Riti
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Or were they? Now there's the type of person that mopes around and does nothing. And then, there's me.
This had nothing to do with me; not by a long shot. This was a company issue and a PR nightmare. But what was I supposed to do? Sit around and pity everyone involved?
I was planning on doing just that, until a stark image of Jimin's upset face appeared in my head, and I dramatically sank into my bed in the afternoon. My poor baby. This was EXACTLY WHAT I'D BEEN TRYING TO AVOID. Even before I'd felt about Jimin the way I did now... I'd tried to save his reputation from that slimy b**ch, but now here we were.
I went out to stress eat food, and got a quick text from Jungkook: Being watched by managers, Jimin not allowed to leave dorms or company now. Phones being confiscated. Jimin is ok.
Ugh, he must be feeling terrible, blaming himself, sulking about his decisions. I can't sit and just do nothing. I can't see him this tortured.
I messaged Gunho right away: "Can we talk about this in person."
He said he could meet me at a café by the company building. I took a cab there right away, and saw him tucked in the corner of the little establishment. He looked stressed himself, but I figured it was his conscience working overtime, not any trouble he was in. Regardless, I asked, "Are you okay?"
"I'm in a pathetic company around pathetic, manipulative people. My mother would be ashamed to know I work for people like this. So no, I'm not okay."
I sighed and shook my head. "It's not your fault."
"It's not yours either."
"If I'd told him earlier... maybe..."
"Nah. I think this has been going on for a while. 4Ever's head manager found out about it a while ago, and I think they've been planning it since."
"Seriously?! That's awful..."
"I know."
We stared at each other, sulking. Slowly I said, "So... what should we do?"
"What can we do?"
"Does your CEO have dirt? We could blackmail him?"
"That's illegal!"
"What if we temporarily kidnapped him? Or... stole his laptop and deleted the files in there?"
"You absolute crackhead. First of all, I'm not even going to address how illegal and wrong the crimes you just mentioned are. And second of all, they backed up all the photos with every executive, or they're stupid."
"Are the photos nudes or something...?"
Gunho shook his head. "They wouldn't leak their own group's nudes... they just want the power of being associated to BTS."
I sighed in relief.
"Agh! Jihun knew. He knew and thought nothing wrong about it and never told me anything. Can you imagine?"
"Are you guys still... friends?"
Gunho stroked his chin, looking troubled but firm. "I can't keep being friends with him. I have a dream I want to follow. I'm at the point where I have to choose between them, and I choose myself and my dream to work on. Wouldn't you be the same?"
I thought of Jimin. Despite what I'd wanted, he couldn't just wait for me once I went back. We had our lives to live, our dreams to follow, huh? There was room for each other in our hearts but not our lives? "I would do that too. That's why I'm going back, after all."
"You're going back? Back where?"
"Back home to the US. In two weeks."
"So soon? Wow," he thought for a moment. "I'm actually pretty sad. You've been a good person to rely on, even if we didn't start off on the right foot."
I smiled. Gunho was a sweeter guy than I had imagined him to be at first. "Thanks for telling me about this. And I'm sorry I didn't ask you for your autograph at the laundromat."
He laughed. "Of course I would tell you right away. We're friends now, aren't we?"
I grinned and nodded.
We chatted for a bit more before nightfall, and headed back to our homes.
And thus began the waiting game.
I found everything irritating and kept looking at my phone and the news to see if any news had leaked or if anyone had texted me about the issue. I wondered what Jimin was doing. I was simultaneously juggling four things: studying for school, working for Dr. Wang, backing up our data and almost immediately putting fake files in so Hanna wouldn't tamper with what our algorithms spat out, and manically checking my phone and news outlets. There was clearly much to resolve, and little time left to do so, and I barely slept because of the stress.
Christmas Eve passed uneventfully, and then Christmas, and then the next day. Seeing all the couples outside in the cold made me jealous and anxious all at once, and I worked overtime despite the holiday so I could be distracted from this mess.
The day after Christmas, with barely a week left, a couple of friends I'd made at school had insisted on taking me out to hang out with them so I could breathe for a few hours. I reluctantly agreed, and was a little more excited when I realized they had tickets to one of the daily music shows. A few groups I knew were performing, and we left for the studio in the evening.
But my mood was ruined again when I realized who the guest MC was. Smiling innocently was that sneaky bleached blond Jihun, standing next to two other idols. He looked cheerful, not guilty at all for what he was doing, what he had done to Jimin. It wasn't my place to judge him, but I couldn't hold back the anger bursting in me.
As soon as an advertisement started and everyone took a short break, I separated from my friends, pushed through the crowd to the side stage where the MCs stood, and I screamed, "Who let you onstage, cheater?!" The people around me turned in shock and I clearly saw Jihun and his co-hosts look in my direction.
Boldly, I continued, "You've got quite the guts to be out here, don't you think?!"
He looked at me and recognition flashed in his eyes, but he betrayed no sign of his thoughts except for his smile dropping. Good. Don't smile.
A fan shoved me to my right and I felt the breath knocked out of me when another fan pushed me forward to my knees. A couple of girls tried to break up the fight but I took the chance to grab onto the leg of the first girl who'd shoved me and bring her down with me. What the hell do you know, girl? Before I knew it, two uniformed guards grabbed the three of us who'd gotten violent and dragged us out of the venue. The other two struggled a lot more than I did; I just let them guide me outside calmly. I hoped my friends hadn't taken unkindly to my antics, but didn't spot them on my way out of the studio. Hopefully they hadn't realized it was me.
The other two girls argued to be let back in and huffed and puffed, and a guard gave us a talking to. I apologized for the trouble and walked out and around, waiting at the entrance for my friends to get done. What a terrible week.
"That was unexpected," a voice chimed behind me. I turned to see Director Jeong, a lot more sober and a lot more strict-looking, standing at the glass door entrance to the venue. Oh yeah, this was her company's studio after all.
"You saw?"
"Yeah, I happened to be giving someone a tour of the control room when I heard some commotion through the camera. Thanks for waiting for the commercial break, at least?"
"Don't make fun of me, I'll steal your shoes."
She laughed. "American! No respect."
"You can't say that after that drunk episode last week. Do you even remember?"
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," she chuckled. "And of course I remember. Something must have gone wrong, for you to be yelling at skinny boy back there."
"He is too skinny, right? I'm jealous."
"Hey, his body is just like your guy."
I opened my mouth to retaliate but clamped it down again. "Just a little." I looked up at her. "You won't tell?"
She rolled her eyes. "I have better things to do, honey."
I sighed and told her briefly about how Jimin's company was being blackmailed by Jihun's.
"Why are you all sad then? What's done is done." She said.
"I want to do something. I feel responsible for some reason."
"Meddlesome. That's what got you in trouble last time too, you remember?"
I groaned. I didn't want to get chastised by her, not now.
She continued, "But it worked out because you followed what you wanted. Heart, mind, and conscience. I remember." She said softly.
I slowly looked up at her, unsure of what she meant by that.
She continued, "Blackmail, huh? You could maybe fight fire with fire."
"Fire with Fire? You mean I should...."
"Should? There's no should. Do what you want to do to stay true to yourself. Fire isn't the only thing that fights fire either."
"Lady, you are so confusing sometimes. Have you ever considered writing poetry?"
She tsk'd and stood up, "I produce dramas. I'm a poet of my own kind."
I smiled at her. She waved goodbye and walked back in, but not before saying, "I'm curious to see what you choose."
Fire with fire... blackmail with blackmail.
But what could I...? I looked through my phone until I landed on a months old picture of Baek Hee and Jihun kissing that I'd all but forgotten about. Right...