To Love A CEO || JJK

twenty-five

Headline: Mr and Mrs Lee to No Longer Emcee For Summit

We wrap up our little session just in time as Mr Suit Man comes to usher us out. The hotel seems so much more quiet when you're walking with your crush who knows that he is a crush. It feels bitter knowing that he'll never like me back.

"Hana?"

I want him to stop saying my name.

"What?"

"Can we please talk?" he asks and I stop walking. We're at the lobby and though it isn't the entrance lobby, it still brings back a lot of memories.

"Have you finally figured out what you wanted to say?" I ask, crossing my arms. I'm feeling very vulnerable and very exposed. He slowly turns.

"Hana, I-"

And then my phone rings. Jungkook looks pained as I pick it up.

"Mira?" I ask in surprise.

"Hana? Oh, thank God you picked up," she sounds panicked.

"What's wrong?" I ask worriedly.

"Don't panic, Hana, but I need you to find the nearest staircase and get out of the hotel now," Mira says, she sounds like she's walking really quickly.

"Why? What's wrong?" I ask as I grip onto Jungkook's arm, pulling him with me to the nearest staircase.

"Some fire started and it's getting really big and for some reason no one's making an announcement about it yet," Mira's voice is louder and my footsteps get quicker.

"Where are you?" I ask hurriedly.

"I'm with Taehyung and we're almost out," she assures me.

"Stay safe, Jungkook and I are coming," I say as I end the call.

"There's a fire in the building," I say quickly as I release my grip on his arm. Now he walks faster. He walks behind me as we climb the stairs to make sure I don't just vanish. My bag is thrashing about wildly by my side and Jungkook helps me hold it. I don't complain. When we emerge in the lobby, a hazy smoke that's turning blacker by the second is coming from the dining hall. Jungkook takes me hand, I am in a daze, and starts walking quicker to the exit.

"Keep walking," he says hurriedly and my feet struggle to keep up. More people are filing out and it is only now that an announcement goes off. Mira's head is frantically turning about and as soon as she spots me being dragged out by a red-haired boy, she drags Taehyung and we meet in the middle.

"Thank God you're okay," she says, hugging me tightly. I hug her back.

I watch over her shoulder and see Jungkook softly talking with Taehyung and my heart pangs with curiosity.

Fate interrupts us way too much.

***

It's 7pm when we're finally allowed back into the hotel. There is a faint lingering smell of smoke but everyone is fine. Most people head to the dining hall for dinner though Mira and I return to our rooms first.

"I have a dinner date with Taehyung," she says nervously. I chuckle and nudge her teasingly.

"Fancy," I joke and she shoves me back with little enthusiasm.

"I'm not nervous for the date," she deadpans as she swings our door open.

"I'm just a little apologetic because you'd have to spend dinner alone," she mumbles. My eyes widen.

"What? No! I swear, I'm good. Don't worry about me," I assure her sincerely but she still looks unsure.

"You can hop in the shower first, I'll order room service," I shoo her towards the bathroom.

***

"Thank you," I thank the waiter as he leaves. A steaming plate of mac and cheese rests on the table and I'm about to cry in joy. My hair's still slightly damp but I don't mind it at all. I'm about to start eating when my bell rings.

"Mira?" I call out, frowning.

Has she forgotten something?

I swing the door open and it's Jungkook in a baggy shirt and sweats. He's looking surprised, like he didn't realise I'd be here. Most strikingly, his hair is no longer red. It's slightly damp and I can only assume he just dyed it.

"You went to brown," is all I say and he nods. For a few painful seconds, we're standing awkwardly like two children who are made to apologise to each other.

A sudden urge to describe his every move in all the poetic devices I know of hits me. A sudden desire to watch him smile in slow motion. A sudden wanting to hear his voice over and over again.

Good God I am in love. Wait- what? Wait, no-

"I brought my dinner over," he says meekly.

"Huh?" I blurt before my eyes finally tear away from his face and look down to his hands. He's holding a bowl of hot noodles.

"Oh, oh- okay, sure just- come in," I'm a confused fumbling mess as I let him in. He trails in, unsure of where to sit himself down.

"The couch is fine," I say, suddenly feeling very self-conscious.

"Taehyung went on a date with Mira," he says without looking at me. I just hum as if I just realised that. I sit very very very far away from him and the way he just came over to my room gives me a lot of flashbacks that I'd rather not get into detail right now. Because Jungkook's right there. His brown hair and pale skin and dark eyes. He's here in the flesh. And I'm afraid that if I start noting his every move, he'd hear my heart call out for him.

I cringe slightly at how positively soft love has made me.

But he's not mine. He's not anyone's - to be fair. So I sit at more than a respectable distance.

"Hana, I wanted to talk," he says as he sets his bowl down. I don't put my things down.

"I assume that's why you came here," I say coolly. I'm afraid that if he rejects me on the spot I might lose this sudden burst of confidence.

"I've been trying to tell you but literally everything is in the way of that," he says. My heart falters remarkably.

"The past few months we've spent together have been amazing and I want you to know that I'll always care for you but-"

My heart stops faltering, takes a vault and just stops altogether. He's leaning precariously towards the breaking-my-heart cliff. Why have I been expecting so much more? Jungkook's here in front of me and he's about to break my heart and I'm about to listen to him break my heart. He's right here, in front of me, not looking at me and winding to rip my heart slowly - like taking my fingernails out before an execution.

I hold a hand out to interrupt him and smile as charmingly as I can.

"Good Lord, Jungkook, if you're going to reject me, do it in Korea, not Paris," I chuckle but the joke does not sit well with any part of me. Jungkook's brows shoot up.

"What?" he blurts in confusion. I'm about to brush it off but now he interrupts me.

"What? No! No, no, no! I was trying to tell you that I liked you too, idiot!" he tilts his head up and groans. My eyes widen. This confession isn't like heavens exploding or stars combusting. It's silent, with a single rapid heartbeat that is my own being joined by his. And it leaves me stunned.

"You- what?" my voice trips over itself.

"I had the whole speech worked out!" he laments, shaking his head.

"Oh no, did I ruin it?" I set my bowl down and hold a hand out in apology.

"You completely wrecked it," Jungkook says with a giddy smile.

"I'm sorry," I say sincerely, though I'm smiling too.

"You could've just kept your mouth shut for just one more second," he complains in mock annoyance.

"I'm so sorry," I grin.

Now we're just staring at each other, smiling. I'm smiling and he's smiling because I'm smiling and it seems as if we might be caught up in an endless cycle of smiling - and I wouldn't mind it one bit.