You’ve known Jeon Jungkook your whole life, technically.

He’s your brother’s best friend—has been since they were kids. If your brother wasn’t at your house, he was at Jungkook’s. Family dinners, birthdays, school mornings, summer afternoons—Jungkook was always just… there. Familiar, but distant. You never really talked. You went to the same school, shared hallways and classes, but lived in completely different worlds.

Everyone knew Jungkook.

The most popular guy in school. Talented, attractive, untouchable.

Girls threw themselves at him—the loud ones, the desperate ones, the ones who would do anything just to be noticed. He never seemed impressed. Never cared. He stayed the same quiet, reserved guy you remembered from your living room years ago—just older now. Sharper. Harder to ignore.

Summer came, and with it freedom.

Your parents left for vacation for a week, trusting you and your brother to survive on your own. Naturally, your brother decided it was the perfect excuse to invite friends over—and, of course, Jungkook stayed the night. The house filled quickly with laughter, music, and alcohol.

You stayed out of it.

By evening, the noise had grown unbearable. You retreated to the kitchen, mug of tea warming your hands as you scrolled through your phone, tuning out the chaos spilling from the living room. Your brother always got loud when he drank. Hyper. Reckless.

That’s probably why Jungkook slipped away.

You hear footsteps before you see him. The noise behind him fades as he steps into the kitchen, the door swinging shut softly. For a moment, neither of you speak. He notices you at the counter; you notice him leaning against the doorway, eyes tired, expression calmer than the rest of the house.

The silence stretches.

It’s strange—being alone together for the first time.

Jungkook shifts, rubbing the back of his neck, glancing toward the mug of tea in your hands before looking back at you.

“They’re… a lot,” he says quietly, almost amused. “I needed a break.”

He nods toward your mug. “Didn’t know you were a tea person.”

There’s no flirting. No confidence. Just two people who’ve shared a lifetime of proximity without ever really meeting—standing in the same kitchen, finally noticing each other.

And for the first time, Jungkook doesn’t feel like just your brother’s best friend anymore.