You saw it in my eyes forever ✓

Chapter 5

“And then in this column I put the contact information for the executives’ assistants,” Jieun explains, pulling back her hair around the shell of her ear. “I added that after you told me that you can’t be too careful about reaching staff at a moment’s notice. If you see anyone’s name you need, let me know, okay?”

“Mm-hmm,” Jungkook  hums. He rests his head in one of his hands to smile at her.

Jieun continues to show Jungkook  the new spreadsheet that she made for the band’s many contacts, something that she felt she had to explain to Jungkook  in person. Jungkook  has his own methods, and doesn’t think that he’ll change them to Jieun’s (to each their own organizational style), and so her words quickly fade into the background while Jungkook  thinks about what he’s doing – essentially hiding in a practice room to flirt with Jieun.

Something feels… off.

Jungkook  can’t quite put his finger on it. With Jieun, everything is familiar: the teasing conversation, the compliments, the push and pull with smiles and small gestures. There’s comfort in this, Jungkook  thinks, of knowing how this plays out. With all the changes and accommodations that Jungkook  has made to work for taehyung, Jungkook  has missed the feeling that he can anticipate things. And Jieun is as she was when Jungkook  first met her – beautiful and kind, and would understand his position at work better than most.

But, Jungkook  wonders, is that all it is? Familiarity? Jungkook  has hung out with Jieun several times over the last few weeks but he doesn’t feel more than that. That’s why he didn’t follow through on his impulse from her first day to ask her out immediately. There’s no spark, no heat, no aching for more. Jieun’s smiles are lovely but they don’t make his stomach flip, unlike someone’s smirk –

The door of the practice room opens and suddenly the room feels colder.

“Sorry to interrupt,” Taehyung begins curtly.

“Oh, please don’t say that! You weren’t interrupting!” Jieun says, oblivious to Taehyung’s  subtle hints at displeasure, like the slight narrowing of his eyes or his jaw jutting out. Jungkook  makes eye contact with Taehyung and realizes that they are the only two who can read the subtext of the room, like a private language between them. “You two probably have some things to discuss. I’ll see you later, Jungkook !”

“See you,” Jungkook  says as Jieun leaves. The usual bright tone he uses feels muted coming out of his mouth. It’s like he’s been caught doing he shouldn’t have, which is ridiculous. Jungkook  has no reason to feel guilty.

The hurt look in Taehyung’s  eyes says otherwise.

“Jieun was showing me a spreadsheet of all the associates she contacted for Air,” Jungkook  explains, part of him wondering why he bothers to justify himself. “She thought it would be useful for me to know, in case I wanted to contact someone for you.”

Taehyung looks at the floor, clearly upset. “I see. I just…” he falters. “I came to ask you if you wanted to have lunch with me this weekend.”

“We have lunch together every day,” Jungkook  points out.

“I want to have lunch with you alone,” Taehyung qualifies. “Outside the agency. To make up for the dinner you got me last week.”

Jungkook  furrows his eyebrows. Taehyung must be talking about the time when Jungkook  had to return to the office late, as he forgot some documents for Taehyung’s  brand deals that Air wanted him to look through. Jungkook  found Taehyung in a practice room at ten-thirty, furiously working on the bridge of a new single he wanted to release. Jungkook  really hadn’t thought twice about bringing him take out a little later. It only seemed reciprocal, as Taehyung gave him his food all the time. “You don’t have to repay me.”