The next morning you stand outside the Bighit building, trying to steel your nerves.
You won't lose your job, it'll be okay, just go in there and act like nothing happened, you tell yourself.
Still, you can't bring your feet to walk up the steps to the entrance.
You bury your face into your hands.

How did you let this happen?
How will you face Jungkook again? And watch him, and write about him and pretend everything is fine??
You pace back and forth, shoulders heavy with dread.

A van pulls up to the building and you step aside, still trying to gather your thoughts. The van's doors slide open and two managers get out, followed by Jin.
"Good morning," they nod at you. Suga, JHope, Namjoon and Jimin appear after them.

"Noona! I hope you're feeling better today!" Taehyung calls enthusiastically as he hops out and sees you. You notice he is wearing a suit jacket.
"Morning! You look so sharp!!" You compliment him.
"Ah, I already went to an interview this morning, we had to wake up so early for hair and makeup," Taehyung whines.
"You work hard," you say, patting his shoulder.

Then out of the corner of your eye, you see one last figure step out of the van.

Jungkook, fully decked out in a dark suit, waxed hair and makeup, steps onto the curb.

He is so handsome your heart squeezes sharply.
You know you should look away but you can't.

He turns to you slowly, surrounded by his hyungs, and his blank expression makes you gasp with pain.

Then he drifts right past you, not speaking, not pausing.

The guys all hesitate for a moment awkwardly before waving goodbye and trudging up the steps into the building. Only Taehyung stays behind, telling you a story about his shirt.
"... and then I spilled water all over it with only minutes left backstage," he laughs. "It was a good thing they had this one as a back up."

You try to listen, but your focus blurs. You grip your purse strap tightly, thinking about Jungkook's face. He looked so... numb? Distant? Hurt? Lost?

You're grateful for Taehyung's chatter as he ushers you to the building. His presence gives you a little courage.

You part ways with him and head to the offices, unpacking your laptop at your desk.
Maybe it was best if you stayed in the offices today and didn't go to make notes on the guys. You don't know how you could take being near Jungkook. He didn't look happy to see you either.

Yes, that seemed like the smart idea.

You begin your morning organizing notes from previous days, spending a few hours writing, rewriting and editing.
You then crop photographs to insert and then realign your pages and captions.

By the afternoon, however, everything is in order and you know you need new material.

You open up the server login to access the BTS event scheduling. They are probably already out again doing another media event, you tell yourself.
There was an interview logged at 6:30 AM this morning and dance practice set for tonight, but nothing right now.
You tap a pen on your notebook, thinking for a plan.

You could visit Namjoon or Suga's music editing studios, you thought. Usually if they are there, they are alone. You could talk to them and write about them without bumping into Jungkook.

Satisfied, you grab your stuff and head for Namjoon's Mon Studio. When you arrive, you listen outside for a moment to make sure you don't interupt anything, then tap politely on the door frame.

"One minute," comes a shout.

Shortly, Namjoon opens the door.

He smiles upon seeing you.

"Hi, welcome! Are you here to ask me some questions?" He beckons you into the room.

"Yes, actually," you answer. "I am thinking of adding a few sentences to this week's blog post about your current favorite songs."
"Oh yeah! I can help with that."

You spend the rest of the afternoon listening to some songs he lists for you, and jotting down his favorite sections. You watch him work on a sheet of lyrics, nodding along as he tries out the tempo over and over.

Because your English is fluent, he raps out the English parts for you, tilting his head as he waits for your opinion.

You laugh as you switch out different words together and some sound flat out ridiculous.

After tapping in a new document, he slides his tablet across the table at you.
It shoots hard like an arrow, skidding off the edge before your hands are even up.

You stare at each other, eyes wide, as it clatters to the floor.

"That was totally my fault," he says immediately, closing his eyes in exasperation.

He crosses the room, swoops down and picks up the tablet, sighing at the small crack on the screen. His eyebrows knot together.
"This is my third tablet this year. Why am I like this?" he groans.

You burst out laughing as he drops his head into his arms.

With a grimace first, he slowly joins you, chuckling.
His voice is deep and rich, even when he laughs. And he is well mannered and sweet. You genuinely enjoy his company.

You grin at him.

He sits back down and carefully hands you the tablet. You brainstorm different rhymes with him, teaching him a few new words he didn't know.

"This was fun," you say eventually, leaning back to stretch and rub your eyes. You check your watch.

"It really was," he replies, standing to stretch as well.

"I'll head back now," you say, gathering your belongings, "thank you for the work–" gesturing to your own tablet, "... and the fun." You point to his now cracked tablet, his computer and papers.

"Um... Thank you... too," he says very hesitantly.

"What is it?"

"It's... really it's so much help when you look at my writing. It's good to get a fresh point of view for all the English parts. And to talk about it... do you think maybe we can do this again sometime?" He shoves his hands into his pockets.

"Of course!" You smile.

"Well, let me walk you to the elevator," he says, leading the way.

You pick up your stuff.
He trips on the leg of the table.

"Aish..." he mutters.

You wave him off as the elevator door closes. He smiles through the gap until it's gone.

You make your way back to your floor and return to your desk, putting away your work, a little guilty for your afternoon of fun.

But mostly relieved that you had avoided Jungkook for the remainder of the day.

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