Chapter 9 - In the Eyes of Friends

In the Eyes of Friends

The shift was subtle but not invisible.

By the next week, Taehyung and Y/n weren't biting each other's heads off in every hallway. Their insults were... lighter, their glances longer, and their silences less awkward.

Noticed by everyone? Definitely.

"Are they flirting?" Jimin asked, eyebrows raised as he watched Taehyung hold the library door open for Y/n. "He—Mr. I-Don't-Care—is being polite."

Yoongi didn't even look up from his phone. "More like suspiciously polite."

"I give it a week before she stabs him with a pen," Jungkook added, sipping his bubble tea. "Or kisses him. Either way."

Back inside, Taehyung joined Y/n at their usual back-corner table in the library. She didn't greet him, but she also didn't roll her eyes. Progress.

"You changed the pitch slides," he said.

"They looked cleaner in black and gold."

He nodded. "You've got an eye for design."

Y/n blinked. It wasn't sarcasm. Just... a compliment.

"...Thanks."

Silence settled between them, but it wasn't uncomfortable. It was thoughtful. Focused. Familiar.

Taehyung leaned a little closer, resting his chin in his palm. "You ever think about doing this for real?"

Y/n glanced up. "The business pitch?"

"No. Running something. A company. Your father's, maybe."

Her gaze sharpened. "Every day."

He nodded, slowly. "You'd be good at it."

She paused, then asked softly, "And you?"

He shrugged. "I was never meant to run anything."

Y/n tilted her head. "Then why fight so hard to be Top 1?"

His smile didn't reach his eyes. "Because I have to be good at something... if I can't be the one who lived."

Y/n's breath caught.

For a moment, he looked like that boy in the art room again the one who didn't carry pride, just pressure.

And before she could stop herself, she said, "You don't need to prove yourself to people who've already decided they don't see you."

Taehyung looked at her really looked at her and for the first time, he didn't feel like a rival. He felt like someone who understood.

Later that evening, Taehyung's trio cornered him in the quad.

"You've got that look," Jimin said, poking his shoulder.

"What look?" Taehyung asked, avoiding eye contact.

"The 'I'm catching feelings for the girl I used to bicker with' look," Jungkook teased.

Yoongi finally glanced up. "Just don't mess it up."

Taehyung said nothing. But the truth was... he didn't know if he was messing things up or finally getting something right.

Meanwhile, Jennie raised an eyebrow across the cafeteria as Y/n quietly smiled at her phone screen.

"You texting someone?"

"No."

"You're smiling at your screen."

Y/n's voice was even. "I was checking the stock market."

Jennie laughed. "Is the stock market six feet tall, wears Gucci, and ranks #1?"

Y/n shot her a glare. "It's just business."

Jennie leaned in. "You sure? Because the last time you looked that soft was when Minwoo made you a macaroni necklace in third grade."

Y/n didn't answer. But her silence said enough.