REMEMBER YOU ʲʲᵏ ✓

9. Birthday (2)

❛ ʏᴇʀɪɴ ❜

''Guys! We're serving food. Come to the dining room," said Namjoon oppa.

I smiled. Not because I was hungry.

But because he'd been skipping chatting with us just to help his boyfriend, my brother. My brother, who had forbade me to help him because it was my birthday. We had watched a movie together, so it was a late dinner.

I had been chatting happily with the others in the living room. And, I still couldn't believe Jeon Jungkook was actually this friendly.

I guessed it was because he was as close to the people present here as I was. Probably even more. So, it didn't bother him that he was at his personal secretary's birthday party, who also happened to be the sister of his brother's best friend.

Hoseok oppa was the first one to move from the living room, dragging his boyfriend behind him. After that, Jimin and Minji got up together.

Mr. Jeon's phone rang and he gestured me and Taehyung to go to the dining room, too.

"Go on, Tae. I'll be there soon," I told him. He nodded and walked away.

"I could use some alone time to talk with him." I thought.

Ending the call rather quickly, he asked, "Are you that reluctant to let me out of your sight?''

Not that smirk again.... The fact that he's looking handsome without any of those thin office shirts isn't helping, either.

"Actually, I wanted to talk to you," I said, ignoring his teasing.

"Yes?" He asked, a bit more serious this time.

"I'm sorry for my behavior at your office the other day, Mr. Jeon."

I waited for him to reply. And he did, after a while. "Did you think I took your words seriously yesterday?"

For some reason, I couldn't bring myself to lie to him. "For a while, yes. But when I came home, I understood it was part of the plan."

His lips formed a slight smile and he said, "You're correct. Just so you know, I never wanted to decrease your workload only because you were Jin hyung's sister."

My heart skipped a beat and I asked, "Then why did you, sir?" For a moment, it seemed as though he couldn't find the right words.

Eventually, he said, "You think I didn't notice the dark circles below your eyes? You were clearly overworking yourself."

I didn't know what to say.

"I shouldn't have given you so much work in the first place. You're only a few months younger than me, after all."

I could say one one thing. "Thank you, sir."

"Well..." He looked like he was thinking about something. "If you really want to thank me, you have to do something for me."

I suddenly felt nervous. Maybe it had something to do with the smirk that had just reappeared on his face.

"What do you want me to do?" I asked.

"Could you..." He spoke so slowly that all kinds of things flashed through my mind before he finished. "...stop calling me sir and Mr. Jeon? Jungkook is a good name, you know."

I tried to hide my relieved expression with a nervous laugh. Not knowing if it worked, I replied, "Sure, Jungkook."

He smiled and stayed silent for a moment, as if savouring the sound of his name from my lips. 

"Shall we go to the dining room now? The others might be waiting."

Although the tension had decreased, I couldn't fail to notice Taehyung's unexplainable expression when we reached the dining room. It was less than angry, but it was serious. I couldn't help but feel weird.

And it didn't help when he slightly kissed my cheek before leaving when no one was paying attention. I thought I saw the same expression as Taehyung on Jungkook's face when he said goodbye.

❛ ᴊᴜɴɢᴋᴏᴏᴋ ❜

All the way back home, I was pestered by endless questions from Hoseok hyung. Yoongi hyung was driving. It started well when he asked me about work. Then, it became awkward.

Why? Yerin.

''So, Jungkook-ah, you've never arranged a surprise birthday party for any of your secretaries before, have you?" He asked, a playful smile on his face.

"No. Most of them have left work or were fired before that," I replied bluntly.

"I see. So, why Yerin?"

''What do you mean?" I asked.

"Oh, you know what I mean."

It took me a few moments to reply because I had been asking myself the same question. Why Yerin?

"Because we all love her?" Yoongi hyung offered. "I mean, she's Jin's sister, after all."

"No," I protested. "It's not just that. She's different."

''Really?" Hoseok hyung asked, his smile growing even more playful. "Sure you don't like her?"

"No!" I was too quick. "I mean, yeah, I like her. But not in a romantic sense."

"Uh-huh," said Yoongi hyung, which sounded more like teasing than a statement.

"I'm serious, hyung!" I said. To my surprise, it sounded like I was a kid trying to say I hadn't done something which I obviously had.

"By the way, do you know about their parents?" I asked curiously.

"Not much. I think they died when they were young," he replied.

''Oh and... do you know if she's afraid of the dark, hyung?" I asked him.

''No. But Jin did say something about it when we were preparing for the surprise," he said thoughtfully. "He said he never keeps all the lights off at the same time because Yerin feels disturbed by it."

Guess that's a story I'll have to find out myself.