Mark Me { Jeon Jungkook Fanfic }

Chapter 7

            Celia stood in Joon-Woo's office, refusing to take the seat he had offered her when she arrived.

"Look, I came because you called and said you had something to say, but I'm not staying long," she cautioned.

Joon-Woo raised his reddened eyes to meet hers. The effects of last night's overindulgence were still in clear view, but he was much more subdued and no longer combative.

"Listen," he began. "I know I screwed up last night. I had too much to drink, and I can't even remember half of what I said. But the parts I do remember are bad enough," he said, standing up from his desk and moving toward Celia.

She backed up slightly, signaling that she didn't want him to come any closer. He stopped in his tracks and just stood looking at the floor. "What I'm trying to say is that I don't want you to leave. Please, stay," he pleaded. "I never meant those things I said. Well, I mean, I didn't mean the bad parts. I did mean what I said about liking you," he admitted.

Celia nodded slightly and said, "I accept your apology, but I have decided to quit. It's good timing for me. I have future plans, and this situation was just the kick in the ass I needed to move forward," she explained. "So, actually, I want to thank you for pushing me forward. It was exactly what I needed."

"I know you're trying to make me feel better, but honestly, it just makes me feel worse to hear that my words were the final nail in the coffin on your decision to go," Joon-Woo said. "I need you to be honest with me," he said, rubbing his hand over the sharp corner of his desk. "Do I have any chance at all, or should I give up?"

Celia was moved with compassion, seeing his pleading eyes, but she knew that the most merciful thing to do was to tell him the truth. She put a comforting hand on his shoulder and said, "You gave me a job. You taught me everything I know about tattooing. You have been the best mentor I could have had. But with all that said, I'm not in love with you," she admitted. "And I never will be. So, you should give up. Save yourself some time and heartache."

Joon-Woo cleared his throat. "Well, thank you for your honesty."

"Sure," Celia said as she turned to go.

"Celia!" Joon-Woo called after her. "Try to remember the good times, OK?"

She flashed him a thumbs up and vowed, "Will do."

When she arrived back at her apartment, she found Jungkook as she had left him that afternoon, still sorting through mounds of submissions to the website. He was viewing and categorizing the submissions to be compiled in a petition to the legislature to strengthen protections for soldiers and create more strident punishments for abusers.

"How's it going?" Celia asked, plopping down on the floor beside Jungkook.

"There's just so much to wade through. I never thought we would have over 10,000 submissions in just a month," he explained. "But I feel like the government is going to have to take notice of this movement because the sheer numbers are just overwhelming. The people are crying out for justice, and you and I are at the forefront of it." Jungkook took her hand and lay his cheek against it. "None of this would be happening without you," he affirmed.

Celia smiled. "You're the brave one. I'm just the hype guy, getting you all amped up to fight."

"Well, thank you for the hype. I need it," Jungkook said, standing up and stretching. "I've been sitting on the floor for hours wading through all of this. Some of it is rather triggering, I have to admit."

Celia stood as well. "Let's go out and take a break. Even soldiers get leave sometimes," she reasoned. "You can't fight non-stop without a little respite here and there."

They picked up their jackets, put their outdoor shoes on, and stepped out of the apartment.

"Where do you want to go?" Jungkook asked.

Celia laughed. "Oh, well, I had no plan. I hope you didn't think I actually had an agenda in mind."

"Do you know what my favorite thing is to do?" he asked, lacing his fingers through hers.

"Tell me," Celia urged.

"I like to take night walks on the beach," he answered. "It's so peaceful at night. All the people are gone, and you can just hear the water. It's incredible."

"I'm in," Celia replied. "But I have one request," she said, swinging his arm back and forth. "I want ice cream."

"And you shall have it," declared Jungkook, steering her toward a convenience store.

When they emerged with their ice cream, the sun had begun to set. So, they headed straight to the beach. They walked in companionable silence, licking their ice cream contentedly.

"I went to this Buddhist meditation center once," Celia began. "And they taught us this meditation that was just walking and feeling the earth under our feet, just focusing our attention on each step. I feel like that's kind of where we're at right now. It's just one step at a time."

Jungkook stopped walking and pulled Celia back toward him. "You're so sexy when you talk strategy," he whispered in her ear.

Celia giggled and nuzzled her head against his neck. Suddenly, he dipped her backward like as if they were doing ballroom dancing. Celia squealed in delight. He bent her back more and finally deposited her gently on the sand. He lay on top of her and brushed her wild, curly hair off her face before kissing her lightly several times. Each kiss got more insistent and longer as he began to gently rock his hips against hers. The waves lapped at their feet, reminding them that they were still outdoors.

Finally, Jungkook stopped himself with a curse. "Damn, girl! You're gonna be the death of me," he sighed. "But we can't do this here."

"Yeah," Celia concurred, trying to rein herself in when everything inside her wanted to keep going.

"Tell me something," she said as she stood. "How come you always smile when you curse?"

Jungkook laughed, rising to his feet as well. "You're not the first person to ask me that," he replied. "I think it's because cursing still feels a little uncomfortable for me. So, I smile because I feel like I'm doing something wrong."

"You should meet my grandma in Mexico," Celia said. "She is fluent in cursing. She has this blue cloud of curse words that just follows her around wherever she goes."

"She sounds like a real character," Jungkook affirmed. "I would love to meet her. I would love to see any part of your world," he said, suddenly getting serious.

"I don't know if it's too soon, but I feel like I want to say this because I want you to know it," Jungkook ventured.

"Uh-oh," Celia replied. "This sounds serious. Is it good-serious or bad-serious?" she asked, taking his hand in hers again.

"It's good. It's so good," he repeated. "I want to tell you that I'm falling in love with you," he said as he took her by the waist and turned her toward him. "Well, it's not so much falling as it is like getting caught in quicksand. And I can't get out, and I don't even want to. And if it swallows me whole, I'll be grateful to get to die in such a worthy manner."

Celia shook her head. "I won't let you get in over your head. It does neither of us any good for one of us to be utterly consumed," she replied. "But truth be told, I'm falling for you too. I'm a practical kind of girl, but you have me dreaming. I'm dreaming of our future, which is something I rarely allow myself to do. But it just means I trust you."

"I trust you too," Jungkook said, pulling her in for another marathon kiss.