"Why don't you just tell her?" Taehyung asked for what seemed like the thousandth time.

"Do you not get it? It's gonna make everything awkward between us." Jungkook snapped, narrowing his eyes.

 

Taehyung glanced at Jimin who shrugged.

"Then ask her to hang out tomorrow. And then call it a date. She's not gonna say no to hanging out." Taehyung replied.

 

Jungkook opened his eyes wide. "Just the two of us?"

"Yeah, go karaoke-ing or something." Jimin piped in.

 

"You sing pretty well." Suddenly Taehyung lunged at an unsuspecting Jungkook and grabbed his phone out of his hands.

 

"Hey, the guys are busy tomorrow, do you want to hang out?" Taehyung read aloud as he typed.

"Please don't. Give it back," Jungkook whined, trying to reach for Taehyung, but was intercepted by Jimin tickling his waist.

"Oh, she replied so fast," Taehyung announced. Jimin and Jungkook sat up straight.

"'Sure, where do you want to go?' is what she wrote." He read.

"Ooh looks like you have a date~" Jimin teased, grinning widely, his eyes creasing into crescents as Taehyung laughed.

"Wanna go to the mall at 11:30?" Taehyung continued typing, narrating the texts as he did. "Aaaand send."  
Turning to Jungkook, he said; "you wanna know why 11:30? Because lunch is at 12:00, so you can get lunch, then it'll be a real date."

"How do you know this stuff? You've never had a girlfriend either."

"Oh, young Kookie, don't you know that the people with no relationship experience give the best relationship advice?"

"That makes no sense Tae-" he was interrupted by Taehyung's yell.

"She's typing!"

The boys huddled around him as the reply appeared. "Sounds good. I'll meet you there at 11:30 then~"

"KOOKIE HAS A DATE!" Taehyung yelled and Jimin giggled.

"Now that we got that out of the way, can we play Overwatch?" Jungkook asked, quickly changing the subject to avoid their relentless teasing.
 

The next few hours were filled with laughter, shouting and all around good vibes, which took their minds off of what had just happened.

------ The next day 10:00am --------

Jungkook opened his closet. He scanned his clothes wondering why his morning routine seemed much harder than before. He never paid much attention to his outfits but he had to look good. Or just act natural, a little voice in his head said.

 

It’s not like I have anything else, he mused, eyeing the sea of white hung up on the rack and the rows of beige underneath. Natural indeed.

 

Dressed his standard outfit-- a white t-shirt, blue ripped jeans, and Timbs-- he mused his hair a bit to the left, frowned, and patted it down. He wondered if he should hint at his feelings. They did talk a lot, in school and in the group chat, but then again, that was the group chat. He fluffed his hair a bit, and tied a bandana around his head. No, still looks weird. He took it down.

 

He had read in some "How to Tell if a Girl Likes You" article that Taehyung sent him that girls initiate more skinship if they like you. She did poke him sometimes, but then again, she did the same to Taehyung and Jimin too. It was all too confusing. He couldn't say anything, that would ruin their friendship. It would mess everything up. Then she would start avoiding him and that would hurt more than being rejected.

He sighed again as he ran his fingers​ through his hair. This will have to do.

 

Soon he was on his way, and almost a block away from the mall. Feeling his phone vibrate, he looked at it to see an incoming call from Haneul.

"Hello?” he answered.

"Hey, Kookie! Are we meeting outside the mall's entrance?"

 

He smiled, imagining her bright smile, and a finger twirling a stray curl.

 

“Kookie? You there?” Hanuel’s voice brought him back to real time.

"Uh, yeah. I'm almost there."

 

"Okay, just making sure! I'm half a block away. See you in 3 minutes," she giggled a goodbye.
 

He gulped as he felt butterflies fluttering in his stomach. She was there, waiting for him, wearing a dark green t-shirt with blue jeans and waved happily when she saw him.

"Jungkook!" She ruffled his hair.

