His pupils run across my stoic face, hunting for some clues that might reveal an instance of worry. We stand five metres apart, the air thick with tension and questions.I suddenly lose my voice, my lips pursue to lie blatantly."Yeah, I'm good. Why? What happened? We bump into each other and all you say is are you okay? What happened to hello, hi?", I laugh to crack the silence but he doesn't take the bait. As expected, how did I think I could cut through Mingyu?

"It's funny how you think you can fool me. Almost cute, too.",There's a stance of a smile on his face, too faint to notice but he walks towards me to close the distance. I've always found him as a person who doesn't say much except when he feels the need to intervene and the fact that he's so keen to observe me makes me feel good because he's never talked much to me before."Sorry, that was really stupid.", I admit, mustering my strength and looking at him,"It's just been hard. I had a bad day at home.",I don't reveal the real reason and he spares me an endearing glance, his gaze piercing the round glasses. He knows I'm not ready to open up and he respects it and moves forwards to pick a notebook from the shelf.

"It's okay. Who doesn't have bad days? Are you feeling better?", his back faces me but I can read his concern in his voice so I follow him across the aisle."Yeah, I don't know. I keep thinking about it.", I'm under the impression that he wouldn't disclose this to jungkook.

"And it's perfectly normal to think about it, y/n. If things upset you, they do. What you don't let them do is take over you mind and stop you from living moments of life. You are bound to feel sad about some things for a while, even longer but eventually you subside them. You shouldn't deny yourself other emotions.", he offers me a golden smile. It's rare to see the tug of his smiles and the words he said, they are incomparable to any other advice. My heart feels patient at comprehending him, a wave of comfort and realisation rushing in my veins and my brain repeats his words. The effect of his words isn't huge but it's contagious. My gaze flicks at him and he dwells at me.

"Yeah?", he raises his eyebrows at me and I chuckle with a "yeah".

"Look at you, your face lights up happiness in the room and it'd be a torture if something steals the glow and laugh off your face.",he turns his posture, his arm resting on the columns of the shelf. I'm burning, my body warming upon the appreciation and my heartbeat is hammering my chest. I take a deep breath at the unexpected response from him and my eyes scan his figure.

He possesses a fairly handsome face, the one that intimidates you with its enchanting eyes. The realisation dawns upon me, all the girls that get conscious in his presence and stare at him from across the room while assembling every bit of courage to walk up to him are perfectly right. I'll defend them starting today.He's direct, poised and calm in his movements and words which are powerful in a certain way. This is my first time talking to him without the presence of his friends and jungkook and i'm appalled to think how I could not know him any sooner. He clearly is an amazing person to confide in. Perhaps, that's why jungkook has a different kind of respect for him, an admiration that is incomparable.

"I'll keep note of that.",I assure both of us and my heart flutters at this tender moment. Once he registers my voice, his eyes shoot me a delicate and kind smile."What are you looking for here?", he charges forward to the encyclopaedia section and I trail his path. "I had to restock some highlighters and sheets for the printer. What are you doing here? Aren't you guys going to the arcade?", I see him lengthening his hand a few centimetres to seize a book from the topmost shelf effortlessly, all credits to his tall height. The cover includes designs of galaxies and moons and I swallow a breath at the girth of the book. No way he's going to read it for a pastime.

"I needed a book for reading. And yes, we are going together but we still have some time left. Why don't you join us?".

"Jungkook offered me too but I have some work left to do for school tomorrow so I'd pass this time.",He holds an interesting look at my face at the mention of his friend. A different curiosity and a bundle of questions ignite on his face but they extinguish in a blink of an eye as if he's trained his emotions at the most superior level. He doesn't speak but a nod of his head acknowledges my answer so I walk past him to the paper section and hold two packages in my cart, still aware of the sharp look he's carrying behind me.

I continue to search for the required things and let him put together hai fragmented thoughts in silence. Something about his silence and mindless gazing tells me he's debating in chaos in his mind, his face cradles confusion and peace in intervals but he frames a gentle smile whenever I face him.

"Can I ask you something? It might be personal because it's about jungkook and you.",he warns me out of courtesy but I don't wait to answer, happy enough to finally break the tension."Yeah sure, what happened?".

"Do you like him? Like not in a casual, infatuated way but in a serious way? I've been meaning to ask jungkook but I know him far too well. He wouldn't share it with anyone without confronting the person itself.",He crashes an earthquake in my chest, the calm in my body rupturing at his question. How can I answer him when I'm not ready to confront myself?

My first thought is of the man who resides in my mind restlessly. I want to be the person who intrigues his mind, his heart and his body. It's quite notable how deep his impact is, on my mood and life. I still feel his lips entrenched everywhere on my body at the thought of him. No matter how much I guard my deference, they crumble into invisible matter at the voice of him. Maybe I'm too stupid to act on my instincts, to hope that he feels the same for me and not keeping in the friends with benefits conversation but it's hopeless and embarrassing how addicted I am to him. It's attraction and admiration for sure but I'm afraid it's crossing the fraction of a deniable emotion. It's forming into a powerful feeling, the one that I'm forcing my brain not to comprehend.

