Northbridge University looked beautiful in the rain.

Students crossed the huge campus with umbrellas above their heads while laughter echoed through the cold evening air. For most people, it was just the beginning of another semester.

For Kim Taehyung, it felt like the beginning of a completely different life.

Transferring to Northbridge had not been an easy decision. His old university was full of expectations he could never meet and friendships that never felt real. Everyone liked the version of Taehyung that smiled all the time, joked around, and acted like nothing ever hurt him.

But nobody really knew him.

So he left.

Northbridge was supposed to be his fresh start. A place where nobody knew his past. A place where he could quietly become someone new.

What Taehyung did not expect was Jeon Jungkook.

Jungkook was known across campus for two things: being one of the best literature students in the university and being impossible to get close to.

Quiet.

Cold.

Sharp with words.

The kind of person who looked at others like he had already decided they would disappoint him eventually.

Taehyung disliked him instantly.

Unfortunately, fate seemed to enjoy pushing them toward each other.

First in the rain.

Then in class.

Then during late-night study sessions that slowly turned into something neither of them expected.

Because behind Jungkook’s coldness was loneliness.

And behind Taehyung’s bright smile was exhaustion.

They were two people pretending they were fine in completely different ways.

What began with arguments slowly became comfort.

Comfort became attachment.

And attachment slowly turned into love.

But love was terrifying when both people were afraid of being abandoned.

Under the same sky, two boys who thought they were meant to stay alone would slowly learn what it meant to choose someone — and be chosen back.

_____Chapter 1: The Boy In the Rain______

Kim Taehyung hated being late.

Unfortunately, he was always late.

“Sorry— excuse me— wait, move—!”

Taehyung rushed through the crowded pathway with his backpack hanging off one shoulder while rain poured heavily over Northbridge University. His phone was open to the campus map, but somehow the map only made him more confused.

“How does one university have this many buildings?” he complained under his breath.

A passing student laughed. “You lost?”

“I’ve been lost for twenty minutes.”

“The literature building is straight ahead.”

Taehyung looked around dramatically. “You’re telling me I suffered emotionally for nothing?”

The student pointed behind him.

Taehyung turned.

The literature building was literally right there.

“…Wow.”

“Good luck,” the student said, still laughing before walking away.

Taehyung sighed and immediately started running again.

Which was exactly why he crashed into someone.

The impact nearly knocked the coffee out of his hand.

“Oh my god—!”

A strong hand grabbed his arm before he could fall completely.

“Watch where you’re going,” a deep voice said coldly.

Taehyung blinked before slowly looking up.

The boy standing in front of him looked annoyed, tired, and unfairly attractive all at once.

Dark wet hair covered part of his forehead.

A black hoodie clung slightly to his shoulders because of the rain.

His sharp eyes stayed fixed on Taehyung with obvious irritation.

Taehyung frowned immediately.

“You were standing in the middle of the path.”

“I was walking.”

“Walking like a movie villain.”

The stranger stared at him silently.

Rain continued falling around them.

Finally, the boy bent down and picked up Taehyung’s notebook from the wet ground.

“You dropped this.”

Taehyung grabbed it quickly. “Thanks.”

“You should pay attention.”

“You should smile at least once.”

One eyebrow lifted slightly.

“You talk too much.”

“And you sound emotionally unavailable.”

For a second, Taehyung noticed the smallest twitch at the corner of the boy’s mouth.

Almost a smile.

Almost.

Then it disappeared again.

“What building are you looking for?” the stranger asked.

Taehyung looked suspicious immediately. “Why?”

“Because you’ve walked past the same bench three times.”

“…You saw that?”

“It was hard not to.”

Taehyung groaned softly. “The literature building.”

The boy pointed behind him.

Again.

Taehyung slowly turned and saw the building directly across from them.

His soul almost left his body.

“Oh.”

“You’re welcome.”

“That felt judgmental.”

“It was.”

Taehyung narrowed his eyes. “You enjoy annoying people, don’t you?”

“And you seem naturally annoying.”

