Hello everyone! Again, just like how I've been starting every chapter lately, I am really, really sorry for the very long wait. And by now, you would know that the main reason for me not being to upload sooner is because of my busy schedule as a student.

So... here's the next chapter! I actually think I kind of... messed this one up? I feel like I am not writing as well as I used to (that is, if I even wrote well in the past, lol), so please feel free to comment not just on the plot, but also on the way I wrote it. I would truly appreciate it.

So, without further ado, here's the next chapter! Enjoy!!!(?)

---

20

Jimin’s parents’ condition improved much faster than everyone had expected. Mr. Park woke up a day after Mrs. Park did, and after two more days of bed rest and constant monitoring of vital signs, the doctor gave the family the go signal to leave the hospital.

At first, the older ones were bothered by the fact that they did not see Jimin settle any of the bills, but they simply dismissed it as the designer being his responsible self again and paying everything in advance. Not that Jimin was complaining, though—in fact, he was rather thankful that his parents did not question how to managed to pay their the expenses for their relatively long stay in the facility, because if they did, he would not be able to lie to them well.

Once they were back in their residence, Jimin stayed over for two more days before being shooed away by his parents, insisting that they were already fine and that Jimin could then go back to his work. They was a lot of whining and clinging that ensued before they finally convinced the young man to head back to Seoul. They even needed the help of Jimin’s mother’s life-long best friend, who was also their neighbor, by letting her promise to him that she would watch over the old couple and keep them company.

“Come on, Jiminie,” His mother had jokingly said. “You need to head back to work! If you don’t we’re gonna run out of money to buy maintenance medicines and proper food!”

Honestly, that was one of the major things that finally got him packing up. He did not want to deprive his beloved folks of the good and healthy stuff they needed.

And that was how the young designer found himself with a handful of clingy and “friend-deprived” full-grown-but-not-quite man named Kim Taehyung.

“God, Jiminie I missed you so much!” Taehyung said while practically launching himself towards the shorter. “It’s good to have you back!”

“Yeah, good to be back, too, actually.” Jimin responded. “I did actually miss working.”

With Taehyung in tow, Jimin headed over to his own cubicle and began fixing his workspace to get started. He was waiting for his desktop to boot up when he heard one of his officemates call his attention.

“Oh, Park Jimin-ssi, you’re back.” Said man his chair to face Wonwoo, who was smiling at him. Jimin simply nodded at him in acknowledgement, and he was about to face his computer again when Mingyu came into view.

“Oh, Mingyu, good morning!” Taehyung waved at the younger, prompting both Jimin and Wonwoo to turn their attention to the said man. Mingyu waved back at the three with a smile, but his expression quickly changed into that of embarrassment when his gaze met Wonwoo’s.

Jimin turned to the other boy just in time to see him going back to his own cubicle with rosy cheeks.

“That was… weird.” Jimin whispered to Taehyung, whose cheeks were bunched up as he struggled to hold his laugh.

The taller leaned down close to Jimin’s ear to whisper. “Oh my god, Jiminie, I have something to tell you about them. It’s so funny!”

“Really?”

“Yes, oh my god it’s been a torture to work around them these past few days! They’re basically just blushing messes every time they—”

“Oh, what’s this morning tea?” A woman’s voice suddenly joined in, cutting Taehyung’s gossiping to Jimin. “Good morning.”

“Good morning, Yongsun-ssi.” Jimin and Taehyung both greeted the female. “Tae here was just… updating me, on what has transpired in my absence.”

“Oh, I see.” Yongsun answered. “That’s so nice of you, Taehyung.” She said towards the said boy, who answered with his boxy smile. She then turned her attention to Jimin and said, “Park Jimin-ssi, please come to my office.”

“Now?”

“Yes, please.”

“Okay, ma’am.” Jimin answered, standing up from his seat and walking around the cubicles to go to the older’s office. He quickly mouthed a “later” to Taehyung to indicate that he still was interested in whatever the taller was about to say.

Once Jimin arrived in the department head’s office, he immediately headed for the chair in front of the woman’s table and sat down.

“So, welcome back, Park.” Yongsun greeted him with a smile. “How are your parents?”

“Ah, yes, they’re recovering, ma’am.” Jimin answered. “Thank you for the concern. And sorry for the long absence. I mean… I just got back from working with Pink Princess and I haven’t really done much yet, and there I was disappearing again.”

“Don’t worry about it, I completely understand.” The older answered. “Actually, I called you here not just to welcome you back, but to… inform you of a good news.”

“Oh, okay.” Jimin took a deep breath, and straightened on his seat. “I really don’t know why I’m getting nervous but okay.”

“There’s no need to be nervous, I swear.” Yongsun answered. “Remember the special design assignment that I gave you before the collaboration with Pink Princess?” She asked, to which Jimin answered with a nod. “Well, we’ve decided that we liked your proposal the best. So the project goes to you.”

“W-What?” Jimin asked, surprised. “You’re not kidding, right?”

“No, I’m not.” Yongsun answered. “What’s even more impressive is that I know you did the proposal under really short time constraints.”

“Oh my god, this is great!” Jimin rejoiced, standing up from his chair and bouncing on his feet a few times. “Thank you, ma’am! I won’t disappoint you!”

“I know you won’t.” Yongsun answered. She chuckled at the younger’s repeated bows of gratitude before physically stopping him from giving even more bows. “Now, before you get back to your work, the CEO asked me to tell you he wants you in his office once you’re done here.”