"Haneul," he greeted, running his hands through his hair again to fix the result of her attack.

"Where do you want to go?" He asked.

"You asked to hang out, what do you want to do?" She replied.

"Umm.” He thought, unsure of whether she'd enjoy his suggestion. They always went to the arcade, but it was the most fun place in the mall. “Arcade?"

"I should've known. Always the arcade with you. We can eat there too, ooh, then karaoke!" She exclaimed.

 

Jungkook nodded. "Sounds good, let's go."

The two walked into the mall's arcade, located conveniently next to the Food Court.

They paid for their own tickets and Jungkook immediately gravitated toward the new Alien shooter game. Taehyung, Jimin and he had been playing the console version of this game for days trying to achieve new high scores. He almost ran to the game she took her time walking behind him, keeping him in sight as she grinned. He had a childlike innocence to him, even at this age of 18, where most people had lost their innocence. He waited for her by the game, handing her a gun as she approached. Immediately he put in tokens for the both of them and selected his favorite map, Oceania.

"You take the left, I'll take the right." Jungkook said.

"Sure, we got this!"

They played for 15 minutes straight, just barely passing the high score that Jimin and Taehyung had set yesterday.

"I'm going to snap them a picture of this!" Haneul giggled.

She received a reply almost immediately.

'IT TOOK US HOURS TO REACH THAT SCORE' Taehyung yelled in his snap, making a crying face, then bursting into laughter in the last second.

Jimin's reply was quite different. He sent a selfie of himself winking with the caption 'Cuteee 😉😉'

Jungkook, who had been looking over her shoulder and couldn't read the rest of the words, made a face that she couldn't see. She didn't look disgusted, and she smiled at Jimin’s picture quickly screenshotted the it before it disappeared.

"Jiminnie's cute." He said as se replied to Jimin's snap with a selfie of her own.

"Uh, yeah..." The butterflies in his stomach fluttered a thousand times a second. She likes Jimin, he thought.

"Let's play the water shooter game," Haneul suggested. “When I came here with Jimin, we played that game for an hour, but I beat him everytime.”

Jungkook simply nodded, choosing to wordlessly follow her as she walked to her favorite game. ‘She likes Jimin’, he thought again bitterly. He was wasting his time, doing this, whatever the hell ‘this’ even was.

"Jungkook?" She tapped his arm. "Hurry up!"

She was at the game already, looking at him with an eyebrow raised.

Haneul easily won the water shooter game.

"Yay! I win!" She exclaimed.

Jungkook gave her a weak smile.

 

"Hey, what's wrong? You were shouting and smiling only 5 minutes ago?" She asked.

"Um...I'm hungry."

"Then let's eat, but I know there's something else. What happened? Was it Jimin's snap? You know he's just messing around."

"Do you like Jimin?" Jungkook could barely ask.

"What? No. I mean yes, because he's my friend but not in a more-than-friends way."

Instantly Jungkook felt like an idiot for assuming something off the bat.

"He knows I like...someone," she continued.

"Oh...." Jungkook felt his stomach somersault. "Who?"

"I'm not telling you~ it's a secret." Haneul teased.

"Why? That's not fair! How come Jimin gets to know?" Jungkook pouted, and Haneul laughed at his childish whining.

"Tell me who you like first."

"It's a secret."

"Mhm. How about this? We'll both tell each other today before we go home."

"Fine. Deal." He agreed. The two of them had reached the food court by that time.

"Okay, can we get food now? Since you're hungry?"

"Pizza?" Jungkook asked.

"Of course, my favorite." She agreed.

The line for the food court's pizzeria was not as long as it was in the late afternoon, so they were able to get their food pretty fast. Despite being a station in a food court, the pizza was good quality. They enjoyed their slices with a cup of soda.

 

Who is her crush? She likes someone, probably a friend. Jimin knows him... probably. Could be Tae or Hobi. Can't be Joon or Jin. Definitely not Yoongi. Wait. Could it be?

