Jungkook kept glancing at the glass door of Taehyung's cabin, watching the empty room inside. It was already past the time Taehyung usually arrived, the hour when his footsteps echoed through the hallway with that calm authority everyone instantly recognized. But today, nothing. No soft click of his shoes, no brief greeting to the employees, no low voice calling Jungkook into the cabin with files in hand.
Jungkook pretended to type, fingers tapping aimlessly on the keyboard. His mind kept circling the same thought. Maybe he is still with Matt. A weird, twisting feeling built in his stomach and refused to leave. He tried brushing it away as irritation or leftover exhaustion, but the uneasiness only grew sharper. He did not understand why Taehyung's absence bothered him so much today.
Hannah arrived with her usual bright smile, her files clutched in her arm. Jungkook tried to return the smile, hoping that talking to her would ground him. Maybe he had a crush on her. Maybe he could remind himself of that and stop imagining ridiculous things about Taehyung and Matt.
"Good Morning," she said cheerfully as she set her coffee cup on her desk.
"Morning," he replied, forcing his voice to sound warm. "Did you see Mr. Kim today?"
Hannah shook her head. "No. Maybe he is running late. He works too hard. Probably overslept."
Jungkook nodded, pretending that possibility made sense. But inside, the first thought returned before he could stop it. Or he is with Matt. Somehow the image of Matt leaning close to Taehyung flashed in his mind, and Jungkook's jaw tightened.
He hated that it bothered him. He hated that he cared. He hated the confusing thud of his heart that came with the thought of Taehyung smiling at someone else.
Hannah sipped her coffee and nudged his shoulder gently. "You look distracted. Everything okay?"
"Yeah," Jungkook said quickly. "Just tired."
"You do look tired. Did you stay up late?"
Jungkook's soul nearly left his body. If only you knew why. He coughed lightly and avoided her eyes. "Something like that."
Hannah chuckled. "You should rest properly. Or try meditation. It helps."
He nodded again, feeling awkward. Talking to Hannah used to feel easy, or at least he thought it did. Now every sentence felt stiff, every smile forced. The more he tried to focus on her, the more distracted he became.
He found himself staring at the slideshow she was preparing for another meeting, watching her talk animatedly about color palettes and key points. But nothing clicked. His thoughts kept drifting away, circling back to Taehyung without invitation.
He cleared his throat. "So… the presentation yesterday… you did great. You were really confident."
Hannah's smile brightened, clearly happy with the compliment. "Thank you. I was nervous, but Mr. Kim helped a lot before the presentation started. He gives good feedback."
Jungkook's stomach twisted again. "Yeah. He does."
He could not stop the memory of how annoyed Taehyung looked when the female CEO flirted with him. How uninterested he seemed. How stiff his smile was. How his jaw clenched when she had leaned in close to him.
Jungkook rubbed the back of his neck. Why am I thinking about all this again.
Hannah leaned forward on her elbows. "If something is bothering you, you can tell me. You know that, right?"
For a moment, Jungkook wondered if he should talk about what he saw. Matt leaning in. The almost kiss. The clip of Taehyung in towel in his story. The dream. The… everything.
But he swallowed it. "No. Really. I am fine."
She raised an eyebrow. "You sure?"
"Positive," he lied effortlessly.
His eyes flicked to Taehyung's empty cabin again. He tried to mask the way his heart dropped slightly at the sight. Hannah followed his gaze and smiled. "He will come. He always does."
Jungkook nodded, but his mind whispered again. Unless he is with Matt. He hated how sharp that thought felt. How uncomfortable it made him. Almost jealous.
Hannah started telling him about some café she visited, a cute place with pastries he might like. Jungkook nodded along, trying to focus, trying to keep his face controlled. But her words blurred, becoming background noise as his mind drifted again. He wondered where Taehyung was. What he was doing. Who he was with. If he was smiling. And worst of all, why it mattered to him so much.
He leaned back in his chair and sighed quietly. "Hannah?"
"Hm?"
"You ever… get bothered by something even though you know you shouldn't?"
She laughed softly. "Always. I am human."
Jungkook nodded, unsure if that comforted him or made him feel worse. Because whatever this was inside him did not feel simple or normal. It felt complicated, messy, and dangerously close to something he was not ready to admit.
