03
TROUBLED WATERS
The boys gather around, watching as their hyung pace back and forth in one place. Jin was frantic. They were shocked.
"You're in a what?" Yoongi asks, jaw slack.
"A dating scandal," Jin grumbles.
"You're in a dating scandal?" Jungkook reiterates, eyes enlarging by the second.
"Yes."
"And it's not with Yerin, your girlfriend?" Jimin adds.
"No."
"But it's with..." Taehyung trails off, unsure.
"It's with Aera," Jin snaps, now getting angry. "How many times do I have to repeat myself? I'm in a dating scandal with Aera, not Yerin."
The others stay silent. Smart move. It was very clear that Jin was on the verge of erupting.
"Does Yerin know?" Namjoon asks. Soft and careful.
Jin sighs. A tired hand drags down his face.
"Yes."
"She okay?" Hoseok asks.
The eldest nods, "I told her everything and she understands. She just thinks it's stupid, that's all."
Everyone looks relieved but the shock and confusion still lingers as they mull over the explanation Jin had given them earlier. Something about him helping Aera get her trapped shoe out of a sewer gate. That's it. But media likes to twist things around and now there's loads and loads of articles saying that they're dating.
Jin's phone chimes with a text.
"You might wanna look at that," Yoongi advises. He's surprisingly genuine.
Jin gives him a glare that screamed 'I already knew that captain obvious' and proceeds to read the text, knowing fully well it was from their CEO.
After a moment, he groans. A sound from the deepest, darkest part of his throat. The others look scared.
"He wants to see me."
"We figured out that much," Namjoon says.
Jin shakes his head. Solemn. "He wants to see me so he can bring me to Stardom Entertainment to talk with Aera and her boss."
"Oof," Taehyung jerks away.
Everyone grimaces.
"That's rough, man."
Jin doesn't say a word. Fluttering his eyes closed, he blocks their voices out. A trait he's very good at. He takes a deep breath in.
Breathes out.
Breathes in.
But this no longer works as Jin breaks out of the stupid breathing exercise with a string of beautiful curses, shattering like a crumbling sandcastle. He pays them no attention and curses his way out, storming off to the fiery pit waiting for him.
────
"You're kidding, right?"
"No, unfortunately, I'm not."
Jin and Aera sit there side by side like two middle schoolers at a principle's office. They had the same dumb stare: eyes squinting in confusion, jaws slanting with disbelief, mouth slightly parted, and heads tilted to the right. They could be a mirror of themselves, really. The two idols stare at their respective bosses like they've grown two extra heads.
Although Aera is kind of flattered that people think she's in a league where she can date Kim Seokjin, she's still upset about this because— well, she just debuted a year ago. She can't have a dating scandal tarnish her reputation, especially when we all know how messed up some people's logic are. Ahem. Yes, those delusional weirdos.
Aera speaks up first. "What do you mean we have to pretend like we're dating?"
Director Hyun, CEO of Stardom Entertainment sends her a look. Not a pleasant one, let's leave it at that. "It's exactly what it sounds like. Pretend to be a couple for a few months. It'll help with our promotions for 3ce and it'll be good media play for BTS. It's a win-win."
"How does that even make sense?!" Jin yells. His irritation crawls over his skin like annoying mosquitos. He was not about to let them thrust him into an unwanted relationship when he'd tried so hard to keep his actual one a secret. If he has to be in a dating scandal, it should be with Yerin. His real girlfriend.
Realizing the air around them shifted to an uncomfortable one, Jin heaves a heavy sigh. This time, he lowers his voice. "I mean, how is a dating scandal a good thing for us? You guys always told us it would ruin our careers."
Aera nods. He's got a point.
Bang PD slides a tablet over, tapping on the screen. "For you two, it is. Because quite surprisingly, a lot of people are actually supportive of your relationship."
Aera scoffs to herself. "Yeah, a relationship you pulled out of your ass," she whispers, annoyed. And it takes a lot for Aera to be annoyed. Beside her, Jin catches this and lets out a choked snort, weirdly forgetting about his anger and starting to see this whole thing as somewhat hilarious.
No. He snaps out of it, popping his balloon of thoughts. This isn't funny.
Now, Jin is a smart man. Being in this industry has taught him quite some useful things. He pulls out his last card, knowing that it'll work just like the other times he had caused trouble.
He stands. The chair reels backwards. A deafening screech shocks the room. But Jin doesn't budge. He's now a warrior. Eyes determined, he says, "You can't do this. You can't force us to act like we're dating when we don't even know each other. How are we going to pull that off? I may have an acting degree but I didn't ask you to use it for this! No, I'm not doing it. Nope. Absolutely not."
