Chapter Text
“Your turn.”
Taehyung groans, seriously considering messing up the game by pretending his knee hit the low table a bit too hard.
He glances at Namjoon, eyes dark in contemplation as the other raises his brow at him in a silent question.
Taehyung dramatically groans again, making a huge act of placing his elbows on the table in front of him (yet another lame attempt at accidentally ending the game). He lifts his arm and tries, so very carefully, to pull out a wooden block from a corner near the bottom.
The tower of wooden blocks dangerously wobbles just after a single pull. Taehyung bites his lip and completely freezes. Seated on the floor across from him, Namjoon unconsciously leans closer in anticipation.
But the tower stays intact. Taehyung exhales in relief, taking the end of his chosen block again in between his thumb and index finger before resuming the motion.
Again, the tower sways but it does nothing more than that. And it seems that these two false alarms had brought more confidence than needed because Taehyung pulls out the block with more force—and the Jenga tower comes falling apart, the blocks making a loud clatter as they hit the low table and the tiled floor.
Namjoon grins smugly, satisfied with his fourth win for the afternoon, while Taehyung simply hangs his head, his chosen wooden block from earlier now gripped tightly in his fist.
The door to the bigger bedroom then opens slowly, the creak of old wood loud enough to catch the attention of both Namjoon and Taehyung.
Jimin steps out of the room, face still swollen from sleep as he rubs his eye.
“Did we wake you, Jimin-ssi? Jimin-ah,” Namjoon corrects himself. There’s hints of worry and apology in his voice at the question.
Jimin startles, like he hadn’t noticed the two heads that turned to look at him.
“Don’t you two have anything better to do than cause a ruckus right in the middle of the house?” Seokjin suddenly appears from the bathroom before Jimin could answer. His hair is still damp, but he’s already dressed in a button-up and dark pants.
“I didn't know the little guy was napping, hyung,” Taehyung says with a pout, at the same time Namjoon mumbles a “We’re sorry, Jin-hyung, Jimin-ah.”
Seokjin warily eyes Taehyung for a while, but his puppy eyes only make him sigh and shake his head in resignation. He then turns to Jimin, gaze softer this time. “What time does your friend arrive again?”
Jimin startles again, which, truthfully, doesn’t come as a surprise—he’s really looking more asleep than awake. He blinks twice before looking at the phone in his hand. “Around thirty minutes from now.”
Taehyung suddenly perks up, pleading face now gone as he’s visibly excited at the news. Meanwhile, Seokjin nods. “I’d love to welcome him, but– work…” he drifts off as he takes long strides to take his bag from the couch. “I’ll make sure to bring extra food tonight, though.”
Jimin’s eyes widen by a fraction. “Oh, you don’t need to, Jin-hyung.”
“Nonsense!” Seokjin waves him off. “We need to have at least a small welcoming party. We didn’t get to have one for you yesterday, anyway.”
“The food that hyung brings home is always good.” Taehyung proudly beams from the floor.
Before Jimin and this new guy, Taehyung had been the latest addition to the four other housemates, just nearly a month ago. On the night of his arrival, there was a small feast in the living room—a spread of fried chicken, samgyeopsal and bean sprouts, and, of course, jjajangmyeon. All of them were from the restaurant where Seokjin works at, and Taehyung had eaten until he felt like throwing up. There was no helping it; he couldn’t believe how those ordinary dishes had tasted extraordinary.
Since then, whenever Seokjin would bring home leftovers, Taehyung would never miss the chance to have some.
“Oh, in that case, then…thank you. I’m sure Jungkook would love that, too,” Jimin says with a small smile. “Um, good luck with work, hyung.”
“Thanks, Jimin-ah,” Seokjin replies with a wink, already halfway out the door. “Don’t let them burn the house down while I’m gone! You’re the only one I can trust here!”
The door shuts behind him with a click, muffling out Taehyung’s indignant yells. Still, the boy stays on the floor, poking at the fallen Jenga blocks like he’s just realized they betrayed him. Namjoon, who had been quietly watching the whole exchange, stretches his legs out, reaching for his glass of water near the corner of the table.
“Hey, Jiminie,” Taehyung says, a pout on his lips as he looks up from the mess on the table. “What do you say about redeeming me in this game?”
