[ JUNG HOSEOK ]
Our bodies melded together, chests rising and falling in unity. His eyes poured into mine longingly, desperately, yet the distance between us remained unconquerable.
"Please, just take it off," came my broken whisper as my fingertip...
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For the better part of an hour, my mind stubbornly strayed to the choreography student no matter how much I tried to reel it back to the present. I couldn't release the idea that maybe people were too intimidated by his mask to ever truly reach out to him. His hawkish eyes intruded my thoughts as I recalled how they held me captive in class, the way he ruthlessly pointed out my mistakes in front of everyone. Still, my heart twinged at the idea of him being alone even amongst thousands of peers.
It was unclear how much of my wonderings were out of pure empathy and how much stemmed from my untamable curiosity. On the one hand, I did feel the urge to be that person who actually tried. On the other, though, was a deep desire to learn more about him - not of an innocent intention, but a selfish one. He had singled me out for a reason and I needed to do some investigating. If I did manage to grow closer to him somehow, I hoped to conclude whether he was the writer or not.
"So you got paired with Jangmi?" The huskiness of Namjoon's tone finally snapped me back to reality.
Jungkook nodded, running his tongue against the inside of his cheek, "Our professor didn't even hesitate to put us together. It was a little weird, actually."
"She must've thought you two looked good together," Yoongi said casually.
Jin, Namjoon, and Jimin scoffed in synchronization. Taehyung was unaffected, bored even. Jungkook, however, was peering at me thoughtfully.
"I guess I can see it," he tilted his head, eyes plastered on my face. "What do you think, Jangmi?"
I was tempted to falter - to let his directness faze me - but I wouldn't give him the satisfaction.
"I don't see it." I shrugged, noting the flicker of disappointment on his face.
"Anyways, I've heard that class is supposed to be one of the easier ones for your major. You better enjoy it," Namjoon advised, a smile spreading across his lips.
I nodded, "I'll do my best."
"You sure you can keep up with Jungkook, though? He's one of the top students in his year. You're just a newbie-"
"So what? Just because she's a freshman doesn't mean she can't dance." Jimin was quick to come to my rescue, though I didn't need it.
"That's not what I-" Yoongi was cut off again.
"Jangmi's a great dancer," Seokjin stated, that familiar protectiveness making an appearance.
"Guys, it's fine. I appreciate you sticking up for me but Yoongi's right. Jungkook was amazing at the showcase. I'm new here and I'm not the most familiar with contemporary. It might be hard for me to keep up with him sometimes."
For the second instance that night, my words placed a lingering silence upon the room. Jungkook was the one who eventually broke it.
