Sauvage | Jeon Jungkook

Three

I look behind me over my shoulder to make sure that Mr. Jeon is actually talking to me and wants me to get into his car. After seeing only the empty sidewalk and hearing a tap of his fingers against the steering wheel, I hurry off the sidewalk and to his car.

The many folders and a few other random stuff make it hard for me to open the passenger side door and I'm not really sure if I should even be sitting in the front. I secure the items between my torso and my knee while using my free hand to open the door.

The wind blows in my face and my hair blocks my view, but I still manage to plop into the passenger seat without hurting myself or dropping the folders in my hand. Sometimes I wish I had a car.

"Geez," I mutter under my breath, thinking Mr. Jeon can't hear me as I wipe the hair from my face, but when I turn to my left I already see him staring at me with a weird look. I offer him a friendly smile, but he doesn't return it.

Instead, he steps on the gas pedal and we speed down the road. He's not going fast, though, right in the middle of the lane and his back straight against the leather seat. I want to thank him for letting me ride along, but when you have a rock like him sitting next to you, you don't really know how to get into the conversation.

But he beats me to it anyway.

"I thought I specifically stated that I wanted to see you there on time?" he says, but his voice is so monotone that I can't even detect the annoyance in it. Is he annoyed?

"I mean, I could have made it two minutes before the meeting started," I point out rather to myself, somewhat annoyed now too. I didn't need him to make it from A to B on time. I was doing fine on my own.

Sure.

And even though I thought I said that last sentence quiet enough that only I heard it, I notice Mr. Jeon's right hand tightening against the steering wheel. It's subtle, not really showing aggression, but it doesn't take long for his hand to loosen again.

There's an uneasy atmosphere lingering in the car, and I question whether it was a good idea to get in in the first place. Somehow I would maybe even prefer Mr. Jeon scolding me for being five minutes late instead of spending half an hour here with him.

He doesn't say anything, not even his breathing can be heard, even though it's so quiet. The engine howls a few times when he overtakes the car in front of him and therefore accelerates, but otherwise, there is nothing that could make the ride pleasant.

I want to ask him if he can at least turn on the radio, but I don't think he's the type to listen to music in the car. His taste in music is probably terrible anyway, consisting of a classical string quartet or opera music. I mean he's rich, he's probably not going to listen to Justin Bieber.

After about ten minutes that pass in silence, I glimpse to my left for a brief moment to make sure he hasn't fallen asleep because he hasn't moved once in the last few minutes.

But I regret it because as soon as my eyes hit the side of his face, his jaw clenches and he shifts in his seat, causing me to quickly look forward again out the windshield.

I want to text Megan so she can distract me from this torture, but I don't want as soon as I pull out my phone to have Mr. Jeon thinking I'm not taking my work seriously. Because even though we're leaving for a meeting right now, we're still in work hours and I know how strict he is.

I shudder and goosebumps spread on my exposed legs. The air blowing from the air conditioner is probably as cold as the North Pole and I'm surprised I'm just noticing it now. I must have probably been sweating because of the tense air in the first few minutes after getting into the car.