Jongkook went ahead with a serious look on his face, not bothering to check whether the door to his apartment was closing in on the person timidly walking behind him. His steps were heavy, his hands were clenched into fists, and his focus was reaching the couch so he could fall back into it to release all his exhaustion. Once he was settled in, he breathed a heavy sigh.

He heard the steady beeping from his front door’s lock. On a normal day, he wouldn’t even need to hear that; he would be by the door immediately and open the door, but he was tired, and admittedly, the teasing got to him. He was annoyed and anxious; they both probably took it too far this time. 

“Oppa, you couldn’t really wait for me? I had to open the door for myself!” Jihyo said as she entered the living room. She towered over him, and while Jongkook could see the way her eyes were fuming, he couldn’t help but feel a bit mesmerized by the sight of her a bit up close, the light behind her head fanning around her and making her look like a deity.

He quickly collected himself, and he crossed his arms, looking up at her and muttering, “You know the passcode to my apartment anyway. Isn’t that why I gave it to you?” He punctuated his sarcastic question with a huff.

Jihyo plopped down beside him, and moved close to Jongkook’s side. “Oppa, are you mad at me?” she asked slowly, but her face was fighting a smirk. 

Years of dating Jongkook meant that they’d had their fair share of fights, but his sulky and petulant side was something Jihyo secretly loved. Sure, it was difficult to deal with; Jongkook, after all, was as stubborn as she was, but this was the closest she could get to seeing him pull off something cute without being cringey. (Jihyo also found Jongkook adorable when he was being sweet and affectionate with her, but she would never admit that.)

Jongkook eyed Jihyo from the side, his lips essentially pouting. He huffed, “Mad? Me? Why would I be mad?”

“I don’t know. You tell me,” Jihyo leaned, crossing her arms as well and stared at her boyfriend questioningly.

Jongkook looked out the window, opting not to answer Jihyo. He knew he was being unreasonable, and truthfully, he didn’t know why he was feeling exasperated when they already agreed to doing things like this. But he couldn’t help how he felt, and he already took this too far; it felt too late to back down. 

Jihyo continued to stare at him, keeping her silence and trying to calculate what her next move should be. She patiently waited, and she could slowly see the cracks in his defenses, as he tried to secretly steal glances at her. She couldn’t help herself, and she wasn’t able to hide the giggle that escaped from her. 

“Yah! What’s so funny?” Jongkook asked, his voice definitely louder than usual, but that made Jihyo laugh even harder, losing her balance and falling to the side. A smile crept up to his lips, but he kept his arms crossed as he watched her with amusement. 

When she was able to catch her breath, he asked, “Seriously though, jagiya, why should you bring her up? I get it when Jaesuk-hyung brings her up, but…”

“It’s fun, oppa! You get all defensive about it,” she reasoned out, and upon seeing that