Chapter Text
Realistically, being late for his first day of work this season isn't something that Taehyung was planning to do, but sometimes life works in unsuspecting ways and there is little to none that can be done about it. So when he wakes up half an hour later than he should, instead of getting mad at himself and banging his head against a wall, Taehyung takes it easy and just proceeds to calmly step into the shower.
Taehyung has been working as a producer in Miss Right since the show first started three years ago, after all, and now that they're starting the fourth season soon he knows he's pretty much irreplaceable. Besides, everyone else on the crew knows him by now, and even if that doesn't give him the right to be late, he knows he won't get into too much trouble. They're pretty close, because even if the number of people working on it has grown ever since the first season was released, the people he's meeting with today are the same people he has known since the first day: Min Yoongi, the executive producer; Kim Seokjin, the creator of the show and also its owner; Park Jimin, the MC, and Jung Hoseok, another producer just like Taehyung, and therefore his biggest—and only—rival.
Taehyung isn't really worried because he knows that even if he misses something they'll tell him when he gets there, but he still gets ready as quickly as possible, brushing his teeth while he combs his hair and deciding to skip breakfast. He can grab a coffee when he gets to the meeting, anyway. And someone probably will bring donuts, bagels or some shit like that—Taehyung trusts Seokjin to not let him down, since it's a well-known fact he likes to keep his employees well-fed—so he quickly makes his way to his car, hair still damp from the shower. It's not the best decision of his life, especially if he takes into consideration the fact that it's still mid-April and the weather definitely isn't good enough to walk around with his hair dripping, but he doesn't want to push his luck and get fired: he might be friends with the bossman, yeah, but neither Seokjin nor Yoongi will hesitate to fire him if he becomes too much of a pain in the ass.
Luckily for him, his old, crappy car doesn't refuse to work today—because despite earning enough money to live comfortably in a nice house, he cannot afford a brand new car—so he might manage to get to the meeting fashionably late, instead of embarrassingly so. His meeting is supposed to start in fifteen minutes, but at least today they're not going outside of the city. Getting to the filming location on the first day is always a pain in the ass because the channel usually rents a house in the middle of nowhere during the shooting. It's far away, but it gives them the intimacy and the calmness that they need and being in the countryside usually allows them to have a pool—not that Taehyung or anyone else from the staff can use it, but at least the contestants and the bachelor are happy about it, so their happiness makes Taehyung happy as well.
While he drives to their channel building, Taehyung vaguely wonders what this year's bachelor will be like. Sure, he and Hoseok, along with Heeyeon, the one responsible for casting, get to choose who the contestants are, but the bachelor is completely up to Yoongi and Seokjin.
The show's name is actually self-explanatory if Taehyung is being honest. Miss Right is like many of the other shows where a bachelor is looking for a girl to date, and like in all those kinds of shows they present an attractive, rich young man and introduce him to equally beautiful women, with the sole intent of making him find love by the end of summer. They all live together in a luxurious house during eight weeks, along with the crew—even if the staff live in ridiculous caravans without any of the advantages the rest have, but they're working, after all—and the bigger the drama, the higher the ratings will peak.
And that is where Hoseok and Taehyung's work begins. They need to befriend the girls, need to know everything that is going on in that house so they can give them advice on how to win over the bachelor's heart—of course, in the raunchiest way possible. They can't do it alone, though, but the show has a psychologist, Namjoon, whose work consists of telling Hoseok and Taehyung whatever the girls tell him.
They're aware that it's cruel—there's not another word for it, honestly. But that's what TV is, especially reality TV, and Taehyung assumed when he started working as a producer that if you want to be successful in this world you can't really listen to morality or integrity, as bad as it sounds.
He arrives at the meeting eight minutes late, a mug of coffee that he grabbed as soon as he stepped into the building in his hand, and is pleased to find an already open box of donuts in the middle of the table, some of its contents already missing.
“Taehyungie!” greets Jimin excitedly as soon as he steps inside, launching himself forward and hugging Taehyung tightly. It's almost a miracle that Taehyung doesn't spill his coffee all over himself and Jimin, but he still fondly pats the shorter man on the back with his free hand. It's been awhile since they last saw each other, after all.