Jimin huffs out a quiet laugh, still rubbing sleep from his eye. Though he’s only been here for less than twenty four hours, the other had already taken to talking to him as if they’d known each other forever. “Maybe later. I should probably freshen up. I’m picking Jungkook up from the subway.”
Taehyung tilts his head. “Where’s he from?”
“Where I’m from, too.” Jimin’s fingers play absently with the hem of his oversized shirt. Then, he feels the need to add: “He’s my childhood friend,” but leaves it at that.
Namjoon nods, like he understands something without needing it explained (the frown marring Jimin’s features is enough to tell him it’s a topic he shouldn’t ask about).
The sound of footsteps padding from the room behind Jimin makes everyone turn their heads. Hoseok emerges from the bigger bedroom, hair slightly mussed and wearing a hoodie that’s too big on him. He yawns and smiles when he sees the mess on the table.
“Looks like I missed Jenga wars,” he says, plopping down next to Taehyung.
“You missed four of them,” Taehyung grumbles.
“Ah,” Hoseok sighs. “I see Joonie kicked your ass again.”
Taehyung scowls, shoving a stray Jenga block at him. Hoseok just laughs and playfully hides behind Namjoon.
With the attention finally off of him, Jimin takes this as his cue to quietly slip back into the bedroom to change.
Hoseok leans back on his hands, eyes scanning the now quiet living room. It’s peaceful, almost soft—sunlight streaming in through the small gaps in the curtains, the orange rays of the sunset revealing bits of dust floating around in the air.
He glances sideways at Taehyung, who’s gone back to rearranging the Jenga pieces into random formations.
“I don’t think that’s how it’s supposed to go,” Hoseok points out. It seems like Taehyung’s arranging the blocks into some sort of labyrinth.
Taehyung shrugs without looking up. “I’m overthinking my whole existence now because I lost a block game.”
Hoseok hums. “Understandable. Jenga’s brutal like that.”
Taehyung chuckles under his breath. “No, Joonie-hyung’s brutal like that.”
Namjoon sheepishly scratches his chin. “You just need more practice.”
“But it’s just a game!”
“That you keep losing and sulking over,” Hoseok points out helpfully, grinning as Taehyung groans again and collapses forward, cheek squished against the table.
“Hyung, please,” he drawls, voice muffled. “Let me keep what’s left of my pride.”
Namjoon just laughs, standing up to stretch his limbs. “Anyone wanna sip on tea while having an existential crisis?” Both Hoseok and Taehyung shake their heads, with the latter even making a disgusted face at the mention of tea.
With a nod, Namjoon disappears into the kitchen, and the living room settles again.
Hoseok turns back to Taehyung, who’s now balancing two blocks upright and pretending they’re tiny people kissing. He doesn’t comment on it. Instead, he pulls out his phone to keep himself busy.
The bedroom door creaking open then interrupts the quiet, followed by Jimin reappearing in the hall. He’s still wearing the gray hoodie from earlier, the thick clothing reaching down to the middle of his thighs, but he’s replaced his boxers with sweatpants and he looks more presentable, his hair now free from tangles and his face more awake.
“I’m going out now,” he announces, shyly looking at Hoseok and Taehyung.
To his surprise, Taehyung stands up, and his sulky mood from earlier seems to be completely gone. Now, he looks like he’s about to start bouncing around from his much visible excitement. “Is he there already? Can I come with?”
“Oh, um…” Jimin pauses, looking unsure of himself as he’s caught off guard by the sudden request. “Sure…?”
Taehyung turns to look at Hoseok. “Can Hobi-hyung come, too?”
“Huh?”
“Yeah, I guess…”
“Why me? Why not Joon—”
Taehyung grabs Hoseok by the arm and hurriedly drags him into the bigger bedroom, leaving him no time to complain.
The bigger bedroom has two bunk beds; Taehyung and Hoseok share one of them, while the other is for Jimin and his friend. Taehyung takes long strides towards the dresser by the foot of his bed and starts rummaging through his colorful array of clothes. Meanwhile, Hoseok lingers by the door, hand on his hip as he waits. He’s decided his hoodie and knee-length shorts are presentable enough to wear outside.
But Taehyung turns to take one long glance at him, before he says, “Change your clothes, hyung! You gotta leave the best impression on the new guy.”
“I leave the best impression with my personality, thank you very much,” Hoseok retorts, but goes to change anyway. “He can just marvel at my choice of clothing when I already have actual business to do outside,” he adds, but puts on a different shirt anyway.
