Jennie takes her bag and her blazer. She decided to buy a take out somewhere. She's been sitting on her chair for hours, maybe a little walk can ease her mind and her sore butt.
"I'm going." She says to Suga and Hyoyeon who sit beside and across her. "Can you buy me a drink? Any cold drink. I feel so sleepy but I don't want coffee." Jennie nods at Hyoyeon's request and goes alone to the elevator.
She checks her phone but there's no text or calls. Does he have a building to be extinguished? He said he'll be in her building for investigation. She's not seeing him anywhere.
But, when the door opened, she didn't expect that what she'd been looking for was standing in front of her all along, looking gorgeous in his navy blue firefighter uniform.
He looks down with his hands in his pants pocket, but when the door opens he looks up and arches his eyebrows. He didn't see it coming too for meeting Jennie like this. He thought he'll be waiting on her tonight again like yesterday.
Suddenly, he smiled. "Hey, going down?" Jennie is still a statue and her eyes are still wide open without blinking. Her mouth hangs open a bit, there she goes again with her typical reaction every time she meets Taehyung. Truthfully her heart beat fast, because she wasn't expecting to meet him but she's looking forward to getting a text or a call from him because she just wants to take it slow.
"Oh yeah, sorry." She walks in and looks away from him because she can't show him how nervous she is although he already notices with her first reaction when she just stands in front of the elevator.
The elevator ride seems so awkward because Jennie now looks at Taehyung completely differently now. She's not. . . pissed nor annoyed with his presence, she just feels normal but also looking forward to something, maybe finally talking first. Until, Taehyung breaks the silence.
"Do you want to go to lunch together?" Jennie turned around, hoping she heard it right and clear. "Huh?" Jennie arched her eyebrows.
"Do you want to go to lunch together?" Taehyung speaks again. This is a chance for her to at least find something she feels odd, why Taehyung acts this way around her.
"Oh yeah sure, uhm, okay." Jennie is nervous, she doesn't know why but this is the first time she acts cool or even. . . kind around him. "Do you have something in mind?"
Jennie thinks for a moment, she wants to try a new restaurant full of flowers near her building, her co-worker designed it. It becomes a hotspot for weeks, so she is really curious.
"My co-worker worked on designing a restaurant on Fifth Avenue. It became a hotspot for its flower garden installation. Could you accompany me there?" Jennie asked.
"Sure, sure. I will bring my car with me here." Taehyung presses the button to change their destination from the lobby to the basement, he seems so excited because Jennie finally agrees to something.
But, Jennie got nervous, is this a mistake? She picks up her phone to call Hyoyeon. She should buy a cool drink in the vending machine instead.
"Hey, i couldn't bring your cold drink, you just take the vending machine or i have a kombucha in the fridge. Take it before someone or particularly Suga drinks it."
"Where are you going?" Jennie looks at Taehynug's back in front of her who leads the way to his car, she walks behind him and contemplates should she be honest to Hyoyeon or not. She would freak out if she knew.
"My friend Lisa came by to the office. She surprised me so yeah I'm going with her." Why should she lie about it? It's fine to admit she is completely okay with Taehyung right now.
"Oh, okay." Hyoyeon hangs up immediately, but when she sees Taehyung turn to the left five feet away from her at the parking spot, she stops for a moment.
A Porsche. Taehyung driving a Porsche Taycan. How can a firefighter who earns approximately $75,000 per year own a $110,000 car?
She is still standing there while her phone is still hanging on her hand closely to her ear from having a phone call. Taehyung casually gets into the driver seat and honks softly to Jennie so she can get in. She jolted a bit but walked faster to follow him.
Jennie sits in the car nervously, she never sits in a luxury car like this and her mind is still confused with how can Taehyung have this car. Is this his car? Or he just borrowed his friend's car to show off? Is this a rental?
"So, where's the restaurant?" Taehyung spoke and he tapped the screen to type the location where they'll be going. Jennie looked at the screen and was surprised too. There's a word on screen saying 'Welcome Taehyung Kim'. this is really his car.
"It's in the Eataly NYC Flatiron building. Serra by Birreria." Taehyung types the word although it's a wrong word but the maps automatically understand what place he meant.
They drive about ten minutes, and those whole ten minutes kinda make her more awkward. She becomes more curious about him, where he is living, what his family do, and what his life really is.
