PR-Love | yoongi

Chapter 8 : Aftermath

The next thing I notice is Soojin grabbing my waste and bringing me to my bed to take a seat. I've stopped crying, it had just been a sudden outburst anyway but I'm questioning myself. Why would I care so much to actually shed a tear over that guy? Before I can find an answer to this, Soojin hugs me and takes my hand into hers. I totally forgot that I was still holding whatever Yoongi pressed into my hand. I open my fist. A little USB flash drive and - to my surprise - a neatly folded piece of paper are revealed to us. I suppress the impulse to unfold the second item and put both aside instead. Soojin is still glaring at the paper, so I cough slightly and make her concentrate on me instead.
   "Soojin, you are my friend. The best I've got here. I don't wanna lie to you any longer", I start off. I've got her attention. She nods and doesn't look angry at all, which comforts me.
   "So, here we go ...", I continue and basically tell her every detail, just as she wished. Not the kind of details she were expecting. No hot kisses, no romantic candle light dinner or any of that stuff a couple would do. I leave out one thing though. The kiss between Jimin and me. I just don't feel like telling her right now.

   "So lemme summarize all this.", Soojin mumbles. "A fake relationship. But he's being jealous and teasing. And you... you actually have messed up feelings?"
"Yeah... I think you can put it like this."
"You have to distance yourself from him", she concludes with a stern look. I laugh out loud, as if she just told me a joke.
"You're funny. And not in a good way", I mock her the way she mocked me. "That's impossible, okay? I have to be seen with him or else the fake relationship, as you call it, will be busted."
She shakes her head in concern as if I'm a kid that doesn't understand.
   "This won't end well, I'm telling you. You have feelings for him but he will be stomping on them. I don't want to see you suffer."
That actually touches me. The way she cares about me makes me feel better.
   "Thank you, Soojin. Thank you so much for being here", I say, my voice shaky now and I tear up.
"See, you're crying again. I've never seen you cry so much before, honey"
"I know, I know. I'm just overwhelmed. Three days. It's been three days and I feel like an emotional wreck.", I admit with a sob.
"So will you try to avoid him?", she asks and I hear she's full of hope.
"I will try my hardest.", I promise and squeeze her hand. "But now, let's watch a movie, get me distracted, okay?"
Soojin nods and gets up to put on her pajama. I follow suit and am about to return to my bed as my glance falls on the small objects, lying on my bed. Pain surges up for an instant but I grab them and instinctively throw both into the wastebin under my desk. Screw you.

---

Soojin and I watched a horror movie and we were clinging to each other all the time. This kind of distraction really helped but only until my friend fell asleep during the second movie this night. I stop the film and just want to sleep as well but something in me wants to do another thing. My thoughts wander to the wastebin. More exactly, to what is in there. My song is in there. And I want to listen to it. But I also want it to be destroyed and gone. I'm extremely curious about what Pdogg-nim edited and how much he left of the original version... Yoongi's and my version. Do I really wanna know? I do. So I quickly leave the warm bed and remove the laptop off Soojin's lap. She shifts but stays asleep. To not wake her up, I tiptoe to my desk, kneel and fish out the flash drive carefully but leave the note in the bin. My heart is racing and the curiosity is growing with each breath. I put the flash drive into the slot and wait until I can access it. There are two music files. One called "one_way.mp3" and another one called "고엽.mp3". That gives me the creeps and I close the window in a matter of seconds. I can't. I can't, I can't. He's playing with me once again. That infuriates me all the more and I build up the courage to fish out the note and unfold it, slowly. I didn't expect that:

Text me.

Those two words alongside an ID, KakaoTalk, I assume.

Not in a million years will I text him.

