"Park Jimin, wake up!"

A coarse, dry voice woke Jimin from his slumber.

Looking up as he dried his saliva, Jimin met the sour glance of his old Englis teacher, Jung Shin Hye-Ssaem.

"Did you pull an all-nighter, boy? If so, just go home and sleep. And then, your grades will plummet like they've always been! Now, sit up straight and don't give me that face!" Jung-Ssaem said as she turned her back and went to the front.

"Class, this is your new classmate. He came from Busan. Please introduce yourself."

Busan? Jimin was from Busan, but he certainly had not seen this guy around. But well, with over a million people in that city, a chance encounter might have been possible, but not a real one that allow for friendship to be built.

"Annyeong haseyo. My name is Jeon Jungkook."

"Mr. Jeon, take your seat beside Park Jimin."

"Ne, Seonsaengnim. Gamsahamnida."

Jimin watched the new student as he strode with confidence to the desk beside the sleepy student. Jungkook silently placed his bag beside his desk after taking out his notebooks and pencil case. He placed his things on the table, his eyes set on the teacher in front. There was no way he was interested in the curious glances from his classmates, but most especially from his seatmate Jimin.

"Okay, let's start class."

***

Jungkook hurriedly opened his bento box when the lunch bell rang. Grabbing his manga, he buried his face in it, trying to avoid that one seatmate who kept eyeing him since the start of English class.

What's his problem, Jungkook asked himself.

But curiosity killed the cat. He glanced sideways to catch Jimin staring right back at him.

"You have beautiful lips, Jungkook-ssi," Jimin remarked, smiling as he pointed out to Jungkook his asset.

"I don't need someone's opinion about my physical features. What do you want"

"I'm hungry, and I don't have money. Can we share your lunch?"

"No," Jungkook said as he turned back to the balloon he last read.

And so, Jimin stood up and head out of the room. 

He caught sight of his upperclassman and friend, Min Yoongi.

"Hyung, can you lend me money? I don't have some with me, and my seatmate doesn't want to share his food with me."

Heaving a sigh, Yoongi grabbed some coins from his pocket. "That's why you shouldn't keep on playing during weekdays. It's not allowance week yet, and you know that Seokjin-hyung will not hand us anything no matter how much we ask him. Talk about being thrifty and stingy."

Jimin beamed a smile when he received the coins. "Gomawo, hyung!"

"Now, what did this peep squeak do?" Namjoon asked when he happened to pass by the two guys.

"Jimin. He was trying to borrow money or ask lunch from his classmate," Yoongi said as he nodded to Jungkook's direction.

"Ah, Jeon Jungkook," Namjoon remarked.

"You know this guy?" Jimin asked, quite surprised.

"Yeah. He's got good grades in his previous school before he got scouted for a modeling gig here in school. We worked for two weeks when he said he wanted to study here just so he could work part time," Yoongi said.

"Mm. He was scouted here, too, because of his athleticism. Many sports manager had seen him play in many sports, yet Jungkook-ssi excelled mainly in Taekwondo," Namjoon added.

Jimin turned to look at the quiet new student who was chewing on his food while turning a page from the book he was reading.

"How come I never knew about him?"

Yoongi lightly smacked Jimin's head. "When you are always at the arcade, you'd never knew what news Hoseok-ah would always bring.

Jung Hoseok. He is Namjoon's classmate. He is also the bearer of news, both bad and good.

And speaking of which, Hoseok gaily skipped the hallway as he was carrying some books to bring back to the library.

"Jung Hoseok, this is not a race track, and you are not a horse!" Kim Ji Won-Ssaem called out a few feet from behind Hoseok. The young lad sweat dropped as he hurriedly ran as fast as he could. The teacher could only grumble her frustration.

Yoongi smirked. "I could've basically said the same thing." He remarked placed his hands behind his head as he walked away from Jimin and Namjoon.

***

Taehyung started his scooter as he wore his helmet when he saw Jimin stalking/ walking a few paces behind Jungkook, who was reading a manga while walking.

"Ya, Jimin, come here."

"Ne?"

"Are you following him?" Taehyung asked as he pointed to Jungkook.

When Jimin nodded, his friend laughed so hard that Jungkook had to turn around and look at Taehyung. Nevertheless, the quiet guy resumed reading the manga.

"You've got to be kidding me! Don't you know? We are all living in the same apartment!"

Jimin's eyes widened. "That kid's our housemate?"

Taehyung nodded as he threw an extra helmet to Jimin. "Hop on. Yoongi-hyung told me you didn't have lunch money anymore. I'll take you home. Just don't abuse my generosity, or else, I'll have you shipped over to Mars."

"Gomawo, Tae Tae!"

***

"Tadaima", Jungkook announced in Japanese that he had arrived home. He forgot that he was in Korea, and that he was so obsessed reading his manga.

"Oh? Welcome back, Jungkookie. Sit sown here and have snacks," Jin called out from the dining room while carrying some plates full of food.

And so, Jungkook went over to the dining table. His eyes opened in wonder when he saw Jimin slurping soup and eye-smiling at him at the same time.

"Surprised to see me here, Jungkookie?"

Rolling his eyeballs, Jungkook sat down as he grabbed a takoyaki from a plate. He was chewing at his food as he stared at Taehyung who was also staring back at him. It seemed to him that Taehyung was not actually starting at him, but he was absentmindedly observing him, like he was from another dimension.

"You two are like cats who are about to embark on a fight. Eat some more, Jungkook," Jin said as he poured a glass of water for the maknae.

Grabbing the glass while gulping the contents, Jungkook then stood up as he took his bag and manga.

"I'm good. I'm done."