“CEO?” Jimin asked, tilting his head to the side. Now that he thought about it, the last time he heard about the younger was the day when his mother woke up. “As in Mr. Jeon?”

“Yep.” The woman answered. “Who else would it be?”

“Right.” Jimin scratched the back of his head. “You’re right. I’ll get going then, ma’am.”

“Okay.” Yongsun replied. Jimin then gave the girl another bow before turning on his heels to leave the office.

Once out, he headed straight to this cubicle to tell Taehyung about what he learned. The taller basically lifted him up in joy when he learned that Jimin got the special assignment. The shorter had to cover Taehyung’s mouth to stop him from bragging about it to everyone in the office.

“Oh, oh, here’s the thing that I was telling you before Yongsun-ssi came.” Taehyung went back to whispering once he was done fussing over his best friend’s achievement. “You see, I told you before that—”

“Wait, Tae, I was actually called by Mr. Jeon to his office.” Jimin cut his words. “Do you mind telling me later when I get back?”

“Aww, come on.” Taehyung groaned. “You know what? I’ll just go with you.”

“What?” Jimin asked. “You think the CEO wants to talk to you as well?”

“I’ll just go to Yoongi-hyung’s office, then.” The taller answered. “I’ll tell you about the gossip along the way, and I’ll just get off the elevator at the music department’s floor.”

Jimin raised his brow at his friend, confused as to why Taehyung would just go to Yoongi’s department at such a weird time, when it was just the start of the day. The last time he checked, there was no reason for a designer to be in the music department.

Not that he was complaining, though. He was just wondering if something transpired between the two while he was out.

Well, Yoongi would probably tell him if something happened, so for now, Jimin would just assume that Taehyung would only give the pale male a visit.

“What’s with the face?” Taehyung asked, confused by the questioning expression on the shorter’s face. “Did I say something wrong?”

“No, no, nothing.” Jimin shook his head, choosing not to bother Taehyung about it for the mean time. “Let’s go.”

With that, the duo left the design department and head for the elevator. Luck was with them for it was still too early for other employees to be roaming the halls, so Taehyung was free to talk about what he was going to say.

“So, remember what I told you about Mingyu and Wonwoo fighting not too long ago?” Jimin nodded at the taller’s question. “Well, there’s an update on that.”

“Yeah?” Jimin asked, raising a brow. As much as he hated to admit it to anyone else, he really, really loved gossips. “What is it?”

“The day after they fought, the two were absent.” Taehyung started with his story. “And then the day after that, they were back, and the first thing I noticed was that both were walking really weirdly.”

“What?”

“Yeah, like something’s stuck between their legs or something. I even heard them hissing uncomfortably whenever they leave and return to their cubicles.”

Jimin burst out laughing. “Are you serious?”

“Of course! You can even ask other people in the department, I’m pretty sure they noticed it, too!” Taehyung defended his claims. The two of them entered the special elevator, which was, once again, devoid of any other passenger. “And there’s more!”

“What is it?”

“At first, it really wasn’t there,” Taehyung started, but paused when he remembered there were security cameras in the elevator. He then got closer to Jimin and whisper. “Hey, Jiminie, are those security cameras…”

“No, Tae, I don’t think they have microphones in them.” Jimin answered, already know what the other was going to ask. “Come on, you have to finish your story before we reach Yoongi-hyung’s floor!”

“Ah, okay, okay.” Taehyung nodded, clearly also excited about sharing the tea with Jimin. “At first, I didn’t notice it, but in the afternoon, hickies appeared on their necks.”

“Hickeys?” Jimin gasped. “As in…”

“Yeah, like… love marks.” Taehyung confirmed. “I don’t know if they were actually there before the day started and they were really good with using concealers, or they… I don’t know, made up in the comfort rooms, but yeah.” He shrugged. “Hickeys.”

“Oh my god.” Jimin clapped softly. “We were right.”

“Yeah, I think that fight was just tension, and right after they… resolved that tension.” The taller agreed. “The whole day—no, actually even today, as you just witnessed a while ago, they get really awkward and blush whenever they have any sort of contact. And I swear, if you’d watch them later after you get back to the department, you’ll see one of them staring at the other… like they’re stripping the other with their eyes or something like that.”

“Oh god…” Jimin groaned. “I could only imagine how long they’ve been thirsting for each other that they basically couldn’t control themselves now.”

“Yeah.” Taehyung nodded. Just after that, the elevator dinged, and the door opened. “We’re on music department’s floor. I’ll get going now.”

“Okay.” Jimin said. “See yah later.”

And just like that, Jimin was alone again. He chuckled again at the not-so-revelation that Taehyung shared with him. Really, he was happy for his two officemates. Jimin believed that it was just a matter of time before they profess their undying love for each other, and then it would be a happy ending for them.

Well, not really, but you get the point. It was a step closer to that.

Jimin sighed. He looked up, and watched as the numbers at the top of the door climbed up. He was happy for them, but he could not help but wonder at when he would get there, too.

Maybe if Jungkook—

“Wait, what?” Jimin’s eye widened at the sudden realization on where his thoughts were leading him. He quickly shook his head free of the bothering thoughts, knowing full well that it was just the hopeful him doing that wishful thinking again.

The wishful thinking that had not done anything good for him thus far.

 

 

Jimin shortly reached the top floor where the CEO’s office was located. However, he was perplexed to see the door slightly ajar once he got in front of it.

