Zhen could feel her face heating immediately. “Cho Hee!” She blurted, stumbling out of the elevator and away from Jungkook’s grip. His arms fell to his side and he stared at Cho Hee in complete and utter shock. “I was just-” 

Cho Hee, who had only raised an eyebrow, turned her gaze to Jungkook. “Shouldn’t you be practicing, dear?” She asked, grabbing Zhen’s arm and pulling her away from the elevator and then poking her head inside. She pressed the basement button and shot him a deadly, cutting glare. “You’d best be getting back.” 

“Cho Hee, please, I can-” She held up a hand, dismissing him as the elevator doors began to close. Jungkook looked to Zhen, his eyes serious as he pulled his phone from his pocket, holding it against the side of his leg so Cho Hee couldn’t see it, but Zhen could. She knew he what he was telling her. He wanted her to call him, and tell him what happened now that he was being sent back to the practice room. She nodded so slightly that it almost couldn’t even be counted as a movement, but Jungkook seemed to ease a little as the doors closed on him.

When the numbers above the elevator began to grow dim, signalling how far down he’d gone, Zhen turned to Cho Hee. “Cho Hee, please-” She held up a hand, silencing her.

“Not now, Zhen Ai.” She said sternly. Zhen swallowed and turned towards the closed doors of the elevator. When the numbers stopped decreasing, Cho Hee pressed the button, and the elevator began to shoot up. When the doors opened, Cho Hee ushered Zhen inside and pressed the ground floor button. The doors closed, and Zhen could feel herself shaking.

The elevator jerked and started towards the ground floor, and it seemed like it was taking an eternity as Zhen stood beside Cho Hee, beyond worried. The doors opened and Cho Hee ushered Zhen out into the lobby. “Bye ladies!” Cho Hee called to the girls behind the front desk.

After the girls said good bye, Cho Hee ushered Zhen towards the door. Her car was parked just in front of the building, and Cho Hee unlocked the car, which beeped and the lights blinked. “Get in,” Cho Hee demanded, moving around the side of the car and pulling open the door.

They both climbed in. Cho Hee started the car and pulled out of the lot. It felt like the longest drive Zhen had ever been on. She pulled her phone from her pocket and quickly shot a text to Mallory. It’s getting real heavy over here. When are you coming home?

“I hope you aren’t texting Jungkook, young lady.”

Zhen clenched her jaw. “No.” She said flatly. Her phone buzzed and she was thankful for the distraction. I’m home already. Yoongi’s bringing by Kirby, and then Cale is coming to get me for the band’s party. Why? What’s going on?Zhen looked to Cho Hee, whose jaw was set, and sighed. A lot. She texted back.

The car stopped and Cho Hee opened her door. “Let’s go, young lady.” She said, and Zhen swallowed, climbing out of the car and starting towards the house. She wasn’t sure what was going to happen. In her old foster homes, she was beat for things like this. Once, she’d been slapped on the back with a hot pan because she came home later than the family had expected. She didn’t expect Cho Hee to do the same, but she was still fearing what was going to happen.

Cho Hee walked into the dining room and pulled a chair out from the table. “Please sit down, Zhen Ai.” She said, walking around the table. Zhen sat down, shaking violently, and looked up at Cho Hee, who was leaning with her arms on the top of the chair across from Zhen. “Zhen Ai, how long have you been seeing Jungkook?”

“I swear, I’m not seeing him. It was just today-”

“Alright,” Cho Hee said, sighing. “Look, I know how these things work, and I know you’re a smart girl, but I need to know right now,” She said, looking a little uncomfortable. “Do Dae Hyun and I need to have the talk with you? And please, please promise me you’re using protection. If you really insist on… well, being with Jungkook in that way, we can get you the pill-”

Zhen’s jaw dropped. “You’re not mad?” She asked.

Cho Hee made a face. “I’m a little disappointed, that you’re just willing to put yourself in the line of fire for possibly having a kid-”

“Cho Hee! Jungkook and I are not sleeping together!” She said, standing from the chair and shaking her head, not entirely sure what to do with herself at the moment. “We are so far from that point that it isn’t even a possibility! Oh my god, we kissed, Cho Hee, for the first time today.”

Cho Hee released a breath, which sounded like she’d been holding it from before they got into the car. “Oh thank god. I knew I was getting ahead of myself, but you’re such a beautiful girl and he’s an attractive young man, who's already succeeding, and, well, you’re… teenagers so I just assumed.”  

“I can promise you that that is one thing you will not have to worry about Cho Hee.” Zhen said, sitting back down and sighing loudly. “Look, we’re not even… a thing. I stopped by to see how he was feeling, since he wasn’t in school lately, and we were talking in the hall and… he kissed me. And then he was going to walk me to meet up with you and oh my god he’s probably losing his mind right now.” She said, all in one breath.

Cho Hee laughed. “Okay, slow down Zhen,” She said, pulling a chair out from underneath the table and sitting across from her. “So you do like him, then?” Zhen bit her lip, but nodded, and Cho Hee squealed loudly. “I knew it, I just knew it! Oh my gosh, I so hoped that you would be with one of those boys. They’re so smart, and so kind.” She laughed. “And I thought that you were-”

“Let’s not,” Zhen said, laying her arms on the table, and her head on top of her arms. “I thought I was in trouble.”

Cho Hee looked appalled. “Why would you be in trouble?” Zhen shrugged. “Oh goodness no. Legally, you aren’t even adopted yet so I wouldn’t do something like that, Zhen Ai. I just didn’t want you to make any mistakes-”

“Cho Hee!” Zhen laughed.

Cho Hee shook her head. “I’m sorry! You’d better go call him and tell him what happened.”

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