||Chapter 04: Coffee Date? Nah. ||
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The coffee machine let out a small beep, the dark liquid dripping in trickles before it emptied its last drop. The ravenette lifted the ceramic mugs with the steaming coffee and carefully handed one to the other male who mumbled a soft "Thank you" as he took it in his hands, fingers lightly brushing the other's.
Jeon Jungkook led the other to a table in the middle of the silent cafe lounge. Taking their seats, the two sat in silence for a couple of minutes quietly sipping the bittersweet drink.
Every sound seemed louder as there were only a few people, the employee cleaning silently, the sound of typing from the small group working in the far end and hushed conversations of the few ladies taking a break--- fresh gossip service probably.
Jungkook leaned back in his chair and held his teal painted mug by its gold-painted handle in his hands, taking a look around him- an act that was probably supposed to make Taehyung feel comfortable around the boss, but instead just made him feel self-conscious as the power difference between them seemed way more intimidating than the sharp features of the ravenette.
Calm down, Taehyung. You already have the job. Taehyung tried to calm himself.
That doesn't guaranty a shit. He can still fire you. His mindvoice shot back at him.
Taehyung sighed mentally. He can't mess up, he needed the job, and this could go smooth if he could control his mouth from running wild like it did usually. But that didn't stop his mind from dwelling on certain mysterious facts revolving around him bagging this job without much difficulty, than he had expected.
"Mr Kim Taehyung?" The deep husky voice brought Taehyung back to reality and the son of one of the richest men in South Korea seated a few metres away from him.
"Yes, Mr Jeon?"
"Hmm... first we will have to correct this," Jungkook said.
Did I mess up already?
"Just like its ambience, this is a friendly workspace and despite the age differences, we wish people can still be comfortable around each other, which, given by the conservative norms of our country, can be a bit of a hassle" Jungkook paused to see if the other was following and seeing Taehyung listening attentively, he continued "So, here within the office chambers we call each other using our first names or our Christian names"
"Nice" Taehyung smiled.
"It is. Don't personally like people whom I'm bound to meet every day calling me 'Mr Jeon' or 'Mr Jungkook', makes me feel the creeps. So, what would you prefer? 'you have a Christian name?"
"No, I'm an atheist... Taehyung is fine with me, people call me that"
"Alright. Taehyung" Jungkook gave a quick nod. "I won't ask you why you chose Jeon Corp., because honestly, I don't care, you can state the reasons but... now that you are here, as the CEO of this company and you being assigned as the head of the new design team, I do expect your utmost dedication and the maximum working capacity of your sexy brain"
Taehyung chuckled. "Rest assured, Mr Jeon. I do what I do and I know I'm good at it"
Jungkook hid the amusement behind his smirk "I like your confidence Taehyung and", now taking a serious note, he added "Mr Jeon is my dad. It's Jungkook."
Taehyung quickly nodded, realization hitting him "Right, Jungkook. I'll be careful the next time"
"Sehun has handed over the files yet?"
"No, the reason for dropping in today was actually that though. He hasn't called yet" Taehyung quickly clicked his phone on to check for new notifications, finding none, he clicked it off and put it back on the white marble tabletop.
"He must be hooked up with the meeting, you can collect them tomorrow. I'll ask him to drop them in your cabin later"
"I can wait though."
"The meeting is not gonna get over anytime soon," Jungkook said nonchalantly "There are lots of stuff to be reorganised, discussions, working on schedules, assigning people... boring stuff" Jungkook exhaled and arched his head back, his neck joints popping off in loud cracks.
Taehyung noticed the developing sleep bags under his eyes, the tense muscles, the nerve popping up in his neck as the ravenette stretched his shoulder muscles and the light pen marks on his hands.
He seemed exhausted to Taehyung, reminding him that the other was also a twenty-three-year-old guy, the same age as him, only with a ton more life experience and work.
"So, you ditched the meeting?"
Jungkook smiled sweetly, like a kid who had done something smart for his age. "Namjoon is taking care of it, once done he'll give a quick briefing in my cabin. Basically, the three long hours meeting condensed into a thirty-minute speech"
"Perks of being the CEO?" Taehyung teased with a playful grin.
Jungkook shrugged, mirroring his grin "Nothing wrong in exercising your authority from time to time. Saves a lot of headaches, you see."
Taehyung agreed and a comfortable silence rested between the two. The occasional clinking of the mugs against the tables, the coffee machine now grinding continuously and the buzz of the now populated cafe made him realize that more people had filled in while they had been conversing.
Taehyung's mind again went back to that one question that had been bugging him right from he had received the mail notifying him that he had got the position.
"Ask it away"
Taehyung's eyes went wide making Jungkook chuckle.
"Your face made it too obvious to not notice that you have something to ask, but your mind is telling you otherwise" Jungkook leaned forward, intertwining his fingers on the table "What is it?"
"Er, Jungkook..."
"Yeah? I'm listening"
"Why me?" Taehyung looked right into his eyes "There must've been lots of people who applied for this position, people who are more experienced than me, with more potential than me. But, I got selected by just an online interview with the heads and the processing of my CV? Why?" he asked, his past confidence instantly combusting into smoke.
When Taehyung ended his train of questions, he himself felt like he had no self-confidence and the slight flicker of Jungkook's coal-black irises only added consent to his thoughts.
Well done, Taehyung. If the cause of your successful appointment had been your spontaneous critical thinking ability and the bravery you had put up during the interview, then all that tailored sceptical answers were going down the drain right now. Taehyung's mind growled in anger.
" I don't wanna sound judgemental..."
I already don't like where this is going...
"You have an excellent CV and your past works were fascinating and new, so I think you can help yourself with a little self-confidence boost up," Jungkook said solemnly, the past playful cheeriness completely gone.
Is this how he sounded when he spoke business?
Taehyung gulped and nodded.
Hot.
Shut up. Taehyung deadpanned.
"Thank you."
"But clearly, that wasn't the sole reason that got you hired, as you may know. Jeon Corp., is not a playground and neither it is a Greek empire. We strive to recognise and fund the brains of struggling independent artists instead of hiring talentless nepotism babies."
Taehyung didn't know if that was an insult or a compliment because he wasn't a struggling artist, he had made a decent amount of achievements and had received quite a few praiseworthy awards, but chose to remain silent and get past the comment with a nod.
"The contract is only for three years, Taehyung. If things go South, the contract might not get renewed, after all, I can't take risks constantly either. The lives of more than ten thousand workers and thousands of clients lie in my hands" Jungkook explained sincerely.
"That's a lot of responsibility," Taehyung said, with the deserving admiration and wonder lacing his voice.
"But I'm not the only one who is going to bear it all, Taehyung. From now on, a part of it is going to be yours too and being the head of the new product, you are going to be responsible for a lot of things. I want to watch you work and check your potential, myself."
Taehyung let out a slow deep breath.
Jungkook smiled. "Hey, I'm just telling you where things stand. Of course, you're not gonna do it all by yourself. There's a big team waiting to work under your command and I'm here too. You can drop in anytime if you need anything. Yeah?"
Taehyung smiled back with stress "Yeah. I think now I know what I'm going to be dealing with, which is not gonna be a bed of roses, I guess."
"Definitely not."
"That's very much motivating"
Both chuckled which soon blossomed into a genuine smile.
"Welcome to the fam, Taehyung!"
"Glad to be a part, Jungkook."
*****
And the drama begins!
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-EuphoricOnyx-