Hello guys! Here's another chapter to the story! Sorry I was not able to update sooner... our first week of school just ended and... yeah. I was so busy, because I also started my job as a part-time tutor because I need extra money ehehehe

So, without further ado, here's the chapter! 

13

“Good morning.”

“Good morning, sir.” Jimin greeted the security guard of the Wings building with a tired smile before letting out a big yawn right after. It made the friendly personnel’s brows furrow in concern for the designer, but Jimin simply gave him a reassuring smile to tell him he was fine.

Throughout his way to his floor and cubicle, the short male probably had stifled at least three yawns and failed to keep the other four in. To say the least, Jimin was still a bit sleepy, and he had his work to thank for that.

He had hurried to send Jungkook on his way the previous night under the pretense of being too tired for anything else because of his special assignment. Yes, he really was tired back then, but he knew he could not just rest immediately while he had an unfinished work waiting for him.

Not just any work at that. It was that one work that could seal his position in the company.

So despite the surprise trip to Seokjin’s house that lasted until a few minutes before midnight, the designer still tried his best to finish Youngsun’s assignment.

With both the tasks he did the night before being emotionally and mentally draining, the hour of sleep he managed to snag once he finished the special assignment was not enough by a long shot.

That was why relief washed over Jimin when he found no assignment waiting for him in his e-mail when he checked upon arrival in his cubicle.

He barely had let out a sigh of relief and exhaustion when he heard a female’s voice.

“Park Jimin-ssi.” Said male looked up from his desk and found his department head looking down at him with a smile on her face which faltered the moment they made eye contact.

“Good morning, ma’am.” Jimin greeted Youngsun with a smile. “Is there something…”

“Well… nothing much.” The female answered. “I just need to talk to you. Please come to my office. If you’re… ready and all. You look like you’re tired.”

“Don’t worry, ma’am, I’m fine.” Jimin answered. “I’ll be there at once.”

“Okay.”

Once the girl was gone, Jimin stood up from his seat, and carried with him his flash drive which contained the work that had stolen his sleep the night before. Another yawn tore itself out of his system, making him realize what he seriously needed at the moment—coffee. Rich, creamy, but strong coffee.

With that thought in mind, the designer groggily made his way to the coffee maker in the department and prepared himself a cup, making sure to add extra of everything. Cup in one hand and his flash drive in the other, Jimin went to the department head’s office.

“Good morning, ma’am.” He greeted the female once again. Youngsun looked up from her computer screen and smiled at Jimin before motioning for him to take a seat.

“So… I won’t take much of your time because you look really tired right now and you still need to be somewhere else.” She started. “Jeon Jungkook-ssi have already notified me of your situation in the company and have requested me to refrain from giving you any assignment indefinitely.”

“Yes, ma’am, I understand.” Jimin answered, fully comprehending what the girl was talking about. It was surely because of his collaboration with Pink Princess.

“Now, whatever that is, raise the flag of our department, okay?” Younsun thoughtfully said, smiling once again after. “Mr. Jeon said you’re working on something that can make or break our company, and I think that’s a lot of pressure for someone like you. Don’t be scared to ask for help, okay?”

“Yes ma’am.”

“Now, you may go to the top floor to meet Mr. Jeon.” She finished. Jimin bowed to his senior and turned around to exit the office before he remembered he still had something to give the older.

“Uhm… ma’am.” Jimin said lowly as he placed the flash drive on the table. Youngsun stared at the object for a few moments in confusion before she looked up again.

“What is this?”

“The special assignment you gave us yesterday, ma’am.” The designer answered. “It’s due today, right?”

“You actually finished it?” She questioned with wide eyes, taking the said flash drive into her hands and plugging it into her computer. “Is this what kept you up last night?”

“Well… it was due today, so…”

“Special assignments like this are usually given the day before the deadline, expecting that the employees cannot finish it on time.” The department head explained. “I was gonna extend the deadline, too. And yet you finished it?”

It was great news, really, but Jimin could not help the disappointment on his face. He worked on the assignment hard and fast, and he was certain that it was not the best he could produce. He was sure he could have done better if he did not have to rush through the whole thing.

“That’s pretty impressive, Park.” She continued, oblivious to the displeasure the boy was hiding behind his expression.

“Can I still submit something else until the extended deadline?” Jimin asked. “I mean… that was pretty rushed and I swear I can do better than that.”

“Don’t worry, yes, you still can.” Youngsun answered. “But remember to rest well, okay? Don’t be too pressured to submit another one—I’m yet to see this one you submitted, and who knows? Maybe this is good enough.”

And Jimin only nodded in response. He knew that given that he had to concentrate on his collaboration with Pink Princess for their anniversary, he would not have that much spare time to work on another output. But he could still try. It was not like he did not go through the same work load back when he was still in university.

