the dollmaker | jungkook ✓

one

chapter one:
an overpriced, stupid doll

"i'll need a set of clothes he wore at least once." the middle aged man's words replayed in her head as she felt a twinge of pain in her heart. "do not wash them." she remembered the tone in his voice as if it had just happened. "i'll also need a lock of hair and a valuable possession of his."

"can it.. be a baseball mitt?" her voice was shaky. she remembered how broken she felt at the time.

"mitt, toy, whatever, sure." his voice croaked, still full of confidence. "as long as he cherished the thing."

"does this.. really work?" it wasn't that she didn't believe the man. the young girl was just hopeless. she felt as if she had lost it all. in fact, she had lost it all. she had all the right not to believe in him.

the man opened his mouth to speak but paused, rethinking his choice of words before answering. "nobody ever asked for their money back."

the memory of that one night had been playing in her head all week as she had been waiting for the day to come.

so there she was, standing impatiently in front of the man in the unfinished basement of her own house with a box sitting on the table in front of her. she looked at the box, secretly wishing she had the ability to open it with just her eyes. she couldn't wait any longer. she had to see him.

the man opened the box in a painfully slow manner, revealing a doll. "tada!" he whispered with the same grin that had been plastered on his face since he had arrived at her house. "take a look." he insisted as she slowly walked closer to the box. "tell me what you think. tell me it's great."

the female leaned in, tucking a strand of her long brown hair behind her ear as she tried getting a better look at the doll. she noticed the elder narrow his eyes at her, making her feel a slight bit uncomfortable. but that was the least of her worries.

"i..." she paused, rendered speechless. she knew damn well that there was a very high chance that this might not even work, but she still had hope. it was the most hope she had since the accident. since she lost her beloved two year old son. "i think-"

"i think it's just a stupid doll." the two snapped their heads in the direction her husband's voice had come from.

"an overpriced, stupid doll." jungkook spat, sitting on the staircase to the basement as he had been for the past ten minutes.

he was just as hurt as she was, but he was also sane enough to know that none of what was happening was real.

it couldn't be.

"oh, yeah." the older male agreed, sarcasm lacing his raspy voice with enthusiasm. he then diverted his attention to the young girl once again. "hold him." he commanded, grinning like a weirdo. "don't be shy, sugar." he breathed, leaning in closer to her from across the table. "come on."

she looked at her husband, who couldn't possibly be anymore uncomfortable than he already was, then back at the man who's gaze wouldn't leave her face for a split second. her eyes scanned the doll as she tilted her head, noticing the baseball mitt in the doll's left hand and a scratch on his chin.

just like the real him.

hesitantly, she leaned in reaching for the doll's waist to pick it up, making sure to be extra careful with it. but even through all the hope in her, something she had never in a million years expected had happened in the moment right before her eyes.

the second she had made physical contact with the doll, the cotton had turned into skin and there he was.

her real son.