Hyunji’s hair still felt damp against her skin as she lay on her side in bed, having dressed into a fresh pair of pyjamas after taking a nice long and relaxing shower. The clock was almost nearing midnight and she could still hear the distant sounds coming from the other side of the bathroom door since Jungkook had decided to take a shower right after her. It didn’t take too long to hear the soft click of the handle and then her husband walking out in another one of his oversized t-shirts with a pair of shorts, still attempting to dry his hair with a towel. They lock eyes for a moment and then Hyunji glances back at her phone screen and the instagram feed that was displayed in front of her. 

“Couldn’t sleep without me?” Jungkook hummed, walking across their home and to the kitchen before grabbing an apple from their small fruit bowl and setting the head towel on the backrest of one of the island chairs. 

She scoffed, not just at his usual delusional comments but for leaving the towel on the chair as he chewed on the apple and began walking towards their bed. 

“You wish,” 

He shrugs and grabs his charging phone from its place on the nightstand on his side of the bed, momentarily preoccupied by his notifications as he continues to take another big bite from his apple. And the next minute he’s putting his phone back down and ruffling his hair, his eyes falling back on Hyunji who laid with her back to him, still scrolling through her phone. 

“Do you think the principal knowing makes you feel better about everything?”

The question was abrupt, catching Hyunji off guard. But she was beginning to notice a pattern, like how he tended to share whatever was on his mind rather than waiting for it to be brought up. Even so she takes a moment to answer to formulate something to say and to be honest about it. 

“I think so. It makes me feel better that I know there’s no academic consequences.” she mutters, attempting to continue to scroll through her feed even though her mind wasn’t focused on what was displayed in front of her. 

She feels the dip in the bed and the movement of the sheets. 

“I don’t think there would be, anyway. The school has no business in our personal lives.” he takes a bite from where he sit cross legged on the mattress and chews for another few seconds before glancing back over at her, “I mean even I was fucking terrified when he called us to his office today.” 

“Yeah,” 

Hyunji thinks back to the moment they were sitting in their class, all the students focused on the worksheet that they were given to complete in silence until there was a knock on the classroom door followed by their principal popping in and asking for her and Jungkook specifically. They had glanced at each other, her anxiety rising as their chemistry teacher let them go. And it was definitely at its peak when they found themselves sitting anxiously in front of the principal in complete silence, anticipating what was next before the elder man was left sighing and removing his glasses. 

“I’ve heard about what has been going on back at home.” 

Hyunji could remember the way that she gulped down her saliva and gripped onto the fabric of her skirt, sharing glances with Jungkook. 

“And because you are both adults, I have no obligation to get you back to your parents.” the principal continued, staring at the two frightened teenagers finally relaxing a bit. “However, I will warn you to be careful with yourselves. Your parents were understandably not happy when they came in yesterday, Hyunji.”

Of course they weren’t. 

She ran away from home for a boy she wasn’t even in love with. 

“I have no idea what has encouraged you both to take this path, but please be smart about what you do. This is still a school environment, and although I am in charge of my student’s safety at school, I still hope you are making the right choices outside as well.” 

And although the principal reassured them that he would try his best to keep Hyunji away from her parents for as long as she likes, she still couldn’t ignore the twist in her gut that told her she wasn’t safe, which only confused her more because her parents had never necessarily hurt her. 

Just been heavily restrictive. 

“Hey,” she feels her fringe tucked back behind her ear as she looks up to find Jungkook peering over her curiously, “you zoned out.” 

“Oh sorry,” she mutters, not having noticed that the same video of a brownie recipe had been replayed about three times already. She shifts over to look at him, “what did you say?” 

“My dad pulled me aside today about your parents coming again. He’s very insistent on knowing where we’ve been staying.” he responds before withdrawing to allow her to fully lay on her back and talk to him more comfortably. 

“Did you tell him?” Hyunji asks only for him to shake his head. 

“I don’t want to tell them until we both decide that we’re comfortable.” 

“Have you talked to your mom at all?” 

“I just send her a text saying I’m okay. She still tries to call me everyday but I just don’t answer.” He laughs out the last bit, almost in a sad manner and she could tell that there was more that he wanted to say. And he finds the courage to go on.

“It’s weird, but I feel too guilty to answer her calls. I know she’s just worried, but I guess I’m not ready to face her yet either.”

Hyunji sits back and listens, nodding in understanding. It was the first time that he was opening up about his feelings about the whole event, without having to reassure her that everything was okay, and in a way it made her feel better that she wasn’t the only one having mixed emotions. 

“Maybe we should tell them, Jungkook.” Hyunji whispers, sitting up this time. “Maybe you parents should at least know, especially since they’ve been taking it better than mine have.” 

His eyes trail up to meet hers, almost as if asking if she was sure. 

“It wouldn’t bother you?” he asks carefully and watches as she shakes her head. 

“I think they’ve come to terms with it.” 

She watches him purse his lips for a moment and look away, like he was thinking before finally meeting her eyes. 

“Let’s just sleep on it for now, and we’ll see.” 

- - - 

“I wanted to ask if it would be alright if I went out with Sumni today.” 

The bright sky outside reflects the wonderful weather outside. They had just entered the month of October a week ago, so it wasn’t surprising that the weather was still warm enough to walk out in a t-shirt without being too chilly. But of course with their school uniforms, she was grateful the weather was getting cooler day by day. 