For the entire ride, Taehyung took a glance a couple times to Jennie and he noticed she just stared at the dashboard rather than to the street, it's like she's daydreaming something. She must have something confusing in mind or think hard about something.
"We're here." Taehyung said to make Jennie come to her senses again and look to the right. She sees Taehyung get out of the car and let the valet park his car. Why does he suddenly act like a rich guy?
He's wearing a firefighter uniform yet he drives a porsche, still doesn't make any sense and she bet everyone who suddenly turns their heads to the car and Taehyung also thinks the same too. They must be thinking this guy was involved in some kind of gratification.
The restaurant is located on the rooftop of the building, when the elevator door opens it goes straight to the door full of pink flowers of any kind and Jennie can see on the outside there's so many flowers hanging around the roof.
"Wow, Hyoyeon really did her work the way she likes." She mumbled but good enough for Taehyung to hear it. "Your friend got into this detail too?"
"Yeah, Hyoyeon really likes flowers, the owner really trusts her taste so she just designed the way she wants, it turns out her taste is incredible." Jennie said. But, unfortunately there's a long line in front of the host.
"I think we can't get in. we'll be late for work." Taehyung heard what Jenny said and looked at the line.
Suddenly, he let out his phone and texted someone, just about in a second his phone rang again and Jennie noticed the host suddenly get out from their counter and look to the back of the line, where Taehyung and Jennie stand.
Jennie can see he walks to their direction but she just thought he won't be approaching them. But, her thought is wrong when he stands in front of Taehyung.
"Mr. Kim? Reservation for two?" Taehyung looks up from his phone and nods. "Come this way, please." Jennie looks at Taehyung confusedly, why for about twenty minutes, he just likes living as a hot rich bachelor who can get anything in this world. Who is he?
When the host opens the door, she can look more closely at how beautiful and colorful the restaurant is.
He serves Jennie and Taehyung tables for two in front of a flower rustic arch. "Our specialty today is Pappardelle con Ragü Di Funghi and Tagliere." The waitress came right away and was about to present the menu but Taehyung already cut her.
"We're going to order that, and today's dessert. I would like to share it." Jennie arched her eyebrows. Suddenly, Taehyung became an authoritative? What's going on? Why did he suddenly gain so much power and confidence? Is this a part of his trick?
"My family owns a couple of buildings in Manhattan, this is one of them. If you are curious. . . i can see your face is fascinating or confused why it feels like I can do anything arbitrarily." Taehyung smirked when Jennie just looked at him bluntly.
"Huh what? Oh no. . . i just, okay, you got me." Jennie gives up already to make an excuse, Taehyung can read her mind in a snap.
"So. . .mind telling me why you finally accepted the date?" Taehyung started.
"A date? This is not a date. It's a lunch break." Jennie tries to oppose him but he just chuckles. It becomes weird for everything Jennie tries to be against him in anything, he just keeps laughing at her like some kind of her words are just stupid.
So, she took a chance. "Why are you always laughing at everything I've said? If you think I am stupid then don't come close to me." Jennie said.
Taehyung suddenly stops and smiles. "I'm not thinking you're stupid, I just thought you were always trying to be against me but I know your heart does not say so. You're enjoying being with me."
Jennie can't believe the real side of Taehyung is a jerk who is just full of himself. "You're a jerk, this will be the last encounter for us, i can't take it anymore or i put a restraining order against you, i have a friend who works in a law firm." Jennie tried to threaten him but he didn't budge.
"My brother is a lawyer, a partner in a top law firm located at the one plaza." Okay, Lisa, her friend only works as an assistant to her jerk boss, and this guy's brother is a partner in a law firm. . . he wins.
But, Taehyung suddenly turned into a serious one. "What's your current project right now besides the column thing?"
Jennie startled with a sudden change of topic but she just told him anyway. "I'm going to be a lead project in a skyscraper building project for a bank."
"Wow, you're going to build a skyscraper? How long is the project gonna be?", "It could take a couple years, but i try to target it with only two or three years." Taehyung nods but what comes next to his mouth is always the same pick up line or a romantic random thing.
"Will we still be together at that time?" Jennie frowned, this guy is really something. "Together? We're not even a thing, Taehyung." She chuckles bitterly because it sounds impossible to date him since he clearly sees her as some girl right now.