With another bow of courtesy, Jimin excused himself out of the office and back to his cubicle where he immediately proceeded to collecting his bag.

“Yo, Jiminie.” Taehyung suddenly came sliding out of his cubicle again to greet the slightly older man. “You look like . Again.”

“Good morning to you, too, Tae.” Jimin sarcastically answered. He pushed his chair back into initial place before he face the other boy. “I worked on Youngsun-ssi’s assignment last night.”

Taehyung tilted his head to the side. “Didn’t I tell you about the extension?”

“No, you didn’t, scumbag.” The shorter snapped back. “But oh well, I already submitted it, so… there.”

“Awww… sorry about that. But really, man? You finished it last night?”

“This morning, to be exact.”

“Oh… that’s a pity.” Taehyung chuckled. He then eyed the bag in the other’s hand before asking, “Where are you going?”

“Top floor.”

“Oooohhhh…” He smirked, wiggling his brows at Jimin. “Meeting Mr. Jeon?”

“Yeah.” Jimin nonchalantly answered. He then watched in amusement as Taehyung’s face morphed into an ugly erted expression. “Yah! What is that?”

“Mmmmm… office…” Taehyung continued to tease, making the shorter reach over to his place just to hit his shoulder.

“It’s not like that, Tae.” Jimin protested, lack of energy evident in his voice. “But anyway, Mr. Jeon’s waiting for me, so I should go now.”

“Ooohhh… is he waiting in his clothes?”

“Oh my god, I don’t know you.”

Jungkook was ready when Jimin stepped into the younger’s office. He was already seated on one of the couches in the room, his eyes fixed on the screen of his phone before he looked up to meet the designer’s gaze.

“Hey.”

“Hey.” Jimin smiled, greeting his boss casually. “Good morning, sir.”

“Good morning.” Jungkook replied. “So, I guess Youngsun-ssi already talked to you?”

“Yes.” The older answered. “She told me I won’t be given any assignment until the end of the collaboration.”

“That’s right.” Jungkook stood up from his seat and proceeded to scanning the room for anything he might have forgotten before approaching the doorway. “Today, you’ll be meeting Pink Princess design team.”

“Right.” Jimin nodded. He then let out a deep breath as he followed the younger’s steps. The gesture did not go unnoticed by Jungkook.

“Don’t be worried.” He said, trying to make the older relax in his skin. “You won’t be leading them, and Hoseok-hyung will be there the whole time.”

“I’m not worried.” Jimin answered. “I’m just… nervous. I think it’s normal. After all, I’ll be there to represent Wings.”

“Right.” The younger nodded in understanding. He watched as the number on the LED screen descended along with the elevator. “But still. Remember how much you amazed Jin-hyung and Hoseok-hyung? You’ll do just fine.”

“I hope so.”

Once the two reached the basement parking lot, they head straight for the CEO’s car. Jungkook had noticed the dark circles under Jimin’s eyes when latter entered his office, but did not dwell much on it.

Jungkook’s face crumpled in confusion. He was not even able to properly apologize to the older, like he was planning on doing since Yoongi confronted him. Jimin shooed him away the night before to rest, so he should have had at least five hours of sleep. That should be more than enough to get people of their age rested.

But along the way to the car, he watched the older struggle with his yawns at least three times, and while it was really not so bothering for the younger, he was still concerned that Jimin’s current condition would affect his performance in for the whole day.

So once they entered the car, Jungkook immediately reached over the shorter male to tug on the handle of the recliner control, taking the other by surprise.

“Y-Yah, what are you doing?” Jimin asked, inhaling after his mini heart attack only to inhale a whiff of the younger’s perfume.

He did not like the smell. It made him feel light-headed.

“You look like you could use some sleep, hyung.” Jungkook answered, finally finding the handle he was looking for and pulling it, causing Jimin to squeak in surprise. The sound made the younger chuckle.

“That was so… manly.” Jungkook teased, raising his brow at the older who only scowled at him. Jimin opened his mouth to retort but Jungkook only shushed him. “Get some sleep. Pink Princess isn’t that near, so you’ll get to rest for a bit.”

The older only rolled his eyes at his boss, crossing his arms in front of his chest and looking away. “I’m a manly man, excuse me.” He stubbornly mumbled, making Jungkook smile at his childish tone. He really wanted to a little bit more, but then the older could get too worked up over the small thing and end up not getting any rest along the way.

“What is this? No comeback this time?” Jimin asked, his brows furrowing in curiosity. “Does that mean I win?”

“Just sleep, okay?”

“So I win then?”

