How could one picture cause so much chaos?

Here Yoongi was again, sitting across from the CEO, feeling more awkward as ever. The CEO glared down at him, even though it was clear that he was gesturing the idol to look at the computer screen. The screen was occupied by a Dispatch news, with an attention-grabbing headline along with a scandalous photo of him kissing Jieun. It was an event that happened just a day ago—an event that had miserable consequences.

He knew that the CEO was furious with him—perhaps disappointed was the better term for the situation. If the CEO was disappointed, he wasn't alone. Yoongi figured that the entire group probably heard about this news. The fans definitely would know about his relationship with Jieun. There wouldn't be any time to explain the situation; Yoongi was sure that the fans were already spitting out cruel remarks and bizarre rumors about the situation. If anything, it was highly likely that he had disappointed the fans.

Yoongi was a let-down, just like he was back in high school: a pathetic piece of life that only brings disappointment and shame.

Even though he knew that his title as an idol was at risk, he couldn't help but worry about Jieun. He could only imagine all the disgusting comments rolling in, labeling her as a "" or "" or "." He knew that the verbal abuse she would receive would be almost surreal, filled with bitterness from his fans who had devoted his life to him. Although he could imagine some harsh comments about him, he figured that he wouldn't have as much as Jieun due to her small fan base.

But ARMYs? They were one hell of a fandom. Anyone slightly involved with BTS would face their wrath and power. They were not a fandom to be messed with—even the BTS members were well aware of what the ARMYs were capable of. Their strength was one of the reason Yoongi loved his fans so much…but now?

He wasn't sure if he could be proud of all the despicable comments they were making towards his lover.

"Min Yoongi." The boy slowly gazed into the older man's eyes. In a soft voice, the CEO whispered, "Why?"

Why?

Why what? Was the CEO asking him why he kissed her? Why he went to her apartment? Why he let himself fall into this situation? Why he couldn't obey the CEO's order and not see her? Why he had to become an idol and drive it to the brink of nothing? Why he got along with Jieun in the first place? Why were they so close?

Why do I love her? Yoongi thought. He wasn't sure where to begin. He opened his mouth, but nothing came out. It was hard to speak. There just wasn't anything for him to say except for, "I love her."

The CEO stared at him, thinking about Yoongi's soft-spoken answer. Then, with a loud sigh and a small grunt, the CEO turned the computer screen around so that it wasn't facing Yoongi anymore. The CEO slowly got up from his chair and stared down at Yoongi.

"Are you aware of what you've done?" the CEO asked. "We just informed the public that Jimin and Jieun were dating."

"I know."

"You said that you were okay with it, that you were just going to play along!"

"I didn't say anything!" Yoongi retorted. "I only remained silent!"

"Well, you should've spoken up earlier!" the CEO shouted back.

"Say something back?" Yoongi's eyes slightly watered as he scoffed. With his fingers clawing at the arm rest of the chair, he forced himself down on the chair while looking at the CEO. "How could I say anything back then? Jimin suddenly made this stupid announcement that he's dating Jieun and you decided to just go along with what he said. How could I say anything when the situation was obviously forcing me to be submissive because of my work?"

"Do you not care about your career? Your dreams? Your fans?"

"If my fans truly love me, then they'll support me," Yoongi said.

"Do you really think that?" the CEO asked, frowning at him. "I hope you're kidding me. You'd be one hell of a fool to believe in something naive as that."

Yoongi didn't say a word. He wasn't dumb to protest against the CEO. The boss had a point. It was simple as that.

"Do you even want to hear about the details? About the harm you've caused for both you and the girl?" The CEO didn't wait for his response. He immediately grabbed a file out of a cabinet and started to read the information. "Stocks dropped by 2% immediately after the news was release. Note that I got this report thirty minutes after the news was posted. It's been a while since then, and I haven't gotten an update. We're also having problems with signing potential sponsors…"

The list went on, and Yoongi listened. He listened with a bitter heart, trying his best to accept and understand the situation. It was hard, but it was the truth. As the minutes passed, it was difficult for Yoongi to swallow all the negative information, especially as the CEO started to get red in anger and raised his voice. Yet, he remained silent, knowing that he was in no positive to speak out loud.

