On one particular night, Jieun realized that there was something special about the night. She tried to tell her manager about it, but he only shrugged it off, telling her that it was only her delusions and that she should focus on finishing the photoshoot. So, she silently followed her duties, smiling at every bright white flash that blinded her vision and moving her arms and legs when told.

“You’ve found a good one,” the photographer stated at one point to Junghyun. “There’s something special about her.”

“Yes, that’s what we thought, too, when we saw her audition tape,” Junghyun said, grinning with proud. 

“But she also gives out that vibe where if she finds herself in trouble, it’ll be hard for her to get out of it,” the photographer told her.

“Don’t worry. We’re being very strict with her,” the manager stated firmly. "She's on a strict no-dating contract."

“Is that a good thing?”

“In the world of idol-life, it is.”

“Hm.” The photographer said no more and only continued to snap more pictures after changing the lens of the camera.

Once the photoshoot was over, Jieun made sure to thank every worker before leaving the room with the manager. The two headed towards the elevators. They went down several floors before arriving at the parking lot, where the two found the car and hopped inside.

“Good work, Jieun,” Junghyun said as he wore his seatbelt. “I’m taking you back to the dorms. That was the last thing on your schedule.”

“I’m exhausted,” she mumbled sleepily. 

“Idol work is pretty difficult, right?” her manager said, laughing a bit.

Jieun didn’t even have the strength to answer him. The rookie idol rested her eyes, hoping to dream a little. The second the manager started the engine, she gasped and widened her eyes. As the manager started at her in confusion, she touched her pocket and clothes, trying to search for her lost item.

“Ah! Manager! I forgot something!” Jieun exclaimed.

“What’d you forget this time?” her manager asked, annoyed.

“It’s the first time I forgot something. Anyway, I left my phone back at the studio. Can I get it?”

“Your phone?” He widened his eyes. “Go out and get it quickly! Someone might find it and unlock the password!”

“There’s nothing in it—“

“Go, go, go!” he shouted, urging her to leave the van. She did, and she started running back into the building, hoping to find her phone in time.

• • •

“Thank you for your time!”

Yoongi bowed and walked away from the meeting room. He glanced out the window, noticing how dark it was. He was sure that most of the workers were gone by now. He thought about what s would be doing at this time, and figured that they were probably either sleeping back at the dorms or practicing.

His phone started ringing, and when he looked down, he frowned at the number who was calling for him. Heaving a loud sigh, he picked it up, annoyed.

"What?" he snapped.

"This is Jim—"

Yoongi hung up. He walked further into the halls. He stopped again when he heard his phone ring. He looked down and saw Jungkook's number.

"Hello?" he answered, picking up the phone.

"Wow. You pick up Jungkook's and not mine?" Jimin said.

"What do you want?" Yoongi asked with a sigh.

"I just wanted to tell you that Jieun and I are getting along really well," Jimin stated firmly. "At this rate, don't you think we'll date?"

Yoongi didn't dare to say a word. He kept very quiet, waiting for Jimin to say something else. At this point, he knew that Jimin was just trying to bug him.

"Look, Jimin, I'm exhausted. We'll talk tomorrow," Yoongi told him. He hung up and continued to walk until he arrived at the elevators.

Ah, Yoongi thought tiredly, I just want to go to sleep.

He slipped his hands in his pocket and leaned against the walls, gently closing his eyes while waiting for the elevator doors to open. He opened his eyes again when he felt that he didn’t press the button. However, to his shock, he saw Jieun standing in front of him, about to press the button next to him.

Jieun felt her heart stop, and so did Yoongi.

The two stared at each other for a long time, unsure of what to say, or even if they were worthy enough to start a conversation. Memories from the past flooded their minds as they exchanged looks of pain and aggravation. It hurt to even look at each other, and they were sure if they would be able to hold a steady conversation.

“You got taller,” Jieun murmured.

Yoongi touched the tip of his hair. “Really? Haven’t noticed.”

Jieun forced a tight smile and nodded her head. Yoongi looked at her curiously, noticing that she had become more quiet.

“You…look the same,” he said, unable to think of anything else. I can’t tell her that she got cuter. That’s crazy.

“Ah…Really? I haven’t…noticed,” she mumbled, looking away while playing with a strand of her hair.

What’s this? the two wondered in unison. The mood is pretty okay.