Jimin looks up from the couch around ten minutes later as Taehyung and Hoseok reappear in the hall (he still feels quite dismayed that he’s going with company now; though he doesn’t mind waiting—since he made sure to leave the house earlier than Jungkook’s supposed time of arrival—he did plan to leave earlier so he could roam around outside before heading to the station. Now, with ten minutes gone, and now that he’s with company, he doesn’t think he can still have that time to himself).
Taehyung does a little spin with his arms spread out as he flaunts his outfit: a brown oversized sweater with a dotted pattern and strips of black, red, and yellow, and a black shirt and black pants underneath. He had attempted to tie a scarf that matched his sweater’s colors around his neck earlier as well, but Hoseok took it off of him while muttering that he’s not gonna be meeting up with the fucking president or something, anyway.
Hoseok is clad in similar dark undergarments and a similarly loud sweater striped with green, red, and blue, and he thinks the two of them look fucking ridiculous especially since they’re only gonna be picking someone up from the subway—just a good ten-minute walk from the house—and heading straight back home. It doesn’t help that Jimin’s looking at them with a shocked look on his face. He’s sure that the boy has started wondering if he’s underdressed.
“Sorry we took too long, Jiminie,” Hoseok apologizes with a huff that sounds half like a sigh and half like a chuckle. This seems to break Jimin out of his astonishment. “Tae wanted us to be all dressed up…for some reason.”
“No, no, it’s okay,” Jimin awkwardly waves his hands as he stands up. He looks at his phone and pretends to read Jungkook’s text (he’s read it about thirty times in the past ten minutes, he’s certain he has it memorized by now). “Jungkook’s train is arriving around five minutes from now.”
Hoseok’s eyes widen. “Oh, well, we’re late! Let’s get going then.”
“This is so not how our first impression should be…” Taehyung groans as he follows the two of them outside, to which Hoseok raises his brow at.
“And whose fault is that?”
Taehyung only sighs and spends the first few minutes of their walk quietly grumbling to himself, then spends the rest narrating their entire walk, spinning in his spot every three seconds to focus his eyes on the shops they’d pass by as though he’s filming a vlog. He interviews Jimin, too, asking more questions about Jungkook.
He learns that they’ve been next-door neighbors for as long as the two of them can remember. That they’ve attended the same school ever since pre-school. That Jungkook will take up filmmaking in university—but Jimin had left out what he himself will be taking (and Taehyung hadn’t noticed at all).
By the time they arrive at the station, Taehyung is already bouncing on his heels. “He said he’s wearing a black hoodie. Which means—like, half the population.”
Jimin had let him take brief peeks at Jungkook’s updates on his phone, though a bit self-consciously. And as he’s watching Taehyung point at quite literally every single person dressed in black hoodies at the station, he decides to have mercy and say, “He’s got bangs covering half his face. Eyes too big.”
At this, Hoseok raises his brow in question.
Jimin smiles, more widely this time. “You’ll know when you see him.”
Sure enough, a few minutes later, Taehyung spots him. At first, he sees the black hoodie and the long fringe hanging from his head as Jungkook walks with his face tilted down. But when he looks up, the three of them see the wide-eyed look—which makes the boy look way more younger than he probably is—he sends their way as he recognizes Jimin.
“Hyung,” Jungkook says, grinning as he jogs the rest of the way to the small group, his duffle bags swinging in his hands. He does a little bow towards Taehyung and Hoseok. Jimin had informed him beforehand that he’ll be coming with some of their housemates. “Hello. I’m Jeon Jungkook.”
“You don’t need to be that formal,” Hoseok says, laughing. “I’m Hoseok. Nice to finally meet you.”
Taehyung suddenly throws an arm around Jungkook’s shoulder. “He’s too cute! I wanna keep him!” he exclaims, squeezing a helpless Jungkook like a prized plushie. “Look at that baby face! Can we keep him?”
“Oh my god, stop it,” Hoseok scolds him, prying Taehyung’s arm off quite unsuccessfully. It only makes Taehyung wrap his other arm around Jungkook’s chest, linking his fingers on the boy’s shoulder. In the end, Hoseok sighs. “That octopus currently latched onto you is Taehyung.”