“Fine, fine, you’re a manly man, hyung. Now sleep.” Jungkook answered, his bunny teeth showing as his smile grew wider.

“I know.” Jimin smiled, happy with his small victory. He then relaxed into his now reclined seat and sighed as he instantly felt comfort upon closing his eyes.

Not too long after the conversation ended, the designer fell asleep. When Jungkook looked to his side to check on the older, he could not stop himself from smiling at the peaceful look on his face as he dozed off. He briefly wondered if everyone looked like that while sleeping or it was just the small hyung.

Maybe he should look at pictures of sleeping people on the internet when he got the chance.

A few more minutes, and the traffic stopped on an intersection. Since he had a sleeping person with him in the car, Jungkook could not turn the radio on, so he had nothing to do. His eyes wandered the surroundings out of boredom, and groaned at the 80 seconds remaining on the red LED light.

In his observation of the area, his eyes eventually landed on the sleeping figure beside him.

“You look so much better sleeping, hyung.” Jungkook mumbled to himself, taking in the older’s appearance. He certainly preferred seeing the older so relaxed instead of the eternally troubled look he always had even when he was smiling.

It made the young CEO wonder—just how much was Jimin going through?

Maybe he should try not to add to the older’s problems anymore.

“Yah!” A loud voice suddenly snapped Jungkook out of his thoughts, followed by knocks to his window. When he looked up, it was a traffic enforcer trying to get his attention.

That was when he realized that the traffic lights have already turned green, and all of the cars behind him were already blaring their horns at him.

“Sorry, sir, sorry!” Jungkook apologized to the enforcer once he rolled down his window. “I spaced out.”

“Hurry up! You’re blocking the driveway!”

“Yes, sir!” He answered, bowing to the man and proceeding to speeding away from the location, rolling his tinted window up once again.

Jungkook could not help but groan at what just happened. It was so uncharacteristic to him to make such mindless mistakes.

“It’s your fault, hyung.” Jungkook scowled at the older, who was still busy sleeping. Jimin mumbled some gibberish in his sleep before falling quiet again, making the younger’s slight frustration dissipate.

Jimin automatically woke up when Jungkook rounded the corner leading to the large corporate building of Pink Princess, surprising the younger.

“Wow… how’d you know we’re here?” Jungkook asked, amazed at the designers ability to know when to wake up.

“I don’t know… I just… wake up.” Jimin answered in between groans as he stretched his limbs. He then tugged on the same handle Jungkook pulled at the start of their ride to readjust his back rest back to its original position. “I have an automated alarm clock inside me, I guess.”

“Wow…”

“Wow your face.” The older commented, yawning right after and slumping into his seat. “My body just automatically wakes up at certain times. So when I sleep really late during weekends, instead of being able to sleep through the next day, I couldn’t, because my body keeps on waking me up at six in the morning.”

“I see, I see.” Jungkook replied. “Just how much did you sleep last night?”

“One hour.”

“One hour?” He repeated, receiving a nod as an answer from the older. “What did you do when you sent me home last night? I wanted to talk to you about something but you said you were too tired to even talk.”

The older’s eyes widened comically at the question, remembering that Jungkook did not know he crammed Youngsun’s assignment last night. He scratched his head as he tried to come up with an acceptable excuse as the younger entered the building’s parking lot after talking to the guard.

“Well… I…” Jimin trailed off, glancing at the younger who was too busy maneuvering the car to a parking space to look at him. Well, at least he could not see Jimin’s struggle.

“What?”

“I couldn’t sleep last night.” Jimin lied, face scrunching afterwards because he knew he was a terrible liar. “I was too restless.”

There it was again. Upon hearing Jimin’s explanation, guilt built up inside Jungkook at the thought of the older getting stressed over things that should have been less, if only he had been a little bit more considerate towards him.

“Are you… stressed over something or…” Jungkook tried to pry the elder’s troubles out of him, pulling on the hand brake of the car and turning the engine off. He really wanted to know what Jimin was going through so he could be more sensitive.

“Ah, it’s nothing, don’t worry.” Jimin answered, shaking his head and smiling at the younger. “Just… thoughts, I guess.”

“Are you sure?

“Yeah.” He reassured the younger, smiling once again before heading out of the car. Jungkook could only sigh in defeat before he decided to step out of the vehicle as well.

Maybe the older was just too nice to involve other people in his troubles. Maybe he did not want to open up to others in fear of being a burden.

If it was true, then Jungkook was sad for the shorter.

Just as Jimin had expected, the company building of Pink Princess was—nothing new. It was almost the exact same thing as the other buildings Jimin have been when he was still looking for a job. It was so ordinary that he just could not imagine Seokjin being the one to design it.

The contrast of his company building with his home was astounding.

