Jungkook followed Taehyung out of the waiting room with a stiff nod and a confused expression, clutching his folder to his chest. He kept his distance at first, trying to remain professional, but Taehyung's long strides forced him to practically jog to keep up. The man walked quickly and with purpose, each step echoing sharply against the polished floor. Jungkook felt like a baby duck being dragged into a hurricane.
Taehyung did not look back even once. He simply spoke as he moved, his tone cool and effortlessly commanding.
"Keep up, Jeon. If you fall behind now, you will be miserable by lunch."
Jungkook's breath caught. He sped up, nearly tripping on his own shoes. His heart pounded, and he nodded even though Taehyung was not facing him. His palms were sweating again, and he wiped them against his blazer, hoping the fabric would hide his nerves.
They reached the executive hallway, quieter and colder than the lobby. Frosted glass walls lined the space, decorated with awards and framed photographs of Taehyung standing beside celebrities, foreign presidents, and fashion icons. Jungkook stared at them with wide eyes. Taehyung caught the look from the corner of his vision but said nothing.
Instead, he stopped abruptly in front of a long table stacked with files. Jungkook nearly collided into him and had to skid to a halt to avoid disaster. Taehyung slowly turned his head, giving him a pointed stare that made the pit in Jungkook's stomach drop deeper.
"Take these to my office."
Jungkook looked at the table. The files were stacked so high they looked unstable. He glanced at Taehyung, wondering if this was a joke, but the man's expression remained unreadable. He swallowed hard and began stacking the folders in his arms carefully. They were heavier than they looked. The edges dug into his wrist, but he held on.
Taehyung watched, arms loosely folded, eyes flicking over Jungkook like he was assessing the durability of a new appliance. The silence hung thick in the air, filled only by the sound of Jungkook's unsteady breathing as he tried to secure the last file.
"Your hands stop working when you are nervous," Taehyung said calmly. "Interesting."
Jungkook nearly dropped the entire pile. His face flushed crimson.
"I am fine, sir. I can handle it."
Taehyung gave a soft hum that did not sound convinced. He turned and continued walking, slower now but still maintaining a distance that forced Jungkook to hurry. The boy stumbled slightly as he kept up, the stack of files wobbling with every step.
Inside the office, Taehyung pointed at the desk.
"Put them there."
Jungkook managed to set them down without dropping anything. Relief washed over him for a moment, but Taehyung was already moving again.
"Coffee. Black. From the café on the ground floor. Bring it within five minutes."
Jungkook blinked. "Five minutes? Sir, that is four floors down."
Taehyung did not even look at him. He simply adjusted his cufflink and replied, "You can walk fast, can you not?"
Jungkook nodded because what else could he do. He bolted out of the room and down the hallway, fumbling with his visitor pass as he rushed toward the elevators. His legs burned by the time he reached the café, and he almost knocked over a stack of sugar packets while grabbing the coffee. The barista stared at him as he ran out of the shop with a frantic 'thank you'.
By the time he returned to the executive floor, sweat lined his forehead. He set the cup carefully on Taehyung's desk, trying not to pant too loudly.
"It is hot," Jungkook said, slightly breathless. "I made it before the five minutes."
Taehyung took one slow sip, expression unreadable.
"You barely made it."
Jungkook pressed his lips together and nodded again. He did not know why this man rattled him so much. Maybe it was the cold eyes or the calm voice or the fact that he felt like Taehyung could read him like an open book. Whatever it was, it was unsettling.
Before Jungkook could recover, Taehyung lifted two folders from his desk.
"We have deadlines. Deliver these to the design department and bring back the green folder on the third shelf of the archive room."
Jungkook took the folders with both hands.
"Yes, sir."
Taehyung stopped him before he reached the door.
"And do not mix them up. I do not tolerate sloppiness."
Jungkook nodded quickly, a bit too quickly, and left the office again.
Outside, a senior manager brushed past him, bumping his shoulder with a sharp tsk. "Watch where you are going, rookie."
Jungkook opened his mouth to apologize, but a shadow loomed behind him. Taehyung stood there. His tone was quiet, but it sliced the air cleanly.
"He works for me. Lower your voice."
The manager paled instantly and stepped back. "My apologies, sir."
Taehyung did not spare him another glance. His eyes stayed fixed on Jungkook.
"Go."
Jungkook just nodded shakily and hurried toward the elevators. By the time he finished the errand and returned, Taehyung was seated at his desk with a schedule book open in front of him. He slid it across the table.
"Memorize this within the hour."
Jungkook stared at the messy handwriting and the chaotic arrangement of meetings and names he did not recognize.
"That... might be difficult, sir."
Taehyung raised his gaze slowly, the air tightening.
"You said you could handle this job. Prove it."
Jungkook's mouth went dry. He took the schedule with both hands, bowed quickly, and headed out of the office.
As the door closed behind him, Taehyung leaned back in his chair and tapped his pen against the desk, eyes narrowed. He had not expected the boy to keep up. He had not expected the determination in those eyes or the stubborn grip on the coffee cup. He certainly had not expected to feel that flicker of something whenever Jungkook's gaze wavered under his own.
Taehyung exhaled slowly. This boy was going to be trouble. Yet he knew he was not going to stop.
Jungkook's POV
When Jungkook stepped out of Taehyung's office, the door clicked shut behind him with a softness that still felt too loud. He let out a breath that trembled on its way out, his fingers clenched around the schedule page Taehyung had handed him. The paper was slightly bent from the pressure of his grip, and he forced himself to loosen it even though his pulse refused to calm.
The hallway stretched ahead, quiet and polished, the kind of place that belonged to people who walked with certainty. Jungkook tried to match that confidence, but his legs felt oddly uncoordinated, like he had forgotten how to walk the moment Taehyung looked him in the eye. He had worked in offices like this before. He had survived micromanagers, impossible deadlines, harsh words spoken too casually. He had always held himself together, always kept his head down and his discipline sharp. But Taehyung unsettled him in a way none of that ever had.
It annoyed him. It confused him. It scared him a little.
Jungkook had faced managers who controlled everything with raised voices and intimidation. He had walked out of those places without letting frustration crack through his expression. Yet Taehyung had not even raised his tone. He did not need to. That calm, controlled voice carried more weight than any shout ever could. One look from him felt like exposure, like being seen down to the nerves he tried to hide.
Jungkook's thumb brushed the edge of the paper. A schedule. Simple. Innocent. Normal. Somehow it felt like a silent promise, or maybe a command he had already started obeying without realizing it. He should have been annoyed, maybe even offended by how blunt Taehyung had been. Instead something warm and restless sat under his ribs. The way Taehyung spoke to him lingered like heat. The quiet dominance. The expectation that he would follow without hesitation. It made Jungkook both uneasy and strangely eager.
He hated that reaction. He hated how quickly Taehyung got into his head. Every detail refused to leave him. The sharp lines of Taehyung's face. The weight of his gaze. The steady confidence that made Jungkook feel like he had already failed some test he did not know he was taking.
He stopped in front of the elevator and stared at the paper again. His reflection in the metal doors looked dazed, unsure, a little lost.
"What are you doing," he murmured to himself.
And for the first time in a long while, Jungkook genuinely did not know.