TAEHYUNG'S FAVORITE FRUITS WERE STRAW
BERRIES. . .THAT IS UNTIL THEY WEREN'T
• • •
KIM TAEHYUNG WAS A MAN WHO had built his way up to the ultimate life of power and luxury from his cliched humble beginnings, or to be more specific, made a multi-million dollar communications and social connectivity company after escaping the limited confines of his father's strawberry farm.
As a child he'd always jump at the opportunity to help his father in their fields. He loved the stinging sensation of the suns rays kissing his exposed skin. He could recall the refreshing smell of icy morning dew sitting delicately atop countless blades of grass. He could even remember the grainy texture of the rich earth and the dirt's natural coolness under his fingers.
But most of all, Taehyung could easily recall the glory of the vibrant scarlet fruits that peppered every bush for miles and added a splash of color to the dull countryside, the very fruit that never disappointed to brighten up his day with it's sweet and saccharine flavor, and the very fruit that represented the roots of his childhood.
Taehyung could say with full confidence that strawberries were his favorite fruit in the whole world. . . but that failed to explain why he would always find himself staring hungrily at the cherry-stained lips of one Kim Jisoo.
Ms. Kim, although tasked with filling a multitude of different roles in his company, was first and foremost his new secretary. His previous secretary was competent enough and always seemed on top of her assigned tasks, but she had crossed the lines of professionalism the moment she attempted to kiss him.
This prompted Taehyung to be a bit more cautious and picky when selecting someone to fill her shoes, but Jisoo had intrigued him from the moment he'd met her.
• • •
[FLASHBACK TO FIRST MEETING]
"Hold the elevator—" a distinct voice shouted as the metal doors slid towards each other so Taehyung smashed the 'open' button on impulse just in time for a blur of red hair and black heels speed in.
The red hair seemed to belong to a woman, seemingly around his age, dressed in a white chiffon blouse and black mini skirt, with a folder tucked under her armpit and handbag clutched in one hand with, strangely enough, a woven basket filled to the brim with ripe cherries in the other.
She let out a sigh of relief and chuckled softly, "God, I am so late." The woman turned to him and smiled appreciatively, and that was the beginning of his descent into madness. Her lips weren't thick and puffy, nor were they thin and brittle. They weren't chapped, but neither were they glossy, just smooth with a moistened sheen. They even shaped a heart when she smiled. But perhaps most enticing of all, were their color.
A bold, unapologetic, and lustrous shade of red that could only be described as cherry. For a painstaking long second Kim Taehyung had an animalistic urge to bite into them and savor the taste.
He was so entranced by her mouth, he almost missed the next words that came out of them.
"Thank you for getting the door for me," she then bowed her head.
"ah...yes," he said faltering with his words, "no problem."
"What floor is it for you?" he asked, not brave enough to face her again lest her lips distract him again.
"Oh..." she paused unsurely, "I actually don't know."
This time when he addressed her, he looked at her face, determinedly gazing into her dark eyes. "What do you mean you don't know?"
She let out a short, nervous laugh, "This is my first time in the building. I'm actually here for an interview with the CEO you see, I applied to be his secretary."
Taehyung raised an eyebrow at her, "Are you by any chance, Ms. Kim Jisoo?"
He could tell he caught her off guard by the way her eyes widened and her lips formed an 'O' shape. Damn it Tae, stop staring at her lips you creepy bastard!
"Y-yeah, I am, but how'd you know?"
He had one last interview for the day, a lady by the name of Kim Jisoo, but she had been scheduled for a whole hour before. He furrowed his eyebrows, did she think he'd still give her a chance after she had been more than an hour late?
"I saw you on the roster, you were scheduled for an hour ago though," he told her honestly. He watched her bottom lip tremble in worry for a moment before she voiced out her concerns, "So, do you think it's a lost cause?"
He swore her pupils seemed to enlarge into puppy dog eyes and he almost felt guilty for what he was about to say. Almost.
