Saturday 3rd of September of 2011

Jungkook couldn’t quite describe how he felt when he saw him for the first time.

A new rookie was about to joint them and the hyungs –who had already met him that afternoon- had commented some things about him. Jungkook, however, hadn’t paid much attention at the moment. He only knew he was someone who didn’t go unnoticed.

And they were absolutely correct.

Manager-nim called him just after the dance practice to summon him to the apartment. Jungkook dried his sweat with a towel Hobi-hyung had lend him and prepared some music to listen to on his way back to the dorm. When he got outside he felt a cold breeze against his face and noticed a pair of yellow leaves dancing between his feet, signaling the summer was ending.

We’re just at the beginning of September and it already feels like fall. He thought while pulling the red scarf his mother had bought for him just before he left for Seoul out of the sports bag. He had worn it non-stop the first few days, even though that year’s June had been a rather hot one. It used to smell of soap and rosemary, like everything did back home. It reminded him of his old life in Busan, reason why he hadn’t still dared washing it yet. But nowadays it didn’t smell of anything at all, much to his dislike.

When he got to the apartment he left his shoes inside the little closet he had been assigned at his arrival and quietly headed to the living room. There were three people standing in the middle of it, talking. Two of them, Jungkook recognized, were the manager-nim (who lived with them) and a senior of the company, who he remembered from his audition. The third one was an unknown boy, older and taller than him, dressed in an oversized black sweater.

‘Ah, Jungkook-ah, we were waiting for you’ said the manager-nim signaling him to join the conversation. ‘This is your new teammate, Kim Taehyung. Taehyung-ah, this is Jeon Jungkook. You’ll be living together from today on. Please greet each other.’

The boy turned his head to look at him, and Jungkook’s heart skipped a beat. Saying he didn’t go unnoticed was pretty much an understatement. That boy was an absolute work of art. His honey-colored face was extremely symmetric, his nose straight and slender but imposing, and his cheekbones matched perfectly with a sharp jawline that framed a plump but slightly sad looking pair of lips. He looks like a video game character... No, an angel rather. he thought. But what really left Jungkook speechless for a few seconds were his eyes. Big and well defined, albeit cold and distant at the same time, like the boy was not really there but in a place far, far away. 

Just a second passed but for Jungkook it felt like eternity. The boy –Taehyung- didn’t seem to react, he just looked at him with an inscrutable poker face that succeeded in turning the maknae into a mess of nerves.

‘Jeon Jungkook-ah, nice to meet you’ Taehyung said suddenly with a low voice, almost like a whisper.

Wow. Deep.

‘Let’s work hard together in order to debut soon’ he continued, performing an awkward bow at the end.

Jungkook knew his new hyung was waiting for an answer, or at least a reaction, but he just couldn’t stop looking at him, completely spellbound. That voice… it was deep, harsh… he would’ve never associated it with such a gorgeous face. But for some strange reason, that combination fit Taehyung deliciously well. Eventually the younger diverted his gaze and nodded shyly, still astonished by the beauty and the dominant, nearly intimidating aura his teammate projected.

‘Taehyung-ah, we still have some work to do at the office, so PD-nim and I will leave now. Make yourself comfortable at the dorm and prepare for tomorrow’s meeting with the Director at 8 a.m. Please be on time.’ the manager requested. Then, he addressed the youngest. ‘And you, Jungkook-ah, remember you have vocal lesson at 8:30. Ok, we’ll be going now. Sleep tight boys, don’t go to bed late.’

Both rookies nodded once again and followed the two seniors with their eyes until they had closed the door behind them. Jungkook then noticed Taehyung had turned around and was heading towards his luggage. Suddenly he felt the living room that had been his home for the past three months get even stranger than usual.

The maknae decided it was better to give his new teammate some space, so he opted to take a shower. It had surely been a rough day for him, and Jungkook knew better than anyone that Taehyung needed time to get used to his new situation. However, while he was cleaning his hair he couldn’t help wondering how life in the dorms would change now that there were five of them, and whether his relationship with his hyungs would ever be strong enough for them to become great artists and illuminate the world with their music.

Something in the way his hyungs –even Taehyung- were peacefully sleeping when he got out of the bathroom convinced him that no matter what happened in the future, everything was going to be ok.

(To be continued)