Jungkook’s eyes are even wider now, and his face is flushed red. He looks at Jimin, quietly begging for help, but the latter only sends him an equally helpless look.
“Let me help you with that,” Hoseok says, taking one of Jungkook’s bags. “These are all you brought?”
“Um, yes…” Jungkook sighs in relief when Taehyung finally eases up on him, resorting to having just one of his arms around his shoulder. “I don’t really need much.”
They walk back in relative calm, mostly because Jungkook is quiet and Hoseok is still gauging how to act around the kid, but Taehyung fills the silence with small updates—what the house is like, how Namjoon is way smarter than he lets on, how Jimin just moved in too…as if Jungkook doesn’t know the latter.
The house is still quiet when they walk in. Right by the door is a narrow strip of shoe storage and a simple mat, cluttered with sneakers, slides, and worn-out house slippers (there’s five pairs, Jungkook counts. So excluding Taehyung, Hoseok, and Jimin, that means there’s two people who aren’t at home at the moment).
He slips off his shoes and steps over the raised entryway. Just two paces in, and the house unfolds in front of him.
To the left, the sunken living room dips slightly with two steps. He immediately spots a tall man with tan skin sitting on the worn couch, book opened in his hand. He curtly looks up.
“Oh, you’re here!” Namjoon beams, putting down his book on the armrest. “I’m Namjoon.”
Jungkook bows low. “Hello, Namjoon-ssi. I’m Jeon Jungkook.”
“No need to talk so formally. You’re part of the house now,” Namjoon says with a chuckle. “You’re the same age as Jimin, right? I’m older.”
“He’s two years younger than me, hyung,” Jimin says from beside Jungkook.
“Wait, that means I’m older than you!” Taehyung actually squeals at the information, clasping his hands together as he leans way too close for Jungkook’s comfort. “Oh, you’re too cute I could die.”
“No dying in the living room. Jin-hyung’s orders,” Namjoon says flatly, pointing a finger at Taehyung. Then, his face shifts into a smile. “You should go settle in. Let Hoseok and Jimin help.”
Jungkook nods, and subtly looks around as Taehyung yells out an indignant “How ‘bout me!”
To his right is a small kitchen. The lights there are off, but he finds that there’s no need as there’s nothing dividing the space from the living room. It’s quite cramped, with only a single long counter where the sink and appliances are placed. He shudders as he imagines making food with seven other people in such a small space.
Hoseok softly nudges Jungkook towards the bigger bedroom with Jimin following closely behind them just as Taehyung grumbles an “I can so just clean that up later…” Jungkook hadn't heard what it's about.
Right beside the couch is a small stairway, with only two steps leading up to a short hallway directly behind the couch. There’s three doors, and only the one on top of the stairs is open.
It’s the bathroom, and from what he sees in the split second that they pass by it, it’s as cramped as the rest of the house, with nothing but a sink, a toilet, and a shower area.
Nothing in the house is fancy at all, considering that it’s located near Hongdae, of all places in the city, But it’s not completely run-down either. Just lived-in, perhaps. A little chaotic, if anything. Jungkook doesn’t mind that much. It doesn’t feel like home yet. But it feels like something.
He’s led to the last door, which Hoseok opens for him. Inside, there’s two bunk beds with a large window in the middle to separate them, two four-layered dressers, two desks, and that’s it.
“Taehyungie and I share this bed,” Hoseok says as he points to the one farther from the door before setting down Jungkook’s bag in the middle of the room. Then, he sighs. “Hope you don’t mind sharing the room with Tae. I swear he’s not too bad.”
“I don’t mind,” Jungkook quickly says, his voice small. If he’ll live here for the rest of the year he might as well just get used to everything. And everyone. He’s the newcomer, too, after all. He doesn’t get to set the rules.
Jimin then walks past him, sitting on the bottom bunk of the bed to the side of the door. “This is ours. I didn’t know if you wanted the bottom or the top bunk—I can just move my stuff if you want to take this bed.”
Jungkook pauses to really consider it. While he initially was set on taking the bottom bunk for convenience’ sake, he now thinks he’d rather have a bit more privacy with the top bunk. He shakes his head. “It’s okay, I’ll take the one on top.”
Jimin nods. “Do you want us to help with your stuff?”
“No, I got it.” Jungkook sets down the bag he’s holding as well, but pauses. He’s not sure if Hoseok would think it’s rude if he just starts unpacking while he’s still here and looking like he probably still wants to talk.