“Hey, Jimin-ah,” he replies, squeezing Jimin's middle lightly before pulling away. Out of all the crew members, the showrunner is the one Taehyung has always gotten along best with. At first, he just assumed it was because of them being the same age, but now Taehyung is sure that their connection is deeper than that. He untangles himself from Jimin right before the hug gets too long, sending a wide grin to the rest of his co-workers as he says, “Good to see you all after so long.”
“It's been just seven months,” Yoongi replies, probably recalling the dinner they all have together after the season finale airs, a sort of see you next year thing. The small smile that adorns his mouth betrays his apparently cold words, but Taehyung doesn't think too much of it: Yoongi has always had this weird way of caring, after all, trying to pretend he doesn't, “but it's good to see you too, kiddo.”
“Hi, TaeTae,” offers Hoseok, smiling blindingly as Taehyung sits on the spot next to him. “We've been waiting for you for awhile, you know,” he teases.
“I wasn't even that late,” he replies, pretending to be offended, and the elder laughs as his hand squeezes his shoulder. Just because Hoseok and he are rivals, it doesn't mean that they can't get along: sure, each one of them has to pick a favorite among all the girls and try to get the bachelor to pick her, and sure, they get really competitive over it, but they're still pretty good friends. He then turns his attention to Seokjin, sitting on the table, and says, “Hi, hyung, it's been awhile.”
Seokjin smiles, saying, “Hi, Taehyung. I see you're starting this season's preparations as late as always, huh?”
“Well, Seokjin, you know me well,” he replies, stretching his arm to pick a chocolate donut from the box. “Thanks for bringing breakfast, though.”
Laughing, Seokjin replies, “Anytime. Now, if anyone is ready, we'll introduce you to this year's bachelor, yeah?” Jimin, Hoseok and Taehyung himself make vague sounds of agreement, Seokjin nodding pleased as he presses play on the remoter he has on his hand. “I'd like you to meet Jeon Jeongguk.”
Jeon Jeongguk is, as expected, stunning. Taehyung would say he's the prettiest out of all the bachelor's they have had until now, a spot he thought no one would ever take from Sehun, but there is something about Jeongguk that makes him stand out. He's from Busan, the hint of the same accent Jimin has when they're not filming on his voice, and he's the heir to BTS, one of the biggest textile groups in South Korea. Of course, Jeongguk doesn't say it in his introductory video, but Taehyung knows that what all the bachelors are looking for when they come here is the media exposure and the money they get paid.
Jeongguk seems confident, flirty, even, but Taehyung has seen and made enough TV to distinguish in between genuineness and an act. He sees how different Jeongguk's smile is when he recites memorized lines in comparison to they one that reaches his lips as he tells the spectators that his hobbies are mainly sport and drawing, although he doesn't have much free time these days. Taehyung finds himself intrigued by him because he's sure there's so much more that he's not saying.
And the things people don't say on their videos, those are always the juiciest.
By the time the video is over, Taehyung knows that Jeon Jeongguk, twenty-five, is originally from Busan but resides on Seoul, that he has a dual degree in Business Management and International Relations, and that he thinks now is the right time to settle down—which is bullshit, because with a face and a fortune like Jeongguk's you don't really need to resort to dating shows if you want a wife. Taehyung thinks he's not the type to be comfortable in front of a camera since he bites the insides of his cheeks often and runs his fingers through his parted fringe, and the producer would even bet he's the shy, dorky type in person. Not that he'll know until the ending of June, though.
When the video ends, Jeongguk's pretty face frozen on the screen, Seokjin turns around with a shrug, asking, “What do you think?”
“He seems like the playboy type,” Jimin says, tapping his cheek with his index fingers. “The ladies are going to love this one. Have you seen that face? Hell, have you seen that body? They're all going to love him.”
“It's fake, though,” Hoseok says, rushing to explain, “the whole playboy deal. I bet he's awkward as fuck, in reality.”
Taehyung hums, adding, “Yeah, but he knows what he's doing. He could be better at acting, not gonna lie, but he has the flirty thing pretty much under control, even if I'm pretty sure it's not genuine.”
“I haven't met him personally, yet,” Yoongi says, “but he'll come to sign the contract in a few days. But I agree with you, I think the whole playboy persona isn't a real thing.”
