The process of looking for an assistant for the introverted boss went on. The days that passed had never been easy.
There was once when Seokjin and Yoongi almost got caught preparing for the interview. They were lucky that there weren't any applicants at that time. That time was when Hoseok returned to the office alone to get his phone. When he asked why were they in the (supposed) abandoned room, Seokjin came up with a brilliant reason – saying the area was a place to rest or a place for Yoongi to sleep just in case he was lazy to go back to his house again.
The reason effectively convinced the boss. The two of them found solace in their minds after a long time of warnings and sirens.
At that point, Seokjin felt like giving up. At least, he had chosen three or four candidates who were likely to be selected. Nonetheless, he could not help but found something inadequate in the candidates.
Still, Yoongi did not forget the 'nurse girl'. He wanted to let Seokjin know about his thought as soon as he could, but the older had been very occupied with his task and the interview. As they were on break, he was supposed to share his thoughts, but Jisoo needed him that time when she carelessly hit her broken finger on the edge of the table.
"It hurts as fuck! Fucking hurts!!" Her cry resonated in the fully furnished store. It even had Jimin, who was counting at the counter, jump.
Seokjin made the bandage around the fingers thicker. He slapped his sister's mouth as he scolded, "did I ever teach you that ugly word?"
That scolding only made Jisoo cry harder.
So many matters and challenges that these two had to go through.
Yoongi and Seokjin decided to take a break at a Chinese restaurant that evening after another long day. That time, Hoseok – who was told to hang out with Namjoon again that day – had returned from a café.
"Hyung," Yoongi started, swallowing his noodles after that. "Have you decided on a good assistant for Hoseok?"
Seokjin shook his head with a bulge on his left cheek. His temples muscles bolded every time he chewed the contents in his mouth. "I wanted Jisoo to be his assistant, but I don't think I can trust her with all the assisting," he paused to swallow. "She would waste some time. Do you have someone in mind?"
Yoongi nodded his head. He put down his chopstick after emptying his bowl. He uttered, "the nurse girl."
Seokjin stopped chewing. "The nurse girl?"
Yoongi nodded.
"Who –"
"Lee Jiah."
"Ahh..." Seokjin paused in the mid-way. "Who?"
Yoongi tilted to the side to get his wallet. He then took out a passport photo size and slid it to Seokjin.
"Ah! This girl. Wait, how come you have her photo? Don't tell me –"
"I know you'd forget," Yoongi nonchalantly told. He crossed his legs and leaned to the back. "She seems to be for Hoseok."
"Oh," The older paused, looking elsewhere as he tried to remember the nurse girl. "O... kay?"
"A nurse student. Pretty sure she took an internship for a short time, so she's trained to be patient, and diligent. I was impressed she hadn't made me doubt her potential and she wasn't as difficult as the rest."
Seokjin had a recollection of the young woman then. "But most of her work experience has nothing to do with assisting Hoseok."
"But the training she had taken may have," Yoongi said. "I believe in this girl. I have a strong intuition that I trust way too much sometimes. I might be a clairvoyant in my past life."
Seokjin laughed at his utterance.
*********
Hoseok found something while he was inspecting the clothes on the mannequins near the entrance. With a frown, he moved closer. The last time he left the boutique, there wasn't any cello tape glue stain, or small evidence of plastic stuck on the glass.
The window squeaked as he rubbed the stain. And then, he scratched the cello tape on the glass with his nails to remove it. Turning around, he asked, "Wheein, Jisoo, did any of you clean the glass today?"
"I did," Wheein answered with a hand raised.
"But what is this?" Hoseok showed the evidence.
Wheein took a look closer. Her eyes enlarged at the plastic sticking in her boss' finger. "Oh-oh! That. Haha! I was... I was using the cello tape to... oh – collect the micro dust! Hahaha! I forgot that I stuck one there." She then faked a wide grin.
Hoseok's eyes drooped, lips still frowning. "Is that possible?"
Wheein nodded her head fast, her bang got messed up as she did.
The innocent man turned around and scanned the glass. He whispered, "perhaps, I can try this for my office." After pulling the half-fallen hoodie to cover his head, he walked away from the glass to his office.
Wheein looked at Jisoo who was frozen in her seat. Once they heard the familiar sound of a glass door clanging and swinging at its place, Jisoo mumbled a scolding at how careless her friend could be. Wheein mimicked a crying face, her friend laughed to scorn.
Yoongi and Seokjin came back. The girls welcomed them back as Yoongi passed Wheein two plastic bags filled with takeaway food and drinks.
Seokjin then asked, "where is Hoseok?"
Wheein answered, "in his office."
The man grabbed a wrapped chicken burger and a small bottle of Coca-Cola before making his way to Hoseok's office.
Hoseok was sketching in his office as usual, his posture bent on the table with his chin propped on top of his left fist, dark blue hoodie half covering his head. The knocks on the door had him raise his head.
Seokjin pushed the door without hesitation and announced, "we bought chicken burgers." He raised the hand that held the food. "Yours."
Hoseok shook his head, resuming his sketch.
Seokjin inhaled a deep breath with his eyes shut. A deep, warning yet calm tone left the man's mouth. "Hoseok."
"I don't want it, hyung. Don't bother."
"Hoseok, you always skip breakfast."
The young boss calmly remarked, "except that time when you bought me fish carp bread. I'm not the type to eat breakfast and you know that."
Seokjin tilted his head with a tired look. "You gotta eat your lunch."
"Later."
"So, take these."
"I don't want it."
Seokjin asked, "what do you want? I can buy it for you."
"I said don't bother. I can buy on my own."
Seokjin kept quiet for a few moments. He then looked at the time displayed on Hoseok's desktop. "As long as you leave the office by three p.m. Expect me coming back to shove food in your mouth if you don't."
"Okay," Hoseok said, not raising his head.
Finally, the older man left the area.
Hoseok lifted himself with a soft breath left his mouth. He was thinking about how to lie more to avoid eating after that. He didn't have the appetite to eat.
**********
Hoseok went back home at three p.m. instead, knowing the condition at the house had gotten back to peace, and thought it was a better way to avoid Seokjin from shoving food in his mouth.
In front of the gate, he looked up at the sky, white clouds passed through leisurely. His nose wiggled and sniffed. Under the sun, a slight chill in the air grazed his skin.
"Hmm. Fall is coming," he muttered, then looking around to see the trees available in that area. He leaned himself on his car, arms crossed and head up at the sky. His hoodie fell on his back.
"Is fall coming at your place too?"
**********
One night, a suspicious sight somewhere in a dark pathway. The moonlight was the only source that helped brightened the way. No one walked by the place. However, heavy breaths coming from an individual interrupted the eerie silence.
Dragging a body had never been easy. However, he had no choice.
He turned his head down to smell his shirt. A grimace drew on his face. He hissed, "ugh... Sheesh!" And then, gagged at the nauseating smell dancing around his nostrils.
He continued to drag. Grunting at the heaviness, it was accompanied by the friction noise against the back of a pair of shoes and pebbles on the ground.