TAEKOOK SHORT STORIES

Story 2 - SANJEEVANI

"Take a seat, Jungkook," Namjoon said with a big grin. "You look well."

Jungkook sat, reluctantly, in one of the deep leather chairs across from him in the production office. Getting called in for a meeting with Namjoon was one of the things, actors feared most. It generally meant their character was being killed off. Being in a medical drama was risky business—there was always one exotic disease or another lurking just around the corner.

Namjoon was in his mid-forties and oozed director from every pore.

He even wore a visor on set. The office he called home was large, wood-paneled, with leather stretched across any available surface. It spoke of class and money, two things Jungkook was uncomfortable and unfamiliar with.

"Thanks," Jungkook said, shifting in the seat. "I've been working out to get in shape for the start of the season."

Namjoon nodded. "It shows."

"Thanks," Jungkook repeated. "I'm not going to lie to you, Namjoon. I'm worried."

"Why?" he said, leaning forward, frowning slightly.

Jungkook laughed nervously. "Am I being killed off?"

"No," he said, echoing Jungkook's laugh. "No, no, no. Not at all. Quite the contrary. But this is about Medicament - season 5 and I did call you in to discuss the new season."

The fourth season of Medicament, the award-winning prime-time medical drama, was due to start filming in only a few weeks. Scripts were being sent out to all the lead actors within days. It was not a good time to get on the wrong side of the director.

Knowing that Jungkook nodded for him to continue.

"We want to bump your profile," Namjoon said, leaning back in his chair again. "Give you a more prominent storyline this year."

"Yeah?" Jungkook asked. "That sounds awesome."

"It's a romance," Namjoon said cautiously. "A gay romance."

Silence hung over the room for one heavy moment.

"A... gay romance?" Jungkook echoed.

"Yes."

"But...Justin isn't gay."

Justin, my character in the show was a lot of things—young, handsome, brilliant, sporty—gay was not one of them.

"He is now," Namjoon said with a wide grin. "We've got a brilliant new actor in to play your love interest. His name is Kim Taehyung."

"I've never heard of him," Jungkook said, still reeling from the gay thing.

"Well, he's great. I'm sure he's going to fit right in with the team. He's quite young, only twenty-three, but his character is an intern who will be assigned to Justin for mentoring. Their relationship develops quite quickly—the first kiss is in episode three." He ends the last line with a dramatic sigh.

"Right," Jungkook said, while his mind screamed 'kiss?'

"The reason why I asked you to come in today was to discuss this," he said, the bright tone leeching from his voice as he turned serious. "The scripts will be finalized before the end of the week. I need you to agree to this, Jungkook, so we can get the first couple of episodes sent out to the cast."

"What if I don't want to do it?" Jungkook asked.

Namjoon gave him a hard stare. "The storyline is happening, one way or another. We're under pressure from the network to be more diverse...everyone's doing it. Jungkook," he said, leaning forward in his chair, "if you refuse the storyline, we're going to give it to Bogum."