Three days had passed since her unexpected meeting with Jungkook. She hadn’t seen the two bullies, or the black-haired boy since. She had almost forgotten about him until someone sat down beside her at the back of the lecture theatre. She lazily turned around and was surprised to see his smiling face. “Soo Jung, I didn’t know you were in this class!” he said happily as he pulled out the things he needed for the lecture. “I just started this week, so this is my first class.” She said, watching him curiously as he organised his belongings. He nodded at her, the smile still on his face before he turned to wave at two boys who had just entered the room. They rushed up to them, sitting in the row in front of them. “Is this her?” asked a brunette with a deep voice.

“Yeah, is this the girl who saved you?” asked another, his hair a mix between ash grey and purple. Jungkook nodded, looking a little embarrassed at the handsome boys phrasing of him needing saving. “Yeah, this is Soo Jung.” He said with a grin as he turned to her. “Soo Jung, these are my friends; Taehyung and Jimin.” He said as he pointed to each boy in turn. She gave them a shy smile, both of them beaming back at her.

She suddenly felt incredibly awkward. Even though she had been free from the institution for several years, she still felt like an alien in social situations. At first she had tried harder to fit in, she tried to keep up with the latest trends, the latest boybands, whatever the girls around her seemed to be interested in… but she always managed to say something which made her sound strange or made people avoid her. She always seemed to be just one step behind. Eventually she had stopped trying.

She had changed schools several times since Yoongi had taken her in, each time bringing with it the curiosity of getting to know the new girl. She hated it. She was always thankful when the interest in her faded. She preferred being on her own, no one would judge her or ask questions which she didn’t know how to answer ‘normally’. The three boys chatted animatedly as they waited for their lecturer to arrive. Jungkook occasionally looked at her, smiling at her each time she caught his eye. They didn’t seem to mind that she was quiet and mainly answered with one word answers and they weren’t too pushy either. They seemed quite happy to chat about nothing, they didn’t push her to tell them everything about her, which was what normally happened to her when she met new people.

She felt a little relieved when the lecturer came into the room and Taehyung and Jimin turned to face the front. Jungkook smiled at her and leaned in a little closer to her, letting the smell of his cologne wash over her. “Sorry about them, my hyungs are a bit noisy.” He whispered. Taehyung scrunched up a piece of paper from his notebook and flung it over his shoulder, hitting Jungkook square on the face. Jungkook cursed quietly under his breath promising his revenge after their lecture as their lecturer began taking attendance. She couldn’t help but smiling slightly at the boy’s antics before looking out of the window beside her.

When the lecture ended, Taehyung turned around to them, complaining that if he didn’t eat that instant, he was going to die. Jungkook and Jimin laughed at the boy’s dramatic antics. Soo Jung quietly packed up her things until Jungkook spoke. “Hey, do you want to have lunch with us?” he asked hopefully. She was startled by the sudden question. Usually people were put off by her cold demeanour and were happy to spend as little time with her as possible. She couldn’t work out why he was inviting her to lunch. “Yeah, you should eat with us.” Jimin said, flashing her a warm smile as he pulled on his backpack. “It’s my treat, to thank you for helping me out the other day.” Jungkook said with a cute smile.

Ah, so that’s why. She thought. He just wants to say thank you for me helping him. She opened to say no but the word died on her lips as she looked into Jungkook's warm eyes. “Sure.” She said, surprising herself more than anyone else. Jungkook smiled shyly as he zipped up his bag and they headed out of their lecture theatre. She walked a little behind them as they joked and chatted freely. A small part of her was envious of their relationship. They made it seem so… effortless.

She had never gotten close to anyone at the Institution, they had taught her that family and friends were nothing but a liability, they could be used against her. She had latched onto an older girl there at one point, who had held her when things got too difficult. She could still remember the brilliant blue of her eyes, how she seemed so mature for her age. She could still remember the day she found out that she had been killed…

She shook her head to clear her mind of those types of thoughts just as Jungkook slowed his pace to match hers. “You ok?” he asked, his eyebrows furrowed as he noted how quiet she had been. “Yeah, I’m fine.” She said, forcing the corner of her lips to twitch upwards in a smile. For some reason, she didn’t want him to have a worried expression on his face. She thought that he looked like someone who should always be smiling.

They entered the cafeteria and grabbed something to eat. The three boys led her to a table which held another two boys. Jungkook introduced them as Hoseok and Jin before introducing her to everyone at the table. They all welcomed her warmly, and thanked her for helping Jungkook out the other day. She felt a little self-conscious as they focused their attention on her. The muscles in her legs tensed as she forced down the urge to get up and run. She was so afraid of saying something stupid that she kept all of her answers to their questions short, but just like Jungkook, Taehyung and Jimin, the two other boys didn’t seem to mind that she wasn’t as chatty or as extroverted as they were.

