[!] trigger warning [!]

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"Kang Maru?" Jiah exclaimed, not expecting to see her ex-classmate there. She exchanged glances with him and Hoseok before continuing to walk forward to her seat, giving him a twitching smile.

Although she knew her friend came from a high-class family, she never knew that Kang & Company was part of his life. It was concerning. She never wanted to have conflicts with her friends, especially not something this big.

Hoseok, who was behind her, sounded surprised. "You know him?" he asked.

Jiah spun around as the Kang family took their seats. To Hoseok, she said, "Maru used to be my classmate."

The thought of not being on good terms with Maru anymore scared her. It had only been a few months since they had a warm and friendly reunion. She couldn't recall any offense he had done to her or any of their ex-classmates during school or the reunion. She also didn't remember Maru appearing cold to the public. This was a whole new side of him. Maru was often perceived as friendly and kind.

"I've never seen him like that," she muttered.

"Maru?" Hoseok asked, and she nodded.

Wendy's voice rang through the speaker, confidently speaking on the podium with a microphone in front of her. Hoseok slowly diverted his attention to the stage, but Jiah could feel him glancing at her once in a while. She couldn't tell if it was a worried glance or a glance asking for help.

Soon, Hoseok's name was called. Jiah looked up at him. His Adam's apple bobbed up and down before he got up from his seat. Shaky breaths escaped from Hoseok, and she swore she saw his hands trembling before he balled them into fists.

Applause reverberated in the hall. Wendy's warm smile didn't seem to sit well with Jiah, and it didn't seem to make Hoseok feel better either. She wanted to be there, she had to be beside him.

Remembering her determination as Hoseok's assistant, she stood up from her seat and caught up with her boss's pace. Yoongi didn't even stop her, and she took that as a green light.

Hoseok got startled when he saw her walking beside him. "What are you doing? You should be in your seat."

"Nope. As Jung Hoseok's assistant, I should be standing near him until he's okay."

"B-but—"

"Nope, nope! I'm not leaving you alone," she said.

The redhead exhaled a deep sigh. Defeated, he nodded his head. Both of them continued to walk together towards the astounded Wendy. She seemed to be trying to mask her astonishment. Jiah couldn't comprehend her response to their appearance together.

Hoseok approached the microphone almost leisurely, while Jiah stood behind him. And then, his speech began.

She couldn't understand the need for a speech and the party. Several journalists and media representatives from different companies were even present. Was it just to brag? For what purpose? To increase investment partnerships and stock shares? What would happen if the dark truth behind this company was revealed to the world one day?

She snapped out of her thoughts when she sensed a long silence, and Hoseok almost stumbled backward. Before she could reach him, Wendy hurried to his side. Camera flashes flickered everywhere, triggering Hoseok even more until he dropped to the ground.

A worried look appeared on Wendy's face as she asked if he was okay, but that didn't stop Jiah from approaching her boss and holding him. She didn't know if she almost pushed Wendy, but the hall immediately fell silent, and the camera flashes slowly faded.

"Hoseok, look at me," she whispered.

Hoseok was on the verge of tears. "I can't... I can't breathe."

"Hoseok, please. Look at me, don't look at them!" she said, holding his face. Hoseok looked at her, breathing hollow and short. Screw the media. She snatched the microphone from his hand, turned it off, and threw it to the tiled floor. "You look at me. Breathe slowly. Copy me," she said, demonstrating slow breathing.

"I-I can't! It h-hurts!"

"We can get through this. We'll do it slowly, okay? Keep looking at me," she said. She began raising one of her hands up and down slowly. "Inhale... exhale... Inhale, exhale. One, two... One... two." He listened and copied. She repeated until he calmed down. She could feel stares of wonder piercing through them.

Jiah cupped his face and immediately wiped away the tear that fell from his eyes with her thumb. Slowly nodding her head, she caressed Hoseok's cheek and asked, "How are you now?"

As she continued to caress his wet cheek, she felt a warmth radiating from his face. He gulped and said, "I-I feel... better."

"Are you sure?" she asked.

He stared at her with pink tints on his cheeks. Jiah thought it could be due to what happened earlier—he was even sweating. It took him a minute to break the stare and whispered, "Yeah."

"What do you want to do now?" she asked, softly.

"I... I think I want to continue."

"Are you sure you want to continue?" She began to feel torn about whether to let him continue or not.