"So, karaoke next?" Haneul asked breaking the silence.

"Yeah, but you have to sing too. I don't wanna be the only one singing. Last time it was just me and Jimin.”

"But I like hearing you guys sing more. My voice is so bad compared to yours."

"Obviously I'm way better, but you're not horrible. Better than Taehyung when he tries to rap" Jungkook joked.

"You're mean, Tae isn't that bad. He's passionate, and that's admirable."

"Sounds like you have a crush on TaeTae," Jungkook teased.

It was strange how the teasing came so easily when they were having a conversation. It was starting the conversation that was the hardest part for him. Haneul paused, visibly flustered.

"No, wrong again Jungkookie. Do you have a crush on Taehyung?" She asked, regaining her composure.

Jungkook laughed. "I'm in love with myself."

"Narcissistic, aren't we?"

"You call it narcissism, I call it confidence."

"Sure," she rolled her eyes.

 

Soon they were both done and were walking to the karaoke place. Located only a couple of blocks away, and being inexpensive compared to some other places nearby, it was frequently visited by their group of friends. However, they usually went as a group, this was the first time they were going together, just the two of them. Realizing this, Jungkook gulped. The stirring in his stomach that had settled down rose up faster than before.

"Let's sing some duets this time," Haneul started to say once they entered the room. "I want to sing Heize and Dean's song And July. Oh, and Soyu and Junggigo's Some."

"Okay," he agreed, as he entered those songs into the queue as well as a few more.

The first song started: Heize - And July feat. Dean.

Haneul sang:

"I can’t even say anything
I’m about to explode
It’s too late to say
That I’m saying this out of heat (what)
So I’m only lingering around you"

Her gaze drifted towards Jungkook who quickly looked away, to the screen where his part was coming up.
He sang:

"A night hotter
Than the July sun
Like all weekends
It’ll probably cool down
But today, it’ll be different
All the emotions I pushed back
I’ll tell you today
I hope We’ll be ok"

He glanced at her and she smiled at him as the song continued. Then as the chorus came up, together they sang:

"I can give you the world
If only you come to me
I can give you the world
Just say it
I’ll do anything for you yeah"

The song ended and Jungkook let out a sigh.

"Tired already?" Haneul joked. She tousled his hair and he lightly shoved her shoulder in response.

The next song began, Soyou and Junggigo- Some.
He started the song:

"Sometimes, I get annoyed without even knowing
But my feelings for you haven’t changed
Maybe I’m the weird one, I thought
As I struggled by myself"

How fitting, Jungkook thought. He watched her sing softly, in a breathy tone, the way the original is sung. He was so distracted by her standing up at the end of her verse, that he missed the cue for the chorus. She giggled as he continued on.

"These days,
It feels like you’re mine, it seems like you’re mine but not
It feels like I’m yours, it seems like I’m yours but not
What are we?
I’m confused, don’t be aloof."

She picked up continuing the chorus:

"It feels like we’re lovers,
It seems like we’re lovers but not
Whenever you see me, you act so vague to me
These days, I hate hearing that I’m just like a friend"

She didn't even look at the screen while singing. She looked directly into his eyes. Jungkook gulped.
The song continued, and they both rapped the bridge part.

"I know this song way too well," Haneul had said, winking at him. Jungkook's eyes widened. Who was she talking about? Taehyung, Jimin? Or Hoseok? Maybe Seungcheol? There were so many peoples it could be.

The third song started.

"My favorite song!" Haneul exclaimed. "I love Taeyeon!"

Jungkook replied "I know, I love this song too."

Then he started the song with the chorus:

"You are my starlight, shine on my heart
When I’m with you, it feels like I’m dreaming all day
You are my starlight, I get so happy
Your love is like a gift"

Jungkook's heart skipped a beat as she continued the song. His heart felt like it would actually stop beating as she sang the next part before the chorus.

