GO BACK AND READ THE Response CHAPTER (it has the new! tag) if you haven't already. I think it's quite important to read and both chapters were uploaded within 24 hours of each other.

Hana

Something about the room feels completely domestic. My papers are spread out on the dining table as I go through forms and registration material for the conference as soft jazz plays in the background. My laptop keeps flickering to black as I read through regulation material, occasionally brushing the loose strands of hair that had come undone from my messy bun.

A deep breath tells me what I already know—the cookies in the oven are almost done. There’s something comforting about the smell of cookies baking. The warmth and the scent wafting in the oven leave a pleasant feeling in my chest as I wrap the blanket around my shoulders a little tighter.

A night of comfort for most people consisted of watching movies in bed. For me, it consisted of spending time on myself. Maybe that meant baking cookies. Maybe that meant taking a bath for an hour. Maybe that meant putting on a face mask. Maybe that meant watching a soccer game.

But after a long and hectic work week that I’d rather not think of, it was necessary. And that meant jumping into the most comfortable clothes as possible and sipping some tea as I twirl my pen between my fingers. After all, work never really ended.

The conference would be a little different this year. Most of the time, Yoongi and I would never talk to each other. The first time I had really talked to him was the Min ball, even with the rivalry between our two sides. And now, we had to be conscious of the fact that there was a change between us and utterly ignore it in public.

After all, we were supposed to be bitter enemies.

The agenda for the conference detailed a lot of talking over the two days, and unfortunately I had to give a little talk. That was quite normal for the CEOs of major companies and influencers of the market, along with several leaders on the subjects.

At least I wouldn’t be alone. If I was giving a speech, so was Min Yoongi. Or at least, that’s how it normally was. However, abnormally, the conference this year is located in Incheon instead of Seoul. And what that really meant is that I have some time away from the company.

And I’m not sure that I could handle that.

A quiet knock on the door makes me look up, “The door is unlocked.”

Jungkook peeks his head through the door, his eyes a little guarded, “Hi.”

I stiffen a little, “Hi.”

“I smelled cookies,” He scratches at the back of his head as he steps through the door. He had his laptop in his hand, and a quick glance at his fingers made me realize that he was a little uncertain at the moment. I’ve known him for too long. His typical oversized white shirt combined with fitted sweatpants and unstyled and slightly damp hair made him look different than he did when dressed in a suit and his hair was swept to the side.

If anything, he looked younger. Maybe even a little vulnerable.

He watches me expectantly, biting his lip as if waiting for permission. I just nod, turning back to my work. “I think they’re done. Can you take them out of the oven?”

I don’t bother looking up. I’m not sure I want to see his expression. In a way, I missed him. He wasn’t just a colleague. He is a friend.

Just one that I didn’t agree with.

His quiet movements ­clash with the soft jazz as he shuffles around. I can hear him looking through drawers and shifting things around as I scribble notes to myself about what I wanted to cover in my speech next weekend.

Jungkook pads to the table, and I glance up. He has my pink quilted oven mitts on along with an apron, both of which were a joke from Namjoon. My lips twitch up out of amusement, because it was such a far cry from the image of Jeon Jungkook that he had rapidly built over the last few years.

“Why the apron? You’re not exactly cooking.”

“I saw it in the drawer and wanted to complete the look,” He smiles lightly, setting down the pan on top of a spare trivet so the wood of the table didn’t burn. “You like?”

“Your stockholders would love it,” A smile tugs at the corner of my lips as he sits down and opens up his laptop while gingerly holding a cookie.

“Ah, hot, hot.” He mumbles with melted chocolate smeared on the corner of his mouth.

Despite his image, Jeon Jungkook was somehow both very mentally mature while still having the youth of a child. It added to the charm of the young businessman. But his clients and employees didn’t know about how he liked to draw and play the guitar and watch the occasional anime episode.

“Hana?”

“Hm?”

“I—I’m sorry.”

Perhaps it was too easy for me to forgive him, but I had known him for too long. He had always been a little sensitive internally, and he didn’t like hurting people. But it was a necessary quality when it came to work, and Jungkook sometimes went too far. “I know.”

But that didn’t mean I forgave him for just how possessive that he had gotten. That didn’t mean I forgave him for what he said in front of our parents, or even before when he said that Chanyeol was asking to be paralyzed. I understood, but I didn’t necessarily forgive.

“What are you so anxious about, Jungkook?” I could easily see his fidgety fingers that he tried to fold on the table to keep them from moving.

“I’m not anxious,” Jungkook defends quickly, and as much as I would like to roll my eyes at him, I don’t.

“I know all your tells. Do you want me to remind you of our poker record?”

His ears tinge pink a little and he snaps back, “No!”

It's so easy to rile him up. He always had been fiercely competitive. But a light smile flashes across his face a few moments later. And this is the Jungkook that I was familiar with. Comfortable and laid-back, and yet defensive when it comes to any of our games. Something about this fake engagement had detracted away from the easygoing dynamic that we had.
 

“What are you going to talk about in your speech?”

I pause a little, because I wasn’t used to Jungkook asking me about business. Even before the fake engagement, he didn’t like talking about the corporate world unless we had a group meeting or there were important updates. But he looks earnest in his question.

“A lot of things. It’s mostly about the spread of Korean biotechnology companies into the Chinese market while successfully competing in Japan. More and more companies are spreading into American and European markets, and they wanted me and Min Yoongi to talk about growing globalization.”

His nose twitches a little, “Is your speech before or after his?”

“Before, so mine needs to be better so it’s more memorable,” I flip the papers over with a sigh, putting my pen down and picking up a warm cookie instead.

I melt a little at the taste. The chocolate made me feel warm, even with the blanket slipping off my shoulders. Jungkook taps a little on his lip as an indication for me to wipe my mouth,