESSING ROOM,’ taped to it.

Yuju gave another bow before she excused herself and made her way to the said door. She already lost her manager the moment they stepped inside the studio as he was called over by one of the staff members, probably the director’s assistant. That means she’s alone again and which further means she’ll be facing Jungkook by herself.

“Stylist-nim will be there. Don’t worry,” she tried to assure herself but the way her hands trembled as she walked was clearly showing that what she’s trying to tell herself isn’t working at all. She’s still nervous and there’s no question to that.

Once she reached the door, she took a moment to stand by it and just stare, not doing anything else. In her mind, she was debating on whether to walk in or to walk away, the latter being her preferred choice although she knows it isn’t the best thing to do.

“You can do it,” she told herself and somehow, it gave her a bit of motivation to reach out for the knob but right before she could even twist it open, she felt the knob being twisted from the other side and not a few seconds later, she found herself staring eye to eye with no other than Jeon Jungkook who is still in his causal clothes but whose hair is already styled for the music video shoot.

She had to admit. He looked extra handsome in that hairstyle, more so than his usual look. She thought that aiming for Jungkook to drool at the sight of her is funny if not stupid because it turns out it’s the other way around. She’s the one drooling over his features now.

“G-good morning,” Jungkook greeted.

Yuju smiled and gave her greeting in return along with a bow, but despite acting like she’s composed and not nervous at all, she couldn’t help but notice. Did he just stutter?

“Stylist-noona is already inside,” he said as he took a step to the side to give way for her to pass through the doorway.

Yuju forced out a smile amidst her tense state and replied, “Y-yeah. Thanks.”

With that, he went out the dressing room, almost in a hurry. That raised a question in Yuju’s mind as to why he’s acting strange today although she managed to shove the thought off as soon as she went to greet her stylist.

“Wow! You look super pretty today!” her stylist-unnie said before wriggling her eyebrows at her. “Did you, perhaps, dress up for Jungkook?”

Yuju’s eye bulged at her stylist who began laughing immediately upon seeing her reaction and she thought, ‘Am I that obvious?’

*****

Jungkook walked back toward the table once more. It’s probably his fourteenth time going around in a circle…or was it fifteenth already? He’s not sure. He lost count after seven. He can’t really think straight, not when his mind won’t stop replaying the image of Yuju in that white top that accentuated her innocent features and not to mention that denim skirt that showed off her legs which, if he were honest, made him sin. Yes, he checked her out but it’s not like he can help himself. He is a guy after all and she basically looked ethereal wearing even just those casual clothing although he also wonders if he’s just acting this way because he already admitted his liking for her.

Jungkook reckoned the last one must be it. Maybe the reason why his mind is so messed up right now is because he’s no longer denying the attraction he has for GFriend’s main vocal. He’s no longer oblivious to what it is his mind is trying to tell him.

“Jungkook, have your makeup done. We’ll be starting soon,” the director told him when he noticed the young lad wandering in the corner of the studio like a lost pup. He slowly made his way over to him and asked, “Are you okay? You seem troubled?”

Jungkook waved off the question by answering, “I’m fine. It’s nothing. Just nervous, is all.”

With one of his children being a boy like Jungkook, the director knew something was up, but he dared not to push it. Thus, he gave the lad a gentle pat on the shoulder before he took his leave.

A sigh of relief escaped Jungkook’s lips as he looked at the director’s retreating figure. The last thing he wants is for others, staff member or not, to know about his little crush. Heck, if it does leak out, it probably won’t take long before it reaches Bang PD-nim’s ears. Maybe an hour or so. That would definitely mean he’d have ‘the talk’ given to him by their producer.

“Get it together,” he mumbled as he slapped both sides of his face with his hands. “Yuju’s just a girl. You’ve been with girls before.”

He blinked. Was that even true?

…

…

…

He thought, “My mother’s a girl. I’ve been with her all these years. That counts, right?”

“Definitely not,” he said as another sigh went past his lips. He never knew liking someone could be this frustrating to the point that he could feel most of his energy being drained just by thinking about it.