Taehyung just smirked while he looked around. "I have this memory about a wedding one time." Jennie who is about to drink water stops immediately and her eyes wide open. So. . . this is it, this is the revelation.
"It's the most frustrating wedding in history. We're going to this strip club two weeks before the wedding because the groom has to be working abroad for a whole week before the wedding. But, when he came back to New York, he got a package from the stripper, a stick that said pregnant. We really can't believe he hooked up with her, and apparently they filed for annulment a week later." Jennie thinks this is her chance to make him reminisce that day again.
"Oh, what were you doing then when you're in that wedding? You're not telling the bridesmaid or the bride herself or anything you do?" Jennie hopes he would at least remember what he's doing at the bar he approaches where she sits sipping her appletini.
But, what's coming to his mouth never makes her only hurt more. "I got drunk, and my friend found me in my hotel room naked. I think I'm going crazy because I was too frustrated being a maid of honor at that time when I knew a dark truth."
Jennie can't believe that's all he just remembers? Nothing about meeting a girl in the bar? Who's this girl in his dream anyway? It must be another girl who looks similar to her because he has a type. Jerk. That's it for Jennie to have revenge for breaking her heart like that.
She never goes back to work, more frustrated than anything. She throws her bag and her blazer to the ground and slump herself to her lilac swivel chair. She sighed. Taehyung Kim is a jerk and he will pay for what he did.
"Will you go with me to the charity even my family held this wednesday?"
Jennie repeated his words again in her mind, he asked her to be his date for this wednesday's event. She said yes anyway because she just needed to plan something for revenge, how could he just skip the whole thing from that wedding? A main event for two of them. Two can play this game.
When Wednesday comes, she has a plan for it. She will wear the same dress at the wedding one year ago. Chanel one shoulder silk muslin dress from the summer 2021 collection, and her ginger hair she got from three months ago she colored it with brunette color again and styles it with a Hollywood vintage curl to the side not to forget a red hot lipstick.
She takes a look in the mirror again but thinks for a moment. She should be this desperate to make him remember her? She didn't even know what to do if he remembered her, would she forgive and they'd be dating? She doesn't know anymore.
Taehyung 'V':
Pick you up in five.
Jennie set her perfume to her neck and shoulder. She applied the blush again and this time she tried to pick the right shoes, her old shoes were already gone.
Ding Dong
About five minutes later Taehyung arrived at her apartment door. She looked again in the mirror. "You can do this, don't fall for him." She talks to herself and walks to the entrance door.
When she opened the doorknob, she was welcomed by a handsome and more handsome guy she had met before the wedding one year ago. He wears Tom Ford charcoal gray striped wool & silk peak lapel suit with black vest inside match with silk silver tie and edgar leather zip boots.
Now, how can Jennie resist this kind of guy? How exactly her plan is going to work when all she wants to do is just throw herself at him and forget about the party. She wants Taehyung for herself only.
Taehyung smiles when he can see those shocked eyes again, this time he's a little bit proud because he knows that's about how he looks. He tried to look the best for her.
"You look beautiful, so pretty." Taehyung complimented but Jennie still starstruck with him. "Huh? Oh, this? Just uhm the old dress that i picked up. I wore this at the wedding and I'm kinda obsessed with this again."
"Twice only makes you more beautiful, it's not you who fits the dress but the dress really fits you. The dress is so lucky." He grabs her hands and kisses her forearm. "Shall we?"
Jennie blink her eyes so many times, she just do what he do when he just pull her hands and interwine their fingers to walk side by side. She kept looking to her side up to his face. He looks gorgeous more than that day at the wedding. He just keeps walking while his face looks straight with chin up, showing his confidence. Jennie really doesn't recognize the real Taehyung. She thinks this might be the real Taehyung confident but there's still a bad side she still spite, he's a jerk who forgets about her.
It turns out to be a long ride because the charity is in a country club hotel owned by his family in Long Island. It takes about an hour and half to get there. For the entire ride, Jennie listens to every story about his family. He has two brothers, Jin and Namjoon, and a little sister Minji. His dad was in a car accident a year ago and happened to be in a coma around months ago.
