Jungkook shifted uncomfortably in his seat, staring at the empty bed across from him. The tiny dorm room wasn’t much—two sets of bunk beds, cramped desks, and a single window that barely let in any sunlight. But none of that mattered. What mattered was that his new roommate, Kim Taehyung, had yet to say more than five words to him in the last two weeks.

"Hey, can you pass me my notebook?" Jungkook asked cautiously one evening.

Taehyung, lounging on his bed with a guitar in hand, nodded and tossed the notebook over without looking up.

Jungkook sighed. So much for making friends.

Everything changed when they both joined the music club. Taehyung had walked in one day, guitar slung over his shoulder, and Jungkook, already a member, had watched in surprise.

“You play?” Jungkook asked.

Taehyung smirked. “You sing?”

And that was the beginning.

Late nights in the practice room turned into laughter-filled jam sessions. Taehyung, with his deep, soulful voice, and Jungkook, with his smooth yet powerful vocals, fit together like puzzle pieces. Music became their secret language, something neither of their other roommates—Jimin and Hoseok—could intrude on.

One evening, after another long rehearsal, Taehyung pulled Jungkook into an empty hallway.

"You ever feel like the world just disappears when you sing?" Taehyung asked, voice low.

Jungkook nodded, his heart racing.

Taehyung hesitated for a second before brushing his fingers against Jungkook's, the touch lingering just enough to make Jungkook shiver.

And then, like a note perfectly placed in a song, Taehyung kissed him.

Their relationship bloomed in stolen moments. A secret smile during practice, fingers brushing under the table, whispered words in the dark when their roommates were asleep. But Jungkook couldn’t ignore the fact that whenever they were around others, Taehyung would put distance between them.

"You're ashamed of me, aren't you?" Jungkook blurted one night when Taehyung flinched away from his touch in front of Jimin and Hoseok.

Taehyung looked startled. "What? No, that's not—"

"Then why do you act like we’re nothing when other people are around?" Jungkook’s voice wavered.

Taehyung exhaled sharply. “It’s not that I’m ashamed, Jungkook. I’m scared.”

"Of what?"

"Of losing this. Of losing you," Taehyung admitted. "What if people talk? What if things change? What if... I mess this up?"

Jungkook softened. He hadn’t considered that Taehyung might be just as afraid as he was.

Reaching out, Jungkook cupped Taehyung’s face, his thumb brushing gently over his cheek. "You won’t lose me," he whispered. "But I can’t be something you hide."

Taehyung swallowed hard, then, slowly, intertwined their fingers.

The next day at the music club, in front of everyone, Taehyung grabbed Jungkook’s hand and held on.

Jungkook squeezed back, smiling.

Maybe their song was only just beginning.

Jungkook had spent his entire life chasing after things he thought were just out of reach—perfection, recognition, and, for the longest time, the unattainable presence of Kim Taehyung.

Now, Taehyung was holding his hand in the middle of the music club, fingers warm and firm, eyes filled with an emotion Jungkook had spent months pretending he didn’t see.

The room had gone silent.

Jimin and Hoseok, their other roommates, sat nearby, their gazes flicking between the two of them with barely concealed curiosity.

Jungkook swallowed hard. He had begged Taehyung for this moment, for the courage to just hold on instead of hiding. But now that it was happening, he didn’t know what to do.

Taehyung squeezed his hand. “You okay?” he asked softly, only loud enough for Jungkook to hear.

Jungkook let out a breath. Yeah. He was okay. Maybe even better than okay.

Slowly, he nodded. “Yeah.”

A grin spread across Taehyung’s face, and just like that, the tension in the room melted away.

Hoseok smirked. “Finally.”

Jimin crossed his arms, leaning back. “Took you long enough.”

Jungkook gaped. “Wait—you knew?”

Taehyung laughed. “Jungkook, everyone knew.”

Jungkook groaned, hiding his face in his free hand, but Taehyung only pulled him closer, wrapping an arm around his waist. The casualness of it sent warmth spreading through Jungkook’s chest.

Jimin and Hoseok went back to their conversation, and the club meeting resumed as if nothing had happened, but everything had changed.

Later that night, as they walked back to their dorm, Jungkook tugged on Taehyung’s sleeve. “So, uh… what now?”

Taehyung stopped, turning to face him under the glow of the campus streetlights.

“Now,” he said, cupping Jungkook’s cheek, “we stop pretending.”

Jungkook barely had time to process the words before Taehyung was kissing him, slow and deep, the kind of kiss that unraveled every doubt Jungkook had held onto.

He melted into it, gripping the fabric of Taehyung’s sweater, feeling, for the first time, like he didn’t have to hide.

The music was still playing—just in a different way now.

And this time, they were finally in sync.