After the show, Taeran was in her dressing room when she heard the door open and close behind her.
She didn't turn to look because she knew that it was her gay manager, Ellie.
TAERAN: "Ellie, can you help me find my ring? I left it on the desk but it—"
She turned around and suddenly froze.
The one that was standing before her wasn't her manager Ellie, but it was Jungkook.
His dark gaze stared at her deeply, reading her from inside out.
He knows her, though something in him tells him that he doesn't.
TAERAN: "You're not allowed to be in here."
Even her tone of voice is different.
She looked pass him and shouted.
TAERAN: "Ellie! Who allowed this man to be in here!? Ellie!"
She made her way toward the door and as she walked pass him, he caught her by the arm.
She stopped where she was and did not look at him once.
TAERAN: "Please get out. I don't want to call the securities on you."
The tone of her voice made him turned his head toward her and stared at her like a lost child.
She acted as if she doesn't recognize him, as if he's a total stranger.
Of course, they did parted way for quite a while but that doesn't mean that she can just pretend to not know him like this.
He doesn't remember doing anything to discomfort her? ... Or did he?
His hand around her arm slowly let her go. He looked away as he turned and walked back the way he came from.
He flung opened the door, causing a surprisingly scream from Ellie, who was about to enter the room.
He shoved pass Ellie and the other staffs and then marched his way down the hall.
Ellie quickly entered into the dressing room to check on Taeran.
ELLIE: "Taeran! Are you okay, darling?"
He held her hands, scanning her from head to toe.
ELLIE: "Did he do anything to you? Huh?"
He turned angrily to the other staffs and shouted at them.
ELLIE: "Yah, didn't I told ya'll to stay with her?!"
The staffs bowed their heads and apologized quickly.
---
It felted like a dream, from the start of the fashion show to meeting Taeran.
Even now that Jungkook was back inside his office, sitting down at his desk and feeling reality back stabbing him, everything still felted like a dream.
MRS. JEON: "Have you gone crazy? You already know that Yoongi had this hatred toward us and you still let him take the lead? You're just letting yourself into his trap, have you ever think of that?"
JUNGKOOK: "Then can you please explain to me about this 'hatred' between us? Ever since I was a child up to this day, I am still confused to why we have this hatred."
MRS. JEON: "It's something between us elders, you don't need to be interfere with it."
JUNGKOOK: "Well, I don't think I have a choice."
MRS. JEON: "Then make the right choice."
TAERAN: "Jungkook!"
He turned around back to her, which she was already at a distance from him.
TAERAN: "I hope to meet you again soon!"
She smiled brightly and waved her hand at him. ~
Is this what she meant?
For all those times, he thought that she was innocent but he was actually fooled by her.
She knew him all along. She is part of Yoongi's plan. And he fell for it.
His mother was right. He has put his guard down too much.
He thought that if he doesn't add any more oil to the fire, it will eventually die down but he was wrong.
He should've known better that Yoongi is not the type to back off easily and just let everything go.
Since Yoongi wanted him to be part of this game... he had no reason to not play along.
Plus, he also found his own reason and just thinking about it, makes his heart thrilled in excitement.
---
HYEBIN: "Manager Ellie just call and said that Taeran will not sign the contract."
She told Yoongi after the phone call.
Yoongi's lip curved as he was standing by the window, looking out to the lonely city.
YOONGI: "Give her some time. It won't take her long to change her mind."
---
While Taeran and her models were in a fitting room trying on some clothes, they suddenly heard some baffling outside of the room and then within seconds, the double door flung opened.
The models screamed in surprise and covered themselves with whatever their hands can grab when Jungkook barged into the room.
Taeran turned around and meet him in the eyes for a split second and then Ellie came running in after.
ELLIE: "I am so sorry! I told him already that you're busy—"
JUNGKOOK: "I need to talk to you."
Taeran's eyes shifted back to meet his when he interrupted. She then she looked toward Ellie and her models.