"Yeah, you won't be getting the job."
The moment the harsh confirmation left his mouth, it was as if someone flicked a switch in her head and the folder secured under her armpit slipped out and all the loose papers scattered across the elevator floor. Her back slammed onto the wall and she slid down as her eyes flooded with tears.
Out of all the reactions he was expecting, that was not one of them. He wouldn't have pegged the scarlet lipped, pretty girl to be so vulnerable.
"Shit, oh god!" he said panic creeping into his voice, "uhm, miss? it's alright, no need to cry. There are always other jobs!"
He knelt down and started picking up her loose papers. "This company sucks anyway, you don't want to work here!"
Taehyung had no idea what he was saying or why, the only thing sensible thought he could form was to get her to calm down, and if that meant shit talking the company he had built from the ground up, then hell, he was all for it.
"No, no, you don't get it!" the girl, Jisoo, whispered miserably from her corner of the elevator.
"Then explain it to me," he said desperate for her to stop crying. He was always bad at dealing with crying people, especially if it was his fault they were crying.
"My life is literally falling apart right in front of my eyes and- and- and—" she stuttered, her tears making it hard for her to continue.
"And?" he prompted. "and there isn't a damn thing I can do about it!" she wailed, succumbing to a brand new wave of tears.
Taehyung was at a loss of what to do. How do you comfort someone after a confession like that? He would've patted her back, but it was currently pressed against the wall. He could ask her what's wrong, but would that be to nosy?
He shook his head at the mess he had gotten into, he should never have held the lift for her.
He pulled out the pocket handkerchief in his suit and handed it to the crying girl before crouching down to sit beside her.
"If you don't mind me asking Ms. Kim, what's happening in your life?"
"You want the long version or the short version?" she laughed bitterly, dabbing the cloth under her eyes.
"Short version."
Jisoo smiled humorlessly, "My mother is forcing me to marry a man I've never met, my ex-boyfriend ran away with half my life's savings, I was fired from my last job after turning down a sexual favor from my boss, I'm behind on my utility payments, I was late just today because my car's battery died, and now the only potential job opportunity I've had in months has been snatched away right within reach."
Taehyung was taken aback to say the least, her life, true to her word, was a complete wreck!
The genuine shock on his face seemed to incite a short bout of laughter from Jisoo before it gradually slipped into a pensive frown. "I don't even remember the exact moment everything started going wrong."
"Ms. Kim I—"
"Just Jisoo is fine."
He recalls the same words of advice his father had given him when he'd left their modest village to study in the big city of Seoul.
"Jisoo I'm sorry for your. . .circumstances, really I am. But we all have our lowest moments, and this is yours. Now you could just sit there in the grave already dug for you, or you could climb out and build a stairway straight to the stars."
She stares at him for so long that for a moment Taehyung thinks she died with her eyes open.
"I get what you're saying, but life's not some philosophy class. Quoting fancy advice is much easier than getting up and following through with it."
And he doesn't really have a proper reply to that, because he knows she right.
They sit for a few more moments, in complete silence, both staring stoically ahead side by side with their shoulders just barely brushing.
"Well now that I've had my daily dose of wallowing in my own self-pity, I think I'll leave now with the last threads of dignity I have left," Jisoo stands up, straightening her blouse and dusting off her skirt. She grabs the folder he'd placed next to her with all the papers safely secured inside and gave him a stiff bow.
"I'm sincerely sorry for wasting your time like that. Thank you for listening, have a nice day sir."
And just like that, she hits the 'open' button on the lift and walked away.
Now the only things in the elevator were him still awkwardly crouched in the corner and a basket of fresh and pristine cherries.
Suddenly, he's on his feet again, running. He dashes past desks, employees, the staff room, the break room and out the main entrance and looks wildly around. With a stroke of serendipity, he spots her noticeably red hair glowing like a halo of lava between the normal shades of black and brown and surges forward.
