Chapter Text
“So he never sleeps?” Seokjin asked and put a piece of fried chicken into his mouth.
Jungkook frowned. “All I’m saying, when my shift starts his office light is still on, and when my shift ends, it’s still on, no matter if I’m doing night or morning. It’s weird.”
“Maybe he’s a vampire,” Taehyung suggested with a straight face, dipping his chicken wing into one of the milder sauces.
“I doubt it, he walks around outside during the day,” Jungkook said. “And there’s pictures of him eating normal food.”
“Ah, but they can fake it. And maybe there’s some vampire sunscreen these days, after all it’s 2026, surely vampires have progressed too.”
Jungkook pondered for a moment, Taehyung did have a point. If vampires were real.
“What about vampires?” Hoseok asked when he came to the living room from the kitchen, carrying a plate of fruit and more to drink even though he already looked like his alcohol tolerance was reaching its limits by the way his face was flushed.
“Park Jimin,” Seokjin replied. “Jungkook’s boss.”
“He’s not my boss. Or not directly.”
The cleaning service Jungkook worked for now had a contract with the company, but Jungkook was sure Park Jimin was not responsible for it.
Hoseok sat down between Jungkook and Taehyung and placed his offerings on the table. “Still acting weird?”
“He’s probably just a workaholic,” Jungkook said with a shrug and took a sip of his beer.
“I always thought chaebols don’t actually have to work, don’t they just laze around and make others do the work for them?” Seokjin said. “At least that’s what I would do. I’d have so many hours to play games.”
“Of course you would, hyung,” Taehyung said and crunched on a piece of apple.
Park Jimin, thirty-one years old, from a wealthy family, but with a rather humble upbringing before his childless uncle named him as his successor in the family company that manufactures electronic parts for major technology brands. That was all Jungkook knew about the chaebol CEO even the media called mysterious on a weekly basis. No one really knew about his private life and it was a miracle if he even had one the way it seemed like the man lived at the office Jungkook was hired to clean.
The office was far from Jungkook’s own world, a soulless high rise building right in the middle of the Central Business District close to Gwanghwamun square. It wasn’t far in terms of distance, because Jungkook only lived in Myeondong, with a view of Namsan Tower from the roof of the building, and the subway took him to the Seoul CBD before he could even take a nap. But Jungkook wasn’t born with money, his parents were creatives. His life growing up had been fun and full of wonder, but not incredibly financially abundant. And right now he was trying to support his own creative career as an artist with a part time job cleaning offices. Just to take some financial pressure off his shoulders.
He entered through the staff entrance at the back of the building, left his jacket and backpack in the locker they’d assigned to him and made sure his work shirt was in good order. It was a night shift so he most likely wasn’t going to bump into anyone, but cleanliness and setting an example was drilled into his brain during the orientation. He found the cleaning cart from where it was supposed to be and started his shift.
Vacuuming the floors was first on his tasklist once he arrived at the seventh floor in the service elevator. Jungkook popped his airpods into his ears and pressed play to the true crime episode he started listening to during his last shift. He had to congratulate himself for his patience for being able to wait a day to hear the ending to the horrific true story, and he was just about to do that, smiling at his thoughts and getting the vacuum cleaner out of the lower portion of the cleaning cart, when he spotted the CEO’s office, the lights on inside.
He had been wrong. There was a little more he knew about the man. He knew Park Jimin was always working.
At some point during his six hour shift Jungkook had changed the podcast to music, just to keep himself awake before the clock hit midnight and he could leave like a modern Cinderella. Though that’s not how the story went and Jungkook had no one to leave his shoe behind for. Not that he’d want to, he saved too long to buy the pair of black sneakers to lose one.
He was swaying his hips to the tune of the new girlgroup song he’d been obsessed with, it was that or anime music, while wiping the counter in the breakroom and making sure every office worker had a clean cup for their stale coffee the next day. He wasn’t exactly a dancer, but there were a few moves he remembered, using a small strut to turn around and place the rag —
“Oh.”
Jungkook froze when he saw an equally frozen CEO Park Jimin at the breakroom door, one coffee cup in hand, his eyes wider than Jungkook knew from the photos he’d seen. And it was Jungkook’s job to unfreeze first, he was just the cleaner, so he quickly bowed and tried to be discreet when he took his airpods out and slipped them into his pants pocket.
“Apologies, sajang-nim,” he said quietly before he stood back up straight.
Park Jimin was still frozen at the doorway. His meticulously styled hair brushed back from his forehead. His suit pants were navy blue, but he had left his jacket probably in his office, the sleeves of his white shirt were rolled up and his tie was loose. The worst of it all, at least for Jungkook, was that Park Jimin was an incredibly beautiful man and those plump lips were a gift from gods.
“I — I didn’t think anyone would be here,” Jimin said, his voice soft, but uncertain.
“Just me.” Jungkook flopped his arms at his sides with his words and offered a smile. “Do you need that washed?” He nodded towards Jimin’s cup.
Jimin glanced down at his hand, looking like he only now realised he was still carrying a cup. “Ah, no, just a refill.”