Taehyung gasped dramatically. “That’s offensive.”

“You’ll survive.”

The stranger turned slightly as if ready to leave.

“Wait,” Taehyung called.

The boy paused.

“You have a name?”

There was a brief silence before he answered.

“Jeon Jungkook.”

Taehyung smiled slightly.

“Kim Taehyung.”

Jungkook nodded once before turning away and disappearing into the rain.

Taehyung watched him leave.

There was something strange about him.

Not just his attitude.

Something heavier.

Like he carried loneliness around him quietly, hoping nobody would notice.

Taehyung shook the thought away quickly.

“Great,” he muttered while heading toward the building. “New university, new life, and rude boys with pretty faces already bothering me.”

What Taehyung did not know yet…

was that Jeon Jungkook was about to become the most important person in his life.

Kim Taehyung spent the next thirty minutes convincing himself that he would probably never see Jeon Jungkook again.

Northbridge University was huge. There were thousands of students on campus. The chances of repeatedly meeting the same rude, emotionally constipated boy had to be low.

Very low.

Unfortunately, fate clearly hated him.

Taehyung entered Creative Literature 101 while fixing his wet hair with one hand and holding his coffee with the other. The classroom was already crowded, conversations filling the room loudly.

“Perfect,” he whispered dramatically. “Nothing says ‘good first impression’ like arriving half-drowned.”

A few students laughed softly nearby. Taehyung smiled automatically before looking around for an empty seat.

Then he froze.

There was exactly one empty chair left in the entire classroom.

And sitting beside it was Jeon Jungkook.

Taehyung stared at him in disbelief.

Jungkook looked up from his notebook slowly. His expression immediately became unreadable.

“No,” Taehyung muttered under his breath.

Jungkook leaned back slightly in his chair.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“That’s exactly what I was thinking,” Taehyung replied while walking toward the seat carefully.

He dropped into the chair beside Jungkook with unnecessary drama.

“I just want you to know,” Taehyung said while placing his bag down, “this feels deeply personal.”

“You’re loud even this early in the morning.”

“You’re rude even this early in the morning.”

“That’s because you ran into me an hour ago.”

“You looked emotionally hittable.”

For the first time, Jungkook looked genuinely speechless.

Taehyung smiled proudly. “I won that round.”

Before Jungkook could reply, the professor entered the room.

The conversations slowly quieted.

Professor Kim Namjoon carried several books under one arm while adjusting his glasses with the other hand. He looked calm in the way only literature professors somehow managed to look.

“Good morning, everyone,” Namjoon said warmly. “Welcome to Creative Literature.”

Taehyung sat back in his chair while Jungkook opened his notebook immediately.

Of course he did.

“This semester,” Namjoon continued, “you’ll learn that writing is not just about talent. It’s about honesty.”

Taehyung immediately looked uncomfortable.

Honesty.

He already disliked this class.

“If your writing hides too much,” Namjoon said while walking slowly across the room, “people will feel the distance in your words.”

Taehyung glanced sideways and noticed Jungkook’s expression shift slightly.

Only for a second.

But it was there.

Like those words hit something personal.

Then Jungkook’s face became unreadable again.

Interesting.

“Now,” Namjoon said happily, “because good writing also requires trust, all major assignments this semester will be done in pairs.”

The classroom immediately exploded with reactions.

Taehyung slowly turned toward Jungkook.

Jungkook closed his eyes briefly like he was physically preparing for emotional damage.

“No.”

“Yes,” Taehyung whispered back immediately.

“You’ll stay paired with the person sitting beside you for the entire semester.”

Taehyung dramatically placed both hands over his face.

“This university is bullying me.”

“You’ll survive,” Jungkook replied calmly.

Taehyung looked at him. “You say that a lot for someone who looks dead inside.”

Jungkook stared silently for a second before looking away again.

Somehow, Taehyung felt like he had accidentally said something too real.

Namjoon started explaining the first assignment.

A personal essay.

Topic:

Write about a moment that changed your life.

