Lines We Shouldn't Cross

chapter 4

After the meeting ended, everyone seemed impressed with Jungkook's presentation skills. Hana was seething. How could he have even known the case details when she was the one it was assigned to? She stayed behind, knowing her manager would have a whole lot to say to her. She glanced to her side and saw that bastard giving her a cocky smile.

God, who does he think he is?

Hana tried to ignore the menace, but she soon became confused. Shouldn't he have left by now? Before she could speak up about it, her manager came back into the conference room, closing the door behind him. Oh God, they weren't going to do this in front of him were they? That would be humiliating for Hana, knowing Jungkook would never let her live that down.

Hana and Jungkook had never gotten along. Hate might be too strong a word, but they certainly didn't like each other. They had both joined the firm two years ago, on the same day, and from the start, it felt like they were locked in a battle. The truth was, they were actually quite alike. The two were known to be driven, ambitious, and fiercely competitive. That became obvious the moment they met. On their first day, they were assigned to work together on a project. Multiple teams were tasked with proposing solutions to a tough but high-profile case, with the best team getting to see it through to the end. And, as luck would have it, Hana and Jungkook ended up as partners.

At first, Hana and Jungkook were indifferent to each other. Neither was interested in making friends, they just wanted to finish the job and win. Hana was a perfectionist, preferring everything to be meticulously planned and organized. Surprises weren't her thing, which made her highly efficient but sometimes a bit too pushy. Jungkook, on the other hand, was quick to adapt. He didn't see the point in over-preparing, preferring to skim case files once and figure the rest out on the fly. They couldn't stand the way the other worked.

The first few days of working together were rough. They mostly just consisted of the two of them sitting at the library, during the time that Hana had scheduled for the two of them. Jungkook found it cute, yet pathetic at the same time, her need to schedule meetings, discuss, organize, and whatnot. It just wasn't his thing. Hana hated his lethargy. She felt as if she were the only one doing all the heavy lifting. All he did was sit in front of her, and stare off into space. Pathetic. She wondered if he even knew what the case was about. Instead of questioning and berating him about it (which is what she typically would've done), she simply went on about her work. It was a competition after all. Him dozing off gave her the upperhand. She was going to win.

Eventually, d-day came. It was time for everyone to present what they had. Hana was confident that she was going to win. She had prepared her presentation, and practiced it thoroughly before. As expected, Hana came and delivered an exceptional presentation. One that got her very good remarks from her peers and superiors. Jungkook was assigned to present last. Before he began, Hana was pretty amused. She thought he would go up to the podium and make a complete fool of himself. He had done absolutely nothing in the time they spent working together. How'd he even get the job? Hana giggled at her thoughts.

What Hana expected was for Jungkook to go up there completely unprepared, not knowing what to say. However, she couldn't have been more wrong. Jungkook spoke with such confidence that everyone in that room would've bought anything that came out of his mouth. He also had a natural charm and charisma that drew people to him. Jungkook explained everything perfectly and it left Hana speechless. She was so confused at how he was able to say all that when he hadn't done anything in the past two weeks. All he did was sleep, check his phone, and flirt with the girls at the library. Hana was taken aback by his presentation.

How could he know that much about a case he didn't even bother reading? Only one explanation came to her mind. He must have used her work. There was literally no other way. They had spent so much time together daily within the past few weeks, and in all that time he didn't even make an effort to read through the files more than once. He had to have used her work. It made complete sense to her in her head. She had encountered guys like him in the past. The typical, arrogant, ridiculously attractive guy that uses girls whenever he needs something, then throws her away when the time is right. What a dick.