Her muscles slowly started to relax and she soon found herself smiling, an action which was still quite foreign to her when she was around people that weren’t Yoongi. “Oh wow! Soo Jung! You have a really pretty smile.” Hoseok said out of the blue. All the boys looked at her and she ducked her head, feeling embarrassed by the boys sudden compliment. “Hyung, don’t put her on the spot like that.” Jungkook said with a pout as he pushed the older boy playfully before turning to her with an apologetic smile. “Sorry, Hoseok hyung just tends to blurt things out.” He said. She shook her head and smiled back at him. “It’s ok.” She said. “Thanks, Hoseok.” She added, hoping that she hadn’t made things awkward between them. Hoseok grinned back at her before elbowing Jungkook. “She liked it, Kookie! If you see a pretty girl you should tell her!” he said making the rest of the boys laugh.

She raised her eyebrow, a slight smile on her face as she turned to face Jungkook. “Kookie?” she questioned. A blush stained Jungkook's cheeks. “Ugh, it’s a nickname the hyungs gave me. It makes me feel like I’m five or something.” He said as he stabbed at his food. Her smile turned into a grin. “I like it, Kookie.” She said making the rest of the boys cheer and Jungkook face palm.

The next day, Jungkook once again sat beside her, pleased to realise that they had another class together. She smiled at him as he sat beside her, suppressing a chuckle at his ruffled looking hair. “Morning.” She said as he rested his head on the table in front of him. “Morning.” He mumbled back, his words muffled by the table. She held in a laugh as Taehyung and Jimin once again sat in front of them, the two of them looking just as tired as Jungkook. “Why do nine am lectures exist?” Taehyung wailed as he went limp in his chair, letting his head fall backwards. Jimin stifled a yawn. “Because life is cruel.” He muttered as he ruffled his hair, making it stick out at odd angles.

“Hyung, the next time you suggest a gaming marathon when we have a lecture at nine the next morning, remind me to punch you.” Jungkook muttered as he lazily swatted at Taehyung who made no attempt to move, letting Jungkook's fingers catch his hair. He gave him a half-hearted thumbs up. “Sounds good.”

She smiled at them, surprising herself. She had smiled more in the last twenty-four hours than she had ever smiled before. Is this what it’s like to have friends? She wondered as their lecturer appeared.

Over the following weeks, being with Jungkook and the others became a part of her daily routine. They had several classes together, and they always made sure to sit beside her. She was still a little quiet around them, but she was slowly becoming more comfortable around them. She even found herself laughing at their jokes and crazy antics.

A part of her was worried that it was all an illusion that would shatter if she said the wrong thing. She knew that she couldn’t talk about her past with them. As far as they knew, her father was ex-military and she had moved around a lot as a kid. They could never know what her upbringing had truly been like. They were so innocent and carefree, she couldn’t imagine how they would react if they knew the truth about her.

They had started to hang out in their free time as well. She had rejected their offers at first, always having an excuse, but the third time they asked her to hang out with them, she felt like she couldn’t say no, especially when Jungkook had looked at her so hopefully. They had left campus and headed into the nearby town centre which was full of students enjoying their free time. She had felt a little nervous because of the crowds, her eyes darting over the faces of everyone around them. Jungkook had sensed her nervousness and gently grabbed her wrist. “Don’t get lost.” He said, his cheeks tinted with pink as he held her close. She completely forgot about the people surrounding her as she followed behind him, his tall frame right in front of her. She let him lead her through the crowds and for the first time, she hadn’t felt on edge being surrounded by so many people.

When they arrived at the arcade, he let her go but she could still feel where his warm grip had been on her skin. He gave her a shy smile and she was grateful that the rest of their group hadn’t seen anything. The action had felt so intimate to her, and she was sure the other boys would have teased them both.

She had never visited an arcade before and felt a little out of place surrounded by the loud machines. She had followed after the boys, happy just to observe them playing rather than taking part. It wasn’t until Taehyung dragged them to the basketball shooting game that she got involved. Jimin suggested that they play in pairs, Jungkook immediately saying he'd team up with her. She smiled as the game began to countdown. She had never played basketball before, but she knew that her accuracy was not to be laughed at.

She didn’t miss a single shot, making the boys stare at her open mouthed. “You’ve got to be kidding! You’ve definitely played before!” an excited Hoseok shouted when the machine flashed up their score. She shrugged her shoulders. “Beginners luck.” She said with a smile as Jungkook high fived her. She smiled brightly, she had never high-fived someone before. She had seen the action in so many movies and TV shows, but she had never been close enough to someone to high-five them before. She lost track of time as they played at the arcade, and for the first time in her life, she forgot about her past and became a normal girl, hanging out with her friends.

Author's Note

Hey guys,

I hope you're all doing well. =D I've been super busy lately with work auditors and salaries happening in the same week will be the death of me and dental appointments, it'll all be worth it in the end! Unfortunately, it means I haven't done much writing lately. Hopefully by the end of next week I'll have some more free time to write some more again.

I hope you're enjoying this story as we learn a little more about Soo Jung.

Thanks to everyone who has left a comment so far. It honestly makes my day! <3

L x