“So, for the girls,” Hoseok starts, frowning a little, “we probably should try the easy-going, talkative type. Bold, too, since he doesn't really seem like a man of action,” he adds, wiggling his eyebrows as he elbows Taehyung in the ribs.
“Yeah, but I think some some shy, sweet girls would fit well, too,” he adds, playfully slapping Hoseok's arm away. “Imagine what a cute concept: the playboy rich kid is actually an awkward baby who melts for a pretty girl.”
Hoseok scoffs, saying “No way, Taehyung! Have you seen the kid? We can get a lot of half-naked make-outs in the pool. I'll tell you if we get him to be shirtless in every episode we'll break the audience ratings.”
“That is true,” agrees Jimin, nodding his head.
Taehyung rolls his eyes, folding his arms over his chest as he complains, “The only reason why romance is dead is because you two killed him.”
“But we don't have to choose in between shy or bold girls,” says Seokjin, the banter, and bickering in the room stopping as he speaks. He's the creator, after all, as well as everyone's boss. “I think we can go for both, and when we're recording the first episode and he has to choose the ten he wants to live with we'll see the kind of girl he's more comfortable with,” he concludes.
Humming, Yoongi says, “That's a good idea, but he might just pick them based on their appearance."
“He doesn't seem like the kind to do so, though,” Taehyung adds. “Besides, even if he's a horny shit he's going to be living with those girls for two months: he better actually pick the ones whose personalities he likes instead of the ones that make his dick hard.” Yoongi scoffs and Jimin raises an eyebrow at him.
“You should probably tell him that when we meet him,” Hoseok says then, laughing. “ Hi, I'm Kim Taehyung, think with your brain, not your dick ,” he adds in a poor imitation of Taehyung's deep voice.
“You think I won't?” Taehyung replies, voice teasing as he leans back in his chair and crosses one leg over the other, stealing one last glance at the bachelor's image on the screen. “That Jeon Jeongguk, he better get ready for what's coming for him.”
The preparations for the new season are always one of Taehyung's favorite parts of his job: maybe even better than the filming, itself, because even if there is no angst or drama, at least he doesn't have to feel guilty for anything.
Given the fact that his role and Hoseok's in the show are a key piece, they are also deeply involved in the casting process. That's why they have to meet with Heeyeon today, the casting director. The plan is the same as every year's, really: they rewatch Jeongguk's introductory video, take notes of whatever they think is important, and then each one of them watches the videos the candidates have sent to the show. There a lot of videos, too many, and that's mainly why instead of letting Heeyeon do all the work they come help her out a little bit. Besides, they like knowing the contestants before the day comes, and like having a say on who will be attending the premiere party in the mansion: even if the bachelor has the last say on who he wants to get to know deeply, at least they get to decide who they want him to meet.
“So, this Jeongguk guy,” starts Heeyeon, biting down on her bottom lip as she narrows her eyes at the screen as if trying to decipher what the bachelor was like, “he doesn't seem to be the awful, fuckboy type.”
“Ah, we know those are your favorite ones, noona,” teases Hoseok, watching Heeyeon roll her eyes.
Of course, not all his bachelors have been as nice and polite as Jeongguk seems. Some were more brute, vulgar, and Heeyeon never was particularly fond of those. She always made sure to find bold girls with strong personalities, but even then would end up falling for the contents of the bachelor's bank account—which was a good thing, in the end. They were actually trying to get them together, after all.
But Jeongguk doesn't give off that vibe, and Taehyung knows Heeyeon thinks the same thing he does. Her lips curve into a small smile, the corners of her mouth quirking up just slightly, and she has that glint in her eyes she gets whenever she's excited about her work. If there is something that is crystal clear for him after the last meeting—which ironically, also is the first meeting of the season—is that Hoseok's approach about Jeongguk will be different from Taehyung's, but he has the feeling that Heeyeon, just like him, would rather focus on Jeongguk's less obvious sweet facet than the fake playboy image he's trying to pull off.
Viewers will probably fall for both, though. If there is something that hooks the public more than a cheesy love story, that is sexiness, and if they somehow manage to show both sides of the bachelor then they might be able to have a pretty successful season this year.
“He's cute,” Heeyeon comments, Taehyung rolling his eyes exaggeratedly as he throws his head back. Heeyeon smacks his forearm, saying, “What? You probably think so, too. He's a cutie! This noona would definitely spend those eight weeks with him,” she adds, nodding her head before resting her chin on her palm.
