<OST: It's You - Chungha>
"I'm gonna kill that man."
Jieun laughed as she held Byulyi back from charging after Seokjin and beating him up. "Why do you hate him so much? Maybe the last time he was wrong, but he was just trying to help you out this time. He's actually a really nice guy."
"Did you not hear what he said to me earlier?" Byulyi tried her best to calm down. "Nothing much to look at? Excuse me? I have a great figure - if not for my love for writing, I would have gone into modelling a long time ago. Still remember all those name cards I received back when I was in uni?"
"Yeah, yeah, of course I remember-" Jieun laughed as she patted Byulyi on the shoulder. "Okay, it's my fault, alright? I'm sorry, I should have told you that I was coming home with him even if I thought you were out. Speaking of that... you came back just to help me pack?"
"Mm-" Byulyi lightened up a little as she pointed at the half-filled luggage in the corner of the living room. "Packed you some banchans, some toiletries and some of your favourite snacks. You just need to put in your clothes and you're ready to go."
"I love you so much?" Jieun pouted as she hugged her friend gratefully. "You're literally the best person in the world. Thank you, unnie."
"I knew you'd barely have any time to pack after work, so I thought I'd help-" Byulyi grinned as she patted Jieun's head. "After all, you're my main source of inspiration, aren't you?"
Jieun's eyes flared.
"I'm kidding, or maybe I'm not-" Byulyi laughed. "So remember to keep me updated about your relationship with him. But most importantly, stay safe at all times and don't hesitate to call me if you need any help."
Jieun frowned as she held Byulyi's hands in hers and pulled her into a warm hug. "Thank you, unnie. I don't know how long I'll be there, but I'm definitely gonna miss you so much. I'm so sorry for leaving you here all alone."
"Nah, don't worry about it-" Byulyi laughed. "I'll try to convince the landlady not to find another tenant so that you can come back any time you want."
"Are you sure she'll agree?" Jieun sighed. "She might want the income."
"I'll try my best," Byulyi said as she pulled away and smiled at Jieun. "All you have to do is go there and do a good job, to get your promotion. Go and pack now, the jerk is waiting for you outside."
"Unnie..." Jieun hesitated a little before she slowly glanced up at Byulyi. "Are you surprised that I decided to make this decision...? That is, deciding not to give up."
"Nope-" Byulyi said without hesitation, with a small smile on her face. "The Lee Jieun I know may be clumsy at times, but she's also the type who is extremely determined and who goes all the way. I knew you'd push through regardless of your doubts, Lee Jieun. While you're there, try not to think so much. Just focus on what's at hand - that is, digging for information about him. Alright?"
Jieun swallowed hard. Even though she had eventually made up her mind, she still felt uneasy. Something in her gut told her that she shouldn't be doing this, that something bad was going to happen.
"Alright, unnie."
-•-•-
"Chungha-ssi."
Chungha looked up from her desk and rose to her feet at once. "Oh- bujang-nim!"
"It's okay - stay seated, please stay seated-" Namjoon smiled as he leaned over her desk, eyeing her screen. "How's the report about sajaegi going?"
Hoseok rose from his seat and approached the two, narrowing his eyes suspiciously as he eyed Namjoon. "It's going good, bujang."
"Ah..." Namjoon smiled awkwardly at Hoseok. "You're here too, Hoseok-ssi."
"Yeah, I'm here too-" Hoseok raised his eyebrows nonchalantly. "Why? Should I be somewhere else instead?"
"Nah-" Namjoon shook his head as he turned away from Hoseok towards Chungha. "Chungha-ssi, you're in charge of the interviewing portion of the report, aren't you? When's the interview happening?"
"Oh, um-" Chungha glanced down at her watch and her eyes widened as she scrambled to her feet at once. "It was scheduled at 7pm so... in about half an hour, oh- I better go now."
"That's what I thought-" Namjoon smiled. "Let me take you there."
Hoseok screeched. "What?"
"What?" Chungha gasped at the same time. "No, bujang-nim - it's alright. I can drive there on my own-"
"It's the company's money you're using on petrol, Kim Chungha-ssi," Namjoon said with a chuckle. "I'm heading in the same direction for a meeting so it'll be more convenient to share a ride. Better for the environment, better for the company."
"Huh?" Chungha hesitated as she glanced at Hoseok. "Alright then-"
Hoseok hurriedly packed up the things on his table and began setting up his camera. "Okay, let's go-"
"Hold on, hold on-" Namjoon held up a hand. "Hoseok-ssi, where are you going?"
"With her, of course?" Hoseok scoffed. "We're partners, I need to film her."
"No, you don't-" Namjoon smiled as he pointed at a document in his hands for Hoseok to see. "Look here - 7.30pm, Jung Hoseok, cover anchor duty."
Hoseok's jaw dropped. "What?"
"I told you a few weeks ago, remember?" Namjoon sighed. "Jisung-ssi took leave, so you have to cover him for his anchor duty at 7.30pm today."
Hoseok grabbed the document from Namjoon's hand and scrutinised it carefully. "You're lying..."
