“You’re early,” Manager Song wearily commented as Taehyung strolled into the office.

The boy was grinning from ear to ear. “Well, there are a lot of people about in the afternoon. I shouldn’t risk getting noticed. Anyways, I have to get ready for the dinner tonight, right?” He began humming as he flipped through his manager’s large planner book.

Manager Song raised his eyebrows at him. “Looks like someone’s in a good mood.”

Taehyung tried to remove his grin, but failed. “Hmm, really? Well, for one, I didn’t get caught by a mob of fans.” ‘And I met someone really interesting,’ he added in his head.

Manager Song sighed. “Don’t ever surprise me like that again. I can’t help but worry every time you leave the building, especially since the incident at the coffee house. If you’re going to go out again, tell me in advance so I can prepare your disguise and handle your schedule. Today was quite chaotic when I phoned the companies conducting your interviews and rescheduled last minute.”

Widening his eyes, Taehyung gaped at his manager. “You mean… you really don’t mind me wandering about?”

“As long as it’s just once in a while. You’re still young and it’s not healthy for you to stay indoors every single day.”

“Gosh, thanks, Uncle!” Taehyung’s eyes curved into cheerful half-moons as he went over to hug his manager. Manager Song uttered another sigh, but there was a small smile on his lips.

**********

“You mean that the famous SM Entertainment is debuting a new girl group? It's been years since the last one debuted.” Haneul sat up straight in his chair in disbelief.

“Yes. I’m guessing you don’t look at the news unless it’s about you.” The Big Hit Entertainment CEO, Mr. Bang, sighed. “Mr. Lee has decided to finally debut a new group. His company has a lot of resources and connections, not to mention popularity, so the news is going to spread like wildfire. That means that all the attention previously directed to our company will divert to his. Mr. Lee has invited all the entertainment CEOs and their top idols for the Debut Party, which will be held in a couple of weeks. I believe the whole point of it is to ‘show off,’ so to speak.”

“So he’s supposedly a rival and you’re still going?”

Mr. Bang wasn’t the slightest bit taken aback by the young idol's bluntness. He was actually quite used to it by now. “Well, all the other CEOs of the main entertainment companies have publicly declared that they would go. They wouldn’t refuse an invitation from one of the most powerful men in this country. Also, it’s good publicizing of their companies at the same time.”

Taehyung crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair. He raised an eyebrow. “So… if it’s a formal party, can I take someone along?”

Mr. Bang, who was wiping his mouth with a linen napkin, stopped his action and widened his eyes. “You mean as in a girl, right? I’ve never heard you wanting to have a relationship ever before – even when I lifted the dating ban a year ago you didn’t look the slightest bit happy. For two years, since you’ve debuted, you haven’t been in a single scandal, much less have I seen you associating with a girl. What makes you ask this question? Are you secretly dating someone right now? I don’t like diving into my idols’ private lives, but I must know these things in advance in order to handle any possible scandals.”

“Well, have I been like that for the past years?” A smile twitched on his face. For some reason, the face of the strange girl (Eunkyung was her name, wasn’t it) kept flitting through his mind. He thrummed his fingers on the top of the white tablecloth. “No, I’ve never dated behind your back since I’ve entered the company.”

“Then do you like someone? I mean, are you planning to date in the near future?” Mr. Bang gazed at him, hawk-eyed. The boy just shrugged and gave the elder a mysterious smile.

“Hmm.” Mr. Bang placed his elbows on the table and put his fingertips together. “I believe that the press will attend. Sam would definitely invite them to gain more attention for his new company. Even if this girl you’re thinking of bringing isn’t actually in a relationship with you, you know how the press are. Is she a girl in this company? If not, maybe we can arrange Miso, our top model, to go as your partner.”

“No,” Taehyung found himself saying automatically. He suddenly felt uncomfortable.

“I don’t think it’s a good idea to bring along the girl you’re thinking about if she’s not part of Megadream,” Mr. Bang stated. Taehyung bit his lip. “But I’ll think about it.” Taehyung glanced up, hopeful.

The two were quiet for a moment, and after a sip of water Mr. Bang resumed talking. “I heard from the company workers that you postponed your interviews today. Were you not well?”

Taehyung’s eyes flashed. “I’ve been obediently doing interview after interview and practically every music broadcast in this country. I wanted a break, so I decided that I would take today off. Don’t worry; I won’t try it again in the future. But speaking about breaks, I would like to talk about you about a vacation. It’s been two years since I’ve debuted and I’ve never had a proper rest. I think I’ll become really sick if I keep up with this.”

Mr. Bang nodded, making the idol speechless. “You’re right. Though you were wrong in deciding by yourself when to have a break and denying your schedule before alerting me, I do think that it’s time to give you a little vacation. You have worked hard, I know. How about getting two weeks off until the party?”

The boy’s face brightened. “Are you serious?” he exclaimed.

“Yes. Please don’t make trouble during that time. I’ll keep it a secret from the press. How about I leak out to them that you’re shut inside deciding on a comeback concept with your trainers? Your comeback is scheduled sometime later this year, likely October, anyways.”

“Yes! Thank you so much!” Taehyung leaped out of his seat and extended a hand. A grin had formed on his face. Slightly amused, Mr. Bang shook it.

Double update today!! :D

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