❒ pairing: Jungkook x 8thmember!OC
❒ genre: Romance
❒ words: 11k+
❒ summary: In which a bouquet of flowers can be worth more than a thousand words
❒ warnings: None I guess
❒ notes: The first part is set at the London stage of the Love yourself World Tour, but Jungkook didn't got injured; Inspired by a prompt found on Tumblr; Bold and Italic at the same time indicates a sentence said in English.
October 2018; London
"You know, this whole thing has really got on my nerves."
She'd lost count. She'd fucking lost count of how many times, since the beginning of their tour, gals tried to sleep with her boyfriend. Fucking groupies.
At the end of concerts, in the backstage area, they were constantly being introduced to the group as 'sisters' of... 'cousins' of... 'friends' of...
She could not totally blame the girls , in the opposite scenario she would have also taken advantage of acquaintances in order to meet loved celebrities, but from here to shamelessly hit on them would have been beyond belief.
"You know I don't even look at them."
Chaeri walked fast, slipping off the stage gloves she had kept on during the last performance. She glanced sideways at her boyfriend, who was supporting her pace smoothly
"That doesn't piss me off any less, and you know it."
"I know but-"
"If I could just tell everyone that I am your girlfriend these things wouldn't happen anymore."
The sentence barely whispered, but clear enough for him to hear.
There could certainly have been many benefits in being the only girl within a group with 7 other men, but the basic rule of not being able to establish romantic relationships with each other in any way made it all very tough when you were madly in love with one of your bandmates.
They were quick to arrive at the door of the changing room where Chaeri would undress and shower before getting into the vehicle that would take them back to the hotel. Jungkook made sure they were alone and away from prying eyes before taking her face in his hands. His eyes filled with bitterness for what even he could hardly tolerate
"I know, love. But we have to keep this up for a while longer, we can't risk it now."
Chaeri closed her eyes and abandoned her face against the boy's hand, and the anger flowed out of her body as if drained in one go. The mere touch of her boyfriend had the power to calm her and keep her hot head at bay.
"Don't you see how messed up is this?" Jungkook had no need to look into her eyes, which were currently closed, to sense his girlfriend's discomfort "We have to pretend like we're not together, just to please a bunch of old men in suits?"
"It's not just about pleasing them. It's about protecting ourselves. We could ruin everything we and the other members've worked so hard for"
Chaeri took a step back, moving away from the gentle touch the boy reserved only for her "I get that, but it's killing me to keep this a secret. I want to be able to hold your hand in public, to kiss you whenever I want. Is that so much to ask?"
"No, it's not. But we have to be smart about this. We can't just throw everything away on a whim. We have to plan carefully"
Chaeri was aware everything Jungkook was trying to tell her was reasonable, yet she could not tame the negative feelings she was feeling at that moment.
"How long do we have to keep this up? One more year? Two-Five years?!" Her voice rose without her being able to control it, she was getting nervous again
Jungkook moved closer to her, his finger on his lips to make her speak quieter. Their chests almost touched and Chaeri's back was pressed against the door of her dressing room
"I don't know, but we will find a way to make it work. We always do" Jungkook's voice was so soft that it was hardly audible to her, only because they were awfully close
"I just don't want to look back on our lives and regret not being honest about who we are"
"And I don't want that either. We have to be patient. We'll find a way to be together, in public, without risking everything we've worked for" "We'll figure this out. Together"
"Sometimes I think this situation is preventing me from feeling loved in the right way"
His fingers stroked her cheeks and yet there were no further words between them, knowing that what Chaeri said was the truth for them both.
October 2018; Netherlands
It took a WHOLE night - literally - for Chaeri and Taehyung.
A whole night of flying and then a car ride to convince the staff in charge of their schedule to slightly alter the well-organised plan they had drawn up months ago.
They had just landed in the Netherlands, Amsterdam to be precise, after leaving the night after their last show in London
As usual whenever they were about to visit a city for the first time, Chaeri and Tae had spent the hours before the flight scouring online for all types of information about the place.
One of the results at the top of the long list - right after the world-famous Red Light District - was the 'Keukenhof Gardens' only about 30 km away from the city.
As lovers of aesthetics, the two had set themselves the task of finding time to visit the site.
It was not simple, though, to convince the staff who were rather stubborn about using the limited time they had available for productive use. They were rather quick to give them permission when the boy casually proclaimed that if he couldn't see the flowers, well, he would surely go in search of some other kind of plants. If you know what I mean.
"I read there are many shops in the Red Light District that sell this kind of th-"
"We said OK Taehyung, stop it."
"I was just saying that-"
"No"
"Unnie, let him finish what he was saying"
"I've had enough of both of you. Been hearing you brats talking all night, please let me sleep at least in the car"
"God, thank you. I couldn't stand them any longer either."
"Yoongi hyung!"
"Shush"
. . . . . ◟੭
The pictures on internet nowhere compared to how beautiful the place was in real life.
As they arrived to the Keukenhof Gardens, all of them were immediately struck by the beauty and vibrancy of the flowers. The gardens were bursting with millions of colorful tulips, daffodils, hyacinths, and other flowers, creating a stunning display of nature's beauty.