“Well, this is the first.” Jimin mumbled to himself as he entered the room, closing the door behind him. The blinds were closed—the fluorescent bulbs on the ceiling filled the place with bright white light. The few times that Jimin had been in the younger’s office, the blinds were open and only one light bulb was .

What changed?

“Uhm… Sir Jeon?”

“Jimin-hyung?”

The sound of his name being called made the designer turn his head immediately to the general direction of the source, only to be met with a once in a lifetime sight.

There was a slight lag on the part of both parties before they both screamed, with Jimin promptly turning his head away and covering his eyes, and Jungkook scurrying back into the bathroom.

“Oh my god! Jeon Jungkook why’d you do that?!” Jimin yelled, feeling the heat accumulating on his cheeks. “Get clothed! Oh my god!”

“Sorry!” Jungkook’s muffled voice echoed from the other side of the bathroom door. “I wasn’t even …”

“I heard that!” Jimin answered. “I still am not supposed to see my boss with only a towel wrapped around his waist, am I?!”

“Well… yeah.” Jungkook answered. The bathroom door opened once again, followed by the sound of slippers. “You can turn around now, it’s fine.”

“Oh lord.” Jimin groaned, turning to face Jungkook again, who was already clad in a bath robe. Still too revealing for Jimin’s comfort, but it was better. “Why even…”

“I slept here last night.” Jungkook answered before once again disappearing behind what Jimin assumed was a walk-in closet. “So I just took a bath here.”

“But why was the door open when I came here?” Jimin asked, still feeling the effects of the scene one his cheeks, but already recovering. “I’m assuming you opened the lights and closed the blinds since you were going to walk… half- in the office. But why the open door though?”

Jungkook’s head popped out of the corner of the walk-in closet, confused expression on his face. “What?”

“The door was open.”

The younger then disappeared again. “I don’t know… well… Momo was here a while ago, before I took a bath.” Jungkook answered. The response hit Jimin unexpectedly.

“What do you mean?”

“Before I went to take a bath, I asked her to take a couple of documents to different departments.” The CEO continued to explain. “That’s weird… she doesn’t make mistakes like that.”

“Oh… I see.” Jimin nodded. “And why did you take a bath if you were expecting me?”

“I was expecting you, but not this early.” Jungkook defended himself. “I didn’t think Yongsun-ssi would send you here this early. I told her to send you here when the department isn’t busy.”

The designer found the taller’s responses reasonable, and just decided to get straight to the point. As much as he liked the CEO’s company, the two of them still had work to do, and since Jimin just got back from a very long time away from the company, he felt like he had the responsibility to make it up to the design department.

“So… how are your parents?” Jungkook asked, snapping Jimin out of his thoughts. The younger emerged fully clothed in his usual suit and tie, looking extra fresh since he just took a bath.

The question brought a small smile on the shorter’s face. “They’re doing great.” He answered. “Actually, I also wanted to personally thank you for what you’ve done for my family. Even though I didn’t ask for it, you paid for the hospital expenses.”

“I’m just doing what’s right.” Jungkook answered. “You’ve done so much for the company… for me. It’s only right if I do you good, too, right?”

“Right.” Jimin nodded in understanding, fully grasping that what the younger did was out of compassion for people in need… and not anything else.

Not that he thought of anything else, of course. Because that would be inappropriate.

“Uhm… you called me here to… ask about my parents?”

“Well, that’s part of the agenda.” Jungkook answered. “But the main topic is that… the contract signing with Pink Princess is tonight. And I want you to come with me.”

“Why is it so fast?” Jimin asked, shocked that the deal went a lot faster than he thought it would.

Jungkook chuckled. “What’s the matter? After this deal, everything will be back to normal again.”

“W-Well…” Jimin stuttered out, looking at an interesting figuring on the younger’s desk. “I… I just am not used to these corporate deals. I thought they take a lot longer.”

“While the two of us were busy winning over Jin-hyung’s trust, the company continued to negotiate with Pink Princess non-stop.” Jungkook answered. “So… yeah. You’re coming with me tonight.”

“Isn’t that like… a legit dinner? With company heads?” Jimin asked, to which the younger replied with a nod. “Wouldn’t it be—”

“Inappropriate?” Jungkook finished the older’s question. “Don’t worry, it’s actually Jin-hyung who asked me if I could take you with me later. He said he missed your cheeks.”

The designer groaned at the mention of his cheeks, much to Jungkook’s delight. He knew Jimin low-key hated his slightly chubby cheeks. And now that he thought about it, he really did not have the chance to pinch them.

Wait.

Was he thinking about pinching Jimin’s cheeks just now?

Well, who was he to blame? The short hyung’s cheeks were really cute. There was nothing wrong with thinking of them that way.

Right.

“Okay.” Jimin answered. “I’ll just… grab my suit later. I left it in the apartment.”

“No need for that.” Jungkook said. “Just come here later after your shift.”

“What?” The shorter raised his brow in confusion. “Why?”

“Just do it.” Jungkook responded. He then pulled the blinds open and afterwards switched the lights off. Once the office was back to its normal state, the CEO went over to his desk and sat down.  “Anything else?”

“Nothing.” Jimin answered. He was still confused as to why Jungkook wanted him to go straight to his office after his shift, but the smart CEO surely had it all planned. He would just follow him, for now.

And with that, Jimin left the office after exchanging “Good bye”s and “See you later”s with the younger, and went on with his day.

