In a Split Second || BTS

Chapter 5

"No. By the way, what do you all think of the new choreographer?"

Jungkook points a warning finger at the eldest hyung. "You are not going to turn this into another dad joke, are you?"

Jin-hyung shakes his head solemnly. "No – I want to know what you think."

"Well, what do you think?" I ask, knowing that revealing my real feelings is not an option.

"I think she is great."

"Great?" Hoseok-hyung scoffs, walking into the room and plopping down beside me on the plump sofa. "That is an understatement. If she danced with Jimin, she knows what she is doing. Moreover, she is French!"

"I hope you understand that she is our choreographer, Hoseok-hyung. We are technically her bosses, and even if we were not, she did not fly halfway across the world to find a partner," Namjoon-hyung reminds him, leaning against the doorway opposite Jin.

"BigHit employee or not, she is still French."

"For the last time, what is it with you and French girls?"

Hoseok-hyung raises an eyebrow. "I could go on for a long time about why French girls are great, but I will spare you the details."

"Thank you," I say sharply. Unable to handle any more, I stand abruptly and grab my coat. "I am going to take a walk. I will be back in half an hour."

"What is up with him?" I overhear Hoseok-hyung ask under his breath as I leave.

"He is just stressed about the new choreographer. We both think she is going to work us very hard," Jungkook explains.

"Ah. Well, at least she is French."

"Hoseok-hyung!" they all groan.

As I exit the building, I find Jimin entering.

"Hello, Jimin-ah," I say carefully, adjusting the mask over my face, so he can recognize me. "It took you long enough. Where is Cherisse?"

"She should be back at her hotel by now," he says, although his brow is furrowed subtly with concern.

"You mean you didn't walk her back?"

"She wouldn't let me. She can be so stubborn," Jimin says with a small smile, but the worry does not fade from his eyes. "I told her to text me when she arrived at the hotel, but she has not yet."

My heart begins to pump out an anxious beat. "Which hotel is she staying at?"

"I don't know."

I groan and run a hand down my face nervously. "Where were you two eating? She cannot have wandered far from there."

Jimin pauses a few moments after texting Cherisse, then holds up his phone for me to see. "It is a fifteen-minute walk from here, in the heart of Seoul. She is safe, right? Seoul is a generally safe city, isn't it? Good Lord, if anything happened to her–"

"No city is completely safe," I interrupt him, pulling my mask over my mouth and nose again. "I will go find her."

"I will come with you."

"We should split up. You search the east side, and I will look for her on the west side."

"Should I call a taxi?"

"No time."

We part ways, my heart pounding underneath my jacket. At this moment in time, I do not care if we just met – if Cherisse is hurt or in an unsafe situation, I will never forgive myself. My footsteps pound on the ground as I hurry down the sidewalk towards the restaurant where Jimin and Cherisse ate. My mind is racing with thoughts of what might be happening to Cherisse right now – it makes stress ball in the pit of my stomach but also pressures me to walk even faster.