Taehyung immediately groaned.

“Oh no.”

Jungkook glanced sideways. “Problem?”

“I hate writing personal things.”

“That’s literally the assignment.”

“Exactly. Why would anyone willingly expose their emotions?”

Jungkook looked at him carefully.

“That’s surprising.”

Taehyung blinked. “What is?”

“You seem like the type of person who says everything on his mind.”

Taehyung laughed softly at that.

“People think talking a lot means honesty,” he admitted quietly. “It’s easier to joke around than explain real things.”

For a moment, Jungkook just looked at him.

Not annoyed.

Not cold.

Just quietly observing.

Then Namjoon interrupted again.

“Before class ends, exchange numbers with your partner.”

Taehyung sighed dramatically.

“Well, partner,” he said while pulling out his phone, “if this turns into a toxic academic relationship, I’m blaming you.”

“We already started badly.”

“That’s true.”

Taehyung handed him his phone. Their fingers brushed slightly during the exchange.

A tiny thing.

But strangely noticeable.

Neither of them reacted outwardly.

Still, Taehyung caught Jungkook looking away a little too quickly afterward.

Interesting.

After class ended, students slowly started leaving.

Taehyung adjusted his bag while Jungkook packed his books neatly.

“You organize your notes like you’re preparing for war,” Taehyung commented.

“You carry emotional chaos in your backpack.”

Taehyung looked offended. “That’s not true.”

A pen immediately fell out of his bag onto the floor.

Jungkook stared silently.

“…Don’t look at me.”

For the first time, Taehyung heard it.

A soft laugh.

Small. Brief. Quiet.

But real.

Taehyung blinked in surprise.

Because suddenly Jungkook didn’t look cold anymore.

He looked human.

Dangerously human.

“When do you want to work on the assignment?” Taehyung asked carefully.

Jungkook zipped his bag closed before answering.

“Library. Seven tonight.”

“That sounded less like a suggestion and more like a threat.”

“Be there on time.”

Taehyung smiled slightly. “See? You do care.”

Jungkook looked at him for a long second before turning toward the classroom door.

And right before leaving, he said quietly:

“Don’t get lost this time.”

Taehyung stared after him, surprised by the tiny tease hidden inside the sentence.

Then slowly, without realizing it, he smiled to himself.

Maybe Jeon Jungkook wasn’t impossible after all.

Taehyung arrived at the library at exactly 6:57 p.m.

Not because he was responsible.

But because Jeon Jungkook looked like the type of person who would remember lateness for the next fifty years.

Northbridge’s library was quieter in the evening. The sunlight outside had faded into soft orange, and the large windows reflected rows of bookshelves stretching endlessly across the room. Students sat scattered around with headphones on and coffee cups beside their laptops.

Taehyung spotted Jungkook immediately.

Of course he was already there.

Jungkook sat near the windows with several books open around him, looking completely focused. His sleeves were rolled slightly above his wrists while he wrote something carefully in his notebook.

Taehyung slowed down unconsciously.

For someone so rude, Jungkook looked unfairly beautiful while concentrating.

Annoying.

Very annoying.

“You’re staring again.”

Taehyung nearly walked into a bookshelf.

“I was not staring.”

“You almost hit the shelf.”

“That proves nothing.”

Jungkook looked up slowly, and Taehyung noticed it again — that tiny almost-smile he kept trying to hide.

Taehyung dropped dramatically into the chair across from him.

“You came early?”

“I’m always early.”

“That sounds exhausting.”

“It’s called being responsible.”

“It’s called having no social life.”

Jungkook ignored the comment and pushed a notebook toward him.

“Outline for the essay.”

Taehyung stared at the page in horror.

Everything was color-coded.

Titles were perfectly aligned.

Even the handwriting looked expensive.

“Oh my god,” Taehyung whispered. “You’re one of those students.”

“One of what students?”

“The terrifying smart ones who probably enjoy suffering academically.”

Jungkook looked completely unbothered. “Focus.”

“You definitely had perfect attendance in school.”