 

 

Upon arriving at his cubicle, he was surprised to see that he made it before Taehyung did. Jimin was pretty sure his conversation with Jungkook lasted a while, so the fact that his… eccentric friend was not back yet puzzled the young designer in a pleasant way.

“If those two actually get together, they have to give me credit for it.” He chuckled to himself as he opened his email to check for any important matter. Now that he had thought about it, since his arrival at the prestigious company, people around him had been getting into romantic relationships.

Wonwoo’s and Mingyu’s was probably there already before he was employed, but Jimin could have sworn that one time Mingyu tried to hit on him initiated just enough tension between the two for their relationship to progress.

And there is Yoongi and Taehyung. Now, Jimin was not sure if Taehyung liked the pale male back, but again, thanks to him, Yoongi finally got to meet someone who caught his eye.  Though it was kind of weird that they had only met, since both had been working at Wings long before his entrance.

And then there is Jungkook and him, though theirs was a lot more complicated. Jimin was not even sure if he could call it anything more than a boss-employee relationship, since given the CEO’s reputation of being able to do anything for the business, it would not surprising if even his nice behavior towards the designer was just for the Pink Princess deal.

After checking his emails for other non-work related things, the designer started on his tasks at hand.

Yongsun had emailed him his proposal with the comments, so since nothing among his tasks demanded immediate attention, he decided to read those first.

Plugging in his earphones, the designer started on the day’s work. He finished reviewing the notes that his department head had left for him to take note of in less than an hour, and made notes of his own for another hour. For the next couple of hours he focused on commenting on the design concepts, videos, and articles made by his officemates.

He was only stopped from playing another demo of a DIY work desk renovation by a hand tapping on his shoulder, prompting him to turn around in his seat to see who did it.

“Oh, Tae, wassup?” Jimin slurred in English. “When did you get back?”

“Hours ago.” Taehyung answered. “You didn’t even notice since you’re so immersed in your work. Do you even know what time it is?”

Turning to the lower right corner of his screen, he was surprised that it was already well past noon.

“12:15”

“Don’t you think you’re missing something?” The taller asked, and Jimin only answered with a shake of his head. “Lunch, pabo!”

“Oh.” Just in time, his stomach grumbled, making the two of them laugh. “Should we go then?”

“Yeah, Yoongi-hyung’s waiting.” Taehyung answered. “He asked if we could just eat in the new cafeteria today, since he had a lot of work to do, and I said yes.”

“Wow… you didn’t even ask me.”

“Not that it would’ve mattered, you’re gonna say yes either way.”

“Yeah pretty much.”

After locking his computer and reorganizing his table—much to Taehyung’s disappointment, because who does that?—Jimin grabbed his bag and followed the taller to the cafeteria, all the while talking about how their day had been so far.

When they reached the mess hall, they found the music department head standing just beside the entrance, looking just as bored as always. He was scrolling on his phone with earphones plugged in. The sight brought memories of their past to Jimin, making him smile fondly.

“Yoongi-hyung!” Taehyung yelled out loud, and surprisingly, said male looked up from his device, and almost instantly lit up.

“Hey.” He muttered, removing the accessory plugged into his ears. “It’s about time.”

“I thought you wouldn’t hear Taehyung because of those earphones.” Jimin said to the older. “Amazing ability you have there.”

“Yah!” Yoongi threatened the smirking boy. “I… The song just finished, okay? That’s why I heard.”

“Okay.”

“Come on, you two, I’m starving.” The tallest among them groaned, taking the two by their hands and dragging them into the queue. Jimin chuckled at the pink tainting Yoongi’s cheeks when they stopped.

“You’re so cute, hyung.”

“No I’m not, I’m cool.”

“Yeah… but your face is warm.”

“Anyways,” Yoongi changed the topic immediately, stopping the younger from attacking him any further. “How are things at home?”

“Oh, my parents are fine, thanks.” Jimin answered. “How about you, hyung? How are things? Tae told me you’re really busy.”

“Oh god, you don’t say.” Yoongi groaned. He took the plate handed to him by Taehyung who was too busy ogling at the food in front of him to join in the conversation. “Tons of musical scores to evaluate, and I myself am working on a collaboration.”

“Seems pretty exciting.”

“It is, actually.” Yoongi agreed. “But it’s tiring.”

“Don’t stay up too late, okay?” Jimin reminded the older. “Don’t sacrifice your beloved sleep.”

The older proceeded to pointing at the food that he wanted on his plate. Jimin was told by Taehyung through phone about the new cafeteria in the office when he was away nursing his parents back to health, and he remembered being so happy about it since he did not have to worry too much about his food expenses anymore.

“You should know by now that I won’t sleep early just because you told me to.” Yoongi retorted, to which Jimin only hummed in agreement.

After filling their plates with food, the three went over to an unoccupied table and began eating. As expected, Taehyung had his dish filled with meaty foods, in contrast to Jimin’s vegetable-rich one. Yoongi’s was more on the balanced side.

“You guys—I thought we were all hungry here?” Taehyung asked, his eyes scrutinizing the plates in front of him. “This food is free! Why didn’t you get everything you could?”

“You know I don’t eat that much, Tae.” Jimin answered.

“That’s bull.” Taehyung retorted. He pricked a chunks of meat from his plate and placed them on Jimin’s, ignoring the latter’s protests. “You need more protein, ChimChim.”

“What?”

“And you, YoongiBear, you need more protein, too.” He continued, shoveling more meat onto the pale male’s plate.