“U-Um,” Jieun started. Yoongi looked at her. She looked down at her shoes, blushing a bit. She wasn’t even sure what she was planning to say.

That’s a lie, she told herself. I wanted to ask him how he’s been, why he broke contact with me, why he…hates…me…

He looked down at her hands, noticing that she holding her phone tightly in her hands. She looked a bit intimidated, as if she was scared of him. His eyes darkened.

That’s right, he realized, she hates me. The one she likes is Jimin. He scowled. Is she trying to ask me about what Jimin likes and everything? Damn it, nothing’s changed!

“Jimin was talking about having dinner with you,” he told her. Jieun looked up, surprised. “Are you having dinner with him tonight?”

“Ah, um, no. I'm going home—“

“Stop keeping him waiting,” Yoongi said, turning his head away. “Hurry up and go on a date with him. He’s been pissing me off about it.”

Jieun swallowed—hard. “D-Date? I don’t remember wanting to date him.”

“If you came to me thinking that I’ll tell you whatever he likes, then forget it. He and I aren’t on good terms.”

“I would never do something like that! I don’t care about how he feels about me!” she exclaimed. Why is he misunderstanding again? What did I say or do to make him misunderstand?

“Oh right,” Yoongi said, giving her a mockery laugh. “That’s right. You don’t care about anyone else’s feelings. You only care about yourself.”

Jieun glared at him. “Why the do you hate me so much?”

“Are you seriously asking me that?” he asked.

“Yes! Yes, I am asking you that!” Jieun turned to face him properly. “I came and debuted on the same stage, yet you haven’t congratulated me or anything. You haven’t said anything positive to me.”

“Because I despise you.”

“Why do you despise me?” she cried out. 

Yoongi couldn’t believe his ears. How could she not know about what she did? She broke his heart and left him! She was going to throw him away for some other stupid crush! Did she not know how painful it was for someone like him to be pushed away by her?

“God damn it, Yoongi! Just ing tell me!” Jieun yelled.

“Because you left me!” Yoongi finally revealed. “You left me before, and you’re probably planning to the same thing again!”

“Before that!” She narrowed her eyes. “Before I left you! Do you even remember the day when I shared you a song I made? I was trying to show you a part of myself, but you put me down! You crushed me, Yoongi! You crushed me!”

“I had to do that so you wouldn’t leave me!” he shouted, defending himself. “If I told you how great your song was, you would’ve left me to be alone with all those other s!”

“Why would I leave the guy who I love?” Jieun blurted. 

Everything became quiet.

Yoongi widened his eyes and stared at her until she realized what she said. She gasped and gave him a wide-eyed look with her eyebrows raised in terror. Her heart started to race and her cheeks started to heat up.

, she thought. , !

“W-Wait, do you mean it?” Yoongi asked her. Before she could run away, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her closer to him. He could feel his heart pound against his chest, anticipating for her answer. 

“D-D-Do I mean what?” Jieun stuttered, looking away in embarrassment.

“Jieun, I’m serious!” he said, raising his voice. “Do you mean what you said?” He leaned close to her face, causing her to hitch her breath. “Did you love me before?”

Her eyes locked with his bright brown eyes. Her lips trembled; she wasn’t sure if they were begging for a kiss or begging for him to part away. Regardless, she could hear her heart thump loudly, almost echoing in the empty halls of the broadcasting station. Never in her life has she ever been so close to a boy before. She could feel him cup her two small hands in his, holding them tightly so that she wouldn’t think of running away. Her knees buckled and she could no longer think straight. She gave into him, giving him an answer that would drive him to do something unthinkable.

“Yes,” she squeaked.

Yoongi didn’t think twice. He closed his eyes and crashed his lips against hers. Jieun shut her eyes tightly, unsure of what to do with the situation. A warm heart-fluttering sensation overwhelmed her entire body. She lost her balance, but he wouldn’t let her fall. He only leaned closer, eventually pushing her against the wall, cupping her cheeks to prevent her from looking away. 

“Y-Yoongi,” she said breathlessly when she had the chance to breath. 

Before she could say anything else, he locked his lips against hers away, kissing her until she placed her hands against his chest. His heart tingled and he finally parted away, regaining his sanity. He panted, but he could see Jieun pant even harder. She was exhausted and dazed, but she seemed quite pleased with the result.

Cute, he thought. Still panting, he rested his forehead against her shoulder, causing her to gasp a little.

