Dialed into love

Jungkook was exhausted. Practice had been brutal, and all he wanted was to crash on his bed. But first, he needed to call Taehyung to confirm their weekend plans.

Without checking properly, he clicked on a contact and pressed the call button, putting the phone to his ear.

It rang once.

Twice.

Then—

“Hello?”

Jungkook paused. The voice on the other end was soft, smooth, and laced with sleep. It was… beautiful.

“Uh… hey?” he said hesitantly. “Is this Taehyung?”

Silence. Then a small chuckle.

“I don’t think so,” the voice replied, sounding amused. “Unless I suddenly became your friend without knowing it.”

Jungkook pulled the phone away, checking the number. Not Taehyung’s.

“Ah, shit. I think I dialed the wrong number,” he muttered, running a hand through his damp hair.

Another chuckle. “You did. But it’s fine. You actually woke me up.”

“Crap, I’m sorry—”

“It’s okay. I don’t mind.”

Jungkook didn’t know why, but he smiled. There was something comforting about the stranger’s voice, something warm.

“Well, I should go,” he said reluctantly.

“Yeah,” the voice murmured. “Goodnight, stranger.”

Jungkook hesitated for a second before replying, “Goodnight… stranger.”

And then the call ended.

Jungkook had no intention of calling again. He really didn’t.

But the next night, as he lay in bed, phone in hand, he found himself dialing that same number.

The call connected almost immediately.

“I knew you’d call back,” the voice greeted.

Jungkook blinked. “Wait, you were expecting me?”

A light laugh. “Not expecting. Just hoping.”

Jungkook felt his ears heat up. “Ah… well, I guess I couldn’t help it.”

“Neither could I,” the stranger admitted.

And just like that, a routine started. Every night, Jungkook called.

Some nights, they talked about random things.

“What’s your favorite midnight snack?” Jungkook asked one evening.

“Ramen,” the voice—his stranger—replied instantly. “It just hits differently at night.”

“Ugh, you’re making me crave ramen now,” Jungkook groaned.

“Then go make some,” the voice teased.

“I will. But you have to stay on the line.”

A soft hum. “I wouldn’t mind that.”

Other nights, their conversations were deeper.

“Do you ever feel lonely?” the stranger asked quietly.

Jungkook stared at the ceiling. “Yeah. A lot, actually.”

“Me too,” the voice admitted. “That’s why… I like talking to you.”

Jungkook felt his heart clench. “Me too.”

And somehow, through these late-night calls, a bond formed between them.

One night, Jungkook heard something different in the stranger’s voice. It was softer than usual, but there was a weight to it.

“Are you okay?” he asked, concern lacing his tone.

A small sniffle. “Not really.”

Jungkook’s chest tightened. “Want to talk about it?”

A long pause. Then—

“Sometimes, I feel like I don’t belong anywhere,” the voice admitted. “Like no one really sees me. Like I could disappear, and no one would even notice.”

Jungkook sat up. His heart ached for this person he had never met, yet somehow felt so close to.

“I’d notice,” he whispered.

Silence. Then a shaky breath.

“…Really?”

“Yeah,” Jungkook said firmly. “I don’t even know your name, but I’d notice if you were gone.”

There was a pause, and then—

“My name is Jimin.”

Jungkook smiled, repeating it softly. “Jimin.”

“Yeah.”

“I like it,” Jungkook admitted. “It suits you.”

Jimin let out a small, watery laugh. “You don’t even know me.”

Jungkook leaned back against his pillow, closing his eyes. “I don’t need to. I know your voice, and it’s already my favorite sound.”

Jimin inhaled sharply, and Jungkook swore he could feel his warmth through the phone.

“…You’re really something, you know that?” Jimin whispered.

Jungkook grinned. “I hope that’s a good thing.”

“It is,” Jimin murmured.

And just like that, they weren’t just strangers anymore.

After that night, their bond only grew stronger.

Jungkook found himself waiting for the night, for Jimin’s voice, for their conversations that made his heart race.

And Jimin? He found himself feeling safe for the first time in a long time.

“Jungkook?” Jimin asked one night.

“Yeah?”

“What if we never met? Like, what if you had dialed the right number instead?”

Jungkook shuddered at the thought. “I don’t want to think about that.”

“Me neither,” Jimin admitted.

A pause.

“Jimin,” Jungkook said softly. “I think I—”

Jimin’s breath hitched. “What?”

Jungkook swallowed. He wanted to say it. That he was falling. That he had already fallen. But instead, he whispered—

“I want to meet you.”

Jimin went silent.

“Jimin?”

“…What if I’m not what you expect?” Jimin whispered.

Jungkook’s heart ached. “I don’t care what you look like. I’ve already fallen for you, Jimin.”

Silence. Then a quiet, shaky laugh. “You’re making it hard to say no, Jungkook.”

“Then don’t say no,” Jungkook teased.

Jimin giggled. “Okay. Let’s meet.”

Jungkook grinned, his heart racing. “Tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow.”

And just like that, their story shifted from calls to reality.

Jungkook sat in a small café, his leg bouncing nervously under the table. His heart pounded as he checked his phone.

Jimin: I’m here.

Jungkook looked up.

And then he saw him.

Jimin was standing at the entrance, wearing a soft oversized sweater, his blonde hair falling over his forehead. His lips were slightly parted, his eyes searching—until they landed on Jungkook.

Jungkook stood up.

Jimin took a shaky step forward.

For a moment, neither of them spoke. Then—

“Stranger,” Jimin whispered, a small, shy smile forming.

Jungkook chuckled, feeling warmth spread through his chest. “Not a stranger anymore.”

Jimin bit his lip, looking down shyly. “So… do I meet your expectations?”

Jungkook reached out, gently tucking a strand of Jimin’s hair behind his ear.

“You’re even better,” he whispered.

Jimin’s cheeks turned pink. “You’re not so bad yourself.”

Jungkook laughed, feeling lighter than ever. “So… how about we get to know each other? Properly this time?”

Jimin smiled, his eyes shining. “I’d love that.”

And just like that, their wrong-number love story became something real. Something beautiful.

Something forever.