Chapter Text
Twenty-nine years old. A wonderful time in life, a fantastic age when you're still young but no longer a youth, full of energy and looking irresistibly attractive. Although, attractive is an understatement. You are the epitome of perfection itself!
Seokjin is thrilled, admiring his reflection in the mirror, intently trying to find the slightest flaw. But there is none. A slender, handsome man with broad shoulders of an athlete, a slim waist, and exquisite body proportions, only accentuated by his chic Givenchy suit, is looking back at him. With a smug grin, he adjusts the cuffs of his perfectly starched shirt, satisfied with this image, meticulously thought out to the smallest detail by his personal stylist. In about ten minutes, he is due to receive a briefing about the day ahead from his secretary.
Jeon Jungkook is Seokjin’s personal assistant and right-hand man. He has been working tirelessly from dawn to dusk for over five years, without taking any rest, toiling to please his boss. He puts tremendous effort into ensuring the company affairs run smoothly and flawlessly. Every morning, Jungkook wakes up strictly at five o'clock in the morning, as by the terms of his contract, he is supposed to go to Seokjin's house and brief him on all upcoming activities, events, and deadlines. Together with the boss, they head to the office, where numerous meetings take place before lunch. Jungkook prepares the schedules, document drafts, and all the essential materials for the meetings, regularly instructing his boss on details, deftly improvising to find suitable solutions under any circumstances. His workload is incredibly demanding, requiring good intuition and quick wit as mistakes are intolerable. Kim Seokjin has never forgiven anyone or given a second chance. However, Jungkook excels at handling all aspects of his job , driven by his desire to be the best and indispensable employee for his boss.
Kim Seokjin is the heir to a large multinational company that produces electronic devices. He holds the position of vice president and is, in fact, the chief executive of the firm, as his father wholeheartedly entrusts all final decisions to him.
Seokjin is still recovering from the tumultuous party that was organized last night to celebrate the signing of an important contract with new strategic partners. As one of South Korea’s most eligible bachelors, the young man is accustomed to increased attention to his persona. He is constantly surrounded by beautiful women, vying for his favor and trying to impress him. Taking full advantage of his prestigious position in society and the influence of his family, Seokjin, however, never allows anyone to get too close to him. As a child, he learned the bitter lesson that any person, even the one who appears to be the best friend, at any moment, can turn out to be a traitor and stab you in the back. So he trusts no one in the whole world, sometimes not even himself. Of course, he has a social circle, people with whom he enjoys spending time. One of them, for example, is his childhood friend Min Yoongi. Secretary Jeon, too, has repeatedly proved his loyalty and readiness to support his boss no matter what. However, Seokjin never lets his guard down and remains cautious with everyone.
Everything would have been perfect if the secretary didn’t present his boss with a most unpleasant surprise the day after the aforementioned party. After the routine procedure of reviewing the day's tasks and handing over all the paperwork to Seokjin, Jungkook doesn't head to his workplace. Instead, he takes a deep breath, frantically clutching the folders with documents to his chest, and resolutely addresses his boss:
“Mr. Kim, I need to talk to you.”
Without raising his head, Seokjin nods to Jeon, gesturing towards the chair, inviting him to sit down. He is used to the subordinate’s efficiency and his businesslike demeanor. Jungkook would never bother him unless it was serious. Lately, they have hardly spoken to each other; the secretary only addresses him strictly on business matters. Expecting Jungkook to give some important information, Jin prepares to listen attentively.
“It’s personal.”
“Okay,” Seokjin nods, without taking his eyes off the report he’s just been handed.
Taking in more air, Jungkook says, “I would like to officially announce that I will be leaving my position in two months. Therefore, I would like to request for your consent and approval to start a search for my replacement.”
Seokjin’s eyes widen in surprise, he looks up and blinks several times, bringing his perfectly shaped eyebrows together at the bridge of his nose. His face expresses extreme confusion.
“Excuse me, what?” he simply interjects, fixing his sharp gaze on Jungkook’s tense face.