“No, I don’t.” Yoongi protested. “And what kind of a name is YoongiBear?”

“It’s cute.” Jimin shrugged, smiling.

“That’s the problem, I don’t like cute things.”

“Don’t lie.” Jimin countered. “You liked it, and you like other cute things… and people.” He added, gesturing to Taehyung who was then already busy devouring whatever was on his plate.

Yoongi’s blush deepened from light pink to red. “Shut up, Park, or I will destroy you.”

“Okay.”

And with that, the three of them continued to eat, talking about random things that came to their mind. Every now and then, Jimin would tease Yoongi about his obvious crush to the oblivious designer, making the older scowl at him.

Jimin found all of it cute—how his self-proclaimed cool hyung was all bark and scowl at him but soft and smiley whenever he talked to the other. He almost wanted to point in out and complain about the special treatment, but that could mess things up. He would just let Yoongi handle his feelings on his own, since he was much better at that than Jimin ever was.

It was Taehyung who finished first, and by a huge margin at that. His companions could not imagine how the tall boy remained slender despite his huge appetite. Genetics was just so awfully unfair.

The group promptly left the cafeteria in favor of going on with their respective works when they were done eating. Jimin resumed his work of participating in a collaborative review of several demos and concepts. Every now and then, he would be stopped by either Taehyung asking him a random question, or a loud noise in the office caused by either Minyu or Wonwoo tripping over something or knocking something else.

As much as he was happy for the two, their charades were already starting to be bothersome for the office. However, he knew he was not in the position to just step in and intervene.

Though Taehyung thought differently, and yelled at the two to just “take care of your urges before you burn the office down” after a particularly strong crashing sound filled the office when Mingyu tripped over thin air and shattered a mug of coffee on the floor, making Wonwoo stand up to help the other, only to end up tripping on the coffee puddle after slipping on it.

But other than those interruptions, the rest of Jimin’s day was pretty normal in a sense that all that happened was his work. And he was quite happy about it. After all the drama from his family, and the deal with Pink Princess, he was finally getting the break he deserved.

“Oh, right.” Jimin said to himself, glancing at the time on his computer. “I still have a dinner meeting later.”

As dismissal time drew closer, his officemates left the place one by one, already done with their work. Taehyung also left the shorter after a quick gossip session on the two awkward younger officemates, who also left work at the same time.

Once he was finished with the collaborative review, Jimin turned his computer off, packed up, and headed straight for the CEO’s office, where he found Jungkook already dressed differently. He was wearing a red tuxedo with red pants.

“Hey, it’s Mr. Menstruation suit!” Jimin joked, pulling a laugh from the younger.

“Actually,” Jungkook started, heading over to the full body mirror in the office. “It’s Mr. Menstruation Tux this time.”

“Oh… I see.” The older nodded, taking a seat on the couch and checking the time on the wall clock. “Why are you already dressed? Isn’t it too early?”

“You know how Jin-hyung liked to be early, right?” Jungkook asked. “Well, we wouldn’t want him to wait. For the two of us, at least.” He continued. He then disappeared into his walk-in closet and moments later emerged again carrying another set of tuxedo. This time, it was blue.

“Woah… you’re still choosing an outfit?” Jimin asked. All he got for an answer was the said set being handed to him. “What…”

“These are yours.” Jungkook smiled. “There’s the bathroom. Go freshen up and change.”

“What?” The older asked, eyes wide in shock. “This is… too much…”

“Think of it as a token for your help.” Jungkook shrugged, still smiling. “And don’t think of the price. Compared to the amount of money we could’ve lost if we lost the deal, that’s nothing.”

“But—”

“Get dressed, quick!” The younger simply pushed the still-shocked designer into the bathroom to shut him up, and went back to his desk to wait. Jungkook already foresaw Jimin refusing the gift, and so he had already thought that just forcing him to wear it for the dinner could be the only way to make him accept it.

It took some time for Jimin to come out of the bathroom—longer than Jungkook had anticipated, but once he emerged out, it was as if a replay of that night.

But this time, without the fireworks.

Jungkook did not know if Jimin was actually moving in slow motion, or he was just imagining things. It was unfair, the CEO thought, that shorter always had that slow motion effect whenever he appeared in a good suit, or in this case, tuxedo.

“Wow…” Jungkook did not bother hiding his amazement, even standing up and slow clapping for the older, who gave him a confused look. “It looks great on you.”

“T-Thanks.” Jimin stuttered out. He felt blood creep up to his face at the compliment. “And it fits perfectly, too. How did you…”

“I’m good at remembering details, hyung.” The boss answered before grabbing his briefcase and heading for the door. “Let’s go, then?”

“Are you sure it looks okay?” Jimin asked skeptically, heading over to the full length mirror to check. “What if—”

He was stopped by firm hands spinning him around by his shoulder, coming face to face with the younger’s red tuxedo. He then felt the hands tugging on the lapels of his top to smooth them out.

Jimin looked up to ask. “What are you—?”

“I just noticed your lapel slightly folded.” Jungkook answered. “There. Perfect.”

Jimin felt the younger’s hands play with the seams of the tuxedo, as if tracing the edges to check for imperfections. He suddenly felt hyperaware of the CEO’s presence—his scent, his voice, his breathing, and even their height difference.

After a few moments, the two locked eyes with each other, and this time, it was Jimin who witnessed the world slow down.

The way Jungkook’s eyelashes flicked when he blinked. The way his pupils dilated at the gaze. The way he wetted his lips with his tongue.

