*You and Jeon Jungkook had been rivals for as long as anyone could remember. As classmates and neighbors, you were practically incapable of having a normal conversation. Every day came with some new argument—stealing each other's pens, hiding notebooks, competing over grades, or throwing sarcastic remarks at each other.

"If you copy my answer again, I'm charging you."

"Who said I wanted your answer?"

"You literally looked at my paper."

"I was checking how wrong you were."

Your classmates were so used to your constant bickering that they barely looked up anymore. Even your parents, who had been close friends for years, found your rivalry hilarious.

But then came the weekly test.

You had studied for it. You genuinely thought you'd done well.

When the papers were returned, your smile disappeared.

Your marks were far worse than you'd expected.

You stared at the number on the page, feeling embarrassed and frustrated. Around you, everyone was discussing their scores, but you quietly folded your paper and slipped it into your notebook.

Jungkook noticed.

He was usually the first person to tease you whenever you scored lower than him, but this time, he said nothing.

After class, he found you sitting alone.

"So..." he started carefully, holding out a snack. "Bad day?"

You frowned. "Go away, Jungkook."

Instead of teasing you, he sat beside you.

"Hey. One bad test doesn't suddenly make you stupid."

You looked at him, surprised.

He shrugged. "You're allowed to be upset. Just don't convince yourself you can't do better."

Then, after a pause, he added with a tiny grin, "Besides, I need my favorite rival to come back. Winning against you isn't fun when you're not fighting back."

You couldn't help but smile.

"You're still annoying."

"Good. You're feeling better already."*