“That's gross,” Taehyung says, wrinkling his nose. Hoseok just cackles.
“He said it himself!” Heeyeon defends herself. “On the ideal type thing. He said he likes someone older. We have to re-watch it, anyway, so we might as well do it now.”
“Do you want to participate in the show this season?” Hoseok teases, Heeyeon scoffing as she skips to the part of the video they want to see.
Leaning on her seat, she says, “Now be quiet, kids. Some of us are trying to work here.”
On the screen of the wall, the now more than familiar image of Jeongguk's face welcomes Taehyung’s gaze. His face is pulled in a weird expression, the video being paused mid-sentence. Taehyung almost knows the intricate pattern of Jeongguk's navy shirt by heart, the small, yet still-there logo of BTS on its pocket, embroidered in white.
Heeyeon presses play, and the video resumes. “—the right time to do it,” there's a pause, a voice off screen asking what's your ideal type? Jeongguk smiles, biting briefly on the corner of his lip before he starts talking again. “Uh, I've never thought too much about it, to be honest,” he laughs awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head. “Someone who is taller, and who is smart and kind to me. Also, I want a wife who is willing to take care of me, since I'm a little messy,” he adds with another smile, this one a bit more forced. “I like someone older, and, um... Ah! Someone who dresses well, clothing is a big deal in my family,” he jokes, and despite having heard it about three times now, the corner of Taehyung's mouth still lifts up in a smile. “About their appearance, I guess I like someone with tan skin and dark, straight hair,” he concludes, grinning at the camera.
“He's adorable,” Heeyeon repeats, her sigh muffling the off-screen voice as it asks aegyo or charisma?
“Definitely charisma,” says Jeongguk, running a hand through his parted fringe, and then he adds, “although I like a cutie too,” and if Taehyung hadn't seen it already he would swear that the bachelor was about to wink.
Taehyung wonders why someone would lie or use a script in their introductory video, especially if they're going to make it as obvious as Jeongguk, but he doesn't voice his doubts. He, in all honestly, can't see the sexy playboy that Hoseok seems to be so in love with, but things are better this way: he can go through the emotional lane on his own. After all, he's sure that loyal viewers will be more fond of a love story than just sex by the time the season finale ends, and he hopes that Jeongguk will be too.
Pausing the video again, Heeyeon says, “See? A baby.”
“I can't deal with your mommy kink,” grumbles Hoseok, making Taehyung laugh loudly. Heeyeon squeaks, blushing a little, but Hoseok carries on, “although I don't think you can afford to spoil your sugar baby, though. I bet he has enough money to buy all of our lives without batting an eye. Hell, he could even buy Miss Right .”
“Just— stop being an asshole and get to work, you prick,” she says, turning off the TV screen with the remote as she opens her laptop. “Okay, I've sent each one of you around thirty-five videos to your e-mail, and my assistants already discarded a lot,” she sighs, rubbing her temples. “We have a long journey ahead of us, gentlemen.”
Watching video after video is tedious, especially since he has to take notes of every girl he sees as potential suitors so he can compare later, which leads to almost endless replays. But it's entertaining, in a way, and Taehyung would say that it's even funny. Some of the candidates are quite endearing, and some others rile Taehyung up from the first second. He would like to pick a lot of girls, but he knows each one of them can only suggest ten, and in between the three of them they will decide which twenty will attend the party when they start filming.
It's hard, but after almost four hours he has the ten he wants to go with. He has gone big this time, his selections oscillating between more traditional, shy woman to eccentric ones with their hair dyed in bright colors and flashy clothes. Taehyung realizes how shallow it is, judging and labeling someone like this for their appearance and a five minute introductory video, but this is reality TV. He knows appearance really does matter, and that a girl with a flower dress and black, straight hair doesn't give the same vibe as a girl with bright, pink hair and a crop top. In order to make the show entertaining they not only need to give all the kinds of spectators what they're looking for, but they also need to juxtapose the suitors' different personalities, and not only with each other, but also with Jeongguk himself. Sure, it might be terribly endearing to watch Jeongguk fall for a cute, discreet girl, but wouldn't it be a shock if he ended up leaving with that woman who is almost ten years older than him, who is divorced and raising two kids? Not that Taehyung will get anything else other than the satisfaction if Jeongguk likes his candidates, but he's not going to give up on his pride easily.
