"This made it all the more shocking when Jungkook noticed a boy, a boy he had never seen before, replacing books on the shelves.

A boy in his sanctuary.

Jimin was talking about something that was most likely annoying, but Jungkook had stopped listening.

The boy had a badge on, so he clearly worked there. Of course, of course he did, he wouldn’t be putting the returned books on the shelves for fun. His badge was yellow, so he worked on the first floor. It was so strange to see someone his age working there. Perhaps he was an intern of some sort.

Jungkook was staring. He realized it with mild discomfort. But he was just so… perplexed? How could he not stare?

The boy turned to the side to reach for another book, and Jungkook’s felt his breath catch hard in his throat. He couldn’t draw breath, he couldn’t panic, he couldn’t think.

The boy was beautiful.

So beautiful. His hair was dyed blonde, but it didn’t look strange or out of place. His eyes were large and inquisitive, and he looked curious. He looked determined. A little shy, but with fight in him. Not necessarily happy. But determined and pretty and alive.

He wanted to talk to him. But Jungkook thought that in and of itself was a bit strange. Because when, when had the last time that he wanted to talk to someone been? Jungkook didn’t know. But the boy was just so pretty.

A sharp elbow to his side side snapped him out of his daze. “You checking that guy out? Oh my God, you totally where!”

“What?” Jungkook inhaled slowly. Breath in. Breath out. “What do you mean?” Breathe. Breathe in.

Breathe out.

Jimin looked amused. Too amused. “Let me say this slowly so your inexperienced mind understands. Were you. Checking that guy. Out?” Checking him out? Was Jungkook checking someone out? When had he ever checked someone out?

Just breathe. In. Out.

Jungkook couldn’t just breathe. His face flared red. “No. No. I wasn’t. I don’t even know what you’re talking about. You’re a . I don’t even know why I’m friends with you.” Jimin was laughing at him. He thought that it was kind of unfair. Jimin knew that Jungkook couldn’t like boys. He knew that.

“You were staring.”

“I was staring.” Jungkook glared as hard as he could, but no, Jimin wouldn’t stop.

“That automatically means you were checking him out.”

“I wasn’t. . So stop talking about it.”

When Jungkook returned to his apartment that night, he wondered how someone’s eyes could look so interested. Interested in everything. Simply put, the boy looked tenacious. It seemed odd, even to Jungkook himself, but there was something about the boy that forced Jungkook to associate him with a sort of unorthodox bravery. Sui generis. The kind that made Jungkook himself wish he had such a strong will to live as this unfamiliar face.

He shook his head. He was making rash judgements before he even understood; before he knew the person. His father would be proud."

(Sidenote: Pulchritudinous is pronounced pul-kruh-TOO-di-nuhs. If you actually looked at the title of this story, saw the word there, and were wondering...)