Jungkook led the way to the elevator door at the basement floor, and once Jimin was inside, pressed the button to the middle floor of the building, where Seokjin had told him to go straight to upon their arrival. At first, the fact that Seokjin’s office was on the middle floor and not on the top, like where the offices of CEOs usually are, made Jungkook wonder. But then again, Pink Princess was known to be different from other companies in nearly all aspects.

Both of them remained silent throughout the entire ascent, partly because they did not have anything to say to each other, but mostly because starting from the second floor, the elevator always had someone else aside from just the two of them inside it.

Once on their target floor, the two immediately alit the elevator. Just a few steps out and they were stopped by a young woman in her office attire.

“Mr. Jeon and Mr. Park?” She asked with a clearly rehearsed smile. Her two front teeth were also prominent—her smile’s resemblance to that of the younger CEO amused Jimin.

“I’m Im Nayeon, Mr. Kim’s secretary. Welcome to Pink Princess.”

“Oh, hello, and thank you.” Jimin answered for the two of them, seeing that Jungkook was not interested in speaking anytime soon. Just like how he always was when it was just the two of them and they were meeting new people. “It’s nice to be here.”

“Mr. Kim is expecting you. Please, follow me.” She said with the same smile. She then started walking along the halls of the floor with the two boys trailing right behind her.

They soon arrived at an ornate wooden door with a single rose gold flower emblem near the middle, and just based on how different the door felt, along with its design and the flower emblem, the designer immediately knew Seokjin’s office was behind it.

And true enough, there was a stark difference between the rest of the building and Seokjin’s office when Nayeon opened the door for them, because just like how Jimin felt when he first saw the CEO’s house, stepping into his office was like stepping into a completely different world.

“Sir, the guests are here.”

“Oh my, hello Jungkook, Jimin!” Seokjin gladly greeted the two as they came in. Nayeon immediately excused herself by simply signaling to her boss, which Seokjin immediately acknowledged.

Maybe she was in the middle of something when they came, and now she had to go back and attend to it.

“Hi, hyung.” Jungkook waved at the older, smiling as he took a seat on one of the couches. Jimin immediately followed on the same couch and left little to no distance between him and his accomplice.

“So… how are you guys?” Seokjin asked, also taking a seat on another spot. He briefly fixed himself on the single couch before he looked up to the two, his smile almost immediately dropping once he noticed Jimin’s appearance. “Jimin… you look…”

“Tired? Yeah, hyung, I know.” Jimin let out an embarrassed chuckle. “Do I really look that ugly today?”

“No!” Seokjin and Jungkook chorused, surprising everyone in the room. The shortest of the three just gave the younger a weird look but decided against pushing the topic.

“I mean… you just look down today, that’s all.” Seokjin answered, clarifying himself.

“Yeah, same with hyung.” Jungkook added. He internally winced at the way he handled the matter. He was sure he was out of his normal self.

“Oh… thanks for worrying, then.” The designer answered, smiling his usual crinkly smile that made his eyes disappear into thin crescents. “I just… didn’t get enough sleep.”

“Oh, I see.” Seokjin nodded. “Either way, I will not take any more of your time, guys. Follow me.” He continued, standing up from his seat and leading the way out of the office and back to the elevator. Along the way, the three have encountered several of Seokjin’s employees. All of them greeted their boss casually, like they were just his friends.

When Jungkook asked about it, Seokjin simply answered, “They’re my friends, anyway. I’m only their boss if something that needs an authority figure happens.”

It was an adorable employer-employee relationship, in Jimin’s opinion. He just wished Jungkook was the same in Wings.

The design department was a few floors above theirs. Once there, this time, not just Jimin but Jungkook as well was amazed at how the whole department looked. It was… colorful. Colorful but still sophisticated. It reminded Jimin of the office in one of the dramas he had watched in the past.

And the people, too. It was amazing how Pink Princess’s design department was relatively small, compared to the one in Wings, and its occupants were like buddies. Some of the cubicles were empty, but others were housing more than one person.

The sound of friendly banter momentarily stopped when they entered the department, but not even three seconds after, they resumed in their talking.

“They really are at ease with you, huh, hyung?” Jungkook asked as they continued walking to the glass-walled room at the edge of the office. What he got as an answer was a chuckle from the elder.

“Hoseok, they’re here.” Seokjin immediately said once he entered the said man’s office. Even before the two guests saw his blinding smile, they already heard the older’s shriek of joy.

“Oh my god, Jiminie!” He screamed, rising up from his seat in favor of smothering his target with cheek pinches and hair ruffles. “What happened? Are you sick?”

“Nah… just tired, hyung.” The shorter answered, smiling. His “reunion” with the department head was interrupted by the sound of a phone.