"Reflected in my eyes is your squinted eyes, yeah
You’re smiling behind that awkward face
You’re so lovable, I couldn’t hold back, oh
I discovered you like a miracle, you always make me smile
You are my starlight"

She sang while looking straight into his eyes again. He was pretty sure this was illegal, to kill someone by looking into their eyes.

While he continued on to the chorus, Haneul grabbed his hands and pulled him up so they were both standing.
The bridge part arrived. It was now or never, Jungkook's heart declared.

"Even on rainy days, you clear up my heart
The moment I saw you, I’m only filled with you
Just looking at you makes joy spread on my lips
You’re the only one who can make me smile like this"

It was Haneul's turn to feel her heart skip a beat, as he looked directly into her eyes and took a step closer.

"You are my starlight, I can’t hide it
When we’re together, it feels like my heart is dancing
You are my starlight, I’m so thankful
Your love is like a dream"

They were standing very close together, physically closer than they had ever been. The instrumental continued, but neither of them were paying attention to anything but each other.

"Um, the person I like, is you. I really, really like you“ He confessed.

"Jeon Jungkook," she began. But she didn't say anything else. She didn't have to. Her actions spoke for her. She inched closer, still holding his hands, and softly pressed her lips onto his, but only for a couple of seconds.

"You really are my starlight." She said as the song ended. Then she burst out laughing. "That was really cheesy."

"You're being serious though, right?" Jungkook asked. That really happened, right? It was too much like a dream, he thought.

"It felt like we had something between us, but I wasn't sure if it was just me projecting my own feelings, or if you actually liked me. But your eyes speak for you, Kookie, and Jimin told me to go for it."

"So he knew you had a crush on me?" Jungkook asked. "He knew I liked you too! He told me to go for it too, but he didn't tell me that you liked me."

"That's because I made him swear he wouldn't tell, but he didn't tell me about you either."

"I," he paused. "Really, really like you. Will you go out with me?"

"Are you giving me a second confession?" Haneul joked. "Ooh, let's sing that song too, by BTOB! Of course i'll go out with you. I really like you too."

"Let's sing Starlight again. That's going to be our song now." Jungkook declared.

Haneul laughed as she played with his hair. "I love you Jungkookie."

He grinned and lightly pecked her on the cheek. "I love you too, Kim Haneul."

 

****Meanwhile****

"I knew this would work!! They just needed a little push in the right direction." Jimin sang. He practically danced around the security office of the Hope Karaoke Bar.

Taehyung was ecstatic, or going nuts.

"I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS DAY EVER SINCE I WAS BORN. I WAS BORN SPECIFICALLY FOR THIS DAY SO I COULD SEE ONE OF MY BEST FRIEND CONFESS TO HIS CRUSH, WHO HAPPENS TO BE ANOTHER ONE OF MY BEST FRIENDS" He yelled.

Seokjin smacked his head. "You're going to get me fired. No one is supposed to be up here."

"As if you've never come up here before." Namjoon remarked. "I'm glad they finally gained the courage to confess. The group chat was getting frustrating."

"Now we can all third wheel on their dates!" Hoseok said loudly, giving Taehyung a high five.

"This is a relief, the between them was so thick, it encompassed the air around them, but suffocated everyone else." Yoongi deadpanned.

"Who would've thought Jungkook would be the first of us to have a girlfriend." Seokjin said.

"Literally everyone." Yoongi said. "You two are together." He pointed to Seokjin and Namjoon.

"This one is mine." He pointed to Jimin, who linked his arm around him.

 

"And who knows about these two." He pointed to Taehyung and Hoseok.

Taehyung was about to reply until they all received a notification from the group chat.

Jungkook and Haneul had sent a picture they just took, sitting together with their arms around each other.



The End.
 

 

Author's note:

This took forever because I procrastinate everything. Actually I rushed the ending, but I couldn't even start because I didn't have an idea and even when I did I couldn't write it. Most of this was written on the bus, as usual.  

Leave a comment on what you liked and didn't like, constructive criticism is always appreciated.