sᴜʙ ʀᴏsᴀ || ᴊ.ᴊᴋ + ᴋ.ᴛʜ ✔️

thirty-nine

He received an unexpected message from Jimin early in the morning.

Jimin:
hey jungkook? remember how i said i'd try 2 make plans 4 us to hang out sumtime soon?

Jungkook:
yeet

Jimin:
r u busy

Jungkook:
does internet browsing count as being busy

Jimin:
lol no

Jungkook:
so wut did u hav in mind

Jimin:
well i was thinking we could go 2 the mall and just do wtvr

Jimin:
i was gonna invite a few others

Jimin:
it could be fun

Jimin:
so r u interested?

Jungkook:
sure sounds good

Jimin:
:)) gr8! we're all gonna meet up at the mall at around 11

Jimin:
dont be laaaaaaaaate

'A few others', Jimin said. Jungkook had absolutely no doubt that included Taehyung. This thought circling in his head, he found himself standing in front of his closet for about five minutes, simultaneously smiling to himself while cycling through his entire wardrobe several times. Why does it matter what I wear? He asked himself at some point, though hardly listening to his own words. It's not like this is a date. Am I trying to impress him? Probably. But there's no guarantee he'll pay much attention to me.

The thought of that undoubtedly made him a little disappointed. Sad, even. But he tried his best to stay positive and not be discouraged. If he could say just a few words to Taehyung today, maybe even strike up a conversation, then that would be progress. And any progress at all was a good thing.

He ended up picking out a pair of black skinny jeans that tightly, yet comfortably, hugged his legs and rear, and a white t-shirt which he partially tucked into those jeans. The forecast said it was supposed to be fairly warm that day, so he decided no jacket was necessary. Slipping into his high-top black sneakers, Jungkook glanced at the clock sitting on his dresser--10:46. He didn't live too far from the mall...but perhaps, he wondered, he should have selected his outfit a little quicker. The bus might not get him there before eleven.

It did. Scarcely. By the time the bus pulled into the stop nearest to the mall, everyone was already there, waiting for him. Not for too long, but Jungkook could somehow tell he was the last one.

"I'm here!!" He called out, drawing the attention of the five boys standing at the mall entrance. Five...it was more than he expected. Jimin was there--naturally--and, to Jungkook's surprise, so were Namjoon and Yoongi, aka the boy he had recently become friends with and the boy he wanted to become friends with. Namjoon and he had gotten along well and hit it off pretty quickly, whereas with Yoongi, progress was slow. Then again it hadn't been long, and Jungkook was mostly certain the mint-haired boy didn't hate him, so he was giving himself the benefit of the doubt here.

Standing next to Yoongi and Namjoon was Hoseok, the red-haired bouncing bottle of sunshine Jimin had told him about--Taehyung, too, though Tae had never mentioned a name. And speaking of Taehyung...

The brown-haired boy lifted lazy eyes to look at Jungkook as he made his way over to the group. And Jungkook couldn't help but smile, because merely the sight of that boy raised his spirits, and eye contact between them, albeit brief, brought warmth to his cheeks. He looked so cute and stylish--with his blue jeans, ripped at the knee, light maroon jacket over a t-shirt where a pair of sunglasses hung from the neck. His skin looked a beautiful tan under the late morning sun. He looked beautiful.