AMIN
"Shilla?"
I look up. She doesn't look like she's heard me at all, expression wiped blank as she stares emptily at the wall.
I sigh.
Then I stand up, walking towards her. Then I get on my tiptoes and put my mouth right to her ear.
"Shilla!"
"What the he— I mean," She giggles awkwardly. "Yeah? Sorry 'bout that. Did I miss something?"
"Yes, you missed stuff." I say, brushing back my hair. "But not important. What's wrong with you?"
She hesitates.
"Amin. I'm in actual trouble."
Trouble?
"What?"
Shilla turns her head away. She sighs heavily, clenching her fists before opening them again.
"I think I'm interested in my superior."
Jungkook.
I burst into laughter. She looks at me curiously when I do, a little bit of hurt flashing in her wide eyes.
"You child. He likes you too— haven't I told you this already?"
"I thought you were joking."
And when I go back to working, she laughs nervously. Shilla shuffles to my side, hanging over me like a shadow.
"What should I do, Amin? I don't know how these things work."
I close my folder. "Don't you know where he is? Ask him out for dinner."
She gives me a long stare, until I raise an amused eyebrow.
"Do you want me to come with you?"
"If you insist." She says, and I smile faintly as I follow her outside my office. I was honestly excited to see how this would go— Shilla, asking out a man for the first time in her life.
It's cute to see her all frozen up and stiff when we get to Jeon Jungkook's office.
"I'll be out here. Go on."
She peers anxiously at the man, who's sitting oblivious in his chair. Her cheeks are lightly blushed.
"Screw it."
Muttering under her breath, she knocks on his door. Through the glass, I see Jungkook look up.
"Come in."
I give her a smile just before she goes in. And when she does, I hold my breath— can't helping but to listen through the slight opening of the door.
"Shilla?"
"Yeah— hi." She says, and my lips instantly stretch with a smile. "I, uh, did you eat yet?"
"Yes, I did." He says. And I hear the sound of papers being put down.
"I meant dinner. Did you eat dinner yet?"
He laughs. I'm laughing too, in silent smiles because I can't make any noise.
"Have you lost your time sense along with your sense of direction? It's four in the afternoon."
I can picture Shilla frowning, eyes narrowing in impatience.
"So did you or did you not?"
"I did not."
"Okay then." She says, and I quiet my breath. "Do you want to eat together later? After work?"
There's a brief silence.
"Are you asking me out?"
"Yes." And I'm surprised to hear Shilla reply right back. The little bit of the impatience shows— probably, to cover up the embarrassment. "There's a problem with that?"
Jungkook seems to be at a loss for words for a second. But his amused voice soon comes back.
"No. Are you choosing the place?"
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"What?"
"I'm walking you home." I say, smiling. "Jungkook's busy taking Shilla out. So I'm your bodyguard for tonight, love."
Taehyung's mouth drops open. "Jungkook? Did you just say that he's— what?"
"They're having dinner together."
He bursts up from his chair. "I have to follow. Holy crap— I need to see this. Come with me, Noona. I know you want to."
I did.
But it wouldn't be right.
"Tae." I laugh, playing with the keys in my palm. "Let them be alone. That would be invading their private time."
He hesitates. And I'm about to pat his head when he grips my hand and says something completely different.
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you."
"But Jungkook was there when we were on our first date."
My words fall to silence.
"...what?"
"It was— really back. At the café, when we had lunch. You'd just come in the company. He insisted coming because he wanted to make sure that you..."
He coughs awkwardly.
"You were not like the others. I told him no but he—"
I laugh, not because anything's funny but because I'm in disbelief.
"Jungkook. He was there at the café that day?"
Taehyung bites his lip.
"And I'm guessing he'd followed us all the way there?"
When he nods timidly again, I grip his wrist and pull him out of the office. Then this gave me the perfect right to see if he was safe for my best friend.
"W-Where are we..."
"We're following them." I say, feeling annoyed. "I know where they're going already— it's probably Shilla's favorite place."
His shyness fades away in a second.
"Really?" He claps his hands in excitement.
"Noona, what are we doing? Let's go faster!"
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He's like a kid on a field trip.
"Taehyung!" I yelp when he almost steps out of the corner— into Jungkook's peripheral vision. "Come back here!"
When I pull him back, there's an embarrassed smile on his face.
"Sorry."
"They're both bodyguards." I remind him, fixing the dark cap deeper over his eyes. "We need to be more careful if we're going to this, alright?"
He nods, deep eyes sparkling under the shadow of the cap.
"Okay."
"Good." I sigh. Then I pull my hair into a high ponytail, fitting a white cap over my head. "We're going into the restaurant now. Remember what I told you?"
"Of course, Noona."
And his demeanor changes the moment we step in.
_____________________________
Why is he so good at this?
The plan had been to sit about two seats away from them, where they couldn't see our faces but we could see theirs if we looked.
And I'd told him to act like my older boyfriend, because both Jungkook and Shilla would never suspect a thing if he did.
They'd only ever seen Taehyung— all shy and submissive around me.
I'd thought they wouldn't catch on this way.
But this boy.
He was taking what I said too seriously.
"What do you want, baby?" He asks, passing me the menu. "I can buy it all for you if you'd like."
I bite down on my bottom lip, passing it back after taking a look. "Chocolate cake. What about you, op—"
I cringe.
"Oppa."
His act falls away for a second. An excited smile tints his lips— different from the hard line until now.
"Of course I want ice crea— I don't want anything." He quickly fixes, voice deepening when it's already plenty deep. Then he stands to order, so I take the time to listen.
They sounded so awkward.
"You should try the ice cream." Shilla says, eyes reading down the same menu. "You might, um, like it. I promise."
Jungkook laughs softly.
"I know I won't. I came here with Taehyung last time— and he already forced me to try. His taste is similar to yours."
And the man that had just came back to the table freezes up when he hears his name.
"Are they talking about me?" He murmurs, and I nod amusedly. "What? Why would they be talking about me when they're supposed to be on a date?"
I smile when I see him holding an ice cream cone, expression confused. He just couldn't resist, could he?
"Cut down on your ice cream, Tae. At this rate everyone in the company will know."
He frowns. And I see him slightly lean forward in his chair— listening in as well.
But there's nothing to listen to.
"They're not even talking." Taehyung whispers, burying his face in his hands. "Noona, what do I do? I'm getting secondhand embarrassment."
"Hush. Maybe give them a little time."
But when this continues for another minute, I start to get agitated. I knew Shilla wasn't this quiet— she was more talkative than this.
Why wasn't she saying anything at all?
And Jungkook.
"He's good at everything except for talking to women." Taehyung says, licking at his cone. "I don't think I've ever seen him go on a single date befor—"
"I knew it."
He freezes. And I sigh heavily, the moment I realize why the two had been so quiet.
They'd been listening to us.