He is a member of the Kim Family, owner of Kim Motors Electric Manufactured and The Kims Club that has five branches around New York. His mom is also a building tycoon around Manhattan, they are really business people by blood. Everything they touch becomes a successful multi million dollar company.
She can see a monument before they enter a private road. 'The Kims' so Jennie thought they had already arrived at the country club. They pass a big dark grass field before they see a big long modern contemporary three storey building. It is the country club.
The architecture isn't Victorian like anything she used to see. It's a contemporary modern with a touch of woods and black stone. But, Jennie was confused why Taehyung did turning left to the lobby, instead he went straight to another dark road only with a couple of outdoor light poles.
"Why we're not going there?" Jennie pointed to the lobby of the country club, but Taehyung just shook his head.
"Nope, we're going to the hotel." Oh yeah, this country club is like another city of New York. It's really big and can fill a whole modern rich community.
She was shocked when she saw around ten to fifteen storey buildings with the same modern contemporary exterior. He owned this whole thing?
Suddenly, when they get close to the lobby, there's a couple big guys in line and Taehyung just stops in the middle of them. Jennie got even more startled when the guy opened her side door and offered a hand to get out.
"Miss Jennie Kim?" She looks up to a bald big guy and just nods because she is still oblivious to what's going on and why she was treated like this, even though this big guy knows her name.
Taehyung offered a hand after she stood up straight and he immediately intertwined their fingers. Taehyung never tries to let her go anywhere, it's like he keeps her to be by his side every step of the way.
There's like five guys around them walk to protect them and make Jennie confused why they had to be protected since it's his own building and it's only a charity event.
They go to the elevator and the bodyguard presses floor two and leads them after a couple seconds they're arrived at the ballroom.
When the bodyguards open the door, Jennie sees the party already started with everyone focusing on the stage. There's a podium on the right and in the middle there's a big photo of a building.
"Mr. Kim, you're on table three." Suddenly there's someone who looks like a host leading them to walk to their table.
When they arrived at the table, they greeted people who looked really close to him. "Taehyung! Just like usual, always late on purpose." A guy in his early 30s whispered at him, kinda seems mad.
"Yeah, I want to make a grand entrance, Jin, this is Jennie." Taehyung immediately introduced her when they sat on the table.
Jin who sits beside Taehyung, gives his hand pass by Taehyung for a handshake. "Hello, my name is Seokjin Kim, call me Jin. I'm his older brother." Jennie smiles and accepts his handshake.
"Hello, i'm Jennie Kim. Nice to meet you." Jin suddenly tap a girl's shoulder who sit beside him. When she turned around, Jennie was a bit surprised that she's so beautiful with her long waist length black hair that got slick on the side, and her not too stand out makeup made her look like a natural beauty.
"Honey, this is Jennie Kim, Taehyung's plus one." The girl offers her hand too to Jennie and she accepts it right away while feeling starstruck because when the girl bends a little to introduce Jennie closely to Jin and Taehyung, she falls into her sweet and beautiful smile.
"Hi, I'm Jin's wife, Jisoo Kim. You must be Jennie, we've heard Taehyung admires you a lot."
"He did?" Jennie furrows her eyebrows while taking a glance at Taehyung who completely doesn't get shy about it, he just sits there proud pretending to hear the host on the podium at the stage.
"Yeah, he's kinda really like you I guess." Jisoo just winked and went back to look at the stage. Meanwhile, Jennie looks at Taehyung with surprise but he just pretends to still focus on the stage.
Jennie focused on the stage too and squinted her eyes. The auction is a building auction, particularly a landmark. How rich are the people in this building that want to buy a building?
She got curious so she whispered to Taehyung. "I thought the auction would be like an art or something."
Taehyung chuckled and looked at her. "We did sometimes, but Namjoon is associated with a couple of architects who want to buy a building for a museum or gallery, so for now it's about building."
"Next, this is a 69th Regiment Armory building located in Manhattan New York. This is a home of the watershed Armory Show in 1913, which introduced America to modern art. This is designed by Hunt & Hunt." The host of the auction presented the photo in the center of the stage.
"That is Namjoon, my brother. He's the head of the family's auction." Taehyung whispered.
Jennie thinks for a moment, she knows that guy. He is an executive director of New York art associates, he is working at the MoMA. Jennie knows him because her agency made an offer to one of the landmarks to be rebuilt by her boss for a mall. She's on the meeting board that time for a presentation.
