Earlier that day...
Once again, the flight was full of nerves. Yoongi felt the same as last time, knowing full well the offer to create a contract could still fall through. But this time, Jin was there distracting his friend with dad jokes and snacks.
Yoongi tried to occupy his mind by actually watching the in-flight movie this time instead of sleeping.
But it was some cheesy romantic comedy and it made him think about you.
"Yoongi, are you listening?" Jin said suddenly. Yoongi snapped to attention.
"Sorry, what?"
"I asked if you wanted some more water."
Yoongi realized the flight attendant was there, patiently awaiting an answer. "No, thank you," he said.
"Just a bit more for me, then. Thank you!" Jin glanced at his friend as soon as she was gone. "You nervous?"
"Of course I am, Jin," he groaned. "Last time I did this, someone tried to steal my songs."
"First of all, he was an ass. Second of all, you said you had a good feeling about this guy. So I doubt anything would happen. But just let this Bang guy try that and see what happens. I'll take him on myself."
"Jin, don't make trouble for yourself."
"Excuse me?! I'm only making trouble for him. You think I can't direct who I'm making trouble for at my age? Have more faith in your elders," he huffed.
That got a small smile in response. "Okay, okay. I appreciate it. But there's no guarantee I'll get anything out of this meeting anyway."
"After taking a plane to meet him? He'd better offer you something."
Thankfully, the attendant came back with his water then and that distracted Jin enough that Yoongi didn't have to answer.
He knew that there was a chance he could leave empty-handed, just like last time. He wanted to believe this time would be different, but only time would tell.
By the time the plane landed, it was mid-afternoon. The pair had gotten on an early flight so they'd have time to check-in and their hotel and eat on the way.
Airplane food was fine, but it did very little to settle the nerves, as Jin pointed out. They freshened up first, then found a small restaurant close to the building they'd be meeting in and ate there. Mostly Jin ate. Yoongi used the opportunity to try to smooth out the non-existent wrinkles in his shirt. He'd opted for a more casual look this time and he was wondering if that had been a mistake.
"Yoongi?" Jin asked as he took a sip of his drink.
"What?"
"Want to hear a joke about pizza?"
Pizza?" He repeated. "Might as well."
"Never mind, it's too cheesy!"
There was a moment of stony silence before Yoongi looked around for their waitress. "We're ready for the check, please."
"Hey, don't ignore my joke!"
"Jin, I'm really not in the mood for food jokes."
"Fine." He played with the straw in his drink. "Do you know how much a chimney costs?"
"No."
"It shouldn't cost anything, it's on the house!"
"Please stop." But Jin didn't miss the small smile on Yoongi's face.
The secretary checked them in and told Yoongi that the producer was already waiting for him. Yoongi panicked for a second thinking that they were late and he'd kept the man waiting, but she assured him that he had cleared his calendar for the afternoon and was just working on some small things in his office.
Jin gave him a pat on the back and sat down to wait.
Yoongi took a deep breath and knocked on the door.
"Come in," a voice called from the other side. Yoongi opened the door and looked at the man sitting behind the desk. "Ah, Yoongi. It's nice to meet you in person." He offered a quick handshake before gesturing to one of the chairs sitting in front of his desk.
Yoongi sat down quickly. "Nice to meet you, sir."
"Nice to meet you. We've spoken over the phone, but I'm Bang Si-hyuk. I'm the head producer and CEO here at BM, or Bang Music. I wanted to sit down and talk about why you want to be a producer. What you're looking to get out of this partnership if you sign on with us."
"I want to make music," he answered simply. "I want to create music that speaks to people. That tells them who I am and makes them want to listen. I just need a chance to show that I can do it."
"I see."
"But I don't want to be some kind of song-writing robot. I want it to have meaning. So if you want someone who's going to be pushing out song after song to make money, then I don't think we're a good fit."
Bang smiled. "I'm glad to hear that. You've probably met with some other producers already who wanted you to start making music like that, right?"
Yoongi nodded.
"Well, I promise you that that's not what we're about here. My goal is to help our producers make music that tells their stories. That shows their true selves." He shrugged. "I'll be the first to admit that we're not the largest company out there. We don't have all the same equipment or perks that a larger company could potentially offer you, but I would like to hire you on for a trial period."
"Trial period?" Yoongi repeated.
"Yes. I do this with all our potential producers. We hire them on a three-month contract and give them access to our studios, our equipment, and any staff members they may need. During that time, you're expected to write and produce a track to completion. Once you're finished, we'll have an evaluation where we'll provide feedback on the track and determine if our company is a good fit for you. If we like the track, we'll hire you on as a producer and help you release it as your first single."
Yoongi sat in stunned silence for a few minutes. "But what if I use that time and decide the company isn't for me? What happens to that track?"
"Oh, the track is yours to take with you. We don't hold any ownership of it. The only thing we ask is that our company gets a production credit if it ever gets released."
"Would I have to stay here for the full trial period?"
"Not here exactly, but we do prefer that you stay in the area to make full use of our resources. If you need housing arrangements, we can offer those for you." Bang smiled again. "I understand that this is a big decision, so if you need time to think about it--"
"I'll do it. On one condition."
You saw your phone light up inside your bag. You quickly excused yourself from the table to answer it.
"Hello?"
"Hey, it's me," Yoongi's voice replied on the other end.
"Is something wrong?"
"No. I just wanted to let you know that I got an offer. Or, an offer to do a trial run with the company. Just for a few months to make sure they like my songs."
"Oh, congratulations!" It was silent for a moment. "So you'll be moving out of the house after all?"
"Well...yeah. That's what I said would happen when I got an offer."
"Of course. Well, good."
"Yeah. I'll be out of your way sooner than expected." He laughed and you frowned.
"Thanks for letting me know. I should get back to my dinner."
"Right. I'll talk to you later."
You felt it as soon as you hung up. That cold, gnawing feeling of regret. You knew he'd get an offer, but to have him disappear at the first opportunity?
You weren't sure why you felt so agitated about it. There was a time when you would have been excited at the prospect of Yoongi leaving. But now...after everything, would you just go back to being strangers?
Maybe it would be easier. But part of you didn't like it. That gnawing feeling in your stomach was proof of that. There was no way you'd actually grown feelings for him, was there?
No....that was impossible. But as soon as the thought entered your head, you knew it was right. You'd fallen for the man you'd been trying so hard to get rid of from day one.
Yoongi stared at his phone, a puzzled frown on his face. Were you mad at him?
No, that couldn't be right. You were getting what you wanted, a free life away from him and running a company like you always wanted. What did you have to be mad about?
All he'd done was make a joke to break the awkward tension. Jin had done it several hours earlier and it had worked. But when he tried it, it only made the tension worse. He'd felt the change.
Why would you be so mad about him leaving? It wasn't like you wanted him to stick around. You were getting divorced, it just made sense that you'd go in your separate directions.
But still...some small part of him was sad to realize that you wouldn't be part of his life anymore. He started as he heard the bathroom door open.
"Someone's thinking hard," Jin commented. "Don't tell me, you've already got your inspiration for your next song?"
"Yeah," Yoongi replied softly. "You could say that."