seduction in literature | p.jm + m.yg

prologue

Jimin is nervous.

He tries to calm himself as he surveys the beautiful architecture before him, barely noticing the hoards of students who are openly gawking at his bubblegum-coloured hair. Of course, Jimin thinks to himself, an intricately designed building is totally fitting for a university of liberal arts. Jimin is quiet, completely in awe at how different the environment is from his old college.

With that thought in mind, Jimin lets out a long sigh. He vaguely remembers the way his parents had glared at him with utter displeasure in their eyes as he packed his bags and left home. Their faces then became nothing but a blur, distant memory, since Jimin had basically sprinted away from the house, purposely ignoring the shouts from his father and the tears in his mother's eyes.

Just thinking about that gave him a major headache.

It would be so much easier if they'd just listened to me, he muses. But when did they ever?

With a rapidly thumping heart, Jimin walks into the school, his hands fiddling with the hem of his maroon hoodie and occasionally reaching up to scratch the back of his neck. He sees students clustered in groups, each of their style impeccable and neat, and it reminds him yet again just how different the mindsets and attitudes here are compared to his previous college, where everything was just, well... boring.

He feels a little self-conscious as he glances down at his washed-out hoodie, plain black jeans and hastily tied laces on black sneakers. It's almost as if he's back in high school, where students would group together to gossip about this new stranger that had suddenly stepped into their territory. Jimin is mildly terrified, but soon realises that he's in university now, a place where young adults have much better things to do in their lives than to bully a 'new kid'.

Walking towards the general office to collect his schedule, he suddenly sees Jungkook waving at him while standing among his own group of friends. Slightly flustered, Jimin proceeds to wave back, thinking of how fate had brought them together on a drunk night, where Jimin ranted to him about just how sick and tired he was of his current life. Jungkook is an old classmate and close friend of his back in high school, the duo taking up dance lessons after school every Monday and Thursday. Both of them are extremely passionate about dance, and Jungkook could see the sadness in Jimin's eyes when he learnt that he had to give up the only thing that brightens his days. Convincing Jimin to embark on a new journey in an arts college would not only benefit Jungkook (since he'd get to see his friend everyday if they take up the same major), but it would also be a huge favour to Jimin himself.

Park Jimin deserves to be happy, and studying business was definitely out of the picture.

Jungkook stares at Jimin for a short while, before pointing animatedly at his own hair and then nodding his head in his direction. Your hair, he mouths, an awed expression on his face, and Jimin unconsciously reaches up to fondle his pink locks, a blush immediately dusting his cheeks.

Jimin is so preoccupied with his thoughts while gesturing to his old friend that he doesn't even notice a figure walking towards him, until the two of them collided with a soft thud. Horrified and embarrassed, Jimin takes in the scattered array of books and files on the ground, before looking up to see a man wincing as he pinches the bridge of his nose.

The man before him is a few inches taller than Jimin, his lean figure accentuated by a black turtleneck, dressy black slacks and a plain black coat. The man is noticeably cold from the autumn wind, the tip of his nose and ears tinged with a soft hue of red, his eyes glossy and unfocused. And all Jimin can think of when he takes in this man, is the colour black and how well it juxtaposes the man's pale skin.

Black, black, black.

"Oh my god, I-I'm so sorry—" Jimin stutters as the man interrupts him while waving his hand absentmindedly.

"It's fine," he mutters under his breath, before squatting down to pick up his fallen belongings.

Jimin blanches, before kneeling down to help as well. His eyes flicker from the man's black, textured hair, to the books that are lying pathetically on the cold concrete. The pink-haired boy hastily collects the fallen books, his eyes grazing across their titles as he stacks them into a neat pile. Brave New World, Little Women, Homage to Catalonia, Catch-22, Wuthering Heights, Lolita...

Is he a literature student? Jimin ponders as he recognises some of the classics sprawled messily on the ground.

"My glasses..." the man lets out a quiet murmur, and Jimin looks up, instantly spotting a pair of thin, round glasses lying beside the man's left foot. He grabs it and gently holds it up to the man's face. "Here."

The man squints at his glasses, before taking it from Jimin and immediately cleaning his lenses with the hem of his black sweater. He gradually slides it back on, and the man blinks slowly before he focuses on balancing the books in his arms. Jimin takes this as a cue to stand, and he passes the rest of his belongings to the man.

"Thank you," the man mumbles, giving Jimin a curt nod. With that, he walks away before Jimin can get another glimpse of his face, his head already buried in a book. Jimin tilts his head in pure wonderment as he stares at the retreating figure, clad in black from head to toe.

And when Jimin shrugs, brushing the thoughts to the back of his mind, he doesn't notice two things. One of them being the obvious frown on Jungkook's face, and the other being the rapid palpitation of his own heart, a sweet lingering effect from the fateful encounter with a beautifully mellow stranger.

A/N: Hmm, are there any theories for Jungkook's frown?