But Hoseok quietly walks to sit on the bottom bunk of the other bed, scooting back to lean against the wall, and after a few seconds, Jungkook shakes off his doubts and starts sorting out his belongings.
“I’m not sure if Jiminie told you yet, but there’s two other people staying with us,” Hoseok says after a few minutes, thankfully filling the awkward silence as he watches Jungkook moving his clothes into the dresser a bit self-consciously. “They’re at work right now– well, one of them is. Jin-hyung works at a restaurant the entire week—” he says this with a light scoff— “But on Saturdays he’s only there for lunchtime. Yoongi-hyung is a barista, but I’m not sure where he went today. He has the weekends off.”
Jungkook quietly takes these in as he climbs the ladder to put on his beddings.
Hoseok continues. “Don’t be fooled by Yoongi-hyung though. I think Jiminie’s still scared of him, but he’s really just a softie deep inside.”
“He’s mean,” Jimin mumbles, which makes Hoseok chuckle.
“He hasn’t even said a single word to you!”
“My point exactly…”
“He’s not very social,” Hoseok says with another chuckle. “Just takes a bit of time to warm up to people, but he’s not mean at all! If anything, he might just feel awkward around you.”
Jungkook isn’t looking forward to meeting this Yoongi-hyung. He’s bad enough with this socializing thing. He doesn’t even want to imagine what would happen if he and Yoongi were put in the same room.
“Anyway, you’ll both be attending the same university, right?” Hoseok asks, shifting the topic.
Though Jungkook’s currently on his knees on the top bunk, he can picture Jimin uncomfortably squirming in his seat below him.
“Yeah,” Jungkook answers for his friend, making sure not to take a second too long.
“That’s cool. Taehyungie’s gonna be so jealous.” Hoseok chuckles again. “And school starts this Monday?”
“Yeah,” Jungkook repeats. He leans back, already done with putting on his sheets. He turns to sit on the edge of his bed, letting his legs dangle over the wooden ladder. He decides to finally save Hoseok from his one-sided rambling. “Um…are the three of us the only ones still studying?”
“Yep.” Hoseok hums.
“Oh. Well. I hope you won’t mind if our alarms wake you up so early…”
“Nah, I have to get up early too for work, anyway,” Hoseok reassures him.
“What do you do for work, hyung?” Jimin asks. While Hoseok has repeated for Jungkook a semblance of his little orientation for him when he moved in yesterday, he hadn’t gotten the chance to ask about Hoseok himself.
Hoseok smiles fondly. “I work with kids! At a community center nearby. I’m only on-call though, so I’m not there all the time. Most days I just work from home. Or I visit some places to scout venues for events, if they need me to.”
“Oh, that’s cool,” Jimin replies, genuine interest in his voice.
“It is. The kids are too cute.” Hoseok’s still smiling as if recalling fond memories.
Jungkook listens quietly. He finds Hoseok’s voice light and rhythmic, filling the room like background music, easy to get used to.
“Sometimes they give me drawings,” Hoseok adds with a grin. “Last month, this one kid gave me a stick figure of us holding hands. I almost cried.”
Jimin laughs, soft and breathy. “Cute.”
“They are,” Hoseok agrees proudly. “But don’t worry, I know how to keep them in line too. You have to, or they’ll walk all over you.”
Jungkook lets himself smile faintly. He thinks he would’ve liked Hoseok even as a kid.
There's a brief pause, and the sound of a bed creaking echoes in the room.
“Hey,” Hoseok says suddenly, more gently this time as he looks at Jimin and Jungkook. “I know it’s probably overwhelming. New place, new people. But there’s no pressure here, okay? Just take your time.”
Jungkook looks down and meets Hoseok’s eyes and sees calm assurance.
“Thanks,” they both say, a little awkward but sincere.
Hoseok nods and pushes off the bed, stretching. “Anyway. I’ll let you settle in. Or nap, if you want to. If you guys get hungry, there’s leftover kimchi-jjigae in the fridge and ramyeon in the cabinets. Jin-hyung won’t be getting home ‘til around past three.”
With that, he pats the bunk bed frame on his way out, flashing a grin at both of them. “Welcome home, you two.”
Once the door clicks shut behind him, the room feels quieter.
Jimin leans forward to look up at Jungkook and smile. “Told you he’s nice.”