Jungkook lifted his eyebrows and glanced at the clock at the backwall, it was half past ten, which meant only one and half hours to go for his work shift, but also he knew having coffee this late wasn’t exactly wise. Which made him shift his eyes towards the empty and clean coffee machine. Jimin’s eyes seemed to land on it around the same time, his brows furrowing.
“I didn’t realise, I’m sorry,” Jungkook said. “I’m just here to clean and I have a list and an order of when I’m supposed to —”
“It’s fine.” But Jimin didn’t sound fine. He flashed a tight smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “You’re just doing your job. I’ll — I’ll leave you to it.” He gave a little nod and turned around, the clack of the heels of his shoes echoing in the empty corridor as he powerwalked away.
“He just left? Just like that?” Taehyung asked as they were walking down the street to a new restaurant he wanted to try out. Something Korean fusion and still unknown enough to not be too expensive. And usually he dragged Jungkook along, not that Jungkook was complaining about free food — because his hyung was paying, obviously.
“I feel bad. I threw his coffee away.”
“He shouldn’t be drinking coffee that late.”
“I can’t exactly say that to him, can I?”
“No, you’re right.”
Jungkook felt a little guilty for the incident, if it could be called that. He’d been working for the cleaning company for almost four months and this was the first time he actually saw Park Jimin in the flesh. And the expression on his face nearly made Jungkook want to beg him to come back and wait as he prepared a new pot of coffee. Or whatever else he could have given to the CEO, because for some reason Park Jimin had become a frequent visitor in Jungkook’s thoughts.
“Have you seen him since?” Taehyung asked.
“I don’t work on weekends.” Or he sometimes did the morning shift on Saturday, and even then he’d seen Jimin’s office lights on. This weekend he had time off.
“Was he as good looking as he is in the news?”
Jungkook huffed. “How is that relevant?”
Taehyung looked at him with a smirk growing at the corner of his lips. “All I mean, is he someone you’d do favours for?
“Pfft, it’s not about the looks, you’re too shallow.”
“But he’s hot.”
Jungkook nodded.
On Monday on the way to work Jungkook took a detour to a closeby coffee shop and ordered a simple Americano. He didn’t know how Park Jimin the CEO liked his coffee, but he probably didn’t need anything fancy considering he’d been willing to drink the tar someone had made with the breakroom coffee machine. Hopefully it hadn’t been the CEO himself, even the thought made Jungkook shudder.
With the takeaway cup in hand he entered the office building. The coffee cup rode on top of the cleaning cart all the way to the seventh floor. Jungkook’s heart was pounding only a little bit louder when he placed it on the breakroom table with a little note of apology for the previous night. Then he continued with his work shift.
He couldn’t help but glance over his shoulder towards the windows of Jimin’s office, lit up from the inside with a soft warm glow, as always. Jungkook had never cleaned there, it was out of bounds. Apparently the CEO had his own special cleaning service for his personal office space, Jungkook was simply ordered to clean through all the other areas.
He was inside one of the conference rooms, wiping the table and changing the trashbag for the trashcan when he heard the sound of a door further along the corridor. When he popped his head out of the conference room, he saw Jimin’s figure walking towards the breakroom. The office wasn’t fully lit during the night, after Jungkook had finished with the main area he usually left only a few corridor lights on, for ambiance. He could only watch Jimin’s silhouette as he turned the lights on in the breakroom and paused.
Jungkook gripped the side of the door and bit his lip, feeling his lip piercing with his tongue — a constant habit of his — he had the perfect vantage point as Jimin slowly approached the table and the coffee cup placed on it. From the position of Jimin’s head he clearly kept his eyes on the coffee. Then he picked the note up and Jungkook held his breath. Jimin glanced over his shoulder, making Jungkook hide further in the conference room. But then Jimin turned his gaze back towards the coffee and Jungkook felt like a creep as he kept watching.
Jimin picked the coffee up and opened the lid to sniff it. He walked further into the room, maybe towards the fridge which wasn’t visible from where Jungkook was standing, only to return a short while later, carrying a sandwich and the coffee in his hands. Jungkook hid himself again, continued working, rustled the trashbag finally into a knot and threw it into the bigger bag on his cart. The image of Jimin in his mind, because Jimin had been smiling.
Wasn’t sure what you’d like. Apologies if this is too forward of me.
Jungkook stared at the note, then at the cup of coffee. He didn’t drink coffee for one thing, but he also didn’t drink coffee after 12PM if he did, which he didn’t. He wasn’t even sure if it was meant for him.
It had been two days. On the night of giving Jimin a coffee Jungkook hadn’t seen him come out of the office again. And yesterday for once Jimin’s office had been dark.
The cup was still warm in Jungkook’s hands, the logo on it familiar, it was from the same coffee shop Jungkook had bought the coffee for Jimin. He took a sip without looking at what was inside, probably irresponsible, but Jungkook liked to live dangerously. The drink was sweet and chocolatey. Huh. Maybe Park Jimin was mysterious, because he had a talent for seeing into someone’s soul. How did he figure out Jungkook’s taste for sweet things by only one awkward meeting?
