17 I Like It

"Happy Birthday, Jungkookie!"

The maknae grinned widely as his members took turns squeezing him in tight embraces. Hoseok was popping party crackers while Seokjin unboxed the cake which he had picked up earlier from the bakery.

The rest of them were crowded around the dining table of their dorm, watching as their youngest member blew out the candles and made a wish. Their house was decorated with multicolored balloons, frills and glittery sashes which adorned the walls, 'JUNGKOOK' spelt in bold letters on the empty space opposite their flat-screen television.

"Kookie's finally an adult!" Taehyung exclaimed happily, clapping the maknae on the back. "You know what that means!" The members looked at him in confusion, eliciting a deep laugh from the second-youngest. "I meant he's finally eligible to drink all the alcohol we have stashed away especially for such occasions."

"I thought he meant something else," Jimin sighed in a low voice but Yoongi caught him. The rapper snickered as he placed a palm on the younger man's shoulder.

"I heard that, Jiminie," he teased but Jimin just shrugged nonchalantly, claiming he had no idea what Yoongi was referring to.

Their attention was diverted by Namjoon who cleared his throat loudly. The members all turned to face him, bubbling with excitement which began to rub off on Jungkook who waited in anticipation with bated breath.

"Jungkook-ah," the leader addressed the keyed up maknae, smiling fondly. "We thought long and hard about what you'd like for your birthday. And we finally arrived at the perfect idea."

Hoseok and Seokjin nodded in assent, even Yoongi displaying more than usual energy. Taehyung and Jimin grinned, affectionate expressions on all their faces.

"I can't wait to see what it is!" Jungkook could barely conceal his excitement and Namjoon smiled.

"Of course, but you'll have to wait a little longer," he said and the maknae's eyebrows furrowed in puzzlement. "Because it's not here."

"It's waiting for you at Big Hit."

                                ***

To Jungkook, the car ride felt longer than their trips abroad, despite Big Hit being relatively close to their apartment block. He hopped out of the van as soon as it pulled up on the curb, bounding into the building after Namjoon. The leader chuckled at the waves of eagerness rolling off him and fervently hoped that Jungkook would like the gift they had all prepared for him.

It was just a little over midnight and the offices of Big Hit were deserted, save for the occasional guard prowling about on usual rounds. Namjoon bundled them all into the elevator, pushing the buttons for the floor which housed their studios. The members wriggled their toes impatiently, waiting to see Jungkook's reaction.

The carriage doors pinged open and Namjoon led the way, his feet carrying him towards the end of the corridor. Jungkook followed at his heels, the others tailing close behind. The rapper halted before a room, stepping aside to pull Jungkook ahead. The maknae's eyes widened, disbelief pooling in his mind as it struggled to make sense of the words carved on the door.

'JUNGKOOK'S STUDIO'

"Hyung…" Words failed the birthday boy as he dragged his eyes away from the door and rested them on all his Hyungs. "This…this is…Is this real?"

Namjoon nodded with a broad smile on his face. "We'd noticed your interest in producing music, Kookie. So we thought you'd appreciate a space of your own to engage in it. You can name it whatever you want!"

"And there's another provision. Since our current dorm didn't have enough rooms, we settled for a studio at Big Hit," Jimin added, the words spilling out of him in excitement. "But once we move to our new dorm, you'll be able to have a studio all to yourself."

Tears were welling up in the maknae's eyes and he tried to wipe them away. Seokjin and Yoongi laughed, the former moving to wrap the youngest in a bear hug. "Awww, Kookie, don't cry."

Taehyung's head bobbed in agreement as he clasped Jungkook's arm. "You're going to make us cry too."

Yoongi scoffed at this, disdain spreading across his taut features. "Ha! Speak for yourselves." But the corners of his mouth lifted even as he said this and Hoseok winked at his fellow rapper.

