After finally finishing all my tasks for the day, I closed my laptop and began collecting my things, a satisfied sigh leaving my lips. "Let's call it a day."

While preparing to leave, I paused to look at the man across my desk. Min-ho was still busy darting his eyes between the paper in his hands and the monitor, making me smile in silence. He never spoke a word ever since we began doing our own paperwork, and now he was still stuck on it. I guess he was the only person in the world who considers office hours as a hobby.

"Are you not going home?" I questioned, which caused his eyes to flinch away from the computer and looking at me.

As if unfazed and maintaining his position, he calmly answered without looking at me, "I'll leave after an hour."

"Are you going to stay past the working time again?" I crossed my hands against my chest and sighed.

"No Ma'am. I just need to finish this before I get home," he lifted his eyes on me and made an exhausted smile. "Don't worry about me."

"I feel sorry for you sometimes for working late," I pouted before making a grin. "I'll treat you to dinner next time! Yeah- right, I'll pay you back with a meal."

"How about raising my salary instead?" He lifted his eyebrow playfully.

"Okay!" I quickly replied before grabbing my handbag and walking to the door. "After ten years of our company's progress," I snickered and swung the door behind me.

"I take back what I said. Just treat me for dinner!" His muffled voice called behind the door, gaining me a smile.

Min-ho loved to work hard, which is why I was lucky to find him and entrust my gallery to him. He managed almost everything in the gallery, which I was thankful for.

Constantly reaching towards the bottom of the stairs, I stopped when I noticed a person standing at the counter wearing all black with a cap and a mask, making me scrunch my face with an odd feeling. "What's with his outfit? Wait... isn't he..." Just by his eyes, my heart began to beat fast as I recognized his soft gaze. Sudden fear took over me, causing my legs to get stuck from where I was standing. "Why is Jungkook here? What... what is he doing here?"

While panic and curiosity surged in me, I heard the receptionist talk to him at the counter. "I'll-I'll try to see if our CEO hasn't gone home yet because- because we are already near closing time."

"What's with the stuttering? She must be thrilled talking to him."

"Yes, please. Thank you," I saw Jungkook nod.

"Please wait in this area," the nervous receptionist led him to the sofa in the lobby with an awkward smile while he followed obediently, making me think that it was endearing.

"Wait! He needs me...?" I gasped inwardly. "Could it be... did he figure out who I am already?!" The sudden thought made me panic further while I gulped in silence. "This can't be!"

Before I could think any farther, the staff caught me standing frozen just a distance from them.

"Oh! She's here!" The receptionist pointed at me with a beam upon noticing my presence.

I made a confused expression, pretending that I had just come and did not hear anything. My attention shifted to Jungkook, who stood up from his seat and bowed while removing his mask. Once more, I could feel my cheeks tingle as I studied his beautiful face. It showed no expressions of anger. Instead, he was calm. As soon as he smiled, my eyes widened in admiration while his smile eased my fear away, grasping that he had a different purpose for coming to see me.

"Thank god." I began to relax. "But why does he want to see me if that was not the reason?"

I smiled nonchalantly to hide my anxiety and formally approached them both. "It's a surprise to see you here, Jeon Jungkook-ssi. It seems like you're looking for me."

Cheerfully, the receptionist snooped. "Sir Jeon wants to thank you for the artwork you gave to him last month. As gratitude, he donated a hundred million won for our next fundraising."

"100 million... 100 million?!" My ears instantly perked up at the mention of the amount of money. "W-what?!" I exclaimed in surprise. "You don't need to do that, Jungkook-ssi!"

"No, no- it's okay," Jungkook chuckled while shoving his arms. "Namjoon-hyung said that you sell expensive items here, so I feel like I have to at least make up for the photo. I made such a fuss last time since I wanted to buy the artwork so much, but you ended up giving it to me. I am very grateful for it, so please don't feel bad about it."

"He is grateful?"

"That was a gift. You don't need to pay for it. And also, that was not for sale." I turned to the staff beside me. "You should not have made him pay."