And of course Jungkook felt like reciprocating, because why not. He knew he wasn’t going to stay in his cleaning job forever, it wasn’t the most exciting thing even if he could let his mind wander and come up with new ideas for his art. That is, when he wasn’t listening to anything and filling his brain with information he didn’t need. But the main point was, this was the most interesting time he’d had in this job so far, slightly exhilarating even. So he arrived at his next shift with a small bag. And the bag contained a coffee and a salty pastry.
If this would go on for longer Jungkook was convinced he’d switch Jimin’s coffee into a herbal tea, but he felt they weren’t familiar enough with each other for him to do that yet. They hadn’t spoken to each other or actually met face to face after that first encounter.
Not too forward at all, sajang-nim. I hope you enjoy your night.
Pen in hand Jungkook looked at what he’d written, then he took the note and crumpled it inside his fist, hiding it in his pocket, only to write a new one.
Not too forward at all, sajang-nim. The drink was tasty. I hope you enjoy the pastry.
Jungkook nodded at the new note and placed it leaning against the small paper bag.
It was too much, but I enjoyed it. Thank you. I hope this will —
Jungkook tried to see through the blackened scribble in the middle of the sentence to what Jimin had written first, but couldn’t quite make it out.
— be enough compensation.
There was a cup of that sweet delicious drink and a cupcake.
I don’t do this to get compensation, Jungkook wrote in his next note. I hope to make your night easier. Sajang-nim must be working hard.
It was bold. It made Jungkook’s heart race a little more than usual, because what if it displeased Jimin and he ended up saying something to Jungkook’s boss and that was the end of this job. But he also couldn’t let Jimin believe he was doing this to get something back. It was a fun back and forth and it brought a dopamine surge when Jungkook thought about what he might find when he arrived at his night shift, but it was never about being compensated.
Also it felt like a privilege and a thrill to be conversing like this with the most elusive chaebol bachelor in the whole country.
Hoseok pinched Jungkook’s cheek with a beaming smile on his face. “You have a crush.”
“I don’t.” Jungkook tried to concentrate counting the number of shoulder press repetitions even if Hoseok was standing in his way and he couldn’t really see his form in the mirror.
“You’re moping, because the big boss didn’t leave you a note last night.”
Taehyung walked behind Jungkook, slightly panting, having been running on the treadmill for the past thirty minutes. “Still moping?”
“I’m not,” Jungkook insisted and grimaced as he pushed for one more rep.
Sure, he was a little disappointed. Maybe he made a miscalculation. Maybe he really was too bold. They were strangers after all and Jimin happened to be this shining untouchable object while Jungkook was — well, Jungkook.
“Shouldn’t you be training too?” Taehyung asked Hoseok who was simply leaning against the dumbbell rack. “Or did you just come here to stare at men, hyung? Hm?”
Hoseok let out a laugh and took a pair of four kilogram weights. “I’ve been working out plenty, Jungkookie here can prove it.”
I apologise if I was too forward this time. It’s not my business to say anything, I’ve simply noticed you stay up late, sajang-nim.
Jungkook placed the note next to the chamomile tea he was brave enough to buy this time.
There was no note or a gift the next day Jungkook arrived at the seventh floor, so he put in his airpods and got to work.
He was listening to an analysis video about his favourite anime, repeating the lines he heard in Japanese, because he liked the feeling of the words in his mouth, when there was a tap on his shoulder and he nearly jumped out of his skin. Jungkook spun around and took out the earbuds, looking straight into Jimin’s equally startled eyes.
“I didn’t mean to scare you,” Jimin said once he seemed to recover from the shock.
Jungkook blinked. “Oh.” He hadn’t recovered from his.
Jimin’s mouth twitched up a little from the corners, but it didn’t become a full smile when he suddenly looked conflicted and unable to find words.
“Is it about the tea?” Jungkook blurted.
“What?”
“It was inappropriate, I know. It all started from me making up for destroying your coffee that one night without thinking and I just — “ Jungkook closed his mouth so that he wouldn’t be able to ramble more and then shrugged.
Jimin looked at him for a moment. “No,” he breathed. Then let out a hollow laugh. “I shouldn’t even be drinking so much caffeine this late, I appreciate the tea. But we have this exchange, this sudden unexpected thing, and I don’t even know your name.” His brows creased as he talked and Jungkook couldn’t help thinking he looked rather cute, rather precious, underneath all that sleek exterior.
“Jeon Jungkook,” Jungkook said and bowed.
“Nice to meet you, Jungkook-nim.” Jimin reached out a hand.
Jungkook took it, feeling a zap of energy from the way Jimin squeezed his hand firmly, like someone in Jimin’s position should. “Just Jungkook is fine, I’m younger than you.”
Jimin lifted his eyebrows.
“I mean it!” Jungkook rushed, still not letting go of Jimin’s hand and Jimin forgetting to try to escape his. “I don’t mind. My mom always says I’m a bit of a free spirit for this society anyway.”
This time Jimin made an incredulous frown. “What?”
“A free spirit. I’m an artist. But so is my mom, so apples and trees fall and so on.” His hand was still in Jimin’s.
“Apples don’t fall far from the trees.”
