An August Wedding

Ch. 39 - Launch Party

Jeon Jungkook's launch party was nothing like the Mins' charity ball. You and Yoongi entered dressed up similarly but everything else was done differently.

Jin came in with you this time, after being repeatedly told that he was more than welcome to come regardless of his "station" in life. This get-together was being held at his own office building instead of a rented out ballroom, which meant that the list of attendees was a lot shorter. Yet they seemed a lot livelier in comparison to what you'd seen previously. 

The party was already buzzing by the time you got there. Jungkook was supposed to be giving a live demonstration of their new app, one that was apparently of top-secret priority. Yoongi didn't even seem to know about it himself. The three of you helped yourself to some champagne and mingled a bit.

Namjoon joined you after a few minutes, bringing over some food and catching up with Jin.

It wasn't too long before the lights dimmed and Jungkook stepped on stage to give his product demonstration. It was a new form of exercise tech, designed to give you a personalized exercise regimen based on a number of factors including what areas you were already exercising, your daily schedule, and overall intake and output.

"Most programs like this are designed to simply help you lose weight by following similar exercise routines for how much you already work out. But as you can see here," he explained as he projected some numbers up on the screen, "our software pushes a step forward to personalize your exercise routine based on what you're already doing every day to keep you healthy all around, not just at a healthy weight."

"For example, if I work in a stockyard and I spend a lot of time moving and lifting containers, then that means I don't need to do a lot of pushups or weight training to stay in shape. That means I need to keep my protein high and make sure that my core and my back are well-stretched to help with all that heavy lifting. And that means that the best time for me to be exercising like that would be in the morning when I get ready for work. Not when I get home afterward, which is when the majority of people squeeze in that time."

"Or, if I work as a teacher, that would mean that I'm alternating between being on my feet and sitting behind a desk all day. I need a more balanced diet to handle that constant gear switching, as well as some examples of desk exercises that can be done while I'm also grading papers. After all, teachers are the masters of multi-tasking, aren't they?"

Several people laughed.

"In addition, the exercise regimens are designed for you specifically. If you want some light exercises to help you do some additional rehab after an accident, we have that available. If you really are looking to lose weight, then we want to make sure that you do it at a comfortable pace for yourself."

"This concludes the presentation. Thank you all for coming, and I hope you'll consider downloading See Goals for your fitness needs. See Goals, because you should see how achievable your goals really are."

The app received favorable attention from those present. In fact, after the presentation, it took Jungkook almost a full twenty minutes to make his way to where all of you were gathered.

"All right, Joon. Time to pay up."

Namjoon sighed heavily and handed over $100. 

"You two had a bet going?" you asked.

"You noticed the logo for the app, right?" Jungkook asked. "Joon bet me that they'd never approve it."

"And I stand corrected."

Jin shook his head. "It was a real rookie mistake. He's the guy in charge, they'd never say no to his ideas."

You turned to look at the projection screen that was still illuminated above the stage. The logo was some kind of bird....

"A seagull?" you groaned. He shrugged in response.

"Honestly, I'm just as surprised as you are. But they liked the play on words." 

"What made you want to design this app?" 

Jungkook turned his attention to you. "Well, there are a lot of people out there who are already exercising in their daily lives, but they're not maximizing their potential. This is supposed to eliminate that waste."

"More like he wants to prove that he's the fittest with actual numbers," Namjoon snickered. Jin barely covered his own laughter behind his hand.

"You're the one who likes numbers so much, Joon. Want to compare?"

A spark of competition lit up in Namjoon's eyes for a second. But it quickly snuffed itself out.

"No, I'd rather keep my money this time."

Jungkook smirked in triumph. "Yeah, losing twice would suck, wouldn't it?"

"Sounds like you're speaking from experience."

The smirk immediately disappeared from his face. Jin didn't bother to hide his laughter that time. Jungkook muttered an angry retort, but you could all see his ears turning the lightest shade of pink, meaning that Namjoon's response had really affected him.

Meanwhile, Yoongi had gone to get more food. He was almost in the clear when he heard someone call his name. He cursed quietly. 

"There's my favorite nephew!" Mr. Jeon boomed as he grasped Yoongi's shoulders. He had a very similar face to his son, just with a thick mustache and streaks of gray in his hair. "How have you been, my boy?"

"Good, good."

"Your folks couldn't grace us with their presence tonight?"

"No, they got tied up with the homeowner's association tonight. You know how it is."

"Of course. And where's this lovely new wife of yours?" Mrs. Jeon chirped. Yoongi never understood how Jungkook was such a carbon copy of his dad aside from his mother's big doe eyes. 

"She's--"

"Mother, Father, this is (Y/N)."

Yoongi breathed a sigh of relief to see Jungkook standing there with you. Ready to help him escape this conversation.

"It's so wonderful to meet you, dear," Mrs. Jeon said as she clasped one of your hands in her own.  

"Yes, hello, Mrs. Jeon. How are you?"

"I couldn't be prouder. Seeing my son do his first product launch at such a young age? It's almost too much. I just hope he meets a lovely young lady like you and settles down soon. I'm sure it won't be long now."

You smiled thinly. The family rivalry was a heavy one, it seemed. 

"Mother, will you please let that go? I'll settle down when I decide, not because you badgered me into it."

She pouted. "I know, I know. Can't blame me for trying." 

It only took another minute or two of forced casual conversation before there was an opening to excuse yourselves. So you made your way to the back of the room again where Jin was still eating. Namjoon had slipped off to the bathroom by this time.

"And where were you?" Yoongi demanded.

"I've been here the whole time," he replied easily. "I'm not getting pulled into your family drama."

"I'll remember this when we're picking punishments at guys' night next week."

Jin laughed. "You'll never get me. All I have to do is beat Hoseok if we play anything."

"I guess we'll see."

"I guess we will."

But from the look on Yoongi's face, it was obvious that he was going to get his revenge. One way or another. And you highly doubted he'd be the only one.