attraction.

Better Man. 1/2

Thank you to @yvesaintr for this prompt of an established relationship where Jungkook feels as though he's losing feelings and begins distancing himself, realising that he was utterly wrong—with a happy ending. Loosely inspired also by Taylor Swift's "Better Man." 

-

It wasn't always like this.

Park Chaeyoung remembers the first two years of dating and the pure bliss that filled it—late night drives at 2am, coded text messages and not-so-subtle glances in award shows as though they were the only two people in the world. She remembers the times where he'd celebrate their 100 day anniversary, explaining to her how small things mattered and how they needed to celebrate the everyday wins in life. Her heart can't let go of the memory of him singing his heart out in the shower, so loud that it awoke her from the other room or the way he used to plant kisses on her cheeks when he'd thought she had fallen asleep. She remembers the first few years, the days in their relationship where she was certain of their love—where it felt as though nothing could come between them.

Two years of happiness.

Somewhere between the third and fourth year, everything changed.

He'd gotten busier and so did she, but the distance between them exacerbated like a poison slowly spreading into every inch of the human body. Sometimes, she lays down in bed and wonders when the exact moment was, where it happened—was it when the pandemic started? Or was it earlier than that, when he was at the peak of his career?

Slowly, hourly texts turned into days, until eventually, it was a weekly text at most.

From the outside, she was fine but inside, Park Chaeyoung could feel her soul decaying. She was practically a ghost to him.

Park Chaeyoung waits in his penthouse, food on the dining room cold and the glass of red wine already half consumed by her from the time it had taken for him to come home. She knew it was already over, that she'd lost him from the start—but perhaps, she thinks if she can somehow cook his favourite rosé pasta one last time, that it'll salvage the death in their relationship.

Maybe, he could fall in love with her again.

He looks surprised when he opens the door to see her with eyes red and swollen, looking at him with a tired smile. Jeon Jungkook sees the food on the table, and wonders if it was his birthday.

"Hi baby," his words are barely convincing, almost foreign from his own lips, "... what's this all about?"

He doesn't notice the way her eyebrows turn into a frown or the way her whisper is more of a whimper, concealing the way she'd been crying for the last hour.

"Nothing," she tells him, "... I just thought we could eat together since you've been working so far."

She doesn't bother to get up from the dining room table, and perhaps a part of her thinks he'll at least sit down with her.

"I've already eaten," he notifies her as he walks right past her as though, she weren't there, putting his coat on the chair before heading to the bathroom, "... you should sleep, I have activities tomorrow morning."

"I'll head to bed in a minute," she tells him, doing her best to smile through the aching of her heart, though he doesn't notice because it's the sound of the shower that answers her, "... or not."

Park Chaeyoung gets up, throwing the food away before holding onto his coat, thinking that she could at least help hang it on the rack so that he doesn't forget it on his way out tomorrow.

Until she sees a long brown hair on it.

Her hair was short and blonde.

She doesn't cry.

Perhaps she'd cried enough, not only today but for the months prior.

With a deep breath she looks at the time and sees that it's 4am in the morning.

"It's our fourth-year anniversary," she whispers, although even if she was loud enough for him to hear, she knows he wouldn't care.

She reaches for her gift from under the dining room table and puts it on top—one of the rolex watches he'd been eyeing for quite a few weeks according to his hyungs.

Happy Anniversary, my love.

She wishes he was a better man.

-

"I'm sorry to intrude, but I don't know where else to go."

"I know you don't want to hear this, but you're better off alone than with him. You shouldn't have to work so hard to change his mind and it shouldn't be that you're always having to do things on his terms," Lee Hyeri tells her as she hugs her in an embrace as Park Chaeyoung shows up in her family home with nothing but a small duffel bag and red eyes, "... you did the right thing."

"I waited so long for things to go back to how they were," she speaks between tears, "... as though a rotten apple can turn sweet again."

"You'll fine love again, one that you deserve," a promise leaves Lee Hyeri's lips, "... you're one heart break closer to the love of your life."

"Four years, I've wasted for years..." she cries deeper, so much that Lee Hyeri's parents come down from the sudden noise, looking at each other with concern but not interfering, "... why wasn't I enough?"

"Oh honey," Mrs. Lee emerges from the stairs, "... you are enough."

Park Chaeyoung sleeps in her home for a month, before eventually moving out to her own apartment on the other side of the city.

-

Jeon Jungkook heads to bed after his shower and notices she isn't there like he promised. He assumes she's still cleaning up after making dinner.

It had been a long day, but the idea of having to communicate with her drained him even more.

He knows that what he's doing isn't right, but he can't help but wonder if he'd made a mistake.

Jeon Jungkook was falling out of love.

When morning comes and the other side of the bed is empty, he doesn't think much.

He assumes she'd gone for her schedules, until he heads to the living room to see that there was no food prepared.

Perhaps she didn't have time today, after all she slept quite late.

Until he sees the gift box on the table.

Four words and he knows that it's over.

But somehow, he feels relieved.

The burden of a breakup, the burden of a relationship was lifted from his shoulders.

He was free.

-

will jungkook be a better man for her?? wdu guys thinkkk