“That’s what I said.”
Jimin stared at him, but then he let out a laugh, a happier one than the previous, covering his mouth with his free hand, because his right one was still in Jungkook’s. “Okay. But please don’t call me sajang-nim, it makes me feel old.”
“What should I call you then?”
There was something in the question that made Jimin pull his hand back. “You don’t have to call me anything.” He was drawing back into his shell.
Jungkook didn’t want the moment to end. “I brought you tea again.”
Jimin blinked. “Why?”
“Why why?”
“What?”
“What?” Jungkook took the tea he’d been moving around the office on top of the cleaning cart and handed it to Jimin. “I don’t have a note this time.”
“Jungkook-ssi this is too much.”
“No, please have it.”
Jimin gave him a look and sighed, bringing the cup of chamomile to his lips and taking a sip. “It has been the highlight of my day,” he said quietly once he lowered the cup. “The notes, the little treats.”
“Mine too,” Jungkook admitted.
That earned another look from Jimin, a more curious one this time. “I need to let you get back to work.” He offered a small smile, which was easy to respond to.
Jungkook wanted to say Jimin didn’t have to, but of course Jungkook had to do his job or he’d get fired. And he would hate losing the chance to do this.
“Okay. I will make sure your office space is enjoyable.” Jungkook bowed, hearing an amused huff before he straightened up.
“See you around,” Jimin said and walked a couple steps backwards. But then he shook his head and turned around, continuing towards lights at the other end of the corridor.
We may not have time to meet today, but maybe you’d like to taste these.
A smile crept on Jungkook’s lips as he took the little box of chocolates. They were expensive, he could already see it on the box alone. He took them home and only dared to eat one that night. It melted on his tongue sweet and slightly bitter, and he couldn’t help but think what Jimin meant by giving them to him.
“For the love of god it has enough salt, you don’t need to — no, no sugar, just stop, get away from the stove, it’s perfect.” Seokjin pushed Jungkook out of the way with his hip and took over the cooking.
“I was just making small enhancements to the taste.”
“Your enhancements are about to change the whole dish, it doesn’t need more, it only needs to simmer.”
“Fine.” Jungkook retreated towards the other side of the kitchen island, opposite to where Seokjin’s induction stove top was, and sat on one of the stools. The perks of being the favourite dongsaeng of his oldest hyung meant that he could turn up at Seokjin’s unannounced for dinner and no one would bat an eye.
”So why did you invite yourself over this time?” Seokjin asked without even looking at him.
”I was hungry,” Jungkook said, and immediately snickered at his hyung’s aishh brat. ”I really am hungry.”
”But — ” Seokjin looked at Jungkook from underneath his brows.
”I have this new friend.”
”Aishh, you — ”
Maybe new friend was putting too big a label on it for now. Jungkook couldn’t call what he had with Jimin friendship just yet. A mutual gift giving? Leaving little treats for each other to find and then having small conversations if they happened to meet. Though Jungkook wasn’t sure he could call the few words they exchanged conversations.
The situation had changed after Jimin gave him the chocolates, because Jungkook needed to find something as good or even better, simple coffee shop treats weren’t going to cut it anymore. He had made Jimin smile with not-as-expensive chocolates of his own, because he’d made them himself and he admitted it to Jimin when they met that night. Jimin had looked baffled for a moment, but then the soft smile had appeared, and an emotion behind his eyes that Jungkook hadn’t been quite able to decipher.
That had been followed with a note saying, Not as good as home made, but I tried to find something. And a box that hid inside a piece of chocolate cake.
So this time Jungkook wanted to take with him a whole homemade meal. Or a Seokjin-made meal, because he didn’t have time to cook anything actually good himself before his shift would start.
“Do I need to pack two portions or is one enough?” Seokjin asked.
“Two.”
“Aishh.”
“What’s this?” Jimin entered the breakroom cautiously, looking at the table where Jungkook had laid out the containers with stew and rice inside.
“Have you had dinner yet?”
It was Jungkook’s break anyway, halfway through his work hours. He’d managed to reheat the food in the breakroom microwave oven, not ideal, but it was what he had.
“No.”
“Would you like to join me?” Jungkook asked and flashed a smile. He knew this was another bold move, they hadn’t really even addressed what the hell they were doing with all this. If there was a goal or an endpoint.
“I have a sandwich in the fridge.”
“And I have warm budae jjigae and rice, with a few banchan on the side. Enough for two.” Jungkook felt the nerves pick up inside his stomach, sending little jolts through his core, as he waited for Jimin to respond.
There was a question in Jimin’s eyes, but he quietly came closer and drew a chair. It looked like it didn’t take more to convince him. They sat down almost at the same time.
Jungkook served both of them portions and pushed Jimin’s bowls towards him. “Eat well.”
“I will eat well.” When Jimin took the first spoonful of the broth, his eyebrows formed the sides of a triangle. “Mm.”
“Good?”
“Very good. Did you make this?” Jimin asked and glanced up at Jungkook, hiding his mouth behind his hand.
“My hyung did. I can cook too, but I got the idea too late and didn’t have time.” Jungkook took a mouthful and let out a groan, feeling his eyebrows crease in the middle. This was why he visited Seokjin around dinner time more often than not.