"Yeah," he paused. "but, can you... hold my hand?"

Jiah didn't expect that. She said, "I can ask them to pause—"

"No!" His yell caught Jiah off guard. "I need to finish this. Please? Hold my hand."

Jiah could only look into his eyes. He had chosen to fight rather than flight. If he chose to fight, then she couldn't leave him alone. She wasn't going to be like someone who just stood there and asked if he was okay.

"Okay," she said and smiled. She took his still-shaky hands and helped him stand.

Wendy looked surprised and a little intimidated by her. She stepped back to allow Hoseok to stand at the podium. Coincidentally, Jiah and Wendy made eye contact. Wendy displayed a wistful smile, but Jiah didn't reply.

As the audience looked at them, Jiah noticed Maru sitting beside his father in the front row. A small smile stretched across his lips, and she copied it in response. At that moment, she was torn between seeing her friend as a bad guy, possibly part of this evilness, or the same good guy she had known for years.

Things were complicated at the moment, but she wanted to focus on Hoseok. She held his hand tightly. Wendy appeared beside him, looking awkward, and handed him the microphone. Hoseok didn't bother to look twice. Instead, he courageously raised his head and proceeded with his speech after taking a deep breath and apologizing to the audience.

His hands still trembled, and she caressed them with her thumb as if to remind him that she was with him.

Words of praise for the Kang family for their continued support to the orphanage, and gratitude for being with them throughout the years, escaped Hoseok's mouth. She knew they were insincere. Thoughts

flooded her mind again. What would happen to them if the world knew they would need a huge amount of compensation to sever the ties between Bejiwoo and the company? What would happen if people knew they were taking advantage of the weak?

He almost reached the end of the speech. She made eye contact with Maru again, wondering if he knew anything about their connections. Maru had been listening to the speech.

She was afraid she would ruin their friendship if she contacted him only to ask about it. Still, there was a possibility that Maru was part of the scheme. Hence, she wouldn't get any clear answers if Maru chose to hide some facts and the truth.

The speech ended, and Hoseok's hands noticeably trembled less. When she looked up at him, his eyes sparkled, glazed with transparent tears. Others clapped, but Jiah pulled him off the stage and behind the massive event banner, concealing them from the audience. No one was around except some security guards.

Jiah held his arms, staring at him before pulling him into a hug and patting his back. His heartbeats were loud and fast, thumping against his chest. "You are safe now," she assured him, and his stiffened shoulders slowly relaxed.

His voice cracked as he said, "It was suffocating." He paused. "I heard them booing me."

"No. Don't listen to them." It was all in his mind, she knew. Her heart ached. "Don't ever think you did a bad job. No one is going to be mad at you for your breakdown. Some things... can't be under our control. And it's not your fault."

She continued to pat him. Later, a pair of arms wrapped around her, and his head rested on her shoulder, his fist clenched on her dress. Sobs followed. "I was scared, I was scared—" more sobs. "Thank you."

**********

Yoongi managed to find a way to sneak them out to leave, but some people might have noticed. Knowing Yoongi, he didn't seem to give a damn if anyone saw them leaving. Jiah and Hoseok were still holding hands as they walked through the door.

On their way to the revolving door, they ran into Maru. The smell of tobacco lingered as they crossed paths. Jiah acted as if she didn't know him until Maru called out, "Lee Jiah."

The three of them stopped and turned to look at him.

"Can we talk?" he asked, hesitantly.

Jiah was interrupted by Yoongi, who said, "Jiah's busy."

The silence between them grew tense. Maru's eyes dropped to their clasped hands. However, Jiah didn't bother to let go of the grip. She didn't want to make her vulnerable boss feel insecure. So she held on even more firmly.

Maru smiled at her. "I see. I'll talk to you next time," he said and then bowed before walking away. His dress shoes clicked on the tile as he strode away from them and disappeared into the path that led to the hall.

Jiah might not have been as close to Maru as she was with Shinhye, but there was something in his eyes that indicated he had something to say. It could have been her instincts misjudging the situation since she cherished her friendship with Maru and her other ex-classmates. Or maybe she was the one desperate for an explanation.

"Don't let your relationships with someone sway your judgment," Yoongi said, stern yet still in a relaxed demeanor. It almost gave Jiah goosebumps as it felt like he had read her mind.

"Yes. Of course," she replied, focusing on Hoseok. There were bigger problems to tackle at the moment.