*****

“Okay, now I want you, Jungkook, to slowly reach out for Yuju’s right hand and then intertwine your fingers with hers before you pull her closer to your side,” the director instructed using his microphone and his words echoed throughout the entire studio via the massive speakers, causing every staff member to grow silent and look at the couple sitting at the center of the studio both with flushed faces.

“Isn’t that too much proximity?” Yuju saw her manager say to the director at his side but the latter just waved it off, mouthing, what she could see as, ‘It’s fine’ or something like that. She’s not sure but whatever it is, it definitely did not change the director’s mind. It’s not like they’re all questioning his skills on making this music video perfect but Jungkook and her were idols. The former even have thousands or possibly millions of fans. He’s basically a danger zone especially for female idols like Yuju. Hence, the uncertainty in GFriend’s main vocal to push through with the idea.

Jungkook, on the other hand, seems to have forgotten how popular he is among the female population because as soon as he heard what the director has to offer for them, his mind focused on nothing but the thought of being a bit intimate with his collaboration partner. He thanked the Heavens that he, along with the producers, agreed on having them as the main stars of the video instead of hiring people to do the job, which was intendedly the first option before Bang PD-nim pushed both of them to explore their skills in acting. He, hands down, agreed especially when their song is a romantic one.

“So, are we just going to stand here and wait or are we going to continue the shoot?”

The director was teasing them now, with an arched brow and a playful smile on his face. Jungkook laughed it off but Yuju could only swallow a lump in . She does have not much of a say on how this shoot should go.

“Yuju, act like you weren’t expecting Jungkook’s move and Jungkook, try to make yourself seem sly. Okay, we’re shooting in three!”

Yuju’s heart began to race and she wonders if Jungkook would feel how nervous she is once he holds her hand.

“Three…”

She bit her lips and tried to regain her composure.

“Two…”

For a second, she glanced at Jungkook, but she saw that he was already ready to act and, so she did the same, she tried to play her character, trying desperately not to give her nervousness away.

“One…Action!”

Jungkook has always been timid around girls. Growing up with no one else but his hyungs all the time gave him little to no experience with the opposite but as of the moment, he’s asking himself how in the world did he become this confident in trying to make a move on Yuju. He didn’t even need to act the director’s idea because he was willing to do such a thing in real life anyway. In fact, he might not even be playing a role in this music video. Here, he’s just Jungkook, taking advantage of the situation for his benefit.

The two idol’s hands slowly intertwined. The action made Yuju’s insides squeal. She’s never held Jungkook’s hand before. It felt warm and honestly comforting. She reckons she could get used to the feeling, but she’d rather die first that admit it to him or anyone else.

She also couldn’t help but take note of how gentle he is in pulling her close. He’s treating her like a treasured fragile porcelain doll and that caused the butterflies fleeting in her stomach to multiply a hundred times.

Yuju was caught up with her raging mind that she did not even notice herself slowly leaning her head on Jungkook’s shoulder. It was only when she felt him rest his head on hers did she realize what in the hell she just did. And as soon as she remembered how the cameras were still on them, she closed her eyes to make it seem like she was acting out her role as the female lead when in fact, she just wants to savor this rare moment in her life. She thought that not every fangirl could get the opportunity to be this close to her bias, so she might as well make good use of it and enjoy the feeling.

 “And cut!” the director’s voice boomed. He was obviously proud of them. His tone was showing too much of his enthusiasm. “Bravo! That was perfect! Definitely the scene I had in my mind!”

Yuju was the first one to break away when the camera lights turned off and their acting time ended. Even if she still wants to remain that close to Jungkook for a little longer, she knows it would be inappropriate so with a kind of heavy heart, she gave the moment up.

Jungkook was trying to hide his frown. He was already reveling in Yuju’s warmth and the feeling of being romantic with her, but she just had to shy away. Of course, he understood that they weren’t even doing it because they’re a couple but they’re doing it because it’s part of their job. However, he still sees this music video shoot as his opportunity to get closer with her without giving too much of his real motives away.

“Since you guys nailed that one, let’s take it up a notch.”

