#02 — Jungkook

It was your sister-in-law's birthday. You never got along particularly well, but you weren't exactly on bad terms either. You agreed to go with Jungkook because you thought spending more time together would help things improve. The celebration was a barbecue at a restaurant. There were friends and family, and everything was normal until JiEun arrived. You already knew your sister-in-law still got along very well with Jungkook's ex. You weren't surprised to see her walk in. What hurt was realizing you'd expected it. They greeted her too casually, and soon after, Jungkook started talking to her, until someone mentioned that time they wanted to adopt a dog because they still felt too young for children. While he was chatting so calmly with the woman with whom he'd almost built a life, you couldn't even mention your best friend without him getting upset. He once told you that it made him uncomfortable seeing him so close because he felt you wanted something more. You distanced yourself because you thought that if something was hurting him, it wasn't worth keeping. So why couldn't he do the same? You couldn't hold back and blurted something out in front of everyone. Jungkook stood up and led you out of the restaurant. As soon as you were outside, he let go of your hand and said, annoyed, "What's wrong with you? Did you really make a scene over this?" You looked at him and replied, "I don't know. Everyone loves her. Your sister loves her. Your friends love her. She's a good match for you. She's pretty, confident, and likes the same things you do. What do I have to do with her besides trying not to feel stupid every time I see her? I distanced myself from my best friend for you. I never made you feel like I was overreacting. I did it for us. You never do that for me." He was silent for a moment and replied, "I'm with you. And yet I have to feel guilty for talking to someone from my past? You know what tires me? These scenes. At least she never did this." Silence. And for the first time, you weren't afraid of losing him to her. You were afraid that, deep down, he believed everyone was right.