When We Were Sixteen || Jeon Jungkook

Prologue - Age Sixteen

I met him when we were sixteen. It was spring semester and I recently transferred to a new high school due to my dad's new job transfer to Seoul. Leaving Busan was full of tearful goodbyes and looking back at the house I grew up in for the last sixteen years, it truly broke my heart. I have always been awkward, personally, I thought it was because I had been so introverted and angry at the same time because of the move. So, that's how I met him. He was loud and outgoing, but one day he suddenly sat beside me at lunch one day and gave me a carton of chocolate milk. His eyes met mine and with a heartbeat, I smiled. 

Jeon Jungkook, that was his name. He was someone I needed and someone who understood me in a certain light. He was always cracking small jokes when I was sad just to make me laugh or he would always wait outside my street so we could walk to school together. 

At the age of sixteen, they were full of surprises. Jungkook and I found many things in common like watching cheesy romance films or eating ice cream when it was too cold to stand outside. Jungkook was good at media and films while I was in favour of english literature and languages - our study sessions consisted us constantly getting kicked out the library because we were kicking each other from under the table and making too much noise from our laughter. 

Jungkook always did well in school - he nearly never missed a day of school, always showed up half an hour early to class, never missed out due dates for homework, and maintained straight A's. He always ranked highest in school because he enjoyed studying and doing well in school which made his parents very proud. Jungkook studied hard for everything which I admired because he was so passionate about top grades and getting into the best college. 

"Here you go," Jungkook sighed heavily, handing me over my iced tea. "The queue was so long. I hate you for making me wait behind all those people."

Under the hot summer sun, I feel the warmth of those brilliant rays of light granting us new vibrant colours, softly brushing smiles upon our faces. A heat wave was beginning in the city and the avenue was lined up with deep green foliage that stood in the June heat. 

"You were the one who suggested we'd get something after school instead of studying in the library," I replied back, rolling my eyes. In the haze of the afternoon, the summer sun was beating against my back relentlessly, forices beads of sweat down both our foreheads. "Then you suggested that you would pay, and I wasn't going to pass down an opportunity like that."

"You literally picked the busiest coffee shop there is," Jungkook continued to whine, wiping his forehead with the back of his hands. "Being friends with you is annoying and expensive."

We had taken the subway from school to the city, yet we were both exhausted from the long day of staring at a board and pretending to listen to what the teach had to say. The ball of fire in the sky blazes with a brilliant amber, so bright that I could not admire it for long. Days like this, I wish we had just gone home and filled up the paddling pool instead of walking around the city sweating in our uniform which was suddenly beginning to cling to our backs. 

"I didn't ask you to pay for me," I scoffed, crossing my arms. "You suggested."

"Mina," Jungkook said, letting out a small laughed, followed by another sigh. "You know, we are best friends and I'm joking!"

"Hey, do you think we will be friends in the future?" Jungkook asked suddenly, making me choke on my iced tea. "Taehyung told me people in school aren't friends when they leave school."

"Good, I hope we aren't." I stated, and he quickly hit my arm. "Okay, sorry. I'm joking."

"Be serious for once! I'm worried that we won't be friends, you mean a lot to me." Jungkook replied, raising his voice. 

"Why are you even listening to Taehyung anyways? He always says stupid things," I told him, putting my hand on his shoulder and flickering my eyes at him. As I stared at him, I realised that Jungkook was changing, not in personality or anything but in appearance. The way his dark brown hair flopped over his forehead and his jawline was becoming more defined. I have never noticed, but Jungkook was attractive. 

"That isn't the answer I am looking for," Jungkook cried, pouting at me as he was anticipating my answer to his previous comment. For a smart boy, he was sometimes so stupid. 

"Jungkook, of course I want to be friends with you." I laughed, hitting on the chest quick and he quickly rubbed his chest pretending it hurt. "You are an idiot to believe that I wouldn't want to be friends with you. You are my only friend after all."

Jungkook has a lot of other friends that were really nice like Jungkook and Jimin. He was popular in our school because he seemed to charm everyone around him with his constant hilarity and kindness towards other people. However, his friends didn't know much about Jungkook's personal life. 

I gained a few friends since moving here, and everyone was nice to me. However, I didn't want too many friends so, I ended up sticking with Jungkook and sometimes his friends but it was all I ever needed. Too many friends were a crowd, and I was too socially awkward to have a big friendship group. 

"You know, we could end up marrying each other one day," Jungkook shrugged, putting his hands in the pockets of his beige school trousers. 

"That's not funny," I stated. "It's not like the movies. I will never fall in love with you. You are so gross and annoying.

"Hey!" Jungkook exclaimed, hitting me on the arm again. "You aren't the prettiest person either. You are a kind of ugly for a girl. I've see rats better looking than you."

"You are so rude," I whined, power-walking in front of him. "I can't believe you compared me to a rat."

"It's only the truth," He chucked, pacing forward to catch up with me. He had long legs so it wasn't hard to catch up with my short legs. 

"Oh shut up," I groaned, throwing my cup in the trash and smoothing my skirt down with my hands. "Let's just leave before we end up with bruises on our arms."

At age sixteen, it was a year of happiness.