Hide And Seek...

Part 1 "The beginning"

Jungkook gave a small shrug, "Sure"

She sat down beside him, leaving a respectful bit of space between them. For a few moments, they just sat there in silence, watchung Benny wrestle with a stubborn leaf.

"That your dog?" She asked, voice easing and light.

He nodded, "Yeah. Benny"

"He's cute", she said with a small chuckle, "Looks like he's trying to fight nature"

Jungkook gave a soft, polite laugh— the kind people give when they don't want to be rude but aren't really in the moment. He didn't add anything more, just leaned forward, elbows on his knees.

The girl glanced at him, her smile fading slightly, sensing the wall he had up. Still, she tried again.

"I come here a lot" she said. "It's my favorite thinking spot. You?"

He shook his head, "Just... needed air"

She nodded, then looked out at the park, "Yeah... I get that"

Jungkook didn't respond. His gaze was distant, fixed in Benny, but his mind was far away. The girl sat beside him, letting the silence return— not awkward, just quiet. Respectful.

They sat in silence for a while. Benny returned with a stick in his mouth and dropped it near Jungkook's feet, but Jungkook didn't move. The girl watched quietly, her finger fidgeting with the edge of her sleeve. Then, finally, she broke the silence again.

"You new around here?" She asked her tone casual but friendly.

Jungkook hesitated, then nodded "Yeah... I just moved here last week. From Busan"

She smiled, "Ah, Busan. Ocean breeze and fish markets"

A faint ghost of a smile crossed his face, almost involuntary, "Yeah... I miss the sound of waves already"

"What brings you to Seoul?" She asked.

Jungkook shifted, finally glancing at her "College. I got into Seoul University. Classes start tomorrow"

Her eyes widened a little, and the smile on her face brightened, "Wait- seriously? Seoul U?"

He nodded, "Yeah. First semester. Engineering"

She let out a short laugh of surprise, "No way. I'm there too, second year. Literature department"

Jungkook blinked, his expression unreadable for a moment— somewhere between surprise and guarded curiosity. "Small world" he said simply.

The girl grinned, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear "Guess we're kind of classmates, then"

Jungkook looked down at Benny, who wagged his tail and gave a little bark, as if cheering for his coincidence. He gave the stick a small toss, just to distract himself— and maybe to stop himself from saying something he wasn’t ready to.

She didn't push. She just smiled again and leaned back against the bench, "Well... in case you get lost on campus tomorrow, I'm kind of pro. You can follow me around if you don't mind book nerds"

Jungkook didn't reply right away. But this time, the pause felt different. Not as heavy. "... I'll keep that in mind" he said, almost like a whisper.

And Benny barked again, tail thumping happily— as if he already knew this meeting wasn’t just chance.

The breeze had settled into a quiet hush, and the golden afternoon sun was starting to shine brightly above them. Jungkook glanced at his phone— he didn't meant to stay this long.