Before Hannah could ask more, his phone buzzed with a message from the office group chat. A reminder that Mr. Kim would arrive later than usual today.
Jungkook stared at the message longer than needed. Later? Why later? With who?
Hannah nudged him again. "See? He is gonna come. You can relax."
Jungkook forced a small smile. "Yeah. I guess."
But his heart, stubborn and confused, refused to relax at all.
The office door finally opened around noon, and Taehyung walked in with sunglasses, a fresh shirt, and hair still slightly damp as if he had showered not long ago. He looked rested, calmer than usual, but there was something hard in his eyes. Something unreadable.
Everyone greeted him with polite bows. He acknowledged them with a short nod and nothing more. His expression was blank, distant.
Jungkook stood automatically, clutching the files he had organized and reorganized twice while waiting. His stomach tightened when Taehyung approached.
"Mr. Kim," Jungkook said softly, stepping forward, "I have the files for today's schedule. I made sure everything is aligned for your afternoon meetings."
Taehyung stopped walking. For a moment his gaze flicked over Jungkook with no warmth at all. No acknowledgement of yesterday. No sign he even remembered Jungkook existed.
"Leave them on the table," he said coolly. His voice was low and polished, but it carried a bite that stung more than Jungkook expected.
Jungkook blinked. "Y-yes, sir."
Taehyung's eyes narrowed slightly. "Do not stutter, Jeon. Speak properly. You are not a child."
The reprimand cut deeper not because Taehyung had never spoken to him like that, he had, but this time it felt different. The words, sharper and colder, sliced through Jungkook like a familiar blade newly honed.
"I am sorry, sir," Jungkook said quietly.
Taehyung did not respond. He simply brushed past him, not even glancing back, and walked into his cabin. The door shut behind him with a soft, final click.
Hannah looked at Jungkook with wide eyes. "Wow. He is in a mood."
Jungkook swallowed, trying to keep his heart where it belonged and not let it crush itself inside his chest. "Yeah. Guess so."
But it felt personal. It felt directed at him. And he hated that it bothered him this much. He returned to his desk, trying to focus on work. But Taehyung's voice replayed in his head, cold and precise. Speak properly and not a like a child?
Jungkook shook his head, trying to push away the sting. Maybe Taehyung was tired. Maybe hungover. Maybe stressed. Maybe thinking of Matt.
That last thought stabbed him unexpectedly. He forced himself to breathe. It should not matter by now. It should not hurt anymore. But it did.
Minutes later, the intercom buzzed. Taehyung's voice filled the small speaker on Jungkook's desk. "Jungkook. Inside."
The tone was direct. Impatient.
Jungkook stood up quickly and entered the cabin. Taehyung was sitting at his desk, legs crossed, wrist resting against his chin, eyes fixed on a set of documents. He did not even look at Jungkook when he spoke.
"You misplaced a report from last Friday," Taehyung said. "Find it."
Jungkook blinked again. "I did not misplace anything, sir. You took that report with you when you left early."
Taehyung slowly lifted his gaze. His eyes were sharp, cold, unreadable. "Are you correcting me?"
"N-no. Just telling you where it is."
"Then choose your words carefully," Taehyung said, voice growing colder. "I do not appreciate arguments. Especially when I did not ask for your opinion."
The room suddenly felt too warm. Jungkook felt his face heat up in a mixture of shame and frustration.
He bowed his head. "I am sorry. I will find it."
Taehyung did not respond. He looked back at his documents, dismissing Jungkook without any further acknowledgment.
Jungkook left the room quietly, his steps slow. The door clicked softly behind him. Back at his desk, he tried to swallow the lump in his throat. It hurt. More than he wanted to admit.
Hannah whispered, "Everything okay?"
Jungkook forced a smile. "He is just… stressed."
But deep down, a tiny voice whispered something that made his chest ache. Did I do something? Did I make him angry? Or… did he treat me like that because of Matt?
The thought twisted inside him. Taehyung being colder than usual to him after spending time with Matt. After the sauna story. After Jungkook had his dream. After all the confusion of the morning.
Jungkook pressed a hand over his chest. For a moment, he wished Taehyung would just yell at him, or scold him loudly, or do anything that felt straightforward. Anything but this icy distance.
He tried to focus on the files in front of him. But every time his thoughts drifted, the same question crept into his mind again and again. Why does it hurt so much when he looks right through me?