“You didn’t have to do this,” Jimin said, but kept eating without looking up from his bowl.
“And you would’ve had to eat a store bought sandwich?” Jungkook tssked with his tongue. “Not on my watch.”
“I didn’t realise I was under your watch.”
Jungkook lifted his head and blinked, reeling back what he’d just said and then backpedaled. “Well, you're not. I don’t watch you. Not like that. I’m not a creep. I notice things.”
Now Jimin’s eyes were on him. “And you noticed I needed feeding?”
“Maybe?”
Or that Jimin needed the company of someone eating with him.
Jimin huffed with a small smile and shook his head in a tiny motion. “You’re funny.”
“Good funny, or bad funny?”
“Just funny.” Jimin shrugged.
Jungkook narrowed his eyes. “That’s not exactly fair. Is it bad funny? Am I annoying you?”
Jimin’s lips twitched and he lowered his head a bit more. “No, far from it. I’m just not good at this.”
“Hm? At what?”
“I don’t know. Meeting someone new.” Jimin lifted his eyes to Jungkook. “Stop staring like that.”
“Like what?”
“With those big eyes. Or is it that weird for me to say I’m not good at this?”
Jungkook blinked. “No. Unexpected maybe, considering what you do.”
“That’s different.” Jimin’s mood seemed to sour and he avoided Jungkook’s gaze. That was not what Jungkook had wanted from this conversation.
”You can practice with me,” he said before he thought too much.
Jimin did that incredulous expression again, like what Jungkook suggested was somehow ridiculous. ”If I’m honest I’m not sure I should even be doing this.” He gestured towards the table and vaguely at Jungkook. ”How do I know I won’t find my face on the news tomorrow or next week, because I was too careless and someone gave the media a scoop about my life?”
And Jungkook hadn’t even thought of that. He somehow completely forgot Jimin’s status. Not literally, it just slipped his mind whenever Jungkook got to talk to him.
”That didn’t even cross my mind,” Jungkook said. ”You probably don’t trust me, but I wouldn’t do it. I’m not that desperate for money. Do they even pay that much? I don’t think it’s worth it.”
Jimin stared at him quietly as Jungkook rambled. There was a sense that he knew more than he let on, that he could see things about Jungkook that Jungkook didn’t freely show to other people, not always even to his closest friends. It was unsettling, disarming.
“Do I need to sign one of those — what do they call them — NDAs?” Jungkook asked, just to break the tension between them.
And for a moment, Jimin seemed to consider it. But then he shook his head. “No. I’m not sharing any company secrets and I’m not a celebrity. This is simply a dinner between colleagues.”
Hardly colleagues, but when Jungkook looked at the hint of uncertainty in Jimin’s expression, he decided not to mention it.
“If you’re an artist, what are you doing here, cleaning this floor?” Jimin asked. But then sighed before Jungkook was able to answer. “I’m sorry, the question is rude. This is what I mean. I don’t really have normal conversations with people these days.”
“No, not rude,” Jungkook said, but could feel the melancholy that settled over the table. “It’s a bit quiet on the art market, the rise of AI and all that, I wanted to have less stress about money.”
Jimin glanced at him.
“But,” Jungkook continued quickly. “That still doesn’t mean I’d sell information about you to the news.”
“I was only going to say I’m sorry to hear that.”
“Oh? But I mean it, this job is all the financial security I need at the moment.”
“You don’t have to try to explain, I believe you,” Jimin said.
“You do?”
Jimin’s eyes swept over Jungkook from head to waist, because that was the part he could see. “You’re way too genuine for your own good.”
“What does that even mean? Too genuine?” Jungkook was lying on his back on a huge piece of canvas on Taehyung’s floor as Taehyung was drawing his outlines on it.
“You wear your heart on your sleeve. It’s hard to see you as anything other than what you are, because you are what you say you are.” Taehyung was at Jungkook’s shoulders and leaned over him to look at him upside down. “You can’t lie, it shows on your face instantly.”
“Thanks?”
“So what happened next on this dinner date of yours?”
“It wasn’t a date, just a friendly gesture.”
“Mhm.” Taehyung slowly traced the outline of Jungkook’s head, going towards the other shoulder, the tip rustling against the carefully prepared canvas.
“We ate, he thanked me, and we continued our night.”
“Mhm. He didn’t say anything else? Ask anything else?”
“Not really. Why?”
“I’m just interested, it’s not every day that I get to hear about people like Park Jimin. Now keep your hand still, don’t fidget so much.”
Jungkook pressed his hand onto the surface and sighed. “I told him I don’t mind cleaning the place, because it somehow brought me to that moment, eating with him.”
“Of course you did.”
“I think I might’ve embarrassed him with that.”
“Did he blush? Ah, shit, your finger twitched.” Taehyung stood up and put his hands to his hips, staring at the small mistake with his lips pressing together.
“You’re going to paint over it anyway. And yes, maybe a little.” Jungkook closed his eyes, trying to bring up the image of Jimin to the forefront of his mind. Jimin’s cheeks had been tinted with a faint pink hue and he had cleared his throat.
