The Cupid Complex

18. People

"I'm really starting to hate people, Charming," said Ame as she sat on the park bench, gazing out at the water in front of her. "People are starting to ruin people for me."

After having left a particularly stressful shift at work, Ame had gone home to her apartment to the comfort of Charming. Ruby was still at her shift at the cafe for another few hours yet. Ame didn't mind though. She needed a bit of time where she wasn't reminded of BTS in any aspect. Ame's sanity felt like it had been slowly dwindling down to nothing during the day. She sat on the bench, stroking fingers through Charming's black fur. The river that she was sat in front of was the same shade of blue as the sky.

"Why can't people be more...oh, I don't know...Tame? Like you, Charming. Minus the eating pictures of V and biting people's fingers of course."

One of Charming's ears twitched then as if in answer to Ame's question. She cracked a small smile. Even though she still didn't know why Charming had come into her life a year ago, she was thankful for him. He was good therapy for her. Every time she felt down, all she had to do was take a walk with Charming in her arms. It never failed to calm her down. If Ame were honest with herself, Charming was the best gift she'd ever gotten.

- - -

Jungkook stared at the paper that he'd had in front of him since Taehyung left for the store. There was still nothing written on the page aside from a few scribbles he had done out of boredom. He felt like he was back in school all over again and given a homework assignment he wished had never been born. It wasn't that Jungkook didn't want to think up some brilliant idea about how to find his mystery woman, but there was no clear answer. It was worse than looking for a needle in a haystack.

Deciding he needed a break from staring at the paper as if the idea would magically appear on its own, Jungkook moved to walk through the new apartment. His feet ended up directing him towards the small balcony that jutted out from the side of the living room. He slid open the sliding glass door, letting his bare feet walk across the gray plank boards of the balcony. He leaned against the white wooden railing as he took in the scenery before him. He didn't bother to cover up his identity since the outside world appeared to be empty at the moment. Jungkook was left alone with the beautifully serene scenery and a view of the park with the river, and beyond that the bigger city that stood watch over this small town like an older sibling.

Jungkook's eyes registered a movement in the park, and he was about to turn his head in that direction when he heard the door of the apartment slamming shut behind him. Turning he saw that Taehyung had arrived home. He wasn't looking at Jungkook on the balcony as he began to shed off everything he had used to cover up.

"Kookie, you won't believe what I discovered on my little venture..."

Taehyung paused as he finally looked to see where Jungkook was standing. His eyes widened in horror as he quickly crossed the room to Jungkook's side.

"Are you insane?!" asked Taehyung. "You could be spotted!"

Taehyung grabbed Jungkook by the arm, yanking him back into the apartment and slamming shut the screen door.

- - -

Ame got off the bench with Charming nestled in her arms when she saw a movement out of the corner of her eye. Turning her head back towards the apartment building, she was just barely able to register a screen door slamming shut. The new tenant (or tenants) of Mr. Currier's apartment sure seemed interesting. She wondered if they had finally moved in, having not been home when they moved in earlier.

"I wonder if they will be as nice as Mr. Currier," Ame said to Charming as she walked back through the park towards the apartment.

As she moved to walk up the walkway, she re-entered the building and walked up the stairs to her apartment. As she stood outside her apartment door, she thought that she could hear rather animated voices coming from the other side of the apartment door across the hall.

"Well, the new tenants are rather loud," said Ame to Charming, giving a small frown at the closed door. "I'm telling you, Charming. You're lucky you're a bunny. You have it easier than the rest of us."

Ame moved to free a hand to be able to unlock her apartment door, slipping inside and shutting the door behind her.

- - -

"Taehyung..."

"You could have been spotted! You didn't mask up..."

"Taehyung..."

"I mean, you didn't even mask up your feet!" exclaimed Taehyung as he gestured down at Jungkook's bare feet.

'Yes, because my feet are so recognizable on an elevated porch,' thought Jungkook before he said with more force, "TAE!"

"Yah! Why are you yelling at me?"

"Knock it off. I just wanted some fresh air. It's not a crime. Stop making me feel bad."

Taehyung sighed, running a hand through his recently unhatted hair.

"I just...I want to give you the best chance of success without the two of us being mobbed."

"I don't think we have to worry about that all the time," said Jungkook as he moved to sit down on the futon. "After all, this apartment is in a relatively quiet part of town. I can choose what times to go out for air wisely."

"Yeah...yeah...okay."

Taehyung looked about distracted, still having a can of soup in one hand that he moved to put down on the kitchen table finally. Jungkook pointed at it.

"Is that all you got when you went grocery shopping?"

"Well, some things happened."

"Some things?" asked Jungkook.

"I was going to tell you, but then the whole balcony thing happened."

"Well tell me now."

Jungkook patted the empty spot next to him on the futon. Taehyung moved to sit down beside him. There were still so many things that Taehyung was trying to process that he decided he would only tell Jungkook information that was relevant to him. Besides, this one sentence was about to change everything.

"I think I know how you can find that mystery woman of yours."