Every Rule Has an Exception

Hello, everyone! Happy spring! Happy to be back. I got this surge of inspiration, and what better way to use it than writing a Jackson-centered piece? :) PS: It ties slightly into the Nothing More story, but can also be read independently.

PS2: This is the mashup I used as inspo for one of the scenes below.

PS3: It's actually Jackson's birthday today! (where I am it still is, at least)

±4k words, fluff, GOT7 party, romance build up

"I'm so sorry I'm late Sam. You don't usually sign up to be a babysitter for grown-ups, but I guess it's part of the job."

"It's no biggie, we're just warming up. Mark's birthday is not for another couple hours," Samantha chuckled on the other end of the line. Jo was speaking the truth; she really was sorry for being more than an hour late. "But yeah, you're the last one to arrive."

"I can take that, okay?" Jo followed with a smile. "This gentleman with the Uber is really revving it up for me!"

"Take care, okay? We'll be here a while anyway!"

Jo put her phone into her purse and guided a hand to her nape to massage it. An ugly knot was forming in her stiff muscles, and she let out a sigh. Her smartwatch buzzed up with another work message, and she tapped the screen to turn it off. She caught a glimpse of the time before doing so: 9:30 PM. Against her better wishes, the flight from the States to Korea left her jetlagged.

Jo tried to turn off her brain for the remainder of the trip, yet various scenarios were creeping up in her mind. Could she have done better during her meetings? Did she leave a first good impression to her partners? Was she appropriate enough in terms of their cultural differences?

"I should stop." She murmured to herself and leaned against the headrest of the car. The Uber driver had a small minibar in his car and was kind enough to offer her a bottle of water. Jo left a generous tip for his gesture when she got out of the car.

The house that Samantha rented for Mark's birthday was lit up like a Christmas tree. Despite it being somewhere in the buzzing heart of Seoul, it was neatly tucked away behind generous vegetation, and it offered an air of privacy. A purple gleam coming out of the house had Jo shield her eyes. She relaxed her shoulders; if she came, she might as well enjoy herself.

"Fashionably late, the party showstopper is here!"

To her surprise, the music was not obscenely loud, and her voice instantly caught Mark's attention. He was wearing a party hat and a pair of pink funky glasses with faux feathers around the lenses. Mark greeted her at the door with a tall glass of champagne.

"Finally," he teased. "Welcome, Jo!"

"Happy Birthday, Mark! It looks like Sam took care of everything around here."

Jo gladly took the glass and pointed to the colorful balloons floating in the entrance area. The whole living room space was opened, with a dark matte staircase indicating the access to the superior floor. A lot of birthday decorations in sight, changing the otherwise sombre colors of the house into an inviting underground club kind of style. She felt a bit out of place, in her dark Ralph Lauren suit and Manolo Blahnik white mules. She could at least unbutton one or two buttons of her shirt.

"I'm told she and Bambam plotted to make everything around here as is. Oh, speaking of the devil!"

Samantha quickly chimed in, wearing a matching party hat with Mark. He gave her a peck on the cheek.

"I swear to God, Jo, I started wondering if you'd actually show up today."

"Oh, you know me, never missing a good party! Mark, do you have any pair of slippers around here? These heels are killing my feet."