Jungkook's POV
My chest rose and fell in uneven breaths as I shot up from my bed, the nightmare clinging to me like a shadow I couldn't escape. My hands trembled, drenched in sweat. That smile—Taehyung's smile—still burned in my mind, so clear, so alive.
But it couldn't be.
Taehyung had left me years ago.
He had died in that accident… hadn't he?
I pressed my palm hard against my chest. If he's really gone, then why does that boy in my college look exactly like him? Why does he stare at me as if he knows me?
I shook my head. "No… I'm imagining things." My parents had sacrificed everything for me—I couldn't let shadows and dreams drag me away from reality.
I washed my face, dressed up, and grabbed my bag. My phone buzzed.
"Yah, Jungkook! You're late again, I'm freezing here!" Jimin's playful complaint made me roll my eyes.
"I'm coming. Don't whine." A small smile tugged at my lips, breaking the heaviness inside me.
We walked into the campus together. The morning sun painted the grounds golden, students buzzing with chatter. For a moment, everything felt normal.
Until the classroom door creaked open.
Taehyung walked in.
Mr. Haan's voice snapped.
"Taehyung! You're late again. What's the reason this time?"
Taehyung's gaze swept the room… and landed on me. My throat went dry under that stare. For a heartbeat, the world froze.
His lips curved into the faintest smirk.
"Sir… these days, I've been paying a little too much attention to someone else's timetable."
The class gasped. Heat rushed to my face as whispers spread around. Without another word, Taehyung slid into his seat, calm as ever, while my heartbeat refused to slow down.
Mr. Haan finished his lecture and left. Soon, Mrs. Choi entered with her gentle smile and a stack of books.
"Good morning, class. Let's do some reading."
She picked students one by one. My answers were steady, but when she called Taehyung, his calm voice brushed against me again, making my chest tighten. Why does it feel like he's speaking only to me?
The bell rang. Students scattered out like waves.
Canteen
"Hyung!" Jimin's cheerful voice cut through the noise. He tugged me toward a table where Suga was sitting, arms crossed, expression unreadable.
"Mind if we sit?" Jimin asked.
Suga gave a small nod, eyes cold as ice.
I sat down, but I couldn't stop glancing at him. His silence, his sharp presence—it was magnetic in a strange way.
"Why are you always so cold, hyung?" Jimin teased. "At least smile once. You'd still look hot, you know."
I nearly choked on my drink. Suga lifted his gaze to Jimin, silent but piercing. The air between them thickened, a spark I couldn't ignore. Jimin shifted uncomfortably, his breath hitching, but didn't look away.
I smirked quietly. Something's happening here.
---
Evening
Classes ended. I walked Jimin home before heading toward my small rented apartment. The streets were dim, twilight stretching its arms across the sky.
I stepped onto the crosswalk—
and froze.
Headlights. A car speeding straight toward me.
My body refused to move.
Then—
a hand grabbed me, yanking me back with force. I stumbled, falling hard against someone.
My breath caught as I landed—on him.
Our eyes locked, so close, so intense that the world blurred around us.
"...You…" My voice broke, a whisper trembling between shock and something I couldn't name.
Time stopped.