Tae swore she would never get used to having him in the house.

Kook had been living there for only a few weeks, and already the walls seemed smaller with his broad shoulders brushing past, his heavy boots thudding down the hallway, his lazy smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth whenever their eyes met. Her mom looked at him like he hung the stars, but Tae—well, Tae looked at him like he was the last thing she wanted near her… and yet the first thing her body noticed the moment he entered a room.

It drove her insane.

That night, the air in the house felt too warm. Summer heat pressed sticky against the skin, and Tae had opened her bedroom window just to breathe. She was scrolling idly on her phone, tank top sticking to her chest, shorts riding up her thighs, when she heard it: the low laugh of Kook drifting up from the living room. Deep, rough, self-satisfied. He was watching TV, probably some stupid action movie.

She tried to ignore it, but her curiosity itched.

Quietly, she slipped out of her room, padding barefoot down the hallway. The glow from the living room spilled into the dark corridor, shadows flickering. Tae peeked.

Kook was sprawled on the couch, shirtless, beer bottle in one hand. His tattoos crawled up his arms and over his chest, muscles carved under golden skin. Sweat gleamed at his throat from the heat, and his sweatpants were slung low on his hips, leaving just a hint of the trail that disappeared beneath the waistband.

Tae’s breath caught. She told herself it was disgust. Just disgust.

But when his eyes flicked up, catching her standing there, something hot shot through her stomach.

“Well, look who’s lurking,” Kook drawled, voice thick, mocking. He tipped the bottle to his lips and drank slow, his Adam’s apple bobbing. “Couldn’t sleep?”

Tae straightened, arms crossed over her chest like armor. “I wasn’t lurking. I was just—” she snapped, fumbling for something, anything, “—going to the kitchen.”

Kook smirked, eyes dragging shamelessly down her body. Her tank top, thin and clinging. Her bare thighs. She shifted uncomfortably under his gaze, but it didn’t waver.

“You sure?” he asked lazily. “Because it looks like you were staring.”

Heat flushed Tae’s cheeks. “In your dreams.”

“Maybe,” he said, grin widening, “but you’re the one standing there staring at me half-dressed. So maybe in yours too, huh?”

Her heart thudded, furious. “You’re disgusting.”

“Mm.” He leaned back, stretching his arms over the couch, every inch of him spread wide, cocky. “You say that a lot. But you still keep looking, princess.”

Tae’s nails bit into her arms where she crossed them tighter. She should walk away. She should tell her mom. She should do anything but stand here letting his voice curl around her like smoke. But she didn’t move.

And he noticed.

Kook chuckled low, shaking his head. “Thought so.”

The TV screen lit his jawline sharp and dangerous, his lips curved in a smirk that infuriated her. His eyes were heavy-lidded, teasing, daring her to deny the pull between them.

Tae finally forced her legs to move, stepping past him toward the kitchen. But even then, she could feel his gaze on her ass, crawling up her bare legs like invisible hands.

She yanked open the fridge, grabbing a bottle of water just to have something to hold, to ground her.

When she turned back, he was still watching her. Smirking.

“What?” she snapped.

“Nothing,” he said smoothly. “Just thinking how funny it is… your mom brought me here, but it’s you who can’t stop staring.”

Her throat went dry. “Fuck you.”

Kook’s grin turned sharp, dangerous, like a wolf catching the scent of prey. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, beer bottle dangling from one hand. “Careful, princess. Keep talking like that and one day you just might.”

Tae’s stomach flipped, heat pooling low between her thighs against her will. She hated him. She wanted him. Both truths tangled until she couldn’t tell them apart.

She swallowed hard, pushing past the thickness in her chest, and stormed back to her room. Slammed the door. Pressed her back against it, heart hammering.

And still, even in the dark, all she could see was the way his mouth curved when he said it.

“Keep talking like that and one day you just might.”