"But seriously, this is the best gift I could've asked for!" Jungkook exclaimed, his voice beginning to sound hoarse with emotion. "And more than that, the fact that you guys are so thoughtful…I'm so very thankful." He ran his eyes over his Hyungs, his brothers, his second family. "I love you all so much."

"C'mon," Hoseok said, pulling all of them into a group hug, even Yoongi snuggling next to the maknae. "We're one big happy family."

"Does the one big happy family have room for one more surprise?"

The members' heads snapped up at this, angling them to gauge the source of the sound. A few feet away stood Hong Ji Ah, dangling a small shiny USB drive from her fingers. She was clad in track pants, a loose shirt buttoned haphazardly underneath a jacket. The videographer's hair was in a state of obvious disarray and Namjoon wondered how long the woman had been here. It had been a few days since their confrontation and the pair hadn't had a chance to talk since. And for some reason, this upset him more than it should have.

"Ji Ah Noona!" Taehyung's voice brought Namjoon back to the present and he watched the younger man bound towards her. "Did you manage to do it?"

"I did, as a matter of fact," Ji Ah nodded proudly, holding the USB stick up for everyone to see. "Perks of being the assistant of a videographer who has worked with countless idols."

The members exchanged puzzled glances, not being privy to the little plan Ji Ah and Taehyung had formulated. The young man ushered them all into an unlocked conference room, seating Jungkook at the centre of the long round table while the videographer set up the PowerPoint projector.

"What's going on?" Hoseok whispered to Namjoon who merely shook his head.

"I guess we're about to find out," Yoongi answered in his stead, leaning back against the leather seat.

"All done!" Ji Ah announced, pointedly avoiding Namjoon's gaze which seemed to burn through her. "I should leave you guys to it-"

"Are you kidding?" Jimin piped up in surprise. "You helped with this, which means you should be a part of it too, Noona." He smiled at the older woman who could feel the warmth of his words all the way across the room. "And besides, the more, the merrier."

"He's right," Namjoon added, trapping Ji Ah in place and not allowing her to avert her gaze. "Stay."

Stay. That word seemed to pass often between them these days.

But Ji Ah relented, plunking into a chair nearest to the laptop so she could boost it. The screen came alive and Jungkook's breath hitched when a familiar silhouette took form on the white background opposite the projector. Except Taehyung and Ji Ah, everybody else in the room stared at the screen in disbelief as IU's face came into view. The maknae practically fell out of his seat, whirling in the assistant videographer's direction. "How?"

"We had the pleasure of working with IU for her recent album promotions," Ji Ah explained with a grin. "And let's just say that we seemed to get along well. So when I asked her for this little favour for an ardent fan," she motioned in Jungkook' direction, "IU agreed."

The maknae's jaw was agape the entire time IU's message played on the screen. The pretty idol wished him a happy birthday, the karaoke version of 'Beautiful' playing in the background. Jungkook's eyes widened when he realized what this was: a karaoke duet with her. The members whooped and cheered as IU's vocals filled the room, the maknae singing along when it was his turn. It was so realistic; like he was actually performing a duet with one of his favourite idols.

As the song ended and the screen faded to black, Jungkook leaped out of his seat and strode towards Ji Ah, enveloping the woman in an impromptu hug.

"Thank you, Noona," he whispered in the surprised woman's ear and she patted his back.

"Happy Birthday, Jungkook-ah."

                               ***

"That was an incredibly wonderful surprise," Namjoon remarked and Ji Ah turned to find him standing in the doorway which led into the studio reserved for the videography team. "I'm awed that you managed to pull it off."

She was in the process of grabbing her belongings and leaving, all the members except Namjoon already bundled in the minivan that had brought them here. They had offered Ji Ah a ride but she had refused, stating that she had her car waiting in the parking lot.

"I had Jae Chan pull some strings," she replied, placing her bag upon a small glass table. "And IU just happened to be free."

"Thank you, Ji Ah. You really made him happy."