There are some other candidates that Taehyung would have liked to choose, but he's not a sadist: some seem nice, extremely nice, and even if Taehyung's job is to emotionally wreck them, he would feel bad. He automatically discards the ones that seem more immature or emotionally unstable to him—it's not easy to tell in the short introductory videos, but it's not like he has any other way—, since although a bit of drama is the way to spice up the show and its development a bit, they can't afford to have a whole season full of breakdowns. Besides, he knows that Hoseok and he himself can be kind of ruthless, so he'd rather not feel too bad if he sends a nineteen, innocent year old to the hell that reality TV is.
“Okay, I think I'm done,” Heeyeon says after a while, and when Taehyung looks at her she sees she has put her hair up in a messy bun on the back of her head. Her hair is really short these days, though, so it looks kind of ridiculous, but it's cute. Heeyeon herself is really cute, after all. Even if she apparently has a mommy kink.
“Yeah, me too,” comments Taehyung, stretching his arms over his head as he rolls his neck. They have been working non-stop for a couple hours now, not even stopping to have lunch, so his neck muscles are a bit sore and his eyes hurt a little from staring too fixedly at the screen. As much as he likes the preparations, these first few days still are exhaustive. Especially since he, Hoseok, and Heeyeon have never been the kind to take baby steps, and they'd rather get all the work done in one day. “Hyung, are you done?”
“What?” asks Hoseok, his voice a little too loud as he yanks his headphones out of his ears. “What did you say, Taehyungie?” he repeats, Heeyeon cooing at the affectionate name.
“I asked if you're done,” he repeats, Hoseok nodding enthusiastically.
“I have been for awhile,” he says, a smug smile appearing on his lips as he tilts his head to the side, “but I didn't want to rush you.”
Rolling her eyes, Heeyeon says, “You're such a fucking try-hard. Enlighten us, then. Who do you propose?”
As usual, the three of them disagree a lot, but they have an ultimate way to solve it in the fairest way possible: each one of them will have at least three contestants eliminated, the one they choose, and after that, they'll all agree to discard one more. That way, they bring twenty girls to the party, and then it's Jeongguk's duty to choose the ones he wants to actually get to know.
He's content with his final selection, Hoseok being the one to have their contestant eliminated—Taehyung's single mom was pretty close to be discarded, but he managed to keep her on board pointing out they had never had a divorced woman on the show—and pouting to express his discontent, but neither Taehyung nor Heeyeon seem to care much, both happy that they get to keep seven of their selections.
The next few months go by in a rush. Taehyung isn't really involved in the process of looking for a filming location, renting a place, or decorating it, but he has more occupations. He works along with the writers, coming up with many of the quests the suitors will have to face while trying to conquer the bachelor. They write down many, many different ones—some classics, some completely new—, way more than necessary in case they need back-up. Once they have the dates, he also helps contact the contestants, informing them of how and when they will be picked up, how long they'll have to be away in case they make it to the end of the show, or what they should wear to the opening party.
The work those days is light, and Taehyung gets to spend time with his co-workers, whom he really likes, so he has no reason to complain.
By the time mid-June comes around the tech crew has already moved to the house, getting all the filming locations ready for filming. Taehyung thinks Yoongi has already moved since he always insists on supervising everything himself and there's not much left to do in the offices. Taehyung will move there a couple days before filming starts, around the time the bachelor does.
“You don't really sound like you want to go, though,” points out Jimin one day. They are done with work now and have gone to a café, Jimin looking at Taehyung from across the table with inquiring eyes.
He shrugs, saying, “I want to go. It's just, um... complicated?”
“Complicated?” Jimin asks, taking a sip of his drink and raising an eyebrow up at Taehyung. He just stares down at his own paper cup, his name scribbled on the side. “Is this about that guy you hooked up with last year?”
“Jimin,” he groans, the other laughing cheerfully as he covers his face with his hands. “It's not about that.”
Shrugging, Jimin says, “I was just wondering. You always seem way more excited. We're leaving for there in less than two weeks, so you better get your enthusiasm back, TaeTae.”