“Uhm… excuse me.” Jungkook said, smiling coyly at the three before fishing his phone out to read the message that just arrived. The other three waited for him to finish reading.

“What is it?”

“Momo just texted, she said something came up. I’m afraid I’ll have to leave.” Jungkook answered, looking pointedly at Jimin, who only nodded at him. “Will you be okay?”

“Yah, what is this? You said literally moments ago that I’ll be fine.” Jimin replied with a laugh. “Just go.”

“I’m really sorry, Hoseok-hyung, nice seeing you again even though we just saw each other last night.”

“It’s fine, don’t worry.” Hoseok said. “Being a boss is hard, right?”

“Yeah, sure is.” The youngest of the four answered. “Uhm… so, I’ll get going?”

“Hey, hey, no goodbye kiss?” Seokjin teased, catching both Jimin and Jungkook off-guard. However, Jimin was way more comfortable talking about things such as kissing than Jungkook was, and he was aware of it. So he turned his attention to the younger to gauge his reaction.

And true enough, Jungkook was back to his awkward, uncomfortable self.

His doe eyes were shining with how wide they went after Seokjin’s jest, looking at Jimin, pleading to please, please—

“He’s not really comfortable doing PDA in public, actually.” Jimin answered, making Hoseok and Seokjin both groan in disappointment and Jungkook sigh in relief. He always had Jimin to save the day for him, whenever he got too uncomfortable in their act.

Jungkook was just about completely relaxed again when the long-faced designer opened his mouth to speak.

“You don’t do sweet things in public, huh?” Hoseok asked, tell-tale signs of a smirk dancing on his lips. “Then you guys must be very sweet in private, since you have to hold it when it’s not just the two of you.”

“Right, right.” Seokjin agreed. He then gasped loudly as his eyes widened and covered his mouth, pointing at Jungkook and Jimin. “Oh my god… is that why Jiminie’s so tired?!”

“What?!” Jungkook flushed a very deep crimson while Jimin’s ears started burning. They watched in horror as the two hyungs hollered it up in the younger’s office, laughing at the panicked face the two sported.

“Ah… seems like you’re right, hyung.”

“Oh my god, no!” Jimin protested, wiping his face with his small hands. “Oh my god… what the hell!”

“I’m leaving!” Jungkook announced, turning on his heels and hurrying out of the place before he could spontaneously combust in embarrassment.

Soon after Jungkook’s departure, Seokjin also left the other two on their own in favor of going back to his own office. Hoseok then took the opportunity to show Jimin around the department, much to the younger’s pleasure. Not that there was much to show him, anyway, because the design department was small. But instead of that fact making the place trivial, for some reason, Jimin actually felt like the department was small because only important people went there.

People like him.

The thought made the newbie designer smile to himself. At last, his career was finally going to the right direction, and quickly at that.

“Hey guys! Attention here!”

Hoseok’s voice made the young designer look around him in confusion, his stupid smile still plastered on his face. His smile faltered and gradually dissolved to a tensed look when he noticed everyone stopped doing their work, and were now looking at him.

“Guys, meeting Park Jimin! He’s from the Wings Company and will be collaborating with us for the anniversary party!” Hoseok announced, prompting everyone to clap for Jimin. Said male then turned his attention to the older and looked at him confusion, not really knowing what to do.

“Come on, introduce yourself.”

“Uhm… good morning, guys.” Jimin croaked, internally wincing at how weird he sounded. He was suddenly hyperaware of his own appearance—why did he have to face a crowd when he was in his worst state?

Hoseok might have noticed Jimin’s distress, because the latter was shocked when he felt the older pat him on the back and whisper. “Jiminie, it’s fine. You’re fine.”

The short male the swallowed hard and closed his eyes for a while to calm himself down. Puffing his chest out and clearing his throat, Jimin continued, “I’m Park Jimin. It’s nice to meet you all.”

To his contentment, everyone welcomed him in chorus with smiles on their faces, just like the one that adorned Hoseok’s face when Jimin turned again to thank him for the support.

Once everyone finally settled down from their small talks in hushed tones regarding the new information, Hoseok continued, “Once Upon A Time team!” he shouted, gaining the attention of all the people in the office once again. “Meeting in ten!”

“Yes, sir!” They all answered before proceeding to their own cubicles to continue with their work before the said meeting. Jimin watched in amazement at the dynamics of the people in the department, and loved the feeling of being able to work with them even just temporarily.

“Nice people, right?” Hoseok asked from beside him, which Jimin answered with a nod and a hum. He then followed the older back to his office where the long-faced man ushered him to take a seat on the couch.

“You seem happy.”

