Chapter Text
“Oh, hey! Jungkookie!”
Do not engage , Jungkook thought to himself resolutely. He picked up his pace, crossing the hallway in brisk steps. But the person who called out to him had other ideas, and he was forced to a stop with a petite body standing staunchly in his way just before making it to the sanctuary of the copy room.
“Hello, Jimin-sunbaenim,” he muttered, eyes glued to the ground.
Park Jimin grinned, sweet and Cheshire-Cat-like. Cute in the worst way. “Where are you going?”
Away from you. “Just making some copies of the files that daerinim wanted.”
“Oh no, they are not still giving you all the busywork, are they?” Jimin cooed, “poor Kookie.”
Jungkook was too familiar with that tone. He made a move to dodge, but it was too late; one of Jimin’s hands was already on his face, nimble fingers pinching his cheek.
It didn’t hurt physically, but every time this happened, it felt like someone had taken a chisel, and was slowly, excruciatingly chipping away at Jungkook’s last remaining pride. Frustration and embarrassment soared up in him as he felt his face, where Jimin’s fingers were touching him, grew hot.
“Stop it, sunbaenim, this is really unprofessional,” he got out in a fluster, mustering up as much strength as he could and swatting Jimin’s hand away at last, still unable to make eye contact—he knew, pathetically, that it would only make his blush worse.
Jimin giggled, like Jungkook had said something funny, and just threw himself onto Jungkook with the force of his apparent delight, hanging off Jungkook’s shoulder, his palm pressed against Jungkook’s neck. Great. Now Jungkook’s entire body was hot.
“You’re so cute,” Jimin said, “it would be so fun to take you out on a date.”
People were passing them by in the hallway, and Jungkook could feel their eyes on his back like a brand. “I really need to go,” he gritted out, extracting himself from the inviting tangle of Jimin’s limbs, and pushed past him into the copy room. If Jimin decided to follow him—well, curse Jungkook’s fate, but at least they wouldn’t have an audience there. Hopefully that would make humiliating Jungkook lose most of its appeal.
“See you later!” Jimin called out after him from—fortunately—out in the hallway, before his crisp footsteps pattered away, finally leaving Jungkook in his peaceful solitude—for the ten minutes it would take to make the copies and deliver them, before he had to go back to the open office he shared with Park Jimin and face the devil incarnate himself again.
Ugh, the stupid open office. It had been one of the major selling points that got him applying for a job here in the first place. No more stifling cubicles! It was the age of open office and collaborative work and calling your colleagues by their first names with no honorifics because that was what all the cool people at Google did!
Now that Jungkook got the job, the pay was abysmal (he was a new grad and an intern), he still used honorifics (he was too young and too terrified), and all the open office ever did was so he could be tortured by Park Jimin’s mocking advances his every waking minute.
The worst part was he could never fight it. Could never act like Jimin’s words and behavior didn’t affect him, because Park Jimin was someone who knew he was hot and used the knowledge to his utmost advantage, and Jungkook was but one weak, weak man.
Jungkook shook his head. He needed to focus. Park Jimin might be able to embarrass him in front of all their coworkers, but he would not stop Jungkook from being the most dedicated intern Marketing had ever seen and securing that promotion. Then he’d be getting a full-time salary and could finally pay rent on his own, and he’d be on the same rank as Park Jimin, who can go fuck himself.
(He probably shouldn’t have put “Park Jimin” and “fuck” in the same sentence. Now there were images . He shook his head harder, gave himself a light slap on the face. Focus! )
He let the copier run, and mentally went through the rest of his to-do list. He groaned with his entire body when he realized what was on top of that list.
Email Kim Taehyung from R&D.
From: Jeon Jungkook <[email protected]>
To: Kim Taehyung <[email protected]>
Date: 22/09/23 10:26 AM
Subject: New Product Details for the LY Campaign
Hi Taehyung-ssi,
This is Jeon Jungkook from Marketing. We will be working on the Love Yourself campaign starting from next week, and we’ll need detailed documentation of next quarter’s new products to incorporate them. It would be greatly appreciated if you could send me the files at your earliest convenience.
