Mr. Boss

Chapter-36😢

Taehyung's pov

I stared at my screen. It was the first time in more than two weeks that I'd seen or heard a word from Jungkook, and he'd picked my last day at work to reappear.

Can you come by my office around noon, please?

I read that one stupid line over and over. Each time, I became more and more irate. I'd started my ridiculous mourning over the loss of Jungkook as soon as he dumped me. Lucky for him, I was stuck at stage two: angry.

Today was my last day. I had nothing left to lose. So I typed back.

Screw you.

It made me feel a lot better. It also made me want to eat. Grabbing my wallet from the desk drawer, I slammed it shut and headed to Su-bin's office.

"Still want to take me out to lunch for my last day?"

"Fuck, yeah."

"We're taking Lia, too. It's not a date."

He stood. "It's a pre-date. As soon as you see how charming I am outside of the office, you'll give in."

I pretended to want to invite Ae-cha, Jungkook's secretary, just so I had an excuse to strut past the boss's office, even though I already knew she wasn't in today. The blinds were wide open as we passed. I was dying to look inside, but I wouldn't give Jungkook the satisfaction. I wasn't even sure he was in there until Su-bin and I were almost at Ae-cha's empty desk, and the bossman's deep voice stopped me in my tracks.

"Taehyung."

I closed my eyes, dreading turning around. But there was no way I was making a scene. I wouldn't stoop to that level.

I'd made my mistake of getting involved with someone from my job again, but I'd at least go out with my head held high in front of my peers.

Mustering up all the professionalism I could, I turned. "Yes?"

What I found broke down the wall I'd built around my heart. Jungkook looked absolutely terrible. His normally bright skin was sallow, and his face was sunken. He had dark circles under his eyes, and he looked...sad. I had to stop myself from walking back to him—my immediate reaction was to want to offer him comfort. Then I remembered. Where had he been to offer me comfort the last few weeks when I was hurting? Still, it went against my nature to kick someone when he was down.

"Can we speak a moment?" He tilted his head toward his office door.

I looked at Su-bin standing next to me and then back at Jungkook. "We have plans for lunch. Can it wait until I get back?"

He nodded, looking forlorn. "Sure."

Our eyes locked for a few seconds, and I forced myself to look away. "Ready, Su-bin?"

Over lunch, the boss's return was the topic of conversation.

Lia started with the gossip. "Did you see Jungkook is back? He looks like he got run over by a freight train."

Su-bin responded. "He looks like he's sick or something."

I'd told Su-bin that Jungkook was just kidding around when he'd kissed me that day in the break room, and we were actually just old friends. He seemed to believe it.

Two weeks ago, an office memo had come out saying Jungkook would be traveling on unexpected business for an unknown amount of time. He could have just been exhausted from travel, but it looked like more than that to me. Maybe he was sick. Oh God. The thought made me feel ill.

What if he was sick? Maybe he'd broken things off to spare my feelings.
What was it exactly he'd said to me?

"I'm not the right man for you."