"The bidding starts at ten million dollars." everyone starts to raise their number for the bid. Jennie is fascinating with how people want to buy a building. What do they do for a living? Maybe all of these people can be her prospective client if they want to rebuild the building they buy.
"Sold for fifty million dollars to number 56!" everyone claps their hands to the person Namjoon pointed to.
The auction takes around two hours and all of the buildings are sold until when there are two buildings left, everyone feels the tension.
But, Jennie is more interested in Taehyung's face when they show a building presentation on stage. He's more likely furious. Jennie also saw Jin's face who turned his head to Taehyung and got nervous.
"Taehyung." Jin called but he didn't listen, instead he mumbled. "I can't believe mom still insists on auctioning that."
Namjoon starts with the introduction of the building. "The American Stock Exchange Building, formerly known as the New York Curb Exchange Building and also known as 86 Trinity Place or 123 Greenwich Street, is the former headquarters of the American Stock Exchange. Designed in two sections by Starrett & van Vleck, it is located between Greenwich Street and Trinity Place in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City, with its main entrance at Trinity Place. The building represents a link to the historical practices of stock trading outside the strictures of the New York Stock Exchange, which took place outdoors "on the curb" prior to the construction of the structure."
"This building starts at fifty million dollars." Namjoon started and Jennie is a bit surprised because this is the first building that got bid that higher as a start.
"Sixty five million.", "Number 57 just bid for sixty five million." Namjoon pointed to the left.
"Sixty seven million." The bid got higher but slowly and in a small number maybe because it already started so high.
"Eighty million dollars." Jennie turns her head to her side when she sees a hand raise a number sign. It's Taehyung with a number. Everyone in table three starts to widen their eyes. There's a little girl across from them whom she guesses it's Minji who also widens her eyes.
Jennie got curious why suddenly Taehyung bid this building. Namjoon is taken aback and gets silent for a moment but he eventually proceeds the bidding. "Number thirty for eighty million dollars."
"Eighty five million dollars." another person starts bidding again but Taehyung doesn't want to lose in this game. "Ninety five million dollars."
"Ninety seven.", "One hundred and fifty million dollars." Taehyung suddenly cut the person.
"Taehyung!" Jin nags him immediately but he just focuses his eyes on Namjoon. He stared at Namjoon with a dark stare and made Namjoon sighed. He's not scared of Taehyung like he knew this would happen, instead he just finished the bidding immediately.
"Fifty million dollars for number thirty." He said.
When everyone just claps their hands to congratulate the bidding, everyone in table three seems tense. They got silent until someone poke Taehyung's shoulder.
"Taehyung! What are you doing!" Suddenly a middle aged woman approached him and nagged him too.
"Mom, that is my right to the building, I won't let it be taken away!" Taehyung said, apparently it's his mom.
Taehyung stood up immediately and left the table. Jennie seems so awkward since she just got here and she didn't know anyone in here. But, his mom recognizes there's a stranger at the family table.
"Hello, you must be Taehyung's plus one." His mom turned into a smile immediately to greet her. Jennie stands up too and offers a handshake. "Oh yes, ma'am. I'm Jennie Kim, nice to meet you."
His mom was really kind because she looked at Jennie with a sincere smile and accepted her handshake. She even caresses her hand and starts to speak. "I'm sorry about my son, he's a little bit too sensitive over something. Do you want to go to him? Maybe we could use a little help to calm him down."
"Of course, Mrs. Kim. I'll be right back." Jennie excuses herself and walks to where Taehyung headed. He got out of the ballroom from a different door than where they arrived. She doesn't know the building so she keeps walking to the outdoor hallway.
Apparently the door she walks to is to go outside and she just walks on a bridge to another building. The bridge itself is covered with trees around it and the wind starts getting colder and stronger, making Jennie shivering but she has to keep walking to find him.
Since it's dark, and there's only a little light through the bridge, she can't recognize if there's a person or not until she arrives at a balcony of another building that apparently it's a hotel dining room.
It's dark too in there to make Jennie contemplate should she walk in to find him or not because it is kinda scary for her, but she brace herself and try to open the doorknob of the glass door.
