Reluctant Hearts ✔️

Chapter - 34

Jungkook walks into Hive Agency for his second round of auditions, trying to steady his nerves. The crowd outside is smaller than last time, a little less overwhelming, but the pressure feels ten times heavier. This round could decide everything. He spots Mina waiting for him by the entrance, clipboard in hand and a reassuring smile on her face.

"You ready for this?" she asks, walking him toward the dressing room to get him prepped.

"Yeah," Jungkook breathes, though his stomach twists with nerves. "Who else made it through?"

Mina glances at her clipboard and then back at him. "Only three made it to the second round. By the end of today, they'll probably choose the actor." She pauses, catching his anxious expression. "You've got this, Jungkook."

Jungkook nods but can't shake the nerves as they tighten in his chest. As he heads toward the audition room, he catches a glimpse of Seojoon, one of the other candidates. Seojoon offers him a polite smile, which Jungkook returns, though there's something off about the way his smile doesn't reach his eyes.

Behind that smile, Seojoon is sneering inwardly, seething with irritation. This kid? Really? Just one breakout role and everyone's acting like Jungkook's the next big thing. Seojoon had already overheard from his assistant that the director had taken a liking to Jungkook over him, and it irked him to no end. A newbie, better than me? Seojoon scoffs inwardly, hiding his contempt behind a mask of politeness.

Jungkook doesn't notice any of this as Mina leads him into the auditorium. He enters with his head down, heart racing, feeling the pressure of the judges' eyes on him. He walks to the center of the room and when he looks up, his breath catches in his throat. 

Sitting in the middle of the judging panel is none other than Kim Taehyung. 

His eyes widen, and before he can help himself, a small gasp escapes his lips. What the hell is Taehyung doing here?

Taehyung, catching Jungkook's reaction, smirks, raising an eyebrow with a silent, amused challenge in his eyes. It's as if he's enjoying Jungkook's shock, completely composed and unfazed.

The director, Hyunjin, notices Jungkook's stunned expression. "Is everything alright, Jungkook?" he asks, leaning forward a bit, his voice carrying a hint of concern.

Jungkook blinks rapidly, trying to regain his composure, but his gaze keeps flicking back to Taehyung, still sitting calmly, a slight curve to his lips. "Uh, yeah. Everything's fine," Jungkook manages to say, though his voice wavers slightly.

Hyunjin raises an eyebrow, clearly noticing how rattled Jungkook seems. His eyes follow Jungkook's line of sight, landing on Taehyung. "Ah, I see you're surprised to see Mr. Kim here," Hyunjin says, his tone understanding. "Well, I suppose it's not widely known yet, but Taehyung is the producer for this film. We've kept it low profile for now, but we'll announce it publicly soon."

Jungkook's mind races as he processes this information. Producer? Is this what he meant when he said I'd find out later? He swallows hard, trying to steady his breath and nods to Hyunjin. "I didn't know," he mutters, still glancing nervously at Taehyung, who remains as composed as ever, his smirk now more subtle but still very much there.

"Well, now you do," Taehyung finally speaks, his deep voice breaking through the tense silence. "Focus on your audition, Jungkook. That's all that matters right now."

Trying to cool himself down, Jungkook takes a deep breath and forces himself to focus on the task at hand.

"Alright," Hyunjin says, his smile encouraging as he gestures toward Jungkook. "Whenever you're ready."