He wasn't answering.
Jiwon shifted on her heel, gripping her clutch tightly. She pressed on the elevator button, her other hand occupied with her phone. The moment she and Mrs. Min had parted ways, Jiwon had been ringing Yoongi for the past few minutes — all of which ended up on the list of missed calls on his unattended phone.
At the sound of a ting and the slide of the metal doors, Jiwon stepped out of the lift. Her feet moved on their own, confident of where they were headed to. Jiwon turned at the corner, and perhaps a little too impatiently, pushed on a glass door, entering the waiting area of a familiar section as though she were an uninvited guest ready to confront Yoongi over her anger — a stark opposite of what she actually came here for.
Jiwon's eyes rounded, her head snapped up, and only at that moment did her consciousness return when the main door to Yoongi's office didn't budge. She glanced around and noticed even Hyangmi wasn't in her desk.
Taking a step back, Jiwon dropped her hands to her sides. Silence filled the air, save for the barely audible long beeps from her phone due to another failed call.
She didn't understand it either — this sudden urge to reach out to someone, her longing for a company to keep her rooted. And that was just the first part. Because what Jiwon dreaded the most amidst this yearning, was the possibility of losing herself beneath the clouded haze in her mind.
Muffled clinking heels and incoherent exchange of words caught Jiwon's attention, their volume gradually growing. The glass door was pushed open, revealing two ladies entering the waiting area.
"Also, he wants the memo sent to the stockholders before the day e— Jiwon-ssi?"
Jiwon gulped, took a deep breath in and turned on her heel. Hyangmi muttered to the lady she had been conversing with as she handed the clipboard, and gave instructions. The two exchanged nods, and the other lady was soon out of sight.
"Where's Yoongi?" Jiwon asked before Hyangmi could even speak, her words almost in a whisper.
Noticing the difference in Jiwon's usual aura, Hyangmi offered a weak smile. "He's currently in a meeting—"
"Until what time?" Jiwon interjected, and her eyes widened as her actions hit her. She blinked at Hyangmi, who then seemed to understand and took no offence in it. The assistant simply nodded and smiled assuringly.
A resigned smile slipped on Jiwon's lips. "I'll just wait here."
Hyangmi glanced through the corner of her eyes in contemplation, expression hesitant.
"His current meeting doesn't end until three, and he's leaving for another meeting thereafter," Hyangmi informed, checking her wristwatch. "But if you wish, I can deliver a message right now while he's still here and tell him you're here."
Jiwon's lips curved upwards reaching her eyes, but her emotions didn't match her facade. "It's alright," she breathed, cupping her elbows. "Has he eaten yet?"
Hyangmi nodded.
"Just do me a favor and remind him to eat and rest after his meetings," requested Jiwon. "Can you do that for me?"
"Certainly, Ms. Kim."
Jiwon ruefully chuckled, shaking her head. "I told you, there's no need to be so formal."
Then, with a dismissive nod, Jiwon went past Hyangmi and out of the office, leaving with the same heavy heart she was carrying as she entered minutes ago.
Except maybe this time with an extra weight of restlessness added to it.
↠
By the time Yoongi had returned to his office, day and night were already fighting dominance over the sky.
The haste of fatigue might had been considerate enough to delay permeating his body that despite handling business matters majority of the day, Yoongi hadn't felt tired through them all. But perhaps not so kind.
Yoongi sighed, shutting his eyes tight, concluding he was more drained than he felt when he thought he just saw Jiwon's car as they neared the company.
Such conclusion, however, was instantly rejected.
As Hyangmi informed Yoongi about Jiwon's visit, he finally checked his phone after neglecting it for so long. His eyes rounded, thumb frantically scrolled on the screen. A frustrated grumble left Yoongi's mouth as he pressed his palm on his forehead and ran a hand on his hair.
"What time did she leave?" asked Yoongi.
"A little past one."
Yoongi, already on his third attempt at calling Jiwon, shot a quick glance at the wall clock.
Two minutes before six in the evening.
In his agitation, Yoongi then resorted to calling the next possible person to know Jiwon's whereabouts.
Yoongi didn't really know what he was supposed to greet Seokjin with. 'Hello, hyung, is Jiwon with you?' wasn't exactly an assuring question not to raise suspicion, but 'Hyung, Jiwon's car is still here but I don't know where she is,' isn't either.
So when Seokjin picked up, and an exchange of:
"Hello?"
"Hyung."
And the long, thick silence that came thereafter, Yoongi had no choice but to get straight to the point.
"Yah, Min Yoongi! Did anything happen to my sister?" demanded Seokjin in the middle of their conversation.
"N-No," Yoongi defended, preventing Seokjin from suspecting further. "Hyung, I'll just call you later."
Clicking his tongue in annoyance, Yoongi dashed out of his office, rushing towards the elevator. From his brief conversation with Seokjin, Yoongi had found out Jiwon hadn't even been to work today — something totally out of her character. He called her once, twice, thrice, impatiently ending the call whenever he got redirected to the intercept message.
Min Yoongi was beyond annoyed. He couldn't tell whether it was due to his ignorance over his phone, or because this was the second time Jiwon had randomly decided to disappear. This second time didnt come off just as random as the first one, however.
"Mr. Min, it's raining!" exclaimed one of the guards holding up an umbrella, catching up to Yoongi as the latter sped down the pavement.
Yoongi did a double take and squinted his eyes with a hint of annoyance before he sidetracked to take the umbrella with him.
Streetlights flickered open one by one, slowly embracing the arriving darkness. Having no idea where to start looking, Yoongi let his feet guide him, allowing his instincts lead him. He wove in and out of the scattered bustle of people, the downpour pelting at wherever it landed.
Panting, he turned his head left and right, eyes shooting towards different directions. Beads of liquid trickled on the sides of his face and his neck; he couldn't tell if it were his sweat or the raindrops that managed to dampen his clothing.
"Kim Jiwon, where the heck are you?" Yoongi muttered, the worry and anger in his voice countervailing each other.
His search was slowly coming to a dead-end, he just had no idea where she could be.
"Do you think that lady will be fine there?"
Yoongi whipped his head towards the voice.
"She's old enough. She'll be fine, son."
Yoongi wasted no time to question, and before the lady was even done with her extended answer, he was already sprinting towards the park she had told her. This time, he knew his intuition couldn't be wrong. As each second ticked, he strode faster, the frigid air numbing his face and his hands. But the adrenaline in his body overpowered every little discouragement brought about by his exhaustion and discomfort.
"ARE YOU CRAZY?" Yoongi belted out against the vehement pitter-patter of the rain. Grumbling under his breath, he wrapped his coat around Jiwon and adjusted the umbrella in his grip to fend the rain for both of them.
Confusion filled Yoongi as Jiwon looked up at him, a smile dangled on her lips.
"Why does everyone always ask me if I'm crazy?" Jiwon bitterly laughed.
As if time stood still between them, the raging tears of the crying skies were silenced to a mere background noise. Yoongi's eyes softened at her unceasing smile. He couldn't make out most of her features, but he was certain that the glint on her puffy eyes were caused by her crying.
Yoongi stretched his arm and offered his hand.
"Let's go home, Jiwon."
— ✿ —
❝here's the long overdue chapter, finally, aaaa I'm so sorry for the delay and that it's kinda choppy! I'm really having a hard time to polish it out. anyways, thank you for reading and being patient. take care always!❞