The sound of laughter echoed through the bustling university campus, mingling with the low hum of conversations and the distant strum of a guitar. I tightened my grip on the iced coffee in my hand, my eyes scanning the crowd. The annual cultural fest was in full swing, and the energy in the air was infectious.

But my mind wasn’t on the music or the performances. I was here because Soyeon, my best friend and relentless cheerleader, had dragged me out of my room, claiming I needed to “experience life.”

“Come on, Tae, you’ll love it,” she’d said earlier, practically shoving me into my shoes. “Who knows? You might meet someone interesting.”

I’d rolled my eyes then, but now, standing amidst a sea of faces, I couldn’t help but wonder if she was right.

“Are you even listening to me?” Soyeon’s voice cut through my thoughts, and I turned to find her frowning at me.

“Of course,” I lied, sipping my coffee to hide my smirk.

“Liar.” She nudged me playfully before grabbing my arm. “Come on. Let’s check out the art exhibit. It’s supposed to be amazing this year.”

Reluctantly, I let her lead me through the crowd, weaving past groups of students and vendors selling everything from handmade jewelry to steaming bowls of spicy tteokbokki.

That’s when I saw him.

He was standing near one of the booths, his back turned to me. His broad shoulders were draped in a black leather jacket, and his dark hair fell in soft waves just above his collar. Something about him seemed magnetic, like he was the calm in the chaos around him.

I didn’t realize I was staring until Soyeon tugged at my sleeve.

“Earth to Taehyung,” she teased, her eyes following my gaze. “Oh, I see. Someone’s caught your attention.”

I felt heat rush to my cheeks and quickly looked away. “Don’t be ridiculous.”

“Ridiculous? Please. You’re blushing.”

“I am not!”

Soyeon raised an eyebrow but didn’t press further, much to my relief. Instead, she dragged me closer to the booth where the guy was standing.

As we approached, I noticed he wasn’t alone. A group of students stood with him, all laughing and talking animatedly. But he remained quiet, his hands tucked into his jacket pockets as his gaze drifted toward the horizon.

“Excuse me,” Soyeon said, stepping forward to examine the paintings on display. I hovered nearby, pretending to be interested, but my attention kept flickering back to him.

And then, as if he could feel my eyes on him, he turned.

Our gazes collided, and my breath hitched.

His eyes were sharp yet soft, the kind that seemed to hold secrets you’d never uncover. His expression was unreadable, but something about the way he looked at me made my heart stutter.

Before I could look away, he smirked.

Not a friendly smile or a polite acknowledgment, but a confident, almost cocky smirk that sent a shiver down my spine.

I tore my gaze away, my cheeks burning.

“Taehyung, are you okay?” Soyeon asked, noticing my sudden discomfort.

“Yeah,” I mumbled, though my pulse was racing.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him turn back to his group, his smirk lingering like he knew something I didn’t.

Who was he? And why did I feel like meeting him was going to change everything?

[Jungkook’s POV]

The crowd was too loud, the music too chaotic. I adjusted my jacket, scanning the campus festival with a detached expression. Ryan and Jake were talking about some art exhibit we’d just seen, but I wasn’t paying attention. My mind was elsewhere, lost in the mess of my thoughts.

I didn’t want to be here. Socializing wasn’t my thing, but Ryan had insisted. “You need to loosen up, Jungkook,” he’d said, practically dragging me out of my dorm. “You’re too serious all the time.”

Maybe he was right. Maybe I did need to loosen up. But standing here, surrounded by strangers and noise, all I wanted was to disappear.

“Hey, Jungkook, you listening?” Ryan nudged me.

“Yeah,” I muttered, though I hadn’t heard a word.

Jake laughed. “Man, you’re hopeless.”

I shrugged, my gaze drifting across the crowd. That’s when I saw him.

He was standing near one of the booths, his dark brown hair catching the sunlight in a way that made it look like it was glowing. He was tall, slender, with a face that could’ve been sculpted by the gods themselves.

I didn’t mean to stare, but something about him held my attention. He wasn’t like the others here. There was a softness to him, a vulnerability in the way he carried himself.

And then he looked at me.

For a moment, the world seemed to slow down. His eyes met mine, wide and curious, and I felt an unfamiliar jolt in my chest.

I smirked instinctively, the kind of reaction I gave to people who seemed too interested. It wasn’t mean—it was a defense mechanism, a way to keep them at a distance.

He looked away quickly, his cheeks tinged with pink. Cute.

“Who are you looking at?” Jake’s voice broke the spell, and I turned back to him.