“I did.”

“That’s actually scary.”

Taehyung rested his chin dramatically on the table while flipping through the outline.

“You planned the entire assignment already?”

“It’s easier if we organize first.”

Taehyung narrowed his eyes suspiciously. “Do you secretly enjoy controlling people?”

“No. I just dislike chaos.”

“You would hate my room.”

“I already do.”

Taehyung gasped. “You’ve never even seen it!”

“I can imagine it.”

Taehyung opened his mouth to argue but stopped when he noticed something strange.

Jungkook sounded… comfortable.

Still sarcastic.

Still blunt.

But less cold than before.

Like the sharp edges around him softened slightly when he forgot to keep his distance.

It made Taehyung strangely curious.

They started working properly after that.

At least they tried to.

“You can’t start your essay with ‘Life is complicated,’” Jungkook said flatly after reading Taehyung’s first paragraph.

“Why not?”

“Because it sounds like a teenager discovering emotions for the first time.”

Taehyung looked offended immediately.

“I am a teenager discovering emotions for the first time.”

“You’re twenty-two.”

“Still young enough to suffer dramatically.”

Jungkook shook his head slightly before editing the sentence himself.

Taehyung watched him quietly for a moment.

Jungkook looked different here.

In class, he seemed distant from everyone. Like he built invisible walls around himself naturally.

But in the quiet library light, when he focused on writing or absentmindedly pushed his hair away from his eyes, he looked less untouchable.

More real.

Taehyung noticed small things too.

Like how Jungkook tapped his fingers softly against the table whenever he was thinking deeply.

Or how he quietly reread his sentences under his breath.

Or how tired his eyes looked when he stopped paying attention for too long.

A notification suddenly lit up Jungkook’s phone.

Taehyung accidentally glanced at the screen.

One message.

From someone saved as:

Mom

Jungkook immediately turned the phone face-down.

Too quickly.

The shift in his expression lasted only a second, but Taehyung noticed it.

Something heavy.

Something exhausted.

“You okay?” Taehyung asked softly before thinking.

Jungkook looked slightly surprised by the question.

Then guarded again.

“I’m fine.”

The answer sounded automatic.

Like something he had repeated too many times.

Taehyung looked at him for a second longer before quietly sliding his iced coffee across the table.

Jungkook frowned. “What’s this?”

“You look emotionally drained.”

“I don’t drink sugar.”

“That sounds fake.”

“It’s not fake.”

“Just try it.”

Jungkook stared at him silently before finally taking one sip.

Taehyung immediately leaned forward dramatically.

“Oh my god. You listened to me.”

“You’re loud even when whispering.”

“But you listened.”

Jungkook looked down at the cup for a second.

“…It’s not terrible.”

Taehyung clutched his chest. “That’s basically a love confession coming from you.”

For the first time that evening, Jungkook laughed properly.

A real laugh.

Soft.

Quiet.

Beautiful.

Taehyung froze completely.

Because suddenly Jungkook didn’t look cold anymore.

He looked dangerous in an entirely different way.

Jungkook noticed Taehyung staring again.

“What now?”

Taehyung blinked quickly. “Nothing.”

“Liar.”

Taehyung grabbed his notebook dramatically. “We should continue working before I start having thoughts.”

Jungkook raised an eyebrow slightly. “Concerning thoughts?”

“Very.”

That tiny almost-smile appeared again.

And this time, Jungkook didn’t hide it completely.

Hours passed faster than either of them expected.

By the time they finally packed their things, the library was nearly empty.

Taehyung stretched his arms tiredly while Jungkook slid books back into his bag neatly.

“You know,” Taehyung said while standing up, “you’re less horrible than I thought.”

“You’re still annoying.”

“That sounded affectionate.”

“It wasn’t.”

“Sure.”

They walked toward the library exit together quietly.

Outside, the rain had stopped completely.

The campus lights glowed softly against the dark evening sky.

For a brief moment, neither of them spoke.

And strangely…

the silence didn’t feel uncomfortable anymore.