“Of course I am.” Jimin answered, smiling. “It’s so nice here.”

“Isn’t it nice in your department, too?” Hoseok asked, the space between his brows crumpling. “Wings is also known for its good treatment to its employees.”

“Yeah, they’re also great.” The younger replied. “But it isn’t like this… Here, you and the other guys just seem so… close.”

“Hell yeah, we’re close.” Hoseok grinned. “We even eat dinners with each other at times.”

“Exactly!” The other said. “Maybe it’s in your small number… or in your environment. I don’t know… Our office feels so… corporate. All business and such. Yes, I have friends in Wings. But not all of them would actually eat dinner with me just because.”

“Yeah… maybe it’s just that there’s just so few of us here that we actually get to interact closely with each other.” Hoseok nodded in understanding. “Anyway, let’s go to the discussion room.”

“But I don’t have anything to present yet.”

“Don’t worry, it’s fine.” The elder reassured. “You’re here to help us, not to do all the work.”

With that, Hoseok stood from his seat and took his laptop with him before leaving his office with Jimin following right behind him. The conference room, which was also walled in with glass, was right beside the department head’s office. Soon after Hoseok and Jimin settled into their adjacent seats, everyone else also started pouring into the room and occupied the other seats around the round table.

One by one, the members of the anniversary party design team introduced themselves to the new comer. There were five females in the team—Wheein, Hyejin, Byulyi, Jihyo and Jeongyeon, and four males, Seokmin, Chan, Soonyoung, and Joshua. They all once again welcomed Jimin into their team before proceeding with the discussion.

Surprised, but pleasantly so, Jimin found himself easily blending into the group. Everything was going smoothly for him, except for the fact that his other seatmate, Wheein, was sending him weird looks.

And they were not the looks that made him uncomfortable because of the prospect of having to reject another interested female. No, it was the kind of look that says something was up—that Wheein knew things Jimin did not. It was rather unnerving for the young designer, but he figured he did not have to concern himself with such things. Hoseok was there for him anyway, in case something unexpected happened.

“So, the design is final right?” Hoseok asked everyone, to which the rest of the team nodded in agreement. Jimin did not have to speak up so far, and for that, he was thankful. “Let’s go back to our stations now and contact suppliers. Once you guys have decided on your suggested supplier, inform me and Jimin in the office, okay?”

“Okay.”

“No, let’s go.” The department head announced, standing from his seat right after, making everyone else follow suit. “Jiminie, follow me.”

“Okay.” Said male nodded and trailed after the older. The Wheein girl had stopped giving him weird looks a few moments before Hoseok adjourned the meeting, and left the conference room before them, joining the rest of the girls.

Once the two were back in the office, Hoseok instructed the younger to temporarily setup his workspace on the coffee table and take the couch, apologizing profusely for the lack of proper working space for him. Jimin quickly reassured him though that it was alright.

“It’s an honor to work here inside the office with you, anyway.” Jimin had told the older, making Hoseok laugh at his flattery.

“Yah… you’re praising me too much.” He answered, ruffling the shorter’s hair a bit before going back to his own desk to continue his work.

For the rest of the day, Jimin just sat on the couch in front of his laptop and worked his off in making models and reevaluating the final design. Every now and then, people from the rest of the team entered the office to submit papers to Hoseok—papers that the older also shared to the young designer so they could evaluate the supplier together.

The only time that he got off the couch for a break was when Hoseok himself pulled him up to have lunch with the rest of the team. They did not leave the department, though—apparently, it was already their tradition to have lunch together in the conference room of the department and eat food that they ordered from a nearby restaurant every day.

Lunch with the Pink Princess design department was one of the best lunches Jimin have ever had since he moved to Seoul. The meal was noisy, to say the least, with everyone acting like they were simply friends having a lunch out rather than an event team with deadlines.

After the lunch, the team also altogether cleaned the conference room again like siblings in their house. Jimin found even the cleanup fun, and every time he remembered that he was just there temporarily, he could not help but feel sad even though he still had more than a week there.

Afternoon went by fairly quickly. It was the same thing—Jimin and Hoseok worked in silence that was occasionally broken by the rest of the team entering the office either to submit something or to ask about something. Those visits of consultations eventually turned into visits to say goodbye for the day when the clock struck five.

“Yah, Jiminie, take a break.”

Said man looked up from his laptop screen to see Hoseok seated on the couch opposite his, swiping away on his phone.

“Not yet done, hyung.”

“Aww, come on, rest for a while!” Hoseok insisted. “You can finish that tomorrow.”

“But I can finish this today, hyung.” Jimin retorted, sighing afterwards when he finally positioned a particularly hard to manipulate element perfectly into the model. He pretended to not have heard the whine the older emitted at his answer.

