Jungkook sat alone in his usual spot in the library, surrounded by towering stacks of books, his fingers busy scribbling notes while his other hand occasionally adjusted his glasses. The library was nearly deserted, thanks to the mid-morning break, and he relished the silence. His friends had tried to drag him outside for a smoke, but he’d refused, insisting he had assignments to finish—even though the due date wasn’t close. Truthfully, he always made sure his work was done well ahead of time. For him, staying at the top was non-negotiable. He'd built his entire academic life around it, putting himself in a league of his own. If people called him a 'dry' or a 'nerd,' he didn't care.

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But then, as if summoned by his worst impulses, she appeared.

“Ohhhh, studying again, Jungkook? Don’t you ever, I don’t know... breathe?” Her teasing tone sliced through the quiet. She plopped herself down across from him, leaning over the table to peek at his notes.

He didn’t look up, his jaw clenching slightly as he tried to ignore her, letting his pen glide across the page with exaggerated focus, hoping she’d get bored and leave. She was the one person who seemed to exist solely to test his patience. Everything he wasn't: breezy, easy-going, a social butterfly who somehow, infuriatingly, kept up with him academically. He didn't know how she did it. Her grades were always stellar, but she never seemed to work for it the way he did. It had to be some kind of trick. How could someone who floated through classes and socialized more than she studied still score as high as he did? The thought got under his skin—the suspicion that she might be mocking his efforts by succeeding so effortlessly.

She leaned in, clearly unfazed by his silence, her eyes darting over his notes. “Honestly, don’t you ever just... relax?” she pressed, a smirk playing on her lips.

Jungkook looked up finally, his gaze narrowing as he met her eyes. "Get out of here and go somewhere else, I'm studying," he grumbled, shoving his glasses up his nose as irritation seeped into his tone.

She rolled her eyes, resting her face in her hands. "As always..."

His eyebrows furrowed deeper as he shook his head. "Well I don't have time to deal with your shit," he trailed off, focusing back on his assignment. "Some of us actually take this seriously. Unlike you apparently."