Thank you,
Jungkook
From: Kim Taehyung <[email protected]>
To: Jeon Jungkook <[email protected]>
Date: 22/09/23 10:28 AM
Subject: Re: New Product Details for the LY Campaign
Hi Jungkook! Very nice profile pic you have there. You look like you could take someone out in a boxing match. Do you box? I’ve been looking for a sparring partner forever. I know this great gym and we can make a day of it. Let me know!
From: Jeon Jungkook <[email protected]>
To: Kim Taehyung <[email protected]>
Date: 22/09/23 10:35 AM
Subject: Re: Re: New Product Details for the LY Campaign
Taehyung-ssi. Can you please, please send me the files? I really need them by today.
From: Kim Taehyung <[email protected]>
To: Jeon Jungkook <[email protected]>
Date: 22/09/23 10:36 AM
Subject: Re: Re: Re: New Product Details for the LY Campaign
Happy to be of service! Not sure what files you’re talking about though?
From: Jeon Jungkook <[email protected]>
To: Kim Taehyung <[email protected]>
Date: 22/09/23 10:37 AM
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: New Product Details for the LY Campaign
You’ve GOT to know, Taehyung-ssi. It’s literally your job to know.
From: Kim Taehyung <[email protected]>
To: Jeon Jungkook <[email protected]>
Date: 22/09/23 10:37 AM
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: New Product Details for the LY Campaign
Come down here and show me? ;)
“I hate my job,” Jungkook mumbled into his mostly empty bowl of rice, toneless, with how dead inside he felt. “I hate my life.”
No response. Jungkook pouted, raising his head, and saw Namjoon’s eyes were glued to his phone, a slight frown on his face, his tangsuyuk completely untouched in front of him.
“I hate my life,” Jungkook said again, louder, with more emphasis this time. Namjoon’s head snapped up as he finally put his phone down.
“What’s wrong?” He asked, concern washing over his face, adding to the crease between his brows. It made Jungkook feel a little bad, but not so much that it overshadowed the satisfaction of having Namjoon’s entire unwavering attention on him.
“I just feel like—” he sighed, dropping his fork with a clang, “hyung, were you like… hazed, when you first started here?”
Namjoon’s frown was rapidly approaching a scowl at this point. “Someone’s hazing you?”
“... No,” Jungkook groaned, letting his head fall back against the seat with a thud. Sure, he wanted to vent, but he wasn’t going to admit to having trouble handling someone aggressively flirting with him, especially not to Namjoon. He wanted to appear at least somewhat cool. “I just—I don’t click with some of the people I work with.”
Namjoon still looked worried—and now Jungkook remembered why he rarely came to Namjoon to complain in the first place, because Namjoon always got so worried—but then Namjoon’s phone buzzed, and he almost knocked over his soda in his haste to reach for it, a flick of hope flitting over his face—before realization, and then the same old glumness, dawned as he stared at the screen, the corners of his mouth downturned, Jungkook’s issue entirely forgotten.
Jungkook realized it would be a lost cause to try to get his attention again. He shook his head before pulling out his own phone.
Jin-hyung 👴
did u leave namjoon hyung on read again?
Excuse you
No "how are you doing?” No “I miss you so much?”, “I’m barely hanging on without you”?
I thought I raised you better than this
… so u did?
What does it matter to you?!
bc namjoon hyung is not eating his lunch n checking his phone every 2 sec while looking like a kicked puppy in front of me. its heartbreaking to watch
ur such a cruel person hyung
I didn’t mean to okay??? I just
?
…
He said he missed me and I didn’t know how to reply
WTF HYUNG
HE SAID HE MISSED U AND U LEFT HIM ON READ
I panicked!!!
Now shut up and help me come up with something to say
uhhh idk maybe smth like i miss u too? ive been in love w u forever lets ditch work n elope as soon as i get back?
You’re not helping.
why not its literally what u want
…
No. No, it’s not.
