Hidden Love

Chapter 5

The clock strikes the time that lunch break is over and everyone is to return back to the studio room. However, I cannot bring myself to leave the safe zone of the break room knowing that Jungkook has gone back to the studio room, leaving me confused and in fact, scared.

Scared because I've never had a man be so straightforward about his feelings towards me. Scared because I've not felt this kind of interest towards a man I've only known for a couple of months. Scared because... I know I'm just going to get hurt.

My head is resting upon my folded arms across the table in the same seat I sat across from Jungkook only a week ago. Now, sat alone.

It's only when the door to the room barges open that my head lifts up to see a worried Sunghoon at the door.

"Hey, are you okay?" He asks first while stepping into the room to allow the door to close behind him softly, "rehearsals are starting."

Putting my best act on that I'm not feeling well, I nod my head and slowly rose from my chair.

"I feel sick," I state shakily, "I think my concussion hasn't fully healed."

Knowing my little white lie will come back to bite me on the ass, I know it's better for me to go home. Just the thought of being in the same room with the man, who just had me thrust up against the kitchen counter, pretending like nothing just happened makes me feel queazy and unsteady.

"Oh no, I'll tell them that you're going home," Sunghoon says soothingly, "I'll get your stuff."

I breathe out a soft bid of gratitude before Sunghoon leaves the room which I assume is to head back to the studio room where my stuff has been left. On the other hand, I take my sweet time leaving the room because it feels like I'll be thrown out into the wild once the door closes behind me, and as much as I want to stay in the confined safety of the break room, I can't live here.

Cracking the door open, the corridor down to the studio room is a dead man's land and it encourages me to walk steadily towards the double doors of the studio room, holding my stomach as I go to solidify my act of feeling sick.

Just mere meters away from the double doors, one door springs open and Sunghoon comes charging out of the room with my bag in hand. A brief smile glosses over my lips that I can be out of this building in less than a minute, away from the bearing proximity of Jungkook.

Sunghoon jogs up to me with a caring smile and hands me my backpack before sweeping me into a hug.

"Get home safe and rest well, okay?" He says softly while pulling out of the comforting hug he was gifting me with, "I'll come to check on you later to see if you need anything."

Another short smile glosses my lips before I nod to Sunghoon's after-rehearsals schedule, but then don't take a second to stick around and walk past him. I don't even watch Sunghoon go back into the studio room and continue heading towards the lobby of the building, the banging of the studio door behind me is all I hear for a brief moment. Just as I get to the front double glass doors of the building, my hand on the handle of the left side door, I throw a glance in the direction of the corridor that the studio room is in to see no one in sight. The only people near me are the two receptionists that are too engrossed in their work to even notice me.

With the coast essentially safe and clear, I burst through the glass door and take off down the road. People shriek and dive to get out of my fast oncoming direction at them while others just peer at me in curiosity as to what I'm possibly running away from.

I'm practically running away from Jungkook.

Even in the mix of my anxiety, queasiness and straight-up fright of my new renowned feelings towards Jungkook, I don't dare take the chance to go down the shortcut of the alleyway since I still can't completely remember what happened down there, but I know whatever happened, it wasn't good. My feet pound against the gravel, past the alleyway and taking the longer route to my complex building knowing that I can take the time to breathe, rest and figure out what the hell is going on with me when I am in the safety of my apartment, but right now, there is no time to stop even when my lungs start to protest against the hard running I'm doing through the streets of Seoul.