Jungkook exhales, letting himself relax for the first time all day. “Yeah. He is.”
Jimin disappears again under the bed frame, and for a few seconds, Jungkook hesitates, but he eventually makes up his mind and climbs down the ladder.
On his bed, Jimin had already laid down, quietly scrolling through his phone. He briefly glances at Jungkook, who’s currently just standing in front of him, before looking back at his phone.
Jungkook sighs. He sits at the edge of Jimin’s bed. “You haven’t told them, have you?”
“Mmh, I don’t think I need to.”
“Well, you’re not wrong, but maybe they can help you out? I feel like they can.”
Jimin’s still scrolling through his phone, purposely ignoring Jungkook’s gaze, but the latter doesn’t miss the way his lips press into a thin line. “Maybe another day, Kookie.”
“Do you…want me to help you out?” Jungkook asks, a bit uncertain.
Jimin finally looks up from his phone, a certain look on his face that convinces Jungkook to just leave it be.
The latter sighs, standing up to change into more comfortable clothes. He knows Jimin doesn’t feel like talking anymore for now, so he might as well just nap to at least prepare himself to meet the others tonight.
_____
Jungkook wakes up with a startle at the loud sound of the doorknob hitting the wall as it’s thrown wide open.
“Jungkookie, baby! Jiminie!” Taehyung’s voice is bright and unmistakably cheerful. “Get up, get up—Jin-hyung’s here and he has food!”
Jungkook sits up with his heart still racing. Directly beside his bed is Taehyung’s face, his grin wide like he’s been waiting all day for this. Jungkook almost curses at the jumpscare.
Jimin groans from the lower bunk, burying his face in his pillow as Taehyung starts loudly clapping his hands as if he’s some sports team coach. “Let’s go, dream team. He brought a lot, and I am not saving you any if you’re late.”
Jungkook unwillingly climbs down from his bed in an attempt to shut Taehyung up. He’s reminded of his earlier dread at meeting their one other housemate, and he can’t help but ask, “Is, um… Is Yoongi-hyung there, too?”
Taehyung pauses mid-clap, his grin faltering for a second—just enough for Jungkook to catch it.
“He’s in his room,” Taehyung says, lowering his voice a little. “Door closed, headphones on, probably. But yeah, he’ll join us. Jin-hyung will make him. He’s the one you should be worried about.”
Jimin butts in, now already sitting. “Jin-hyung loves me.”
“Not as much as he loves me!” Taehyung responds, hand flying to his chest as he looks at Jimin as if he’s offended. Then, with a satisfied look at Jungkook already standing at the bottom of the ladder and Jimin already sat up in bed, he turns to walk out the room. “Two minutes or I’m coming back with a tambourine!”
Jungkook sighs and ruffles his hair, still messy from sleep. Jimin finally rolls out of bed with a yawn and stretches his arms overhead.
“Is he always like this?” Jungkook asks under his breath, eyes still on the door, to which Jimin merely laughs at.
They reach the living room where Hoseok and Namjoon are already plating side dishes—Jungkook belatedly realizes, at that moment, that the house doesn’t have an actual dining area—and Taehyung is unboxing plastic containers from a big takeout bag. Seokjin stands near the sink, dressed in black slacks and a slightly crumpled dress shirt, his hair still styled from work. He turns after drying his hands on a towel hanging from one of the drawers.
“Ah, the nap squad finally awakens,” he says with a smile, folding his arms. “You must be Jungkook.”
Jungkook straightens instinctively. “Yes, hyung—Jin-ssi. Hello.”
Seokjin gives him a once-over, a small smile still on his lips. “‘Hyung’ is okay. Taehyung was right.” Jungkook pauses at this, his mind reeling with the endless possibilities of what Taehyung could’ve told Seokjin about him, but the latter doesn’t say anything more about it. “Come eat. I’ll go get the grumpy man.”
And just like that, Jungkook is dragged into the orbit of their mismatched but oddly warm household, the clatter of chopsticks and Taehyung and Hoseok’s rambling and Taehyung and Namjoon’s bickering filling the room.
Though slowly and a bit too early to tell, Jungkook feels that he’s already growing accustomed to these people. He glances at Jimin beside him and the look on his face tells Jungkook that he must be feeling the same.
