Seokjin walks to downtown Busan to look for a payphone. It's an hour away from his home and he spent some of the savings he has for his checkup on weekend for bus fare. In his hand is the Business Card Jungkook gave to him the night he offered to exclusively work for him. He didn't know why he kept it but he is grateful now that he did. Perhaps, he's anticipating the day that he would be needing to tell Jungkook the truth.
His heart pounds under his chest as he reached the booth. His hand rests on the phone for a while. He's having second thoughts of calling. He doesn't know why he's hearing someone telling him not to call. But he cannot fathom the thought that Jungkook will get married without knowing the truth.
He put the phone on his ear and insert some coins before dialing the number. He takes a lungful of air and hold on to his growing tummy as he waits for someone to pick up the phone. We'll be calling your father, baby.
"Office of the Chairman, how may I help you?" It's a voice of a woman. Probably, a secretary.
He takes another lungful. "Is this the office of Mr. Jeon Jungkook?"
"Yes, may I know who's calling?"
So Jungkook is now the Chairman?
"Uh... This is Kim Ken. Can you please transfer the call to him? This is something important." Jin closed his eyes and prop his hand on the booth. He's feeling so nervous.
"What's the name again?"
"Ken. He knows me. I need to talk to him." I repeated making sure to say my name clearly.
"Ken." The secretary writes the name on her desk calendar. "Okay, Mr. Ken. Kindly wait for a second."
But before the secretary can inform Jungkook about the call, Jungkook's mom grabbed the phone and glared at the secretary. She gestured to the young woman to keep her mouth shut. Mrs. Jeon waited for a moment before talking to the phone.
"Mr. Ken?" Mrs. Jeon asked, changing her tone in a more cheerful one.
"Yes? Can you transfer it now?" Jin asked eagerly.
"I'm sorry Mr. Ken but Mr. Jeon doesn't want to talk to you."
The secretary looks puzzled and scared at the same time.
"Why? Please, Miss, you ask him again. Maybe he didn't hear my name clearly. It's Ken, K-E-N. He knows me." Jin's eyes watered. Although he doesn't want to have any communication with Jungkook, he doesn't know why he wanted to talk to him now.
"Mr. Ken, can you please tell me exactly your business with him? I can relay it to him." Mrs. Jeon's eyebrow raised and she doesn't seem amused.
"Miss, this is important. This is about us. This is personal. Please transfer my call." Jin sounded desperate. He wanted to tell the woman his real name but Jungkook is not aware of his real name. He only knows him as Ken.
"Mr. Ken listen, I wish to inform you that your name is one of the names Mr. Jeon blacklisted to call him. It means whatever you wanted to say is not important. Besides, he's not here right now. He's busy preparing his wedding with his fiance. So please stop calling here. Thank you."
Mrs. Jeon dropped the call. She writes down the number registered in the caller ID and deleted it after. She leaned down at the table, glaring at the scared secretary. "Don't you dare say anything to Jungkook or you will regret it. Understood?"
The secretary nods and Mrs. Jeon went inside Jungkook's office.
***
Jin holds his chest as he cried. He wasn't able to put down the phone, he just left it hanging in the booth as he walks away.
He regrets calling Jungkook. He's okay before. He's okay before he called Jungkook. But now, all the nightmares he had repeated itself. He doesn't know why he even thinks of calling him. He really moved on. He forgot everything about me. Why did I even call? I should have not called. It's better that I don't know that he hated me. I wish I just stayed at home.
"I'm right. You're just good with words but you're a liar!" He screamed and all the people on the street looked at him in surprise. He lowered his head and ran.
I will take care of you. Don't worry, appa will love you.
***
"Please Jungkook, no alcohol tonight. Can you please go easy? It's very unhealthy." Namjoon said as he watched Jungkook clean his office table. He's preparing to leave.
"I am the Chairman now just because my mother insisted on me to marry that woman. I don't even like her." Jungkook whines. He picks up his bag and closes it.
Namjoon sits down on the table and looks at his grumpy friend. "You can always back out."
"I will back out! I don't even know why they need to publish that fucking lie! What if Ken gets to read that bullshit? This is ridiculous!" Jungkook slumps on his chair covering his face with his hands. Frustrations taking over him.
"What's the news? Did you find him?"
"I realized that all the private investigators I hired were all ineffective, useless, whatever you want to call them."
"You want me to look one for you? I smell something fishy about them." Namjoon said, lowering his voice.
"What do you mean?" Jungkook looks confused.
"Jungkook, if they are doing their jobs, they already traced Ken's whereabouts. I believe there's something going on and I don't know what's that." Namjoon looks at Jungkook intently.
"Do you think my mom has something to do with this?"
"I don't know but it's your mom who wanted your Chairmanship long ago. I just can't tell you earlier because she's here earlier and you know, your mom is always at the wrong place at the wrong time."
Jungkook thinks for a while and snorted. Thinking of the possibilities that his mom knows something. He stands up and grabs his bag. "Let's have some beer Joon. I can think well with alcohol in my system."
Namjoon rolled his eyes. Thinking of the beers he consumed almost every day ever since Ken left. It seems like Jungkook is now alcohol dependent.
"Jane." Jungkook looks at his secretary, resting his hands on the table. "I will be on leave tomorrow. And please, next time, inform me first before letting my mom in."
"Noted, sir." Jane nods. She's still uncomfortable thinking about the incident earlier.
"What's my schedule tomorrow? Do I have a meeting or something?" Jungkook asked.
Jane's fingers trace the dates and it stops on the date the next day. "Sir, you have a meeting with the couturier."
"Couturier? What couturier?" Jungkook looks puzzled. He looks at the desk calendar confirming the schedule. "I will never schedule a meeting with them. And please, I am your boss, not my --"
Jungkook stops when he noticed a familiar name written on the desk calendar. "Who's this?" He taps his finger on the name as he glares on his secretary.
"Uh... Sir... My friend." Jane cannot look Jungkook in the eye. Jungkook sense something is wrong.
"Jane, I hate liars. Who's this?" He repeated the question and his eyes started to form tears.
Jane cried. Namjoon seemed perplexed by the scene.
"Sir..." Jane sobs. "Sir please, don't tell Mrs. Jeon. I'm scared of her."
Jungkook gritted his teeth. Namjoon is right. His mom is doing something odd.
"Tell me now." Jungkook sounds threatening.
"Sir, Mr. Ken called earlier but Mrs. Jeon grabbed the phone from my hand. I guess she overheard. Mr. Ken said he has something important to say. I don't know what he said after. He's talking to your mom. Mrs. Jeon said you don't want to talk to him. That his name is blacklisted here and that you're busy preparing for your wedding. She deleted the number that registered on the phone. I'm sorry Mr. Jeon. I can't do anything about it." Jane cries and Namjoon just pats her back.
Jungkook's tear fell after hearing what happened. Anger consumed him. He's looking for Ken like crazy only to find out that his mom is blocking his way.
***
I'll try to fix the errors.
I miss you all.