* * * * *

He found Jeon Jung Kook.

He found his soulmate.

He found Jeon Jung Kook.

He’s such a cute guy, too.

He found Jeon Jung Kook.

He thought he might be waiting for him forever. But here he was, only in the second year of university, and HE FOUND JEON JUNG KOOK.

His mother had screamed in delight when he told her and hugged him for three whole minutes. His father smiled proudly. But not everyone shared the enthusiasm.

“Talk to him if you want,” said Namjoon, “Just don’t expect miracles.”

“Just kill him.”, hissed Yoongi darkly. ”Kill him before he hurts you.” Jimin wasn’t entirely sure he was joking.

I just found my soulmate, can’t you be happy for me? thought Jimin bitterly. It’s not my fault Namjoon got rejected by his soulmate, or whatever the hell happened to Yoongi. Just because they had no luck with their soulmates doesn’t mean I won’t either!

Jimin sulked around all day, but then he finally found someone ready to share his happiness.

“OH MY GOD YOU FOUND YOUR SOULMATE?! FINALLY!!! OH MY GOD!!! JIMIN!!!” Hoseok grabbed him and shook him as if he’d just won the Olympics. “I’m SO SO SO happy for you!!!” His smile suddenly wavered. “Umm, he’s not, like, your relative or something?”

“Huh? No... why would he be?”

“Ah, nothing!” said Hoseok with a grin.

“I don’t think he has my name on him¸ though.” said Jimin, unconsciously biting hard into his lip. It has been bothering him ever since his second lecture with Jungkook.

The first time, it was hard to tell if Jungkook had felt anything when he saw Jimin. And on that first day, Jungkook was late so he did not get to hear the attendance list. But during the second lecture, Jungkook was right on time. It was hard to see Jungkook’s face from Jimin’s seat right behind him. Praying he wasn’t being too obvious, Jimin tried to sit at the very edge of his seat, his right buttcheek falling off the chair, craning his neck in order to see Jungkook’s face. But as far as Jimin could see, Jungkook didn’t even flinch when the lecturer read Park Jimin off the attendance list. It seemed like it was just another name to him. He didn’t even blink.

Jimin told all of this to Hoseok, but Hoseok did not seem worried.

“I’m sure he has your name, Jimin! He’s your soulmate, after all. I’m sure he’s just a bit scared to talk to you! Maybe he wasn’t even listening to the list. No one ever listens to the rest after their own name is called.”

Perhaps there was truth in that, thought Jimin. Either way, after his third lecture of whatever-subject-Jungkook-was-in, he found himself taking Namjoon’s advice and approaching Jungkook shyly.

Up close, Jungkook looked magical. It may have been Jimin’s soulmate senses, or maybe it was just Jungkook being handsome in general, but Jungkook’s face seemed to be practically glowing. His eyes were always shimmering; him smile was blinding; and whatever he said, even if it was the most uninteresting reply like “uhm” or “yeah”, it would sort of echo in Jimin’s ears. Hoseok said it was probably normal, although he had never felt anything like that himself. Namjoon said it was weird. Yoongi just repeated his previous suggestion of killing Jungkook right away. Jimin was really, really hoping he was joking, but was getting less and less certain of it.

Whether it was Jimin just being awkward in general or his mind going HOLY IT’S HIM every time Jungkook was in the room, it proved extremely difficult to actually talk to Jungkook. More than once Jimin would approach his table – but then, he’d get distracted by the tiniest thing about him. His left eyebrow being a little higher than his right, for example. Or his hair being just the right amount of messy. Or the sun reflecting off his deep, deep brown eyes. Or-

“Uhm… hey? Are you okay?” asked Jungkook after Jimin had been standing in front of him with his mouth half-open for a whole minute, completely silent.

“Me? Oh, err, yeah. Yeah. Totally fine.” Jimin tried to smile and awkwardly stumbled back to his seat. With the corner of his eye, he saw Namjoon facepalming himself. What the hell was I supposed to do?? he gestured desperately in Namjoon’s direction. Namjoon just sighed and waved him away.