My eyes lift at him and his fall blank, hoping he didn't ask the wrong question."I like him, I can't deny it even if I tried to. It's definitely not in a casual way for me and for jungkook either.",And I pray I'm not proved wrong,"You're one of jungkook's closest friend. What do you think he feels for me?",I take the chance to risk my feelings.

Mingyu pursues his lips to answer me, a flash of satisfaction glowing at my answer."I've known him for four years. And he has been involved with a lot of girls. I'm not attacking him but it always works out with no feelings for the girls so nobody's harmed but he's never been so protective and possessive of someone. To be honest, I was scared when you two started getting closer because you're not the type of girl who should be dragged in some no name land. I've seen jungkook thinking of you, caring about you in a way that he only cares for the ones who are really close to him and I mean only family and us,",he bites his lips to reveal more.

"And strangely enough, he's vulnerable.",he pauses and I float in the realisation of the fact that this is a big deal for jungkook to revel in intimacy and there's no more of an intimacy than being vulnerable with someone."He's never been much comfortable to fully act in his emotions, not much, even between us, but somehow, you manage to bring out a person full of silly laughs, childish demeanour and real feelings from jungkook. He might not understand how much he's changed but we notice it. That's part of what the guys - we talk when jungkook is not around. And I'm thankful that it's you behind this all."

I grin, beaming with pride, unable to resist my happiness at his revelation. I never knew how different he was before as I noticed him only from far apart, not knowing how good it feels to be included in his life. I love basking in the truth of this. I know how I'm a significant part of his life but it's surreal witnessing my importance from someone who has been with him much longer than me. This matters even more because I know Mingyu would never coax me into believing in a lie just to comfort me. My only wish right now is to hug jungkook and kiss him right now.Fuck.

I shut my brain off instantaneously at the audacity of my thoughts."Thank you. I'm happy to know that. Really happy.",I force my cheeks to close but my teeth keep shining out of my smile."It shows.", he pokes my cheeks with his index finger causing a high pitched laugh to squeak its way out of me.

                           — 2 hours later –

My eyes run across the paragraph zoomed on the screen of my laptop. I observe the repeated words and make another key point of theory on my notebook. It's only been hour but there's an imminent ache on my forelids. I revert my attention to vibration my phone causes on the desk and smile when I see the notification.This is crazy how my mood can change instantaneously in his case.

Jungkook
> Jaesung got hit by the ping pong ball in his nuts 🤣]
> Look at donghyun]

I tap at the blurry image inserted with his message to watch jaesung's pained expression with his eyeballs almost stunned. Jungkook poses with his finger pointed at the perpetrator who seems like he's about to run for his life. I stifle my laugh at these boys and pull the keyboard.
                                                                                   Y/n
                                                  [ May god bless him <

Jung kook
> Well god can't grow a new pair of balls]

                             [Is it even biologically possible ?<

Jung kook
> Might as well conduct a research study with my skills ]

                     [ Add a case of your inflating ego too<

Jung kook
>This is why you're so lovable ]

My heart pauses at his text, enthralled by the effect of the word that he used. I wonder if it was casual or he was insinuating with his heart, if he knows how he can propel my heartbeat at this rate and if he would ever admit with his chest.I lick my lips, disguising the smile arising from my mouth and strange noises stir in my stomach. A part of me threatens my mind to jolt the control open, run past through this teasing and claim the tension, claim him but another part of me is desperate for him to own everything. I manage to burst my thoughts and tap words into the message.
                                                                                   Y/n
                              [That and a lot of other reasons<
                                                      [Did you guys eat?<

Jungkook
>Did I catch you being all hot?]
>Are you sure you want to work on you assignments and not on anything else?]

I ignore the teasing that drives a grin on my face and heat in my skin.

>We're having some fries]
>And this cutie is having your share]
>P.s: That doesn't mean you won't eat 🙃]

The photos pops up to display a pink plushie who's engulfed by jungkook's arm around the top.I'm unable to make out his face as the border ends onto his lips so perfectly that it seems with a purpose.

                                                                                   Y/n
                                                        [Generous of you<
                                                         [I'm about to eat<
              [I'll talk to you when you get back home.<
                                                                     [Have fun<

Jungkook
> Alright if you will]
> We might get late so don't sleep on me or else I'll break through your backyard.]

                                                                                   Y/n
                                                                        [Promise.

