The air in the hallway buzzed with the usual pre-class chatter. Lockers slammed shut, sneakers squeaked against the polished floor, and the scent of cafeteria coffee and overly sweet perfume drifted through the air like a tired melody.

Seokjin stood at his locker, meticulously organizing his materials for the next class. A crisp binder labeled "International Business Strategy" sat atop a stack of books, each one neatly marked with color-coded tabs. He adjusted the cuffs of his black button-up,  always perfectly pressed and checked the time on his wristwatch, frowning slightly.

"Hey, friendship!"

Jung Hoseok—Seokjin's classmate and his very first friend since entering the university, called out with a wide grin. Bubbly, chatty, and always on the go, Hoseok was the kind of person who could light up even the most stressful days. More importantly, he was one of the few who truly understood Seokjin's perfectionist tendencies and never judged him for it.

"You're unusually cheerful this early. What happened?" Seokjin asked.

"Oh, nothing much," Hoseok said, leaning casually against the locker beside him. "Except that I think you have a dog."

Seokjin blinked. "Excuse me?"

"A dog. You know, the metaphorical kind. Kim Taehyung's been following you around since morning. And now he's started following me. I'm starting to think I stepped into some kind of weird love triangle without signing up for it."

Seokjin let out a slow breath and muttered, "Yeah. I noticed. He's not exactly subtle."

Hoseok laughed. "You noticed? And you just let him?"

"Was I supposed to throw a stick and hope he'd chase it the other way?" Seokjin said and raised a brow along with a small laugh.

"Would've been worth a try," Hoseok grinned. "He bumped into a janitor's mop bucket trying to be sneaky, it's like he's on a secret mission to annoy you"

"And all I can say is mission accomplished," Seokjin muttered and stuffed a notebook in his bag and continued scanning for more materials inside his neat and organized locker, Hoseok chuckled, giving Seokjin a teasing smirk.

"So... is there something going on between you two?" he asked, his eyes gleaming with curiosity and mischief.

Seokjin shot him a flat look. "Yeah. He's following me like a stray dog, and I haven't kicked him yet. That's about it." Seokjin exclaimed, he was obviously annoyed, all Seokjin wanted was to be left alone and now he acquired himself a "dog" without asking for it.

"Wow. That's basically love, honey and I am out because I think he knows we're talking about him! BYE!" Hoseok grinned and left in a hurry, leaving the annoyed Seokjin.

"Fuck..." Seokjin cursed under his breath, as he watch Hoseok disappear in the corridor, the social butterfly of Seoul National University. 

Just then, the corridor behind him stirred again.

The rhythm was erratic, steps hesitant but deliberate, like someone trying , and failing not to get noticed.

Seokjin sighed and decided to confront Taehyung.

"You're not very good at being subtle," he said without turning around.

Taehyung nearly tripped over his own feet.

"Wha— how'd you—?" Taehyung straightened his posture quickly, trying to play it cool as he approached Seokjin's locker, a grin tugging at his lips. "Okay, wow. Do you have, like, a sixth sense for detecting charm?" Taehyung said with a playful smirk and cross his arms over his chest.

Seokjin didn't even glance at him. "No. Just noise. You walk like a toddler on stilts."

Taehyung gasped dramatically. "That was uncalled for. I'll have you know these legs have received compliments."

"From who? Your mirror?"

Taehyung burst out laughing, ignoring the few glances their exchange earned from passing students. He leaned his shoulder against the locker beside Seokjin's, clearly making himself comfortable.

"You know," Taehyung said, tapping his fingers against the cool metal, "I was thinking... maybe we got off on the wrong foot yesterday."

"We didn't get on any foot," Seokjin replied flatly, slipping another notebook into his bag for his second subject. "There was no foot involved."

"That's tragic," Taehyung said, mock-sighing. "I had this whole plan to charm you into tolerating me. I even wore my second-best earrings."

Seokjin finally turned his head, eyes scanning the subtle glint of silver hoops on Taehyung's ears. He blinked once.

"You have a plan?"

Taehyung beamed. "Always."

"Well, plan rejected."

Taehyung clutched his chest in fake pain. "Wow. Harsh. But expected."

Seokjin slung his bag over his shoulder and turned to leave. "You done following me now?"

Taehyung walked in step beside him, unbothered. "Actually, I was hoping we'd walk to class together. You know, for the academic vibes. Maybe some friendship-building banter."

"You don't even know which class I'm going to and we're not even in the same course."

"True," Taehyung said cheerfully. "But I'm flexible."

Seokjin stopped walking, turned to face him. "What do you want from me, Kim Taehyung?"

The question wasn't harsh. It wasn't even angry. But it was piercing — like Seokjin had taken a needle to the balloon of whatever game Taehyung thought he was playing.

Taehyung faltered.

Just for a second.

Then, he shrugged with a lazy smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "Nothing. You just looked like you needed a bit of chaos in your routine.", and what Taehyung said was true.

Seokjin stared at him for a beat longer. The bell rang overhead, shrill and urgent.

"You'll be late," Seokjin said, and then walked away.

Taehyung watched him go, hands in his pockets, that same unreadable glint in his eyes.

"So will you," Taehyung whispered to himself.

But Seokjin didn't turn around, leaving Taehyung 

Taehyung remained rooted to the spot, watching the stiff line of Seokjin's shoulders disappear down the hall. There was something frustratingly magnetic about the way that guy walked away, cold, unreadable, and unbothered. And yet, it pulled at him.

What the hell was he even doing? He didn't chase after people. He didn't follow people around like some desperate side character in a rom-com. But here he was, tailing Seokjin like a lost puppy, making up lame excuses just to get his attention.

Was he just intrigued? Annoyed? Amused? Or was it something else creeping in — that nagging curiosity he couldn't quite shake?

Taehyung ruffled his hair in frustration, scoffing at himself. "Get a grip, Kim Taehyung."

Still, he couldn't help the slight grin tugging at the corner of his lips.

He turned in the opposite direction, but his thoughts... they followed Seokjin.