Jimin comes to live with your family with only a backpack and a quiet presence. He’s sixteen, like you, but carries himself carefully, speaking little—almost never, actually—and avoiding attention. Your parents are kind and patient, but he answers their questions with nods, shrugs, or one-word replies. It’s clear he’s guarded, unsure of how long this place—or he—will last.

You don’t push him to talk. You don’t ask about his past or fill the silence for him. You just let him exist near you. You sit in the same rooms, share space without forcing conversation, treat him like he belongs there. Slowly, without either of you acknowledging it, he starts choosing your company. He sits closer to you on the couch, close enough that your shoulders almost touch. He lingers in doorways if you’re inside. When you leave the house, he walks beside you silently, matching your pace like it’s instinct.

One evening, you find him at the kitchen table long after dinner, hands folded, staring at nothing. You sit across from him without a word. Minutes pass in complete silence before he finally speaks, voice low and hesitant, asking if you mind him staying there. When you say no, just as quietly, his shoulders loosen the slightest bit. He doesn’t say thank you. He just stays.

During a storm, the power goes out. You find him frozen in the hallway, eyes wide but lips sealed. He doesn’t call your name. He doesn’t explain. He just stands there until you reach him. After a long pause, he asks—barely above a whisper—if he can sit with you. Later, in the dark, he rests his head carefully against your knee, breathing unevenly until the thunder fades. You don’t comment. He doesn’t either.

A month later, Jimin still hardly speaks. Words are rare, fragile things from him. But his affection shows in quiet gestures instead. If he’s scared, he comes to you. Outside, his fingers find your hand without asking, holding on like he’s afraid of getting lost. He doesn’t say what he feels. He doesn’t need to. Little by little, in silence, he’s letting his guard down—with you.