"Jisoo!"
She turned around in surprise to see Taehyung handing her the basket of cherries. "You. . .uh you forgot your cherries." he says lamely.
Jisoo giggled cutely and Taehyung marvelled at how quickly her mood changed or how well she could mask her unhappiness.
"No I actually left them on purpose, as a gift for you. An apology for dealing with my bullshit if you will."
For the nth time since he'd met her, Taehyung was dumb founded. "You did?"
She nodded, her eyes crinkling earnestly. "Personally, I love cherries. They're tiny fruits, but such a formidable color. And you never know what you're gonna get when you bite into one, will it be sour this time, or will it be sweet? It's unpredictable, like life and well. . .me I guess." she laughed again, and he was beginning to love the sound. "I'm talking nonsense now but I hope you enjoy them!"
"I was always more of a strawberry guy, if I'm being honest." he told her studying her critically. This girl, was truly something else.
Jisoo tilted her head to the side, "Well, one little cherry every once in a while never hurt anyone," and then she did something that really shook him to the core.
She yanked his tie and he stumbled forward, and standing on the very tips of her toes she pressed her soft lips to his cheek, staining it a dark red.
"Bye, then."
and as she began to walk away, Taehyung knew he couldn't let her do that. She was to special of a person to let her walk out of his life like that. "Kim Jisoo!" he shouted again.
She turned around again looking playfully exasperated, "What is it now?"
A deep laugh bubbled within him and he shouted back, "Yah! You should address you're new boss with more respect! I expect you to come into work tomorrow at 8 o'clock sharp!"
[END OF FLASHBACK]
• • •
It's been a whole year since that ordeal and within that time Jisoo's proven to be the best secretary he could've asked for and he's grown to like her more than he cares to admit. He's grown to like her more than he should, more than any boss should like their secretary and he knew it was hypocritical considering he fired his last secretary for these exact reasons.
That was the trend with Kim Jisoo, it wasn't humanely possible to not spend a lot of time together and not fall in love with her. She was kind and gentle, which contrasted deliciously with the sharp, no-nonsense heels she wore on a daily basis. She had a soft smile and supple cheeks but her pencil skirts made Taehyung wonder if she had soft skin to match. Her eyes were delicate and doe-like which combated perfectly with her pouty, permanently blood stained lips.
He wanted her, more than anything. So on Tuesday morning, the day of his 26th birthday, when the opportunity presented itself, he couldn't help but seize it. She entered his office with his usual coffee, but this time instead of a powdery donut, she carried a basket of red fruit.
He had deja vu to the moment when they'd first met and she'd been carrying the same thing.
"Good morning, Mr. Kim, happy birthday." She grinned at him, setting down his coffee and a basket of che— strawberries?
"What are these?" he asked thoroughly bemused. She looked at him funnily, "I could be mistaken Mr. Kim, but last I checked those are your favorites, strawberries."
His favorites. . .right. Then why, pray tell, does his heart want to do nothing but push the basket of strawberries out of the way and press his lips against her sinful cherry ones?
"Do you not like them?" she asked sadly, her upper teeth digging into her lower lip the way Taehyung wanted nothing more than to do.
"No, no! They're nice, I appreciate the gesture Jisoo. But I don't know," his voice adopted a more huskier tone, "I've been growing more biased towards cherries these days."
Jisoo swallowed heavily, if he kept looking at her like that, well she might end up starting something she couldn't finish.
"O-oh?" she replied shakily, "Noted, sir. For next time."
"Oh but Jisoo, that can't be all?"
"What can't be all, Mr. Kim?"
"You only got me a basket of strawberries?"
Her hands fidgeted with the end of her skirt nervously, "it was the only thing I could think of to be honest—"
"I might have a few ideas," he smirks standing up and making his way around his desk so they stood a few feet apart.
