Light and dark (bangpink)

25🌷

JENNIE

"Stop!" I laughed as Taehyung kept tickling me, his fingers merciless against my sides.

"For me, it looks like you're enjoying it," he teased, grinning as my laughter turned into breathless gasps.

"I can't breathe—stop!" I managed to say between laughs, playfully swatting his shoulder and trying to push him off. After a moment, he finally let up, flashing a triumphant smirk.

"That's what you get," he said, folding his arms. "Never doubt my abilities again."

It had all started with a simple challenge—I'd told him he couldn't make anyone laugh, and he'd taken it as a personal mission to prove me wrong.

Yesterday was intense. Jisoo had discovered her fairy animal, which left Jungkook hilariously terrified. And Rosé and Jimin had finally revealed their relationship to everyone. This morning was chaotic, too; Flitter had been chasing Jungkook all over the house, while Lisa laughed uncontrollably. Things got so wild that Jin and Jisoo eventually had to kick the fairy animals out for the day before they wrecked the entire place.

Now, Jin, Jimin, and Rosé had gone out to pick up some supplies. They'd been gone for hours, so just as I was about to call Rosé, I heard Lisa's voice echoing through the hallway.

"How dare you? I hate you so much, you idiot!" Then, the unmistakable sound of something shattering followed her yell.

Taehyung and I rushed out, our curiosity piqued. In the living room, we saw a broken vase scattered across the floor, feathers drifting through the air from torn pillows, and Lisa and Jungkook standing in the middle of the chaos, pointing at each other.

"She started attacking me!" Jungkook shouted, looking defensive.

"Only because he told me I was basically a man!" Lisa shot back, her expression stormy as if she might tackle him at any moment.

LISA
Jennie looked furious, her eyes flashing as if she were about to strike both of us. But before she could make a move, Taehyung gently placed a hand on her shoulder, leaning in to whisper something in her ear. Whatever he said made her smirk mischievously.

Before I had time to process what was happening, they slipped out of the room, shutting the door behind them. A second later, I heard the unmistakable click of the lock.

"Hey!" I shouted, rushing to the door and yanking on the handle.

Jungkook came over and gave it a try, but it didn't budge. "Open the door!" he yelled, pounding his fist against it.

From the other side, Jennie's teasing voice called out, "You two need to make up. No more fighting—try being friends. Or, you know... maybe something more."

Jungkook and I exchanged a look, both caught off guard by her words.

When it finally dawned on us that Jennie and Taehyung really weren't going to unlock the door, I let out a sigh and turned to Jungkook. "Hey, look—I'm sorry for reacting like that. I didn't mean to," I murmured, my voice barely above a whisper.

He looked up, his eyes meeting mine. "I'm sorry, too, for calling you a man. I was just annoyed that you won the game." His gaze softened, and for a moment, the world outside our little bubble seemed to fade away.

There was something in his eyes, a flicker of something I couldn't quite decipher. As he took a step closer, my breath caught, and the space between us grew smaller. Just as he was inches away, the door suddenly flew open, and Jennie's face appeared in the doorway.

"Guys, you need to come out," she said, her tone serious. "The rest of the group is back, and... something happened." I could just make out the sound of Rosé's quiet sobbing behind her.

Jungkook and I exchanged a worried glance before following Jennie into the hall, dread settling heavily in my stomach. What could have possibly happened while they were out?