Despite being five years apart, Jungkook has been emotionally more mature than most of his peers and, on some occasions, even his boss. Whereas Seokjin sometimes has a tendency for impulsive actions, Jungkook always finds a way to get ahead of him and offer a more tactful way out of a situation at hand. Thus, the success of the "Kim Enterprise" largely depends on the actions of the vice president's personal assistant.
“In a little less than two months, I plan to change my career. This implies my resignation,” Jungkook explains, eyes still on Seokjin, looking with determination.
Seokjin sinks into a gloomy silence that lasts for several minutes. He simply doesn't know how to respond to that. After the initial shock and confusion subside, he asks, “Hope you are kidding, Jungkook? We have so little time. I need the report finished by noon”.
Jungkook clears his throat in embarrassment, staring at his shoes. But he raises his head with the same determination once again to meet his boss’s dumbfounded gaze. He is not going to back down. “I am talking to you very seriously, Mr. Kim. I indeed want to quit.”
Had somebody told Seokjin some ridiculous tall tale, he would have believed it more readily than the fact that the one he’d always relied on and needed so much had suddenly decided to do this to him - to abandon him to the mercy of fate. The realization of it takes his breath away, forming an unpleasant metallic taste in his mouth. He rises from his seat and takes a couple of nervous steps towards the window, trying to get rid of this vile, inexplicable sensation. Lingering at the window, which offers a stunning view of early morning Seoul, Seokjin runs his fingers through his shiny hair. Then, letting out a shaky breath, he quickly walks back to his desk, and turns to Jungkook, looking intently at him:
“Jeon, I have been meaning to talk about this on a different occasion, but I guess the right time has come. We can discuss the details of your further career advancement right now, if you'd like. Starting tomorrow, I will provide you with a private office, and you can also have your own secretary. At this stage, with your work output results, you certainly are entitled to it. Just provide your motivation plan and a list of your requirements and we will start your transition to the new position immediately."
Jungkook looks insulted. Holding his breath, he involuntarily clenches his fists. His heart pounds furiously and his lips involuntarily stretch into a thin line. Seokjin's assumption that he is trying to bargain for a promotion in this way is offensive. He doesn't want to back down and give in to his boss's persuasion to change the decision that was made with so much effort. Undoubtedly, it's hard to quit this job, give up his career, abandon colleagues who value and appreciate him so much. But he no longer wants and isn’t able to be a personal assistant of Seokjin. Jungkook will do his best to find a worthy and reliable replacement. He needs to ensure that a qualified and competent worker will come in to take his place, someone who would be able to handle all the tasks as well as he did and, most importantly, take good care of Mr Kim. Straightening his shoulders, he utters:
“Mr. Kim, I greatly appreciate your offer, but I must decline. My decision is definite and will not change. I really want to leave the company”.
Seokjin still cannot believe what he's hearing. Somehow managing to get over the shock and pull himself together, however, still gaping at his subordinate in the same bewilderment, he asks:
“And dare I ask, for what reason do you want to quit?”
“The reason is my personal matter”, Jungkook concludes. His face expresses nothing at all, which is quite unusual for him. The young man normally is quite straightforward and most of the time, Seokjin can read him like an open book.
This time, Seokjin's expression darkens, taking on a business look that strikes an eerie fear in his subordinates. Looking coldly at Jungkook, he cuts him off curtly, making it clear that their conversation is over:
“Do as you please.”
When the door closes behind Jungkook, he sighs heavily, dropping his head onto his hands. For some reason, it feels that the world is starting to fall apart.
***
Jimin is tremendously excited about his first day of work at "Kim Enterprise". He still can't fully believe his incredible luck - his biggest dreams are coming true: he has been offered an internship at one of Seoul’s most prestigious and respected companies, albeit for a probationary period. Finally, he will be able to get a decent full-time position as a programmer's assistant in the advertising department.
Eager to make a good first impression, he leaves early. However, he gets unlucky being caught in a terrible traffic jam on the way. Nervously cursing everything under the sun, the young man promises himself once again that he will never use public transportation anymore and will ride his motorcycle instead, which seems to be the most practical form of transportation, given the heavy traffic congestion on Seoul roads. Finally, running up to the office building, he flies through the revolving doors and accidentally almost knocks down a guy walking towards him.