“Why wouldn’t it be?” Jungkook responds, glancing over at her before looking back to the road ahead of them as they headed to school. Thankfully the traffic wasn’t too crazy that morning, and they were definitely getting better at adjusting their schedule to get to school on time. 

There’s a pause as Hyunji attempts to find something to say. This was one of those moments where she forgot that he wasn’t her parents, and that he in fact didn’t act anything like them either. So why was it that she still acted like she would have to give him a valid reason to go see her best friend? She looks down at her hands resting on her lap as she gently shrugs.

“I don’t know. We haven’t been apart since we’ve moved so I wanted to make sure you’re okay with it?” 

“You don’t need my permission to hang out with your friends, Ji.” Jungkook answered reassuringly, and she realised that her habit of just having to ask to do anything was what made her feel off. So far he genuinely treated her like an equal which was a treatment she was still trying to grow accustomed to. 

It was the right way, but it felt wrong. 

“Do you need the car?” he asks after a few seconds pass buy. . 

“Don’t you have practice tonight?” 

“I could just take the bus home.” 

“Are you sure?”

Jungkook briefly nods as he turns into their school parking lot, slowing the vehicle down as he looks for an open space. 

“Speaking of going out though,” he begins after a moment, finding a spot further down the parking lot, “The fair is still going on, do you wanna go tomorrow just to get some fresh air?” 

She’s caught off guard by his ofter, her eyes wandering from the scenery outside to look at him instead, almost as if he would take back his offer. But to her relief he didn’t, rather seeming to wait for her to give him an answer. 

But there was just another thought keeping her distracted. 

Was it supposed to be a date? 

Or was this a casual hang out that was indeed just to get out of the house. But then again, he was her husband now and maybe simply going out was considered a date anyway. 

And as curious as she was for an answer, she didn’t have the courage to inform him of her thoughts, choosing to keep them to herself instead. 

“Yeah sure, that’ll be nice.” she answers. “What time were you thinking?” 

“Doesn’t matter. My friends and I usually go once the sun’s down, but I guess we’ll see tomorrow.” 

Hyunji nods along before they’re grabbing their bags and heading towards the school, suddenly looking forward to her new plans and definitely updating her best friend on all the events. 

- - - 

“There’s no secret to making a girl feel satisfied. It’s easy really, and you don’t need a huge dick or whatever shit social media is going off about.” 

Jungkook grabs another pair of his boxers from the laundry basket, curiously watching the tiktok that popped up on his screen as his phone lay on his thigh. He briefly looks away to fold his underwear and place it on the pile of the others before turning back to the woman on the screen. 

“You. Have. To. Listen. To. Her. Body. That’s all. See? There’s no secret.” 

He grabs a blue shirt from the pile next, immediately assuming it was Hyunji’s considering he definitely couldn’t fit into it.

“If something makes her louder or grip you harder or make her tremble. You’re doing it right! Just pay attention to her and her getting off on it will definitely get you off too.”

He tilts his head, thinking. He believed he had noticed her do all those.  

“Or if you just can’t tell, ask! Communicate! Ask her if it makes her feel good!”

Before grabbing whatever was next in the clean pile of clothes, he scrolls to the next video mindlessly. He notices the pink shaded panties he had pulled out, a small daisy embroidered in the centre. 

He couldn’t recall her ever wearing them. They were cute. 

“Wanan know a cool trick that might not only speed things up but impress your girl before some sexy time?"

He didn’t know when his phone had blown up so much with tiktoks about sex, but then again he could never know too much, could he?

“Try this trick to unclip her bra with just a single hand.”

Jungkook watches curiously, observing the way that the man in the video unclip the bra on display in barely a second with his one hand. 

And suddenly he wanted to know how too. 

He looks around their quiet home as if there would be someone else lurking in the corner, curious to know what he was up to. But no, Hyunji had gone to meet up with her best friend and still wasn’t back the past few hours that he had spent at practice before figuring out what to do with their dirty laundry that seemed to be accumulating in their bin. He resorted to throwing them into a bag and heading down the street to the nearest laundromat before taking interest in the internet cafe just across where he spent his time waiting for their clothes to be washed and dried. 

And she still wasn’t back. 

It felt odd being alone at home. 

He goes to turn back to the video, his eye catching a pink bra settles among the pile of clean clothes waiting to be folded. Without thinking, he grabs it from the pile and watches the video once more before repeating what the man was doing on the bra that now lay on his lap. 

A curse leaves his lips as he fails and restarts the video before doing it again. 

He struggles with the hook, slightly frustrated that it was more difficult than it looked and before he could attempt it again, he hears the click of the front door, his head whipping towards it before quickly folding away the bra and shutting off his phone. Hyunji pops out from the other side, her eyes scanning the room before landing on him sitting in the centre of their home with a pile of laundry and folded clothes around him. He shoots her a smile of greeting as he snatches a shirt of his from the basket to make himself look busy. 

“Hey,” she says as she takes off her shoes and begins to walk over with curiosity. “What are you up to?”

He clears his throat and lifts the shirt in his hand. 

“Laundry.” 

She sets their car keys down on the kitchen counter and slips off her bag too. 

“I didn’t know you could do laundry.” 

“Well, sometimes I’d have to wash some of my jersey’s for practice or going out, so…”

“Ah, okay.”

“How was your hangout?” he asks, putting away the shirt he had just folded and watches her take a seat on the edge of their bed. 

“It was good. I had a great time.” 

“Glad to hear that.” 

They fall into silence before Hyunji mutters how she’s gonna change and freshen up, to which he just nods and curses at how he had lost the video once she’s gone.