Beside Jin, Aera's jaw drops. Her gaze bounces back and forth between Jin and his boss, who doesn't exactly look ecstatic to be there. Aera, a newly debuted singer could never fathom speaking to her boss like that. Hell no, she'd be tossed out like rotten vegetables! To her, this was a culture shock.
Yet she nods. Hesitant but surely. After all, she's got to give Jin her support.
"I agree," she whispers. Timid.
Silence fills the room. The two CEOs watch an angry, frowning Jin glower at them. Director Hyun looks to his friend, Bang PD. He looks, amused?
"Seokjin, sit down," Bang PD says. As calm as the spring breeze. The man had expected this outburst. "You just finished your world tour and we have no events scheduled for the next three months. It's honestly the perfect time. So, why not?"
Jin's blood boils.
"Because I'm already da--"
Shit.
Jin stops.
Everyone raises an eyebrow, waiting.
Jin chews on his bottom lip, conflicted. If he tells them he's dating someone else, he'll definitely get into more trouble but if he doesn't, he's stuck in this stupid scandal for god knows how long.
Again, Jin is a smart man.
Seeing that Jin had become silent, Bang PD continues, ready to let them know this was a closed discussion. "So it's settled. Seokjin and Aera will confirm the dating rumours once we release an official statement to the press."
Director Hyun nods. "I think they'll need to spend some time with each other to convince the public. Let's try to align their schedules together as closely as possible, yeah?" He leans closer, showing his friend some paperwork, "How does meeting at least twice a month sound?"
Bang PD hums in agreement and the two start to have their own little conversation by themselves.
Aera's face is in her hands.
Jin is stumped.
He's lost his battle. Some warrior.
Once both companies shake on the deal and exchange formalities, the meeting was finally over. A meeting that threw the two victims into a new world they never consented to. This has to be some sort of rights violation.
They all file out of the room. Aera watches as Jin walks out first. Stiff and tense. Guilt washes over her.
She nervously stops Jin for a moment in the hallways, "I-I'm sorry, Sunbae. This wouldn't have ever happened if I didn't hug you, I... I don't even know why I did that," Aera knocks the back of her head. She's stern. But mostly, she's ashamed. "I was just so grateful you helped me last night that I completely forgot and--"
"It's alright," Jin reassures her. The annoyed tick in his eye softens as he realizes he's not the only victim in this. "What's done is done. I was the one who approached you in the first place."
Sucking in his teeth, he shoves his hands into his pockets, "It's not our fault we were just living our lives. We're just too popular, huh?"
He offers her a smile.
Aera tries smiling back but it looked quite sad to be a proper smile.
"I don't really know if that's a good thing anymore," she says.
Thoughtful silence engulf the two. She's swiping her feet against the ground. And he's giving her a tight smile. Jin musters enough courage to speak first.
"Well, since we'll be seeing each other more often..." He trails off, taking his hands out for a handshake, hesitant. "It's nice to meet you, I'm Kim Seokjin, but you probably already knew that."
Aera is thrown into a sweet daze by his multi-million dollar smile. Her heart does that stupid flip-and-twirl thing inside her chest, sending her brain into a frenzy.
She gulps at the sight of his outstretched hand. It looks soft. She shakes his hand. It is soft.
This is business, Aera.
"It's nice to meet you too," she smiles. She forces, no, wills the jitters in her stomach to vanish before looking up at him. "I'm Choi Aera and I hope we get along well."
You cannot fall for him.
────
EPILOGUE.
"We're here," Aera's manager says. His hair is blowing softly from the air-con. A charcoal hoodie, black jeans, and a hat. He looks young. Their van stops in their company parking lot. Aera is the only passenger.
"I want to die."
Her manager's eyes bulge. He turns to see Aera banging her forehead against the back of the passenger seat. He deflates. "I mean... sure, the sweet release of death sounds good right now but this isn't that bad. At least the company didn't null your contract or anything," he says, hoping to calm her down.
Aera looks up. Glaring up at the roof of the car, she's seeing something much, much more beyond that.
"Why me, God? Why? I'm a good fucking citizen."
Her manager winces. "How much sleep did you get last night?"
Aera pouts. "Two hours."
He nods twice. Sympathetic. "That's why you're cursing."
"And because this whole shitshow is happening to me!"
"Don't curse when you're in front of your fake boyfriend," her manager warns, ignoring the eye roll she gave him, "Let's go, I got a text that Bighit and Jin are here. They're waiting."
Aera steps out of the car. Reluctance painted all over her face. A ruined canvas. She starts walking, or more like trudging behind her manager. Angry mumbles float under her breath as she steps into the building, up the escalator, and down the hall to the main conference room. Her manager pushes the doors open. Aera curses one last time.
The deity above had never given her an answer.