"Now, let's leave this shit," Yoongi said, urging them to move.

As they stepped into the revolving door, she turned back to glance at the hall one last time, looking for Maru and wondering what awaited them in the future.

**********

After more than a week since the event, Jiah had become a topic of public conversation. The majority of it was positive, with praise for her and Hoseok's bravery flooding the internet. However, as expected, there were also negative comments among the mix.

But the aftermath of that week had more in store. Hoseok's behavior started to draw attention among the Bejiwoo staff as well.

He became more open with himself, showing slight but noticeable development. He grew closer to his assistant, even going out of his office to look for her when she was absent. While his preference for hoodies remained unchanged, he surprisingly started wearing zip-up hoodies and shirts more frequently.

His speech improved when he talked to her, stuttering less. However, Jiah had to be careful not to get too close to her boss, as it seemed to trigger his stuttering and make his face turn red.

During lunch hour, Jiah and Hoseok decided to stay in the office to catch up on paperwork. Jungkook and Jimin were serving customers in the main area, while the others went out for their break.

Jiah found herself beaming at Hoseok, her chin resting on her palms as she swung side to side on her office chair, a pen between her fingers. She had been staring at her boss for who knows how long.

"Gosh, Jiah, stop staring," Hoseok whined.

Giggling, she replied, "There's no reason for me to stop. After all, I'm staring at my handsome boss."

His eyes widened. "W-what?"

"You with red hair are just as handsome as the image in my brain," she said, shaping rectangles with her fingers. "Ooooh, I'll paint you and sell the painting to a museum. I'll definitely make a profit."

"Cheh!" Hoseok scoffed. "I've never seen you paint or even draw. Do you even know how to paint?"

"You should never underestimate me, mister!"

He snorted. "You don't seem to know the right painting techniques."

Giving him a glare, she made a face and said, "Tsk, whatever."

Hoseok chuckled as he read through the papers, a smile still playing on his lips. Then he muttered, "She's cute."

Huh? Did she hear him correctly? "What?"

He looked up, sporting a poker face. "What?" he repeated.

"What did you say?"

Hoseok blinked several times. "I said you're funny."

She squinted her eyes, pulling herself back so that her back almost touched the backrest. That didn't match what she thought she heard earlier.

Her suspicions about Hoseok were interrupted when Seokjin appeared in the hallway, dragging two pieces of luggage with him. The door of the adjacent room was kicked open, causing a spring-like sound to resonate through the glass wall. Jiah and her boss exchanged glances.

"I think Seokjin is in a bad mood," Jiah whispered.

Hoseok watched as the older man unzipped his luggage to retrieve some items. "Why don't you ask him?" he suggested, looking at her.

She shook her head. "I don't dare to ask. I've never seen him that angry."

"It's probably okay if it's you," he said. "You two are close, after all."

Seokjin unfolded the sofa into a bed while Jiah contemplated her options. Perhaps she should give it a shot. She approached the room, knocking on the door a few times before pushing it open. "Seokjin," she called.

A brief silence ensued before the man replied in a deep drawl, "What?"

"Are you okay?" she asked.

Another moment of silence. Jiah wondered what was going through his mind.

He balled his fist before placing a blanket on the sofa bed. Then he said, "Yes."

"Okay then. Let me know if you need anything," she said. She closed the door and returned to the office.

Hoseok asked, "What's up with him?"

She could only shrug in response.

"Did he happen to find out that we hold hands?"

She pondered silently for a moment before saying, "Why would he be mad just because I held your hand?"

The redhead shrugged his shoulders, raising his eyebrows and curving his lips downward. "Maybe Seokjin likes you."

"Shut up, you two!" Seokjin's voice boomed from the other room, startling Jiah. "I can fucking hear you!"

With that, both of them sealed their lips. They resorted to communicating through the chat app for a few moments.

Later, they discovered from Namjoon that he overheard Seokjin and Jisoo fighting at the back of the restaurant they usually frequented. However, he wasn't sure about the reason behind their argument. Namjoon mentioned that Seokjin's shouts were loud enough for him to hear from his seat, and he was surprised to be the only one who heard it.

Jiah and Hoseok realized that the siblings must have had a major fight. Judging by Seokjin's level of anger, it was likely more significant than the moments they had witnessed.

They were relieved to know it had nothing to do with them holding hands.