“Y-Yoongi?” she called, slightly shifting her eyes to see his mint hair. 

He looked at her, and she could feel her heart skip a beat. Then, he leaned away, but used the back of one hand to trace her face. He traced it slowly, examining every little feature on her soft peachy skin until he stopped at her lips. He stared at her luxurious pink lips for a few seconds, then looked into her chocolate brown eyes. He chuckled a little, breaking into a cordial smile.

Jieun blinked her eyes and continued to look at him. “W-What?”

“What the hell were we fighting about?” he asked her. He looked at her with his rare eye-smile. Jieun could feel her cheeks heat up again. 

“I-I don’t know,” she stuttered, avoiding his gaze. She looked back at him when she felt him grab her left hand. He kissed the back of her hand, causing her to turn into a beautiful shade of crimson. “Yoongi!”

“What?” he asked, giving her a playful look. “You don’t look like you hate.”

She wanted to bury herself and hide in a hole. “I-I don’t, but…!”

“All this time I thought you just wanted to throw me away for some stupid guy, and now I found out that it wasn’t the case,” he whispered. He kissed the back of her hand again. “Do you still love me?”

Her eyes shot wide open. “What?”

“I still love you,” he confessed, fixing his gaze onto hers. “I love you a lot, Jieun.”

Oh my god. It’s mutual, she thought. She opened to reply to his confession, but—

Ding! 

The two stared at a particular direction as they heard the elevator doors open. A tall man stepped out and turned his head to look at their direction.

“IU.” The two squinted their eyes, then noticed that it was Jieun’s manager. They saw the manager stare at her from the darker parts of the hall. The manager stepped out into the light and gave her a cold look. “What are you doing?”

“Manager!” she stuttered. Yoongi moved away from the wall and composed himself while Jieun cleared and scurried over to her manager’s side. “W-Why are you here? I thought you were going to wait for me…?”

“You didn’t come downstairs so I came up,” Junghyun said. He gazed past her shoulder and stared at Yoongi, who gave the manager a respectful bow. “You’re…BTS’s Suga, right?”

“Yes, sir,” Yoongi answered, nodding his head.

“What were you two doing?” the manager asked.

“Nothing!” Jieun exclaimed.

“We were having a small chat. That’s all,” Yoongi added.

“Hm…” Junghyun looked at Jieun. “You. Go back.”

“We seriously didn’t do anything!” she said.

“Downstairs. In the car. Now,” Junghyun said. 

She sulked, then turned back at Yoongi. He only gave her a small nod, gesturing her to leave first. She nodded back and walked into the elevator, eventually disappearing behind the closed doors.

Once the two boys were sure that Jieun was gone, the manager gave Yoongi a serious look. Chills ran down Yoongi’s spine as the manager crossed his arm.

“Are you aware of what position you and Jieun are in?” Junghyun asked.

“Yes, sir,” Yoongi said, nodding his head.

“You guys are both idols, meaning that relationships are almost a forbidden situation. I don’t know about your company, but Jieun is not allowed to date for the sake of her rising popularity. If her fans found out about her dating, then do you realize what you could do to her?”

“Yes, sir…” Yoongi murmured.

“You could jeopardize her career, and then what? How will you compensate for that? You can’t. We invested a lot of money into her. Don’t underestimate all the work that companies do to build their idols. Millions—and I mean millions—are spent constructing the perfect path for idols.” Junghyun started to loosen up when he noticed Yoongi’s tightened expression. “As long as you’re friends, I’m okay with that. However, I do prefer if you have a third party join you if you want to meet Jieun as a friend. You know, just in case the paparazzi mistaken you two for dating.”

“What if—“

“Dating? Don’t even think about it,” Junghyun said seriously. He gave Yoongi an intimidating glare. “Don’t. I’m serious. Do you understand?”

“Yes…sir,” Yoongi mumbled. 

“Good. Then I’ll be taking my leave,” the manager said. He turned away to take the elevator, disappearing behind the silver doors.

The BTS member heaved a loud sigh. He ran his fingers through his hair and leaned against the wall. He closed his eyes for a moment, taking Junghyun’s words into consideration. Then, Jieun popped back into his head. He smiled to himself and gently placed his fingers on his moist lips.

With a small laugh, he pushed himself off the wall and headed back to his business, whistling to Jieun’s latest song.