"Technically, that was IU's doing. And you made him really happy too," she pointed out and Namjoon smiled. He forgot how easily she could get him back on track.

The rapper shuffled uneasily, wanting to say more but not knowing how to. He wasn't oblivious to the mild awkwardness which still strained their relationship and Namjoon thought it was high time to get it off his chest.

"I realize I may have been a little inconsiderate when we last spoke," he began, his fervor beginning to spread through his veins. "I should've asked how you felt too."

Instead of beating about the bush which Ji Ah initially considered, she decided to respect the rapper's straightforwardness. "Don't apologize, you weren't wrong." She had had time to think and had arrived at the same conclusion as the rapper. "It's important we segregate our emotions from our work." But she couldn't get rid of the gnawing uncertainty of these words.

Namjoon's face wore a blank expression which gradually shifted into relief. "You know, in the past, we'd probably be on the verge of a physical brawl in such a situation."

"Which you'd most certainly lose," Ji Ah deadpanned, a smirk tugging at the edges of her lips.

"I don't know about that," the rapper retorted, making a show of flexing his fingers and eyeing her intensely. "I've gotten quite strong over the years. God of destruction and all, you know."

"Oh? We should put that to the test then," Ji Ah stated seriously. The pair's eyes locked in a staring battle, bursting out in unhinged laughter as the seconds dragged on.

"I think I'll pass," Namjoon wheezed, plopping into a chair and Ji Ah followed suit. "How will I write songs with a broken wrist?"

Ji Ah's laughter rang out in pleasant waves as she relaxed against the plush fabric of her seat. A few minutes elapsed, a silence which Ji Ah broke first. "I had called you, you know."

Namjoon looked up at this, his eyes tracing Ji Ah's face avidly. "When?"

"A couple of years after we'd broken up. I still felt terrible about how our relationship had ended and I was responsible. So I wanted to, in some way, apologize." She shot him a small smile. "But your sister told me you'd moved to Seoul as a trainee to pursue music. I was happy for you but I also realized that my chances of seeing you again were very slim."

Namjoon stared at her in wonder, dredging up a vague memory of Geong Min telling him about an unidentified 'friend' who had called to inquire after the rapper. "And yet, here we are."

"And yet, here we are," Ji Ah echoed, meeting his eyes. "Looking back, I realize how immature we really were."

"I was responsible too, Ji Ah," Namjoon willed her to understand. He laughed softly, his eyes crinkling as he did so. "But you know what?"

"What?"

"I wouldn't change a thing."

Ji Ah was instantly transported to the past: Namjoon on his knees as he asked her out, telling her how much he liked her, how happy he'd keep her if she would have him. She remembered how easily smitten she had been then, how easily smitten she could be now if she let her guard down. But Ji Ah couldn't disagree; she felt the same way.

"Neither would I," she tried to muster a smile, hoping it didn't look forced and wondering if it was, indeed, possible for them to move past their history.

Looking at her, Namjoon pondered over whether Hoseok could be right in assuming that his feelings stood a chance of being reignited. After all, it had been so easy to fall for her in the past. It would hardly be any different now.

But it is different. We are different.

"I thought it over," Ji Ah's voice roused him. "Your proposition of being acquaintances. And I think it's not a bad idea to try."

The rapper didn't know if he was happy or disappointed, thinking that any manner of contact with Ji Ah could be potentially dodgy should they venture too deep.

But it wouldn't hurt to try.

Namjoon rose, extending a hand towards Ji Ah. She stared at his outstretched arm mutely, as if contemplating the consequences of taking it. That was exactly what the videographer was doing but when her eyes landed on the rapper's earnest face, her resolve strengthened.

They could handle this.

Ji Ah took his hand, pulling herself up to stand before him and smiled, a real smile this time. Namjoon returned it, his grip tightening and his warmth seeping into her, as if permanently etching itself onto her skin.

And Ji Ah wondered if Kim Namjoon's touch would ever lose its ability to make her swoon.

Even when it should.