That sentence alone raised alert on Yuju. The previous scene was already too much for her little heart and now the director is saying that wasn’t all. She mentally asks how she’d survive this day if almost all of the director’s idea is killing her sweetly.

*****

“I don’t think it’s enough,” the director mumbled, mostly to himself, as soon as he, along with the two idols, finished watching the short clip from the small computer screen.

Hearing him, Yuju wanted to rip all her hair out, not because she’s frustrated at how the director seems to be unpleased by their acting, which she could say was the best she could do, but it’s mostly because him, being dissatisfied, means she must shoot with Jungkook all over again and it’ll probably be cheesier, and not to mention more heart-pounding, than the previous one.

“We need to do this scene again.”

And there it goes. The words Yuju was desperately praying not to hear.

If only it were normal for her to scream in a sudden, she would have done it. It’s not like she doesn’t want to be more intimate with Jungkook. Cross her heart, she still does, but what she’s afraid of is the possibility of her giving her true feelings away any moment from now. For the past hours they’ve been acting all lovey-dovey for the music video, she’s been willing herself so hard so as not to voice out loud all the words echoing in her mind which were mostly made up of confessions about her liking for a certain brown-haired boy. It’s as if her head is telling her to let her object of affection know but her heart is saying so otherwise. This, so far, is the only encounter she has that she finally could relate to what others would often say about the different dictates of the mind and the heart and she swore, they weren’t kidding when they said it is never easy to have to listen to both in order to make a single decision. Looking for a compromise isn’t a piece of cake also.

“How about a kiss on the cheek? I think that would add a little more flare to the scene.”

Golf balls? No, probably basketballs already. That’s how big Yuju felt her eyes were upon hearing what Jungkook has to say. Yes, she knows he loves doing his best in everything, but a kiss may just be too much. She’s still too young to be murdered by his diehard fans. She even hasn’t fulfilled most of her dreams yet. She still has too much to live for that the thought of receiving hate from Jungkook’s fangirls, which would probably leave her dead, is a massive NO.

There was also silence on the part of the director, but it was soon overcome by his cheer when he fathomed how brilliant of an idea a kiss would be, for him that is but definitely not for Yuju.

He clapped his hands once and held up a thumb up for Jungkook. “That is amazing. I love the suggestion. Let’s do it.”

“NO!”

“No?” the director repeated as a question with his brow raised a little when Yuju suddenly raised her voice as an act of negating. He did, in fact, never imagined Yuju to have a rebellious side in her. She even showed much obedience to him these past few hours so seeing her complain now was absolutely strange.

“No…I mean…yes…I mean…ahhhh!” Yuju ruffled her hair lightly as anxiety began to paint her face. “I’m not making sense, am I?”

“You’re not.”

Yuju took in a deep breath and right after doing so, her eyes flickered toward her collaboration partner and despite the possibility of her being wrong, she still thought that there was evident disappointment in the lad’s eyes. It only made her feel guilty for trying to turn down his suggestion.

“Is a kiss too much?” Jungkook asked as he returned the stare he was receiving from Yuju. “We could forget about it if it makes you uncomfortable.”

Jungkook thinks he’s dumb for being so rash and suggesting such a silly thing for his sake but he also could not deny that he felt dispirited, mostly at himself, for failing in his effort of making a move without being too obvious. He thought that Yuju probably found out about his little crush by now.

Yuju was about to open for a reply but the director beat her to it.

“No! It’s perfect. Let’s do it.”

With eyes wide, Yuju looked at him. She knows he’s aware of what fans are capable of doing but he’s still pushing the kiss. He may want her to live in misery after the release of this video.

“Trust me on this one,” he said when he noticed the look Yuju had on her face. He flashed her a smile along with two thumbs up. “This video will be a bomb.”

*****

Yuju nervously drummed her fingers to the carpeted floor where she currently sat. She was minutes away from being kissed by Jungkook and to say that her entire system is going haywire would be understating it. She’s probably just one string away from going mad and her raging heart that won’t seem to beat normally is definitely not aiding her mental state.

“Okay! To your positions everyone!” the director yelled as if the microphone wasn’t enough and everyone immediately began to scatter to their designated areas.

