|| Just Like We Used To Be || J.JK ||

3 - Unexpected Reunion

  ˗ˏˋ꒰ 🍒 ꒱ ⎯ ୨𝔘𝔫𝔢𝔵𝔭𝔢𝔠𝔱𝔢𝔡 ℜ𝔢𝔲𝔫𝔦𝔬𝔫୧ ⎯  ꒰ 🍒 ꒱˗ˏˋ

I looked at myself in the mirror one last time, smoothing out the loose strands of hair that refused to cooperate. I could feel the nerves buzzing under my skin, but I reminded myself to stay calm.

Don’t freak out, I whispered to my reflection. It won’t be him. It won’t be Jeon Jungkook.

I hadn’t seen him in two, maybe three years. In all that time, I managed to avoid him completely. I was a master at it by now—taking the stairs all the way to the 9th floor, dodging the main elevators like my life depended on it. It was torture, but worth it. I knew that if I ever ran into him, my focus would shatter. Debuting would’ve been impossible if I allowed him to haunt my thoughts.

Did I miss him? Yes, I won’t deny that. But I couldn’t go through it again, whatever it was—whether it was a mistake or a “meant to be” moment. I refused to let myself fall back into that dangerous feeling, not again.

I grabbed my bag, took a deep breath, and headed to the practice room.

---

After finishing my makeup and rehearsing the moves one last time, I stood in frnt of the mirror, running through the routine in my head. The staff started gathering near the door, and I could hear murmurs and the rustle of the cameramen setting up for the filming.

“Hello!” I heard a soft voice say. I turned, and relief washed over me. It wasn’t Jungkook. A small smile crept onto my face as I greeted Jimin.

But then...

“Hello everyone.”

That voice. My heart dropped into my stomach. I didn’t even have to look to know who it was.

Oh. No.
---

Jimin’s POV

I glanced at Jungkook, raising an eyebrow. “Aish, Jungkook, this is a recording, not a park. I can’t just take you along.”

He gave me those puppy eyes again. Why does this always work on me?

“Yah! Jeon Jungkook, don’t give me that face!” I said, trying to stay firm, but he did it even more.

“Aish! Fine, fine! Come on in,” I gave in, and he grinned like a little kid, hopping into the passenger seat as we headed to the practice room.

After a short drive, we arrived at the building. I wasn’t sure which trainee I was filming with, but it was supposed to be one of the members of Nox, the group with so much buzz lately. I asked the front desk for directions and found out that the room we were headed to was just two rooms away from ours.

---

Jungkook’s POV

I followed Jimin-hyung down the hallway, feeling an uneasy excitement bubbling inside me. I wasn’t here for the recording. No, that wasn’t why I came along.

I was here to see her. Han Sori.

For two years, she had avoided me like the plague. I tried finding her a few times in the building, but she was always just out of reach, like a shadow I could never catch. She had been a trainee here for a while now, and I knew she’d go to great lengths to avoid seeing me. I couldn’t blame her.

But today, I had my chance. Jimin-hyung was filming with one of the Nox members, and I just had to take the risk. Even if it wasn’t her, I would be satisfied just knowing. But if it was her... I needed to see her face again.

When we opened the door to the practice room, we were greeted by the staff, and I quickly scanned the room.

“Do you know who you’re filming with?” one of the cameramen asked Jimin-hyung.

“No, not yet,” he replied, walking forward as the staff made space for us.

“Jimin-ssi, you’re filming with... the one and only, Han Sori.”

The name echoed in my head as the staff clapped.

And then I saw her.

She was standing in the middle of the room, looking even more beautiful than I remembered. My chest tightened, a mixture of emotions flooding me at once—relief, happiness, regret, longing. How could she have avoided me for so long? I wanted to go to her, say something, anything. But I kept my composure.

“Annyeonghaseyo, I’m Han So Ri from Nox,” she greeted us, bowing politely.

Jimin-hyung introduced himself, and then it was my turn. “I’m Jeon Jungkook from BTS.”

Her eyes flickered to mine for just a second before she quickly bowed again. “Nice to meet you, seonbaenim.”

The formal title stung more than I expected, but I smiled anyway. I watched as she and Jimin-hyung took their positions to practice the choreo.

---

Sori’s POV

I kept my breathing steady, my heart pounding in my ears as Jimin and I rehearsed the routine. I wasn’t going to let Jungkook distract me. Not now.

“Should we practice one more time before filming?” I asked Jimin, trying to stay calm.

“Sure,” he nodded, and we went through the moves once more.

We finished the filming after three takes, the dance challenge turning out better than expected.

“Great work today, everyone!” I said, bowing to the staff as they started packing up.

---

Soon, it was just the three of us left in the practice room.

“Seonbaenim, I need to get going. Thank you again for your help today,” I said with a polite smile to Jimin.

“No problem. I really liked the bunny ears at the end,” he grinned.

I let out a small laugh. “I added that myself. It wasn’t part of the original choreo, but I wanted something fun.”

“Great idea. But you must be in a hurry, so go on,” he said, gesturing toward the door.

“Yes! See you around, Seonbae,” I replied, grabbing my things and giving them both a final bow before turning to leave.

I had barely taken two steps toward the door when I felt a presence behind me. I didn’t need to turn around to know who it was.

“Riri,” Jungkook’s voice was soft, almost hesitant.

I froze, my fingers tightening around the strap of my bag. The door was right in front of me, but I couldn’t move.