WHEN THE SEA IS ROUGH (ill hearts 2)

4

Jungkook

Two weeks with my new manager, and I could barely catch a breath, let alone step a foot in my house earlier than 11:30 P.M. Schedule after schedule, constant work, meetings, phone calls. And that day, a sudden photoshoot in Japan. Not like I had much to complain. Despite less free time, less time at home, and less time for training, my wallet was surely getting thicker. I was soon going to be booked for interviews with big channels and magazines. Something good must have come out of it.

It was barely one day in Tokyo, flight back scheduled for the same day, and the attire for a photo shoot promised, so I fit my phone, wallet, and an 'emergency' outfit in my bag as a carry-on luggage.

"Who are you going there with?" Eunbi asked, as I was getting dressed at the door. I managed to catch a few minutes with her before we both left for work. We'd usually be eating breakfast together, but I didn't have time for it that day.

"Jiah."

"Jiah? Only? What about Yoongi or Jimin?"

"No, it's just for me. She's going there as my manager, you know. I can't go there alone." I chuckled, adjusting my hoodie. "Should I wear a jacket? It's not too hot now, but it will be, right?"

"You're going there alone with her?" Eunbi asked, like she didn't hear my question, arms crossed on her chest as she leaned against the wall.

I paused, giving her a questioning look. The last time I checked, she wasn't jealous. "Yeah, she's my manager now. Don't tell me you're worried about me being around another woman." I playfully raised my eyebrow, but she definitely wasn't in the mood to joke.

"I'm not worried about another woman. But... have you read anything about her before you hired her?" she asked, hesitant to bring the topic.

"Yeah, I did. She had all great reviews," I said, eventually taking the light jacket I'd probably leave in the car before the flight.

"So you didn't come across the part about divorces her clients went through and her body count?"

"Body count? What the hell are you talking about?" I asked, huffing out an amused chuckle.

"I'm talking about people who said that she does her job well, but at a certain expense," she said. Just because she dressed in a way she did, didn't mean she was whoring around to get to the higher position.

"Now you're kinda going overboard," I said, frowning. That didn't sound like something Eunbi I knew would say. She had hundreds of customers, all acting and looking differently, and never judged anyone. "Do you have any proof?"

"And do you have any proof for her achievements?" she asked, lifting her eyebrows. I did, too, and we both looked at each other in a sense of disbelief in one another. Any heated exchange with her like this made me shut down instantly. I hated it. I hated arguing, even if no one was screaming. Just the heaviness of our words was enough to kill my mood, and leave me sulking.

"If I wanted, I'd find proof," I mumbled.

"Yeah, me too," she said. "All I'm trying to say is that I don't like her, and I don't like her being around you when no one else is around."

"So you don't trust me."

"Don't try to play that game with me. I trust you. I don't trust her."

"You're overreacting, Bee. There is nothing wrong with Jiah, she's a great manager." I rolled my eyes. I didn't want this to accelerate, so I grabbed my bag and turned to the door. "I'm gonna be late. Bye."

Leaving without clearing up the air was a dumb idea, but I feared saying anything worse in a heat of the moment. I didn't want Eunbi to be worried about a single person taking her place in my life, and I always made sure she knew she was irreplaceable. Seeing her do and say things that screamed jealousy was unfamiliar, and I wasn't sure if I wanted to get used to it.