He ends the conversation with a heart, one of the most unexpected emoticons that he could ever insert in our chat but I don't let my brain run through wild imaginations and close the screen off. I check the clock that strikes at 5, the anticipation of 4 more hours keeping me on my toes. An anxious sigh releases from my mouth, nevertheless my idea of a conversation with mom persists in my mind so I focus on my late lunch.

                             — Next day –
                                9:30 A.M.
                   Monday, July 28, 2018
                      'Jungkook's P.O.V.'

I fix my glasses on the bridge of my nose to lean back in the seat and let my eyes roam around her figure. She's captivating in a way that makes me want to rupture my control and plant my lips on every inch of her body and there's no denying that she would welcome my actions wholeheartedly. The problem is I had not intended to be gravitated towards her, regardless I'm helpless.

Her lips pursue in deep thought, reasoning the questions that our teacher put up amongst us, her eyes zeroing on the white board. She waves her pen, drawing imaginary lines in the air and for a few seconds, her movements stun. The moment she figures the answer, her hand rises with a smile,surpassing everyone in the class.My girl.

"5 and 8",she says, the teacher nods at her, confirming her answer and I swear the smile spreads across her whole face, a bright gleam appearing in her eyes. I don't even bother to look at my notes nor the screen when her gaze pauses at me.She raises her eyebrows at me, bashing my negligence but I throw her a glare back that takes her by surprise and she chuckles for the first time since she has entered the class.

After a little trip with the boys,all I wanted was to hug her to sleep but I can't have her by my side day and night, not when we haven't decided this connection between us. I called her but after no response to my texts, I figured she would be busy. This is the first time she has looked at me since yesterday morning and she's gotten even more beautiful. The only thing that prevails in my subconscious is the way her grin doesn't last, the way her eyes refuse to maintain the contact between us as if she's afraid of confrontation. I might be mistaken so I don't charge forward and instead choose to approach her at the end of the class.

                      - 15 minutes later -

"Alright, before I leave, I'd like to introduce a new student in your class. This is second day so I've already introduced him to another group.", As Mr. Kim finishes his class, a boy enters the class on cue, walking to the platform by his side.He's fairly tall, giving competition to Jaesung who's just few centimetres shorter than me. He offers a pleasing smile to the class and all the girls welcome it with a predictable excitement accompanied by a bunch of whispers. Some shoot me looks, desperately implying a competition that I don't believe in but I put my eyes on y/n who remains indifferent.

"I'm Baek Wooyeong. It's really nice to meet you all.",he takes the sight of our class with a warm expression. In all honesty, he seems like a good guy, someone you'd want to befriend. A few girls offer him introductions and names, charmed by his presence and other guys break jaws at this hilarious scene.

"Okay. Before I go, I would like you to help him in the tests coming up. He needs to catch up a lot so don't trouble him much. Get to know him nicely.", Our teacher fails to silence the chaos erupted and positions his eyes towards the girl sitting in the row next to me.I already know what's coming.

"Y/n, I need you to help him with the notes of new topics that are in the course of this term. If you need any help of have any questions, meet me in the teachers room.", he gifts the task to her and leaves the class, sick of a ridiculous batch. I don't blame him for severing ties with us.

Wooyeong nods at every person who greets him and answers all the questions within the limit of seconds and proceeds to walk forward in our row, only to offer a handshake to y/n."Hi, welcome to our school.", she smiles, an adorable grin stretching her lips. My eyes situate on them, hard to resist the thoughts filling my mind upto to the brink but I tear my gaze to assess his expressions. For some inexplicable reason, I feel uneasy, a sudden wave of anxiety arising in my chest out of curiosity.

"Hi, thank you. I hope it's a good one though.", he hesitates to let out his words but y/n bursts the tension by her persona, a calming presence that can make anyone's shoulders fall in relief." Don't worry about that. You'll have a good time here.",she suggests to end his worry. "Well now if it's doesn't go well, it's going to be your responsibility to make it better",he punches in the conversation, causing her to change her posture. She's perplexed,her expressions change at a bolting speed to wear a warm smile as I take note of the confusion that flashed in her eyes.

It's ugly, the tension that I feel in my chest which is out of my instincts. I poke my tongue through my cheek, gathering my actions and the next thing I know, my emotions are shadowed by a haunting feeling of anguish and dislike at the sight of him. I push the discomfort back into my bones but donghyun fazes a look at me. I know what he's intercepting but he's being deceived. I'm not taken aback by this boy at all. I lick my lips and step behind him to make him aware of my presence.

"Hi,I'm Wooyeong. Nice to meet you.", he turns around to face me with the same monotonous reaction."We heard. I'm Jungkook.", I shake his hand but unclasp the hold in a nanosecond and before I can realise, he's already engaging y/n in another conversation.

Note: Due to my busy schedule with work and study, the posts might be steady but they would be long.
I hope you like how the story is going. It's about time when the plot escalates. I hope you're liking the book so far.
Have a good day ahead. Stay safe.