Jungkook huffed when he saw the empty breakroom. That was fine, he’d half-expected Jimin to pull back, especially since there had been a full weekend in between. The blinds on Jimin’s office windows were closed, as always, but the usual light still sent a glow into the dim corridor. Jungkook stared at the windows for a moment, but then sighed and got to work.
Halfway through his hours he heard a door open, then footsteps. Assuming Jimin was going to the breakroom to get his sandwich or whatever he had to eat for tonight, Jungkook continued to mop the floor in the open office area.
“Jungkook-ssi.”
Jungkook paused and lifted his head. He quickly double tapped his airpod to turn the music off and took it out before turning to face Jimin.
“Yes?” Jungkook felt his eyebrows were still up from surprise.
Jimin took a deep breath, his hands in his pockets. “Um, are you — when do you plan to take a break?”
”I wasn’t planning on doing that. Or I will, but a short one later.”
But Jungkook was too fast with his mouth, it didn’t seem to be the right thing to say, not at all. He needed to put his foot into his mouth, because Jimin’s brows creased and he glanced down.
”Ah, alright.” Jimin began turning away.
”Wait!” Jungkook took a step forward, reaching with his hand, but too afraid to actually touch. Jimin looked at it, making Jungkook’s heart jump, then at Jungkook from under those worried brows. ”Why were you asking?”
“I have some leftovers,” Jimin said with a shrug and a feigned nonchalance, barely masking the vulnerability underneath. “There’s enough for two.”
The way this grown man was avoiding looking into Jungkook’s eyes was somehow so endearing Jungkook had the sudden urge to just hug him. But he squeezed the mop a little harder instead.
“I’m actually pretty hungry,” he said and got Jimin’s attention on him. “I almost thought — “ He let out a laugh and hung his head for a second or two. “Of course I’ll take a break. Now?”
Jimin licked his lips in what looked like an attempt to suppress a smile. “Now.” He nodded.
“Okay, I’ll just,” Jungkook pointed at the mop, “put this away.”
“I’ll wait in my office,” Jimin said and nodded back over his shoulder.
“Your office?”
“I thought it might be more comfortable.”
The uncertainty deepened on Jimin’s face, but he only turned around to go back along the corridor, leaving Jungkook standing with the mop and wide eyes. He had to become conscious of how stupid his face must have looked like in that moment and make his expression more neutral.
Jimin had left his door open. Jungkook approached it slowly. Once he got to the small rectangle of light coming from the room, shining on the floor, he stopped and peeked inside. The office was quite bare. Jungkook had hoped he could see pieces of Jimin’s hidden personality in the furniture or books he might have, but the interior was grey and generic, almost minimalistic, creating a rather cold atmosphere. Surely the office table by the windows was an expensive design, but that didn’t mean it was nice to look at. Jungkook couldn’t help feeling sad about the fact that Jimin spent so many hours in this space, because he didn’t fit in here at all.
“Come in.”
Jungkook turned his eyes to the left where Jimin was by the black leather couch and their dinner set on a glass coffee table.
“Sit. Please.” Jimin gestured towards the couch when Jungkook walked over to him.
The couch wasn’t meant to be lounged on, it was clearly for business men who needed to stay alert. But Jungkook wasn’t going to say that to Jimin, he simply smiled as Jimin settled next to him.
“So what’s this?” Jungkook nodded towards the containers.
“I have a hyung who cooks too. My fridge was getting too full so I thought — “ Jimin glanced at Jungkook on his right and softly bit his lower lip, maybe not even realising he’d done it. “Maybe you’d like it.”
The swoop in Jungkook’s stomach wasn’t a good sign, neither was the fact that he had to force his eyes up from Jimin’s lips. “Maybe I will.”
“It’s reheated galbi, maybe it won’t be good,” Jimin said with a little laugh and gave Jungkook a pair of chopsticks.
“I’m sure you don’t have to worry, I eat anything.”
“Anything?” Jimin’s soft tone and the melodic lilt at the end of the word made Jungkook lose focus. But the moment was soon broken by Jimin continuing, “Anyway. Dig in, I’m sure you need to get back to work soon.”
“What do your friends do?” Jimin asked.
By the time the containers were empty and Jungkook’s belly comfortably full with the delicious food, he had managed to tell about his parents, some bits about his childhood adventures — like the time he had travelled with his mother around the world with her charity exhibition, he’d only been four so he didn’t remember much, but it was a great conversation starter — and about his friends. It didn’t go unnoticed that it was mostly Jimin asking him questions and dodging every time Jungkook tried to throw the question back. But if Jimin didn’t mind listening to Jungkook —
Jungkook wiped his mouth with a napkin. “Seokjin hyung has a small seafood restaurant, but he also has a small alcohol brand. Hoseok hyung started studying fashion design on top of teaching dance. Taehyung hyung is an artist like me, but we do slightly different things. He likes human bodies so that’s often his focus and his usual medium is oil and acrylic paint. He’s got a major exhibition coming later this year.” He glanced at Jimin. “Just say if I’m talking too much. I don’t usually talk this much.”