After a few minutes, though, Seokjin walks back in, face a bit more tense than earlier. Jungkook had honestly forgotten that he was still yet to join them, since he took longer than expected to fetch—
“Everyone’s here now,” Seokjin announces with a tight smile, trying to keep things light. Trailing behind him is a man with disheveled black hair and a sharp, unreadable expression. His hands are tucked into the pockets of his hoodie, shoulders hunched slightly forward like he’s shielding himself from the noise. Jungkook doesn’t miss the way his eyes flicker over everyone before he lowers his gaze, offering only a faint nod of acknowledgment. “Jungkook, this is Yoongi-hyung. Yoongi, Jungkook—our newest baby.” He pats Jungkook’s shoulder and then moves to sit on his spot on the floor, in between Namjoon and Jungkook.
Jungkook turns around completely from his seat and bows slightly. “Hello, hyung.”
Yoongi gives him a short glance, followed by a barely audible grunt that might have been a greeting.
Before the awkwardness can settle, Hoseok—who’d been quietly watching from across the room—suddenly perks up. “Yoongi-hyung! Sit beside me, I saved you your favorite.” He gestures to the space on the floor with a smile that’s just a little too enthusiastic. Jungkook is suddenly feeling very confused, but he’s grateful for the interruption, nonetheless.
Yoongi quirks a brow but says nothing. He trudges over and settles down next to Hoseok, who immediately hands him a small bowl with practiced ease. “Tteokbokki, just how you like it. Jin-hyung nearly forgot the extra rice cakes, can you believe that?”
Yoongi gives him a slight nod and a quiet “Thanks,” but Hoseok’s already laughing too loudly at something Namjoon said, nudging Yoongi like they’d been mid-conversation all along.
Jungkook watches this, unsure what to make of it—but something about the way Hoseok keeps glancing at Yoongi makes it clear that there’s an effort being made.
Dinner continues, the table buzzing with conversation. Jin loudly laughs at Namjoon for getting kimchi sauce on his shirt. Taehyung, already on his second bowl of jjajangmyeon, makes dramatic noises of appreciation every time he takes a long slurp. Jimin smiles softly whenever Taehyung leans over to whisper a comment too dumb not to laugh at.
Jungkook sits cross-legged between Jimin and Seokjin, quiet but observant. He tries not to stare, but he keeps catching Hoseok’s movements out of the corner of his eye—how he’s leaned just slightly toward Yoongi, how he keeps offering him dishes before anyone else, how his voice rises in volume whenever the silence on Yoongi’s end gets too long.
Yoongi eats in silence, gaze fixed on his bowl, answering only when spoken to directly. His shoulders remain taut, and it’s obvious there’s something bothering him from the way his brows are faintly furrowed.
He doesn’t say much, but Hoseok says enough to fill in his silence—something about the event he’s been working on, about how they had to search through hundreds of people in black hoodies earlier, about some show he’s thinking of watching. And Taehyung and Seokjin are the perfect audience, as they keep the conversation going. Jungkook wonders if they’re oblivious to the way Hoseok seems to be overcompensating.
Hoseok then brings up a memory of them trying to cook together once and exaggerates the story for laughs, slapping Yoongi lightly on the back in mock betrayal. Yoongi lets out a small sound—somewhere between a scoff and a breath of laughter—but never looks up.
To anyone else, it might seem one-sided. But Jungkook doesn’t miss the way Yoongi accepts each small offering from Hoseok without complaint. He doesn’t push him away. He listens.
It’s Jimin, surprisingly, who breaks through the lull that follows a round of laughter.
“This is nice,” he says, voice soft. “I haven’t had dinner with this many people in a while.”
Taehyung’s eyes light up from beside him, his mouth still full. “Right? It’s chaotic but, like, the good kind.”
Namjoon chuckles. “That’s one word for it.”
“I feel like I walked into a sitcom,” Jimin adds, and that gets a round of agreement and a few chuckles.
Eventually, the plates on the table are emptied. Jimin and Jungkook initiate to help Hoseok and Namjoon clear up the table, though they refuse.
“They just don’t wanna wash all those plates.” Taehyung leans in to whisper to the two as they watch the pair walk off into the kitchen. “I’m betting five thousand won on Hoseok telling you to wash ‘em.”
“I’m not humoring your bet,” Jimin responds flatly.