"The gardens cover over 32 hectares and feature over 800 varieties of tulips, making it one of the largest flower gardens in the world"
The presence of a guide made the experience even more complete, except though Chaeri hardly understood anything he said. Luckily their trusted translator had followed them and made every single word understandable even to her ears.
"The gardens were originally created in the 15th century as a kitchen garden for the nearby castle. They were then transformed into a flower garden in the 19th century, and have since become one of the most popular tourist attractions in the Netherlands."
"Joon, can you ask him which section of the gardens is his favorite?"
RM, only a few steps away from her, agreed to her request only after telling her that one day they would have to resume their English lessons
"Oh, that's a tough one" The guide replied, pointing his eyes at her "I think the English landscape garden is particularly beautiful, with its relaxed and natural feel. But I also love the South Asian garden, which is known to have some rather rare flower colours"
After patiently waiting for a translation to the man's words, with her imperfect English "I wanna see it"
"I'd like to draw your attention to the beautiful Red Gardenia. This flower has a rich history and symbolism attached to it, and I'm sure you'll find it fascinating"
She spotted that flower just a second before the guide mentioned it. Squatting down on her knees, she lowered herself to its level, wanting to admire its magnificence better.
"In many cultures, the Red Gardenia is associated with secret or forbidden love. It's said that giving someone a red gardenia is a way of expressing your love and affection for them, even if you can't do so openly. The flower represents the passion and intensity of a secret romance, and the longing to be with someone you cannot fully have"
She couldn't stop the direction her eyes took, straight towards Jungkook, only to find that he had also had the same response.
He also crouched down, quietly, to study the flower closer.
"Funny how such a majestic blossom can symbolize something to be kept secret" The girl was tempted to caress with her fingertips the silky petals just a palm away from her nose, but the rules about 'look but don't touch' did not allow her to do so
"Perhaps that's exactly the reason. The more majestic something is, the more you want to protect it and keep it secret." Jungkook joined before getting up and returning to the others' side.
They were still talking about gardenias, weren't they?
. . . . . ◟੭
She was exhausted. The tour had been going on for months and the fatigue of all the wonderful nights spent singing and dancing with the fans was starting to take its toll. Chaeri was like this, in a rush of adrenaline and energy as long as her body was moving but at the exact moment she stopped, her eyes so heavy she could barely keep them open.
She waved quickly to Yoongi, Jimin, Hobi and Jin who, like her, were one by one entering their hotel rooms. They all shared the same floor. Of the other three she only knew that they had gone to get something to eat at the hotel restaurant, but she was too sleepy even to do that.
Chaeri swiped her magnetic card over the door lock to trigger it, the lights inside turned on automatically. The bed was a mess with the inside of her suitcase almost entirely spilled onto the sheets. When she had left that morning, she was far too in a hurry to put things away. She was regretting it so bad.
Okay, she was going to take a shower then pack and finally go to sleep. She walked into the room as she began to shrug off her jacket and boots, then her eyes picked up something that did not blend in with the faded white colors of the room.
A bouquet of red flowers rested on the coffee table in the middle of the room.
Not simple red flowers, but red gardenias.
She approached the bouquet and was hit with a wave of sweet, floral fragrance. The gardenias were carefully arranged in a tall glass vase, with their vibrant petals not yet fully open to reveal their intricate centres.
As she looked at them, Chaeri noticed that some of the flowers were slightly wilted, as if they had been left out of water for too long. She couldn't help but wonder if this was a reflection of their own relationship in recent weeks. Wedged between the stems, a small note. She didn't need to read the signature at the bottom of it to know from whom they had been sent.
I love you just as much as I always have, even if others can't see it
Her heart softened. That love consumed her and put her back together every day.
She headed back to the door, without shoes or jacket, determined to reach him.
How stupid could she have been to spend the time between them complaining rather than making the most of it?
All she had to do was take a step outside to literally end up sent back inside.
Jungkook was right there in front of her, one fist still raised in the gesture of knocking on the door.
"I was just about to..."
She didn't give him a chance to finish what he was about to say, she grabbed onto his hoodie and dragged him into the room, closing the door behind her.
She lifted herself up on her toes to reach his lips, as if they had been water after a long time in the desert.
Her hands ended up in his hair and pulled the points of it.
He was hers, regardless of whether others saw them or not. Hers. Hers. Hers.
Life had given her a blessing and she wasn't going to waste it.
Jungkook bent down just enough to grip her thighs with his hands and pull her up, making her cling to his body better
"This leads me to assume that you liked my flowers"
Chaeri laughed against his lips "Very clever of you"
He carried and placed her to the bed, exactly on top of all the clothes strewn on the sheets. He snuggled right between her legs, again reaching to be a breath away from her face. He placed his forehead against hers, making their noses touch
"We'll figure this out. Together."
"Together."
Chaeri suddenly felt hopeful. They were going to make it work. Wouldn't have it any other way.
+ The next day Chaeri was photographed by paparazzi at the airport with a beautiful gardenia in her hair