Then, there was a solemn knock on the door. The CEO of Big Hit Entertainment looked up briefly. He closed his file and placed it back into the cabinet before clearing his throat.

"Come in," the CEO said icily.

The door swung opened. Yoongi widened his eyes when he saw Jieun's manager, who was holding onto Jieun's shoulders. She was heavily covered in clothing and sunglasses, hiding her identity from any reporters. The couple stared at each other with longing eyes, worried about the situation, but glad to see that there was no physical punishment involved.

Before anyone managed to utter out a word, Junghyun grabbed Jieun's head and forced her to bow.

"We are very sorry that this kind of situation has happened and got out!" Junghyun exclaimed. "We have never intended such a thing to happen. We only have deep regrets and—"

"I don't regret anything," Yoongi said, stopping the manager. Junghyun shot him a glare, as if he was trying to tell the idol to shut up.

"Have the girl sit down," the CEO demanded. Junghyun nodded and forced Jieun to sit down next to Yoongi.

Despite the intense situation, the two stole a few glances hear and there, happy to see each other. When the CEO grunted, they both straightened their backs and stared ahead at the CEO.

"I'm going to ask you an important question," the CEO said slowly, "and I want you to answer honestly, okay?" They nodded. "Are you guys dating?"

"Yes," Yoongi and Jieun said almost immediately. They blushed when they realized that they were in unison.

The CEO, on the other hand, looked unimpressed.

"Break up."

The couple widened their eyes and stared at the CEO's outrageous command.

"E-Excuse me?" Jieun stuttered, turning pale.

"Break up," the CEO repeated. His tone became more stern.

Yoongi shot up from his seat. "I don't want to break up with her! We just figured things out. I can't just let her go after everything that happened!"

"Break up," Junghyun said, joining the CEO.

Jieun stared at him. "You're not on our side?"

"How could I be on your side when we've already become a burden to the larger company?" Junghyun pointed out. "Jieun, break up."

"Can't you release a news that we fake-broke up or something like that?" Yoongi asked.

"Oh, we're not just telling you to break up," the manager said, chuckling half-heartedly. "We're telling you to end things right now."

The couple froze.

"What?" Jieun asked in a small voice.

"Break up. Say your goodbyes. Never see each other," Junghyun said, summarizing exactly what the CEO wanted. "We'll confiscate your phones or anything that will connect both of you together."

Were they for real? Were they going to tear them apart from each other?

"We don't—"

"Yoongi, we're not accepting 'no' for an answer," the CEO snapped.

When Yoongi was about to argue more, Jieun pulled him back. She grabbed his sleeves and stepped forward a little.

"C-Can we have a little bit of time?" Jieun asked softly. "This is all too sudden. Can we think about this?"

"No—"

"Fine," Junghyun said. The CEO glared at him. "I'm sorry, sir. As much as I respect you, I believe that if we give them a few minutes to themselves, they'll learn to cool their heads and accept what comes next in their relationship. At this rate, they're going to do everything they can to stick together. Let them think about it for a while."

The CEO grunted. "Fine."

Without a second thought, he grabbed a clock and set an alarm. He slammed the clock on the table, making the two look at the clock tick.

"You have five minutes to discuss," the CEO told them. "After that, we're expecting an answer."

He got up, fixed his tie, and stormed out of the room.

"Don't even think about changing the time on the clock," Junghyun said. "I'm keeping a record of the time on my phone."

The manager followed after the CEO, leaving the door closed for Yoongi and Jieun to have some privacy.

Tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock…

The time was ticking, and neither could predict what would happen next.