A few moments later, they were joined by the CEO of Pink Princess, already out of his coat and only donning his purple button down and fitted slacks.

“Oh, Jimin’s still here?” He queried as he stepped into the office, grimacing at the sight of the youngest still concentrating on his work. “It’s already dismissal. It’s even dark outside already!”

“Really?” Hoseok asked, checking the time on his phone. “Yah, Jiminie, it’s already six in the evening. Have you asked Jungkook to fetch you already?”

Jimin looked up, and glanced at the two males looking at him with questioning looks. “Ah, right.” He nodded, reaching for his phone in his pocket. He had not even touched the fabric of his clothing when he froze in realization.

He did not have Jungkook’s number.

Panic suddenly filled his system. What would the other two think if they found out Jimin, Jungkook’s supposedly boyfriend, did not have his number registered in his phone?

They are surely going to get busted.

Jimin suppressed the groan of frustration that tried to escape his lips. What should he do? He had to think fast—else the two will start to notice something was wrong.

Taking a deep breath to gather enough courage, Jimin finally spoke up.

Starting with a curse.

“!” He groaned, complete with a rub on his forehead to complete the act. Seokjin and Hoseok simultaneously turned their heads to the shortest upon hearing his expression. They then watched on as Jimin lifted his gaze to them and sent them an embarrassed smile.

“S-Sorry.”

“It’s okay, we do that at times, too.” Seokjin answered. “But anyway, what’s wrong?”

“I think I left my phone in Jungkookie’s car.” Jimin answered, sighing. He had quietly hidden his phone in his bag when the other two were not looking. “I… I can’t contact him.”

“Oh, don’t worry.” Seokjin replied, reaching for his own phone in his pocket. “I have his number. I’ll call him—”

“Hi. Sorry hyung I’m a bit late.” Another voice suddenly interrupted the oldest words. All three abruptly turned their heads to the door, where the subject matter of Jimin’s distress stood.

“J-Jungkook…ie.” Jimin stuttered, taken by surprise by the younger’s sudden appearance. “You’re here.”

“Yeah…?” Jungkook answered, raising his brow at the weird expression everyone was giving him. “W-Why?”

“Jiminie here left his phone in your car, so he could not ask you to fetch him.” Seokjin answered, his shocked expression gradually turning into a smirk.

“Yeah, and yet here you are, arriving just in time.” Hoseok continued, his face mimicking that of Seokjin’s. They then started cooing at the two and even high fived each other.

Jungkook, on the other hand, felt blood rush into his ears in embarrassment. He just got there, and yet the two were already on it. He sent a quick glance at Jimin, who was scratching the back of his neck.

“Sorry.” Jimin mouthed to him, smiling shyly afterwards.

Still embarrassed, the young CEO rushed by Jimin’s side and hit his shoulder.

“Why’d you…” Jungkook started, not really knowing how to proceed with his question, because as far as he remembered, he did not see any phone inside his car both when he went back to Wings after sending the older to Pink Princess and when he drove back fetch Jimin.

He then studied Jimin’s expression, and took in the way the older widened his eyes at him and side eyed the other two, who were still busy teasing the fake couple.

“Why’d you leave your phone in my car?” Jungkook ended. He then watched in relief when Jimin’s expression relaxed.

“Sorry, Kookie… Maybe it fell there when I fell asleep in your car.” He answered, still smiling. “Anyway… can you wait a little longer? I’m almost done with my work.”

“Yah, just finish it tomorrow morning, Jimin!”

“But hyuuung…” Jimin whined at Hoseok who wanted him rest already. “I’ll be done soon! I can finish this tonight!”

“You don’t have to, you know.”

“But I want to.” Jimin continued to protest. He then turned to Jungkook, who was dumbly watching him whine at the other two. “Could you like… wait for a while?”

“Well… yeah. Sure.” The doe-eyed male nodded, and left the older on his couch and went over to an unoccupied one. Feeling exhaustion slowly take over him, Jungkook decided to take a short nap on the couch to make sure he was wide awake on their drive home.

Jungkook woke up to the feeling of a stiff neck. Groaning, he forcefully turned his head from side to side to get rid of the weird feeling, his brows knitting together at how his muscles refused to cooperate.

Once he opened his eyes, he was met by the view of Park Jimin still working on his laptop. The designer’s eyes were focused on the screen, his lips pouted in concentration. The faint light of the device illuminated his face, highlighting the sharp jawline that Jungkook have never noticed was there before.

He continued watching as Jimin leaned back on the couch and ran his small hand through his hair, which magically fell back in place once his hands were gone.

Sighing in content, Jimin let a small smile grace his lips as he reached for his flash drive and transferred the finished model before standing to give it to Hoseok.