And just as quickly everything happened, it was also all gone when a momentary look of distress crossed the CEO’s face, followed by him stepping back from the dazed Jimin.

“L-Let’s go, hyung.” Jungkook suddenly said, heading over to the couch where he left his briefcase and going for the door. “We’re going to be late.”

“Right, the dinner.” Jimin nodded. He quickly took a deep breath to recompose himself before following right behind the taller.

Jimin thought that what just happened would make things awkward for them for the duration of the travel, but he was pleasantly surprised when Jungkook started talking about work again when they entered the elevator. It was relief, of course, since Jimin did not have to deal with an awkward drive to the restaurant, but it also bothered him.

What just happened… did it not have any effect on Jungkook?

As much as Jimin wanted to know the answer to that question, he also was not ready for it. Though if the look on the younger’s face was of any indication, Jimin would conclude that it did affect his boss in some way.

 

 

The ride to the restaurant was also far from uncomfortable. Jungkook had turned the radio on and put it in a channel that played upbeat KPop, which both of the enjoyed. For every group that went on, they talked about their favorite members of the group, as well as their favorite songs. Of course, they would get into heated arguments of who had a better favorite, but in the end, they always settle on the conclusion that all members were great.

“Is it here?” Jimin asked when he noticed the car slowing down. Jungkook only nodded to him in response as he drove straight to the roofed part in front of the entrance. He stopped right in front of the door and got out of the car. The action confused the designer, since he was pretty sure they were not supposed to park in front of the door.

So all he could do was watch as his boss—but for now, his boyfriend—rounded the front of the car and opened his door for him. He almost thanked Jungkook, if it was not for the eating grin on the taller boy’s face.

“What?”

“You may get out of the car now, madam.” Jungkook mocked, offering his hand to the older, who only rolled his eyes at him before surprising Jungkook by actually taking it. “Did you really wait for me to open the door for you?”

“No, stupid.” Jimin answered. “I was just confused why you parked the car in front of the main entrance.”

“Don’t worry, they’ll take care of it.”

“What do you mean—”

Before the shorter could finish his question, a staff came up to them and held out his hand, as if asking for something to be given to him. Jungkook then gave the man his car keys before nonchalantly leading the way, his free hand buried in his pocket.

“Oh… right.” Jimin nodded in understanding. “This is how they do this in luxurious places.” He continued to walk as he inspected the place, noticing the tall ceiling and the detailed painting of the sky covering it. As expected from a lavish place, a lot of things were gold plated.

“Even here, hyung?” Jungkook chuckled, catching the older’s attention. He smiled as he continued to walk backwards to watch the small hyung scrutinize the details of the place. “Can you like… stop inspecting designs for a few hours?”

“I’m not inspecting designs. I was just admiring them.”

“Jungkook! Jiminie!”

At the mention of their name, the pair snapped their attention to the entrance from where they came from and saw Seokjin and Hoseok entering the place.

“Hoseok-hyung!” Jimin answered with an energy to match the older designer’s. He then went over to him and gave him a hug, afterwards also hugging the CEO who was with him.

“Oh my god, Jiminie, you’ve grown so much!” Seokjin kiddingly said to the younger, causing Jimin to let out a cute whine.

“You’re early today?” Seokjin asked.

“Yeah… Jungkookie said he didn’t want to be late this time, since it’s important.” Jimin answered, the nickname slipping naturally. “He even forced me to wear this matching blue tux, so we’d match.”

“Omo, that’s so cute!” Hoseok commented as they continued to walk to catch up with Jungkook, who only watched them interact with a smile on his face. “Look at you boyfriend, Jiminie, giving you all that heart eyes!”

And true enough, when Jimin turned to look at his for-now-boyfriend, Jimin saw the fond smile on the CEO’s face. The happy, content look on Jungkook’s face made Jimin smile, too.

“Oh gosh, you guys are so sweet I’m starting to hate you.” Seokjin let out fake gagging sounds, followed by a laugh. “Let’s go to our reserved room.”

And with that, the four of them went to the room reserved for their dinner meeting. As expected, they were the first ones who arrived, giving them the freedom to choose their spots. Jungkook and Seokjin sat next to each other, while Jimin and Hoseok sat to either side of the two CEOs. The room was gradually filled with other men and women in formal attire, and every single time someone arrived, everyone stood up to bow.

The table was naturally split into two sides as the seats were filled. Once everyone was present, Seokjin cued the staff to bring them the food for the night.

Plates and plates of various food was soon delivered to the table. Jimin had to consciously stop himself from letting out sounds of amazement at the selection before him. He had been to bigger buffets and celebrations, and had seen a wider selection and a larger amount of food, but what made the current meal different was that everything was just… expensive.

“So, everyone,” Seokjin started, standing up from his seat to speak. “Good evening. Tonight marks a new milestone for our companies as we form what is… hopefully, a beneficial bond. And I, Kim Seokjin, CEO of Pink Princess, promise to Wings that we will stay loyal to our deal will take into account our partnership in the decisions our company will be making in the future.” He confidently said before taking his glass into his hands. “Cheers!”

“Cheers!” All of the men and women around the table followed suit and soon the room was filled with sounds of glasses clinking against each other. Once the sound had died down, Jungkook stood up from his seat, and proceeded to give his short speech.

