"Beneath Their Names"_TAEKOOK_ NAMJIN_ YOONMIN.... JackHope...
Chapter 4: "First Names, First Looks"
The soft murmur of students settled as the clock ticked 8:00 AM.
Art History and Culture — a shared general elective — was held in a wide, sun-drenched hall, with vintage wooden desks and a clean whiteboard that bore the instructor’s name:
Professor Min Haejin.
It was the first subject of the semester, and nerves danced in the air like invisible butterflies.
Taehyung and Jimin stepped into the room side by side. Both first-years, both determined to stay under the radar. But in a room half-filled with second-year students, that goal was already shaky.
Park Jimin
“Bear” Jimin whispered, nudging Taehyung.
“That’s them.”
Kim Taehyung
Taehyung followed his gaze — and there they were.
Jeon Jungkook, effortlessly cool in a black oversized shirt, his arms crossed and expression unreadable.
Min Yoongi, slouched like he owned time, earbuds in and one leg casually bouncing.
Kim Namjoon, organized and precise, scribbling notes in a leather notebook before the lecture even began.
They didn’t speak, but their presence sucked the air out of the room. The Three Princes.
Park Jimin
Jimin clutched his music folder tightly. “Why are they in this class again?”
Kim Taehyung
“Elective,” Taehyung whispered. “Probably required."
The professor stepped forward and clapped once.
“Let’s begin.” Her voice was calm but commanding. “Welcome to Art History and Culture. Since this class includes both first-years and second-years, let’s start with introductions. Stand, state your name, your major, and one reason why you chose this course.”
Students began standing one by one.
Then came the name:
Taehyung flinched slightly, his name sounding louder in the silence. He stood, his beige sweater sleeves hanging over his palms.
Kim Taehyung
“I’m Kim Taehyung. First year, majoring in photography,” he said softly. “I took this class because I think understanding history helps frame the way we capture the present.”
There was a small silence.
Even Jungkook looked up briefly, his gaze brushing over Taehyung like a curious wind.
Taehyung sat back down quickly, trying not to meet his eyes.
Park Jimin
Jimin stood with practiced grace, his platinum hair catching the light.
“Han Jimin. First year, Music major,” he said with a sweet, clear voice. “I love connecting emotions to visuals and stories, so I thought this class might inspire me musically."
Professor Min smiled. “Beautifully said.”
From the middle row, Yoongi raised a brow. One earbud out. Jimin noticed — and bit back a grin.
As the class moved on, the two first-years sat in the back, hearts pounding for reasons they wouldn’t admit.
And from the middle row, Jungkook’s fingers tapped slowly on the desk. His eyes lingered on the back of a boy with soft brown curls and a calm, poetic voice.
He didn’t know his name before.
But now, he wouldn’t forget it.
Jeon Jungkook
Jungkook’s POV – “The Voice I Didn’t Expect”
It was just another class.
Another morning. Another semester. Another rotation of faces that didn’t matter.
Jungkook leaned back in his seat, one arm resting on the chair beside him. His gaze was straight ahead, fixed on nothing and everything, bored in the way only someone used to power and attention could be. The Art History and Culture elective was just a box to tick — and maybe, if anything, a break from his heavy course load and basketball training.
Yoongi was beside him, pretending to sleep with one earbud in.
Namjoon was already halfway through the chapter.
Same routine. Same predictable day.
Then he heard it—
“Kim Taehyung?”
Jeon Jungkook
Jungkook’s eyes slid lazily toward the front as the boy stood. For a second, he didn’t react — until the boy began to speak.
“I’m Kim Taehyung. First year, majoring in photography.”
A soft voice. Not weak — but delicate, like the way wind moves through leaves. There was something unpolished about the way he spoke — not insecure, just… raw. Real.
“I took this class because I think understanding history helps frame the way we capture the present.”
The words hung in the air longer than they should have.
Jungkook tilted his head.
The boy didn’t try to charm the room. He didn’t seem to care who was listening. His sleeves were too long, his hair a soft mess, and his posture slightly stiff like he wasn’t used to being watched — which made Jungkook wonder if anyone ever had.
He sat back down without another glance.
Jeon Jungkook
“Hmm,” Jungkook muttered under his breath.
Min Yoongi
Yoongi, eyes still closed, smirked.
“Something interesting?” he asked, voice quiet.
Jungkook didn’t reply.
Min Yoongi
Yoongi’s POV – “A Voice Too Bright”
Yoongi had already decided he hated this class.
Too early. Too many people. And the professor talked too much. He had a theory that people who loved history were just obsessed with the past because they didn’t have anything exciting in the present. And Yoongi had music. That was enough.
His earbud was tucked into his left ear — the one farthest from the professor — and lo-fi beats pulsed quietly as he leaned his cheek into his palm. Jungkook sat beside him, practically frozen in his usual cold-bastard posture. Namjoon was scribbling like he was solving a thesis. Same as always.
Yoongi didn’t look up when the new kids were called.
"Kim Taehyung."
He caught Jungkook moving beside him — that subtle shift of attention. Yoongi opened one eye and followed his line of sight.
Tall. Slender. Nervous. Pretty face. The kind of kid who’d never survive in their world, but somehow, there he was. His voice was soft — like static on an old radio — and Yoongi could already tell Jungkook was interested, even if his face didn’t move.
Typical.
But it was the next voice that pulled Yoongi out of his half-sleep.
Min Yoongi
"Han Jimin."
He looked up without meaning to.
Blond. Glowing. Dressed like he actually cared about color. His voice was clear and warm, with a little playful lilt like he was used to being liked.
"Han Jimin. First-year, majoring in Music. I took this class because I think art and music are siblings, and if I’m going to write about feelings, I want to know what made people feel before me."
Yoongi blinked.
Okay.
That was different.
He wasn’t expecting something so thoughtful from someone who smiled like that. Or the way Jimin looked around the room — unafraid, bright, alive. That kind of presence wasn’t common.
Yoongi leaned back, switching his music off with a quiet sigh.
Min Yoongi
“Well, shit,” he muttered, just loud enough for Jungkook to hear.
Jeon Jungkook
Jungkook smirked.
“Yours too, huh?”
Min Yoongi
Yoongi didn’t answer.
He just glanced back at Jimin, who had already turned toward the window and was whispering something to the boy beside him — Taehyung.
Yoongi hadn’t believed in “first impressions” since high school.
But that voice? That kid?
It was loud in a way Yoongi didn’t mind hearing again.
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