Sure enough, Hoseok turns around from the sink to smile sweetly at Jungkook and Jimin, which makes Taehyung victoriously pump his fist up into the air.
“Who’s in for a movie night?” Hoseok suddenly asks out loud while Jungkook and Jimin are busy washing and drying the dishes.
Taehyung, of course, excitedly perks up at this. “Yes! No excuses; it’s Sunday tomorrow.”
“What’s the point of asking then,” Namjoon grumbles, but Taehyung ignores him as he walks over to the TV mounted on the wall, right across the couch. Hoseok follows him, the two of them quietly debating on which film to put on.
“Hyuuung, no backing out,” Taehyung then whines, which makes Jungkook glance around. From where he’s standing, he can see Taehyung standing by the TV, and past him, Yoongi at the entryway, slipping into his slides.
He hears Yoongi mumble something, but it’s too soft for him to make out whatever it is. Jungkook only hears Taehyung huff before he turns back to setting up the movie. And just like that, Yoongi’s out the door.
They’re a few minutes into Moana 2 when Yoongi quietly walks back in and settles on the couch. Though Jungkook’s sitting on the floor at the opposite side of the couch, he can smell the strong scent of cigarettes from Yoongi. No one reacts though; everyone has their attention on the film.
“This is underwhelming,” Namjoon suddenly says near the end, as Moana’s ancestors appear on screen. He’s the first one to speak after the entire hour of complete silence.
Seokjin quietly hums, agreeing. “The first one is way better. No wonder no one talked much about this.”
“What are you talking about?” Taehyung suddenly butts in, his voice thick with…emotion?
Jungkook leans forward to look at him on the other side of Jimin and sure enough, his face is flush with tears. Taehyung’s shoulder shakes as he sniffs, and he continues crying quietly until the credits roll in, until Yoongi retreats back into the bedroom, until Seokjin turns off the TV and even until Hoseok heads to the kitchen for a glass of water.
“Not even a single song stuck with me unlike the first one…” Seokjin remarks, shaking his head as he and Namjoon start walking back to their room, leaving the four in the living room. As they get to the top of the stairs, Seokjin briefly turns to them. “We’ll be turning in for the night, guys. Don’t forget to lock the door and turn the lights off. Night.”
The four chorus back their good nights as Seokjin and Namjoon enter the smaller bedroom. Jungkook glances back at Taehyung, about to ask if he’s okay—he seems to be crying way too hard for such a lackluster movie and it’s kinda worrying him, if he were to be honest—but the other apparently has already wiped his tears and is in the middle of getting up.
Taehyung stretches his arms over his head and lets out a breath, as if exhaling the remnants of whatever the movie stirred in him. “I’m gonna brush my teeth,” he announces to no one in particular, voice now steady, then pads off towards the bathroom without looking at anyone.
Jungkook tries to catch Hoseok’s gaze, who then gives him a subtle shake of the head. The unspoken message is clear.
Hoseok sighs. “Well,” he says lightly. “At least it brought somebody to tears.” He doesn’t name names, but his gaze lingers on the now-dark TV screen, a faint smile tugging at his lips. “That’s gotta count for something.”
Jimin chuckles under his breath but doesn’t say anything.
The room lapses into a quiet lull again, just the soft clink of Hoseok setting his mug down in the sink and the distant sound of water running in the bathroom.
Eventually, Hoseok claps his hands once, the sound too loud in the silence. “Alright, I’m out. Don’t stay up too late, kids.”
Jimin rolls his eyes. “You’re only a year older than me.”
“Exactly. I’m a year wiser,” Hoseok says with a wink before heading towards their room.
Jimin exhales slowly, then glances at Jungkook. “Wanna stay out here a bit longer?” he asks. “It’s quiet. And kind of nice. I’m not sleepy yet.”
Jungkook nods. “Yeah, me too.”
The two of them sit there in the dim living room, surrounded by the faint smell of smoke and the lingering warmth of company. Not saying much—just breathing in the quiet, learning what this new rhythm feels like. Though the two of them have done a ton of sleepovers in the past, they’ve never actually lived together, let alone with five other near-strangers.
Outside, the city breathes. Lights flicker. A car hums past. The floorboard creaks behind them as Taehyung walks back to the bedroom, mumbling a good night. The two of them spend the comfortable silence in this odd, imperfect house filled with mismatched souls, and something that feels like home continues to take root.
