THE MANAGER NIM

17. PERSONA OR FACADE?

"SHOT READY!"

_

Pearls of cold mist splatters against your skin, a few droplets plunge into the cup of hot coffee in your hand, as you sloppily lean against the grill of your room's balcony.

The perfect harmony of rain's streaming sounds like a soothing melody and comforts your exhausted heart and mind, cold breeze caresses your round cheeks and tenderly kisses your bare skin.

Something soft collapses over your foot, "yo bruh!" you seize that furball off the floor, in your hands and it snuggles against your chest's warmness.

"First I need to name you something boy and that reminds me of..." your mind travels farther back to that brat who named you gom.

The Jungkook you used to know, the Jungkook who used to be your safe place is not this guy, this Jungkook is utterly different from the idol Jungkook you once loved and idolised in the past.

Is this the real Jungkook? Or the one who you used to see through your computer's screen almost every day, is the real Jungkook?

Is it just his K-pop idol persona?

Which one is his real character?

Which one is the facade?

And why did they all react in one or another weird way, when you introduced yourself as Jungkook's manager? Something is fundamentally wrong around you, it feels like something invisible is blindfolding your eyes, averting you from the untold truth.

Your room's door opens with a feeble creak.

"Shashima! Why are you still awake?"

"I can ask the same thing about you, sugarplum! Are you alright?"

"Yeah! I just felt like having a hot coffee, nothing much. Now tell me, why are you still awake?"

"I wanted to discuss something important with you since morning, but you looked quite busy so I couldn't" Her usual goofy face looks quite serious.

"Something important? Regarding what Shashima?"

Her lips fold inwards as she gazes deeply into your eyes.

"Listen y/n, don't get mad, okay? Listen what I'm gonna say completely with patience and then decide. So we got a new allian_"

Your phone rings, abruptly cutting off your aunt.

"Hello, y/n here" you attend it right away as it might be from your office.

"Ya gom, Cheil tower 4fl, Hannam The Hill, Yongsan, Seoul. You should be there in this address within 10 seconds if you don't want to pay the penalty for breaching the contract and your time starts now. Hwaiting gom-ah!"

Beep.

The little hand of the cute cuckoo clock hanging over your ash white wall strikes ten.

Internally cursing that Jackass with cuss words from all languages in existence, you groggily raise from your bed and march towards your closet.

"Shashima, I gotta go somewhere right now immediately. Can we talk about this later?" You tug out a jean and a plaid shirt from your wardrobe.

"Are you kidding y/n? It's past 10 now and it's not safe out there. Where are you even going at this time?" Pure anger is smeared all over her face.

"Shashima, I forgot to collect an important file regarding tomorrow's meeting, from office. So, please understand, if I don't get it by now, I'll be in a huge mess tomorrow! Please Shashima!"

An out-and-out lie.

How else can you explain your situation to her?

You barge into the walk-in closet, without waiting for her answer.

"I'll be back in a while Shashima, stop worrying and go to sleep. Also keep an eye on our puppy, bye!" Throwing your hair into a messy ponytail you step out of the house in haste before she changes her reluctant mind.

Shutting the door behind you, you whirl around facing the road and glide across the street, towards the main road, in a hurry like someone who is being followed by an assassin. Your footsteps echoed throughout the silent street.

Promptly another rhythmic pattern of a huge boot striding against the ground echoes along with your footsteps.

But you don't have enough time to arouse your inner Sherlock Holmes, so you continue to walk towards the main road to get a taxi, without turning back.

Subsequently, you get a taxi and climb inside it.

The car grumbles to life and leaves the spot.

It might be your hallucination, but while turning around to fasten your seat belt, you caught a glimpse of a hooded person with a sunglass, intensely casting spine-chilling stares in your direction, standing in the dark alley, across the street.

"First I need to put a stop to my 'murder documentaries and chill' kinda weekend plans." You mumble in an inaudible tone to your inner self.