exoticarmy127's Short Story Collection (KPOP EDITION) BTS & EXO

Save You (Jungkook, OC) Part 1

A/N: a birthday special featuring our golden maknae. I had this idea for a while now and thought I'd finally write it down. I got it from a prompt I saw a few weeks back. haha enjoy!

Jungkook was eight when he started seeing the numbers.

It was a random set of digits floating on top of his mother's head. He couldn't recall the number then nor could he have understood the meaning of it. It simply appeared there one day, and the next day he saw it on top of his father's, then his brother's... and soon, everyone had their own set of numbers hovering over their heads.

They appeared and re-appeared at random times and Jungkook thought maybe they were like names; like identification numbers to keep the population in check. It looked pretty normal, and he didn't think it was harming anybody; just floating idly on top of everyone's heads every now and then...

But what confused him was when he told his brother about the floating numbers, he was merely given a queer look like he'd just spoken in a different language.

It didn't take long before he figured out that his brother truly didn't understand him...

because he was the only one who could see the floating numbers.

~~~

Jungkook was twelve when he realized the numbers were changing.

As the years passed, the numbers have become more visible unlike before when it just popped up at random times; completely unpredictable and uncontrollable. Now Jungkook saw them more often—could even will them to show if he wanted to and that's when he discovered that the numbers change.

He saw the way his mother's numbers changed, decreasing as the days passed but nothing really happened as it does. He saw the numbers hovering over his brother change too; his neighbour, Mr. Soo, then his classmates in school...

And that's when he confirmed it's changing nature. The only problem was he couldn't figure out how it changes... or when...

Or why.

~~~

Jungkook was fifteen when he started to fear the floating numbers.

He was walking home from school when he heard it: rapid footsteps against the concrete followed by a man's cry for help.

He knew he should've just walked away that day; knew how these streets were not exactly the safest and how it's always best to keep your head down while walking as to not grab anybody's attention. Living in one of the country's most dangerous suburbs wasn't exactly the most ideal of places to call home...

But Jungkook had no choice. When his father left them a few years ago, his mother lost it and he was forced into the world of adulthood before he could even start to enjoy his youth.

His mother spent her days cooped up in her room, crying and watching soap operas. Some nights she would drink herself silly and would let out a tantrum; throwing and breaking things. Jungkook would always be there to calm her down, and until exhaustion knocks her out. He could only watch his mother with pitiful eyes as he tucked her into bed before cleaning up the shards of broken glass on the floor; wondering where the beautiful and strong woman he had come to know went.

Jungkook worked part-time jobs six days a weeks along with his brother (who was working overseas) to support their family. Being a working student was difficult and it was a good thing that Jungkook was smart enough to get a scholarship or he would've dropped out a long time ago with how tuition fees costed these days. He wanted to go to school and finish his studies. Truth be told, he liked school...he liked learning and someday he hoped to get into medical school and become a doctor.