Chapter Seventy-one "Phoenix in His Arms"

 

The Mysterious Chocolate

It was just another day at Phoenix Ridge University, and Jungkook was happily making his way to the cafeteria with his friends. The group was engaged in their usual banter, laughing and nudging each other as they walked.

"I swear, if you don't stop pulling on my sleeve, Niki, I'm going to trip!" Jungkook whined, trying to shake her off.

"Oh, please, you'd trip on air even if no one touched you," Niki teased, making Soobin and Jimin burst into laughter.

It had been almost a week since their new batch started and a week since they had shut down every doubt about their academic success. Since then, Jungkook’s popularity had only skyrocketed.

Students admired his intelligence, charm, and undeniable talent, and it wasn't just the business department that had taken notice—his fan following seemed to grow day by day.

As they entered the cafeteria, they made their way towards their usual table near the window. Jungkook, being the carefree soul that he was, plopped down into his usual seat. As soon as he did, his eyes lit up with delight.

Resting on his chair was his favorite chocolate.

Not giving it a second thought, he immediately unwrapped it and took a bite, humming in satisfaction. His friends, however, had gone ahead to get lunch for everyone, making sure Jungkook didn't follow and cause a disaster in the food line like last time.

When they returned, trays filled with food, they froze in their tracks, watching Jungkook happily munching on the chocolate.

"Where did you get that?" Soobin asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Huh?" Jungkook blinked at them, mid-bite. "It was on my chair. Someone probably left it."

Jimin's jaw dropped. "And you just ate it?! Without even thinking who it was from?!"

Niki let out a dramatic gasp before snatching the remaining chocolate from Jungkook’s hand. "Are you crazy?! What if someone put something weird in it?!"

Jungkook frowned. "Why would someone do that? It’s just chocolate."

Before they could argue further, Soobin's sharp eyes caught something—a neatly folded piece of paper right under where Jungkook had been sitting. His brows furrowed as he picked it up.

"What’s this?" he muttered before unfolding it.

The four of them huddled together to read the letter.

---

To Kim Jungkook,

I don’t know if you’ve ever noticed me, but I have admired you from afar for a long time. You are kind, intelligent, and hardworking—everything I have always dreamed of in a person.

After watching you prove your worth to everyone last week, I knew I couldn’t keep my feelings hidden any longer. So, I gathered the courage to write this letter. If you accept my feelings, please eat the chocolate as a yes. I am watching from afar, hoping for your answer.

Even if you don’t feel the same way, I will always support and admire you.

With love,
Your Secret Admirer

---

Jungkook blinked at the letter, then slowly looked down at the half-eaten chocolate in his hand.

Jimin smacked his forehead. "You already ate it! That means you just accepted the confession!"

"Wait, what?!" Jungkook’s eyes widened in horror. "I didn’t even know!"

Niki groaned. "This idiot! We need to figure out who wrote this before some random girl claims to be Jungkook's girlfriend!"

Soobin let out a deep sigh. "Well, congratulations, Jungkook. You might have just accidentally gotten yourself a girlfriend."

Before they could react further, whispers started spreading through the cafeteria like wildfire.

"Did you hear? Kim Jungkook accepted a girl's confession!"

"I knew it! Someone finally confessed to him!"

"Wait… wasn't the chocolate the sign of a yes? That means he agreed!"

"Oh my god, who is she?!"

"I bet she’s someone really pretty!"

"Didn’t he say he wasn’t interested in dating?"

Soon, the story stretched with exaggerated details, making it sound even more dramatic than it was. Rumors flew left and right, each version more absurd than the last. By the time it reached the far corners of the cafeteria, the entire university was convinced Jungkook had openly accepted a confession and was now in a secret relationship.

Jungkook, still processing everything, buried his face in his hands. "Hyungie is going to kill me…"

Meanwhile, in Professor Kim Taehyung's office, a certain someone was trying to stir up trouble.

Sia sat across from Taehyung, pretending to ask some doubts about their coursework, but her true intentions were far from academic. With a fake hesitant tone, she spoke up, "Professor Kim, I thought you should know… there's been a lot of talk today. I overheard that Jungkook accepted a confession in the cafeteria."

Taehyung, who had been glancing over some documents, froze for a moment before lifting his gaze to her. His sharp eyes immediately darkened, making Sia internally smirk, satisfied with the reaction.

"A confession?" he repeated, his voice eerily calm.

Sia nodded innocently. "Yes. Apparently, someone left him a chocolate and a letter, and he ate the chocolate as a yes. The whole campus is talking about it."

Taehyung leaned back in his chair, his jaw tightening. "I see. Thank you for telling me."

Sia bit her lip, watching his reaction carefully. "I just thought you'd want to know since Jungkook is your younger brother."

Taehyung didn’t respond. Instead, he closed the file in front of him, his expression unreadable. "You may leave now."

Sia hesitated, but when Taehyung’s piercing gaze met hers, she quickly stood up and left the office, a satisfied smile tugging at her lips.

Unbeknownst to her, Taehyung had already decided—he was going to get to the bottom of this nonsense the moment he saw his brat of a supposed 'brother'.

Jungkook had a lot of explaining to do.

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