“I know,” he admits, resting his chin on his palm. “I don't really understand why, though? This season looks like it's going to be a good one, but...”
“I think you're not ready to let go of Sehun yet,” he says, giggling.
“You're not, either,” Taehyung bites back, Jimin nodding distractedly. “He was the nicest, the purest, the hottest. This Jeon Jeongguk better live up to the expectations. Even if it's not easy.”
The expectations aren't that high, though. Sure, last season was an exceptionally good one, but before that one happened, Taehyung had to deal with assholes that only cared about getting their dick wet, so Taehyung is pretty sure that Jeongguk will be better than those ones. Even if Sehun will always be the number one bachelor in his heart, that doesn't mean anything.
If he's being honest with himself, the reason why he's feeling wary about filming is because he feels a bit guilty. But that's nothing new, to be honest; it happens at the beginning of every season, and the ugly feeling of remorse doesn't go away until the ratings from the season premiere come, along with his first paycheck.
In a way, and although Jimin's role on the show isn't like his, Taehyung thinks that his friend understands. Taehyung and Hoseok might be the ones behind the suffering, but Jimin is the face of it: the only one spectators see year after year, the one to give terrible news with a bright smile and pretend he doesn't feel bad about it in the slightest.
Jeongguk moves to the filming location one day before Taehyung does, and that very night the producer gets a text message from Park Bogum, one of the sound technicians of the show he's close to. In all honestly, after not speaking to him for months the last thing Taehyung was expecting was to get a text message from him—friendships in his work, oddly enough, only seem to be alive during work months.
bogum · 10:32 PM
heyy tae
new guy is here
he seems like a pretty okay guy, don't go too rough on him
Taehyung smiles down at his phone, the knowledge that Bogum knows what he's capable of doing making him feel satisfied—okay, it might be a pretty cruel occupation and he might feel bad about it, but he takes pride in being exceptionally good at what he does.
tae · 10:33 PM
hihihiiii so you remember me!!
he seemed quite nice in his videos
i'm sure he won't disappoint
Truth is, if there is one person more irritated than Heeyeon by the arrogance and douchebaggery of most of the bachelors that have gone through Miss Right ever since the show was created, it was Bogum. He was the kind to mock unceasingly the first two bachelors, making Taehyung laugh so loud that Yoongi sometimes would have to scold him for not being silent onset.
bogum · 10:35 PM
seems pretty down to earth that's refreshing
let's see how he acts when he meets the ladies tho
so... you coming tomorrow right?
tae · 10:36 PM
yup
miss me already??
bogum · 10:37 PM
shut up
this is why nobody likes you
and you're still single
He tries to muffle a chuckle by biting down on his bottom lip, he still smiles widely. Bogum is a pretty decent guy, funny to be around on the long days on set when Taehyung is irritated even by himself. Taehyung has always been a touchy guy, the kind to give and lowkey crave affection to and from others constantly, so it's nice to have a friend onset whenever Jimin is too busy going over his script or getting his make-up redone and Hoseok and him are on non-speaking terms—because even if they love each other dearly, filming season also involves playful fights for them: Taehyung is ambitious, and so is Hoseok.
Even if the first days are always the hardest until he gets used to everything his job implies, Taehyung is also excited. Not only about seeing his friends and co-workers, especially since it's been months since he last saw some of them, but also because even if it comes with guilt and remorse, his job is exciting. He's glad the few months he works on Miss Right —combined with the work he does for other TV shows, although neither his salary nor the amount of work he does for those can compare—are enough for him to earn a living, because it's way more interesting and entertaining than a nine-to-five job in an office, and it definitely pays better.
The next day, surprisingly enough, Taehyung wakes up on time and has time to actually have breakfast and take a shower without the risk of slipping in the bathtub from how rushed he is. He even blow-dries his hair, despite it being now late June and the hot weather being more than capable of drying it for him, just because he can and it looks slightly better when he does.
Everything goes too well, too smoothly, and although he's scared that his car will suddenly stop functioning or that the Maps app on his phone will take him to the middle of nowhere, he's on set at the time he's supposed to be—hell, he's even earlier—the sun is shining and life is smiling widely at Kim Taehyung, who can't do anything other than smile back.