Jungkook spun around.

“… Are you sure you’re okay?”

Jimin hoped Jungkook was just concerned and not weirded out. Jungkook’s voice, though, sounded like a combination of both. “Uhm, should I get you water or something? You look like you’re going to pass out.”

“No, I’m… I’m fine.”

 “… If you say so.” said Jungkook. He seemed uncomfortable.

That day in the cafeteria, Jimin was noticeably down.

“Jungkook thinks I’m mental.” he confessed.

 “No way he’d think that!” said Hoseok from across him. He patted his hand. “You’re just nervous, Jimin.“ Jimin had finally persuaded Yoongi and Namjoon to let Hoseok sit at their table, which had greatly improved the atmosphere in their little group. Hoseok was literally a ball of sunshine.

Unlike Yoongi. “He probably does. I’d think that too if you were staring at me that way.”

Namjoon cast a dirty look at Yoongi before turning to Jimin. “He doesn’t think you’re mental, Jimin. He probably doesn’t think anything about you, since you didn’t actually talk to him, you idiot. You just stood there. What were you thinking?”

“I wasn’t.” sighed Jimin. “I couldn’t think. Like, at all. It’s like that every time I see him. Like someone turned my brain off.”

Hoseok chuckled. “Yup, that’s how love tends to feel.” Suddenly Yoongi winced in pain, his right hand clenching into a fist for just a moment, before relaxing again.

But Jimin didn’t know if he loved Jungkook. He didn’t even know Jungkook.

And he probably never would have known him, if it wasn’t for Namjoon being conveniently absent the following week and a very enthusiastic Hoseok dropping Jungkook into Namjoon’s empty seat. Instantly, Jimin’s eyes went wide and he sent Hoseok a panicked look and a vicious kick under the table. Hoseok returned it with a grin.

Knowing he would freeze up, Jimin refused to even look at Jungkook, even though Jungkook was right next to him in Namjoon’s seat, their shoulders almost touching. Jimin was glad he had food to preoccupy himself with while Hoseok carried on a conversation with a slightly confused Jungkook. But Hoseok had a knack for making friends, and before long him and Jungkook were exchanging Facebook and Kakao accounts and Jungkook was telling him about what he was majoring in and what movies he liked and how, holy , he would totally love to join Hoseok’s dance class, when were they starting?

Jimin really, really shouldn’t have felt jealous, especially since Hoseok was doing all this for Jimin’s sake. But, well, he was. Sue him.

“Aren’t you hot in that?” was the first and only thing Jungkook asked Jimin that day, motioning towards Jimin’s turtleneck.

Jimin’s mouth did not feel like his own. He still refused to look at Jungkook when he felt his own voice say, “Thanks.”

Jungkook laughed, and Jimin could sort of feel Jungkook roll his eyes, even though he was not looking at Jungkook at all and was instead having a staring contest with the remains of his burger.

“I mean, isn’t it too warm for those clothes?”

Knowing it would be rude to avoid looking at Jungkook any longer, Jimin slowly turned around. He kinda felt like Harry Potter during the battle with the Basilisk. He had to look at him, yet had to avoid looking at him directly. He settled for staring an inch above Jungkook’s head. It probably looked a little weird, but it was the best Jimin could manage at the moment.

He pondered telling him, right then and there.

Yeah, I’m wearing long sleeves even in the summer. It’s been that way since I was little. When I was born I looked like a page from a book. Because of you. Because of your name written all over me. And because of that name, I got bullied at school. It made me into a freak. I’m probably supposed to hate you for that, but I can’t. And I can’t sleep at night, or take a shower peacefully, because your name is always in front of me. I can never even think of anything else. Hell, it’d be easier to forget my own name than yours. Sometimes I dream of your name, repeating over and over again like a spell. And of your face, the way I first saw it when you entered that lecture hall and I felt like dying and flying at the same time.

 “I… no. It’s not that warm.”

Jimin tried to smile, but it did not quite reach his eyes.

* * * * *

Author's Note: I'm so, so sorry about that Harry Potter reference. I couldn't help myself.

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