The abrupt action snapped Jungkook back to reality, physically shaking the thoughts away from his mind before he forced himself to sit up straight.

The young CEO frowned at himself. Something was definitely wrong with him.

“Hey Jiminie, thank you so much for today.” Hoseok said to the other designer with a smile, a smile which said boy returned.

“No problem, hyung, I enjoyed it.” Jimin answered. He then turned to Jungkook and asked, “Kook, let’s go?”

“Yeah, it’s getting pretty late.” Jungkook answered, nodding. He disregarded the slight feeling of discomfort he felt when the elder suddenly addressed him. He and Jimin then turned to Seokjin, who was already ready to leave and rest for the day, and bid him goodbye before they got on their way out of the building.

But unlike the previous times that Jungkook had driven Jimin home, since the moment the two stepped out of Hoseok’s office, the atmosphere was instantly awkward. Since it was already late in the night, the halls of Pink Princess were eerily quiet, leaving the two to bask in each other’s presence.

The situation got even worse, however, when the two reached the elevator. Once the doors opened, the two, standing side by side, tried to enter at the same time, causing them to bump into each other. The contact made the two even more aware of the fact that it was the two of them.

Just the two of them.

“Y-You first.” Jungkook said, pointing to the waiting doors of the elevator. Jimin only wordlessly nodded at him and entered before him.

Even on their way out of the lift, the two just could not get themselves coordinated, still simultaneously trying to escape the suddenly-suffocating space. This time, however, Jimin let the younger out first, to which Jungkook had no objection to. Once out of the lift, Jungkook headed straight to his car and opened the door of the passenger seat for the older.

He, however, was met with a weird look from Jimin when the older got to the car.

“I can open the car door myself though.” Jimin mumbled to himself before entering the car, much to the embarrassment of the younger. Jungkook was too affected that he simply slammed the car door shut once Jimin was inside and proceeded to berating himself on his way around the car and into the driver seat.

Once inside, the first thing that the young CEO did was to turn the radio on to avoid the awkward silence that would fill the vehicle once he closed the door.

The whole drive was a lot better than their time in the elevator, since the radio helped a lot in alleviating the tension. Neither of them knew where and when the situation started, but all Jungkook knew was that he was messing up, and he was messing up big time.

He could not figure out why he was suddenly hyperaware of the older’s presence.

Fortunately for the two of them, they managed to reach the older’s place without any accident.

“Jungkook.” Jimin called the other’s attention, making Jungkook slightly jump in his seat. “You not gonna come inside?”

“Uhm… no.” Jungkook answered, opting to reach into his pocket to take his phone out instead of looking at the older. “H-Have a nice rest.”

“Okay, then.” Jimin replied, “Thank you… wait, didn’t you have something to tell me last night?” He suddenly asked, taking the CEO yet again by surprise. Just when he thought the night was over.

“Uhm… it’s nothing.” Jungkook lied. The apology can wait. He knew that in his current condition, he would not be able to talk to Jimin properly either way, so he would rather push the apology aside for the moment so he could recollect himself.

“Awww… come on.” The designer chuckled, hitting Jungkook on his shoulder.

The contact itself made the younger wince rather than the pain.

“N-Next time, maybe.” Jungkook retorted, putting his phone back to his pocket. He then put both of his hands on the steering wheel and said, “I’ll just tell you next time.”

“Hey, hey, Jungkookie what is this?” Jimin continued to insist, leaning on the dashboard to enter the younger’s view. “Why won’t you tell me?”

“Yah, Park Jimin.” Jungkook’s voice was uncharacteristically low. The older had almost forgotten the register had Jungkook not reminded him. “You’re forgetting I’m your boss, huh?”

Jimin straightened up in his seat, his smile falling off his face and being replaced by a guarded look. The same look Jimin gave him when they first made their deal.

The younger nearly wanted to punch himself for causing the suddenly change.

“S-Sorry, sir.” Jimin answered. “I’ll get going now. Take care.”

“Okay.”

And with that, Jimin got off the car and headed straight to his apartment without turning around to look at the younger even just once.

Along with the closing of the older’s door was the closing of Jungkook’s eyes as he let out a heavy sigh. With shaky hands, he forced himself to drive to just get out of the vicinity.

And along with the departure of the younger’s car, was the labored exhale of the designer once he was in the safety of his room. He clutched his chest in his small hands, and took a couple of deep breathes to calm himself down, confused as to why he was, in a way, hurt.

“Just when I thought we’re becoming friends.” Jimin mumbled to himself. “What’s wrong with him? Well, it’s not like I was expecting us to be friends, anyway.”

“So why does it hurt?”