[ edited with Grammarly ]

Taehyung and Jimin had been spying on Jungkook who was talking on the phone. It was rare for this duo to see the younger man being like that when he had a contractual relationship with a client.

Jungkook had been smiling that seemed like there was no tomorrow. What was creepy to them was, that he also giggled and laughed like a schoolgirl was talking to her crush.

"Jimin-ah, who do you think he's talking to?" Asked Taehyung, almost in a whispering way.

"His friend?"

Taehyung showed his index finger and moved them side by side, probably telling Jimin that his answer was probably wrong.

"We've known Jungkook for two to three years now. We both know he's a rare type to pick up calls or reply to messages fast, or he's the type who leaves your messages seen," Taehyung stated, scratching his itchy cheek for awhile while his eyes not leaving the sight of Jungkook talking on the phone. "And I still had a message from his previous phone number unreplied."

Jimin looked at his friend. "He ignored it on purpose. What did you send?" He asked, curious.

"I asked," Taehyung paused as he grabbed a tin of carbonated drinks and took a sip. "If he had sewn his underwear."

Jimin smacked his forehead because of his friend's statement.

Taehyung then added, "I cut one of his underwear and poked it with a cigarette before. I thought it'd be nice if I add a little design for convenience for it. But then, Jungkook scolded me because there were too many holes."

Jimin's hand which was still on his forehead slowly slid down to his chin. He then rested his chin on the palm.

"Why did I get placed with these people?" Jimin muttered beneath his breath, as he continued to watch Jungkook.

"Want to know what happened to the underwear next?"

"I don't want to know," Jimin quickly answered, knowing how bad the underwear's luck was. He knew Taehyung did something which was not supposed to be done.

"After watching Mr. Bean, I helped him to sew it with a teddy bear's head at the front part and its arms on the sides. It looked cute, you know. But Jungkook hated it more. So, we ended up throwing it."

Jimin sighed, "why are we talking about his old underwear?! Aren't we supposed to talk about with whom that boy was talking?!" He groused while pointing at Jungkook's location. The boy was seen got surprised when he saw Jimin was pointing at him.

His eyes went rounded while looking at them blankly for a few moments. Taehyung and Jimin did the same, but they managed to break it out by playing rock-paper-scissors with each other. Coincidentally, Jimin won. He flicked Taehyung's head and, his friend flinched and yelped in pain. Taehyung covered his reddened forehead and faked sobbing.

Jungkook watched the duo for a while, before resuming to talk on the phone. Thinking that they were quite distracting, he got up from his seat and left the place, knowing that he should have ignored the elders. Still smiling while talking on the phone, he casually walked away.

Jimin ignored Taehyung's cry, observing Jungkook's movements instead.

"Yah, it's hurt!" Taehyung complained. Again, Jimin ignored him and immediately got up from the seat.

"Park Jwimwin (Taehyung just played with his name. 쥐뮌 = JwiMwin), how dare you leave a friend in pain!"

**********

"Seokjin oppa's been texting me to ask me about how both of us has been progressed."

'Seriously... That ahjumma (auntie),' Jungkook mentally groused.

He let the door of the building open wide. He went out of the inner area and spring fresh air invited him cooly outside. His baby hair was blown as he stepped out and he found a peaceful place where he could talk to Nahee peacefully.

He chuckled. "Really?"

"Yeah!"

"What did he ask? And what did you answer?"

"He asked if we have kissed on the cheek or forehead. But I answered that we haven't."

"And then?"

"He just said, 'aish!'" Nahee said, trying to imitate Seokjin's tone. "And, can I ask you something?" She asked.

Jungkook's eyebrows jumped, "why are you even asking me when you want to ask a question?" He paused, licking his dry lips for a moment. "You never asked me like that."

"Hmm... It just my question will be concerning about your feelings," Nahee said.

Jungkook smirked. "Is this has something to do with kisses?"

Nahee quickly denied it and sounded angry, "no! It's not like that. It just..."

Her pause created a short silence. "It just I feel like you're still hiding something else from Seokjin oppa. Apart from that, you don't want to tell him how—"

This time, her voice blocked. She was too concerned about how Jungkook felt if she mentioned the deceased girl's name.

Jungkook just chuckled, trying to encourage Nahee to continue even though he knew it would affect him.

"Just say it, Nahee-ya," he said.