TAERAN: "Give us a few minutes."
Ellie sighed and then gestured her hands for the models to follow her out.
As they quietly exit the room, Taeran turned back to the mannequin and continued doing what she had started.
He continued to stare at her and waited, until the door shuts behind him.
The room was now filled with nothing but intense silences.
Even after the first meeting to this, Jungkook still doesn't feel like it's real.
She is something that he treasures deep inside his heart and seeing her acting this way, makes it hard for him to breathe.
He misses her.
JUNGKOOK: "How have you been?"
His question hit her on the spot and her hands stopped moving without her realizing.
Although her heart felt like it'll explode, she kept her calmness and continued doing her things again.
TAERAN: "I'm doing fine. Thank you for asking."
JUNGKOOK: "Can you give me a reason to why you are not willing to sign the contract with us?"
TAERAN: "There is no particular reasons. I just don't want to work with any business at the moment."
The way she talks to him while still doing her things, ticks him off very badly.
She's making him feel like he isn't important enough for her time and for a man like him, who everyone's dying to do business with, it just makes him feel nothing but anger.
TAERAN: "I apologized for wasting your precious time to come all the way here, but I'll state it clearly again... I will not agree to sign the contract with you."
JUNGKOOK: "I'll accept the fact that you don't want to do business with us, if you'll look at me when you're talking."
TAERAN: "So barging into somebody's property and expecting them to do business, isn't that a little too impolite for a well-respected man like you?"
His heart burned furiously at her attitude towards him.
Before he came here, he told himself to stay humble at all cost but within seconds, he had already marched over to her.
Grabbing onto her arm, he jerked her against the wall aggressively and trapped her inside of both his arms.
JUNGKOOK: "Stop playing innocent! Stop acting like you don't know me!"
TAERAN: "Sometimes it's best for us to pretend not to know one another."
JUNGKOOK: "Then you shouldn't have appeared in front of me."
Their eyes locked into one another deeply and their heart pounded loudly against their chest.
He leaned in closer to her.
JUNGKOOK: "You didn't want to sign the contract because of me, isn't it?"
His statement causes her jaw muscle to tense and her breathing to become unstable.
JUNGKOOK: "Having to work one on one with me for at least a year is too much for you to handle, that's why you strongly denied the contract am I right? Why? Are you feeling uncomfortable to face me like this?"
His aggressiveness did not cause her to back down. She faces him without fear and her eyes strongly challenge against his.
TAERAN: "You can think whatever you want. I don't have the right to stop you from fantasizing."
He gripped onto her arms and jerked her closer to him.
JUNGKOOK: "What do you want from me?"
TAERAN: "The thing that I want, you can never give it to me."
JUNGKOOK: "That's why you went for Yoongi?"
TAERAN: "Mr. Min is someone that I highly respect. Please don't bring him into this conversation if you don't have anything nice to say about him. If you really want to have business with me, please come back with a little more manner and I'll reconsider it."
She moved out of his hold but continued to stand there and stared back at him.
Their mouth was shut tight, but their gaze shows deep emotions that neither can say to one another.
---
Tonight, the stars decided not to appear, leaving the moon by itself up in the dark sky as Taeran came home with a heavy heart.
She took a warm shower to ease the weight on her shoulders and then sat down at her desk and stared at the contract in front of her.
Jungkook's signature was neatly printed on the lower right corner and all that it needed left was her signature then the contract will be official.
She stared at his signature and his words came back to her.
JUNGKOOK: "You didn't want to sign the contract because of me, isn't it? Having to work one on one with me for at least a year is too much for you to handle, that's why you strongly denied the contract am I right? Why? Are you feeling uncomfortable to face me like this?"
Although she wanted to deny that fact, she can't lie to herself that she is uncomfortable working with him.
But what other choices does she have?
Since fate did lead them both to meet each other again, what's the point of running away?
