Does he care about me??

The classroom was calm that morning, sunlight streaming softly through the windows. The quiet hum of conversations floated around, but near the back row, the world seemed slightly different.

Rosé sat at her desk, opening her notebook with deliberate care. She glanced at the page, then up at the clock, tapping her pen lightly.

Beside her—

Park Jimin rested his chin on his hand, eyes briefly scanning the teacher’s notes before returning to the blank page of his notebook.

Neither spoke. Neither moved much.

Yet, the silence between them didn’t feel awkward—it felt… natural.

A few desks over, Jennie, Lisa, and Jisoo quietly settled into their seats. They exchanged soft smiles, giving Rosé a brief nod before focusing on their work.

Across the classroom, the BTS boys—Jungkook, V, and Taehyung—sat together in the front row, quietly chatting about homework. Jungkook glanced back once, calling softly:

“Strawberry, pass me the notes for question three?”

Rosé froze slightly, glancing at him. “H-huh? Oh—sure.” She passed the notebook carefully.

“Thanks, Chaeng,” Jungkook added, a small smile tugging at his lips.

Rosé’s cheeks warmed. She glanced toward Jimin, whose expression didn’t change, but his eyes lingered on her just a moment longer than usual.

During math class, the teacher wrote a complicated equation on the board.

Rosé frowned slightly, trying to follow the steps.

Beside her, Jimin quietly leaned in. “You forgot a step here,” he murmured softly, pointing.

Rosé blinked. “…Oh. Thank you.”

He nodded once, not waiting for her to respond, but she noticed the small care in the way he corrected her—gentle, patient, quiet.

For the first time, Rosé realized she didn’t mind his presence. In fact, it made her feel… safe.

Later, during a short break, the classroom erupted in whispers as students discussed their weekend plans.

Jennie leaned slightly toward Rosé. “Want to sit together for the next project?” she asked softly.

Rosé nodded. “Yeah… that sounds nice.”

Lisa smiled. “Cool. We’ll make it easy, nothing stressful.”

Jisoo added, “And don’t worry—we’ve got your back.”

Rosé’s heart lifted. Their words were calm, kind, normal… nothing over-the-top, but just enough to feel included.

Meanwhile, Jimin quietly glanced at her from across the row, watching her smile faintly at her friends.

During gym class, they were paired for a warm-up exercise. Rosé found herself walking beside Jimin as they stretched.

“You’re not bad at this,” he said quietly, almost distracted.

Rosé tilted her head. “…Not bad?”

He shrugged slightly. “…Better than I expected.”

She blinked, a small, shy smile tugging at her lips.

A little later, while jogging laps, Jungkook called from across the field: “Chaeng, wait for me!”

Rosé slowed down, and a few BTS boys jogged beside her for a moment, exchanging casual nicknames—soft, playful, but never loud.

Through it all, Jimin ran slightly behind her, keeping pace silently, ensuring she didn’t have to push too hard.

As the school day ended, Rosé packed her things slowly.

Jimin gathered his own items, and without saying anything, fell into step beside her.

The walk back was quiet.

Not uncomfortable. Not forced.

Just… easy.

And Rosé realized, for the first time, that being beside him felt natural.

Somewhere in the distance, she could hear Jennie and Lisa laughing softly. Jungkook and V were teasing each other quietly.

But Rosé and Jimin didn’t need words. Their quiet comfort was enough.

Back in the classroom the next morning, she found her seat. Jimin sat beside her again.

And she noticed—

Even in silence, it was no longer just sitting together.

It was being understood.

It was the beginning of something neither of them could yet name.

✨ End of Episode 2

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