“No one,” I said casually, though my thoughts lingered on the stranger with the warm eyes.

But I pushed the feeling away. People like him didn’t belong in my world, and I had no intention of changing that.

pocket locket

Song by Alaina Castillo

Lyrics

One day he will be mine

I'm your type, I'm the vibe

Fantasize, stay the night

Every night, I can keep all your secrets in my pocket locket

And then I keep ya held down when I lock and drop it

Yeah, you be sly, that's all right

I don't mind, you be cruel

I'll survive, playing that hard to get love showing no affection

I know it's hard to keep up with my good intention

You must think I'm mad to need ya

They must think I'll never leave ya

I don't see my love as weakness

I know in the end you'll be the one, one, one

Right now I bet you think you've got me in the palm of your hands

Give me no love, you get that good love, hope that you don't regret

Taking so long to see that I'm the best thing you'll ever have

Come get that love, boy, get that good love, baby, while you still can

I'm the shit, I'm a trip

Take a sip, watch it drip from your lip

Know that I can keep you held down with my little finger

And I would do it all day just to let you linger

You know that I would take the time

To let you ride, let you try to do me right

Hoping that you're learnin' real quick, asking all the questions

'Cause if you push me too far, you gon' learn your lesson

You must think I'm mad to need ya

They must think I'll never leave ya

I don't see my love as weakness

I know in the end you'll be the one, one, one

Right now I bet you think you've got me in the palm of your hands

Give me no love, you get that good love, hope that you don't regret

Taking so long to see that I'm the best thing you'll ever have

Come get that love, boy, get that good love, baby, while you still can

Oh, baby, while you still can

That love, boy, get that good love

While you still can, oh, yeah

Come get that love, boy, get that good love

While you still can

[Taehyung’s POV]

I couldn’t stop thinking about him.

Even as Soyeon dragged me through the festival, chattering about the art and music, my mind kept drifting back to the boy in the leather jacket. His smirk lingered in my head, replaying like a song I couldn’t turn off.

“Taehyung, seriously, are you even here?” Soyeon groaned, snapping her fingers in front of my face.

“What? Yeah, I’m here.”

She rolled her eyes. “You’ve been spaced out ever since we stopped by that booth. Let me guess—it’s about that guy.”

I tried to deny it, but Soyeon knew me too well. “I don’t even know who he is,” I said, sighing.

“That’s easily fixed,” she said with a mischievous grin.

Before I could stop her, she was already heading back toward the booth where we’d seen him. My heart raced as I followed, both hoping and dreading that he’d still be there.

And he was.

He stood a few feet away, his friends laughing about something I couldn’t hear. He wasn’t smiling, though. His expression was distant, almost bored, as if he’d rather be anywhere else.

Soyeon nudged me. “Go talk to him.”

“What? No way!”

“Come on, Tae. Life’s too short to overthink everything.”

She gave me a gentle push, and before I could protest, I found myself walking toward him.

He noticed me immediately, his sharp eyes locking onto mine. My stomach flipped, but I forced myself to take a deep breath and keep moving.

“Hey,” I said, my voice surprisingly steady. “I saw you earlier, and… I just wanted to say hi.”

He raised an eyebrow, his smirk making a reappearance. “Hi.”

That was it. Just one word, delivered in a tone so nonchalant it left me scrambling for something else to say.

“I’m Taehyung,” I added quickly, holding out my hand.

He glanced at it for a moment before shaking it. His grip was firm but brief. “Jungkook.”

The way he said his name—low and confident—sent a shiver down my spine.

“Nice to meet you, Jungkook.”

He nodded, his expression unreadable. “You too.”

Silence stretched between us, and I could feel my nerves fraying. I’d never been good at small talk, especially with someone as intimidating as him.

“Enjoying the festival?” I asked awkwardly.

“It’s okay,” he said with a shrug. “Not really my thing.”

“Mine neither,” I admitted, surprising myself. “But my friend insisted I come. She said I needed to ‘experience life.’”

For the first time, his smirk softened into something closer to a smile. “Sounds like good advice.”

Something about the way he said it made my chest feel warm.

Just as I was about to say something else, one of his friends called his name. He glanced over his shoulder, then back at me.

“I’ve got to go,” he said, his tone regretful.

“Oh. Okay.”

He hesitated for a moment, as if he wanted to say more, but then he nodded and walked away.

I stood there, watching him disappear into the crowd, my heart pounding.

Jungkook.

The name felt like a secret, something precious I’d stumbled upon by chance.

And for the first time in a long while, I found myself wondering if fate had a plan for me after all.