Listen I have a meeting but make sure Namjoon eats okay? He'll get angsty around 3 if he skips lunch
why dont u tell him urself
🖕
How are you doing though? Work’s okay?
nothing i cant handle
go to ur meeting hyung
ttyl?
Yeah call me tonight you little rascal
“Sorry, Jungkookie—You were saying something about having trouble with your colleagues?” Namjoon said, just as Jungkook closed out of the chat.
“No,” Jungkook said immediately, because knowing his very own hyung was causing Namjoon grief made him feel three times as bad about bothering Namjoon with his stupid problems than before. “It’s nothing. Probably just miscommunication. I’m just gonna… like, go talk to them and sort it all out later."
“Are you sure?” Namjoon didn’t look too convinced. “You know you can talk to me, right? I promised—” he paused for the shortest beat “—I promised Jin-hyung I would look after you while he’s away.”
Jungkook suppressed another sigh. Jin-hyung can’t even look after his own love life. “Seriously, hyung, I’m fine. I promise I’ll talk to you if I need help, okay?”
Namjoon looked like he wanted to say more, but Jungkook was already stuffing the last bite of rice into his mouth and standing up, taking the empty bowl with him.
“Jungkook—”
“Your tangsuyuk is getting cold, hyung!” Jungkook called out behind him as he headed toward the exit, depositing the bowl on the rack for used dishes on his way, “don’t waste food or I’ll rat you out to Jin-hyung!”
He jogged out of the cafeteria, snickering to himself a little as he imagined the expression that must be on Namjoon’s face. The glee was short-lived, though, as he made his way back to the office and was greeted again with the prospect of facing his own woes.
Well. He might as well actually try sticking to his own words for once.
It took a whole fifteen minutes for Jungkook to locate Kim Taehyung.
In his defense, he rarely came down to R&D, and also, Kim Taehyung’s profile picture did not do him justice, which was because it was a blurry, black-and-white image of him sporting a mustache, a huge pair of sunglasses, and an obnoxiously bad perm. Jungkook doubted anyone would actually show up to work like that, but then, he also knew to expect nothing less from the guy based on the emails.
As it turned out, it was Kim Taehyung who approached him after he was walking up and down the aisle for the fifth time and getting looks that made him feel increasingly like a lost six-year-old in a supermarket.
And look—Jungkook was not one to judge other people based on their looks. But he definitely had a jaw-drop moment when he, stunned speechless, looked at the honest-to-god Greek god of a guy standing in front of him, and saw, on the employee badge he was wearing, “Kim Taehyung” printed out squarely underneath the familiar monochrome likeness of the bad perm guy.
“Uh,” was the only thing he could get out.
“You came!” The insanely attractive guy, who was apparently Kim Taehyung, said, with what appeared to be genuine enthusiasm—perhaps too much of it. There were actual sparks in his eyes, and Jungkook was equal parts mesmerized, wary, and confused. “You look even better in person, Jungkook-ssi.”
“I... Thank you?”
Kim Taehyung grinned at him. It was bright, toothy, a little squarish, and made him look like the most handsome, most lovely dental ad model one would ever see. “You’d make a worthy opponent.”
“A worthy… What?” Jungkook was following exactly zero part of this conversation.
“Let’s test it out!” Taehyung held out a hand. All things aside, It was a beautiful hand—long, graceful fingers and bony knuckles. Jungkook didn’t get the chance to appreciate it for too long, though, as the owner of the hand in question started waving it impatiently in front of him.
“Uh…” Jungkook said, in a daze, “what are we doing?”
“Arm wrestling, duh!” Taehyung wiggled his fingers, inviting. “You look strong, but are you, really? Only one way to find out.”
At this point, Jungkook was stuck in a constant state of blinking and feeling utterly dumbfounded. Taehyung took his lack of reaction as reluctance.
“Chickening out?” He leveled Jungkook with an unimpressed look, before flashing his white teeth again. “Understandable. I maintain a company-wide winning streak after all. And you’re… I mean, you’re built and all, but you still kind of look like a baby.”