Life is good, he thinks as he tries to find someone. He could go to see Bogum, who is probably by the coffee machine—Bogum, no matter what, is always by the coffee machine—but he'd rather find Jimin or Hoseok, someone from the executive production. He knows that even if he has fun during filming months, it still is work, so he has obligations to attend before he can go waste time with his friends.
It takes him awhile to find someone, but finally he manages to catch a glimpse of his best friend and heads in the direction where he sees Jimin standing. He's talking to a man who stands with his back to Taehyung, but by the broad shoulders and the spotless, white dress shirt he's wearing, Taehyung is pretty sure that its Jeongguk.
The sudden realization that he hasn't seen or heard Hoseok yet strikes him then, and it's pretty hard to not hear Hoseok when he's around, so Taehyung mentally pats his own back. It has never happened before to him, mostly because he's always late, but he knows it's convenient to be the first one to meet the bachelor. To get on his good side and everything. There's no way to prove it works, but it's worth a try.
Smiling confidently he approaches the small group, Jimin spotting him when he's still a couple meters away.
“Oh, Tae! You're here!” he says, making both the men's attention turn to Taehyung, and now he can totally confirm that he, that fine, tall man standing right across from him is Jeon Jeongguk. “Ah, Jeongguk, this is one of our producers, his name is Taehyung,” Jimin introduces briefly, making Taehyung almost raise an eyebrow at the lack of formalities. He's bowing politely, but then the showrunner interrupts, saying, “Don't bow! Jeongguk here is just a dorky kid, no need to be all formal and all that jazz,” almost as if he could read Taehyung's mind.
“Good morning, Jeongguk-ssi,” he greets with a smile, and he can practically hear Jimin's eyes roll at the honorific as the now black-haired man’s voice screams no need to be all formal again and again in Taehyung’s brain. “Nice to meet you.”
“Nice to meet you as well, Taehyung-ssi,” he replies, smiling too. Taehyung notices that Jeongguk is slightly shorter than Taehyung himself, and his lips are unbelievably red. For a brief moment, Taehyung is almost reminded of a cherry, as cheesy as it sounds, but he doesn't let his gaze linger for too long on the other man’s features. He's way different in person, Taehyung would even say that he's prettier, but that doesn't mean he's going to stare like a creep. “I've been hearing quite a lot about you over the past few days,” Jeongguk commentates then, making Taehyung's eyebrows rise.
“Yeah?” he asks, curiosity blossoming in his stomach. Jeongguk hums in confirmation, so Taehyung is encouraged to add, “All good things, I hope.”
Jeongguk laughs, high-pitched and giggly, before he replies, “That depends on what you consider good, I guess,” he adds, and Taehyung has to raise both his eyebrows at how cryptic that sounds. “I've heard you're ruthless.”
“Ah, I guess it really does depend, but I'll take it as a compliment,” Taehyung says, trying to hide his pleased smirk. He's glad that Jimin—or whoever has talked to Jeongguk about Taehyung, although he is almost certain it was Jimin—considers him ruthless if he's honest. That's what his job is about, and if people can see it, it must mean he's doing something well.
Jeongguk opens his mouth, as if he's about to say something else, but then Jimin interrupts, “I'm glad that you two seem like you'll be getting along, TaeTae, but Yoongi said that you better go talk to him as soon as you got your ass here, so I'd go pretty quickly.” Taehyung sighs, taking one step back, and then Jimin waves behind himself as he adds, “His office is over there, after all the bunkhouses.”
“Thanks,” Taehyung replies, giving both of them a tight-lipped smile. “I'll see you guys around.”
After all these years, Taehyung is used to this: the constant rush whenever they're on set. Even if he's just a producer, for some unknown reason he always seems to be needed everywhere, which despite being flattering—Taehyung likes being needed, what can he say?—is also incredibly tiring. This seems to be the beginning, and none other than Min Yoongi, his beloved executive producer, could initiate Taehyung's torture.
Not that Taehyung thinks that Yoongi is especially harsh or demanding, but he's a pretty straight to the point guy, and also a really busy one, so he doesn't really fit the type of boss who calls his employees to give them a pep talk on the first day of work. So if Yoongi is asking to see him, he must really need something—that, or he has missed Taehyung dearly ever since they just saw each other a couple weeks ago; if that was the case, Taehyung would understand: he would miss himself too—and he definitely has missed Yoongi, although not too much. Nobody misses their boss more than strictly necessary.
