Narrator

“There were pictures of you going in and out of the company the past few days. Rumors are flying that you’ve already taken your place as the only daughter.” Namjoon mumbled as he munched on his toast. He scrolled down his Ipad and nodded. “They’re trying to guess how many years it would take before you finally take over as President and CEO.”

Sera rolled her eyes and took a big bite of her pancake. “Let them talk. The press has nothing else to do but pry on my life.”

“Actually, about that…” He placed the Ipad down and cleared his throat. “Uncle asked me to issue a statement last night confirming your recent decision to join the company.”

She choked her on food and Jang came rushing with a glass of water. He tapped her back as she drank, her eyes never leaving her cousin’s. “Why? I thought we’d have a dinner announcement this weekend?”

“Why not?” He shrugged. “If you’re announcing it this weekend, there’s no harm in making it earlier. Rumors are flying, and we don’t need the extra talk.”

She sighed and shook her head. “What choice did I ing have?”

Namjoon snickered and finished his meal. Sera stood up and exited the dining room, trudging as she went out. As soon as she left the room, he opened his tab again and frowned.

Park Industries stock prices fall as rumors of heiress taking over arise.

Drastic drop in Park Industries stock prices occurs after statement of heiress' active participation in board decisions.

He pinched the bridge of his nose. So much had been happening.

Sera kept a straight face as she entered the conference room. Board members were already there, as well as the Jeon representatives that included Sekyung. Sera sat beside her father and waited for the meeting to start.

Finally, Namjoon arrived. He smiled at the people and took his place at the podium. He cleared his throat before staring. “To the president, the board, and partners, good morning. It’s nice to see you all gathered here. For the past few weeks, I have been meeting with a certain company in the hopes of securing a partnership. I won’t beat around the bush. I’m pleased to announce that Samsung Electronics has agreed to partner with us.”

Sera’s brow rose. She perfectly knew who was behind all this.

Just then, Sehun entered the room with his usual cold demeanor. He gave a brief nod at the board and shook hands with Mr. Park. Namjoon led him to the podium. He met Sera’s eyes briefly before he started.

“Good morning, I am Oh Sehun, heir and representative to Samsung. I won’t elaborate further on the specifics of this partnership; everything is in already in detail if you check the folders in front of you.” Some of the directors began skimming through the files, but Sehun went on.

“Samsung is very happy with this new relationship with Park Industries, a well-known and undeniable giant in this field. We are looking forward to creating more innovative and dependable structures with you. Lastly, I’d like to thank the Park heiress for being here today. We at Samsung hold high respect for Park Industries, especially the Young Miss. Let us work together, achieving our goals and providing more channels for the economy to grow. Good day.”

The room was filled with excited chatters as Sehun went down the podium. People were standing up to introduce themselves to the Samsung team who attended.

Sehun winked at Sera who was talking with a small group. She gave him her deadliest glare in response. The moment she got the opportunity to excuse herself, she whisked him out of the room in an instant.

“What the are you doing here?” She hissed.

“We’re business partners now, honey.”

Sera sighed and rolled her eyes. “You didn’t tell me.”

“I was working with Namjoon. You were busy.” He simply shrugged. “Are you still mad at me?”

She glared at him. “I hate you.”

“I know.” He hugged her briefly and pat her head. “I also know you can’t live without me.”

“ you.” She spat out and hugged him again. “I missed you.”

“I know.” He said again.

“ you for mentioning my name a while ago at your speech. You just made me the ultimate brat. Now all those board vying for the Dad’s position are going to see me more as a threat. They’re going to make my life harder.”

“I know.” He chuckled a little.

Sera pulled away when she heard someone clear . Sekyung was standing there, looking at them. “You’re missing the introductions inside, Sera.”

Sera did not reply. She just nodded and walked back inside. Sehun watched as Sekyung examine him briefly. Their eyes met, and Sekyung was about to say something when Sehun gave her a brief nod and entered the room too, leaving her on her own.

She stood there, her jaw clenched.

“I’m sorry I’m late!”

Jungkook looked up and grinned in an instant. He was trying to reach her, but she wasn’t answering his calls. He was worried she might’ve snapped back to her safety bubble and decided to shut him out again.

It was quite a nightmare for him.

“I was calling you.” He pulled a chair and she sat down, slouching. “I know. I just saw. I was so busy… we had a board meeting earlier.”

He watched as she tried to catch her breath, closing her eyes. He tapped her cheek and those brown orbs stared back at him. “What?”

“You don’t have to attend class if you’re too tired, honey.”

She rolled her eyes and snorted. Just then, the teacher entered and smiled at her only two students, pulling out the textbook from her bag.

Sera sat up and tied her hair. “Maybe you can buy me some milk tea later?”

It was his turn to roll his eyes.

The gates slowly opened and a black Jaguar sped inside, drifting when it was near the mansion’s curb before finally coming to an abrupt halt. Kai stepped out, handing the keys to the man waiting, not sparing a glance.

“Young Master Kim.” Their family butler bowed a little. Kai gave him a curt nod and trudged to his bedroom. He kicked his door open and jumped to the bed, releasing a long sigh. As much as he tried to be okay, he wasn’t.

He kicked his shoes off and stayed there sprawled, looking at the ceiling.

“This arrived for you earlier.” The butler knocked lightly and placed a package by his bedside table. He just hummed a yes as he waited for the door to close.

When it did, he sat up, tilting his head at the small manila envelope. He gingerly pulled out what seemed to be a stack of pictures. His fingers lightly traced the smooth glossy surface, gasping a little as he got a clear view of what they really were.

Everything was there, from him picking up Sera from school in America to their argument over just a few days ago at her house.

Below the stack was a note.

You wanted her from the very start. Why won’t you fight for her?