“I’m not sure I believe that.” Jimin smiled.
It was nice to see him a bit loosened up from earlier.
“It means I feel comfortable around you,” Jungkook said.
“Oh?” There it was again, a flash of something behind Jimin’s eyes. “That’s nice.”
“It is.”
One thing Jungkook had noticed was that the picture media had carved of Jimin was simply that. A narrative, a surface layer, maybe even protective one depending on which angle you looked from. Because the Jimin next to Jungkook now, the one he’d spent time with during the past few weeks, was softer and his energy kinder than he thought was possible. Park Jimin the CEO was held together by his suits and his styled hair, Jungkook could see that now. And that made him want to see underneath all of that.
Yes, okay, part of Jungkook wanted to literally undress the man and end up in bed in throes of pleasure. If he didn’t simply say he was horny and Jimin’s ass in the slacks made him feel things down between his legs. But it wasn’t only that. There was an intelligent brain inside that beautiful head and Jungkook wished to learn to know who the true Jimin was. After all, it had started glittering through in every smile and every laughter they’d shared. Even in the moments when all that disappeared and they were left with silence.
Jimin cleared his throat. “So you don’t paint?”
“Hm?”
“You said your friend paints and you do different things.”
“I’m an illustrator, so I do paint, just on a smaller scale. But I dabble with bigger paintings at times, just for myself. Also I do some photography and edit videos. Once I collaborated with hyung on a mural. I have ADHD.”
Jimin let out a laugh. Then instantly looked mortified. “Sorry, I wasn’t laughing at your diagnosis.”
But Jungkook could barely hold his own smile. “It’s fine, honestly. Were you thinking it shows?”
“I don’t know much about it, but somehow learning more about you, it makes sense.”
“I know.” Jungkook laughed.
“You move a lot.”
Jungkook stopped the sway of his body.
Jimin placed a hand on Jungkook’s knee. “Don’t stop. Weirdly it’s calming.” Then he seemed to realise what he’d done and lifted his hand like it had burned.
“I suppress it more when I’m around new people,” Jungkook said quietly. “But then I forget and come to a point where I can’t anymore. I’ve lost a couple jobs because of it.”
“Oh I’m sorry about that.”
“No, no. It’s just my life and my brain, that’s all. I think I’ve found a way I can keep myself somewhat balanced and, you know, therapy since I was twenty.”
”Since twenty, so a few years?”
Jungkook looked at Jimin and burst out laughing, clapping his hand on his thigh.
”What? You said you’re younger than me.” Jimin’s eyebrows lifted up and his lips pushed out into a pout with the words.
”By a couple years. I’m twenty-nine. I know I tend to have a round face.”
“And those eyes, I swear they fill most of it.” Jimin looked at Jungkook for a couple seconds, then his eyes widened. “I shouldn’t have said that.”
“And what about you?” Jungkook asked, instead of teasing Jimin about the comment like he might have if Jimin had been any other person. Right now, what this was felt too fragile.
“What about me?”
“How old are you?”
Jimin tilted his head and gave Jungkook an impatient look. “Don’t you already know?”
“Maybe I don’t.”
“You said you’re younger than me, that means you know.”
Jungkook shrugged. “I didn’t want to be the guy who just assumes.”
“I’m turning thirty-one.”
“Ah, but I didn’t know that, I thought you were already thirty-one.” Jungkook smiled, mostly because Jimin’s lips curved up too.
“Do you have hobbies?” Jimin asked, turning his gaze towards the coffee table and shifting forward to start gathering the empty containers closer to him.
“Plenty, but if I start talking about all of them we’ll be here until morning and I kind of need this job.”
Jimin’s hand paused before he lifted a lid from his side of the table and placed it over one of the containers. “I understand.”
“I like to try a lot of things, and have tried, but the only ones that stay are art and sports, working out. I want to show you my art one day.”
There was another pause in Jimin’s movements, shorter this time, and his smile grew. “Really?”
“Yeah. I also wanted to ask if you could ask your hyung to give me the recipe for the sauce, there’s something special in it that I can’t quite figure out. Oh, I cook too, but you already knew that.”
But this time Jimin’s smile dimmed slightly. “I’ll try to remember that when I’ll see him.”
“Anything’s fine,” Jungkook assured in a quiet tone. He had to remind himself that he still didn’t know much of anything about Jimin.
“I really should let you get back to work.” Jimin stood up. “If you get into any trouble with your superiors, just let me know and I’ll deal with it.”
Jungkook took his cue to stand up as well. “There’s no need.”
“But just in case.”
They briefly held eye contact. It wasn’t as uncomfortable as it usually felt for Jungkook. Then he nodded.
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Have you seen this?”
Taehyung leaned against the side of the treadmill Jungkook was currently running on and placed his phone screen right in front of Jungkook’s face.
Accusations against CEO Park Jimin of Kwon Enterprises have reached a new peak.
“What?” Jungkook turned the treadmill off and took the phone into his hands.
