Accidentally Assisting

Chapter 45 - Come Home, Once Again

Silently, I think his words over for a while. "I had never thought of it that way. However, that explains why Jinyoung – one of the BigHit employees – contacted me earlier."

"See? Your dad's always right."

"Mmh. Most of the time." I retort, making him chuckle softly.

"Besides, aside from the that Jungkook needs you because of the scandal, have you ever thought he might actually want to talk to right now? You're the only person who understands what he's going through right now."

"Cause I'm going through the same thing," I say quietly.

"Exactly. Good luck, sweetie."

...

After finishing the call with my dad, I quickly text Jinyoung, informing him that I'm sorry about the whole situation, and would like to collaborate with BigHit. Then, I ask him if it'd be alright for me to call Jungkook, to which he – surprisingly enough- agrees right away.

I don't want to contact Jungkook at work since I'm unaware of what kind of emotional state I'll find myself in after our conversation and I still need to be able to focus on work, at least a little bit.

So, I torture myself by glancing at my watch and rereading e-mails five times to make time pass faster (a method which proves itself unsuccessful). Sarah, having noticed my sudden change in moods, grills me with questions, which I reluctantly answer while making her promise to not tell anyone about the articles.

"Girl, no one here speaks Korean, so how are they going to read the articles? Literally, everyone except you pretended to be fluent for this job. Besides, you don't actually think I want you to be fired, right? You're my only sunshine in this never-ending work rain."

"That was quite poetic. And likewise."

So, when I finally reach my small studio, kick off my shoes, wash my hands, and get out my phone, my heart is beating full of nervous anticipation. How will Jungkook react to me calling him? To procrastinate the moment a bit more, I stare at the busy streets outside through my window. All these people hurrying in different directions... I don't care about what they've got going on, I just wish I was one of them right now instead of being stuck in my current situation, having to call the man who I ran away from because loving him pained me too much.

All I wanted was to be free from Jungkook, to offer both of us a new life without the baggage of a relationship. However, it seems like the universe is not on my side.

Taking a deep breath, I dial a number I haven't used in over a year and wait for Jeon Jungkook's voice at the other end of the line.

"Yes?"

Shit. Literal goosebumps appear on my skin. Why am I suddenly so nervous? I've seen him in real life not too long ago. However, since then, everything has changed.

"Hello? This is... this is Rose." I struggle to speak.

"Yes, I know. Jinyoung told me you would call." Right. He sounds bored but not annoyed like he's still waiting to find out if I have something important to share with him.

"Are you... are you alright?", I finally push out.

"No." I hear him sigh at the other end of the line before he asks to my surprise: "And you? Are you alright?"

"A bit overwhelmed," I admit. Why does Jungkook care how I feel? Then, I gather all my courage. "Actually, I called because I wanted to ask you a question."

"Ask it, then."

"Do you think... do you think I should come back home?"

There's no need to specify I mean Korea.