paper hearts (jeon jungkook)

Oh Holy Night

"Look! It's snowing!"

The sound of frivolous chatter echoed throughout the orphanage as children came rushing out to the vast greens of the lot, peppered with rare snow. As the Christmas season dawned over Busan, excitement among the children sparked like a tiny flame set ablaze on a candle; continuously growing. You and Jungkook were not an exception to this, jumping up-and-down, in-attempt to catch the flakes of ice falling from the sky.

"Jungkook! [Y/N]! Come on!" an older girl beckoned. She pointed to the playground and ran towards it, leaving both of you to stare at each other. A knowing smile started to etch on Jungkook's face and soon enough, he was already on his feet.

Wearing an old set of winter clothes to warm you up, you laughed along with your best friend while racing against him to the playground. Along with other children, you climbed over the merry-go-round, sharing a single slot with him. An older boy started spinning the ride, catching you off-guard. You almost lost your balance; but Jungkook grabbed your hand and placed it on the handle for you to latch on.

"Be careful, kids!" the care-taker reminded from afar. You answered her in chorus, assuring everyone's safety.

The ride continued to spin at a moderate speed as you firmly gripped the handle to prevent yourself from falling off. Having Jungkook standing beside you on the ride, you tried your best to avoid colliding with him even though there was barely any space left for you to stand freely. Nonetheless, you liked sharing the slot with him since it was fun that way. As the saying goes, the more the merrier.

"You guys are so heavy! Jieun, help me!" the older boy stopped the ride, and Jieun, the older girl who called both of you, hopped from the merry-go-round. Before the ride started spinning again, you looked down at your red hands. You realized that it was cold and you held on too tightly; as you hissed at the pain. This didn't slip past Jungkook's gaze, gently taking a hold of your wrist to stare at your palm.

"Hold on to me instead."

Jungkook blushed at his own words as he quickly avoided your questioning stare and just kept his hands on to the metal already. Stifling a laugh, you placed your right hand on top of his left hand to minimize the soreness. The ride started to spin once more and Jungkook couldn't help but feel giddy inside as you latched on to him with a smile on your face. After all, he always liked seeing you comfortable and happy.

"Thanks, Koo." you managed to say in the midst of feeling dizzy. Jungkook smiled widely at you, and you were instantly reminded of an adorable bunny. You caressed the top his hand with your thumb, returning the smile.

"Jungkook!" the care-taker called.

The ride came to a full stop. Jungkook jumped off the ride, and you followed him afterwards. "Bye!" Jieun waved at the both of you before they resumed playing.

"Let's practice your song, okay? The Christmas party is tonight," the care-taker calmly said. Jungkook bit his lip in apprehension, nodding his head afterwards.

Every year, the orphanage had a Christmas party to celebrate the holiday. All the children looked forward to it since most donations come during this time of the year as presents; and of course, they get to participate in games and fun performances.

For the year's Christmas party, Jungkook was selected for a singing number. One of the care-takers heard him singing while both of you were scrubbing the main building's bathroom floor. Through that, they had him sing in front of them but Jungkook got so shy and nervous he was brought to tears.

He could only be calm while singing when you were around.

And so, you were present in every rehearsal he had for his Christmas party performance. You encouraged him a lot, telling him that he had talent and that he should share it to others. Later on, he became more confident and was more ecstatic to perform the song he picked himself.