Hide And Seek...

“OH MY GOSH!!” Hyanbi shrieked, grabbing the nearest pillow and launching it like a missile. “COVER YOURSELF, YOU WET WALLPOST!”

The pillow smacked Jehoon right in the face with a satisfying fwump.

“Wha—!” he stumbled back a step, towel nearly giving up on its duty. “Hey! This is my house!”

“I don’t care if you’re the prince of Seoul!” Hyanbi barked, dramatically shielding her eyes. “Warn a girl before traumatizing her eyeballs!”

The rest of the group erupted—Seojun choked on his laughter, Minho’s jaw dropped open like a cartoon, and Suhang slapped both hands over her mouth. Jungkook just blinked wide-eyed, caught between awkward horror and wanting to melt into the couch.

Jimin, casually entering with a tray of snacks, paused mid-step.

“Oh,” he said, deadpan. “Found your towel. Still missing the underwear, though.”

The pillow smacked Jehoon square in the face. He didn’t flinch—just peeled it off slowly and blinked at Hyanbi, unfazed. “Relax. It’s just a towel. You act like you've never seen a shirtless man before.”

“That’s not the point!” Hyanbi snapped, now standing with both hands on her hips. “You could have traumatized someone! What if I had a weak heart?!”

Jimin, standing behind the couch with a bowl of popcorn, was nearly choking with laughter. “This is better than any variety show,” he muttered, popping a handful into his mouth. “Keep going. I’m giving it a ten out of ten for drama and delivery.”

“I will throw this popcorn at you next,” Hyanbi threatened.

“Then I’ll throw my towel,” Jehoon added nonchalantly, turning halfway toward her with the smirk of a man with nothing to lose.

“DON’T YOU DARE!”

Jimin burst into loud laughter, nearly dropping the bowl as Seojun, Suhang, and Minho stared between them in horror and amusement.

Jungkook, for the first time that day, let out a small laugh under his breath.

Eventually, Jehoon returned—thankfully clothed this time in a loose black sweater and joggers, his hair still damp and clinging to his forehead. He moved with quiet ease, taking a seat on the single chair across from the couch where the others were sprawled with papers and laptops scattered across the coffee table.

Jimin had already begun explaining the layout of the project with his usual dramatic flair, while Hyanbi kept correcting him with sharp jabs and rolling eyes. Minho and Seojun argued about fonts, and Suhang was calmly typing away, unbothered by the chaos.

Jehoon didn’t say a word. He just watched.

Or rather—he watched Jungkook.

There was a softness in his eyes, veiled behind his usual unreadable calm. Every time Jungkook leaned forward to speak or quietly jotted something in his notebook, Jehoon’s gaze lingered—just a second too long.

He tilted his head slightly, arms crossed as he leaned back, silently observing. As if memorizing each quiet movement. As if searching for something familiar in the curve of Jungkook’s jaw or the flick of his eyes.

Jimin noticed from the corner of his eye, but said nothing—just smirked faintly and carried on explaining.

As the group continued their project, peace held for a solid five minutes—which, in this house, was an impressive record. Then it happened.

"Okay, we should divide the work. I’ll design the poster and the opening presentation slide,” Hyanbi said, efficiently tapping away on her laptop.

“Excuse me?” Jimin raised a brow from where he was lying dramatically across the armrest of the couch. “And who made you the Queen of Project Land?”