"Don't worry, I'll send your partner safely to her location," Namjoon said with a smile. "Seulgi-ssi is already on her way there from another schedule with a camera, so you don't have to worry. All the best!"
Chungha sniggered softly at Hoseok's face, which had rage written all over.
Hoseok balled his fists. "Bujang-nim, you had this all planned-"
"Chungha-ssi-" Namjoon gestured towards the door with a smile as Chungha picked up her bag. "Shall we?"
"I'll accept your kind offer then, bujang-nim," Chungha said with a grin as she turned back at Hoseok. "See you tomorrow, Hoseok-oppa."
Namjoon turned towards Hoseok as Chungha headed towards the door, purposely imitating Chungha annoyingly. "See you tomorrow, Hoseok-oppa."
Hoseok clenched his fists at his sides, holding his anger in as Namjoon followed after Chungha out of the office. Finally, the door closed shut.
"Kim..." Hoseok grunted as he kicked his table hard. "Nam... joon!"
-•-•-
"Did you see that earlier?"
"See what?" Chaeyoung asked as she leaned over her desk. "Bujang-nim with Hoseok sunbae-nim and Chungha-ssi...?"
"Yeah, yeah, that!" Jisoo giggled excitedly. "You saw?"
"Of course I did!" Chaeyoung grinned as she nudged Jisoo in the arm. "Did you see Hoseok sunbae-nim's expression? He was freaking pissed."
"Yeah-" Jisoo laughed. "Bujang-nim clearly won this time."
"Really?" Chaeyoung frowned. "Because to me, it looked like Chungha-ssi was doing it to make Hoseok sunbae-nim jealous."
"Ya!" Jisoo giggled as she hit Chaeyoung softly in the arm. "What is this? Are you writing some fanfic or something? Why would she try to make him jealous!"
"I don't know-" Chaeyoung laughed. "I just always had this impression that Hoseok sunbae-nim and Chungha-ssi still have lingering feelings for each oth-"
"Bujang-nim, you're back!"
Jisoo and Chaeyoung gasped as they scrambled to their feet and turned towards the door. "Bujang-"
There was no one at the door.
"Hyejin-ssi!" Jisoo turned around and glared at Hyejin after realising that she had been pranked. "What's your deal?"
"Yeah, what's your deal?" Chaeyoung frowned as she massaged her arm which she had bumped against the table while getting to her feet earlier. "You've been doing this pretty often lately, haven't you? Do you have nothing better to do?"
"Shouldn't I be the one asking you that, sunbae-nim?" Hyejin asked quietly, barely even looking up from her computer. "If you had something better to do, why would you spend your time gossiping? I don't think our working hours are up yet, if you ask me?"
"Excuse me, Hyejin-ssi-" Jisoo laughed absurdly as she folded her arms. "I let you go the last time, but I realised that you've been increasingly rude towards us."
"I haven't been rude, sunbae-nim-" Hyejin raised her eyebrows matter-of-factly. "I've just been stating facts."
"Or so you think-" Chaeyoung piped in. "But we're telling you now that have been rather rude towards us, and we would like an apology. We're your seniors after all."
Jisoo nodded in agreement. "Yeah, we deserve an apology."
Hyejin looked up from her computer at her two seniors and nodded a little. "Sorry for being rude, sunbae-nim. But if you're going to carry on gossiping without focusing on your work, I'm afraid I might exceed you and become your superior soon. Nevertheless, I'm sorry."
Jisoo and Chaeyoung exchanged glances of disbelief.
"Excuse you?" Jisoo shook her head as she leaned forward, unable to believe her own ears. "What did you just say?"
"I'm sure you heard it."
"Wah, daebak-" Chaeyoung scoffed as she folded her arms and rolled her eyes. "Hyejin-ssi, we've noticed that you've been doing all kinds of things just to get a promotion lately, but this really ain't it."
"Yeah-" Jisoo laughed. "You think you're so good just because you got assigned a case 6 months into your career? I bet you won't even be able to crack it."
"Whether I'm able to crack it or not is my own business-" Hyejin yawned as she flipped through some documents on her table. "I'm not sure if the two of you sunbaes even got the chance to do this back when you were newbies like me. Oh- or maybe you did and you failed, that's why you still haven't appeared on TV yet even though the both of you are already in your third year?"
"You-" Jisoo sneered. "You boot-licker!"
Hyejin chuckled. "Boot-licker, huh. That may be an insult to some, but to me, boot-licking also requires skills. Let's say what you guys said is true and I'm indeed a boot-licker, so what? At least I can get promoted, not like you guys - always slacking around and not contributing much to the company, no wonder you haven't gotten a single promotion yet, unlike the rest of the sunbae-nims who work their asses off."
"Are you done?" Chaeyoung glared at Hyejin as she got to her feet and reached out a hand towards Jisoo. "Unnie, let's go to the pantry! Talking to her makes my blood boil."
"Let's go-" Jisoo scoffed as she took Chaeyoung's hand and got to her feet. "No point talking to such people."