Jungkook fixed himself right after he shook his hands to prevent the unnecessary shaking it was making. He turned to glance at his reflection on the mirror beside him to check his form one last time before he heard the sound of the clapperboard which signaled the start of their shoot.

Yuju desperately tried to act out her role without being too obvious at how tense she is. She pretended to read the book in her hands, as per instruction by the director, and quite honestly, with her current state, she can’t even decipher a single word written on the book.

She slowly heard Jungkook approaching from behind, but the idea was for the girl to be caught off guard by her ‘boyfriend’ and she is to act surprised once he gives her a back hug, so she acted calm while supposedly reading the book. It didn’t take long before she felt Jungkook’s arms encircle her waist and his warmth was emitted to her cold and nervous body. She mentally cursed for enjoying this moment and at the same time, she prayed that he won’t notice how she’s taking advantage of this scene.

Yuju almost forgot what to do next as she savored the feeling of Jungkook’s embrace. Fortunately, she was snapped back to her right senses when she felt his face inch closer to her. Following the script, she leaned to the side to take a look at Jungkook and he faced her as well. Looking at how casual he is at acting such an intimate scene, Yuju couldn’t help but feel envious. He’s acting like a professional while she, on the other hand, is almost losing her mind.

They went still, staring at each other for a few seconds and even if Yuju couldn’t see the faces of the people around them, she could tell how much their anticipation is growing. She could feel their excitement in the air.

Jungkook smiled just as the director instructed him a while ago but truth be told, he didn’t even need to be told what to do. He’s basically acting on impulse now, but it turns out what his mind is telling him to do is just what is needed in this scene. He doesn’t need a script to act sweet toward Yuju. He’d do it in a heartbeat.

It probably melted, her heart. Seeing the cute smile Jungkook has to offer, Yuju felt her insides jiggle. The boy was too adorable for his own good.

Yuju was too busy getting caught up in her admiration for BTS’ maknae that she did not even notice him leaning forward toward her face. She only comprehended reality when she felt his lips touching her cheek. She would have savored the feeling, but it didn’t take more than two seconds before he moved away, and the director shouted ‘Cut.’

Almost everyone in the studio whooped after the scene. Even the cameramen couldn’t help but smile. For them, the two idols were definitely something to be proud of. No one didn’t need to ask if a retake was needed because all knew how perfect the first shot was.

“I’m so glad I got to work with such talented people like you two,” the director said as he saw Jungkook and Yuju approaching him. He offered his hands and the two gave him a high five, one by one.

“I guess that would be all for this scene,” Jungkook replied as he went over to the computer scene to monitor the recent shoot. Despite saying such a thing, he couldn’t help but admit that he feels a little disappointed though. Having a one-time take means he only got to hug Yuju and kiss her cheek for a single time and that, for him, absolutely .

Yuju stepped to stand on Jungkook’s side, making sure to maintain a good distance between them. Jungkook noticed this and ushered for her to move closer. She hesitated but reasoned out that it would be disrespectful to disobey her sunbae’s request and, so she took two steps nearer to him.

“The ending part is the best one for me,” the director stated as he joined the two in watching and as he spoke, almost in cue, the scene reached the part he was referring too. In it, Jungkook has just finished making his kiss and as they watched the scene unfold, Yuju realized one thing. She forgot to play her part after the kiss.

“But why did they seem so satisfied?” she thought as she continued to look at the screen and upon watching intently, she got the answer to her question because right there, after Jungkook’s kiss sat her, smiling like the idiot she is whenever she fangirled over him. She doesn’t even look like she’s acting.

“Oh, God,” she whispered. She doesn’t even need to look at the two people beside her to know that they heard her, but she doesn’t care if they did or they did not. What she’s more concerned of is the fact that she just made herself obvious and it’s going to be aired on television and posted online. Millions are going to see how stupid she looked after the kiss and they are all going to comment negatively about it. She’d bet her life on it.

*****

Because it's Friday, here's a chapter for you. I had this sitting in my laptop for days now. Just had the time to update today with school already starting. Hope you liked it. 

P.S. Next chapter would be the last one. :(