Safe With Me | A Jeon Jungkook AU Fanfiction

thirteen | 십삼

Gripping his fist tight, Namjoon's knuckles soon loses color. Putting his phone down, he focuses his attention back to the one-way mirror. The faces of the executives reminded him of his first interview at the company. Their words were direct and brutal, and they meant business. Stepping into the company was an equivalence to his mom's earful, who'd always told Namjoon that it is far better to be an engineer, a lawyer, or an office worker. She was always sure that he would excel in these fields. 

Namjoon had attempted his voyage on the road less travelled, but his voice could not take him far enough. He hated the idea of being confined to a nine-to-five job, and he knows exactly what is going through Jungkook's mind in the middle of the big, cold interview room.

Jungkook lowers the upper half of his body for a deep bow, signalling the end of his interview. Namjoon stands up instinctively, sticking his eyes right at the woman sitting between the two male executives.

Her head bobs. 

Her lips are curled upwards.

Namjoon fumbles with the unlocking of his phone.

Namjoon 🐨
Guys. I think we may have just found a reason to add him into this chatroom.

»»————-　　————-««

"Psst! Did you hear about the handsome, young man at our second floor?"

"Which one?" 

"The managers who saw him through the one-way mirror said he looked gorgeous, like an idol!"

"I just came up from the second floor, and damn, he looks fine!"

"Do you have a picture?" 

"Yes, I took one secretly!" 

At the copier-machine-cum-office-pantry, Mia and two other young ladies from the adjacent department are blatantly loud with their gossips. Standing by the high table, they make their conversations no secret, as though inviting others who bump into them in the desolate corner to join in.

It's unfortunate that one who walks in happens to be Yeseul.

Her brows twitches at the unrefined sum of giggling.

With a mug on her hands, Yeseul courses her way to the water dispenser. Her footsteps rumble like a crack of thunder against the clear blue sky.

"Oh shit, it's her." Mia's voice lowers at the sight of her team leader, and despicable gasps follow.

Pushing the red button on the dispenser, a cross-armed Yeseul waits for her hot cup of Earl Grey tea to be refilled. Behind her, the ladies who are mindlessly chattering away aren't exactly far apart from her age. From the outside looking in, they share similar interests in fashion and art. 

Perhaps, in a different world, Yeseul would have been able to join in like a normal woman in her twenties. She could have indulged in their idle conversations. 

In the world that she lives in, Yeseul draws an unnecessarily clear line between herself and her subordinate. As Mia's team leader, she shoulders the responsibility of ensuring that her quality work is completed on time, so that her already sub-par reputation could be salvaged. 

She wouldn't have interrupted Mia's break if she had been doing a good job.

But she isn't. 

Fearing that a quiet exit from the pantry may equate to the act of condoning Mia's behavior, Yeseul lets out a long breath as she turns towards the young ladies.