Work Text:
Xia Artino was a unique personality. Xia worked as an assistant producer and lyricist at BigHit entertainment. Adored by her colleagues and the artists, she was with no doubt one of the most loving and caring of a person. She had joined the company at a young age of 20, working as a part-time lyricist while pursuing a degree in literature and media. Xia had been enthusiastic and passionate in her work, starting to work full time after getting her degree and had been working for almost 6 years at the company. She had seen how the company had risen among the Korean entertainment industry and couldn’t be more proud.
The time she had started out, they had a very small office and not enough resources. But over time, BigHit had become one of the top companies. She had been there for much of it and she wholeheartedly loved her job. One would call her an introverted extrovert, not too loud nut cheerful enough. Xia was not a person of many words. One rarely saw her frown or be annoyed, much less angry. She was polite and always had a smile on her pretty face. But there was only one person who could make her furious beyond belief and that person was Kim Taehyung.
Anyone in the company knew it was not wise to put them together in a room. No one knew what the problem was between the two 26-year-olds. All they knew is things were okay initially and then suddenly something changed. The dynamic was weird, to say the least, between them. Taehyung was known to intentionally irk Xia whenever their paths crossed and if, and their colleagues hoped it wouldn’t come to that, Xia lost her patience, there was no one in the whole company who could save Taehyung from her wrath.
People speculated that their story went back to the school days or that they used to date and had a messy breakup. Others made up some more ludicrous assumptions. Though no one dared to talk of it openly for obvious reasons. Taehyung was part of BTS which were the darlings of the company and he had his own temper as well as looks. And with what they saw happening to Kim Taehyung as a result of pissing of Xia, others didn’t dare to cross her as well.
Though it was fate that they both had to fly out to Japan during the BTS tour due to their recording process for their new album. When the managers and BigHit staff heard about it, they knew some disaster was bound to happen. And it did.
‘What do you mean?’ Xia asked looking at Namjoon who stood sheepishly handing her the lyrics sheet.
‘I’m not sure of the specificities Xia. He can’t find it anywhere.’ Namjoon said cautiously, looking at the look of disbelief creeping on Xia’s face. A flush was evident on her honey-coloured skin but he knew better than to mistake it for anything else.
‘He lost it!?’ she asked in a tone higher than her normal voice.
‘No. He hasn’t lost it per se. He just can’t find it right now. I’m sure he has just kept it somewhere.’ Namjoon said awkwardly, trying his best to placate her.
‘Oppa! If that doesn’t mean he has displaced it or lost it, I’m not sure what does.’ she stated, taking a deep breath and reminding herself to stay calm.
‘We’ll find it for sure. I’m sure of it. I’ll go and personally look for it.’ Namjoon said and she smiled. She knew she could trust him and she did. They had been working for too long and though Namjoon could be clumsy and destructive, she trusted him wholeheartedly. Especially if it was something music-related.
‘Gomawoyo Oppa!’ she exclaimed as Namjoon gave her a nod and left her room.
She sighed as she saw him leave and the door closed. She should’ve known it was a mistake to let Kim Taehyung anywhere near her poems, much less her diary full of them. She had only given it to him because he had personally insisted for it. He was in the process of writing a song and Namjoon had suggested he take her help as the song was in English. And when he had sent Hoseok to take it from her, she couldn’t help but give it. And how she was regretting giving in to his promises and Hoseok’s smile.
She decided to give it a day. Maybe he would find it miraculously. Otherwise, Kim Taehyung was fucked.
Two days had passed and she didn’t hear much more than a ‘we’ll find it’ regarding her diary. Her patience had been thoroughly tested and anyone would know that two days was a long time when it came to Xia and Taehyung.
So when everyone saw Xia making her way to Taehyung’s room with purposeful strides, nobody dared to utter a word. The floor at which Taehyung’s room was, was cleared out by the members and the staff members. Nothing good ever came by being caught in the crossfires and everyone knew it well.
Xia got out of the lift and made her way to the room number she knew was of the singer. She knocked sharply on the door twice, standing firmly and trying to control the rage inside her. When she didn’t get an answer, she knocked twice again with a ‘Yah Kim Taehyung! Open the door!’
She could hear some shuffling inside and soon the door opened. She fixed her eyes on Taehyung who was wearing a pair of black shorts and a black oversized t-shirt, hair dishevelled. She looked at him with a subtle glare as she stepped in. Taehyung shut the door behind him as he followed the girl. Xia came to halt as they came near the bed and turned her face to Taehyung.
‘Where is my diary?’ she asked, trying her best to remain as calm and composed as was possible for her at the moment.
‘Uhmm… It’s just somewhere here in my room.’ He chuckled nervously. She fixed him a glared and suddenly he felt his throat drying up a little.
‘What do you mean somewhere here? Have you lost it?’ She said, voice coming out a little harsher than before.
‘No.’ he said firmly receiving another glare from her.
‘Kim Taehyung, where the fuck is my diary? Have you fucking lost it or are you kidding with me? Because Joonie oppa said they’ll find it but they haven’t and I’m sure I gave it to you. So where is it?’ She said in a dangerously low tone, clenching her jaw.
‘I have it, Artino. Don’t worry your pretty little ass!’ he exclaimed worsening the situation even more.
‘Give it back then. I need it.’ she said bluntly.
