≽ 　tattoo parlour.

@⁰⁴ jungkook j. “hey, he isn’t pathetic! i think he’s gracious for not fighting back those bullies. They definitely weren’t worth his time.” It’s as if even as time passed, as she grew up, that defensive stance in jiwoo hadn’t change a single bit, she wasn’t one to tolerate the slightest ‘ talk’ when it came to jungkook, the sudden protectiveness jumping out of her. “but! but.. i’m sure he grew up well and is probably living his life out there, making it big or something. somehow he just had it in those big and bright eyes.” she continuously fondly.

if there’s is anything positive that came out of jiwoo’s personality, it would be her attentiveness towards people and things around her, even to the tiniest details, she wasn’t labelled a good listener for nothing. Which is why, when his colleague approached them ( or him) , her eyes curved into little crescent moons ready to wave him good bye, she’s gets caught off-guard by his colleague calling him by a name she hasn’t heard in a long time, her half lifted hands stopping in mid air. Okay, Hold up, ‘kook?’ couldn’t be her best friend, jungkook right?

It was weird she always felt a little familiarity when it came to the tattoist. perhaps it was the way, despite his changes (if it was even him), he had the same similar vibe or well, aura, to her childhood friend. but honestly, with 51.27 million people in south korea, what were the chances they would cross paths again? there were so many people whose name started and ended with that, the probability of just him being that person, was almost close to zero. However, Jiwoo wasn’t one to beat around the bush, might as well find it out once and for all, right? “hey.” with a tilt of her head, her eyes darting from the half tattooed bubbles on her arm, to the male infront of her. “does your name happen to be jungkook? haha, just.. asking for funsies! You don’t have to tell me if you don’t wanna!”

@⁰² jiwoo k. It’s the moment Jiwoo starts off with her story is when he starting biting back a wide smile. His recent suspicions of her forgetting about him were now solved—she remembered him, too well if anything, and it wasn’t what he had expected at all. Perhaps it gives him a warm feeling in his chest that she had viewed him as a memorable component of their childhoods, but he convinces itself it’s only due to the letter of apologies she had to write in repercussion. For something so dreadful, he’d remember it too especially since what she did wasn’t wrong, but maybe he was being biased.

Despite the vivid flashbacks that worked in parallel with his outlining, it was no distraction. If anything, her story telling seemed to guide him. He found himself scoffing, snorting, laughing at little bits here and there. “Sounds a bit like a pathetic little boy. I hope he’s found his confidence… wherever he is. Don’t think he would’ve lasted this long if he didn’t toughen up a bit,” he responds with a rather endeared expression because thankfully, he has toughened up and grew to use his voice when met with disrespect. If anything, he looked a bit like your stereotypical bully, so many didn’t bother to say a thing.

“It’s good that you two crossed paths though. I’m sure you changed his life and—“ Before he could finish his sentence, one of his coworkers swiped by with a wave to signal their end of the shift, “See ya tomorrow, Kook.” He had intended to wave back, but instead froze upon the slip of his nickname, praying the girl on his table did not catch it. Though he realized his halt in movements could be curated as suspicious, so he continued filling in the hair with yellow. “As I was saying, I’m sure he learned a lot from you.”

@⁰⁴ jungkook j. As if brought out from her own current daydream by the question, a little grin forms on her face at the mere memory of her once best friend ( or what she thinks of him at least ). her mind replays the little snippets like a short film. Jungkook, she recalls clearly, that little boy, perhaps a head of half taller than her but too meek, too quiet for someone like him. The way she couldn’t stand him being pushed around like a ragdoll to the day she stood up for him and only to end up with detention classes by the end of it.

Not wanting to look silly as she smiles to herself, jiwoo opens to explain, maybe a little too excitedly. “Oh! It’s a funny story. Apart from loving powerpuff girls a little too much, i was such a fan back then. I used to have this friend, this really really cute friend, bowl cut and all, i hope i was a good friend, but he’s really quite my best friend.” Jiwoo states, though It was funny because they never really talk much after that, hardly ran into each other, but she never really had friends to begin with. Kids that age either shunned her because of her family status back then or.. she was simply just too noisy, too loud for them.

“ it sad that i haven’t met him in such a long time, the last i heard he moved away but that’s at least 10 or 15 years back. We don’t keep in contact now. But i’m sure he’s doing well, more than well i hope! But anyway, there was this very one time ( the only one time ) i was really excited about going to the playground and all, but when i reached there, i witness three fat bullies bullying him. Can you believe it?” her brows furrowing as she says it with a comical huff. “ he was so silly too! But he wouldn’t stand up for himself and i couldn’t stand it, so i kicked them right in their guts before running away with him. i still got caught in the end and had to write a hundred sentences of ‘ i wouldn’t kick my friends again.’ And somehow powwepuff reminded me of him because.. well, as dumb as it sounds, i was carrying this limited edition powerpuff backpack my parents gave to me for my birthday, and i had pigtails back then.. so it explains bubbles. but yeah.” Jiwoo wonders if she rambled a little too much, but there was always something about this particular tattooist that made her feel comfortable and at ease.

“ he was such a short but fond memory. “ she sighs wistfully.” You know how.. there are some people who come for a long time and that’s it? some how he was a short memory but left a footprint, that’s for sure.”

@⁰⁴ jinsoul j. "so, you can call me rosé, roseanne, rosie—" she says amidst the bustling she does around her personal station, finally grasping onto the interchangeable tips from its set and stabling it unto the tattoo table. "whichever you prefer. jinsoul, right?" jung jinsoul, seokwoo's best friend, she corrects in her mind, but she makes no effort to show such knowledge in her reaction as a polite smile makes home over her visage. this was professional, no matter the circumstances, and no matter if she was the best friend of her best friend's ex... that she keeps returning to and drunk texted the other night and had him pick her up from the club, not to mention, stayed at her place—you know what, too complicated. bottom line, this was business and chaeyoung understood that much. "also, they told me that this isn't your first time here, so glad you know how procedures go. aftercare and everything, i figure i don't need to tell you. we can skip the entire lecture of it, it isn't fun," she rambles, but all with that same smile. "so! what're you thinkin' about for today?"

@⁰² jiwoo k. it all started in the early years of elementary. this was when jungkook had no chance at beating the ‘mute kid’ allegations—not like anything was wrong with it, but he was simply just deathly shy. little jungkook sometimes could not pry out even a short ‘hello.’ many times he would openly stare wide eyed behind the bangs of his bowl cut, lips not daring to even move an inch as his peers would look either disturbed and confused as the awkward air drown them in between.

it was really this one day where the known bullies made their round, but this time with him on their sight. they shoved him off the swing without a warning, causing his head to jerk back as body lurched forward at the impact—if he was any younger than that with a soft skull, he reckons he would’ve gotten brain damage. he turned his head to see who it was, lips parted even knowing he wouldn’t say a word, but in attempt to ask why. before it could happen—as dramatic as this sounds, it’s like the gates of heaven opened, but this time the angel that interjected in front of him had the limited edition powerpuff backpack instead of white wings. it was a blur what had unraveled in front of him, but the small girl had turned to him the next second lecture him about not being a coward.

the same girl happened to be on his tattoo table, under the nips of his tattoo machine fourteen years later, but jungkook is nearly convinced she doesn’t remember him. he doesn’t expect her to since she was quite a memory of his, but he was just a distant event in her mind—some quiet kid with no sense of importance for himself. at least, different now. “why powerpuff girls?” he pries, outlining the cartoon girl on the inner portion of her right arm. “was it your favourite show as a kid?”