Trying not to look too displeased about going back to work so early, Taehyung wanders around the filming location while looking for Yoongi's office. The truth is Jimin is shit at giving directions, especially when he doesn't even try like today, but despite the house being good enough to host all the suitors, bachelor and show staff, it's not big enough to get lost in. This one has a nice garden, grass bright and green, also perfectly trimmed, and a big pool in the front. There's a path, starting by the fence and leading to the entrance of the house, and Taehyung knows that even if boxes and trunks are all over the place right now, it'll be cleared out so the limos with the suitors can come in a week from now.
Eventually, Taehyung finds his way without asking anyone for help, and when he finds Yoongi's office he knocks on the door before opening it, not waiting for an invitation to come in: it was Yoongi who had told him to go, after all. He thankfully doesn't find anything out of the ordinary, though, just Namjoon chatting with Yoongi, sitting across of him.
“Hyung!” he exclaims, closing the door behind him before making his way to Namjoon in two long strides, grabbing his wrist and pulling him up. “Come give your favorite dongsaeng a hug.”
“I'm pretty sure that's Jimin,” Yoongi teases, crossing his arms over his chest as he watches the pair hug.
“Shut up,” Taehyung urges, ignoring Yoongi's mocking. He hasn't seen Namjoon for almost a year now, so he'd like Yoongi to let him enjoy their reunion, thank you very much. “That's your favorite dongsaeng, stop projecting yourself onto Joonie-hyung.”
Snorting as he untangles himself from Taehyung, Namjoon says, “This is getting weird, so I'll take it as my cue to go. I'll see you both later, yeah?”
Once Namjoon is gone, Taehyung takes the chair he was sitting on—not that he has much of a choice, anyway: sure, Yoongi's office in their channel building has plenty of chairs to sit on, but they can't afford to waste all their budget on furniture. He raises his eyebrows expectantly, waiting for Yoongi to start talking, but instead the elder just stares at him, fixedly.
“If you made me come all the way here just to stare at my pretty face, I could have sent you a selca, you know,” he jokes, trying to mask how uneasy he feels under the weight of Yoongi's gaze. Truth is, Taehyung has never cared much about who stares at him or anything, but there is something about the weight of Yoongi's eyes over him that feels different from everyone else's.
“Taehyung-ah,” Yoongi asks, Taehyung blinking surprised at the affectionate name. “You know Miss Right is on the line this season, don't you?”
And, truth to be told, dropping a bomb like that in the way the executive producer just has, is probably the most Min Yoongi thing ever. No beating around the bush, straight to the point, and shocking.
“What?” is all Taehyung finds himself capable of saying, frowning at his boss.
Sighing, Yoongi settles back in his seat as he says, “They might replace it for a survival show next year if we don't get good ratings. And, let me tell you, we've always gotten good ratings, so right now we need to get, amazing, mind-blowing ratings. The most watched show in Bang TV, fuck all those idol music shows.”
“There's only one of those, hyung,” Taehyung points out, processing all the information he has just been told. Yoongi shrugs and Taehyung asks, “So they might cancel the show?” A sharp nod. “Replacing it with a survival thing? Like, the ones to form idol groups?”
“Yeah, exactly, one of those. That's why I need both you and Hoseok to make sure that this season blows up. I can't afford to lose this show, Taehyung. And I don't think you can, either.”
“We'll be alright,” assures Taehyung, more to convince himself than Yoongi. They have always done well in ratings, but survival shows are pretty popular these days, and many people even outside of South Korea show interest in them. They truly do need to make this season epic if they want to keep their job, and although it sounds hard, Taehyung has never been one to say no to a challenge. “We have a hot bachelor, hot suitors, and a pool. And you have me and Hoseok,” he adds, watching the corners of Yoongi's mouth quirk up in a smile. “I promise you we'll make this one good, hyung.”
“You better, kid,” Yoongi says, sounding somehow defeated. Taehyung hates to admit it, because even if Yoongi has never been the kind to show his excitement as explicitly as Hoseok, Jimin or even Taehyung himself, he's confident. Yoongi knows what he's good at, and doesn't try to put that façade of modesty that successful people get sometimes to try to appear humble. “You better.”