‘I am not done with it. I still need to work on the lyrics…’
‘Stop lying Taehyung. I know you sent the lyrics for review four days back. How dense are you to think that I wouldn’t get to know about that considering I am a part of this project?’ she shot back. He sighed plopping down on his bed.
‘Ok, fine. Yeah, I lost it. Happy?’ he said nonchalantly, though a part of him was still not in sync to that.
‘What do you mean you lost it?’ Xia asked in disbelief as she moved closer to where he was sitting on the edge.
‘I lost it, Artino. Have you gone deaf or what?’ he said turning his head and she scoffed.
‘Where? When?’
‘I don’t know. If I did then it wouldn’t still be lost.’
‘Wow! I can’t believe you Kim Taehyung! This is why I never trust you. You fucking ruin everything.’ she cried out and he flinched a bit. ‘Do you even know how much stuff was in there? How much of my… everything is lost because you couldn’t be responsible for once in your fucking goddamn life.’ she yelled and he stood up.
‘Why did you fucking give it to me then? Why didn’t you have it backed up if you didn’t trust me? How am I to blame for the stuff you have done. I just lost a bloody diary with random scribbling which weren’t even that useful. Why do you care for that thing so much? It was just a diary with a bunch of random stuff.’
SLAP!!!
Xia looked at Taehyung in fury, tears running down her face as the latter had a hand up to his cheek.
‘How inconsiderate can you be Kim Taehyung? How fucking inconsiderate? I can’t even believe you are yelling at me and blaming me for what, not saving it online? When you are the one who lost my diary, my work. How much more pathetic can you be?’ she shouted as he looked at her, angry himself.
‘Don’t go there.’ he said in a warning tone.
‘Why? Clearly you haven’t changed a bit in these last 5 years, not a bit. You are still the insensitive little shit who only cares for himself and his work, nothing else. Still, the same old asshole Kim Taehyung who doesn’t care if someone works their ass off, just his own stuff should be done. Others can go to hell, right Taehyung?’ she scoffed at him as he grabbed her wrist, pulling her closer.
‘It was that one time and you know it wasn’t intentional. I would never do that.’ he glared at her as she laughed at his face.
‘Oh really, why didn’t you correct your mistake then?’
‘It was too late and you know it. Nothing could be done once it’s out there. It wasn’t just my reputation that would have been on line.’ he gripped her hand harder as she tried to wrench it away.
‘Nobody knows still. I’ve kept my mouth shut for this long because of that. I am not naive. Still, it wouldn’t have hurt to at least admit it. Something.’ she yelled as he held her.
‘Xia.’ he muttered softly. She looked at him with a tear-stained face.
‘What?’
‘I am sorry!’ he muttered slowly.
‘Like fuck you are. You always do this Kim Taehyung. How is it that you are the epitome of perfection for everyone, sweet little Taehyung. But when it comes to me, you behave like an asshole? You irk me purposefully, hurt me intentionally and just fuck things up. You are such a dick.’ she yelled while crying, hitting him on the chest. He held her other hand, stopping the onslaught.
‘You know what, fuck you!’ she said trying to get her hand out of his hand but he pulled her closer.
‘You’ve done that.’ he said.
‘I regret it every second. I can’t believe I ever did that. I must have been crazy!’ she yelled and he pulled her to his chest, enveloping her in a tight hug as she kept hitting his back.
‘I don’t. I don’t regret any of it. You wouldn’t talk to me, wouldn’t look at me. You fucking broke up with me and disappeared for a month without so much as a word. You ignored my texts, calls, attempts to talk, everything. I tried to talk to you but you ignored me like I was a plague. And that one time when we got stuck together, you looked at me with such hatred and even refused to acknowledge my presence. What was I to do Xia? I couldn’t stay away and if irking you was the only way I was going to get a reaction, I would do it.’
‘I hate you Kim Taehyung! You make me so miserable!’ she said her hands falling to her side. She was tired, of everything.
‘I love you too.’ he said pulling back. He reached down the mattress and brought out something handing it to her. She gasped, wiping her face with the back of her hands hurriedly, looking over the thing. It was her diary.
‘Why did you? What the hell?’ she asked confused as to why he had lied.
‘I wanted you to let all of it out, the anger and everything. I can’t take your silence and cold-shoulder anymore. And I’ve been running out of things to piss you off.’ he muttered sheepishly.
‘You are an asshole Kim Taehyung!’ she said with a glare.
‘Always yours though. I am really sorry though. I know I was at fault and I guess it was selfish of me to do that. But I was afraid and scared and a fucking coward. I am sorry Xia.’ he said with his face down.
‘You know I can’t forgive you so easily, don’t you?’ he nodded.
‘I just want a chance at redemption. I… I still love you, never stopped. I don’t know about you but even if you don’t, I just want a chance to make you fall, or at least try. I can’t live without you, I just can’t. I know I’ve been an asshole and I have fucked up but… Please?’ he pleaded with his eyes and tears fell harder from her eyes.
She hadn’t stopped loving him. She couldn’t no matter how much she tried, and she had tried for years. She was hurt and angry but she couldn’t not love him. It just wasn’t possible for her. But she needed time and he did too.
‘We’ll talk back in Korea. I need time.’ and with that, she was out the door before he could comprehend anything else. He only hoped things would fall in line for him. Cuz damn, he loved her too much it hurt.