Jung Hoseok leaves "Kim Enterprise" heading out to run some errands for Seokjin. The lobby of the building is bustling with the usual morning commotion: some of the employees are picking up their breakfast delivery, some are reading news on the go, and some are lingering at the reception desk, politely exchanging a few words with the receptionists. A millisecond before the collision, Hoseok registers a red-haired guy of the most extraordinary appearance he has ever come across, rushing straight at him. Startled, he stops and freezes there with a comical expression on his face.
“I’m sorry,” Jimin peeps with a fleeting smile and dashes toward the turnstiles. He taps his keycard and runs towards the elevators, still open on the ground floor, not looking back at the stunned Hoseok, who is glued to the floor, watching in confusion as the graceful figure of Jimin disappears behind the sliding elevator doors.
Perhaps this guy is running really late. Wistfully looking after him, Hoseok thinks that perhaps he would indeed have liked it if the red-head bumped right into him.
***
“For five years, imagine it, for five freaking years he’s worked for me, never asked for anything, never complained, and suddenly, “Boss, I want to quit”, Seokjin laments, his voice strained with frustration. He is lounging in a large comfortable armchair with a glass of whiskey, swirling the amber liquid in the glass. His brows are furrowed, lips pressed into a thin line.
Min Yoongi is at the opposite end of his office, occasionally nodding while patiently listening to his friend’s complaints. The two have been close since high school. Seokjin was honored when Yoongi accepted his offer to work at his father’s company. Yoongi now reports directly only to Seokjin, handling the company’s public relations, fully controlling the advertising department, as well as the IT department. Their relationship grew even closer when Seokjin introduced his friend to his classmate, Kang Ji Won, who soon became Yoongi’s lover and, three months later, his wife. However, the marriage was short-lived and ended in a bitter divorce.
As a fairly close friend of Seokjin’s, Yoongi had long ago noticed a strange dynamic between Seokjin and his secretary. Outside of work, they hardly ever interacted, and in recent weeks, they had constantly avoided contact, often feeling awkward in each other’s presence. Sometimes, when the three of them were in the same office, the tension between the boss and his secretary was so heavy that it could almost be sensed on a physical level.
“And you certainly never noticed any discontent on his part? Perhaps he wanted to change something about his job? Decisions like that are not made out of the blue, much less by someone like Jungkook. He has every step thoroughly planned out and knows exactly what he is going to do every day for the next ten years,” Yoongi ponders, fiddling with his pen.
Seokjin appreciates his friend’s insight and his rare ability to foresee future events as much as his good judgment of characters. He is brilliant at reading people, as if seeing right through them. Min Yoongi has repeatedly helped Seokjin to deal with his feelings by guiding his thoughts into the right direction, so that Seokjin can better understand the origin of his many different emotions.
“No, absolutely nothing! Everything was fine until today, and he seemed satisfied. Besides, I am the best boss he could ever ask for! He just doesn’t realize how lucky he is to work with someone like me!” Seokjin exclaims. “Who else would give him so much freedom of action?! I've always valued him, listened to his opinion, and put his interests above my own and even the company's! I gave him the opportunity to continue his university studies while working. And now this is how he is thanking me!”
Yoongi can barely suppress a chuckle. Like any of Kim’s co-workers and staff, he had long since got used to his friend’s narcissism and shameless bragging. Anyone who knew Seokjin even a little understood that he was not as arrogant as he attempted to appear and all his fake bravado is in fact nothing but an attempt to hide his self-doubt and insecurity he had been struggling with for a very long time. Since the defining moment in his past that made him who he is today. In his teenage years, Seokjin experienced a severe psychological trauma that changed him for good, making him doubt everyone, and look for a catch in everything.
As a boy, Seokjin grew up in a very affluent family. His parents placed excessive demands on him, pressuring the boy to do as much as he could. But instead of praising his achievements, they would constantly compare him to other children, especially his older brother.
At the age of thirteen, for the first time in his life, Seokjin fell head over heels in love with a classmate. In the beginning the feelings seemed to be mutual, or at least Jung Myeong kept assuring that they were. The two boys ended up together at an outdoor camp during the summer break. Being in a state of euphoria little did the young Seokjin know what he was going to go through. For the first and, he swore to himself, the last time, Seokjin experienced the bitterness of real betrayal and a cruel heartbreak.
