Accidentally Assisting

Chapter 32 - As long as you're safe

I was gone for a while and I apologize. Uni has started again and I needed to figure my life out for a bit. (To think I initially thought I'd finish this book by the beginning of summer - ha!) I hope you're all doing well, whatever you're doing in life. Just letting you know that I'm currently starting to write the last few chapters of this book and I am well intending to finish this story. It's just taking a little longer than planned. 

Anyways, enjoy this long chapter! 

Love, Eva x 

...

The ride to the airport the next morning is awkward to say the least, and for once, I'm not the one to blame. My dear boss avoids all eye contact with me and prefers playing some stupid war game on his phone (where he keeps winning, obviously). Jungkook's clearly embarrassed he's opened up to me yesterday night. But opening up is nothing to be embarrassed about, and I have no intention on even mentioning yesterday again, unless Jungkook wants me to, of course.

Then, he suddenly seems to have solved the inner debate in his head and decidedly glances at me. "About yesterday-"

"What about it?", I ask, unbothered. My plan is to make Jungkook comprehend that talking about your feelings does not transform you into a weak loser, quite on the contrary.

"I'm sorry."

"Why would you be sorry? I don't recall you offending me in any kind of way."

"Yes, but..." The young man scratches his head, seemingly lost.

"Oppa," I cut him off, for once the more confident one in our conversation. "I didn't mind our conversation yesterday one single bit. I meant what I said: I'm your friend, and I've got you just like you've got me. We're a team, remember? If you don't want to address the stuff the discussed yesterday ever again, then that's fine by me. But if you do, that's also fine. My point is that I'm on your side, always. So stop stressing, okay?"

"Okay." He offers me one of his real smiles, the kind that light up his entire face, scrunch his nose and make him look like a bunny. The kind that made me fall in love with him.

Then, we get sucked into the whirlwind of the tour once again. After a long flight to London, everyone gets room service delivered at the hotel and calls it an early night, including me.

The next morning, I have a meeting with some other assistants and managers concerning some tour logistics while members are doing their soundcheck for tonight, the first of the two concerts they'll have at Wembley.

"Ah, Rose," Sejin says at the end of the meeting. "There's something we'd like to discuss with you."

Surprised, I look up. It's rare that I'm even acknowledged during these meetings. "Yes?"

"We've been very concerned with the saesang issue. Please don't believe we've forgotten about you or your safety in any shape or form. While we don't reckon the saesangs are from Europe, we'd like for you to wear a mask every time you go into a public environment – like this it'll be harder for the saesangs to track you- and notify us every time you leave the hotel or concert venues, so we can monitor where you are at all times."

I gape at him. So basically no freedom, that's what they're telling me.

Not noticing my shocked facial expression, Sejin merrily continues: "We've also noticed that you've deactivated the tracking option on your phone, could you activate again? We'll only use it for emergencies, of course."

"Does that mean..." My brain hurts attempting to imagine what the following weeks on tour will resemble for me. "Does that mean I won't be able to do some sightseeing?"