“First of all, it is of great honor to share this table with my colleagues and of course, my soon-to-be colleagues.” He started, gesturing to everyone around the table with his wine glass. “May this deal of ours bring nothing but success to both companies. And I, Jeon Jungkook, CEO of Wings, swear to do our part in maintaining a healthy relationship with you. I am looking forward to the amazing things we will be achieving together. Cheers!”

“Cheers!”

Jimin watched Jungkook as he confidently acknowledged the heads of both companies, amazed at how well the younger carried himself. It was at times like this when Jimin questioned if he really was older than his boss, since basing only from the way Jungkook acted and thought, it would seem that he had already lived twice as long as he actually did.

It made Jimin question just what kind of environment the younger grew in for him to be what he was.

After the formalities, it was Hoseok to announce happily that it was finally time to “dig in”. Now that was not very formal at all, but Jimin was not complaining. With the formal-ness around him, the casualness of Hoseok’s words was a welcome and much-needed break for the designer.

After the dinner, which lasted for around two hours, the contract signing began. Jimin immediately felt the tension once the CEOs took out their copies of the contract—it was the same tension that can be felt whenever the winner in a competition was being announced, or whenever the priest in a wedding asked for any objection in the wedding. He was pretty confident though that it would go smoothly, since he know both parties had reviewed the contract countless number of times.

Maybe the tension was just inherent in contract signings.

However, the tension immediately went away once the heads had signed the contracts and began clapping in celebration, with everyone, including Jimin, began to shake hands with people from the other party. From there on, it was a smooth sailing night filled with casual talks and desserts.

It went on for another two hours, after which the people started leaving in groups. The last one to remain were also the first ones to arrive.

Once it was just the four of them, Jimin let out a loud sigh of relief.

“Oh my god… so that was how it feels like.” He said out loud, making Hoseok laugh. Jungkook simply patted the older’s back to comfort him.

“You did a great job, hyung.” The CEO softly said, understanding full well what the designer must have felt like to be in such a situation. The instant the other company heads entered the room, he had already noticed the stiffness in Jimin’s body. He was worried, of course, but he trusted the older to handle himself, which he did.

“My first time was also nerve wracking.” Hoseok said, recalling the memory of when Seokjin first took him with him to a contract signing. “And that was not even as big of a deal as this one, so I could only imagine what you just went through.”

“Yeah, I had to consciously stop myself from grabbing more food every now and then.” The younger designer said in agreement, grabbing another slice of leftover steak that he had been eyeing since the heads started leaving.

“You shouldn’t have restrained yourself, Jiminie.” Seokjin commented, also picking up a piece of meat with his bare hands and putting it directly into his mouth. “Didn’t you see me just devour things in front of everyone?”

“Yeah, but you’re the CEO.” Said male retorted. “Of course they won’t judge you. While I’m just Park Jimin. I bet the heads of Wings were confused as to why I was seating beside Jungkookie.”

“It’s none of their business, really.” Jungkook shrugged, standing up from his chair as so did the other three. “They can’t just question me for bringing someone here. They know that I know what I’m doing.”

“Actually, I was about to say,” The broad-shouldered hyung added. “They’re working under the legendary Jeon Jungkook. Of course they won’t have anything to say.”

“It’s not like that.”

“Oh, it is.”

 

A few more moments of light-hearted conversations and last minute eating passed, and the group also left the reserved room to go to their respective homes. Once they reached the entrance, their cars were already waiting for them, and all that they had to do was receive the keys from the staff so they could drive themselves home.

“See you soon, guys!” Hoseok waved at the three as he was the first one to leave in his car. He was promptly followed by Seokjin, who only waved and wished the two a good night before driving off himself. That left Jungkook and Jimin by themselves once again.

“Jungkook.” Jimin called the other’s attention once they were inside the car. Said male only hummed to show that he was listening. “I was actually thinking—did the heads of our company have any idea as to why I was there?”

“Yeah, I already told them about the whole thing.” Jungkook answered. “I know, it’s a breach of our contract, but it’s not like you haven’t broken yours yet.”

The older gasped at the sudden attack from the CEO. “I already told you, I didn’t—”

“Yeah, yeah, I know. I was just kidding.” The taller laughed at the scandalized look on Jimin’s face. “I figured that it was necessary to tell them, so that we don’t end up doing something in front of them that would make them question us and reveal the act.”

“Good thinking.” Jimin agreed, then letting out a yawn. “Gosh… I’m tired.”

“Yeah… events like these tend to sap people’s energy.” Said Jungkook. The night streets surprisingly only had a small number of vehicles, so the ride to Jimin’s apartment was just a fast one. In contrast to the high energy music that the pair had enjoyed on their way to the dinner, the ride home was accompanied by mellow music, the type that you would want to listen to on a rainy Sunday afternoon.

Once they reached the older’s apartment, the two of them got out of the car and headed over to Jimin’s apartment’s entrance. They stopped just before the door and turned to face each other, both clad in their expensive tuxedos.

It was surely a sight in the neighborhood—two men in brightly colored, expensive tuxedos standing in front of an apartment door in the middle of the night, in the poorer part of the city.

“So…”

“Do you want to drink water before leaving?” Jimin butted in, pointing to his door. For some reason, he did not want the other to speak. He just wanted him just…there.

“No, I’m fine.” Jungkook answered, raising his brow at the shorter. “You did really well, hyung.”

Instead of answering, the older only nodded in response, making the other man frown at him.

“Is there something wrong?” Asked the boss. “You don’t look okay.”

“It’s nothing.” Jimin reassured the younger, forcing out a smile and flashing it at him, though he was pretty sure that by now, Jungkook would be able to see right through his façade. “It’s getting late, don’t you think?”