At school he had enemies. The worst of them was Taejoo, the boy leading a local gang of bullies, who hated Seokjin and poisoned his existence at school and in camp. But Seokjin dealt gracefully with all the insults, always finding a witty response to make Taejoo look stupid in the eyes of anybody who witnessed his attacks.
Ending up in the same summer camp as Seokjin, the gang set up a trap in the locker room, and it was Seokjin's boyfriend, Jung Myeong, who led him to that ill-fated place, throwing him to the mercy of Taejoo and his boys. Beaten and humiliated, Seokjin lay shaking and bleeding in the corner of the room until one of the camp staff found him there in the morning. For a long time after the incident Seokjin was in denial. His consciousness blocked any reasoning and refused to accept the cruel reality. That Jung Myeong was in cahoots with Taejoo and it was him who had betrayed Seokjin. When the realization finally dawned on him, Seokjin began to blame himself, believing he was pathetic and unworthy of love and devotion and deserved all of what had happened to him. Because of how his pure feelings were trampled and thrown out of the window, the boy had no idea how to live with that. And at times, he found it hard to want to live. After he locked himself in the room and stopped eating, Seokjin’s parents eventually forced him to a counselor's office. After long and exhausting sessions of psychotherapy, Seokjin managed to come out of his depression. However, he learned an important life lesson from firsthand experience: no one in this life can be fully trusted. Love makes you weak and breaks you apart. The stronger your feelings, the more likely you are to be taken advantage of and betrayed. The only way to maintain peace of mind and avoid such painful and humiliating situations is not to feel anything at all and not let anybody into your heart. And Seokjin has been excellent at living up to this principle for many years.
Regarding Min Yoongi, Seokjin had little reason to doubt his loyalty, which had been tested many times over the years. That’s why when he had a bad day, he would come to his friend to vent it.
Watching his friend from an outsider's perspective, Yoongi finds his friend’s reaction to the unexpected resignation of Jungkook somewhat curious. Understandably, Jungkook is irreplaceable, but Min's keen attention does not escape the fact that Seokjin takes this voluntary dismissal as a personal insult. As if it is an unforgivable betrayal on Jungkook’s part.
“But why does it bother you so much? You've fired hundreds of employees without a slightest regret, forgetting them on the next day. Why is it that Jungkook's leaving that upsets you so much?”
“Seriously? How can you ask that?” Seokjin exclaims in frustration. “Jungkook is my personal assistant. He worked for me for all these years! Where am I supposed to find an employee who will be at least half as efficient as him, and how am I to train them? Without Jungkook, the company won't function. I don’t see how we will manage without him." And after a pause, he adds with hesitation, "I can’t see how I will be able to manage without him."
“Sometimes,” Yoongi mumbles deep in thought, “we don’t know what’s best for us. It seems that you can't do without a certain person, but everything turns out to be for the best, much better than you think.”
With these words his eyes overflow with melancholy. Two years ago, his relationship with beloved wife Ji Won failed. They got divorced after she cheated on him and Min will hardly forget this betrayal. He was sure that the marriage was strong and they were happy, until one evening he returned from a business trip early to find his wife in their own home with a lover. It took her half an hour to pack her suitcases and leave Yoongi to move in with the new boyfriend. After this disaster, Yoongi gave up on love or any romantic relationships for a long time. This failure particularly saddened Seokjin, since it was he who had introduced the former spouses.
“Yoongi, I told you! In this life we can only rely on ourselves," he would try to console his friend. "Even the closest to us can hurt the most. You can't trust anyone at all, and it's safest to avoid feelings.”
In those days, Yoongi looked back at Seokjin with a burning gaze, entirely lacking any gratitude, and only with growing annoyance, not appreciating one bit of what he was saying.
But tonight, Kim Seokin is in his own little world, lost in thought about the handsome boy with a mature body but a childishly adorable naive face, who has been his pillar of stability at work and in life for the past five years. The one he now so desperately longs to understand.
“Still, I wonder what’s wrong with secretary Jeon?” he says to himself, playing with the ice cubes at the bottom of his glass.