Untitled, 2018

Chapter 26: Wrong Time, Wrong Place

I couldn't believe my ears.
"Sir, this is a... big misunderstanding!" I pleaded. Instead of listening, the a**hole ripped the little visitor's pass I had buckled to my jacket from me.
"Sponsor: Kang? The one from KD entertainment?" I tried to grab the pass back but he easily dodged my attempts. "Detain her," He yelled out at one of the guys who had blocked my way out of the room previously. I was getting frustrated trying to communicate in Korean and switched to English. "You literally can't do that! I came in here by mistake!"

"You think pretending you can't understand me will help you now? Don't act so high and mighty with your English, trash; the law doesn't discriminate."
He picked up his phone and started dialing a number, and in the meantime one of the guys behind me blocking my way had managed to find an actual security guard to "detain me". This had spiraled downwards in the span of 20 minutes and was utterly humiliating.

I looked behind the guard to see Gunho and a couple of his friends whispering and snickering at me. The guard just stood right beside me to make sure I wouldn't run off.
"Hello? Yes, this is the Directing Manager. There is a Kang in this building right now, with V3 access, correct?" I gasped and tried to grab the phone out of his hand, but he moved and I felt a stiff grip on my other hand — the security guard.
"Call him. Right now. I have a few words for him." I half-screamed, half-choked, "STOP. What are you doing?"
He simply continued taking. "That meeting? With the directors?! Really?" He looked angrier than before. "I'm going to—" There was some loud yelling on the other side of the phone, and this guy grumbled in response. "Fine but once he's out of there I'm stopping this whole show. Get him here as soon as they're done."

I stood there in shock for a good few seconds, processing what the hell had just happened. Was he really going to yell at sweet, pure, my boss Kang becAUSE HE LOST HIS OWN DAMN FOLDER?!
"Why are you involving my boss, are you crazy?"
"What, scared you'll get fired?"
"Well, that too! But he's not involved in any of this. What do you want from me?! I don't know where your goddamn folder went!"
He stopped and looked around him. People were looking at the both of us with disdain.
He breathed in and pointed at me.

"Give it back. Find it, and I won't create a fuss with your boss."
"I don't know where it is!"
"Then forget it. I'm calling my boss right now."
"Wait! Stop, I'll do it! I'll retrace your goddamn steps."
He looked at me, satisfied that he had won. He tossed my visitor's badge back at me and glared pointedly at the security guard. "Make sure she doesn't run."
He started walking away, and I felt the room get warmer, stuffier, and blurrier. Then suddenly, the man sliced through the silence with a loud clap, which broke the spell on us all. The entire room burst into a flurry of activity as people went back to doing their jobs hurriedly, while the police officer finally let go of my hand.

Gunho and the posse he was part of walked up to me. He stood up front, unnecessarily close. "I thought you were a tabloid journalist, not a criminal." His friend smirked at me. "This is what they get for messing with our director."

I stayed still and mentally replayed everything so I could understand what I got myself into. I looked up from my feet and saw three of the girls from 4Ever helping each other with their jackets and all looking at me. I made eye contact with Baek Hee, who looked at me curiously, but didn't look away. She wrinkled her nose with a bit of disdain, giving me the look one would to a pitiful circus animal. My eyes hardened and I thought I was going to scream, but instead I shook myself into action and sprinted out the door.

The guard tried running after me. "Hey! Stop!"
I shouted to him, "I'm not running away. I don't have much time to search!"
He huffed and puffed, tired already, and groaned aloud. "Okay!"
That was ridiculously trusting of him, but I realized he'd probably alert the guards at the building entrance to not let me out. Besides, I had little option but to stay. This could affect the reputation of the entire project, and Kang and Wang had trusted me. I couldn't screw this up so badly for them. Oh my god what have I done? I turned into the stairwell and ran upstairs, using my instincts to figure out where this folder could be.
I wracked my brain to remind myself what it looked like.
Navy blue. With a similarly colored tassel on the front holding it closed. On the top, something in gold-lettered small font Korean I couldn't read fast enough in the few moments I had it in my hands.
I found myself in a floor full of office workers and meeting rooms, and guessed this was the company's press room because of all the news channels open on screens. He wouldn't have come through here, right? ... Who's gonna take the chance?
And so I embarked on my jog through the at least three floors of workers and meeting rooms, snooping around food tables, conference rooms, trash cans, most restrooms (yup... female and male), all thoroughly embarrassed and honestly, on the verge of tears.
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Jimin's POV

It was a nice gorgeous afternoon and I was a little bored. Who better to hit up than my girlfriend, right? We had made some awkward peace and I was anxious to make everything smooth again. I texted her asking her what she was up to, and she sent a photo of her company van. "Filming a variety show!"

I smiled. A close friend was in that building filming something as well, so I guessed I could pay a visit and surprise Baek Hee. I decked up in a 'regular-citizen outfit' with a hat, scarf and glasses, and I headed to the company building.

By the time I ended up at the front and shoo'd the assistant manager who'd driven me there, it was well into the afternoon and people were well absorbed into their work. The high rise building was thus a little quieter than the usual rush hour craze. I got a visitor's pass for the studios, where my friend worked as a costume and set designer. We'd bonded over mutual idol friends.

"Jimin!" He smiled when he saw me, "How you doin?"
"Great! How are you? How's the beau?" I winked.
He laughed and smacked my arm, "Shut up oh my god. But I'm doing fine. And so is he. Come, I have to show you this set design for a comeback next week, it needs fresh eyes on it."
I trailed him and texted Baek Hee while I was it, letting her know I was in the building.
Her response was, "Oh okay". I sighed.
"Where are you? I'll come meet you in the green room or something."
"Variety show in the studio."

I followed around my buddy for about an hour before politely excusing myself, with the excuse that I had to meet a friend in the building.
"By the way... which way is the studio? That's where I'm supposed to meet them."
"Well, which studio? It's a huge building."
"Uhm. The one filming a variety show right now?"
"Ah. Go to the 300's wing, second floor."

I waved goodbye and went towards the the studio. The hallways were mostly empty here except for a stylist or two scurrying to grab some things to touch up between shoots of the show. I found the green room and went and sat in a corner. It was a large room divided into two sections separated by thick screens.

As I settled into a chair, I got a message from Baek Hee. "I took a bathroom break. In the green room. Come in the next 5 mins if you can."
I looked around and walked to the door too, but the hallway was empty. Strange.

Suddenly I heard some rustling from the other side of the screens in the other half of the green room. Then a large thud. I stopped. But then the rustling continued and I heard a deep sigh. I giggled to myself. There she is.

I started humming to make her aware of my presence, and stalked up to the makeshift door at one end of the screens. I started singing to a tune I was working on, thinking up the lyrics as I went.
"Sometimes I just stare at you and wonder how you're my girl~ I'd look into your eyes and say it but you're behind a screen door. Yet somehow your beauty bleeds through the—"
"SHUT UP!"

I froze.