With so many thoughts running in her mind, her hand reached out for the pen that was lying beside the contract.
---
It was almost midnight when Yoongi came out from his office. He was surprised to see that Hyebin was still sitting at her desk, which she doesn't usually stay this late.
YOONGI: "Why are you still here?"
She turned to him and then smiled.
HYEBIN: "I'm done already. I'm about to head home too."
YOONGI: "Oh really? I'll see you tomorrow then."
HYEBIN: "Good night."
He took couple of steps down the hall but then he stopped and turned back to her.
YOONGI: "Do you want me to send you home?"
She looked back at him in surprise.
HYEBIN: "Hah?"
The ride to Hyebin's place was pretty quiet because as soon as she settled inside of his car, she fell asleep right away.
Yoongi parked his car in front of Hyebin's apartment and turned to her, who was sleeping comfortably against the window.
YOONGI: "Eh."
He reached out and shoved her shoulder causing her to wake up instantly.
She yawned, scratching the back of her neck while still in a sleepy daze.
YOONGI: "Get out."
She looked at him and the memory started to kick back into her mind again.
He gave her a 'What are you looking at?' looked and she replied him back with a weak smile.
HYEBIN: "Thank you. Have a good night."
She got out of his car and he waited until she entered the building before reversing his car and drove off.
Opening the door to her house, Hyebin suddenly pause at the door when she realized the light inside of her house was on.
She knows for sure that she didn't leave the light on before she left the house this morning.
Maybe Yumae decided to sleep over again tonight?
HYEBIN: "Yumae?"
She called out as she entered into the house.
HYEBIN: "Yumae are you in here?"
As she was about to head over to her room to check if Yumae was there, she suddenly stopped when she realized she didn't see Yumae's shoe at the door.
A hand suddenly came around her from behind and covered her mouth tightly.
As Yoongi waited for the light to turn green, he somehow glanced over to the passenger seat and noticed Hyebin's purse lying below the seat.
He groaned in exhaustion while shutting his eyes, thinking to himself that this lady is just so bothersome.
When the light turned green, he makes a U-turn.
Struggling against the man's hold as he was dragging Hyebin back to the living room, she elbowed him on the rib in the midst of struggling and he let her go immediately because of the pain.
She swung her fist, hitting him in the face before she hovered over the sofa and toward the door.
As she reached for the door, he grabbed onto her and pulled her back.
She was tossed against the wall and one of his hand came wrapping around her neck, holding her in place.
He was wearing all black with a mask on that she couldn't see his face properly but those eyes that was glaring back at her was filled with so much hatred that she can even feel it.
He squeezed her neck to the point that her body was giving out on her and darkness was taking over.
She caught a glimpsed of him taking out a knife and aiming it at her before everything went black.
---
"She is not safe."
Hyebin heard it softly as she slowly gaining her conscious back.
"They know that you are out of their reach so they're targeting those people around you. Right now, she is their target."
That voice doesn't sound familiar to her ear, though she did hear it from somewhere before.
"Such a bunch of lousy assholes. If they think that killing these people can get on my nerves then they're just wasting their energy. These people are worthless to me."
That is definitely Yoongi's.
"I think she is awake."
She slowly opened her eyes and her view slowly adjust to the light of the unfamiliar room.
A man came into her view and she was surprised to see that it was Director Daejoon.
He flashed her a bright smile which ease the exhaustions from inside of her.
DAEJOON: "Good morning Ms. Lee. How are you feeling?"
HYEBIN: "A lot better now."
She tried to sit up and he helped her.
His hands came around her shoulders to support her up and now that she was in a sitting position, Yoongi was now in her view.
He was sitting comfortably on the sofa across from her and his eyes were glued on her with an expression like she had barged into his territory without his permission.
DAEJOON: "Since you have a rough night yesterday, it's best for you to take the day off."
HYEBIN: "It's alright, I think I can still manage."