"I'm here." Jennie startled when she heard a voice behind her. Taehyung was apparently just standing in the corner of a balcony looking at the golf course view.
Jennie sighed because she was relieved she didn't have to go in there and proceed to approach him. She stands beside him and looks at the golf course that is brightened up with big flood lights around the field.
"You can't be upset just for a building." Jennie started immediately on the topic.
"It's mine.", "Yeah, you're buying it." Taehyung shook his head.
"It was supposed to be mine from the beginning." Taehyung said. Jennis still doesn't understand the background story. "What do you mean?"
"My dad gifted me that landmark when I graduated from high school." Taehyung started.
Jennie was shocked once she heard it. "An eighteen year old kid got a building for a graduation gift? I can't compare with mine. I got a macbook as my graduation gift." Jennie said it sarcastically.
Taehyung chuckled bitterly when he heard it, maybe to normal people it's kinda spoiled or too much for giving someone a building just like that. "I am supposed to be a doctor. My dad had this dream that if I became a doctor one day, he would build a hospital for me. Not technically for me, but I will start my own practice in my own hospital."
"Then, your parents were disappointed because instead you became a firefighter? That's why they bid for the building?"
"My dad got into a car accident when I was trying to take the residency exam. I didn't take it once I heard the news, I never left my dad since then and it led to leaving everything I worked on. It was already too late for me to take the exam and to start over my internship. I have no choice but to find another job opportunity, and my brother got me this job. I kinda like it and it's my dream too but it leads to my family giving up everything that I was supposed to achieve including that building." Taehyung explained.
Jennie understands it right now. Since Taehyung left his dream to become a doctor, they think the building that is supposed to be his hospital is off the table.
"Why do you hold on to it?", "Because it is the only thing my dad left me with. Of course, my dad will give me his will but this building has deeper meaning than a will. My dad believed in me for becoming a doctor but I failed him. I try to still own it but I don't know what to do with it. So, my mom ordered Namjoon to sell it because there were a couple of calls offering to buy that building." Jennie can see Taehyung's hand turn into fist and the knuckles turn white because he tightens it. He's angry.
"They want to destroy the entire building. My dad and i already had this plan to let it stay like that but much more organize or taken care of, but of course they won't let it be like that once they get it, i won't let them do that until i have my plan to make it something." Taehyung explained.
Jennie doesn't know what to say, so she just gets silent. Taehyung notices she gets silent, so he turns his body to her and sees her face. "You look beautiful tonight, everyone should be looking at you more often. Everyone should be complimenting you right now, not just getting exiled to this dark place with me." He set aside a couple strands of her hair behind her ear.
Jennie chuckles and she holds his hand that is beside her face. "Then, let's go back. I want to dance with you." Jennie smiles and is about to drag him back to the ballroom.
"You know I used to be a playboy who hit on some women in a formal party like this, but I already had enough. My friends told me the last time I did play around with women was at this wedding and they saw me looking all lovey dovey and next thing they knew, they found me in a hotel room naked alone." Jennie stops for a moment and looks at him. It is their story but what happened to 'play around with a woman' at that wedding? Is he kidding with her right now?
"Oh, uhm, who's this last woman that you play with?" Jennie said, still hoping he would say something nice because he already starts with bad storytelling ever since she knows the whole story anyway.
"I don't know, maybe just another cheap bridesmaid from the wedding, because I knew I set an eye on one of the bridesmaids for weeks around that time." Jennie widens her eyes but Taehyung still wants to continue walking to the ballroom.
He feels Jennie doesn't move when it's his turn to drag her, so he turns around to him. "What's wrong?"
"Cheap bridesmaid?" Jennie furrows her eyebrows, she feels offended but to her surprise Taehyung gets a different meaning from her reaction.
Taehyung stands in front of her again and cups her cheek. "Please, don't be scared, I'm not a jerk like that anymore. I already changed since then, I left my old life to start finding a deeper meaning. And I guess, the right person is you."
Those words mean nothing to Jennie because she can't believe who she met one year ago was a jerk side of Taehyung. She felt she had played for one year hoping that would continue when they met again.
For Jennie, Taehyung is a jerk. She can't believe he completely forgot about her and instead remembering how he set an eye to this bridemaids to play around. Jennie needs a revenge because Taehyung just cruelly took her virginity like that.