The lady staff lowered her eyes on the floor and pouted. "I'm sorry, Ma'am. I told him already, but he said he would give the money as a donation instead if we wouldn't accept it."

"So?" I asked for more explanation.

"He-he sent the money to our account and signed the donation form already."

I sighed before reluctantly turning to Jungkook awkwardly smiling, his eyes begging not to decline his benefaction. "Why is he making such a great deed just for a photo? Huh... that was a gift."

"Please don't feel bad about it, or else I would also feel bad," Jungkook said before making a breathy chuckle.

"But one hundred million is too much!" I argued. "I'm sure you've seen that stupid promise a hundred times in our treehouse... how can you pay a big amount for something you are already sick of?"

"Ma'am Lee, you might not believe me, but the photo helped me write the lyrics of my song."

"Huh?"

"Is it the song he talked about in that interview?"

"So please just consider it a quits." He said with a playful smile and lifted his hand for a thumbs up.

"How cute and stubborn."

I sighed before motioning him to sit down on the couch. We sat across from each other while the coffee table separated us. As I signaled the staff to make us some beverage, he continued to speak about his song. I was attentive to every word that came out of his mouth, the sound of his masculine voice, his stunning features, and his smile. I missed him so much... yet he changed a lot.

"I'm... really talking to him again after ten years." A thrilling sensation crept up my chest as my mind raced at the thought of it. "JK... it's nice seeing you like this. I am relieved that you have a wonderful future and a successful life. Jungkookah, I'm so proud of you.""

"It recently became a hit last week, and many love the song. It was actually unexpected." He picked an album from his duffle bag and watched him swiftly sign it with his name and autograph before handing it to me.

Speechless with awe, I took them in my hands and smiled. "W-wow, congratulations... and thank you for this!"

"He gave me a BTS album. How much is one?"

"I heard that you were the one who gave the art to me. This is the result of it. A song that topped the week's Number 1 song upon its release," he added, a proud smile forming from his lips, warming me up.

I smiled too after hearing what he said. I felt so proud of him. "Thank you. It is such an honor to have taken such a great part in the making of your song."

"It's nothing compared to what you've done," he replied before leaning forward on the couch and clasping his legs together while tapping his fingers on his thick thighs.

I secured the album on my lap and grinned at him, not realizing that my nervousness faded while talking to him. "By the way, how did the photo help you in writing your lyrics?"

Before he could answer, we both leaned back for the young intern that came with a tray of food and coffee for us, almost tripping on her toes because she felt distracted by the idol's presence. I secretly let out a chuckle while catching her glancing at Jungkook from time to time.

"Dear... you can go back to your area now. Thank you," I smiled at her while Jungkook said thanks.

The intern bowed gracefully and stole a last glance of Jungkook before leaving, her eyes noticeably screaming for him. I tailed my eyes behind her while she walked away, little jealousy swirling in my stomach. "You're too young for my best friend!"

"This may sound strange but... that art was a part of my childhood memory."

"Whoah, really?!" I reacted with my eyes wide. "Damn, Shanshan. When did you learn how to play pretend?"

He nodded. "The artist who owns that work is my past best friend. I... I got to write a song out of that memory in the photograph. That explains why I wanted it so much."

"Your p-past best friend? How did you know that its artist is your best friend?" I pretended to ask. "Past?"

"You know, we were the only ones who knew about that thing in the photo," he answered before gently taking a sip of his coffee. "It was exactly the same as the one written in our treehouse before."

"Just as I thought. Should I- should I play more?" I glanced up at him while my hands stretched in silent panic, my fingers clenching the edge of my pencil skirt. I really wanted to know more about his feelings towards our forgotten friendship. Noticing how he opened up about his so-called past best friend, I wanted to check if he still hates me or was looking for me. "What... happened... to your past best friend?"

His eyelids lowered as he played with the mug in his hand, rotating it slowly while talking. "Ten years ago, she had to leave. And after that, I never saw her again. She made that promise in the photo, but until now, she didn't keep it, just like her first promise," he bit his lower lip before looking at me with a wry smile.