Hyejin shrugged as she looked back down at the document on her table, shaking her head slowly. "You just proved my point, sunbae-nim."
-•-•-
"Boo!"
Jennie leapt out from behind a recycling bin and tapped Yoongi on the shoulder.
Yoongi looked up at her, completely unsurprised. "Oh, it's you."
"Ya-" Jennie pouted as she sorted her rubbish. "Can you at least act surprised...? I put so much effort into scaring you."
"Woah-" Yoongi said monotonously. "I'm so surprised."
"Forget it-" Jennie sighed. "How are you?"
Yoongi glanced at Jennie. "Who even asks anyone how they are nowadays?"
"Why, people don't?" Jennie frowned. "Well, I don't either. But I'm actually curious about how you are, that's why I asked."
"Why are you always so curious about me?"
"I don't know-" Jennie shrugged as she finished sorting her rubbish and waited behind Yoongi for him to finish. "Maybe because we've known each other for quite some time now but you're still pretty... reserved? Now that we're officially friends, you can open up to me a little, can't you?"
Yoongi pursed his lips. "We aren't friends."
"Come on-" Jennie nudged Yoongi in the arm, winking at him. "You slept over at my house once, saved me from my antis once, saved me from a car accident once, sheltered me from the rain once, let me use your kitchen twice - if we aren't already friends, who possibly could be?"
"That's not how friends are made."
Jennie frowned. "Why don't you tell me how friends are made then?"
"I don't know how friends are made-" Yoongi said after some time. "But for me, I don't see the point of making any friends."
Jennie gasped. "Why?"
"I'm different," Yoongi said quietly. "Like I told you that time, I'm the type of person who hurts the people around me easily. I don't like doing things for people, and neither do I like getting favours from others as well - because once someone helps me do something, I will expect, and I will slowly learn to trust and rely on that person."
"And what's so bad about that?"
"That cannot happen-" Yoongi pursed his lips, talking to himself more than to Jennie. "Because people eventually leave my side."
Jennie shook her head. "No, not everyone."
"I'm not a risk-taker," Yoongi said bluntly. "And whenever that happens, I break. When there's no expectations, there's no disappointment, no sadness, no anger. I appreciate that you're trying to make me open up to you, but that's not going to happen any time soon - I suggest that you don't waste your precious time on someone like me, I'm definitely not worth it. Goodbye, Jennie-ssi.
Yoongi turned to leave.
"Min Yoongi-" Jennie said abruptly, turning around to face Yoongi before he could go. "I'm gonna keep trying-"
Yoongi halted in his steps.
"I'm moving to the house next to you-" Jennie said confidently. "I just know you're going to open up to me one day."
Yoongi hesitated a little, before he walked off without another word.
-•-•-
It was silent in Namjoon's car.
"Chungha-ssi."
Chungha looked up from the file she was reading and smiled. "Yes, bujang-nim?"
"When we're alone, you can call me by my name."
"Huh?" Chungha let out an awkward chuckle. "Bujang-nin, I'm afraid that that's not too appropriate..."
"It's fine-" Namjoon laughed. "That's what the rest do, anyway. Especially Jung Hoseok."
"Ah, Hoseok-oppa?" Chungha laughed. "He does that behind your back too, though he has been more respectful lately."
"See? You sound so close when you call him by his name," Namjoon said with a frown as he glanced briefly at Chungha. "You can do the same with me - why don't you?"
"Ah, how is that the same?" Chungha laughed. "He's my... He's an old friend of mine. Meanwhile, you're my boss. There's a huge difference, bujang-nim."
Namjoon pursed his lips and looked away as he muttered under his breath. "And I don't like it."
"Hm?"
Namjoon turned to look at her. "Hm?"
"You were saying something...?"
"No, it's nothing, Chungha-ssi-" Namjoon chuckled. "I just wish that you could be less formal with me at times."
"Ah..." Chungha laughed. "How could I possibly, to you, bujang-nim...?"
It was silent in the car for a while.
Namjoon hesitated, glancing at Chungha uncertainly. "Chungha-ssi."
"Yes, bujang?"
"Do you... happen to be uncomfortable around me?"
Chungha stared at Namjoon for a while, the whole atmosphere in the car becoming awkward because of this one question.
"What?" Chungha forced a laugh. "No, I'm not. Why?"
"Just asking-" Namjoon laughed as he ruffled his hair a little. "As long as you aren't, that's good enough for me."
"I'm not," Chungha assured him. "I'm not uncomfortable around you, bujang. Definitely not."
"Can I ask you for a favour from now then?"
"Yeah, sure, why not?" Chungha smiled. "Go on, bujang-nim."
"You know... Jung Hoseok, that guy-" Namjoon pursed his lips as he glanced at Chungha. "Treat me just like how you treat him from now, when we're not at work."
"That's a bit..."
"Too difficult...?"
Chungha nodded. "Mm."
"In that case... can you treat me as Kim Namjoon instead of Kim bujang instead?"
Chungha thought for a while, and smiled. "I'll try."
Namjoon glanced at Chungha and smiled as well.