YOONGI: "Then don't complain later that you are tire. I don't want to hear it."
She flashed him a dull look and then smiled back at Daejoon.
HYEBIN: "I'll take the day off then. Thank you, Director Daejoon."
DAEJOON: "You're welcome. Since everything seems to have settle now, I'll take my leave."
She bowed to him and Yoongi stood up from the sofa to send him out.
After she was left alone in the room, she climbed off the bed and make her way to the door.
Her hand reached out to open it but Yoongi opened the door again.
She let out a sound in surprised and stepped back as Yoongi walked back into the room.
As soon as he shut the door behind him, she punched him on the arm which causes him to flinch in surprise.
He didn't see that coming.
YOONGI: "Hey!"
She punched him again, harder this time.
HYEBIN: "How dare you say that we are just a waste of energy?!"
She punched him again.
HYEBIN: "Who are you to say that we are worthless?!"
She punched him again and again.
HYEBIN: "You heartless bastard! I did not sign up for this job to be your shield and get kill in place of your stupid ass!"
He caught her wrists and pushed her onto the bed.
She let out a scream and was taken aback when he hovered on top of her.
HYEBIN: "What are you doing?! Get off of me!"
He held both of her wrists with one of his hand and the other hand gripped onto her chin, forcing her head in place.
YOONGI: "Despite what you've been through last night, you still have a lot of strength left to fight me, huh?"
HYEBIN: "You crazy! Let go of me!"
She pushed his chest but with that, he held onto her tighter and even leaned closer to her.
YOONGI: "Right now there's only the two of us in this entire house... is crazy really what you wanted to see?"
Her eyebrows scrunched up confusingly at his statements.
He smirked at her confusion and then suddenly leaned forward, aiming for her lips.
HYEBIN: "Yah!"
She shouted while pushing him and leaning back as far as possible, while shutting her eyes as he strongly came at her.
He attacked her for a slight five seconds before he let go of her with a push and stepped away from her.
As soon as her hands are free, she grabbed a pillow nearby and threw it at him.
He caught the pillow and threw it back at her, hitting her in surprise.
YOONGI: "Go wash yourself and come down to eat. I don't have the time to babysit you all day."
Her mouth dropped in disbelief at his words as he stomped out of the room.
HYEBIN: "Babysit? YAH!"
After washing up, Hyebin came out to the kitchen and Yoongi was already munching through his breakfast.
He glanced over to her and then pointed to the empty seat that was in front of him.
A plate of freshly made breakfast was already there, waiting on her.
She strolled over and sat down across from him.
Although both of them were eating in silences, in Hyebin's mind, were fill with curious questions that she wanted to ask him about.
After munching on a few mini hot dogs, her eyes shifted up to look at him.
HYEBIN: "Did you came back and help me last night?"
YOONGI: "If not, will you be seeing the daylight today?"
She dropped her fork at his arrogant tone and gave him a serious look.
HYEBIN: "I asked you nicely. Can't you at least answer back nicely too?"
His eyes shifted up to look at her annoyingly.
YOONGI: "I already answered you. What else do you want?"
HYEBIN: "You are just—"
She shut her eyes and groaned frustratingly, swallowing down the awful word that almost slip out of her mouth.
HYEBIN: "Even a 5-year-old kid knows how to talk better than you."
YOONGI: "But a 5-year-old kid can't do the things that I can do."
She scoffed and the food that she had swallowed felt like it's going to come back out again.
HYEBIN: "Yes, yes. You're SOOO great!"
She exaggerated and went back to eating again.
YOONGI: "Do you remember how he look like?"
HYEBIN: "No. He wore a mask so it was hard to see his face properly."
Those eyes of the man from last night flashes through her head.
Now that she come to think of it, it somewhat kind of resemble Yoongi's eyes.
The hatred... she can still feel it.
She kept that thought to herself and glanced up at Yoongi.
HYEBIN: "Anyways... thank you."