As he spoke, my chest stiffened with remorse, which gave me a hard time looking at him in the eyes. He was right. "That means your ex-best friend is not good at keeping promises." A lump formed in my throat as I spoke and cleared my throat. "Sorry about that."

He grinned shyly while putting his hands in his jacket's pockets. "I... already held unto her promise for the last ten years, yet nothing happened. I feel like she has forgotten about it already."

"Forgotten? Jungkook thinks I forgot about him?!"

"You're wrong!" I exclaimed, letting my emotions overcome me.

He suddenly lifted his head on me in disturbance, his doe eyes staring at me with a surprised look.

"Damn."

"I mean..." I gripped the album in my hand, trying to control my feelings. "H-how can you say that? She might be far away from you, but maybe she still cherishes you as her best friend." I felt a heartbreak inside of me, my heart almost crumbling into pieces in my stomach. "I guess he decided to forget about me. Is this the reason why he can't recognize me anymore?"

Staring back at him with a concerned look, I knew he was flustered by my statement, yet I continued... to speak for her... myself. "M-maybe she still had things to... you know- settle before coming back. There might be many things that are hindering her from keeping her promise, but you never know, she's probably still trying to be on her way to you!"

His stern expression turned into a soft one, his shoulders lifting up and relaxing in a second as he smiled at me, sending me waves of warmth despite the disappointment I felt. "I guess so," he chuckled. "But ten years is already long."

I held my breath for a second before letting it out, forcing a smile, and said, "Just wait a little longer. Your best friend will keep her promise and come back."

He still looked unconvinced yet made a smile and replied, "I think she already decided not to come back."

I felt like breaking into pieces. Although I was thankful that Jungkook did not recognize me, I felt hurt learning that he thought I put away our friendship. I started to feel uneasy. At any second, I could burst into tears. "What if... how about... I tell him now that this is me? Will he throw a fit in front of me? Shanshan you're really an idiot. After all the words you told him?"

"Ma'am Lee?" Min-ho's voice interrupted us from behind, startling me away from my thoughts. "I thought you went home already."

Jungkook and I both turned to see him standing not far from us. "I- I have a guest," I stammered while recovering from the shock.

As I expected, Min-ho quickly made his way to us with surprise after recognizing Jungkook, his face brightening in a blink. "What is BTS doing here?! Oh- hello!" He bowed and could not control his smile.

"Yahh, look at him. The serious president used to stay cool and unfazed by anything, yet here he is, fanboying over a BTS member."

Jungkook returned the smile and stood up, prompting me to stand also. "Ah, I was about to go, sir." He wore his black mask and took his bag before looking at me with a sincere look. "Thank you again, Ms. Lee." And thank you for the cup of coffee."

I bit my lip and looked at him before immediately casting my gaze on the ground, trying to hide the sadness taking over my face. I wanted to spend time with him a bit more, but I did not want him to notice the tears starting to fill my eyes. "Thank you too. Please take care on your way home."

We followed Jungkook outside to the area where a shiny black car was waiting with me tailing behind Min-ho. Jungkook bowed again before entering the vehicle, the driver rolling up the window and beginning to navigate away. I smiled at him despite feeling down during the whole conversation.

"Take care," Min-ho waved as I watched the vehicle drive away. "Hey, did he come here by himself just because of that artwork? I heard that he gave us money."

I remained silent while staring at the road where the car disappeared. The emotions I felt during my conversation with Jungkook came back to me. "JK, I was in front of you, yet you did not recognize me, my voice, or even the way I looked at you."

"Whoah... I have a feeling that our gallery is going to advance quickly because of BTS members stopping by. Should we acknowledge Jungkook's donation on our website? If people will learn about it... M-ma'am Lee... are you... crying?"

^^. . ^^

^^ Photo: by @BTS_twt https://t.co/Zxcp1C2Smj from Twitter