"How... G-Gaeun-ssi... died. So yeah, I feel... there are more things you hide there," Nahee said, sounding sad as if she knew that she was forced to say it, to say the name.

Jungkook let out a soft breath as he looked down at the ground. He rested his back on the wall, and then rubbed the tip of his shoe on the ground, giving out the scrapping noises from it.

"Yeah," he admitted. "I hide many things from him. I just... don't want him to know many things that don't need to be shared."

"What is the other thing that you hide from him? And you hide from me, maybe?" Nahee asked, putting effort so Jungkook could gain trust in her. But Jungkook was prioritizing his safety and stubbornness, so he said; "maybe, it's not the time for you to know yet."

"Oh..." was the only response Nahee could let out.

It seemed that she just cooly shrugged it off, not because she did not care about Jungkook, but because she believed Jungkook would share with her one day, like how he shared his huge secret with her before. She did not want to force him...

**********

Nahee looked down on the table, with a covered pen in her right hand, drawing an invisible infinite symbol on a notebook while the other hand was supporting the phone to attach to her ear.

She let out a soft sigh, almost making it clear for Jungkook to hear through his phone's speaker.

"If you need help, please don't hesitate to ask me," Nahee uttered softly. Her mind was concerned and worrying about him. Her eyes ruefully looked down on the book, pitying the boy on the other line.

Jungkook chuckled shortly. "Okay," he said.

For a while, there was a silence as if they were trying to find something to talk about. But it looked like they enjoyed the silence. It felt as though they were enjoying it, feeling like each other's company existed in reality.

Nahee looked at the screen of the phone shortly to see the duration that they had taken when then they were talking. It was already 31 minutes and the seconds were ticking. She snorted at the time. She did not realize that they had talked on the phone for so long.

"Aren't you at the gym?" She asked to break the silence which had seemed almost prolonged.

"No, I'm at BigHit Relationship Company," Jungkook said.

"Do you want to go out? Like having dinner together or hanging out at Seokjin oppa's café?"

"You want to go there?" Jungkook asked, almost sounding excited as though he could expect what was the reason Nahee wanted to go there.

"Hmm, if you want to go with me," she said.

Jungkook chuckled, "okay. Let's go after I've settled the matter."

"I'll be waiting," the girl cooed.

**********

Jungkook sat with six people at the big oval table in a meeting room. Taehyung and Jimin were with him, and there were the company's CEO and three to four permanent boyfriend and girlfriend choices of the company who attended the meeting.

Jungkook observed the table before the meeting started, looking for Yoongi. He was wondering what the older might be and why he did not attend the meeting. It was weird to think that the one who always attends a meeting suddenly didn't show up, especially after he got an exemption.

"Yoongi hyung can't come. He's busy," Taehyung whispered, knowing that the younger was looking for Yoongi.

Jungkook looked at Taehyung to confirm. The older looked serious, no sign of lies was showing on his face. He was wondering what Yoongi had to handle that made him prioritize the matters outside the company.

The younger then made a glance at the CEO who was about to start the meeting.

"So little coming for the meeting, I see," the old man deeply laughed in an attempt to cheer the mood up before he proceeded to the real intention for the meeting to be held.

He knew he had succeeded when some of them chuckled or smiled at his statement.

"It's okay. I understand," he said to himself. "I understand that my workers have worked outside the company. I know," he added calmly.

"Let's say my sons and daughters rather." His other statement-making the people who attended the meeting smiled again.

"Then, should I change my name 'Bang Jimin'?" Jimin asked jokingly, creating huge waves of laughter in the room.

It was hard for them to imagine if they were Mr. Bang's children. Imagine more than 100 of them were the company's permanent choices to be contracted boyfriend and girlfriend, and Mr. Bang claimed them as their children. That would be too handy for him to handle. Especially when everyone has a different personality.

Mr. Bang ended his laugh carefully and the rest followed. He then questioned, "so, have everyone knows what's the reason we're here?"

"The new ones might not know yet," Mingyu, one of the boyfriends permanent choices said, is a concern for the new members who just sign the contract to become the permanent choices and attended the meeting.

"Ah, that's right, Mingyu-ya. Please help me to explain to them later, alright?"

Mingyu nodded his head, accepting the simple instruction.

Mr. Bang then calmly continued, "so, we'll be having another gathering next month. And as usual, you must bring your current client. If you're in a contract where you are shared with another client, then please consider only bringing one of them."