He paused where he was when those words came out from her mouth.
HYEBIN: "Even if you didn't intend to help me and I am just a waste of energy, I am still here alive, so thank you."
He gave her a nod.
YOONGI: "You're welcome."
HYEBIN: "After breakfast I'll leave you alone. I'm sorry for bothering you all night long."
His eyes shifted back to her.
YOONGI: "Where are you going then?"
She looked at him blankly.
HYEBIN: "My house of course."
He went back to poking his food.
YOONGI: "You can't. Right now your house is not safe so you're not allow to go back."
She let out a weak laugh.
HYEBIN: "So, since I am not allowed to go back to my house, where do I supposed to go live? Are you renting me a place to stay?"
YOONGI: "You'll have to stay here..."
His gaze shifted up to meet hers.
YOONGI: "With me."
---
Jungkook watches as the second ticks by, feeling a little nervous in the stomach knowing that the person he waited to see was coming.
As the time hit 2 o'clock, the phone on his desk ring.
He pressed the speaker and the front desk lady voice came in.
LADY: "Miss Kang Taeran is here."
JUNGKOOK: "Send her up."
The lady opened the door and Taeran thanks her as she entered into the conference room.
As the door closes behind Taeran, she looked over to where Jungkook was standing at the window, staring out to the city with his back facing her.
He turned around and their eyes locked onto each other.
JUNGKOOK: "What made you change your mind?"
TAERAN: "Don't misunderstand, I change my mind isn't because of you. Like I have told you already, I respect Mr. Min Yoongi very much. Since he was the one who came to me for business, I cannot deny his offer."
He nodded.
JUNGKOOK: "Reasonable enough. Have a seat."
Though he acted as if it doesn't bother him... it does.
She sat down at the end of the table as he casually strolled along the opposite side of the long table toward her.
Her eyes followed his movements.
JUNGKOOK: "And so... you came here today to go over the contract?"
TAERAN: "Yes. Not to change anything, but to add some other things."
He reached her but instead of sitting down, he placed his hands on the table and leaned forward with his head hung low.
JUNGKOOK: "Like...?"
He raised one of his eyebrow at her.
She placed the new contract that she made in front of her and opened it.
TAERAN: "First, work is work. If it's not work related, please do not bring up anything personal during work hours."
He nodded in understanding while staring at her continuously as if she could vanish away.
TAERAN: "Second, please be professional. And lastly, if any of these rules are to be broken, this contract will be terminated right away and there will be no more business between the both of us. Is everything clear?"
He pulled back and nodded.
JUNGKOOK: "It's clear enough. But... can you please be more precise on the second one?"
He asked as he strolled over to her smoothly.
Her heart pounded at each step he takes but she shows no emotions to the way he was teasing her.
He came behind her, placing his hands on the table with her trapping, inside of his arms.
He then leaned forward until his face was right next to hers.
JUNGKOOK: "Because to my understanding... as long as I don't have sex with you, it's professional enough."
Her chest heaved heavily at every of his breath that touches her skin.
Her unstable breathing makes him feel weak inside and he wanted to take a bite of her luring expose neck that was beside him.
He could have taste her but he can't... at least not at this moment.
This weak side of her whenever he came close to her, makes him feel satisfied.
At least he knows for sure now, that she made become a stronger person but her heart is still as pure as before.
TAERAN: "Fine."
She stood up and he stepped back as she turned around to face him.
TAERAN: "But if you broke that commitment... I'll not just ended this business contract but I'll also disappear from your life. And I will never, appear in front of you again."
She left him with no more words to say.
He stood there as she walked pass him and out the door.
His eyes landed on the contract with her signature neatly printed on the lower right corner.
Mrs. Jeon stepped out of the elevator and she caught a glimpse of Taeran inside the elevator across from her before the elevator door closes.
She froze where she was as her heart pounded heavily against her chest.
----
So.... >.<
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