The Ardent Lovers

007

Dahyun yawned as she looked at her laptop's screen with droopy eyes. Her elbow was on the desk while her hand supported her head. She glanced at the ticking clock and realized that it was already past ten. Her eyes then fell on the boy who slept on the couch in the office and a mischievous smile spread on her lips as she walked towards him with cat steps.

She crouched down and looked at Jungkook's ungraceful sleeping face; the boy was sleeping with his mouth wide open. Biting back a laugh, she grabbed her phone and took a picture.

"Black mail material," she whispered with an evil smirk.

But then her naughty expression quickly changed when Taehyung's caller ID flashed on her phone screen. She coughed first, trying to get away the sleepiness in her voice before saying,

"Hello."

"Hello Da," a smile quickly graced Dahyun's lips as soon as she heard his voice, "Are you home?"

She then walked towards her desk as she answered, "Not yet. I'm still finishing some documents."

"So you're still at your office?"

She bit her lower lip as she traced worry in Taehyung's voice but then she mumbled back, "Yes."

"But it's already late. You should have had taken your laptop with you and work at it at home."

She sighed before saying, "You know how much I hate letting work meddle up with home. Work is where you stress yourself and home is where you relax."

"But it's dangerous for you to stay in your office alone at this hour."

She stayed quiet as she put her phone between her right ear and shoulder, now freeing her hands so that she could begin typing once more. She took a quick glance at Jungkook and she resumed her work until she heard Taehyung spoke again.

"Dahyun?"

"I'm not alone. I'm with a co-worker," she retorted.

"Jimin? Daehwi? Sejeong? Mina?" he took guesses on who was staying with her.

She gulped, remembering that she was not able to tell Taehyung about Jungkook. But then she said, "No. I have a new coworker since a week ago. He's the editor-model we recently hired."

"He," Taehyung repeated.

"Hmmm," Dahyun innocently hummed, "We're boarding the same train, so he kept on insisting that we go home together. You don't have to worry since I have company."

"I don't have to worry," Taehyung paused, "That your company happened to be a 'He'."

"Wait," Dahyun said and silence followed until she let out a chuckle upon noticing how his voice sounded different just a few seconds ago. With a smile still on her lips, she added, "Don't tell me you're jealous."

"Not yet," he clarified, "I'm just worried for now."

"Worried over what?" Dahyun asked with a pout as she furrowed her brows.

"Well, you said that he's been taking you home for a week now," he started, "He wouldn't do that if he's not interested in you."

"No, he's not!" she quickly replied, before giving out a chuckle. She then continued with assurance in her voice, "He's just a simple employee trying to make a good impression on his employer. There's surely nothing more than that."

She heard Taehyung sigh before replying, "I hope so."

Her gaze on the computer screen softened as she suddenly realized that at that moment, Taehyung was insecure not of Jungkook but of himself.

She never pressured Taehyung to take her into movies every Friday night, have a date on the weekends, call her every day or take her home every night because she knew that he couldn't. He couldn't be the perfect boyfriend but that's not what Dahyun wanted. She just wanted him to be Taehyung and it was the perfect reason for her to fall in love with him over and over again.

Taehyung knew that he could also not be the perfect boyfriend, at least as of now, but thinking that he couldn't even be a normal boyfriend to the only girl he loved made him feel worse. The insecurity always gets into him specially during the times when other people get the chance to do things he wanted to do with her.

"Taehyungie," Dahyun whispered tenderly.

She knew the perfect words to calm Taehyung's troubled heart and mind.

She beamed as she said, "I love you."

Dahyun couldn't see it but she knew that by that time, Taehyung was smiling from ear to ear. She knew, that just like her, sometimes all Taehyung needs is a reassurance that despite the conflicts they were facing, their love was still surviving.

"Hmmmm," he hummed happily, "I love you too."

They listened to the silence as they let the words linger much longer in the air.

"I'm done with work, so I'm going home now," Dahyun spoke, "I'll call you later okay?"

"Okay," Taehyung replied, "Take care."

She ended the call with a warm smile. Sighing, she saved all the finished documents and closed her laptop, locking it with other valuable files in her desk. After arranging her bag, she walked towards Jungkook before lightly tapping his arm.

"He. Get up. I have to lock the office now," she said.

"You're done?" he sat up with half-lidded eyes. Sleepy, he reached for his backpack and followed Dahyun as they went out. Locking the door behind them, both of them walked towards the train station and between the two of them, only Jungkook's words resonated.

In a few days that he was accompanying her home, Dahyun learned that Jeon Jungkook never ran out of something to say. He would start talking about random things, like how the weather was so cold or how the sky was so starless, until his stories would go to his odd and funny experiences. Occasionally, she would answer back with "Why are you so noisy?" and it would make Jungkook smile, apologize and stay quiet but only over a few minutes.

However, most of the time, she would put on her earphones as if telling him that she wasn't interested.

But the other thing he learned about Jeon Jungkook is that he was persistent.

No matter how cold she acted towards him, Jungkook would still greet him with a warm smile. No matter how numerous times she would reply with silence, Jungkook would still keep trying to create a conversation with her. No matter how hard she tried to shoo him away, Jungkook would still be there, waiting for her every night.

Dahyun fluttered her eyes open upon noticing that tonight was quieter than usual. She glanced and noticed that Jungkook had already fallen asleep again.

That explains the extra weight.

She glared at the sleeping male, who comfortably rested his head on her shoulder.

Just one shrug would have woken him up, but something told Dahyun to let him be. She might have stayed too late in her work to drain the always energetic Jungkook. At that moment, she wondered if she unconsciously wanted to stay late at work because at least in the office, there was a stubborn guy who would never leave her alone.

And if there was one thing she disliked more than Jungkook, it was loneliness.