“I have always loved mango, but sometimes strawberry is calling my name…” Jimin sighed and his chin. “Jimin-ah… Jimin-ah… pick me…” He whispered, closing his eyes.

Sera sighed and shook her head. She poked Jungkook beside him, who was also engrossed at the menu. “I’ll have chocolate, without the tapioca.”

He nodded. “I’ll go get our orders. Go find us a seat.”

Sera scanned the shop, eyeing the corner where there were enough chairs to fit the whole bunch. She shrugged and walked towards it. Few minutes later, the rest of the boys arrived with their usual mix of moods. Yoongi winked at her once, to which she rolled her eyes. Her cousin took the seat beside her, slinging one arm around her shoulders. “Samsung heir took you by surprise?”

She had to snort at that. “He wouldn’t have if you told me.”

“Sorry princess, had to make it confidential before we finally decided to announce. It’s a pretty good partnership. All for the business, you know?”

“Can you please stop talking about work? We’re here to unwind!” Hoseok groaned, slouching on his seat. Taehyung plopped beside him and nodded. “I agree. Let’s talk about something else.”

Jin placed a tray of drinks in the tables, followed by Jungkook and Jimin. Each one of the rowdy bunch got their drinks, sipping like little kids.

“I say we talk about our next trip! Let’s do it abroad this time!” Jimin suggested. He clapped his hands, clearly enthused by his idea. There were some nods, but mostly the others were just busy savoring their drinks. “Sera?” He asked, feeling just a bit neglected.

She looked up from her drink and smiled dreamily. “Damn that tasted good.”

“Anyway,” Taehyung interjected. “Let’s have a toast. To our little girl who took on major responsibilities at such a young age!”

They raised their cups, and Sera thought it was too embarrassing.  Here she was with a bunch of young men, toasting over their milk tea cups. Some people were looking at them like crazy, but Namjoon elbowed her lightly to comply.

“To me.” She muttered, and the boys laughed triumphantly.

It was a chaotic afternoon, with mostly bantering and laughing here and there. Sera looked at the boys once more and felt at ease. Sometimes, she just needed the right people to be by her side.

Her eyes landed on to someone in particular and she smiled. The right ones who’ll stay.

Jungkook was meaning to just glance at her, but he caught her looking right at him when he did. He expected her to look away or maybe roll her eyes, but she didn’t. Instead, she winked.

She ing winked.

He couldn’t take it any more so he stood up to sit by her side. “Hey fiancé, are you flirting with me?”

“Nope. I was just checking if you were still stealing glances at me. And you did, so I was the one who caught you.” She huffed, looking at him proudly. He snickered and ruffled her hair. “Even in this, you still need to win?”

“Of course.” She shrugged and stood up. “I’m gonna go to the restroom for while.”

Jungkook chuckled as he watched her go. “Uncanny…” He muttered.

Sera exhaled as she finished washing her hands. She dried it up for a few seconds on the hand dryer, humming to some hiphop tune.

“That’s definitely her.” He heard someone mutter, and when she turned to look, two girls scurried away with the bathroom door swinging behind them. She shrugged and walked outside, still a little confused.

Park Industries announced its partnership with the Samsung Group just a few hours ago. The Samsung heir, Oh Sehun, made the deal with Director Kim Namjoon of the Park Industries. Critics presume that the two have been planning the partnership for a few months already, finally sealing the deal just last night.

Aside from that, the Samsung heir mentioned his close relationship with the Park heiress, leading some to speculate… how vast can the dragon lady’s connections be?

Sera wanted to gag at that. These broadcasters sure know how to attract attention, she thought. They knew the right words to make business sound like celebrity gossip.

She shook her head and was about to walk back to the group when the other broadcaster started speaking.

Just this morning, the Park Industries' stock prices fell. This happened right after a press release was issued by the company about the heiress’ involvement in the business. It has been confirmed that Park Sera had been assigned to start working with her parents, and will be actively taking part in executive decisions. The partnership with Samsung was said to be a bold move, but unfortunately, the stock prices did not change significantly. In other news…

She abruptly turned around, clenching her jaw.

“Sera!” Jungkook stood up and jogged to her side when she got near. “We were just talking… what if we visited Maldi—“

“You knew, didn’t you?” She hissed.

The boys stopped talking and looked at Namjoon, who sighed deeply. “Sera I was trying to—“

“Is this why you instantly announced a deal with Sehun? To mitigate the damage that my presence caused? Am I too young to know that too, Oppa? Am I too vulnerable to you?”

Jungkook gently placed a hand on her shoulder. She remained still, her eyes still looking straight at her cousin. The desperation was evident that Namjoon had to stand up to try to talk it out.

He exhaled and slowly nodded. “Fine. First, no, that’s not why we signed a deal. Second, yes, you’re too young. You’re too young to be a target of so many…” He looked away and muttered distastefully. “So many bastards.”

“Then let me prove myself.” She almost pleaded, but Namjoon took a sharp breath and shook his head. “No. You don’t have to. You don’t have to please these people, Sera. Just be you, and let me do my job. Let me protect you.”

She clenched her jaw, her fists balling up at her side.

Jungkook gently held her hand, opening her palm and interlacing her fingers with his. He gave it a slight squeeze and she managed to relax a little, somehow escaping the mix of anger and isolation drowning her inside.

“I need to get some air.” She whispered hastily, walking past both of them towards the door. She stopped mid-way and looked back, breathing heavily.

Jungkook didn’t need her to say anything. He rushed to her side and walked out with her, leaving the boys to look at each other with anxiety and worry eating them whole.

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uhm, if there's a little confusion, here's something.

1997 - Sera and Jungkook (19 years old, last year in hs)

1994 - Namjoon, Sehun, Kai (22)

THANKS BUHBYE U GUYS R DA BEST