CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

The atmosphere in their once warm and charming home took a complete turn for the worst. Jisoo couldn't believe Taehyung had walked out on her last night and his actions that followed after he came home hours later until dusk became dawn only added to the turmoil of negative emotions that grew in Jisoo's chest the whole night. She was furious, hurt, reluctant, guilty, and confused all at the same time. 

Taehyung had not slept in their bed, he laid on the coach for a good six hours and then went off again to Merlin-knows-where. Jisoo had stayed in the room the whole time, torturing herself by reminiscing every word and detail about their conversation last night. How shocked she was at his reaction, how loud he raised his voice, how the both of them lost the chance to swerve the conversation to another direction so that it wouldn't end up as badly as it did now.

They were both overcome by strong emotions that got the best of them, so Jisoo thinks a day or two of giving each other space would eventually smooth things over later on.

Hopefully, she's right and her little trip to the Ministry to see Bona would be worth it. 

It had been her first time stepping inside the Ministry and she held back a little gasp when she saw the interior: silver lined walls, black marble tiles, and eternal emerald flames that burned brightly despite the sun's rays peeking through the see-through ceiling encased with diamond glass. It was like a modern castle on the inside, and she couldn't stop gawking at the sophisticated and regal architecture that made her feel the essence of what magic was in the wizarding world. 

"Jisoo!" She hears Bona's voice before she sees her. When she turns around to the direction of where the voice had came from, Bona flashed her the brightest smile. 

Jisoo suppressed a giggle. Did her best friend miss her that much in the past two days since they last saw each other? 

Hugging tightly, Bona had let go first and the bright expression on her face is weirdly comical. "Are you finally applying to be an Auror?"

Taken aback, Jisoo shook her head. So that's why she was so excited to see me. She gives Bona a pointed look. "No, absolutely not. I just wanted to see you. Are you busy?"

Bona doesn't seem disheartened at Jisoo's quick denial of her proposal. She continued to smile and said, "Not at all. You came at a good time actually, there are some seniors in the office whom I know would love to see you after so long! Come, let's go and say hi." 

"Bona, I -" but the other girl was already dragging her forward, keeping a strong grip on her wrist so she would not shake her off so easily. Jisoo sighs in defeat and lets her friend drag her along the winding corridors, passing by department after department, and office after office. The thought of her and Taehyung's fight slowly buries itself into the folds of her mind as she immerses herself in this new and riveting environment. 

It was evident that the Ministry was alive and kicking. Everyone hummed in anticipation for something, they were all working over time because of the war and Jisoo could feel the energy pulsate in the place. Everyone was on edge, preparing for the fight of a lifetime. 

The energy in the Auror's office was no different, but it was more loud and chaotic. There were tons of people everywhere, on the desks taking calls or talking to each other with maps in their hands and cloaks around their figures. It was much, much rowdier here compared to the other parts of the Ministry building that she had passed.

Bona loosens her grip on Jisoo's wrist and throws her a smile over her shoulder. She leads her into the thick of it all, passing by colleagues and dragging Jisoo behind her. The others don't seem to mind the two snaking their way through the crowd. 

Finally, Bona stops in front of someone and she lets go of Jisoo's arm. "Nayeon, will you hand me that form please." 

There was a small grunt before the familiar woman sitting behind the desk in front of the two turned her head to face Bona. "What do you need this - Jisoo?!" Nayeon shot up from her seat and a big grin had immediately formed on her features upon identifying her. "Wow, what are you doing here? Regardless, it's so good to see you!" 

Nayeon's enthusiasm rubs off on Jisoo. The noise from the other people in the office is drowned out as Jisoo and Nayeon exchanged pleasantries. 

"Are you here to apply as an Auror?" Nayeon passed the form Bona asked for. 

Jisoo shook her head slightly. "No, no, I'm just here to - "

"Yes she is," Bona interrupted. She grabbed a quill from her robes' pocket and started writing on the paper. 

"Bona!" Jisoo chided her, but upon closer inspection of what she was writing, she found that she was already scribbling away Jisoo's contact details and personal information on the form she asked from Nayeon. "What exactly are you doing?" 

Jisoo made a move to grab the paper from Bona but Nayeon lets out a surprised gasp that caught both of their attention. She pointed to Jisoo's hand. "Oh my goodness, you're engaged?!" She squealed. 

Bona pushes Jisoo aside so she'd have no access to the paper. "She sure is," she said, winking. 

Jisoo was about to say something when she heard a male's voice calling her name from behind. 

"Jisoo?" She swiveled around, only to see two more familiar faces enter the office. It was Jinyoung and Seulgi, people that she knew from what felt like a lifetime ago in Hogwarts.

The two of them looked the same, but much older and mature. Jinyoung and Seulgi graduated a year earlier than she did, and they were the Head Boy and Head Girl of their time. Although Jisoo had failed to do enough that would allot her the same title, they openly expressed before they graduated that they thought Jisoo would have been the best fit to be their successor. They were always so good to her. 

Jinyoung is decked in a navy blue suit and Seulgi stands beside him, they both offer surprised yet genuine smiles. "What brings you here to the office?" 

"I -"

"She's applying to be an Auror," Bona interjected.

"She's engaged!" Nayeon squealed again. 

Jisoo felt dizzy.

She had to clarify her purpose of visiting the Ministry, much more the Office of the Aurors. She also addresses the comment of engagement, and although yes, she is engaged, something holds her back from telling them that she's engaged to Taehyung. His family remains infamous, and for all the wrong reasons at the moment. Taehyung had never really talked about them but he didn't need to, because Jisoo knew enough to keep shut for now. Even Bona hadn't said anything about the matter so far.

It just wasn't a good time to announce to everyone that she was engaged to a member of the Kim clan, the Dark Lord's most formidable and loyal allies. Even if Taehyung was different from the rest of his family, Jisoo remained quiet about his identity. 

"So, who's the lucky guy?" Judging by their smiling faces, they probably don't suspect or know that she and Taehyung were still together. The only person that knew they lived together under one roof was Bona. 

Jisoo forced a pleasant smile. "You'll meet him soon enough. I might invite you all over to the wedding once this whole ordeal is over." She kept her tone flat and unsuspicious. 

Surprisingly, the three of them nodded in respect and made no further comment.

Jinyoung stepped forward and clasped her hand. "Well, congratulations on your engagement. I do think that you should have your wedding sooner than later. Why don't we speed up the process by utilizing your interest in being an Auror?" He raised an inquisitive brow that made Jisoo feel slightly confused with what he was trying to imply. But before she could clarify, he continued. "We need more witches like you on our team, Jisoo. Bona has also been talking about wanting to recruit you non-stop."

Jinyoung gives Bona a pointed look, to which she squirmed under. "In my defense, everything I said is true. Jisoo really is on another level, and we need you." She handed over the parchment to Jinyoung and he accepted it happily. 

Seulgi chuckled at Jisoo's dumbstruck expression. "Yeah, I think Bona may have set you up. But we will be reviewing this first and then we'll call you. Of course, if that's alright with you?" 

Jisoo had half a mind to grab the form from Jinyoung's hand and tear it up into shreds. But for some reason, she could not bring herself to do it. Beside her, Nayeon was clapping her hands in excitement and she gushed about how Jisoo would make such an incredible field Auror. On her other side, Bona was agreeing to everything that Nayeon was spouting.