“Yeah, it is, actually.” Jungkook agreed. There was a moment of silence between the two before Jungkook stuck out his hand in a handshake, prompting Jimin to look at it.

“Congratulations, hyung.” The CEO started, and at that moment, Jimin knew where their conversation was leading to. “Thank you for your help for Wings. The deal is over now. You don’t have to worry about the loose ends and how to—”

“Kook.” The designer cut the Jungkook’s speech, just staring at the hand still being offered to him. Jimin could feel the tension building up in his throat and his eyes beginning to sting.

They were there, in the ending Jimin was dreading to witness.

But he could not just let it all end without seeing the ending through, right? Yoongi would be so mad at him if he comes to the older crying because of this, but the musician did not have to know, right?

And besides, judging from everything that had transpired between them during the duration of their fake relationship, Jimin was hopeful that he did not have to call Yoongi for comfort anytime soon.

But then again, judging from what he learned about Jungkook in the span of the deal, the younger was a rather skillful deceiver.

Those stares… those stares felt real. Those sincere words felt real. It all felt real.

And if ever Jungkook were to reject him, he would do so in a relatively nice way, right? He was a nice person, after all… it was just that he had to put up a tough image for the sake of having a commanding aura as a CEO.

Taking into account all of the factors, Jimin took a deep breath and spoke the words that he had never thought he would be saying to the boss he hated since day one.

“Does this… this thing really have to end?” Jimin dared to look up to Jungkook face to be met by the latter’s confused expression. “I mean… I really enjoyed being with you and I know you do, too. At first I hated you but as time went by I got to know you more and—”

“Wait, wait,” Jungkook cut him off, retracting extended his hand from its previous position. There was a foreign look on the CEO’s young face—a look that Jimin knew did not mean good for him. “Are you… are you confessing to me?”

Silence floated in the air around the two, broken only by the shaky sigh the older let out when he found it hard to answer with words.

“Yah, Park Jimin!” Said male winced at the mention of his name, already feeling his eyes getting watery but still fighting to not let any tear fall. “Did you forget about our deal?”

The way the younger asked him—it was in the same tone that Jungkook used when they first met. It was… cold. Cold and devoid of any affection that his fake boyfriend used to give to him when they were still acting.

“B-But…” Jimin managed to croak out with the lump in his throat. “The time we spent together… I-It all felt real and… and I-I was hoping that it wasn’t just…me.”

“It was just you and your wishful thinking, Park.” The tone was now even worse it actually made Jimin fail at stopping his tears from falling. It was not devoid of emotion now.

It was laced with disgust. And at that point, Jimin knew.

It was just pointless.

“Oh god…” Jungkook groaned, stepping back from the older. “This is so messed up. So ing messed up.”

“I know…” Jimin sobbed out, now just facing the ground so he could hide his face from the younger. “I swear, I-I tried to—”

“Oh come on, Park! Are you really crying?” Jungkook asked, mock evident in his voice. “Don’t play victim here. You’re the one who broke our deal by falling in… oh god I can’t say it. It is entirely your fault, so I have no responsibility in this whatsoever.”

At that point, the designer did not have anymore will in him to stop himself from crying in front of his now-just-boss. The sob just tore through his throat and into to air, making Jimin cover his mouth with his hand to muffle the next ones that he was sure were coming.

He registered the sound of the car door opening and closing, and the engine turning on before the wheels moved. The window of the car opened, and the younger’s next words crushed all hope that Jimin had in him.

“Yah, Park Jimin.” Jungkook called the attention of the still-crying boy. “You know how the deal goes, right?”

Jimin, without lifting his head up, simply nodded at the younger in confirmation.

“You have to take this deal with you to the grave. No one has to know. Is that clear?”

Another nod.

“Oh god… why did you have to make things so complicated.” Jungkook groaned from inside the car before he closed the window and drove off, leaving the other boy by his doorstep.

Jimin swallowed the sobs that still wracked his body, and let out a tired, shaky sigh.

“H-He’s right.” The designer said to himself, uncovering his mouth and wiping the tears rolling down his cheeks. “It’s my fault.”

And for hundredth time in his life, Jimin cursed himself for getting attached to people too easily. His boss was right—he did not have the right to cry like a victim, because it really was his fault. It was not Jungkook’s fault that he got better at acting like he loved Jimin, too.

It was totally his fault why he was crying in the middle of the night in the streets, wearing an expensive tuxedo given to him by the same boy who was the reason why his heart hurt so badly.

Oh god, how wrongly did he read the signs…

He should have just listened to his Yoongi-hyung when he said that the whole deal was a bad idea. After all, if there was someone who knew Jimin more than he knew himself, it was the pale male who used to love him.

But now that he thought about it… never did the older tell him he loved him throughout their relationship.

Did he just assume that, too? Was Yoongi just experimenting with him?

The though made Jimin laugh at himself, a laugh that sounded of disgust. Now he was just messing it all up.

“Poor Jimin… no one but your parents really loved you.” He said to himself, turning around to enter the door of his lonely apartment to retire for the night. He simply shrugged off the tuxedo and kicked off his shoes before plopping down on the bed, already feeling the exhaustion taking over him.

He was just tired. So tired of everything.

So tired of his life.

And as the boy drifted off to dreamland, a tear managed to escape his eyes as he whispered to no one.

“I didn’t even get the chance to say I love him.”