Stargazer

Asterism

I lay down, my back feeling the cool temperature of the grass through the thin fabric of my t-shirt.

My eyes gazed at the stars above me, a small smile on my lips. I scanned the sky for any constellations, my initial search coming up empty.

I shrugged it off, deciding to enjoy the stars that did make an appearance this evening. I released a content sigh as I used my arms as a pillow underneath my head.

I lay there for what felt like hours, until clouds began to move in and cover the twinkling lights, leaving them dimmed. The cool breeze made me shiver, causing me to sit up and wrap my arms around myself. Something about the way the air brushed the hair out of my face made me feel unsettled.

I sighed, standing up and wiping any grass from my jeans. I checked the time on my watch, frowning when I saw that it was already almost three AM.

"Shit." I mumbled, shaking my head as I made the walk back to my lonely studio apartment.

•••••

"Taehyung, come see me in my office, now." Mr. Seo demanded as he walked past my cubicle.

I frowned, watching as numerous eyes followed me on my walk to his office. I swallowed the lump in my throat before entering, shutting the door behind me.

"Mr. Seo," I greeted with a slight bow.

The man only grunted, stroking his goatee with his fingers. He leaned back in his chair, legs crossed. "Take a seat, Mr. Kim."

I did as he asked, trying to not sweat out of nervousness.

He stared silently at me for a minute before leaning forward, reaching into the top drawer of his desk and tossing a large packet of paper at me.

I grasped it with a gasp, flipping it over in my hands, realization dawning on me when I saw my name typed out.

"M-My manuscript?" I questioned.

He scoffed. "Mr. Cho spoke with me this morning. He was raving about this piece of shit manuscript of yours. He said you may have written a real hit." He rolled his eyes. "I practically wrote this for you and you went and stole it from me?"

My eyebrows furrowed as I sat back in shock. "E-Excuse me?"

Mr. Seo chuckled darkly. "I edited the hell out of this, practically writing it for you! How dare you take all of the fucking credit!"

"You didn't even touch this until today!" I shouted back, standing up, wincing at the sound of the chair scraping against the tile floor.

"Oh, how dare you speak to me in that tone."

"God forbid me, mom, for I have sinned for speaking my damn mind!" I admitted, throwing my hands in the air in exasperation.

"What the hell is going on here?" Mr. Cho questioned in the doorway, shutting the door behind him with a bang.

I bit my lip, sweat forming on the palms of my hands.

"This prick used the manuscript that I virtually wrote and claimed it as his own," Mr. Seo explained with a scowl.

Mr. Cho nodded knowingly, not saying anything, instead he faced me.

"If I may, Mr. Cho," I began, my boss nodding slightly to continue, "This is the first time I have given him access to my manuscript."

"That doesn't prove that it isn't my work!" The bully responded quickly.

I sighed, leaning over his desk, both hands pressed so hard into the wood that I thought it would split in half. "So tell me, Mr. Seo... Since it is your writing and all... what was the manuscript about?" My hand snatched the papers off his desk so he couldn't glance at the title.

I saw as Mr. Seo's face grew red, and Mr. Cho watched silently with intense eyes.

"U-U-Um... well..." Mr. Seo cleared his throat. "That's funny you should ask that question. It's about, um..."

"Kang-joon." Mr. Cho spoke sternly, the afore mentioned closing his mouth firmly. "Are you wasting my time, or do you actually know what his manuscript is about?"

Mr. Seo, or Kang-joon, swallowed before lowering his head in shame. "No, I do not, sir. Please forgive me."

"Forgive you?" Mr. Cho snorted, crossing his arms over his broad chest. "How about fire you? How does that sound?"

"F-F-Fire me?" Kang-joon gasped, his eyes growing wide. "Please, sir-"

Mr. Cho held up a hand, stopping him from speaking. "I think I have a replacement for your position, so you are no longer needed."

"A replacement? Who the hell is replacing me?" Mr. Seo screeched.

Mr. Cho glanced in my direction, winking, before smiling sinisterly I don't know if that's a word but it is now at my former boss. "Your replacement is Taehyung here."

••••••
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