"We don't usually have this kind of meeting when you want to announce the annual gathering," Jungkook suddenly said, out of blue for the reason for that sudden meeting held. "So, I guess, there's something new about the gathering?"

"That's right, Jungkook!" Mr. Bang said while pointing eagerly at the younger. "We will be riding a cruise and will be away from Seoul for a week," Mr. Bang excitedly announced.

"Cruise? One week away from Seoul?" Jungkook asked with furrowing eyebrows. "Where'll we be going?"

"Jeju Island."

**********

He was wiping the cups and plates that his employees had washed. He placed them neatly on a rack beside a coffee machine after that.

As soon as he was done wiping all of them, he lightly tossed the cloth onto a table and then relaxed on a chair. He rested his forearm on the table and watched his customers enjoying their coffees. Some of them were talking with their companions, while some were enjoying the coffee he made alone.

Some were couples, some were friends, some came with their family members while some was a loner.

Well, observing the loners at some table, he understood how they felt about being single.

Especially to him, being single at this age feeling very very lonely. He knew he should find a girl soon, or he would be lonely forever or that's what he had concluded for himself.

Someone like him could fall in love easily you know. Falling in love at first sight, rather. But none of them lasted long anyway, especially after some found out his true colors.

He sighed, thinking that he should change himself if he wanted a girl since he could not find a girl who could accept his true behavior. He thought he should remove the part of himself that liked to tell pun jokes.

Besides, he was already 30 years old, and at that age, I should consider it isn't young...

"Jin sajang-nim," one of his employees called, slightly startled by his boss who was zoning out. "A phone call," he said.

Seokjin stood up from the seat and instructed him to look after the counter while he was away to answer the phone. The employee willingly took the instruction and immediately left when he saw a customer standing at the counter.

Seokjin went into his small office and closed the door behind him. He then went to the desk and picked up the telephone.

"Hello, Kim Seokjin speaking."

"Hyungnim."

Seokjin recognized the voice instantly, "oh, Jungkook. Why are you calling me using my office number?"

"I've called your number, but you didn't answer it," Jungkook stated.

After Seokjin heard his cousin's statement, he took his phone from his black trousers pocket and pressed the home button. But the phone did not respond. He tried to power the phone on, but it turned off again. Therefore, he concluded his phone was out of battery.

"I'm sorry, Jungkook. My phone's battery is dead," Seokjin said.

"Oh, okay. By the way, I'll be coming home late."

"Why?"

"I have important matters to solve at the relationship company."

"Since when the company has something important to solve?"

"I ain't the CEO, hyung."

Seokjin deeply hummed, "hmm... You've got a spare key, aren't you?"

The older then heard a sound of rummaging from the other line.

"I don't have one," Jungkook said while sounding as though he did not give a damn about him not having a spare key to his cousin's house or more like he was not worrying that he would end up sleeping in the car later.

And that made Seokjin scold him. "Yah, how can you not have a spare key with you?!"

"I probably left it at home."

"Ah, seriously!" Seokjin grumbled as he landed his palm on his face. "Fine! Give me a call when you're home later."

Both of them then ended the call, and Seokjin put down the telephone in its place. He softly sighed as he walked out of his office.

**********

Nahee was scribbling notes in her notebook based on what she had found in a textbook. Her phone suddenly vibrated beside her to notify her that she received a text message.

She put down her pen and took her phone. The name of 'Jeon Jungkook' showed on the screen as the notification box showed her his message.

×××

Jeon Jungkook

Nahee-ya, sorry. I have to cancel our date today. I've
something important
to handle at the company...
[Received: 2:06 PM]

×××

Nahee let out a soft breath as she clicked on the reply box and the screen revealed keyboards.

×××

Jeon Jungkook

Nahee-ya, sorry. I have to
cancel our date today. I've
something important
to handle at the company...
[Received: 2:06 PM]

It's okay. I understand
[Delivered: 2:07 PM]

×××

She then put down her phone and continued her study.

She sighed and then said, "it looks like I'm going to make my latté..."

_____________________
|| A/N ||
Short Korean language lesson:
쥐 (jwi) means mouse.
다람쥐 (daramjwi) means squirrel

This book has reached 1k in eight months. THANK YOU SO SO MUCH ❤
I've been very busy, but since this chapter has long drafted, a special update for you guys

Once again, THANK YOUUUUU ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