The rain poured down like the sky was mourning with you. You stood outside the university’s main gate, drenched, eyes on the ground, hands clenched tightly in the pockets of your hoodie. You were shivering—but not from the cold.

You were shivering from the words that had just pierced through you like glass.

“She’s not good enough for you, Jungkook.” “She comes from nothing.” “Do you really think this… girl fits into our world?”

The worst part?

He hadn’t defended you. He hadn’t said anything.

Just stood there while his mother scrutinized you, while his father looked at you like you were dirt under his shoe. You’d heard it all, even though you’d stepped out to take a call and accidentally returned too soon.

The door had been slightly ajar. And the silence that followed their insults had been louder than anything else.

You walked away. Quietly. Without a word.

---

You met Jungkook two years ago during your sophomore year. You were the invisible girl—glasses, oversized sweaters, scholarship kid, always sitting in the front row taking notes like your life depended on it. Because it did.

Your parents had passed when you were thirteen. You grew up bouncing between relatives who didn’t really want you. You’d worked jobs since high school, earned your place at the university, and kept your head down.

You didn’t have time for distractions.

Especially not distractions like Jeon Jungkook.

The golden boy. The popular guy. Tattoos, piercings, laughter that lit up the hallways. He was rich, smart, and stupidly gorgeous. You lived in different worlds.

Until one night, when those worlds collided.

---

You had been working a late shift at the university library. It was storming, and half the campus had lost power. You were organizing returned books when someone came in, hoodie drenched, dripping water onto the marble floors.

“Sorry,” he said, breathless. “I just needed a place to wait it out.”

You looked up from behind the desk.

It was Jungkook.

You blinked. “We’re closed.”

He smiled, sheepish. “I know. But the music hall’s locked, and I saw the light here. Can I just… sit a bit?”

You didn’t know why you said yes. Maybe because you were lonely. Maybe because something in his voice didn’t sound like the Jungkook you saw laughing with his friends.

He sat in the corner quietly, watching the storm, while you continued shelving books. Then he asked what you were reading. You told him it was The Picture of Dorian Gray.

He said he liked tragic stories.

That night, you talked. About books, music, loneliness. He said people always expected him to be perfect. You said you wished people even noticed you existed.

He said he noticed.

You didn’t know it then, but that night was the beginning of everything.

---

Over the next few months, he kept coming back.

He’d sit with you at the library, sometimes for hours, even when you said nothing. You saw parts of him the world didn’t—quiet, thoughtful, vulnerable.

And slowly, walls began to fall.

He showed up one day with your favorite coffee. You stared at him like he’d read your mind. He just smiled and said, “I pay attention.”

He walked you home when you stayed late. Helped you carry heavy books. Waited for you outside your class with that soft grin that always made your heart beat a little faster.

One rainy day, he kissed you behind the art building, fingers brushing your jaw gently like you were porcelain.

“I’ve never felt like this before,” he whispered.

Neither had you.

---

You’d been dating for almost a year when he said he wanted you to meet his parents.

You were hesitant. You didn’t have much to offer them—no family name, no inheritance, no connections. But Jungkook assured you.

“They’ll love you,” he said. “You’re everything I’ve ever wanted.”

You believed him.

You wore your best dress—simple, clean, borrowed from your roommate. You curled your hair. You brought a gift—a box of premium green tea you’d saved up for.

His house was a mansion. His mother looked you up and down, lips tight. His father barely acknowledged you.

And then the words came.

“She’s beneath you.” “She’s only with you for status.” “She doesn’t even have a real family.”

You wanted to disappear.

But what hurt most was Jungkook’s silence.

His eyes had flickered, yes. His jaw clenched. But he didn’t say a word.

You left before dessert.

---

It had been three days. No texts. No calls. You didn’t go to your morning lectures. Your chest felt heavy, like grief. You thought he loved you.

You thought you were enough.

You were about to delete his number when someone banged on your dorm room door.

“YN! Come out. Now.”

It was your roommate, eyes wide. “He’s here.”

You frowned. “Who?”

“Jungkook! Outside. On his knees. In the rain. In front of the whole campus.”

Your heart dropped.

You ran.

And there he was.

Drenched, hoodie falling off his head, eyes red, lips trembling.

He looked up the second he saw you.

“YN,” he said, voice cracking. “I’m sorry.”

You stood frozen. Everyone was watching.

“I should’ve spoken up,” he continued. “I should’ve stood by you. I thought staying quiet would make things easier. I thought if I could just make it through that dinner, I’d fix it later. But there is no later without you.”

He stood slowly, walked toward you, inches away now.

“I told them,” he said softly. “That I’m done. That if they can’t accept the woman I love, then I don’t want their money, their house, their name.”

Your breath caught. “You what?”

He smiled bitterly. “I walked out. I packed my stuff. I’m moving into a shared apartment near campus. I’ll find a job. I’ll build everything from scratch if I have to—but I’m not losing you.”

Tears spilled down your cheeks.

“Why now?” you whispered. “Why not that night?”

“Because I was a coward,” he said. “But I’m not anymore.”

He took your hand.

“I love you,” he said. “Not the kind of love that’s pretty. The kind that’s messy, and hard, and means sacrifice. You were always enough. I was the one who wasn’t ready.”

You crashed into him.

He held you like he’d never let go again.

And he didn’t.

---

One Year Later

You moved in together. It was a shoebox apartment with bad plumbing and thin walls—but you were happy.

Jungkook worked at a local music studio, slowly building a name for himself. You balanced your classes and a part-time job at the library. You cooked together, danced barefoot in your living room, fought over what to watch, and fell asleep tangled in each other’s arms.

His parents never called.

But Jungkook never looked back.

One night, lying on the mattress on your floor, he turned to you.

“Do you ever regret it?” you asked.

He shook his head.

“The only regret I have,” he whispered, brushing a strand of hair from your face, “is not choosing you sooner.”

And in that moment, you knew—

He was yours. And you were his. Fully. Fiercely. Finally.

Because sometimes, love isn’t about grand approval.

Sometimes, love is two people choosing each other again and again.

Even when the world doesn’t.

Thank you for reading 📚 ❤️

From —

Author Mrinal 🌸 🎀 ✨️