He skimmed the article, not being able to focus on reading the whole thing word for word. Some of them jumped out to him, an accident, factory safety issues, unlawful dismissal. Someone had given inside information of an accident at one of Kwon Enterprise’s factories that had happened a couple months ago. The article was saying how Park Jimin had tried to hide it by dealing with the worker quietly, only to end up firing him. It didn’t make sense.
“This doesn’t make sense,” Jungkook said and handed the phone back to Taehyung.
“If you say so.”
Jungkook turned the treadmill on and continued running. He could feel the sweat dripping along his nose and between his shoulder blades.
He felt slightly more nervous going to work that night. Last time they’d met had been lovely, the food made by Jimin’s hyung had been delicious. They had a good time. But now Jungkook tried to reconcile all the horrible articles, one worse than the other, with the person he knew.
Or didn’t know.
On his way up to the seventh floor Jungkook made the decision to knock on Jimin’s office door, just to let him know Jungkook was there. But when he got there it was clear Jimin wasn’t alone, the lights were fully on and Jungkook could hear multiple voices coming from behind Jimin’s closed door.
He didn’t see Jimin that night.
The accusations didn’t stop. During the next few days the media only picked up speed and it quickly went from questioning Jimin’s decisions and him as a CEO to digging up his past. Why wasn’t he seen in public with his parents? Was he estranged from his brother? Was he as well behaved in school as everyone thought he was or were people paid to say so? Why was he a perpetual bachelor? What happened to that girl he’d been seen with in his early twenties? And even if they didn’t find any true dirt, it still somehow became a character assassination, because no one really liked chaebols.
“You need to stop reading those,” Hoseok said as he walked behind Jungkook and settled next to him on the floor.
Jungkook closed his phone screen and placed it on the coffee table in front of him. He should have been sketching, but he hadn’t seen Jimin the past few days. Or only briefly when he fetched his sandwich from the fridge and avoided Jungkook’s gaze as he went back into his office. How was it possible that Jungkook already missed him? And now he didn’t even know what was true and what was not true.
Hoseok had agreed to come to Jungkook’s to study. His presence also worked perfectly as a body double, helping Jungkook advance with his own freelance work.
“I just thought we had, I don’t know, something before this mess,” he said.
“Maybe it’ll still be there once things clear out,” Hoseok suggested.
“You’re very optimistic, hyung. We’re not exactly from the same world.”
“It’s weird though,” Hoseok said, bringing the end of his pen to his chin.
“What is?”
“He’s a chaebol, right? You’d expect him to have enough money to sweep this all under a metaphorical rug.”
It was because that wasn’t Jimin, it wasn’t something he’d do. Jungkook’s gut was telling him it wasn’t. And yet he didn’t want to be that naive as to fully believe in Jimin’s innocence. Just in case it would get Jungkook’s heart hurt.
“I don’t know.”
Jimin’s light was on when Jungkook went to work, but the office was dark when Jungkook was about to clock off. He left the cleaning cart into the storage room and made sure everything inside the cleaning cart was ready for the one who used it next. Clean rags, empty trashcan. Once he picked up his backpack he took the garbage bag out to the back of the building and sorted some of the other rubbish to their own bins.
He heard it before he saw it, the punches and the groans. Someone was getting beaten up at the end of the small street, conveniently in the shadows from the streetlamps. Jungkook felt a surge of adrenaline.
“Hey!”
The attacker didn’t seem to hear him, the poor guy he was beating was now cowering down.
“HEY!” Jungkook shouted louder and began running towards the scene.
This time the attacker stopped and turned his head. Jungkook couldn’t make out his face, just the movement. But he saw the man look down at his victim, then back up at Jungkook, as if trying to figure out the best course of action. Jungkook utilised the time it took for the attacker to make his decision and picked up speed. The man spun around and was about to take off when Jungkook barreled against him, both of them falling to the ground. The man softened Jungkook’s landing, but he still felt quite winded.
“What the fuck is wrong with you? I’m calling the police!” Jungkook said once he recovered and tried to keep the struggling man in place underneath him. The guy was trying to free up his arms and push Jungkook off, but Jungkook didn’t go to the gym for nothing.
“Stop!” A shout, followed by a few coughs.
Jungkook froze and looked over his shoulder to see Park Jimin trying to get up, supporting himself against the wall next to him, bleeding from his face.
“Wha — “
“Watch out!”
The world tilted when Jungkook was thrown on the pavement, the back of his shoulder taking a hit on the raised corner. And the attacker ran away. Jungkook tried to get up after him, but he hissed at the twinge on his scapula. Hopefully it was only going to bruise.
“Let him go,” Jimin said, his voice strained. “Are you hurt?”
Jungkook turned his gaze to see Jimin had sunken to the ground again, leaning against the wall, holding his middle.
“Am I hurt?” He rushed to Jimin and crouched in front of him. “Look at the state of you.”
“Not pretty enough?” Jimin tried to smile, but he winced instead.
Jungkook lifted his hand and carefully moved the strands of hair that had fallen over Jimin’s now bleeding forehead. Jimin let out a shuddering breath.
“I’ll call the ambulance.” Jungkook started digging for his phone. “Or the police. Both.” He nodded at his decision.
A hand landed on his wrist before he could take the phone out of his pocket.
“No, don’t.”