Jisoo knew stepping closer to her boss would be a dangerous decision and she had a feeling this was leading to a significant moment. Tension was building in her stomach, but she couldn't deny the hot blood that began pumping in her body at their proximity and his insinuating smirk.
"What a coincidence? I'm quite open to some suggestions?" she glanced at him from underneath her lashes.
He leaned down, closer to her face and whispered. "I think a friendly kiss on the cheek would suffice Ms. Kim".
Jisoo wrapped her slender fingers around his tie and a distant memory of their first meeting flashed behind her eyes, before she tugged him forward. But just as she was about to plant a kiss on his cheek, he turned his head at the last second and attached his lips to her own.
Her surprise was outweighed by her desire for Kim Taehyung so she returned his kiss without a moment's hesitation. Taehyung thought he could spend days learning the feel of Jisoo's lips moving with his and the way she tasted like a fresh, sweet cherry bursting on your tongue daring you to eat another. She gasped when he bit her top lip and he took the opportunity to deepen the kiss, tilting his head and sliding his tongue in, loving the way she'd moan into his mouth and he'd tighten his hold on her waist, pulling her closer, closer, closer, until there wasn't a fraction of space between them.
Her nimble fingers slid there way up his chest and around his neck, curling into his hair as he made a trail of hot kisses down her neck and then sucking on her collarbone.
Jisoo groaned in pleasure and her mind was in pure ecstasy. She didn't care that they're working relationship had changed forever or that she had no idea what would happen next. All she cared about as she traced patterns on his chiseled cheekbones and jawline was that Taehyung wanted her.
When they finally broke apart, Taehyung kept them close together. He bent his head to nuzzle underneath her ear and she laughed gently looping her arms around his neck.
"Soo-yah, you have no idea how long I've been waiting to do that," he whispered into her neck and she felt a blush creep up her cheeks.
He pulled his head back and looked at her with bloodshot eyes, "I'm sorry."
"Sorry for kissing me?" she asked, scared for his response.
He shook his head vehemently, "I'm sorry for acting on my desires even if I might've ruined our relationship."
Jisoo leaned forward pressing her forehead against his, and the slopes of their noses aligned with each others and she smiled. "I'm not."
"I'm not the littlest bit sorry, the relationship we had before was never gonna work out anyway, our friendship wasn't meant to last, Tae. We were meant to have something more, something deeper from the beginning."
He chuckled, pressing a swift kiss to her lips again. "I love you, Jisoo-yah."
She opened her mouth to comment, but Taehyung quickly added, "and I know you might not be quite there yet with everything that's happened to you, but I'm willing to wait."
He winked at her playfully, "I've captured your lips for now, but your heart's next on my list."
Jisoo shook her head at his words, pretending they didn't make her heart flutter. "I've got to go now, some of us actually have work to get done."
She straightened out her clothes and turned to leave, but quickly stopped when she noticed him following her out the door.
"Yah, Taehyung-ah, what are you doing?"
He frowned confused, "I'm going out, I have to grab the new forms from management."
"You can't go out looking like that!" she told him incredulously. He looked down at his gucci suit, everything was pristine, professioanl and lint-free, what was the problem?
"Like what? I look fine." Jisoo's eyes seemed to sparkle more than usual and her frown quickly turned into a smirk.
She reached out and pushed his hair back, combing through the tangles and flattening any ends sticking up, and said, "You're right, now you look presentable."
She laughed to herself as she left his office, strange, but he didn't think much of it, exiting his office right after her.
He didn't even think much of the strange and shocked looks he was receiving from all his employees as he walked over to the management office. His presence usually commanded attention.
It wasn't until Taehyung walked by a reflective window that he saw why everyone had been gawking at him so openly. Jisoo's cherry kisses had left bright red lipstick imprints all over his face for the whole company to see.
• • •
[3121 words | 10.27.19]
chapter inspired by 'sweet, crazy, love'
by loona odd eye circle :)