“I’m not a baby,” Jungkook retorted, automatically—he’d had the same conversation way too many times with Seokjin.
Taehyung just grinned wider. “That’s what all babies say,” he said, flexing his arm, “c’mon, baby.”
Jungkook might not understand what was going on, but he had never backed down from a challenge, and certainly never one against someone who called him a baby. He huffed, taking a step forward and clasping Taehyung’s hand.
Taehyung was stronger than he looked, Jungkook would give him that. He was the type to go in with full force and settle the game right off, but Taehyung was the first one who was able to hold his own against him. He grinned at Jungkook, a close-mouthed one with just the corner of his lips quirked up, like he knew how much he was throwing Jungkook off. It just made Jungkook want to slam his arm down as hard as he could.
They eventually arrived at a stalemate, with neither of them willing to back down. They had inched closer as the game progressed, and were staring into each other’s eyes now with their foreheads practically pressed together. Taehyung’s messy bangs tickled Jungkook’s eyes, and he blinked furiously to get them out of his face without jostling his position.
“You have really big eyes, you know that?” Taehyung said, suddenly, “big and shiny. Like a baby deer.”
He inched forward even more, like he wanted to take a good look. The tip of his nose touched Jungkook’s, and now Jungkook had a good look of his eyes, too—upturned and sharp, with finely fluttering eyelashes. He only met Taehyung’s gaze out of reflex, but he couldn’t look away once he did. Taehyung was staring at him with an unexpected intensity, his eyes gleaming with something that Jungkook couldn’t quite decipher—something that looked strangely like part curiosity, part fondness.
Maybe it was a weird thought to have, but Jungkook hadn’t ever been looked at like this. Hadn’t thought he deserved to ever be looked at like this.
Taehyung smiled when he noticed Jungkook was staring back at him, eyes crinkling just the slightest. It was just a small movement, but it changed his entire face, casting in it a warm, soft glow. “Hi, Jungkook-ssi,” he whispered.
Jungkook’s heart did the tiniest skip.
Out of nowhere, there was the sensation of the side of his arm hitting the table with a thud.
“I win!” Taehyung cried, letting go of Jungkook’s hand and shooting out of his seat to spread his arms out in the air in victory, before turning back around and flashing Jungkook a V sign. He grinned, the toothy, boxy one again. It was radiant, and made his face look beautiful and also so, so punchable.
Jungkook would not punch him. He had sworn not to use his strength for violence when he started taekwondo in fifth grade, then again when he started fencing, and then again when he started kickboxing—okay, so he had trouble sticking to one hobby, sue him. The point was, he would not punch a coworker, no matter how mad or exasperated or betrayed said coworker made him feel.
(It made no sense that he would feel betrayed whatsoever, but Jungkook wasn’t about to conduct a deep dive on his emotional responses right now.)
He closed his eyes, clutched his hands into fists by his side, and took a few grounding deep breaths. “Fine,” he said, hating how inexplicably affected he sounded even to his own ears, “can you please, please point me to the files now?”
Soulmate 🐻💖💞✨
jimin you won’t believe it.
i saw him again today.
OMG!!!!!
and???
he came down to ask about some file idek
i managed to talk to him for a good ten minutes before sending him to hoseokie hyung
his cute little nose scrunches up when he’s annoyed i wanted to bop it so bad
then i took him down in an arm wrestling match and he actually got mad. his cheeks were puffed and everything
like an angry little bunny
it was so cute. i just want to rub the back of his neck like a puppy
and kiss and make out with him?
duh
he can def take me out
both the date way and the boxing way
how about you? any progress w your guy?
i flustered him again today hehe
he’s so shy it’s adorable. i barely did anything and he was red as a cherry
awww
i wanna see your guy in person :((
you prob will soon
don't tell anyone yet but i have it on good authority that we'll be sent on a trip together next week
omg jiminie!!!!!!!!!!
😳😏🤩🥳🥵🥰😍
i know
fun times ahead ;)