The Rainy Day That Jungkook Never Forgot

Jimin and Jungkook are both from Busan — but they didn't meet until Seoul.

Busan is Korea's second largest city. You might assume two boys from the same city would have crossed paths growing up. But Busan is vast, and Jimin and Jungkook lived entirely separate lives there. They only met when they both came to Seoul as trainees — two Busan kids, alone in a massive city they didn't yet know.

Becoming close didn't happen overnight.

Not much is known about their relationship during the trainee days. But fans noticed a clear shift around 2015 — two or three years after debut. Photos of them traveling together started appearing. Off-camera moments showed up more frequently. Jungkook began treating Jimin with a casual, playful comfort that only exists between people who've crossed the line from "teammate" to "real friend."

Part of what pulled them together was being "donghyang" (동향) — people from the same hometown. In Korean culture, discovering someone shares your roots creates an instant, unspoken bond. It says: we come from the same place, we understand each other without having to explain. For two young men navigating the pressure of idol life far from home, that connection ran deeper than it might seem from the outside.

Then came the rainy day.

Korean fans call this story "이별택시" — the Farewell Taxi. It's named after a Korean song with a similar plot, and every Korean ARMY knows it by heart.

It started with something small. A minor argument during practice — the kind that happens between two people who are close enough to push each other's buttons.

But Jimin was angry. He walked out of the practice room, leaving Jungkook behind, and said:

"I'm done looking after you. Figure it out yourself."

For Jungkook, those words hit hard.

Jimin was the hyung who always took care of him — the same-age friend who checked on him, looked out for him, made sure he was okay. Hearing Jimin say "I don't care anymore" — even in the heat of the moment — shook something inside Jungkook.

So he ran out to find Jimin.

But Jimin was already gone. And Jungkook — famously terrible with directions — got completely, hopelessly lost.

It was raining.

Jimin was walking alone in the rain when his phone buzzed. Jungkook. Still angry, Jimin picked up and snapped:

"I told you not to call me!"

But on the other end, Jungkook was crying.

"Hyung... I'm sorry. I was wrong."

Something in Jimin's anger cracked. He softened — just slightly — and asked:

"...Where are you?"

Jungkook, still crying: "I don't know."

Jimin wanted to go find him. But how do you rescue someone who can't tell you where they are? In the end, Jungkook managed to get into a taxi. And Jimin waited — standing in the rain — until the taxi arrived.

The taxi door opened.

And what happened next is the most Jimin-and-Jungkook thing imaginable.

Jimin described it this way: "We did the Slam Dunk high-five."

If you know the manga Slam Dunk — one of the most beloved sports comics in Korea and Japan — you know exactly what this means. The iconic scene where two rivals run toward each other and slap their hands together in a moment of pure, wordless reconciliation.

That's what Jimin and Jungkook did. The moment Jungkook stepped out of the taxi, they ran to each other, high-fived like Slam Dunk characters, and hugged. No long apology. No awkward explanation. Just two Busan boys, soaking wet, clapping hands and holding each other in the rain.

The fight was over.

Years later, Jungkook brought it up one more time.

In a video where the members shared "something you're sorry about to another member," Jungkook turned to Jimin and quietly began:

"On a rainy day..."

Jimin stared at him blankly. He didn't remember. At all.

Jungkook told the entire story — the fight, the rain, running out, getting lost, the phone call. And when he finished, Jimin asked:

"So... what exactly were you sorry about?"

Jungkook mumbled: "I don't know... just... everything about that day."

This is where you see who they really are.

Jungkook carried that rainy day in his heart for years. The guilt, the fear of losing Jimin's care, the memory of crying alone on an unfamiliar street — he held onto all of it. Meanwhile, Jimin had completely forgotten. Not because the moment didn't matter, but because taking care of Jungkook was never something he had to consciously decide to do. It was just who he was.

In Korean, there's an unspoken truth: the one who remembers is the one who was changed. Jungkook remembers because that day taught him what Jimin meant to him. Jimin forgot because loving Jungkook was never an effort — it was automatic.

What makes Jimin and Jungkook work.

They are different in almost every way. Jimin is expressive, warm, and wears his heart on his sleeve. Jungkook is quieter, more internal, processing everything beneath the surface. But they fit together like interlocking gears — different shapes, perfect rhythm.

They share Busan. They share a passion for dance and vocals. They share the weight of being BTS. And eventually, they even shared military service — entering the army together through Korea's "동반입대" (companion enlistment) system, a program that allows close friends to serve side by side. In a country where young men are required to serve, having someone you trust beside you means everything.