---

The next days - it's almost been a full week - have passed without me being confronted with him at all. Bangtan is busy with preparing their activities and I'm busy with my debut which means we are buried in work and I'm more than thankful for that. Indeed, I could distance myself from Yoongi, just as Soojin advised and I also stopped thinking about him, that's how occupied I was. Every now and then an image of his face would appear in my mind but I push it away. The only problem was the corridor of the studios. I know that, if I accidently met Yoongi somewhere, it would be there since he basically lives in the studio. So, whenever I have to record or edit a song, I sneak through the aisle like someone who's about to commit a crime. Also today. I peek around the corner before I place one foot in front of the other. The silence is calming and I reach out for the doorknob when suddenly-

my phone shortly vibrates and I'm so horrified I even let out a shriek. It vibrates two more times. Jeez. It's probably Soojin or Chang-Soo, so I quickly check the display. Three messages by an unknown number. I open them and startle. They say:

"You haven't texted me yet"
"We need to talk."
"Yah text back."

It vibrates in my hand again and the latest text says: "It's your 'boyfriend' here."
   I feel my cheeks crimson and clench my fist. He knows exactly that I don't want to talk, I made that quite clear. But yet he texts me. And who even gave him my number? Why on earth...?
   I ignore the texts and open the door to the studio, where Pdogg-nim is already awaiting me. Another message.
   "Hi Grace"
"Hello, sorry, I'm late"
"One minute", he laughs.
"Still", I grin and scratch my head as my phone won't shut up. One more text.
"Have a seat. I have a new idea for track 4 since-", he's interrupted by my phone again but this time it's a call.
"For heaven's sake, I'm so sorry", I apologize.
"Don't worry, have that talk", Pdogg smiles and I rush outside.

   "Min Yoongi, stop it! I'm working", I blurt out angrily.
"Hey, hold on, you didn't answer, it's not my fault."
"What. Ever. I apparently don't wanna speak to you"
"But we need to speak", he says and stays silent for a few seconds. I don't respond and he continues, "Have you listened to the songs?"
"No"
"Why?"
"Because-", I want to explain when someone else calls out my name.

"Gracie, hey!", Jimin hollers joyfully.
"Is that Jimin? That wank-", I hear Yoongi cuss before I cram the phone in the pocket of my sweater.
"Hi Jimin, what you're doing here?", I ask and hide my concerns with a fake smile. I wonder if Yoongi can hear the conversation.
   "I'm on my way to the gym and wanted to see you before and came across your manager".
"And he told you where I was?"
"Exactly", he admits and cracks a smile.
"Well here I am but I need to get back to work." I blush over the fact that he wanted to check up on me though.
"Wait, I want to talk to you about what happened...", he hesitates, "when you visited us at the dorm", he whispers the end of the sentence
JESUS CHRIST. WHY DOES EVERYONE WANT TO TALK TODAY?, my mind yells but I answer calmly, "This is not the right place". However, I pray that Yoongi has already hung up.
"Gracie, I want to know what that kiss meant to you" My stomach twists by the mention of that kiss and the memory that wells up with it. I feel like I'm in the wrong movie. Should I lie and say it meant nothing or should I hurt Yoongi - in case he's listening - and tell the truth? Because the truth is, that I've always liked Jimin.
"It's complicated." Kinda two birds with one stone.
"I know. Wow, I guess, it's gonna get more complicated.", he mutters and looks down on the floor just like he did in that bedroom, some days ago. That can't mean anything good.
"What are you saying? Why?", I ask anxiously. Things are complicated enough.
"Well, how are we gonna deal with this when we're in Taiwan?"
"Taiwan? And who is we?", I shake my head in confusion.
"Oh so you didn't know?"
"Know what? Jimin, please, don't speak in riddles", I let him hear my despair.
"You should probably be told by your manager. I have to go now. See you soon", he sputters and almost runs his way back through the aisle.

Alarm bells start ringing in my head.

What the hell is going on?

---
hello dear readers! i'm back with this chapter and i'm sorry for letting you wait almost one month. i had to make up my mind about how to introduce you to the upcoming events that might take place in Taiwan...? anyway, i hope you liked this chapter, not a lot has happened though, regard it as a filler between two intense chapters. tell me what you think or vote or just keep reading, that already makes me really happy :) have a nice day/night